Happy 2 Months Andrew!

Also, I wanted to share a chili recipe we had for dinner tonight. It was delicious and easy to make-Dad, I think you will like this one! Instead of simmering it on the stove, I just threw it in the Crock Pot for a few hours on low. Enjoy!

Foggy Day Chili

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, cut into 1/4 inch dice
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, undrained
• 1 can (15 ounces) pinto beans, undrained
• 1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes, with their juices
• 1 teaspoon salt or more to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Dried red pepper flakes (optional, but I included about 1/2 teaspoon)

Heat the oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until the onion and garlic are soft but not browned, about 1 minute longer. Add the beef, and break up the meat with a wooden spoon.

Increase the heat to medium-high and add the cumin, chili powder, and oregano. Cook, stirring frequently, until the meat is browned and cooked through, about 7 minutes.

Add the black beans, pinto beans, and tomatoes, with their liquids, and bringing the chili to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and let the chili simmer, gently stirring occasionally until thickened and the flavors are concentrated, about 45 minutes.

Add the salt, then taste for seasoning, adding more salt as needed and black pepper and red pepper flakes, if using, to taste. Serve the chili hot with bowls of grated cheese and tortilla cips on the side, for garnish, if desired, and corn bread.

If you are not planning on serving the chili at this time, let it cool to room temperature. It can be refrigerated, covered, for up the 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.

Snowed In!!!!!

We got hit with ANOTHER snowstorm the past couple days!!!!! Words can't even explain how much snow we have, so here are the pictures to document this craziness:

A view from our front window

Check out our van...can you find it? (Yes, I did say van...I can't believe that we made this big purchase this month for our growing family. I never thought we would drive a minivan, but I do love it for hauling the kiddos around)

Our HUGE snowbank in the back

The snow goes all the way to the top of our porch railing

Chris and Aiden with the massive snow

The snowbank is almost as tall as Chris!

Trying to navigate through the snow which is taller than him!

WOW Mommy, this is a lot of snow!!!

I have to give a BIG thank you to our neighbors who dug our driveway out with their snowblower. Chris really appreciated not having to scoop and scoop and scoop-although he spent at least another 1 1/2 hours scooping sidewalks, the back driveway, and an area for our dogs to get out.

There is literally nowhere to put this snow! I had to take Andrew to his 2 month appointment today and the roads are just FILLED with snow. It took us an extra 20-30 minutes to get there and find somewhere safe to park on the street, but we made it safely so that is all that is important.

I'm SO looking forward to heading south with the boys in about a week to visit my mom where hopefully we can finally be able to play outside some and go for walks! We will miss Chris, but are looking forward to this busy season getting over in one more month!!!

Survivor: The Game Hasn't Ended!

We are still in the midst of survival mode with Chris working crazy "busy season" hours and me managing the two rugrats! Aiden continues to have some issues with his sleeping (waking up early, difficulty to get to sleep, and even some night waking), which means that we are two EXHAUSTED parents. I'm ready for this phase of "no sleep" to leave this house so I can feel like I have some sanity to my life. Despite his lack of normal sleep hours, he still has an abundant amount of energy which keeps me on my toes all day and adds a lot of humor to my day. I have to feel blessed with how easy Andrew is so far. He sleeps well, eats well, and is very content throughout the day!! Thank goodness:):) Here are some pictures from the past few days:

First of all, by the end of the day, our house looks like a tornado hit it! You just can't keep up with a busy toddler:

Andrew and Aiden in their doggie pajamas! They are most likely watching "Wheels on the Bus"! Thanks to Grandpa Ruff, we now have the DVD and CD version of the song. Between the two, I think I listen to "Wheels on the Bus" at least fifty times a day! Aiden plays the song over and over and over...

Enjoying some Andrew snuggle time-it usually happens once Aiden gets to sleep!

Staying busy with blocks. It takes some creativity to be a stay-at home parent. We used these blocks as a road, balance beam, something to jump over, a tower, and much more. During the day, we play lots of toys, read lots of books, do crafts, and whatever else I can think up to keep this kid busy! (Especially since we are stuck inside so much-spring PLEASE PLEASE come soon!!! I'm ready to get out!!!!)

Loving the smiles-Andrew is a happy lovebug:) I can't believe that he will be 2 months on Friday!

What a way to spend a Saturday-reading, reading, reading. I hit up the library sale on Saturday and got such good deals. Each book was like 5 or 10 cents so we loaded up. Aiden LOVES books, just like his mommy!

