PumpkinBob

PumpkinBob is the creation of Brennan's Imagination for a school book report. He got to chose his favorite book (of course it's a SpongeBob book!) and create a pumpkin that represents the main character. Since parent involvement was highly stressed on the assignment, I drew the face and body, Brennan cut out, colored and glued it all together. Doesn't it look just like SpongeBob?

Baking Cupcakes

I've decided that it is the funniest thing to watch children bake. Everything has to be just so~ from lining the cupcake pan to mixing the batter to licking the bowl cleaner than the dishwasher could ever get it! Luckily, we have lots of fun in our house baking cupcakes!

Double Tagged

Thanks Steph!

Tag #1

Here are the rules: You pick the 4th picture on the 4th file on your computer.

Seeing as how Don moved all of my files onto the upstairs computer, I selected this picture off of my cameras files. It's of Nolan and Carlee in the tub together. Although it isn't my favorite of them in the tub, it catches Nolan's cute smile and Carlee mid-yelling. Classic!

Tag #2

7 Random/Weird Facts About Me

1. Although I've tried to participate in local Blood Drives, each time I go I get turned away! I've always just had surgery, was pregnant, or was nursing. Knowing that I have such a common blood type, it just kills me that I can't help!

2. I have become quite a diagnostic medical mother. For about the last year, I've been able to look at my kids/husband and know exactly what was wrong before going to the Dr and getting it confirmed. Strep, the Flu, broken toes, spider bites... I'm a pro! I think I actually learned a lot from having a nurse for a mother.

3. I still bite my nails and have passed this "nervous twitch" on to Brennan and Nolan, who both like to nibble/chomp down their nails too! When I really focus, I can quit for a few months, but then I go back to old habits.

4. I am a full-on teacher at heart. Whenever Brennan asks me a question about science, I don't just tell him the shortened version; we get into a full on discussion and sometimes a demonstration as well. Our latest science topic: Condensation on glasses/Dew on the grass. Scary huh?

5. I really like to bake! Muffins, bread, cinnamon rolls... if it can be put in the oven, I'm all for trying to make it. I'm not Betty Crocker yet, but I'm getting there.

6. Since graduating from high school, I have not spent two consecutive yearly holidays in the same house. Example: New Years 2006-2007 in Dallas, then New Years 2007-2008 in Illinois. We just move too often to be able to spend more than a year in a place.

7. I ALWAYS do a double check of the house right before I go to bed, even if I've already made sure the doors were locked when I put the boys down. I check to make sure they boys are sleeping in a comfortable position and have a blanket, then I check all of the doors leading out of the house to be sure they are locked, then I set the alarm system. If I don't do it, I can't fall asleep. Weird!


I'm tagging all of the people I know who blog: Tammy, Stacie, Brendalyn, and anyone else who might be reading my blog!

Pumpkin Patch version 2.0

Even though we went to a great pumpkin patch in Arkansas, we still wanted to get some pumpkins and apples to bring home so we decided to go to a farm here in Tennessee, which didn't turn out quite as expected.



Well, first off, the "farm" wasn't really much of a farm compared to what we've been accustomed to (Edwards Apple Orchard and the Arkansas Pumpkin Patch). Second, even though they had posted on their website that they had pick-your-own apples, their trees hadn't quite reached maturity but they "would definitely have them next year". And to top it all off, the farm was right next to Kentucky, which is a little farther than we were expecting. Even with all of that, the boys still managed to have some fun with the giant slide, playground, and hay maze. What really bummed me out was that the only way to get pumpkins from the patch was to take a hay ride out there and there was no way that Nolan was going to hold still for a ride... so we didn't get any pumpkins or apples, but I did get some cute pictures anyway.

The hay maze was really different... Brennan and Nolan both loved running through the hay bales and touching the hay.So I finally broke down and bought Nolan a "backpack" (aka leash) so that we could keep up with him. He has recently started to run toward anything that is moving (cars, dogs, swings, birds) and has gotten away from me more than once. Yes, I know... I was never going to do it, but he didn't really mind and I always knew where he was.Do you have any idea how difficult it is to take a picture of a turning object? Nolan really loved it!

Seeing as how we didn't get pumpkins this weekend, and Brennan desperately wants to carve them, we decided to stop by a church by our house that has a little pumpkin patch set up. Brennan took forever deciding which pumpkin he wanted and Nolan kept picking up pumpkins only to drop them on the ground. Good for him they didn't break!

Peanut's peanut allergy

So I had the weirdest/craziest afternoon...

