stanley nickels

The name of the post doesn't have anything to do with the pictures that follow. That's the name of Nate's new WOW character. He's pretty proud of the name, but he thinks the character itself is ugly. He asked me to come and design it for him. (I think that's his way of including me in the game.) I made it as ugly as possible. Nate said he was totally embarrassed by stanleynickel's appearance. How sad.

Anyway, Colin likes shoes.

He gets really excited when he finds mom and dad's shoes. He doesn't try to put them on his own feet yet—he just likes carrying them around and saying "shoes."

I can't remember why I tried to take a picture, but I can tell that he wanted the camera. That's him signing "more" or "again" because he wanted another turn with the camera.

We planted an apple tree last year and were surprised to see actual apples growing on it this summer. We had to thin them out a little because their weight was breaking the poor little branches. We harvested our 5 apples last week. I handed one to Colin on Saturday morning and he went to town on it. He probably ate half of the apple while I was making lunch.

We went to Scott's soccer game on Saturday afternoon. It was a state cup game, and they won. Colin mostly walked around making friends or ate Teddy Grams out of Granny and Papa's hands.

Nate likes to look classy when he goes to soccer games. Just kidding, we were going to a wedding reception right after the game. Nate saw some people from his mission at the reception, which was cool for him. There were several girls there who are currently going to BYU but who were little preteens 7-8 years ago when he served there, so it was interesting to see how well/not well they remembered him and vice versa.

And this picture is because I thought Colin looked adorable in his striped shirt.

Colin got into a bit of trouble at nap time today. I put him in his crib at his normal time and closed the door. About 20 minutes later I heard some strange noises. I checked on Nate to make sure it wasn't him banging things around. It wasn't. I opened Colin's door to discover that he had somehow managed to pull the white shelves that held the tapes, CDs, CD player, diapers, and baby grooming stuff over and knock all the treasures into his crib. He was happily taking apart CD cases and checking out the discs. Nate came in and helped me pull all the crap out of the crib, and Colin got very excited thinking we were going to take him out too. We didn't. His punishment was that he had to stay in his crib and take a nap. I know; I'm hardcore. He cried for about 4 minutes, and then I found him like this. All I could see was the top of his head and one arm.

This evening Nate attached a blue elephant to Colin's leg in an attempt to keep us all entertained. Nate and I thought it was funny because he gave Colin "elephantiasis."

And again with the rushing of the camera. And no, his onesie isn't fastened.

I guess that's it for us. Stay tuned for next week's installment when I will have awesome stories to tell about my adventures hanging out with my beloved sister-in-law Lenna and her adorable children.

fashion show

Colin wore some pretty stylin' outfits this week.

He wore his dinner on his face.

He wore a loincloth to cover his diaper.

He wore a military-themed outfit of camo pants and a helicopter shirt.

And he wore some of the cutest monster pajamas I've ever seen.

That's all I have, picture-wise. In other news I went to the doctor and all seems to be going well. I'm measuring right on track, so my hope of this baby coming early continues to dwindle. My doctor's nurse's daughter is due about the same time I am, so the nurse always tells me about her daughter and compares and contrasts our sizes, weight, etc. It's a little weird. Nate and I went to his friend Tony's birthday party on Friday. It was fun to see some friends and get out of the house for a while. We went out to dinner beforehand, and it sucked. Word to the wise—don't eat at the Pizza Factory in Spanish Fork. Not good.

Colin continues to be a joy and a pain. He is hilarious and exasperating. His current obsessions are dancing to anything that resembles music, repeating most sounds he hears, pointing to objects in picture books, phones, cameras, and diaper boxes. I swear he walks around half the day with his hand pressed to his ear asking for a phone. I think I'll have to cave and buy him one for Christmas. Or maybe I'll buy him one for Columbus Day next week. We'll see how long I can hold out (and how much money I have).

thriller

Apparently it's funny when I spaz out.

And as soon as Colin caught a glimpse of the camera—"Cheese!"

wah wah boo

Wah wah boo is the sound Colin makes for a baby. It also pretty accurately describes this picture. This is one of those times when I was trying to take a picture of Colin and he saw the camera too soon. He gets really upset when I won't share it with him. Anyway, I put shorts and a fleece pullover on over his pajamas and thought it was funny.

I've been trying to sort through Colin's clothes to see what's too small and what he has to wear this winter and what goes back to which cousin. Colin has been very helpful with that project.

He is such a good helper!

This is quickly becoming the toothbrush chair. Every time I hand him the brush for his turn he climbs right up and gets comfy.

Colin was listening to music, wedged in the corner next to the penguin, which was adorable, but as soon as I pulled out the camera he had to move.

