Interview with Paige

I was inspired to post an interview with Paige (Age 2.5 years) by my friend Jordan who recently did this on her blog with her daughter who is the exact same age.  It was so precious when I read it I told her I just had to copy!  I think I will do this every 6 months or so!  

1. What is something mommy always says to you? 

Hang on, I need a drink, mommy. (This is not something I say, she actually needed a drink break...such a diva...)
2. What makes you happy?

Leighton (baby sister) 
3. What makes you sad?

I was crying when I wanted you. (when mommy goes somewhere without her) 
4. What makes you laugh? 

Hey look mommy, there's a birdie in your flowers! 
5. How old are you?

Um, I'm two 
6. How old is Mommy?

 Your two mommy!
7. How old is Daddy?

 My name is Paige and I'm two.
8. What is your favorite thing to do?

 I don't like this game. I want to play with my headband and watch Caillou.
9. Who is your best friend? 

Daddy. Daddy is!  Daddy.
10. What do you want to be when you grow up? 

I don't want to work at Home Depot
11. What are you really good at? 

Riding my bike really fast. *Singing Elmo's riding, riding in the park, riding in the park. Can I watch videos now??
12. What are you not very good at? 

I don't do anything, mommy
14. What is your favorite food?

 eat cereal and hot dogs. (separately of course)
15. What is your favorite song? 

ABC's, mommy.  

16. What do you want for your birthday this year?

 A camera!! camera. a camera, please. (she has been begging for one for months!)
17. What is your favorite animal?

 Ummmmm, animal crackers!!  Yeah, animal crackers.  (HAHAHAHAHAHAHA)
18. What is love? 

Daddy. Da-ddy.  
19. What does mommy/daddy do for work?

Daddy-He works up there at Chesapeake

Mommy-Ummm I don't know?? 
20. Where do you live? 

I'm not going anywhere!!! (Glad she likes it here!)
21. Where is your favorite place to go?

Boppy's. I have to get on the airplane 

22. What is your favorite book?

Caps for Sale. It says "Belongs to Tyler Beaver" inside.  (Daddy's favorite book when he was a little boy)

23. What's your favorite color?

I don't know, I'm Paige.  Orange, Orange.

24. Who is your favorite basketball player?

Kevin Durant!!!!!!!!

-Interview by Heather Beaver who also goes by the alias "mommy" 

I would include a brief bio but no one is exactly sure what she does here:)

The life of a 2.5 year old...

I could post 16 pages of the funny things Paige says/does/wears/eats/etc. but I will just do some highlights for time sake!  She definitely has a mind of her own and we absolutely love it!  We love her independence, opinions, fashion sense, smarts, and her warm heart!

Paige is so in LOVE with her baby sister!  It is so obvious that they will be the best of friends!  They already are!  Leighton looks at Paige like she hung the moon!

I love when she picks out her own outfits and does her hair!  Such a creative little person!  

Her favorite "toy" is Mary her doll, Mary is more a member of the family than just a toy.  We had a small scare a few weeks ago when Mary was accidentally left outside overnight...and it rained...hard.  She had a little pneumonia but recovered with a nice bubbly bath and some medicine.  She takes such good care of Mary and worries about her when she's not with her!

Yoga is a little obsession for hers as well!  She gets very angry when mommy goes to yoga without her but we try to do it together pretty regularly at home! Here are a few poses:

Everyday is an adventure and we have so much fun pretending, playing, going to parks, riding her bike, singing and dancing.  Favorite songs right now are Wheels on the Bus, Bingo, Twinkle Twinkle,and  I'm a Little Teapot. Favorite show is Caillou on PBS.  We have his books and DVD also!  She has started to show an interest in movies!  We have watched Lady in the Tramp about 85 times now and she just became the proud owner of the Toy Story collection!!  

 

Arts and Crafts are another favorite around here as well as having special jobs!  She has been unloading the silverware from the dishwasher (minus the knives) for quite some time.  She also makes her breakfast by herself every morning--unless we have a hot meal.  She picks up her toys around the house each day as well as organizing bathroom toys after each bath or shower...oh how she loves a shower!  She will stay in there until every drop of hot water is completely gone!  

