The one that accidentally got deleted...

I DID have this picture on the blog, but then when I was re-editing it to make it fit the way I wanted it to, I accidentally deleted it... oops.

This is his - "Don't bother me. I'm too cute to do that" pose. This is also one of the "cute" and not goofy pictures that I've taken of him...

Another Rock Stahr is born...

I couldn't pass up the chance to take this picture... he was just sitting there, and the glasses were just sitting here, and my little mind kicked into gear, and the end result... SUPER CUTE!!!

He even posed just so it looks like he's ready to join Margaret in a rousing rendition of "A dunbeep, a dunbeep! Dedus wants me for a dunbeep!!!" One of these days, she'll get her letters un-mixed, and we'll ALL be able to understand her instead of having to carry around a translator... (read: MOM...) Wouldn't trade her little conversations with me for the world though! She's figured out that things happen in sequence, and figured out that if she's not home, and Savannah's not home, and Mom's not home, and Dad's not home and Brother's not home, then NO one is home! (And she'll tell you that too...)

My little buddy...

Has grown an immensely over the past month. Tomorrow he will be four tuesdays old. Last night I weighed myself with him (and then weighed myself without him) to find out how much he weighs. If the scale is accurate, he tipped the scales at a whopping 10.8 lbs. I completely squashed them at a much higher weight. That's a gain for him of 2.7 lbs since we brought him home from the hospital. (And a loss of 25 lbs for me!!! - and I just now realized the reason that they weigh you in kilograms at the hospital when you have a baby. Knowing what I weighed before LeGrand was born is slightly depressing!!!)

LeGrand is currently sitting in the car seat sticking his tongue out at the warning label on the side. He's either tasting the air, or he's trying to see if he can touch his nose with his tongue. As for his growth (aside from gaining weight) he's wearing 3 month clothes (decided that he was too macho for the newborn or the 0-3 month stuff, I suppose...) He's started smiling at people (mostly when they're not looking), spitting up on Andrew (yay! At least I know he's not biased... but Andrew thinks it's absolutely disgusting - and rightly so...), and staying awake for longer periods of time. He's also sleeping for longer periods of time, but he's figuring out night and day schedules so I'm being able to stay in bed for a lot longer than in the past.

I managed to get these pictures of him the other day when I had a few free seconds... he had his eyes open - so I thought I'd get some good pictures! Most of the pictures turned out kind of goofy looking - he's apparently really photogenetic when he's asleep, and just looks goofy (as you'll see...) when I want to take his picture when he's awake...

Regrets...

Normally I'm not one to really have what I would consider to be regrets. However - there is a first time for most things, (I wouldn't ever have some of the firsts that others do - first drink, first cigarette, you get the picture?) and I am currently regretting that I took a fabulous bean bag to Goodwill. Not because I really ever SAT in aforementioned bean bag, but because it makes a great place to sit a baby, and I think LeGrand would have enjoyed reclining in it more than his car seat. After all, there are no buckles to sit on in a bean bag...

10 K Walk...

So our stake sponsored a "get out and move" activity this morning. I took LeGrand (who ended up being the youngest participant there) and we did our very first 10K walk! Of course, we were the last ones to finish, but we were also the only walkers (I met another lady who walked with me; her name was Maggie - and she was an absolute joy to walk with!) We started just after 9 am, and finished just before 11 am. LeGrand slept all but the last mile, and he only fussed a little because he was hungry.

I did have one lady tell me that she thought it was a bit early for me to be bringing a 3 week old out for a walk, but I very politely thanked her for her opinion, and signed up for the 10K instead of the originally planned 5K. Hey - if I'm going to walk, I'm going to WALK! And besides - her opinion wasn't asked for... but I was polite about it! And we walked anyway. I only regret a tiny bit doing the 10K, but that's because I think my socks got twisted halfway through, and my feet hurt. The walk was marvelous! Just the right amount of ups and downs, and plenty of water provided throughout the way, and the sun shone, making it a marvelous day to get out and move!

The end result, I'm 100% glad that I got out to move this morning!!!

Marionberry Cobbler...

The children and I went to a farm (e-i-e-i-o?)
And on that farm we picked some Marionberries... (e-i-e-i-o???)

The end result was that we came home with 7.44 lbs of berries and full stomachs.

With those berries, I made jam (who-da thunk it? Linda made JAM???)
And I made this really delicious looking cobbler.

