All the Boys

All the boys in my house...
they are all characters on their own. Put them together and you have -- Reece thinking he should be walking....not!

Grayson reading....

Gabe making fishy faces....

Guess...

Anyone want to guess which one is actually "in" time out??

In the Pool!

Everyone in the pool! Today was Reece's first time in the pool (he's 8months now - how did that happen?) We pulled out the floaty, loaded him in and crossed our fingers. It appears to have been a success!
We also have new life jackets for the boys that we are using. Since they are so skinny it has been hard to find ones for them, but these seem to be OK. We are just working on being comfortable in the water, rolling on our backs, and getting our faces wet. It is coming along pretty well. Gabe is still a little uneasy about it all, but he doesn't like getting his face wet in the bath tub, so it was no big surprise that this would be a challenge for him.


Grayson loves the water. Can you tell?

Reece helping in the kitchen

Reece found the tupperware drawer...

And he is standing...

It was quiet upstairs this morning and I thought Reece was asleep, so I tiptoed up the stairs. What I found was NOT Reece sleeping in his crib, but Reece STANDING in his crib - grinning ear to ear, clearly very pleased with himself.

I quickly got the camera and got a few pictures (not great ones, but pictures none the less) before he let go and toppled over. He was then promptly removed from the crib so Doug could lower the mattress a few notches so he wouldn't end up going over the top.

I can't believe he is already pulling up - he isn't quite crawling yet, but he is so ready to be completely upright! He is growing up so fast.

And we all wear night-night shoes

Gabe is feeling pretty needy these days, and apparently the extra 3 minutes of attention Grayson gets at night as we put on his 'night-night shoes' was just too much for him last night. He had to had some, too! So we put them on him (as we have done in the past) and he promptly fell asleep with them on!

Gabe at the Big School

Gabe has been a bit jealous lately of the attention the baby gets - and it is making him quite the annoying little handful. First we had to get him to stop biting Grayson, but now he is "squeezing" him. I decided what he really needs is not another time out, but some 'just Gabe' time. So since I only had 3 kids in my first period class, and it is not looking like I will have many more today - I think a visit to the big school is in order.

First, we had lunch. He was a bit distracted by all the kids running around, but liked it. Then back to my room where we did a Lucky Charms counting and sorting (and then eating) worksheet. Followed by a little marker, glue, pencil, tissue paper art. When that got old we wandered down the hall to the preschool room. Jackpot! They had a neat little wooden train set and some foamy blocks.

With only minimal help in showing him how to put the tracks together, Gabe proceeded to build a train track, pull out the little trees and signage, and push his train around and around and around the track while saying "chugga chugga chugga" the entire time.

It's that time again...SOL

Yep, SOL time. And either my kids do a good job or we are all S-O-L! I have a few I am pretty concerned about passing this time around, and the test looks harder than it has in the past. I have my fingers crossed! Results should be in by the end of the day.

OK - the results are in! 100% pass. Woo Hoo! Even better : 57% pass advance. Double Woo Hoo!

Of course, I can't possibly keep this up - so at some point my scores will drop and people will be disappointed. Hum bug. Oh well, for now it is all good. Looks like I have to go order a SOL Cake for the kiddos.

Red Lentil Soup with a Spicy Sizzle

Red Lentil Soup with a Spicy Sizzle

Making this for dinner tonight - as penance for the HUGE taco salad we had for dinner last night. It was super fast to get in the pot (15 minutes - including time to locate the bulgur on the top shelf in the pantry.) It smells pretty good bubbling away on the stove. I'll check it in about 25 minutes and see what we have!

It was very yummy - the 'sizzle' topping is quite spicy - and this is coming from someone who loves spicy food. This is NOT a pretty soup - but it is tasty (s0 not pretty I didn't even take a picture to post.) I think that maybe a swirl of yogurt might be a nice contrast to the spice of the oil. It was just as good for lunch the next day.

3 Little Boys, All in a Row

Reece is growing up so fast! Watching the boys play and interact with him is really entertaining. I tried to get a video of the green bean snatch, but apparently I messed it up because it seems to be missing from the phone, which is a bummer. It was really funny.

Today I gave Reece green beans for the first time. As in whole, not smushed up, green beans. It was a huge mess - but a great time was had. He has been trying to steal food off of his brothers trays for a few weeks now, so I figured it was time to let him play with his food. So when it was time for dinner we lined up all three little boys and dished out the goods. This kept Reece entertained for about 35-4o minutes! He would pick up the beans and mash them to his face (where most of them then rolled down his face onto his lap!) A few actually made it in (and stayed in) his mouth. He was thrilled.

