Sunday was Funday!

I had a very busy Sunday, but it was a FUNday!  Headed out to the Cards/Cubs game with friends and had such a wonderful time hangin' out, laughing, enjoying kid-free time with adults, havin' a beer (!), and rooting for the Cubbies, despite their loss.

The fun didn't end there, though!  Once I got home, we fired up the firepit and roasted some marshmallows, had some s'mores, neighbors and friends came over, and the kids got to play.  It was really a fun day!!

Our fun crew!  Jack, CJ, Mary, (me) Heidi, and Theodore ("T").

"T" & "H"  :)

Mary & CJ

OK, so I got a lot of grief for wearing a Cubs hat to the Cardinals stadium, but I tried to even it all out with the red shirt.  My Cardinals-fans friends still didn't approve though.  But, Mary was nice enough to still sit next to me and take a picture with me.  :)

Cubs fans, Cubs friends.  I love this girl!!!  :)

2 sad Cubs friends...they lost.  :(

On to the S'mores later this evening!

"someone" is sure enjoying the marshmallows!  :)

This little one was not happy that her face and hands were sticky with marshmallows!  :)
Funny to watch, though!

Oooh...EJ snagged a bite from our sweet friend Ann Louise...

Look how delighted she is!!

Bedtime!  This is the first time I put this little "nightgown" on her...has Mommy's favorite: Cinderella.  If you ask me, though, it makes her look WAY too old for a toddler!

Catching up on other pictures....

She practically arranged herself like this...all by herself.  I think they have a lady come into her daycare facility and play songs on the guitar throughout the week, so she was probably just mimicking what they do there.  I wonder, though...does this means she's right-handed?!  :)

LOVE this little look!  Check out the video link on this below!  If you can hear pass the background music that was on, she seemed to be singing...and to Momma!  If you watch LONG enough, she's pretty proud of herself, and gives herself a round of applause!  :)  Hilarious!

Check out the video of the guitar-playing here: http://youtu.be/_Fsz3o1hIto  

One of the few times Mommy gave her Spaghetti-O's....

A Spaghetti-O's Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXBVgXWv00k

There is just something about this face/expression that I LOVE.   The story behind these photos is that she had peeled off one of the sticker strips that they put on new clothes, and then decided to wrap it around her foot like a bandage, and she was all proud of her accomplishment when she was done.   I love it.

I Can "Live" Without Beans...

I spent all weekend (and Monday) waiting until Tuesday to find time to make a nice, hearty chili.  I never used to like chili and never, ever could stand beans.  In recent years, I found a bean I can deal with (hello, Pinto!), and a chili recipe that I modified to where I like it.  I wanted to have a meal that would give me several portions to freeze for those "busy nights" coming up, and wanted to eat something "healthy" - meaning the beans' high protein value while enjoying the taste.

So, I got started chopping up onions, cooking off the meat, cutting up other veggies to go in, and my first dilemma  was that I couldn't find the fresh tomatoes I was sure I bought.  Well, "it's just chili...I can just use canned, diced tomatoes," I thought.  Not really excited about the change, but I kept going...after all, I really wanted my chili.  I put everything in the crockpot, except the beans...this recipe had "educated" me that the beans don't need to sit in the crockpot for hours...just the last 20-30 minutes and they'll still be soft, but not mushy, which is just one reason I don't like beans - the mushy factor.  So, I go on and get distracted by EJ's antics and cleaning up from the prep work and whatever else.  

The couple of hours go by and now I'm starving - my whole house smells like chili!  I'm on a mission now: to get EJ settled in to her chair, get things portioned and cooled for her, get milk ready for her, etc....  Eventually, we sit down to eat.  EJ scarfed it down and enjoyed it.  My turn to taste!  Hmmm...my chili didn't taste quite like I remembered it from last time.  "Must be the canned tomatoes I had to use instead of the fresh, which I like," I thought.  We went on eating our cheese-topped, oyster cracker-topped chili, I cleaned up, and we headed out to where we needed to go that night.  I decided that the onions and carrots in the chili were a little bit more crunchy than I'd like, so I left the crockpot on low to cook some more and we left.

I got home, put EJ down, and settled in to portioning out the chili.  After 6-something hours of it cooking for the day, it dawned on me: I FORGOT TO PUT THE BEANS IN!  I had to laugh at myself.  The beans were my whole motivation for making the chili in the first place!   I had forgotten a major ingredient!  How funny. 