The story behind the cobbler is that we have some good friends from whom I got this recipe. When they come to visit for dinner, Andrew specifically requests something with Marionberries in it. (Usually a cobbler.) So, several months ago, Andrew was doing some work for our friends, and she had made a cobbler. She also made the mistake of telling Andrew to help himself. He did save some for them... but he also came home with some for us. (No, he did NOT help himself to THAT - Jan sent him home with some.) Since I know this is one of Andrew's absolute favorite desserts, I called for the recipe yesterday.

Jan's Marionberry Cobbler

serves 6

the crust
1 c. flour
2 T sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. milk
1 egg, slightly beaten

the filling
berries (I used 8 cups or so...)
1 1/2 c. sugar
3-6 T cornstarch

combine all the dry ingredients for the crust - cut the butter in until it makes little crumb looking things; combine the milk and egg, and mix it in with the butter mixture until it's moist. For the filling - mix the sugar and 3 T cornstarch, then add to the berries. Mix until the sugar is dissolved. TASTE IT! If it's not sweet enough, add a little more sugar. If it's too syrupy, add more cornstarch. Drop the crust on the top in mounds (kind of like you're making dumplings). Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. (If you make this in a 9x13 pan, double the whole thing, and cook for 45 minutes or until the top looks golden brown.)

So this dessert was really good served over ice-cream, but I didn't add enough cornstarch... and I cooked it until it was golden, but my crust was a little underdone - next time I'll cook it a little longer, and add more cornstarch. Then, I'm sure it will be perfect!

For the Cookie Dough Eaters in all of us...

Here's a recipe that doesn't need to be baked to enjoy!

1 c. butter
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
1 (3.5 oz) box instant vanilla (or chocolate) pudding
1/4 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. chocolate chips (or whatever you want to add in...)
1/3 c. baking cocoa (add only if you use chocolate pudding)

in a small bowl, combine four and baking soda (add cocoa here if you're using chocolate pudding) - set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light in color; add dry pudding mix and combine well. Stir in vanilla extract and milk. Mix well. Add the flour/baking soda mixture to sugar/pudding mixture 1/2 c. at a time until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Enjoy eating this dough without worrying about eating raw eggs. Store in the refrigerator or freeze this dough in small scoops to eat whenever you get the urge for cookie dough. Perfect little snack. Works well in homemade cookie dough ice-cream...

* To make this into truffles... chill the dough; roll into 1-inch balls and freeze. Melt 2 c. chocolate chips with 1 T shortening in microwave or double boiler; dip frozen balls in melted chocolate and place on waxed paper to set up. Refrigerate leftovers (if there are any...)

Oh, to be two again...

and not know that to be the last one up the stairs and therefore the "rotten egg" is not a good thing. Margaret thinks it's the greatest thing in the world when she gets to be the "rotten egg". In fact, I have seen her jumping for joy at the prospect of being last! If only we could all be that good in the sportsmen like behavior area...

In other news, Margaret has progressed immensely in the whole "I can go to the bathroom in the toilet now" department. She still thinks she should get a piece of candy, but we're working to dispel that myth. After all, no one gives ME a piece of candy when I go to the bathroom! Hopefully soon, we'll be able to not worry about doing two loads of laundry every day just to keep the sheets dry...

LeGrand is growing rapidly. He still eats as though he is never going to eat again, but I am pleased that he's starting to chunk up. He still barely fits into the 0-3 month clothes, I've moved some of his outfits to the 3-6 month range... but his aim is impeccable when it comes to spitting up. He still manages to completely miss Andrew and does a great job of hitting me! (In public, he likes to keep my clothes clean and only spit up in places that it would be inconvenient and/or embarassing for me to clean...) Andrew thinks this is hilarious. I'm still looking for ALL the humor in being a mother...

More photos to follow later!

Why?

The dreaded Why? stage has begun...
Why?
Because you're two.
Why?

Some children never grow out of this stage... Case in point: Savannah.

Several months ago I was cleaning the toilet. I have discovered that sometimes, the only answer to a "why?" question is one that makes a child go... "I think I'll leave now before Mom blows up... that last answer was totally off the wall..." So Savannah is watching me as I clean the toilet, and she wants to know if she can scrub too. Normally, I would NOT turn down someone else volunteering to scrub the toilet, but since I had just put some lysol cleaner in to get rid of the hard water marks, I told her no. This is how the rest of the conversation went.

