never toothless

Today Julian lost his second tooth! Well actually, I pulled out his second tooth. I probably wouldnt have stressed the teeth - but the adult teeth to his baby teeth were already both in and his teeth were super loose. My boy looked like a shark! Even with his first two teeth out he hasnt even had to experience toothlessness.

Elias is crawling even faster now and pulls himself up on his knees to reach the couch and up walls. He puts everything in his mouth that he finds on the floors.

I am working with Carmen to help her with the alphabet and learning to write her name. I am also working with her to teach her how her actions make other people feel, teaching her the difference between truth and lie and teaching her how to be more polite.

Isaiah loves balls. Still. Thats about it. Hahaha! He has a temper, as he has had since the age of 4 months old. I have been trying to work with him to teach him how to use words to tell me how he feels. He has the cutest smile. His eyes shine when he's happy. When he's sad theres a storm cloud over his head.

Nick's birthday is in November but I gave him his birthday gift early. I got him an Ipod touch and he LOVES it. On our date Saturday night we went to Pei Wei for dinner, then to Target where we bought him a docking/stereo system for his Ipod, it was on clearance for $25!!

and me. Last week I was on a roll. Cleaning the house top to bottom all week long, sewing, cooking. When me and nick were first married we did dishes1-2x a week. Now its 1-2x a day! Last night I made a Texas sheet cake (and the first time my Texan has ever had it!). The recipe called for 1 cup of butter but I reduced it to 1/2 cup and added 1/2 cup applesauce. It is FANTASTIC! So moist and delicate, it tastes like a mix between a carrot cake (minus the carrots) and a chocolate muffin. Now I will post the recipe soon but I will not post a picture because I covered the cake with wax paper late last night and it stuck to the frosting making it look like a choppy sea of chocolate, but it still tastes good. No one in the family will eat it but me, and sometimes Isaiah but he just eats off the frosting. Not sure why. Anyone want some cake?

my clowns

Carmen decided to do her own make up but with a twist... she wanted to look like a clown! She came out of my room looking like this and said something to the effect of, "Look mom! I did my make up! I look funny!"Carmen handed Elias a toy baby bottle and he figured it out right away even though he doesnt ever take bottles. Now I dont really remember much about this day or this picture except thinking that Nick looks like he cant decide between being Jewish or being at Disneyland.

CT

Elias has been crawling for about a week now. He is 5 months old. He has been sitting up on his own since he was 4 months old.

Yesterday had another CT scan of my sinuses to track the cysts, no change- so the doctor said it would be safe to have me just return in 5 years for another CT scan unless I start to have problems breathing or have a series of recurring sinus infections.

They were discovered two years ago when I went in for an MRI after I was experiencing peripheral neuropathy. They never found the cause and thankfully they were able to rule out MS and brain tumor, but they found a 2 1/2 cm cyst in each of my maxillary sinuses (the ones above the top teeth). This was not long after I had had emergency surgery to have my gallbladder out (when Isaiah was just 2 months old). The neuropathy hasnt returned full force but when it starts to come back I do stretches to stretch my shoulders, neck and back since the mri was otherwise normal, the next thing that comes to mind probably a pinched nerve. Whatever caused it, I have figured out how to make it go away, but for now, the cysts are here to stay. I could have them surgically removed but the doctor said that the only reason he would want me to have them removed is if I was going to have my deviated septum fixed, then he'd remove the cysts while he was already performing an operation.

The past two days, other than the doctors appointment and carpool duty, Ive been cleaning house nonstop. Top to bottom, east to west, left to right, front to back and I was so wound up I couldnt stop last night. Had to force myself to go to bed at 2:30 am. I rearranged Isaiah's room, cleaned up all the toys and even put up a shelf, cleaned out the junk mail piles, folded laundry, fixed a broken toy, dusted shelves and desks, cleaned out our computer desk, and all the other fun stuff that usually gets done last on the list. And today.... you guessed it.... its messy again. Toys ALL over the living room floor and dishes piled high.

Today I found a Hostess cake in my purse- a ding dong. Nick said that for some reason that didnt surprise him. Its no wonder I blew out my gallbladder huh?

Thank goodness its almost the kids' bedtime.

This weekend

On Friday the kids wanted to make Halloween decorations and I was NOT in the mood to take all four kids to walmart so I found some tape, construction paper and a set of safety scissors and this is what they made. This weekend Nick's parents were in Tucson for an RC Airplane show. On Saturday we drove 2 1/2 almost three hours to get there but we made it! We spent time at their camper trailer then Nick left to go meet up with is dad at the air field while Grandma, me and the kids went to JCPenney to do some shopping (much better than camping, I think!). Julian got some new pants, very much needed because his new birthday pants he got this summer are already TOO high!

