Almost a picture for the Christmas card.

Christmas Helper

Sydney really liked decorating the tree for Christmas this year. I gave her a select few, non-breakable, ornaments to hang and re-hang and re-hang and re-hang. She moves the ornaments just about everyday.

Trick or Treat...

Sydney really got into Halloween this year. When she figured out that all she had to do for candy was smile and hold out her bag she was all over it! We were a ladybug this year, thanks Aunt Nancy and Cousin Kylie, and the weather was FABULOUS!

Long time, no post...

Sorry that it has been so long since I posted to the blog. We have been really busy and I have not had any new pictures of Sydney to share. I finally pulled the camera out to snap a few of her precious moments. However it is so hard not to put all videos up as she is saying the funniest things.

Making her Christmas List

We are in the beginning stages of potty training. We take Sydney when we change her diaper, well daddy does it a lot more that mommy. The other day Sydney insisted on sitting on the big potty. I guess she know comfort when she see's it!

Parent's Day Out (aka Free Morning Mondays)

Sydney started Parent's Day Out (PDO) this past Monday. We talked about how much fun it would be to go to school and play with other little girls and boys her own age. When we drive by the church where PDO is I point it out saying "that's Sydney's preschool." Monday morning finally came and I was all excited, maybe too excited. This would be my first time out alone without worrying about the babysitter or if David was making it okay with Sydney. I would have time to myself and I had my list of "fun" things to do.

Sydney slept late; like til 8:15 and we have to leave the house at 8:35. So I hurried her up with breakfast- can't send her to school on the first day hungry, worked on her hair as she was eating, and loaded up the car as she finished. Then we washed our face and hands and it was time to change clothes. Of course she wanted this to be a "naked day" and proceeded to run from me with glee. I finally caught her as she was crawling under the dining room table. I managed to get the diaper and "cute first day of school" clothes on before she bolted yet again. I had a sneaky mommy trick...a new pair of shoes. I pulled them out and showed her how they sparkled and that was it, putty in my hands. We got our backpack on, but had to check to see what was inside and were VERY upset that the Thomas book could not come along.

Finally in the car and driving and going over my checklist of things to do- returns and such and making sure I put diapers, wipes and a change of clothes in the backpack. We pull into the parking lot and unload. We skip (I skip pulling my 2 year old along) into the building to find chaos. Moms are dropping kids off, teachers are barking orders and kids are crying. Just what I did not want. Well we managed to find our picture and hook to put our jacket (yep I did grab that) and backpack on. As we head into the classroom the teacher asks if we washed our hands. Oh no, not hand washing. This is now the most favorite pastime of my daughter. She will spend 20 minutes in the bathroom playing with the soap and water. We manage to get in and out in record time and clean hands. Then it happens. The leg grip. I walked hobbled into the classroom as the teacher tries to greet Sydney- still attached to my leg- to see moms with cameras (I knew I forgot something!!) and crying kids. I start to see the look of uncertainty run across Sydney's face, until I show her the play kitchen. She makes a mad dash for the toys and I bolt out of the room. As I enter the hallway I let out a Whoo Hoo! and smile at all the moms bringing in their kids.

I did have a slight emotional moment as I was pulling out of the parking lot and wondering if Sydney was doing OK. Then I remembered my "fun list" and that I only had 3 hours to get it all done and if I was good and got it all done I could fit in a pedicure. Then the rain started. I barely got the errands run before it was time to pick up Sydney. It was a fulfilling morning out and I am looking forward to the next year of Free Morning Mondays!

Sydney gets a wagon!

Kiki and Papa got Sydney a wagon for her birthday. When Aunt Jodie came for a visit she and mommy put the wagon together. Sydney was so excited that she could not wait for the assembly to be finished!!

Great Job Aunt Jodie on putting the wagon together!

Daddy's Trip

I'm 2!!!

Sydney turned 2 on Monday at 12:10 am. I did not wake her up but I did go in and give her a birthday kiss. It is hard to believe that it has been 2 years already. She has grown so much and has such a funny personality...most of the time.

Mommy and Sydney had a cookie on Monday as daddy was travelling. We spent the day playing and swimming. Then we had a little party with a couple of neighbor girls Wednesday morning. I wanted to keep it low key since she is only 2 and does not share that well.

