We are not who you think we are

You may see us and think, "Gee, they seem like a nice family.  That Bridget can be a bit crazy, but seems to have good intentions.  I am sure they don't have anything to hide!"  Well, you would be wrong.  We have a deep, dark secret.  We are not normal. 

Our little buddy Andrew is a tub pooper.  If he were a rapper he would be Sir Poops A Lot.  His Native American name would translate to "He Who Poops in Tub".

(By the way, I tried to look up slang for pooping in the tub to make this post a little funnier....don't do that.  Weird people out there.)

At first we thought it was just a freak occurrence.  We would chuckle and say "Oh Andrew, you naughty little stinker!" Then we would clean the tub and move on. 

Then he did it again.  And again.  So we started taking him out of the tub after about 1 minute to prevent any incidents.  And he got better, he really did!  So we thought he had grown out of his tub pooping stage.  We would watch for the tell tale ankle crossing that was our indicator of what was to come and pull him out just in time. 

Well tonight Andrew, out of the blue, pooped in the tub.  It was only Grace who alerted us to his slight grunting.  By the way, it is Grace who is the true victim of all of this - she is yanked out of the tub and whisked off to a cold shower in the other bathroom.  Poor girl.

We have concluded that Andrew doesn't just poop in the tub.  He is a tub pooper.  We are asking ourselves, why?  Why us? 

Maybe we are bathing him at the wrong time of day?  Nope, he poops at all times of the day.
Maybe he is so relaxed that he just relaxes too much?  Nope, he is super alert and playful. 
Maybe he hates the bath and does it so he can get out?  Nope, he loves the bath and always tries to climb in.
Maybe Andrew poops in the tub because he can? Bingo.

It is not pictures of Andrew in his cute little rompers that will embarrass him in front of his friends.  It will be stories of his tub pooping. 

Andrew returning to the scene of the crime.

Andrew tried to get back on my good side by helping me clean. 

 By the way, I love the Method cleaning sprays (except the anti-bacterial one - smells weird) that you can get at Target!  No, they are NOT paying me for my endorsement.  (You know since my blog has been so wildly popular and I can influence consumer spending with my opinions.)

 When I stopped in his room to say goodnight, this is what I saw....can't stay mad at that face for very long....at least until the next bathtime.

In full disclosure, I admit that I pooped in the tub once when I was a baby - I am SURE I was sick.  Apparently I also dipped my hair in the tub after the fact.   As a result, unfortunately, this tendency is not something I can blame on my husband.  Darn!

Snapshots from the past 2 weeks

Grace realized her skinny jeans and pink cowboy boots were stylish, and loved it!  I wish I could pull off this look (including the dog t-shirt).

Then we went a little crazy and added a hat...super cute, just a tad too big.  We took her to the mall dressed like this.  It was funny.

 Poor little Andrew was sick last week.  But look how sweet he is even with a booger face and stinky pants!

Very typical scenario around our house.  Grace having a melt down and Andrew calmly entertaining himself in the background. 

Kevin and Andrew setting the table in their matching outfits.

Grace in a somewhat visually offensive outfit:

 She is obviously not a believer in the "less is more" philosophy.  

Finally,  I got a chance to do a few flower arrangements for a party my parents hosted which was really fun.

Andrew is just busy being his cute self.

Andrew is not fond of Thanksgiving

Andrew spent a large portion of thanksgiving crying - for various reasons.  I thinking he is learning to be a little dramatic from his sister.

thanksgiving!

We had a wonderful low-key Thanksgiving at Mike & Jane's.  Andrew spent most of the evening in Jane's arms.

Even though Mikey was feeling a bit under the weather, he was as sweet as ever.

Don't they look tough with their pacis?

Grace loves her Great Grandma. 

Andrew had a rough night.  At the beginning of dinner he was working so hard on something he spit up all over his romper and had to walk around romper-less.

Grace was busy teaching Aunt Betty and her mom how to properly pose for a picture.

 

Grace's latest artwork

When Grace is not coloring on my woodwork or kitchen table, she is making some pretty cute pictures.

Naughty Andrew!

Yup - that is a bite mark.  The little stinker went up to Grace and gave her a big hug....then bit her!

Grace and I were shocked!  She was a big girl and didn't cry (she was posing here).  Next time this happens, I am sure there will be a lot of DRAMA.

Here is Andrew after the assault.  Notice he is not wearing pants.  This is because he is so naughty when he gets his diaper changed, I give up before I get to the pants (whenever I can get away with it).

butternut squash pasta

 

I made this recipe up and it is pretty good, in fact, even Kevin likes it.

2 c butternut squash, chopped into 1/2 inch cubes

olive oil

salt

pepper

2 T rosemary

1 T white wine

1/3 c chicken broth
2 shallots, sliced
2 chicken breasts, chopped
2/3 box of cooked pasta
1/4 shredded parmesan

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Coat butternut squash in olive oil and season with 1 T of the rosemary, salt and pepper

Roast in the oven about 20 minutes or until pieces are crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. 

While the squash is cooking heat olive oil in a frying pan.  Add shallots, rosemary and chicken, cook until chicken is just cooked through.  Add wine and reduce.  Add broth, butter and parmesan.  Reduce to a simmer for a few minutes. 

Add cooked squash and pasta to this mixture and top with parmesan. 

today's goal: christmas card picture

 Grace and Andrew love playing together, so I thought a snapshot of the 2 of them in their play kitchen would be cute.