Most Useful Kitchen Tools

After an entire season of holiday baking, I feel inclined to clue you in on some of the most useful kitchen tools I've acquired from my wedding registry and elsewhere. Here goes...

• Calphalon One Non-Stick Cookware: I have used dozens of different brands and types of cookware - and this stuff is by far the best! It's expensive...but well worth the money. Aaron and I got a 10-piece set and it's all guaranteed under a lifetime warranty. We originally bought the Calphalon stainless steel set and HATED it (because everything stuck to it and the pans became discolored)...so we exchanged it for the non-stick cookware and now we'll never use anything else.
  
• Calphalon Contemporary 17-Piece Knife Block Set: Great knives are essential. The 17-piece set we have comes with 8 steak knives, 7 specialty knives, kitchen shears, and a sharpener. It's nice to not have to saw at meat or vegetables with dull knives anymore.
  
• CorningWare and Pyrex: You can never have too much of this stuff! Each set comes with a variety of sizes of dishes & lids and can be used for many different purposes: casseroles, mixing bowls, condiment dishes, baking dishes, storage for leftovers...and the list goes on and on.
  
• Excellent Everyday Dinnerware: Aaron and I registered for Everyday White dinnerware from Bed Bath & Beyond. Each piece is porcelain, heavy, and durable. White is great because I can have a variety of accent plates for different occasions and seasons. White is so classic!
  
• Cookie Scoops: With all of the baking magazines I've been reading lately, I was bound to run across some new kitchen tools to make life easier. Cookie scoops are just like ice cream scoops - except smaller. One you've mixed up the cookie batter, use the scoop to shape the batter and drop it onto the cookie sheet. Scooping the cookies ensures that they will be the same size and bake evenly. There are 2 sizes to choose from: small (2 teaspoons of dough) and medium (1.5 tablespoons of dough). I use the medium scoop for cookies and the small scoop for truffles.
  
• Parchment Paper: I wish I would have discovered it years ago. My cookie sheets always get ruined by non-stick baking spray (it leaves behind a sticky residue that is impossible to remove). All you have to do is place the parchment paper on a cookie sheet, put cookie dough on the parchment paper, and bake as usual. The same sheet of parchment paper can be used for the entire batch of cookies! Clean-up is as simple as throwing the sheet of paper away and putting the cookie sheet back into the cabinet. WARNING: Parchment paper and wax paper are NOT the same product. When I was 12 years old, I decided I'd put wax paper onto a cookie sheet to make clean-up quicker. Bad idea. In less than 3 minutes, the entire kitchen was full of smoke and the wax paper had melted to the baking sheet. And my cookies were ruined. Oops.
  

I hope my list of most useful kitchen tools helps you! I'd love to hear what your most useful kitchen tools are :)

Here's to Wonderful Friends...

Aaron and I have the best friends in the entire world.

We invited 3 of Aaron's old roommates (Mani, Robert, and Julian) over to exchange late Christmas gifts and have dinner tonight. Even though they've been Aaron's friends for years longer than they've been my friends, they love me just as much as they love Aaron. They might even love me a little more because I can cook. Juuuuust kidding.

But seriously...I love our friends for so many reasons. They would do anything for us at any hour of the day. They hang out with us even when we sit around and do nothing. They don't hesitate to ask us for help or favors. They're always extremely grateful for my cooking and baking skills. They love Aaron even when he antagonizes their German Shepard with an empty wrapping paper tube. They even know us well enough to get Aaron computer stuff and me baking stuff for Christmas.

Sometimes I wonder what life would be like without wonderful friends...and then I stop wondering because it's kinda depressing. Let me just take a moment to thank all of our wonderful friends from high school, college, Elevation, small group, work, and anywhere else we may have met you. Aaron and I are incredibly thankful for your friendship and unconditional love. We love you so much.

My Favorite Holiday Recipes!

Here are some of my favorite recipes from this holiday season! They're great to make all year 'round...so give 'em a try when you're in the mood to bake!

