Some Thank Yous...

Thanks to an impractical pregnancy impulse buy I ended up with a case of peaches a couple of weeks ago. That's 24 pounds.  For two people (Reo doesn't eat peaches...I know, he's not right).

Thanks to a brilliant idea from a brilliant friend, I decided to make embarrassingly easy freezer jam.

Thanks to a last minute rescue in the form of an ingredient delivery by my mom, the jam actually got completed instead of thrown away.

Thanks to my camera deciding to kick the bucket I took this measly picture on Reo's phone to document my success.

Thanks to my dad wondering if anything I ever make ever turns out the way I want it to, since I never blog about it, this documentation made it onto the blog.

Basically, what I am trying to say is...YOU GUYS, I MADE JAM!  And not to brag or anything,and contrary to what this photo photo suggests, but it actually tastes GOOD!

Items Of Business

1.  Figure out how to double our clothing budget.

2.  Figure out how to obtain infinite more closet space.

3.  Buy this dress from Baby Gap as soon as it goes on a decent sale.

4.  Accept the fact that Baby Girl Manning will definitely not have a name until birth...if not her first birthday.  If you have any suggestions, send them our way, PLEASE.  Reo is in full out veto mode, so maybe if the names come from someone other than me he won't be so quick to reject them.

They Say It's Your Birthday...

Holden turned three yesterday, and it was a pretty great day all around.   The weather was awesome, it was a  Saturday, so Reo got to be home all day and Holden's much anticipated "Beatles Party" was finally here.  Seriously, if you know this kid, he has been talking about his Beatles party for months and has been so excited about all the details.  In fact, when I made a last minute change to the menu to accommodate my pregnant laziness it ticked Holden right off.  

Disclaimer:  I use the term "party" really loosely here.  Mostly I had my family over for our traditional birthday dinner.  Holden doesn't really know that many kids, and when you have a kid birthday party you have to entertain them and stuff, which I am SO not ready for.  So, while all the food and decor ideas were pretty much lifted straight from here, I dumbed it down to meet my needs...and then I dumbed it down more and more the closer I got to the actual event and the more and more pregnant/tired I got. 

Disclaimer #2:  This is still a really long post.  Sorry in advance.

All our food was Beatles themed, including Yellow Submarine Sandwiches and Here Comes the Sun Chips, Holden's two personal faves.

I think this year I actually took pictures of everyone who came.

We played Beatles Bingo where my ''artwork" was sufficiently mocked (I knew I should have outsourced that task to someone more talented), and had Beatles themed prizes.

Then came Holden's favorite part of the night...presents.  After opening each on he exclaimed loudly about his "BRAND NEW (fill in the blank)."  You know, because usually the kid only gets old, used up stuff.

Then, of course there was cake.

Which Holden thoroughly enjoyed.  Look at that face.  Could not have been happier that everyone was singing Happy Birthday to HIM.

And the biggest ways Holden turning three let me know that he is not a baby anymore:  He blew out his own candles and used a fork to eat his birthday cake.  I may or may not have wanted to cry a little bit.

Whew, you have officially survived another marathon Holden's Birthday post.  You have until next October to recover.  Use your time wisely.

Anatomy Of Naptime

Remember two short months ago when I wrote this post about my sweet angelic child who slept like a champ and life was great?  HA.  

Here's how Holden's nap time more frequently goes these days.

1.  Stall like crazy:  Figure out that after lunch, comes nap and therefore take 28 years to eat your last 3 crackers.  Then insist on drinking every last drop of your milk.

2.  Try being cute:  In response to "okay, Holden, it's quiet time" say things like "Or, we could sit on the couch and cuddle!"  

3.  Stall like crazy:  Insist on 14 stuffed animals, a toy from the living room and multiple glasses of water.  Oh yeah, and the light on.  And the door open just a little bit, please...

4.  Sit quietly and plan your next attack:  This is crucial, because then your mom thinks she can get things done/play on the internet.

5. Get out of bed and get out all of  the toys in your room.  This includes, but is not limited to opening all boxes of toys with small parts, dumping an entire bin of books onto your bed, and finding all those dumb happy meal toys to hide in the nooks and crannies of your bed for safe keeping.

6.  Declare some of these happy meal toys too scary for naptime and one by one put them outside your door. 

 7.  Make sure your room is properly torn apart.  Rip a few pillows from their pillowcases, locate and open up your baby wipes, and take off your pants for good measure.

8.  Come out of your room with a big smile on your face and say "I woked up!"
Nap time over.