Match Day

With much anticipation came Match Day,
Which determined where we'll move in May.
We got all of our wishes
To live near the Fishes
Even though it's 2000 miles away!

So now we are done with the waitin'
And instead we are celebratin'
It's painful to leave Boise,
but we haven't a choice, see?
So our next adventure lies in Dayton!

Looks like we'll be moving to Dayton, Ohio in May or June, friends! We're so excited to be near Downi and Boyce again and to be a day's drive away from Denny & Dionne, Kathleen & Frank, Marni & Neil, and possibly Kaysi & Terry!

We're only a few hours from Cedar Point Coaster Park if anyone is passing through!

Eleni's 2 Year Birthday Party

Okay, I have meaning to blog Eleni's Birthday Party from January! I'm admittedly a little slow, but I'm okay with that.

We invited friends and family over for a little County Fair party where we had assorted booths set up for the kids. The older nephews and nieces helped run the booths, where the kiddos earned tokens that they could exchange for candy.

The GamesThe Fishing Booth

Skee Ball and a Tic-Tac-Toe Toss in the background

Pony Rides

Laundry Basket Ball
Face Painting
(They were supposed to be cute little designs for the face--NOT arm tattoos!)

The Food
Nothing like good ol' corn dogs, pretzels, tater tots, fries, and cotton candy! (Thanks, Tam, for all of your hard work!)

One of my better cakes, I must admit.

The Presents

Eleni LOVED opening gifts and received some really fun stuff from
friends and family. Thank you! However, in trying to reduce the vast number of pics on this blog, I had to just show her main gifts.
We found the perfect dress for Eleni (but regrettably had to return it because it fit too snug).Did you get a good deal, Mom?

(What else would my daughter say, right?)Every little girl needs a mirror to dance in front of, eat in front of, comb her hair in front of,
cry in front of... you get the picture.

Thanks, everyone, for coming! Eleni had a great time!

The Danger of Homonyms

Homonyms, at least as 2 year olds view them, can put a twist on all sorts of daily conversations.

For instance, "getting dressed" to a 2-year old girl means "putting on a dress." Anything but was entirely unacceptable.

Or, "Do you wanna play soccer, Leni?"
"Sucker?"
"Soccer."
"Sucker. Okay!"

Here's one that always gets me. "Are you hungry, Lanes?"
"Mommy, eat?"
"Okay. Mommy's cooking."
"Cookies. Okay. Cookies."

And her most recent mix up is when we take Cledi to the hospital for physical therapy once a week and we get to ride the "alligator" up to the second floor. She says "Chomp! Chomp!" and makes alligator jaw motions with her hands.

Eight Days... and Counting Down

Gene and I are moving in less than 3 months. Where? We don't know yet. Such is the exciting life of a Fourth Year Medical Student. But not for long--we find out on the 19th of this month!

Gene is on pins and needles and hardly a day goes by without mentioning how close we are to Match Day. He hates not knowing things.

I, on the other hand, am enjoying not having to stress about buying a house, organizing a move, and all of the other details that I will be forced to stress about as soon as we know where we're going. I figure, I can't make the eight days go any faster, so I might as well enjoy not knowing while I can.

Comment Response on the Smoothies

Comment Response:

• Yes, Michelle Leavitt is the SuperMom that taught me this trick. Thanks, Michelle!
  
• No, you can't taste the spinach as long as you don't over do it.
  
• Usually I just use what I have around to put in the smoothies, but pineapple, ice, and banana, and a handful or two of spinach are my staples. A lot of times I keep a can of pineapple in the frig so it's cold, and I freeze bananas that are getting too old to eat and use those. Beyond that, I might add orange juice, frozen grapes, apple juice, frozen strawberries, fruit cocktail, canned peaches or mandarin oranges, or whatever you have around! But just pineapple, bananas, ice, apple juice, and spinach taste delicious.
• If you add any red fruits (i.e. strawberries, raspberries, possibly apples) it can make the smoothie turn brown. One might look at it and be grossed out, but it tastes great! My vote is to help your kids embrace the new look with a little creativity. Try throwing in some gummy worms and call it the "Momma's Mudslide."
  
• Also, I can't overemphasize the health benefits of spinach. Voted as one of CookingNook.com's Top Ten Healthiest Foods, spinach is a nutritional powerhouse. It's packed with calcium, Vitamins C, A, and E, fiber, folic acid, magnesium, folate, flavonoids, lutein, and potassium--to name a few.

One Off the Bucket List

Feeding my child a green smoothie. Check.


Okay.... so maybe the title is a stretch, but ever since I learned that you could blend spinach into smoothies without changing the taste, I have dreamed of doing this for my children. For some reason I gain a lot of satisfaction from sneaking healthy foods into the meals my family is eating.

It was a total hit with Eleni.

Having a Fat Day

But somehow this picture makes me feel a little better.

This is the outfit that I wore for nearly the entire last 2 months of my pregnancy. Lovely, eh? This was just days before Nash was born.