Looking Back

I just looked back on all my old posts and realized how much I appreciate seeing our family through the years when I was blogging regularly. It has made me want to continue just so that I can keep the memories going!

  Some things have really changed! Our one little bunny has morphed into about 8 plus babies! Our kitchen floor is still incomplete. Benedict and Felicity are now four and three years old and we have a new daughter, Lucia who is one year old. On top of that we have a new baby due in December! Our backyard pool is finally filled in and we have grass planted...although it isn't growing terribly well right now. I am sure there are plenty of other things that I could add but that's what comes to mind after reading my pasts posts.

  I hope to start updating soon with pictures and happenings in the coming days!

New Floor Updates

Well, it has been a terrible experience putting in the new flooring. I am sure to many people it would be an easy job, but for us, with two little ones underfoot, it has been a real challenge. Thankfully, we finally finished the most difficult section  and the rest should feel easy from here on out. The kitchen certainly has  a much different look! It is going to take some getting used too. Overall I like the warmer feel and it certainly is much cleaner then the gross old floor that came with the house!

 

 



We still have another easy section to lay and then we have to put back the molding and finishing touches. The clean floor now makes our old countertops looks even worse. We have come to the conclusion that our countertops are some form of cultured marble. We had no idea of that when we moved in. Apparently, you are supposed to use special products and cleaners on that type of countertop and we never did. So, our countertops are scratched, worn, and cracked. Much of the damage was there when we moved in, but we definitely added our own touches.I am considering painting them with a countertop enamel to see if I can at least cover the cracks and scratches. Plus, I really don't like this off white color. We would just replace them, but that is just not on the priority list right now.

It always feels good to finish a project. We are almost there...of course we still don't know if we fixed the issue that caused all the damage in the first place to the original floor...

Random shots I wanted to post the other day.

 

Random shot of my messy eater. She loves food! She is so silly and so very loud and demanding these days!

Ben mixing up all his little Mr.Potato head pieces with alphabet letters. He loves to put things into bowls and mix them around.

He was telling me that the flash was bright in his eyes.

 



Happy Sunday!

We had a lovely Sunday today. We made it to Mass and then stopped at the Conservatory on the way home to let Ben run around. He had such a good time we decided to go to the zoo after and spend a couple hours looking at the indoor exhibits. It was cold but the zoo was empty and we were able to look without rushing.

Yesterday we spent the whole day trying to make a pattern for our vinyl floor. I finally finished it and then realized that it was to big to carry as a whole piece...it fell apart.  It has been so frustrated to get it right! Anyway, we took a break from it today and hopefully will finish tomorrow.  I know it will feel great once it is done but the process is awful!

Nothing else very exciting going on here. It has been a nice weekend despite the floor drama. Matt is off tomorrow. It is always nice to have a three day weekend!

Hope everyone had a happy Sunday!

Rare Books ,Crawling Babies, and Dumb Dogs

As some of you know, Matt and I do a lot of buying and selling of kids books. We get them different places for cheap ( like .10). Well a favorite seller is Dr. Suess. We buy and sell A LOT of Dr.Suess. The other day I found a Dr.Suess book which I had never seen before. Before stashing it away with our collection I looked it up online. Turns out the book we bought for .25 is worth around $200! I love when that happens ( which is rare)!

I really love buying and selling kids books. I love kids books...and I like selling people something that is good and wholesome. We don't really make a lot doing this, but I enjoy it so much it is worth the minimal profit. And once in a while you come across something really awesome!

In other news, Felicity has learned to scale the step from the family room to the kitchen and she is very excited about that! It took Ben several days of trying to get up that step, but Felicity pretty much figured it out on the first try. Now she loves to go into the kitchen and "play". I will be happy when our new clean floor is down for her to crawl on.

Very happy about her new accomplishment

 

 

Currently our dog, Bernadette, is in the pool...I don't know how or why she does this..She has been running around in our yard for over two years and never fallen in the pool. Now she ends up in the pool EVERY DAY. It is so frustrating to have to go and pull her out. Bernadette is a "special" dog. She is just a bit weird and who knows why she ( I assume ) jumps into the pool. There is a squirrel that has been taunting her for the past two years. It walks across the electrical lline in our backyard everyday several times a day and laughs at the dogs as they bark away at it. It is one smart squirrel I think. So...I am starting to wonder if the squirrel doesn't lure Bernadette into the pool ...and "special" Bernadette falls for it EVERY time.  It is either that or are smart smaller dog, Kateri, is getting revenge on Bernadette by luring her into the pool and then taunting her. Seriously, she is out there run back and forth in front of Bernadette and looks exactly like she is teasing her.

