joining in the christmas wishing blogging

Wishing all our family and friends the merriest of Christmases.

New Look

The new look is courtesy of Benson. He loves, loves, loves dinosaurs. He has asked Santa repeatedly for a big T-Rex. Thanks Megan for the help!

a little thanks

I just wanted to thank all of you who are answering endless questions on our behalf. You are all so sweet to be willing to sacrifice your time to help us out. I also wanted to say that the further we go down this path the more we feel like we really want to help these children in need. Ben told me yesterday about a guy at work who has been doing foster care for a few years now. His coworker told him that they had never really had problems with the kids they took in except for one 7 year old girl, and that they had to lock all their cabinets while she was there. I asked what that meant, was she stealing or what and Ben said that she would take the food out of the cupboards and hide it under her bed. She had come from homes where there was no food and was constantly afraid that one day the food would be gone. I just started crying after he told me that... It breaks my heart that a 7 year old has to develop survival skills like that. I know that our home is a place of safety and love and fun and I really hope to be able to help some kids who have need of a place like ours.

the best thing i've learned this week

Putting the kids to bed at 8 pm is genius. This may be obvious advice to some of you out there but Ben and I stumbled across this by accident this week and I'll tell you what, it is amazing what fun we have in the two hours before bedtime. There's time for games, hobbies, working out, uninterrupted conversation... It's like we are actually married again, not just two people raising children in the same building. Not that things were that bad before, it's just that now it feels like date night every night! If you haven't tried this yet you really should. It's awesome.

have this for dinner

Suz's Sweet and Sour Chicken

chicken breast cut into bite sized pieces (just use however much you will eat)
1 beaten egg
approximately 1 Cup corn starch
cooking oil

Beat the egg in one bowl and put the corn starch in another. Dip chicken in egg, then in corn starch, pressing to adhere. Fry in oil until golden brown and place in glass baking dish.

Sauce: Suz doubles this and so do I.
3/4 C sugar
4 TB ketchup
1/2 C vinegar (I just used plain white distilled)
1 TB soy sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Pour sauce over chicken in baking dish and bake for 1 hour at 325 degrees. I serve with brown rice, but if you are a wimp you could use white. Steamed broccoli is a good side with this.

this is rather anticlimactic but...

Benson's eye seems to have recovered miraculously. Apparently a sucker punch from a four year old is less tragic than it actually seems. He only has a little purple this morning and a few broken blood vessels. It doesn't even hold a candle to Tanner's. I was so looking forward to posting pictures of the battle scar. Maybe next time.

in other news..

Benson has his first black eye. Stay tuned for more on this (with photos) tomorrow.

dear suz,

Your recipe for sweet and sour chicken rocks our world. Thank you for sharing.

Sincerely,
The Tracy Tummies

here's your christmas card!

Has anyone seen that Seinfeld? haha CLASSIC! Anyway this is the photo that we are hoping to send out with our christmas cards. Sorry to ruin the surprise if they actually make it into the card but I thought I'd post the photo in case they don't make it (which they really might not... we are having issues) because they are too cute! Merry Christmas everyone! And Benson says, "Mewy Frismas!"

all I want for christmas are my two front teeth

and, Banks, you are getting them for sure. He can also clap and crawl like an inchworm. I just thought you should all know.

humble abode

Notice the fully landscaped backyard. At least that's what they call the rocks here.


Well we are moving... again. This makes 7 moves in less than 5 years. That is pretty good! lol Anyway we are excited to move to our new place across town. Benson already painted his own room a lovely shade of blue, and we will move in next week to enjoy it all. If anyone (MEGAN!:) has any good boy room decorating tips lemme know.

imagination

explorer benson

catching snowflakes

weedwhacker man

I was going through my photos this morning to decide what to post about when I realized I have lots of random "Benson imagination" photos. He is really starting to come up with some funny ideas for play time. He LOVES to be an explorer (with the headlamp). I don't have a photo for this but yesterday he helped me dig up my tulips and the whole time he talked in a pirate voice and said "arg, Matey!" while we searched for the "treasure." And one of my all time favorite things he does is use the (NEVER used for toilets:)) plunger as a weedwhacker all over the house. He makes the sound and everything.

