cooooookies

i'm in a cookie state of mind today, and so is sam.

we made these oatmeal raisin bar cookies the other day, and he's been asking for a "cookie! cookie!" ever since. i replaced a 1/2 cup butter with 1/2 cup applesauce, and it took quite a bit longer to bake than the recipe states, but sam thinks they're awesome (how could any cookie with oatmeal, raisins, and applesauce not be a winner?). and since they're filled with so many "good for you" things, i've been letting him have a cookie with his fruit at breakfast time, and another for snack after playing outside.

also on the cookie to-do list: marta's recipe for blondies. i made these a couple of weeks ago for the church picnic, but i neglected to buy the butterscotch chips, so i substituted a 12oz bag of white chocolate chips instead. they were a big hit (even with the substitution), so i'm giving a repeat performance for mike's work cookout tomorrow, and maybe again for his family get-together over the 4th of july weekend. yum, yum!

(image via the fabulous shutterbean)

quintessential sam moments:

me: what do you want for breakfast? would you like some oranges?

sam: keeeeese! ("cheeeeese!")

in a sleepy voice, as he is drifting off at naptime: caaahh! ("car!")

as daddy arrives home: daddeeeee! bickcar, bickar! ("daddy! big car, big car!")

(above image: sam enjoying his breakfast while watching the cement truck yesterday)

much excitement

our old driveway has gone to meet the great paver in the sky. so there is much excitement about the trucks that have come to take it away, scoop and haul out the rubble, and get everything ready for the new one to go in. unfortunately, we probably won't be around tomorrow to see the cement mixer (i don't think they'll be pouring the new concrete today). but we've had a good time looking up the different "trucks" that are here today in sam's truck book.

a few snaps from our weekend visit to columbus: 1) sam, mike, and new cousin/niece annie (she is so very tiny and cute!)

2) mike and sam at the polar bear exhibit at the columbus zoo 3) sam after his ice cream sandwich dessert

we had a nice visit, but it's always too short. luckily, we'll be seeing everyone again in a few weeks for the fourth of july holiday. hurrah!

fun with grandma elaine

sam had a great time with grandma elaine—and he's still enjoying. we've watched this movie about a million times now.

the best sandwich i've ever made

a couple of weeks ago, (while under the influence of too much food network) i bought a couple of jars of roasted red pepper strips. i've been pondering just what i would use them for, and i finally decided to pull them out last night when i made this for dinner. i used this recipe for the bread (but substituted half wheat flour and no rosemary), then i baked some zucchini sprinkled with kosher salt, garlic powder, and italian seasoning. i added some of the roasted red peppers, spinach, and mozzarella, then warmed it just enough to melt the cheese. it was deee-licious. i'm thinking a portobello or some eggplant would also be good (and i might have to try those variations, just to make sure).

snapshots

a couple of photos from today:

the vacuum rodeo

and sam's house

amazing mr. sam - 16 months

when sam was born, i was in a panic. i was pretty sure that sam was the most fabulous boy ever, but i was also pretty certain that i was not the most fabulous mom. still, after 16 months and a lot of learning things the hard way, sam has taught me an awful lot. and i think we're doing alright. not always perfect (okay, not really ever perfect), but good. sometimes even real good.

yesterday i dropped him off at daycare—a lot of times, if he's holding his car, he will put up a fight about not being able to take it with him—but yesterday, before he was unbuckled, he handed me his car, as if to say "okay mom. i'm ready to go." it was awesome.

i love how when i ask if he wants to go for "walkies" he will head for the stroller. when i ask if he wants to help with laundry, he'll go to the laundry room with me and will open the washer for me, help to put the clothes in, and will then wait expectantly for them to start spinning. (he is certainly related to his cousin oscar!)

sam is still loving cars and trucks ("big cars!"). he loves to watch the garbage trucks on thursdays. he loves dancing to bob marley, eating cheese and fruit, and brushing his teeth. he loves to take baths and have mommy blow bubbles. he loves to run laps around the house, and even better, to be chased. he loves to find brutus in his buckeye book, find cars in his truck book, and hear about piggies in puddles. he loves to watch videos of himself.

sam likes to go for car rides. he likes getting tickled, piggy-back rides, and spinning until he's dizzy and laughing. he likes watching me vacuum (totally related to oscar). he likes pretending to have a cellphone, and making jokes, and singing itsy-bitsy spider. he even likes eating the weird vegetarian concoctions that his mom makes.

sam gives great hugs, super kisses, and 1000-watt smiles by the handful. he is a joy and a treasure, and luckily for the people he meets, he likes to spread himself around. he's exactly the boy i was hoping to have. and i'm so, so, so lucky.

the big project

here are a few layouts for the monster project i'm working on for work. there are about 36 parts that need to be laid out, and each part is 40-50 pages long—not to mention the illustrations that are hidden in the worksheets that need to be standardized (standardized = redrawn so that they match with each other and everything else). unfortunately, the timeline wasn't created with design in mind, so we're very behind schedule.

clever boy

i wanted to try out the imovie app on my work laptop, so decided to record sam stacking his cups.

he can also put the wood donuts in the right order (just saw him do that for the first time today)!