Powder Puff

Today was A.T. Still University's Founder's Day.  There are lots of activities, lectures, things to do for the students/families and alumni. There are no classes held on Founder's Day.  This afternoon, we went to the annual powder puff flag football game between the 1st year girls and the 2nd year girls.


The girls play.  The boys cheer.

Gabe was really good the whole time.  He never made a peep unless there was cheering. . . then he would scream.  He hates cheering.  There was a big dog that he was pretty interested in, but I didn't get a picture of the dog.  Just picture in your mind a big, grey, fluffy dog.  With light blue eyes.  There you go.

Gabe rode on Phil's shoulders for the first time.  He liked it.  His mouth was open and he was breathing heavy the whole time.

Unfortunately, the 1st year girls lost. :(

Harvest Festival

Since Gabe's been sick, we haven't been out too much, so there haven't been too many interesting things to post about.  Except for...The Harvest Festival.  I already told most of the family about it, but on Saturday, I took Gabe out to the middle of nowhere (literally - we passed through a town to get to this 'homestead' in the wilderness, and that town, Millard, had a population of 75!) to an Open House at a hippie homestead.  I call it hippie because the girl in SAA who posted the information online referred to them as 'hippies' and I call it a homestead because that is what the girl who was dipping candles (a hippie herself, I assume) called it as such. 

Anyway, from what I gather, this particular place/ranch/homestead/ is fairly new in the area and is an experiment in what's called permaculture.  If you're absolutely dying to know what permaculture is, you can look it up at Wikipedia, but for all intents and purposes, it is living in a way that is very eco-friendly.  These people are very green.  They grind their own grain using bicycles, raise chickens and goats, make their own candles, build stuff with wood (they were showing a child, I would guess 4 or 5-year old, how to saw wood with a real saw while I was there), dye their own homespun wool, etc...  Most of them have pretty big beards and go barefoot everywhere. 

Well, every September, this homestead, which is called Possibility Alliance, hosts an open house that they call the Harvest Festival, which is when the public is invited to come take tours of their land, drink their hand-pressed cider and get to know what life is life in a permacultured world.  You should check out their flier, posted in various shops in Kirksville, which is where the news originally spread.

Gabe and I went alone because Phil was studying.  If you're wondering why Gabe's not in any of the pictures, it's because I was afraid to set him down on the long grass (you never know what kind of Missouri bugs are just waiting for some chubby legs to suck on).

 

Under the Weather

Gabe, as far as I could tell, wasn't feeling very well the past two days.  It started yesterday with a runny nose, and was probably exacerbated while we were out and about at exercise group, the park, running errands, our long walk, and then babysitting at night while Phil and I went to a meeting at the school.  He felt warm and was really whiny, so we stayed home most of the day today.  By the end of the night, he seemed more Gabe-like.
Despite probably not feeling well, he did have a lot of fun yesterday, especially while we were outside.

 

   

BIRTHDAY SPOTLIGHTS: ABBIE & MORGAN

Yesterday was Abbie's birthday! He turned a whopping **. Ya mon!

Today is Morgan's 13th birthday! Unfortunately, I don't have any really old pictures of him at my disposal, but here's one from our wedding.  He's the one in the yellow tie :)

 

Please Color Within the Lines

How often would you say a four-year-old colors in a coloring book? A few times a week? Maybe more, especially when mom needs some quiet time. . . Now, how many times a week would you suspect a medical student uses a coloring book?  If you guessed EVERY DAY, or even multiple times a day, you'd be right! Whenever Phil gets a spare moment, he whips this baby out and gets the artistic juices flowing.

Another note about medical school:  Earlier this week, Phil was elected into Student Government as the Executive-at-Large!  This means he is a member of the university's executive council, and will attend all the council meetings and vote on university issues.  He also serves as a public relations officer for student activities. 

One more medical school happening: Phil rocked his OTM test this morning!  Woohoo!

Kim & Clay

Woohoo!
Today is both my dad's and my aunt's birthday.  They are brother and sister, but not twins.
 I tried to find the oldest pictures of them that I could find, and here is what I came up with.  Happy Birthday!!!

Tooth #3

"Totally makes sense." That is what Phil texted me after I sent him a message telling him that Gabe has a new tooth - the third one on the bottom.  The last few days, he hasn't been sleeping very well at night, and he's been waking up ridiculously early.  In between all of the recent smiles, he has been crankier than usual. . . until today.  I had to wake him  up this morning.  I'm pretty sure he would've slept indefinitely.  He was very groggy and disoriented, and when I reached out my hands to pick him up, he grabbed them and thrust them away!  His naps today have been very similar, as I've had to wake him up from those, too.

