Learning Colors!

Color Flashcards 

I cant take all the credit for this idea - I pretty much saw it somewhere on Pinterest. I thought it was a genius way to teach colors to Grace!

Since I am at Lowes all the time right now with us remodeling and adding on to our house, I am always in the paint section looking for ideas for the kids new room and our new room and bathroom. Those color cards are paint sample cards! I took one of each color, glued them onto cardstock and wrote the color name on the back. Punch a hole and clipped it on a ring. Grace absolutely loves these! (and if they are ruined, it's okay.)

Sometimes we just flip through them on the ring and say the colors, sometimes I show her the color and then the word, sometimes I take them off the ring and play "games". For instance,  I will show her two, ask which one is 'red' and now the majority of the time she grabs the correct card. She gets to keep it and we work our way through the pile. She may not be able to talk much yet, but she definately knows what we are saying! I am convinced Yellow is her favorite color too. Proof that you can take anything and make it educational and to her, fun times playing with Momma.

The internet is full of free coloring sheets! Once we introduced crayons it was over, she loves coloring. I like to find alphabet sheets or childrens Bible Story sheets. (Both give me something to talk about while making sure she doesn't eat the crayons!) My favorite part is when she is finished, she is so proud of her creation and carries it around showing whoever comes over. Her little are creations are my favorite decorations. :)

Toddler Painting

It was a beautiful day out again yesterday and I have been waiting for a good time to make these "paints" and let Grace play! Even though these are technically 'edible', they really aren't a snack or to be eaten. If she tasted it (which she did) it was okay, since it was all food. It actually tastes kind of strange, so she only tried it once.

Recipe: (Filled all 7 jars perfectly)

4.5 tbs sugar

3/4 c. corn starch

3/4 tsp salt

3 cups water

Mix all the ingredients in a saucepan and warm until it thickens, stirring so it doesnt become chuncky. Let it cool, divide into jars and add food coloring. That's it!

Ours became thicker as it cooled, so if it is too gooey, mix in a little water to be more paint-like. I liked the goo for Grace to experiment with. Surprisingly, nothing stained her skin. We tossed her in the bath immediately after we were done and it all came off.

We put her in the yard just for an easy clean up. I would really suggest doing this outside or in a contained area (high chair, empty bath tub, etc.) I gave her paper and a couple old paint brushes and let her go. (The food coloring didnt seem to stain her skin, but I didnt trust it on clothes, so diaper time it was! Disposable at that - I love my cloth prints too much to risk staining those a random color too!)

I am absolutely the parent that wants my kids to be kids. I want her to be "okay" with getting a bit messy sometimes. This paint goo was all over her hands, body and hair when we were done. (I'd show that adorable mess, but I dont put naked baby pics online.) She is a girl by all means. She would rather play with her purse, phone and babies instead of the trucks and balls. But she also loves to make a mess and get dirty. Let your kids explore!

The aftermath of art.

Edible Playdoh

Maybe it is the teacher in me, but I am so excited that Grace is at an age where I can really dive into educational playtime! I love finding ways to introduce her to new sensory learning - texture, tastes, motor skills, experiences - she has so much fun! I sometimes forget that she is only 14 months, but then at the same time, she is 14 months...never too early to learn and try new things!

Since she also likes to eat/taste absolutely everything still, I try to make many of the crafts edible if I can to prevent her from eating chemicals. I loved this recipe for edible playdoh and she ate a little and played a lot. She had fun learning how to squish it, pat it, tear it, make shapes and use cookie cutters in it.

Recipe:

Equal parts Peanut Butter, Honey and Instant Dry Milk.

Then add more dry  milk and flour to thicken it and make it less sticky to whatever consistency you like.

Make sure it is stored in an airtight container when not in use. I would toss and make new after a week or so.

Today I Made - Salsa

Pinterst gave me a little inspiration, but I didnt like their recipe so I crafted my own. First off, if you know me, you know I hardly cook with a recipe or measure anything. That's for baking. :) I will do my best to list an approximate.

This salsa isnt spicy at all. Next time I might add a little jalapeno to give it a little kick.

I cheated and used canned tomatoes. I hate tomatoes and chopping them, so if I can get away with a can I will. This year I will try to grow my own (for the only purpose of this and canning pasta sauce) then I will cut them. Anyways...

2 cans diced tomatoes

1 can chopped green chilis

half a bunch of fresh cilantro

minced garlic - like one spoonful scoop

dash of garlic powder

half a bunch of green onion

red pepper flakes (here you can do just a couple shakes or a lot)

1tsp at least of salt. I like salt so I did a bit more.

half a small onion

half a medium bell pepper

Throw it all in a food processor. (I chopped it down into smaller chunks first) I did the tomatoes seperate because I didnt want them as fine. Then I just mixed it all in a big bowl. Give it a couple hours in the fridge to really taste the flavors. This made between 3-4c. of salsa.

