Six years

I am thankful today for six wonderful years of marriage to my best friend and hopeful for many more to come. Happy Anniversary Marc!

Our Week in the Bathroom and Kitchen

We have done a lot of two things this week... potty training and cooking. Not things you would normally associate together, but it is what it is. :) For the past few weeks we have been doing a sticker chart with Eli in the bathroom. He was still wearing diapers, but we would give him a sticker if he peed in the potty and also a cookie if his diaper was dry when he went.

We decided that we needed to just jump in at some point to see if he was really ready to potty train. So, on Monday I took him to buy some big boy undies and he has been wearing them mostly during the day since. He is having a few accidents each day (only two today!), but he does seem to be slowly catching on, (I am mostly telling him when to go at this point) so we are going to stick with it for now. I have a low threshold currently for when he gets rewarded because I want to keep him interested. I am very ready to be changing diapers on ONE hiney instead of two. We are leaving for Africa in a little over five months and it would be a huge help to have Eli toilet trained by then.

We have had several people over for dinner since we have been here in Morgantown. We have mostly invited people out of Marc's tropical medicine class that we wanted to get to know a little bit better. Many of the people taking this class are doing or will be doing medical mission work so it is neat to see all the places many of these families are going. There are also a few nurses who work for MSF (like Doctors without Borders, a secular humanitarian aid group) who are from Canada and Switzerland. It was so much fun getting to know them this week. One of the many interesting things I learned is that Canada offers a 12 month paid maternity leave (which can even be split up between the husband and wife if they want so both parents can stay home with their baby until six months!) and Switzerland offers six months. What?!? They were shocked to find out that working moms here only have a doctor excused leave for 6-8 weeks depending on the type of delivery. It is so fun getting to know people of different walks of life, and I always love an excuse to spend some time in the kitchen preparing a meal. :)

I haven't put up any recipes lately so I thought I would throw in a dessert recipe today. I found this on a blog a few weeks ago and decided to put it to the test this week. I am usually a little hesitant to try new recipes on guests, but I figured it would be pretty hard to mess up fruit in a pie crust. This was an EASY recipe. I really don't think you could mess this one up. The most time consuming part was peeling and slicing the peaches. I made it two nights in a row and it was devoured on both occassions. If the peaches where you live are as good as they are here right now then try this recipe!

Blueberry Peach Galette
Serves 4-6

1 pie crust rolled to 12 inches
3 cups fresh (or frozen) peach slices
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1/8 cup of sugar
1 Tbs. apricot preserves

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Mix the peaches, blueberries, and sugar in a bowl and set aside. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and roll out the pie crust. Place the fruit mixture in the center leaving a 3 inch border. Bring up the sides of the pie crust and pinch to seal in several places. Warm the preserves for a few seconds in the microwave. Brush the pie crust and the top of the fruit filling with the preserves. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes and then turn down the oven to 350 and bake for an additional 20 minutes. You will probably either have juice run out underneath the crust onto the paper or it will pool a little in the center but it still tastes great either way. You could probably mix in some flour or corn starch to your fruit mixture to help thicken the juice some. I think it all depends on how much water is in your fresh fruit. I served this with a scoop of ice cream. You can go to this blog post if you like step-by-step instructions.

Our Day in Pittsburgh

We really wanted to take a day trip with the kids to one of the neighboring cities but decided that DC was a little too far so we headed to Pittsburgh. We planned on spending most of the day at the zoo and then deciding after that if the kids were up for anything else.

We were originally expecting to pay $40 for the admission price of two adults and one child over two years but realized a few days ago that our Wichita zoo pass might get us in as part of the reciprocal zoo program. We were SUPER excited to find out that our zoos were "partners" and we all got in for free!

Eli had a great time seeing and naming all of the animals. He even got to pet a few! Here are some pictures from our zoo day. :)

 

There was also an aquarium at the zoo so we got to see a lot of different things that we don't see in Wichita like an octopus, a polar bear, sea lions, and sharks! It was also nice to take a break from the heat and be in the AC for an hour. :)

Eli loved running back and forth on this swinging bridge.

