Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe #7

Hi Everyone,

I hope you are having good Friday.  It's been very fall like this week which is very welcomed from the heat and humidity that was last week.  I enjoy the summer weather as much as the next person but I was ready for the fall weather; windows open, weather and all sorts of cozy clothes.  

On other news, we officially have a walker.  James took this couple first steps almost two weeks ago but he really started moving last weekend and now he just walks everywhere.  Once he figured it out, I think he was hooked.  The only issue he has is that he hasn't figured out how to stand up so once he falls down, he will either crawl or walk on his knees until he can pull himself back up.  It's pretty funny to watch. James has been causing around the house (walking along the furniture and walls) for awhile now but it's strange to see him walking in the middle of the rooms. 

So in my quest to find the best chocolate chip cookie recipe I decided to try out the some famous bakers recipes.  First was Betty Crocker and Today it is Martha Stewart. 

The first thing I noticed was that her recipe was very similar to Tollhouse recipe and you all know how I feel about that one.  The difference I did notice was the recipe called for more brown sugar than white sugar and two teaspoons of vanilla instead of one.  

In full disclosure I didn't take very many pictures of the recipe.  It just skipped my mind and when I would remember it was too late. 

The cookies were soft and chewy like she titled the recipe and not as flat as my tollhouse cookies come out but I'm finding that I like thick and big cookies.  So this recipe didn't really do it for me.  

Ingredients: 

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups (12 oz) semisweet and/or milk chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat over to 350 degrees and line cooking sheets with parchment paper

Whisk together flour and baking soda in separate bowl

In a large bowl, mixed both sugars and butter together with a paddle attachment on medium speed until light and fluffy.

Reduce speed to low and add salt, vanilla and eggs.  Beat until well mixed then add flour mixture.  Mix until just combined then add the chocolate chips.

Using a tablespoon measuring spoon, drop dough onto the cookie sheet.

Bake until cookies are golden brown, around 8 to 12 minutes and let rest for a few minutes before transferring them to cooling rack. 

Cookie Review:
Taste: 5 - the extra teaspoon of vanilla adds to the overall flavor of the cookies
Appearance: 4 A little on the thinner side but look like the average homemade cookies
Dunk ability: 4 The first couple of days the cookies were good and stayed together but as the days went on, they started to break or fall apart easier
Removability:  4 Even on the thinner side, they still came off the sheet pretty nicely. Only a couple of issues.
Affordability: 5 - Nothing extra need for this recipe. 

Overall this recipe isn't a bad recipe but not good enough for the best chocolate chip recipe.

I hope everyone has a great weekend and if you are in the area stop by Noblesville Station 1 for a pancake breakfast tomorrow morning from 7 - 11. 

-Megan

Unboxing: FabFitFun

Hi Everyone,

It's Wednesday and it's raining and cloudy and that makes me want to bake but considering that I have baked something everyday of the week since Sunday. So I'm gonna not bake but make chicken and noodles instead.  There is something comforting and cozy about chicken and noodles.  I can't wait for dinner tonight. 

On Saturday I received my first Fitfabbox.  If you haven't heard of it, it's a subscription box that gets delivered 4 times a year or once a season. Since it's once a season not every month their boxes seem to be on the larger box with more items.  They advertise that the box contains over $200 for just $49.99.  It seemed like a good deal and I have seen a lot of people get them so I thought I would give it a try. 

So here is what came in my box:

1. A Modcloth lock and key scarf - who doesn't love a new scarf for the fall/winter.  

2. Toesox toeless fitness socks -  I was a little confused about these socks because they don't have any toes. But once I looked it up in the booklet and fun out that they are for yoga or pilates.  So it made sense.

3. The Created Co. To-Go Coffee Mug - This is just another portable coffee mug with the phrase 'Good Morning Gorgeous' on it.  I used this on Monday for some errands and when I came home to wash it some of the writing came off.  I emailed Fabfitfun about the issues and they replied right away about replacing it.  Man I do love good customer service.  I think it's hard to find good customer service nowadays but when I do, I really appreciate it and will go back to them time and time again.  So I may be ordering the winter box too.

4. Mullein & Sparrow Mini French Lavender Body Oil 

5. The Browgal - eyebrow gel

6. Spongelle Bulgarian Rose Body Wash Infused Buffer

7. Pure Cosmetics Nude collections - This collection is huge, definitely full size 

8. Skin Laundry Restoring Night Serum

9. Fabfitfun coloring book and coloring pencils

It also came with a booklet explaining everything in the box plus discount codes if I want to buy more of the products. 

