The Holway Family

Sunday, February 27, 2011

I Guess Squirrels Need to Eat Too

I couldn't figure out how we were going through bird seed so fast....well, the culprit is squirrels. They even figured out how to open the sides and get the suet out. I guess they need to eat too...but we will be moving our bird feeder as soon as we can!

Newport Aquarium

Since Eric is going to be gone on my birthday, we used this Saturday to celebrate. The plan was for him to make me breakfast in bed, but Jared woke up extra early so we just made it together. Then we took the kids down to the Newport Aquarium in Kentucky. Mallory really enjoyed seeing all the fish, jelly fish, turtles, and dolphins. She was not a big fan of the sharks. Before we even got there she wanted to be held so the sharks didn't get her.

It was cold while we were waiting in line.

View of Cincinnati

Picture I got while Eric was waiting in line for tickets.

So I have noticed in trying to get Jared to smile I move the camera and cut off his face. Oh well, he's still cute!

Puffer fish!

Starfish you could touch.

Mallory was not on board for touching anything.

Sharks!

A really bad picture of Mighty Mike the Alligator (which I'm pretty sure we saw at a different zoo, maybe Omaha?)

Eric petting the shark.

Unfortunately we did not get any family pictures (or pictures of me). We had a good time but we had to leave about half way through to get lunch, and then the kids were too tired to go back so we just headed home. Fortunately we got an annual pass so we plan to go back to see the frogs and penguin exhibits at a later time. With that said, for as big of a deal as people made about the aquarium, I didn't really think it was any better than the Omaha Zoo which also had every other type of exhibit beyond aquariums. We were definitely spoiled there! Thanks babe for planning such a wonderful day.

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Chocolate Mousse Pie

While Eric was out of town, Lisa and Natalie came to keep us company. Lisa had found this gluten-free vegan chocolate Mousse pie recipe so we went on quest of the ingredients and gave it a try. How can you make a mousse pie without dairy??? Apparently, the secret is avocados. I was VERY skeptical at first, but I will tell you it was AMAZING. Consistency was awesome, taste was awesome, crust was awesome.

Need I say more?

Disclaimer: You have to like the dark chocolate taste to like this pie.

Because it was so awesome, here is the recipe for you to enjoy! (compliments of Lillianskitchen.com)

Gluten Free Pie Crust Ingredients

1 1/2 C blanched almond flour
1/4 tsp celtic sea salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 C grapeseed oil
1 Tbsp agave nectar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Filling Ingredients
4 ripe avocados, pealed and pitted
1 C organic cocoa powder
1 C agave nectar
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 to 2 C thinly sliced strawberries

Gluten Free Pie Crust Directions

1. In a medium bowl, combine almond flour, salt and baking soda.
2. In a small bowl, combine grapeseed oil, 2 Tbsp agave and 1 tsp vanilla.
3. Stir wet ingredients into dry.
4. Pat dough into a 9 1/2” pie dish.
5. Bake at 325˚ for 10-15 minutes, until golden brown. (Mine took 13 minutes)
6. Let this cool completely before putting the filling in.

Filling Directions
1. In a food processor or blender, process the avocados until they are creamy
2. Put in the cocoa powder, agave and vanilla and process until it looks like chocolate pudding.
3. Refrigerate the chocolate mousse for 30 minutes.
4. Line the crust with thinly sliced strawberries
5. Put the mousse into a cooled pie crust.
6. Refrigerate for another hour.
EAT!!!

New Bed

As Mallory is approaching 3 years old, we thought we would try and transition her to her own bed. Up to this point we have had the crib with one side off pushed up against our bed, which she usually starts in, but by the middle of the night is right up against Eric. Eric reached his breaking point, so we have started the transition.

