Tuesday, August 30, 2011

tiptoes

Lyndon has recently discovered how to stand on tiptoe, which I think is super cute, especially when it involves Crocs with socks.


I have to remember to put more things away, though, because he can reach the top of almost every surface now. Nothing is safe anymore. In fact, in the picture above, he's reaching for the tv remote.

And in this one, he's reaching for the laptop...


He's so determined to touch what's just out of reach... yet another reminder that I have a kid on my hands now, not a baby anymore.

Monday, August 29, 2011

why blog?

Every now and then, there is a long pause between posts on this blog. Sometimes (like last week), this is because we've been busy. Most often, though, it happens because I have lost my motivation for blogging.

When you are first learning how to write, you are told that you must "know your audience". Who are you writing for? What do they expect? Keeping them in mind helps to bring purpose and clarity to your writing. It gives you a reason to write.

Every now and then, I find myself wondering, "Who am I writing for? Why am I writing?"

. . . which, inevitably, spirals downward into, "Why should I even bother?" I don't have a regular, obvious audience that follows and comments and waits anxiously for the next post. There are no far-flung grandparents waiting for pictures, no loyal fans who think my recipes are awesome. This is just not that kind of blog. But there are times when I feel like it should be, I feel like it has to be, to give me a reason to keep writing.

But then I start thinking about why I started this blog in the first place: to write. That's it. I am a writer-- published or not-- it's the one thing I feel I must do every day. It's not just a passion; it's a necessity. It helps me process and keeps me sane. In busy seasons, even making a to-do list in anticipation of the next day's activities works to center me and give me a sense of stability. Of course I would love to penn a masterpiece, read by the masses, but for now,  I just need an outlet.

I write for myself. I always have. Just not on this blog. Here, I have been guilty of catering to the whims of my imaginary "audience," posting cute pictures because they get the most comments, trying desperately to shape my experiences into something "other people" would want to read.

But no more. (Gosh, that feels good.) From now on, this is my outlet, my chance to process the world. It will continue to be public and (hopefully) mostly inoffensive, because I do have a few lovely grandparent readers out there, ;-) but from now on, I write for me. You casual readers may not even notice much of a difference. There will still be cute pictures. And baby bump updates. But they will be there because they are important to me, not because I think they might be important to you.

I may end up offending some of you, as my 24 year-old Christian self tries to make sense of life in my suburban, post-Christian world. I will try, really try, not to be divisive or mean. But I will probably not be cool or particularly mainstream. I will do my best not to be whiney or depressing, but neither will I be all sunshine and rainbows. I applaud mothers who can just talk about how much fun they have and how wonderful their kids are, but I'm not one of them. If Lyndon decides that he would rather scream than nap, you are going to hear about it. That being said, most of my days are tons of fun. I love my job and wouldn't rather be doing anything else with my life. Seriously. My outlook has never been sunnier. I really do love my life; I want to make that clear. But I'm a pessimist by nature, and I refuse to put my posts on Prozac because that's what I think the people want.

There. A full confession and a promise to do better. Not for you, however lovely you may be, but for me. Writing for writing's sake. I can hardly wait!

Sunday, August 14, 2011

rockin' out


This is how we prepped for Lyndon's hearing test.


I had to get him used to earbuds somehow.

So I let him listen to my iPod.


To say he loved it is an understatement.

Saturday, August 13, 2011

It's a...

Well, it looks like we will be continuing our church's tradition of having lots and lots of... boys. Maybe it's something in the water around here...

Anyway, all of Tadpole's measurements checked out just fine, and the technician managed to get a shot that guarantees it's a boy. I thought I would be just a little disappointed, but I wasn't. All I could think about was how cute his little nose is and how much trouble he and Lyndon will get into together. I'm so glad my two little boys will be able to play together and be friends. Yes, I hope a girl is in our future eventually, but for now, I'm excited at the idea of two little rascals running around here together.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

What's for dinner? salmon and black bean "burgers"

So, I'm posting my second dinner recipe, and hopefully, I won't end up in the ER like last time. (I did wait until I had actually served dinner this time to post; maybe that will help.)

Anyway, here we go. My recipe is based on this one from allrecipes.com. I've made it as written a few times now, but the other day I had some fun tweaking it, since I needed to feed a few more people and wasn't about to add more salmon.




12 oz. canned salmon (that's 2 cans if you get it from Costco)
1/3 cup finely chopped onion (I've made it with both fresh and about 1 T. of dried-- good either way)
1 egg
5 saltines, crushed
1/2 t. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
15 oz. can black beans ( I used about 3/4 of the can, but my husband is a beanophobe. You could probably use the whole thing if you wanted.)
1/4-1 cup water
1/4 cup flour


1. In a bowl, combine first 7 ingredients. Mix well.
2. Mash beans with a fork and add to salmon mixture.
3. Add water 1 T. at a time until mixture will hold together. Form into 8 patties.
4. Coat patties lightly in flour.

You can either pan fry these or bake them in the oven. I've done both. Obviously, the oven option is healthier (and more hands-off for those of you chasing little ones around), while pan frying gives a better, browner crust.

To pan fry: Heat 3-4 t. oil in skillet over medium heat. Fry 4-5 mins. on each side or until lightly browned and heated through.

To bake: Preheat oven to 375. Arrange patties in single layer on greased baking sheet. Spray patties lightly with cooking spray. Bake 10-12 mins. or until lightly browned and heated through, turning once.

We love to dip these in cocktail sauce, ketchup, or chili-garlic sauce (from the Asian section of the grocery store), depending on how much spice we're feeling that night.

Enjoy, and let me know if you try these!

Thursday, August 4, 2011

friends

Lyndon has started making friends and will play with and around kids his own age pretty comfortably now. He can identify four of his little friends by their Christmas card pictures on the fridge. I'm so excited to see these relationships develop in the next few years!

sharing toys with a nice little girl . . .

splashing with the boys . . .

hangin' by the pool . . .

He even cried the other day when one of his friends had to go home. Looks like his social skills are starting to blossom, after all.

Monday, August 1, 2011

Lyndon is 18 months old!

Yikes! When did this happen?

For some reason, I've always thought of 18 months as the age where babies become children. I guess it's because they're pretty much all walking, talking and expressing their *ahem* opinions by then. It's also the last stage at which you can easily find onesies. I love onesies, but they are definitely "baby" attire, conjuring up images of itty-bitty toes and little knit hats. *swoons*

Ok, enough of that. Back to Lyndon. 18 month-old Lyndon is very physical and loves tackles, tickles, snuggles and full-body hugs. He expresses affection not only through hugs and kisses, but also through high fives, head bonks and handshakes. He says 10 words and can point to 14 body parts and 7 animals. He loves books and has quite a few memorized, including Guess How Much I Love You and The Poky Little Puppy. He also loves fingerplays and will play along with Itsy Bitsy Spider, Wheels on the Bus, Wise Man/Foolish Man, and Where is Thumbkin. He love love LOVES music, especially if he can dance to it.


Adrian says this is his favorite age so far because it's so much fun! I tend to agree. Happy 18 months, little man.