Ezra's vacation

Our good friends the Parrishes offered to take Ezra for a week during 5th session of camp. They teach 4th session and were bringing their daughter up to work 6th, so we decided that the week in between would be perfect. This is the longest we have been away from him. We missed him so much, but we knew he was having a BLAST...probably more fun than he has with us. No, not probably. We did enjoy the week by ourselves. Chad and I got to spend a lot more time together, I got to go to all the evening activities and just be more involved in camp. We sure were glad to get him back though. Toni & Charlie were nice enough to document the week with plenty of pictures. Here are a few. Thanks Parrishes for taking such good care of our boy and giving him plenty of juice. Haha!

Toni or Charlie would send me a little update every day. I think the description for this day was that they had to run some errands, so they took Ezra for ice cream so he would enjoy the outing. To continue the Toy Story obsession, Ezra now has a Woody doll to accompany his Buzz Lightyear. Thanks, Charlie!
Slave labor: get the two year old to help wash the car. He'll like it!
Especially if you let him play with the hose.

They took Ezra to see his first movie in the theater, "Cars 2." Ezra must have paid attention, because he can now identify Mater, McQueen, etc. when we go to Target.

He didn't quite make it through the movie. I don't think Toni minded one bit. Playing at the park on a hot day.
Ezra loves the Parrishes' cat, Pansy. He was looking at these pictures and set "Get out, Pansy." I think they had a healthy competition over Ezra's chair.
Pansy is a good sport. We'll be back for good in another week. We will miss camp and the people there so much, but I am ready to get back to "normal" life and start making preparations for our new addition.

13 week picture, 2 weeks late

Here's a picture of me already wearing maternity clothes at 13 weeks. My tummy is definitely more pronounced now, since I am 15 weeks along, but no picture to go along with it so this will have to do. I'm not sure yet when we'll find out if this baby is a boy or a girl (for the record, I think it's another boy), but I will for sure post when I do find out. Thanks to my wonderful sister-in-law Emma for the new wardrobe I get to have this time around.

Ezra turns two!

Yesterday was Ezra's second birthday. Whenever we would ask him what yesterday was, he would smile and sheepishly say, "Birthday." It was so cute.

We drove into Lubbock from camp yesterday and ran errands when we got home. I was craving Pad Thai from Thai Pepper, but they were closed, so we went to Thai Thai instead (what would you do without these crucial details of our life?) Ezra shared the pad thai with me, and he kept saying "more noodles. More noodles." Until we were totally out of pad thai. Should have ordered him his own. It was sooo good though...I might need to go back there tomorrow. Then, we ran a couple more errands, went and visited Charlie and Toni, and stopped at Red Mango for frozen yogurt. Ezra would only eat his yogurt out of the small sampling cups. Our last stop of the night was Sprouts, which is where Sunharvest Market was for all of two months, and it is the exact same thing, except maybe the produce is cheaper. I'm not sure yet. Anyway, we were pretty much the only people in the store, and Ezra ran around like a crazy person for 15 minutes or so. He loves to hear the sound of his voice echoing so he would yell just to hear it. Anyway, that was our day. We did have a party for him a couple weeks ago so we got all that present-opening out of the way.

Things about Ezra at two:
-He LOVES Toy Story. Most of the time these days, his first words in the morning are "Watch Woody Buzz?" over and over again. He alternates that with saying "Hey mama! Hey daddy!" repeatedly. After typing that last sentence, I went to get him up from his nap and he ran into the living room to find his new Buzz Lightyear.
-In typical two-year-old fashion, he is quite dramatic. He is such a happy boy, except when he is very unhappy, which is usually over something pretty miniscule (in my mind). He is learning how to cope with not getting what he wants all the time, or having to wait for something or someone.
-He is talking well and saying more and more word strings.
-He says the sweetest prayers. He will thank God for this person, and that person, etc. and usually end his prayers with "and all the people" just in case he left anyone out.
-His favorite foods are juice, cookies, candy, and fruit snacks. As far as real food goes, cheese, pizza, chicken nuggets, green beans, and mashed potatoes are some things that he always enjoys.
-He calls my iphone "My Phone" and wants to play with it all the time.
-He has become a very good car traveler--facing forward, watching woody buzz on the laptop, and playing with the iphone all help with this. He actually enjoys riding in the car these days.
-His favorite books are "If you Take a Mouse to the Movies," "Each Peach Pear Plum," and "Where the Wild Things are."
-He loves playing with his Woody, Buzz, and Rex, mega blocks, cars and trucks, stickers, and his race track.

