Bath Time!

Bath Time at our house is a bit of a free for all.  The plan was to actually give Reece a bath first, since he goes to bed earlier.  THEN the twins would get their bath after Reece was in bed.  Tonight, however, things didn't work that way.  The boys heard the water running in the tub upstairs for Reece and took off running for the stairs.  By the time I made it up they were already naked and climbing in.  

I tried really hard to get all three of them to look at me (and hold at least a little still) all at the same time, but it never happened.  I snapped out 10 shots.  This might be the only one where they are all at least holding still enough that they are all in focus. 

We decided to just go with it -- Reece is doing a pretty good job of holding his own these days.  We are pretty sure he'll be the one in charge in the near future - as he is huge compared to them!

Meal Planning Monday : October 24

It's that time again!  After a long weekend away and an empty fridge I have three major tasks to accomplish today.  1- wash clothes from the trip, 2- go to the grocery store, and 3- plan the meals for the week.

Monday - Cincinnati 5 way chili
Tuesday - Deconstructed Tuna Nicose  (grilled fish, steamed green beans and potatoes, Greek olives)
Wednesday - spiral ham, homemade mac and cheese, and steamed broccoli
Thursday - Left overs night (I have a late meeting)
Friday - Green Curry Chicken (because it never got made a few weeks ago)

Weekend:
Crock pot: Lima Bean soup (using left over ham bone) with cornbread (recipe coming)
Home made pizza (Field of Greens) with caramelized onions, goat cheese and prosciutto

Linking to OrgJunkie, where Meal Planning Monday lives.

1000 miles in 72 hours

We made it home.  We just ventured all the way from VA to SC and back - 1000 miles - in about 72 hours with all three kiddos.  Chronicles of a looonnnggggg road trip (pictures to follow when I find the cord to upload them):

Friday morning - the plan: leave the house by 8:00.  The reality - left the house about 10:15.

We loaded up the car and started the long trip to SC.  Everyone was in pretty good spirits by the time we got in the car.  We did have a bit of a pre-car meltdown from Gabe over putting on "sleepy-pants" (diaper), as he is pretty much potty trained.  We explained it was a really long trip, but he did not care.  He was peeved.

First stop about 2.5 hours in - lunch.  We found an unbelievable good Korean Diner right outside of Natural Bridge, VA. (I think it was called Fancy Hill Korean Diner)  We all really enjoyed our food and the couple that runs the place was absolutely wonderful.  The food was delicious and the hospitality was outstanding.    Everybody took a potty break and everybody was still dry! 

Second stop - NC line.  Another potty break.  Gabe is still dry!

Third stop - dinner.  BBQ.  Not really very good, but the place was really clean and the lady running it was super nice.  Kids ate a good bit, which is what really matters. 

Fourth stop - potty break.

Finally arrived - 12 hours later.  Gabe stayed dry the entire way.  Unbelievable.  Grayson didn't make it the whole way.  He had one accident.

Once we got into the house and unloaded everyone we worked at getting Reece in bed.  He was sooo tired and desperate to be asleep.  Gabe continued to amaze us by picking out a bedroom for himself, climbing up on the bed and telling us to turn out the light, he was going to sleep.  He has never slept in his own room before, and certainly not in a strange house - but he did both!  Grayson, however, fought sleep for hours, woke up often, and would not stay in his room.  Needless to say, we ended up tired.

Saturday Morning.  The plan - Meet with college president at 8:00am at the Hall, parade at noon, lunch, home for naps, Philo cook out at 6:00.

So Doug made it to the meeting.  I didn't.  Kids just were not up in time and there was no way to get them ready and make the meeting.  So while Doug was at the Hall strong arming the president, I was at the house with the boys.  Everyone got up and eventually got fed and dressed.  Reece was ready to go back down for his nap at 9:15.  While I was putting him down for a nap, Gabe found scissors and cut Grayson's hair.

Doug made it home around 11:00.  Reece slept an unprecedented 3 hours - so we barely made it back to Due West in time for the parade.  The floats were throwing candy and my boys didn't understand why people were throwing things at them.  Since they really never get candy, they didn't even know what the stuff was that was being thrown.  Then a handful of college girls gathered up fistfuls and crossed the street and gave it to them.  Needless to say, they know about candy now.  (Sigh...)

