Week 35: New Favorites

What's new?

Patee House Museum in St Joseph, MO is AMAZING! I took my 2.5-year old and my Father-in-Law, and all 3 of us gave this place 5/5 stars. It is a 40 minute drive from Fort Leavenworth, and, should you find yourself in the area, I highly recommend you do not wait 1.5 years to visit! We will, most definitely, be returning. My Father-in-Law and I both agreed that this museum is just as well-done as the American History Museum in D.C. Beautiful historical displays, and SO many of them. We could have stayed for hours! 

From the website:

 "Patee House Museum features two full floors of exhibits. Inside Patee House, you can climb aboard an 1860 train and ride the vintage "Wild Thing" carousel. The museum also houses an 1877 railroad depot, stagecoach, cars, trucks, fire trucks, wagons, buggies and carriages, Jeeps, a racecar, horse-drawn hearses and a real gallows, a blacksmith shop, dressmaker's shop, model railroads, antique furniture and toys, a wing with Western art by artist George Warfel, and a wing designed to look like the Streets of Old St. Jo in the 1860s-1880s."

Week 35 brought with it some fantastic newness, in addition to our visit to this historical treasure. You all know how I am a hard sell on new favorites? Well, this week I discovered quite a few! My Father-in-Law has been here visiting for a couple of weeks, so we are in vacation mode, which always helps.

• New favorite hair place: Jabez, located in Leavenworth. Ask for Marley. NO one knows about this place because everyone on Post goes to either Tom and Ann's or Teri's Hair Loft. I strongly recommend you give Jabez a try before they discover how awesome they are and raise their prices!

• The O'Malley sandwich at Weston Brewery in Weston, MO. It is basically the most amazing Reuben you will ever eat. In your life. Even better than my Mom's (never thought I'd say that). Mom, if you are reading this, I am SO sorry I did not take you here when you came to visit. I will get the recipe. All I know is, they use some kind of stone ground, spicy, sweet mustard sauce instead of horseradish or 1000 Island (which is gross and not a real Reuben but that's how everyone makes them). 

• I tried out Harbor Lights Coffeehouse in downtown Leavenworth. I cannot remember the last time I went to a coffeeshop by myself. It was phenomenal (not the coffee, the freedom). Coffee was okay. Menu looked yummy, and the place seemed very family-friendly. I'll go again, just because I can :)

• Henry...What a boy, this one :) He is growing so fast and changing at such an incredible rate these days. We seem to be moving out of a VERY frustrating phase and into another fun one :) The reason is because he is expressing himself and actually conversing. I love picking him up from school and hearing about his day. I love it that he can tell me little things now, like if he is cold or wants to go home or wants more food?! His nighttime prayers have also been very lengthy and detailed, of late. I adore listening to what he is thankful for. It is my new favorite part of the day. God Bless preschool teachers. 

Week 32: Beginnings of a Thunderstorm

What's new?

Week 32 brought with it so much 2.5-year old. This boy! I have never seen such a willfull, stubborn, independent little person in my entire life. It is apparently, time for pre-school. SO much Henry newness...He now says "Bless You" when someone sneezes. He walks by himself into the post office (not in the stroller) and most other public places. He drinks water because I have convinced him "that's what big boys do." He rips child safety mechanisms off of doors. He quotes books. He washes himself. He lets me know which music he likes and wants to know who the artist is...What happened to that baby I just had?! Who is this little man-cub? :) 

One of my girlfriends has a son who is in his early 20's. She was almost in tears the other day as she told me the story about how he broke up with his serious girlfriend (who had been so serious she was in family photos) whom they had all fallen in love with. The reasons he gave his mom, my friend, were not (as a momma) ones that you want to hear from your son, the one you raised to be a stand-up guy. Mom was extremely disappointed in his decision and trying hard to be supportive of him and be the good listener that she is. The fact of the matter was that her son is not ready for a serious, grown-up relationship. Growing pains - do they ever end? :) 

Listen

One morning I awoke to a muffled song

A deep soft sound like the beginnings of a thunderstorm

My feet touched the ground as I followed the voice

It grew louder though was still unclear

I came upon a baby boy, sleeping in his bed.

