My two new loves

#1

Bread pudding. Yes, you read that right- my new love is bread pudding. OK, so it's not really a new love, I've loved it for years, but it is definitely a new obsession. I would eat it every day if I could! I, however, like fitting through my door, so I will limit my consumption.

When my mom was here she made a fantastic bread pudding. It included a whole list of ingredients and had a sauce, so it wasn't a quick, get it in the oven before little Tsu (Carys) makes a mess kind of pudding. I was looking through my random recipes and found one I copied from the Amish Cook when I was working in Pennsylvania. I decided to try it. HEAVEN!!!!! It was really easy and really tasty. The bread on top was crispy, and the bread inside was perfect- not soggy at all. I thought I'd share my new favorite recipe so everyone can appreciate this delectable dessert!!

BREAD PUDDING

The Amish Cook (Lovina Eicher)

2 cups milk, scalded

1/4 cup butter

2 eggs

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. nutmeg

3 cups soft bread, torn/cut into small pieces

1/2 cup raisins (I use craisins)

Combine milk and butter, stirring until butter is melted. Cool to lukewarm. Combine eggs, sugar, salt, and nutmeg; beat at medium speed of mixer for 1 minute. Slowly add milk mixture.

Place bread in a lightly greased 1 1/2 quart casserole dish; sprinkle with raisins and pour batter over all.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until set.

#2

This blog. I was reading through the blog of a friend from high school, Sami Jo. She has a wonderful "mommy blog," her household, where she talks about her beautiful little boys, her days, her thoughts, and anything else she feels the need to share. Well, she gave a blog award to a friend she met through church. I was bored, so I thought I'd read the blog. It's FANTASTIC!!! I seriously have not laughed so hard in months. Maybe even years. If you want to laugh, read this blog. Just be sure you're not drinking anything at the time- it will shoot out your nose!!

Random Cuteness

Life at the Haroldsen home has been going on as normal. We spend our days cleaning messes, making messes, and wondering where the messes are coming from! Carys began running a fever, again. It was up around 104 for over three days, so we finally took her in. Turns out she caught the flu. I'm not sure where or how she picked up the flu, but she did. She's feeling much better now, but is still running a low grade fever and complaining about hurting. Poor girl!!

Clayton is growing every day. He still loves nothing more than sleep, but is beginning to spend some time awake during the day. Josh says he plays "possum." Meaning he plays dead to protect himself from his sisters. They mean well, but they are a bit suffocating. They love their brother!

Carys about to give Clayton a big hug and kiss. Isn't she "nice"?

The onesie my sister Christina gave Clayton for Christmas

Clayton at just under 2 months

Aren't they adorable?!

5 weeks- not too bad. . .

Too cool for words!

One month old
Clayton and his very proud sisters

Right after bath time. If you look close, his hair is very curly.

It's been 5 weeks since our new little addition joined our lives. I know it's really pathetic that I have not posted about his birth, but I figure 5 weeks is really good for me- the world's WORST blogger.

Anyway, Clayton Bo Haroldsen was born on January 4th, 2011, at 7:05 pm, 6lb 5oz and 19in. He was exactly 4 weeks early. He caught us, to say the least, by complete surprise! I had everything planned. We were going to pick my mom up on the 8th (she was at my sister's). She was then going to have a nice quiet week at my house helping get things ready and basking in the joy of a quiet house. I was going to work until at least the 15th and then take the last week of the semester off to prepare for baby. My plan was to have him around my mom's birthday (18th) at the earliest.

Clayton had other plans. Around 2 am on the 4th I woke up thinking I'd maybe had a slight "accident." Nothing major, so I went back to bed. I then had another "accident" as soon as I fell back to sleep. I thought that was really odd, but I was 8 months pregnant. Normal, right? I stayed up on the couch for a while to make sure it was nothing serious. A couple HGTV shows later, and I went back to bed. I was just drifting off and it happened again. I woke Josh up and told him either my water broke or I was having some serious issues. He got up, went to the bathroom, and returned to bed. I returned to the couch. I kept busy on the computer and watching HGTV/DIY. Josh got up and went to work. I still wasn't positive it was my water, but was beginning to think maybe I was in denial. I got the girls fed, dressed, and packed for a few nights. I packed my bag and Josh's bag. I called my mom who, of course, told me to go to the hospital. Josh finally thought maybe he should check in around 10. I told him to get home. We headed to the hospital with the girls.