The boys were so cute. They would watch Reece and talk to him while they all sat there eating. I think it is time to go get another booster seat for Reece. He is getting big/strong enough to toppled the bumbo to reach things on the floor. I can't believe he is growing so fast.

Memorial Day Weekend

Lots of fun was had this weekend! There was sooo much to do for little boys.

The weekend started with The Great Train Raid re-enactment. There were horses, a replica steam engine, and mounted civil war soldiers marching right past 'the big house' as they reenacted Stonewall Jackson's heist of a train.



Then there was lots of fun to be had at Jen's house, where hoards of little kids played on the swings, went down the water slide, splashed in the pool, and bounced in the bounce house.



And then to cool off (since our A/C was on the fritz all freaking week it was 90-100 degrees) there was a new sprinkler to run in. This was a BIG weekend for all the little boys in the Bowen House!

Do my eyes look funny?

Gabe's new trick.

Doesn't every little boy need a camel?

This weekend was the Montessori School's annual Spring Fling. The boys had a good time running around on the playground, eating, playing at the bubble station, Grayson got his face painted, seeing the animals at the petting zoo, AND....the big exciting thing :



Yep, that is Grayson. Riding on a camel. By himself. Waaayyyyy up high (his words). He did not even hesitate and wanted to ride it all by himself. He such a brave little kid. You could tell he was a little unsure at first, but he was not about to NOT ride it.

It took Gabe a few hours to get up the nerve to ride it - and Doug had to ride with him. We kept going back to it and you could tell Gabe really wanted to ride, but was scared. It was fun to watch him work up the nerve to do it with Doug.

Rainy Days

The boys have gotten old enough to appreciate the fun to be had on a warm rainy day. We have had quite a lot of rain recently, so we decided it was time to break of the new umbrellas I bought during the winter on sale. They are so stinking cute! Once they figured out having it over their heads was NOT scary - it became lots of fun. We snapped a few pictures - but they wouldn't hold still for long - it was too much fun to knock the water off the trees onto each other.

They have also been taught the fine art of 'puddle stomping' by Patti - so summer rain is going to be something to look forward to in our house.

Playing the Yard

Yeah for nice weather! This week has been so nice - low 70s and low humidity. I got home as fast I could this week so we could play outside before dinner. Right now 'mowing the grass' has become THE thing to do in our back yard. The boys took turns pushing the mower around and making mower noises.

The early irises are also in full bloom right now - so they look great. Doug is trying to tag them by color so we can divide and move them at the end of the summer. We are running out of places to put them in THIS yard - so it is a good thing we have another 4 acres of yard on the other side of town. We have moved irises from Granny's in SC, to Orchard St, to Washington St, and now they are headed to Massanutten -- not to mention the thinnings we have done and just given away. We are populating a large portion of Strasburg with Granny's flowers. Pretty neat.

Gabe and his nose...

Just hanging out in the yard and checking out the flowers.

Sweet Baby Reece

Painting at School

One of the fun things about the boys going to school is that they have complete access to messy things - like painting - whenever they want. We just can't do this at home.

We get lots of paintings sent home every week from both boys. We have even framed a bunch of them to use as art in their room.

This was the first time the artwork was also annotated.

Reece 4.5 months

Reece is growing up soooo fast! I don't understand why time has to be in fast forward this time around. These little boys are so much fun - wish I wasn't too old (and too broke) to have more!

How Twins Sleep And Reece Found His Toes

Yes, this is how the twins sleep. Back in late December they started to sleep together all on their own. We don;t know why, but Gabe decided he wanted to sleep with Grayson - so he moved out of his bed and onto Grayson's. This is now how we often find them. Seriously.



And only related to this post by the fact the pictures were taken on the same day -- it seems Reece has officially found his toes. He has come across them before by accident - but now he appears to be able to find them at will. And yes, they fit in his mouth. (EEwwwww......)

Reece's First Cereal

Well, it happened a lot sooner than I was ready for, but Reece clearly had gotten to the point where he wanted/needed more than just a liquid diet. He was so excited about the cereal. Lots of big opens and serious num num num mouthing. I am sure if he could talk he would say, 'what took you so long??'