Touched his cherubim face and held the light upon it

Deafening were his inaudible lyrics –

One day to be discerned as clear as bells

but perhaps just not by me 

this morning

by, Becca @Allbrandnewin52.blogspot.com

Other Week 32 Newness:

• Red Barn Pickled Asparagus. Mom got this for me (I love pickled asparagus!) while she was here and we were visiting our local Red Barn Farms out in Weston, MO. I paired it with Absolut Peppar and a little Mrs. T's and a sprig of celery :) Basically, a delicious little salad.

• Learned how to align my BOB SUS thanks to my amazing neighbors who fixed it for me (it had been pulling very hard to the left). Basically it was like someone wrapped my sprained ankle. Lifesaver. By the way, having smart, kind, intuitive neighbors who recognize that running outside is your sanity is going on my list of deployment musts.

• Cookies fail! Yes - I am publishing a fail. You cannot substitute Sunbutter for peanut butter in cookie recipes, apparently. If anyone out there has successfully done this, please let me know how you did it.

• Sharkbait #3. Yes. Yep. Youbetcha. I think I traumatize my Betas when I go on vacation. This little guy seems pretty feisty, and I am trying him with no tank heater, this time around. I am pulling for ya, Buddy!

• New workout! The 10-minute body-weight workout (August 2013 issue) from Women's Running Magazine, a great, digital publication has been a wonderful supplement to my runs lately. The body-weight exercises include alternating lateral lunges, squat thrusts, the inchworm, and mountain climbers. The exercises are done for 20 seconds with a 20 second rest in between, for 10 minutes. Love this one!

Week 25: Look with your Eyes, See with your Heart.

What's new?

"Look with your eyes," is something that I say to my son quite often these days :) Though I mainly say it as a command synonymous to "don't touch that!" - it is something that he understands on a deeper level than most 2.5-year olds. He genuinely seems to enjoy looking "with his eyes", and we have the most fun together reading our Eye Spy books and looking for birds and bugs. In Week 25, I was much inspired to take Henry to his first art museum. We had a blast. He surprises and impresses me with his little brain, and more and more, I love hearing what he is thinking about, as he starts to verbally express himself (though not much...I think he might take after his Daddy just a bit in that department), I find that I just want to show him the World in the way that you want to show off for someone. I want to grab his hand and present him with all of this amazing beauty and life. 

Of course, my expectations were that we were, realistically, going to probably last all of 6 minutes before we were done (because he had to be in the stroller). Not so! He really seemed to enjoy looking at all of the paintings. We tried to play a larger version of "Eye Spy" books, and it worked. He also got a kick out of the sculptures and the sound of his voice as it echoed in each room :) Some of the docents came over and commented on how well he was doing and pointed out some more cool stuff to see. We ended our hour-long visit with a trip outside, which was just an extraordinary terraced lawn/landscape with even more sculptures. I highly recommend the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, should you find yourself in the area. It is free admission, and parking is only $5.

Other Week 25 Newness:

• I received the most beautiful book of watercolors of local landscapes called, Return to Kansas. The artist is J.R. Hamil, a local who worked for Hallmark Cards for 15 years before deciding to open his own studio in 1973. His wife, Sharon Hamil, was a teacher and writer of curriculum materials in Kansas. She wrote the accompanying historical text in the book, a really wonderful gift from my peeps that just moved away. I will treasure it, always.

• We are now hamster-sitting for 5 weeks for some neighbors who are on vacation. Henry is obsessed with this mangy little thing, and I will admit, it has grown on me. She follows me around in her little ball and just mostly wants to be held. She rolls in her poo and pee, and I try not to think about it too much because she really is pretty cute. Messy little creatures...

• Henry and I are learning our owl calls. He memorized all of the species of owls in my bird book and then kept asking me what they sounded like...uh...I knew 3? So, we have spent some time on YouTube and in the Ornithology Institute's library :) 

• I learned that milk thistle greens are edible.

