Weekly Meal Plan and a Couple of Photos....

It's Monday....that means, it's time for this Wife and Mama to M.E.A.L. P.L.A.N....

Monday, April 18, 2011
Spicy Italian Sausage Pomodoro

(I cheated -- it's a frozen Macaroni Grill meal -- we'll see how it is).

Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Speedy South Seas Chicken (a recipe from my friend, Lisa)
Fruit

Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Homemade Pizza

Thursday, April 21, 2011
Jimmy Dean Breakfast Sandwiches
Tater Tots

(Breakfast sandwiches are left over from our weekend at Kanopolis State Park).

Friday, April 22, 2011
**Will be eating at a birthday party!

**But, I will be making supper for some friends of our's who just welcomed their third child into the family. Here's what they will be eating!

BBQ Meatballs
Cheesy Potatoes
Strawberry Salad
No Bake Cookies

Saturday, April 23, 2011
Lunch: Rummage

Supper: DATE NIGHT!

Sunday, April 24, 2011
Lunch: Rummage

Supper: Beef Stroganoff, Greek Salad, Croissants

*****

This past Friday, I made THIS POST about Luke now being in a Big Boy Bed.

I forgot to include this photo of Luke napping....I walked in on him, thinking he was awake. He wasn't. Fortunately, when I took this photo, he didn't even wake up.

Too sweet....



Also, 1-2 mornings a week, Luke's friend, Lily, comes over while her mom teaches a Pre-K class.

Lily is 5 1/2 months younger than Luke -- yep, they're close in age.

Sometimes, they antagonize each other. They seem to take turns doing just that.

But, this particular moment, I caught them sitting on the couch together, reading....

VERY CUTE....

A Milestone for Luke -- The Big Boy Bed....

If you happened to see THIS POST, THIS POST, or THIS POST on our weekend trip to Kanopolis State Park, you might have noticed in the middle post (Our Weekend, Part 2) that Luke's bed in the cabin was NOT a Pack 'N Play nor did it have any rails.

That would be because Luke is officially in a Big Boy Bed now -- or at least he has the front part of his convertible crib removed!

I realize there are MANY different "schools of thought" regarding when to change a child over from a crib to a bigger bed, but we were in no hurry to do it.

a) Luke was perfectly content in his crib.

b) Luke had never tried to crawl out.

So, originally, we were going to leave him in there for awhile -- possibly until he was 3.

But, we decided to take this weekend trip to a cabin. We knew there wouldn't be a crib, and we also knew he was a tad too big for the Pack 'N Play.

A week before we went to the cabin, we made the switch for Luke. We weren't sure how it was going to go.

So, here are some pics -- documenting the process.

Marc....Looking at the crib and the disassembly needed....



Then, the official disassemble....



We had talked about it with Luke, quite a bit, but we also knew he didn't fully understand what we meant. So, Luke just watched Marc disassemble his bed -- complete with the blanket and thumb.



Luke, for quite awhile, has liked stuffed animals and blankets in his crib. So, when the front was removed, we kept it virtually the same. Luke was THRILLED at this point!



He promptly crawled into his "new bed," and it was an instant HIT!





It's now been close to 3 weeks since Luke's been in his "Big Boy Bed," and he hasn't gotten up once. AND, he's still been taking naps.

Now, I realize that won't continue forever, but hopefully, we can encourage staying in bed for awhile.

For now, each time he lies down, we tell him, "Don't get up until Mommy comes and gets you."

Luke then repeats it.

So far -- it's worked!

And, most importantly -- Luke LOVES it, and he thinks he's BIG STUFF in it. Whenever somebody comes over, he immediately wants to show them his "Big Boy Bed."

Our Weekend, Part 3....

This post will actually finalize our weekend of April 1 - 3....

If you want to read the first two parts, click HERE for Part 1 or HERE for part 2.

*****

So....after blowing bubbles, we decided to head to the race finish line to see what what was going on AND to see if Marc was halfway finished with his 50-mile jaunt.

We went to the race finish site. Marc was not yet half way finished, but another runner told me he was coming (the race finish is also the "little over halfway point" for the 50-milers).

We hadn't even been there 5 minutes when we all of a sudden saw Marc coming.

I showed Luke, and he took off running toward Marc.

(These next three photos are some of my new favorite photos of all time)....



Luke then took Marc's hand....



And, one of Marc's favorite things -- Luke crossed the finish line with Marc.

LOVE IT!!!!!