 

 See, Bernadette is not only "special" but she is a bit of a tyrant. Poor little Kateri has to watch her back every moment. One second Bernadette is happily sitting and the next she is attacking Kateri. She attacks Kateri several times each day , I think to make Kateri stay close to the house, or at least it started that way. I think Bernadette feels she needs to protect Kateri from the big bad backyard which is threatened by people walking two blocks away and the terrible tight roping ( also tomato stealing) squirrel. No matter what her reason, poor Kateri is literally forced to stay on the back patio or hiding in a bush or along the fence.

 

That said, I don't think Bernadette gets it. She is a weird dog. When she is in the house she will climb into your lap..over and over again. She doesn't realize that she is WAY to big for that. She wants to be cuddled like a baby...its ridiculous. Moral of the story..don't baby dogs as puppies..it just makes them weird.

 

Well I have to go pull the mutt out of the pool (again) and then get ready to pick up Matt from work. It is a snowy day but hopefully the roads are cleared since I was out this morning.

 

It is COLD outside!

Brrr! It is cold outside and the temperature is still dropping! I feel like I am back in a Wyoming winter!  They say it is supposed to drop to 10 below today and it will feel like -40 degrees! I think we will be staying home today!That is COLD! I am very glad we replaced our furnace last year!

Speaking of replacing...over the weekend we replaced the bathroom floor downstairs. It was a project and took much longer than expected. We got the new wood down and this week we hope to lay down the new flooring in the bathroom, kitchen, and entry hall. We are planning to possibly paint the kitchen again since I have never really liked the color that we painted it originally. It  is a nice color but at night it looks rather dingy to me. It will  be nice to have fresh paint and a new floor! I will put up some pictures when we are done. I just hope it turns out nicely! I have so little patience for projects.

This bathroom project kicked us into gear to start really working on our house. We want to fix it up for sale ( God willing in the spring) as we first planned when we bought it. The market is really unstable right now and there is a good chance it will crash further. The house in our area do seem to sell reasonably well compared to other areas so it seems like the time is right.  We always planned to fix it up a bit and sell it, but having the two babies right in row made that a bit difficult. Now that they are getting older and less needy, it seems like a good chance to get to work! We found this house on the 9th day of our novena to St.Joseph  and bought it on his feast day, so we feel pretty confident he will take care of all the details when it comes to fixing and selling it!

Well the kids are getting fussy so I better go for now! Keep warm to all those who are in this artic vortex ( or whatever they call it)!











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Christmas ( again)

So my post yesterday morning with the pictures of the kids should have said Christmas Eve. I was just in a hurry to show my family pictures of the kids all dressed up. Felicity looked so cute in her little dress and Ben in his tie. It was impossible to keep Ben still long enough to take a good picture.

Anyway our Christmas Day ( after all Christmas has now just begun) was great. We went to midnight Mass and it was really beautiful. They said the Mass with the lights dim the whole time and the alter was lit by all sorts of Christmas lights. It really made you feel the birth of Christ once again.

Needless to say, we didn't get to bed until around 2 am on Christmas Eve, but the babies slept in so we all got enough sleep to get us through the day. Felicity didn't wake up until 10am and I had to go and wake up Benedict at 11am. He probably would have slept a few more hours! He has been so tired out by all the happenings. This morning they are both still asleep.

Ben enjoyed opening his gifts, though he wasn't much into the ripping things apart. He was more concerned with throwing away the trash ( wrapping paper). His favorite gifts this year were a Thomas the Train set and Mr. Potato Head.

I am glad that Christmas is celebrated for an octave and more! Christmas day passes so quickly and we get so caught up in running from one place to another that there isn't enough time to really enjoy it, let alone time to consider what it is we are celebrating. The Church is very smart in her celebrations!

