Team Stine Visits

We had an awesome (and LONG overdue) visit with Team Stine today. They headed out south after church this morning and we spent hours playing and catching up. Lola and Parker went without naps today and we have to give them huge credit for being overall very well behaved all day. It was so great to love on eachother's new little miracles, too. Miss Ryann is one of the happiest babies you'll ever meet. She was ALL smiles from start to finish! Here is my favorite of the day, but you can see the rest by clicking HERE.

History of Rock n' Roll: Part XVIIII

Last Saturday night, I headed back to high school to watch my cousin/god-daughter Kylie in VJA's annual variety show. That makes 5 Kurek cousins to have graced the stage in this AMAZING show throughout the years. It started with me, then Leah, followed by Tim, Jessica and now Kylie. Leah never really left though--she's been one of the show's main choreographers since she graduated and works with these kids for months to make sure they give their best.

The lights and sounds are what you might expect to see at a professional music show. No joke. The lights are done by a good family friend of my mom's and they do the lights for huge concerts. And the sound--10 piece live band. You really just have to see it to believe it.

(Look to the far right of this picture...the three people standing up are Uncle Ken, Jess and Auntie Cheryl. I was just a few row backs from them!)

That's my girl! First row, far right.

Kylie with Auntie Cheryl, Uncle Ken and Jess.

Team Colors

Johnny was sporting his team's colors yesterday--Midnight Blue & Battleship Gray. Is it time for spring training yet?
His sweet smile :) He was giving John the biggest grins the other night!
Tummy time fun! How hilarious is his hair?! He's kept most of it but for some reason has lost it all on the top--old man style!
He was 2 monthls old on the 26th and is now tipping the scales at 10 lbs. 5 oz. Grow baby, grow!

{Johnny-8 weeks}

Our boy is 8 weeks old today! The time is flying. I took him into the pedi to get his RSV shot yesterday and he weighed in at a whopping 9 lbs. 14 1/2 oz. If he was a true 2 month old, that would only put him in the 15th percentile; however, they correct the age for preemies, based on their original due date (1.1.11)--so pretending he's really 3 weeks old, he is in the 90th percentile for both height and weight. Big boy!

He is starting to coo, hold his gave into our eyes and be very interested in the world around him. It seems like newborns sleep an awful lot the first month or two and then they just wake up and say, in the words of Lola "HERE I AM!". After Lola went down last night, John and I had so much fun just engaging him. I went to our new BuyBuy Baby that finally opened in Orland (uh-oh!) and got him a new playmat with tons of colors and a hip new bouncy seat. It's the same style bouncy Lola had, but her's was pink, and well that's just not going to work for Buck.

Mommy and Johnny had so much fun playing during Lola's nap today. The gym mat pics are from our playtime with Daddy last night and the bouncy seat pics are from today. Isn't he somethin'?!

The best--ever.

I've been telling Lola for quite sometime that she is "the best daughter ever." (Yes, I know I'm biased.) So about a week ago, she took John by the hand, led him into her room, sat him on the bed, looked him square in the eye and said:

"Daddy, you're the best father ever."

If that's not love, I don't know what is. :)

{johnny + nemo}

{brother + sister}

Potty Training 101

Potty Training 101 began on Wednesday for Lola--and Mommy! I tried to follow the "boot camp" method as much as possible--ie, straight to "underpants" (as Lola calls them). Well, on Day 1, it's safe to say I felt like I had a new puppy in the house...I cleaned up 9 accidents. Day 2 was MUCH better. While she's still not accident free, she's doing AMAZING for Day 5. The whole objective of this mission is to have her potty trained fully by the fall when preschool starts--I think we'll be in good shape by then :)

Because we're so proud of how she's done, we took a trip to the Disney store yesterday to get a "Beauty & the Beast" play set and plush "Mrs. Potts". Yes, "Beauty & the Beast" is her new obsession. (So much so Mommy is hearing the songs in her sleep--thankfully it's a great score.)

So here she is, having breakfast at her "tea table" with her new crew.

{double duty daddy}

{Johnny-7 weeks}

7 weeks celebrated yesterday with this beautiful boy of ours. He continues to be the sweetest little angel. And is growing so big! He's very alert nowadays, as you can see...




snuggles on daddy.

{baby johnny-baby lola}

johnny 6 weeks (2 weeks, adjusted).lola 2 weeks.
i think we've got a lil bruiser on our hands, compared to how our petite princess looked at about the same age!

Ready for our lunch date @ Chick-fil-A.

{sleepy boy}

BBQ Chicken Pizza

We're somewhat of BBQ Chicken pizza connoisseurs in this house--we love it. We usually just get the frozen Trader Joe's brand and occasionally splurge on one from Nancy's or Ed n Joe's. I decided to try to make it from "scratch" and while it was quite a bit more work than opening up a box from the freezer or picking up the phone and dialing, it was WELL worth it. After we ate it, John said exactly this: "Amazing. Better than California Pizza Kitchen." (Um, CPK invented the BBQ Chicken Pizza!) Thanks honey :)

Assemble in this order:
Prepared pizza crust
Sauteed Chicken Breast (2 thick ones) diced into small pieces and tossed with a bit of BBQ sauce
Diced Green Pepper and Red Onion
Top with more BBQ sauce (We're Sweet Baby Ray's fans in this house!)
Monterey Jack cheese blend

I popped it in a 425 degree oven for 12 minutes, then put the broiler on for a few more minutes to get the cheese all crispy. *Be careful* You've got to watch it closely with the broiler on.

Our Growing Buck

He changes so much everyday.

The Art of Tricking Your Toddler

Ah, yes. The joys of toddler picky eating habits. She used to be such a great eater and I really think it's just a phase. There are days that she'll eat great and days when I question whether she got the full nutrition she needed. But obviously, she's not starving :)

Mommy decided to trick Lola this morning--I added grated carrot, ground flaxseed and pumpkin pie spice to her whole wheat "panycakes". She loved them. Score one for Mommy Ninja.

(Side note: Have leftover pankcakes? Freeze them, then pop them in the toaster when you're ready to eat them again. Got to thank my mom-in-law for that one!)

{morning magic}

It's never too early to perform a little magic on your baby brother.


"Ok, Mom. Can I please just have my milk already?"

{brother + sister}

Johnny was hanging in his crib this afternoon...
and Lola, ever the concerned big sister went to check on him.
It's only a matter of time before she climbs in. Mommy is watching her like a hawk.
She did realize she could stand on the mattress and be able to finally scale the bars, but I caught her and advised her otherwise.
And after days of requests, I finally let her hold him. She is starting to feel better and has been on the antibiotics for 24 hours now.
Lola & Mommy went to the library this morning while Grammy spent some time with Johnny. We got loads of new books, including "Clifford's First Valentine's Day", so Lola read to her Baby Johnny.






MOMMY LOVES HAVING THESE TWO! Aren't they the sweetest?