I tried to get a picture of the tooth, but got these instead.  If Mitra is reading this, I hope you notice his robot shirt :)

Red Barn Festival

The Red Barn Festival happens every September on the square in downtown Kirksville.  It's kind of like Salt Lake's Farmer's Market - booths upon booths of arts and crafts and food.  I actually think it may be just as big, too.  Several streets were blocked off to traffic and the booths, and people, lined the streets.  Phil had to study today, so I walked Gabe over.  I bought some cinnamon buns, which Gabe loved, and looked around. We didn't stay too long, though, because it was freezing!

I know I posted last week about the inefficiency of generic diapers to hold massive poopies in, but it seems that no diapers are a match for Gabe.  He managed to still have several blow-outs the past few days, which resulted in extra baths.  He was in such a good mood after the cinnamon buns that I took some pictures of him in the tub.

Evening at the Lake

Tonight was the first time since we've been in Kirksville that Phil and I were able to go out without the baby!  The SAA put on an Adults' Night Out at the lake and babysitting was provided by students volunteers at Truman State.  We took Gabe over to the TCC (the gym) at 6:00.  There were a ton of kids, but even more babysitters - probably at least 2 per child!  Then, Phil and I had until 9:30 at the lake with other couples to have a BBQ dinner, smores and games.  When we picked Gabe up, he was being pretty good, and since we've been home, he's been crazy happy. He's just been laughing at the couch, at the measuring cup, at the bath tub filling up, etc... I wish we had gotten pictures at the lake, but my camera was dead, so here is a little video of the happy baby.

Buttermilk Banana Bread, Baby Blanket & Bum-chafing

It's what I'm eating.  It's what I'm making.  It's what I'm feeling.  Let's start with the buttermilk banana bread that came out of the oven only minutes ago. 

 It's sweet, soft and warm - perfect for this winter weather we've had today!  Believe it or not, it's frigid here in Kirksville!  It may very well be that we've been so accustomed to the warm/hot/blistering summer that this sudden dip seem outrageously cold, but I stepped out of the house this morning and I didn't smell autumn anymore.  I don't know how many people out there are like this too, but I identify with the seasons based on smell.  Every three months or so the smell of the air starts to change.  One whiff and I know where we're at in the year.  And, a whiff is about all we got of autumn, the best season of them all, and then BAM! Winter. :(  Anyways, this bread settling down nicely and deeply in my stomach, pudging me up for the coming cold months.  I found the recipe in a cookbook made a few years back by the spouses and partners of the medical students, and it truly is a fool-proof recipe, one of those recipes that you get perfect on the first try.  If anyone is interested, here is the pretty simple recipe:

Buttermilk Banana Bread
 2 eggs
1/2 c. butter
1/3 c. buttermilk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. mashed banana
1 1/2 c. white sugar
1 3/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Pre-heat oven to 325.  Spray one 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with non-stick spray.  Blend together eggs, butter, buttermilk, vanilla and bananas.  Sift sugar, flour, baking soda and salt.  Add to banana mixture.  Mix well.  Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

- - From "SenSAAtional Favorites: just what the D.O.ctor ordered", by Jessica Crapo, 2008 

FYI: if you do make it, don't get scared when it's been in the oven for an hour and the edges are all starting to look really dark.  It's not burnt!

In addition to becoming a comfort food connoisseur, I have also been turning into a granny. . . a granny-square maker, that is.  For those unfamiliar with granny squares, have a look at the pictures.  I'm making a blanket for Gabe's room.  I wasn't going to unveil it until I was done, but knowing me and my crafting skills, it is highly likely that this blanket will not turn out the way I envisioned.  So, I'll show it in progress.

This last picture is where I'm at today.  I found instructions and a tutorial on how to make granny squares here.  I got the idea for joining them together here.  And inspiration came from here.  It's nice to sit down and have something to work on after Gabe's gone to bed and while Phil is still at the library.

As for the bum-chafing, I went to my first spinning class this morning.  Exercise group started this week, which means that every morning at 8:30 I drop Gabe off in the basement of the gym along with another couple dozen of children who get babysat while their moms go workout for an hour.  All the moms take turns babysitting (my day is Tuesday).  Gabe has a lot of fun.  I was able to observe him yesterday while I was babysitting, and he just crawls and crawls and crawls.  Sometimes he'll pick up a toy and put it in his mouth.  Sometimes he'll sit up for a minute and laugh (at what, I have no idea). But for the most part, he just crawls.  By the end of the hour, though, he's usually ready to go.  I went in to get him after class today, and he was being held and had tear stains down his cheeks.  He went to sleep on the way home.
Anyway, I had my first taste of spin this morning, and it kicked my butt!  Or, should I say, chafed my butt.  Not only was the workout grueling, but I had never realized before why hard-core bikers wear padded shorts.  Now I know.  Rather than type away about this further, I will show you some pictures (not of the chafing!) of Gabe from today. He's got some major double-chinnage in this one.