 

Her newest adventure is swimming classes!  She loves it so much and tells everyone she swims like a fish!

Legos, chocolate, watching basketball, grandparents and visiting the zoo are definitely honorable mentions!  She can't get enough of these things/people either!  We love our little firecracker and seeing the world through her eyes!

Anatomy of a Smile

Nothing makes me happier than seeing my beautiful girls smiling!  Leighton has a smile on her face most of the time these days and we just love it!  

 Her first smile caught on camera!!! 

 Her sweet and innocent smile...

 Her smile that proves she is indeed my daughter:)....

 Her I may be a newscaster when I grow up smile...

 Her "I know I am soooo loved by sooo many smile!

Unexpected Ministry

This season of my life is very busy! I do make time to help those in need that are close to me but its more of a challenge to notice strangers who are in need that I (we) could help.  We spent several hours at the hospital today visiting Tyler's grandfather.  He was flown to a local hospital yesterday morning after suffering a stroke.  He is doing very good and hopefully moving out of ICU to a normal room today.  Papa is such an incredible man and I haven't ever heard of him having a sniffle since I met him years ago!  

As Paige, Leighton and I were leaving the hospital, I was carrying the infant carrier on one arm, my bag on another, holding a milk, holding Paige's hand, holding my keys...you get the point...A man probably in his early 60's was behind me. There was some construction going on and he was giving me some pointers on how to get around when I came back. I thanked him but honestly didn't pay much more attention--because of the above referenced zoo i was traveling with and trying to be sure my toddler stayed right with me in the street.  He continued to make conversation about the beautiful weather and saying he hoped whoever we were visiting would be well soon.  We both were leaving the ICU.  

Finally it hit me--this man is very lonely and afraid.  So I said "who are you visiting, sir? I hope they are leaving soon too!" He said his wife.  She was originally brought to the hospital for heart failure. She recovered, went home, then a few days later returned and had her gallbladder removed.  Went home.  Back in the hospital in ICU now and no idea what is wrong.  I feel like that must be more difficult than knowing sometimes, even if you know and its scary you still know.  I looked him in the eyes and said sir, don't be afraid, she is in the Lord's hands.  "Will you tell me your wife's name?" He looked shocked that I cared.  Leighton and Paige were "starving" and were ready to go home.  But he needed us.  He said "Karen xx".  I said alright sir, we will be praying for her.  We will pray for Karen xx.  Paige looked him in the eyes and said "We will be praying for Miss Karen, sir!!  I promise we will!"  I love that kid.  This man seemed more at ease, not because we promised to pray but because we stopped what we were doing, we listened, he could tell us how scared he was and he is probably the one holding the rest of their family together.  Maybe they have kids, brothers, sisters, parents...I don't know but it was obvious this was the first moment he felt it was OK to say how scared he was.  

We've all been in a place where we are scared but we have to be strong but the moment when you can turn something over or get it off your chest how much better it feels.  As Christians we can turn our burdens over to God.  Is this man a Christian?  I don't know.  I do know that my children and I were able to show him God's love whether he has that relationship or not and I'm certain he felt it. I'm not a martyr. He practically had to force me to talk to him and it took awhile for me to see the pain this man was in and it was my duty to give him 10 minutes of my day.  We didn't change his life but I am certain we changed his day.  He had a sense of relief when he walked away.  

We all go through hard times and it feels so much better to turn it over to God.  But also to share our struggles with our family and friends--or a lady on the street if necessary, not carrying the load on our own.  I also feel like on the other hand, as Christians it is our duty to reach out and look for those in need.  This is so much more than writing checks or doing your hour of community service.  I'm definitely not downplaying those things!  But if you see an opportunity to bless someone by simply listening to them and showing them God's grace and love, what a difference we could make.  Reminding myself when I am juggling 2 babies, carrying a couple bags, snacks, drinks, keys, etc., to take time to see someone in need if only its just a smile or a quick hello.  You just never know what the lady behind you at the coffee shop might be dealing with.  

