I usually don't blog much about grownup birthdays, but I'm going to make one exception because tonight I got to go to Uncle Todd's 30th birthday party. (The last time I was at a 3oth birthday party I was two days old, and the party was in Mommy's hospital room. I didn't have a blog then! Next time I go to a 30th birthday party, I'll blog about it.) Here I am with Uncle Todd and Aunt Corinne. Aunt Corinne gave Uncle Todd a great party. Lots of people that I love were there and kept me entertained.
Here I am with Aunt Amanda. She gave me this great "Mom" shirt that everyone, including my mom, thinks is great.
Can you believe that this was Uncle Todd's cake? It looked just like his truck, Earl. Maybe Mommy will take this as a hint of what I want for a cake on my 3rd birthday.
Uncle Todd let me taste his truck cake frosting. You can see why we get along so well. Trucks and frosting, what could be better? Happy 30th birthday, Uncle Todd!
Happy Birthday, Uncle Todd!
Another Yard Discovery
We have azaleas in the backyard! (In this picture, it's raining, and we're so thankful for the water.)
Ama-yules and Trucks
You've probably noticed that my mom is really focused on painting the inside of our house.
In our old town, there was a Wal-Mart where we bought paint (and anything else we needed.) Now we know that it was a wonderful Wal-Mart. When we moved here, we discovered that Wal-Mart is not a good place to shop! So, we've found a new place to buy paint: Ace. None of this would concern me unless Ace was my favorite store. Here's why it's my favorite:
I get to visit the ama-yules...
and the trucks.
We visit Ace every now and then for paint, and I'm always very excited to go. It will be a sad day when Mommy finishes painting!
Remember When
Ok, first the cute picture. I'm 7 1/2 months old here.
Yep, I was pretty cute. Now for this one. As you saw in a post from earlier today, my CT scan results are in, and I'm fine. We're very, very thankful. I'm posting this picture because if you click on it to make it big, you can see that my left side of my face was a little lower than the right side even when I was a little baby. Mommy noticed it way back then, but nobody else did.
Mommy and Daddy know that babies are miracles, and we don't know why God chose to bless our family so much and put the three of us together, but we're so thankful that he did.
I'm Fine!
The doctor just called to let my mom know that my brain is just fine. My face is flat on the left side because I have liked to sleep on it since I was old enough to decide to sleep on my tummy. It's called plagiocephaly. But, it affects my looks and nothing else, and as I've said before, my mom and dad still think I'm cute. This is what we thought all along. (Not that I'm cute-but that the asymmetry of my face was from sleeping on it.)
Thanks to everybody who prayed for me and encouraged my mom and dad in so many ways! We love you!
No News
My mom talked to the doctor this evening, and the doctor hasn't received my CT scan results yet. She'll call when they come, and we'll post what we find out. Thanks for checking on me!
More About Easter
Easter turned out to be a really fun day. I'm learning to be happy in the nursery at church again. At church this Sunday, all the kids went up to the steps at the front of the church for a special message for the kids, and the man up there gave us each an Easter Bible.
After my nap, we visited lots of my relatives who live nearby. It was so great to see them!
I played in this little door with Baby Natalie...
played (and posed for this picture) with Aunt Amanda, Uncle Todd, and Aunt Corinne...
finished decorating my eggs with these little bugs...
and hunted for eggs for the very first time. It was an Easter to remember!
My latest trick
If you've seen me lately, you know that I like talking, and I like Mommy and Daddy to listen. Unfortunately, that means that they want me to ask nicely in a complete sentence anytime I need something. So, I've decided I'm not going to do that anymore. Here's how I've been asking for things since yesterday afternoon:
Like some si ni go nor my high pi nor.
Mommy nol fo so dur nigh nigh.
Need help ni nigh sigh nor nigh sor.
Turn off my no nor high sor nigh ca.
Common English is just not for me right now. Making up words in a slightly unhappy voice matches my mood much better. Unfortunately, Mommy and Daddy have not caught on yet. I'll let you know how quickly they learn.
Hutch Is Home!
Here's what Guy and Em have to say:
Happy Easter!
Today is a very exciting day: Easter! Today we are celebrating what Jesus did for us on the cross and that God raised him to life again. We're thankful that he loved us that much.
At our house, we colored some eggs, went to church, and took lots of pictures. We haven't taken this many family pictures since we took our Christmas picture. (And Mommy and Daddy haven't even finished mailing out those pictures yet!) This afternoon after my "Happy Easter Nap," we're going to spend some time with family.
Happy Easter!
Family Camping
After all the excitement of getting ready for my CT scan, my mom and dad decided it was time to leave town! On Friday afternoon, we went on a short camping trip. This was my third time camping, so I'm becoming an expert. The only problems I had were waiting for the food to get ready and for Mommy and Daddy to finish unpacking and packing. I got to bring my pillow and sleep in a real sleeping back this time instead of just being under blankets!