They had a little log ride that Eli really wanted to do but I was concerned he would try to get out of the boat in the middle of the ride (there were no lap belts) so I felt better once we found this little girl who needed a partner as well. They make a cute couple, don't they? ;)

I think Eli talked her ear off. Here he is telling her that they are on a boat in the water (I think he actually said that statement three times in a row). He didn't seem to mind that she wouldn't talk back. :)

And this picture says it all. At the end of the day we were all tired, hot, and thirsty. :) 

But... we decided we might not be back in Pittsburgh so why not see a little more!

We drove around for a little while so the kids could have a nice cool nap and then we went to the Duquesne Incline. This is an old (like 1877 old) incline cable car that takes you to the top of Mount Washington. Anything that looks or sounds like a train is a guaranteed good time for Eli and Marc and I really wanted to see Pittsburgh from the top.

Here we go!

And the view from the top

We probably could have picked up some food to go and called it a day after that but we decided to head down to Station Square and wait FOREVER to eat at Buca Di Peppo. Station Square luckily had enough outside to entertain Eli for an hour until it was time to eat.

We got Hailey a high chair for the first time at a restaurant. She is now eating table food and LOVES it.

We had a great day! I am thankful for two very flexible kids that let us get out and enjoy the sights!

Something Fun?

One thing I have learned over the past month is that kids need a change of environment several times a day in order to keep behavior and attitude at its best. They (meaning mostly Eli) just don't do well when we stay inside the apartment all day. I have tried to arrange the kids' nap schedules each day so that we have time to do something fun every few days. In fact, Eli has even woken up from his nap a few times and asked if we could do something fun. :)

Yesterday we headed to the Children's Museum. It is located in Morgantown's old mall downtown right next to the senior citizen dance lessons space (all of the retail stores are now gone and filled with odds and ends stuff). It costs $3.50 per child and children less than one year (and adults) are free. It was a VERY simple "museum" but I was quickly reminded of how children can be easily entertained with the most basic things. Eli and Gracie had SO much fun and no one wanted to part with the museum when it was time to leave. Eli loved the train set (of course) and climbing and jumping on the gym mats and tumble equipment (I have decided that Eli would love to take gymnastics!) Hailey had fun as well but she mostly just watched the big kids in action. :) I will try to remember to take my camera next time we go back.

Last week Dianna and I took the kids to Chik-fil-A in the afternoon to play. I love this restaurant. They continually go the extra mile to serve good food and make their customers feel special, not to mention that the restaurants are always so clean. Our play date outing gave me a good excuse to get one of their delicious shakes! The kids played for over an hour and had a great time.

There weren't many other kids there, but there was one little boy in particular that Eli was so frustrated by. He kept following Eli around everywhere in the tunnels which was driving Eli crazy. He was pretty non-verbal for his suspected age which I think Eli interpreted as non-friendly. Ha! I tried to let them work it out but I ended up playing referee (which is particularly hard with a non-verbal child!) most of the time. :)

Hailey thought this mirror was really funny that made her face odd sizes!

We have had lots of fun over the past few weeks. I think Eli is really going to miss his "other" sister for the next two weeks. Dianna and Gracie head back to Wichita on Thursday so Dianna can make up a rotation she missed from her maternity leave. I have a feeling I will be hearing a lot of "where'd Gracie go?" in a few days. Travel safe and we'll see you guys soon!

Kids' Day

We headed downtown yesterday for Morgantown's annual Kid's Day which was from 10 until 2. We decided to ride the PRT (park and ride transit) for the first time to avoid the traffic downtown and we knew Eli would love riding on a "train." This transit system runs between the university's medical campus and its downtown campus to make transportation easier for the students. Anyone who doesn't have a student ID can ride the PRT for $0.50, but we were happy to find out it was free for Kid's Day. :)

Once we got downtown it was CRAZY. I am not sure how many people were down there but the streets were filled. We had a hard time even seeing which booths had games that Eli would like to play so we escaped to Jimmy John's for some lunch. We have gotten some great use so far out of our new double stroller! It has fit through any doorway as long as the wheels are lined up together (which is sometimes harder than it sounds). It was a big help today!

