g is for greta

Can you believe it? It’s already been half a year. Ethan is growing up. He is still our smallest as far as the numbers go. However, he is already army scooting around and trying to crawl. CRAZY! The boy can sit up and almost get snacks into his mouth. I guess he has the older two to model after. Anyway, he had his appointment yesterday with the doctor. He is 27 inches long (75%), 17lb 3oz (50%), and his head is 50%. But who cares about the specs when you can see cute pictures instead:

Then there is the bathtub. I don’t think I ever let Corinne and Mason have any fun in the tub as babies. Ethan was on his back waiting for me to take him out. I turned to get the towel, and he rolled over. He started swimming around all crazy. Now I have him do it all the time. Guess I need to loosen up. Too bad I didn’t figure that out until child #3.

Life’s too short to worry about a little splash of water outside of the tub. Now when Mason dumps out his cup on the floor…that’s a different story.

-g.

Boy, all this tagging is going to go straight to my head! Here’s the answers to the latest quiz:

LOVEY DOVEY

What is your husband’s name?
Anthony Thomas–just like the candy, but he’s sweeter!

How long have you been together?
Married 10.5 years on Valentine’s Day. Cool half anniversary, huh?

How long did you date?
4 months then 4 more months until our wedding. My friends that aren’t LDS think I’m crazy for marrying a virtual stranger. Our record is pretty good so far!

Who eats more?
Tony. He says he is bigger than me and uses this fact for getting to have the bigger piece of cake, pizza, etc. Although when I’m pregnant, I can pack some food away!

Who said I love you first?
Is it bad that I don’t remember? Probably me. Now I’ll have to ask him. I may get in trouble, but I’m curious.

Who is taller?
Tony by far. The man is a giant.

Who has more speeding tickets?
I’ve never had one. Tony has had plenty in his past but seems to be more responsible of late.

Who is smarter?
Tony is smarter on all accounts. I got killer grades, but he’s a genius. After all, he can do math with more letter and symbols than there are numbers. And I proofread his master’s thesis. Way over my head!

Who is more sensitive?
ME! Tony doesn’t do sensitive.

Who does the laundry?
I think Tony knows how to work our machines…

Who does the dishes?
Dishwasher, baby! However, I am the one to load and unload.

Who sleeps on the right?
Facing the bed, Tony’s on the right and I’m on the left. I keep trying to convince him to switch me sides so that the kids will go to him during their middle of the night visits. No luck.

Who pays the bills?
We just switched it to Tony. I’m sure he’s tired of my constant nagging to make sure he paid them. I can’t handle not actually sending them out myself, but I’m working at it.

Who mows the lawn?
Alternate. Mostly Tony, though.

Who cooks dinner?
Unfortunately me. Tony will cook eventually. He is a magician in the kitchen. He creates works of art that taste divine.

Who drives when you are together?
Tony for the most part. We take turns if it’s a long trip.

Who is more stubborn?
Hmmm…that might be a draw.

Who kissed whom first?
Our first kiss was when Tony kissed the back on my hand. Isn’t that sweet? It’s how I knew he was a good catch.

Who asked who out first?
Tony asked me out. We spent every weekend together from the time we met until we got married.

Who proposed?
Tony. We would meet halfway between Cleveland and Youngstown sometimes for dates. He proposed at sunset at the John Johnson Farm in Hiram.

Who has more siblings?
Me-4 girl, boy, boy, girl. I’m the youngest. Tony has a younger sister.

I’m tagging Robyn, Beth, and Jen. This is fun! (If you don’t want to, I understand. I’m new to tagging people. Don’t want to bother anyone.)

So as some of you are aware, my entire little family is sick. We are at various stages but most are grumpy and whatnot. Being the mom/wife, I still have to function in a somewhat normal capacity which includes cooking. Last night I decided to try a new one. It was de-lish! Here it is:

Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

4 strips bacon
1 large sweet onion (thinly sliced)
6 oz dry elbow macaroni
8 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded (2 cups)
2-4 oz. blue cheese, crumbled
1 cup half-and-half or light cream
1/8 tsp pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350. In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Drain bacon on paper towels; crumble. Reserve bacon drippings in skillet.

2. Cook onion in reserved bacon drippings for 5-8 minutes or until onion is tender and golden brown. Set aside.

3. Cook elbow macaroni. Drain and place in a 1 1/2 qt casserole dish. Add the crumbled bacon, onion, 1 1/2 cups of the mozzarella cheese, the blue cheese, half-and-half, and pepper. Toss gently to combine.

4. Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Stir gently. Top with the remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake for 10 minutes more or until top of casserole is brown and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes.

Man. It was good. I made a version for the kids that replaced mozzarella and blue cheese with leftover Velveeta (from making chicken tortilla soup. Continue to scroll down for THAT yummy recipe.) and shredded cheddar. I should have taken a picture. It would make your mouth water. Tony got me reading a cool site that makes me want to be a better chef/blogger/wife.

Anyway, it’s good comfort food. That’s what my family needs right now. Some comfort. And alot of cartoons for the kids to keep entertained while Tony sleeps away his ickiness and I try to catch a trying-to-recover snooze.

-g.

My friend, Robyn, tagged me. I’ve never been tagged. I feel like one of the cool kids at school or something. Anywho, here’s my answers:

10 years ago: I was just coming up on my 6 month anniversary of marrying Tony, working full-time as a dental hygienist, and loving life in my teeny one bedroom apartment.

5 things on my to do list today:
1. bathe kids
2. Kroger
3. take a nap
4. laundry
5. make dinner

5 snacks I enjoy:
1. anything chocolate and peanut butter (Nutrageous and peanut m&ms are the BOMB!)
2. Cheez-it twisters
3. Dots
4. sea salt and cracked pepper kettle chips
5. ice cream sundaes

What would I do if I were suddenly made a billionaire: Buy a house with enough bedrooms for everyone to have their own. (I know the kids would miss each other, but I would love to be reaccquainted with sleep.) I’m sure I would give some out to the fam, and then put the rest away.

5 places I have lived:
1. Hartford, OH
2. Colony Club Apts. 106A Columbus, OH
3. Colony Club Apts. 321C Columbus, OH
4. Colony Club Apts. 106B Columbus, OH
5. Firebush Lane Columbus, OH
6. McGrath Drive Dublin, OH
(I’ve gone so far…)

5 jobs I have had:
1. Babysitter
2. Cashier
3. Waitress
4. Floral shop
5. Dental Hygienist
(I have ALWAYS dreamed of working at Dairy Queen. I really want to know how to do the ice cream cones. They have such a cool shape with the swirl on top. I tried multiple times as a teenager and never got the job. Sigh. Then there is the blizzard machine and the huge griddle to cook burgers. Don’t get me started! It was a teenager’s dream! Who am I kidding? I would still think it was fun!)

5 things you don’t know about me:
1. I may talk the talk but really I am shy and don’t have much self-esteem.
2. I need more friends. I’m fairly lonely but want the life of having people to do fun stuff with like in the movies!
3. My whole family has the flu right now.
4. I love television TOO much.
5. I can’t scream like a girl. You know the horror movie, blood curdling scream? I’ve tried. It’s just not happening.

Guess that does it for me. Hope that was both insightful and entertaining for you! Now I guess I’m supposed to tag someone but I don’t even know who reads my blog… Somebody out there tag yourself!