Here I am helping Daddy gather "porcupines" to put in our fire. Daddy built a very nice fire!
And here I am throwing rocks in the water, one of my favorite pastimes. Thanks for a fun time camping, Mommy and Daddy!
My Dad Is a Genius!
We did it!
We got my CT scan done. After going to bed at 10 and getting up at 4, we went to the CT scan place, and I stayed asleep for it on the second try. The first try did not go well as I woke up and got scared. On the second try, my daddy had the bright idea to pick me up (asleep) and keep my pillow under my head. That did the trick, and I got my test done with Mommy right there with me. We should know the results on Monday, and we're all so thankful that it's over.
Thanks to everyone for all your encouragement! Mommy, Daddy, and I are thankful for all of you. Here are some pictures of my day...
I requested my new "bedtime story" (as I call it) with my 4:30 a.m. breakfast.
Here I am sleeping off the sedative in the well-lit, recovery room.
Not sure whether I'm more tired or hungry, so here I am eating a snack before going back to bed for a nap in my crib. (I wasn't allowed to eat anything after my early-morning breakfast.)
Eating Ravioli
I hope you'll pray that I can sleep in the morning and have no trouble with my CT scan, but even more than that, I hope you'll pray for my buddy, Caleb, who is having surgery Monday, and even more than that, I hope you'll pray for my littlest buddy, Hutch, who is still in the hospital.
I'll let you know how things go!
Packages for Me!
I've had some great mail this week!
This exciting outfit is from my grandma and grandpa. I was so excited to put it on! It has Mater and Lightning McQueen on it. Here I am posing in it, complete with my bed-hair. Thanks for the great outfit, grandma and grandpa!
This package was from my great grandma and great grandpa Don. It had two bunnies and a lamb in it. I discovered that if you push the green bunny's paw, he sings and dances. He even has a little necklace. Thanks for the new toys!
Ella
You might be wondering how Ella's visit went...it was so fun! We played inside, we played outside, we had snack, we got the mail...it was great! Here's a picture of us on the swings. Ella kept saying "Jon...bicycle," but we didn't get to take a ride. And, Ella found out she's going to get a little sister this summer. Come back again soon, Ella!
More About Hutch
An update from Guy & Em:
The doctors don't know what is causing his problems and may not know for another week and a half to two weeks. They have ruled out meningitis and heart problems. A neurologist will be visiting him tonight. The doctors do say that Hutch's problems are unrelated to Emily having to deliver Meredith at 32 weeks in Jan. 2006.
Guy & Emily really need our prayers-this is really hard for them. They say it will take a miracle to take baby Hutch home. Please join us in praying for the whole family, but especially Hutch.
What Could Be Better?
Today, I got a special piece of mail. Here it is...
A colored card from my little buddies Ava, Emma Claire, and Jamey! It says, "Jonathan, You are getting very sleepy..." They're hoping I do a good job of sleeping for my CT scan on Friday morning. I hope I do, too. Mommy says she'll read me this card before it's time for me to go to sleep.
Here is a picture of my little buddies coloring my card before they mailed it to me. I feel so special!
I'll show my card to Ella when she comes over today. Ella's mommy, Ms. Jen, has a baby in her tummy, and today is the day she finds out whether the baby is a boy or a girl. Ella will be here while Ms. Jen finds out.
I have little buddies to love far away, and little buddies to love nearby. What could be better?
Pray for Hutch
Hello from Jonathan's mom-
We just received an update on Hutch, Guy & Emily's baby boy who was born on Friday. He has taken a turn for the worse and is now having seizures and apnea, and the doctors have done every test they can but don't know what's wrong. Family friends are keeping Meredith, Hutch's big sister who is a year old. Emily will probably come home from the hospital today.
Please pray for the McClains and their new baby Hutch. We will post updates as they come, and we'll be praying, too.
My Big Buddy, Paul
Today, we had a visit from another one of Mommy's friends. We are thankful to have some of her old friends within driving distance now! This friend was Ms. Sarah and her son Paul, who is a big boy-almost 4! Mommy and Ms. Sarah met as camp counselors when Mommy was 15. They have been friends ever since. Later, Mommy and Ms. Sarah and Ms. Kathy (Isaac's mommy) all worked on staff at camp together when Mommy was 21. That means that they got paid to love kids all summer. Sounds like a great deal to me! They are all married with little boys now and visit when they can. Click here for a picture of all of us in December 2005.
Here we are having lunch. Paul brought plums to share with me, and they were delicious.
We built train tracks together.
We played in my playhouse together.
Here we are swinging together. Thanks for visiting, Paul!
