Penelope's Baptism

Take months of rescheduling, one clearly flustered Father Sylverstad, and one overtired baby girl and you have a baptism off to a rough start. At times I thought maybe God was trying to deter me. Maybe this is not the right thing to do, I thought. But why would God not want to welcome one of his children into his arms?

No, there was something else at work here.

In the end there was a message for me, though not the one I feared as I encountered resistance along the way: It takes perseverance to overcome adversity. When we truly want something, and keep at it though, our efforts are rewarded a hundred-fold.

One hundred times the doubt is the JOY I was rewarded with.

We couldn't have asked for a more intimate and wonderful ceremony. Ours was the first baptism Father Raphael Mary performed and we feel honored to have had this special privilege. It was a little bit of a trial by fire for the novice priest because our dear Penelope voiced her discontent through much of it. However, after her immersion when she was presented in her baptismal garment, it was as if God had reached out a hand to calm her. For this reason I especially like the picture in which it seems that the Light of God is swirling around us (realistically the effect is due to user error, but suspend your disbelief for just a moment to appreciate the beauty).

Our dear neighbor Diana agreed to be Pepper's Godmother, and we are so blessed to welcome this wonderful woman into our family. Our little girl is also lucky to have two Godfathers - Jed's brother Eli, and our close friend Ben.

My heart nearly burst with all the love and blessings bestowed on us. It was a gloriously happy day!

Funny Faces

I can always count on them to brighten my mood! I especially love the one of Nell in the top right corner. It still gives me the giggles!

Penelope Grace: 9 months

My, how time has flown by! Our little Sweet Pepper has just passed the 9 month mark! She is so completely different from how Wyatt was, and is.

Here are some fun comparisons:

Wyatt had greenish-brown eyes until about 4 months, and then they turned brown. He had sideburns and what we called a full head of black hair at birth. It gradually grew in and turned brown. It was fairly thin and silky until we started shaving it, and now it is a thick brown mop with some lighter brown highlights. His skin has always been on the olive side.

Penelope had blueish-grey eyes at birth, which have changed to a greenish-grey that seems to be sticking. She had a MUCH fuller head of black hair at birth, and now it is almost at her shoulder blades, and a true auburn with red and gold throughout. Her skin is much more fair than her brother's.

Wyatt rolled over at 3 months, crawled and sat unassisted at 6 months, pulled up and cruised at 7 months, and was walking on his own at 11 months.

Penelope rolled over at 6 months, was a master roller by 8 months, but is not crawling yet. She loves to stand (but does not pull up yet), and is a wobbly and relunctant sitter if given the chance to stand.

We used to call the bug Quiet Wyatt until about 2 years old. He hardly ever cried as a baby, was not much of a babbler, and didn't talk much until he was sure he could do it correctly (as with everything - he is a perfectionist).

Penelope makes herself heard, that is for sure. She already chimes in on conversations with lala's, dada's, baba's, or just bubble blowing and general noisemaking. She also bangs on things and is trying to clap!

Wyatt LOVED to giggle and was very easy to make laugh uncontrollably (still is, silly boy). He loved patty-cake, peekaboo, and tickles.

Penelope is much more serious, and seems to consider us gravely before deciding whether something is funny or not. She does not giggle uncontrollably. Rather, once she has decided something is amusing she will laugh until the novelty wears off and then look at us as if to say "Is that all you got?" Wyatt likes to make a game of getting her to laugh by trying different silly antics. He's actually the one out of all of us that can tickle her funny bone the easiest.

Wyatt HATED baby food, and pretty much refused to eat it because of the texture. Once he was big enough for bits of food though, he chowed down. He is quite particular though, as he prefers broccoli and octopus over macaroni and cheese or pb&j.

Penelope cannot get enough of baby food, and loves everything I give her. When I gave her Cheerios for the first time, she nearly hyperventilated with excitement! Her eyes became globes in her head as she reached out her arms, her body shaking, her hands waving wildly, and as I rained them down upon her tray, her fingers closed with precision around that first 0, bringing it smoothly to her open mouth as if she had done it a hundred times before. (Definitely much more fine motor oriented than her big bro was.)

Wyatt was very attached to me, but also loved to socialize with other people and was very easy going in that respect. He loved to be held, but was also very determined to move on his own from an early age.

Penelope seems to have had stranger anxiety from day one. She is getting a little better, but she definitely prefers Mama. She likes to lean her head against my shoulder when I hold her (which is very often) and sometimes will curl her legs up, clutch me tightly, and protest loudly when I go to put her down.

