Project 365 ~ Day 10 ~ Our Community Center

Today we had a play date at the Fallbrook Community Center. We are so blessed to have such a great place for the kids to play. I played there when I was a kid, but they have since updated the play equipment (thank goodness...I used to get splinters from the old). Even with the new play equipment, it still is the same ol' place that I played. I love that. I love that when you're there and look around you see trees and greenery. Space. This is part of what I love about Fallbrook. The small town feel. Knowing that when I'm at the community center or going into town, I am going to run into someone I know. Fallbrook has grown from around 30,000 when I was a teen to over 60,000 now, but it still has the same feel. And I get to share my childhood memories with my kids. This particular day, Joel wanted me to help him sit on the big boy swing. He had never swung this way, so I was a little fearful that he would fall and get hurt. But he didn't...he hung on like a big boy and pumped his feet. It was so cute. How did he automatically know that he had to pump his feet to go? Maybe he was secretly watching his brothers do it. Of course, I pushed him as well. And we all had a grand time.

Joel's kisses can still be very wet. Even so, we all love him so much that we enjoy each and every kiss. You can see true big brother love on Jonny's face even though he's getting licked. Although, I'm sure this was followed by "Ewww, Joel!" - with a funny look on Jonny's face as he wiped his cheek off.

We had fun! What a great way to do P.E. for the older two and Physical Therapy for Joel.

To view all the best photos from our time at the community: http://www.flickr.com/photos/46770513@N06/sets/72157623134770897/

Project 365 ~ Day 9 ~ Joel and Blue Snowball

Every Thursday Joel likes to "GO" to therapy. I mean he LIKES it! As soon as I tell him "Let's go to therapy" he says "GO" and rushes to the car. Today was no different except that today he took Snowball. He has fallen in love with this blue, stuffed bunny and since it's a bunny, it has received the love and name of our real bunny, Snowball. He insisted on taking it into therapy with us. Snowball had to participate in some way in most of the activities we did. It is actually very cute how attached he is to it. He likes to say "Ohhhh, kissy Snowball."

Joel usually gets a sticker after therapy. Today she asked which one he wanted. Knowing that there was no way he could understand or communicate enough to make a choice like that, I asked him if he wanted Pooh. He likes Pooh. He looked at her and very clearly stated "Elmo". He likes Elmo more than Pooh. Thankfully they had an Elmo sticker to reward his communication. When Isaac (my husband & Joel's daddy) saw the picture below, he was surprised. He reminded me that Joel doesn't like wearing his stickers. I don't know what was going on, but on this day Joel asked me (in his way) to put the sticker on his shirt. Of course, it didn't last long and then he transferred it to my shirt. And then back to his. The whole time not letting go of Snowball.

As you can see, he never did let go of Snowball. In fact, Snowball went with us into Costco after therapy. Snowball and Joel want to "GO!" somewhere, anywhere, anytime. It really is a blessing that this child likes to GO places in the car because he has spent A LOT of time in the car going to doctors appointments. As I drove away from therapy, I saw some people getting on a bus and it made me think about how blessed we are to have a car. It is one of those things that we tend to take for granted. There are many people without a car and if we were one of them, our life with Joel would be so much harder. On top of it being more work for us, he would probably not receive as much medical intervention. So, thank you God that we have a car. Thank you that we live in America where there is excellent medical care, excellent doctors, medicine available, ect. Joel is so blessed to have been born here. It is something we think about occasionally, if he had been born in a third-world country, he would be lying on a mat somewhere seizing constantly. He wouldn't be walking, talking, smiling, interacting. He would be a lump...like he was before his surgery. So again, THANK YOU LORD!

While I have these pictures of Joel in his carseat, I want to mention how much we have appreciated this car seat. I did a lot of research before we bought it, and I truly feel it is not only very comfortable, but it is extremely safe as well. The sides are so protective and keep him upright with his neck in a comfortable position when he is asleep. Joel and I both love his carseat made by Recaro.

And oh, I want to kissy Jo-jo...right in his kissing spot - the dimples just to the left of his beautiful smile (the right side in the picture)...and thank God that he is a part of our family.

