My handsome boy...

with his new haircut and new flip-flops.

camping

So in our 3 years of marriage, we have not been able to go camping, until this weekend. On Thursday night, we went camping with our friends, the Sperry's. We went to this beautiful campground on a lake about an hour away. The drive there was absolutely gorgeous... green, green, green everywhere you looked. Since it was pre-Memorial Day, the campground was practically empty which was nice so we could have some privacy and really feel like we were secluded out in the woods.

We made foil dinners and dutch oven dessert, then sat around the campfire chatting and making smores. It was so much fun! ....Until bedtime.

7 months pregnant + sleeping on the ground = AGONY!

After about 3 hours of agony and no sleep, I decided to sleep in the car. It was very comfortable, compared to the ground. Xander had other plans for me. He was being super clingy and cuddly, and he wouldn't stop crying unless I was cuddling him. He wanted nothing to do with Brian, and he even told him to "go outside". So, I finally fell asleep holding Xander, until 8am when I knew he was really asleep and I moved to the car.

It started raining in the middle of the night, so we packed up our stuff in the rain (ie threw everything into the car in one wet, jumbled mess).

When we got home, we unpacked and repacked all of our stuff so Brian and Xander could go camping again.

Friday night was the Father-and-Son Campout. All of our friends were bringing their little boys, so Brian brought Xander. When they left in the rain with a car full of wet camping gear, I could see the fear in Brian's eyes. I was very nervous myself, but I sent them on their way and spent the evening at a Girls Night Out with friends where I found out that all of the other dads with little kids stayed home due to the rain.

Well, in spite of the rain, they had a great time. I guess as soon as they got there, Xander started saying "Go home". But once they watched a moving in their tent, he was happy. He actually slept pretty good until 4 or 5 am, when he woke up from a flashlight shining in their tent. So they got up and went for a walk and Brian pushed Xander on the swings while the sun came up. They had a big breakfast with the whole group, then packed up and came home. They were home by 10, soaking wet and tired.

If we can maybe find a not so rainy weekend and bring an air mattress for me next time, we will definitely be going camping again soon. Anyone in?

McDonalds

So Brian and I went to a picnic the other day, and decided to go thru the drive-thru of McDonalds to pick up some salads on the way. Here is how it went:

Drive-thru lady: "What can I get you?"

Brian: "We just need a minute."

lady (with no pause): "What do you want?"

Mind you her accent is so thick, we can't understand most of what she is saying... plus, she is mumbling.

Brian: "Um, ok, what is on the Southwest Chicken Salad?"

lady: "Uh, vegetables...."

Really?!? Vegetables in a salad?

Brian: "What else, and what kind of vegetables?"

lady: "corn and... {mumble, mumble, mumble,} and, uh, tomatoes."

Brian: "Ok, sure we'll take one of those."

Juno

I just watched "Juno", and I loved it. It was different, and it made me laugh, and it made me cry (but what doesn't these days). I definitely recommend it!

CATCH

Pretty good, huh? Now if we could just get him to stop calling any and all balls, "bakasoup" (ie basketball hoop)!

"No suck a thumb"

One sore thumb +


aveeno lotion + petroleum jelly + one mitten =


a happy, funny-lookin' two-year old!


A couple of weeks ago, Xander got sick and ended up sucking his thumb off to sooth himself. The picture of his thumb really doesn't do it any justice... it was reddish-purple and cracked and peeling. So on top of explaining to him that it was his mouth that gave his thumb that nasty ow-ie, we also tried the mitten technique. The lotion helped heal his thumb, while the mitten helped keep his thumb out of his mouth. So if you've seen my kid walking around the playground in 70 degree weather with one mitten on, this is why. He is actually pretty good about not sucking it since I explained it to him. He will sit there and stare at his thumb and tell me, "Thumb all red, a ow-ie, no suck a thumb." And when I put him down for a nap or at night he will look at me and ask me, "Suck a thumb?" So far, so good.

April Fools' Day

For April Fools Day this year, I decided to make our first ever April Fools Dinner! We invited some friends over from our Ward, and I surprised them with this amazing meal. We started with chicken nuggets and ketchup, mashed potatoes with gravy, and peas and carrots. Then for dessert we had cupcakes. It was an interesting meal, to say the least!




April Fools!!!!!

We actually ate coconut covered marshmallows with strawberry jam, vanilla ice cream with caramel sauce, and green m&ms and cheese puffs. And for dessert we had mini-meatloaves frosted with brightly food-colored mashed potatoes!

Jesus Wants Me for a Sun-BEAM!

Easter

We had a GREAT Easter this year!

Saturday, our playgroup had an Easter Egg Hunt at the park. Xander had a great time playing on the slide and the swings while the eggs were being hid. He of course wanted to open every egg as soon as he found them.

We told him on Saturday night that he had to clean up all of his toys so the house would be clean for the Easter Bunny to come hide "candy" eggs. He did a great job, then woke up at 5am asking to go find eggs. I told him he had to wait til the morning, and put him back to bed. He laid in bed saying, "Yummy treats!", then went back to sleep.

Sunday morning, the Easter Bunny had come and left eggs all over the apt, and an Easter basket and presents for Xander. He was especially excited about his new dolly. We went over to our friends, the Sperry's house for breakfast. Yummy! Yummy!

I taught for the first time in Young Women's. Fortunately, I had found a great idea for an Easter lesson online, so I was excited to teach. The lesson was titled: CSI Jerusalem, "The Case of the Empty Tomb". For those of you who know me, know that CSI Vegas is my favorite show to watch, so this lesson was perfect! (Granted, neither of the YW knew what CSI was) I brought bags of "evidence", and we "interviewed" witnesses out in "the field" (ie, we read scripture passages of witnesses of the Savior's ressurection). I printed a chart for them to fill in, their field notes, and they had Detective name badges, and I even wore Brian's lab coat and goggles (for a little while at least, until I got too hot). It went well (with the three other leaders and two YW we had in there).

We had our friends over for dinner. I cooked a spiral-sliced honey-glazed ham (my first time) and I was so proud of Brian for cutting it up for us. Lauren brought delicious au-gratin potatoes made with gouda cheese. Yum Yum! It was a great feast to end a great day!

in summary

Just to summarize all the fun we had last week with the Schiffmans:

THURSDAY: Please Touch Museum and Liberty Bell, tour of N Broad St on the way home :)

FRIDAY: Shady Maple Smorgasborg and Intercourse, PA

SATURDAY: yummy BBQ at the Matheson's (after Brian's first installs of the season)

SUNDAY: NYC

MONDAY: Josh left, King of Prussia mall for some shopping

TUESDAY: Smith Playhouse and Five Guys burgers for dinner (my new fave burger joint)

WEDNESDAY: Reading Terminal Market

THURSDAY: Chubby's cheese steaks, Rita's FREE Italian Water Ice (first day of spring)

What a fun, exciting, eventful week! Thank you Jan and Josh for coming to visit us!