Felicity (again)

Lol. The tape measure....

Felicity kept screaming and making her little cousin cry.

 

I know Ben is blurry but it was to cute not to post. He loves to rub her head.

He was very excited about this vacuum.

 

Well there will be more Christmas pictures to come I hope, as we move through the octave!

Christmas

Christmas Eve

I don't really have pictures to share today but I still wanted to post a Christmas Eve post. I promise a flood of Christmas pictures later!

Everything has been pretty normal here in the Menkhaus household. Felicity is at that age where she is learning to interact with others and to entertain herself. It is weird to imagine not being pregnant and having two little ones that are not super needy newborns anymore! In fact, not being pregnant after almost 2 years straight of pregnancy, has been really weird at times. I still even get phantom movements that I feel. So strange.

Yesterday I started making our Christmas cookies, and today I have to do all our wrapping. Poor Benedict and Felicity are on a terrible sleep schedule! We have been keeping them out late ( I have to go out in the evenings now since we only have one car) these past few weeks since going to Alabama and now they don't want to go to bed until at least 10pm and they sleep until past 9am in the morning. On days like today where I am not babysitting, it is nice to get to sleep in but I know getting them back into a normal schedule is going to be hard.

Ben used to be my easy sleeper. You would tell him it was time for bed and he would go run and find his binky and blanket and then run around giving kisses before heading upstairs. Once upstairs we said prayers , turned on his glowing seahorse, and he was off to sleep. Now...he still gets his blanket and binky but he doesn't go to sleep. He screams and cries in his crib and it sounds so pitiful. I try to rock him but his little body is just on a different schedule and he isn't tired.

Last night, I announced it was bedtime at 10pm and Ben went through his routine, but instead of going upstairs, he climbed up onto the couch with his cup, blanket, and binky and snuggled into the pillows pointing at the couch while looking at us and nodding his head. That was a first! He wanted to just snuggle on the couch. It was so cute and we didn't have to get up early so I gave in. We all sat down and watched a movie together.Half way through I took him upstairs and he went to sleep without a fuss.

Hopefully this staying up late schedule will actually be a blessing since we hope to make it to midnight mass tonight. We shall see!

Speaking of Midnight Mass, I can't believe it is Christmas Eve. I feel like Advent just flew by this year! his whole year seems like a blur! So many great things happened this year, the most important being the birth of Felicity. I guess  I will have to ponder a year in review post for later.

I remember how exciting Christmas Eve was as a child. You waited expectantly for Christmas morning. Now, I understand that there is the danger of spoiling your kids on Christmas morning...but when I remember being a kid...I never felt spoiled. Obviously, I didn't think about it, but looking back...I always loved Christmas morning and I appreciated all the gifts I was given. It was just a special holiday. I loved setting up the tree and going to  look at the lights in the neighborhood. I remember driving to Grandma Bakers house in the snow a couple of years while listening to Christmas music. I knew it was the birthday of the baby Jesus, and I love it all. I hope my kids feel the same.

Well, it is Christmas Eve and that means I have cookie to bake, present to wrap, and babies to dress. I hope everyone has a  wonderful and blessed Christmas. Remember to celebrate the entire season and not just Christmas day!

Oh! And they say we won't have a White Christmas...but it is snowing right now!

Happenings, Snow, and Christmas Trees

So I finally have time to sit down and write a decent post today!

Life has been non stop for whatever reason since we came home from Thanksgiving. I guess it is because as soon as we got home both kids and Matt were sick with a cold. The babies only had a mild version but Matt had to take some time off work to get over it. Thankfully we are almost over it all now.

Last Friday Ben went in to have tubes put in his ears. We had a super early appointment and were able to get home right before the snow started. He did a great job! He handled everything without one complaint or cry. The doctors and nurses were very impressed. He was a little wobbly and sore at home after the surgery but otherwise he has been doing great. Hopefully we will see good results for him in the future. He already seems to be picking up on more words, but maybe I am just looking for changes.

After we got home on Friday the snow started and it didn't let up the entire day. We got at least 5 or 6 inches. It was beautiful and Ben loved seeing it. It is the first real snowfall he has ever seen and could enjoy.  Since Matt had taken off work for Ben's surgery we were all at home and could enjoy just watching it fall and staying warm inside.