Doubly Decadent Truffles
(from Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publications: CHRISTMAS COOKIES)

Prep time: 30 minutes
Chill: 3 hours 10 minutes

14 oz. premium dark baking chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup whipping cream
2 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. amaretto liquor
10 oz. milk chocolate, chopped
2 tbsp. shortening
2 oz. premium dark baking chocolate, melted

1. Microwave 14 ounces premium dark chocolate, cream, and butter in a large microwave-safe bowl on 50% power (medium) for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes or until mixture is melted and smooth, stirring 3 times during cooking. Stir in liquor. Cover and chill mixture for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until almost firm.


2. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. Shape chocolate mixture into 1-inch balls using a 1-inch scoop; place balls on prepared baking sheet (mixture will be sticky; balls will be irregularly shaped). Chill about 1 hour or until firm.


3. Microwave milk cocolate and shortening in a medium microwave-safe bowl on 50% power for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes or until mixture is smooth, stirring twice. Dip balls, one at a time, into melted chocolate. Let excess chocolate drip back into bowl. Place truffles on baking sheet lined with wax paper. Chill about 30 minutes or until set.


4. Place 2 ounces of melted premium dark chocolate in a resealable plastic bag; seal bag. Snip off a tiny corner of the bag. Drizzle chocolate over truffles in a crisscross design. Chill truffles about 10 minutes or until chocolate is set. Makes about 48.

• TO STORE: Place truffles in a single layer in an airtight container; cover. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks or freeze for up to 1 month. Let stand 30 minutes before serving.

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Chex Muddy Buddies
(from the back of the Chex box!)

Prep time: 15 minutes
Start to finish: 15 minutes

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 tsp. vanilla
9 cups Chex cereal (I usually do half Rice Chex, half Corn Chex)
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (make sure there are no lumps in the sugar!)

1. In a large bowl, measure cereal; set aside.


2. In a 1-quart saucepan, heat chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter over low heat, stirring frequently, until melted. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla.


3. Pour chocolate mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated.


4. Pour into 2-gallon food-storage plastic bag. Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Store in airtight container.

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Chocolate White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
(from Paula Deen's Holiday Baking 2007)

1 (12 oz.) package semisweet chocolate morsels
1/3 cup butter
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 (11 oz.) package white chocolate morsels
1 cup chopped macadamia nuts

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.


2. In a medium bowl, combine semisweet chocolate morsels and butter. Microwave on High in 30-second intervals, stirring after each, until chocolate and butter are melted and smooth (about 1 1/2 minutes total). Let cool 5 minutes.


3. In a large bowl, beat sugar and eggs at medium-high speed with an electric mixer until thick and pale. Gradually beat in cooled chocolate mixture until combined.


4. In a small bowl, combine flour and baking powder. Gradually add to sugar mixture, beating until just combined. Stir in white chocolate morsels and macadamia nuts. Cover dough with heavy-duty plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.


5. Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets and bake, in batches, for 15 minutes. Let cool on pan for 2 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

• Makes about 6 dozen cookies.

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Ooey Gooey S'more Bars
(from Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publications: CHRISTMAS COOKIES)

Prep: 20 minutes
Stand: 1 hour

Nonstick cooking spray
1 10 1/2 oz. package tiny marshmallows (about 6 cups)
1/4 cup butter, cut up
1 tsp. vanilla
5 cups Golden Grahams or Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal
2 cups tiny marshmallows
3/4 cup peanuts, chopped
1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

1. Lightly coat the bottom and sides of a 13x9x2-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray; set baking pan aside. Lightly coat wooden spoon and large microwave-safe bowl with cooking spray.


2. Combine the 10 1/2-ounce package marshmallows and the butter in the prepared bowl. Microwave on 100% power (high) for 1 to 2 minutes or until mixture is smooth and melted, stirring twice with the prepared spoon. Stir in vanilla. Gradually stir in cereal until mixture is well combined. Stir in 2 cups marshmallows and the peanuts until well combined. Stir in 1/2 cup of the cocolate chips.


