Reflection and Planning

It's the eve of a new year, and unbelievably, a new decade. I had intentions of investing time in both reflection and planning this week, but as is often the case, life happens. Anna's strange and continuing illness has kept me busy. Exhaustion and worry have occupied my mind the last couple of days. In the hours of rocking and comforting Anna, my mind has had some time to reflect on the decade and to explore my goals (although nothing is on paper yet).

This decade seems to have gone by much more quickly than the last. Blake and I both noted how different the passage of time has been compared to the 90's. Maybe it has something to do with the nature of growth and development. In the 90's, we were in our teens and early twenties, we grew exponentially, both physically and emotionally, we moved a lot, we changed a lot. In the last 10 years, despite great life transitions, we settled in one place, with one person and had more consistency in our lives. This is some of the big stuff that we remember from the decade (in no particular order):

• I moved back home from Australia
• I started and finished grad school
• Blake graduated from college and started working for DTE
• We both confronted internal struggles that we'd been battling for a while
• We bought our first home
• We got married
• We joined a country club (really?!) and Blake golfed a lot (he wanted me to mention that he got a hole in one as well)
• I started my first real full-time job, left that job, dealt with the stress of unemployment, found another job, left that job to start a business, loved and hated it all at the same time, and took a break from the business to be a mom
• We travelled for fun...to Hawaii, Napa, Fiji, Italy, Colorado, Mexico, Florida, Charleston
• We had a miscarriage
• We welcomed a beautiful baby girl into our lives, lost a lot of sleep, and gained a lot of love
• I became a Spinning instructor
• We experienced the stress of sick parents (who, thankfully, are thriving today)
• I got a (big) tattoo symbolizing balance and harmony
• We started a garden

I know there's more. I'm amazed when I look back at the last ten years. I am hopeful as I look ahead to the next ten. For now, my planning will focus on 2010.

In the past, my career as a life coach and my natural tendency toward planning inspired me to create and revisit goals throughout the year, rather than creating a "New Year's Resolution." Now that mommyhood is my full-time gig, my coach-like way of thinking has somehow snuck its way out the front door, and the regular intervals of planning have gone with it. So, I'm making New Year's resolutions for a change, keeping in mind the power of SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant/Realistic, and Timely).

This year, in addition to numerous other goals, I intend to try harder at taking a coaching approach in my everyday life. In light of this, I've decided to devote one blog post per week to something, anything, that will inspire, motivate, ground, facilitate change, elicit new thinking... for me and for others. I don't know what this will look like yet, but it should be fun.

Happy New Year! I hope 2010 brings you countless opportunities for learning.

Just in Time

After Anna had an episode of diarrhea on Sunday morning with nothing to follow, I thought it might just have been something she ate. But, yesterday afternoon we had a delightful blowout at the AT&T store, and sadly, she began vomiting last night after she went to sleep. Coincidentally, it was almost one year ago to the day that she got her first tummy bug at our Mox-Kirker-Richards family Christmas.

So, we arrived home last night just in time. Being sick is no fun, and being sick away from home is even less fun. I'm thankful we can snuggle up in our rocking chair today. We've been reading, cuddling, nursing, and of course, I've been changing diapers, changing puke-y clothes, cleaning carpet, and doing laundry.

It goes without saying that it's awful to see your kid so scared and sick. I am so thankful it's just a stomach virus. Times like this always make me especially grateful for the health of our little girl.

Four Down...

One to go. We've celebrated Christmas four times over the last week or so and have one more celebration planned with Blake's family this week. We've had many laughs, eaten much food, and exchanged lots of gifts. It always feels good to get away and see family, especially during holidays; and, as we settle back in at home tonight, even though I'm a little sad the holidays are wrapping up, I'm also feeling like "there's no place like home" after two weekends away.

We captured over 100 moments on camera these last few days. Here are a few of my favorites.

Anna carried these bows around for hours on Christmas Day.

It's rare that we have the entire extended family together. Sadly, Great Grandma wasn't feeling well, so she didn't make it to the celebration. We visited at her place earlier that day.

A precious photo of brother and sister...my uncle and my mom.