After lunch we went to an empty parking lot where there were policeman, firefighters, and EMT personnel all with their vehicles. Eli loved this part. He got to sit in the firetruck by himself and on a police motorcycle with his daddy!

We ended the afternoon off at the public library since it was open a little later for the day's events. Eli would spend all day playing with this train set if he could!

Hailey and I just watched while the boys played. I love her little toothless grin and expressions. She just gets more beautiful every day. :)

We are heading to the pool after naps today. Have a great day!

Lovin' these Days

We are having the best time here in West Virginia. I have heard Marc so over and over this weekend about how much he loves our pace of life right now. We have so much down time, family time, and time to explore this little town. It has been wonderful. :)

Saturday Marc took his board certification exam! Yay!!! I can't believe he is officially done. It was wonderful seeing his look of relief when it was all over with. I think it felt really good for him to put everything he has learned over the past three years to use on that test. While Marc and Dean were taking their test all day on Saturday, Dianna and I took the kids to the Farmer's Market downtown and then made a quick stop to check out the public library. It was great fun getting out of the house for a bit. Eli really loved seeing all the dogs people had with them at the Farmer's Market and the library is definitely a place we will be hitting up again before we leave.

Saturday night Marc and I were able to get away for a date night while our roomies kept the kids for us. We went to a great little Italian restaurant on the river and dined outside. The weather here has been so nice at night. It cools off enough to enjoy most any outdoor activity. I have not been missing the 100+ degree days going on in Wichita right now! After dinner we came home to put the kids to sleep and then headed back out for a late movie. It was great getting away for an evening alone. :)

Hailey is growing so fast these days so I had to share a few pics before I head to bed. She is now pulling up to a stand and will take a few tiny steps along the coffee table while holding on. She is saying "mama" finally and eating table food. She prefers table food over her baby food which is SO different from Eli. I didn't think he was ever going to eat real food when he was a baby. She is so easy going. We just love her to pieces and I can't believe that she will be nine months old this week. Where has the time gone???

July 4th in West Virginia

We are quickly adjusting to our new home away from home. We are currently sharing a four-bedroom college apartment with our friends from Wichita here in Morgantown, West Virginia. We will be here for the next few weeks while Marc takes a tropical medicine class through the medical school here at West Virginia University. I am currently on "leave" from work until we return to Wichita and enjoying staying home with both kids while Marc is in class all day. I have felt so much less stress since being here. I am now realizing the many roles I was trying to gracefully juggle while still working full-time. I have always been a fairly efficient person which helps me get done what needs to be done while still working full-time, but it is amazing now how much easier it has been for me to tend to my home duties like cooking, laundry, and running errands now that I am home with the kids. It has been a much needed break and I think the kids are enjoying more time with their mama. :) I am blessed to have some great nappers so when I plan Hailey's afternoon nap with Eli's I usually get a 2 1/2-3 hour break which is when I cook dinner and catch up on some email or read a book!

We had a great weekend finding some new treasure spots in Morgantown and relaxing with some new found friends. We decided to abandon our original plans of going to DC for the 4th since Marc had to be back for class by this morning and DC is about 3 1/2 hours away. I think the kids probably appreciated us not putting them back in the car for 7 hrs. after they spent 20 straight hours in the car a week ago. So instead, we met up with another couple (and their two boys ages, 4 and 9) who are here for the class and went to the river to watch the fireworks. This was the latest we have kept either one of our kids up (we got home around 11pm) but we had a great time.... and Eli LOVED the fireworks. Marc put some earplugs in his ears when it all started and he sat still in Marc's lap through the whole show. Hailey tried to doze off to sleep on my lap, but I could never get enough of the noise muffled out for her with the jacket I had over her ears. She was a trooper!

Eli loved chasing these balloons all over the place before the fireworks started.

The fireworks show was great!

I will try to be better better about putting posts up during our stay here, but while I have found more time to do certain things during the day, computer time has not been one of them. :) I hope you all had a Happy 4th!