3. Press mixture evenly in prepared pan using the back of the wooden spoon (coat spoon with more cooking spray as needed). Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cocolate pieces. Lightly press cocolate pieces down with the spoon. Let stand 1 hour or until set. Cut into bars. Makes 24.

• TO STORE: Place bars in a single layer in an airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature for up to 5 days or refrigerate for up to 1 week.

Little Wheezy

Christmas at the Fowlers was great...except for the part where I caught a cold on Sunday and was sick the entire time I was there. Oh well. If there's any kind of sickness going around, you can bet I'll catch it.

I was feeling much better after work today and decided to go for a 2-mile run. That was a bad idea. Aaron has been calling me "Little Wheezy" all evening. Honestly, I've never been one to wheeze...but between trying to get rid of a cold, battling killer allergies, and the MOLD growing in the vent system in our apartment, I'm not really surprised I've begun to wheeze. Maybe I should have my lungs checked out...

Anyway...Christmas was wonderful! Although Christmas is NOT about the gifts we receive, I did get some really cool stuff:

• Sean and Tonia gave Aaron and me 12 glass bottles of Jones Pure Cane Soda (Strawberry Lime flavor) with our wedding picture on the labels! The soda is special because it's made in Washington state where they're originally from. I don't have any idea how the soda tastes because I can't bring myself to open the beautiful bottle!
• Aaron's parents gave me a new pair of Asics running shoes! I've needed a new pair of running shoes for a long time...and I haven't worn another pair since I got them!
• We got lots of ornaments for our future Christmas trees. As a newly married couple, we didn't have any of our own ornaments with memories attached...but now we do! When our kids are decorating the tree 10 years from now, we'll be able to tell them the story that goes along with each one :)
• My parents gave me an embroidered CITADEL hoodie! I love supporting my brother and his school...so I can never have too much Citadel paraphernalia.

I got lots more stuff, but those are just a few of the highlights. More than getting gifts, I like to GIVE gifts.

• Since Sean and Tonia are such coffee junkies [Sean is actually a coffee snob :) ], I made them some dark chocolate biscotti to go with their coffee. It was my first attempt at making biscotti, and it didn't come out half bad if I may say so myself.
• Aaron and I gave our parents some really neat photo albums from the wedding using a website called mypublisher. The books were absolutely gorgeous and exactly what I had imagined. I think our moms have already shown the books to everyone they know. No, seriously.
• I stole one of Paula Deen's ideas and made "Cookie Mix in a Jar" and "Brownie Mix in a Jar". They were a huge hit with all of my girlfriends because all they had to do was dump the mix out of the Mason jar into a bowl, add butter and eggs, stir, pour into a dish, and bake! And the layered ingredients looked really cute in the jar with a ribbon tied around the top :)
• I think I baked stuff for Aaron to take to work every day last week. Baked goods are a wonderful gift because it's something I put my time and effort into...and at this point in my life, time and effort are extremely valuable to me.

Well, I think it's time to let my husband drive my wheezy self to the Harris Teeter to get some chicken noodle soup. Mmmmmm...

T'was the Night Before Christmas...

House hunting on Wednesday went well. Really well. We think we've found the house we want to buy! Aaron and I are hoping to make a decision by the end of this week. We'll keep you posted!

Aaron and I had a great weekend with my family! My parents, Bryn, and Tiffany came to stay with us in our two-bedroom, 1000 square foot apartment. I had no clue how we'd make it work, but we did!

One of my favorite parts of the weekend was cooking dinner with my mom on Saturday night. They brought 10 pounds of fresh shrimp from Charleston and we made my mom's famous shrimp and rice. At one point I got a little frustrated because our kitchen is so tiny. There was nowhere to put all of the food and we kept running into each other. My mom reminded me that sometimes the fun part of stuff is working with what you have. Thanks, Mama!