Our Sweet Riley

It's been nearly a month and I have been avoiding this post. We had to say good-bye to our sweet Riley. He is still a very much missed member of our family. Here is my mini-tribute to our BeagleMan.

He was a Beagle by every mean. He barked at everything that moved, he jumped at the fence for entertainment, he ate yard poop. But he loved to cuddle, he loved to nap in Grace's room, and when someone was crying he would bring them every toy he had. He wanted nothing more than to make you happy, sit on your lap if you'd let him and would mow you over to get that crumb that fell to the floor. We miss the noise and the love he added to our home.

Adding our Boxer was the best thing we did for Riley. He had a new friend and they played and played every day till both were exhausted.

He was so patient with her.

And patient with me!

Graduation Day at PetSmart - Beginners class - Round 1

In the summer you let him out back and have to drag him in later. He loved laying in the sun all day.

Beginners class - Round 2

(He was a true, selectively obedient, Beagle)

June 2006 - March 2012

We aren't sure what exactly caused his spinal injury, but it hit hard and fast. So selfishly we wanted to keep him forever, but watching our usually active dog unable to walk, not responding to any medication forced us to make a very tough decision - one I still dont like to talk about. We know it was best, but we hope to never have to do that again. We bring up something goofy he did all the time and laugh at the memories he left us with.

Such a sweet Riley.

Happy 3rd Anniversary!

This was actually the day after our wedding - A private Napa Wine Tour...Mmmm...

Sunday we celebrated our 3rd Anniversary! It was a gorgeous day here and a nice little taste of summer to come. We went to our marriage class at church, then church, took Grace to park, BBQ'd some chicken (well I watched, my grillmaster took care of that) and treated ourselves to a little ice cream. What a great day!

3 years - almost 2 kids - and a lot of laughs

How wonderfully blessed I am!

Baby Martinsen # 2!

It's A BOY! 

Orion Scott Martinsen

Coming August!

My world will soon be a little noisier and dirtier. We are so excited to have a little man running around the house. This was my 19wk ultrasound.

Below is the only picture I have taken so far this pregnancy. The belly just seems less magical this time around. haha. I was 20 weeks here. My glorious halfway point. It's all downhill from here.

This pregnancy still amazes me by how different it is. Nothing is the same it seems! I have had very little (if any) cravings, no sickness, I feel fine. I did have awful headaches often in the beginning, but those are only occasionally now and Im not nearly as tired as I was before. This is just an easier pregnancy. (Hopefully that doesnt equate to a more difficult labor! I liked my 2hr labor, thank you!) This little one is way more active though! I thought Grace moved about a lot, I had no idea (and nothing to compare it to.) He just doesnt stop. I swear he's rocking around constantly.

Grace is ONE!

Happy 1st Birthday to our sweet little Grace!

We had a monkey party to celebrate. Since Steve was gone for two months, I had way too much time to plan out every little detail. It turned out so cute and exactly how I imagined! The BEST part...Steve surprised us both and came home two days before her birthday!!

I chose to make Grace's first cake. I wanted a healthier option for her and not a sugar filled store cake. I made her a banana-apple cake with cream cheese frosting. The mini cupcakes were also this recipe. The larger cupcakes are my pride vanilla cake with buttercream frosting.

Month by month timeline

This was extreme as she got. No huge mess, no smashing, nothing. She stayed clean. Part of it was probably late naptime and everyone staring at her. :)

Such a sweet girl! She was just starting to walk around this day and now she can walk a bunch of wobbly steps but crawling is faster.

She eats a large variety of food on her own now. I am thrilled that we are off bottles and formula and she had no problem switching to a sippy cup and whole milk.

At her one year appt she was 18lbs 13oz and 31.25 inches. She is super skinny but super tall! (99% for height!!)

Not really saying too much yet. She went through a phase where she said "what's that" all the time. She will sign though. More, all done, happy, together, pee-you (smell).

Baby # 2!

So I noticed I am particularly really behind on both my blogs! Welcome to my life as a busy mom with a busy 11 month old, who is tired from baby # 2 and Papa is away! Here are some updates on both my kiddos!

This was last week at 11wks 3 days. Already and active and beautiful little peanut. I am making the guess early, I can swear it is a little man! We will find out in April! This pregnancy has been so different - and honestly, so wonderful! (aside from the very beginning, but that is a different story for my other blog..) Anyways here are the details for this little one:

*My official due date is August 20th! Not sure how stoked I am for a June, July, August 3rd trimester...