What a blessing it has been to be entrusted with this little boy for the last two years. Ezra, you are truly a joy, and we love you so much! Happy second birthday!

Taking a break

I am taking a break from facebook. You won't be able to find me on there. I deactivated my account, which means I have to physically log back in to show up again in people's friends lists. Facebook is a great tool to keep in touch with my family and friends from all different points in life, but lately I'm just sick of it. You may ask why I don't just stay off of it, and keep my account active. Well, that is a little too tempting for me. I had a nasty little habit of checking it a few times a day, just to make sure I didn't miss anything, and always wanting to see what comments people were making on a status or who posted on my wall. Unfortunately, most of what I wasn't missing was complaining about unimportant stuff, pictures or speech that I didn't want to see, people checking in to every place they ever go, etc. And then there was the app on my iphone that I had access to all the time. So I deactivated to allow myself more self-control and more time in the day and deleted the app from my phone. In the past 24 hours since I left facebook, there have been a few times I have wanted to send someone a message or update my status, but it's never very important. Overall, I really don't miss it.

Some scriptures I have been meditating on that led to me being off of facebook for a while:
"Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children without fault in a warped and crooked generation." Philippians 2:14-15
"Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouth, but only what is helpful for building others up, that it may benefit those who listen." Ephesians 4:29
"Be very careful, then, how you live, not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil." Ephesians 5:15-16

Facebook is not a problem for everyone, but I was finding myself lacking self-control with the amount of time I spent on it, and the posts I was reading even from some of my Christian facebook friends were preventing me from thinking about things that were true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy (Phil. 4:8). I wonder how many out there are like me. For now, I'll be spending my time on other things and will try to post more to the blog so family and faw-away friends can keep up with us and see pictures of Ezra and our newest little one in just a few months. And, be sure to check back here to find out in a month or so if we're having a boy or a girl, if you're interested.

That's it for now. Stay tuned for a post about Ezra's 2nd birthday, which was yesterday.

Life update

We're home for the weekend so I thought I'd post some pictures. We are having a great time at camp. I can't believe we only have 3 weeks left!

Ezra is just growing and talking more every day. He'll turn two on July 28.

Ezra was unhappy because I was taking too long to get the camera and take the picture...he wanted to go outside in the RAIN!
We had a birthday celebration for Ezra last week when most of Chad's family was at camp. Here he is trying out his first oreo ball. I think he liked it. :)
Ezra and his cousin Norah holding hands during lunch.
Not sure how well you can see it, but here is a bear's paw print next to Chad's shoe up by the dumpster. The bear has been coming into camp and getting into the trash cans.
Must have been tie dye day...

The banquet theme is "Cowboy Christmas" so we have been dressing Ezra up in his chaps, vest, boots and hat.


I went to the doctor today and he did another ultrasound since Chad wasn't with me at my last appointment. It looked like a real baby today...we got to see the heart, spine, limbs, fingers, etc. So cool. Ezra kept looking at the screen and saying "watch movie. Watch Woody Buzz." So he was probably a little disappointed, but it was fun for the parents!

Our summer at Blue Haven is almost over. Next week we are leaving Ezra with the Parrishes so I will be able to be more involved in camp and not have to worry about taking care of him. I think this is the longest we will have been apart, so that will be hard, but once I get used to the naps and sleeping past 6, I think I'll be okay.

