OCD aside

I started writing this yesterday and couldn't find a minute in the day to sit down to finish it and post. And about the OCD, more on that later.

Last night I made dinner and breakfast at the same time. Well, sort of. Breakfast wasn't really ready until this morning, but I prepared it last night. Dinner was on the simpler side. We had broiled tilapia with a parmesean and herb crust and au gratin potatoes. Basically I made everything and then threw it in the oven. So while waiting for dinner to cook I started to prepare breakfast. It's a crockpot recipe and needs 8 hours to cook. It's really good and really good for you!
Here's the recipe in case you would like to try some of this warm goodness as well.

2 cups of steel cut oats

5 cups of water (I use 6)

1 1/2 cups of milk (I use 2) more liquid makes for a less stiff oatmeal

3/4 cup of brown sugar

1 tablespoon of cinnamon (I add more) (did you know 1/2 tsp of cinnamon has the same antioxidant power of 1/4 cup of blueberries! Awesome, right!?)

Combine all ingredients into the crock pot and cook for 8 hours. We usually turn it on before bed and by morning the house smells of sweet cinnamon! I also put some sort of fruit in ours. Last night I cut and peeled one apple and sprinkled more cinnamon on them and threw them in with the rest of the ingredients. I also use blueberries and bananas sometimes. Usually whatever I have on hand. Matt loves it and Lane always has 2 bowls. And just for a little extra sweetness, I drizzle some honey on my oatmeal and Lane's oatmeal as well. ;-) Matt eats it how it is.

After we filled up with a hearty breakfast we got ready and went to the mall. My mom really wanted me to get Lane's picture taken in his tux so yesterday I decided to do it. If I waited much longer he would have grown out of the thing. As I took it out of the plastic and off the hanger to iron it, I was chuckling to myself. Lane must have had a kick-butt time at the reception because there were buttons missing, buttons falling off and overall the tux just looked a mess! Nothing a little Clorox pen and an iron couldn't fix.

I got him dressed and set him on the ottoman. I said "Stay there!" He always "stays there" when I tell him that, but this time for some reason he didn't want to "stay there" and his feet got caught up and flat on his head he fell. Tears and a red bump on his head before pics, Great!

A few kisses and hugs later and we were off. The pictures didn't turn out great. I just really can't stand "drive-thru" portrait studios. And I decided to try a different one, but they are all the same. They don't have any time to get to know your child, therefore, Lane was shy and overwhelmed at the lady who was way too loud and overpowering and trying way too hard for a smile. Honestly, he wouldn't leave my lap. He was terrified and he is never like that! Luckily, in the 5 shots she snapped, I was able to pick one.
Here's how they turned out. Really, while looking at them, all I could do was laugh. His expressions are hilarious!

I don't think you can tell from these, but in the actual pictures, his eyes are totally green.

I have no words! Except, that I'm glad I had a coupon and since my mom foot the bill (thanks to me being a cardholder on her Discover account :-)) I saved her some money. Thanks, Mom! Now you got your pictures and I'm sure you will love them! And the 8X10, that was part of the deal.

Here's a link to the rest of the pics...hope it works.

http://smilestore.picturepeople.com/PR3/ThumbPage.aspx?e=6306012

After we got finished with that, I decided to get a little crazy and by crazy I mean, giving Lane a cinnamon and sugar pretzel FOR LUNCH, and also letting him eat it with his hands....I know, I'm one wild and crazy mom. I put my OCD aside and let him go crazy. Everyone needs a cinnamon and sugar pretzel for lunch sometimes, right!?!

If I had my real camera, you would be able to see every morsel of cinnamon and sugar in his hair, on his face, on his hands, shirt, stroller, ears, etc. But you get the idea. Here are some pics with my phone.

                                               

                                                

After I hosed him down in the bathroom, we went and played a little bit.

When we got home, he headed straight to bed. He was pooped! I went on a mad spring cleaning dash, which seems to be happening about every 2 weeks since February. Am I anxious for Spring or what?! And since it was a little bit warmer yesterday and sunny, I opened up the downstairs a little bit. It was so nice to get some fresh air circulating. And Harley did this all afternoon.

I had to wake Lane up from his afternoon nap to run some errands. We ran around for about an hour and then we met Matt at Spin class in the evening. Lane is so used to our routine, that going in the evening makes him a tad upset. When I drop him off in the mornings, he gets down, takes off his coat, hugs me and runs off. And before I even sign him in, he's already engulfed with all the toys. In the evening, he puts up a little sad story. There are different woman there and they play on the other side of the room, which I think throws him off. Do we have another Uncle Luke on our hands? His teacher used to have to call him when he was in elementary school when there was a substitute or he would be all upset. So she would call him the night before and tell him "Now Luke, I won't be there tomorrow, but someone very nice will take my place. But I will be back!" Haha!

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A little comparison

For comparision, these are Lane's 3 month and 6 month pictures from Portrait Innovations. Let's face it, with digital cameras you take and edit tons of shots of your child and some of the ones my sister, mom or I've taken are better than the ones I've had done professionally, but you need that "professional" picture every few months. So Portrait Innovations is a great way to do that.

I went there initially on the reccomendation of a friend. They are fast, you get your pictures before you leave, and they are cheap....if you stick with the "special." The special would be an awesome way to document the particular time in his life because there is NO sitting fee and you get tons of pictures for $9.95....the kicker....you only get one pose....They take a hundred pictures with various poses and they show them to you on a (what seems like) one hundred inch screen.

Imagine Lane's cute little face, big blue eyes, chubby cheeks, bald little head on a TV screen as big as a jumbo-tron! Would you be able to pay $9.95 and pick ONE pose.....I didn't think so! So the $9.95 special turned into the...."we won't name the amount for purposes on saving my marriage" special!! ;-) Whoops! Well really, the first time Matt and I both went so I am not the only one to blame. Here are a few from the CD they give you, yes just a few. They are obviously unedited cause you can see Matt's leg and stuff in some of them, but the ones they print don't show like that!







So the second time I went in for his 6 month pics, all confident a few Tuesday mornings back, there was no waiting and I was prepared to pick one pose and get the "special." I had called two hours prior and they happened to have some openings. It was perfect because Lane just woke up from a nap and was fed, so he was ready to go! I figured, I've done this before I know the gimmicks, show me the pictures and give me my $9.95 special. Easier said than done! I caved....I'm a sucker and I just couldn't justify only picking one pose when there were sooooo many adorable pics of him! Take a look!

These are just a few of my favorites. Again these are obviously the "unedited" versions. When they print them they zoom in on them, crop them, etc. etc...So needless to say, don't be surprised if a picture of Lane shows up in your mailbox! ;-)

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