Learning to Cook Pistaches

Last night Brandon's dad, Happy, drove to Nashville to bring Patricia and Julie to the airport so they could fly home to Aruba. Brandon requested that they teach us how to cook Pistaches and Johnny Cakes a childhood favorite of his from when he lived in Aruba. A Pistache (which I could be spelling that completely wrong) is a dough that is rolled out and stuffed with gouda cheese alone or with anything else you want and enclosed then fried. Johnny Cakes are the same dough but flattened out and fried kinda like a fried pancake...both are really yummy. Brandon used to get them on the playground during school for a snack, and I got to enjoy them when we went down to aruba 3 years ago. It will be nice to get to share them with Parkes and Cash and share that part of Brandon's childhood. I think it is definitely time to have a theme dinner around the pistaches maybe with some plantain chips too...I'll have to fit it in between Mardi Gras and St. Paddy's Day. Here's some pictures from the evening (I really don't know why I can't get the font out of italic...it has a mind of it's own). We are enjoying this nice weather and our new front porch. Cash wants to play out on the porch all day.

One more good thing...

Flowers from my husband for no reason.

We are still here...

just haven't left the house in awhile or taken pictures or much of anything that I will mention here. It's been a rough time around here lately with Parkes pressing every button I have. So here are some good things that have happened around here lately... Parkes decided to try a hot dog and liked it so he now will eat three things...hot dog, peanut butter and jelly and cheese sandwiches. Parkes finds every reason to remind me how much he loves me, Brandon and Cash. Cash is self entertained with a ball for hours and thinks it is the funniest thing when he throws it across the room. The sound of a quiet house at 9 at night...Parkes has been going to bed so much better. The sound of delight out of both boys as they watched the firetruck and NES truck in front of our house tonight fix a transformer that blew. Parkes with his arm around Cash pointing out the man on the ladder and Cash yelling "ight, ight". I think we've made a break through today so hopefully next weekend we won't be cleaning 10 pairs of underwear and have 6 showers in two days.

Circus

My parents and sister took Parkes and Abby James to the circus on Saturday which was a much needed break since Brandon has been traveling almost every weekend to do the Alabama interviews and I am definitely about worn out right now. Parkes had so much fun and has shown me the book he got there about 30 times to tell me what all he saw there. Thanks Grammy, Grandad and Aunt Hayley!!!!!!

Free Photo Album

I just ordered my free photo album from HOORAY. Click here to find out details from www.mommysnacks.blogspot.com. It was valued at $42 and I just paid $7.99 for shipping.

It's cold outside...

and we are staying inside. This has been where Parkes has stayed since Monday afternoon with perks of getting up when the medicine has kicked in and his fever goes away for 30 minutes or so. The good news is that they don't feel it is anything contagious just from extreme constipation...yes potty training has been a fun year and a half experience with Parkes and he is very stubborn and it has finally taken it's toll on his body. The bad news is his fever still isn't going away. So hopefully he'll get some relief soon. We aren't used to him feeling bad for so long as when he gets sick he usually gets over it in just a few hours.

What a Year

We had the boys yearly check-ups today and with that in mind and the fact I have cleaned out almost all the pictures from the computer onto disks and have few to chose from I put a picture of the boys from a year ago for your enjoyment. Cash looks great and is doing everything he should at this point and I'm sure will be walking before we know it or he'll decide to enjoy being carried around a little while longer who knows. He weighed in at 23 lbs (55%) and measured 28" (still below the curve). Parkes had a traumatic doctors appointment as he is having some tummy issues and was in a lot of pain this morning and a low fever, but luckily with the magic of some medicine is doing better this afternoon just not 100% yet. But he weighed in at 36 lbs (75%) and measured 39" (25%). So what the doctor did predict is that Parkes is going to be the giant and be close to my brothers height about 5'7" (yes this is very tall for us) and Cash is going to be the short one and probably be shorter then Brandon, but Cash has the personality to pull it off. It's been a crazy year with adjusting to life with two boys, Brandon working for himself and me starting to teach preschool....I can say I feel completely worn out most days trying to keep up with the boys energy, but that's just life as a mom and it's so worth it.