• Tried a new green smoothie for the week: Kale, cucumber, granny smith apple, and banana (just a little bit to sweeten, otherwise it is very "green").   

• Conducted my first interviews of preschool potentials for Henry and found one whose director I think I may have a small woman crush on who JUST SO HAPPENS to be the teacher for the 2.5-year old class! I am so excited to have found a preschool that has a 2.5-year old class that is a perfect fit for us, and we meet next week for the tour! I think Henry is going to have the best time. 

Week 18: Bug Hunting and Manners

Caterpillar stalker

Week 18 brought with it a special weekend visit from our other third. We packed in no less than 48 hours of family cuddle time, pizza-eating, and exploration. There seemed to be just enough time for everything, but not enough time to say goodbye again. And thus, we have what seems to be the theme of my life :)

New for Week 18 was a visit to the Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens! It was wonderful, and we highly recommend this as an activity for anyone! Singles, couples, families with small kiddos - You will all have fun here. We have explored a number of arboretums and botanical gardens across the Country, and what I loved about this place were all of the intricate, little alcove and specialty gardens within the nooks and crannies of the main, theme gardens - A lot of privacy :) They have a weekly birdwatcher's group here, too, as well as a children's garden and a train garden (in progress)! This place is picnic-friendly (in the picnic pavilion), and most of the little trails are only a mile or so long.

Henry loved the big pond and the turtles as well as bug hunting along the pathways and butterfly-chasing. He is such a good little hiker now and (most of the time) a good minder. For short outings, we don't even need the stroller anymore. He's good for at least a mile :) It is amazing how much he has grown up in the last 2 months (since the last time we went exploring with Daddy)! He was so proud to show Ted what a big boy he was. 

Other newness for Week 18:

• We've been working on manners lately (and watching where we are walking in relation to others). In particular, saying, "excuse me" when barreling through or over someone, now that Henry is not really in a stroller anymore. This week was the first time I heard him say, "scuse me". It was very cute :)

• Snow in May. Only in Kansas, people.

Week 16: Craving Comfort and Navigating Toddler Independence

Week 16 brought with it a new level of stress (can that be considered something "new"?) when I began to realize that there is no way humanly possible that I can cram all of the needed test information from every field of science into my brain before July 20. Middle Grade science teachers, I cannot believe you had to take this test! It is insane. I feel like it would be easier if I just took the one for High School biology and said to heck with it! Alas, I cannot. I am determined that I can somehow pass this. Come on, brain, you can do it (insert sound of creaky stairs, here)! :) In any case, Week 16 was all about craving comfort, be it comfort foods, comfortable clothes, yummy smells (with the exception of the downstairs pee-pee bathroom/Henry's office), good friends, good wine, hot tea, and Lego city parties.

I'll be the first one to admit that when it comes to comfort, I don't like new things. I love my rut and my old standbys. Stress comes, and I am like a donkey in mud when it comes to trying new things. That was one of the main reasons I began this blog - To force myself out of the rut I knew would come :) Having a 2-year old helps a lot with that because you start seeing the World through their eyes, which see everything new. Then, you become inspired to keep trying. Having friends also helps with that because when you don't feel like being adventurous, they are there to at least make you try a new food or suggest a new way of doing something. 

This week, my very dear friends across the street brought Henry and I an extremely good, new comfort food: Corn Chowder with Roasted Tomatillos and Poblano. I think they actually roasted the corn too, which was amazing. It is vegan, gluten-free, and soooo good with crusty bread and of course, a frothy ale.

Other Week 16 Newness:

• Overland Park Farmer's Market: The City of Overland Park is about an hour away from Fort Leavenworth. We went on opening day of the Market, so not all of the vendors from the list were there, but it was good! We walked away with carrot oatmeal raisin cookies, fresh olive oil rosemary bread, and farm-fresh eggs! I am looking forward to going again.

• First Dentist Appointment: As traumatized as Henry was (he screamed bloody murder the entire visit), he now blesses "the dentist" in our nightly prayers :) After that experience, so do I.

