Elmo Potty Party

Yep, we're goin' all out. I'm hot and heavy on the potty training train. Not because I'm in a huge hurry really, but because I'm positive Lilah is ready. I took a quiz in one of the books I'm reading and I scored on the "How exciting! Your toddler is clearly ready for potty training!" level. She's showing most of the signs and is verbal enough to do it. I actually think that picking out her own little potty and undies will be a serious treat for her.
So, I decided to do the potty training in a day potty party. I know obviously that it won't be magically in one day and we have no accidents and everything is free and clear, but I do think that the potty party will definitely appeal to my child. Especially for the fact that the theme is Elmo...her favorite non-human.
Last night I ordered Elmo stickers and a reward chart, some Elmo panties, an Elmo potty dvd, and an Elmo potty book. We'll go to the store to pick out some more panties, get all the pull-ups and training pants (I don't even know what those are yet), get a stool for washing her hands, and let her sit and try out potties. So exciting. And, hopefully we'll borrow a doll from my girlfriend to be Lilah's little peeing helper.
I know all of you will be at the edge of your seats to see how Lilah does with her potty training, so I will be sure to keep you updated on the blog. I thought putting stuff on facebook was weird and that my non-kid friends will think I have the most boring life ever (since I'm clearly so excited about this).

It Doesn't Get Much Better Than This...

Sunshine in Seattle....ahhhhh. I think we enjoy it and take full advantage of it more than other cities because, clearly, we don't see it as often. And it is true that the sun comes out and so do all the hermits in Seattle. Everyone is out - at the parks, running, walking, eating at restaurants that have outdoor seating, and wearing shorts and going shirtless in 50 degree weather. Seriously.
But really, you can't beat the sun shining on the waterfront, the green grass and trees, and the snow covered mountains in the background.
We've had a few sunshiny days here lately. We took advantage this last weekend and took a walk to the park by our house. Lilah loves to go down slides and swing. Unfortunately she has no fear and thinks she should be in the mix with all the big kids. She does have such a blast though and loves running around, climbing, swinging, and giggling down the slides. That night we ate at the Slip in Kirkland. If you haven't been there, it's a teeny little burger joint that is always packed in the summer. They only have about 6 tables inside and maybe 15 outside. But people love this hot spot mainly for the DELISH burgers. My burger was a peanut butter, bacon burger. I'm actually not pregnant, and I still loved it...heavenly. Lilah got the most buttery and cheesy grilled cheese she has ever got and devoured the entire thing (which is a praise Jesus sort of moment in our family). It was a nice little evening out.
Yesterday was so beautiful again. We went with the King girls to this great little neighborhood park and then again in the afternoon met them for some snacks at a little restaurant with outdoor seating and then headed to another park right on the water. The girls were truly all in their little heavens. They swung, slid down the giant slide, threw rocks in the water, called for the ducks, and saw tons of doggies while being in the sunshine. It was great.
We're having another playdate today with the St. Clair and O'Connor family and will hopefully soak up our last bit of sunshine before the rain comes again. But, we've truly enjoyed it and it just makes me so anxious and super excited for our summertime fun!

Guinness Chocolate Cake

Since I had nothing planned for St. Patrick's day and saw this cake posted on facebook with great reviews, I decided to give it a shot. And it was SO delicious. Who knew a little Guinness could make a cake so very delicious. I would TOTALLY recommend this cake for any occasion. It's so good all by itself, but I'm sure would be yummy frosted as well. Mmmmm...I have to fight the urge to nibble on it throughout the day!

Guinness Chocolate Cake

1 cup Guinness draft beer
3/4 cup sour cream
1 stick unsalted butter
2 eggs
1 tbs. vanilla
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 cups flour
3 cups confectioner's sugar
2 1/2 tsp. baking soda

Preheat oven to 350. Butter and line (I used parchment paper) a 9 inch springform pan. Pour the Guinness into a large, wide saucepan. Add the butter and heat until the butter is melted (I had it at about medium temp). Whisk in the cocoa and sugar. Beat teh sour cream with the eggs and vanilla and then pour into the pan with the Guinness mixture. Finally whisk in the flour and baking soda. Pour the cake batter into the greased, lined pan and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Leave to cool completely in the pan on a cooling rack. Mmmmm...super delish!

Papa's Birthday

The family got together last Friday to celebrate Glenn's 65th birthday. It was a win-win for everyone...we had a night out without Lilah (and I think we were still in bed around 10ish....so wild and crazy) and Lilah had a sleepover with granny. She did great, and had the best time (as did granny).
It was nice to not have the distractions of all the kids (as much as we really love them). And great to celebrate Glenn.

I Will Call Them...New Baby Burritos!