As with any new transition, I thought I'd make it fun by having her pick out the bedding. Off to the store we went to find princess sheets. Well, we only have a queen bed and anything for a child only comes in a double or a twin. Sooo... we settled for some pink bedding. She was so excited about this bedding that we immediately came home and put it on the bed. I was thinking, wow, this might be easier than I thought. As we are making the bed, she looked up at me and said, "Mom, I need some friends to sleep in this bed with me." This of course means one of us. So I told her she was in luck because she had her baby. She replied, "well then I'm going to need two friends." I went downstairs and got her second baby. Nap time rolled around, she crawled into bed, I took Jared into the other room to put him to sleep, and I thought for sure she'd be in within 10 minutes. 3 hours later she woke up from her nap.

As successful as that was, night time has not been so successful. She does great until about 2am and then Eric is usually in there until he gets up for school. I am not one for the cry it out method and i don't want her to be scared, I want her to feel comfortable and excited, so we will continue to take this slow until she is OK with it.

Don't mind the green skirt, I didn't realize I didn't get one, so I'll have to get that next week.

Bike

Last year we did not have success with this bike, so I thought I'd try again this year, no such luck. Something about the pedals being out in front makes it too difficult. She still loved pushing it with her feet though. I guess we'll stick with the other bike for now.

Couple's Retreat

Eric and I had the opportunity to go to a couples retreat at one of the churches in town. It came with childcare, so we thought it would be a good opportunity for us to spend some time together. Although at each of the breakouts for exercises I had to go feed Jared, I think the speakers were very touching and had a lot of words of wisdom to help your relationship stay strong. It wasn't anything we didn't already know, but it's always good to have a reality check reminder to help put some focus back on your relationship. It's so easy with kids to put your relationship on the back burner, but as much as I love my kids, they aren't who I will be spending the rest of my life with, so I have made it a point to help our marriage grow just as much as our relationship with our kids. Although we may not get a date night every week, we can still stay up an hour later to talk no matter how tired we are.

Relationships are about not being self-centered and having an open heart. My hope is that we can grow our relationship as a couple and that our kids continue to get to grow up in an environment of love, rather than just the motions. I hope everyone reading this will make the effort to do the same in their relationships.

Valentine's Day

We don't typically do anything for Valentine's Day because I think you should show your love all year round and I hate how it's so ridiculously overpriced. BUT, since I was sick all night on our anniversary, we decided to go out for lunch. We went to Red Lobster (because I am an awesome wife and went there for Eric so he could get his cheddar bay biscuit kick). Eric brought me some cookies and beautiful flowers that lasted at my desk for almost two weeks.

Mallory also did some stuff for school for Valentine's Day. The first thing we did was make an "act of kindness heart" for them to hang on their tree of love at school.

She also addressed all her Valentine's Day Cards/Stickers. She loved that they were princesses.

Their school also gave us box of cookies (left) and I got Mallory a box of chocolates and a book. I also got Eric some peanut butter cups and big card. I don't typically spend money on cards but they happened to be on sale so I got it for $2. I couldn't resist as I've always wanted to buy one of those big cards. As I was trying to write in it, Mallory started tracing her hands in it, so we all traced our hands as big hugs for Daddy in the card.

All in all, it was a great day filled with love, just as every day should be! I love you Eric, Mallory, and Jared! Happy Valentine's Day!

7 months and 35 months!

Where does the time go? I feel like overnight Mallory has become a little adult. Everything has to be done by herself, she is doing great with her life skills, knows almost all her numbers, talks with an attitude, and has so much energy! I can't say every moment is a good one, but I've learned to accept things are going to be dramatic if she needs sleep, food, or a little extra love. You can now see she is thinking through ideas to figure out how she is going to get her way and spends most of the time testing boundaries. Although they say two's is harder, I think the trying three's are equally as difficult to handle as a parent. There are moments she will try to kick as close as she can to Jared, or nonchalantly walk by him while he's playing on the floor and knock him over, and other times where she is so loving, giving lots of hugs and kisses, and trying to comfort him by saying, "it's OK baby Jared, I know you are upset." So for every trying moment, I take a deep breath and wait for the endearing moment to follow.

Mallory's new favorite thing to do is play games. We bought Candy Land and Don't Spill the Beans. We have played Candy Land every night for the last few weeks. She used to get excited for the people cards she would draw and thought that was the way to win, until she realized she was being sent further back. It took me two weeks to win, and when I did, she was not happy about it! So competitive at such a young age...who did she get that from??