We had forgotten to load the stroller so Elias got to be carried in the sling and he did pretty well. At JCPenney I actually put Isaiah in it for a while and it held him so comfortably! While we were at JCPenney Nick called and said he was headed our way because he had gotten lost looking for the air field (its 45 minutes outside of Tucson in the booneys behind Marana) so he decided to take a trip to the Best Buy next door to the JCPenney instead. After we were done shopping we went to Red Lobster for dinner and after that we drove to the air field (and found it this time). When we got there it was dark and I captured these two pictures.

Since the air show was to go on until Monday and it was Saturday and she had no interest in the little planes (I dont blame her, you see one fly, youve seen them all fly) we invited her to stay with us until Sunday evening when Nicks dad would come to Phoenix to pick her up. She said yes and jumped in the van, not caring that she didnt have a change of clothes or toothbrush- so we made a stop at Target on the way home and she got herself a change of clothes and a toothbrush. On Sunday morning we got ready for church and while Nicks mom was in the shower I (*confession*) broke the sabbath and ran to Fry's to pick up a Birthday cake, cupcakes, icing, a balloon, a present and a card and ran home with time to eat lunch and still make to to church on time. Now the reason I went shopping on Sunday was because we were gone all day Saturday and we remembered that Monday was her birthday so we decided to throw her a surprise party on Sunday. After church we ran home to get the kids a change of clothes (that was our cover) so Nick loaded the cakes up while his mom and I got the clothes for the kids and we drove to Nicks aunt Nora's house in Chandler and after everyone went in the house I came in last with the cakes and balloon and gift and when I walked in behind her we all yelled surprise! and boy was she ever! She didnt know we would remember that it was her birthday, nor did she think that was why I had run to the store. From what she saw I only had brought in a bag with a bottle of cranberry juice in it so perhaps she just assumed I had a uti. hahaha! Nick's dad met up with us while we were there and we sang and she got presents and we had dinner and after talking for a while we parted and we came home and they went back to Tucson. It was a fun weekend but sure was a busy one. Nick was so tired of all the driving we had done.

Grandma always brings presents when she comes and this is the shirt she got for me. Its so cute! I love it! Thank you Grandma Avila!

Bonnie likes Taquitos!

taquito recipe? Bonnie wants me to post the recipe so here it is, kinda, Im making this up from memory as I go. Believe me, they are much easier to make than it may seem.

Taquitos

10-15 corn tortillas
1 can chunk chicken (I use Costco chicken)
1 cup mashed potatoes/hashbrowns/cubed hash browns (if frozen, microwave until slightly warm)
1/2 cup cheese

seasoning
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt
pepper

Drain chicken. Stir chicken in a large bowl to break up the chunks into shreds. Add seasoning.
In a separate bowl stir together the potatoes and cheese. I like to use leftover mashed potatoes straight from the fridge or frozen hash browns (microwaved about 1-2 minutes until mostly warmed and no longer frozen)

Microwave tortillas on a plate, covered with another plate, 45 seconds. Flip stack of tortillas and cover back up, microwave another 45 seconds until tortillas are soft. Dont hesitate to microwave longer if they arent as pliable as they should be for rolling. For some reason corn tortillas like to crack when rolled. This is usually caused by tortillas not being heated long enough or not being as fresh as they could be. Taquitos roll best when they are fresh. (Older corn tortillas that are susceptible to breaking can be cut into small pieces, fried in oil and cooked with eggs for breakfast)

Heat about 2 cups of oil (enough to cover the bottom of your pan about 1/4-1/2 inch deep) in a nonstick pan on medium heat or an electric skillet set to 375.

Drop 1 tbsp chicken and 1 tbsp (eyeball it) potato mixture onto tortilla. Roll and with metal tongs holding the taquito closed place gently into hot oil, seam side down. Each taquito needs to be rolled one at a time or they will open up before making it to the skillet. Its a lot like the cooking mama game, fill it, roll it, put each one in oil one at a time and remove as each one finishes. My skillet fits about 6 taquitos at a time and crowding the skillet is okay as long as the oil stays hot and they are each in enough oil to fry the bottom side. When the bottom side of the taquito is browned, turn to the side, and repeat until all 4 sides are golden. Now 4 sides may sounds like a wierd concept for a round taquito but when youre frying them, the side that is down will get somewhat flattened.