Krysha and me with Anna and Grace. We are first cousins and first friends. I love Grace's face in this photo!

Stirring her eggs. She LOVES her kitchen supplies.

A miniature snowman made in the company of Mo, Aunt Kaity and Aunt Meg, and Daddy. I made a desperate attempt at a "meem" for Anna on Sunday. It wasn't good packing snow, but it was good for a laugh.

Christmas Eve

Ready for Christmas morning.

Just some notes about our day so today's Christmas Eve memories don't fade away over the years.

We woke this morning to a loud flap-flap-flapping coming through Anna's monitor. It took us a few minutes to realize the sound was a bird that landed itself inside the fan in the bathroom next to Anna's room. After a long and comical phone call to our local bird rescue organization that included a lecture on the starling's ability to speak even better than a parrot's, we attempted to remove the bird ourselves. Fortunately, by the time we opened up the ceiling, the bird escaped (or it died somewhere in there, and we'll smell it later).

I've been battling a sore throat since Tuesday evening and was lacking in energy for much of the day today. Nevertheless, we went for a brisk family walk this morning, looking for geese and wishing for snow with every step. There was no snow, and there were no geese to be found, but it was great to get outside and enjoy the frigid fresh air.

For the first time ever, I attempted to make my Grandma Mox's stuffed cabbage for Christmas Eve dinner. I spent every Christmas Eve of my youth at my grandparents, and as I boiled the cabbage this afternoon, the smell transported me back to their kitchen. My dad shared his version of my grandma's recipe from memory last weekend. I think they turned out pretty well, although I have some tweaks to make next time. The stuffed cabbage definitely deserves its own post someday when I have more time. Blake also made French Onion soup tonight as a tribute to his French heritage (the stuffed cabbage honored my Polish ancestry).

Homemade cinnamon rolls are rising for Christmas morning, a tradition in my mom's family, and Blake whipped up the egg surprise, one of his family's Christmas morning traditions. Tomorrow's menu also includes macaroni and cheese and roasted root vegetables. I think we'll have plenty of food.

Before dinner tonight, Anna delightedly opened one present. And, tonight, as we three giggled up the stairs in our usual nighttime fashion, we told Anna that Santa was coming and that there would be presents under the tree tomorrow morning. Her face lit up and she squealed with delight. I think she's starting to get the concept!

Now, we're snuggled up in bed. The Christmas presents are under the tree, Anna is asleep (for now), and we're excited and exhausted. I can't wait to see Anna's face tomorrow morning.

Making Memories

It finally feels like Christmas. Blake is on vacation until next Tuesday. I have a pile of gifts and wrapping paper at my feet, a beer by my side, and "A Christmas Story" showing on TV. Blake is sneaking recently bought gifts into the basement (what on earth could be SO big that he couldn't keep it in the garage without me seeing it)?

I am so excited about the next few days together. Although last year was our first Christmas as a family of three, at 6 months old, Anna was pretty oblivious to it all. Now she's starting to get it. And, now all of the wonderful memories I have of this holiday from my childhood are shooting around in my brain like popcorn. And, I'm feeling hopeful that Anna will have as many and more happy memories of this holiday when she's my age and looks back at her Christmas' as she's settling in for an evening of wrapping presents for her child (if she choses to have one, of course).

I remember the absolute awe I felt Christmas morning when I caught my first glimpse of the packages under the tree. The tree transformed overnight, appearing wholly different with the carefully placed gifts under (and beyond) it. Bows and ribbons adorned almost every box, and even the stocking stuffers were wrapped for added surprises. I still love to see the care with which my mom wraps her presents. She always did, and still does, put everything into this holiday.

I remember drives home from my Grandma and Grandpa Mox's house on Christmas Eve, which seemed like forever at the time, even though they were only an hour. I remember one year, when I must have been only 3 or 4, my parents woke me from my slumber in the back seat to point out Santa and his reindeer in the sky. I was sure I saw Rudolf's red nose that night.

I remember my mom waking me early one Christmas morning, excitedly whispering to me that Santa was downstairs. We snuck down to see if we could spy him leaving gifts, but of course, he was gone when we peeked around the corner.

