Muffin Tin Monday

The kids have been eating absolutely nothing lately (I would swear they survive on air), so it was time to do another MTM meal.  At least that way they actually eat something.



Clockwise from the top: cherries, grilled ham & cheese sandwich slices, cinnamon Teddy Grahams, peas and strawberry yogurt with mini marshmallows in the center.

 I looked at some of the other meals that are featured on the Muffin Tin Mom site today, and I inwardly groaned at my lack of creativity, but here you go.  And it only took me five minutes to do, so I guess that would be a plus!  Owen generously gave Colin his bears and cherries, so I had to fish the cherries out of Colin's mouth before he bit down on a pit or even worse, choked on it...  So it was a moderate success as far as Owen was concerned.  He didn't finish his peas, and he asked if he could take them to bed when it was time to go down for a nap.  Nope!

Meet the Family: Dean

Pumpkin Patch, 2010

Meet Dean, my dear husband of five years and 352 days.  Dean hails from Oklahoma, so I had no choice but to become a Sooner fan.  Dean has a son, Jordan, from a previous marriage.  Almost all of his extended family lives in Oklahoma, so we travel there 2 -3 times a year.  Dean and Jordan moved to Colorado almost eight years ago, when the company he works for relocated his entire division. (Dean is an electrical engineer).

Dean is incredibly handy, and it seems that there is no repair job he can't handle.  He has replaced the brakes on our old Subaru Forester, replaced our water heater, dishwasher, kitchen sink, garage door opener, backyard drainage system, air leaks in the basement...  whew!  He also built me a roll-around lectern that could store my teacher manuals (when I was teaching public school), three raised garden beds, a giant sandbox (post to come soon), a TON of electrical wiring, and probably some more things that I have forgotten about (sorry honey, there are just so many!)  I am so thankful that he has the skills and know-how to be able to do this for our family.  It is also nice to know that our kids will grow up knowing how to do these things as well.

True to my wish list for a perfect partner, Dean loves to travel, hike, bike, camp, go to concerts, museums, movies, restaurants and sporting events.  He is an awesome dad - quick with a joke to help a grouchy kid turn it around.  He doesn't shirk from a poopy diaper or a snotty nose - although I am pretty sure he has yet to produce a ponytail for Rylan  He is the ultimate list-maker and planner (like me), yet at times it can go to the extreme - like when we are packing for a trip and he goes on a two-hour tangent to assemble the cables, charge cords, batteries and what-not and gets completely wrapped up in it and forgets that we are on a schedule.  Such the engineer...

Dean is also incredibly thoughtful.  I remark that I like a certain music artist, and he produces their latest CD or iTunes download within a day or two and surprises me with it.  He treats me to a cold drink, a dish of ice cream, a cup of hot tea, ect.. when needed... he made all three pregnancies that much easier to bear by all the little things he did for me.  Thank you honey!   One of the most awesome things he did was help the kids make me breakfast in bed this past Mother's Day.  They brought me breakfast and then left me alone for another couple of hours and I got to sleep in and read in peace for the whole morning.  It. was. wonderful.  The absolute perfect gift!

I am so blessed!