dinosaur eggs

Last night I made the first batch of Christmas cookies for this year. Whilst I wast busily engaged a little certain sneaky someone grabbed the carton of eggs off the counter and hid under the table. The sad thing is that it took us a good 5-6 minutes to realize that Benson was under that table waiting for his dinosaur eggs to hatch. It made me freak out a little (as he was jumping over the nest) but we couldn't stop laughing. And amazingly none were broken!

craziness

Has anyone else been following the story of the second grade teacher in sudan? Well the poor woman has been given 15 days in jail for allowing her class to name the class teddy bear Muhammad. I read one article that tried to put it in perspective by saying that we would react the same if a Muslim teacher allowed her class to name their teddy bear Jesus. I have to say i really don't think that is true. If Benson's teacher sent a letter home about naming their teddy bear Jesus I might find it inappropriate but I certainly would not call for the teacher to be put in jail, or given 40 lashes or killed! (as some are calling for now) It is sad to me that there are people who are really destroying the name of an otherwise (i think!) peaceful religion. I can't believe the number if Islamic extremists who make the news here in the US. Maybe it is just our country's fascination that causes us to search for these stories? I can't figure it out. Anyway this poor woman who made an honest mistake will now sit in jail for 15 days and I hope make it out of the country alive after that. What a crazy world we live in.

my jewels

This week the weather has turned cold and snowy, heralding the beginning of a new season. I am actually quite sad this year as I was really enjoying our 70 degree days. Fortunately with the cold weather came a change in Benson. He has decided to quit acting 2 for a little while and start being super sweet and funny. Last night some people came to get our piano and Benson cried the sweetest little tears and said, "I don't want them to take our piano. I want you to play nice 'nusic' for me to make me happy." Then he finished out the night with the cutest little prayer I have ever heard. It is nice to have days (or weeks!) like this because it helps to temper the weeks when he is just horrible to live with. For now he is the cutest and most intelligent little 2 year old I have ever seen. And Banks, well he's just so dang cute that I can't be upset with him even when he cries all the time. The presidency message for December put it so nicely, these little boys are "the jewels of my life."

Happy Thanksgiving

Well it is 2:15 and our Thanksgiving is pretty much over. We were too excited to eat our pies so we had Thanksgiving lunch instead of dinner. It was still pretty good though. I think next year we might do an all pie thanksgiving... pizza pies and blueberry pies. None of us really like the usual Thanksgiving fare anyway (except my Mom's orange cream jell-o!). I hope all who read this had as lovely a Thanksgiving as ours was. Now it is officially time to celebrate Christmas! Yaaaay!

One of Benson's "don't miss" weekly activities is watching the garbage man on Wednesday mornings. He always pulls over the piano bench and sits at the window while the garbage man goes around the cul-de-sac. This week he brought Banks with him and explained what was happening with the truck. I look forward to more moments like these as they grow up together.

pizza time

So everyone who knows me well knows that I LOVE the America's Test Kitchen cookbook. (that is where the chicken fingers recipe comes from) Our latest love from the book is their recipe for deep dish pizza. It takes a little time to make but TRUST me, it is worth the effort. This is like pizza hut but better. We do his and hers with mine topped with spinach, sauteed mushrooms, and fresh tomatoes and Ben's with all kinds of meat. Wow. This cookbook continues to deliver the best ways (albeit sometimes complicated) to make our favorite foods. If you like to cook, this one should be on your Christmas list.

No, Benson!

Benson is getting too smart for his own good. He has recently discovered so many new ways to get into trouble that I find myself relating to the book "No David!" more and more. Some days I feel like all I do is tell him to stop doing naughty things. Anyway this one is a picture of one of my favorite new ideas that has come to him; if a stool helps you get higher, than a stool plus a pillow is twice as good. I'd love to get in his brain sometime.

he loves me too...

This was Ben's tribute to me, left in the brownies. It's no bouquet of leaves but it is totally Ben. I am grateful for the unexpected little things he does to show he cares. Plus it gave me a good laugh when I found it.

a winning combination

Tonight I write an ode to one of my favorite food combos:

chicken nuggets and honey.

For those of you out there who have somehow missed out on this sublime experience I urge you to try it today. Thank you, Mom and thank you McDonalds for introducing me to this less than obvious combination of sheer delight. p.s. I also have a really good recipe for chicken fingers for anyone interested.