For Karen, for her precious husband, for me and for whoever reads this that needs to hear it...Thank you God for pushing me to share your love today.  I pray that you are with Karen and her husband--I know you are.  Let them feel your unending love.  Let them have peace in knowing you can get them through this no matter the outcome.  Wrap your hands around her and heal her body, whatever may be ailing her, Lord.  You were there and got her through heart failure, through gallbladder surgery.  I know you are still there.  Let her husband find peace in knowing you are in control and only you.  This burden is not his alone.  Guide those wonderful doctors on her care, let them finding the missing piece to this puzzle. What a precious man you gave Karen who has obviously been taking such wonderful care of her and loves her with all his heart.  We will continue lifting Karen up to you Lord.  Amen.

You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule. "You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you. "You're blessed when you're content with just who you are-no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought. "You're blessed when you've worked up a good appetite for God. He's food and drink in the best meal you'll ever eat. "You're blessed when you care. At the moment of being 'carefull,' you find yourselves cared for. "You're blessed when you get your inside world-your mind and heart-put right. Then you can see God in the outside world. "You're blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That's when you discover who you really are, and your place in God's family. "You're blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God's kingdom. "Not only that-count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens-give a cheer, even!-for though they don't like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble. (Matthew 5:3-12 MSG)

Come Fly Away...

Our renovations are well under way but much slower than we would have liked!  I don't think I have ever heard anyone say "man, my home reno project was completed so much faster than anticipated!!" HA!  At any rate, we are pleased with how the bathrooms are turning out.  Although our larger bathroom, known as "the Pink Bathroom", was "completed" first, I am going to post about the progress of the Powder Bath today.  

Here is the before...

Oh how I really loved these butterflies!  This bathroom was pretty yucky though.  It always had a musky smell and there was rust all around the toilet from a long water leak.  We hated all of the tile and really wanted a nice clean bathroom.  Tyler usually lets me take the reigns with design but has a few requirements.  Mainly budget, but for this bathroom he wanted to be sure we keep with the time period.  We both hate the look of typical new home construction and didn't want to just replace it to look like we have a new home bathroom in a 1950's ranch home.  So I went to designing...

When the contractor tore out the old bathroom, he found that the existing sub floor was completely rotted out and almost non-existent.  Also, there was a beam supporting the house that was rotted from previous water damage before we lived here.  All of that was replaced and we updated the plumbing while the walls were out like we did in the kitchen and other bathroom!  

Since this bathroom is very small, it has been pretty inexpensive to replace.  This bathroom is off our kitchen and laundry room which are bricked so when we did the kitchen we bought enough brick to replace this flooring when we re-did it.  In fact, we originally planned to finish both bathrooms three years ago when we bought the house but if you've ever done a reno project, costs can escalate quickly and we decided to finish out the kitchen and do the bathrooms later.  This worked out so much better because I liked being able to focus all my attention on the kitchen and I wouldn't change one thing about how it turned out.  *Will definitely blog on that project sometime!!  

I went back and forth on putting in wallpaper, painting stripes on the walls, then back to wallpaper.  I originally x'ed the wallpaper because I thought Tyler preferred the paint but once he realized I was going to paint stripes on the walls he quickly said he liked wallpaper!  HA!  The vanity hasn't been built yet but we are trying to use the old window as the door to the custom vanity!  I really hope that works out!  

My sister  & bro in law lives in our neighborhood but have much more modern, clean decorating style so when they bought their house they updated the lighting and took down some chandeliers throughout their house that were original.  I have always dreamed of those chandeliers since they are right up my alley!  I went back and forth on if it were appropriate to ask her if I could buy one or both.  Somehow she had two that literally were the perfect lights for my bathrooms!!  I finally emailed her asking if I could buy, trade, barter, anything for the lights!  Trying to give her the opportunity to say no if she had any use for them.  She is such a sweet person and I didn't want her to feel obligated to hand them over.Well, she gladly turned them over and you would not believe how great they look!!  Even more incredible in the powder bath now that the wallpaper is in and you can see the style coming together!

Here you can see the new walls, new window, crown moulding-stained to match our kitchen and the gorgeous 1950's chandelier!  It is much prettier in person so come on by:).  