I guess it's the early memories that I'm drawn to right now, with Anna being so young. Blake and I were discussing how to handle the Santa Claus topic recently; that is, what do we tell Anna about Santa Claus? We didn't come to a conclusion. Fortunately, we have another year to make that decision. I know every kid is different, but I don't remember being devastated when I found out he isn't "real." What I do remember is the spirit of Santa that my parents brought to life. I remember the magic, the giving and receiving, the faith and hope.

I hope the memories we make now and in the future inspire feelings of awe and wonder in Anna in the years to come.

Christmas at the River 2009

The Mox-Kirker-Richards family...growing bigger every year!

We arrived home early Sunday evening from Christmas at the River. It was, as usual, a fun-filled weekend with new and old traditions, delicious food and drinks, and lots of gift giving. Things have changed a bit over the years with the addition of three little ones. An event that previously required stamina to keep up with the all-day-drinking-and-eating requires stamina to keep up with three busy girls. Rather than waiting until dark to open stockings and presents as in the past, we exchanged gifts for the little girls in the morning and did our grown-up exchange after they were all tucked in. As usual, we fought for space around the kitchen island to devour the 6 (or was it 8?) baked heads of garlic, an event that signals the beginning of the festivities. Lisa, who is training for a more-than-half-marathon, encouraged me to run 5 miles with her pre-garlic-eating, something I haven't done in, well, 18 months plus 40 weeks. Maybe that should be a new tradition? We also spent some time playing in the snow. Anna loved it, as we hadn't welcomed the fluffy white stuff in Ypsi yet. My favorite pics from the weekend were snapped in the backyard.

Ellie mid-climb pausing to "Cheese!" for the picture.

Josie...what a precious face!

Anna getting accustomed to the snow...and the mittens.

Family photo...you might be seeing this on Happy New Year card (since we haven't sent out Christmas cards yet!)

Thanks to everyone for making it another wonderful Christmas at the River!

Preview to Christmas

This pre-Christmas week was full and fast and tiring. There are so many blog posts floating around in my head, mostly unrelated to the holidays or our day-to-day activities; but I haven't had the energy or the ability to focus long enough to write. After many sleepless nights, we discovered a new tooth breaking the surface in Anna's mouth. We felt a bit of relief knowing what might be driving the multiple-nights-in-a-row-of-waking-for-hours-at-a-time. Now, with our Mox-Kirker-Richards family Christmas beginning tomorrow, our traditional week is coming to a close, and I can't seem to focus on much except the food, gifts, and smiles to come.

Mo (Grandma Debbie) visited today before picking Aunt Kaity up from school tomorrow, and she decided we wouldn't have enough room in our car (after Christmas at her place next week) for one of Anna's presents. SO, Anna opened a present early. The box dwarfed Anna, who took great care in tearing off little pieces of paper. She smiled wide and proud as she unveiled her Little Tikes basketball hoop, which she remembered how to use from her time at the pool this summer. She so enjoyed the process and the outcome, and I can't wait to watch her experience it all again this weekend and next.

A long way to go!

Very carefully pulling small pieces from her package.

Starting to feel the excitement!

Conquering her package.

Christmas Fun and Head Injuries

Anna and I wrapped a few presents this morning. This means that Anna wrapped herself in paper and ribbons of sticky tape while I tried to keep the destruction to a minimum. I did get a couple of gifts wrapped, and she was actually very helpful in pressing down the tape. It was fun to watch her roll around in the Christmas paraphernalia.

Later today Anna took her second tumble in two days. She was stumbling all over, I assume because of her exhaustion (she cat-napped for just 15 minutes this afternoon), and one of her trips landed her chin on the corner of her push cart. Her tooth gouged a decent chunk from her lip. It was probably harder on mom who watched the whole thing happen....it looked like the damage was going to be a lot worse than it was! This weekend Anna tripped (over her own feet?), digging her forehead into a corner on our dining room table's leg. She had a decent goose egg that night, but recovered quickly.

Blake had a tendency toward head injuries when he was young. I was hoping Anna would not follow in his footsteps in that regard! There's still hope...most toddlers fall while perfecting their walking, right?!

