I'm so glad I finally found you!

While visiting a friend of the family, Ginny, Jude received a stuffed snowman as a gift. When we got back home, he ran upstairs to his room, where he had another snowman waiting. I went up there and saw why he was so excited- the snowmen were having a reunion! He made them kiss and hug and say, "I'm so glad I finally found you!"

Hee hee hee! :-)

NO! That's not okay!

Auntie Laura, while holding Jude: I just want to hold you forever. Is that okay?

Jude: NO! That's not okay! (Jumps down and runs away)

''I'm spoonin' you.'' -Jude, after repeatedly tapping me on the knee with a spoon :)

Peanut butter eyebrow

Crazy hat hair from playing with Grandma and Leia in the snow, peanut butter all over everything he's been able to reach, and a giggling baby sister in the background=A messy, tired, happy boy :)

Wanna see my belly button?

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My favorites :)

Cutest kids ever :)

Happy to be me :)

"But YOU call him Jake!"

Jude: Jake, don't do that! (He was being torturously tickled)
Mom: Jude, don't call Daddy 'Jake'. You need to call him Daddy.
Jude: (totally seriously) But YOU call him Jake!

That's some good toddler logic right there! :-)

"you go away!"

We attended the annual Sojourners Christmas Banquet at church last night (which was a blast). We had to bring Aviyah with, 'cause the little stinker won't take a bottle (yet?). Anyways, she didn't sleep hardly any of the time, so we were taking turns bouncing her and walking around the room... until Jake was spotted by an experienced Grandma, who quickly snatched the baby from him. It was great :-) He heard Aviyah fussing a few minutes later, and went over to the Grandma to check on her. She frowned at him and said, "Now, you go away!!!" Needless to say, he obeyed.

Haha. That's one sassy (and very helpful) Granny!

a facebook app that actually makes me happy...

One of the reasons I started writing on this blog again was because I am so sad that all of my facebook statuses just disappear, never to be seen again. I always wished I could have a list of them, especially the ones where I wrote about major things happening in our lives or milestones for my kids. Welllll, tonight, I saw an app that makes a collage of most of your statuses from the last year! I wish it went beck even further (I think it would be really funny to see what I wrote before I had kids, haha), it's still a blessing that I can keep those ones! I had to do about 20 screen prints, but now I have a mini-archive of what's happened this year, separated by month (mine are a month off, haha). I think that's really exciting. Just thought I'd share :-)

If anyone's curious, the app is called "My Year In Status".

Later I'll try to pick some of the funnier ones out to put on here if I find any worth sharing for a second time :-)

Toddler logic: bedtime.

Bedtime conversation:

Jude: I don't want to go to bed!
Dad: Do you want to stay up all night?
Jude: NO!
Dad: What time do you want to go to bed?
Jude: I don't want to go to bed!
Dad: Aren't you tired?
Jude: YES! I'm tired! I want to go to sleep!

Eh?

...Toddler logic.

bundled up part two :)

Bundle up!

A California version of bundling up to go play outside :) it's in the lower forties.

The sweetest thing...

I love waking up to the chattering of this happy, beautiful little girl! :)

'I want that on my cereal!'

I bought this to marinate tofu. Not sure what Jude thinks it is! :)

she's so precious...

I don't want to move and wake her up. I could sit here and snuggle her all night! What a joy she is :)

Thanksgiving+Slideshow

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with the Downers in Palmdale this year. They tried to accomodate my admittedly ridiculous dietary restrictions (no wheat or dairy), but some things just can't be made without them. For example, mashed potatoes. They NEED dairy to be delicious. But who has Thanksgiving without mashed potatoes??? Not me... so I went in search of a suitable substitute. I found a recipe where I always find the best ones, at Elana's Pantry. She always cooks gluten free, and usually dairy free, as well. Hurrah! In lieu of mashed potatoes, I tried this recipe.

You're probably thinking what I was thinking... eww! That could never taste like mashed potatoes! But I was pleasantly surprised. It was actually really, really delicious! I'm pretty sure I can trick Jude into eating vegetables with that... mwahahaha!

I also tried her cranberry apple stuffing recipe. I used Rudi's gluten free bread and it turned out great- for those of you who eat gluten, it tasted like "normal" food :-)

I took a few pictures of the occasion, of course...




It really is astounding how many things we all have to be thankful for. I am continually overwhelmed by how gracious God has been and continues to be to me. Look around~ and I think you'll also be amazed at what He has given you! :-)

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change."

"They're not cool!"

A few nights ago, Jude was getting ready for bed. He was down to one pair of PJs... the rest were in the laundry queue. He starts literally weeping because of the PJs I chose for him to wear. I asked him why he was freaking out, since he usually doesn't care that much, and in between sobs, he cried, "I can't wear those, mommy! They're not cool! Those are not cool pajamas!"