 

 I tried to get him to stand up by the fire hydrant, but he wasn't having it. 

Block Tests & BBQ

Phil had his first round of block testing today.  He'll find out the scores of his exam tomorrow, but feels that he did alright.  After the test, he was a free man for an afternoon.  Since all of the material covered in the last few weeks was covered on the exam, everything after today will be new, so he had nothing to study.  We celebrated by going to the BBQ at the park, put on by the school.  Good food, good friends, and several dogs, which appealed to Gabe. PS. Mom, Gabe petted a dog that looked just like Sebastian. :)

Sunday Porch Photo Shoot

I love this boy more and more every day!

Robots & Spaceships

Today is not my little sister's birthday.  Her official birthday was last Saturday, but today, one week later, is her long-awaited Robot Birthday Party!  Mitra and my mom have been planning this party for months.  I mean months and months. A little side note: my mom is the party-planning queen!  There will be cool games like Shoot Space Gun Discs Through The Robot's Mouth, Use The Clampy Robot Arm/Fingers To Grab Moon Rocks & Run Them Down To The Other Side Of The Room, Scavenger Hunt For Robot Parts (NASA had an incident :)), and TWO Awesome Pinatas!  Oh, and all of the food is space food.  I wish I were there for it!

This 7-year-old has changed a TON over the years. 

From this . . . 

To this . . . 

To today . . .

Have lots of fun today!

Generic Diapers

Don't do it!  I used to think, "No big deal.  They're all the same. Generic is cheaper and just as good; therefore, two plus two is four." Not true.  We recently bought a generic brand from a store that I will not name and we have had more blow-outs (or run-up-the-backs), less absorbancy and more diaper rashes than we've ever had. 
Generic diapers may be cheaper, but they are not worth the extra diapers you have to use each day because they don't hold as much.  Nor are they worth all of the baby soap and shampoo (yes, people, it's been getting in the hair), the extra wipes and Boudreaux's Butt Paste necessary to offset the diaper rashes.  And, they are definitely not worth the headache. 

Rather than share with you an image from our generic diaper mishaps, I'll just show you a cute backside. P.S. He pulled himself up to the couch on his own here.

Yogurt Time!

Yogurt Time is what I affectionately call mine and Gabe's daily ritual of sharing yogurt.  Yogurt Time happens (almost) every day between the hours of 3 and 5 in the afternoon, when Gabe (and I) start to get the pre-dinner munchies.  

Here are the ingredients for a really great and successful Yogurt Time:

-clothes off

-Dannon Oikos Greek Vanilla Yogurt

-spoon

-wet wash rag or baby wipes

Yogurt Time is Gabe's emotional peak of the day, as it is both joyous and devastating.  He never gets quite as excited during any other activity.  He flails his arms and bounces up and down and lunges for the spoon whenever I get too slow.  However, when the yogurt is gone, he freaks out. . . The only other time I've heard him scream louder than at the end of Yogurt Time is when he's fallen off the couch.  Sometimes I let him lick the Dannon cup clean, and then he cries the whole way as he follows me to the garbage can to throw it away.

Yogurt Time - Try it in your own home today!

Destination: Truman State

Truman State University is Kirksville's liberal arts college.  Founded in 1867, it came into being just a couple decades before A.T. Still University.  Just a mere two blocks from our duplex, Truman State is a common destination for Gabe and me when we go on our walks.  The campus is beautiful, as you will see from the pictures. 

 

Truman State wasn't always Truman State.  In fact, that name has only been around since 1996.   The school has gone through several name changes throughout the years.

  

There are tons of trees on campus (hello, we're in Missouri!), and the buildings are all covered in plants.  Most of the buildings look a lot like this one - old, stately, intellectual.

All of the buildings have these brick/stone pillars in front of them with the name of the building inscribed on them.  A good compass for new students.

Apparently, the picture below is of "the quad."  According to Wikipedia, this spot once held a pond which was pumped dry to try and put out a fire in the library back in the 20's.  The dry pond was filled with dirt and covered with grass - ta-da.

Here's Gabe, looking smart.  Alumni of 2030-something (I'm guessing).  Will we be calling them the 30's like the last century?

Environmentally and economically-minded :), Truman students save by posting announcements in chalk.

We're not at BYU anymore. . .

Purple Pride:  Phil says the Bulldogs are not the most winningest team in Division II/III; but if that's true, you can't argue that they have school spirit. 

Gabe needed to catch his breath, so we rested in one of the gazebos on campus.  The entire campus is really well-manicured: trees are trimmed, grass cut, flowers vibrant.

I thought this statement is similar to BYU's "Enter to learn, go forth to serve."

Thank you for joining us on our little destination.  Stay tuned for more adventures in Kirksville!