Showing off her bruise while playing with the roll of tape.

Summary

We're getting ready for bed. I should be there already! It's been a good, but exhausting, weekend. We had Blake's company Christmas party on Friday, and Anna blessed us with her first good night of sleep in a while. We took a family trip to the mall on Saturday where Anna had fun touching mannequins, riding the escalator, and peeking at Santa and his stuffed animals from afar (no point in waiting in line when we were pretty sure that Anna would not be receptive to sitting on a strange, bearded man's lap). After 4.5 hours of sleep for Blake and me last night, we were tired today. Fortunately, we had an invitation to hang with the Sanders, Jones, and Kirker families this afternoon, which took our mind off of the exhaustion a bit. Getting together with that crowd sure is different these days with all the kids around and one on the way. It doesn't happen often enough!

We have a big Christmas preparation week with our Mox/Kirker/Richards celebration on the weekend. Lots of wrapping and baking and a little shopping to finish. We can't wait for the festivities to begin!

Puppets

I just finished sewing the puppets that I mentioned here. I'm so excited that they turned out and that they're finished in time to give them to Anna for Christmas. I hope I can get my wrapping and baking done soon so I can make some more for the other little people in our lives!

I like the top photo better, but the color shows up better in the flash photo below.

Anna's New Pastime

I know her eyes are closed, but it was the only shot I got today that wasn't blurry. She was constantly charging the camera!

Anna and I had a great day today, despite her waking three times last night. We had a successful trip to Target in the morning. She took a reasonable nap (more than 45 minutes, less than 90). She also refrained from whining for most of the day, didn't deliberately throw food on the floor, and she even played beside me for a little while so I could work on the puppets I've been sewing for her. We played together on the floor, giggled a lot, and took a break from cooking anything elaborate for dinner. Good day in my book.

We spent much of our downtime throwing things in the garbage today. I've been noticing Anna's recent fascination with picking up food or lint or who-knows-what from the floor, exclaiming something that I still can't understand but that I assume means garbage, and then intently carrying it over to the garbage can in the kitchen. I can't decide if she's modeling my behavior (do I really do this that often?) or if she just likes using her new skills and being "So helpful!" Regardless, it's very cute.

Tired Thoughts

Just another week of sleeplessness around here. For the past three nights, Anna has woken at 11pm, and she's been waking for the day at 5:30am. Last night, she couldn't get back to sleep when she stirred in the evening. We were awake until 3am, at which point I finally brought her into bed with me, something we don't do and I probably wouldn't have done if Blake was home. I was desperate.

Last week we had an appointment (for a shot) with the nurse practitioner at our pediatrician's office, and as I was asking her about her thoughts on multi-vitamins, she browsed through Anna's file. She quickly noted Anna's low Ferritin (iron) level detected by blood work around her 1st birthday and assumed that we were already doing some form of iron supplementation. She sounded surprised when I told her we are not supplementing Anna. We followed the pediatrician's recommendation when she told us it wasn't necessary. "Just keep feeding her iron-rich foods," she said.

I've had some concern about Anna's iron levels since well before her 1st birthday. We all know that I tend to be an over-thinking, anxiety-prone health nut who gobbles up too much information. At some point, somewhere, I read something that told me iron deficiency in infants and toddlers can have an impact on their ability to sleep well. I think the pediatrician even mentioned it at one point, kind of in passing. Given the challenges we've had with sleep, and given that most breastfed infants have low iron stores by 6 months old, it seemed reasonable (to me) to assume there might be a connection between Anna's sleep issues and iron levels, even before we had the blood work results. Anyway, last week the nurse practitioner indicated that Anna's Ferritin level was 8; when her office sends kids to the sleep disorders clinic, the specialists there recommend iron supplementation for anyone with a Ferritin level less than 3o. Hmmmm...why were we not told to supplement Anna earlier? And, why, if I knew there might be a connection between her sleep and her iron levels, did I not question the doctor more when she said not to supplement?

