Long Overdue Update

Wow, it's been a long time!  Things got busy with the holidays, and then we were out of town on vacation, so I'm sorry for those of you who were waiting for an update!  Here's some snapshots from the past several weeks.

Hilarious picture of Joey dressed up in a pair of Joe's shorts, with guns.

Joey playing with one of our new Christmas presents.

Mary and Joey sledding at Grandma and Grandpa's House.

Mom and Dad on vacation at the Rose Bowl.

Mary throwing confetti at her first ever sleepover at a friend's house.

Hopefully I'll get back into the swing of things with some more updates soon!

December Begins!

Winter is really here - it seems that all of a sudden it is REALLY cold outside!  We had our first dusting of snow on December 2nd and Mary and Joey couldn't wait to go outside!  There really wasn't much snow at all, as you can see in the picture.  But they still had fun.

Mary made a "nest" out of grass and leaves and sticks and filled it with snow.  She has been nest-building a lot lately, both inside the house and out!  Inside, she makes nests out of blankets and pillows and cozies up inside like a baby bird.  She and Joey also like to cover up with blankets and pretend to be birds hatching out of eggs.  Lots of times Joey prefers to be a baby dinosaur instead.

We had to make a stop at the Walmart pharmacy to pick up a prescription and the wait turned out to be incredibly long.  To pass the time Joey and I made faces and took pictures with the camera.

One of Joey's most favorite things to do is play the drums.  Joe and I were downstairs working on a project and the kids were playing upstairs.  I heard a lot of banging around in the kitchen and went up and discovered that they had built their own drumset!

On December 4th we had our first measurable snow so we all got our snow gear on and went outside to clear the driveway and sidewalk.  Here is a picture of the kids all bundled up to go outside.  I didn't get any pictures of the snow, so you'll have to use your imagination.  It was kind of nice to have snow on the ground because I'm always having a hard time keeping track of Joey outside, but now I am able to tell where he went because he leaves footprints!  The kids made lots of snow angels and enjoyed making tracks in the snow.  We tried to make a snow man but the snow just wasn't packing enough, so we made a snow mountain instead.  Hopefully we can go sledding soon!

Math and Jelly Faces

On Saturday evening I was working on something in the kitchen and dad was downstairs with Joey.  Mary brought a piece of construction paper and a crayon to the kitchen table and appeared to be drawing.  I noticed she was counting on her fingers from time to time.  Suddenly she said, "Hey, did you know that I know how to do math?"  I came over and looked and she proudly showed me this.  She did it all on her own!  I was pretty much blown away - I didn't even realize she knew the notation for simple addition sentences.  I'm continually amazed by the things my kids learn and internalize just by being curious and observant and engaged in the world around them.  For example, when Joey first really started talking one of the first things he said was counting from one to ten out loud.  I didn't know he knew how to do that! 

Today (Sunday) was pretty low key.  We had some family over for a Packer Party.  After the game we played Just Dance on our new Wii.  Mary loves this game!  We're borrowing it from a friend, but I'm thinking we'll have to buy our own copy soon.  Here is a picture of Joey with his "Scoop" loader.  I just put fresh batteries in it so he's super happy.  Mary was hungry for a snack and asked for toast with butter and a jelly face, so that's what they had.  Yum!

The Rest of the Week

So I was aiming for a new blog post every day, but maybe that goal was a bit too lofty.  I did manage to take some pictures every day, so I'm still quite proud of my efforts.

TUESDAY: Mary and I went to go see a performance of Strega Nona at the Wilson Center with a local homeschooling group.  Since so many of her friends have started preschool or kindergarten this year I've been reaching out to homeschooling groups to expand her circle of friends to hang out with during the day.  Mary really enjoyed the performance, and afterwards we spent some time playing in the park with new friends.  Then we drove over to the mall to go to Barnes & Noble.  Mary had saved up $10 from her allowance and wanted to go there to shop.   I have been trying to take her places other than Walmart to spend her money because it seems like most of the things there are plastic and cheap.  There were so many cool things at Barnes & Noble that we ended up spending a couple of hours there before she settled on her purchase - a reusable sticker set that came with a bakery scene and several pastries that you could design and decorate.

By the time we were ready to head for home Mary was pretty hungry.  I had packed the peanut butter balls we made the day before, some fruit strips, and water but we finished that off pretty quickly at the park.  Mary really wanted to get something at the Barnes & Noble cafe, but I suggested we stop at Pick 'N Save for doughnuts on the way home instead because they were much cheaper there.  So that's what we did, and we picked one out to bring home for Joey.  As you can see, he really enjoyed it!