Sydney loves checking the mail now since she has gotten a card everyday this week and I know there are a couple more to come.

An Iowa girl

We had a very Iowan dinner tonight- fresh corn on the cob and pork tenderloin wrapped in bacon. YUUUMMM!! Sydney has decided that she too enjoys the fresh corn and wants her own ear to eat. I tried to snap a picture while she was actually eating and happy, but these days the digital camera either gets a cheesy grin or the reaction seen in this picture.

Sydney go fast!!

Sydney loves to ride her little car down the driveway. I love how she goes fast and then stops and turns. She gets up a lot of speed too!

Fun with the cousins

We took our summer trip to Minnesota last week. We got to see a lot of family and Sydney loved playing with her cousins. They thought it would be fun to get into the pack 'n play together and read to Sydney. However she figured out how to climb out of the pack 'n play during this trip. We hoped that she would not climb out of her crib at home, but no such luck. We took one side off of her crib this weekend. She is now in a "big girl" bed.

Busy in the kitchen

Sydney loves playing in her kitchen. She cooks all kinds of stuff for us and makes the best "juice." We have the kitchen in the garage since we are outside so much. All the neighbor kids love to come and play with the kitchen.

Sydney's Swimming Pool

Sydney loves the water and had a great time in the pool.

David's New Car

Here is David's "new" car that he got when his dad passed away. It is a 1956 Buick Special with the original paint and interior. His dad completely overhauled the engine and most of the mechanical parts. David is quite proud of the car and has lots neighborhood interest now that he is a "car guy."

Happy 4th of July!!!

We had a very nice 4th, including a block party and bike parade for the kids. I decorated Sydney's Cozy Coupe car for the event. She thought it was pretty cool, but had a hard time keeping up with the big kids on bikes (she was Flintstone-ing it, you know two feet scoot). She just pulled off to the side and got out and went to play on the other toys while the big kids were gone. Smart girl!

Sydney's latest trick

Sydney loves to play dress up. She will put on any shoes and take her purse and fill it with whatever she can find. Right now there are Little People, a fake cell phone, a sticker, and a straw inside her purse. Don't you just love the shoes!!!

Finally home, finally not sick

We returned from our Texas trip about 2 weeks ago, but have been fighting various illness. As with our last trip to Texas, we came home with an unwanted souvenir- pinkeye. This time it was the Sydster who had it. Let me tell you it is not much fun holding a 21 month old down to put drops in her eyes. However we managed to get some medicine in. I was also sick with a stomach bug. I though I was going to die. David was at work and Sydney wanted to know what was going on. I had to lock myself in the bathroom so she would not "help" me.

Lots of pics to share and stories to tell from Texas...

Our Tea Party

Sydney is really into pretend play and LOVES her dishes. We had a tea party today, but I did not get anything to eat. She went around like a bird picking all the food off the plates. Oh well…

Sydney celebrates Tax Day

She can spy a pen or pencil on the desk from a mile away. This was her signature on the 2007 taxes, well she made her mark on the house at least...

p.s. she got mad and embarrassed when I tried to get her to stand beside her artwork.

New seat for the car

As we are starting to get closer to that magical age when we will begin potty training, I have started to pick up a few things that we will need. I got a bargain on a Dora potty seat at a consignment sale and Sydney knew exactly what to do with it...sit on it! However she seems to like the cushy feel as she has tried and become very frustrated that she could not use the comfy seat in her car.

New "do" for Sydney Lou

I decided it was time that my daughter look like a little girl and not a wild haired kid. So I attempted to "pig tail" her. It took the high chair, daddy, mommy and 30 minutes to accomplish, but we did it- sort of...

Easter...snow???

Happy Easter!

Our first Easter in Iowa was cold and snowy!!! We had snow flurries all day and another dusting of snow this morning. Sydney did not get to have an egg hunt outside so we hid eggs in the house. She was too funny. David says that she was the typical toddler in that when she would find an egg that made noise, nothing else mattered. Towards the end she got the hang of things and was down on the ground looking for eggs. She also figured out that some of them had treats inside. When she found an empty egg she would toss it aside.

Still climbing...

I guess she thinks the house is her jungle gym?