Now onto Jared. Jared has also seemed to transition from the infant to big baby. He is so loving, pointed out by his teachers at school as well. He loves giving kisses and hugs and has even started cuddling more at night. He loves sitting up on the floor and playing and prefers this over the confining high chair. Jared also has the cutest little giggle, especially when you throw him up in the air. I always want to capture it on camera but Eric thinks we just need to enjoy the moment and take a mental video - so although it's great for me, not so much for you. Hopefully I can capture it soon and post it for you.

Jared also got his first tooth today, 7 months and 1 day old. With that tooth has also come biting - not so great for me. The other day it caught me off guard and I raised my voice and said, "Jared! We don't bite." A brief moment later I hear Mallory yell from the other room, "Mom, be nice! He's just a baby!" Would that be considered karma?

Jared's teachers wrote me a note the other day that says they swore he said hi to them...I haven't heard it, but I thought I'd at least mention it. Stranger anxiety has also kicked in big time. If I am not in a 1 foot radius of him, he starts getting worked up and goes into an all out cry that is the saddest cry you have ever heard. He really makes you feel like you have just abandoned him by just walking into the other room. This has made leaving him in the morning difficult, but his teachers are good at distracting so it doesn't last long.

As far as weight and height, I think Jared is about the same. Month six was yet another rough month with both children getting RSV and then double ear infections. This winter has been such a nasty one with everything going around. Hopefully we are on the road to recovery as we approach spring. Mallory was so cute when we went to get her antibiotics. As the pharmacist handed me her medicine she got so excited from the backseat because now she had matching medicine just like Jared. Oh to be excited over such small things. I love you for that excitement Mallory, please never lose your spice for life!

Baby Einstein

This post is strictly just for the record - in case I'm blamed for something later in Jared's life - this is just so he can point back to something as an excuse :)

Jared is not the best little traveler so I have done what every good parent does and resorted to Baby Einstein on the DVD player. Yes, my six month old is watching TV. Well you know what? He will not be dumb for it - the way I see it is that he will actually be smarter. We have to travel in the car, so he'd normally be doing nothing, so why not let him watch some animals run across the screen? Since he's not screaming, it's actually healthy for him because his stress level is lower, right? See the wonderful things you get to worry about as a parent? And well, if it does make him dumber, I'm sure some of the other things I'm doing fall into the making him smarter category, and hopefully he'll balance out smarter rather than dumber.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Solids

Well this past week we tried to give Jared solid food. Much to my surprise he had absolutely no interest whatsoever in them. I tried whole banana pieces, pureed bananas, sweet potatoes, whole green beans, and avocado, and he wanted nothing to do with any of them. I tried different spoons, I tried sneaking it in, and nothing worked. In fact, he would either clamp his mouth shut or completely gag or choke if something did make it in there. So...I have decided to wait and try again next month. I figure he'll come around to it on his own time and it's not worth both of us getting frustrated and then ending with a mess that wasn't even necessary. Babies don't need solids the first 12 months anyway, and he's still gaining weight (barely because of all his sickness), so why bother?

Here he is with his banana pieces.

And here he is spitting it right back out. I couldn't get it on camera but his little nose scrunch of disgust was pretty darn cute.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Future Scholar?

Mallory insisted that she needed to "look something up" in my textbook. She proceeded to flip through the pages and find the M's for Mallory. If she's smart when she gets older I can say it started at a young age. If not,she can never say she's always hated reading textbooks.

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Burnt Pancake

And because I was too busy posting about Mallory I just burned my pancake...mmmm yum!

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No More Monkey's Jumping on the Bed!

Mallory was putting her raspberries on her fingers singing the monkey song. As soon as one fell off the bed in the song she'd eat one. :)

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Saturday, January 22, 2011

The Muffin Man

So I just realized I can make blog posts from my phone, so this is a test, and the above picture has no relevance to the story I am about to tell.

Last night Eric ordered a pizza and when the delivery man came, Mallory was talking away while Eric signed the receipt. When he left Mallory said, "I dont want the Muffin Man to leave. I didnt give him a hug." Too cute.

