And we're off....

Jane and I are off to North Carolina! I purchased tickets to visit my childhood friend/person I tell the most inconsequential things to back in March when we got our tax refund. I knew if I didn't just purchase them right away on a whim that I would never bring myself to pay for them. And the broken down car out in front of our house proves me right. We SO could have used that money for that. But nonetheless I think I deserve a good trip. And best of all I purchased my tickets so far in advance that I am exempt from the luggage fees saving me a whopping 90 dollars! Now if only I can survive the two 3-hour long flights with the 2-hour lay over in between I should be set. After talking to some moms and relying on some previous experience I have come up with 5 rules of airplane travel. Rule #1: Dress your child up as cute as possible and NEVER let any snot or drool be showing. People will be so much nicer to you. Rule #2: Avoid tantrums at all cost by giving in to the most ridiculous of demands. Do not require that your child do anything that may upset her in the least. Rule #3: Spend the entire day speaking to your child in your highest sing-songy voice. (Imagine Cinderella at Disneyland). Rule #4: Load your diaper bag with the coolest yet quiet toys and crafts you can find. Purchase all the cool food you normally wouldn't dream of feeding your own child. Rule #5: Spend the next month trying to get your child to want avocado over jelly beans again and un-doing all of the damage caused by rule #2.

Here are some pics of Jane in just what happens to be her airplane dress. I hope it works...

Shoes and Socks

One time Matt told me that he thought I was being unfair to Jane when I didn't let her pick out her entire outfit on her own. So when Matt dresses her he lets her wear peach colored sneakers with pink socks on up to her knees.

Some random shots

I know I post a lot of pictures. And that they are all of the same subject. But trust me when I say: they make grandparents very happy.

Melon "Bicycles":



Laying on Daddy:








Afraid of a bee:

In praise of corn

I know I just posted about Jane eating corn, but the excitement for the yellow vegetable/grain continues no matter which form she is eating it in.

What would you do for a Klondike Bar?

The other day Matt was playing with Jane outside in our neighborhood and I returned home from running errands in the car. When Jane saw me in the car she immediately ran over saying, "Go! Go!" She climbed in when I opened the door and climbed back to her chair. I thought it was so funny I looked at Matt and said, 'You better get in, Jane wants to go." When I didn't start the car immediately she said impatiently, "Go! Vroom, vroom!" So off we went. We eventually decided on going to the grocery store where we picked up some Klondike bars that we came home to eat. Here's Jane enjoying hers.

Jane at Sunset

Here's our little angel. She loves to go on walks after dinner. We almost always see a "choo-choo." She always asks to see them, but then gets nervous when they come.





Choo-choo's coming! (Please note the back of her hair which should answer everyone's question as to why I fix her hair curly everyday. Otherwise it would all look like that.)


Check out the jewelry that Jane made during "color week."

For recipe-hoarders like me

I just have to share this idea because I absolutely love my new recipe set up. I finally came up with something that works for me. First, you must know that I have a gazillion recipes. And the pile is always growing. I am subscribed to at least 3 cooking magazines at any one time. And I'm always printing recipes off of the internet (and then re-printing them when I can't find the one I already printed). I also struggle with remembering which recipes I've tried and which recipes I loved. So I finally said enough is enough and I got to work. It was a big project but is really a time-saver when it comes to planning meals.
The idea is to have two "cookbooks." One full of recipes to try and one full of recipes you've tried and love.



Here's how:

Supplies:
-2 Big 3-Ring Binders (for me they are gigantic binders)
-Lots and lots of plastic page protectors
-sticky tabs that will adhere to paper on one side and stick out like a tab you can write on (see picture)

1. Gather all of your recipes, those you love and like, and those you want to try. Rip out all the dog-eared pages from your cooking magazines. And if you are really nuts like me, make copies of all your recipes from your cookbooks.

2. Separate all your recipes into those you enjoy and want to make again, and those you want to try. And throw away all the recipes you've tried but weren't up to par.