I'm still not 100% sure about how I feel about the stuff that came in the box.  I do know, because the scarf, I would have never picked out myself partly due the cost of the items or I'm not sure I would really need it but maybe thats the point of this box.  For a faction of the price I can introduced to a lot of products that I wouldn't have normally buy.  

I haven't gotten to try out a lot of the products yet but when I do I will let you guys know and who knows maybe they will show up on my monthly favorites.

What subscription boxes do you belong to?

Megan

Running with a Toddler

Hi Everyone, 

So I just had a my second MOPS meeting and it went really well.  I planned already and packed so many snacks for James that I’m not sure if he could have eaten all them in those two hours but I was prepared.  We had an awesome set of speakers who started the brand Mama Said Tees.  It was amazing hearing their story about how they got started and how they are using their beliefs lead their life.  I felt very inspired when they were talking to be kind and to make sure I rise James to be a kind person.

Today I thought I would share my tips and tricks on running with a toddler.  James and I have been running at least twice if not three times a week for a couple of months now that I’m pretty sure that makes me an expert in this topic, just kidding.  If anyone can claim they are an expert in anything kid related is just lying.  

1. Time of day -  This is really important.  You have to find that time of day that works best for you and the baby.  I like to go running in the morning.  After breakfast we get dressed and head out the door.  This way I know that James isn’t going to get fussy because he’s tired or hungry.  

2. Snacks -  I’m sure every mom has come to realize that snacks are the best way to keep your kid content so you can do something you want to do either grocery shopping, attending church or sitting in the stroller for up to an hour. I’ve always found out that this snack he eats during the runs also fills up him a little bit so he can take an awesome late morning nap. I usually fill his little snack up with some graham crackers and some other little snack and give it to him half way through the run.  Timing is important.  The first half of the run he is entertained by what is going on but halfway through, it starts to get a little boring so cue the snacks.  If the snack cup isn’t a hit (we all know how picky toddlers can bit) I do keep some emergency snacks in the cupholders  near me.  These are just simple baby snack bars that are individual wrap and keep for a long time. Here are some of my favorites: Happy Tot Fiber and Protein Apple and Spinach Bar and Plum Organics mighty snack bars. 

3. Toys or entertainment - This one really depends on your child.  If you have a child that thinks it funny to drop things outside of the stroller as you run (I’m not gonna mention any names, James) you might be during a little more work then you intended on doing so toys might not be the best idea.  You just have to figure out what works best for you. With James it really all depends on what mood he is in for that day.  Sometimes I’ll grab the toy that he is currently obsessed with and that will work. Sometimes we just go toy less and it works out fine.  I do keep a couple toys in the bottom basket of the stroller for emergencies. 

4. The wheel lock -  Prior to running with James I had never used the wheel lock or really understood how it works but now I’m a pro. For those who don’t know, with a jogger stroller the big front wheel can either move in any direction or be locked into a straight position.  When you are just walking, having the wheel free to move isn’t a big deal but once you are running with it and you get a crack or bump and that front wheel starts to get all wiggly, you start to freak out again. When we are just walking for our warm up and cool down, I unlock it but when we run I have to have it locked. 

Try to hold the bar this way 

This handhold can make your hand/arm sore after awhile

5. Arm placement -  This seems like a weird tip but it really does make all the difference.  When you are running with a toddler or baby or child you are running with a lot of extra weight.  The stroller itself weight 30 lbs and James is about 25 lbs so thats an extra 50 lbs that I’m running with.  So to keep yourself from draining yourself, you have to be careful of your technique.  You want to keep your arms at the ‘L’ and switch off from one hand to another.  That way your wont kill your arm from just pushing with one side.  I also try to keep my hand straight and on the side of the stroller instead of turning my wrist and placing on my hand the cross bar.  

6. Don’t really push the stroller, use your momentum to push the stroller - I know I just said ‘from just pushing with one side’ but you dont’ really want to be activity pushing the stroller.  You want to use the momentum from your legs and the running to move the stroller. Just have it glide with you. 

7. Make the stroller work for you - James doesn’t like being fully strapped down to the stroller, he likes to look around.  Most running stroller don’t come with a bar in the front so if I didn’t strap him down, he would probably fall out.  So I did a little fiddling and made something that worked.  I took the bar from the attachment to connect the infant carseat to the stroller, flipped it around and now it works as the perfect crossbar. I do strap James around the waist so he isn’t completely free but giving him the ability to look around as really made keeping him in the stroller for so long process. 

