Category: Pictures

Knowing that posting this will expose the facts that I am A) a little OCD about reading directions, even when I know them by heart and B) eating entirely too much Lean Cuisine as of late, I forge onward.

Here’s the evidence (might I add, from two different boxes of what appears to be the *exact* same dish — all the ingredients are the same, the nutrition information is the same, the picture on the front of the box is the same, etc.):

Notice anything different about these two?

I think that either the people at Lean Cuisine are trying to make my entrees more fun by adding in a guessing game or the universe is trying to send me a sign that I shouldn’t be eating so many of the dang things!

Liam’s culinary assistant for the day was Gran.  There was sugar.  There was butter.  There were chocolate chips.  They both had a blast.  Here are some pictures:

Brown sugar:

Why do you taste so good?:

Liam helps open the box of butter:

Liam helps himself to a stick of butter:

Savoring the goodness?

Aftermath:

Liam “helps” Gran by scooping out batter and putting it in a measuring cup:

Making sure they’re not poison:

Cracking the eggs:

Vanilla:

Chips!

More chips!

Stirring:

More stirring:

Spreading:

Leaning in for a little Gran love:

More Gran love:

Cheese!

Oh!  Brownie!

Whatchoo lookin’ at, Mama?

The sequel is not nearly as exciting as the original installment, but we did celebrate Valentine’s Day this morning by giving Liam his first taste of M&Ms (big surprise: he LOVED them).  We broke them out after breakfast with the hope that the sugar high (and consequent crash) would happen well before his nap and in time for everything to reset itself during said nap.  It seems to have worked pretty well so far.  Here are a few pictures (although I was having technical difficulty so pardon the tints on some of these, I had to monkey with them a bit to make them usable, since the best ones were (of course) taken during the flash malfunction).  Here goes:

I asked for a smile and I got these in response:

Careful contemplation:

Valentine’s Poster Boy:

Happy Valentine’s Day, y’all!

It’s just beautiful outside, the kind of snow we never get:  good for snowballs and snowmen.  Matt came home around early afternoon and worked from home for the rest of the day so he and Liam were able to get outside for a bit before it got dark.  Liam had so much fun with the snowballs that he threw a fit when it was time to come inside, so I think that’s a pretty good barometer of how much he enjoyed it, and Matt might have had even more fun than Liam.  Here are some pictures:

“Whatcha doin’ Dad?”

“Oooh!  Lemme help!”

“Hmmm, that looks suspiciously like a tower to me…”

“Who, me?  I didn’t decapitate our snowman and you can’t prove otherwise!”

Big decisions:

Score!:

Resuscitated snowman:

“More snowballs, Dad!”

You see that look in his eye?

The wind-up:

The (gleeful) follow-through:

And once more, for good measure:

“Chicken Little!”

Snug as a bug in a rug:

The end (for today).

So today was pretty much a perfect day (visit to Liam’s hairdresser with a sobbing toddler notwithstanding).  First off, I finally got to indulge in the gyro I’ve been craving for the past month (since we were in Decatur and could drop by Athens on our way back home).  Then we got home and I got a call from the director at our first choice preschool telling us that there’s a space for Liam for next school year (I can’t tell you how worried I was about this one).   Lastly, I got an early Valentine’s Day present from my wonderful husband, so we’re celebrating now!  Here it is:

We’ve been hemming and hawing for some time about strollers because we couldn’t decide if we A) wanted to (or were able to) spend a lot of money on a stroller and B) wanted to wait until we have two children to get a new one and then spring for the double-stroller version.  We had already gone for a “test drive” at REI and since then I’ve coveted these things almost as much as the Odyssey, but it wasn’t the right time financially so we just waited.  The issues with our current stroller are that the brake sticks (causing an awful whap-whap-whap noise while in use) and the steering is so difficult that going on a long walk with my son causes me to have carpel tunnel syndrome (seriously).  I’ve stopped walking to the park because the stroller makes me hurt and we don’t have sidewalks for the entire route and I don’t think that Liam would make it all the way there without assistance.  Today all of that ended and I’m SO excited!

Matt had apparently been stalking BOBs on Craigslist for months, but each time a decent deal became available it was snapped up before he could do anything about it.  Today his luck changed.  He ran out and picked it up immediately and pulled into our driveway at 4:30 (about two hours earlier than usual) with a surprise in the trunk.  The whole thing was a surprise, in fact.  Such a surprise that here’s what was going through my mind as I watched him finishing an insanely long (at least from my perspective inside the house, what with my imagination running completely amok) phone conversation inside the car:  unexpected early arrival + long phone conversation = somebody died.  Seriously — after 20 minutes of watching this I was going completely insane watching from the living room, but it’s rude to interrupt someone’s phone call, especially if they’re grieving, so I left him alone.