27 years of adorable Benness, with hopefully a hundred more to come. I couldn't love you more. Happy Birthday, darling.

despite my best efforts...

I might still be the worst parent ever. I tried for an hour yesterday to get Benson to take a nap and then finally gave up. 15 minutes later he laid down on the floor in this position and fell asleep. Did I miss parenting 101?

MIKE!!!

If this works it is a video of my little brother Mikey. He plays the trumpet and he is amazing and I am so proud of him. Be warned it is over 9 minutes long, but I was so amazed to see a marching band competition from the proper perspective (high up so you can actually see the formations) and even if you only see a few minutes you should watch what the "band geeks" can do! Anyway shout out to Mike, the best trumpet player in my book forever.

Wait!!!!

I tag LAUREN, my soon to be sister-in-law! Not that you ever read this blog, but if you hear about this through the grapevine and get a minute from your ever-busy life, I am forever regretting not playing the "ask the new person 300 questions" game when I met you. I also encourage more than 6 facts if you can think of them. :)

well if Kaleb is going to do it...

So I am supposed to tell 6 things about myself. Here's hoping I can think of 6 things that don't embarrass me.

1. I wish I were a princess. And a ballerina. And a clothing designer. Most every girl has wanted these for her occupation at some point but I sadly just never grew out of it.

2. I think I should have lived in Jane Austin times. I love to paint, dance, play the piano, wear pretty dresses, go to balls (not that I've ever been but it sounds nice) and most other things that went with the time period. I feel like I am wasting all the womanly freedoms I have these days because I'm not one who really utilizes them.

3. I fluctuate almost daily between wanting 3 kids and 15. Seriously.

4. One of my more realistic lifetime goals is to never miss having dinner on the table when Ben walks in the door, with the house sparkling clean, and myself and the children perfectly groomed. I think I am one of the rare people who saw Stepford Wives and thought, "What's so wrong with having perfect women?" Though I'd hope to have a little more personality than a Stepford.

5. I really want to see the world. I think I'd visit Italy first, but France is a close second. Beyond that, I think I'd just twirl a globe and land my finger on a country to decide where to go next. I would also like to learn to speak the language of many of the countries I visit.

6. I can't wait until Caity and I have neighboring hobby farms and then convince the whole family to come and live with us on a huge compound. (with my parents in an annex behind my house) :)

I really can't tag anyone because all the people I know have already been tagged (even Stephanie... what a strange coincidence).

frick r freat

Here is a quality photo of the Benson smile.




Benson was (is) superman this year for halloween and Banks was a bumblebee. Thanks to Nana for providing the costumes! Time to go frick or freating as Benson calls it.

pumpkins

Last night I talked to Benson about how I wasn't going to see him today. He said, "You are going to the doctor?" I told him I was. He said, "Are you sick?" I told him I was not sick but the doctor was going to help me with some things. Since I was talking in kind of a shaky voice Benson asked, "Are you sad, Mommy?" I said, "No, I'm a little bit scared though." Then Benson said, "Are you scared because there are monsters?" It was nice to get a good laugh in last night before today. There are no monsters, but I am still a little bit scared.

pandora

So I think I may have found my Pandora station. I typed in Dashboard Confessional for my main artist and I am amazed with the selection of music Pandora has come up with. I don't know what possessed me to choose Dashboard because while I do like some of their songs some of them honestly make me cringe. Anyway, does anyone else have a good Pandora station? Share share!

we're getting used to it

ABQ that is. Today Benson started rolling around on the rocks in our front yard like it was the lushest grass you've ever touched. He almost convinced me that it was soft and sweet smelling the way it should be. (siiiiiigh) Life in the desert.

More kid pictures! They are never ending, I assure you. Benson is starting to scheme a lot more now and Banks seems to play a part in many of the schemes. It will be funny when Banks is a little older and they start collaborating to really wreak havoc on my house. Until then, Banks has to suffer a little bit while Benson tries out his new thinking skills.

ummmmm...

i've got to think of something to write about. Benson likes syrup cereal. Banks sleeps all night long. We are going to look at a 3.4 million dollar house tomorrow. Ben has to work from 5pm to 1am tonight because the air force truly owns him. I am going to a fondue party tonight and I am a little nervous about the double dipping.

