What Dreams May Come...

I had a great conversation the other day with my cousin about needs, wants & dreams. It seems that as soon as one dream comes true for me, I've got another, right there waiting to be fulfilled. It can be all consuming and I can definitely lose track of what is really important. My dear cousin, who has six children aged 8 months to 12 years, kindly reminded me that many times, it's the hope and anticipation of a dream that makes the stuff of life. Once acquired, the dream will often lose its luster. There is beauty & purpose to be found in wanting. That said, I am sharing a few of our dreams...those that are worth the wait.

Dream #1: To buy a house! This has been reason #1 for why I have been MIA in the blogosphere as of late. My screen time has been solely and obsessively dedicated to searching online. I've watched so many "virtual tours" of homes, that I dream about house-hunting and even woke up the other day with the theme music to the tours stuck in my head! It has been really fun to check out all of our options. I can also be found lately hiding away somewhere, devouring every helpful hint in our copy of "Home Buying for Dummies." After hours of research, however, I think that we will probably end up renting for the first year or so. It's a risky venture these days, and we are hoping to find a house that will suit us for at least the next 8 to 10 years. As a first-time home buyer, it's not something that I am ready to do in a three-day house hunt!

So before we can settle into something like this....

We'll have to stick it out in something like this for awhile!

In the which we will still be sublimely cozy & happy.

Dream #2: A weekend getaway with my man! This dream was SUPPOSED to be taking place in Florida next month, but since Skybus went under, we'll be trekking out to our future home to get a feel for the place and hopefully find a home we'd like to rent.

So, instead of this beach...

We'll be soaking it up on this beach...

In one way our dream will still come true, since we'll be vacationing without our kiddos!

Thanks, John & Debra!

Dream #3: To be a Wendy's taste tester! This, of course, is Peter's dream. For those who don't know, Wendy's headquarters is located here in Columbus. From the day we moved here he dreamt of being a taste tester for them. Well, his dream is about to come true! He just got the offer to do it and will be priming his taste buds for the feast of a lifetime in a few short days. I wish you all could have seen the look of excitement on his face when he got the news - it was priceless.

And instead of indulging in my miraculously tasty, everyday cooking ;)...

He'll get to eat this! Every man's dream!

Love you, honey! And keep dreaming, everyone!

Five Alive!

Our Parker boy has turned five! It's one of those milestone birthdays, that when it happens to your child (I'm assuming especially with your first or last), makes you feel older. Parker has really blossomed this year into a thoughtful, increasingly daring and continuously enthusiastic boy.

His birthday lasted all week and started with bringing cupcakes to preschool and a new remote control Grave Digger monster truck (thanks, Grandma & Grandpa!) to show and tell. I think he loved all the attention he got from his teachers & friends on his special day. We had a little family party that night with one of his favorites, mac n' cheese, and birthday sundaes. Parker got his in the special birthday dish. He opened a drill set from G & G Stewart, a rag quilt from Great-Grandma T, and a t-ball set & glove from Mom & Dad (along with a few other novelties).

Later in the week we had his first "friend" birthday party. It was so fun! We had a monster truck theme and even though three of his friends were girls, everyone had a great time. Games included a monster truck hunt, pin the monster truck on the road, red light green light, hot "wheels" (potato) and musical parking spots.

The cake was super easy, and Parker loved the surprise new monster trucks on top.

Here are some fun facts about our big five-year-old, Parker!

Height and weight: 42.5 inches and 43 pounds...definitely up a few inches from last year!


Obsessions: cars, monster trucks, bugs, dandelions, tornados, Waldo books, playing with friends, being outside, his big wheel, and asking questions.

Must-haves: monkey blankie, baby doggie, his bedtime routine (pjs, brush teeth, story, prayers, drink, "special spray" to keep ghosties away, "Tyler will be in in one minute," nighty-night), all snacks & breakfast on time.
Foods he will eat: PEPPERONI PIZZA!! pb & j, string cheese, pretzels/crackers, yogurt, carrots, mac n' cheese, spaghetti, sloppy joes, anything McDonald's, and of course, anything sweet.