8.  Not every time is going to be the best time -  The last very important tip is that you have to realize that just like not every run is going to be the best.  Your child is going to have off days too.  Some runs James will just sit there and be the best baby ever.  Other times he cries and stands up and throws things out of the stroller.  But you have to keep in mind that this is just one day and the next time will be better. 

Things I've learned since I've become a SAHM

Hi Everyone,

I hope you had a great weekend.  We didn’t do too much this weekend.  James and I did make a trip to Avon to see my niece Maddie play some volleyball and James ended up taking his first steps.  We are still mainly crawling but every once in awhile I can get him to walk some, progress!!

So I’ve been a Stay-At-Home-Mom for a little over a year now and I have learned about of things about myself and just in general about things being at home. 

1.  I like a clean house -  I’m not talking about no dust anyway, eat off the floor clean but I do like it to be picked up.  This doesn’t happen everyday but I do try my best to keep the house looking nice.  I’ve also found that on days when things just aren’t going right and it puts me in a bad mood, cleaning can help that.  I think it makes me feel like I have actually accomplished something. 

2. I miss working -  I don’t miss my bank job but someday I do miss the act of working.  I miss getting up in the morning, getting dressed in nice clothes, feeling pretty and going to work. I also think it would be nice sometimes to be able to drop James off and have someone else deal with his moodiness for a day.  I know that isn’t the truth for what its like for many of the working moms out there but just as you fantasy my day of staying in yoga pants and playing with my kids all day. I do the same with you. 

3.  I miss having my own money - That isn’t the biggest change for me, not having my OWN money.  It’s not like I made a lot of money at my old job but for almost the whole first year of being a SAMH I didn’t have any sort of income.  It’s just this past summer that I really started working for Wes’ business and started making money of my own.  It isn’t much and goes faster than I would like to it but it’s something.  I know a lot of couples having a joint account and some may even say it’s ‘our money’  but I’m sure that many SAHM can relate in the feeling that it really isn’t ‘our money’ and it’s hard to get over that feeling. 

4.  I don’t have the best patience -  I heisted putting this one there because it’s a very bad trait of mine but I’m trying to keep this blog honest and real.  I get angry about things that I shouldn’t and sometimes end up yelling at James or Truman for me stepping on a toy they left out or for just getting in my way when I now deep down it isn’t their fault.  Every week at church I pray for more patience and to forgive me about what I had done the previous week and thats all I can really do as I work towards growing my patience. 

I'm sure there are more things that I've learned since my journey as a SAHM begun but James had a rough night and my brain is functioning on all levels.  

What have you learned about yourself since becoming a parent?

I hope everyone has a great Monday and a great week.  Talk to you later.

Megan

Car Box

Hi Everyone,

I hope you are having a great Wednesday.  I've started attending a free workout class at the church that I attend.  The instructor does a really good job at pushing you and I'm happy to say that I'm not near as exhausted or sore as I was after class last time.  But I'm not sure what the next days will bring, probably sore legs and arms.  

Anyone who has had a newborn/infant knows that they can spit up and have a blow out anywhere anytime so you always have to be prepared. To keep my diaper bag from being super heavy, I keep a lot of my extra stuff in my car.  I transport James 99% of the time so the car box is always with us.  I don't need to get into it as much as I did when he was younger but I still like to have to just in case.   I keep the box in my trunk away. 

A lot of the items in the box are for James but some of them are for just in a case we get in an accident and need some supplies.  I know that sounds super crazy but one of my worries is that something like an accident will happen while we are driving and I won't be able to take care of him or us.  I do add more items to the box when it gets to winter just so we are prepared.

The items that I have in my car box are:

Extra diapers - James has been in the same size for awhile now so it's nice that I'm not switching them out every couple of months.
Wipes 
Disposable changing sheet - These are just throw away sheets that I can use if I need to came him in the car.
Portable changing pad clutch - This has both a compartment for diapers and wipes and a thicker changing pad.  (I bought this awhile ago and I don't really use it all that often but It's nice to have just in case)
Moist Towellete Wipes - These are great to just have on hand to wipe things off
Water -  I know this is a plastic bottle and there are risks that come along with living it in the car but if we are in crisis and need it, I think those risks won't matter.
A change of clothes -  I try to keep at least one pair of extra clothes for James in the car.  I don't carry a pair normally with me.  In picking which outfit to keep in there, I don't want something that I really like because I don't want to pull it out of the car and forget to replace it.  So we know we all have some kid clothes that we know our kids don't wear so I just throw those in there.  This is just in case of emergency so who cares how cute your kid looks. 
Towels 

A flashlight -  This flashlight I got a long time ago and the reason why I keep it in the car is because you charge it be cranking it. 
A small heat blanket - Just in case we get stuck somewhere in the winter and have to keep room.