When each taquito is done place on a plate with a few paper towels to absorb any extra oil.

Spanish Rice

1 cup rice
1/3 cup tomato sauce
1 tbsp bouillon (to taste)
1 tbsp oil

In a medium pot heat the oil on medium heat. Add the rice and stir until rice turns white. Remove from heat and stir in tomoto sauce. Add in 1 3/4 cups water and bouillon. Before returning to the burner taste the liquid, add more bouillon if needed. Return to burner. Turn up heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until water is absorbed, about 15 minutes.

Refried Beans

1 can opener
1 can refried beans

Heat in microwave in covered bowl about 2 minutes, stirring twice. (I know, sounds lazy but it beats cooking beans for 10 hours for just one meal)

the pictures to go with the last blog

Grandpa, a former elementary school teacher, testing the readiness of Julians tooth, yet it was me who actually pulled it out.

He sits up on his own, gets into position on his own and is still 4 months old.

Taquitos! I like to eat them with green enchilada sauce and sour cream.

Julians tooth OUT. The tooth fairy brought him 4 quarters! (I think the tooth fairy going rate hasnt increased at all in the last 20 years, i used to also get a dollar). At first he wasnt sure two of the coins were quarters because they had state designs on the back.

He's not stuck, hes throwing a tantrum because he wants the recliner put back to normal.

the blurb that's keeping me from the dishes

Julian lost his first tooth today and Elias now sits up on his own! I dont put him in a sitting position and watch him balance til he falls over. NOPE. He gets himself into the sitting position. He isnt even 5 months yet! Ill post pictures later. Too tired right now. Long day. Went to the ENT for a one year follow up on the cysts in my sinuses. In two weeks I will have my 3rd CT scan and have to decide if I will have sinus surgery or not. Then I went to a fabulous Walmart on Union Hills way up north. All old people and everyone was nice and pleasant. Oh and I made taquitos for lunch. I make fantastic taquitos. Ask Jodie Stepp. All she had to do was have a baby and I took her some ;) haha! Sometime this week I plan on making homemade flour tortillas. One batch makes about 5 dozen and I always give away 1-2 dozen and we eat the rest during the week. I didnt sleep well last night, again, because Elias kept waking up congested and sometimes choking. Tomorrow I plan on redeeming my TGIFridays free burger coupon- IF I get enough sleep tonight. Right now Im procrastinating by blogging because the dishes are staring me in the face and there are legos and polly pockets at my feet.

flu update

Well, at least I think its the flu.

Since I posted last Elias got a fever and was feeling crummy and spitting up and moaning a lot, so I kept nursing. Mommy milk does wonders for babies. I know I got intected too, though I didnt (knock on wood) get a fever, theres no way I could avoid getting whatever the kids had and I have been feeling the sore swollenness in my glands near my neck/jaw. Isaiah is 2. He has been wiping his nose on his arms all week, coughing and sneezing on everyone and everything, he doesnt wash his hands (he's not potty trained and cant reach the sink anyways), and he even threw up on me. Well, the antibodies in my milk fixed Elias, he was sick with the fever a little over 24 hours and after another 75% sleepless night last night Elias' fever broke around 8 or 9am this morning, giving me only an hour to sleep from 9-10am without him whining and waking up every few minutes. He slept until 11am and is now asleep again.

Poor Isaiah. Currently he is asleep on the living room floor. He had been asleep on the couch, then his legs fell off and he was sleeping with his head on the couch, feet on the floor, then he fell off completely and is now just on the floor. His fever has been around for 6 days now. I took his temp and hes 100.8 so its not high so Im not too worried nor do I need to give him medicine because its not very high. Im trying to keep him hydrated but I cant force him to drink water.

Yesterday I went to the airport with the kids to meet my dad on a layover. He was flying back from Mexico City to Oregon. We had a nice visit and he got to see the kids, and quite possibly he is transporting this West Phoenix version of the flu to the Willamette Valley.

Other than that, not much else goin on. I am just SO tired. I need a mommy day out for all the hard work Ive been doing keeping up with sick kids day and night but Im too tired to go out and do anything.

Being a mom IS a 24 hour a day job. All week long Carmen has been waking up at anywhere between 1 and 3 AM seemingly just to hang out. Today I think Ill make her do jumping jacks and run around the block before she heads to bed and hopefully all this sleeping Isaiah is doing wont end up with him wanting to be awake til 3am.