Toss

I get immense satisfaction when I finish something. A tube of toothpaste, bag of coffee, box of cereal. Not sure why, but tossing the empty box or bag in the recycling bin is a thrill. I've even taught Molly to be my recycling bin filler. She knows where to put a newly flattened box.

So, my goal for Tuesday night's dinner was to rid the fridge and freezer of all of the "almost-empty" bags of things. With that in mind, dinner was created. And I admit, quite delicious. But the best part was tossing 4 empty freezer bags in the trash.

**shrimp, diced grilled chicken, asparagus, and some fresh spinach.

Oh Bubbles!

I have a love/hate relationship with bubbles. I love them because of the huge amount of pleasure they bring Molly, but hate them for the tantrums they produce when it is time to put them away!

Flashback

Each day I'm seeing more and more similarities between Molly and Graham. Tonight when Graham was taking a bath, he really reminded me of Molly at his age. I took a couple of pictures and then found some of Molly. Here are two comparison pictures. I'm loving it!

Molly

Graham

And I Get Paid for This!?

One of my biggest blessings in life right now is the job that I have been given at PDS. Thursday was one of those days that was so much fun and reminded me just how much I love to teach.

Bill (my co-teacher and friend) and I had the opportunity to take a group of our music students to Berclair Elementary to play for their assembly. Our school has partnered with theirs for the last few years, and I always look forward to this field trip each year where each school performs for the other.

Here are a few pictures and videos from the day...

I've been meaning to record the boys playing. I made them play through their songs one time before we left. They were a little unenthusiastic, but it was better than nothing. They had already performed, so there were a few mistakes since they were just ready to load up the cars and get back in time for carpool.

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Cookies

Few things make me happier than a good craft or project. Recently, I've discovered how much I enjoy decorating cookies. Nothing fancy, just whimsical, yummy sugar cookies. Here is a picture of our Easter cookies. And while I'm on the subject of cookies, I think I'll share my favorite cookie recipe.

Chocolate White Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Courtesy of: The Barefoot Contessa

½ pound of butter

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs at room temperature

2/3 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder

2 cups of flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 bag of white chocolate chunks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F’

Cream the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the vanilla, then the eggs, 1 at a time, and mix well. Add the cocoa and mix again. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt and add to the chocolate with the mixer on low speed until just combined. Fold in the chopped white chocolate.

Drop the dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, using a 1 3/4-inch ice cream scoop or a rounded tablespoon. Dampen your hands and flatten the dough slightly. Bake for exactly 15 minutes (the cookies will seem underdone). Remove from the oven and let cool slightly on the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Playing around Memphis

I have recently come to realize that motherhood is much easier when we all stay busy. I believe much of that is due to the fact that Molly loves activity and gets bored very easy at home. Boredom leads to whining, and whining makes me CRAZY.

So, in order to keep the sanity, we like to GO!

My Big Backyard- Memphis Botanic Garden

We met some of our church friends for a few hours of playing and a picnic. We had a super fun time!

The Children's Museum of Memphis

I am LOVING watching Molly and Owen develop such a sweet little relationship. Many mornings Molly wakes up talking about her "Owie".

Graham-Bone, the Ham Bone

This post is dedicated to my favorite little guy in the whole world. Today he had to endure the dreaded 8 week shots. I definitely think they are harder on the mom than the child though.

He's right on track with his growth. He's 23 inches long, and weighs 11 lb 8 oz, just above the 50th percentile. He seems just about perfect to me!

This week has been so fun as he has been smiling up a storm. We are beginning to catch glimpses of his personality, which I can't wait to watch come out in full force over the next couple of months.

He is starting to sleep a good 6 1/2 hours at a time at night, which means putting him to bed around 9:30 and feeding again at 4:00 before going back down for a few more hours.

His favorite things are his lamb swing and his playmat. I'm looking forward to him discovering new toys soon.

He has also acquired quite a few nicknames around here...

*stud muffin

*little buddy

*Buster Brown

*peanut

*and Nick's favorite, "Graham-bone, the Ham-bone"

But regardless of what we call him, there is no denying how much we love him!