Our favorite game. She will do this with just about anything -- a blanket, the shower curtain, the door, etc. However, you must entirely be hidden from her line of sight for it to work. If even a toe sticks out of the blanket she won't be game. She will come up and grab the toe.
Things are going well here for the most part. We're getting out more and really enjoying the park. Tuesday we got to meet a local author at our library. He came to read us a story and it was pretty neat. A variation on a local legend. This gives us something to go explore soon.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Friday, March 23, 2012
Climbing 101
A has started climbing with a vengence. She is constantly trying to scale things. At the park she would rather go up the slide than down the slide. Her favorite jungle gyms are Chris and me, and normally we are okay with that. She still does not like to get her hands dirty so she will not crawl in the wood chips at the park. We are hoping it is an aversion she outgrows by the time she gets to biology and has to analyze different surfaces for germs. With her climbing she also occasionally falls down, but she likes to fall on her padded butt so she sticks that in the direction she anticipates falling or going down. I think we are starting to work on more teeth as stuff is being gnawed on again. She still has several to come in though, so not a complete surprise.
Monday, March 19, 2012
St. Patrick's Day Trip
Since last week was Spring Break for Chris, we headed to Arlington. We have a friend there (he's on loan to Arlington from the refinery in Joliet) who will only be there until the end of April, so we figured we wouldn't be getting a better chance to see Arlington, or him and his fiance, for a while. We drove up Thursday after Chris got off of work and then drove back to Boone yesterday.
On our way we drove through so incredibly curvy roads. One road the speed limit was 55, but Chris wasn't able to get it above 45 because of all the twists and turns that were happening. I was actually quite green, so I was getting dressed for the holiday.
While in Arlington, we took the metro into DC on both Friday and Saturday. On Friday we managed to do the American History Museum, walk around the Mall and see the Washington Monument, the Jefferson Monument and a TON of cherry blossoms. We also went to the Air and Space Museum. In the American History Museum I really liked the original flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the Star Spangled Banner. I also really liked seeing the different First Lady dresses and china. I still don't like the dress Michelle Obama wore for the Inauguration a few years ago, so here's hoping we don't get another awful dress this time. We also got to see the Jefferson Bible, and that was interesting. It makes sense that he would have a Bible in Greek, Latin, French and English. Also the parts he kept and what he felt wasn't important were interesting to see. We had lunch at the foot of the Washington Monument. We weren't able to go up it because of the damage done in the earthquake last August. We walked around the mall from that point. We walked to see the Jefferson Monument and got to see a ton of the cherry blossoms. The festival technically starts tomorrow, so they were part way in bloom, but not yucky on the ground yet.
On Saturday we hiked to the National Cathedral and the National Zoo. While the National Cathedral was really cool, the zoo we could have done without. The National Cathedral sustained a fair amount of damage in the earthquake last fall as well. There was fencing everywhere and they put up a net to catch anything that fell inside from the ceilings. It was impressive that the building was still structurally sound, and so we were able to take a tour. A really liked the children's chapel and I really liked the "space" stained glass window. A also really liked the echos. We went downstairs and it was essentially just our group so she kept clicking her tongue and listening for the echos.
At the National Zoo we got to see the Red Panda, which I didn't even know existed, and the Lions. We sort of got to see the gorillas, but there were too many monkeys on this side of the glass to see the gorillas or the orangutans up close. We also got to see a lot of lion cubs. The cubs were probably just over a year as some of them still had a fair amount of spots. They were very playful while we were there, so it was nice. A also had a blast riding around on shoulders and playing in the prairie dog town. She made a great impersonation of a road block in the tube she was managing to crawl inside.
Sunday before we left we managed to see Arlington National Cemetery. We walked up the the tomb of the unknown soldier in time for 2 wreath laying ceremonies. Then after we saw the different plaques inside we got to see a guard changing ceremony. As we walked to the Pentagon burial stone for 2001, we saw the new 2001 Memorial there. We don't know why it is the three things pointing to space, but it was visible from all around the cemetery.