Favorite Song: Popcorn Popping

Nicknames: Parker boy, Buddy boy, P-diddy, Peabody

Hair Style: He's got great hair - no cow licks. He has a cute patch of lighter hair near the base of his neck, so when it's cut really short, it looks like I messed up!

Favorite Toys: C-A-R-S


Favorite Pasttimes: playing with his friends (especially his friend Sarah), digging around outside, drawing, asking Mom for food, playing cars, watching Curious George & helping in the kitchen.

Smile: Parker was really afraid to turn five, because he thought it meant he would get a loose tooth. He was relieved to wake up and find that he still had all of his pearly whites...a gorgeous little smile.

Favorite words/phrases: "I love you, Mom", "But I'm just still huuuungry", "When is Saturday?", "that is MASSIVE!", "No, T-bone!"; He is also into calling people names lately, like "Puffy Face" or "Cocoa Puff."

He amazes us with: his zest for life & fun, creativity & genuine concern for others.

Rock Chalk JAYHAWK!!

They did it!

On this night five years ago, Parker was born. We were looking forward to our four years of grad school at KU. Another significant event that night was that the KU Jayhawks lost the national championship - we thought it was some bad omen! But they totally redeemed themselves tonight by taking the title in overtime! Congrats, guys - woohoo!

(I'll give an update on Parker's special day later...it's midnight here!)

Apple Brownies

**READERS, BEWARE - I have been on a posting rampage today!**

In honor of our upcoming move to Washington (the largest producer of apples in the nation), we made Apple Brownies with ice cream for our Family Night treat on Monday. These are sooo good...we've made them twice now and although they are arguably more of a fall treat, I figured I'd share the recipe anyway!

Apple Brownies

2 sticks (1 c.) butter, at room temperature
2 c. sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
3 c. apples, peeled & thinly sliced
1 c. chopped walnuts, optional

Preheat oven to 350. In an electric mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs and mix well. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Stir into creamed mixture, mixing well. Fold in apples and walnuts thoroughly. Batter will be stiff. Spread in a greased 9 x 13 baking pan. Bake 40 – 50 minutes at 350, or until cake pulls away from pan. Cool in pan, then cut into squares.

Monster Truck Madness!

Last Saturday Peter took Parker on a "daddy date" to the Monster Truck Rally here in town. Yes, you can call us white trash. Parker was so excited to go, but we were a little nervous about how he would handle the noise factor (remember this?). They armed themselves with all sorts of fancy earplugs and headed out for the adventure!

As you can imagine, Parker was in heaven. He lasted a whole hour inside the arena, meaning he was really desperate to watch those trucks considering the noise! He loved the "Tailgator" truck the best, which was made to resemble an alligator and had "jaws" protruding from its grill.

After an hour of watching inside, they headed out to the t.v.'s to munch some popcorn and watch the rest from the quiet of the concessions. They ended the "date" with a McDonald's ice cream cone - Parker's favorite. And now he is having fun recreating the monster truck show with his own cars!

Honey BUNCHES of Oats

Apparently Tyler did not buy into the marketing gimmick on the back of the box...that "one spoonful is all it takes!"

Egg-cellent Times

This Easter we got to party with our favorite Wisconsin Stewarts, Daniel & Katie & fam. They braved the nine hour trek (through the night!) from Milwaukee to be with us and we were so excited & spoiled to have them stay with us for five days!

Highlights of the stay include trips to COSI, the park (on the one sunny day), the recreations outlet, the Book Loft (a girls' getaway), Graeter's and El Vaquero. The out-of-towners also scored some major deals at the Eddie Bauer Warehouse. We were happy to see that the Easter Bunny did not disappoint this year, as there was enough candy to keep us all on a sugar high for days. We had a nice Easter dinner at our cousins, the Silvers, dyed eggs, and held the traditional Stewart jelly bean hunt. It was a great week and we miss them already!