Christmas time is here!

It has never taken me this long to decorate but life is just moving faster than I can keep up so it didn't happen until now. Nor was I feeling the Christmas spirit, but it is amazing how a little decorating can help that! It is so fun this year to have Alex help. He constantly said "whoa!" as he saw the ornaments come out of the boxes and the twinkling lights. We completed our night with a snowman pizza and watching a Thomas the tank winter special (because 2 year old boys don't appreciate their mothers taste in Christmas movies!)
One of the things that always gets me into the happy mood too is pulling out the ornaments. We have some normal ones but we have a lot that are special because they represent parts of our lives, memories, or were gifts. They come from many different countries. And while, this year, our tree might have some gaps of ornaments, the bottom one will shift often, and probably one or two will break, I am thankful for our little tree and what it means to us!

Ps. I am posting from my phone so have no idea what it looks like when posted, but since most of my photos are now taken on my phone I decided to try this to see if it would help me to post more often! ;)

so it turns out that the blogger app does not like having to publish pictures so that is not much fun when I am trying to do a picture a day!

My one month plus hiatus...

On September 13 I took a picture but couldn't post it... but it helps explain ALOT of why I have not been able to keep up with my challenge.

YAY!
This past week we started announcing our big news!

This sweet baby has decided to make my life a little more difficult than Alex did when he was inside...I have been sick from about week 6 and it has been way worse then the first time. It seems like it is starting to subside a little, but I still have my moments. So between becoming good friends with the toilet and spending the rest of my time chasing after Alex, and then still having to get all my work done, it has been a crazy couple of months.

I have also realized that having an IPhone totally changes the way I take pictures. It is pretty nice to have my phone, internet, and camera all rolled into one. Follow me on Instagram for regular picture updates @katyanachan.

My goal is to post a little more regularly on here, but life is just affording me the luxury of having the time to do that. We are headed to my sister's house for Thanksgiving, I am sure there will be lots of merry picture taking when we get the 4 cousins together.

Well, I need to go start some pancakes and wake my men up. Alex has been the weirdest sleeper, but he has been sleeping in more so that is good. I just wish he would sleep in his own bed!

Epic Fail...

... is the name of this challenge this year. between common core, new curriculum, Alex, lesson plans, more common core, and trying to keep up on everything else and find a minute or two to relax, trying to post anything is more of a chore then a hobby!
but tonight i actually have a slower night...Will is giving Alex a bath and will put him to bed, and I only have a couple things to do for school, before spending the rest of my evening voting for my donor's choose projects... so i will try to be somewhat productive with these minutes so  I don't totally lose heart in this project.

Sept 24 Photo 108
That moment when you try to capture a monumental number on your odometer and it changes the moment you take the picture...

Sept 26 Photo 109
Alex likes to snack and drive

Sept 27 Photo 110
Mr. Fix-it-man

















Sept 28 Photo 111

tailgating. Baked apple pie egg rolls! recipe is found here

http://www.chef-in-training.com/2012/05/baked-apple-pie-egg-rolls/

Sept 29 Photo 112
We went to a train show...thinking it would be all these trains set up...but it was basically just tables full of trains that people were selling. but we had fun watching the couple of train tables set up!

Oct 1 Photo 113
story of my life right now... (and for the record I was sharing these with several other teachers!)

Oct 2 Photo 114
someone was thrilled to get his very own frisbee!

Oct 3 Photo 115
walk on a fallish day

Oct 4 Photo 116
Grilled Cheese vs. Cucumbers...
winner: Cucumbers!

Oct 5 Photo 117
where does he come up with these faces? :)

Oct 6 Photo 118
he wasn't thrilled about apple picking this year.

Photo 107: Trains

So after Alex's nap I decided we needed to do some coloring!
At Japan Fest in the kids section they had coloring pages from this website here, and I discovered some fun ones. So we got to coloring and then we got to play!

As we played with the train and he was saying "choo choo" I realized he needed to hear what real trains sound like. (Real trains meaning Japan trains!)  So we went over to the computer and enjoyed watching some videos of Japanese trains while eating an osenbei snack!

This first one is 10 minutes, but it shows the ride someone took--looking out the front of the train.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=b5R3PnZCID8

Then this is a short video of lots of different trains (imagine Alex yelling "rain" as we saw each new one)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5aAvksTbFE

And this is a must see, because, while it is humorous, it is more common than you might imagine.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0A9-oUoMug

This one is really long and they were not the kind of trains I normally rode, but it also gives you a good gist of what things looked like around there! :) We skimmed through most of this one!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EBOHmTGw_U

Why would you watch videos about trains? You will get such a glimpse of what Japan looks like! And you have no idea how watching these can make me so homesick! Everything from the music that is played when the train is getting ready to leave, the typical clocks that hang in every station, and crowded views of the country as you stare out the train window.

Also keep in mind I rode a train to school from the time I was in second grade. We lived as children through the crowded rush hour trains when we could hardly breathe and almost lost backpacks, and occasionally a shoe as the crowds pushed out and in at each stop. I wouldn't trade my train experiences for anything.