• Down the Stairs: Apparently, Henry has decided to start walking down the stairs front-facing, like a big boy. The first time I saw him do this, my heart leaped out of my mouth and onto the floor, but he made it the whole way, and then exclaimed, "all by myself!!" complete with one giant, sweet grin :) 

• New Running Partner: Our first running date went well! I love it when people say they don't usually talk when they run and then talk the entire run :) Or when they say they are slow and will probably have to walk and then you are sprinting to catch up with them. This new one, she's a high-energy character. I immediately liked her (before we even ran) because she was ready 15 minutes early. 

Week 15: Pure Goodness

In Week 15, my 2-1/3 year-old said bye-bye to his binky forever (pacifier). He still had been using it for naps and nighttime, but one day, it went to the play with Bambi, and it started to rain. Since binky doesn't like getting wet, he just stayed with Bambi and Thumper, warm and dry. We'll probably see him again, but he's decided to stay for a while :) In the meantime, Binky has been replaced with bedtime stories, which seemed to be a pretty smooth transition.

Other new goodness for Week 15:

• Poop on the Potty: We had several days in a row of him telling me he had to go, me listening, and then him going. We also had a couple of him not telling me until after he had gone, or him telling me and me not listening, or him telling me and then not going until I put his pullup back on. But progress!!

• Roasting sticks: Our amazing friends who happen to live across the street came over for dinner and brought one of the best presents, ever, and they had them handmade by prisoners! They are amazing and so well-crafted, and I have always wanted fancy roasting sticks! The memories I have of camping and roasting marshmallows with my family as a kid are not only some of my favorite; they have become somewhat sacred because they include my sister when she was still innocent - Long before the vicious cycle of addiction became her. It is amazing how you preserve the people you love. Everyone does it differently. In my preservation of her, we happen to be camping, and she has a face covered in sticky marshmallows and dirt.

• The BOB: I have been running with Henry for almost 2 years in the JEEP. The JEEP has served us well for $175. We have logged many, many miles, both on and off-road on that thing. But, after 6 miles the other day, we blew a flat. The following day, I borrowed our friends' BOB Revolution. It was like nothing I had ever experienced running with Henry. First of all, he was completely weightless (vs. the Jeep where it feels like I am pushing 50 lbs). Second, the shock absorption? OH MY GOSH: phenomenal. I felt nothing. And finally, the turning capabilities - This thing turns on a dime. Now, ideally, for running 5-6 miles, you would want a fixed wheel (and a 16" rather than the 12" front wheel), so after much research and emailing random marathoners, we decided to purchase the BOB SUS. Apparently, this model has even better shock absorption than the Revolution (which is insane to even imagine), and is truly off-road capable and durable. We found a pretty good deal (about $100 less than the sticker price) from a dealer on Amazon. Extremely excited! I honestly did not think that by this age, Henry would still like running with me! If anything, he likes it even more, and we are able to go longer distances, which is great! My sweet buddy bee. He has probably figured out that Momma is a lot less grouchy when she runs, haha.

• Lab Safety Procedures: I know you are all at the edge of your seats with the excitement of our lives right now, so you will be even more excited when I tell you that this week, I memorized the Lab Safety Procedures manual for teaching science labs to Jr High and High-schoolers. Someone gets HCl on their skin? I can handle that. A fire in the lab? No problemo. A funny smell? Evacuate. Oh yes. Your children will be safe with me. And they will map recessive alleles in fruit flies like there is no tomorrow.

• Five Guys Burgers and Fries: There is a first time for everything, but few are as memorable as this cheeseburger. Danger, danger, danger. Hands-down, best burger and fries I have ever had. Unbelievable.