While I'm on the topic of cute stories, the other night Jared and I were on one side of the bed, there was an empty spot for Eric, and then Mallory was in her bed (attached to ours). After lying down for a few minutes she lifted her head and said, "I'm too far away, we need one more friend in the bed closer to me."

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Friday, January 21, 2011

Happy 4 Year Anniversary! (yesterday)

I had every intention of writing this yesterday, but unfortunately I came down with a stomach bug - keeping me up every hour. I was just thankful Jared did petty well with all the commotion I was making. Not exactly how I pictured spending our anniversary, but such is life.

I can't believe it's only been four years! With everything we've been through (most things being on the top 5 most stressful events) it seems like it's been so much longer. Although year five doesn't seem to bring any relief, I foresee year six to start to settle for us. Here is a little list of what our marriage has survived in the past four years:

5 Moves
Buying our First House
Renting our First House
Selling our First House
Having 2 Kids
2.5 years of law school for Eric (only one more semester! woo hoo!)
2 years of graduate school for Amanda (a year and a half to go :(...)
Eric breaking his foot
Hosting our first Christmas, Thanksgiving, and New Years Parties
Trips to Colorado, Ohio, Nebraska, North Carolina, Minnesota, Maryland, and Virginia
4 different jobs for Amanda, and
3 different jobs for Eric

I'm sure there is so much more, but those are the biggest events. Seeing as most marriages struggle during stressful events, I am so thankful we have done so well through the chaos over the past four years. I couldn't have picked a better person to spend the rest of my life with. I couldn't ask for a more loving father for Mallory and Jared and seeing their excitement for their Dad is one of the best moments of being a family. He will make sure we are always provided for (even if it will be the end of him!), and he always has little surprises just when you need them.

5 years ago today, Eric proposed to me. I found this video, which unfortunately is only the end, but I thought I'd post it for those who did not get to enjoy it 5 years ago.

Here's to many more years!

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Rock and Roll

I made an attempt to get Mallory doing her dance moves at dance class, but you have to capture the video through the window so this is the best I could get (don't mind the kids screaming in the background). You'll get the point though. Although she isn't the best by any means, she has so much fun and it's one of the highlights of her her week. Keep in mind she is the youngest by a year and about half the class is in their second year of dance.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Nobody Makes Jared Laugh Like Mallory Does

Jared is just mesmerized by Mallory. His favorite thing to do is watch her jump on the bed. Here is a little video:

Quick Update

I have fallen behind on the blog in the last month or so, so I don't feel like I have adequately captured the recent events in my normal descriptive and sometimes witty commentary. I feel like it's everything I have to just get the pictures uploaded. I hope to get back into my normal blogging, but it's not looking promising as we near Mallory's birthday party, Eric's graduation, Laura's wedding, Jared's first birthday, and the BAR Exam. Oh, and did I mention I am taking two classes this semester? I have no idea how we are going to survive the chaos that lies ahead in the next six months. On top of everything, we have no idea where we are going to live because it depends on where Eric gets a job, so job searching and moving have a high potential of making the list of things to do if Eric finds a job out of state! So as I mentioned, I will do my best to keep up on the blogging, but forgive me if it's not in as much detail as it once was.

Mallory's new Bird Feeder

Grandma Valerie got Mallory a bird feeder for Christmas so Grandma helped her set it up.

First she put the seed in

Natalie helped too.

When they first put it outside, the birds didn't come right away and Mallory was disappointed.

So they kept watching....

And their first little bird came!

Since then, Mallory looks out the window every morning to look for the birds. There a always tons of birds now! Thanks Grandma!

6 months and 34 months!

I can't believe it's already been a half a year and how fast they grow. Jared is so cute, even when he's sick. He gives the best smiles and loves when Eric scratches his toes on his 5 o'clock shadow. Jared is doing really well at sitting up on his own. He still doesn't really like tummy time still so I think it will be a while before he crawls. Unfortunately he was sick with the flu and back to back colds so when I took him in for his checkup I was surprised he had not lost weight since his last appointment.

