No PB & J at Our House....

Yes, it seems I infected my child with salmonella last week. It is the only reason I can think of for the 'tummy troubles' Leighton was suffering from that I spoke of in the last post. He missed two days of school due to inexplicable diarrhea that lasted for a good 5-6 days. He had no other symptoms (i.e. fever or cramping), thankfully. But, it was about to drive me nuts trying to figure out where the problem stemmed. He wasn't drinking too much juice, or eating too much fruit, etc. When I finally realized we had a jar from the batch of comtaminated Great Value peanut butter. Both Peter Pan and Great Value Brands of peanut butter are part of a recall due to risk of contamination with Salmonella Tennessee. The affected jars of peanut butter have a product code located on the lid of the jar that begins with the number "2111." I felt awful because my poor child had PB&J sandwiches on two different occasions last week (due to my laziness on those particular days). I think I even had a touch of it as well, since I also tend to snack on PB and graham crackers, as well as sharing a fancy PB&J lunch with Ley. I think this recall only affects us because these jars of peanut butter were made at a plant here in GA...but, if your close by, it wouldn't hurt to check the top of YOUR jar...that is unless you are a choosy mom who chooses Jif--then you're in the clear...

Pajamas and Cookies for My Sweet Valentine...

Here are some pics of Ley opening his Valentine card and gift from my parents...they are not so good since in the majority of them he was stripping down in the middle of the kitchen floor, removing his current pajamas to be replaced by his new Valentine dinosaur pajamas (that he wore the rest of the day, actually). But, it seems these days that if you didn't see Ley only half-dressed, it just wouldn't be my sweet Leighton. His lovely and much-loved Anne also made him some delicious heart-shaped rice krispy treats that she personalized just for him and sent all the way from Richmond! He had a great V day although he had to miss school (and therefore, the big Valentine exchange/party at preschool) due to some tummy issues the past week (which are, thankfully, subsiding today!).

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Happy Valentine's...Early

I love this commercial--it brings tears to my eyes everytime I see it...I am such a cheeseball, I know...just thought I would share...

Where The Wild Things Are: Leighton's First Ballet

We had a fun evening yesterday. Columbia City Ballet presented Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are, the acclaimed children's book which describes the imaginary adventures of a young boy named Max, who is angry after being sent to his room without supper and his encounters with mythical creatures. It was a 45 minute one-act ballet that was full of colorful costumes, giant puppets and animated scenery. Leighton ended up really enjoying the performance, although we were questioning ourselves when we arrived.

First of all, I see women all dressed in evening attire, some quite formal. I think to myself, "Self, not only are you wearing jeans and a fleece, but you are sporting the ultimate casual accessories: small children!" Once, we arrived in the theatre we were relieved to see an abundance of other children. Secondly, there were two original ballets to be performed before Max and the monsters were to take the stage. One was a comedy called "Men's Class" (that was a bit funny, but not so much to the kiddos) about a male ballet class, and the second was "A Tribute to Fred Astaire" which was in my opinion, just not so entertaining (sorry, if there any die-hard ballet fans in my audience). At this point, Leighton turned to his daddy and said, " I have had just about enough of the dancing!" Thankfully, after a short intermission, the wild and imaginative show began. I have a video clip (although it is not the best; I was holding a sleeping baby!) that really shows the giant puppets well...

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We really had a wonderful time and Maddie was so good through the entire evening, which was also a blessing (this was also, her first ballet, by the way!). She was awake until about the last 30 minutes, and she napped through the best part! Ley napped on the way home...

Photo Shoot Gone Awry...

I do love to photograph my kiddos, I must admit. I definitely lack any kind of training, though hard I may try. Yesterday, I thought I would take a few pics of Maddie and Ley together, but it did not quite work out as planned. Even though Madden's nose was running and Leighton had leftover lunchtime crumbs on his face, I thought I could get a cute shot. No such luck, but I will go ahead and post the outcome...afterall, I need something to post...

I will leave ya'll with a cute pic of Leighton in his alligator visor he made at school last week that he has literally worn until it is falling apart! He asked me today why it isn't fitting anymore...I told him that paper and yarn aren't meant to be lived in!