Penelope is currently 26 and 3/4 inches long, and 18 lbs. She's a chunk. Just like Wyatt was.

When I gave birth to Penelope, I felt sure that our family was complete. For all practical purposes we had already agreed that 2 kids was what we wanted. Lately though, my dreams have been filled with visions of us as a family of 5. In my dreams, another little girl is in the fold, not much younger than the Pea...

Maybe it's because we decided to leave our options open. Maybe it's because some friends are pregnant, and others are planning to be. Maybe it's me not wanting to say goodbye to this (baby-making) phase of my life.... Whatever it is, I am so grateful that I have been able to be home with my children as much as I have. Two kiddos or three, it's such a Gift to be a Mom!

Rain, Rain, Go Away...

Okay, so it's not exactly raining, but what I want to know is-

WHERE HAS SUMMER GONE?!

So, I am dreaming of

Bright balloons

floating up into a

brilliant BLUE SKY

(At the Prosser Great Balloon Rally, to be exact.)

A Corner of Tranquility

Anyone who has spent time at my house knows the state of my yard. A friend once described it as "wild". That's putting it nicely, to say the least. A less tactful person might say neglected, overgrown, weed-congested, or just downright offensive to the eye.

It's not that I don't like gardening, or being outside. Yes, life is busy with two little ones underfoot. But what has really stopped me from taming the yard in the past is my perfectionism. To understand, you also should know that I tend to be *a bit of* an underachiever. I will get an idea in my head but then I become paralyzed when I consider that it will not come out exactly as I imagine. So, I find something else to do, and the idea gets pushed to the wayside.

Well, this past year has been a lesson in abandon. I have decided to practice the art of Trying. This blog is an example of that. Learning to tile on the fly when we remodeled the bathroom is another. There are many more. I find that the more I try, the more I want to try, and the more inspired I become. It's an important step for me. Especially when I see this perfectionist streak echoed in my son. (Lately he has started saying "I can't", and I am forever telling him that he won't know unless he tries. But actions speak louder than words after all, and I need to show him that it's okay to make mistakes. Sometimes our mistakes turn out the be the best lessons right?) I definitely do not want him to go through life being afraid to take a chance. I want him to embrace life, missteps, bruises, and all.

So today I carved out a little niche of tranquility.

Actually it took me the better part of a week. I started by raking and pulling at a thick mat of weeds. I never knew how invasive the buttercup is! It was literally EVERYWHERE! It even outcompeted the dandelions! It had weaved itself so thoroughly about my one sad little hosta that I had to spend about two hours extricating it from vine's clutches. I succeeded, but the darn weed lives on in my lawn to see another day. I now have a new nemesis.

Once I had cleared my little patch of earth, Wyatt helped me design the plant layout. I got some new hostas and lady ferns off of craigslist. The gentleman that listed them was truly an inspiration for me. His yard also backs up to a greenbelt, but he had terraced it, and carved a path that weaved down into the trees! His yard was absolutely filled with beautiful plants of all sorts. He did say that he spends all his free time gardening, and one would have to with a yard like that! We ended up buying a butterfly plant and a new type of hydrangea from him as well, which we will put in the sunnier part of the yard next.

In the new shade garden I also transpanted a sad calathea that was failing in the house, and got two plants on clearance at the store - an elephant's ear and an orange begonia that I couldn't resist. Wyatt couldn't resist it today either! He's so cute. My little nature lover. He actually transplanted the begonia all by himself!

Penelope played happily in her rocker bouncer while we busied ourselves around her. She giggled, and gurgled, and babbled away in the dappled shade and seemed as happy as we were to be out in the garden on a summer afternoon. (I'm not going to be able to contain her so easily before long! Pepper is trying her darndest to crawl these days. She keeps accidentally flipping herself over though when she finally does get her leg up underneath herself. She voices her frustration too! Our little Pepper is aptly named - she's a spicy one!)

It's a modest little garden, but it brings me a measure of peace. I look at it and I think that with some initiative and a little toiling I can create something wonderful. It's not perfect, but it is definitely better than what was there before. That's progress, people. As Martha would say, "It's a good thing".

Garden Harvest!

Tonight we dined on our very first produce from our kitchen garden!

On the Menu:

Radish Top Soup
&
Young Lettuce and Radish Salad

Dinner was divine.

