Lightning Can't Float

Today, the hubby and I took the boys to Pinnacle Mountain. We picked up some healthy McDonald's and headed out to have a wonderful, fun picnic. Two minutes into our wonderful, fun picnic, the baby woke up and screamed his head off until we had to leave and drive to the visitor center. When we left the visitor center, we headed to the arboretum to walk around for a little bit. The toddler ran around in the woods, went pee in a stream, discovered a tree that had been struck by lightning, and--gasp--dropped Lightning McQueen into a stream! It was a tense two minutes. ;) Daddy came to the rescue, and the toddler came to the solid conclusion that, "Mommy, Lightning can't float." :)

Valentine's Day

Every year, as you know if you follow this blog, the hubbs and I go all out for Valentine's Day. New dress. Suit and tie. Dinner reservation. Roses. Box of chocolates. The whole nine yards. But this year, for the first time in seven years, I didn't want to do that.

The day started off with heart-shaped pancakes. The toddler was all too willing to lend a hand! :)

Can I just say. . . pink, heart-shaped pancakes look gross. I don't really know why. But they do. Of course, that didn't stop my guys from eating all of them!

We had a bit of a crazy morning, but the toddler was so, so excited to get to school for his Valentine's Day party. He kept saying, "HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!" ("Screaming," rather than "saying," would be a more appropriate verb.)

Here are my cuties on V-Day:

Oh. My. Gosh! I love them so, so much!! How chunky and squeezable does the baby look!? And how handsome and grown up does the toddler look!? Be still my beating heart!

I figured that the toddler wouldn't be into his Valentine's candy at all, since that's how he was on Halloween. Nope. He officially likes loves candy. Once again scooping up Mom of the Year award, I went ahead and let him eat all his candy. Yep. Go ahead and judge. Every. Last. Piece. ;)

The toddler got some new cars from his Pops and BeeGee for Valentine's Day, and we gave him a Cars mailbox to put his cars in! He was so happy! :)

I had told the hubbs I wanted two things for V-Day: champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries. And did my man deliver?

Oh, yes he did! He even got me my favorite perfume that I haven't had since college: Burberry Classic! :)

Don't laugh, but we ended up hopping in the car, going through the drive-thru at Taco Bell, picking up a Red Box (Hunger Games--I've read the books, and I still hadn't watched the movie) and my favorite bottle of wine. We came home, put the boys to bed, and had taco bell and watched a movie. It was wonderful! If I were a hash-tagger (only verbally, I totally am), I would classify our seventh Valentine's Day together as #valentinesdaywithtwokids...and...#doesntgetbetterthanthis. :)

White Chocolate Strawberry Chex Mix

Not only is this unbelievably yummy, but it's cutesy and crazy easy to make! Triple score! I made these for the toddler's Valentine's Day class party on Thursday, and I'm also planning on making them for my friends. It's just too easy! I got the recipe from Pinterest. (Thank you, Pinterest, for making aspects of my life much cuter than they would otherwise be!)

You will need:

• 6 cups of Rice Chex cereal
• 1 bag of white chocolate baking chips (12 oz.)
• 1 box of Strawberry Creme Jell-O pudding (make sure you use pudding, not gelatin!)
• Valentine's M&M's and sprinkles
• Wax paper

1. Measure out 6 cups of Rice Chex cereal in a large bowl.

2. Microwave white chocolate baking chips for 1 minute (or until melted) in a glass bowl and stir.

3. Mix 4 tbsp. of Strawberry Creme Jell-O pudding into the white chocolate and stir gently until smooth.

4. Pour chocolate strawberry mix over Rice Chex cereal and gently mix.

5. Throw in some cute sprinkles and Valentine's M&M's!

Spread the mix out on wax paper and let it cool and solidify. Then you can wrap it up for friends!

Update

Well, needless to say, having two kiddos (or maybe it's that having a newborn thing) has me blogging less often. Shame on me, I know. I am so glad that I've blogged since the toddler was born, and that I get to remember fun/crazy/embarrassing stuff I might otherwise forget! :) So, here's a quick catch-up on our lives. . .

~I am so, so very ready to get some good sleep. While baby brother has been vastly easier than his big brother was at this stage, I still don't like my sleep interrupted (well, duh, nobody does). I usually nurse the baby around 10:00 PM, then he wakes up hungry around 3:30, and then he wakes up at 6:00 to say, "Hey, I'm kinda sorta barely hungry. So, if you could just feed me a little bit, that would be great. And now that I've woken you up, you should probably go get ready for any one of the numerous things you have to get done today." In other words, WAKE UP MOM! So, his pediatrician told me today that in two-and-a-half weeks, when the chunk is twelve weeks old, I can finally put him down in HIS room and let him sleep from 10:00-6:00. Woo hoo! I've got my calendar marked! :)

~We find out in one month--on March 15th at 11:30 in case you wanted the specifics--where my husband will be doing his surgery residency. Oh. My. Gosh. (which I don't get to say out loud anymore because I correct the toddler when he says it) Oh. My. Goodness. I can't believe we're here! My feelings? Sometimes (2% of the time), apprehension and anxiety. Most times (98% of the time), excitement. My thoughts on moving are: We're young! We've lived out-of-state before! I am always up for a new adventure, and I cannot think of three greater people to embark on one with! :) My thoughts on staying are: Awesome! We've already got an established community here, I have a great job, and my family is here! So, in my heart of hearts at this point, I'm just trusting God with this one. [Side note: I think Match Day is barbaric. Seriously. Going up in front of hundreds of people and finding out at the same time your poor-sitting-by-herself-in-the-audience wife finds out where you're going to be spending the next FIVE years of your life and announcing it over a mic!? Barbaric. Totally.]

