2010 Pumpkin Carvings

I have always loved Halloween and the stuff that goes along with it. As you may know I made Maddie's Oompa Loompa costume this year. In the past I have created several pumpkin carvings that in turn have caused the demise of its character. I did a George Bush pumpkin, his later years didn't turn out so well. I also created a Kosmo Kramer pumpkin. A few months later he was all over the news for his racial slurs. Last year I did a Mark Mangino pumpkin and a few weeks later was canned. This year's pumpkin carvings are Batman and Dexter. Alaina and I, more so me, are big fans of the show Dexter. He seemed like a fun and challenging character. I think it turned out well. I just hope my pumpkin jinx doesn't ruin anymore people.

Foot-Loose and Toddler-Free

It's been a quiet weekend at Casa de Stopster. No crying, no yelling, no chasing the cats, only occasional whining. It was almost like the pre-kid days, before diapers and sippy-cups, before potty training and scheduled naps, before tantrums and time-outs. Why? Because, this weekend, there was no kid.

Friday morning, we packed Maddie off to Larry and Nancy (a.k.a., Nana and Pa), and from then, until about 6 p.m. this evening, we were officially off-duty. (Well, as off-duty as you ever get when you're a parent--meaning there was lots of texting and at least two Skype conversations.) This isn't the first time we've done this, but it's the first time where we've had hours upon hours of leisure time at our disposal.

So, Friday evening we took a trip to Whole Foods for some really good ingredients, and then Jon made dinner while I acted as prep chef (read, I chopped brussel sprouts and measured ingredients into dishes, all ready to go when he needed them). Chef Stoppel created individual smoked-blue cheese souffles paired with fresh, pan-seared brussel sprouts in a honey reduction. (The brussel sprouts were from a recipe that Eric Ripert tweeted last week.)

While the souffles were baking, we enjoyed an assortment of olives and peppers from the Whole Foods olive bar. Then we repaired to our rarely used dining room for the main course. These were the first souffles Jon has ever attempted, and I must say, the man is a force to be reckoned with the in the kitchen. They were amazing. The brussel sprouts were also really good, and we're hoping to try them with Maddie sometime soon. We finished up with cannolis and a chocolate parfait (also from Whole Foods), and then took our wine into the living room to start watching Season 4 of 30 Rock. I will admit that that part may not fit in with the rest of the evening, but whatever. Doing what we want!, the theme for the weekend.



Look! The souffles rose and everything.


Jon did make me remove my shoes and creep in and out of the kitchen on tip-toe while they were baking.

Saturday morning, Jon had to work, but I, being more fortunate, slept in. Yes, I know! I actually managed to sleep in! Sorry, if you don't know, since having a kid, I am unable to sleep in. It doesn't matter if she's there or not, or even if Jon offers to go get her. I can't sleep in. It took some effort, but in the end, the 45 minutes I took talking myself back to sleep were well worth it. Saturday, we lounged around the house, took a nap, and then headed over to Stone Pillar Winery to meet our friends the Meyers for some wine on the patio. After that, we hit up Johnny's for some burgers and musical trivia bingo.

Sunday, Jon slept in while I read in bed. This was followed by coffee and more lounging. In fact, truth be told, I didn't change out of my robe and shower until about 4:40 this afternoon. Yes, feel free to be jealous...or grossed out, whichever appeals to you more.

All in all, it was nice to be able to just "be" together for a while, without worrying about scheduling and entertaining the Madster. It reminded us of why we got together in the first place. However, both of us were 100% ready for Miss Thing to come home this evening. We missed her bunches, and judging by the fact that she threw herself on the sidewalk in excitement at our arrival, I'm assuming she missed us, too.

So, thanks, Larry and Nancy for giving us a weekend off! I hope you're resting up from all the trips to the park and the ice cream shop.

No. 1 Crush: An Update

I'm happy to announce that it's finally been accomplished. This weekend, one of my in-laws managed to capture the illusive TR smile on camera:





Todd, our sincerest apologies. I'm sure you're not half the cheese-ball she thinks you are...

No. 1 Crush

First of all, you should know that I've been meaning to blog about this particular item for quite a while. See, I was waiting to get a specific picture of Maddie doing a specific thing, but about two days ago, I realized I was trying to achieve the impossible. Any sane person would know that trying to get a specific picture of a toddler doing a specific thing never works. Cameras are not that fast, and most importantly, toddlers are nevernevernevernevernever that cooperative. (Sorry, we've been having some "no" issues, lately.)


Anyway, it would seem that the Madster has developed her very first crush. No, it's not the four-year-old at daycare, her friend JJ, or even the little boy at Kindermusik with the huge eyes and ridiculously long eyelashes. No, no, Maddie is aiming high. How high? Quarterback high. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it would seem our girl likes a man uniform. Oh, and we're not talking some high school or juco quarterback. Hardly. Miss Thing has chosen to bestow her undying obsession and infatuation on none other than KU's former "big man on campus" Mr. Todd Reesing himself.