WEDNESDAY: Today we decided to go and buy a new van!  Our car has been giving us more and more trouble lately, so we haven't been driving it much.  We didn't want to put any money into repairing it because we've been planning on trading it in for a van before the new baby comes.  So we've been shopping around for awhile now and Joe finally found a van that we like at a really good price.  We called ahead to tell the dealer which vehicle we wanted so it would be ready when we got there.  We had other errands to run, and really didn't think it would take that long to finalize all the paperwork and whatnot.  However, it was almost SEVEN HOURS before we were able to drive our new van home.  So many things took much longer than anticipated, and there were some issues with the keys/security system on the van so a locksmith had to be called in to make new keys.  It was very frustrating to be waiting so long inside the dealership, and especially more so for Mary and Joey.  Still, I think they held up rather well.  Mary wore her one of her Christmas dresses all day - she's really excited for the holidays because she has several winter/Christmas dresses she's been wanting to wear for a long time.  Even though we had a bad experience at the dealership, we really like our new van and I'm happy to finally have my own vehicle to drive so we don't end up trapped in the house while dad is away at work.

Our new van!  Tra-la-la!

THURSDAY: Mary spent the morning dressing up.  She tried on a few outfits and settled on Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz.  She asked me to braid her hair so that she looked more like Dorothy.  She even found a dog to be Toto and a basket to carry him in.  In the afternoon Mary and Joey went to play at Grandma Terri's house so Joe and I could go to Home Depot and shop for a new hot water heater.  We talked to a man there who was extremely helpful, and he gave us a suggestion about how to try repair our water heater ourselves for around $10.  We also learned that our water heater was much newer than we thought (we weren't sure since it came with the house) and might still be covered under a manufacturer's warranty, so that's good news.  Joe is going to try to fix it, and if the $10 fix doesn't work then the problem is likely to be too costly to repair and we'll end up buying a new water heater.  I think we'll probably go with a tankless one - endless hot water sounds pretty good and with the energy tax credit wouldn't cost much more than a conventional storage tank water heater.

FRIDAY: Today the kids and I went to a workshop with a local homeschool group called "Theater Fun 101" at the Waukesha Civic Theater.  The kids got a tour of the theater first - it was really neat to get to go up on stage and to see all of the costumes in storage and other backstage things.  Then they did a little acting workshop for the kids - and it was all free!  Mary seemed to have a good time.  The room where they did the workshop is affectionately called "the hat room" because the entire ceiling is covered with hats!  It seems that hanging is the best way to store them so they don't get crushed in boxes.  Afterwards we went into a few little shops on Main Street just for fun, and then both kids fell asleep on the way home which is how I found time to update this blog! 

Monday, Monday

This morning we got out the paints and created a table full of paintings. We're going to use the painted paper to make leaves for our Thankful Tree soon, hopefully.

We made peanut butter play dough - yummy! We made most of it into peanut butter balls, but Mary made a snowman and a bunch of worms and tadpoles too.















For lunch we had pasta with shrimp and crab meat and some of the homemade applesauce we made yesterday. Mmmmmm! Since the table was covered with paintings, we built a fort in the basement and had a picnic lunch inside.

After lunch we went outside to get the mail, and that turned into a walk in the woods in our backyard. We played in the woods and the sun and the leaves for awhile and then went back in the house.

I finally got Joey to take a nap without a huge struggle. I could tell he was getting tired because everything Mary picked up to play with he tried to grab away from her saying, "Mine! I need that!" So I carried up to my bed and got him to calm down and then we sang finger play songs like "Two Little Blackbirds" and "Where is Thumbkin?" and "Little Bunny Foo-Foo." Then he kept asking for "The Ring Song" which I finally figured out was his name for "The Twelve Days of Christmas" from the line about the five golden rings. He fell asleep around the tenth day.

While he was sleeping, Mary and I played board games. First we played Pizza Party (one of my favorites from when I was little!), and then Disney Princess Monopoly Jr., and then Ribbit. Mary was making all her own change during Monopoly, which she hasn't really done before so that was cool.

After dad got home from work we had supper and then we all went the library. Then we went home and hung out until bed time. Fabulous Monday!

County Fair!

We met some friends at the Waukesha County Fair last week. Here is a picture of Mary and her friend Matthew that Matthew's mom took. Aren't they adorable? They were holding hands and walked right into this pole. They thought it was so funny and laughed and laughed about it, and then said, "Let's do it again!" and proceeded to run into the pole over and over again.

Here is a shot of us walking together. Joey is once again loving the view from my Beco.

And here is Mary, Matthew, and Cal on one of the rides. They had a blast. I love the fair!

Hip Mama Diaper Bag

I recently sewed this fabulous diaper bag for my sister-in-law who is due with her first baby in September. I am so proud of myself - this is the first serious sewing project I have ever completed, and I did it all by myself! It has a zipper pocket on the back, magnetic snap closures, four velcro pockets all around the outside, and two elastic pockets on the inside. I think it turned out fabulously, thanks to this great tutorial from A Mingled Yarn. I love that it doesn't *look* like a diaper bag, so you can keep using it after baby is older. Plus you feel like a "hip mama." The outer material is outdoor weight canvas fabric from Jo-Ann and the inner is vinyl - easy clean up! Here is a view from the front:

And here's a look at the inside:

And one more angle:

So there! I can sew! And did I mention I did it all by myself? Next step: sew one up for myself!

Berries (and cream!)