A sweatshirt for me - This gets added during the fall and winter months just in case
A blanket - same as above
A foldable picnic blanket -  I try to keep this in the car during the spring, summer and fall months just in case we stop somewhere and we want to sit outside. 
A small bag of tampons and pads - just in case, when James was little I would also keep some bra pads in there. 

So there is the list of items that I try to keep in my car at all times.  I like having it back in and it makes me feel a lot more prepared.

What items do you keep in your car?
Have you changed what you keep in there since you have had kids? 

A simple rice and bean burrito recipe

Hi Everyone,

I hope you had a great weekend and Monday.  We ended up making a trip to Chrisman on Saturday and James and I had a lazy, sweatpants day on Sunday which was very much needed because we got home late on Saturday.  

I don't know if anyone else watches cooking shows but I enjoy watching The Chew.  I used to watch it a lot more when I was working but now I try to catch it when I can.  They always have good recipes and the food always seems so good.  The only thing that holds me up about cooking shows is that it seems like some of the recipes they make require either expensive food or stuff that I don't have but I have found a couple that I have now started to make on a regular stable and that would be Carla Hall's rice and bean burritos. It's a simple vegetarian recipes that makes a lot of food.  

The recipe does require a little prep but what I have found out that is that I can make the filling earlier in the day and then when it's time for dinner, warm it up a little bit on the stove then assemble the burritos. 

For this recipe you will need: 

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small red onion (small diced)
2 cloves of garlic (minced)
1 cup of corn (off the cob or frozen and thawed)
2 teaspoon cumin
1 pinch cayenne
1 can black beans (rinsed and drained, 15 ounces)
3 cups white rice (cooked)
1/4 cup cilantro (finely chopped)
1 lime (juiced)
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese (shredded)
4 large flour tortillas (10 inch burrito size) or any other size.
kosher salt and freshly ground black peppe
hot sauce
salsa
sour cream

Directions:

In a large pan, add the olive oil and heat over medium-high heat.  Add in onion, garlic, corn, cumin and cayenne and cook until union is tender, about 5 minutes.  

Add black beans and rice and cool until warmed through, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in cilantro, lime juice, season with kosher salt and black pepper and remove from heat. 

Preheat your griddle over medium-high heat

Divide the filling mixture between the tortillas.  Then top with Cheese.  You can also add other meat to the burritos if you want. 

 I've only added chicken but I'm sure steak would be super delicious too. Fold the bottom part of the tortilla over the filling and fold in the sides then flip it over to finish the fold and watch it up in a tight burrito.

Place the wrapped burrito on the griddle and to get it flat and even cooked. I place a plastic cutting board and a heavy bowl on top.  Leave it there for about 3 to 5 minutes then flip, reapply pressure for another 3 to 5 minutes. 

 Remove from griddle and enjoy.  I personally like mine with sour cream and taco sauce.  They are really good reheated too. 

Tips:  

1. I found this jar of minced garlic a few years ago and it is a life saver.  I don't use a lot of garlic in my meals so I end up wasting a lot of it and I can't never get the garlic chopped very small but using this jar fixes both of those problems.  It lasts forever in my fridge and it's already minced so I don't have to. 

2. My grocery store doesn't sell "small" red onions but I usually end up with a lot more onions then I need so I like to bag it up, freeze and use it next time.  It helps me cut down on my waste and the grocery bill.

3. For some reason I always make too much rice for this recipe.  I can't quite figure out how much rice I need to cook for 3 cups of cooked rice so I did a little research and read that you can very easily freeze rice.  So thats another thing I can do that will save me money and cut down on the prep time. 

Where do you get most of the recipes you use?
What do you do with leftover ingredients? 

Have a great day!
Megan

So you use cloth diapers?

