jody berger

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Happy 3rd Birthday, Ethan!

(Birthday instagram photo HERE)

I intend to write a longer post gushing about my wonderful little boy, but after a long day of In-N-Out (birthday boy's choice), walking around the lake, ice cream, and riding bikes at the park, I'm exhausted!

"My Mom" by Jordan

Jordan answered some questions about me/Mother's Day at school.  He also made me an amazing heart necklace with his fingerprint on it (they used Fimo clay).  The question/answer thing always makes me laugh.  Some of the answers are spot on, and some are almost embarrassingly off!

So here are the questions and answers for 2012 (Kindergarten):

My mom likes to...cook

My favorite thing to do with my mom is...play games with her

When my mom was little she liked to...color

My mom likes it when I...be quiet when she's on the phone

If I could get my mom anything for Mother's Day, I would get her...a card

I love my mom because...she does nice things for me

Little E

This post is not about MY little E!  This family has a new member!  (Well, at the time I took these photos she was pretty new.  Now, she's 6 months old already!)

Big Sis (who was the little sister last time I saw them) was pretty excited:

Big Brother looks pretty happy, too:

Here's the newest little face:

Some sisterly love:

The whole family:

And one just for fun!

Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Another winning pancake recipe!  From the wonderful Dorie Greenspan, of course.  It's really more of a dessert pancake than a breakfast pancake, but there are never any complaints when I serve it for breakfast here!

1 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup peanut butter (creamy or chunky--I use Peanut Butter & Co.'s White Chocolate Wonderful)

2 large eggs

1 1/4 cups milk (I use 1%)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

3/4 cup--1 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips (Dorie's recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups regular size chips, but I like to use the minis and 3/4 cup is usually more than enough!)

Directions:

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and cinnamon.  In another bowl, beat the peanut butter and eggs with an electric mixer until softened and well-combined.  (You can do this by hand with a sturdy rubber spatula, but it's worlds easier to use the handheld mixer.)  Gradually add the milk and melted butter, beating until well blended.  Use a rubber spatula to stir in the dry ingredients, then gently fold in the chocolate chips.

I use a scant 1/4 cup batter for each pancake.  The batter is thin, so it takes some trial and error to figure out what heat leavel to use on the griddle and exactly when to flip them.  They are delicious!  Enjoy!

beautiful

I guess I just needed to get that last post out into the world, because these past few days have been beautiful.  Hard, to be sure. The boys have not seen Scott since Sunday--he's worked incredibly late every single day, and it's been beyond draining for me. But wonderful.  It's amazing what some planning, some patience, and some visits to the park can do.  (Tonight after dinner we even made an impromptu park run because the sunset was the most amazing pink, purple, and orange!)  ;)

rewind

Our day kind of fell apart after dinner.

I wish I could rewind it.

I lost my temper with the boys (they did deserve it, but I could have handled it better) and I hate it when the hours and minutes before bedtime are stressful and difficult instead of peaceful and loving.

Scott is working late tonight.  I knew that ahead of time.  Jordan's swim teacher is on vacation, and the only lesson I could get with the woman he recommended we work with while he is gone was today at 2:20.  Right in the middle of Ethan's nap time.  Jordan was amazing all morning.  Even graciously gave Ethan "the blue cup" at breakfast (if only you knew how they argue over who gets the blue cup every day!  We alternate but still it becomes an ordeal!  I can't give them both the blue cup or we never remember which drink belongs to which kid!)  Anyway, Jordan was polite, helpful, funny, and wonderful.  The very best version of himself.  I adore him.  Ethan and I got errands done without too much hassle, and got home early enough to play a game of Zingo before we got Jordan at school (Ethan LOVES Zingo.)  My carefully orchestrated after-school schedule for today played out without a hitch.  We got to swimming early, Jordan did great, and we went to the Spectrum for a special treat snack (Wetzel's Pretzels).