What a treat for both Marc and Luke -- to finish together.

This particular day, it was in the 80s (above normal for KS this time of year), and it was VERY windy.

Marc's legs were shot.

At that point, Marc decided to just finish with the marathon (a little over 26 miles) and NOT do the 50-mile.

Quite a few other runners did the same. The weather was not great for 50 miles.

Secretly, hoping to not be discouraging to Marc (something I've done in regards to Marc's running in the past), I was glad he made that decision. It was just an "ugly" day for running.

So, we all headed back to the cabin for lunch and for Luke's nap.

Luke decided to nap that day -- I guess it's O.K. to nap in the cabin. Yay!

*****

After Luke's nap, we all 3 headed back to the race finish to see the remaining 50-milers come in.

We had taken Luke's 4-wheeler along on this trip. Luke LOVED having it there.



And, in this photo, there are port-a-johns in the background -- LOVELY! But, I'm not going to "edit" the photo. Part of ultra-running is indeed port-a-johns. Honestly, they make the weekend true to what it was.

I'm leaving them in the photo -- even with our cute little guy in it.



And, as a special treat for the weekend -- Luke got to drink some pop out of his own cup. Usually, he only gets sips of our's.

Luke was a happy camper about that one.



After awhile, it started getting somewhat chilly outside as well as dark.

So, we headed back to the cabin for our last night away from home.

The next morning (Sunday), we leisurely got ready to leave ("leisurely" is nice sometimes).

We headed back toward home -- taking some side roads rather than the interstate.

We went to lunch at one of Marc's and Luke's favorite places (I like it as well)....Arby's.

This Week's Meals and a Couple of Photos....

Here's what I'm currently planning on our family eating this week....

Monday, April 11, 2011
Steak Fajitas

Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Scoops Diner in Hesston, KS

**Also, it's my turn to take breakfast to our Tuesday morning Young Moms/Wives' Bible Study -- will be taking THIS EGG CASSEROLE.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Barbecued Short Ribs
Mashed Potatoes
Salad

Thursday, April 14, 2011
Pigs in a Blanket
Fries

(Have some leftover hot dogs from last week's Pigs in a Blanket)

Friday, April 15, 2011
Spaghetti & Meatballs
Bread Sticks
Salad

Saturday, April 16, 2011
Lunch: Rummage

Supper: Grilled Burgers, Baked Beans, Tater Tots

Sunday, April 17, 2011
Lunch: Rummage

Supper: Having "Breakfast" with our Community Life Group from church

**Will be providing waffles, bacon, and sausage (we're meeting at our home)

*******

Last year (as in, the last school year), I watched Oliver & Lily 1-2 mornings per week....This year, Oliver grew up and went off to preschool; however, Lily still comes over some.

This past Friday (April 8), I had the privilege of having both Oliver & Lily at my house (I've missed Oliver's conversations this year)....

So, I captured a photo of Luke, Oliver, and Lily at our kitchen table (photo was taken on my phone)....having their juice and snacks. Sorry -- Oliver's back is toward the camera.



Oliver's always been a good, healthy eater. Last year, nearly every single time he came to our house, he brought his oatmeal for breakfast, and I secretly thought it was VERY CUTE.

So, I was secretly hoping he'd bring his oatmeal to our house this past Friday.

He didn't. He told me he had already eaten it.

I told Marc that Oliver didn't bring his oatmeal.

Marc then texted me a photo of his "oatmeal."

For those of you who know Marc well -- this photo is GREAT for him....Marc's healthy "oatmeal" is Pepsi and potato chips at his desk at work.

Surprised?

Our Weekend, Part 2....

This post is a continuation of MY PREVIOUS POST about this past weekend.

First -- a couple of housekeeping items....

1) If you read my comments from the previous post, you might have noticed that our friend, Debby, had a question....about the price of these cabins...

Click HERE to find the answer.

2) Three of the photos towards the end of the previous post were "small." They were taken by Ross -- see THIS SITE for details.

*****

So, the first morning of our weekend (Saturday, the 2nd of April), Marc got up REALLY early to run a race....I barely remember when he left since I was still striving to get some sleep. Luke was sleeping at this point :)

But, I must post a view from our cabin deck....not bad for the middle of Kansas.



Since Luke was up earlier than normal (you know, not his normal bed and all), Luke spent some time....

1) Continuously playing with his bedroom door in the cabin (and for those of you who know Luke personally and his INTENSE fascination for doors -- this should come as NO surprise to you)....