One Good Veggie Recipe

I made some yummy asparagus with dinner tonight and thought I would share the recipe with you. We have been on an adventure trying to eat as healthily as possible because of Joel (well, really it's good for all of us!) I don't think I had eaten asparagus prior to one year ago. Now we love it. Well, all except Jonny and Jason...they tolerate it. When we ate it tonight, Joel couldn't get enough. He ate all of his and about half of daddy's. Steam asparagus for 3-5 minutes, depending on your preference for crispness. When done steaming, saute in olive oil with sliced raw almonds, garlic salt, lemon juice and zest (peel). A few notes: * I have never done the zest. It is still a delicious dish without.

* I don't saute hot or for long. The asparagus is already cooked from the steaming and I know olive oil looses it's nutritional benefit when it's heated.

* Most of the time Costco sells a bag of Organic Petite Asparagus in the frozen veggie section. (The back of that bag is where I got this recipe.) It's three pounds for (if I remember correctly) about $10. I prefer frozen vegetables because they are frozen right after harvesting, therefore ensuring we get the most nutritional benefit. Also, besides all the well know benefits of eating organic, certified organic foods are Non-GMO, and can never be genetically modified.

Project 365 ~ Day 8 ~ Another New Word

Today Joely looked at me and said "hant"...I couldn't understand him, so I asked him "what, baby?" He told me "Elmo hant!" After a little bit of thinking I figured out he was saying "want". Elmo wanted one of the pretzel sticks we were eating. I love that he's trying out new words. Pretend play is one of the steps of speech. He has to go through each step before he can reach the next level. Lately he has been pretending with his stuffed animals and other toys. He pretends that his little dinosaurs are eating his food. He gave me Elmo a few days ago and said "diapy Elmo". Diapy is what he calls diapers. He wasn't satisfied until I had put a diaper on Elmo. I love this stage. It's so much fun!

Project 365 ~ Day 7 ~ Making Cookies with Jason

Okay, here I go. I am going to tell you a story through pictures. Today Jonny went with Grammy, Grampy, and his daddy to work on my grandpa's house. Jason was really disappointed that he didn't get to go with them, so I told him I would make cookies with him. That wasn't quite good enough to make him feel better, so I was a softy and said he could make a really big cookie for himself. THAT made him feel better! I don't let them have much sugar, so cookies are a real treat. He loves baking (really anything to do with cooking) and I let him choose what cookie we would make so he choose No-bake Fudge Cookies and was excited. I will admit it, I usually avoid baking/cooking with my boys because it is so much extra work, extra time, and extra cleaning. It makes me feel guilty admitting it, but it's the truth. What surprised me was that I truly enjoyed this time with my boys. I really should do it more often. Extra bonus: it makes a good math lesson.

Jason made plans to share cookies with our neighbor kids before he started. He was so excited, it was cute. He did everything exactly as I told him to.

Joel was hovering near the whole time. I think he sensed we were cooking something with sugar.

After the first sheet was spooned out we set it aside to cool. Joel found a chair located conviently close to the cookies.

They were very tempting. So tempting, in fact, that I caught him licking one. I had told him not to touch them...and he was obedient...kinda. He didn't touch, just tasted. But he was trying to sneak the taste, and I caught him.

And that's just the problem, I caught him. When I told him not to lick the cookies, he got his adorable pouty face. It comes complete with teary eyes and pouty lip. I know exactly where he got that pouty lip because I've seen my baby pictures. This is the first time I've been able to capture the lip in a picture. Whenever he gives me the pouty face I can't help but smile because it tears at my mommy heartstrings with its cuteness.

I hate to say it, but I guess it worked, because this is the next picture:

I gave Joel a spoon to lick and he was a happy boy, once again.

I also gave Jason a spoon to lick and let him scrape out the bowl. According to my kids, this is the best part:

When the spoons were all licked, Joely couldn't contain his love for a brother that made him cookies. He just had to kiss Jason with that chocolatey face.

And Jason loved it!

What a sweet ending to a wonderful day. We'll have to do this again soon.

A friend asked me for the recipe, so here it is:

No-Bake Fudge Cookies

Makes 1 dozen

Mix together in a saucepan:

2 heaping Tbsp. cocoa

1/2 stick margarine (butter is healthier, non-dairy: Organic Earth Balance)

1 cup sugar (I use organic, non-bleached cane sugar)

1/3 cup milk (non-dairy: almond or rice milk)

Bring to a boil and boil for one minute. Remove from burner and add:

1.5 cups quick oatmeal

1/4 cup peanut butter

1 tsp. vanilla

Stir until oats are coated. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper. Cool before serving.