Hi everyone,

So today is my first MOPS meeting.  I’m a little nervous but not so nervous as the meet and greet last month.  I know a few more people and I’m feeling pretty good about it but that might change as it gets closer to 9. When James was in the bath last night I went over tomorrow with him and told him that we were going to go to church and he was gonna play in the nursery with all his favorite toys and I was going to a meeting for two hours.  I don’t think he really understand and he was too busy playing in the water to pay attention.  It will be the longest amount of time I’ve been away from him when he isn’t being watched by Wes.  But I think he’ll do fine. Update:  James ended up having one meltdown - he was tired and hungry and ended up falling asleep with one of the caregivers. 

It’s hard to believe it but we have been using cloth diapers for over a year now and I finally feel confident to blog about it.  I’ve known about using cloth diapers for awhile.  I actually read about them on a blog and once we decided that I was going to stay home I knew I wanted to do cloth diapers.  We didn’t start using them until he was about 3 months because we received so many diapers from so many generous people that they last the first 3 months.  I didn’t buy them before we had James because they only had a month guarantee and I didn’t want to buy them, not like them and not be able to return them.  So we waited. 

There are a lot of different types of cloth diapers out that and that may even be a understatement.  Everyone is getting in on the cloth diaper business, even Costco is selling them.  I decided to go with the brand BumGenius mainly because it was the brand I was familiar with and I could buy at the store.  I know some other moms out there didn’t like this brand and went with something more organic but this brand seems to work best for me.  This isn’t saying that maybe with the next kid I might try something other brand or style.  

I have 16 All-in-ones and 4 pocket styles.  There are a lot of different types and styles out there so I’m just gonna talk about the ones I use.  I decided to go with majority of the AIO because they are so simple - all I have to do is fold them and snap them on.  I ended up with 4 pockets because you can stuff them a little fuller and there is cotton between the pads and James’ butt so they are good for naps because they can hold a little more. A surprising fact that I've learned about cloth diapers is that they hold in a blow out very well.  I can probably count on one hand the number of times that we have had a full blow.  

I think the website recommends that you have about 24 diapers all together and I think a lot of people have more because they are just so cute with all the patterns they offer.  Again, I thought I would try it out and see how I make it with 18 (I bought two other pockets at a sale) before I buy a ton of diapers.  But I’m happy to say that since buying those two extra diapers, I haven’t had the need to buy more.  One thing that I think helps me get by on just 20 diapers is the fact that James used disposable diapers at night.  I tried to do cloth with him at night but it was just too hard to change him at night so I put him in disposable and haven’t been back since.  About a month or so ago I did look into but they seemed pretty expensive so I just stuck with what we have been doing.  Having the disposable on hand is nice for times that I know we around going to be away for awhile and I don’t want to worry about him having to sit on the cloth for a long time.  One of the most important things I’ve learned in this first year of being a mother is that you have to do with what works best for you and your child.  Doing cloth diapers during the day and disposables at night works for me.  Doing all disposables works for must parents and doing all clothes works for others.  

I thought I would also go through my washing routine for them because I think thats one of the big things that keep people from joining the cloth diaper movement. 

1. I collect his diapers in an ubbi diaper pail.  It has a cloth bag on the inside that I wash with diapers. This used to be in his bedroom but I found out that it works better more me if it’s inside of the bathroom, especially when I had to deal with the poopy diapers. 

  2. If there are poopy diapers, I drop the poop into the toilet and just wash them quickly in the sick to get rid of any big chucks. This may be too much information but as moms you get used to it. 

 3.  I place the diapers in the washer (with the bag) on the prewash setting on cold with powder detergent up the 1 line.  This cycle is only about 10 minutes long but it helps get the pee and the poop residue off the diapers. 

 4. After that cycle, I switch the water over to hot, add enough detergent to get me up the 5 on the scoop and set it on the heavy cycle.  After this cycle is over, I run it again, all the same but without detergent.  We have pretty hard water here or so it seems and running it another cycle without any detergent helps get all of it out of the diapers and keep the diapers smelling nice. 

  5. After the one prewash and the two cycles, weather permitting, I will hang the diapers outside to dry.  Depending on the weather this can take all day or just a few hours.  I’ve found that 90 degrees and sunny tries them the quickest. If the weather isn't good or I need them super quick, I'll throw them into the dryer and do two cycles on low heat. 

 6. After they dry, I just my very helpful helper, to help me fold the diaper and then I put them away.

Overall it’s really not that hard of a washing routine and once you get used to it, it becomes pretty normal. 

-What type of diapers did you use for your kids?

-Did you ever think of trying something different?