After parade the kids played in the bouncy houses, then we had lunch, then headed back for naps.  Reece and Grayson took naps, Gabe refused - so he and Doug went on a walk together.  Found all kinds of cool stuff in the woods - mushrooms, caterpillars, sweet gum seeds, etc.

We did make it to the cookout and the kids ran around and played for hours.  It was great to reconnect with old friends from school.  Back at the house Gabe again went to bed on his own without a hitch - and Grayson, not so much.  After everyone was asleep I packed up the car so we could try and get out faster in the morning because I have to go to work on Monday morning and cannot be getting in so late.

AND - Gabe woke up dry!  He went all night and stayed dry!  Woo Hoo!!

Sunday: plan, get up and GO!

Well, we didn't get out by 8:00, but we did get out by 9:00.  We loaded up and headed home.  We had a plan to stop at Michele's in Spartanburg for a late breakfast/brunch.  We got there about 11:00 and the kids got out and ran around and had some breakfast.  After they ate, Doug took all the kids (except Reece) out for a walk through the woods.  They came back and jumped on the trampoline then eventually made it back inside.  Once more we took potty breaks and loaded them back up and got back on the road.

Stop two - potty break.

Stop three - dinner at Shoney's, not that we really like Shoney's - but kids eat free and we have 3 of them.  So we ate and went to the potty (again.)  Everybody ate pretty well and we were ready to load up again.

After Shoney's we really pushed through the rest of the drive without stopping.  Reece got fussy at one point, but we figured out that it was mostly due to needing a snack.  Once he got some apple slices, graham crackers, and milk he was fine.  We got home about 7:30 - so we made much better time.

Gabe stayed dry the whole drive again :)  This is monumental, really, it is!

At home Reece went to bed, the boys played a while then jammied-up and went to bed.  The house was dark by 10:30 for everyone.  We survived.

Now we are doing it all over again in November for Thanksgiving.

All night long

Reece slept all night long last night.  Of course, Grayson did not.  He rarely, if ever, does.  The boy wakes up 1-2 times a night almost every night.  Well, maybe that is not entirely true - sometimes he doesn't wake up but we do - because he is in the throws of a night terror.  Ugh.

HOWEVER, we are focusing on Reece here - ALL NIGHT LONG.  From 6:45pm until 6:30am without a peep.  I am thrilled to actually sleep, but I also found myself feeling a little sad this morning.  The bed felt kind of empty.  He usually joins us around 4:00am and then snuggles back to sleep until I put him back in his bed when I get up at 5:45. 

So I am not 100% sure how I feel about it.  Happy?  Sad?  Not sure.   Better rested - yes.

Love my new shoes

I'm normally not a "shoe person," but I do love my new clogs.  I'm wearing them for the first time today. 

Meal Planning Monday : Oct 17

So we have a short week in the Bowen house this week because we are taking our first ever road trip with ALL THE BOYS.  We are loading up and heading some 8-9 hours south to go to our college homecoming.  Actually, we are going to help raise money for our society's historical hall that has been sorely neglected AND to raise Holy h3!! about the recent turn of events at our alma mater.  So with that said, here is the plan for the week:

Monday: Grilled fish, roasted baby red, white, and purple potatoes, and steamed brussel sprouts
Tuesday: Pasta with homemade pesto and grilled chicken
Wednesday: Freezer Soup - Navy Bean soup and homemade cornbread
Thursday: Clean out the fridge / left overs night
Friday: leaving early, early in the AM and driving.  I will be packing a picnic lunch for us to eat at a rest stop so the boys can get out and run around.
Saturday: Fundraising BBQ dinner for the Philo's
Sunday: Drive home and probably just order something - because we will be exhausted!

Linking to OrgJunkie, where Meal Planning Monday lives.

Paint, plaster, paint some more...

No more ugly center line yellow!

