Stacey's Yapping About Health Food? What?!

Guess what? It's another blog post about healthy eating! Aren't you sick of hearing me rant and rave about food already? TOO BAD!

I've been trying to buy some food staples (bread, eggs, milk, honey, produce) locally. I feel bad for the local farmers/bakeries that suffer because Wal Mart is taking over, so I do what I can...which probably isn't noticed, but I still feel good. ANYWAY, I bought some bread today that is the healthiest I've ever seen. It's from a Lincoln bakery and it's a 9 grain organic bread that's made with quinoa, millet, barley, stone ground wheat, spelt, rice, corn, possibly sprouted grass and/or dirt, etc. The point is that it's super healthy and they didn't feel the need to throw in any additives either.

I opened it up and asked Maximus if he wanted a bite and he took one, stepped back, widened his eyes and said, "mmm...yeah!" He ended up eating a full natural peanut butter sandwich on it saying, "mmm!" the whole time.

His lunch consisted of:
2 slices of the crazy hippie health bread
about 2 tbsp natural chunky peanut butter
an entire can of V8 (yuck!)
8oz of organic whole milk
handful of dried soybeans
pressed fruit for dessert

I feel like a successful mother when I see my kid enjoying such healthy food. Okay, I'm stepping off my soapbox now. Thanks for reading.

Yeah!

I thought my Skull Candy headphones arrived when I heard the doorbell ring today, but something cooler arrived instead! My thoughtful brother sent Maximus a St. Louis Cardinals (my brother lives there) zip up hoodie for his birthday. What a guy.
I put it on him moments before his nap...

Hearty Norsky

It's been so cold here (my dad calls Nebraska the North Pole) that we haven't been outside to play in months. Poor Jackie hasn't been on a walk in SO long and I feel like a negligent dog owner. It's too cold and the snow is insane! This last week has been a "heat wave" for us and it reached 43 degrees! The snow started to melt, so yesterday we went outside. Jesse got home from work and did some work from home, so we took Maximus and two of his Christmas gifts outside to test them out. We were only able to stay outside for 15 minutes, but it was nice to get out. Jesse and Maximus are part Norwegian, which make them more durable in the cold weather!

Maximus' Photography & Upside Down Gabbas

This afternoon when Maximus woke from his nap, I found him with all his Gabbas (characters from the show Yo Gabba Gabba- Brobee, Muno, Plex and Foofa) face down again! He was so proud!
Then he got mad at them and flipped them over and threw them on his pillow. Typical.

After I got him out of his crib, he lost his mind about changing his diaper. Since I had the camera in my pocket from taking pictures of the Gabbas, I decided to let him hold it to calm himself down. Yes, I gave into his fit. But at least I didn't give him candy- just an expensive camera. I turned it on and told him to push a certain button to take pictures and HE DID!

Organization

Maximus loves to line things up. Here's how he arranged his crib friends this morning. He was so proud! All of them are facing down for some reason.

Watch for it!

Maximus watches PBS Sprout at night. There's a little segment called "Today's Birthdays" with Chika in the Sunshine Barn. I know it sounds ridiculous, but Maximus loves it! His birthday is February 1st, so I sent in a card in hopes it will be on air! They show just a few so I thought I'd give it a try. Maximus would freak out and wave at the tv if they actually said, "Happy birthday Maximus!" (You have to include a few of the characters that are part of PBS for your card to be considered, of course)

The Shark Hat

Maximus has a shark hat that has become a security blanket for him. He wears it CONSTANTLY! Every time we go out in public, at least 2 people will comment on it because it's so rad. He wears it the entire time he plays in the kid area at the gym, he sleeps with it on, he eats with it and sometimes he wears it without any other clothes on. He'll probably wear it all through summer.

Whaaat?

Who is this kid? Last time I checked, I had a baby. He looks like he's 10 in this picture. I tell him daily to stay little forever, but clearly he's not listening.

Holy Fit!

Last night we got a preview of the "terrible twos". Maximus LOST HIS MIND. He was eating a snack with Jesse and just lost it. He threw his plate down so I picked him out of his highchair and calmly said, "goodbye sir". Once I set him down, he went under the table and headbutted Jesse's knee. Then he kicked Jackie and threw himself on the floor. We just ignored him. He calmed down a bit and then he climbed up on a chair at the table. He pointed at Jesse's glass of milk, so Jesse gave him a sip. He stood there looking at us and then let the milk dribble out of his mouth onto the table. What? Jesse and I were so shocked that we both bent over laughing.
After his milk drama, he got down and ran to the fridge. We need a fridge lock because he's constantly in it. Jesse told him not open it and held it shut. I'm so glad the camera was sitting on the kitchen counter so I could snap a few shots of this nutty kid.
Again, this morning.

Deer in the Headlights

Look at Maximus' face. Total "deer in the headlights" look. We had to sit with Santa so he wouldn't wig out and I must say, he did really well this year. (Compared to last year...)

After our visit with Santa, we decided to go to dinner. We walked through the parking lot toward the restaurant and Jesse saw the opportunity for Maximus to work on his abs.

We haven't taken Maximus into a restaurant for a couple months because it was mayhem the last time we tried. Holy moly, what a difference. He sat in a booster inside the booth with us. He colored, ate, flirted with the women in the opposite booth and drank his milk. It was really nice to go out to eat all together. Sorry about the poor quality of this picture, I snapped it with my phone, but look how old he looks. He's like a 10 year old.