See, back in August, we attempted to go to a KU football pep rally (it was rained out, thus, attempted), and TR was going to be there, signing his new book. Jon decided to teach Maddie to parrot, "Todd, I'm a big fan," which 1) yes, she can say, but 2) she would never ever, ever, ever have said when faced with the man himself. Sorry, digression over. Moving on... Then, in September our friends, the lovely and magnanimous Jantzer-Wards gifted Maddie with a signed copy of Rising to New Heights, Mr. Reesing's new book. Maddie took one look at the blonde, blue-eyed, stubbly-chinned man on the cover and fell in luuuurv.



She carries the book, sorry, Todd around the house. She says goodbye to Todd before leaving for daycare. She greets Todd when she comes home, and if you ask her about the book she will tell you the following: "Dis' Todd. He smiwin' like *dis* [This is what I've been trying to capture for posterity, but no luck]. He frow da baw. He catch it; den, eveybudy go Wooooo. Rock Chawk, Jayhawk!" Oh, and there's also the hugging the book, I mean Todd, kissing book-Todd, and saying "I wuv you, Todd." Yeah...Miss Thing is totally crushing.

The best part is that, in pure little girl fashion, the crush does not work the way "big girl" crushes work. She doesn't just want to be with TR, she wants to be #5 herself. Occasionally, when faced with shirt choices in the morning, she will rule out all proffered clothing, and state unequivocally, "I want to wear Todd." (It's not as creepy and Silence of the Lambs as I may have made it sound right there.)

So, below, our little #5, proudly supporting her main squeeze:



We haven't yet had the heart to tell her he no longer takes the field for the Jayhawks...

Winery

Sunday at the Stone Pillar Winery. Not too shabby.

Bathroom Fun

Kind of creepy too...

Do You Like Green Eggs and Ham?

So, the Madster turned two, and like the good (and consumer-pressured) parents we are, we threw her a little party. While it may not have looked like it, we did scale back from last year, mostly in terms of food served. No full dinner this year, just cake, cupcakes, fruit, veggies and hummus, and popsicles. (When I asked Maddie what kind of cake she wanted for her birthday, she told me "Spiderman!", but when I clarified and asked her what flavor she wanted, what it should taste like, she told me "Popsicle!" So, Miss Thing got popsicles instead of ice cream with her cake.)


The day of, we decorated the kitchen and backyard with balloons, dragged out the sprinkler pool, sidewalk chalk, and bubbles, invited family and all of our friend who have kids over, and hoped for the best. Honestly, I think it went pretty well. People showed up (which is always my biggest fear with parties, that no one will come), the kiddos played, food was eaten, the presents were opened (and dear lord, our daughter is spoiled/loved), and everyone went home.


We decided to do a Green Eggs and Ham-themed bash this year, in honor of Maddie's current favorite Dr. Seuss book (and also because I stumbled upon a whole cache of Dr. Seuss stuff in Target's amazing and addictive dollar bins), so I dusted off my limited baking skills and made a selection of yellow and chocolate cupcakes that, when iced, somewhat resembled "green eggs." Jon, whose baking skills are considerably better than my own, whipped up a "green ham" cake. (See below.) Um, yeah, he's pretty amazing.


I've included a picture of Jon's awesome cake and one picture from the party, but feel free to click here to check out more photos on Facebook. (As usual, all photos, except the cake, are by my estimable father-in-law, Larry Stoppel.)

Horsey!

Horse Riding

Our cousin Whitney hooked Maddie up with a horseback ride tonight. Maddie absolutely loved it. She did really well and was fearless from the beginning. She definitely wants to go back and "ride more horsey."

Family Photos

Hello, my lovely readers!

Recently (like a week and a half ago), Jon, Maddie, and I ventured out to Prairie Center and met the lovely and talented Sarah Dickerson for a little family photo session. First of all, seriously, if you haven't been to Prairie Center and you live in the area, you should totally check it out. It's a little "rugged" as Sarah described it, but if you wear good walking shoes, it's gorgeous. Lots of wildflowers, ponds, trees, etc. (Um, also giganto bull-snakes, if you get off the path to try to take pictures by some trees, so I don't recommend that...)

Secondly, Sarah was great. She trekked all over the place with us, was patient with Maddie, and most importantly, she got some great shots. I'm only going to post our favorite shot here because sometimes uploading photos onto this thing is a pain, but you should definitely check out more images from our session on her blog. (We've also placed her blog in our list to the right, so feel free to check out more of her work, if you have time.) We're buying a disc of all the pictures from this session, so we'll put them all up somewhere online when we have that, so you can browse if you're so inclined. (And if you're not, I totally get that. I know we're stunning, but even that amount of pretty gets old after the first 20 pictures or so.)

Anyway, all in all, Sarah was awesome, the light was awesome, and thank goodness it wasn't nearly as hot as it could have been. Oh, and it should be noted, Maddie will do about anything for raisins. I think we went through about 3/4 of a bag...