He's such a big boy. He thinks he can go down the stairs without turning around. It's not a good thing yet. It's still a little too dangerous methinks.

Here's another view. Such handsome boys.

Nate was confused when I asked him to bring the camera in and take a picture of Colin in the bath.

I guess he didn't realize just how adorable a clean naked baby sitting in the tub is.

This morning before church we hung out in Colin's room. I actually got a picture before he charged the camera.

He enjoys wearing the bins on his head (probably a little too much).

Nate and Colin wrestled on the floor. I think they were pretending to sleep at one point. Nate has been trying to get Colin to give "bear hugs." A bear hug consists of giving a big hug and saying "grrr." Colin's got the hug part down, but he doesn't always say the word.

Colin is hilarious when music plays, but I never seem to be able to catch it on film. His dance moves are getting more and more complex. And he feels like he needs to stop and dance whenever he hears music. I was at Old Navy with my mom and Colin was pushing the cart for us. He stopped to dance about every 4 feet. It was cute. He'll also dance when he wants me to turn on the music. I like him.

I got to have a girls' night with two of my dearest friends, Bekah and Stacey, on Friday after the kids were asleep. I taught them how to play Canasta. Bekah's husband played with us too. He seemed to really enjoy girls' night. The only problem was that we talked for too long and I was whiney and tired the next day. That's how I get when I don't get my full 10 hours of sleep a night... :)

My niece Rachel was baptized on Saturday, but I don't have any pictures of that. Hopefully her parents will post some so her other cousins can see. It was a special event, and we're glad we could go. I got to give the talk on baptism, which was a new experience for me. I've never spoken at a baptism before (that I recall). I flubbed and blubbered my way through, not really breaking down until the very end. I don't know if anything I said was intelligible, but I tried my best to make some sense.

I also taught Nate how to play Canasta this morning, and wonder of wonders he actually played with me! Two entire hands! It was fun, and I won. He did surprisingly well for a first timer. We had to go to church after that, and when we got home he read through the rules and decided that he didn't want to play with me anymore because I taught him the wrong way. Apparently DeAnna's rules (the way I play) differ slightly from the rules that came with my cards. So to him I said, "Wah wah boo."

I think that about wraps up our week. I go to the doctor again next week, so I'll have more baby news to share then.

Recipe Sunday

Skillet Macaroni and Cheese
from Kitchen Cafe

3 1/2 cups water, plus extra if needed
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
12 ounces (about 3 cups) elbow macaroni
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
6 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (1 1/2 cups)
6 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (1 1/2 cups)
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small chunks
Ground black pepper to taste

Bring 3 1/2 cups water, 1 cup of the evaporated milk, the macaroni, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a simmer in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat. Cook at a vigorous simmer, stirring often, until the macaroni is tender and the liquid has thickened, 9 to 12 minutes.

Whisk the remaining 1/2 cup evaporated milk, the cornstarch, mustard and hot sauce together in a small bowl, then stir into the skillet. Continue to simmer slightly thickened, about 1 minute.

Off the heat, stir in the cheddar and Monterey Jack, one handful at a time, adding water as needed to adjust the consistency of the sauce (I didn't need any additional water when I made it). Stir in the butter and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Ham and Pea Variation
Follow the recipe, adding 8 ounces deli-style baked ham, diced medium, and 1 cup frozen peas to the skillet with the cornstarch mixture in step 2. Colin and I ate ours this way. Nate abhors peas, so his only had ham in it.

new post

Not much to show for this week, picture-wise anyway. We did accomplish some stuff—like the huge pile of dirt that has been haunting our driveway for the past month is finally gone. And the lawn is mowed. And I worked with my mother-in-law to can peaches and tomatoes and to make some fresh peach pies. Colin and I have been checking out the local parks to see which one is worth spending time at. So far the one closest to us is a bust—except that it does have 4 car wheels for him to spin. I can't think of anything else that stands out from this week, so on to the pictures.

This would be Colin trying to hide from me while he was eating his dinner. He says "boo" as a greeting now when he sees someone—like they've been hiding from him all this time and now he's found them.

I had to hold the container on there to get the picture, but just moments beforehand Colin was running amuck in the house with that thing on his head like a hat.

It took him a while, but Colin eventually decided that he did like peach pie.

You can't tell from this picture, but there was a dog over there. Colin would walk over, make the doggie sound, and then just stare at it. I guess he was a little afraid to actually reach out and touch it on his own.

Thursday night we went to Scott's soccer game to get out of the house for a while. Colin was happy when Scott was on the sidelines because then he could toddle over and say hello.

Aww, doesn't Nate look so serene and country-like standing there with his stalk of grain and his cell phone?