Wyatt had been snacking daily on a radish or two from the garden, so I figured it was time to pull them before they got too big and tough. Most of them were ready, but I left a few in the ground that need another week or so. My lettuce also needed to be thinned so that the heads have more room to grow, so Daddy and Wyatt did that while I got started on the soup.

I got the idea to use the tops from our friend Harley. He came over for dinner on Thursday when we were having a farmer's market dinner with sauteed dandelion greens. He got radish greens confused with beet greens (another favorite), and then we wondered if they were in fact edible. So I looked them up, and discovered that although they are not widely eaten, they do have a small fan base. The greens from store bought radishes are always slimy and wilted - not appetizing at all. However, when they are garden fresh radish greens have a slightly peppery, slightly green flavor (like arugula and spinach combined). The fresh leaves are a little prickly, so although one person online suggested adding them to salad, I decided they were better suited to a soup.

For the soup you will need:
6 c vegetable stock (we're out of homemade, so we used Better Than Boullion No Chicken)
6 medium yukon gold potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 large walla walla sweet onion, chopped finely
5 cloves garlic, mashed and minced
2 stalks celery, sliced lengthwise and diced
4 cups radish green leaves (no stems), chopped
4 T butter
4 T olive oil
1 T Herbs De Provence
1 T celery salt
1/3 c cream *optional
salt and pepper to taste
4 radishes sliced for garnish
Crusty bread for serving
(White Truffle oil for drizzling if you have it)

Boil the potatoes in the stock in a large soup pot. While that is boiling, melt butter and olive oil in a pan. Add the onion and celery. When they are soft, add the garlic. Saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add radish greens. Add spices to taste. Saute until greens are wilted. Add to potatoes and use an immersion blender until smooth. Stir in cream. Garnish with radishes. Serve with bread and truffle oil. Prepare to be amazed!

The salad was likewise delicious with the tender lettuce leaves and peppery radishes. I added some fresh dill, a melange of veggies, and a drizzle of balsamic olive oil dressing to round it out.

Here are some nutritional tidbits:

Radishes are from the Brassicaceae (or cruciferous vegetable) family
Their tangy flavor comes from mustard oil
They are high in Vitamin C (the greens have 6 times the amount of the root) - which is a cancer-preventing antioxidant
They are also good sources of folic acid, potassium, iron, calcium, thiamin, and the trace mineral molybdenum
Radishes have been used for indigestion and constipation, kidney stones, facial blemishes, and weight loss

Red and green leaf lettuce are from the Asteraceae (or daisy!) family
They are high in Vitamin K and A
They are also good sources of potassium, iron, calcium, thiamin, magnesium, manganese, beta carotene, and lutein
Regular consumption of fresh lettuce can prevent osteoporosis, cancer, Alzheimers, cardiovascular disease, and iron deficiency and promote eye and skin health

I must say I feel pretty darn healthy right now... There are few things as satisfying as enjoying the fruits of your labor, fresh from the earth. I can't wait to see what we can eat next!

Curiosity

Today Wyatt had a playdate with his friend Camilla. They captured spiders in jars, helped me with yard work, and played superheroes and "tennis" with racquets and a whiffle ball. It was a good time.

After lunch, Norma (Camilla's mom) and I were chatting when we noticed how quiet it had suddenly gotten. Norma went to check on the kids (who had closed themselves in Wyatt's room) while I finished feeding Penelope and discovered the two sitting on Wyatt's bed. Wyatt had taken his shorts off. When Norma asked what they were doing they said,

"Uum... uuh"

Hmmm...

Norma sent them outside thinking this would redirect them, and we had a good laugh about it. Time to institute the "door-open-and-feet-on-the-floor-at-all-times" rule, I said.

We peeked outside to check on the two lovebirds, but didn't see them gallavanting about. So Norma went in search of them again, and this time found the two in the side yard.

This time Wyatt had taken his underwear off as well.

Oh my.

Norma had a short talk with them about bodies, and said that if they were curious then we could talk about it. When they came in I told Wyatt it was fine to wonder about different body parts and have questions, but that we leave our clothes on when friends are over. The kiddos seemed fine with this, and went off to play again.

Now, we're not a particularly shy family, and Wyatt has seen both of us in various states of undress. It's important to me that my kids are not ashamed of their bodies and are comfortable talking about it, so we've had little discussions here and there, but so far he's been satisfied with a "less is more" approach...

I guess it's time to take the talk to the next level when the kiddo starts exploring with friends though, right?

This evening I reserved two books at the library:

Here's hoping I don't scar him for life!