Eden

Daddy behind the lens enjoying his little sweetie while I took the boys to the Lego movie :)  Eden is a chatterbox, and LOVES to paint.  I mean, it is LOVE!!!

Oh yes I did...and Oh no, I never will again

Tell me how one can decide not to try this when one sees it go by:
http://dinnerwithjulie.com/2013/06/11/homemade-cronuts/

Yes, I know, it's easy to refrain.  But I have this thing about challenging recipes that will take all my time and then my children will dislike anyway...sort of a compulsion.  So, oh yes I did.

I don't think I'll be hand-making puff pastry again in the near future.  Theoretically it wouldn't be too bad, but in the Sahara-like humidity of a New England kitchen in February, I think my flour was extra dry and I didn't add more water to compensate, and the dough was just a *teensy* bit hard to roll [that is, *very* hard] and that was before refrigerating it.  At least I burned 0.005% of the calories of a single cronut while rolling the puff pastry.

Reuel did indeed like them very much, so that was gratifying.  Eden asked for cereal.  The boys ate several bites without making faces!  The rest are in the freezer.  But I did feed my love of playing around in the kitchen, which tends to start to starve as I'm preparing the umpteenth peanut butter sandwich, cheese quesadilla, steamed broccoli and pepperoni and cheese cracker stack of the week.  So, it was a success! A one-time success!

p.s.  I just had to go and look up what this is all about:  http://dominiqueansel.com/cronut-101/

I see they sell for $5 a cronut.  And to think I threw out all the scraps and had so many leftover!  That was worthwhile labor!!  If only I lived in NYC I could have sold them out of my window.

Costco

We got a Costco membership voucher recently at minimal cost through one of those social shopping websites.  Today some other plans fell through, and it is school vacation week, so the three kids and I packed up with great enthusiasm to make the 20 minute drive to New Hampshire (amazing how easy it is to propagandize a shopping trip to children just by making it in a different state!) to visit Costco for the first time.  The boys thoroughly enjoyed watching the 5,000-inch TV screens near the registration desk which were showing speed-skating (excitement still high!).  After getting my photo snapped and signing all the papers, we made it through approximately 3 aisles before I heard, "Wait, this is boring!"  I promised them that only *some* of it was boring, and that soon we would get to the aisle with cookies in boxes as big as their little sister!  They were indeed excited about that (not that I let them buy any, mwa-ha-ha!).  After they discovered food samples, all was well, until we were about 2/3 of the way through the store.  Then I looked in my basket and panicked.

Me:  Guys, we have got to get out of here soon!  I'm afraid this trip is going to cost us $500 if I keep looking around!!
Owen:   [eyes wide!  then, eyes scanning] Mom.  I see the checkout, follow me!
Me:  Thanks Owen!

I didn't *really* intend to stop shopping at that moment...mostly, but you know there's always that last look on the way out.  So, I turn down one more aisle.

Owen:  Mom, that's the wrong way!
Me:  Oh, I just want to go down this one last aisle and then we'll head out.
Owen:  Well, OK, but you can't buy anything.
Me:  [picks something up]
Owen:  Mom, don't buy that!  We have to go!
Asher: [joining in]  Mom stop looking at all this stuff!
Me:  You're right, let's go! [this is getting fun]  Oh, wow, 50 bars of soap!!
Owen: [agitation increasing] NO!  Mom, you're getting distracted!!!
Asher:  There's the checkout Mom!
Me:  Oh yeah [turns head]...but, but...LOOK AT ALL THESE SOCKS!!!!
Owen:  MOM.  LOOK AT ME.  We are going to the checkout, now start walking.
Me:  Yes, let's walk.  Full speed ahead!  GUYS.  LOOK at this HUGE jar of JELLY BEANS!!
Owen:  NOOOOOOOO!!!!  No way Mom!!  Do you want to spend $500???
Asher:  [nearly visible idea bulb in air over head]  [whispers in Owen's ear...and Asher whispers are always stage whispers]  Owen, maybe we could let her buy the jelly beans...
Owen:  No way!!

And that right there is my 2 kiddos in a nutshell!!!!  Owen was very pleased to discover that we had only accumulated $120 worth of goods.  I was still choking on that number, but we all know it is pretty easy to walk out of those places with more damage than that.  And compared to what you get at Whole Foods for that price, we did pretty well, thanks to my little watchdogs (one of which *really* likes jelly bellies).