And for all of you disturbed people who want to see how large I have become, here's a picture of me circa 30 weeks. (Nate took the picture for me and said this one was going to be "artsy," hence the pose and the camera tilt.)

And here's Colin this morning when I got the camera out to take his picture. He saw me get it out and immediately came running. With the red eyes he kind of looks like a demon child, but I still love him.

And this is him asking so politely if he can please hold the camera.

We bought Colin a toothbrush yesterday, and I'm pleased to announce that he loves it. I wonder if part of the reason he likes it so much is because he thinks it's something that doesn't belong to him and that he's doing something naughty when he puts it in his mouth because he runs away grinning like he's in trouble if you approach him.

And yes, BYU lost last night, and no, I do not want to talk about it. I'm still in too much pain.

Recipe Thursday

I would really like to start Recipe Friday (or whatever day of the week) again. I need more new recipes. The amount of food I'm eating is ever growing, but the amount of recipes I use stays the same. Anyway, I present to you Oatmeal Pancakes for your eating enjoyment.

Oatmeal Pancakes

2 c. quick oats
½ c. flour
3 tbs. sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
2 ½ c. buttermilk
2 large eggs (slightly beaten)
¼ c. butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla
add cinnamon, optional (I did)

Combine dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients and let sit for 20-30 minutes, covered. Cook slowly on a griddle at 325°, or a little lower. The pancakes are easier to flip if they are not very big. Spray griddle before each batch. Let the pancake cook through on one side and then flip.

And to go with those pancakes, here's some Coconut Syrup.

Coconut Syrup

7-8 tbs. butter
¾ c. buttermilk
1 c. sugar
½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. coconut extract

Place butter, buttermilk and sugar in a pot. Turn stove on medium and stir until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and boil one minute. Remove from heat and add soda and flavoring. It will bubble up—just continue to stir and give it a few minutes for the fizz to reduce before serving.

I made these for dinner last night and thought they were pretty good. Nate said they were like eating a bowl of oatmeal, except off of the griddle. I agree—they were really oatmeally. But they were filling and tasty. And Colin loved them. Feeding him oatmeal pancakes was much cleaner and easier than feeding him a bowl of oatmeal. I highly suggest making these for small children. Mine didn't taste so much like a bowl of oatmeal because of the yummy syrup. Nate didn't touch the syrup, but he doesn't like coconut so I didn't expect him to. I would tell you to try the syrup anyway, even if you don't like coconut because it was delicious and not too coconutty. Well, when I made it it was a little coconutty because I cut the recipe in half, all except for the coconut extract, but that was an accident. I guess that if you do want a little extra flavor go ahead and double up on the extract. It's very delicious. The recipe makes a lot, but they hold up well to refrigerating and reheating.

master of mischief

Colin has struck again. He found a bag of M&Ms in our room and went to town on them. I guess it's partly my fault because I knew he had the bag and I allowed him to play with it. He got it open pretty quick, and he really enjoyed eating the candy. I didn't realize the bag was open until I heard "Mmmm" coming from my closet.

This was the best picture I could get of his messy face. Looks like blue was his favorite flavor.

Here's the video from when I discovered Colin with his stash. It's a little long and a little boring, but I didn't feel like editing it.

Colin was showing off that he knows how to open and close my glasses case. He was even trying to say the words "open" and "closed" when he was playing with it. I took a picture because I thought he looked cute in his little sweatshirt and hole-y jeans.

Then it dawned on him that I had the camera out and that he wanted to play with it.

He got a little upset when I wouldn't share. I'm kind of mean like that. I'm also kind of mean in that I take pictures of my kid crying instead of comforting him.

Man, that's a cute kid! He really enjoyed his noodles. I'm really glad I had the foresight to take his clothes off before I fed him.

Colin seems pretty pleased with himself considering he's been a bit of a handful all day. He has a cold, so his face is sore and he's overly sensitive and clingy. He tries hard to be happy though.

We were playing in his room today, and he was really excited that his blanket was all spread out. Can you tell? He would run around and around and then flop onto the blanket to snuggle.

We watched the BYU game over at Caleb's house on Saturday, and I don't have any pictures of it. We also sang happy birthday to Caleb, Rachel, and Sara, and I don't have any pictures of it. We also played Beatles Rockband, and I don't have any pictures of it. Sorry. It was awesome though. Oh, and since I don't want to forget this, Colin is becoming a little obsessive of his Granny. He was eating in the highchair at Caleb's house and Tia picked little Sara up off the floor. Colin started crying and struggling in the chair and it took me a while to figure out what was up. I tried giving him more food, water, cleaning him up, taking him out, but all he wanted was to get Sara away from HIS Granny so he could be held instead. It was pretty funny. I don't recall him ever getting upset when I hold another baby, but he really didn't want Tia holding another baby.