My Big Five
Hi, this is Jonathan's mom. My friend Ellen has a blog and is searching for her readers' "Big Five" recipes-the easy ones that you make a lot. She's asking people to put them on their own blogs so that she can link to them. I'm excited about the results as I may get some new yummy, easy recipes. So, I'm posting mine here. (And, the next time I'm invited to be in a recipe exchange, I won't have to ruin the chain because I can just copy what I have here.)
So, here are my Big Five. I'm not proud that I have one with Velveeta in it, but oh, well...people like it. :) You can watch Ellen's blog for other people's recipes (and entertainment, too.)
Cheeseburger Hoagies
A modified Pampered Chef recipe-it’s easy to make a bunch of the meat mixture and save it for later when you don’t have time to cook. It looks yucky but tastes great.
1 pkg pita bread
1 lb ground beef or turkey
1/2 c chopped onion (dehydrated works fine)
1 garlic clove (either pressed or dehydrated minced)
1/4 c ketchup
2 t yellow mustard
4 slices American cheese
Brown and stir turkey, onion, and garlic. Stir in ketchup, mustard, and cut-up cheese until cheese is melted. Remove from heat.
Toast pitas lightly and cut in half. Fill with meat mixture-you can add lettuce and tomatoes as desired.
Santa Fe Chicken Soup
A modified Fix It and Forget It recipe
4 whole chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 small onion, diced (dehydrated works fine)
15 oz can whole-kernel corn, undrained
15 oz can kidney beans, undrained
15 oz can black beans, undrained
10 oz can Rotel tomatoes, undrained
14 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 lb Velveeta cheese, cubed
1/4 c milk
Place all ingredients in Crock Pot, stir. Cook on low for 3-4 hrs. until cheese is melted. Don’t let it boil. Tastes great with tortilla chips!
Amy’s Chili
1 c chopped onion
1 c chopped green pepper
1 lb ground turkey or beef
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 can black beans, drained
28 oz diced tomatoes
6 oz tomato paste
1 T chili powder
3/4 c water
Brown mean, onion, and pepper in skillet. Put all ingredients in Crock Pot and stir. If you have more beans or tomatoes on hand and want to fill up your Crock Pot, include them, too. Cook on low for around 6 hours. Tastes great served with cornbread or tortilla chips. Enjoy!
Mom’s Easy Lasagna
1 lb ground beef or turkey
1/2 c chopped onion (dehydrated works fine)
1 clove minced garlic
32 oz spaghettie sauce
3/4 c water
8 oz lasagna noodles (whole wheat work, too)
1 lb ricotta or cottage cheese
1/2 c parmesan cheese
1 T chopped parsley
3 c grated mozzarella cheese
Preheat oven to 375.
Brown meat, onion, garlic in large skillet. Mix in spaghetti sauce and water.
In separate bowl, mix ricotta, half of the parmesan, and parsley.
In 9x13x2 dish, put in these layers: sauce, noodles, cheese; sauce, noodles, cheese; sauce.
Cover and bake at 375 for 1 hr. Uncover and sprinkle with remaining parmesan.
Let stand 10 minutes and enjoy!
Amy’s Enchilada Casserole
1 lb ground beef or turkey
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 can black beans, drained
1 chopped onion
2 T chili powder
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
2 cans (4 oz each) choppen green chiles
1 can (8 oz) enchilada sauce
1/4 t garlic powder
12 corn tortillas
1 lb grated cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 350.
Brown meat, onion, pepper, and chili powder in large skillet; drain. Remove from heat and add all remaining ingredients except for cheese and tortillas.
In 13x9x2 dish, layer tortillas, meat, cheese; tortillas, meat, cheese. Bake at 350 for 45 min.
Meredith's Little Brother
We hope you'll pray for her little brother, Hutch. He was born on Friday, and then he was having trouble breathing and was diagnosed with preemie lungs. Now he can't breathe on his own and is in the NICU. We hope and pray that his lungs develop quickly and he can breathe soon!
We've Graduated
I think Ella and I have officially graduated from being "new little buddies" to "little buddies." We've been having lots of adventures together, and we've gotten our mommies and daddies to become buddies, too. Tonight we went to Ella's house for a yummy dinner, dessert, playtime, and a bath. (Maybe Mommy will take Ms. Jen's good example and start giving me ice cream after dinner instead of eating it with Daddy after I go to bed.) We're all very thankful to have our friends Ella, Mr. Dave, and Ms. Jen. And, thanks for sharing your tub toys with me, Ella!
Here's My New Helmet
Mommy and I bought my new helmet at Target today. It's officially for my rides in the bike trailer, but it has many other uses. I wore it the whole time we were in Target. It also helped me watch basketball with Daddy and eat my graham crackers. I wanted it to go to bed with me, but Mommy didn't think it was a good idea. I'm a big boy with my big helmet! The package even said so: Age 5+!