Thank goodness for the BEST sister-in-law and brother EVER!! Daniel agreed to meet us at the hospital to take the girls to his house. Josh dropped me off and I walked myself to labor and delivery. The nurses thought I was there to visit someone. I think my calmness caught them off guard! Josh switched the girls to Daniel's car and they went to spend some fun time with Aunt Jen. Devin took my mom to meet them there.

We were trying for a VBAC, but Clayton had other plans in mind. He just didn't want to cooperate. After 4-5 hours of pitocin he decided he'd had enough. Repeat c-section it was. After he was born all seemed fine, but then they took him to the nursery. He never returned. He'd developed pneumonia and had to stay in the NICU. He then developed severe jaundice (due to a blood incompatability) and had to be under the lights. He was in the NICU for 8 VERY long days. It was horrible! I missed all three of my babies for those 8 days!

He is now home and thriving. He loves to sleep and does so for over 20 hours per day (sorry Christina!). When he's not sleeping he's eating. Very little socializing on his part. I think he sleeps so much to escape the constant "care" of his sisters! He's still very little (newborn clothes), but growing every day. And, yes, that is really his hair. It was over his ears and collar at birth.

Andelynn's belated birthday pics

Andelynn had a fantastic 3rd birthday. She got to play in the park with her cousins and eat cotton candy cupcakes on her birthday, and she got a princess party a week later with my family. She enjoyed every minute!! The poor girl was convinced it was her birthday every day because she got to extend it for an entire week. She got lots of great things from everyone, but especially enjoyed her "hair style" (vanity). Andelynn is not happy being 3. She wants to be at least 4. If you ask her how old she is, she will usually tell you she's 4 or 6. This is because she knows she can go to preschool when she's 4 and kindergarten when she's 6. She's in too big of a hurry to grow up!!

This is Andelynn on her actual birthday. It turned out to be one of the few nice days so far this year, so we had a great time playing at the park in Arco.

Really?

I was just on Yahoo News reading through some of today's headlines. One caught my eye. It talks about a hip-hop artist who, in the name of art, stripped down to nothing and metaphorically got shot on the grassy knoll next to where JFK was assassinated. She was discussing the need of society to accept all people and not "assassinate" that which they don't understand. Really? It was filmed on a busy street at a busy tourist location with no warning. There were adults and children paying homage to a great man and fearless leader, but instead were subjected to public nudity. Since when did this classify as art? The most disturbing thing about this is the public view on the issue. Apparently, I am a "back-woods, in-bred, white supremacist Nazi" because I don't appreciate public nudity. Is this really where society's heading? Free speech= the right to bare body?

On to happier topics . . . Carys is walking!!! The little stinker started taking a couple of steps nearly a month ago. She can now make it across the room. At her Aunt Melissa's house, she even made it quite a ways while carrying a box almost as big as she was. She is also cutting 6 teeth simultaneously. Yesterday she woke up with a fat lip and swollen eyes (I think bi-products of teething) and looked quite humorous. The eye swelling went down, but she still has the fat lip. She is also sleeping with a pillow (please don't send the anti-pillow police after me!!!). She sleeps in her pack-n-play, but due to her, um. . , girth, the boards are beginning to bow. This is making her uncomfortable and was causing her to wake up in the middle of the night only to come to our bed, plop face down on my pillow, and snore in my ear. We gave her her own pillow and she has not woken up the past two nights- YAY!!

Andelynn is anxiously counting down until her 3rd birthday. I think she's inviting everyone she sees to her party. All she wants for her birthday is a "hairdresser" and pink cake. She is also counting down until the magical summer arrives so all her dreams can come true. Anything she wants can happen, "Next time we go Idaho Falls, at Wal-Mart Sales, in summer." Aren't children adorable?