In the wake of the last week, I'm feeling flustered, sad, hopeful, and of course, tired. I'm probably not in the best mental space given my exhaustion, and that space leaves me ruminating about the past. How might things have been different had we done something sooner? Could we have avoided so many of the sleepless nights and arguments over what to do? I'm sure the doctor would say that no permanent damage has been done, although the self-critic in me brings to mind the number of times I've lost my cool in the middle of the night, and I can convince myself that I've landed Anna in therapy already. The hardest part of this, most of the time, is not knowing what is going on for our little girl. Until she can tell us, we'll be questioning it and doing our best to take good care of her.

I know hindsight is 20/20, so I shouldn't beat myself up by saying "I should have listened to my instinct." I shouldn't beat the doctor's office up either by saying "You should have told us something different." And, I realize it remains to be seen whether or not supplementation helps Anna. I guess the important things to take away from all of this are that I need to listen to my gut, and I need to ask questions, even if it means seeming overly anxious and annoying to the doctors.

Gingerbread with Mo and Mommy

Jan Brett is one of our favorite authors right now. Anna LOVES her books, The Mitten and The Hat, so when I saw this book at the store, I bought it without even reading it. Although it's not my favorite, it still has all the animals Anna loves, and it has a recipe embedded in the story, which inspired me to make gingerbread cut-outs with Anna and Grandma Debbie today. I've been wanting to make gingerbread cookies for some time; they're baked with so many healthy spices and a good dose of molasses, which contains calcium, magnesium, potassium, and iron. Here is the recipe from her book (I added the instructions):

3/4 cup butter

3/4 cup brown Sugar

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup molasses (I use unsulphured)

1 egg

3 cups flour

Cream butter and brown sugar with electric mixer. Add baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt, beating until combined. Beat in the molasses and egg. Beat in flour gradually. Divide dough in half, cover, and refrigerate for 3 hours or until easy to handle.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease cookie sheet. On a lightly floured surface, roll half of the dough to about 1/8th inch thick. Use a cookie cutter to cut into desired shape. Place on cookie sheet and bake for approximately 8 minutes. Remove and cool on wire rack.

I'm freezing most of the cookies for now, but later I'll put some icing on them. I think that will make them even better.

**************

Grandma, who is now known as "Mo" thanks to Anna's increasing verbal acuity, is visiting and helping out while Blake is away in NYC. Anna has been asking to make cookies again, so we started the gingerbread batch this morning. We completed the cut-out and bake portion after nap time, which was followed by a quick trip to the park.

Anna was so excited when we started the mixer!

Cutting out cookies with Mo.

Signing "Again!" for Mommy to swing next to her.

Yuck Update

I found the tape today. We are thrilled...and a little embarrassed. It was, of course, in a most obvious place. Blake looked in the 2nd desk drawer at least once, and although I searched the drawer above it and next to it, I somehow skipped over the drawer it was hiding in. I just don't get it.

It's mind-boggling how something you want so desperately can be right in front of you, where you actually expect it to be, and you still can't SEE it. It makes me think about what else we don't see.

Anyway, I'm so relieved and happy and thankful!

Yuck

I'm feeling heartbroken. For a few weeks, Blake and I have been ignoring the fact that we couldn't find one of the three video tapes we have that document Anna's life. Yesterday we finally took some time, every spare minute we had, to look for it. We couldn't find it.

There were so many high points to our day, including a trip to the bookstore with Anna, who insisted on going up and down the escalator ten times and pulled books and games off of the shelves faster than I could put them back; but, I couldn't ignore the yuck feeling I had in my heart and stomach. I hope it turns up. There were many special moments recorded on that tape.

Our Christmas Tree Tradition

Yesterday began a month full of holiday traditions. I am fond of traditions and rituals. Taking part in and creating traditions grounds me; traditions leave me feeling a deeper connection to those around me and to something bigger. Blake and I began our tree tradition years ago, although I can't remember exactly which year now. Every year we make a stop pre-tree-cutting at Morgan and York to buy (and taste) cheese for fondue. We also usually leave with plenty of wine, cornichons (delicious little pickles), good bread, salami, chocolates, and cappuccino. Then we drive around to find a Fraser Fir tree at any U-Cut place we can find. We finally end up at home; I'm meticulously placing lights on the tree while Blake is beginning preparations for fondue. Last year was our one exception; Anna was just 5 months old, and it was insanely snowy and cold. We opted for a pre-cut tree after being unable to find a U-Cut Fraser anywhere close by.

