What a summer we had! It started with our trip to visit Great Grandma and much of our extended family in MD and WV and tour Washington, DC (a dream of ours for several years). When we arrived home, the boys spent a few days at Jr. Ranger Camp before swimming lessons started up. Stella and I took another cake decorating class, and she began piano lessons. Leo continued practicing his tennis and started up guitar lessons. Rus finished up baseball season and became a strong swimmer. Both he and Tert thoroughly enjoyed our library's reading program with a hands-on science theme and won cool prizes (including an electronics kit and a Kindle!!). Tert became my gardening assistant, watering our plants and bringing in an abundant harvest of tomatoes which I turned into the most delicious sauce with fresh herbs. Little Lux, who just learned to walk, loves finding my stashes of ripe tomatoes. He eats them like an apples and spreads a trail of juicy, seedy pulp across my floor. Good thing he's so darn cute...
During the final week of summer break, Stella delighted us with her performance of "The Little Mermaid Junior," through The Frankin Area Children's Theater. She was a singing, dancing Mermaid Sister and earned some money assisting the younger actors as one of their teen interns. I'm sure that she was one of their most experienced teens in the childcare department! We rounded off summer break with an elegant tea party with friends from church (unfortunately the our camera was lost in the midst of cake-eating, crafting and face painting, so we don't have any pictures to share).
We are now transitioning to a packed school schedule, rounded out with tennis lessons, baseball, youth group, music lessons, field trips, and Destination Imagination right around the corner. It feels something like "fight or flight" most days to keep up with teaching 10th, 8th, 4th, 1st grade and Pre-K with a wily one year old on the loose. I don't remember my other toddlers ripping quite so many library books, tipping trash cans, emptying dresser drawers, paddling in the toilet, breaking glass jars in the pantry closet, sampling dog food, climbing windowsills, and scaring the life out of me with choking hazards... His one redeeming quality is a passion for minimizing our clutter. He's decided that we have an overabundance of toys, remotes, silverware, and phones and eagerly throws them away for us. I'm guessing that's where Stella's camera and all of our summer pictures went... :(
Today we are celebrating Leo's 13th birthday with our traditional birthday brunch with Grandma and Grandpa Z., a rocket launch at the park (Leo made the rockets), target shooting with his grandpa and dad, dinner out with Stephen, and homemade chocolate tall cake with Uncle Adam, Aunt Steph, and Carter. :) We packed as much fun into his special day as possible. It's hard to believe that my firstborn son is a teenager. It brings me so much joy to see his spiritual sensitivity, thoughtfulness toward others, sense of humor, attention to detail, and remarkable love for his siblings. He is the best big brother I know and a delightful son. I think he takes after his dad who worked until 3:00 this morning so he could spend such a special birthday with him. :)
Monday, August 25, 2014
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Monday, August 18, 2014
Homemade Malted Pancake Mix Recipe By: Siobhan
Mom and I have wanted to find a pancake mix recipe for a long time, and I finally found one that looked good. It is a malted pancake mix. I made a double batch, and it was delicious! We loved it!
Below is the ingredients for 1 recipe of the pancake mix. It makes 5 cups worth of mix. This makes about 30 pancakes!
1 cup malted milk powder (I used Ovaltine's)
1 tsp. cinnamon
3 T. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
2 T. sugar
2 tsp. sea salt or kosher salt
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir with a whisk until completely combined. (You can store the mix in an airtight container for up to 6 months.)
Just to give you an idea of how much batter you will get, the measuring cup above has 2 batches worth of pancakes.
Grease your griddle and set the temperature to about 270 degrees.
Spoon batter onto the griddle using a 1/3 cup measure. Leave until bubbly, then flip and cook until golden brown.
Drizzle with a little real maple syrup and serve. It's as easy as that!
Now for the taste testers...
Tert wasn't so sure about the pancakes, since they didn't have chocolate chips, but...
This picture says it all. :)
I got this recipe from a book called The Naptime Chef . It has some great recipes! You can check out the author's blog here.
*Happy Baking!*
Saturday, August 16, 2014
Happy Birthday Little Lux! By: Siobhan
Happy 1st Birthday Little Lux!
We had a first birthday party with Grandma and Grandpa P, Uncle Ron, Aunt Donna, Uncle Mike, Ryan, Kaitlyn, Corey, Alana, and Aunt Sharon.
We had a first birthday party with Grandma and Grandpa P, Uncle Ron, Aunt Donna, Uncle Mike, Ryan, Kaitlyn, Corey, Alana, and Aunt Sharon.