Well, that was quite a trip in a very short amount of time. We also got to play games with our friends and just catch up with them. We are working on making friends here, but no one shares our game love so far.
The weather here is definitely warming up as everything is starting to bud. This also means we are taking a ton of meds for that. Hopefully it won't go on forever. I need to finish getting dinner around, but this should be a good wrap up for the past week. Hope all is well by you.
On our way we drove through so incredibly curvy roads. One road the speed limit was 55, but Chris wasn't able to get it above 45 because of all the twists and turns that were happening. I was actually quite green, so I was getting dressed for the holiday.
While in Arlington, we took the metro into DC on both Friday and Saturday. On Friday we managed to do the American History Museum, walk around the Mall and see the Washington Monument, the Jefferson Monument and a TON of cherry blossoms. We also went to the Air and Space Museum. In the American History Museum I really liked the original flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the Star Spangled Banner. I also really liked seeing the different First Lady dresses and china. I still don't like the dress Michelle Obama wore for the Inauguration a few years ago, so here's hoping we don't get another awful dress this time. We also got to see the Jefferson Bible, and that was interesting. It makes sense that he would have a Bible in Greek, Latin, French and English. Also the parts he kept and what he felt wasn't important were interesting to see. We had lunch at the foot of the Washington Monument. We weren't able to go up it because of the damage done in the earthquake last August. We walked around the mall from that point. We walked to see the Jefferson Monument and got to see a ton of the cherry blossoms. The festival technically starts tomorrow, so they were part way in bloom, but not yucky on the ground yet.
 |
| This was as close as we got to the Lincoln, but it made for a good picture. |
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| Blooming cherry blossom |
 | |
| In the Wright exhibit at the Air and Space Museum. This was Chris's favorite thing from the trip. |
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| A with the original Wright flyer. |
On Saturday we hiked to the National Cathedral and the National Zoo. While the National Cathedral was really cool, the zoo we could have done without. The National Cathedral sustained a fair amount of damage in the earthquake last fall as well. There was fencing everywhere and they put up a net to catch anything that fell inside from the ceilings. It was impressive that the building was still structurally sound, and so we were able to take a tour. A really liked the children's chapel and I really liked the "space" stained glass window. A also really liked the echos. We went downstairs and it was essentially just our group so she kept clicking her tongue and listening for the echos.
At the National Zoo we got to see the Red Panda, which I didn't even know existed, and the Lions. We sort of got to see the gorillas, but there were too many monkeys on this side of the glass to see the gorillas or the orangutans up close. We also got to see a lot of lion cubs. The cubs were probably just over a year as some of them still had a fair amount of spots. They were very playful while we were there, so it was nice. A also had a blast riding around on shoulders and playing in the prairie dog town. She made a great impersonation of a road block in the tube she was managing to crawl inside.
Sunday before we left we managed to see Arlington National Cemetery. We walked up the the tomb of the unknown soldier in time for 2 wreath laying ceremonies. Then after we saw the different plaques inside we got to see a guard changing ceremony. As we walked to the Pentagon burial stone for 2001, we saw the new 2001 Memorial there. We don't know why it is the three things pointing to space, but it was visible from all around the cemetery.
Well, that was quite a trip in a very short amount of time. We also got to play games with our friends and just catch up with them. We are working on making friends here, but no one shares our game love so far.
The weather here is definitely warming up as everything is starting to bud. This also means we are taking a ton of meds for that. Hopefully it won't go on forever. I need to finish getting dinner around, but this should be a good wrap up for the past week. Hope all is well by you.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Bailey's Fudge
Since it is St. Pat's soon, I figured something a bit festive. It didn't turn green quite like I wanted, but it is tasty and seasonal. It is dark and rich beyond measure though. I'm tempted to try it with different flavors of Bailey's now, so we'll see.