Uhh... aren't you, like, 2 years old? Who taught this kid what's cool, anyways?

BTW... the pajamas ARE cool.

Pretty girl :)

All ready for church :)

Two blog posts in two minutes! This kid is too funny. Jude says, after putting on a shirt I'd never seen before: "I can't show mommy, she'll call me cute!"

Even better than a Christmas sweater!

Jude borrowed this sweater from the Downers. It's great. Ha ha!

The Tromburg Four.

:)

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i love you fried rice!

Not only was this quick and delicious, but Jude liked it so much that he ate VEGETABLES. I can't remember the last time he looked at a vegetable without gagging- let alone ASKING for them! He even asked for seconds! Yes, I love you, fried rice.

Healthy, delicious apple crisp... yes, it exists! :-)

This recipe is sort of from Elana's Pantry, one of my favorite sources for healthy, gluten free recipes. I say sort of because I mixed together two of her recipes to make one I liked better :-) So, here it is. I'm salivating just thinking about it.

Gluten free apple crisp

Filling:
1/2 cup of apple juice
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (you only need a small lemon for this)
1 tablespoon arrowroot powder (Whole Foods def has this)
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
5 medium apples, cored, peeled, sliced, and cut in half width wise

Topping:
2 cups blanched almond flour (I get mine here)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup grapeseed oil (also got this at whole foods- this is used instead of butter. it's better.)
1/4 cup agave nectar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract


For the filling:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Set aside an 8-inch square baking dish.

Whisk together the apple juice, lemon juice, arrowroot powder, and nutmeg in a small bowl. Place the apples in a bowl, toss with the apple juice mixture, then transfer to the baking dish.

For the topping:
Combine the almond flour, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk together the grapeseed oil, agave nectar, and vanilla extract. Stir the wet ingredients into the almond flour mixture, until coarsely blended and crumbly.

Crumble the topping over the fruit and cover the dish with aluminum foil. You should taste a little bit of it. It's good.

Bake for 45 minutes in the oven. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, until the top of the crisp is golden brown and the juices are bubbling. Let the crisp cool for 30 minutes, then serve warm. (If you don't wait for 30 minutes, the topping will be mushy. So try to have some self control :-)

Here's a picture of mine... well, what's left of it :-)



If you make it, invite me over, I'll help you eat it! Or else you can come to my house and I'll bake it for you. Either way, we'll eat delicious food :-)

Oh, I will like it!

Jude actually ate enough of his dinner to have dessert tonight (another mark your calendars moment). I made a healthy apple crisp for dessert, but I wasn't sure that he'd like it because he's such a picky eater and there's no refined sugar in it. I told him I was just going to give him a little bit to try first to make sure that he liked it. He replied, "Oh, I will like it!" Haha. He was right. He's gobbling it up right now! :-)

The weather is beautiful here, by the way. 60s and sunny. Delightful.

Not pasta savvy.

he thinks they are delicious, but hasn't quite figured out how to eat noodles yet. They are also stuck to his face (Not pictured). Ha ha!

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Someone has a case of the Mondays.

This is a weird entry, not so much a funny one. But I thought that it was worth noting. It's one of those "mark your calendars" moments.

It's been an interesting morning. Aviyah slept through the night, which never happens, and Jude asked for something he never, ever, ever asks for.

He was crazy this morning. He freaked out because he had "snots on his face" about every 5 minutes. At about 10:30am, after wailing for a good 15 minutes about an undisclosed problem, I could finally make out "I want to brush my teeeeeeth!"

"Ok, ok... we'll brush your teeth! Why do you want to brush your teeth?"

"I want to brush my teeth so that I can read a book and take a nap!"

He was serious. We brushed his teeth and he settled happily into his bed as I read him a book. Then he went to SLEEP. Without me having to go in there numerous times to ask him to quiet down. He just... slept! He's been quiet in there for two hours now!

This is not my child. He would never, ever ask for that. Where's the real Jude?

handsome in pink?

Jude sporting a pink sequiny purse full of trucks. Ha ha it's funny when they don't know any better :)

Head in the clouds... Oh wait... That's the ceiling.

Thankful for my hard working husband :) fixing a leak in the apartment building.

Jude at breakfast, yelling to Jake in the other room: "DAAAAAAD! I GOT SNOTS! HELP!"

Our breakfast conversation...

Jude: "Mommy, where does Uncle Jeremy live?"
Me: "Chicago."
Jude: "Ooooh, ChiCOWgo? MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

What's for dinner?