Doing some tummy time and getting so strong. Andrew's days are spent alternating between the bouncer, swing, carrier, playmat, crib, and mommy's arms. Not a bad life for a baby who is almost two months:)

Enjoying a few, precious moments with Daddy. We can't WAIT for busy season to get over so we can see him more often:

Sunday was a whole day spent in pajamas. Between Aiden being sick, Andrew being so young, and this nasty cold weather, the kids were stuck at home all weekend. (Again, spring PLEASE come!)

Despite all the chaos, these two are finding time to love one another!

Dance Fever

Aiden just LOVES to dance:)

Enjoy watching Aiden doing some of his favorite moves to the Elmo Slide:

Survivor: The Rogers Household

Sometimes I feel like my life mimics the show, Survivor!

Family Members: Me-the mom, Chris- the dad who is stuck away from home for 12-15 hours during busy season, Aiden-the wild, energetic, loving 2 year old, and Andrew-the sweet, precious baby!

Living Conditions: Messy and chaotic! By the end of the day, our living room looks like a tornado went through it. Bouncy seat, play mat, random toy cars, doctor kit pieces, books, junk mail, slippers, plastic tools, and other random toys were put back into place around 9 pm tonight!

Food: Whatever you discover in our cabinets that desperately need more restocking! I was hoping to get to the store today but the icy weather conditions kept us homebound for another day. Thank goodness for one last frozen meal that kept our stomachs full for another night.

Sleep: None to Very Little. The longest stretch that I have slept in the past two nights is at the most three hours. Nothing like a toddler who is going through sleep regression/possibly teething/and a cold all at one time as well as nursing a newborn to make one go crazy!

Tasks:

-Feed baby every 2-4 hours

-Feed toddler 3 times a day, plus two snacks. Try to get him to eat something besides waffles, goldfish, and cereal bars.

-Keep house clean: never-ending laundry, vacumn, dust, make beds, wash windows, and other daily chores all while having a toddler follow you around trying to help!

-Washing dishes every moment you can because we still have a broken dishwasher that either a. needs to be replaced or b. needs to be fixed. The problem is we are too busy to either think about doing a. or b. so instead we have been handwashing dishes for almost a month now!

-Keep toddler entertained: craft projects, play toys, limit television, play toys, read books, play toys, go outside, play toys (This is most of the day!)

-Spend time with baby (often while a toddler hovers nearby!): Sing songs, read books, cuddle, and just LOVE baby!

-Don't forget the dogs-put outside about every hour and try not to feel guilty that they are not getting even one daily walk in and look like a scraggled mess.

-Hope for a shower...it usually doesn't happen until 10 pm!

-If you can ever get out of the house, then there is grocery shopping and a small list of errands that need to be completed but have not been done in the past month!

-Try to ignore everything that still needs to be done in the house: painting, organizing, decorating, etc. Hope to get it done before the next year ends!

-Enjoy the rare moments where you can catch a glance at the Today show, check email, read a book, or just relax!

Due to the lack of sleep going around here, I definitely feel like I am in "survival" mode!

But it makes it all worthwhile when I see the smiles on our two boys:

Andrew or Aiden?

I was thinking that Andrew looks a lot different than Aiden, but if you put these two pictures side by side then the boys are looking a lot more alike than I thought. Same smile and same lively eyes...the only difference is that Andrew has more hair! I wonder how things will change as Andrew grows:)

Hope you all have a great weekend. I know that we are looking forward to having Chris at home after his busy week!!!!

Sleep Deprivation, But Still Enjoying Life:)

So we are starting to hit sleep deprivation in the Rogers household. Andrew continues to nurse about every three to four hours at night, but that isn't the major cause of our sleep problems. Instead, Aiden has hit a sleep regression where he continues to wake up earlier and earlier...today, our wake up time was 4:45 am!!!! I am clueless on how to solve this problem as he wakes up disoriented, upset, and will not communicate in any way what is wrong. We have tried consoling him, letting him cry, getting him out of bed, changing bedtimes/naptimes, and nothing seems to be working. He refuses to go back to sleep! I just hope that this problem will go away VERY soon because this makes two VERY tired parents. Chris continues his VERY long hours with busy season and I am in survival mode with the two babies, trying to make the most out of our days together.

Despite the lack of sleep, we have enjoyed some fun days around home:) Here are some pictures from the start of the week:

Snuggling with little Andrew! I cherish these moments even more the second time around because I know how fast little babies grow:)

My lovebug and me-he loves when we hold the camera in front of us to take a picture-we do this a couple times a day:)

Getting ready to head out on a COLD walk. It didn't last long, but I think the puppies enjoyed a short break away from home!