Spring?

Children today are tyrants. They contradict their parents, gobble their food, and tyrannize their teachers. Socrates

Is it spring yet? I mean, seriously, can the snow/cold/wind leave and the sunshine come? I am so sick of winter that I could (and have been known to) scream!!!!!! It doesn't help that Andelynn is also a little winter crazed and has a serious case of summer fever. She routinely puts on her sandals with a pair of capris and insists that she is going to go outside and play with her dog, NOW! She also expounds on what she is going to do when it's summer: swim, go on picnics, ride bikes, swim . . . She is so desperate to swim that she wears her swimming suit in the bath tub so she can pretend. We also had to pick up our picnic basket from my grandparents' house so that it's ready to go whenever winter leaves. The rate we're going, I'm thinking July!

Carys is sick and miserable. She started coughing the night we got home from Ashlyn's birthday party (beginning of February) and hasn't stopped since. She started going down hill last week and was even running a fever of 105.5 at one point. We took her to the doctor on Thursday and found out she has ear infections. Now her antibiotics are gone, but her misery is not. She was running a low grade fever tonight, so we'll keep watching her and if she starts getting worse we'll have to take her in again. I guess this is what we get for going 9+ months without anything more than a cold!

School is, well, school. Let's just say that the teachers are counting down to summer vacation with more enthusiasm than most of the students. It's been a long year and certain, um. . , state "leaders" are making all of us dread next year. I really think that anyone who has the job of passing laws about state/national tests should be required to take them themselves. I wonder if certain governors and state superintendents would test proficient? It would be entertaining to find out! It may affect their opinions on how important and essential funding education is. I have also discovered that children are LAZY!!! I know this makes me sound really old, and that adults have been making the, "When I was younger . . ." speech since the beginning of time, but children are seriously lacking motivation of any sort. We are in an instant gratification society and it is not a good thing. I just get tired of explaining that reading/writing/history/math/science are essential and mommy and daddy can't get them out of everything forever.

Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Happy Martin Luther King Day!!! I'm not sure where November, December, and January have gone, but February is sneaking up on me. All we do in our home is eat, sleep, and work, but the time still seems to fly. It will be summer before I know it, but not before I'm ready.

Andelynn has discovered her singing voice. It's just not a ride in the car without her singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star or Popcorn Popping. She insists she's a "big girl" and that she needs to go to her nastics (gymnastics), dancing, and preschool. Apparently thats, "what we [big girls] do."

Carys is crawling, standing, and getting into EVERYTHING. She is now 8 months and will eat anything that doesn't eat her first. She is happy as long as she's fed.

We got a bigger car (Ford Explorer) that can actually make it to and from the babysitter's house. It came in really handy last week when the state decided to take the day off and not plow the highway before school. I had to drive from Mackay to Arco in easily 4-6 inches of fresh snow. My car would've had major problems with that! I'm supposed to get a sleep study, but I'm leaning towards ignoring it and hoping it goes away. After Christina's experiences I'm not so sure I want to be as "old" as she is and put on oxygen.



Here are a few pictures from our Christmas season. I'll try and post more soon from when we went to Sears for Carys's 6 month pictures.

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Andelynn in the tutu Aunt Jennifer made for her. She insisted on wearing it and nothing else. At least she was modest for the picture!! She looked like a canibal running around the house- all she needed was a bone necklace!

Thanks for the beautiful tutu Jennifer!!!! You are too talented!!!!!

Andelynn baking muffins with her dad. She was so excited

to get an apron and cooking set from Santa!!

Carys in her tutu. Look at her pose- natural dancer!


Josh and the girls playing doctor. Andelynn's favorite thing to do is give people shots.

Carys's only snot-free Christmas picture. I got a really good one of her, but she has a really nasty nose. I guess it's either this or the snot picture in her 1st Christmas ornament. I'm sure she'll be thrilled with both when she's a teenager!