Visits from beyond

This last weekend was the 2nd anniversary of Nick's dad passing. On Saturday, we went over to his mom's house to take my sister in law out to lunch for her birthday. I have heard before that people who have passed leave behind signs or messages for their loved ones. One specific one is that they will leave coins around for you to find and pick up. While we were over at my mother in law's house I went into the bathroom. I looked down and there was a penny on the floor. I picked it up and put it on the counter and looked around the floor to see if there were anymore. There were none. I proceeded to go to the bathroom (don't worry #1)...hehe :) After I washed my hands, I started to open the door and stepped on something. I looked down and there was another penny!!! I picked that one up and placed it on the counter with the other one. So, I looked again to make sure there were no more pennies or coins on the floor. I walked out and told Nick and said, "I think your dad is leaving pennies on the floor" and I told him what happened. Nick just laughed and looked at me like I was a little crazy. About an hour or so later, Nick visited the bathroom (#1 thank god)...hehe :) Anyways, he came out of the bathroom and said, "Guess what? There was a penny on the floor when I just went into the bathroom." I said, "Nuh-uh, are you kidding?" He said, "Nope, it's in the corner on the floor." I went into the bathroom and wouldn't you know...there was a penny on the floor in the corner! I think Nick's dad was playing a little joke and just wanted to say hi :) I hope next time he leaves $100 bills though.

Run Daddy Run!!!

The Hobergs have been very busy the last few days. It seems our August and September are filling up with lots of weddings, receptions, and parties! It is busy, but very fun!

On Sunday, Nick ran in his very first race since he started running again. Nicole and I woke up early to get downtown to meet him at the finish line. It was alot of fun! Nicole had so much fun watching the runners and she also got to meet a turtle and a rabbit. She liked talking to them but didn't like it so much when they tried to tickle her...hehe! As we waited for Daddy to approach the finish line, we practiced our "Hoorays!" Nicole recently has learned to say, "Hooray!" and lift her arms in the air, thanks to the song, "If you're happy and you know it". She already knows how to clap her hands and stomp her feet, but recently she caught on to if you're happy and you know it say Hooray! Very cute :) So when we saw Daddy approaching the finish line, we cheered, "Hooray Daddy! Go Daddy!"

The race must have worked up Nicole's appetite. Before the race she had a banana and then she ate a cereal bar right after the race. Then we went over to Gaga Peggy's house and Nicole ate an entire Asiago Panera bagel with cream cheese! For lunch she had another half of a bagel, a grilled cheese sammie, and some pot roast. Seriously...where does she put it? She's a peanut, but eats like a trucker.

This week Nicole's daycare is on vacation, so her and I have been staying with my mom (Gaga Linda's house). Nicole calls her grandmas Gaga, because she can't say Grandma yet. She has been having so much fun at Gaga's house. They were both so tuckered out when I got home from work yesterday! Nicole likes to go around Gaga's house and point out everything that must be baby-proofed. She points to the doggie bowls and says, "Ucky, ucky!" until Gaga moves them. She points to the ceramic breakables and says, "No, no, no!" until Gaga moves them. And she points to the cords on the blinds and says, "No, no, danger!" until Gaga moves those out of reach. What a good baby, showing us what is danger and what she shouldn't touch. She cracks me up! She also has started to check out some good time out spots, sitting in the corners of different rooms. I think the time out spots will come in handy soon...we've caught some glimpes of the terrible twos! Good news is that Nicole seems to learn fast and really does pay attention when we teach her right from wrong, just the same as I learn alot and pay attention to her when she is showing me what needs baby-proofed.

Bubble Bath

Yesterday I had a long, stressful day at work. I got slammed with more work than time left in the week. I hate that when that happens! Anyways, I was in a pretty crabby, anxious mood by the time I got home last night.

Nicole had a dinner of mac 'n' cheese, blueberries, and strawberries. It was bath night so she had the crusty hair, food in her ears, and sticky hands thing goin' on. Recently, daddy got Nicole some Tinkerbell bubble bath! So I drew her a nice bubble bath. She had so much fun splashing around, sometimes too much that I also got a "bath"! Anyways, after about 20 minutes in the bath tub, I decided to drain the water out and tell Nicole it was time to get out. Well, she did not want to get out yet. She had found a fun new activity. She decided it was so much fun to slide around in the left over bubble suds on her bare naked butt back and forth in the tub! While doing this, she would stop every now and then and let out a HUGE man toot. I mean seriously, this girl can toot like an adult man! Each time, Nicole would laugh hysterically whenever she tooted because the wet bathtub floor would make it SO LOUD!!!

Moral of this story: My baby girl makes any bad day into a good day and makes it all better. Also, sometimes you don't need soap to make bubbles in your bath. Nicole found a different way to make a bubble bath :/

After we both laughed hysterically for severals minutes, I was in a much better mood. How could you not smile after watching your 14 month old slip and slide in the tub on her bare hiney, laughing hysterically, and tooting like a man? She is SO our daughter :) She definately gave me the medicine I needed yesterday...a good laugh.

Mom's Girl

So this weekend I got an ouchy :( I stepped over the baby gate wrong and did something to my big toe and foot. It hurts, but it feels like it is getting better. So with that and the hot, humid weather, we didn't do a whole lot!

This coming weekend my hubby is running in his first 5K race. Hopefully I can go and cheer him on. It is very early in the morning so I don't think we will bring Nicole. Later that day we are going to the Twins game! Yay!!!

