Don't Be Fooled

A few weeks ago my wonderful mother sent James a little package. Included were these two, seemingly innocent, toys.

Don't let these cute innocent faces fool you. I'm convinced the bunny is possessed because it sings "Here comes Peter Cottontail" over and over and over extremely loud. You know it's bad when you find yourself singing it in the shower. The pig, I later discovered, is actually a DOG toy that oinks when it's touched. It can be heard throughout the whole house. Daniel is absolutely terrified of it, and James looks very concerned when he sees it. After hearing these toys ALL day long, I'm about to go crazy. I later found out that my mom was laughing when she put the package together. Evil Grandma! She knew EXACTLY what she was doing when she sent it!

Our Easter

Last Sunday we celebrated a fantastic Easter Sunday. We had a great day full of church and cooking, just the way it should be. Chris and Danny watched James and Daniel while Elaina and I slaved away in the kitchen. I must brag and say that we were quite amazing! I am very slowly getting into the cooking zone, and so Easter Dinner has always been a little daunting. We definitely pulled it off though, and have been eating leftovers ever since! We enjoyed:
Honey Lime Poppy Seed Fruit Salad, courtesy of melskitchencafe.com. It was a HUGE success and is a recipe I definitely recommend! Super easy and delicious!

Elaina made a Pecan Pie with homemade whip cream. I salivate just thinking about it.

Rolls and Honey Baked Ham


Deviled Eggs

Green Bean Casserole

Twice Baked Potatoes

I'd say it was a success! :) Happy Easter!

Little Bruiser

Yesterday I learned that hydrogen peroxide is the best way to remove bloodstains. How did I learn that new trick? We had a fun day here at the DeBeikes household, complete with a split chin, cut tongue, gouged cheek, and bruised forehead. All from separate injuries. The first happened right after church while we were hanging out after sacrament. James fell on the tile while drinking out of his sippy cup. Split chin, and he must have taken a chunk out of his cheek because he was drooling blood all over his shirt and Chris's clothes. Poor Chris had to go to meetings afterwards with bloodstains all over his white shirt. I'm sure he was taken very seriously. The other injuries occurred during falls off the couch and running into his crib post. It's days like this that make me realize I will NOT be winning any Mother-of-the-Year awards!

Still Alive

This post title has multiple meanings. One: I realize it has been over a month since my last post and I have been dead to the blogging world. Two: James and I did survive our flights and connections to and from Oregon. At times it was ridiculously tricky keeping a 15-month-old on my lap for 3 hours, and that was just ONE flight out of FOUR all together. If it wasn't for my portable DVD player, I probably would have handed James off to the stewardess and curled into the fetal position. The whole time I kept thinking, how do people travel by themselves with MORE than one child?!? Bribery and Benadryl are my guesses. Anyway, those flights were absolutely worth it because I had the BEST time in Oregon spending time with my family. I was in Medford for a little over 2 weeks, and it felt so great to just spend time at home base. The days flew by! We went to the Cabaret Theater and Thai food...


LOTS of Fred Meyer trips...

Jacksonville, one of my favorite places to visit. They have the BEST lavender salt caramels!

James was in heaven being in his own bedroom/toy heaven. It took him a few days to warm up to his new surroundings, and then he returned to his crazy self. James had a blast playing with his grandparents.

He also demonstrated his addiction to all things random. I kept finding him hiding behind the kitchen table with his latest acquisition.


James was such a trooper on our shopping trips. He has never been one for falling asleep outside of his crib, but I guess a few hours at the mall does the trick!


My mom even bought James the cutest church outfit ever. He was the hit of all the ladies.


I'm fairly confident that my parents have to re-new their olive supply. James wiped them out! One of the only ways I could get James to eat was to put on Baby Einstein. I'm sure that if my parents see one more sock puppet they might shoot themselves.

We also celebrated Britni's birthday at Red Robin!

I'd definitely say this trip was a success. James LOVED every second of it and by the end of the trip he was starting to say Grandpa and Grandma (to everyone else it probably sounded like gibberish though). I'm already missing my daily dose of Great Harvest Bread, Taco Bell, and Fred Meyer!