Dreams

Today was the first time that Roman was able to tell me about a bad dream that he had.

I'm sure that he has had them before...he has woken up crying and distressed...but he has never been able to explain; he has never been able to verbalize what he saw and why it scared him.

Today he woke up from his nap with loud crying. I went into his room thinking maybe he had fallen off of the bed or that he just wasn't quite ready to wake up (that happens sometimes...to me, too!). Right when he saw me he said "Mommy, hold me!"

I walked over and picked him up, all the while reassuring him that everything was ok.

Then he said "The horsies can't get you!" I almost laughed at first because it seemed so random and took me by surprise. I just wasn't expecting an explanation, and it made me so sad for him!

He continued, over the course of the next few minutes, between some more crying, to tell me that a black horse was chasing him. Then he asked me "Are they downstairs?"

I made it clear that there were no horses anywhere in our house. I also attempted to explain that dreams are just pictures we see in our sleep, and they're not real...that they're gone when we wake up (that's got to be a hard concept to understand when you're not even 3!)

Then he kept reassuring himself all afternoon: "No horsies". "No horsies in our house".

On the one hand, I felt so bad for him, and on the other hand I was so glad he could finally tell me why he was sad.

I love that kid. :)

Recipes: Granola

If you know me at all, you know I like food. I like to cook it. I like to eat it. I like the camaraderie that comes with sharing a meal.

I am going to start sharing some of my favorite recipes here. The first is my current obsession: granola. I am on a huge yogurt and granola kick (which happens frequently). Try pairing with Stoneyfield French Vanilla Whole Milk Yogurt Enjoy!


Lazy Granola
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. vanilla
7 cups oats (I use old fashioned, NOT quick cooking)

Mix brown sugar, oil, and honey in a small saucepan. Bring to a low boil.
Remove from heat. Stir in cinnamon and vanilla.
Pour over oats in a large bowl. Stir until well coated.
Spread oats in a 9×13 pan. Bake at 375° for 10 minutes.
Take out and stir.
Return pan to oven. Turn oven off.
Go to bed. Wake up to a delicious, cinnamon-y sent wafting through your kitchen!

*Except that I usually make it in the morning and can't wait very long...so when I put it back in the oven I end up only waiting about 15 min...but it is better when it's been sitting a bit longer. Crunchier that way.

**I add pecans and craisins for extra deliciousness.

***I totally stole this recipe from some friend or website...which I totally can't rememer now. If it was you, I owe you many thanks.

Let me know if you like it!

Need a Pick-Me-Up? Look No Farther!

a sleeping Roman...something I rarely get to see! Isn't he sweet?! Usually he has to be closed in a dark room in order to fall asleep. :)

My buddies. Roman likes to climb into the crib with Judah...Judah finds it very amusing. I should probably stop him from doing it but it's just so darn cute. So, I take pictures instead.


Mr. Blue Eyes

Why yes, yes this is three rolls of paper towels completely unrolled in our living room. Roman did this while I was making dinner one night....again, do you like how I just took pictures instead of correcting the behavior? :) I figure he worked pretty hard to get to that point, he deserved to enjoy it.

So happy!

Didn't that just bring some extra joy to your day?

Roman Reads...

Here is a fun video of Roman "reading" one of his favorite books, "The Zoo Book".