Hold The Phone!

I have several other posts I should be doing, one of which I started a couple days ago, but they must wait. Why? Because we had our first snow day!! We woke up to two inches covering our lawn and Ashlyn couldn't have been more thrilled when she looked out the window this morning. This wasn't like the thin layer of "ice" (as Ashlyn called it after unsuccessfully trying to play in it) we had Monday morning. Nope, this was the soft, white fluffy stuff. After a bowl of cereal, the kids got all bundled up and out they went.

One of the things that sold me on our home was having the backyard right outside our back door and not off a deck and down a big flight of stairs like our last house. I can stand in the kitchen or family room and watch them play. After lots of frolicking, an attempted snow angel, trying to bury Cooper, and a few snowball fights, it was back inside for some good 'ol hot cocoa.

I look forward to many more mornings just like this one in months to come!

Four Months

Little Luke is four months old and he's really not so little anymore. He has grown so much lately and it seems like he is much bigger than my other two were at his age - at least my arms feel that way. So, I did a little research and here is what I found:

Ashlyn @ four months -
weight: 13 lbs 4 oz
length: 24 3/4 inches

Trent @ four months -
weight: 15 lbs 4 oz
length: 24 1/4 inches

Luke @ four months -
weight: 15 lbs 12 oz
length: 24 inches

In short, Ashlyn had the most length at four months, but Luke has the most weight. He beat out Trent by a mere 8 ounces. And considering the fact that Luke was almost a whole pound bigger than Trent at birth, I'd say they are pretty equal. It will be interesting (for me anyway!) to continue to compare their growth and see where they both end up. Brian's fear is that our boys will get my height and his build, resulting in what he refers to as a "manlet".

Now, back to Luke. Here are a few facts about our growing baby -

• He really is a sweet baby, although Brian would disagree. He continues to be an extreme mama's boy, but does seem to be warming up to his dad more and more. I keep telling Brian that it's all in his attitude and that Luke can sense it!
  
• He has a great smile and it just melts my heart. And have I mentioned his laugh? It is infectious. But I guess all baby's laughs are that way.
  
• His good sleeping habits have abruptly ended, much to my dismay. He has, for the past week and a half, decided that instead of getting up once a night, he needs to get up three or four. I was told that a lot of babies have increased awake times at four months, and I am just hoping that he reverts back to his old ways soon!
• Even though he wakes up a lot at night, I have to give him props for going to sleep so easily. All I have to do to put him down for naps or at night is just wrap him up and lay him down. And he doesn't make a peep until he awakes. A breeze!
  
• He continues to get lots and lots of love from his two older siblings. Ashlyn now likes to carry him around, which must be carefully monitored!
• He is a pro at spitting up. I never went through as many burp cloths with my other two as I do with Luke. All the burp cloths I was given when Ashlyn and Trent were born have come in handy!
• He must be held at all times! If I lay him down or put him in the bumbo, he is only content for a few minutes - a half an hour at the most! And since I am a push over, I will inevitably pick him up and snuggle him and he is content once more.
• If he can get a hold of your cheek, he will plant a big, wet, open-mouthed kiss all over it.
• He continues to be a wonderful, irreplaceable addition to our family.
  

And now for a little photo comparison:

Ashlyn (Oh, I do miss those bows and bracelets!)

Trent
Luke

When I did a photo comparison at two weeks, I thought Luke looked more like Trent. But now, I definitely see Ashlyn. Although I still think he has Trent's mouth. Regardless, he is adorable!

Mr. Susie Homemaker

We unfortunately, and much to my chagrin, did not plant a garden this year. But, don't you worry, plans are already in the works for next year, with plenty of tomato plants for bottling tomatoes, spaghetti sauce, and soup! The timing for a garden just didn't work out this year with moving in and having a baby. However, lucky for us, we were blessed to harvest a few fruits, thanks to the previous owners. Cherries, strawberries, raspberries and grapes to be exact (and one mysterious zucchini plant). The cherries, strawberries and raspberries were few in number, but the grapes were plentiful. So plentiful in fact that our poor vine kept falling over, and Brian threatened to, "just get rid of it," a time or two. But, he didn't. And it's a good thing he didn't, because he (with very little help from me) did something quite delicious with those lovely grapes.

First came the harvesting when they had reached their "peak."

This job was taken seriously. Very seriously. We mean business people!

The grapes smelled delicious, and tasted just as good. I could have eaten the whole bowl if it wasn't for those annoying seeds.

Next came a very thorough washing,

followed by chopping, squeezing, boiling, and straining.

Have you ever actually had grape juice that wasn't from a box, bottle, or reconstituted from frozen concentrate? I'm talkin' fresh people! So, so, so good! Again, I could have gulped a gallon of the stuff if it wasn't destined for another path. And if it didn't have such an off-putting color.

And this is where I came in (besides the afore mentioned consumption) to make a brief appearance in the process. I gathered the jars, lids, sugar, pectin, & canner, and then coached Brian from the sidelines.

And after some mixing and more boiling, this was the end result:

Wondering how we got purple grape jelly from that brownish-green juice? Through the magic and wonder of food coloring! (Thanks for the suggestion Mindy!) It made for much prettier jelly. And yes, we have tried it. And nobody got sick. Success! It is, quite frankly, the best grape jelly I have ever had.

We will be transplanting our now "beloved" grape vine to a more permanent and secure location, and crossing our fingers that it survives so that we can repeat the process next year.

Good job Susie!...I mean Brian!

And one more photo, just because he is so. gosh. darn. cute.