Stroller-ad Mommy & Me

Wilst still pregnant, I was admiring my legs & backside in the mirror. "Man, I look good!" I said to myself. My legs had apparently gotten toned carrying around an extra 30 pounds. Feeling good about myself I continued to turn in front of the mirror until I could see my huge protruding stomach..... "Oh. Not that good"

So after Penelope was born, I was determined to start exercising right away, in an effort to become one of those sleek, toned mothers you see in jogging stroller ads. You know the ones - enthusiastic, fit, smiling, hair in place, well rested, and wearing a matching [clean] jogging suit, with an equally happy baby cooing in the stroller.

Well, four weeks went by, and I hardly felt like walking. Six weeks, eight weeks, and now nine weeks! I finally feel like I can manage a few things. With proper attire, I can jog or jump with my body still intact. I can do part of a sit-up (hurray!), and can bend, lift, and stretch with relative ease.

So this morning I made a huge step in the direction of the peppy, stroller pushing super-mom: I walked/ran a whole mile! It was nice and sunny out, no wind, and felt really good to get out. I contrasted greatly with stroller-ad mom: baggy sweater, greasy hair, sagging skin and I-haven't-showered-in-days greasy hair. Not to mention gasping for air at each crack in the sidewalk. Yet it was a huge accomplishment and hopefully I can make it a routine and get in shape.

And, I ordered a stroller that should arrive tomorrow, which should force me to get out more, even if only because of the guilt of spending too much on it. I'm on my way, stroller ads....

Thanksgiving 2011

Grandma & Grandpa Douglas came to visit on Tuesday! We have been having a pretty low-key, relaxing Thanksgiving. It is also strangely QUIET without Danny, Philip, & Joanna around.

Yesterday we had George, Deana, Clint & Kelly Kleeb over for Thanksgiving Dinner (lunch). We had a great feast.

Grandma & P.

Grandpa & P.

Wayne carving the turkey.

Thanksgiving

Thursday is Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday. Actually it is the only holiday that I observe at all. I take that back....4th of July is OK. I could do without all of the other holidays. They are marketing scams fueled by either wired children, buzzed adults, or both. But, immediately following Thanksgiving, is the month that I have the greatest disdain for. Four weeks of horrific hollabaloo concluding with - you guessed it, Christmas. The reasons I dislike Christmas are many. You may be reading about them for the next month.

Back to Thanksgiving. We are being thankful here at home again this year. Wayne's parents fly in tomorrow, and on Thursday the Kleebs will join us for the day.

On the Menu:
Turkey, gravy & dressing
Mashed potatoes
Sweet Potatoes a la George Kleeb
Corn Pudding (new recipe I am trying)
Steamed Carrots
Crunchy Pea Salad
Relish tray
Cranberry sauce a la Deena Kleeb
Pumpkin Pie (new recipe with ginger crust)
Carmel Pecan Pie (new recipe)
Apple Cheesecake (hopefully a nice cross between apple pie & cheesecake)

I'm trying to come up with another salad, but drawing a blank. I don't want to make yet another trip to the grocery store, so looking for something that I already have the ingredients for. I thoroughly enjoy having way too much food prepared, so may also add another vegetable, green bean casserole, more desserts....etc.

That's all for today!

Penelope's First Snow

Our first snow that was more than a skiff....

Circle of Life Pose.....and since my mother accuses us of never having enough clothes/blankets on Penelope, the following picture is just for her:

See - She's warm mom!

For the Penelope Fans

More Picutres.....

Hunchback-Penelope

Outfit courtesy of the Overbys - Thanks!

Wrapped up in a blankie from Great Grandma Rita.

Midnight Meanderings

A little insight to my thoughts last night while feeding Penelope at 12:30 (Yes, a.m.):

Usually I either don't remember or quickly forget my dreams. However, last night I made a point of remembering the dream I was dreaming when I got up to feed Penelope. I am neither an expert or dream fanatic, only stupefied as to how bizarre dreams usually are.

So, in my dream I was on the ranch I grew up on, out in the corrals. There were horses in one of the pens, but one of them had gotten out through a hole in the fence. (OK, pretty normal. What is weird is the horses that were there were ones that we owned when I was about 10, not any horses we owned in recent history. Weird how my brain put those particular horses there.)