We keep on plugging away on the never ending project that is the Hupp Mansion.  (How ridiculous is that name for a house?)  We decided to tackle rooms one at a time, starting downstairs.  First, we painted over the horrid center-line yellow in the den.  It was sooo ugly.  I don;t know that we are in love with the color it ended up - so more paint may be in its' future, but it IS better than the color it started out.





Looking back the other way, in the distance you can see the scaffolding in the dining room...



The dining room is our current project.  We've been working on it a few weeks.  The center part of the house really was all just kind of beige - and not well painted in the first place.  We found that before we can even begin painting, we have to remove about 20-30 nails PER ROOM from the plaster walls.  (Some places had 6-8 nails being used to hold up ONE frame.)  Of course, this means holes that have to be patched.  Also, the house is over 200 years old.  Plaster cracks.  So there has been a right substantial amount of plaster repair going on.  We also had that pesky 5.4 earthquake a month or so ago.  Yep.  New cracks.



The dining room has been painted, plastered, patched, painted some more - sanded, trimmed out, and did I mention painted?  We are getting close.  Of course, we haven't touched the windows or the doors yet.  That is something that is just going to have to wait until spring.

My children are pot heads

I don't know what the fascination is, but all my boys like to wear pots on their heads.

• Big soup pots - check.  
• Little pots with handles - check.  
• Colanders (ok, not really a pot, but they live in the pot drawer) - check.

I think it is my husband's Y chromosome.  This is just not the sort of thing girls go around doing.

All it takes is one of them to go get a pot and the other ones tear off to the kitchen to get their own. I wish I had gotten a video of Gabe with the pot. (Alas, on the picture was snapped.)  He was walking around with this pasta pot on his head - totally unable to see where he was going - and running into walls, door frames, etc. Laughing. 

And more recently, they have taken to wanting their parents to be pot heads with them.  (Here Mommy, put this on!) Today Gabe put this pot right on Doug's head with out even asking (that will teach him to lay on the floor where they can reach him!)  He walked right up, plopped the pot over Doug's head and proceeded to "play" Doug's head like a drum.  (I'm making music, Mommy!  Hear it? Hear it?!)

Yep.  My kids are pot heads.

Best Pizza Dough Recipe EVER

Seriously.

We have been making pizza in out house for 20 years. I have over 100 cookbooks in my kitchen alone. This is THE BEST pizza dough recipe I have encountered. We have been using it in our house for over a decade. It always works and always is delicious. Buy a tiny bag of rye flour and keep it just for this pizza dough. You'll be glad you did :)

It comes from the Fields of Greens vegetarian cookbook.

Makes One 15-Inch Pizza Or Two 9-Inch Pizzas (It always makes two good sized pizzas in our house)
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
6 tablespoons warm (110°F) water
6 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fine cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon rye flour
About 1 3/4 cups unbleached white flour
1 to 3 tablespoons additional flour for rolling the dough
Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and set aside in a warm place for 3 to 4 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the milk, oil, and cornmeal in a 1-quart bowl. Add the yeast mixture, then the salt and rye flour; mix well. Gradually add the white flour, making a soft, workable dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for about 5 minutes, sprinkling in a little flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking to the surface. Put the dough into an oiled bowl and turn it once so the surface is coated with oil. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place until it has doubled in bulk, about 35 to 40 minutes.
Prepare the topping. (This pizza cooks in about 5 minutes, so you might want to saute/cook any toppings you would like to not be raw.)
Preheat the oven to 500°F and heat the pizza stone, if you're using one, for 20 minutes.
To shape the pizza, first form the dough into 1 round ball or 2 equal-size smaller balls. Roll out on a floured surface, turning it regularly to keep a round shape. It should be about 1/8 inch thick, slightly thicker at the edges. Lay the dough on an oiled pizza pan or a well-floured wooden peel. Cover with the topping you have chosen. Bake the pizza on its pan or slide it onto the heated pizza stone.
It takes about 5-7 minutes in a screaming hot oven. A minute or so less on a screaming hot grill.