2) Working to "jump" on his "Cabin Big Boy Bed...." (I had to monitor this closely because a fall off of the bed would've been BAD since the floor is VERY HARD)....Fortunately, no accidents occurred.



3) Eating breakfast, of course....Luke didn't want to sit at the table (I didn't mind -- we were on "vacation"). He wanted to eat his breakfast standing up, while his food sat on the chairs.



*****

After awhile, Luke and I headed out for an almost 4-mile walk around the state park.



We went to the shore of the lake....Luke enjoyed simply sitting at the table while drinking his morning juice.





And then, we headed to the amphitheater area of the park -- where church services are held each Sunday during the summer vacation season....It would be great to worship outside in this quiet park!



Across from the amphitheater is a "kids' pond...." I assume it's used as a smaller and "safer" area for kids to swim. Obviously, the water's still a bit too cold to swim right now.



After our nice walk, we, at Luke's request, headed back to the cabin -- Luke LOVED this cabin (I can't emphasize this fact enough).

Luke wanted to, once again, blow bubbles. Again, it was WINDY. Luke had bubbles, thankfully.





And now, this post is long enough for right now....

There will be MORE TO COME (including the finale of the race) next week!

In my next post, my new favorite pics will be shared!

Have a fabulous weekend!

Our Weekend, Part 1....

As I mentioned in MY PREVIOUS POST, we (as in all three of us) spent this past weekend HERE....



We went to Kanopolis State Park because Marc was signed up to run in a 50-mile race (YEP -- 50 miles) called Rockin' K. Rockin' K is a race that is sponsored and "put on" by the Kansas Ultrarunners' Society -- of which Marc is the treasurer.

The race was on Saturday, but we arrived on Friday afternoon to get ourselves moved into and Luke napping in this cabin....



Luke ecstatic as he rode in the car there.



In the afternoon, during Luke's very non-existent nap (I tried, though), Marc went and helped the race organizers, Phil & Stacy. So, after Luke's non-existent nap, I went for a walk around the state park with our jogging stroller -- which we took along (and store on the cabin's deck -- locked up).



The stroller proved to be a very good thing to have along -- Luke napped briefly in it on Friday afternoon, and Luke and I used it on Saturday (more on Saturday in a future post).

But, moving on....to our Friday evening....

Luke played with bubbles quite a bit outside the cabin....The VERY STRONG Kansas winds we had this past weekend proved helpful to Luke and bubbles; otherwise, I'm not sure he would've gotten any bubbles.





Phil & Stacy (the race organizers) have a pre-race supper for the runners and their families. Stacy makes homemade meatballs (over 1,000 of them) to have spaghetti/meatballs, salad, and bread. YUMMY!!!!

Everybody gathers to eat at one of the shelters in the park.







And, to end this post....here are some photos of our family....

Luke -- sitting in the shelter before supper.



My two favorite guys (Marc & Luke) -- also in the shelter before supper.



Luke -- hanging out after supper -- outside!



And, how about Luke and his Mama after supper -- again, outside!



And -- our latest family pic....



Stay turned for the "rest of the weekend" post -- coming soon!

Weekly Meal Plan and a Preview....

Here it is for this week....

Monday, April 4, 2011
Papa Murphy's Pizza
Brownies

(for the NCAA Final Tourney Game)

Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Marc & Luke: Pigs in a Blanket and Mac N' Cheese (per Marc's request)

Sarah: Eating at Mom 2 Mom at church (will be taking strawberry salad)

Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Hamburger Helper

(Really original, I know -- BUT, I have a few I need to use up).

Thursday, April 7, 2011
Beef Stroganoff
Vegetable

(YUM!)

Friday, April 8, 2011
Spaghetti & Meatballs
Breadsticks
Salad

Saturday, April 9, 2011
Lunch: Rummage

Supper: Marc & Luke -- Will be having "Guys' Night" with Little Caesar's Pizza

Sarah -- Will be at Women's Ministries' Progressive Dinner at church (and at various ladies' houses)

Sunday, April 10, 2011
Lunch: Sarah & Luke -- Rummage

Marc -- Will be eating at a restaurant (not sure which one) in Hutchinson, KS, with some cousins

Supper: Santa Fe Chicken Casserole, Brownies

****This is a NEW recipe for our family....hopefully, it's YUMMY!!!!!

*****

A little preview of some posts to come:

This past weekend, we were in a CABIN -- an EXTREME highlight for a 2 year-old....

More to come....