We have wild raspberries in our backyard that are ripe! We've been picking a handful every day for quite some time. Here is Mary showing off a bowl full. Joe has been playing this video for her lately and she has pretty much memorized the whole thing. Their little joke is that whenever someone says "berries," they say, "berries and what else?" and Mary makes the crazy smile face at the end of the video.

In other news, Joey had tooth number eight finally poke through today. Finally! Maybe now he'll start sleeping a little better. He has also mastered his first animal sound - Moo! - and learned how to dance! He's getting to be a lot more steady on his feet and it won't be long before he's running around the house.

Strawberry Season!

After a long hiatus, The Yatzeck Family Journal is back in action!

A couple of weeks ago we went strawberry picking at the Barthel Fruit Farm in Mequon. We ate lots and lots of strawberries and picked lots and lots more. Here is Mary sampling a juicy ripe one as daddy works on picking berries.

I carried Joey on my back in my new Beco Baby Carrier, which I got for my birthday and absolutely love. Joey seems to like the view from up there too. Here he is enjoying berry picking.

Here's Mary and Daddy with our flat of strawberries. And Mary eating another one. We had about twelve pounds of strawberries! We also picked sugar snap peas on the farm. I love fresh peas out of the pod! Mary and Joey really like them too. Joe is weird and doesn't like them. I think they are so sweet it is like eating candy!

So, what to do with so many strawberries? Why, make jam, of course! We had never made jam before, so after a little online research we formulated our own recipe. We didn't have enough freezer space to make freezer jam, so we decided to make cooked jam and can it. We had never canned before either, so we had to research that a little too. Here is what we did:

1. Wash and hull strawberries. Chop up in food processor until desired consistency is reached. We ended up with about 4.5 cups of mashed strawberries.
2. Put the berries into a large pot on the stove and stir one package of no-sugar-needed fruit pectin into the berries. We used Sure-Jell (in the pink box) for the first batch.
3. Add 1/2 teaspoon of butter (helps to stop foaming).
   
4. Bring to a full boil.
   
5. Add one cup of honey and one cup of 100% juice. We used pomegranate juice, as that's what we happened to have on hand in the fridge and I thought it sounded yummy.
6. Bring it back to a boil and boil hard for 2 minutes.
7. Fill canning jars to within 1/4 inch of the top. We sterilized the jars and rings first by running them in the dishwasher for a little while. For the lids, we boiled some water and then let it cool a little before adding the lids and left them in the water pot on the stove. We pulled the hot jars out of the dishwasher and poured the hot jam into them. It was a little messy, but we just wiped any spilled jam off the top, seated the lids, and tightened the rings around them.
8. Place jars into large pot of boiling water and boil for 7 minutes. Keep the jars covered with at least 2 inches of water and keep the water boiling.
9. Lift jars out of the water and let them cool. It usually takes overnight. Once the jars are cool, check that they are sealed verifying that the lid has been sucked down.
   

Ta-da! Jam! I think it is absolutely delicious. Mary loves it too. Joe didn't think it was sweet enough, so we made a second batch using a more traditional recipe - 3 cups of mashed strawberries, 2 cups of mashed mango, 7 cups of sugar, and 1 package of regular Sure-Jell to make Strawberry Mango Sweet Jam. Much too sweet for me, but Joe likes it better. Now we can have a little taste of summer all year long!

Sorry it's been so long since the last post! We had a major computer melt down, lost everything on our hard drive, and ended up buying a new computer. We ended up getting an iMac and we really like it so far. Joe was a little wary of making the crossover from the PC world, but we've both been surprised by how easy it's been.

Mary has grown up so much since my last post! She is definitely very mobile right now, and loves to get into everything. She really started cruising around at the end of August. Here is a picture from late 8/23/06 showing her early crawling method: get up on your hands and then lunge forward; repeat until you've pushed yourself towards the goal - in this case, a tower of blocks mommy made.



Here is Mary gearing up for football practice with her dad. My old high school started up a football team this year for the first time in over 20 years. Three of my brothers are on the team. Go Indians!




Here is a picture of Mary after a nap standing up in her crib for the first time. After I walked in and saw this, I immediately made Joe lower the crib mattress down to the lowest setting. In this picture you can also see the little curls she gets on top.


Here you see our little mischief maker caught in the act. I was trying to do the dishes, and let her crawl around. All of the crumpled up papers you see scattered around the floor and magazine pages she ripped out and spread all over the room. She also managed to find the soda cans, get one out of the box, and proceed to "drink" it. She's a smart girl - she figured that out all by herself.


She likes to climb up inside our end tables.



She also pulls up and stands on everything. It started with the couch, but now she stands up along the walls too. This picture is from earlier this week. She can't stand on her own yet, but I don't think it will be long before she's walking all over the place. For now, she walks along the furniture.


In other big news, in the first week of October, her bottom two teeth came in! I was really surprised at how all of sudden they just appeared in her mouth. She really didn't seem any more fussy than usual to me.

And finally, here is a picture I took in the bath today. So cute!