While we are on our trip to Alabama the heat in our car stopped working. It was a major problem due to the fact that it is cold and the windshield kept freezing over while we were driving. It made it almost impossible to drive. We worried about it and checked into how much it would be if we needed to replace the radiator fan as someone suggested might be the problem. The mechanic said it would be around $500.00. That would really have been a major set back for us due to Christmas and everything else we are working on paying. So we thought about getting a portable defroster but couldn't find any in our area on short notice. Finally we started googling the problem and came across a few suggestions to check the blower resistor and the radiator fluid. It turns out that the blower resistor is a super easy fix. We called the mechanic and they wanted to charge $179. We decided to do it ourselves. You basically pull down the glove box and it is right there in front.It took less then 10 minutes to change it out and cost only $20.00 for the part. We were skeptical it would work, but low and behold the heat is now running better than ever!! Thank you Lord!! We were so happy we decided to do it ourselves!

After we fixed the heat and could drive safely we headed up to the Christmas tree farm to get our tree. It was fun to go in the snow! We pulled Ben around in the sled and he loved it! The babies got their picture with Santa too. Ben was completely freaked out but Felicity couldn't have looked more comfortable sitting on his lap. We are not going to be telling our kids the whole " Santa is real" thing but we still think it is fun to get the yearly picture. To them it will be a make believe story very loosely based on the real St.Nicholas.

Ben eating his cookie while waiting in line for Santa.

Ben was horrified and Felicity had no fear.

Looking for a tree.

Cutting down the tree.

Pulling the tree to  the drop-off

He had fun in the sled.

 

Thanksgiving and more

So our internet is finally fixed and I can get back on here to add pictures!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving in Alabama this past weekend. I have more pictures but here are a few for now!

My sister started the tradition of decorating Ginger Bread houses after dinner. Ben was tired but he enjoyed it I think.

Ben's first Ginger bread house

 

Menkhaus Family ( with Maggie) enjoying an after dinner bonfire.

It was cold but the fire got really hot.

 

                                     



Felicity and PePaw

 

 

Right before we went to Alabama Ben got his first heircut. I was a little worried he wouldn't sit still but he did great!

 

Playing on the slide after his haircut.

Lol, Felicity loves food and I had to share this random pic of her eating squash.

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever!

Okay, I have been in search of the best Chocolate Chip cookie recipe out there and I finally found one I really like alot! They are big ,soft and chewy in the middle, and just perfect. I have made them twice and both times they came out perfect! I wanted to share it here.  I wish I had taken a picture but I was running around trying to take care of the babies in between making them.

Giant Chewy Chocolate Chip cookies

 

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 egg

1 egg yolk

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

 

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
2. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.
4. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

I have found the secret to cookies it taking them out of the oven right before they look done and letting them cool on the sheet. It makes a world of difference! Enjoy!

How Do You Eat Your Oreo?

Ben had his first Oreo cookie yesterday as a reward for eating all his dinner. I gave it to him joking with Matt about how is he going to eat his Oreo.  Like the commercials... some people eat it whole, some people twist and lick out the filling, etc. I fully expected Ben to just bite into it or shove it all in whole and eat it like he eats everything else.

Well...

 

 

He is a twist a lick kind of guy! Who would have thought! I was surprised!

 

 

 There isn't a lot going on here these days. We are excited about Thanksgiving next week! We are headed down to Alabama for the long weekend. It has been awhile since we have been down so we are really looking forward to it. I just hope the babies will do alright on the long car ride.

 

 

 Benedict is currently having a conniption fit because he can't get the little board books back in the box they came and it has been driving him crazy all morning. He gets so frustrated! He has very little patience with things. He has also gotten very loud . I have been trying to teach him to take it down a notch but how do you make a one year old be quieter? If anyone has ideas let me know!

 

 Ben loves the evening time after dinner when daddy is home to play with him. His favorite games right now are looking at the little people animals and learning what noise they make. He seems to know quite a few because I find him holding an animal and making it's noise when he thinks I am not listening.

 



He loves this time with daddy!
 