This is a great recipe to make with kids. It has been in my family for a while. If you try it, please leave a comment letting me know what you think.

Project 365 ~ Day 6 ~ Jo-jo

Joel started saying something new today! He figured out how to tell me he wants something. I will start off by telling you that Joel has many nicknames. The nicknames started when he was little with Joely, Joely-poly which turned into Roly-poly, which then turned into Joely-poly-oly. After that he earned the nickname Curly because his hair was so curly and Monkey Boy because he climbed everything. A few months ago my mom wanted to give him a name he could say, so she started calling him Jo-jo (Joel calls Jonny "Jon-jon", so we knew he could say Jo-jo). It is so cute when he calls himself Jo-jo! Today he figured out that if he wants more food all he has to do is hold out his plate and say "Jo-jo". He figured out this also applies to a lot more than just food. So he has been going around the house pointing at things he wants and saying "Jo-jo". It is fun to watch him figure out the world around him. I thought you should know, I can't resist a picture with all three boys in it. I love that they have each other and they are so close. Joel was so cute kissing Jonny. I find it interesting that the bond between Jonny and Joel (5-year age gap) is very different than the bond between Joel and Jason (2-year 2-month age gap), and again different from the bond between Jonny and Jason (2-year 9-month age gap). Jonny and Jason are best friends. Joel's bond with Jonny is very special. Jonny is the big brother, he takes care of Joel, he helps him and teaches him. Jonny sleeps next to Joel and the first thing Joel does in the morning is wake up Jonny with kisses and banging or sitting on his head, pulling on his ear, etc. Joel looks up to Jonny and thinks he is the greatest thing, showering him with kisses and hugs often. Joel's relationship with Jason is a little different. Joel loves playing with Jason, although he get jealous easily. Jason likes to try and be the big brother Jonny is, but because they are much closer in age, Joel won't have it. When Jason tries to take Joel somewhere, Joel squeals and sits down in protest. When Jason tries to love on him, Joel sometimes kisses and hugs him back, and other times pushes him away. Jason is such a sweet, affectionate boy and sometimes I feel bad for him because Joel doesn't always love him back the way he wishes. I believe Joel thinks a lot of what Jason does is bossy. The boys all have their occasional squabbles, but they get along the majority of the time and love each other deeply.

So sweet!

Project 365 ~ Day 5 ~ Zip Line and Bunny Love

So I don't know where this idea came from, but the boys wanted to make a zip line. They bought the zip thingy a few days ago and used one of Daddy's ropes. Of course, Daddy helped them. They had fun going down it several times each. After that it was Daddy's turn to go down the zip line, so he did. I am so sad I went inside and didn't get to witness it (or take pictures) because the story I heard later at dinner was that the rope broke and Isaac fell on his bum from several feet up. No more zip line. I guess they'll have to get a stronger rope.

And while they were doing this, what else would Joel be doing but playing with Snowball (or as Joel calls him "Dumball"). He is so in love with this bunny!

Project 365 ~ Day 4

Getting ready for my friend's wedding today, Jason said somewhat dismayed "Mommy, I look like a banana!" I have no idea where he came up with that...but it gave me a good laugh! He was adorable in his suit.

Project 365 ~ Day 3

I looked over at Joel today as he sat in his highchair, and he gave me a huge grin. He is so sweet, cute and beautiful. I admire him every day. He has these gorgeous dimples that I love to kiss just to the side of the left corner of his mouth. (Right side of his mouth in the picture.) The bigger he smiles, the more you can see these beautiful dimples. (And yes, I am a mama in love with her babies...and they will all be my babies as long as I live!)

When his big brothers overheard me telling Joel he was beautiful, they said "MOM...he's a BOY! Boys AREN'T beautiful!" I have to disagree with them, boys CAN be beautiful. :)

Project 365 ~ Day 2

Jonny has a bad cowlick on the back of his head. So we have been keeping his hair short to try and control it. When it starts to grow out, it is really hard for him to smooth it down. He got his hair cut yesterday, so today when he was trying to brush his hair he got frustrated that he couldn't get his cowlick to lay down. He looked at me with a little grin and said "Some cow licked my hair REALLY good when I was really young!" I just cracked up! :)

Project 365 ~ Day 1

Joely was talking to his "Nonni" on the phone. It was the first time he held the phone by himself. He was so cute listening, talking (his baby "I'm trying really hard to talk" talk), and even kissing the phone at one point.