Menu Planning Monday : Oct 10

So groceries have gotten out of control in terms of $$ spent. These little boys are eating us out of house and home (hello, 4 gallons of milk a week and 2 dozen eggs!) and they are only 3 and not quite 1! We are going to have to get a cow, and some chickens, and win the lottery if they are going to continue to eat into their teenage years.

With this reality sinking in, along with a clear need for some help in terms of getting my house, life, laundry, etc back under control now that school is in session - I have committed to menu planning every week. Since school started back in August I have been pretty good about it - but it had started to slide, so I am recommitting and making it official by putting out for the world to see.

I bought a nifty book that is really helping on many fronts: Totally Together: Shortcuts to an Organized Life, by Stephanie O'Dea. It was in this book (in October week2) I was sent to : OrgJunkie, where Meal Planning Monday lives. Ahh...the universe telling me to get it together.

So this week looks like this:

Monday: Chicken Souvlaki
Tuesday: Veggie Soup w/ Cornmeal Dumplings, Apple and Fennel Salad, and toasted baguette
Wednesday: Flank Steak w/ Chimichurri sauce and Portuguese Cornbread (Sept 2001 Cooking Light)
Thursday: Green Curry Chicken
Friday: Tacos
Saturday: Home made pizzas (Field of Greens has the BEST dough recipe, hands down.)
Sunday: Cincinnati 5 way chili

Prep for next week - make lots of pesto with the mountain of basil growing out the back door.

I don't have links to all the recipes, as some have no recipes, and others are from the mountain of books on my shelf. I'm working on getting them all posted.

Rainy Day Fun

Today turned out to be a rainy, cold mess. Which is a bummer.

HOWEVER, luck for us our kids don't seem to care one little bit. Doug took the twins to the 'big house' to paint and clean the carpet while Reece took a nap.

Then Reece woke up and enjoyed making the rounds of all the toys with no competition.

Once everyone was back home we had lunch and then got bundled up in our jeans and sweaters to head down the hill to Strasburg's "Octoberfest."

Yes, it was lame. But again - three year olds can enjoy pretty much anything. Case in point, once we got home (because of said cold rain) the blue helium balloons were a source of entertainment for all three for at least two hours.

French Onion Soup

The air has turned crisp and I saw a few leaves skipping across the street on my ride home today. This means (in my little world) that it is soup season. This is a happy occasion.

Here is my French Onion Soup recipe. It makes 4 bowls - of which, I will eat three.

Slice 4 large sweet onions (though any will do, really) and toss them in a large soup pot with about 1 Tbs of olive oil in it. Saute low and slow for 30-45 minutes, until they JUST start to brown a touch. When you see them start to brown, toss in 2 chopped cloves of garlic and stir and cook another 1 minute, then add 2/3 cup dry sherry and deglaze the pan. Bring to a boil to cook off the alcohol.

Add 2 cups chicken broth AND 2 cups beef broth to the onions. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, cover for about 20 minutes.

While the onions simmer, dice up about 2 cups (more if you really like it) crusty bread in 3/4 in cubes, toss on a sheet pan in about 2 Tbs olive oil. Sprinkle with 1 Tbs fresh chopped rosemary and 1 Tbs fresh thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Bake in the oven (350) for about 15 minutes, shaking the pan a few times.

When the croutons are done, pull them out and switch the oven to low broil. Now toss 2-3 Tbs more rosemary and 1 Tbs more thyme into the soup pot as you turn off the heat. Ladle into oven proof soup bowls. Top with a handful of croutons, then top with Gruyere cheese (or sharp provolone instead). Broil until bubbly.

Yuuuuuuummmmmmm.......

It's Official...Reece is Walking

Of course, he refuses to do it for the video camera! He has been trying it out for a few weeks - just letting go and lunging and taking a few steps. Today that changed. He stood up, stopped and got his balance, and then took about 6 steps!

Hopefully we will get it on video in the next day or two...

Navy Bean Soup

Navy Bean Soup from the Crock Pot

I love to make navy bean soup in the crock pot.  I never knew just how easy it was until a little old lady who helped us take care of my mom told me how to do it.  I was amazed at how few ingredients were in it and how completely delicious it was.