The Big 1st Birthday

Another picture from Mary Alice. Cash turned one yesterday and even though we did his bday with Parkes we woke up the morning and had some cinnamon rolls to celebrate the occasion. We had our first day back to school so Cash got tons of attention on his special day and lots of singing which I made him clap the whole day in delight.I can't believe he is a year feels like such a fast year. And with how Cash spent his first few months with us he definitely has become a different child. He is now very laid back and happy, and he cracks himself up all the time which is so funny and really makes Parkes laugh. He started out rolling over at 6 weeks and trying to pull up and scoot at 5 months, but now is very content with crawling and doesn't make any attempts to walk on his own and really doesn't like to walk holding my hand because he would rather just crawl by himself. He does not want to be rocked or cuddled which can make it harder at night when he wakes up becasue if we pick him up he thinks it is play time, but after a few trips to put his paci back in he finally usually settles back down. He loves food, most anything unless it is plain veggies he prefers them seasoned to his taste. His favorite game right now is "How big is Cash?" And his favorite toy is a ball...he could spend hours throwing from one side of the room to the other. He has defintely brought so much joy to our family especially Parkes who doesn't understand he can't hug and kiss him all day long. Parkes believes Cash is "his baby"...it will be fun to see what happens as Cash gets bigger and can really tell Parkes what he thinks about the nonstop hugs.As for Parkes since he just turned 4 and never wrote what he was doing now, he too is quite independent and has become quite the chef. He loves to cook and watch the Food Network which works out well for me so we can compromise on shows. He loves Power Rangers and Transformers. I was told by him yesterday after he told me he had to sit in timeout at school yesterday for the first time that the reason was a boy was running by and his "tiger powers" just got him. The things that he says are so funny and he asks questions all day long. He is overly affectionate...I get at least 200 kisses and hugs a day from him. He doesn't sleep near enough, but when he comes out of his room for the 7th time at 10:30 because he "just had to give us a kiss" it makes us smile and forget that we are frustrated. He will talk to whoever will listen to him even if it is the person walking their dog down the street. So that's the boys this year. Brandon too celebrated a birthday on the 6th, but I think he'd appreciate it if I didn't tell what he's been up to and saying....could be pretty funny though.

Savings for 2009

I've been asked several times about the coupon lessons I have learned from my sister when she went to a class given by a local friend of hers and if it really saves that much well according to my cvs receipt I have saved almost $700 for 2008. Of course if you don't have young children in diapers and eating formula then your savings would be less as I buy all that good stuff there with my extra care bucks (ECB - their savings program that print off at the end of the receipt when you have their store card). So as I start over for 2009 with no roll over ECB since I used them to buy some household staples before Christmas I added a sidebar that shows what I am buying at CVS. If you look at the pages of deals on the webpages they can be overwhelming so this is just a easy way to see how you can make it work for you (don't know why it went italic there, but I can't fix it). I will show the coupons I use from the newspaper inserts (there are two in the Sunday paper, Red Plum (RP) and Smart Source (SS)). So it will show a date and then which insert which saves you from ever clipping a coupon until you are actually going to use it.

Family Pictures

Since everyone was in town my mom wanted to get family pictures done. We had Mary Alice take them and she did a fantastic job...here's just a few of the many we got. Also, the one at the top of the blog she took as well. Have a great and safe New Year's Eve...ours is pretty low key this year which will be nice.