3. Start separating each of your now 2 piles into categories. Most of them will fit naturally into category like, cookies. Others like Pork Tacos will have you thinking, should I put this is Mexican or Pork? But take your time. The categories are VERY IMPORTANT. Why? Because that is what is going to help you with your menu planning. So in making the categories remember to think about how your plan your meals. Do you focus on a different protein at every meal (chicken, pork, fish) or do you do it by cuisine (italian, mexican, american) or just by type (soup, salad, pizza, pasta). I think the more categories the better. And don't stop at just "side dishes." It will be so much easier when you are planning out your meals when you can think "I'm making enchiladas, what goes with that?" Then you can turn to your "Mexican Side Dishes" tab and find something quickly. Other categories I have are "Holidays" and "Party Foods." You can do "Breakfast Foods" etc. You get the idea.

4. Once your categories are set all that is left is putting the book together in the order you want. Write on the tabs according to your categories. Stick them in the appropriate place, fill in the pages, and repeat.

5. Update the book often: After using a recipe from my "must try" book it either gets the promotion to the "tried and true" book or it goes in the garbage. And when I find new recipes I want to try I put them into my "must try" book.

Pros of this Recipe Book:
*Instead of sitting down with tons of recipe books and never finding the recipe I'm looking for I have all of my recipes in one (well, two) spots.
*The plastic page protectors wipe off really easily when what you're making ends up on your book.
*Meal planning is quick.
*You easily weed through all of your recipes to end up with one book that is completely awesome.

One Month Older

Jane turned 22 months today. I get a knot in my stomach thinking about her turning 2. Before I know it she'll be 35. Here are some highlights from the last month:
*Whenever we undress Jane and try to pull a shirt off over her head it will sometimes get stuck for a second. She loves that. She'll say, "hat! mirror!" and run to the bathroom mirror.
*For about 2 weeks Jane kept talking about melon bicycles. I had no idea what she was talking about. FINALLY, I realized she was saying melon popsicles! I had forgotten about some watermelon popsicles we had made that were in the freezer.
*One day I asked Jane if she wanted a banana, and she said, "Yeah, I do."
*Everything is now somebody's. She labels everything she sees as "mommy's bowl" "daddy's belt" "jane's blocks" etc. The other day we were sitting at Matt's computer and I was asking her if she knew what some different things were called. I was picking up some random things at the desk like a cd and she said, "Daddy's." I picked up a marker and she said, "Daddy's." Then I picked up a remote and she said, "Mommy's." She is so right.
*Jane has started saying "Eww. Gross" And I think it is so funny.
*Jane has made up some names for the different types of holds we hold her in. One time when we were walking and Matt had her on his shoulders she kept saying she wanted down. We told her she couldn't get down because we were in a hurry (our car had broken down and we were walking home). She was getting so frustrated and finally communicated "shirt!" meaning she wanted to be held regular style on daddy's shirt. She's also very into requesting to be held like a baby. And I love holding her like a baby.
*After learning that watermelon's have seeds Jane has noticed seeds everywhere and been reluctant to eat them. Every spice or discoloration is cause for a discussion. I have convinced her that strawberries and kiwis don't have seeds, they have ovals.
*One day I announced that it was time to take a bath. Jane kept saying "No bath, no bath!" I was busy finishing up something and I saw her sneak away from me to shut the bathroom door. It's so funny the ways that kids think they can outsmart adults.
*Jane has become a wee bit "OCD." She freaks out when her palms are sweaty. She will come to me a million times saying, “wet.” I would try to wipe them off but she’d be back in two seconds crying again. So now I give her her own paper towel and she rubs them incessantly. Thankfully she only has sweaty palm days every now and then.

Papa and Nammy

My mom and dad came to visit at the end of June. We had a lot of fun, running around here and there. Jane loved getting to know Grandma and Grandpa Griner better. Papa Griner was the first person to ever make her laugh at 3 months old. And this trip he learned lots of her signs and let Jane entertain him by playing "night-night" over and over again. We were horrible about taking pictures but my dad was on the ball, so I've taken his.
We went to the zoo:





And to Farm Country at Thanksgiving Point:





And to the park, hotel pool, carousel at the mall, and church of course:






We also had fun at home playing in the pool, making pizzas, and playing "night-night."






Thanks, Mom and Dad, for a wonderful trip. Jane still talks about Papa and Nammy, especially when she sees a man with a mustache wearing a bucket hat.