On Sunday we went to Christmas @ Cricket! Elevation Church and Newbirth Charlotte joined together for an incredible sevice at Cricket Arena. Aaron ran the computer and sound for the E-kids production in Ovens Auditorium and they ended up having over 500 children in attendance! Over 5,000 people attended the main service! It was an awesome day...

Aaron and I arrived in Simpsonville last night to spend a few days with his family. We brought Hobbes with us and he spent the first 24 hours hiding behind the couch in the TV room. He has just decided to come out in the past 20 minutes. Hopefully he'll eat some food and be a little more playful for the rest of our visit.

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas tomorrow! Remember what the day is really about...not presents or food or Santa...but Jesus and miracle of His birth.

House-Hunting Day #1

Soooo...Aaron and I went house-hunting yesterday with our friend (and agent) Eric! It was a lot of fun to walk into a house that could potentially be ours in the future, but it was also stressful for me to see everything that needed to be done to make that house a "home". Although we've already been pre-approved for a mortgage, I'm still really nervous about making such a huge investment. When something leaks or breaks or goes awry in our future house, we can't just call the landlord to come fix it. Owning a home is a big responsibility but I'm sure the benefits will greatly outweigh the downfalls.

We viewed 3 houses in Charlotte yesterday, only 1 of which was a real possibility. We liked that one, but it was a bit smaller than we were hoping for. It was, however in an awesome location. Food, shopping, friends, and church were either across the street, down the street, or less than 5 minutes away. Maybe we could sacrifice space for more convenience and less travel time...

We had also hoped to view 2 houses Eric had sent us in online listings for Fort Mill. Since he needs to take care of some paperwork in order to show us those houses (because they're in South Carolina instead of North Carolina), we weren't able to go inside those homes yesterday...but Aaron and I did a quick drive-by after we finished with Eric. One of the houses was really tiny, but the other one was a gem (from the outside, at least). The Fort Mill house has a lot more space for just about the same price as the homes we were looking at in Charlotte...and the yard is ideal for us. We called Eric immediately and asked him how soon he could get us in there. We're going to look at it tomorrow at 12:40pm. Aaron and I are about to burst with excitement and anxiety.

I think Eric could sense that I was getting a bit overwhelmed yesterday...not because we weren't seeing houses we loved...but because I'm a habitual worrier. I'm always thinking, "What if?" or "How can we possibly make this happen?" You know what? We won't make it happen. But God will. If Aaron and I are meant to buy a house in the near future, everything will go smoothly and work out just fine. I can't let Satan creep into my head and ruin a process that's supposed to be lots of fun for Aaron and me.

I asked Eric if looking at houses was like trying on wedding dresses. I don't know if he could relate, but I think he knew what I meant :) Will I know immediately when I walk into the house that it's the one we want to buy? Will I have the we-must-buy-this-house-now-or-I-think-I-might-die attitude? He says it doesn't always work like that. But he's never tried on wedding dresses, either. We'll see when we go to the Fort Mill house tomorrow.

Thanks, Eric, for taking time on your BIRTHDAY yesterday to show Aaron and me a few houses! We think you're awesome at what you do and we really value your time, opinion, and skills. It means a lot to us that you're looking out for our best interests and guiding us through this process we know nothing about! You rock :)

I got a lot done on my day off yesterday. I wrapped some presents, cleaned the apartment, did some baking, treated myself to a manicure and pedicure, house-hunted, baked some more, and hung out with my husband. Pretty good day if I may say so myself :)

Potty Training and House Hunting

I've been waiting to announce this exciting bit of news because I didn't want to jinx the process...but SAM IS POTTY TRAINED! Woohoo! I'm excited. Can you tell?

We've been working to get Sam potty trained since I started working in September (and I'm sure his parents were working on it before that). He never seemed to care that all of his friends and classmates were potty trained. When I told him that I didn't know any 3-year-olds who still wore diapers, he said, "Oh! Well...I'm almost 4!"

Precisely my point.