Grayson's Big Smile

Grayson might be the sweetest little boy I've ever come across. He has a smile that holds nothing back - and he gives it so freely. (And he gives the best hugs, too!) Doug snapped this in the morning as they were finishing up eating breakfast and just being goofy in the kitchen - which happens a lot these days!

Reece is All Smiles

Not much to say here - just loving every second of this little boy!

Reece's First Roll Over

Marking the calendar - Reece rolled all the way over on his own today.   He's 3 months, 2.5 weeks old.

Apparently the secret is getting out...

So we tried to keep it a secret. WE didn't tell anyone. HOWEVER, we live in a small town. A small, nosey, gossipy town. Apparently, quite a few people know - or think they know. They are asking. Hell, the freaking newspaper called and said...'so we hear you bought [a certain property]....can we talk?'

Well, since people know - and those that don't aren't reading my blog, I'll say it. We bought a house. At auction. For a steal. Yep. We did it.

Chatterbox

We have been waiting to hear what Grayson has to say for over two years. He is always watching, watching, watching - but never talking. (Gabe tends to steam roll his efforts and speak for them both.) But it would seem that we are having a bit of a speech explosion in our house! Grayson has started really making an effort to talk.

Last night as we were putting away toys he counted them for me 1-10! And he is naming everything he sees - purple dinosaur, white police car, Baby Reece, Daddy's home!, new Babby Babble, my blocks, pee-pee potty, baby's seat, mommy's chair, yellow banana....

I can't wait to hear more of what he is thinking.

Helping Make Muffins

Rare moments when only one little boy is awake are always fun. This morning Gabe got to help make muffins. This meant he ate raisins, wore a lot of flour, and made sure adequate amounts of batter were stirred onto the counter. All and all - a good time.

There's the REAL Recipe, and then there is the way you ACTUALLY make it...

As I was making dinner tonight it struck me as amusing the difference between the way the recipe I was using was written and the way it was actually unfolding in the moment. So here I offer insight into our home at dinner time.

I have set out to make a tuna noodle casserole (don't laugh, everyone in this house loves it) that I wanted to be ready when Doug got home with the twins. So I grab my recipe and ingredients, bring Reece into the kitchen with me and set out to make dinner. So, the recipe is my Mimi's Tuna Noodle Casserole - the only recipe my Papa wanted out of her recipe box when she died.

You will need (according to recipe card):

1.5 cups of cooked egg noodles
4 oz condensed milk
7 oz can tuna, drained
1/3 c. chopped onion, sauteed in butter
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 can of cream of something soup

All of this gets mixed together and dumped in a 1.5 qt (or 8x8) baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Top with more cheese and breadcrumbs. Bake at 350 until hot and bubbly - which is about 30 minutes.

Now what makes this funny is how it actually happened....

1.5 cups of cooked egg noodles .....or the half a bag of noodles way back in the cabinet that I found. I have no idea how many cups it was. What I do know is that it was way more than fit in the pot I had water boiling in. So I had to transfer said noodles - now hot and wet- to a bigger pot.
4 oz condensed milk...hmmm..this is now sold in 5 oz. cans. Dumped it all in a big bowl.
7 oz can tuna, drained...again, tuna is now sold in 5.5 oz cans. Better use two - I have a lot of noodles boiling!
Right as the noodles were finishing cooking, Reece decided he was starving and could not wait one second more for his bottle, so I drained the noodles and dumped them in the big bowl I was going to mix everything in and went and fed him.

20 minutes later - I'm back! Noodles are now one solid mass. Hhmmm...should have stirred them into the soup and milk before I left. Crap.
1/3 c. chopped onion, sauteed in butter ...1/3 cup? How about the half an onion I saw wrapped in plastic wrap in the fridge. Good enough - right? Oh, and while I was fishing around for the onion I knew I had seen earlier I found a pack of mushrooms. Grabbed a half dozen of those to add to the pot, too. Done, and in the same pan I made the noodles - woo hoo! Dumped that in the bowl, too.
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese ...monster bag of preshredded cheddar from Costco. Check. Dumped it in until it looked like about a cup. Or two. Again - lots of noodles were made.
1 can of cream of something soup ...I had Cream of Celery. Store Brand. In it went (actually first.)

So I start stirring it and realize the masses of noodles are not giving up on their own and I am going to have to go in. Sleeves pulled up, word of warning to Reece that I will be otherwise occupied for the next few minutes, I stick my hands in the whole mess and start peeling apart the clumps of noodles.