S: Why?
Mom: Because I don't want you to.
S: Why?
Mom: Because the cleaner I'm using isn't good for your hands.
S: Why?
Mom: Because it contains some chemicals that will hurt your hands, and I really should be wearing gloves when I clean the toilet.
S: Why don't you?
Mom: Because I don't have any gloves.
S: Well, why aren't you wearing some?
Mom: (totally frustrated at the turn this conversation is taking... "Because I want my hands to fall off!!!!!"

It was at that point, that Savannah simply looked at me and slowly backed out of the room... and she didn't bother me again.

Why???

Zazzle...

So I'm trying a new thing to get more of my photography out... I found a website that makes products and ships them within 24-hours. All I have to do is create the products! So... check out my little zazzle store at http://www.zazzle.com/stahrstruck feel free to pass the site along!

The girls...

So I thought I'd post this picture of the girls - it was taken the day we went to the park (for KFC and fun...) Margaret is saying "Cheese behind her hands - this is her method of making sure she get's heard... Savannah was trying to keep Margaret from going down the slide before I was ready for her to...

I love how our two girls love each other - in spite of the teasing and the torture that they put me through, at the end of the day, it's comforting and pleasing to hear them tell each other that they love each other before going to sleep. I can only pray that the love continues to grow and keeps strong as they turn into teenagers... after all, it's the love of a sister (or a brother) that helps to bind a family and make it stronger!

Just a side ramble...

So it's 80+ degrees outside, I've finally finished the peaches (32 quarts - if you count the quart that was eaten before it even made it to the hot water bath...), and I'm sitting here listening to Margaret singing, "Happy birthday... to you!!!" It's no one's birthday, but I'm sure it will segue into "A sunbeep" or "Tinkle Tinkle Yittle Stayr" relatively quickly.

LeGrand is asleep, and Savannah is outside reading "Dick and Jane". Interestingly enough, if I give Savannah a book, she is more likely to stay outside than if she has swings to play on - which she does, but she chooses to ignore them unless we have company over that she can play with. I have yet to figure out the whole logic behind that, but I'm not six any more, and therefore don't think like that. Personally, I like to think that I was a six year old who played on the swings... (I was going to say that I was a swinger, but it doesn't have the same meaning as what I wanted it to mean...)

On today's list of things to do... put the laundry away - and wash another load. Does anyone else hate laundry like I do??? Seriously - it's the one chore that I can't stand doing because it's never ever ever finished. As soon as I think I'm finished, someone takes clothes off and the whole process starts over again. It's no wonder that I'm prone to letting the clothes age on the floor before they get put away - they're just going to end up there! And I suppose, that's the same logic that Savannah tries to use when I ask her to make her bed... "It's just going to be slept in tonight mom!" Ah... the logic of it all.

A Quick Update...

Since I'm waiting for water to boil so that I can finish my peaches (75 lbs took a while to get ripe, and when they did... they were all ripe at the same time! So far I'm up to 24 quarts, with more left to fill), I thought I'd take a few minutes to update...

Today we're working on toilet training. So far, Margaret has managed to poop cherry pits into one pair of under britches, and wet three other pair. Apparently if you ask a child every 15 minutes if they need to go, the answer will be no. If, however, you wait five minutes, they will have already gone to the bathroom, and need a clean pair of under britches. I am SO not used to doing this - Savannah took care of things all by herself, and I didn't need to worry about the whole, "Do you have to go to the bathroom?" question every 10 minutes...

And that's the news from the house on the hill - where the men are out numbered, the kids are energetic, and the Mom is trying to keep up.

On Recovery and Other Such Nonsense...

Well - it's not really nonsense, this whole recovery thing. In fact, it's going rather well. For instance. On Thursday, we came home from the hospital. The girls both oooed and aaawed over LeGrand until it was well past their bedtime, and then then went to bed. LeGrand was up until maybe 11 PM, and then he, too, went to bed. Exhausted, Mom and Dad went to bed too. 4 hours later, Mom was up with LeGrand. And then another four hours later. But... at least I get some sleep, and I am NOT complaining.

