Happy Valentine's Day (45/365)

Click to enlarge.

Looks like Izzy found her Valentine. I hope you had a good day with yours too!

Happy 21st, Tori! (44/365)

Cross Your Fingers (43/365)

Both girls are currently sleeping in the same room. If all goes well tonight we may just move Izzy's crib out of the catch all room and into a real bedroom this weekend (she's currently sleeping in the pack-n-play)!

Cross your fingers!

It Was a LONG Day (42/365)

For all of us. Matt and I got up at 4:15am, Alice was up at 5am, and Izzy was up right before we walked out the door at 5:15am. Oddly enough, Alice was freakishly chipper and happy the whole time - don't worry, I'm not complaining. I was quite worried how she'd be for Matt since she loves her sleep just like her momma (and uncles), but she couldn't have been better. Turns out the woman who scheduled my appointment for the CT scan could have worded what she said to me better as the actual test only took 5 minutes or less. The best the tech could figure out is that she meant that from check in to check out that I'd be there for 45 minutes, not that the test was going to take 45 minutes. Had she been a little more careful with her wording we all would have had a bit more sleep this morning because I never would have scheduled the test for 5:30am had I known that.

It actually all worked out pretty well in the long run. The sun was just coming up when we left the hospital and our favorite mom and pop restaurant had just opened its doors for the day, so we went out for a rare family breakfast - and boy was it FABULOUS! Then we came home, Izzy went to bed, Matt stayed home until around 10am (he had to work late tonight on something, so it just worked out the best that he go in late) and he and Alice watched a movie together while I took a nap on the couch.

It definitely made for a LONG day, but it sure was a GOOD day too.

Randomness Wednesday (41/365)

• Izzy is getting lots of teeth. So far only four are through (her four front teeth), but she'll soon have a mouthful as there are more on their way.
• Alice FINALLY seems to have the pooping on the potty thing down. She knows when she has to go and she figured out how to push on the potty so things are looking really good in that department.
• Today she actually got up from eating lunch and walked over to her potty (she's been using a small potty for poop because it takes her so darn long to go), sat down, and after a little bit of protest went potty!
• It looks like we may be moving Izzy's crib into Alice's room soon. Alice actually took a good long nap with Izzy in her room this afternoon. The last time I tried this she hated it and both of them ended up with out naps. Now we'll need to get a name sign for the door for Izzy that is like the one Aunt El bought for Alice when we went out there in 2007.
• Dad made it home to J'ville safe and sound this evening. I bet he's looking forward to sleeping in his old bed and getting back into his old routine. And I bet GG can't wait for her daily phone calls to start up again!
• Speaking of GG, the girls got the best handmade Valentine's cards in the mail this week from GG. I'll have to get pics of them with the cards and post them. Thanks, GG!
• We had one heck of a mess to clean up last night. I dropped the glass, nearly full, bottle of olive oil on the floor last night as I was cleaning in anticipation of Dad's arrival. I'm SO glad it happened when Matt was home as it fell at the entrance to the kitchen and I didn't have any shoes on. Of course this happened very close to the kids' bedtime AND minutes before Dad arrived at our door. Luckily we got it all cleaned up in a pretty timely fashion.
• Except for that piece that I found with my foot right before I went to bed.
• I go in for a 45 minute CAT scan tomorrow. I was miserable on my bday and the week following and my doc suspects it could be a kidney stone. Great. Good thing is that I have been feeling better so who knows. I hope Matt can wrangle the kiddos in the hospital waiting room for a hour without incident!
• Izzy is still eating well, thank God! I still can't believe a little bit of medicine is all it took to see change in that department. She enjoys most things, but her favorite food by far is avacodo.

In the spirit of Randomness, here's a very random video from a few nights ago.

He Made It Home (40/365)

Well, he made it to Aurora at least.

He'll head home sometime tomorrow assuming the roads aren't terrible.

Matt snapped this pic in between Dad's catnaps.

Glad you're home safe and sound, Daddy!

On This Day In History (39/365)

• 1587 – Mary, Queen of Scots is executed on suspicion of having been involved in the Babington Plot to murder her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I.
• 1601 – Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, rebels against Queen Elizabeth I – the revolt is quickly crushed
• 1692 – A doctor in Salem Village, Massachusetts Bay Colony suggests that two girls in the family of the village minister may be suffering from bewitchment, leading to the Salem witch trials.
• 1837 – Richard Johnson becomes the first Vice President of the United States chosen by the United States Senate.
• 1865 – In the United States, Delaware voters reject the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and vote to continue the practice of slavery. (Delaware finally ratifies the amendment on February 12, 1901.)
• 1910 – The Boy Scouts of America is incorporated by William D. Boyce.
• 1922 – President Warren G. Harding introduces the first radio in the White House.
• 1963 – Travel, financial and commercial transactions by United States citizens to Cuba are made illegal by the John F. Kennedy administration.
• 1971 – The NASDAQ stock market index opens for the first time.
• 1974 – After 84 days in space, the crew of the first American space station Skylab returns to Earth.
• 1978 – Proceedings of the United States Senate are broadcast on radio for the first time.
• 1980 – One of the best big brothers a girl could ever have, Charles E. Rice Jr., was born in Jacksonville, IL.

Ok, so I guess I could have just linked you to the Wikipedia page that I got all of this information from, but what fun would that be? Happy 30th Birthday, big bro. This past year has been a great one, I hope this year is even better.

And what would a birthday be without a video of Alice singing Happy Birthday. Love you!

It Beats Watching Football (38/365)

What it takes to get one good picture of the two of them together.
Please click to enlarge to see the hilarity.