Then, this guy is there with a pickup and trailer. On his trailer is an airplane. (odd, who drives around towing an airplane?) He gets into his plane, apparently to find the horse that got out, and attempts to take off. After failing, he ditches the plane. Then I look in the back of his pickup and see a space where a first aid kit should have been, but was missing. (Why would I notice that? I'm sure that probably "means" something important.) Anyway, the guy with the plane wasn't just anyone. He was a very specific someone, who I had met once in my life. I think he was the town drunk/sleezeball and for whatever reason, he was working for dad for a very short period of time. Why would I pick him out to be in my dream flying an airplane?

Then Penelope squeaked, so the dream ended and I got up to feed her.

At that point I was thinking about food and Thanksgiving (I must have been hungry). So I started to think about turkeys, then about chickens and the bizarre foods we eat.

When I was little, mom would always buy this canned chicken. When I say canned chicken, I mean the whole chicken was in a large can, skin, bones and everything, all attached. You opened the can and pulled out a small fully cooked chicken. I have never seen this since I have been buying groceries myself, and now seems a little odd.

Then my mind roamed to making some sort of cranberry salad/relish for Thanksgiving. When I was little.....we would always have jellied cranberry 'stuff' from a can. You cut off both ends of the can and pushed the stuff out and it stayed in one crisp cylinder. I think I ate too much of it years ago, because the thought of eating it again makes me a bit sick. However, I recently I saw something cool that would be fun to try: buy this jellied cranberry stuff, slice it, and use Thanksgiving-themed cookie cutters to cut out cool shapes, then use them as a garnish. Just a thought for those overly ambitious souls getting more than 4 consecutive hours of sleep at a time.

Then I was thinking of other weird foods we eat that seem perfectly normal until you think about them: Tubed crescent rolls, biscuits, and cinnamon rolls. Who came up with this idea, and how long do they last? Indefinitely I think, as long as they are in the refrigerator. After thinking about this a while, I feel slightly grossed out. I have no problem making biscuits by hand, and I've figured out how to make cinnamon rolls with the bread machine, but how am I ever going to figure out how to make crescent rolls by hand? Sounds like a lot of work. I guess I will just have to continue buying those cardboard tubes, and put up with the loud POP that always scares me more than a rogue mouse in the floorboards.

Penelope finally succumbed to another few short hours of sleep, so that was all the random-food thoughts I had for the night. Here's hoping for a great Thanksgiving that does not include whole-canned poultry, jellied cranberry stuff, and tubed crescent rolls.

A Nursing Appetite

I just had a hankering for a mid-afternoon snack and made pancakes. They are THE strangest pancakes I have ever made - something between a crepe and a leather wallet. I can't even blame Penelope....she was sleeping soundly the entire time I was cooking. Alas, you can't trust Google for everything.

Speaking of food, I have been meaning to write about my post-pregnancy diet. I'll just come right out and say it. I have never eaten more in my entire life. I thought I ate quite a bit during pregnancy, but it wanes in comparison to my eating habits lately.

There are some pros and cons to this new development. The best part, of course, is being able to eat anything and everything that you want. You would think there would be no downside to this, but I admit I actually get tired of eating. At 9:30 a.m. when I am eating breakfast for the 3rd time that morning, I sometimes wish this stage would pass.

Wayne and I were recently eating at a restaurant. I had just handed Penelope over to Wayne so I would have two hands (ah, the luxury) to eat the remainder of my meal, when the waitress asked if we needed a box. I calmly and seriously replied that I would eat the rest of my meal, and possibly the half of a sandwich that Wayne had left behind also. After the waitress left, Wayne burst out laughing, as he thought I was trying to be funny. I looked at him, and in between large mouthfuls told him I was very hungry still and quite serious!

One night before bed I was especially hungry. It wasn't as if I hadn't already eaten 3 (or more...) meals that day. After putting Penelope down, I went for a bedtime snack. On my plate: cheese & crackers, toast, two cookies and an apple with peanut butter. Yum.

Anyone up for an eating contest? Just as long as it's not these awful pancakes. But I would consider drinking the syrup...

Sunday Best

More Family Time!

When I was a kid growing up in South Dakota, I wasn't that close to any of my extended family. We didn't have family that lived very close. One set of grandparents and one family lived about 7 hours away in South Dakota, and everyone else that we were related to lived at least 12 hours away. I also didn't have any cousins my age. My closest girl cousin was Laura, who is 4 years older than me. I was the youngest cousin except for my younger brother Danny.

So it has been delightful the last few years to get to know some of my cousins now that we are all adults. It is also nice to live within 4 hours of all my Weeda relatives. We saw them all last weekend, and then this weekend we get to see some of them again!