Other than that, I can't think of much else going on. Just enjoying our weekend at home, getting to worship with our South Plains church family on Sunday, and returning to our home away from home.

Coming soon!

Most of you already know this because of facebook, but for those that don't...I'm excited to share that we will welcome our second child in January 2012! I am glad to be able to finally share the news with our extended family and friends...it's hard to keep a secret like that for a month! I went to the doctor a couple days ago and we saw that tiny little heartbeat. Ezra will be almost exactly 2.5 years older.

The CBH staff sings a song during our Blue Haven Players evening called "He Knows My Name." Here are the words...

I have a Maker
He formed my heart
Before even time began
My life was in His hands

He knows my name
He knows my every thought
He sees each tear that falls
And he hears me when I call

I have a Father
He calls me His own
He'll never leave me
No matter where I go

As I was driving back to camp after my ultrasound on Thursday, I heard this song on my ipod. Thinking about our little baby, who we don't know yet but will in just a few short months, and knowing that GOD has already formed his or her little heart, knows his or her name, and has always known our child and every hair on his head is an incomprehensible and amazing thought. Our child is less than an inch long, and I could already see that complex organ beating away. Truly a miracle.

Thank you to all of you who have already sent well-wishes via facebook. We are excited, blessed, and already can't wait to meet our little one!

22 months and videos

This will most likely be my last post for a while. Things are busy with getting ready for camp, and once we are at camp our internet access and spare time are both very limited. In just two short months we will have a two-year-old. What an amazing thing it is to watch your child grow and learn things and pick up on things that you didn't think they noticed. He is such a mimic--his favorite thing to say is "Oh, man" which I say quite often...video is below. Ezra is such a good boy. He plays well both with friends (most of the time) and by himself. He loves to read books and has many books memorized where if I leave a word out he can fill it in. He loves shoes these days, and wants to put them on himself. He's getting pretty good at it, but gets very frustrated if he doesn't get it right or if we have to help him. Once the shoes are on, all we hear is "go? go?" Today we spent the whole day in the house because Chad was sleeping after work and I was not feeling well, and I lost count of how many times he asked to leave the house. Phrases that he says that I love are "I see you" and "I love you too" (the middle part is garbled but I get what he is saying). I am so excited for him to experience blue haven this summer. He has become quite shy when he first encounters people he doesn't know, but warms up very quickly, especially to anyone who shows an interest in playing with him. I think that's about it. Here are some recent videos.

I love you too from Lesley Montandon on Vimeo.

Aw, man! from Lesley Montandon on Vimeo.

Eye love you too from Lesley Montandon on Vimeo.

Laughing at himself from Lesley Montandon on Vimeo.

Drinking green bean juice from Lesley Montandon on Vimeo.

Ezra and the shopping cart from Lesley Montandon on Vimeo.

Pictures from the week

There's nothing better than licking the spatula (no, mom, there was not raw eggs in this)

The other day before church Chad took a couple pictures of Ezra and me. This is the face he made.Seriously, child, is life that bad?Here's a better one:The next two pictures are funny because Ezra's buddy was swinging the hat around and saying "yee haw" on the rocking horse. The funny part is that while Chad was taking this picture...Ezra's on the other side of the room saying "cheese" over and over again. Poor baby never gets any attention.
We're in the midst of working on staff notebooks for camp. To keep Ezra occupied, we emptied out the three hole punch and his job was to throw away each little circle. Such a helper.

5.4.11

Ezra was wearing his new CBH jacket the other day when I got this shot...
And then tonight when I was posting that one, I remembered this one from a year ago...what a difference a year makes. On to more important things, like music. This kid loves musical instruments, so Chad splurged and spent a whole dollar on a recorder for him. The glasses are another long thought-out purchase that I think Chad bought to wear at the CBH talent shows or something. Very cool.
If this doesn't make you laugh, I don't know what will.
A more serious picture of Ezra, me, and "bee-ball."
I'm trying this new thing called "blog more often so it doesn't seem like such a chore because I have way too many pictures to blog." Of course after the next few weeks I will be gone for the summer but I'll pick it back up in August.