Dinnertime, at the Tromburg house:

Jude, to me: "I'm hungry!"
Me: "Great! Are you going to cook me some dinner?"
Jude: "No!" (turns to Jake) "Will YOU cook me some dinner? I'm hungry!"

So we're all still hungry. Come on, Jude! :-)

Picnic with Jude at the lake. It's a beautiful, sunny day!

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speaking of stealing candy from kids...

What happens when daddy wants candy on Halloween... Ha ha!

Crazy hair!

DSC04216
Originally uploaded by mariexpx

Jude loves to play a game he calls "crazy hair", where our whole family messes up our hair together... haha! This crazy hair moment is courtesy of the bouncy clue ball with a handle.

(Can you believe they still make those things? Seems like 8 million irresponsible parents would have sued them by now...)

When you're smiling...

DSC_7738
Originally uploaded by mariexpx

My baby's smiling at me! I still remember when Jude first smiled. I melt just thinking about it :-)

PARTY!

Click HERE to view details and RSVP for the 2nd (at least) annual Tromburg Potluck Party! :-)

Girl Talk with Jude

Can you tell Jude's been hanging out with girls all morning?

Jude: "Oh my worrrrrd, that was SOOOOO funny!"

This video is a re-enactment, so it's not as funny as the original, but still amusing :-)

Sleeping sweetly :)

Aviyah and Carrie :)

lunch time, Jude style.

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does this work?

The easiest way to get aviyah to wake up: put her in her own bed. Go figure.

The easiest way to get aviyah to sleep: put her in my bed.

A 2 year old's understanding of the crucifixion:

"Jesus got a big spankin'."

From Jake's Facebook:

jude: *turns light off
me: "Jude, please don't turn the light off, turn it back on
Jude: *turns light on
... ...
Jude: *turns light off
me: (serious tone) "Jude, what happens when you don't listen to daddy."
Jude: "I turn the light off."

kid logic, pt. 2.

Jude (Very excited): I MADE HOLES IN THE OATMEAL!!!

kid logic

Jude: i need to wear my sunglasses to eat oatmeal.

making blogging useful...

It seems like I am constantly kicking myself for not writing down the multitude of cute, funny, terrible, or just plain weird things that I see or that my kids do. I did this for about the first year of Jude's life in a paper journal, but as usual, didn't stay up to date with it (haha which is an understatement since the last entry was probably a year and a half ago-terrible!). Someone suggested I make a twitter to record them, but I have a major aversion to twitter, so I'm going to try blogging them (since I can update this from my phone via text). Here goes :-)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls!

One of my greatest joys in life is cooking/baking. I am continually amazed by the variety of tastes, textures, smells, colors, etc. that God has allowed us to savor and enjoy. While this recipe is not colorful, it is delicious~ and the tastebuds are another great gift we have been given. Enjoy :-)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls

Here are the really super healthy... I mean, delicious... ingredients:
1 stick melted butter 1 pound powdered sugar 2 cups peanut butter
3 cups Rice Krispies
(You can also make it without the Rice Krispies, which I actually prefer, but it's good both ways.)
2 pkgs. of Chocolate or Vanilla flavored almond bark (You can get this almost anywhere- it looks like chocolate. It's in the baking aisle by the choc. chips.)

Thoroughly mix butter, sugar, and peanut butter together in a big bowl. Then add in the Rice Krispies.

Roll into small balls (about an inch and a half wide) and place on wax paper on top of a dish or pan that you can slide in your freezer. Stick a toothpick into the middle of each one~ it will help you dip them in the chocolate later. Put the balls in the freezer for twenty or thirty minutes (until firm).

Now, for the good part... the chocolate!!! :) You can melt it in a double broiler, but I found it much easier to melt small amounts of the almond bark in a mug in the microwave (follow package instructions for melting times). Then you can dip one ball at a time in there and not have to work to hard to cover the whole thing in chocolate :)
Dip the peanut butter balls into chocolate. Set on wax paper and let chocolate harden (don't put them into the fridge or freezer to speed this up, it makes them set weird). If you want to remove the toothpicks, do it right after you set them on the wax paper. But they make them look fancier if you're going to a party or something :)

(This one has been in the fridge for a few days and has been beat up by his brothers and sisters in the tupperware~ but you get the idea :-)

Makes approximately 60 (if you make them with Rice Krispies~ it will be fewer if you omit them). These keep pretty well in the freezer and fridge (I think that they are extra delicious when chilled). I kept a good stock in the freezer for guests and special occasions (such as chocolate cravings, haha).

Oh, another thing you can do to make them prettier is drizzle chocolate over them~ this doesn't really work with the almond bark, it's too thick. Probably have to go with real chocolate on that part.