This year also differed from previous years in some small ways and one big way...Anna was really a part of the entire experience. We were more plan-ful than we have been in the past, staking out our tree farm the night before, packing snacks for Anna, and making sure we were out of the house right after breakfast. We were enjoying bites of Appenzeller with our cappuccino by 9:20am. Anna, our little cheese connoisseur, was not left out. The staff at M&Y indulged Anna in more fancy cheese than a 17-month-old girl could dream of. For a girl who suddenly refuses much of the food we serve, she didn't hesitate with the expensive, pungent cheese, and she continued to ask for more.

Anna's first bite of the Appenzeller.

Having a GREAT time at the cheese shop.

We love the "cheesy" sign in front of our favorite Ann Arbor wine and cheese stop.

Our next stop was Urqhart's Tree Farm. This was our first time here, and we were a little bit disappointed with the trees that were left. Their pre-cut trees were beautiful; full and perfectly shaped, while the u-cuts were...unique. We were determined to find a u-cut that was the perfect tree for us, and after much deliberation and too much time, we found a rather sparse, flat-on-one-side, flawed tree that we happily adopted and fell in love with. Anna was enamored with all the trees and didn't seem to mind the cold, even with a leaky diaper, droopy eyes, and a grumbly tummy. All went well until we had to tie the tree to the top of our Honda CR-V, which has no roof rack. I'll just say that if anyone is looking for a Christmas gift for Blake, he could use a knot-tying book. And I'm no expert either. Attaching the tree to the car took longer than the entire looking and chopping process. We held our breath during the ride home, waiting to see branches flying. We actually opened the sun roof and held it for a portion of the ride.

Hitching a ride.

"I want to help you, Daddy!"

He did it!

Contemplating the tying of the tree.

Once we arrived home, Anna napped and we brought the tree in to settle. She was thrilled to see it in our family room when she woke and was eager to touch and smell its needles. As usual, I strung the lights with the old "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" cartoon singing in the background; however, I had to take many breaks to snuggle a very whiny Anna insisting on Mommy's attention. I was thrilled to discover that the best remedy for tree sap on fingers is olive oil, something I hadn't tried before.

Scrunching her nose to smell the pine needles.

Once the 5 (or was it 6?) strands of lights were carefully placed on the tree, we started with the ornaments. Minus a small collection of red bulbs, most of our ornaments were given to Blake or me by our parents through the years. Almost all of them have special meaning. With a sparse tree and a toddler, many ornaments didn't make it on the tree this year. The bottom third of our tree is, in fact, bare, save for a couple of cloth ornaments. Although Anna's attention was given to the boxes for a while, it wasn't long before she wanted to help. After each ornament, she would sign "Again!" asking to place another one on the tree.

Mommy and Anna hanging ornaments.

Another tradition born out of necessity...the Santa hat was the only thing we had for the top of the tree some years ago, and it's stuck.

My favorite ornament this year. This is a candy cane I made as a child, which Anna placed on the tree all by herself.

Blake and I reserved the fondu for just us this time. After ornaments, dinner, and bath, we enjoyed a little much-needed time together. I think Blake and I may make this part of our tradition as well, at least until Anna is a little older. I'm so thankful that we have these little traditions.

Work and Play

Fondue-inspired goals.

It's nearly 10:00pm. Blake and I are cuddling up on the couch with a glass of champagne to admire the 109 photos taken during our annual pre-tree-decorating cheese-buying excursion and our annual tree-cutting date. We're full of swiss fondue, french wine, and good conversation. The day was full of happy moments, and occasionally, a few meltdowns, lots of play and a little work. Blake and I took some much-needed time to communicate about Us while devouring our cheese and bread. I'm proud of us for committing tonight, on a very special night, to the above-pictured goals:

1. Practice being kind rather than right.

2. Seek to understand rather than to be understood.

3. Respect our differences.

I'll try to narrow down the photos tonight, but I know it will be hard...it'll be a long post tomorrow. There are just too many wonderful details I want to remember. Good night!