A couple of things Ezra is doing/saying lately...he has a book called "Peek-a-who?" and lately he's been reciting it at random times, like in the car. "Peek-a-who? Peek-a-boo! Peek-a-choo choo!" and hiding his eyes behind his hands. At night when we tell him "I love you" he has started saying something like "Ah yah you too." He repeats every word we say. When we ask him if he wants to do something, if he doesn't want to do it, he says, "No?" in question form.

So here are a couple videos...one day Ezra decided that he wanted to try his hand at multitasking, so he started popping a goldfish in his mouth, closing his eyes and walking around while eating with his eyes closed. Weird, but funny. The other one is of him playing his new recorder. I think Chad showed him how to march like he's in a marching band...who knows with just those two around. Chad took the video.

Look ma no eyes from Lesley Montandon on Vimeo.

Recorder from Lesley Montandon on Vimeo.

Another video

Here's another video that I wanted to post with the other ones but couldn't last week because of upload limits:

Dizzy from Lesley Montandon on Vimeo.

May menu

Here's what we're eating in May. This will be my last monthly menu for a while, because I get to go to camp all summer where my friend Jennifer and her awesome cooks do all the meal preparation. It's great!

Cashew sweet & sour pork
Spicy honey chicken
Crock pot santa fe chicken
Chicken cordon bleu
Smoky honey mustard pork tenderloin
Southwest chicken & corn cakes
Chicken & bacon pastry pockets
Creamy chicken taquitos
Coconut chicken fingers
BBQ meatballs
Glazed bacon-wrapped meatloaf
Braided sandwich loaf
Pizza
Jalapeno popper chicken pizza (recipe below)

Desserts I'm making for company or get-togethers:
Chocolate peanut butter bars
Pig cake
Chocolate chip cookie pie (no nuts. While I love a good pecan or almond, they do not belong in baked goods. This is not debatable.)
Frozen lemonade pie

Here's the jalapeno popper pizza recipe. Originally I made the topping and used it as a filling for soft tacos, but I like the pizza too.

1 loaf frozen white bread dough (such as Rhode's), thawed and risen according to package instructions

2 T oil

Salt & pepper

2 large chicken breasts

8 pieces of bacon, diced

4-5 large jalapenos, ribs and seeds removed, sliced into thin strips

1 small onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

12 ounces cream cheese, softened

½ cup sour cream

1/2 T chili powder

8 oz. monterey jack cheese, shredded (can substitute pepper jack)

Chopped cilantro or green onions for topping (optional, but highly recommended)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Roll out pizza dough to ½ inch thick; fit on rectangular baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silpat mat. Bake for 7 minutes; remove from oven and set aside.

3. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper. Saute chicken breasts in oil 5 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Remove chicken from skillet; shred with two forks and set aside.

4. In the same skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon from skillet; reserve 4 T bacon drippings.

5. Saute jalapeno and onions in bacon drippings until soft and onions are translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Add garlic during last minute of cooking time and cook for one minute.

6. Return chicken and bacon to skillet with jalapeno mixture. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add cream cheese, sour cream, and chili powder. Stir until cream cheese is melted and mixture is well-combined.

7. Spread mixture onto pizza crust. Top with shredded cheese. Bake for 7-9 more minutes, until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown.

8. Allow pizza to cool for five minutes, top with cilantro and serve.

500

This is my 500th post! 5 years and 11 days ago I started this little blog, which has since chronicled the important and not so important events in our lives. I keep meaning to have it published into a book since I'm not a scrapbooker. I will get it done eventually, then I will start contacting agents to get it published into a memoir. (I kid.) Today my goal was to upload videos and post them. Some of these are recent and some of them are from three months ago, but ALL of them are cute. Enjoy!