12 oz Baker's Unsweetened chocolate
24 oz Hershey's Special Dark Chips
2 TBS Vanilla
3/4 C Bailey's
3.5 C granulated white sugar
12 oz (1 can) evaporated milk
1 C Butter
1. Line a 9x13 pan with foil.
2. Chop the chocolate into small pieces.
3. Mix the chocolates, vanilla and Bailey's in a large bowl and set aside.
4. Bring sugar, milk & butter to around 230. (Most recipes call for soft ball and this is just below that stage. It still sets and it helps keep it from getting too grainy after a few days, so I go with the lower temp.)
5. Pour boiling potion onto chocolate mixture. Stir seven times clockwise and then once counter clockwise to help melt the chocolate and make it extra smooth. Continue with this stirring method until all the chocolate is melted.
6. Pour in lined pan and chill.
What you do after that is up to you. You can cut it for people or just eat it as it is.
I've made this before and it turned out really well. Like I said, it took me over 2 weeks to get rid of the fudge and it never granulated. :) Since I was wanting to make it for St. Pat's, I hadn't gotten around to buying the evaporated milk. I didn't want to go to the store this weekend, so I looked up ways to make your own. Chris got upset with me, "Why mess with something that is awesome and isn't broken?" he kept asking me. I eventually caved to him and made it to the store to buy a can of milk today. However, if I wanted to use heavy cream in a 1:1 replacement I could. I could also take 2 1/4 C of milk and boil it down to 1 C (or that ratio) to make the evaporated milk as well. We may see how it goes next time I try something devilish.
Next up: Peppermint Patties I just need to get the peppermint extract.
12 oz Baker's Unsweetened chocolate
24 oz Hershey's Special Dark Chips
2 TBS Vanilla
3/4 C Bailey's
3.5 C granulated white sugar
12 oz (1 can) evaporated milk
1 C Butter
1. Line a 9x13 pan with foil.
2. Chop the chocolate into small pieces.
3. Mix the chocolates, vanilla and Bailey's in a large bowl and set aside.
4. Bring sugar, milk & butter to around 230. (Most recipes call for soft ball and this is just below that stage. It still sets and it helps keep it from getting too grainy after a few days, so I go with the lower temp.)
5. Pour boiling potion onto chocolate mixture. Stir seven times clockwise and then once counter clockwise to help melt the chocolate and make it extra smooth. Continue with this stirring method until all the chocolate is melted.
6. Pour in lined pan and chill.
What you do after that is up to you. You can cut it for people or just eat it as it is.
I've made this before and it turned out really well. Like I said, it took me over 2 weeks to get rid of the fudge and it never granulated. :) Since I was wanting to make it for St. Pat's, I hadn't gotten around to buying the evaporated milk. I didn't want to go to the store this weekend, so I looked up ways to make your own. Chris got upset with me, "Why mess with something that is awesome and isn't broken?" he kept asking me. I eventually caved to him and made it to the store to buy a can of milk today. However, if I wanted to use heavy cream in a 1:1 replacement I could. I could also take 2 1/4 C of milk and boil it down to 1 C (or that ratio) to make the evaporated milk as well. We may see how it goes next time I try something devilish.
Next up: Peppermint Patties I just need to get the peppermint extract.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Stairs
The past few weeks we've been working on going up and down stairs. Now that A is large enough to get down the stairs she has a lot of fun. It does take her significantly longer to go down the stairs versus up the stairs, as you can see in the videos. She also uses this rear first technique when going down slides this way. We think it is so she doesn't bounce her head back and hit it on the slide accidentally. She just holds her head up. She will also get off the couch or anything this way now, as she has decided that face planting into the ground isn't the best idea. We managed to get to the park today and Chris had a blast with A while I ran. Overall it was a good day, and hopefully tomorrow will be just as much fun. Don't forget the time change!