1 pound of dried navy beans, rinsed and sorted
1 c. diced carrots (I use 3, never really measure it)
1 large diced onion
2-3 bay leaves
1 left over ham bone (like from an Easter spiral ham) OR 2-3 meaty ham hocks
salt to taste

Throw all this in the crock pot and cover with water.  Cook on low or high until beans are tender.  Low is about 8 hours, High is about 4.  Pull out the bay leaves before serving. 

Recipe Under Construction

I am working on a new recipe. Feel free to help! I am combing a few ideas - banana bread and nutella cupcakes. I'll post a picture of mine as soon as I manage to find the camera cord the kids hid somewhere.

Self Frosting Banana and Nutella Muffins

Here is round one:

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix together:
1 1/2c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Mash together:
2-3 very ripe bananas
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg

Cream together:
1/2 c butter
1/2 c sugar

Mix three components (mashed, mixed, and creamed) together. Batter will be really thick and you'll have to work it a bit to get it all mixed. Scoop into 12 lined and sprayed muffin tins.

Nutella topping:

scoop some nutella into a ziptop bag. Squish it around so it is soft and smooth. Snip the tip and squeeze out a squiggly or ring of nutella onto the top of the muffins. Swirl in.

Bake 23 minutes.

Current Status:

Now - in theory - I was supposed to be able to swirl the nutella in the top. I couldn't. The batter I made was too thick. However, I would make this change next time: Fill the muffin tins reserving about a tsp per muffin. Take the nutella and zap it a few seconds in the microwave to make it thinner. THEN squeeze the nutella on the muffins and spread the reserved banana batter on top of it. I think this will work better.

They tasted super yummy - even with the rather messy swirling attempt I made. The nutella that pokes out the top does look like frosting. Even the nutella under the surface ends up tasting like frosting.


UPDATE: I made the changes suggested above and got a much prettier muffin!

Reece' s First Steps

Well, today was the day. Reece has been working up to it for a few weeks. Scooting around furniture, using anything not bolted down as a walker, letting go and testing his balance. We knew it was coming. Today was the day he decided to try for real. He let go of Doug, got his balance, then proceeded to take 4 steps across the floor to me. He is 10.5 months old. Amazing.

Sunday morning...

Some Sunday mornings are super busy, others pretty lazy. The kids were up early this morning and doing what they do -- that would be getting into everything, playing, laughing, running around, while stopping by every so often so crawl up in a lap for a hug or a big smile. I was cleaning up the kitchen after breakfast when I noticed it had gotten pretty quiet around the corner, so I tiptoed around the edge to see what was going on. (Quiet in a house with three boys is usually something to be concerned about, trust me.)

When I got to the living room I saw Gabe asleep in the chair on Doug - and Doug asleep, too. Grayson working all the latches on the coffee table. (No worries, Reece was accounted for - he was upstairs taking a nap.) So this was one of those GOOD quiet days. Well, at least the morning...the rest of the day remains to be seen!

Happy 3rd Birthday to the Twins!

OK, this time I mean it. I am so glad the boys have a summer birthday. It makes parties so much easier than when the weather is colder - and since our kiddos love, love, love being outside anyway - well, it is a perfect match. Of course, this year we are celebrating a little late because of Grayson's eye surgery two days before their birthday...which led to this year's party being the same weekend we had a hurricane all the way up the East Coast! Luckily, the rain held off until the very end of the party and didn't start until literally the last guests were leaving.

We set up the tents, blew up the bug bouncy house, left up the trampoline, and had a great time. This year the boys had some friends and their parents come from their preschool class, so there were more kids and little people for them to play with. It was just a bunch of backyard fun with food and cake and lots of little boys.

There were kids and parents on the trampoline at all times, the swings were almost always full (see Reece loving it?), and we managed to make it almost 3 hours with no fighting, pushing, shoving, etc.

When the last of the guests left and the rain backed off for a few minutes we too their presents inside and opened them. Lots of cars and car related toys were to be had, along with books (Mama Lama is now a new favorite) and a piano (favorite present of the day.)

As we cleaned up all the wrapping paper and leftover food we realized that now we need to start planning Reece's party - his birthday is in about 8 weeks!