I see a lot of my friends put recipes on their blogs, and thought it's such a great idea. I love trying new things and instead of sending recipes via email many times, I can put them on my blog for everyone to enjoy. :)
My favorite recipe to make families with new babies is from Rachel Ray and are called Turkey, Tomatillo, and Bean Burritos. They're delicious, the recipe makes quite a bit, they're easy, healthy and I can also vary the ingredients for a little different burritos. Here's the recipe:

Turkey, Tomatillo, and Bean Burritos
4 12-inch flour tortillas (I usually use the smaller tortillas, and use 8-10...I don't even think 4 is enough to hold all the insides of the burritos)
2 tbs. vegetable oil (I use olive oil, and not even this much)
1 pkg. ground turkey breast
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
Salt and pepper
1 cup chicken stock or broth
1 15 oz. can pinto beans, rinsed and drained (I have also used black beans, or a mixture of different beans)
1 16 oz. jar tomatillo salsa
2 tbs. fresh cilantro leaves, chopped (I sometimes put a little more, because I love cilantro)
1 10 oz. pkg shredded Monterey Jack cheese (or whatever you have is fine)

* If you are going to cook this right now, then preheat oven to 350 and just cook until hot, about 20 minutes. If you want to refrigerate to bake later, I would say same temperature but more lik 30-40 minutes depending on how much you pile into one pan. Also, spray your 9x13 pan with cooking spray before you put the burritos in.

Preheat a large nonstick skillet with the oil. Add the ground turkey and break it up with back of a spoon as it cooks and browns, about 4 minutes. Add the onions, garlic, bell peppers, salt and pepper. Continue to cook for 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock, beans, and 1 1/2 cups of the tomatillo salsa (that's about 3/4 of the jar). Turn the heat up to high and continue to cook for 5-6 minutes, or until the mixture is thickened. Remove from the heat and add the cilantro, stirring to distribute.
Pile the turkey mixture into the tortillas, sprinkle each with 1/4 cup of cheese(maybe a little less for the smaller tortillas), and then roll them up. Line your casserole dish with the burritos, seam side down. Top each burrito with a little bit of the remaining tomatillo salsa and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Bake at the above temp and time,depending on if you refrigerated this or not. :) Enjoy!

More Jumping

I planned a playgroup date at Kidz Bounce last week...and what a hit. Well...it was a hit for some. All of the kids were almost two and a lot of them this was their first time at a place like this. Clara, Lilah and Paige were the daredevils. I think they had the best time. Most of the others were either scared to even step foot into these huge blowup, frightening contraptions or were much more cautious than my daughter. I didn't get too many good pictures because 1. a lot of the kids stayed on the floor and didn't get into the bouncy things where we spent a lot of our time and 2. my camera stinks and takes way too long to snap action photos.
Anyhow, we had another great time and I was reassured again that I have a child that has very little if any fear. Oh great. Although I know that when she gets old enough to go to a fair that her and I will be laughing out heads off on the Zipper while her daddy watches us trying not to get sick. Ha!

Child Labor Laws....Not at the Wileys

Here's what I do when I am taking care of two toddlers and a 4 year old....put the toddlers to work! Lilah especially loves to have her own "cleaning rag" to help me clean. ;)

6 inches!

I took the leap and got my hair cut by the lovely Johnny today...I would guess about 6 inches fell to the floor. I was super nervous, but totally let him do it. Now I'm working on growing my bangs to be a little longer.
I totally love it, and it's so healthy and super cute.

First Play-Doh Encounter

And it was pretty fun. I made worms (like Oscar's friend Squirmy) and we made balls and squished them. Lilah and granny played with it while I went to get my hair cut. A success I think, as long as it doesn't end up ground in our carpet.

Lilah's Lingo

I was laying in bed last night thinking about all the words that Lilah says that only we could know. She is slowly starting to say some of these the correct way, or closer to the correct way and it actually makes me a little sad. It means she's getting older and bigger. :( I decided that if I didn't document some of these that we would forget once she actually says things with correct sounds. Here are some (this is mostly for us to look back on, so you can skip reading this post if you so desire):

Her friends and family:
Samson "Sheepa"
Crosby "Poppy"
Julie "Gigi"
Auntie Mandi "Mimi"
Granny "Didi"
Mike "Mite"
Grace "Dace"
Grandpa "papa" (I have a feeling this will be grandpa's name from here and on)
Emily "Emmy"
Luci "Shi shi"

Sesame Street pals:
Elmo, just sounds like Elmo...she's been clearly working on this for a very long time
Big Bird "Bibi"
Count "Tont", like in rhymes with "don't" or she says "ah ah ah!"
Bert "Bit"
Cookie Monster "Titi"
Ernie "Eenie"
Oscar "Ohjosh" (weird one)

Everyday Lilah words:
milk "mit"
high five "high bye"
fork "choat" (we really struggled last night trying to figure this one out)
draw "daw"
thank you "ti ti"
truck "tut"
water "wawa" (pretty typical for kids, but took her so long to say this word)
brush "bush"
comb "tum"
cookie or candy (both sound the same to me) "titi"
yes "sess" (always paired with a huge head nod)
coffee "cotee"
Cheerios "chee chee"
I love you "I I" ;)

I'll continue adding as I hear or think of them. :)