Then, when he FINALLY came inside he went to change Liam’s diaper and insisted that we take a walk to “talk” which only made me more insane.  Until, that is, he told me that I wouldn’t need the stroller that I’d pulled out to use.  Then I knew that it was all good news.  I don’t squeal, but as close as I get to squealing is what happened in the driveway this afternoon.  Then we took a walk around the neighborhood.  I can steer with one hand.  I can activate the brake by pulling the safety strap.  There’s no whap-whap-whapping to be heard.  It rolls on the grass without effort or incident.  It easily fits into the trunk of Matt’s car (without removal of all the crap that currently lives back there — which means that it would easily fit into my car, or, you know, a van, *ahem*).

Plus, it was sunny and not too cold.  How much more perfect could a day get?

Liam has been literally vibrating from being cooped up inside for so long.  He was fine for months and it’s like he just hit his wall this week.  He bounces in his bed.  He bounces on the sofas and chairs.  He runs around screaming.  He does his impression of Jennifer Beals.  It’s like another child has taken up residence in my previously calm, cool, collected toddler’s body.  It may be cold today, but it’s sunny and that was enough for us to head outside to try to burn some of that energy off with the soccer ball in the front yard.  Here are a few pictures:

The set-up:

Action shot:

Pele would be proud:

Dad sets up for a family favorite: ‘Kick the ball down the hill and get Liam to run down after it and bring it back.’

“I see you, Mama!”

“Cheese!”

This is my:  *I’m really going to attempt to play soccer?!* face:

“Kick it that way!”

Sneak attack:

Picture of the day:

Today Liam had his first rice crispy treats.  We went to the store this morning to gather ingredients and had the following conversation:

[Scene:  In the Publix in the marshmallow aisle — or the aisle that has the marshmallows and candy and such — I prefer to think of it as the marshmallow aisle.]

Liam:  What’s that?

Shannon:  Those are marshmallows.  We need them to make rice crispy treats this afternoon.

Liam:  Want, please!

Shannon:  [hands the bag to Liam to hold] Here you go.

Liam:  Mmmmm!  Marshmallows!  I LOVE Marshmallows!

Shannon:  How do you know you love marshmallows, you’ve never had one.

Liam:  Mmmm.  Marshmallows so tasty.  Marshmallows white!  Marshmallows so soft.  [Burrows the bag down in with our coats in his seat].  Marshmallows all warm and cozy.  Marshmallows snuggly.  So many marshmallows.  1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 marshmallows!

——————————-

After his nap, Liam and I made the rice crispy treats.  He had fun counting marshmallows (and tasting a few) and watching the butter and marshmallows melt on the stove.  Then came the best part:  the eating!

I decided to let him have at it like I do when I eat them (I prefer just to pull pieces off rather than cutting them into squares — especially when they’re still warm) and put the pan down on the table in front of him.  Here are a few pictures of the momentous occasion:

‘Thumb’s’ Up!

I asked for a smile, I got this:

How much do you like rice crispy treats, Liam?

Today Gran wanted to get Liam his first “big boy underwear.”  First we headed to Carter’s where we picked up some cute, non-commercialized undies (sports, dogs, stripes, solids, etc.).  I love them (C’mon!  Itty-bitty, teeny-tiny boxer briefs?  Is there anything much cuter than that?).

Then we went to the Target.

Gran asked where the toddler underwear was located.  We rounded the corner at the end of the aisle and then Liam broke the sound barrier because he saw a pack of Sesame Street underwear (which included Cookie Monster, Super Grover, and Liam’s personal favorite (of course) Elmo).  He was mildly off-put when the “boy” underwear didn’t include Zoe or Abby Cadabby, but he doesn’t seem to be overtly damaged by that particular societal gender norm, so I’m letting it go.  I’m also giving up on fighting the Sesame Street Machine.  If Elmo and Cookie Monster make him excited about big boy underwear, and that makes him excited about using the toilet then I say: awesome.  I’ll definitely take it just about any way that I can get it.

When we got into the car, he basically catapulted himself into his car seat to be strapped in because we told him he could hold Cookie Monster and Elmo if he did.  He then squealed and waved underwear around for the entirety of our drive to Trader Joe’s.  I drew the line at taking them into TJ’s with us, but he would have gladly done it if I’d let him.

The excitement carried on into the evening when I asked if he wanted to show Dad his big boy underwear.  He commenced squealing again and proceeded to spend the next half hour running around doing the “underwear dance” and throwing underwear up in the air with Matt.  A good time was had by all and (of course) I took some pictures.  Here they are:

Three Cheers For Potty Training!  Hooray!