Babies

A little look at Eden with her current favorite book, 'Babies', courtesy of Aunt Erin!  She was not quite as exuberant in this video capture as I've seen her in the past, but still cute enough :)  My favorite part is one the page with naughty babies when Eden always says, 'No-NO, Babies!' and then on the next page when she says firmly, "Goo-job, Babies."  Thanks Aunt Erin!

https://vimeo.com/86664911

Reading

Owen is reading great guns these days.  It is pretty exciting to see him take off.  He wants to read before falling asleep each night and I think it actually helps him settle down and get sleepy.  SCORE!  (He has an inordinate amount of trouble getting to sleep at night.)  Anyway, with his increasing ability comes a disproportionately increasing ego about it!!  Oh how often I hear about what level he is on vs. what level so-and-so is on, and I gently remind him that he was one of the slower readers in his class last year, and to remember how others feel if we say things to compare against each other.  :}  So today, there was this conversation...
[Looking at the back of a book] "Mom, I'm a level 5 reader." Me: Well, that says level 5 is chapter books and I don't think you like to read those yet...the ones with all writing and no pictures, you know? Owen: "I do like to read chapter books. I just like the ones without as much writing that have lots of colorful pictures."

Equality

Reuel took the boys skiing last weekend and they had a grand time.  Owen goes full barrel down the mountain and waits at the bottom.  Asher by the end of the day went from complete novice to winding his way down the mountain with zig-zag turns like a pro...super impressive.  For this trip, Asher needed a ski helmet (more as an issue of equality with Owen than anything else) and all we could find in time and for the right price was a plain black one, which he was not overly excited about.  A Silhouette vinyl cutter and a couple drawings later, and we transformed his helmet so that the older brother became most dissatisfied by comparison (OOPS!) and Asher was giddy.  Of course, we added stickers to Owen's too :)

In case you wondered, that's a flame 'because I'm like the power of fire down a mountain' and a green and blue ninja (like Jay and Lloyd from Ninjago) and a set of golden weapons (also from Ninjago).  And a very pleased little boy!

Cute is in the Dojo

It just does not get cuter than Asher in his karate outfit, doing his lessons with a bunch of BIG boys and being the comic relief for the whole class.  He is all kinds of adorable.  The other kids are really generous whenever they get paired with him even though he cannot quite figure out what to do just yet ;)  Owen and Asher get the award for MOST enthusiastic, even though they are new students (perhaps because they are new students) and while the other children yell their 'HAH!' when punching or kicking, little Asher yells, 'HAAAAAAAAAAAAH' at double volume of the 10 year olds and everyone has to hide their faces which are covered in giggling.

p.s. In case anyone doesn't recognize this 'kata', well, that's because Asher made it up :)

Team O&A

In honor of the 2014 Winter Olympics, Daddy built the boys a homemade luge track in the backyard. Needs some speed optimization, but not too shabby!!!  Thanks Daddy!!!
https://vimeo.com/86078155

Here's some footage from the genesis of the luge track!
https://vimeo.com/86078511

Just another day in paradise...for snow-loving children.  As for me, I really do love the snow as well.  But it becomes clearer by the year why people retire in warm places.  As if there's not enough work to do around here without extra snow work!!  Just this afternoon I had an idea for a game show that would really make me laugh.  Take 3 moms with 3 kids each and see who can get all three kids pottied, snowsuited, mittened, hatted, booted and buckled in a carseat first.  And none of the kids can be particularly well-rested or have done more than pick at their last meal.  I have to say I am getting pretty fast.  The prize would have to be really substantial because doing all of that even one more time than is technically necessary would require some serious payola to lure any contestants.

WAHOOOO!

And I just remember that I never documented that...

MY SISTER IS GETTING MARRIED!!!  To a most wonderful man!  We are all just so excited.  Congratulations to the happy couple and we wish and pray for you many years of wedded bliss.  xoxo

Teeth

Owen's front teeth have been wanting to fall out for months, but he will not TOUCH them or ever use them to eat so they hang out...one is finally dangling but not yet giving up the ghost and it is driving me NUTS!!! He could have gotten major bribe payoff from me in exchange for letting me pull it, but he won't budge.  He's going to swallow it, I know.  And oh, won't we hear the wailing then!  :)  Can't say that I blame him though...who wants to walk around without front teeth!  What a funny process.