~The toddler is officially 100% potty trained AT HOME. He wears his Thomas or Cars underwear 24/7. He can go to the potty by himself. He only needs my help with wiping. However, as I learned this week, he is NOT 100% potty trained at school. Bummer. I've been really pushing with the potty training lately, and it's definitely paid off! YAY! I'm still ready for him to be 100% potty trained everywhere because a couple of the preschools I'm registering him for REQUIRE that three year olds be potty trained to attend. I've still got time, right!? Oh Lord, he BETTER be potty trained by then! And by the way, if you have any tips/suggestions on how to move from being potty trained at home to being potty trained everywhere else, please, please pass them my way!

~My little chunky dumpling had his two month check up today! I didn't cry when he got his shots; in fact, with all this nasty cold/flu/scary stuff going around, I was relieved when he got them. And unlike his big brother who screamed bloody murder the entire.way.home. Mr. Chunky cried for maybe twenty seconds and then was fine. Yippee! I'm still doing Tylenol around the clock today, though. No surprise, he's in the 88% for his weight (he weighs as much as the toddler did at his four month checkup!), 68% for his length, and 89% for his head circumference. Praise God for a healthy, growing boy!

~My house needs cleaning, I have a list to get to my publisher, there are dishes in the sink, the laundry is piling up, I have thank-you notes to write, and I so freaking desperately need a nap. Both my boys are asleep, and here I am blogging! So one day, I can remember these things! :) I'm crazy, I know! ;)

Basketball Game

Last night, I took the toddler to his very first basketball game! He absolutely, positively loved it! We went because my cousin was on homecoming court, but we ended up staying to watch nearly two entire games because the toddler did not want to leave. He's been talking nonstop about playing basketball ever since! :)

Cheesy Tortilla Casserole

I got this recipe from Pinterest. It is so easy to make, and it is yummy! I served it with tortilla chips, but it's also yummy on its own.

You will need:

• 2 cans of cream of chicken soup
• 1 can of Rotel (Original is my favorite)
• 12 six-inch corn tortillas
• 2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
• 1 cup of shredded Mexican cheese blend

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Cook chicken and shred. Set aside.

3. Cut the corn tortillas into bite-sized pieces.

4. Combine the Rotel and the cream of chicken soup.

5. In a lightly-greased 9X9 pan, layer 1/3 of the tortillas onto the bottom. Then, place half of the chicken on top of the tortillas. Spoon the soup mixture on top of the chicken. Repeat layers and top with the rest of the tortilla strips.

6. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 40 minutes.

7. Top with cheese and bake an additional 5 minutes or until the cheese melts. 

8. Enjoy with your favorite people!

Malapropism

Malapropism: (noun) the usually unintentionally humorous misuse or distortion of a word or phrase

The toddler has been going through the funniest phase right now. I'm going to recount a couple of stories so this momma can remember them. :)

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A couple weeks ago, I was in the kitchen making breakfast when the toddler ran in crying and holding his head.

"What's wrong, baby!?" I asked, bending down to comfort him.

"MOMMA!" he wailed, "I hurt my head!! I hurt my head!! I PROBABLY HURT MY HEAD!!!"

I'm pretty sure he definitely hurt his head, and I was most definitely laughing (on the inside, of course) at his adorable little sentence.

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This morning, the toddler was driving me bonkers. He'd gone to time-out already five or so times when he came into the laundry room where I was folding laundry. He was devastated because (stick with me here) his helicopter, which has a tow line on it, was attached to Lightning McQueen's spoiler in the wrong place.

"MOMMY! MOMMY! It's not at the right place! You have'ta fix it!!!!!"

I finished folding laundry, and turned around (praying, "Jesus, keep me calm, please, please, pretty please"). "Hey, hey, this is not a big deal, son. You need to calm down."

Well, that didn't work. "NO, MOMMY! It's not in the right place! You have'ta put him here! He has to be here! It's INTERESTING!!!"

He was screaming, red-faced, at this point. And, once again (don't judge), the word choice had me biting my lip to not burst out laughing. :)

Is there anything more draining/exhausting/demanding and hysterical than parenting a two-year-old!? ;)

Red Velvet Cheesecake Cookies

Whoa are these cookies delish! I got this recipe from Pinterest, and it will most definitely be one that I hang on to!

For the cookies:

• 1 box of red velvet cake mix
• 2 tbsp. of all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup of canola oil
• 1 tsp. of vanilla extract

For the cheesecake filling:

• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups of powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. of vanilla extract

For the white chocolate drizzle:

• 1 1/2 cups of white chocolate chips, melted

For the cookies:

In a large bowl, combine the cake mix and flour. Whisk until clumps disappear. In a mixer, add the cake mix with flour, eggs, oil, and vanilla. Mix until smooth. The dough will be oily. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

For the cheesecake filling:

In a mixer, combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Scoop out tablespoon-sized balls of cheesecake filling and place on a plate. Place plate in the freezer for at least 2 hours.

To assemble the cookies, wrap the dough around the cheesecake filling balls. Place on a greased baking sheet. Only bake 3 cookies at a time, because the cookies are enormous!

Bake cookies for 13-18 minutes, depending on how large you make them. Once they are crackling and you can see the filling peeking through, pull them out. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Melt the white chocolate chips and drizzle over the cooled cookies. Enjoy!