First ER visit

Well we made it longer than we thought we would, but we went to the ER for a totally different reason than we thought our first trip would be too. Syd is such a climber that we knew we would go in for stitches or broken bones. However she decided to touch the glass on the fireplace first. She did not listen to daddy telling her "no" and "hot." Instead she went towards the fire with hand extended. She burned 3 fingers on her right hand and they look terrible. . Daddy did a great job of taking care of her, but we decided to go on in to get her looked at. After 2 hours at the hospital, a shot of morphine, some band aids and a prescription for generic Vicodin we were on our way home. She had 2nd degree burns and huge blisters. She did very well with them until yesterday. She popped one of the blisters. Now we are watching for infection and keeping her hands clean and doctored.

Cheesy-messy hair smile

This is how we look most of the time. Could you keep your hands off of her?

Future WNBAer?

Sydney is loving her basketball hoop that Santa brought her. She really likes to "dunk" on it which usually means mommy or daddy lift her up above the rim. She is really advancing with fine motor and verbal skills. If you call us you will hear her jabbering in the background. She knows a lot of animal sounds too.

Brrrrrrrr! It's cold here!

This winter has been very cold, but today was the coldest day by far. I think it warmed up to 1 degree above zero today with a wind chill of negative twenty something. It was the coldest walk from the car to inside the church building I have ever had. Of course when we get back in the car to go home, my daughter who is bundled head to toe, decides to take her shoes and socks off.

Happy Tuesday!

Today is a special day and we decided to play dress up. Sydney is a *bling* girl so I knew she would love this play jewelry. Most of the beads are from New Orleans, when David and I went to the Final Four in 2004. I have just had them in a box and thought this was a great day to get them out for Sydney.

So you may be wondering why I am celebrating Fat Tuesday, well I really am not. Today just happens to be Fat Tuesday, Super Tuesday in Politics and..... Sloan's birthday! Our nephew/cousin turns the big 4 today!

Happy Birthday Sloan!!!!!!

The Snow Fort

Today daddy and Sydney built a snow fort. Well, daddy built it as Sydney watched. She loves to be outside, but does not understand why we bundle her up so much. She still refuses to wear gloves.

Kitchen Experiments

Several moms in the MOPS group I am in have been discussing 30-day Cooking or Once a Month Cooking. While I already make extra of freezer friendly dishes when I can, I had not thought about cooking chicken breast or ground beef in bulk and then freezing it. So after talking with several moms I decided to give it a try. Here is what I did...

Chicken Breast

Prep:
I took 7 large chicken breasts (I buy the big bags of Tyson Boneless Skinless breasts at Sams) out of the freezer and put them in the crock pot. I covered them with water (though not completely covered as they were frozen solid and I knew they would thaw and fit better),seasoned them and put the crock pot on low.

Cooking:
Chicken was done in a couple of hours when we returned home! The chicken smelled so good from the slow cooking and seasonings. I took the chicken out of the crock pot to let them rest before I cut them up. They were super moist and very easy to cut compared to boiled/poached chicken breasts. I cut them up and got about 7 cups of cubed chicken.

Total Cooking Time:
3 ½ to 3 ¾ hours
7 large frozen chicken breasts

Freezer Prep:
Here is where I experimented. I put 2 cups chicken in 2 separate Reynolds Handi-vac bags and 3 cups in another. I let the chicken cool before I sealed the bags. I am not sure if it was the bags or the chicken but when I used the little handi-vac, it sucked the air out and then started pulling the juices out too! I think the chicken was just that juicy. After the bags were sealed to my satisfaction I put them in a Gladware storage container, closed the lid and put them in the freezer for later use.

Overall results:
I was very pleased with the time to cook the chicken (3 ½-3 ¾ hours), the chicken was super moist and it was not much work at all. I was able to put all the meat up in about 20 minutes.

Other thoughts:
I might try cooking some chicken breasts in the pressure cooker some time. My mom does this a lot and says the meat is very moist as well.



Ground Beef

Prep:
I pulled 3 (three) 1 lb. bags of ground beef out of the freezer and set it in the sink to thaw for a couple of hours. I then placed the semi-thawed meat in the crock pot and turned the crock pot on low.

Cooking:
I checked the meat about 20 minutes later to pull the thawed portion off so the frozen portions could thaw; I continued to check the meat about every 20-30 minutes until it was completely thawed. All the meat was thawed in 1 hour. I stirred the pot to break up the meat further and seasoned the meat with basics like salt, pepper, garlic, onion. I put the top on and let the meat cook, stirring 2 more times to turnover uncooked meat.

