Sunday Runday: Jingle Bell Run

This marks the 6th year I've done the Jingle Bell Run.  6 years!  It's kind of crazy when you think about it.  Thatkid has done this race every year he's been alive.  And now so has Thatbaby!

We bundled the boys up and put them in the wagon.  This was Thatbaby's first wagon experience.  Really, he's a bit too little for it, but nothing that cuddling with a big brother can't fix!

Timing-wise I feel like we're always rushing to the start line of this race.  But this year all the stars aligned and we got their early enough to do a quick run-around and pick up our bag from Sprouts - filled with fruit, Suja, water, powerade, cookies, and chips.  We also got to watch the warmup.  Which Thatbaby found fascinating.

Pretty soon it was time to start the race.  The taiko drummers were set up right at the beginning of the race.  (Which is coincidentally also right before the Finish line, so we got to see them twice!)

I love the support on this race.  It's a bunch of high school kids scattered throughout who yell, cheer, and ring bells.  They're adorable.  And have the perfect amount of energy for a cold, early morning.

Thatkid threw a fit shortly after crossing the start line, so he climbed out of the wagon and ran with me for a bit.  Which gave Thatbaby a nice cushy spot to fall asleep. 

Although there were plenty of people dressed in holiday garb, there were fewer costumes this year than in years past.  Of note was Olaf and Santa on stilts who was handing out candy canes.

As expected, after a little bit of running, Thatkid wanted back in the wagon.  And also as expected, Thatbaby eventually woke up from his nap.  Which is what happens when it takes you over an hour to do a 5k.  Thatkid spent part of the race entertaining his brother by singing Jingle Bells.

One of the things I love most about this race, is the family friendly expo.  Santa was present (although Thatkid wanted nothing to do with him), there were all sorts of Christmas crafts to partake in, and vendors geared specifically to kids (and dogs).  We always end up hanging out for quite a bit after the race.

One of the new things this year was the medal.  Every year it's the same, a red ribbon with a little medallion.  This year the medal part was huge!  Almost as big as Thatbaby's face!  And even though I've been doing this race for 6 years (before there even were medals) this is the first year I realized that the little ribbon attached to the medal is so that you can hang it as an ornament! 

I love doing this race as a family, and every year I enjoy it more and more as the boys get more out of it. 

Mommy Mondays: 6 Months

Weight: 16lbs 14 oz (+8lbs 10oz)

 Height: 27.75 inches (+6.25 inches)
 Head: 17 inches

Sleep:  I see the light at the end of the tunnel!  Currently our biggest issue is getting him to stay down for the night.  He does not want to do that.  He's up for hours before finally falling asleep.  Once he finally gets there he's been only waking up once.  And then again right after I wake up in the morning.  I had one night where I got 6 hours of sleep straight!

Eating: We introduced solids!  We're doing BLW again and Thatbaby is loving food.  He dove right in and shoves his mouth full of food.  Of course, most of it still falls out, but he certainly has vigor about it!  His favorite food right now is latkes, followed by meats, then vegetables, then fruit.  Although he is also a fan of pancakes and toast.

Best Moment: Decorating the tree with the whole family.  Well, the actual decorating was after Thatbaby was in bed.  But I did love showing him the result the next morning.  And watching Thatboy point out the lights and ornaments to him.

Monthly Wisdom: I'm really looking forward to the future.  We're not planning on having any more kids, and when I was pregnant, I was so looking forward to the newborn stage - that quiet, immobile, stage.  Full of tiny baby cuddles.  But I can't help it.  I'm so excited for Thatbaby to get to experience things, which won't happen until he's older.  And excited for us to have more family moments.  Plus I'm excited to sleep again at night.  But 6 months is such a turning point.  And I'm looking forward to it!   This is when we move from a fussy baby to a little guy with "real people" personality.

Goals for the Upcoming Month:
- More solids
- Work on baby signs.  We've started, and for the life of me I can't remember when I started with Thatkid. 
- Survive another family vacation.
- Survive a visit from the inlaws

Things Thatbaby is doing:
-CLIMBING.  UGH.  I was not expecting this since Thatkid never did it, but Thatbaby has started pulling himself up on his crib, his music table - anything he can.  He can't figure out what to do once he gets to the top, so usually he hangs out until he falls over.
-Eating real food
 -Getting on all fours.  Once he's there, he can't figure out what to do, so he usually hangs our until he falls over.
- Moving.  I don't even know how he does it, but he will end up across the rug from where I placed him.
- Crying and reaching for me when I'm not holding him.
- Lots of babbling.
- Loves modulating his voice with my finger up and down on his lips.

Crave Wednesday: Smothered Steak Burgers

I love my husband, but honestly, the man thinks he's a doctor and doles out some of the worst medical advice in the world.

Recently he insisted he didn't need to get a flu shot because he didn't get one last year, and he didn't die of the flu when he was a baby, so Thatbaby is sure to be safe. 

And then we all get sick.  Not all at the same time.  It started with Thatboy, who got sick on Friday morning.  Then came Thatkid, who spent all Friday night throwing up.  It took me all the way till Sunday before my stomach started bothering me.  Thatboy insisted, despite the fact we weren't sick at the same time, or had eaten the same foods, that we had food poisoning.  He continued to insist this despite the fact that I found out kids in both Thatbaby and Thatkid's daycare/preschool had a similar bug.  And despite my showing him diagrams of viruses, and explaining how they work, he still insisted that the only way to get rid of them was through vomit or bowel movements - so I should make myself do one or the other.  You'll notice the line for treatment from Dr. Thatboy is not out the door.

I had my own way of dealing with the stomach bug - I spent the day doing nothing but drinking gatorade and water.  Lots of both.  By the next morning I felt as good as new.  And hungry!  I wanted to eat just about everything.  Like a real sink your teeth into burger.  Covered with a rich mushroom gravy.  Thick and messy, this is the probably the last thing you should be putting in your stomach once your stomach lets you put things in it, but for me it was just what the doctor ordered.

Smothered Steak Burgers (From Cooking Light)

Cooking Spray

2 Tbsp finely chopped shallots

1 garlic cloves, minced

1 package presliced mushrooms 

1/2 cup fat-free, low sodium beef broth

1 Tbsp low sodium steak sauce

1 tsp cornstarch

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, divided

2 Tbsp ketchup

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 lb ground sirloin

1/4 tsp salt

4 green leaf lettuce leaves

4 slices tomato

4 bakery rolls

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Coat pan with cooking spray.  Add shallots and garlic to pan.  Cook 1 minute or until tender, stirring frequentl.
2. Increase heat to medium-high.  Add mushrooms to pan.  Cook 10 minutes or until moisture evaporats, stirring occasionally. 
3. Combine broth, steak sauce, and cornstarch, stirring with a whisk.
4. Add broth mixture to pan; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until thick, stirring constantly.  Stir in 1/4 tsp pepper.  Remove mushroom mixture from pan.  Cover and keep warm. 
5. Wipe  pan with paper towels. Combine 1/4 tsp pepper, ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk.
6. Add beef to bowl, toss gently to combine.  
7. Shape beef mixture into 4 equal patties.  Press thumb in center of each patty, leaving a nickle sized indentation.  Sprinkle evenly with salt.
8. Heat pan over medium-high heat.  Coat pan with cooking spray.  Add patties to pan; cook 4 minutes.  Turn and cook 3 minutes.
9. Place 1 lettuce leaf and 1 tomato slice on bottom half of each roll.
10. Top each serving with 1 patty, about 1/4 cup mushroom mixture and top half of roll.