It's Friday!

Anna is carefully stacking blocks for the first time ever today.

I'm glad it's Friday. We've had a week...not good or bad, just a week full of ups and downs and smiles and tears. Last night I slept well for the first time since Monday. Something has been keeping Anna up at night again, so we've all been tired.

Nonetheless, we've kept ourselves busy this week. We had two play dates with Alicia and Aidan at our house, and we visited a toddler movement class with them on Wednesday too. We played outside on Tuesday afternoon after a shot at the pediatrician's office in the morning. You wouldn't have known that she wasn't feeling well, as she slid down the Little Tikes slide in our backyard more times than I could count, exclaiming "Weeeee!" with each trip down. We took an almost 2.5 hour trip to the grocery store on Wednesday afternoon. Between the drive and Anna's curious desire to touch everything and "help" me put our items in the cart, grocery shopping is an all afternoon affair. We took a LONG walk on Thursday for some exercise, stopping at the park to swing and slide. Lately, Anna's favorite thing about the park is watching me swing next to her. If I take a break, she quickly signs "Again!"

This morning, in addition to the everyday laundry and cooking tasks, we colored, and for the first time ever, stacked blocks. Anna loves knocking down the towers that we build, but until today, she didn't attempt to build one herself. I think she surprised herself when she gently and successfully placed one block on top of another. It always fills me up when I watch her developing before my eyes. It also fills me up when I get a little bit of time for myself during the day, and I'm getting that today. Anna is napping, finally! After lunch we'll be off to the mall for some Christmas shopping.

I'm also happy it's Friday, because we'll be cutting down our Christmas tree tomorrow if it's not too cold...if it's frigid, we might have to take the easy route and go for pre-cut this time. Decorating the tree should be an interesting and different activity this year. The ornaments will all be up high, no popcorn will randomly be thrown on the tree (and on the ground), and I'm sure we'll be saying "Gentle!" or "Please don't eat the pine needles!" a lot. It will be fun.

Pollock or Seurat?

Scribbles, Dots, and a Heart by Anna and Mommy

Anna asks to play with crayons, also known as "neee," every day now. She still loves to bunch them in her hand and throw them promptly into the old shoe box on the floor, but today she also delighted in making scribbles on the blank white page. She likes me to hold the crayon while she moves it. When she stops to admire her work, she gives a little squeal with bright, proud eyes looking to me for encouragement. I made the mistake of showing her a new way to make marks on the page today...pound on the paper with the tip of the crayon. It's loud! You can imagine how much she loved doing this all by herself.

Although the bold splashes of color may not sell like Pollock's and the pointillism technique didn't paint a picture quite as detailed as Seurat's, I think ours a priceless work of art!

Quinoa Oatmeal Cookies

Tea and a BIG plate of cookies for Anna!

Anna and I made a second attempt at a Quinoa Oatmeal Cookie on Sunday. I have been searching for a sweet, healthy snack option for Anna and me, but I didn't find a recipe I loved, so I tweaked a couple and came up with this. They're pretty good for being relatively healthy.

Quinoa Oatmeal Cookie Recipe

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup quinoa flour

1 1/2 cup rolled oats

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter at room temperature

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup Grade B maple syrup (this is stronger in flavor than Grade A)

1 tbsp honey

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter a cookie sheet to prevent cookies from sticking.

Sift together flours, soda, and salt. Stir in rolled oats. Set aside.

Cream butter and brown sugar using an electric mixer. Gradually add maple syrup, vanilla, honey, and the eggs. Beat just until smooth and all ingredients are combined.

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture until well combined. Stir in raisins. Drop tablespoon size balls of dough onto cookie sheet and bake for approximately 14-15 minutes until firm. Ovens vary, so take them out BEFORE they started turning too brown to be sure they don't dry out. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Since we made these cookies the first time, Anna has been signing "Again!" every time she sees our KitchenAid mixer. Although she liked the cookies, I think she liked adding the ingredients to the bowl and watching them spin around even more.