"Snow" Smart

These pictures a supposed to be at the bottom...this is the boys fetching their snow for snow ice cream. Um, yes the boys chose their own clothes this day...and it wasn't as cold as it looks outside.

Look how good my two boys can write their name. Note: Patton could not even write a P before starting at Sarah's house in August. I love to see his progression. Some times it is written perfectly backwards, but he is still learning. Does Kenner's name look like a Kindergartener's...he is getting so old!

Our little Ike loving nap time.

SNOW ICE CREAM! It was delicious!!! I just googled Snow Ice Cream. I used the recipe from Food Network from Paula Dean. It needed sweetened condensed milk, vanilla and 8 + cups snow. YUMMO

It tasted just like homemade ice cream. We did make this on the first day after it snowed and I helped collect it

Pics for Birth Announcements

Thanks to Grandma Kelly and Daddy for assistance in staging...I LOVE love love these pictures! Serious about guarding their new brother. Watch out bullies!

Our new addition 1 1/2 week old! Love you bugaboo!

Saluting the newest General Eisenhower

Two BIGS on standby for their LITTLE

Lovin on their little brother

Weeks one and two

Pardon the randomness of my blog. It was once organized, but in attempt to document all the funny stories w/ my lack of sleep mind I am resorting to unorganized documentation:)
The boys went back to daycare for one day until a little boy got sick...so they are home w/ me. Wouldn't it be convienent for Ike to do well sleeping through the night on the day the boys weren't here, but has NOT slept at all at night the last two nights that I have needed energy and sleep during the day but impossible when the boys are here. In attempt to resort to food instead of sleep, I decided to make homemade cinnamon rolls w/ my bread maker. My friend Chris posted about making homemade bread on facebook, my uncle Kevin is on a huge kick of using his bread maker...so in honor of both of them I decided to try my hand at homemade bread. I didn't feel like failing...so I left it up to the bread machine to do the failing. The first batch of whole wheat bread didn't rise. Lesson learned: don't use expired yeast! The second batch of sticky buns w/ the boys' help was delish. I think it might be the closest recipe to the famous Sticky rolls from Smitty's!! YUMMO! STICKY BUNS RECIPE for bread maker:
Large Loaf - put all ingredients in the bread maker in this order
1 1/4 cup water
3 cups white bread flour (I used regular flour and they turned out)
2 TBSP Dry Milk *note to self...just go out and buy a canister of dry milk. Never know when you need milk for a recipe or have a craving for homemade bread in the bread machine
3 TBSP sugar
1 tsp salt
3 TBSP butter (I softened it to almost melting)
2 tsp Fast Rise Yeast (which i used) or 3 tsp Active Dry Yeast

Remove dough from machine after the dough or manual cycle is completed, then follow the process steps.

Sticky Sauce
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
1/2 cup pecans (didn't put in mind)

Filling
1/3 cup soft butter
1 tsp cinnamon

Prepare sticky sauce and purt into 13x9 pan. Sprinkle w/ broken nuts. Turn dough out on floured surface (it will be sticky) and punch down (boys favorite part!). Roll down into 16 x 10 rectangle. Dot w/ soft butter and sprinkle cinnamon. Roll jelly roll style and pinch seams together. Slice 1 1/2 inch thick and place into pan on top of sticky sauce, and let double in size (about one hour). bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes. Cool for no more than 3 minutes then invert into pan so sauce and nuts are on top. YUMMO

SNOW PANTS: $4.00 on clearance last year
35 degrees outside
HUGE snow pile on OUR yard
= 35 minutes of quiet time inside w/ Ike and Mommy.

Some cute quotes and memories from the snow pile: (note: all these quotes came through the glass as our front door doesn't work)
*As the Crete bus pulls up: "MOM IS THIS THE NORRIS BUS?" an excited Kenner realizes that that might be his bus when he goes to Kindergarten. We have been talking alot about Norris lately as we will find out on March 13th if they accept option students in Kindergarten. Pray pray pray!
* Kenner and Patton team up to throw snow balls at a boy walking home from his Norris bus. The boy takes post on the other side of the street and they have a snowball fight. All just fun and games though. I did have to open a window to tell the boys not to be mean as they were really getting him!

Just Dad and his boys. Daddy had been working hard insulating the attic...so don't mind the new hair style. Kenner and Dad now have had a haircut:)

Ike on his first outing (other than the first doctor's appt) to church. I couldn't help but take a pic of Ike in the cutest hat I ever had on Patton. Ike has Patton's hair and Kenner's face.

Ike watching his first NU basketball game w/ dad via internet! Yes Casey is that intense as they lost to Tech...not a good night for daddy!

Grateful - day 1

Words can't express how grateful I am for so many things. I guess that is what a person gets when they complain for 9 months about having another baby in the family. God does not give us things we can not handle nor need. I just wish that I would be better in being content and allowing God do the work and trust in Him.