Week 13: A New Poem, Friend Dating and the No Nap Zone

New in Week 13? First, some new poetry:

little, muddy shoes lay strewn across 
the kitchen floor like sleeping kittens
whose bellies bulge from too much milk.
when they wake, clods of dirt will
my shadow, be.
I am grounded by it - the sound
of pitter-patter 
-Becca, 2013 (allbrandnewin52.blogspot.com)

There are many new things to report on this week. First, I might as well tell you all that we are dating again, and it is going very well! Henry and I have met some keepers :) Yep, back in the saddle, as they say. You think friend dating is different than romantic dating? Think again. It is a natural part of life if you ever relocate, start or end a job, quit drinking, start drinking, get married or divorced, have kids, or experience any other major change of life, it seems. And friend dating now, I am more picky; I know what I want. I love being sociable, but not to the point where I will just hang out with anyone because they are a warm body. I have recently realized that I want the same thing that I wanted when I met my Husband: A bonafide, normal person without hangups, who doesn't try to one-up you but who, instead, makes you want to be a better person in some way. Negative people, victims, drama queens, multiple personality disorder...you need not apply. I was talking to M about this the other day, and she also brought up the good point that how they treat/discipline their own kids becomes a factor - So true. I have a large amount of respect for moms who correct their children in public places - Moms who are paying attention and not just letting their kids run rampant through the streets, screaming their heads off at 1am...ahem...

I have the best collection of friends a person could ask for, but it is nice to have in-the-flesh folks who you can go on a walk with or saunter into their house and their dog attack-licks you and coffee is ready in a steaming mug of hello how are you and no one blinks twice about the fact that the kids are still in their pajamas at 2pm. And those are the rare ones (or the ones who have moved/are soon-to-be moving, booo!).    

Week 13 represents the 25% milestone! Yes, friends, we are a quarter of the way through 52 :) Here are the new things we did to celebrate:  

• went on a blind friend date and loved both mom and sons

• went to a new playgroup at a new library outside of town

• tried 3 new recipes (red lentil curry, orzo salad, and stuffed cherry tomatoes), all of which I would make again, though I have decided lentils are never as good as they are the second day. Fact.

• went to a new local farm to buy fresh goat milk (Screamin' Oaks in Tonganoxie)

• tried a new mom and pop cafe with blueberry pancakes as big as your head (Mirth Cafe Too) 

• experienced a snow-storm in mid-March

• began 2 new crochet projects, one of which is for ME (a big-time first!!!)

• treated myself to a new pair of DKNY Bermuda skinny shorts, my wardrobe for spring :)

• Henry decided to give up napping. This may be a phase or a new routine, but for the past 2 weeks, he has only gone down a couple of times. He lays in his room and reads his books for about 45 minutes and then gets up. He also is sleeping much longer at night, so I really have nothing to complain about. But I'd be lying if I said this was not an initial shock to the system (in week 13, mommy drank a LOT of wine...)

• tried a new beer! Sofie Belgian Ale 2012 (thank you, M!) It was citrus, honey-cream, and very ripe banana, which was not overpowering due to the very strong, tangy lime overtones. I thought it was good by itself and would have it again.  

• We received a very sweet Easter care package from Daddy this week...complete with Chuck the Truck stickerbook, a steamroller playdough set, and Godiva chocolates :) Best package ever.

Week 12: Precious Life

“It is nothing to die. It is frightful not to live.” 

-Victor Hugo, Les Miserables

In Week 12, we experienced many new things, among which was some very happy news! First, Ted and I found out that one of our very closest friends suffered from a bi pulmonary embolism comprised of several blood clots in the lungs. He originally thought he was having a heart attack because the symptoms were essentially the same, so he thankfully called 911 in time. This man is in his mid 30's, does not drink or eat junkfood, is a former gymnast, for goodness' sake, and does not otherwise fit the bill for this condition at all. I was obviously so happy to hear he was okay and well-taken care of, but the thought crossed my mind that, if this man had not made it, he would have lived a very full and purpose-driven life; one that he should be proud of. And the older and more grouchy and cantankerous I become, the more I realize that I don't want to be close to people who I am not truly proud of. Who has time? Vince, if you are reading this, Ted and I love you, and friend, we are damn proud of you.

How do you spend your numbered days? Are you proud of them? Do you think God is proud of them?

We also received the news that my baby brother (Brother #3) and his wife are expecting their first child! Could this be the 7th boy, or will we finally have a little girl in the family? I can't wait to find out! Will and Whitney are going to make excellent parents. 