Chris and I have to thank Grammy Ruff for this inflatable snowman! We put it outside for Christmas and Aiden LOVED "Frosty the Snowman" this year. When I took down the lights, I brought this guy in, washed him, and inflated him one afternoon to dry out before we put in storage. All last week, Frosty was inflated during the day due to the pleas of Aiden. As much as I love Frosy, I am thankful to say that he is finally in the attic and has "melted" until next year!

I love my little boys!

Nothing Better Than First Smiles!

Adjusting my to-do list...life with two!

This week marks my official first week alone with two boys. All family is gone, Chris is back to work, and I'm learning how to juggle the needs of our two little ones:) And even better, Chris is just starting his BUSY season which means that he leaves pretty early in the morning and doesn't arrive until after Aiden hits the bedtime. What a way to get me used to life with two!

Now, if you ask any of my close friends or family...they would say that I am a girl who loves to stay busy with chores, crafts, errands, exercise, etc. Well, let's just say that I can officially throw any of my daily goals out the window with these two baby bugs;) I am starting to readjust (or forget) my to-do list and focus on these two kiddos because they are what is really important. Let's just say that I am writing this at 2:30 in the afternoon and I'm still in my pajamas with no shower and I probably will stay this way until tonight because a naptime where both are sleeping is VERY precious right now!

What have we done this week? Well, we have spent lots of quality time together at home! Aiden is NONstop activity right now-he goes and goes and goes and talks and talks and talks. I even googled non-stop chatting toddler last night to figure out if the behavior was normal because he literally follows me around like a duck talking and making noises ALL day long. Some of the things he says and does are quite funny and cute, but it is EXHAUSTING to a mom who has to tend to a newborn:) I have to say that he has been, for the most part, behaving well especially being cooped up for so long with just the three of us.

Andrew is a really easy baby, minus that he does NOT sleep well at night. During the day when he feeds, he often will fall asleep and I have to wake him up so he can join us for an hour or two before he takes another nap. Not the same thing at night! Instead after he feeds at night, he is WIDE awake! I often spend a good 1/2 hour after I feed him trying to get him back to sleep in his pack and play before I give up from exhaustion and let him lay with us! Let's just say that I have had a few sleepless nights this week!

But all in all, I have had a great week with my two little ones and am looking forward to where life will take us with our adventures at home. Here are some pictures from our fun week of hibernation:

Playing baby toys with Andrew! As you can see, Aiden enjoys this time even more than Andrew:)

My chill baby boy, Andrew.

He LOVES to be cuddled and held...thank goodness for our baby Bjorn!

Doing a little tummy time with Sheffield close by:) The two dogs are in need of a little extra love right now, and a good, clean bath too. Anyone want to foster them for a few months?;)

Playing with our Cheerio book-trying to keep this little one busy!

Shaving cream painting-what a mess, but so much fun!

Sleeping in the swing (Right now, this swing and the swaddleme are my favorite baby items. It's the only way this little guy sleeps!!)

Making banana bread with Mommy! We paired the delicious bread with some fruit smoothies for lunch today:) Aiden loved it!

Getting ready to head out on a walk!

Enjoying the snow:) The only way that we get out is by playing in the backyard. You know I must be stir crazy to take Aiden out twice a day in this COLD weather. He does love it, except when he fell off the sled coming down one of our mounds of snow-oops!

Checking each other out-Aiden is really starting to figure out that "baby" is here for good and taking more of an interest in him. It's so cute!

We have had a fun week together, but I'm definitely looking forward to this weekend!!!

Snip Snip!

So when your child has hair that is unmanageable, it usually means haircut time!

Aiden's hair was starting to get crazy long around Thanksgiving. I knew he needed a haircut, but put off the task with all of our to-dos: getting ready for Andrew to arrive, preparing for Chris' parents to be here, and all of our little jobs around our house that we were hoping to finish before the holidays. Well, Andrew arrived early and the reality of having two children set in! The days have been filled with feeding, diaper changes, a never-ending messy house, and lots of crazy fun, as well as the hustle and bustle of the holiday season:)

Due to the nonstop craziness, Aiden still had no haircut a month later! My parents were out running errands a couple days before Christmas and couldn't take the wild, messy hair any longer. They took Aiden to a kids hair cutting shop at the mall for Aiden's first professional cut:) Look who is really becoming a big boy now perched on a car while he gets his haircut!

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for getting rid of the shagginess!