Friday Photots!

Reading about the Space Shuttle - his newest obsession.

Riding the 'Bucket Truck!'

I should let him do the grocery shopping!

Wherever we go, whatever we do, there are always trains. . .

Watching the ball slide down the ramp. Love the studied look. :)

Playing in the water.

Love.this.kid. :)

Concuss

(v) 1. to hit the head of; 2. Miles' favorite new entertainment

Seriously, over the course of the weekend, this kid managed to hit his head about five times.

1. Playing on the bed with Daddy.  Launched himself backward into the wall.
2. Playing on the bed with Daddy.  Launched himself off the bed and into the wall.
3. Running around the living room.  Slipped and hit the table with his head.
4. Dove into a pile of stuffed animals and found the sharp corner of the book crate next to it. 

Sigh.  The joys of mothering a boy. . .

Oh, and he's fine, though he has some impressive bruising.

Friday (almost Saturday) Photos

We've had a busy week . . .

Lining up blocks

Playing with a magnetic marble track

Tinkering with a new friend

Talkin' on the phone

At the movie theater for Kung Fu Panda 2

Swinging at the park

And painting at Monkey Bizness.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

The Dentist

Gah.  It sounds like the title of a horror movie, doesn't it?  Or maybe that's just me.

In any case, Miles had his first dental appointment on Wednesday.  It could have gone worse, I'm certain, but I'm having a hard time visualizing it. . .

First off, you should know that according to the dental world, I am officially the Worst Mother Ever.  Here's a list of reasons, that I remember.  There were about a hundred, so I may have forgotten a few . . .

• I waited far too long to bring Miles in to the dentist for the first time.  I should have brought him before his first birthday.  You know, back when he was even more of a Wild Man but with less ability to understand the horrors of the Dentist's office.
• I shouldn't allow Miles to eat crackers.  Like ever.  They are terrible for teeth and that alone has probably ruined his teeth for life.  Because apparently, the flour in them mixes with saliva and creates a carb-paste that sits on the teeth.  
• I should never allow Miles to have juice.  Ever.  Or anything else with sugar.  Milk and water.  That's it.  If the crackers don't kill his teeth, the juice will and I am horrible for even considering giving my child this tooth-poison.
• Straws are of the devil.  Apparently, straws cause fluid to pool under the tongue* and create greater opportunity for cavities.

And there are so many more I can't remember.  I walked out feeling terrible.  And then they handed Miles a frozen yogurt to eat on the way home.

Um. . .right.  I'm finding a non-crazy dentist, now. . . 

*Am I the only one who thinks that the dentist must be using the straw wrong if fluid is collecting under his tongue?  At the back of the mouth, maybe.  But under the tongue?  How the hell does that even work, logistically?

Battles & Blessings

Battles:

• Sleep.  Why hast thou forsaken me?
• Patience. Fairly certain you left with sleep.
• Trying to keep Miles entertained.  Difficult at best.
• Naps became a rarity this week. Sigh.
• Still mourning the loss of my job, even though it was my choice. :(
• Energy level has been nil.  Miles' energy level, however, has been at an all-time high.
• Miles' first dental appointment, which was a battle in every way possible.  I'll write about that tomorrow. . .

Blessings:

• Dad & Grandpa visited yesterday.  I love watching my son drag my dad around the house. :)
• Technology.  My son got a lot of screen time this week - some television, but mostly my smart phone and my Nook.  It's not necessarily good for him, but it has been a sanity saver.
• Trains.  And knights on horseback.  Miles can actually play for 20-30 minutes alone with these two sets of toys.  My ability to get things done increased by a factor of ten.
• Patrick was home all week!  No travel!!!
• Date night Wednesday.  Saw Men in Black 3.  Pretty good movie.  The time with my hubby, though, was awesome.
• Thunderstormy weather.  It calms Miles, and wraps me in a grey blanket of happy.  Bonus: Miles sleeps later when it's cloudy out!
• Plans for awesome fun today with Patrick and Miles at the Maker Fair.  I'm excited to see what this has in store for us!
• Plans for awesome fun tomorrow with Stacey at the movie theater.  We're going to see Brave.  I can't wait!!!
• Time with my boys.  An energy surge Thursday morning that resulted in a fairly clean house.  Magazines.  Books.  The internet.  And all of those other wonderful resources that keep me from losing it.

Friday Photos!

Miles can now put on his own sandals.  They happen to be on
the wrong feet this time, but hey.  Not bad for 2.5 :)

Rockin' in the chairs at Cracker Barrel.

Playing a tiny violin . . . and then getting
distracted by something shiny. :)

Jousting while waiting on dinner.

We were short one sword, so we borrowed a peg from the game.*

Riding the Turtle toy at Deanna Rose.

"This week was awesome!"

*Confession: Two of those pegs accidentally came home with us.  I didn't realize until two days later when
he was, once again, using them in place of swords. . . Oops!

Tasteful Thursdays

Mmm.  Another yummy recipe, adapted from the ever-popular 1954 Better Homes and Gardens Plaid cookbook.  You know the one:

Adapted because, well, food is purchased a little differently than it was in 1954.  Also? I don't like dry meat.

Stuffed Pork Chops*
4-6 thin-sliced pork chops
1 box stuffing mix
1 can cream of mushroom soup
Garlic, salt, rosemary, and thyme, to taste (about 1/4 tsp each, for us)

1) Prepare stuffing according to the directions on the box.
2) Scoop a spoonful of stuffing onto the center of each pork chop.  Flatten with spoon, then fold the chop in half.
3) Put all chops in a casserole dish and cover with 1 can of mushroom soup. Bake at 350 for 30-45 min.

That's it.  We served it with mashed potatoes (cuz we like our carbs) and green beans.  I'm still playing with the spice pallet, so I may update this at some point.

Enjoy!

*This could actually be done with boneless chicken or steaks, too, actually. . . Hmmm. . .