Friday, we started the day out with breakfast at the church where 90% of the people were insistent that I should be home in bed... but they didn't really expect me to stay there! Then we went to barbecue at the Grandparents Stahr home. It was a lovely barbecue and the fireworks were hairraising for Mom, who kept wondering if Margaret was going to fall into the fire pit or catch her own hair on fire with the sparklers that she was flinging around. LeGrand didn't seem to mind the flinching that he was doing with each and every bang... Savannah, of course, LOVED the fireworks. It was well past midnight when we finally got the troops in bed.

Saturday, Andrew and Savannah picked, cleaned, and pitted cherries. I was lazy on the couch with LeGrand most of the day.

Sunday we went to church. Despite my telling Andrew on Saturday that I thought I had moved a bit too much and would most likely just want to stay for the first hour, I found that I felt wonderful, and stayed the entire meeting block. LeGrand slept for most of his first time at church - but that's o.k. there were others sleeping through most of church too! After church, we all slept - and I made 12 pints of Cherry jam. Building up the food storage one jar of jam at a time! (This now makes 12 pints of cherry jam, 18 pints of strawberry jam and 7 half pints of strawberry jam... at least we'll not lack sugar if we ever have a starving situation...)

Yesterday (Monday) the girls and I went grocery shopping, and I ordered 75 lbs of peaches for canning and jamming. We're starting them today.

And that's the update so far! I have discovered one important thing about LeGrand... he has two hollow legs. He started life with a double chin, and I'm convinced that he'll be roly-poly here very soon... the amount this kid eats, if it's true what they say about calories burned as a result of breast feeding, I'll be back to normal within two weeks without any physical exercise! Of course, I don't actually think that's possible, and have a good exercise program lined out, but this kid does eat a lot!!! The other thing I've learned about LeGrand... he hates having his diaper changed; and those "non-smelly" first few months worth of baby poop - aren't so "non-smelly" for him...

AND... I'm being summoned for the third meal of the past 20 minutes.

What a difference 2 pounds makes...

I looked to see if I have pictures of Savannah in her car seat the day that she came home... I don't. So all you can compare are pictures of LeGrand and of Margaret - LeGrand seems to fit in the seat a bit better than Margaret did! And he slept through being put into the seat... Oh well. Looks like the extra inches are a bonus too! It does appear, however, that both of the kids have open mouthitis... hopefully this isn't a sign of things to come...

Party like a Rock Stahr!!!

So the girls had a wonderful time at the beach with Grandma and Grandpa Stahr... they came home with a bit of an attitude - as you can see from Savannah's pose; she and Margaret have decided to become rock stars. Margaret even sings... "We will, we will... whop you!" Personally, I like that phrase a bit more than the original! The girls have come up with their own little rock star dance moves - none of which have ever been repeated twice.

We think the girls are both adorable in their little sun glasses - Margaret likes to wear hers to bed - Savannah can't find hers most of the time. Oh well. I have "put it down and can't find it-itis too."

Here HE Is!!!!!

Andrew and Linda are proud too announce the birth of LeGrand Johnson Stahr; born 1 july 2008 at 7:13 p.m. LeGrand weighed 8lbs 11 oz. and is 21.25 inches long. He loves his food, to be bundled, and to look around. (I know, you can't tell from any of these pictures that he loves to look around - he doesn't like the flash of the camera!)

His birth was quick - as in... Andrew almost didn't make it back from feeding the animals to see it... but Mother and baby are doing well and recovering nicely. Linda has decided to nickname LeGrand - "Bruiser" since he was a full two pounds heavier than either of the girls - and has earned it!

We love the fact that Savannah and Margaret are enamored with him, and we love the hair! He has longer hair than Andrew does! (Of course - that's only because Andrew just got his hair cut...) We're looking forward to many happy times with this little Bruiser! Personally... I'm glad he's on the outside now, and not kicking me in the ribs from the inside!!!

Family Home Entertainment

So a few weeks ago, we decided that we needed to take the girls on a picnic. We drove to KFC and got some of their really yummy chicken, then drove to the park where the girls had a blast playing. Turner isn't a very large town, and the park doesn't have swings or really much of anything, but it does have some great picnic tables and the slides were fun for the girls. They kept trying to get me to go down them, but I wasn't sure that I was ready to slide - especially since I was having a hard time breathing (due to a NASTY cold - and baby sitting on my ribs and kicking me whenever baby wanted to!)

Here are some pictures of the girls - just hanging around! Savannah has figured out how to do the monkey bars - and Margaret has decided that if Savannah can hang on something, so can she!