Thankful for home and family

I am so thankful for where we live. I love small towns. I love being near our families. My parents, grandparents, aunt, uncle and first cousins all live in the same tiny town as us. Brian's family are all within a short driving distance. As I looked through the photos I had taken this past week, I realized that there were shots of Daniel being read to by his aunt and both uncles. What a lucky little boy to have so many people nearby who love him!

Homemade chocolate chips

Since Daniel is allergic to milk, eggs, and nuts, I have had to learn some things about making meals from scratch. Practically everything prepackaged from a loaf of bread to a can of soup contains something that Daniel cannot have. We have a health food store nearby that sells many allergen-free products, but they are quite expensive. So, I have found recipes to make many items that I would have never dreamed of making before our food allergy escapades. The most recent thing I have tried is homemade chocolate chips. Most store-bought chocolate chips contain milk, but I found a recipe here for ones without it. Making these chocolate chips was actually pretty easy. First, you combine sugar, coconut oil, and cocoa in a mason jar.

Then, you place the jar in a pan of water on the stove. Cook and stir until the sugar has completely dissolved. Add vanilla and pour the mixture into a 9 x 13 lined with wax paper.

Refrigerate until hardened and then break into small chunks. I guess these are actually chocolate chunks, not chips. But close enough, right?

I wish I would have cooked and stirred my chocolate mixture longer, because the sugar did not fully dissolve, so the chips were a little grainy. I used them in a recipe for allergen-free chocolate banana cake, and they still tasted great! I have devoured several pieces of the cake already, but wouldn't you know that the little man who I actually baked it for will not eat a single bite. He prefers Oreos. Sigh.

At least he shares...

Happy Half-Birthday, Baby Man!

Daniel turned 1 1/2 years old today! At this busy age, his favorite toys are tractors, trucks, and trains. He also likes building block towers and scribbling with any writing utensil he can find. In fact, I just finished scrubbing red crayon off the toilet seat. His favorite foods are hot dogs, gummy fruit snacks, and black olives. Yes, I know, not exactly the most healthy selections, but what can I do? He loves playing with Annie, having books read to him, watching Sesame Street, and splashing in his swimming pool. These are precious days, my friends, and we are trying to treasure each and every one.

Corn Party

We had a corn party at our house on Sunday afternoon! What, you might ask, is a corn party? Well, my dad had planted sweet corn in part of one field. It has just ripened, so he picked 6 feed sacks full. He and my brother shucked it and cut off the ends. Then, they brought it to our house where Brian and I helped to wash it, blanch it, cut it off the cob, bag it, and freeze it. We put up 60 pints on Sunday and another 26 pints on Monday. That's a lot of corn!






My mom had perhaps the most important job...babysitting Daniel!

The best dog in the whole world...

The photo below is of Annie and me B.D. (Before Daniel).


And here is a photo of Annie today.


Many things have changed for our sweet dog over that past couple years. Despite the fact that some of these changes (such as being relegated to the outdoors and receiving less attention from the adults but more attention from a rough and tumble toddler) have probably been somewhat disheartening for Annie, she remains her sweet, gentle, loving self. She will let Daniel do anything to her...reach in her food bowl, ride her like a horse, pull her tail, pat not-so-gently...and Annie never even growls. She looks somewhat persecuted at times, but that is about all. Of course, Brian and I are doing our best to teach Daniel proper doggy manners, but sometimes he forgets. A constant phrase at our house is "Gentle, Daniel, pat gently!" He is learning, and I have a feeling someday these two will be the best of friends.

Keepin' it real

I often use this blog as a scrapbook for Daniel. I have a difficult time getting photos developed and put into albums, but this blog is one way I keep record of his babyhood. Therefore, I typically only post the happy, memorable events in our little world.

Well, here is a less-than-perfect moment for the record. On Friday night, Daniel did NOT sleep well. I pieced together about 4 hours of sleep, which is just not sufficient for me. In addition, we had someplace to be on Saturday morning, so there was no lazing around the house. Brian was working, but I managed to get Daniel and I bathed and dressed and packed to leave. Just as we were pulling out of the driveway, I got a call letting me know our plans were canceled. Suddenly, we were all dressed up with no where to go. My exhaustion seemed to make this situation much more depressing than it really was. Brian came home, we got Daniel fed, and he went down for a nap. I had been yearning for this moment all morning. I was free to take a nap myself, dirty house be danged. I ate some lunch, checked my email, and just as I was preparing to lay down, guess what happened? That's right...little Mr. Man woke up. I desperately tried to rock him back to sleep to no avail. I felt like screaming. I felt like crying. I felt like I would never be well-rested again! I scooped Daniel up and carried him into the living room where Brian was studying for his crop insurance test. I plopped Daniel on his lap and said, "I can't do this anymore!" I ran to the bedroom, shut the door, and crawled into bed fully dressed with the covers over my head. As I laid there feeling sorry for myself, I thought I could hear Daniel crying. He must feel upset and rejected by his mommy! I pulled the covers off my head and then realized it was not crying that I heard...it was great peals of laughter. They were obviously quite alright without me. So, I stayed right where I was for over an hour. When I finally emerged from the bedroom, Daniel and Brian were having a great time outside in the kiddie pool.

After reading this post, I feel kind of sheepish. A little sleeplessness seems enough to push me over the edge sometimes. Sigh. Perhaps I need to reread this post and take some of my own advice. I pray that I can learn the lessons God wants to teach me and enjoy this precious little boy He has given to us. In the meantime, I am thankful for a husband who picks up the slack when I have a mommy meltdown.

Baby hands

The other day I was trimming Daniel's nails, and it suddenly dawned on me...his hands will soon change from dimpled baby hands to little boy hands. That doesn't sound like a huge revelation, but for some reason that thought brought a lump to my throat. I love, love, love his baby hands. They were one of the first things I admired after he was born. The thought of those little dimpled knuckles disappearing is heart wrenching!
So, I did what any mom with a camera would do, and I photographed his hands from every possible angle. Now the cuteness is thoroughly documented!


I love this last photo of his little baby hand resting on my shoulder. This is a precious stage.