Total Cooking time:
3 hours
3 lbs. semi-frozen ground beef

Freezer Prep:
I pulled out several spoonfuls of meat and placed in a colander to drain. I had the colander on several layers of paper towels stacked on a dinner plate. (The grease drained through the colander pretty well.) I then measured about 2 cups of meat and placed in various containers to continue my freezer experiment (regular Ziplock freezer bag, handi-vac bag, Gladware small bowl), let the meat cool, then closed the containers and placed in freezer.

Overall results:
I was very pleased with this method of cooking ground beef. I think I “stirred the pot” more than I should have, but I was so curious as to how everything was going. The crock pot I used will probably not hold more than 3 lbs. at a time, but I have a larger oval crock pot that should do more.

Sunday Morning Fashion Show

This morning I decided that I needed to have Sydney try on my old dress (I wore this when I was 18 mo.) to see if she could wear it. Well it fits now and my how the styles have changed! This dress is really short! Just walking you can see her diaper, and no it was not a saggy diaper but a fresh new one. She really liked having the white sandals on...remember her shoe fetish.

We still have a shoe fetish this week.

The little mommy

Sydney is starting to get more into dolls. She got several dolls for Christmas and particularly likes the ones with eyes that move. She is fascinated with eyes- her eyes, your eyes and baby doll eyes. Well she also got 2 baby bottles for the dolls at Christmas. She loves these bottles, however the dolls don't get to use them much. Sydney tends to put them in her mouth and doesn't seem to mind that she is not getting anything out. I am fascinated with this as the last time she got a bottle was in May.

Anyway, Sydney finally showed us how she is now feeding her dolly. Notice how she is sitting in the baby carrier...she thinks this is her recliner.

I feel like a new woman!

This week was not too bad and we got a lot of stuff done last weekend. However, for some reason I felt like I had been run over by a train- the Sydney train. She was not necessarily bad this week, but she was a bit "diva-fied" these last few days. Anytime she did not get what she wanted she had a tantrum. Last night my neck and shoulders were killing me so I decided to call the salon and spa where I go to get my hair done. They recently started offering massages and I have one booked for Feb 16, but I knew I needed some help now. So I called up and asked if they had any cancellations for today (Sat)...I had my fingers and toes crossed but really expected to hear sorry. To my surprise they said they had an opening at 10:15 for a massage. I booked it!

I was so looking forward to this massage all night and this morning. I was not disappointed. The masseuse, Sara, was fabulous and really worked on my neck and shoulders. They feel so much better. I really do feel like a new woman now! Plus, when I got home the darling husband was napping along with the darling daughter. Ahhhhhh, the bliss continues.

The Weekend ProjectThe were all so excited for the 3-day weekend to get here. David decided that he would work on one of the projects on our (my) honey-do list- building shelves and a bookcase for our little reader in her (Sydney's) room. We drew up the plans and purchased all the material for the project, last August. Needless to say we have been pretty busy and this was the first opportunity to tackle this project.

After 23 hours of hard work (David actually working on the shelves and I keeping Sydney out of the way) and only 2 additional trips to the store (which is a new Smith Family record) we have beautiful shelves in Sydney's room. David got to use several power tools on the project including the miter saw in the garage. Did I mention that the garage was probably about 20 degrees as the highs over the weekend we in the single digits? Sydney was very interested in whatever daddy was doing and even has a new sound effect for the drill. We are very excited about the final product and I can't wait to fill the shelves.

Shoe Fetish, Already???

Sydney loves shoes, her shoes, momma's, daddy's, Kiki's, Papa's, even Granny's shoes. She will pull shoes out of her closet and put them on herself and wear them- even on the wrong feet! She loves our closet and always finds a new pair of shoes to wear. Do you think it is too early for her to have a shoe fetish?

Merry Christmas from Sydney

We spent Christmas in Texas this year. It was a big change from the freezing temperatures and snow to the mild 50's and 60's and sunshine in Texas. Sydney had a wonderful Christmas and learned lots of things from her cousins. She was a good girl this year as Santa Claus brought her all kinds of stuff including a couple of baby dolls and a stroller. However, the baby dolls do not get to ride in the stroller much. Sydney likes to put other things inside.