24

i turned 24 last week. wow. i feel like i am almost an adult. almost. anyway i wanted to say thank you for all the emails, phone calls, cards, and gifts. it was a great day thanks to my best friend ben, who worked hard to surprise me with things that would make me happy. my favorite part is that i got all the things i wanted: snake skin stilettos, skinny jeans, and a vacuum. my favorite thing to do now is put on said shoes and pants and use said appliance. what a great birthday.

balloon flopesta

here is a picture of what we were supposed to see.



So we got tickets to go to the night launch at the Balloon Fiesta here in Albuquerque. One of Ben's many commanders took pity on his lowly airman state and gave us these $100 a person tickets for free! Wow. It seems like Ben is always getting someone's pity perks at work. Anyway we were SO excited because the balloons glow and apparently it is amazing but, alas, we shall never know. It took us an hour to get there and when we got there they announced that there would be no balloons tonight-- too much wind. I should point out that when we went in the morning last year the same thing happened. Evidently we were not meant to ever see balloons in the air. Plus the dinner they served was all seafood. Poor Ben! I enjoyed it though.

true story

Today Benson, Banks and I enjoyed another lovely 80 degree day here in Albuquerque. Although I am itching to get out my winter clothes, I really don't feel too bad about the perfect weather we seem to be enjoying. Anyway, Benson was playing in his pirate ship when all of a sudden he started screaming and half crying. Here is what followed:

Benson: (after loud and girlie screaming) RUN FOR YOUR LIFE MOMMY!!
Me: Did you just say, "run for your life?" (clearly not as concerned as I should be about the near-hysterical two year old as I should be, more wondering where he learned this phrase)
Benson: YES, MOMMY! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE MOMMY!
Me: What is the matter Benson? (he is crying on my lap at this point)
Benson: There was a HUGE potato bug, mommy. IT IS GOING TO GET US, MOMMY. Oh wait, (the crying stops) I forgot mommy. It's okay, this potato bug was a nice little guy. We're friends.

Sometimes he is so needlessly dramatic. I love it and I have NO idea where he could have gotten it from...

a post about how to make brussels sprouts

first, you cut the stem end off of the sprouts. Then you cut them in half lengthwise. Then you saute them in olive oil until they brown a little and get tender. I got tired of waiting for the tenderness so i put a little water in the pan and put a lid on it until they got tender. Then you throw in a clove of garlic (thinly sliced) and a handful of golden raisins. Cook this for a minute or two and voila! Brussels sprouts.

it's interesting

how many of the Tracy children seem to be having spiritual breakthroughs at the same time. I love to read about the things that the cousins are doing and saying and I'd like to add our own recent sweet experience. We have been reading the scriptures nightly for a few months now and lately we've really started to wonder if anything at all is sinking in. A few nights ago we read about when Christ comes in the BOM and baptizes people. After we finished reading Benson said, "Daddy, I want to be baptized too." Not that he really understands what it means to be baptized, but it really meant a lot to two parents who have wrestled with this child for months now during scripture time. He might have actually been paying attention every once in a while. Benson is also quite a scholar on who and what gets burned in the BOM. Abinadi is his all-time favorite story. Kind of scary.

This is Banks' first time in a swing. He had a great time. The end.

on the menu

For lunch today I am eating maple roasted chicken with sweet potatoes and brussels sprouts (my new favorite veggie). Ben is eating something out of the vending machine and Benson is eating grilled cheese. I just felt the need to point out that even though the other members of the household eat poorly, it's not for lack of healthier choices. Although I should give Ben some credit as he did eat the aforementioned dishes last night without complaint.

baby taco

Banks rolled himself into the cutest baby taco the other day. I just thought you should all see his extreme cuteness.

dear mac users,

Why didn't someone tell me about firefox before? I feel like my life on the internet has changed completely. There are icons on blogger I had never even imagined existed. This whole experience has really validated one of my greatest fears: Someone as technology challenged as I does not deserve such a glorious machine. Any other helpful mac hints are welcomed.
Love, Carrie

last night I had a dream

that was all in French. I also had a dream where my uncle Brad traveled completely surrounded by an entourage of 20 bodyguards, and a dream about Harry Potter. I am exhausted this morning.

someone's wearing their cranky pants today

Benson woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. Big time. And it's a good thing I had a hilarious email from my sis in law Megan this morning or I could have veered dangerously toward the same path. Anyway. this seems to happen quite frequently around here. He wakes up and cries and whines and throws fits, and I have to say it is very hard to deal with first thing in the morning. I have tried being super peppy, ignoring it, indulging it, and distracting him. None of these seem to help and I am out of ideas. I would love to hear some suggestions from the rest of you, if you have them.