When Nolan woke up from his nap, it was time to eat lunch. Nolan got a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, apples and Gatorade. He took one bite of the sandwich and spit it out of his mouth and rubbed it across his face. I could tell that he didn't really want it so he got spaghettios instead. Once lunch was done, and I'd washed his face, he started to get a rash around his mouth and nose. After about 5 minutes, the rash started to develop small white dots. It kind of freaked me out so I called his pediatrician, who told me to give him benadryl and come right down. So I gave Nolan his medicine and took off in the car. By the time we got there, it had been about 20 minutes since the benadryl was given, so the rash didn't look quite as bad. When the doctor looked at it, he said that Nolan probably had an allergic reaction to the peanut butter, which is really weird since I have given it to him before without any problems. He told me to hold off on the peanut butter until he was about 18 months and then to try again with a small sample of it. He also said that the allergic reaction was really different than the ones that they usually see. Nolan had no problem breathing and wasn't acting any different than before- he just had a rash.

So I just wanted to let anyone who might be in contact with him or see him in the next six months to know that Nolan can't have any peanut butter. Weird huh?

Home Canning

I just wanted to let you know that I am becoming my mother! I made Don take me to a farmers market last week to get some tomatoes to can. He hated it! But he did it because he loves me and he wanted to make a point that I wouldn't actually use the tomatoes. Boy, did I prove him wrong!

After many trips to many stores over many days (6 trips to 5 stores over 3 days), I finally gathered up the supplies needed to can. I spent two full days canning tomatoes and am quite proud of my accomplishments. I know that they are not much (especially when I think about how much my mom made us help her can when we were younger) but I did them by myself! All in all, I made 7 quarts of stewed tomatoes, 7 quarts and 3 pints of spaghetti sauce, and 4 pints of salsa. My next goal is to get some apples and can applesauce and apple pie filling. Wish me luck!

Signs of Fall

All the signs are here: chill in the morning air, sun setting earlier, and the changing of the leaves. It's officially Fall in the South! I thought the change of seasons would be more obvious... but I'll take what I can get. I guess that it doesn't help that we live in a new subdivision where there are very few trees to lose their leaves... but the Fall was most definitely present in Arkansas where we went last weekend.

Driving for 5 1/2 hours there and 5 1/2 hours back is not my idea of a good time (esp while pregnant!), but it was well worth the time! When we arrived there Friday, Don took the boys outside to play with the soccer balls and Frisbee. Watching the boys run around, though the leaves, reminded me of the silly times of my childhood and how much I loved just being outside. The boys were so silly... chasing and playing and tackling! It was almost like wrestle mania in the backyard. While Nolan wasn't really into it, Dylan and Brennan loved to jump and tumble all over Don and he just took it!

Nolan doing his own thing with the leaves and ball.

Dylan sure loves his daddy!

I love this picture- Nolan looks like a little prairie dog just popping his head up to see if it's safe to get off!

Saturday was the dreariest morning I've seen in quite some time. When we woke up, it was pouring!!! The rain made for such a sad state in the house because the "Fall Festival" we were planning on going to was shut down because of the rain. So who do we turn to in our time of need? PAPA!! Papa called around to see if there were any pumpkin patches open to take the boys to get a pumpkin and get out of the house. Lucky for us, there was one! When we arrived there, the parking area was completely empty- we had the entire place to ourselves. We went on the hayride (which the boys loved, all except the smell) and when we returned, people had decided to show up. Good thing that we didn't have to wait in line for anything. The boys loved the petting zoo- Dylan was crazy about the goats (all except the Billy Goat Gruff, who butted his hand when he ran out of food), Nolan was fascinated with being able to walk around and just touch the lamb and tiny goats, and Brennan was so proud that he could read each of the animals names (which coincided with a nursery rhyme) and say the rhyme! I would have to say that the highlight of our trip to the pumpkin patch was the pig races. Watching 6 piggies run through the mud around and over post was so fun! The boys laughed and laughed! At the end of the afternoon, the boys got to pick a small pumpkin out of a real pumpkin patch to take home. The constant question since the moment the pumpkins hit the trunk of our car is "Can I color my pumpkin now? Tonight? When?"

Brennan and Dylan actually stopped running around to let me take the picture- they're not looking at me because they are checking out the petting zoo.

Nolan wanted to get into the pens to play with the chickens- he actually kept biting the metal bars (trying to gnaw his way in perhaps?).

Notice that Nolan isn't at all scared of the animals, but Dylan was leery at first (he's clinging to Papa).
Brennan feeding the "Butting Billy Goat Gruff".

Isn't our family cute? and don't I look so preggers? (only 3 1/2 months to go)

Brennan is such an observant child. He noticed this little lizard while waiting for the pig races to start. I caught it and we names her "Lizzy the Lizard". Brennan wanted to keep her- Dad said no.

Nolan was such a crazy child- all he wanted to do was walk around the farm and pumpkins. He didn't cry when he fell or stumbled. He just got back up and kept going. Thank heavens Papa and Don were there to keep up with him.

All signs are pointing to a good Fall for the Borcherts!