While peeling apart noodles I realize I am going to have to make some veggies for the boys...OR ....to the freezer I go! I dump about 2 cups of frozen peas straight into the bowl.

Once that is basically mixed up I called it done and poured it into - well, not the 8x8 pan I got out - it was clearly not going to fit - but the larger 2 qt oval pan I found.

Top with additional cheese (ugh. I already put that away - get it out again.) and bread crumbs. Yeah - we don't by bread crumbs, we make them from stale loaves of bread. Check the cabinet for some - nope we're out. I COULD use my Mimi's standby of crushed potato chips, but we don't have any of those either. And then I remember... when I came in the house yesterday my FIL was standing in the foyer holding a sleeve of mashed up crumby crackers that he had apparently taken away from Grayson. Mind you, not before the child had chewed (?) through the sleeve and left a trail of crumbs all of the foyer. Looked all over and FOUND said crackers, further smashed them up on top of the casserole and sprinkled more cheese. Popped it in the oven. Where it bubbled away for at least 40 minutes.
Thank goodness this is an incredibly forgiving recipe. It might actually be impossible to mess it up. It was gobbled up for both lunch and dinner.

Things we hear...

The boys are talking more and more and it is always interesting to listen in on the conversations they are having with each other and without us. They clearly love each other and find one another absolutely hilarious. Here are some recently over heard conversation snipettes and random replies from the boys:

As they were playing side by side at the coffee table:
Gabe: "Grayson, do you have stinkies in your pants?"
Grayson: "Yeah."

Gabe and Doug talking after a bath:
Gabe: "I think I have something in my ear."
Doug: "Is it dirt?"
Gabe: "Umm, no. I think it's a cow."

The boys were up in their room playing nicely after bath time, winding down and we hear:
Gabe: "I'M NAKED!!!!"
Grayson: Laughs uncontrollably.

Baby Snuggles

Doug is the chief baby snuggler in our house. I wish I was, but I can't ignore all the things that have to get done and when the boys are asleep is pretty much the best time to get certain things accomplished. When I snapped the picture of Doug with Reece I knew right away when I saw it that we had another picture of him that was almost exactly the same of him with Grayson - and I found it. SO here you have it - two photos taken almost exactly 2 years apart.

A pile of little boys...

Apparently it was a rough day. Just add this to the many, many photos we have of Doug being held down by the children in the house. (Only the twins actually fell asleep on him, but it seemed only fitting to add Reece to the pile!)

Bad Hair Day

It appears it is time for a hair cut! Gabe woke up from his nap today and came down stairs with his hair looking a bit like a mad scientist. I grabbed the camera a snapped a few pictures before committing to cut his hair this weekend.

Grayon's One Twin Day Lunch Time

Today was a one twin day. We used to call it a "One Baby Day," but now with Reece here it has become a one twin day instead. Gabe had a Dr appt to check his ears again and Grayson had Speech Therapy scheduled from pretty much the same time - so it was a divide and conquer kind of day. Grayson and I had a great morning with his ST session - he is coming along really nicely. After the session was over we played and entertained Reece and before you knew it it was time for lunch. Since it was such a cold and windy day the kitchen was cold (no radiator), so we had lunch at the coffee table in the living room. Grayson enjoyed getting to eat at the table and using his new plate he got for Christmas. We had 'deconstructed' turkey sandwiches, apples, and goldfish.

Christmas Morning!

Christmas Eve Night

All the toddlers have on their new PJs and are ready to "sleep all night long" so Santa will bring presents. After much commotion they settled down and when I went to do a quick check on them before we went to bed, this is what we found. Two sweet little boys asleep on the same bed. It doesn't happen that often (Grayson has the night-night shoes that he swings around - so Gabe knows to give him plenty of space!), so we wanted to make sure we got a shot of it. So sweet :)

Reece is starting to talk to us!

After much discussion we are sure the twins never did this. We can't remember them every talking/cooing. We asked around to folks that would have been around them at a few months old and no one can remember them doing it - and I am sure we would have video of it if they did. Weird, right?

He really starts cooing about half way through...so stinking cute!

Reece's 1st Smiles

Some days naps just don't come easy...

this was one of those days. There has been a lot of excitement in our house the last few weeks and Gabe doesn't want to miss a second of the commotion. He swears he isn't tired and doesn't need a nap. So with Grayson already tucked in and getting his Z's, Doug sat down with Gabe for some quiet time:

And about 4 minutes later it was over -

What are you looking at?

Reece, 1 month old after a bath with Daddy.