TEXAS~BLUEBERRIES~COUSINS~MONKEYS~SMOOTHIES

We recently spent a couple of weeks in Texas and THAT is a whole other post but I have some snippets from Matthew that made me smile that I have to get down before my mind dumps them (like it seems to do a lot these days).


THIS IS TEXAS?
I talked up the Texas trip for several weeks so the morning we left Matthew confirmed that we were going to Texas.  I kept telling him we would be in the car a long time but to no avail.  At every stop he would ask, "This is Texas"?  I kept telling him not yet, not yet.  At one point, about 7 hours in, he was whining in his carseat, "mama, texas, puhlease......".  He finally lost all patience at about hour 10 through hour 14, he was sitting in his carseat crying "want Texas now" over and over and over again.  Did I mention that I had no radio at this point...yeah, fun times. 

BLUEBERRIES
We ventured down south to visit friends who happen to have a pair of goats.  We arrived a bit early and decided to go around back and visit their goats.  Within mere seconds of "meeting" said ruminants Matthew said "look mama, blueberries" while pointing to the prolific amount of poop on the ground.

COUSINS
Another thing we talked about leading up to our Texas adventure was Matthew getting to meet his cousins.  He has nine cousins in Texas, two of which he had never met.  It had been over a year since we had been back home so he really did not have any recollection of there "cousins".  We woke up at my parents house the day after we arrived and Matthew walked over to a basket of stuffed animal and said "look mama, it's my cousins".  He was thrilled with the stuffed animal version of his cousins and even more impressed when he met the human forms.


I NEED MONKEYS...NOW
While in Texas we spent an absolutely gorgeous day at the Fort Worth Zoo.  This was only our second trip to a zoo but all Matthew could talk about were the monkeys.  We saw the monkeys first and then I kept bribing him with additional monkey time if we could see some other animals.  He obliged but near closing time he was getting impatient and letting me know, quite sternly, that he needed monkeys NOW.  On our way out we went back through the "World of Primates" only to find workers washing out the monkey exhibits.  Needless to say..there were lots of tears as we made our way to the car.  Looks like we will be zooing it up very soon.

Smoothies
So, we are from Texas, land of good Tex-Mex and we currently reside in Alabama, land of we only use white cheese in our "mexican" cuisine.  Needless to say, from the time we arrive to the time we depart the lone star state we are partaking in Mexican Food.  We ate Mexican food four days in a row and Matthew figured out quite quickly, after the first visit in which I ordered the boys virgin strawberry daiquiris AKA smoothies, that mexican food = smoothies.  At the subsequent 3 restaurants, we would walk in and Matthew would say, "I want Smoothie mama".

Christmas 2010

Once again we spent Christmas in Alabama and can I just say how nice it is to wake up in your own home on Christmas morning!  While we do miss our family and friends it is such a relief to not have to travel with these little people.  Willie's parents came in for the holiday and we all had a great time catching up.  The coolest part, we woke up to a snow covered wonderland on Christmas morning.

Nana and the boys playing with their new blocks.

 Kimber trying out big brothers new big boy bike.

 Staying warm during the Christmas Eve stump grinding festivities.

 Observing

 Christmas Eve 2010

 Santa came...

 Willie testing out the tee-pee,                                                             and Kimber too.

Quite impressed with their new garbage truck.

 And tools too.

Snowman building

               A snow angel and...                                                                      some snow covered broccoli.

 Warming up with some Sudoku with Gramps

Adios 2010...it was a great year!!

A year in review.

We celebrated the beginning of 2010 with good friends and chocolate,......

In February we enjoyed some sunshine.

March brought Kimbers half-birthday and we kept church-shopping.

In April, we celebrated Easter and my 34th birthday.  We also worked on our garden.

May, some amazing but strenuous hiking and more fun outside.

June brought on a shopping trip in Nashville, finishing our front flowerbed, celebrating dads and enjoying the sunshine.

In July we FINALLY made some progress on the potty training front!

August was a BUSY BUSY month.  Matthew turned 3, we spent a fun weekend in Chattanooga, potty-trained some more and celebrated or not our 12th anniversary.

September brought another birthday, Kimber celebrated his first birthday.  We had some silly moments and reminisced a little.

We resumed our camping life in October and visited the pumpkin patch.

November was a crazy month.  We spent a week in Florida in an attempt to see space shuttle Discovery launch, we shared our family pictures and dealt with way too many bodily fluids.

In December, we had a white Christmas and bid adieu to 2010.

Hope 2010 was all you hoped it would be and that 2011 is pure greatness!!

Christmas Card Scoring System

From SWISTLE, a blogger who never fails to make me smile....

Christmas Card Scoring / Rating System

• Card received: +5
• Card received before December 1st: -1
• Card received after December 25th: -1
• Card is pretty, and looks nice on wall: +3
• Card is glittery: +1
• Card does not contain card, but only letter, so there is nothing to put up on wall: -3
• Card is e-card: -5
  

• Card includes photo or is photo card: +5
• More than one photo: +2 each additional photo
  
• Photo is non-Christmassy so will look good on fridge all year: +1
• Photo is Christmassy so increases holiday feeling of card: +1
  
• Red-eye causes family to appear possessed by evil Christmas spirit: -1
• Photo was taken on beach this past summer in summer clothing, so family looks chilly against winter pattern of card: -1
• Photo includes dogs with glowing eyes who seem poised to eat humans: -1

• Card includes letter: +5
• Letter is informative and interesting: +3
• Letter describes child as "amazing" or "already an avid reader at age 3!": -3 each
• Letter is so braggy and saccharine-cheery, I wonder why I associate with these people: -3
• Letter is so very braggy and saccharine-cheery, it crosses over into comical and becomes fun to read aloud in an unkind tone of voice: +2
• Letter is a sermon disguised as a Christmas letter, and contains pious hopes for our country, for mankind, and for me personally: -5
• Letter mentions details of gross surgery: -1 or +1, depending on entertainment value
• Letter contains thinly-veiled family gossip: +3
• Letter contains information that should have been told earlier: -2

• Card includes check: +5
• Large check: +10
  
• Card includes announcement of pregnancy: +10
• Card from Christmas Card Friends contains surprising news of baby born since last card sent: +10

10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...never mind

We recently traveled to Cocoa Beach, Florida via Cumming, GA in an effort to see the final launch of Space Shuttle Discovery.  