Charles and Erin were in the area this weekend at a geek gathering LAN party so they decided to drop by on their way back to Charleston. Turns out Matt's parents are much closer to where the party was, so we opted to meet up there instead of here at our house. It worked out great for us since that is where we typically spend our Sundays anyway, and I didn't have to clean my house in anticipation of the visit. SCORE! I think they had a good time seeing the girls and chatting with my fam. They both got to experience a typical Bathje dinner, which wouldn't be complete without 140 decibels of noise (right, Erin?). Charles even got to blow out a candle one day early for his birthday (is he really going to be 30?!). All in all it was a pretty damn good Sunday.

Hope you two are safe and sound in Chucktown by now. It was so good to see you.

Like Sands Through the Hour Glass (37/365)

RIP, Alice Horton (Frances Reid).

I spent many an afternoon after school doing my homework on the couch watching you on Days of our Lives with my mother. Though I haven't watched in years, there is a special place in my heart for the show and the cast. Simply watching a Days clip from the 80's or 90's and I'm immediately flooded with fond memories of my mom.

Salem won't be the same with out you (though you haven't actually been on the show in years, but hell, you get my point).

And no it wasn't Stefano's doing, she was the ripe old age of 95.

Bathroom Beauty (36/365)

Click to enlarge.

Gotta love this kid! We gave Alice her own makeup bag for her birthday last year and so far she's colored in the lines (and followed my rules: it must stay in the bathroom, she has to ask first, and if we are going out somewhere she may only use light colors). Tonight was obviously a different story. In her defense she did ask me if she could use the reds and browns and I told her she could, not to mention the fact that she had Daddy in there taking pictures of her egging her on.

Had we gone out in public like that someone would have called DCFS on me.

In other news, I think Alice has finally made a breakthrough in the pooping on the potty department! She definitely knows when she needs to go, it's the convincing her to sit and to try for longer than a minute that's been hard. I'm hoping she'll get it soon as I'm so tired of cleaning poop out of her panties or wiping her after she's gone in a pull-up. She's also starting to wake up dry in the morning, which is HUGE for Alice since she is typically in an overnight diaper plus pull-up at night (and even then she still leaks sometimes), so I'm hoping that means that in another few months we won't have to even buy pull-ups anymore. Ahhhh, I have to say, I CAN'T WAIT!!

Who Knew? (35/365)

Click to enlarge.

Lately Matt and I have been into playing our Wii a lot. We've had it for ages, but we kind of lost interest in it there for a while. I did end up getting a Wii Fit Plus for my birthday so that may have something to do with it. Anyway, Alice has been really big into it too; and as it turns out, she's really good! She schooled me in bowling, and I have since adopted her patented spinning throw which caused me to have a NEAR perfect game (10 strikes in a row, got 9 down on the 2nd part of the 10th frame, then picked up the spare). She's pretty good at just about everything else too. What surprised me the most was what she did tonight, though. I let her play boxing for the first time ever, but before that I had to try it once to remember how the controls worked so I could teach her. I won my fight, but I sure was pooped, especially since the guy kept getting back up again! Anyway, Alice comes in and on the first round gets a KO!! I'm telling you, the kid is a Wii genius!

Haha, Wii genius. See what I did there? No, ok.

Yes, I'm Going Through Vacation Pics - FINALLY! (34/365)

6-24-09: Kaylee at the North Carolina Zoo. Missing you.

On a Day Like Today (33/365)

I'm very thankful I have a husband like Matt.

I don't know if I have a bit of a bug, or if the Cocoa Puffs that I had for breakfast just did a number on my stomach as I am no longer used to eating them, but around noon today I started to really feel quite horrible. Moms aren't allowed sick days, but Matt felt bad for me and came home. Not only did he work from home, but he took care of the girls and made dinner! I gotta say, I sure married a winner!

Be jealous.

Mmmm, I LOVE Fajita Night! (32/365)

Looks pretty appetizing, eh?

Fajitas à la Becky

2 Large Chicken Breasts - cut into bite sized pieces
1 Large Onion, any type - sliced into strips
2 Medium Green, Red, or Yellow Peppers - sliced into strips
Juice of one large lemon (I use bottled, so I typically do one turn of the pan)
Spices of your choice
Extra Virgin Olive Oil - two turns of the pan
Tortilla shells
Sour cream - optional
Lemon or Lime quarters - optional

Fry veggies (salt them slightly to help them release their juices) in oil for about 4 or 5 minutes until the veggies are soft and start to take on a bit of color. I actually prefer to let them scorch the pan slightly creating a nice fond in the bottom of the pan. Now add the chicken and season (I typically use garlic powder and pepper). At this point the pan will be crowded and the veggies and the chicken will start to steam rather than fry. Add a lid if you want to speed up this process. The steam will start to loosen the fond, creating a nice sauce. Once the chicken is cooked through, crank up your heat and add your juice. Keep the contents of the pan moving so they don't burn under the high heat. Scrape the pan while you do this, removing any bits of fond that may remain. The dish is done in 2-3 minutes when the juice has reduced enough that it only coats the food and not the pan. Serve immediately. Build your fajita and squeeze some fresh lemon or lime on it before closing the tortilla.

Serves 4.

Another Day, Another Birthday (31/365)

Happy 65th Birthday, Old Man! It was SO weird talking to you last night on Skype - probably the only time it will ever be my birthday and yours at the same time again. Love you, hope you're having fun with James.

By the way, can you all believe I've kept this up for a whole month?! I know I can't!