Sam's 4th birthday was on December 11th. When Liz began planning his party about a month ago, Sam informed her that "Mrs. Allison doesn't know any 4-year-olds who aren't potty trained...so I'll be potty trained when I'm 4." I was a bit skeptical to be quite honest.

I thought some Spongebob underwear might help the process along...so Aaron and I bought Sam some for his birthday . When he opened them, he said, "Oh, Mrs. Allison! These Spongebob underwear make me so happy!"

Sam decided that the day after his birthday party was the time to start wearing underwear...and he's done great ever since. He no longer puts up a fight when I tell him to go potty. He's able to "hold it" if we're in the car and can't get to a potty immediately. He even wakes up from his nap with dry underwear!

While we're on the subject of potties and bodily functions, I have a funny story. Sam was sitting on the potty yesterday when all of a sudden he passed gas. Very loudly. He looked at me with a straight face and said, "Mrs. Allison...my bottom is just like Thomas the train. It says, 'Chugga chugga TOOT! TOOOOOOT! GAS! GAS!'"

Where do kids come up with this stuff?

Not only little boys find it amusing to talk about passing gas. The entire male population thinks it's funny. Including my husband. And all of his co-workers and friends.

Last night Aaron and I were lying in bed and I was telling him that funny story about Sam on the potty yesterday. He laughed hysterically. Then he told me a story about a co-worker who passed gas in his cubicle yesterday (it was so bad that his female boss eventually had to evacuate the room). He could barely talk he was laughing so hard. I laughed at him laughing. I asked him why the subject of passing gas was so funny and he gave me a list:

1. It makes a funny noise
2. It makes a funny smell
3. It's just funny

Thanks, Babe, for that extensive and well thought-out list. I'll be sure to remember it.

Switching gears a bit, Aaron and I have begun the process of searching for a house to buy! We've been pre-approved for a mortgage, met with our friend Eric who's a real-estate agent, and are going to look at a few houses tomorrow. We're so excited!

Since I need to be off Wednesday afternoon to look at houses, I'm taking the entire day off to get some last-minute Christmas stuff done, too. I need to:

• finish straightening up the apartment so Mama, Daddy, Buddy, and Tiff can come stay with us this weekend
• wrap some presents so we'll have something under the tree
• do a crazy amount of baking
• treat myself to a manicure/pedicure :) (I haven't had one in almost 3 months!)

Please pray that Aaron and I are able to figure out what's really important to us in a house. We have lots of dreams about what we would like, but we really need to focus on what's right for us at this point in our lives. My mom said it perfectly when she told me, "The right house is out there for you. You just have to be patient and search until you find it."

Patience. That's something I've learned a lot about lately. I was patient with Sam's potty training and you see how well that turned out. Patience in the house-hunting process will turn out well, too, I hope.

Decorating the Tree...

Our tree is so cute! Aaron and I put the lights on and decorated it when we got home from work. Yes, the tree was still standing...but there were many more tree needles on the floor :/

Hobbes acted completely uninterested in the tree when we were around:

When Aaron began to taunt him with ornaments, he became a little more interested:

Here are some of the ornaments we put on the tree:

This is our first Hallmark ornament (and my personal favorite!):

We're not quite finished decorating the tree yet, but here's what it looks like so far:

Buying Our First Christmas Tree!

Aaron and I bought our first Christmas tree last night! We've been so excited about having our own tree and the wonderful smell that comes along with it. I met him at the tree lot in Rock Hill last night after work and I'm pretty sure I had a goofy grin on my face the entire time. We had so much fun! Since we don't have a lot of room in our apartment (and we didn't want to spend a ton of money on a tree we'll throw out in a few weeks), he and I decided that we'd get a "Charlie Brown" Christmas tree this year...and it's the cutest tree I've ever seen!