Ezra and the dishwasher from Lesley Montandon on Vimeo.

Untitled from Lesley Montandon on Vimeo.

Hat? from Lesley Montandon on Vimeo.

Getting buff from Lesley Montandon on Vimeo.

If you can't tell, Ezra is saying "Gig 'em Aggies" in this one:

Gig em aggies from Lesley Montandon on Vimeo.

Harmonica from Lesley Montandon on Vimeo.

Eieio from Lesley Montandon on Vimeo.

Ezra, two from Lesley Montandon on Vimeo.

If you're happy and you know it from Lesley Montandon on Vimeo.

This is Ezra saying "oh, toodles!" His current obsession is Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and that is what they say.

Oh toodles from Lesley Montandon on Vimeo.

21 months...and 499 posts!

Well, Ezra just keeps getting closer and closer to two years old. This month his verbal skills have exploded and he just parrots everything he hears. He is such a big boy. We also got rid of his pacifier about a week ago and he is doing great. He still mentions it maybe once or twice a day, but he is quickly distracted when we tell him he can't have it and he doesn't make a big deal about it. We have traveled a couple times this month and Ezra has been a great traveler recently, much better than he has ever been. He eats well, he sleeps well, and he is super fun to be around. We love our little boy so much!

April random

Here are just some random pictures from the last few days. We decided to get Ezra a little potty because he talks about it quite a bit. No potty training yet, just getting ready for when he's ready in a few months.

This is after we took family pictures. I got this lollipop in case we needed to bribe him. And, we did. He acted like we were poking him with toothpicks the entire time we took pictures and would barely look at the camera, much less smile.
Got this picture on Sunday morning of Ezra's bible class. He has always loved going to class.
I watched my friend Amanda's baby, Laynee, a few days ago. I put her in Ezra's old walker and she loved it...she also loved Ezra entertaining her. Isn't she beautiful!?
Cool in his sunglasses, playing the harmonica
And this is the last picture I will post of Ezra with his beloved "Pass." We got rid of it today, and will be putting them away until further notice (i.e., subsequent children). RIP Pass.

April so far...Paul & Carolyn's visit

We have had a busy but good month. At the beginning, Paul & Carolyn came for a visit. Within the first few minutes of them being here, Ezra was calling for papaw to come play with him. They babysat while Chad and I went out on a date, took Ezra shopping for his birthday (which isn't until July but we'll be at camp then), and other fun stuff. Paul's birthday was that next Monday so we decided to take them out to the arboretum and do a little photo shoot with Ezra. Here are a few pictures from the weekend.

April menu and an easy dessert recipe

Here's what we're eating in April... (yes, we eat a lot of chicken.)

Chicken cordon bleu
Sticky chicken wings (this marinade/glaze would be great on chicken thighs or breasts too)
Creamy chicken taquitos
Hamburgers
Pizza
Roasted lemon chicken
Southwest chicken & corn cakes
Sour cream chicken enchilada casserole
Steak & baked potatoes
Lemon chicken soup
Jalapeno popper tacos
BBQ Baked potatoes
Taco pile-up
Sub sandwiches
Honey-balsamic glazed chicken

I started making this recipe when I was in junior high--that is how easy it is. But it is so good too and the cheesecakes come out really cute. Enjoy!

Mini Cheesecakes (makes 20)

20 vanilla wafers

cupcake liners

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 8oz pkg cream cheese, softened

2 tsp lemon juice (I just juice one whole lemon)

1 tsp vanilla

Put liners in tins.

Put one vanilla wafer in the bottom of each liner, round side up.

Combine all ingredients. Beat until very smooth.

Spoon filling on vanilla wafers about halfway full.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Let cakes cool completely before removing papers carefully or leave decorated liners on.

Top with cherry pie filling or filling of your choice. Fresh fruit in season may also be used.