Well, that is quite a tanget from the picture... but now Alex has a little bit of an idea of what a train ride is like in Japan and what it sounds like! Hopefully he will be able to ride them himself one day! :)

Photo 106: Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall!

Today was a Saturday at home, which seems to now mean spending some time during the day to do some food prep for the days ahead. A little extra work on the weekends goes a long way to make the weekday meals less stressful!
Today was saying goodbye to summer... as I took the dwindling supply from my basil plant to make some pesto for the winter, BUT
I welcomed fall with a batch of apple sauce and pumpkin scones!

The apple sauce recipe can be found here. I made another batch a couple weeks ago, but had some extra apples so decided to fill up a couple more jars to stick in the freezer.

The pesto recipe can be found here. I mixed in some leftover spinach I had, used walnuts, and mixed in a little parmesan. Hmmm... can't wait to pull these out of the freezer to use on pizza or for a quick pasta dish!

The pumpkin scone recipe was found here. They were delicious! I made two batches--one I baked right away and another I stuck in the freezer! The recipe said you could take out a couple at a time and then bake them right up. How perfect is that? The spice drizzle is AMAZING! I think I want to put it on all desserts now! Will and Alex both gobbled some right up (and Will had said earlier he wasn't much of a pumpkin fan!)

Happy eating! :)

Photo 105: Really?!

September 20

Learn How to park people!

catching up 2

I never meant to get so behind, but this year there are literally not enough hours in the day. Between everything I have to do, want to do, need to do, there is just not enough time for things like blogging that fall in the want to do list at about position 140. But as I was sitting at my computer, trying to do something I needed to do and having ZERO motivation, I figured it was time to take a break from that and get caught up!   Only to probably discover that I have failed miserably again at taking a picture every day, but we will see how this goes.

Sept 8. Photo 96: Nutella Pancakes!
make pancake recipe found here.
pour batter into pan and swirl some nutella on top. put a dollup more of batter on top to make sure the nutella doesn't burn.
flip after a couple seconds. both sides should be a light brown.
enjoy with coffee and powdered sugar! :)






Sept 11. Photo 97: Helping

Sept 13. Photo 98: Pockets
Alex has discovered pockets, but still has a ways to go...

Sept 14: Photo 99: cool dude! :)

Sept 15 Photo 100: Japan Fest

Sept. 16. Photo 101: Sisters

Sept 17. Photo 102
Always ask your student what they are drawing a picture of...
Turns out it was his favorite ninja costume....

Sept 18. Photo 103: Hello!
Wouldn't you want this sweet face waving at you when you open the door! (check out the video :) )

Sept 19 Photo 104: Sign of a well loved bookshelf.
Current favorite have to do with transportation!

Photo 95: Sweet Goodness

Nutella and Cheerios. 

An amazing late night treat.

Photo 94: Game Day

Sept 6.

Alex cheers loudly whenever anybody else does. He also tells the team they need to get with the program and also excitedly raises his hands for a touchdown...
even there wasn't one.

Photo 93: Baking with Alex

This afternoon Alex and I needed something to do (I was not in the mood to go outside!) so I decided we should bake some cookies. We need to meet our next door neighbor and taking her a plate of cookies was a good reason to go over! Anyways, Alex followed me over to where I was looking for my pink recipe book. I told him I was trying to find my cookbook so we could make some cookies.

He scampered away. I thought he had lost interest. 

But he returned with what HE thought I was looking for...

his Sesame Street Cookie Cookbook! 

I about died, I couldn't believe how smart he was.  But then, Will often reads to him the cookbook when he is going to bed! He is SO my child...I have multiple food magazines and recipe books! So without further ado we sat on the floor to pick a recipe and then got started. 

Here are the steps for how a toddler boy follows a recipe. Below all the pictures is the actual recipe!

Bert's Cranberry Oat Chip Mini Cookies
(from Alex's favorite cookbook. Yummy Cookies!)

1 cup quick oats
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup chocolate chips

• preheat oven to 375. 
• stir together oats, flours, baking powder and soda in a small bowl.
• beat butter, sugars, and peanut butter in a large bowl until creamy. 
• add egg and vanilla, mix until blended.
• stir in oat mixture, then cranberries and chocolate chips.
• drop teaspoonfuls of dough onto ungreased cookie sheet
• bake for 7-8 minutes or until golden brown.
• let cool on cookie sheet for a minute and then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Photo 92: The Antics of Alex

15 seconds is all it takes for Alex to get a crayon stuck in a hole left by a loose rung in a chair. 

(He was pretty much in my line of vision the whole time.)

He has also taken a real interest in my coffee station 

(is he too young to teach how to get my morning coffee ready for me).

 Bubble baths are a real hit.

Occasionally he takes a moment to sit still and draw.

emphasis on MOMENT.

but for all his shenanigans through the day, he is my wonderful little Alex. 

The one who now brings books to me to read to him

(and sits long enough to read the whole thing!)

and then, 

my favorite moments when I am hugging him good night, 

and he takes his little arms and wraps them around Will and I for a group hug.

(and often makes sure we all exchange kisses!)

oh my sweet, silly Alex.

Photo 91: 2 hours, 3 recipes, 12 meals.