Other new things to report for Week 12:

• I finished East of Eden and began a non-fiction (memoir): Reading Lolita in Tehran. I am inhaling every word like a crack addict. Not only does Nafasi write BEAUTIFULLY, but if ever words had meaning, this compilation is indeed a powerful source of it! Regarding East of Eden, I loved it and am so glad I read it, but I was not crazy about the way he ended it. I guess it had to end, sometime. Perhaps I just don't like endings.

• Henry and I went to the Crayola store in downtown Kansas City. It was so much fun! We got some new triangle crayons with 24 colors (not the huge, chunky box of 4 colors you see at the store). Henry loves it when I color pictures of the Thomas the Train characters. Luckily, trains are easy :) I am otherwise a terrible artist! One day, he'll realize that :)

• My 2-year old actually, willingly, tried a "new" fruit, ate the whole thing, and asked for more. This is HUGE because at 12 months old up until now, he started refusing any food with a slimy or wet texture. He has only willingly eaten bananas, raisins, and apple slices (but rarely apple slices). I continued to offer him fresh fruits (and veggies) the entire last year, which I am now glad of!

• Henry also has started sharing with me. He is NOT a good sharer at all, so this was awesome to see. And he shared his stickers, no less. Pretty big time :) He's getting so grown-up! 

• Okay, one more new Henry thing and I'll stop: Naps...He has started not taking one 1-2 days per week. On those days, he sleeps for like 11-12 straight hours and wakes up a very happy boy, so I don't mind (too much).    

Week 9: Oscars Parties and Puppy Dogpiles

We did not try as many new things in Week 9 because I spent most of it being sick and road-tripping back to Kansas with my favorite 2-year old buddy. But, in spite of the continued and worsening sickness, our last days in San Diego with Daddy were happy ones and included one of my new favorite memories. I spent much of our last full day as a family together for a long while in Urgent Care, but Henry and Ted had some good quality time together, which made all of us happy. I was too sick to even be sad at that point, and all I remember is going into the bedroom to lay elevated on some pillows, after taking copious amounts of randoms, which included something with codeine as well as ZzzQuil, nasal spray, and essential oils. I turned on the Oscars, and my sweet husband and son crawled up in bed with me with their new Thomas the Train I-spy book, and we had the absolute best cuddle time ever AND we got to witness that spectacular mini-show of Les Miserable (Ted was especially excited about that part). And finally...eventually...I fell asleep in a big puppy-love pile. 

I've never hosted an Oscar party before, but I think I will, from now on. Especially if there is a Thomas the Train, puppy-pajama dogpile with my sweet family included :)  

Henry and I are home now, safe and sound, and I am slowly but surely starting to feel better. I am thankful for our special time with Auntie Shana, Uncle Eddy, Cousin Ira and Baby Leif and with our other good friends in San Diego (and so, so sorry for missing the ones we missed due to being sick!) 

We miss our other Third already. I feel like I left with a lot of doubts and nervousness about how this year was going to work and whether or not any of us (Ted, Henry, or myself) were strong enough to handle (insert whatever you can think of inserting, here). I think I came back knowing that I am not, and being totally okay with it because Ted and Henry aren't either. 'Cause ya know what? None of us are that strong - We aren't supposed to be. So, you just accept weakness sometimes and move forward - And often times that is when you finally allow growth and healing and figure out what it is you are supposed to be doing. It helps especially, when you come home to find a homemade lasagna and pot of daffodils on your counter :) 
  

In addition, I left with a 2-year old and came home with a 2.25-year old. Apparently, there is a difference! Most amazing, impressive kid, this one. I just loved driving home across New Mexico and Northern Texas with him in the bright morning sun. I will never forget that. I hopefully will forget how over road-tripping he was by the time we were in Northern Oklahoma :)

Other new things I tried in Week 9:

• Dermatologica skincare products. I love Proactiv, but here in Kansas my pruny skin cannot handle that much Benzoyl Peroxide. Plus, it's time for some grown-up makeup.

• ZzzQuil. I love this product. It works. 5/5 stars.

• Chicken tortilla soup from Islands - So yummy for sick mommas (but without the cheese).