We got home and I let the boys watch a little tv while I made dinner.  I went to let Lucy out, only to discover she had thrown up all over my room.  This happens from time to time, and we can't figure out why.  Even the vet doesn't know what is going on, since her exams and tests always show that she is in great health.  It was a huge annoyance, but I got it cleaned up and was able to make a quick dinner for the boys.  After dinner, they completely fell apart.  I don't know if it was Ethan's lack of a nap or Jordan's long day, but all of a sudden there was screaming and kicking each other and hammering the walls with the toy hammer and defiance and rudeness (towards me) and it basically ended with both of them losing story time for the night (we read to them every.single.night before bed) and me announcing that I wished I was the one who was working late tonight.  That last part is what I'm really not proud of.  (It was true, but I shouldn't have said it to them.)

When I put them each to bed, I told them I loved them and that I hoped tomorrow would be a better day.  I let them know how sad I was that their behavior caused the loss of story time and that I hoped that tomorrow we could read together.  I gave them hugs, kisses, and cuddles, and tucked them in.  I really do adore them, and it makes me so sad to end the day with them like that.  It also makes me wish that I could find just a little more patience at the end of a long day.  I feel like there are many nights when I promise myself that the next day, I will do better.  I will be kinder, more patient, find more joy in the imperfections of daily life.  So tonight I promise myself the same thing.  I promise THEM the same thing.

Nolan

Just found this one from back in October 2011.  The son of my very first friend from Dartmouth (we were on our freshman trip together, which took place a week or two before classes started!)  I owe an enormous "thank you" to the person who put the groups together for those trips.  I can't imagine my life without her in it!! 

They live about an hour away, so we don't get to see each other as often as I'd like, but we've made a big effort to get together every few months, and I love it.  [Who are we kidding--I don't really get to see any of my friends as often as I'd like!  If you aren't a parent at Jordan's school, a participant in Ethan's My Gym class, a Target employee, or a Trader Joe's employee, I probably don't see you very often.  (The people on the list I just mentioned...I see you every day/week!!)]

This delicious little boy is going to become a big brother this year!  Can't wait to meet their new addition over the summer.  For now, I'm looking forward to seeing this guy next weekend.  ;)

Globetrotters

Last Sunday, we took the boys to see the Harlem Globetrotters.  We wanted to take them anyway, but then a work friend of Scott's came through with some amazing luxury suite seats for the show at Staples Center!  It was SO much fun, and an extra treat to have the experience in the suite, with complimentary food, virtually private bathrooms, etc.  (The bathrooms weren't really private, but they were right outside the suite door, quiet, clean, and pretty much no one else in there!)

As an extra treat, the Friday before the game I took the boys to a meet & greet with a couple of the team members at the Irvine Spectrum Center.  Jordan had the day off of school so I wasn't sure how crowded it would be.  Luckily, there were not many people there at all!  The two players who were there were "Big Easy" (who Scott and I rooted for on The Amazing Race both times he played!) and "TNT" (the only female player currently on the team.)  They were really nice.  We got our tickets signed, took some photos, and they gave the boys some adorable "Harlem Globetrotter" sweatband/headbands.

(All photos taken with the iphone)

At Irvine Spectrum:

At the game:

superkids

Here are a few favorites from the end of last year.  (This first one was the back of our holiday card and is now on the back of my phone case!)

This next one is going to be printed big for Jordan's bedroom wall:

And finally, the front of our holiday card (designed by my wonderful friend, Deirdre ):

Ice Skating

I took Jordan ice skating for the first time a couple of weeks ago.  One of the girls in his class had a birthday party at the new ice skating rink just down the street from our house.  He was so excited, and so was I!  I haven't been on skates in years...not since playing IM ice hockey at Dartmouth.  (I was never very good, but it was always lots of fun!!)

He held on to the wall for most of the time on the ice, though he did cross the rink holding my hand a few times.  The people who work there taught them (us?!) how to fall, how to get up, etc.  They also taught us that if we started to lose our balance, we should pretend to be putting our hands down on a table top in front of us (once we were out on the ice, I changed it for Jordan to "pat the dog"; it was easier to remember!)  I guess everyone's first instinct when falling is to put your hands/arms up, but that doesn't help. Putting them closer to your knees helps more.

A few of the other parents who were at the party got out on the ice. One of the other moms fell pretty hard at one point, and spent the rest of the party with an ice pack on her wrist.  I don't know who she is, but I saw her at school on Monday with a cast on.  Yikes.  Luckily, that was the only injury (ok...I know that is a big one!) and everyone seemed to have a great time.  I know Jordan and I did!