I hope everyone has a great weekend

-Megan

Day in the Life - Labor Day Weekend

Hey Guys,

I hope everyone had a great Labor Day Weekend.  My Facebook was filled with people camping and hitting the lake and I was very jealous but James and I had a good time this weekend. Wes had to work both Friday and Sunday so we weren't able to do a lot of family things together but we still had fun. 

Saturday 8am
Saturday mornings I like to prep breakfast for the rest of the week.  On the menu this week was french toast.  I use a pretty simple recipe and just cook the french toast on the griddle.  

James really likes his with powder sugar and is known to eat a whole piece.  

9 am 
We get dressed and head out for a walk, since it wasn't a running day, we take a longer walk to downtown.  Truman scored a bone from one of the local stores and James got a flashlight/doggie bag.  

10 am
James goes down for first nap of the day.  We have come a long way since last year.  Now i'm lucky to say that all I have do is put him in his crib with his paci and lovey and he'll fall asleep. 

10:30  am

While James was napping I did a little cleaning and some chores around the house.  I like to have the TV on while I'm cleaning so I went back to an oldie but goodie.  Bonus points if you can name this episode or what the guys are doing in this picture. 

I also took this time to use the foodsaver that I got Wes for christmas. I like buying our meat in bulk and the foodsaver does a nice job of locking everything in. 

1:30 pm

James wakes up from his nap and we have a little lunch.  On the menu is spaghettos with hotdogs and pears.  He is so so about the spaghettos but enjoys dumping them on his tray. 

3:00 pm

Being tempted by the sales, James and I hit up the outside mall near our house.  I didn't end up buying anything because the lines seemed too long for two shirts that I didn't really need.  

After doing a little window shopping, we stopped by Coldstone and shared a small ice cream.  I forget how expensive that place is but it was pretty tasty. 

5:00 pm

We got home around 4 and I put James back down for a nap.  We had a baseball game that night and I needed him to be rested up. He got up around 5:30 and we soon left for the game after that.

7:00 pm

We arrive at the game to realize that we weren't playing attention and arrived at the game an hour after it started.  It's not a huge deal and we got to see the second half of the game that we usually miss because we leave early.  I bought up the idea of staying for the fireworks but we parked on the 4th floor on the parking garage and didn't want to get stuck in the traffic leaving the garage so we left right before the game ended.  This baseball season went really fast and I'm overall impressed with how James has done.  I don't think every one year old would be okay sitting in a seat for about 2 hours and staying up way past his bedtime but James was okay with it. 

Sunday

8:20 am

Wes had to work that day so it was just James and me for Church.  We arrived to church a little early so we worked out some extra energy hanging out in lobby acting as greeters before church started.  James made it about half way through the service before I had to take him to the nursery.  I think he enjoys going there so he doesn't get upset when I leave. 

10 am

James goes down for another nap and I call my parents before they go to church and see if they have plans for the day.  Every once in awhile I just get the urge to get out of the house and have a little help so I head up to my parents.  They are always happy to have us and James enjoys the new toys.

12:00pm

James, Truman and I hit the road and take the drive to Lafayette. Since James got up from a nap not too long before we left, he didn't fall asleep on the way there but he just played with some toys and ate a few snacks and enjoyed the ride.

1:30 pm

When we get to my parents house, James hits up his favorite toy (the barn) and enjoyed a little golf watching.

2:30pm

After lunch, we decided to take a little walk to their neighborhood park and did a little swinging.  

After the park, we took a little detour to the Igloo and enjoyed some ice cream. James very happily tried out all different flavors that we had ordered.  He would go from each person, "testing" them out, trying to find the best one.  He did a lot of "testing".

3:30pm

Less than 3 hours at being at my parents house, James made good process in destroy their living room.  

5:30pm

James, Truman and I hit the road again to head back home for dinner and baths.  

7:00pm

James fell asleep on the way home and he was so tired  and fussy that we had a quick dinner and went straight to the bath. He really enjoys the bath and loves watching the tub fill up. 

7:20 pm

James is still pretty fussy after the bath so I pull out the big guns, his baby shows (Baby Einstein videos) to calm him down.  It worked.  

8 pm

It's James bedtime and boy was he ready for it.  We called daddy and did a quick goodnight and he fell asleep pretty soon after.  A day at the grandparents make one very tired boy. 

As far as Monday goes, we really didn't do much.  Wes came home a little early so we spent most of the day just hanging out and staying inside.

I'm gonna try to do better with blogging for the rest of the week/month.

Have a great day!
Megan