More Hummus Please

Do you have a picky eater in your house? If so, a palate repair is the answer. This is the joke in our house as Ty eats just about EVERYTHING since his palate was repaired. We don't know if food feels different in his mouth or if he was starving for real food after two weeks on a liquid diet, but we have a voracious eater on our hands. Before surgery, Ty ate eggs, bananas, noodles, bread and yogurt. He would try veggies like green beans and peas every now and then, but was never consistent. At this time, I think we have a vegetarian on our hands. He will eat all types of vegetables and devours broccoli and asparagus. Black beans, kidney beans and garbanzo beans are also part of his repertoire. I made hummus on Friday for our Saturday evening house church gathering and the little guy could not have enough. I had leftovers on Sunday and Ty picked it out of the fridge on Sunday and brought it to me for snack. He wanted to sit on the stool at our counter height table instead of his high chair so I granted him the opportunity. The kid at the hummus by the spoonful like you would peanut butter and demanded more. I am so grateful for an adventurous eater. He also ate the roasted vegetables and curry chicken salad that was part of our spread on Saturday night!

How 'Bout Them Poo Kickers!!!

FYI, Troy came up with the title. Yesterday I learned a new title for these type of rubber boots and was reminded once again that I was raised a city girl. My dad proudly bought them for Ty a couple of weeks ago when my family came for a visit. I said they were perfect for rainy days, snow days and just for fun days! Sunday happened to be a rainy day and Ty wanted to try on his new boots in between the showers. He wasn't too sure how to move his feet at first, but soon got the hang of it and was quite proud. Troy came home from a morning visit to a house church in our network and saw Ty and said, "He has his poo kickers on!" He really meant to say the 4 letter word that begins with S, but we don't want to expose Ty to that word just yet. Troy reminded me of his poo kicking days growing up castrating pigs and scooping poop for extra moola. I still have a hard time putting my finger around the fact that my husband ever did that. He is more of the academic variety then the get your hands dirty (even though he can) type.

A Morning in the Park

The grandparents, aunt, uncle and cousins from Texas were in town for a visit last week and we enjoyed a gorgeous spring morning in the park. The guys organized a game of "football" using sticks to define the boundaries and included the little ones. Ty wasn't too sure what to think, but his sports loving dad was determined to show him the game. I think Ty is more like his mom who is uncoordinated and prefers the type of sports that depend on ones own body and not the team and ball...like swimming, biking and running. I feel we have more of a future triathlete on our hands in the athletics department.

Mr. Potty Head

Ty recently went through a stage where he became fascinated with his potty seat. While we are not potty training, he showed interest in the seat so we would sit him on it before bath time. He never did his "business", but the ritual potty time became play time. Yes, the seat was clean and we couldn't resit a few snapshots.

Good-Bye Winter

We are SOOOO ready for spring and tired of these up and down temperatures in Central Illinois. One day we are enjoying the outdoors in the 60's and then we are stuck with bone chilling cold, blustery, windy days the next. The snow has been minimal this year, but Ty and I did enjoy a couple of sled rides this winter. Its hard to tell from the pictures, but Ty was thrilled with the new mode of transportation. The little guy loves speed and gave the biggest belly laugh whenever I ran or went around corners. Talk about a workout for me! I cannot wait to introduce him, and his dad, to down hill skiing!

Something a Little Different

The Inn Above Onion Creek, the incredible and green bed and breakfast that I worked (housekeeper, cookie maker, assistant cook, reservation maker) at in college and on occasion after I graduated, was featured in National Geographic Traveler as one of the Top 10 Most Romantic Inns! I would definitely second that as it is in a quiet, rustic yet elegant setting with fabulous sunsets, gourmet food and natural gardens/wildflowers. Due to its remoteness at its conception, the inn offers both breakfast and dinner in its price. Eight years later, development in the local area has boomed and there are more choices for food, but the inn has fought and won to have the land in their area to be zoned for no development to protect the wildlife, greenbelt/aquifer and views of the guests. I have so much respect for the inn and its owners and innkeeper, Amy. The inn was green years before it was cool to be green. We composted and recycled everything possible, had organic gardens and bought organic food to prepare all meals. We were conscious about everything in our day to day operations. Troy and I had the opportunity to stay there last summer for a get away after vacationing with our family in Texas. I always dreamed of visiting the inn with my spouse as I was cleaning the rooms and I finally got to fulfill that dream. Enough time had past since I worked there that I felt detached enough to be able to enjoy its possibilities at its fineness.