Jared's latest development milestone is one of the high points of parenting - affection. Jared has learned to give hugs and kisses. I thought for a while that he was just trying to eat my face, but it is definitely intentional. I will ask him for kisses or love and he will gently grab my face with his hands and lean in for a big open sloppy kiss. He couldn't be any cuter!

Jared's 6 month stats:

Weight: 19lbs 12oz (75th percentile)
Length: 28.5in (95th percentile)
Head Circumference: 18.75in (99th percentile)

The nurse actually wrote "above the 100th percentile" for his head circumference. I just laughed, how can you be above the 100th percentile??? I guess that means you don't exist.

Here are a few cute pictures of the little bugaloo (we used to call him rumpkim until I looked it up to see what it meant - let's just say urban dictionary ruined that nickname really quick for me).

We actually haven't started him on solid foods yet, but the celery felt good on his gums.

Mallory is still a little pill. Even though she's shy, she is quite entertaining. Her most recent realization is that if she wants dessert faster she can just feed her food to Roscoe. She still loves signing, especially all the echoes in songs. Sometimes her pronunciation of the words don't come out right. For example, "Deck the balls with bows of bally." It's too funny!

She also loves shopping - I think we may be in trouble as she is almost 3 going on 13! I can't believe how much she is growing up and becoming such a little adult. Her latest is taking showers by herself. She actually does a good job for being 2. Speaking of showers, when I was in the shower the other day, she was going through the drawer in the bathroom and found the band aids. I told her to put them back. She did, and as soon as I caught her getting another one she said, "you just worry about yourself, I have a boo-boo." So yes, the attitude has begun, all inclusive of the run out of the room and slide onto the floor and fake cry tantrums. Pretty much anything you say whether it's please don't do that or maybe in just a little bit, the tantrum begins.

She is also quite the negotiator. There is always a reason and thought out story why she can't go upstairs and get something or why she can't get her teeth brushed or pajamas on.

The other day we found her eating her orange in a corner by herself. We asked her what she was doing and she said she was eating there so she didn't have to share her orange with Natalie :) She loves her food! So much so that she almost broke a tooth trying to eat the gingerbread ornament she made at school. I also cannot express enough how much Mallory loves cucumbers. She would eat two a day if I'd let her, and by two I mean not two pieces but two whole cucumbers.

Mallory is also getting very excited about her "happy birthday." I have been asking her about it so I can figure out which friends to invite and what kind of a party she wanted. She decided on a Little Mermaid party. She is a little confused that it's not today, and talks about it every day. Note to self - don't bring up a birthday party to a two year old 8 weeks before her party....

BUT....WAIT FOR IT....MALLORY HAS STOPPED NURSING! She is "a big girl" as she puts it.

Here she is being a goof! These are all her bows she got shopping.

This was Mallory all bundled up to go feed apples to the horses with great grandma.

Happy New Year!

So I officially failed at camera duty this weekend. All I got was a picture of the food...

And just for the record, I made it up until midnight - not because I wanted to, but because Jared decided he wanted to be awake. So, I rang in the new year with Eric, Mallory, a happy smiling Jared, Ryan, Sandra, Dan, Lisa, Natalie, and Will.

And I guess if I have to make a New Year's Resolution it would be to have less food waste. I am determined to eat all the leftovers and be creative to get the perishables consumed before they go bad!

Christmas Round 3

Since we were in Colorado for Christmas, we decided to do Christmas with Eric's side of the family in Ohio combined with New Years.

Here is Natalie opening her present Mallory picked out at school.

Natalie just chillin' with the glasses and paci she found in the playroom.

Jared's "No Girls allowed except Mommy" and "little brother" shirts.

Mallory opening her gifts. I think we are in trouble with how excited she gets about new clothes.

I would have loved to capture more pictures from the weekend but I maxed out on both of memory cards so was restricted in my picture taking. With all the Christmas's Mallory had and the trickling in of presents in the mail, for a while she was expecting to wake up and open presents every morning. Now she is counting down the days until her "happy birthday" as she calls it.

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