First of all, my mom came to visit us last Tuesday, and will leave tomorrow. She doesn't like Penelope that much, but usually I can get her to hold her while I shower or load the dishwasher.

Walter & Linda Weeda came to visit Thursday - Saturday. It was nice to have them out for the first time since we moved out here.

Jason & Colleen's family came Saturday morning for Brunch.

Maddie & Penelope

The girls making decorations for the baby shower the next day.

Wayne & Rhealynn being musical

The kids tying the mouse to the cat's tail.

Mini Trip to Salt Lake City

This past weekend we drove to Utah, where we had loads of fun with Joanna & Danny, shopped and visited my Weeda relatives.

Is anyone else super annoyed that blogger uploads your pictures in reverse order?? Anyway, the pictures are in reverse order.

Rexi & Penelope

Linda & Penelope - looking quite zombie-ish

Madelynn, Joanna, Wayne & Donna

Sunday afternoon - Dave Gibson, Jason, Linda & Madelynn.

Picking on Wayne while he was playing the piano.

Planning something devious.

Bunny ears for Wayne, the pianist. He later taught several of them to play a nice duet.

Madelynn & Rexi were working on their computers, taking phone calls, writing tickets, and other things at their pretend jobs. (So Cute!)

Kaitlynn, Penelope, Gentri & Jaxon

Danny

Joanna

Jason, Logan, Colleen & Jadon

Rhealynn & Pen.

Danny: "Where's the batteries?"

Relaxing at the condo we stayed at in Park City.

Penelope and Aunt Joanna.

Who does she look like? (Part 2) & a genealogy lesson

This weekend we found out who Penelope looks EXACTLY like. She looks like her second cousin, Jaxon Rozema, who was born about 6 weeks before her. We went to Salt Lake City this past weekend for a mini-vacation (more on that later) and met up with my Aunt & Uncle, cousins, and cousin's children.

Jaxon is 3 months old, and seems a lot bigger than Penelope is right now. Penelope and Jaxon have a striking resemblance: Same large blue eyes, roundish head, hair in the back but almost none on top, and super sweet smile. The pictures don't do justice to how much they look alike, but they give you an idea. Jaxon was much more photogenic that night and had lots of big smiles for everyone, while Penelope generally wanted to suck on her Soothie pacifier.

During this visit, there was a short debate about who was a second cousin to who, what a first cousin once removed was, and whether or not John Edwards wife should have known he was on a yacht with 5 bikini clad women. (relatives.....) We will just focus on the first two debates.

So today you get a lesson on kinship terminology.

According to Wikipedia, my first cousins' progeny will only ever be my first cousins. They just become 'removed' each generation. (No, Colleen, you can't just remove the relatives you don't like, even though we may sometimes want to!) So Jaxon is my first cousin, once removed, because he is my mom's-sister's-daughter's-son. But Jaxon is Penelope's second cousin, because there is an extra generation involved - her grandparents. Jaxon is Penelope's Grandma's-sister's-daughter's-son. Yes, there will be a quiz at the end.

Wikipedia also defines the word 'cousin' as two people with common ancestors, so for those of us that don't want to Google a kinship chart every time they want to explain relations, we are safe calling any relative a 'cousin'.

Speaking of relations, I remember a tense car ride a few years back involving my brother and Wayne's brother and sister. Crammed into the Camry we drove during college, my brother Danny mentioned something about being related to Philip, Wayne's brother. At that point, a family - or perhaps a non-family - feud broke out as Philip and his sister Joanna vehemently denighed being related to Danny. After some yelling, tears, and a very loud, "just drop it, right now!", there was silence in that little car, as we all finished the ride staring straight ahead, thighs and shoulders touching.

The helpful Wikipedia kinship chart.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/European_kinship_system_en.svg

Another New Baby Cousin

Ryker Christopher was born October 12. He was 8 pounds, 9 ounces and 20 inches long. Congratulations Chris & Connie! We are excited to meet Penelope's newest cousin.

Who does she look like?

Well, we can't see any resemblance to anyone, however everyone has their opinions. So far we have heard lots of "just like Sheena" and "just like Wayne". Sometimes a little bit of both. We have also heard she looks exactly like Grandpa Douglas. Well, since she is bald on the top...

Another idea mentioned, is that she looks exactly like Grandma Cassens and Great Aunt Linda. Once we heard she looks like Uncle Danny.

Regardless of who she does or does not look like, here are some recent pictures of Miss Penelope Kate.

Sleeping Sunday afternoon.

Reading Harry Potter with Dad.

After a bath - Thanks Dini for the Towel!