After we purchased our tree, put it in the back of Aaron's 4-Runner (yes, the entire tree fit inside his truck), we went to Target to buy our first Christmas tree ornaments! Target always makes me happy, but Target at Christmas time is the best. My favorite color has always been blue...and I've always wanted a blue and silver Christmas tree. Aaron helped me pick out the most beautiful ornaments in the most beautiful shades of blue (he's so good at that stuff!). Next we got some white lights (Aaron's only requirement for our tree), a tree stand, a tree skirt, and some ribbon to wrap around the tree (his parents' tradition). We couldn't find ornament hooks anywhere...so we went to Michael's craft store and CVS to get some...but they didn't have any, either. I can always count on Walgreens, however, to come to my rescue. By the time we got home, put the tree in the stand, "discussed" where we would put the tree (my choice won!), and rearranged the furniture, neither of us felt like decorating. Plus, Aaron left his stellar collection of Christmas music at work...and we can't decorate our first Christmas tree without Christmas music! So tonight after work we're going to decorate...and I'm so excited! I'll be sure to post a picture with tomorrow's blog :)

When Aaron and I woke up this morning, we walked into the living room to look at our tree...and saw a BIG mess courtesy of Hobbes. He must have stayed up all night playing with the tree limbs because a bazillion Christmas tree needles were strewn EVERYWHERE. He even had them stuck to his little pink nose! I told Aaron to look at the bright side: at least the tree was still standing! "Yeah, he replied. "It's still standing, but the tree will be completely bald by next week if Hobbes doesn't leave it alone!" Hmmm...this is very true. Hopefully we still have an upright tree with needles attached when we get home to decorate it tonight. I have a feeling we'll be facing a new battle when we actually get ornaments on the tree. I'll keep you posted.

I hope everyone's getting into the Christmas spirit! Only 13 more days!

Day 2 with the half-dozen:

Day 2 of babysitting the half-dozen was a bit more difficult than day 1...mainly because Aaron was there. The mood is different when he's around. He doesn't purposely make it more difficult, but the kids seemed to go bonkers when he's around. Go figure.

Aaron and I took the kids to Elevation this morning. They went to E-kids while we went to the service together. He and I hardly ever get to sit together or go to the same service anymore because of our crazy volunteer schedules, so it was nice to be with him. It sorta felt like we were on a date :)

After church, Aaron helped me get the kids to the car. As we were trekking across the parking lot, I said to Aaron, "I feel like the Hubatkas right now!"

"Who are the Hubatkas?" Matthew (the ll-year-old) asked.

"They're good friends of ours who have lots of kids," Aaron said. "They have 4 girls."

"That's not a lot!" retorted Bradley (the 5-year-old). "We have 6 kids!"

Aaron and I laughed.

All in all, we had a great weekend with the munchkins. I loved watching Aaron with them and it makes me look forward to being a mommy to our babies (sometime in the distant future!). Mary Beth and Kurt are going away again in March...and I hope they'll invite us over for another weekend :)

Day 1 with the half-dozen:

Day 1 of the weekend babysitting job is almost over...and it's been a wonderful 24 hours. The children have been so cooperative, helpful, and loving! The only sad thing about today is that Aaron couldn't be with us. He's on-call for work this weekend and stayed at our place last night so he didn't have to drive 45 minutes to work this morning. He worked all day and should be here soon...

After one day with the kids, I've learned that:
I'm Annaliese's (2) new best friend, Bradley (5) and Rebbekah (almost 8) always argue over who gets to sit next to me on the couch when we watch Christmas movies, Matthew (11) is my biggest helper who keeps the house spotless (without me asking), and Ashleigh (13) is the great big sister who keeps everyone in line.

When I tucked the older girls into bed last night, I asked them who would be the first one awake this morning. I guessed Annaliese, but they assured me that she would sleep in. Oh, how I wish that were true.

My day began at 6am when I heard the sound of Annaliese coughing through the baby monitor. She has a little cold, so I figured her medicine from the night before had worn off. After a few minutes of constant coughing, I decided to get up and give her another dose of cough medicine. She gratefully drank it (evidently it tastes like "bubbledum!") and I thought she'd go back to sleep. It was 6am, after all.