Curious George themed :)
One of Lux's gifts (from Mom and Dad) was a bubble blower.
Mom made a delicious Mexican spread
Mom made an incredibly delicious ice cream cake
Since Lux can't have dairy, I made him a white chocolate-dipped cake pop
Lux got some adorable outfits, bowling pins and balls, and a tractor!
Lux also got a new carseat
Cake!
He got some more gifts on his actual birthday when his buddy, Carter, came over.
Happy Birthday Little Lux! We love you so much!
Happy Birthday Little Lux! We love you so much!
Sunday, August 3, 2014
Quotes Worth Sharing (and a handful that aren't)
After complimenting me on a gourmet meal I spent the whole day cooking and serving with flair, Leo said, "Mom, I don't know if it would be a good idea to bring my wife here because she'd be pretty overwhelmed!"
Tert told us that he'd like an "Olaf Comfortibibble" (comforter) for Christmas
Tert has taken some artistic license when it comes to illustrating our morning Proverbs in his sketch book. He was supposed to draw a picture that would help him recall the main theme of the passage - "There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts..." When he revealed his masterpiece, we were astonished to see a graphic sketch of Fred and Ethel murdering Lucy with Little Ricky Ricardo looking on. : /
Tert reassured his brother regarding my allergies, "Don't worry, you can get a rabbit when Mom leaves the house someday."
This flippant suggestion was tempered when he told me the other day, "Mom, I love you more than anyone in the world, and you know that I love everyone I know A LOT!!!"
"Hey, look! It's a "dazzle (damsel) in distress!"
"Mom, where are the fighs (thighs) in the body?"
"Mom, Franken Einstein was a REALLY smart man!"
"It's the VBS truck!" (meant UPS)
"Mom, I don't think I'm efficient enough to brush my own teeth."
Later, Filia, whose sister almost always brushes her teeth for her, asked me, "Mom, can you even brush teeth?!"
Crawling into my lap at the pool, Tert said, "Mom, I just like your beach chair better because you are in it."
Tert - "Mom, this scale is your emeny, isn't it?"
Tert - On the way home from his brother's nut allergy testing, "Mom, can we get a peanut butter cookie for Rus on our way home because I think it's time to test the limits..."
When I told Filia that her brother was leaving the playground, she said, "Oh, that's okay! I have GIRLFRIENDS!"
Filia informed me that she asked God to take her sins away, and He said "YES!"
Then she said, "Mom, before Tert was born, I was living in a world with big, scary monsters, and then God blew me here!"
Seeing her first smoker, "Oh, gross!! Do you see that guy blowing fire out of his mouth?!"
Filia - "We are Grandma's GREAT children."
We're reading a book called, Naya Nuki, about an Indian girl who is kidnapped and braves the elements and a series of adventures while returning to her tribe. Connor was a little grossed out when we reached the graphic parts about her eating raw porcupine meat, hearts, and livers. Rus's response was, "Hey, if you think this is bad, you should read JUDGES!"
Leo, who aspires to be a vet, was really psyched when his Grandma Z. told him that she found a canine skull with teeth on one of her walks. She said she'd bring it to him in a bag just as soon as all of the flesh had a chance to rot off and it was fully dried. We were pretty sure she was a one-of-a kind grandma before this generous offer, but now we KNOW she's a keeper. :)
I am wondering if it is nearly time to part with Lux's darling, golden curls. Last week, it was clear that some of the "park moms" weren't sure if he was a boy or a girl. When I was joking with Leo about how they cleverly avoided the use of any masculine or feminine pronouns when referring to his little brother, he said, "Well, Mom. Lux is kind of a pretty boy - sort of like Legolas in the Lord of the Rings. Actually, I could kind of picture him with braids..."
Bath time provides endless entertainment around here... Always striving for efficiency, I usually load the 3 littlest kids in the tub to soak them while I scrub my toilet and then wash them assembly line-style. Tert and Filia were kind of grossed out to see that their brother (whose offensive diaper had just been changed) was joining them while he still smelled. Tert complained, "Mom! Lux's butt is SO BAD it's PG-13!!!!" A few minutes later, he loudly announced, "Mom!!! Lux just ate a random foot! (I'm optimistically assuming it was connected to one of the bath toys, but you never know...).
This past week Tert (age 6) and I enjoyed a date to the grocery store - just the two of us. It had been an "off the charts" stressful, tearful sort of morning, but my little guy managed to completely cheer me up. He pointed out every interesting car we passed and patiently explained the difference between the models, saying, "Mom, I hope I'm not confusing you..."
