Michaelmas

Charlie wanted to tell you something:

 Since we have an abnormal amount of Michaels on my side of the family, and since we have a pretty amazing one living in our house, we decided to celebrate Michaelmas this year.  We looked up on Wikipedia what it actually was and then decided to just eat food Mike likes and spend time together as a family.  If you're interested in the actually holiday, here's the link.

 Mike grilled up some chicken thighs, and our baby bird stood by him with her mouth wide open saying, "Ahhhhhhh...." over and over until Mike would feed her some of the chicken.  She does this every night when I'm making dinner.  :)  My but that little gal loves to eat.

 I think he is so handsome.  But I may be biased.

We had chicken, mashed potatoes, and broccoli with cheese sauce.  Then for dessert we had one of Mike's creations called Cookie Cream.  It's just whipped cream mixed with crushed up Oreos.  You refrigerate it until the cookies get soft.  And it is goooood.

After he finished his cookie cream, he said he would feed Emily.  She took a bite and Andrew then took a bite.  I told him it was Emmie's and he said, "But Mom, we just sharin'."  He was pretty excited when she didn't want anymore and proceeded to stuff his tiny face while humming and dancing.  He was pretty happy.

Emily is all girl, choosing purple or pink anytime she gets a chance.  We love our new kid-friendly cups/bowls/plates.  (Thanks, Amy!!)  Poor baby fell off her chair, but she was okay.

 I firmly believe everyone should have a happy-go-lucky baby and wigs in the house.  Since acquiring the latter, C has been subjected to wigs anytime I feel frustrated or am having a bad day.  It always makes me laugh and cheers me up.  As soon as I put it on his head, he looks at me with this sly little smile because he knows I'm going to crack up.  Then he smiles and squeals.  Boy do we love our little baby!

But luckily, he cheers me up all the time, even sans wig.  He loves Cheerios and even ate a little broccoli tonight with his sister, the cheerleader saying, "Mmmmmm, it's good, Charlie!"

Taking a picture of Emily?  How about I jump in the picture instead?  :)  They both look so adorable in both of these shots.

The food was good, the kids were cute, Mike was wonderful, and it was great to spend time together.  I think we'll continue the tradition with more planning next year.  :)

Always a Laugh

These kids are pretty crazy, but they say the funniest things.

Andrew and I were making cookies tonight.  We put the butter in the microwave and he said, "Hey, where's the cookie button?"  I guess if it makes popcorn, it should make cookies.

He has been obsessed with doing science experiments lately.  His latest one was today was half a box of Shredded Wheat with a piece of cheese on top.  It was a hideout for bugs, and an experiment to see how many of his "pets" would eat it.  He has about a hundred fake pets, including Liz from Magic School Bus.

I don't know what's going on here lately, but we've had a lot of crickets and grasshoppers here lately.  Emily likes to follow them on her hands and knees while saying, "Hey there, hoppers!  Hi guys!"

She also has been talking to herself lately.  "Emmie, it's time for bed....Okay, Emmie.  I know.  It's time."  She hasn't disagreed with herself, and frankly, it's been super helpful.  It's nice to have someone else on my side.  Especially one with such a good negotiator.  :)

Wiggin' Out

Mike's grandma gave us some old wigs that were her aunt's.  We've been having a little too much fun with them.

 "The Marie Antoinette"

 

"The Little Orphan Annie"

 "The Politician" or "The Don Ho"



 

"The Muppet"

"The 75th Anniversary Party Styling"

"The Car Windows Were Down"

"The Modern"

:)

Cute and Smart - a Winning Combo

 Andrew watching old Disney cartoons.  What?  Don't you do that when you watch t.v.?

 I wish I looked that cute eating an apple.

 Andrew made a teeter totter out of his carrot.  And he ate most of it!  And he asked for more cucumbers.  I am so excited he's finally eating more things.

Banh Mi Bowls

Banh Mi sandwiches are delicious.  I mean, knock-your-loved-ones-down-so-you-can-get-to-the-meal-first kind of delicious.  So when I saw the recipe for Bahn Mi Bowls, I knew I had to try it.  It didn't look all that impressive but like I said, the sandwiches are worth fighting over.

 

 Oh. My. Gosh.  It was heavenly!  It took me about an hour and 15 minutes to do it, but would have taken less time if I had done it before.  New recipes always take way longer.  Mike and I opted to make some sriracha mayonnaise (just mayo, some sriracha hot sauce, and a splash or two of chicken broth) because it seemed a little dry without it.  The pictures were taken pre-mayo, but a tablespoon was more than enough.  We also didn't have cilantro, because I completely forgot to buy it.  And we used brown rice, because that's what we had, and I am a cheapskate. 

It was gorgeous.  I was surprised at how mild and sweet the pickled carrots and onion were.  The whole thing was just the right amount of spicy, and I don't think I can stop talking about this.

Okay, I'm done. 

Maybe...  It was so good, seriously.  You should make it.

Are you still there?  Wow.  I think I would have stopped reading a long time ago.  Way to go.

Love,
Karen

P.S. I made a really good dinner the other night.  It was a Bahn Mi Bowl.  Ask me about it sometime.  I'll tell you ALLLLLLL about it.