 

Felicity is growing through a growth spurt ! She is learning to be more content and not cry all the time. She now enjoy baths ( which she used to hate) and I have found they help her be more calm in the evening. She is still extremely attached to me, but she spends a lot more time watching her brother and jumping in the Jumperoo on her own now . I look forward to that day when she can play with Ben too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is Friday Again

This week has slipped by so quickly and I have not had a chance to write a post. We have been doing a lot of nothing it seems.  The days fly by so quickly! Anyway, here are some pictures from our week and I promise to try and get back to posting at least a few times a week!

Nope he isn't trick or treating. He has to collect leaves every time we go for a walk so we grabbed the "pumpkin" bucket. Otherwise I have to wait while he tries to carry them all in his hands.

Ben playing storytime with the babies

Yep

Yesterday we went to the Children's Museum. Ben had a GREAT time playing with all the exhibits.

Snap Shot Friday Again

Alright it is Friday again! Here is a few shots from the week.

She rolled herself up and it was a perfect photo.

Jumping into his ball pit

She loved it!

 

Have a great weekend!

Random Happenings

This past we weekend we took a trip to the zoo and then took Ben to a kids show. He loved it.  He sat on Matt's lap the whole time and Felicity sat beside him on my lap. Every so often he would reach over, still watching the show, and rub her head. It was so cute. But, the best part was when Felicity reached up for Ben's hand ( or whatever she could grab) and he took her hand and held it. They sat there for some time just holding hands and watching the show. It was probably one of the cutest moments I have seen so far between the two of them. I wish I had a picture!

I bought Ben a toddler bed at the mother's sale I went to on Saturday. I want to get Felicity started on the crib so we needed another bed.Yesterday we set it up and Ben was very excited. At bedtime he ran up to his room and climbed in without a fuss ( well, he never fusses come bedtime) . He had no problem sleeping there last night. I guess it makes him feel bigger because he seems very proud of it. Now if he will just stay in it for nap time. That may take some work.

This morning I gave Felicity her first food. I don't remember how Ben reacted to his first food but Felicity loved it!  I gave her the first bite and her face lit up. As it all came pouring back out she gave me the biggest, happiest smile. She was very excited! The whole time she was kicking her legs, smiling and acting silly as she ate. By the end she seemed to be getting the hang of swallowing it. I think weaning her may end up being very easy, but it is still awhile before I have to think about that!

They are growing up so fast! I love being able to watch them try new things but it is a little sad too. I guess that is part of being a mom.

Felicity all bundled up at the zoo this weekend

She was jumping happily and then I  looked over and she was fast asleep!

Snap Shot Friday

Okay I have a moment and I got some great snap shots today so I wanted to post them.

Playing together. Ben actually wanted to smile this morning for me.

Smiles!

She is finally enjoying tummy time and is starting to scoot and roll herself across the floor.

 

Solemnity of All Saints

Just popping in to wish everyone a happy and blessed Solemnity of All Saints! A great holy day of obligation!

We are celebrating by taking Ben to the ear doctor. I will be so glad to get this appointment over with and if he needs tubes then to get that going. Just today he was pulling on his ears and that made me wonder if he has yet another infection. Poor kid! He is so used to getting them that it can be hard to tell.

Tomorrow I am going to a mothers exchange sale. I have not been to a really good one, so I hope that this one proves worth the effort. It is going to be CRAZY crowded. If the prices are good I am willing to deal with the crowds and the insanity. Moms can be crazy when it comes to saving a few dollars! I admit, I can be guilty of this too, so I have to reel in my natural inclination to run everyone over. Okay, not really...most of the time.

Well, I don't have time to write more now ( someone needs a diaper change) but will post again later!

Autumn walk

Yesterday evening during the break in the rain we took a little walk down the street. It was perfect rainy day walk weather. It was just barely warm, wet and foggy. And the leaves are at the height of their brightness as they fall from the trees. Ben enjoyed splashing in the  puddles.

Along the way Ben picked up a few "treasures". By the end of our walk he was clutching a long stick, a pinecone thingy (which is now in the centerpiece on our table), a big red leaf, and a rock. He was determined to carry them all and we had to stop several times to pick up one of the things he dropped because his hands were so full.

This prickle was not a keeper.

Hitting the trees with his stick

After the walk he got a bath :) He is finally getting some hair!