Snow and Birthdays

We had a blizzard earlier this week. It was NASTY. I lived in Salt Lake City for 8-9 years, so I don't mind snow. What I can't cope with is a blizzard. Picture this: mega snow storm with winds reaching 50 mph and the temperature around 0. The roads closed, the city practically shut down and travel wasn't classified as hazardous, it was "treacherous". There's something eerie about a large city closing businesses, schools, restaurants, day cares and doctors offices when mother nature takes over. It makes me feel like we have no control. Anyway, we were snowed in but that was fine because we had a very sick little boy. Poor Beefy. Fever, vomiting and you know what else made him drop a few pounds. He's better now and back to running and jumping.

This is what Jesse shoveled after the snow started falling.
This was taken an hour and a half later. Poor Jackie had no place to pee.
The next morning.
Jesse looking very freaky.
He got his snowshoes out to shovel the driveway but then I found him in the drifts in the back yard. It was 3 degrees, so not a temperature you want to be outside in.
While Jesse was outside, Maximus finally stopped vomiting and fell asleep. I completely covered him in towels and laid next to him in case he threw up in his sleep. He's never thrown up before, so we were freaked out and scared for him. I NEVER want him to be sick like that again. It's not fair for him to be in such discomfort.
On a lighter note, here are Jesse and I before we went to dinner on my birthday. We went to Wilderness Lodge and it was so enjoyable. We both loved it.
Birthday kiss from Maximus.
Jesse's birthday was yesterday and we stayed in and had his family over. It turned out to be so much fun! Oddly enough, I didn't get any pictures of Jesse. Hmm. Of course I got some of Maximus playing with Guytin and Ashlie. He was playing the weirdest game of whatever with them but having a blast running around and screaming.
Poor Jackie was spent by 7:30pm.

I don't get it

He's playing with Puffins cereal in his little kitchen. Now I get why Jackie is stalks him when he goes in his play room.

California

I'm back! I apologize to the 4 people who read my blog that I haven't posted anything for a while.
Wednesday, November 18 my grandmother passed away. We were all completely shocked as the news hit us like a ton of bricks. The Saturday after Thanksgiving, I flew to California for a few days. I'm not going to write much about the whole thing because I'm still so sad, but getting better each day.
Although the reason my family gathered in California was for a death, it was so good to be with them. My brother and I both flew into Los Angeles within an hour of each other, so we met up and ate In-N-Out on Sepulveda (the main street of LAX) within the first 30 minutes of arriving in California. My brother is a very professional, quiet, deep intellectual. We had a lot of driving time together during the weekend and we bonded in a way I thought I'd have with my brother. After the trip, he sent me a birthday card and he actually opened up a bit emotionally. That's a card I won't ever throw away.
Here are several pictures from the trip...
Dad, me, Mel, Dave and mom at the graveside service.


My grandmothers casket was so her. Pink and gold with delicate flowers.
At home before we left for the service.

On a much lighter note- this is Chickie. My parents have 2 chihuahuas and they are mother and daughter. Chickie is missing teeth, so her tongue hangs out ALL THE TIME! I honestly hate chihuahuas, but Chickie and Marley are awesome dogs. They're so loving and smart! I made them sleep with me during the trip and now I miss saying, "Marley! Be nice to your mother!"I had to snap this picture one morning. My dad will be running and exercising daily until he's 105. The man is a machine. And he's notorious for wearing some of the most ridiculous workout gear. This get up isn't bad at all, but it's just how I'll always think of him. He's shorter now too- about my height.

My sisters daughter, Mary on the zip line in my parents back yard. My sister is tiny and so is her husband, so they have have these miniature- almost pocket-sized kids.
Outside the restaurant my grandmother loved after the services.
Me, mom, Aunt Al and Anne. Alice is my grandmothers older sister. When my grandmother died, she decided to move to the east coast with her daughter Anne. Her Pug dog (Babe) will have to fly alone! I just found out that Alice had exploratory surgery a few days ago because she suddenly couldn't swallow, was in a lot of pain and had a flipped bowel. She's in ICU for the next 5 weeks and is doing better. Wow, out of nowhere. I'm so glad I was able to see my family. I can't explain how nice it was to be with my family again. I only wished Maximus and Jesse were with me. Anne (on the end) is one of the funniest people I know. She is a hoot.
Three of the four kids of my sisters: Mary, Eliza and the youngest Jared aka:punk.
My one and only cousin Coli. I wish I lived closer to this girl. She's awesome. And her husband makes fun of her nose just as much as Jesse makes fun of mine. And her husband is a huge Cowboys fan like Jesse. She's expecting her son Ezekiel in about 10 weeks.
My favorite picture of all. I stood up at the restaurant and took a picture without telling anyone, but somehow my dad saw the opportunity and is the only person posing in this shot. I keep laughing!

I took a few pictures of the West Covina house that has changed so much. I love it!

Front porch...my dad swept the leaves 10 minutes prior to me taking this picture.

Livingroom...
Family room...

She has the silent washer and dryer that I want.
My dads marathon picture.The desk off the kitchen. I don't get my mothers chicken thing...