More Holiday Fun and Birthdays

So the boys did wake up after Brandon had to go back to Parkes room and yell "Ho Ho Ho" a couple times. And like last year Parkes was a little slow waking up and really giving us the reaction we thought, but he did warm up after about 10 minutes and get excited that he got his "Lightning McQueen" bike (I use quotes as Brandon and I decided to buy him a bike a few weeks ago, but he had never mentioned wanting one until two days before Christmas he started telling us how he wanted a Ligtning McQueen bike so we added some stickers to the one we had rather then get out in the holiday mess...yes I know great parents, but he was happy with it). Cash was more interested in Parkes toys which usually Parkes would push him down, but here's them actually opening a present together. Parkes got really into the opening of presents and never really looked what he got until all the presents were opened and he could stop and check things out. After our family Christmas we headed back to my parents for lunch and more presents and fun. Here's Parkes showing Uncle Brad the power ranger he got. Jim and Sarah Beth who have not been back to Nashville since last Christmas so this was the first time they got to meet Cash. Then if Christmas wasn't enough we have Parkes birthday on the 27th. So the 26th we cleared out all the Christmas decorations and put up the birthday decorations for the boys family birthday party (Cash's is Jan 7 so we just did them together...I told Parkes he could have a friend birthday in the summer since he shared his birthday with Cash). So here are the cousins and Uncle Jim at the kids table. And Cash really enjoyed the cake....he had 3 slices, but luckily slept great that night not waking up until 8:30 the next morning. So after the boys birthday we had a surprise birthday party for Sarah Beth the next day...her birthday is the 31st, but her parents were in town only until the 30th so we wanted them to be there for it. She did however catch on when she noticed a line of cars not too far from the party house that she recognized. So here's all the Stevens family. I don't have a picture of Sarah Beth's side, but a side note her cousin was my good friend growing up and we introduced Jim and Sarah Beth several years ago so now we get to be somewhat related. And Cash was happy to get more cake.So after all the festivities we all crashed last night. Well I say all, that is all but Parkes. We tricked Cash into bed at 6 since he had missed his afternoon nap. Then put Parkes in his room with a movie. Brandon was watching football downstairs, and I went upstairs to watch Food Network. Well about 8 Brandon and I both fell asleep while watching our shows. Then about 9:30 I get woken up by Parkes asking why Daddy is sleeping on the couch. So Parkes climb in bed with me and Brandon woke up around midnight to realize his spot was taken and went back to sleep in Parkes bed. The whole family sleep until 9 in the morning so we might need to keep up this pace to keep the boys sleeping.

Brown Christmas

Well it is Christmas morning and yes I'm blogging. I know there's a grandmother in Michigan that will want to see some pictures of the boys, especially being Cash's first Christmas. So here's some pics from the 23rd were we spent the day hunting down Santa. Christmas has creep up on us and we completely missed our church's Breakfast with Santa so after a log failed attempt at the mall we went out to a house in Brentwood that had a huge light display and Santa was there so the boys got to see him and Parkes was very excited...Cash, however, was not. Then Christmas Eve was not white, but muddy. So Parkes and one of the boys next door instead of having a snow fight had a mud fight (very much encouraged by their dads). We had lots of good mud were the dumpster had been sitting until last week just waiting for boys to jump in. So after Parkes got cleaned up we headed out to my parents for Christmas Eve. Here's Uncle Brian and Cash. My brothers, Brad and Jim. Parkes and his cousins, Abby James and Draper. And now it's 8:30 and we are waiting for Parkes to wake up and come see what Santa brought him.

Parkes Christmas Program

Parkes had his school program on Sunday night. Last year he swayed through the whole performance, but never opened his mouth. This year they put him in the front because he is the loudest singer....I think he has come out of his shell. If he already wasn't social enough he now loves to preform as well. On Fridays at school he goes to Sing and Sign and it is amazing to see what all he has learned. Working at the school where Parkes is has really been such a great thing since I actually have learned some of the signs even though my class is too young to go to Sing and Sign we still get some of the songs and seasonal signs. So they preform their song and also signed the monthly Bible verse that they learn each month. Parkes has found a new crush at school...a little girl named Parker who as he has told me he "just loves so much." Cash is now 11 months, and got his first fever yesterday. I got called out of my class to go hold him...another advantage to working were the kids are I could go ahead and give him medicine while I waited for Brandon to come get him. But not a bad record so far 11 months before he got anything, and today he is acting completely fine....just laughing and following his brother around who at the moment is watching the food network by his request.

