This is Jane ten minutes after a bath and clean pajamas. Oh, you can't see beyond the furrowed eyebrows? Look closer:

In ten minutes, drool has engulfed her neck and soaked through her pajamas down to her bellybutton. Notice the nose. And the binky off to one side because she clearly can't breathe through her nose. And the wand is a nice touch.

Cate and I got really mild, little versions of Telfer's cold but Jane got the full force. Somehow, she sleeps really well…So we have been doing a lot of at-home-stuff. I broke out the cheerios and we made cheerio necklaces one morning. Cate was so into it:

While Jane crashed on the floor:

They played together one morning in their closet for a full half-hour. People keep telling me that my children will go upstairs and play together. I have never believed them before this. It might be true after all.

The months of January & February are over. Whew. I breathe a sigh of relief every year when they are done. On to March and spring and the promise of the Resurrection. Yes. I may have even ordered two pairs of little girl saltwater sandals this morning (orange!). 

We have had a mixed bag around here the last couple of weeks. Just in case you thought a food miracle occured and Cate now tries everything without freaking out: 

I had the audacity to make rice bowls with ground turkey and pork and vegetables with an egg on top. She ate the egg but thought the rest a grave insult to her well-being. Frustrating and funny all at the same time. Really? Ground turkey is worth this reaction?

We have had several visitors too. Michael Scofield, a Loma Linda friend, came for a lovely afternoon and evening and visited with us. Cate is still talking about the house he drew for her. My parents came a couple weekends ago for a very short, but fun visit. Telfer had vacation last week. We did go to the aquarium in Seattle for a day and met Liz & Macy for fish viewing and carousel riding. Mostly though, we did the things that are hard to schedule in real life. Telfer took a class at the hospital for a couple of nights, he took the car in for a service and we met with a lawyer for estate planning purposes. Being an adult is so much fun! 

On Friday, I headed up to Portland BY MYSELF. It was just lovely. I went to Powell's and Stumptown and then Powell's again. When RaChelle got off work she met me and we went to a wonderful early dinner at an Asian place called Ping and then had dessert. The two of us can seriously eat. RaChelle has come to Olympia about 18 times since we moved here and it was finally, finally my turn to go and visit her. We had a wonderful time talking, eating and walking around. Full disclosure: I stole the picture from RaChelle.

Telfer is mostly back at work this week but has a terrible chest cold. I think he's on the tail end of it. I have perfected the hot toddy recipe. He says it really helps. Now poor Jane has the cold and a fever. Do not worry. I will not be mixing up a hot toddy for Jane. So the girls and I are staying close to home today. We are going to snuggle and do laundry. 

Oh, one last thing: Jane is completely walking. Both my girls walked at exactly the same time: 17.5 months. Telfer took this video and it's only 22 seconds and he doesn't yell out encouragement in a high-pitched voice and the lighting is beautiful. So basically it's the opposite of my videos:

Telfer and I have a complicated relationship with the family dinner. When you have a picky, highly emotional eater it sounds so much better, and I mean so much better, to eat a real, adult dinner after the kids go to bed. So we have forced ourselves to have family dinner at least twice a week. Sometimes only once. To be fair, this is mostly due to Telfer's schedule. We have spaghetti with meatballs or stir fry with chicken or cheese pizza or dip-everything-into-hummus. That's basically Cate's real food repertoire. 

I think it's starting to get better. There has been significantly less screaming at mealtimes and we can actually eat at 5:30 without a meltdown (for awhile there it was 4:50 and both girls wanted dinner NOW). Last night I fixed a new recipe and there wasn't even a quiver of I-can't-believe-you-put-this-in-front-of-me. 

This cookbook is fabulous, by the way, even if you don't have kids. Everything I have made from it is really good. The recipes are simple without compromising flavor (some easy recipes are just not worth it in terms of depth of flavor). 

So last night I managed to make Sesame Noodles with Extras (recipe at the end of the post) – everyone could personalize their noodles with chicken, carrots, peanuts, scallions, cilantro, cucumbers and snow peas. And they ate it. We even got a conversation going about the best parts of our day. Cate immediately said "poop!" when we asked her the question. Of course she did! But who cares when she does this instead: 

Also, we have been watching a movie one night a week together. Kesley, our neighbor and Cate's major crush, is always invited. We have popcorn and take a break for pizza. Jane is less into the whole thing but it's so fun to cuddle up on the couch and watch a movie with Cate. So far we have watched Bambi, Enchanted and Beauty and the Beast. I am really not sure how Telfer got this picture. The idyllic little scene lasted for maybe 2 seconds. But I loved it!

Recipe for Sesame Noodles with Extras from Time for Dinner: Strategies, Inspiration, and Recipes for Family Meals Every Night of the Week.

1 1-pound box udon noodles or fettuccine (I had soba in the cupboard)
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
1 bunch scallions, chopped
1 handful snow peas, sliced
1 handful peanuts, chopped
1 handful cilantro, chopped
1 rotisserie chicken, shredded
1/2 cup bottled Asian sesame dressing (such as Annie's or TJ's ginger sesame)
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

1. Prepare pasta
2. Arrange the carrots, cukes, scallions, snow peas, peanuts, cilantro, and chicken in individual bowls.
3. In a blender or food processor, mix the dressing with the peanut butter. Toss the noodles with the peanut sauce.
4. Serve everyone a bowl of noodles and have them customize their own meals. 

The girls and I had such a nice Valentine's Day despite the fact that Telfer has been at work for what feels like night and day all week. It's not quite that bad but I know HE is tired and when Telfer is actually tired it means it might be as bad as I think. Telfer is loving and kind all year – we don't need just one day! Ahhhhh… He didn't have to be at work until 8:00 or so on Valentine's Day morning so he bought me a pastry and let me sleep in for 45 minutes extra. Really, what more do I need? 

 

Cate and I made Valentine's with heart confetti. I suspect I will be finding tiny, shiny little hearts all over the house for the next three years. I realized that it's kind of nice to not be particularly crafty because I have no real expectations when it comes to the final product. Crooked? No problem! Lots of glue? Who cares? We had fun…

On Saturday night Sherry and I went up to Seattle to hang out with Elizabeth in her neighborhood. It was so nice to be walking in a city – it helps that I had lovely company and good food (here and here and here).

In continuing with tradition, Jane is also a reluctant walker. With Cate I was actually worried but now with Jane I am resigned and just a tiny bit annoyed. I have to carry this kid EVERYWHERE!  I must say though, the prospect of facing my pediatrician at the 18-month-appointment with a non-walker makes me shiver a bit. We have one month. Go Jane, go.

Note on the video (it’s only 30 seconds). I had asked Cate a few minutes earlier what her favorite word was. She responded, “no” and “poop”. That sounds about right. So there at the last second she threw one of the words into the video. You can probably guess which one.