On the other hand... Banks is so happy! Isn't he cute?

that's better

So I decided to go a little girly for a while. I've decided that this is like carrying a girly diaper bag when you have boys. People will be upset, but we must remember that the diaper bag (or blog look) is an accessory for me, not the boys. Although I will surely go back to a boy theme, I am enjoying a little touch of girl for a bit. Thanks be to Ben for fixing my blog while at work. My computer will not allow me to upload new headers for some very strange reason. I am trying to decide if it is the Macness of my computer or the internet connection that is causing the problems. Any insight, computer people?

I've ruined it!

I am currently trying to fix my blog. I've lost my loverly header and I feel so sad. I finally figured out (kind of) how to make headers but unfortunately the blogger exclamation mark goes endlessly, madly round and round, never finishing the upload. It's like a bad dream.

was anyone else sick and tired of the blue background?

Because I sure was. Oh man I just realized I didn't set the timer on my cookies! D'oh! (hahahah no pun intended there... I actually just laughed out loud when I wrote that. These things should come with video clips of the person writing. Oh, right. The cookies.)

back to business

It's hard to see but in the center of the photo is Benson on Frampa's shoulders. They were following Mike around during his marching band show... an annual tradition on Band Family Night.

Well it's been a while since I've posted. Sorry all, we went to the funeral (for Brad) and then stayed a week at my parents' house. The funeral was really nice and we had a really fun time at my parents. The only bad part of the trip was the fact that poor Ben was at home doing homework and other equally horrible tasks. Other than that it was amazing. I feel sad now that we are home and Benson still asks for his Nana and "Frampa" and won't see them nearly as often as he should. It is nice to be back with Ben, though. I don't have too much news from the trip, other than to say that it was wonderful to spend time with everyone and watch them interact so much with the children. I wish we could all be closer.

Ben said I needed to post something a little lighter so here goes. I went to the cannery on saturday and after I came home we wondered why we even bother buying Benson toys. He is really just as happy with some cans and a few boxes. Happier even. Anyway these are pictures of Benson on the gold portion of the olympic stand saying he is # 1. Not pictured are: Benson in the box fort, Benson in the box spaceship, Benson in the box airplane, Benson driving the box train. Christmas is going to be cheap this year.

This is Brad flying "Dino Juice" and doing what he loved.


My last post has become a little too pertinent to today's sad post. My uncle Brad crashed his plane at the Reno air races yesterday and didn't survive. He was a really great person... full of fun, excitement, and love for his family. He will be missed by so many people. I can't help but feel so awful for my favorite aunt Leslie (as we have always called her) who has lost her best friend. It is so unfortunate that it takes something tragic like this to realize how fragile a life is. I hope everyone who reads this will take a minute to think about the things in their life that they would not want left unfinished... apologies not given, broken relationships, I love yous not said, dreams never realized, bad habits never fixed, or whatever it is and really think about putting your life together so there are no regrets. I hate that this sounds corny, but I really believe that these things are important and worth thinking about. I love you and miss you Brad, and my thoughts and sincere prayers are with those you left behind. We can't wait to see you again. Save a place for the rest of us.

remembering

I just realized that September 11th came and went yesterday without my noticing. I never ever thought the day would come that I would forget one of the scariest days in my life. I guess it just goes to show that time goes on and even unforgettable tragedies fade into the past and are forgotten. Still today my heart goes out to those who lost on that day and will never be able to forget the day as I have. I really yearn for peace in this world, although it's mostly for selfish reasons... to bring Brian back and keep Ben from going. Here's to not forgetting, but also to not having to vividly remember anymore.

reading time

I swear this is the sweetest thing I've ever seen. These two are already developing a little friendship. Banks really lights up when he sees Benson and the latter always wants to smother Banks with kisses. (well and with pillows but that's another entry) I'm in such a hurry for these two to get two years older. I just can't wait for them to really be friends and play cars and airplanes together. Oh i love my boys.