Nicole has really started to become a mama's girl. She cuddles me all the time and whines if I leave the room, and is always wanting me to pick her up. She has been giving us alot of huggies and kissies. She is such a sweet girl. I love all the cuddles she is giving us, so I am not going to complain! She is also turning into such a climber. She now knows how to climb up onto the couch by herself...Oh boy!!! I think she gets this from her dad. Her dad used to climb the door frames as a kid :/ I know one day I will probably find her on top of the refridgerator.

Those of you that know me, know that I use alot of "baby talk" words. Even before I had a baby. I refer to animals as foofies, my blanket as banky, my pillow as peelo, sneezes are foochies, and so on. Nick was commenting on how surprising it is that Nicole doesn't use more baby talk words. For example, she says mom instead of mama, and bottle instead of baba. I responded in a shocked voice, "What do you mean?!?! Like the word foofie?" Nicole's response, "Foofie, foofie." HAHA!!! I guess she will be calling animals foofies, just like her mom. That's why she is mama's girl, I mean mom's girl.

Chicken Enchiladas

Here is a great, yummy chicken enchilada recipe we make. They freeze great and are very yummy leftover!

Makes: 10
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Bake at 350 degrees for 23 minutes.

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 onion, sliced
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 can (4 ounces) diced green chiles, drained
3 ounces cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
10 fajita-size flour tortillas
1/3 cup half-and-half
1 cup shredded Monteray Jack cheese

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 13X9X2-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion; cook stirring, for 5 minutes. Add chicken, cook 5 more minutes. Turn off heat; stir in chiles, cream cheese and salt.
3. Heat oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add a tortilla and cook for a few seconds until tortilla becomes limp. Remove to a paper towel lined tray. Repeat with all of the tortillas.
4. Spoon 1/3 cup filling down the center of each tortilla. Roll and set, seam side down, in prepared baking dish. Drizzle evenly with half-and-half and sprinkle with shredded cheese.
5. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 23 minutes or until top is golden. Cool slightly before serving.

Bottle? No thanks!

It appears this week Nicole, our 14 month old, has decided she no longer needs bottles. Good girl! She is growing up so fast. This makes me very proud of her, however it also makes me sad. Where'd my little baby go?

This is typical Nicole though. She has always been a very easy baby. It seems like she has been the one to teach me. She let me know when she was ready to eat solids, she let me know when she didn't need a pacifier, she let me know when she was ready to ditch the bottle, and so on. I am still waiting for this parenting thing to become challenging. I know, I know...either she will end up being a terror in a couple years, become a horrible teenager, or my next baby will have colic. Some way I will get pay back right? I hope that is not the case. I hope Nicole continues to be a well-adjusted, sweet girl. All's we can do is try our best. I will continue to let her guide me through this parenting thing. Now that isn't saying I will let her take advantage of me...no, no, no sir! I will listen to her and let her guide me. Take last night for example. Nicole had a rare crabby day yesterday. She was overly tired and I think her teeth are bothering her. She would touch her face and say, "Ow!" and there was a lot of whining. So, at about 7:00pm (a full hour before her usual bedtime), I said, "Nicole, do you need to go to bed? Are you just too tired?" She raised her arms for me to pick her up and said, "Night, night". I picked her up and she laid her head on my shoulder and put her thumb in that cute, cranky mouth of hers. And off we were to bed!

So, I have found that before you get worked up...if you just take a step back, listen to your child, they will tell you what they need.

Now...if only I could tell Nicole that I am ready to give up my baby blanket. Hmmmm, I don't think that will happen any time soon considering I am 32 years old. I sometimes wonder what it will be like when Nicole is 16 years old and says to me, "Mom, when are you going to stop sleeping with that nasty baby blanket? It's so embarrassing!" Hey, if sleeping with my baby blanket at the age of 32 is the most dysfunctional thing about me, then I am in pretty good shape!

Yeehaw!!!

The Hobergs are TX bound!!! We bought our plane tickets to Houston last night and we are so excited! Nick, Nicole, my mom, and myself are all going. We will be visiting my sister and her husband, their 3 adorable Jack Russels, and hopefully we will get some time in with my dad too. We are very excited. I am, of course, nervous too as this will be my first time flying with a child. I have the normal apprehensions...what if she screams the whole time, what if people glare at me, what all do we need to bring with us, what if she poops on the plane, you know all those horror stories you hear about. And we have all been on the opposite side...the ones that glare at the parents that can't seem to control their kid. Luckily, my kid is well-tempered and usually in a very good mood. The only worry I have is she is VERY busy and she will even tell you "I busy". Yes, yes you are Nicole :) So for any parents out there that has flown with a young child, I would love to hear your tips. I plan on bringing some bottles for her to suck on and some new, never before seen awesome toys and books ;)

We are also very excited because we just signed Nicole up for her first gymnastics class! Well, it's more like a running around and being crazy class. But either way, she will have lots of fun and learn alot. Also, we have a few friends who signed their daughters up for it too, so Nicole will have a few friends in her class :) Nicole has learned a new talent that might come in handy at her class, which is quite hysterical to watch. She recently has started to "spin" in circles until she gets dizzy. She then tries to walk and looks like a drunken sailor until she falls over! She thinks this is super funny and so do we!!! Whenever we say "spinny spinny" she does this or if she sees one of us "spinning" she will copy us. She is such a little comedian :)

This Friday I am going to have dinner with an old friend from high school. I am looking forward to it as we have not seen each other since we were 18 years old! Wow :) Thanks to Facebook, we have reconnected. She has three boys so I am sure she will be full of mommy knowledge. But I am sure we will not only talk about motherhood. I am planning on having a glass of wine and just have fun catching up!