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Water Woes
Since it has been a bit over a week I suppose I'll post something. I'm currently "hiding" from Chris and A as he tries to get her to sleep. She ate an entire tortilla dipped in salsa with some tomatoes for dinner. She's gotten pretty good about eating food and eats a LOT of it when she does. Chris says she is definitely destined to be a skinny white girl because of how she eats. (He says to never underestimate exactly how much the skinny white girl can eat, because she'll eat everyone at the table under it if allowed.) She has finished cutting all four of her front teeth, but they aren't entirely in yet. She is also going through a nice growth spurt. She is getting ready to walk as well. She has started creeping along things she doesn't have to hold on to (like walls) so walking alone isn't far behind. She just likes to get there so fast by crawling that she doesn't want to take time to learn to walk. Anytime she thinks she is going somewhere she isn't supposed to be she goes super fast and makes a lot of noise. It is funny and cute. She did it a lot at the library this morning. She kept crawling down the wide stairs and then jetting to a doll house. I didn't mind her looking and playing with the dolls, just her putting them in her mouth.
Our biggest problem the past week (well really since we moved here) is the blasted water. In a nutshell, it just doesn't act right. This has made the diapers waterproof a time or two. We've tried changing the water pH (acidic with vinegar, basic with baking soda) as well as temperature to get powders dissolved. However, anytime we put a powdered detergent in our machine it takes one wash to get the diapers to be water resistant if not waterproof. And waterproof diapers are what all people need, right? Chris says he has trouble making very simple solutions at work because the solids won't dissolve, as in it may take him 30 minutes to get a solid to dissolve that should dissolve when it hits the water. When we check the water report the city posts, it says there are <2.5 ppm TDS, which means the water has nothing dissolved in it. However, it doesn't exactly act like "soft" water should. Granted it does dry a bit more with showers and such, but it never leaves the "film" I'm used to feeling with soft water. We've tried varying the amount of detergents we use. Our conclusion thus far is that a powdered detergent won't work, so it has to be a liquid. We'd ideally like a liquid we could use for all of our clothes (so not an exorbitant price) not just our diapers. However, the liquid we used in IL (All Free and Clear) is now giving her rashes when we use it. And it all relates to the blasted water. I'm really beginning to wonder if the water report is right or not. If the water is "saturated" with dissolved solids it would be quite hard and couldn't hold any more "solids" dissolving. Anyway, from what I've been able to tell, no one can tell me what the problem is.
We got a fair amount of snow yesterday and A and I started to make a snowman. However, she felt it would be much more fun to attempt standing on the ball and promptly crushed it. Then she decided she was too cold and wanted to come inside. So, no snowman made here.
Anyway, I can apparently go clean the kitchen and things now since A has been put to bed and Chris is at his computer.
Our biggest problem the past week (well really since we moved here) is the blasted water. In a nutshell, it just doesn't act right. This has made the diapers waterproof a time or two. We've tried changing the water pH (acidic with vinegar, basic with baking soda) as well as temperature to get powders dissolved. However, anytime we put a powdered detergent in our machine it takes one wash to get the diapers to be water resistant if not waterproof. And waterproof diapers are what all people need, right? Chris says he has trouble making very simple solutions at work because the solids won't dissolve, as in it may take him 30 minutes to get a solid to dissolve that should dissolve when it hits the water. When we check the water report the city posts, it says there are <2.5 ppm TDS, which means the water has nothing dissolved in it. However, it doesn't exactly act like "soft" water should. Granted it does dry a bit more with showers and such, but it never leaves the "film" I'm used to feeling with soft water. We've tried varying the amount of detergents we use. Our conclusion thus far is that a powdered detergent won't work, so it has to be a liquid. We'd ideally like a liquid we could use for all of our clothes (so not an exorbitant price) not just our diapers. However, the liquid we used in IL (All Free and Clear) is now giving her rashes when we use it. And it all relates to the blasted water. I'm really beginning to wonder if the water report is right or not. If the water is "saturated" with dissolved solids it would be quite hard and couldn't hold any more "solids" dissolving. Anyway, from what I've been able to tell, no one can tell me what the problem is.
We got a fair amount of snow yesterday and A and I started to make a snowman. However, she felt it would be much more fun to attempt standing on the ball and promptly crushed it. Then she decided she was too cold and wanted to come inside. So, no snowman made here.
Anyway, I can apparently go clean the kitchen and things now since A has been put to bed and Chris is at his computer.
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