I am so grateful for so many things, but need to write them down to assist me in remembering:)
- A long hospital stay: W/out the long stay, I would have been home w/ Ike when a varicose vein decided to make its way into my milk. This caused Ike to spit up a lot of blood and after putting tube down his throat caused the nurses to pull another 20 cc's out of his tummy. I was calm throughout the enitre event, because there were nurses, his doctor, a neonatal doctor, and lactation consultant working w/ me. Had this happened the first day at home...we would have started on a different note.
- A long hospital stay: Allowed me time to establish Ike and I time, before diving into a household of boys waiting for us to come home and give them the same attention pre-Ike.
- Ike's ability to nurse. What was previously tagged as "the most painful, horrible" experience of my life aka nursing w/ Kenner and Patton is now known as "a good nursing baby." AMEN!
- Family: My mom has super cleaned my entire house and was around the first day and 1/2 of us being home. It was so nice to have her here and have her added touch of cleanliness to our house.
- Family: Never ending love and support of all family whether in person or away. The phone calls, visits, and love is much appreciated.
- Boys: Laughter of two boys and the love for their little brother is undeniable. I was able to give them the ability to share in a FIRST for me (as a mother of three)...Ike pooped on me while changing his diaper. The boys were both there: one handing me wipes and the other the diaper. I have never heard them laugh so hard. This experience brought out the need to tell them about how they have peed on me, on the wall, etc...BUT never POOPED! I hope this isn't a prediction of what he is going to give me in the future.
- Farm rocker: The rocker that also rests level to put a sleeping baby in IS A LIFESAVER. I don't know what I would do w/out it.

Last but not least...my husband! He was able to experience his first two days alone w/ the older boys by himself. I have never heard so many stories of fun coming from them.

There are many other things to be grateful for...but now that Ike is sleeping, I am going to take time to be grateful for a nap:)

Who is who?

Both these pictures were taken at the same age for Patton and Ike. Can you tell who is who?

Welcome Ike

Ready to take our little brother home Metting my little brother for the first time. I was more concermed to get nurses for my mom to get better.

Kenner meeting Ike for the first time. He crawled up in my bed and said, "Hey there best buddy"

Eisenhower "Ike" Ryman Svitak born on 1/11/11 at 7:56 (5+6=11) am. 8 pounds 7 ounces 20 inches long. We stayed in room 434 (again adding up to 11). Eisenhower as the 3rd World War II General in our family, Ryman after my Grandma Jan's maiden name.

Last time as a family of 4. Thanks to my parents, we were able to stay in the AmeriInn the night before the c-section because of the weather. Aunt Lucy and Grandma Kelly stayed w/ us, because Lucy was suppose to video tape or shadow the c-section/surgery for experience...but they didn't let her in. Sorry Aunt Lucy for getting up so early and not being able to see it. Everything went so well and Ike is a great baby.

Meal plan for this week

Don't fall over...yes I have a meal plan and had a BLAST grocery shopping this last week w/ all my boys at Walmart. I have mainly shopped sales and ad matching at Super Saver, but for a family activity and for getting a much bigger list of things not on sale (d/t getting ready for baby) I was able to go shopping w/ the boys and Casey. It is fun to get to go shopping w/ them once in a while, because they let you know what they really want to eat instead of me just deciding what we are eating all the time. I do realize it is Wednesday, but I wanted to get back into the swing of things getting my meal plans back up on my blog (and so that Annie can stop asking me what we are having for supper...ha ha ha)

Wed: Chicken Stir Fry
Thurs: Tacos w/ beans (adding Chimichanga meat from freezer cooking and adding taco seasoning)
Fri: Turkey Burgers and tater tots (yes crazy to grill...but it will be a nice change)
Sat: L) Ham and Poppy Seed Sandwiches
D) Chili
Sun: L) Out to eat (casey has guard drill so we will go to our fav restaurant to burn time...Runza Rex)
D) Salsbury Steaks (Freezer cooking)

Mon: Still debating to go out to eat as a family the night before we add another...what is your opinion?

I have plenty of ready to go meals or easy meals to make for Casey to make while I am in the hospital. CRAZY to think that less than a week we will be a family of 5. I think I am ready, but does anyone really know they are ready? YIKES!

Christmas and DDP finished

New solution for fum sucking...gloves! We will see if it works. Svitak family at Elge's. Why can't I get pictures of anyone else at Grandma and Grandpa Elge's...too busy having fun, doing Nancy Drew, and hanging out.

I was attempting to take photos of the beautiful frost on Dec 26th on the Elge farm. I love these!

Deep thoughts w/ Great Grandma Jim...should I eat ANOTHER piece of cheesecake? Yep he sure did! Kenner w/ the boys' new toy - Robot Buzzlight Year. It even gives you a high five.

Patton could have played w/ this mini tree at Great Grandma Jan's house forever!

Schure stylin' - Uncle Mike and Kenner

Yikes...

Kenner was too tired to help out w/ Santa's cookies, so I wrote the note and Patton told me what to write and he got the cookies ready. Can you tell how proud he was? Written by mom. Created by Patton

My boys at Christmas Eve at Uncle Kevin's house.

Now...I could have not gotten a single gift this Christmas when Grandma Jackie told me she made us this Apricot Pie. Seriously...I could eat the screen. YUMMO! This was suppose to be DDP 25.

DDP 24: View from the outside. Two boys asking for a loan (of crayons) at Grandpa Pat's bank.