Thanksgiving Part 2, Christmas Part 1, and Baby Luke

Okay lots been going on. We had Thanksgiving with Brandon's mom and Step-Dad and my parents and half my brothers and sisters. I took no pictures since I was cooking...I should of given the camera to Brandon so he could of captured the day. It was lots of fun and lots of food was eaten so you can imagine the pictures. Then we went out the day after Thanksgiving and got our tree...a real one this year. We celebrated Christmas with Brandon's parents on Saturday so Cash got his first present to unwrap by himself. Parkes is an old pro by this point when it comes to opening his presents and this year he is all about power rangers and transformers. We then headed out to Opryland Hotel and walked around and enjoyed the lights. Then we have enjoyed watching some football...even though Brandon is a little sad Alabama lost on Saturday. He's still excited about the promise of next year and a BCS bowl. Of course I'm excited about Ole Miss' bowl game too!!!!! Hotty Toddy!!! So after all the fun of the weekend we got to meet Luke Engesath shortly after he was born today to Keri and Matt. The family is doing great. Another boy to join the crew...Cash is glad to have someone closer to his age.

Thanksgiving Part 1

We went to Brandon's parents in west Tennessee to have Thanksgiving this past Saturday. Here's a picture of the boys with their great grandma Polly. Then Brandon headed out Sunday with our neighbor to go interview an Alabama player (don't know who even though he has told me a million times...I guess I keep tuning him out when he talks about it). Our neighbor is writing a book about Alabama's 12 National Championships so Brandon has graciously offered his time to help hold the video camera and what not while they are interviewing. So I thought I would share the picture as Brandon is so excited about getting to meet these people...I do know one of them is Todd Bates a defensive captain from the 2004 team who is helping with the book so I do listen sometimes.

Cold Sunday Afternoon Photos

We took the boys to an old church up the street to try to capture a few pictures before the holiday season starts which also includes both their birthdays. So here is our attempt to get them both looking and smiling at the same time. The last picture is how the majority came out...Parkes is obsessed with Cash's head and has to touch or hug it all day long and poor Cash isn't usually thrilled by it.

Halloween...Better late then Never

Well Halloween was a couple weeks ago, but I finally got some pictures downloaded from all the excitement. We went out to the Farmers Market like we've done every year since Parkes was born to let him and Cash pick out our pumpkins. This year Parkes picked out a white, orange and green pumpkin. He was once again a cowboy (3rd and last year...he did ask to be it again this year so is just so happen to work out well). Cash was a frog which was the same as Parkes his first Halloween. Cash tried a lollipop for the first time and loved it.We carved the pumpkin this year exactly how Parkes drew it which made him very excited. Cash, however, was not a big fan of putting his hands inside the pumpkin. We went trick-or-treating with our neighbors...5 boys who I'm sure will get into all kinds of trouble growing up.Cash is now 10 months and is quite the eater. We have Parkes who refuses to eat anything that isn't a carb or has any remote flavor. And then there's Cash who if I give him veggies that haven't been roasted, sauteed or cook in some way in seasonings he spits them out. He has been the last two weeks on all table food and is loving it. He had hamburger and mac-n-cheese the other day, but his favorites are baked sweet potato fries, baked potato and curry butternut squash soup....so different then Parkes. Here he is enjoying some veggies out of some soup. And finally, this is how Parkes decided to sleep a few weeks ago. He cleared all his toys out of one drawer from his train table and put in his pillows and fell asleep. Hope you have a great week. We are getting our front porch put on so lots of fun construction going on over here.