Jiffy Pop

Tonight the boys got to experience Jiffy Pop for the first time. I couldn't help myself when I saw it in the store. I hate that they thing so much stuff comes out of the microwave! So we sat them up on the counter, started the stove, and shook that thing silly. It was just as cute as I thought it would be. They were so excited and kept telling me - look Mommy! It's POPPING!

Even funnier, they really didn't "get" that there was going to be popcorn inside it until we tore it open. Then it was exciting all over again :)

Simple things.

Happy 3rd Birthday!

OK, almost. Because Grayson had surgery scheduled for Friday, 8/12, we decided to postpone the celebration for two weeks.

Grayson's Eye Surgery

So the time has come for us to make a decision about Grayson's eyes. We patched for the better part of two years, but as of late he had become totally unwilling to keep the patch on. He had even taken to squeezing his other eye shut and laying on the floor crying the whole time he was patched while trying to rip it off. Very upsetting for everyone in the house. He has never been willing to wear his glasses - as every time he puts them on his weak eye (the left one) pulls and pulses to the center so hard you can tell it must be hard to see/focus on anything.

So the doctor said it was time to do the surgery to align his eyes better. He was starting to favor his right eye so much he was afraid he was telling his brain to ignore the left one. This is so scary for me (being that I am going progressively more blind every year), but it seems like this is the best chance he has for getting his vision to cooperate.

This photo was taken in the prep room as we got him in the gown and little hat. He loved the hat - thought it was the best thing ever. He was in great spirits and cooperated the whole time. They let me walk him back and hold him while they put him to sleep. I was really impressed with the anesthesiologist. He started telling Grayson a story and incorporated the gas mask into the story so when he put it on his face he wasn't scared at all.

Since he has been asleep for surgery's before we knew it would not be as nice when we woke up. He is prone to night terrors - and the 'twilight' sleep state is not good for this little boy. Our recovery room nurse was not so great - she actually raised her voice at him and told him to stop crying! (Hello lady, he's two!!!)

He eventually pulled it together and we headed home. By the time we got home he was starting to be himself again - and within a few hours he was on the trampoline with Gabe like nothing happened.

I continue to be amazed at how easy going this little man can be. He takes all these challenges in stride and just keeps on plugging along.

Day 2 of Potty Training Grayson : Take 2

Today is day 2 of the second try for potty training Grayson. We tried a few weeks ago and he just wasn't ready. We thought he was, but not quite. This time, however, I am thinking may be the 'for real' time! Yesterday we had one potty hit -- well, he came over and stood next to the potty and started peeing and we sat him on it and he finished. This was a huge success. Then later he announced he was going to pee on the potty but instead I caught him peeing on his daddy's diaper bag!

This morning he came running to me when he needed to potty and started peeing a little. We 'hurry, hurried' to the potty and he finished in the potty. Then about an hour later he needed to pee again and he announced it, didn't pee on anything, we hurried to the potty and ALL the pee ended up on the potty!

We have our fingers and toes crossed that this is the time!!!

We are not alcoholics...

This morning there was a lot of 'clinking' and back and forth from the boys in the living room. It sounded pretty harmless, so I let it go. Then I remembered, I have twins. They are almost 3. Very little in this world is harmless these days. So after about 5 minutes I decided maybe I should peek around the corner and see what on earth was going on. This is what I saw.

Gabe explained - One for Daddy, one for Mommy, one for PopPop, one for Patti, etc.....he ran down the list of just about every adult he knows. He had unloaded the little mini wine fridge. Again.

Mango and Coconut Muffins

1 3/4 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. sugar

2 eggs at room temp
3/4 c. coconut milk
3 Tbs oil

1 c. mango chopped 1/4 inch
1 c. shredded sweetened coconut

Preheat oven to 350. Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl. In another bowl mix together wet ingredients. Pour into dry and mix to combine (don't over mix.) Fold in mango and coconut.

Pour into greased muffin tins. (should make 12-14.) Bake 20-25 minutes.

(Mine took closer to 25 minutes. They are a pale muffin, so don't over bake.)

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.