*I was terribly sick with Grace. I have had nothing to complain about this time! And Im 12.5 weeks now, so I think Im in the clear! I had ONE day which was awful and just a couple with some slight uneasiness, but nothing, nothing! like with Grace. That alone makes this pregnancy awesome!

*I dont really have too many cravings yet. I do eat an egg sandwich every morning though with a big glass of milk. (The one day I didnt was the day I was terribly sick!)

* My only real food aversions so far is any sugar. I cant stand to even think about putting candy in my mouth. (Umm this aversion is great! I made it through the holidays without anything!)

*Thankfully, I have gained maybe a pound so far. I know its coming later, but I certianly "know better" than my "eat whatever I want" with Grace. And since it is nice out lately , Grace and I go for walks.

* My only minimal complaint - I have zero energy. I chase around an 11 month old and I am just tired. I also have pregnancy insomnia again which doesnt help. But I am just tired. (Again, I will take tired any day over morning sickness!)

So far that is it for my pregnancy updates! Now about my active little girl!

She now has 3 teeth.

She can stand alone and stand up on her own without assisstance.

She will walk with me or around the furniture but not quite on her own.

I am totally emotional when I think about her turning 1 in a few weeks.

She would rather feed herself than eat baby food. We will see how much longer I can feed her.

She loves cheerios, toast, any meat (especially venison!) and all fruit. And the sippy cup.

She wasnt too thrilled about the snow (see pic) but loved when I pulled her in the wagon in it. That was a nice workout!

Italian Crab Cakes

I had the sudden desire for crab cakes today (thanks baby) and got quite the response when I posted a picture online without the recipe. Here is my favorite, super simple and amazingly delicious recipe!

Sauce:
1/2 c. mayo and 2 Tbs Basil Pesto. Mix together and chill in fridge while making crab cakes. (I would half this jst because it makes a lot for 8 cakes and I like minimal sauce so it doesnt overpower my crab...)

Crab Cakes
1 lb. lump crabmeat
1/2 c. Italian breadcrumbs
1 beaten egg
1/3 c. mayo
2 Tbl basil pesto
Olive oil (1-2 Tbl)

In Large bowl mix all ingredients except the oil. Shape into 8  - 3" patties (the size as above, you dont want them too thick to cook, but not flat either.) In a skillet heat oil over medium heat. Cook patties in oil 4-5 minutes on each side (try to only turn once) until golden brown. Drain on paper towels if needed. Serve with sauce.

Usually I only make these on special occassion (crab is not cheap in January!) but I sure savored every bite!

Our Year in Review 2011

It is always crazy to me on New Year's Eve to look back and recap what occured this past year. This year in particular is no exception! And for some reason, the years keep going quicker and quicker! Here is our year in review...

January & February

We spent preparing for Baby Grace to arrive! Momma got bigger, her room was finished, I had a couple wonderful baby showers and we waited...

32 weeks pregnant 3D ultrasound

38 weeks.

March

Happy Birthday, Baby Grace! March 4th at 8:17am our lives chnaged forever! Now we can't remember life without  her! Momma is especially thankful that we nearly broke the record for fastest first time labor/delivery at the hospital! You were certainly ready to make your grand appearance!

April

Family flew in to meet their very first grandchild/neice & Steve! We were so excited to have them and tour them around Seattle. Steve and I celebrated our 2nd Anniversary. Steve also started a new knife making hobby. He has made quite a few and sold most of them! Here is the most recent (December) custom made knife he has made.

May

My very first, super special Mother's Day!  We also Dedicated Grace that day! On a bummer note, Grace and I were in an accident this month too. Thankful she was completely unharmed! Momma also got a new car. :)

June, July& August

We had a really low key summer this year. We stayed home and just enjoyed Grace. Grace met her Great Grandparents from Montana. Momma turned 24 and Papa turned 27!

September & October

Grace met another Grandma. I was pretty much busy planning for the MOPS group at our church. I have been blessed with a wonderful group of women and met many new friends! Motherhood certainly would be much harder without them for support!

November

Steve went on his annual hunting trip to Montana with his buddy Scott and Grandpa. They had a blast and very successful vacation! Steve also went duck hunting here at home for the first time. He loved it. I then, had to learn how to cook duck and accoding to Steve, I was successful. He is quite the food provider!

December

Grace's first Christmas was a blast! She thought the presents were okay for a minute. She never once touched the tree (she was actually afraid to go near it!) And Momma and Papa got the greatest gift of all this year....

...yep! Big fun is coming our way August 2012 with Baby #2! Welcome to the party little one! We are so extremely blessed and thankful for all that we have. I pray 2012 is just as wonderful and exciting as this year!