Due to launch delays we ended up spending a few days relaxing with good friends.  We played in the Chattahoochee river, watched a great soccer game, ate some yummy food, trick-or-treated and even got a few naps in. 

 




 Finally on Monday morning we were off. 


We have yet to travel more than a few hours since becoming a family of 4 and were a wee bit apprehensive as to how the trip might unfold.  Truth be told, it wasn't as bad as it could have been but it was not a piece of cake either.  9 years of pre-kid travel does little to prepare you for traveling with litte ones.  Gone are the days of only stopping for fuel, reading a book, dozing, friendly conversation, NAPS.  Welcome to pit stops every 50 miles it seems, the passenger riding backwards 70% of the time, diaper changes, cup refills, Matthew telling us he is "all done" 469 times an hour, adjusting blankets, sun shades, rotating books, fuel stops taking no less than half an hour followed by a crying fit by the little guy becasue he does NOT want to get back into his seat (not that I blame him).  

We finally made it and had a great time...despite the fact the shuttle never actually went off.  Our 4-day vacation turned into a 7-day adventure.  Matthew keeps telling us that he wants to do that again. 

Pretty sure there are not many things cuter than wet sand between chubby baby fingers.

 I think Kimber was pretty impressed with his first beach experience, and he didn't even eat that much sand!

The one overcast day we went out to Jetty Park and got to see turtles, porpoises, birds, "a big bridge", tugboats and even a couple of submarines leaving.  I was reduced to tears watching our soldiers headed out to sea.

During a rainy spell Kimber decided climbing on the dash was a good idea.

Matthew THOROUGHLY enjoying his first Drumstick.

 Saying bye-bye to the beach on the morning we left.

The best Chowda' EVER

We discovered this recipe from Williams Sonoma our first Thanksgiving as parents.  It has become tradition and we look forward to it all year long.

We buy 2 medium butternut squash and roast them with a little butter and then puree them instead of buying the Williams Sonoma puree.

 

Chowder has a long-standing reputation as a communal dish. It is said to have originated in 16th-century French seacoast towns, where local fishermen would contribute part of the days catch to a stew that was shared by the entire village. The stew derives its name from the vessel in which it was cooked: a large pot known as a chaudière. Over time, chowder became synonymous with a type of thick, hearty soup that can be prepared with a variety of ingredients. Like our butternut squash version, classic chowders typically include chunks of potatoes or other vegetables, which add texture and substance.

Ingredients:

• 4 bacon slices, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp. chopped fresh sage, plus small sage
    leaves for garnish
• 4 tsp. kosher salt, plus more, to taste
• 1 tsp. freshly ground pepper, plus more, to taste
• 2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch
    cubes
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 jar (32 oz.) butternut squash puree
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions:

In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, cook the bacon, stirring frequently, until crispy, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Set aside.

Pour off all but 1 Tbs. of the fat from the pan and return the pan to medium heat. Add the onion, celery, bay leaf, chopped sage, the 4 tsp. salt and the 1 tsp. pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, just until the vegetables are soft, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the potatoes, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes.

Add the wine and simmer, stirring to scrape up the browned bits, for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the broth and bring just to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and gently simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 12 minutes.

Add the butternut squash puree and bacon and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the cream and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper. Remove the bay leaf and discard.

Ladle the chowder into warmed bowls and garnish with sage leaves. Serve immediately. Serves 6 to 8.

Poop & Puke & Pee.......Oh My!!!!

Its like lions and tigers and bears....but different.  VERY DIFFERENT!!

Bath time tonight was one for the books.  These boys LOVE taking a bath and are quite celebratory during their bath each night.  When we remodel their bathroom, there will be a floor drain on the outside of the tub...to accommodate all of the splashed out water.  I digress.

I had gotten Matthew out and was in the process of assisting him into his pajamas when Kimber starts screaming in absolute hysterics, I turn around and he is perched on the side of the tub about to fall headfirst onto the tile, I scoop him up and peer into the tub and see a massive poop that was causing all of the drama.  So I stand him up outside of the bathtub and get some toilet paper to remove said poop from the tub, while I am doing this, half-dressed Matthew comes over to see what's happening and gets sick at the sight/smell and starts puking.  My hands are full (literally) and Kimber is now standing by the toilet observing the poop disposal so I tell Matthew to throw up on his towel that is on the floor, which he does...the first time.  The second and third round of puking occurred in route to the toilet area.  So now I have poop laden Kimber and puke laden Matthew standing in front of the tub that I am trying desperately to sanitize.  Muppet the dog is happily lapping away at the regurgitated food.  The smell is overwhelming and the space heater working overtime is NOT helping matters.  I eventually got the tub clean, Kimber wiped off and then showered off, Matthew rinsed off and back out onto the enormous pile of rugs/towels/clothes that were providing a barrier between the ick and the clean boys.  As I am drying Matthew off....Kimber walks off to the other side of the bathroom and proceeds to pee....everywhere.  At that point I just laughed...I had to.....where is my wine...pretty sure I earned a glass bottle or two.