I crawled back into bed but couldn't fall asleep again. Her coughing persisted. After about 20 minutes she got quiet and I thought she was asleep...until I heard this little ditty through the monitor (translation in parenthasis):

God ow fada, (God our Father)
God ow fada, (God our Father)
Wonce agin (Once again)
Wonce agin (Once again)
Tank you fo ow bessings, (Thank you for our blessings)
Tank you fo ow bessings, (Thank you for our blessings)
Aaaaaaaamen! (Amen)
Aaaaaaaamen! (Amen)

I don't remember the last time I laughed so hard. I wished Aaron was with me so he could get a taste of what I experience everyday. He has experience with children and he's great with them, but I feel like he never gets to experience the silly little things they do that make me love them so much. Maybe Annaliese will wake us up with another cute song in the morning. At 9am this time.

Aaron just got here...and he's already the new favorite babysitter. When Bradley showed Aaron that he lost a tooth yesterday (yes, I was the "tooth fairy" last night!), Aaron asked him how much money he got.

"A whole dollar!" exclaimed Brad.

"Ooooh," said Aaron. "What are you going to buy with your dollar?"

"I dunno," said Brad.

"Well, if I got a dollar from the tooth fairy, I'd buy candy," Aaron said. "You see," he explained, "if you eat candy, then your teeth will rot and fall out and you'll get MORE money!"

Only my husband would think of a plan like that.

"Don't listen to a word he says," I said quickly. "He's just kidding." Then I shot him the evil eye. Having children with this man is going to be one of the most fun/challenging/fulfilling/exhausting adventures of my life. I can't wait! Well, actually, I can wait a few more years...but you know what I mean :)

The kids are in the other room asking Aaron a million questions, so I'm off to poke fun. I'm anxious to see what tomorrow brings...

Weekend Babysitting Gig

Aaron and I have a fun-filled weekend ahead of us. Well...I think so, anyway.

Our friends Mary Beth and Kurt have asked Aaron and me to babysit their children from Friday afternoon to Sunday evening so they can go out of town for a little alone time just in time for Kurt's birthday . No big deal, you're thinking. That'll be fun.

Well...what if I told you that Aaron and I will be responsible for 6 children this weekend? That's right. Six.

When I first mentioned the idea to Aaron, I knew what he would say.

"What?" he said in disbelief. "Are you crazy?"

I was right.

After a bit of coaxing and reassurance, Aaron gave in to my plan. I assured him that these children are not like most other children. They're extremely obedient, almost completely self-sufficient (except for maybe the 3- and 5-year-olds) and so incredibly sweet. It'll be a piece of cake. I think.

After 10+ years of childcare experience, I'm pretty sure I've seen it all...and I'm positive that Mary Beth and Kurt's kids are some of the best around. I am a little nervous, however, that after a full week of Sam and Toby I may be a little frazzled when Monday comes around again and I haven't had a break from children.

Toby is usually laid-back and low-maintenance, but he caught the "whiny bug" sometime last week and hasn't gotten it out of his system yet. I play with him, feed him, give him milk, put him down for a nap, drive him around in the car, take him to fun places to play with Sam, but his whining only seems to cease for 5 minutes at a time. The only time he's completely quiet is when he's watching Sesame Street (thank you, Lord, for Sesame Street!). Liz thinks he's getting into that stage where separation anxiety is an issue (and I totally agree). Please pray that I can continue to practice patience in the next week and a half. My tank is already on low and it's only Tuesday.

Sam has been doing better with remembering that things don't always go our way and hasn't thrown a fit getting into our out of the car at school in a few weeks. He has also been keeping his pull-up dry in the past few days...so he's made some great progress lately. Today I was thinking back to when I first started watching Sam and Toby - and Sam has grown by leaps and bounds. I'm very proud of the changes he's made in his daily attitude and demeanor. I think we understand each other pretty well now.

Anyway...Aaron and I will stay with the kids this weekend and I'll let you know how it goes. I'm sure I'll have lots of great stories to share!