 Now this is something!!!  By far the biggest splurge in the bathroom was the wallpaper.  The light was free, the floor was free (since we paid for it 4 years ago), I found a mirror at an antique store and negotiated them down, a toilet and a small vanity.  It really is so perfect to me!  I bought hand towels from Anthropologie in a goldfish yellow color to match the birds in the paper perfectly!  I can't wait for it all to be completed!  For the record, we do not have high ceilings and the black paper does not dwarf the room. Well, its already a dwarf room but it did not get any smaller.  The trick is proper lighting and natural light.  I am beyond thrilled with the look.  

Stay tuned for the final wrap up of this project and cross your fingers the vanity comes out as cool as I have envisioned in my head!  

Sisters...

I compared these two photos today and want to remember...people keep asking me if my girls look alike, what do you think??  Paige at almost 4 months, Leighton at almost 2 months...

The Perfect Day

Yesterday was one of those days where everything was picture perfect!!  From the very beginning to the very end.  After doing our morning chores, my precious mother in law came over to play with the girls for a bit so I could go exercise go to Whole Foods for the first time!!  She comes on Thursdays to help me out and give me a little sanity time whether it be exercise or errands and it is so appreciated and needed!

After soaking in the sights and smells of such an incredible store, I came home, put up the goods, had lunch and we all went to the park!  Its so nice having this incredible weather this winter!  We have been out so much!  This time last year, Paige and I were running out of creative hibernation activities!  

I have been dreaming up the perfect stuffed bell pepper recipe for several weeks and finally came up with exactly how I wanted to do it after combining several recipes and making my personal changes to them all.  So while at Whole Foods I purchased the most beautiful peppers...

  

After a month or so of a lot of unsuccessful recipes, it was so nice to have a new one that was out of this world for all of us!!  Healthy enough for Tyler, tasty enough for me and approved by the little critic!  This definitely could be in the weekly rotation!  

I realized yesterday that I don't own two important kitchen necessities 1) a rolling pin 2) a steam basket.  Most of the recipes called for steaming the peppers a couple times but I remember my friend Divina mentioning roasting hers in the oven first.  So I decided to combine both!  Here is what I did:

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees

Wash and cut off tops of 6 red bell peppers

I placed a glass pan with 2 inches of hot water on the bottom rack of my oven then placed the clean, empty peppers on a cookie sheet and sprayed them lightly with olive oil Pam.  

*I baked them like this for 10 minutes but 5-7 would be plenty.  After this process is complete, reduce your oven to 375 degrees so it will be ready for baking the stuffed peppers to perfection!

Filling

1 lb ground beef, browned (if you like onion, that would be tasty but since my hubs doesn't approve and I'm nursing, we left out!)

1/2-3/4 packet taco seasoning-low sodium

1 cup cooked rice (brown or white)

1 can black beans

1 can mexi Rotel diced tomatoes

Mexican blend cheese

After your meat is browned add in your taco seasoning, rice, black beans and tomatoes. Stir gently to combine.  Then stuff your peppers full!

After your peppers are full, put a good handful of mexi cheese over each one...one recipe I read said to use block cheese and cut a chunk and put down into the center of your stuffing. I will probably try that too but for prettiness I used grated cheese.  

Bake these beauties for 25 minutes at 375 degrees, COVERED.  I sprayed my foil lightly with the olive oil Pam and also "tented" the foil to avoid losing any delicious cheese!  

This was oh so good and oh so filling!  Easy and quick to make too I promise!  There are a couple of different steps but you can easily do them all at once.  I could have been full with just one but I had to have two!  A big salad and one pepper would be a perfect dinner and maybe a few tortilla chips and salsa!  I had a side of sour cream with mine and added extra cheese!  The peppers were so tender and delicious!  Tyler growled a little when he saw the meal and was in hog heaven after he tried it!!  

You should make this soon!!!!  Oh, if you have little ones, I had just enough filling leftover with this recipe for 2 portions of toddler mix.  Paige loves meat, beans, rice and cheese so she loved it and has enough for lunch today.  

Happy eating!!  I can't wait until lunch to have these again!!!