It got me to thinking today: did my meal still survive?  Yes.  Was it still tasty enough?  Yes (I might even argue it was great without beans!).  So (and follow me here...) what are the "beans" in my LIFE?  What do I often keep "beans" in the mix of the hecticness, the "stew of life" that perhaps don't need to be there?  What could I do to remove some of the chaos or clutter or confusion in life, yet still live and feel life?  What are the "beans" I could live without yet still experience and enjoy life?  It's a hard question to ask when we have cable, DVRs, cell phones, email, meetings, commitments, expectations,....  We are an instant-gratification society!  But the chili is slow-cooked...over time, the flavors infuse and deepen...it is a richer texture and flavor, even without the beans.  I wonder if the same would hold true if we did take a bean or two (or a can of them!) out of our life for a time, and find that life still had deep, flavorful, wonderful meaning.

As for me, I CAN live without the beans!

Vacation Pics, Part I

(note: I have now published the second half of the vacation pictures, but have placed them BELOW (or after) this post so that they are sequential...just a note for those of you who may have already peeked on here today!)

EJ and I got a chance to get OUT of St. Louis (!) and go on our very first vacation!  What fun!  I am certainly hoping to save up some hotel points and some money to head to a beachy location the next go-round, but we had a blast hanging with our sweet and precious friend, Laurie.  EJ was a champ, despite some tough toddler falls, everything being new and different, missing her pal Symba (our cat), and other friends we see regularly here at home.  But, I think it was a great experience for both of us, and a special time for me - I can't remember the last time I was actually on a "vacation!"  Plus, we did so many "firsts" my little girl...what a joy for a mommy to jam-pack it all into a handful of days and experience it all with her.  :)

I didn't do a great job of keeping the pictures minimal, but I DID narrow down from over 200+ and I'm posting on 2 blog entries in case you need a break from scrolling.  

Enjoy!

Departure Day: Thursday 

We flew out in the morning (thank you Linda for yet another ride to the airport!), EJ was a champ on the plane, and oh-so-thankfully, we got the only open seat on a full flight.  My kiddo is WAY too big (& squirmy) to fit in my lap for 1 hr 15 min....  Once Laurie picked us up, we all caught up a bit and let EJ and "P" (who is only a few months older than EJ) get to know each other.  Then we all headed out to a park later than afternoon....

Waiting at the airport on our way OUT of town!

EJ and Laurie pointing to where we were - OHIO!!!

Just extra proof that we were indeed both there, in Ohio.  :)

Friday: Zoo!
Columbus has a WAY cool zoo, inspired by Jack Hanna, so we literally got to see tigers, elephants, lions, etc. up close and personal - only separated by a piece of thick glass.  The kids had fun....

EJ has always enjoyed trying to say "elephant" - it has been one of her first words since the beginning.  She can't actually say it, but Mommy can always tell when she's trying to.  I can't wait to show her Dumbo the movie someday.  :)

Love the tiptoes and stretching to see such weird-looking, pinks birds.

Gorgeous...

OK, this dude...we were only separated by these cages and about 4 feet...man, did they smell!

Afterward, EJ and P played together on the piano...precious!!

This is Laurie and the 3 boys (including "P") that she nannies for...and my kiddo joining in as if she were "one of the guys."  Only Laurie can capture and keep the attention of 4 kiddos so well.  :)

I told you we kept busy...the zoo was just the morning...it was time for mini-golf in the afternoon!

EJ trying to figure out where the boys' ball went after they putted them into the house-thingy.

Look, she's such a pro, pink ball and everything.  I have "no" idea who picked out that golf ball for her. :)

Two champion mini golf kids...

Saturday: A Day at the Farm!
We headed to Laurie's mom's farm about 45 min from Columbus to meet and pet their 4 horses.  EJ wasn't quite sure what to do with such a big animal's head so close to her, and for once, my fearless child, got a bit fearful...and never ended up petting these pretty horses.  But, she still hung on while mommy got to pet her first horse ever!  They were all really sweet, and put up with EJ's frightened and goofy squealing.  

Check out the action shot on those LIPS!

Love this one...

Laurie picked up EJ and they watched the farm dog hop around in the field...hilarious to see him popping up and down!  :)

She got to ride and steer the tractor with Laurie.  If I ever get videos uploaded...you'll see it in action.

This picture actually comes AFTER the next one, but look how silly EJ's face is in this one!  OK, so  now look below to see that we were playing peek-a-boo.  :)

Check out those LONG legs...what a BIG, BIG girl she is already!

EJ's first time on a slip and slide!!  Oh my gosh, it was only about 85 degrees and the water was SOO cold, but the 2 kiddos didn't seem to care one bit.  EJ really enjoyed it, once she figured out what this big blue plastic thing was all about...and with a little help from Laurie. 

She hijacked the water source and had to take timeout drinks...thirsty from all her sliding, I suppose!

Two of my favorite girls....

See?  Jam-packed 2 1/2 days already!  The remaining trip is yet to come!  I will post ASAP (already have the pics uploaded, just need to type up the descriptions)...check back soon!