Where were this poor kids parents???

Last weekend, we went to the Annual Idaho Young Farmer and Rancher Conference in Idaho Falls. Sounds hoky, I know, but its very informative and tons of fun meeting people from all over the state who all have similar interests. Ryder and Ridge had a sleepover at Grandma and Grandpa, and we took Noah with us. His sleeping schedule at home is pretty regular, but at the conference well, I'll just let the pictures do the talking...

Sound asleep.

A peanut butter and jelly sandwich + Noah =

THIS... :)

7-ingredient Turkey Chili

I've never felt compelled to share a recipe before, but I have a pot of this stuff simmering on the stove and it is amazing....so good and good for you too! And who doesn't like a recipe that only has 7-ingredients!? You can thank me later :)

7-ingredient Turkey Chili

• 1-2 lbs ground turkey (turkey burger) (The orginal recipe called for 2 lbs but I only had 1 lb thawed the first time I made it, and it was perfect for me so I've made it that way ever since.)
  
• 1 lg onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1 small green pepper, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
• 2 TBS. Chili Powder
• 1/2 Tsp. Ground Cumin
• 3 1/2 cups V8 100% Vegetable Juice
• 2 cans (15 oz each) Red Kidney Beans, rinsed and drained

Cook the turkey, onion, green pepper, chili powder, and cumin in a 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat until the turkey is well-browned, stirring often. Add the Vegetable Juice and Kidney Beans and let simmer until flavors are well-blended.

I like to serve it with cornbread, just sayin'...

Guess who's turning 4 tomorrow....

This BIG GUY!!!

Ridge was the only child I got to bring home from the hospital with me. A cute {borderline sad} story comes to mind when I think of that day!

I was talking to Ryder one afternoon, a while back, and we were talking about how long he had stayed in the hospital after he was born, etc. During our little chat, he says to me, "So I was in the hospital 5 weeks, and I know how long Noah was in the hospital for, but how long was Ridge in the hospital for?" Seriously! He thought it was "normal" for babies to have to stay in the hospital after they were born. Oh so sad... :)

Christmas 2010

Two of my most favorite boys

The beautiful quilt Abby made for Noah

Our tree...

Noah lovin' his blocks and bath toys from Santa

The boys assembling a new Toy Story 3 Lego set

Ridge got his "Pull-String Woody"

Noah's workout

I had to think twice about posting this video after the last post being about Noah not gaining weight quickly, but it was just too funny! {I swear this is not a regular thing} :)

Noah....1 year later.

Last week I took Noah in for his 1 year check-up. I arrived feeling very upbeat and excited! I have been doing quite a bit of reflecting on how far Noah has come in only a year and I am so proud of him! But I left the appointment feeling a bit deflated, and one phrase stuck in my head....."failure to thrive."
Yup, his doctor called him "failure to thrive" solely based on the fact that he has not "caught up" on the growth chart as fast as he would like to see. In the words of a good friend of mine {who by the way is a nurse}, What!?...That's Stupid! I couldn't agree more. He is still not on the chart, just following along nicely underneath, not a steeper curve, just mirroring it. But for the record, Noah weighs more than Ryder did at 1 year old. So here are his numbers in case you're wondering...

• Weight 14 lbs 12 oz
• Length 26 inches

Those numbers are amazing to me! He is 14x his birth-weight....AT A YEAR OLD! Lets do some quick math. A "normal" sized full-term baby born at lets say 7lbs...14x that birth-weight, would equal a 98lb 1 year old....anyone else concerned?! He has made remarkable growth if you ask me! So the doctors "solution" to our "problem"? Are you ready for this?.....HUMAN GROWTH HORMONES, a diet consisting of PediaSure 3x a day for 6 months, and for me to consider quitting breastfeeding. Have you seen the amount of sugar in 1 PediaSure? 19 grams. There's no way that could be better for him than feeding him stuff consisting of things carrots, beans, etc. so we are not doing the whole PediaSure thing, and not doing HGH either, but I did however quit nursing. Very emotional for me as I worked so hard to get/keep my milk supply, and am now realizing I will never breastfeed again.... :(
On a lighter note, Noah is an absolute joy to our family. Its so hard to believe he is the same sick little alien-looking thing that was in a plastic box just a short year ago. I often reflect back on where he was and remember feelings of hopelessness and despair as it was so hard to envision him doing the things he is excelling at now! He is crawling with remarkable speed, pulling himself up and walking along furniture, cabinets, etc. He can also stand alone for 5-10 seconds. He is waving and shaking his head "NO". Saying ba-ba and ma-ma and da-da. He has 3 teeth, and a few wisps of hair up top. Remarkable, and thriving.