...So maybe I am cheating a bit with the 12 meals. one of the recipes is breakfast for will and I, which should last the whole rest of the week.
With a little bit of chopping this morning I came out with this:

I have done some freezer meals before. They were okay. I didn't love them, but they weren't terrible either. But at this point in life, to only have to pour some stuff into a crock pot in the morning and have dinner in the evening. I am willing to give it another try!
The freezer meals I found here. I am hoping we like these more...they fall under more the type of flavors that we love so I hope so! :)
Then I made an easy egg "pie" kind of thing that a coworker had posted here (her's is the first idea in the comments! :) )

I am so grateful to have smart people out there who make my life simpler when the days are busier.

Isn't Labor day so nice. It was nice to have a day off after 7 days in school and since school stuff is settling down I was able to focus on getting my house more in order...well, maybe it is still a bit of a mess, but it is a mess with curtains hung and pictures on the wall! That makes me happy!

Photo 90: Sunday Dinner

In our house we don't do a big Sunday Lunch. Alex is going down for a nap right away, and we are usually hungry after church so we just grab something quick. Anyways, I have been enjoying life getting back to normal and feeling like there is time to cook again.

But today the conversation went like this.
Katie: What should we eat for dinner?
Will: uh.... Chicken.
Katie: Just chicken, or with something?
Will: uh....uh... (some help he is in meal planning! :) )
Katie: With tomato sauce, japanese sauce, rice or noodles?
Will: tomato sauce.

So with that huge amount of help I ventured into the chicken. This was a meal that really didn't come together  until I started cooking it, but we enjoyed it very much!

You need:
2 chicken breasts, cut into about 3 pieces each.
olive oil
pepper
diced tomatoes
parmesan
garlic
fresh basil
more olive oil
noodles of your choice

• pepper chicken and cook in pan with olive oil.
• start boiling noodles
• turn chicken and sprinkle crushed red pepper, parmesan, and pepper on chicken
• once mostly cooked through add 1/2 can of diced tomatoes, basil, and garlic. cover
• once noodles are boiled and drained, pour back in pot and add a little more olive oil, remaining diced tomatoes and basil.
• Put noodles on a plate and top with chicken and juices.
• enjoy!

Photo 89: A Box

Sept 1st.

Photo 88: Bubble Bath

August 31.
I bought Alex bubble bath for the first time. We had just been adding some of his shampoo to the water previously, but these bubbles were so much more fun! It was hard to get Alex out of the bath!

Photo 87: Stroller View

August 30
One last cheer for the falcons before we went home

Photos 79-86: Catching Up

Blogging went to the shelf when it came time to start school, help get my sister to college, and football season started back up! Now it is time to get back into normal routines so here is a quick peek at the last 10 days of life! Unfortunately, due to the fast pace of life, I managed to spend several whole days not taking one single picture...Will too! Sadness. Definitely won't be reaching 365 with this challenge!

August 21: Photo 79
College Time!

August 22: Photo 80
Life's a Blur! (When you have a child who won't stop moving...that is what life seems like most of the time!)

August 23: Photo 81
Fun in the Cart!

August 24: Photo 82
Drive In Time!


































August 25: Photo 83
Doing work just like Mommy! :)

August 26: Photo 84
These two look so much alike...especially when Alex is being mischievous! :)

August 27: Photo 85
Swinging the days away!

August 29: Photo 86
Best Reading Log Homework EVER!

Ephesians 6:2 “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise. I wonder what was going on if they read that verse over and over for 15 minutes! :)

Photo 78: Dear Uncle Ray

Dear Uncle Ray, 

This week you reminded me how fleeting life is, that what we think is the norm can change in a minute. Life can end abruptly, and for everyone else it is never really the same. 

It was about 10 years ago, I think, that your little house was added to Paradise Mountain. You 

forever changed the place. Now new mks will come and not know you, only the stories of who you were and what you did for us.Your house was a restful place, full of pop and candy that you gave out freely to people who you knew appreciated it. You didn't like it when people took advantage of your generosity. I don't blame you. Your house was full of all the adventures you had in your life. Your dart gun and other things hanging on the wall from Irian Jaya, your collection of mugs showed that you had traveled all over the US. The train set. Your paintings.

This week you reminded me that regardless of our limitations, trials, or circumstances, we can still serve and love others. It was a reminder I needed. You suffered through so much, yet that didn't keep you from giving to others and loving on us at paradise. Even with your limited vocabulary, you spoke volumes. You listened. So many people might have given up, but you pushed on. You have no idea how much I needed to be reminded of that. Thanks for setting such an example for us.

This week I imagined you running into heaven. Reaching out both arms to hug your wife, hug Jesus. I imagined the words of praise that came flowing from your lips. All the things you have longed to say for so long, but not been able too. What freedom that must have been. I am glad you are free.

But we will miss you. I will miss seeing you walk from one house to the other when we are visiting. Knowing that you always sat in the same area at church, or on the bench at the basketball games. I will miss wondering where Will is, but then realizing he is probably at your house.

Thank you for what you taught us, who you were to us. It was so good to hear other people remember you today and learn more of the full life you lived. Enjoy Heaven.