Lucky Seven

Seven month old Charlie is just about the cutest thing we've seen around here for awhile.  I love when babies get to 6 or 7 months, because their personalities shine through so easily then.  And boy does this guy have a great personality!  He is so cheerful, so funny, so curious, and so sweet.  The remaining four members of the Jacobs clan think he's a perfect addition.  (As Andrew told him yesterday - "You are SO cute!  You are a baby.  Yes you are!  You are OUR baby.  And you are soooo cute!  Coochie coochie coo!"

 

Taken after he sat and bit this book and my hand for 10 minutes.

"Yeah, das right.  Das my dad.  Yeah, try to deny it, tough guy!"

And look who can sit so well.  This week he started sitting up by himself.

Watching his brother and sister through the screen.

Friends

Lately I've been thinking a lot about friends.  I was lucky to grow up in a big family, providing me with my best friends, and then eventually marrying my best friend Mike, which in turn gave me a whole new network of family/friends.  Yeah, it's awesome.

I have had a lot of people come and go with all the moves we've had and I'm so grateful for them.  There are three people lately that I've been especially thankful to meet and call friends.  Their names are Meagan, Michelle, and Yvonne.

 Meagan

Meagan is such a creative person.  She is also extremely fearless.  She has 4 kids and one on the way, and yet she gets out and about with them probably 10 times more than I do.  :)  She is a great mom, a fantastic friend, a great gym buddy, funny, and so much fun to be around.  I think there should be a rule at the gym that two people should not be allowed to laugh as much as we do while working out.  However, the thing that impresses me most about her is how diligent she is in keeping the commandments of God.  When she gets an impression from the Spirit to do something, she does it.  She listens, obeys, and teaches her children what she learns.  I love my Meagan.

My friend LaDawn is on the right, and I adore her!

Michelle

   There are a lot of reasons to love and admire Michelle.  She is so gorgeous, so talented, so put together, and has a great happy personality that makes everyone around her happy.  She is one of those few people who truly sees others and makes a point to make everyone around her welcome and loved.  I think the main reason I am grateful for her is that she tries to always do what Heavenly Father wants her to do.  She is so comfortable talking about the gospel and applies it to every aspect of her life.  She reminds me of Esther in the Bible - strong, poised, faithful, and ready to do what God wants her to do.  (Plus she's super funny.)

 
 

 

Yvonne

If there was ever a woman placed on this earth to be an example of a humble follower of the Savior, it would be my friend Yvonne.  Seriously, when I grow up, I want to be like her.  (Never mind the fact that she is several years younger than me.)  She is fun, funny, sweet, loving, soft-spoken, careful of others and their feelings, a wonderful friend, and an amazing mom.  She is very organized but always willing to change plans if need be so she can help anyone in need.  Yvonne is just a true daughter of God, and I like her so much!!

 

There are so many others I could go on and on about.  Dereth, with her love and lack of whininess, no matter what life deals her.  Laura, for her ability to look past the abuse and sadness of her past and provide a fun, happy life for her children.  Natalie, for her ability to have fun and our ability to communicate silently when something weird is going on.  Liesel, for her steadfastness and gentle example.  Liz, because no matter how long it has been since I have seen her, it feels like we just saw each other.  My sisters, who are the best anyone could ask for.

 

There are so many more, but it's late and my brain shuts off at 8 pm lately.  I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm grateful for friends who make me want to be better and makes my life more enjoyable.  I hope to learn from them and become a better friend by their example.

Things I'm Loving...

The face Charlie makes before he freaks out.  (Here he was mad that it was taking more nano-second to get his next bite.)

 

 Mike taking Andrew into a quiet room and teaching him about tools.

This.

 

 Our dryer broke, and while we're working on that fun little problem, we are hanging up our clothes.  There's something sweet and fun even about hanging up your clothes to dry in the sun.  Andrew and Emily love to help, too.  And Andy's underwear look kind of cute on the line.

Emily insisting on wearing a helmet or hat all day lately.  The way Emily insists on wearing this helmet in particular is awesome.  

I like that I can be silly.  I was taking pictures of my shadow for my own amusement, and then realized that probably most 31 year old women don't do that kind of thing.  Maybe they do.  :)

The way Andrew holds Charlie.  And....playing peekaboo with him.  So sweet.

So sweet.

Reaping the benefits of having a garden.  Here's some of the spaghetti sauce I made with our tomatoes and peppers.  Not pictured are the bags and bags of chopped or shredded zucchini and peppers.  Yay!

School

I had been wondering lately how Andrew would do if we started some simple schoolwork.  He has always loved learning, and is really into books, so I figured it was worth a shot. 

 Holy smokes.  Yes.  The boy LOVES school.  He begs to do it all day long, and does an amazing job. 

 

 He even wrote his name for the first time!  I was so excited!  He has been doing really well writing letters for a long time, but refused to write actual words.  He drew Mike a picture and wanted to put it in an envelope as a surprise.

And he wrote this without any prompting on the spelling, thank you very much!  :)

Yes, I look a little worse for wear, but I was just excited (hence the clapping).  This was his first day of "school."

 He was pretty proud of himself.

 Good job, smart boy!