At one point he said, "Wow, that's EXACTLY like Dad's car, but there's a lady driving it!"
Me - Well, maybe it's Dad's girlfriend?
Tert- not missing a beat, "Nope, I don't think Dad's girlfriend would spend that much just to buy a car to match Dad's."
Me - "Hey, wait a minute...I thought I was Dad's girlfriend!!"
Tert - "No, Mom, you're his wife. That's your only advantage..."
Tert told us that he'd like an "Olaf Comfortibibble" (comforter) for Christmas
Tert has taken some artistic license when it comes to illustrating our morning Proverbs in his sketch book. He was supposed to draw a picture that would help him recall the main theme of the passage - "There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts..." When he revealed his masterpiece, we were astonished to see a graphic sketch of Fred and Ethel murdering Lucy with Little Ricky Ricardo looking on. : /
Tert reassured his brother regarding my allergies, "Don't worry, you can get a rabbit when Mom leaves the house someday."
This flippant suggestion was tempered when he told me the other day, "Mom, I love you more than anyone in the world, and you know that I love everyone I know A LOT!!!"
"Hey, look! It's a "dazzle (damsel) in distress!"
"Mom, where are the fighs (thighs) in the body?"
"Mom, Franken Einstein was a REALLY smart man!"
"It's the VBS truck!" (meant UPS)
"Mom, I don't think I'm efficient enough to brush my own teeth."
Later, Filia, whose sister almost always brushes her teeth for her, asked me, "Mom, can you even brush teeth?!"
Crawling into my lap at the pool, Tert said, "Mom, I just like your beach chair better because you are in it."
Tert - "Mom, this scale is your emeny, isn't it?"
Tert - On the way home from his brother's nut allergy testing, "Mom, can we get a peanut butter cookie for Rus on our way home because I think it's time to test the limits..."
When I told Filia that her brother was leaving the playground, she said, "Oh, that's okay! I have GIRLFRIENDS!"
Filia informed me that she asked God to take her sins away, and He said "YES!"
Then she said, "Mom, before Tert was born, I was living in a world with big, scary monsters, and then God blew me here!"
Seeing her first smoker, "Oh, gross!! Do you see that guy blowing fire out of his mouth?!"
Filia - "We are Grandma's GREAT children."
We're reading a book called, Naya Nuki, about an Indian girl who is kidnapped and braves the elements and a series of adventures while returning to her tribe. Connor was a little grossed out when we reached the graphic parts about her eating raw porcupine meat, hearts, and livers. Rus's response was, "Hey, if you think this is bad, you should read JUDGES!"
Leo, who aspires to be a vet, was really psyched when his Grandma Z. told him that she found a canine skull with teeth on one of her walks. She said she'd bring it to him in a bag just as soon as all of the flesh had a chance to rot off and it was fully dried. We were pretty sure she was a one-of-a kind grandma before this generous offer, but now we KNOW she's a keeper. :)
I am wondering if it is nearly time to part with Lux's darling, golden curls. Last week, it was clear that some of the "park moms" weren't sure if he was a boy or a girl. When I was joking with Leo about how they cleverly avoided the use of any masculine or feminine pronouns when referring to his little brother, he said, "Well, Mom. Lux is kind of a pretty boy - sort of like Legolas in the Lord of the Rings. Actually, I could kind of picture him with braids..."
Bath time provides endless entertainment around here... Always striving for efficiency, I usually load the 3 littlest kids in the tub to soak them while I scrub my toilet and then wash them assembly line-style. Tert and Filia were kind of grossed out to see that their brother (whose offensive diaper had just been changed) was joining them while he still smelled. Tert complained, "Mom! Lux's butt is SO BAD it's PG-13!!!!" A few minutes later, he loudly announced, "Mom!!! Lux just ate a random foot! (I'm optimistically assuming it was connected to one of the bath toys, but you never know...).
This past week Tert (age 6) and I enjoyed a date to the grocery store - just the two of us. It had been an "off the charts" stressful, tearful sort of morning, but my little guy managed to completely cheer me up. He pointed out every interesting car we passed and patiently explained the difference between the models, saying, "Mom, I hope I'm not confusing you..."
At one point he said, "Wow, that's EXACTLY like Dad's car, but there's a lady driving it!"
Me - Well, maybe it's Dad's girlfriend?
Tert- not missing a beat, "Nope, I don't think Dad's girlfriend would spend that much just to buy a car to match Dad's."
Me - "Hey, wait a minute...I thought I was Dad's girlfriend!!"
Tert - "No, Mom, you're his wife. That's your only advantage..."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)