What a day! Our first ER trip.

The day started off EARLY! Graeme woke up at 4:45 am and finally fell back asleep at 5:45. My alarm was set for 6:00. I should have known that it would not improve. While I was getting ready, Brian said, "Once you drop Clare and Ian off at school, you need to come home and relax." I know he meant well, but really? Grame's birthday party is on Saturday and the preparations are just coming together. So, I rushed to get everyone ready and out the door to preschool while I also finished "cleaning up" for the cleaning lady. We were running late from the get go, but I took a deep breath and told myself it was no big deal (I'm saying this more frequently now) figuring if we go to school late it wouldn't be the end of the world. We were there in plenty of time. Ian is always so excited to see Mrs. Brigitta and Mrs. Maria happily hugged Mrs. Brigitta and went into his classroom. I dropped Clare off and off Graeme and I went to tackle my list: 1) the Allen outlets - 15 minutes away to exchange a sweater, a hat for Clare and some boots and shoes, 2) Bed Bath and Beyond to buy Kcups and browse for our Thanksgiving table, 3) Joann Fabrics & Crafts for some things I need for the party. I planned to meet my friend, Shelley at Joann and then grab lunch with her.

Guess what? I made it to the parking lot of the outlet center when my phone rang. It was 9:40. My heart started pounding as I saw the number. It was Preschool. The director was calling to tell me that Ian had fallen on the playground. She thought he might need stitches in his chin. I am thankful that we were still in the car. I turned around and headed back to school. That was the longest 15 minutes. During my drive, I called the pediatrician who directed me to a nearby urgent care/ER, Brian to give him an update, and the ER to tell them we were coming. Brian was not answering his phone. It turns out he was on a conference call, so I had to call the receptionist at his office to ask her to find him and get a message to him to call me. (Sidenote: What did we do before cell phones?) The doors at preschool are locked after drop off, so I had to go through the church office - identify myself and run through the massive church building to get to Ian.

Between the time of the director's call and my arrival, they had fire drill and Ian was able to stay inside and snuggle with Mrs. Brigitta which I'm sure made him feel better. Since it ran into playground time, he was actually back out playing. The director took me to find him. Sweet boy was hopping around and perfectly happy as he came down the hall with his class. He was so excited about his Toy Story bandaid. I looked at his chin and it didn't look that bad. Part of me thought that he was fine. I went ahead and took him to the ER and now I'm glad I did. By the time we got there, it looked worse. The triage nurse took one look and said - stitches. Thankfully, the doctor had kids and assured me that Dermabond would do the trick. He was great - he numbed it with a topical anesthetic and then glued it. We were in and out in about 30 minutes.

The purple is the glue. The cut is about 3/4" long. It's just a thin line. The photo exaggerates it.

So, we went on with the day. Of course, we skipped the outlets and made a pit stop at Sonic for a slushie and headed to Joann to meet Shelley. I managed to get most of what I needed. We grabbed burgers at In N Out and then it was time to get Clare at school.

We went straight home. As I turned down our street, I realized our cleaning lady was still at our house. I don't like bringing the kids in when she's here because they distract her and I feel like we're in the way. I drove around for a few minutes and stopped at a neighbor's to drop something off and came back home. By then, she was leaving. I unloaded Graeme and Clare and most of our stuff. I went to get Ian out and took one look at him. He had peeled the glue off of his chin!

I gathered a few necessities - the Leap Pad, snacks, drinks and lollipops and loaded everyone back into the car. I called the pediatrician again and she told me to go back to the ER and plan on stitches! I was not happy - the thought of putting Ian through that was so upsetting. We headed back there and I called on the way to tell them we were on our way again. We got there and hardly waited. As soon as we walked into the back, the nurse from earlier took one look at us and said, "I thought you might be back for stitches." Great!

Well, the ER doctor gave us the option of stitches or more dermabond with steristrips. I opted for the latter and am hoping I can keep him busy enough to leave it alone. He fell asleep in the car on the way home and slept for about an hour. That killed some time. So far, cross my fingers, after 4 hours, he's only taken the bandage off. I put a new Cars 2 band aid on it and he's left it alone. The plan is for me to lay down with him until he falls asleep so I can keep him from pulling at it. And I'll have to keep him busy tomorrow. The doctor said if I can keep him from bothering for a few days, it should be fine.

Sweet boy was wiped out. The bandage was more for deterrence than need.

 

Picture Day!

Clare and Ian had picture day at school. I took their pictures before we left that morning. I truly hope that the photographer had better luck than I did!

A Day in the Garden

We have wanted to go to the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden since we moved here almost three years ago. We finally had the opportunity to meet our friends, the Ittigsons, there for Autumn at the Arboretum. 

Each year they decorate part of the gardens with a full pumpkin village. It is incredible and is mentioned on a regular basis in Southern Living magazine. We were so excited go because the Chihuly glass exhibit was also happening at the same time. The glass sculptures were amazing!

The gardens were packed even though we arrived early on a Sunday morning. I tried desperately to take pictures without strangers in them, but didn't have much luck.

I wish I had taken some better pictures of the actual Pumpkin Village. Hopefully, next year we will be able to go on a day that isn't crowded. I took over 100 photos when we went - these are just a few...

Ian spent 20 minutes running laps through the hay maze. By the end, he was stepping on the bales to get where he wanted to go.

This was our only family shot of the whole day. People were lined up to take pictures in Cinderella's carriage, so Brian tried to get a quick shot. 

We took a quick shot of Graeme while we were all getting dressed before heading out - our little mad scientist.

Pumpkin Pickin'

We took a trip to the Flower Mound Pumpkin Village to pick out a pumpkin. I'd always heard great things about it. They are supposed to have lots of photo ops, food carts, hayrides, bounce houses and a train. We accidentally ended up at the bootleg patch next door. Apparently, the real Pumpkin Village also has a charity patch where volunteers work to raise money for their organizations. So, we made the best of it and ended up having fun. The venue was almost the same, just not as nice, with hot dogs and turkey legs instead of food carts and limited photo ops other than piles of pumpkins. We did get some great pictures and the kids had a ball.

Graeme had so much fun playing in a pile of pumpkins. I think he wanted to eat this one.

On this day, Mister was totally hammin' it up for the camera.

Sweet girl was driving an antique tractor.

Ian discovered the hay maze and did not want to do anything else. I think he spent about 25 minutes running through it repeatedly. Of course, Clare enjoyed it as well.

We decided to buy our pumpkins somewhere else - more on those later.

On the Move

Sweet Graeme is on the move and has been since early October. Army crawling is his current mode of transportation, but he is starting to go on all fours for a couple of feet before losing interest and taking the easy road. He's also pulling up on everything and cruising along the furniture. It won't be long before he starts working off his chubby legs.

Love these HAPPY boys!

Deep in the Heart of Texas

We took the family to the State Fair of Texas a few weeks ago. Clare and Ian had a ball. Graeme enjoyed it as well, but from the stroller - poor guy always gets the raw deal. AND we took no pictures of him :(. There were a few limitations on the rides which was frustrating. Ian could not ride anything he wanted to, even with a parent. We finally found some cars that he could drive as long as I rode with him. As you can see, I'm holding on to his shoulders from behind because it was so jerky I thought he might conk his little head.

Clare rode some whales while practicing her beauty queen wave. I don't even remember her doing it. That's my girl!

Both kids were able to sit in the driver's seat of a fire truck and talk to the firemen.

Since this is Texas - instead of the typical corn dogs - we ate burritos for lunch next to the Cotton Bowl. Then, on the way out, we stopped for ice cream and the obligatory funnel cake. (My family knows that I don't go to any outdoor festival or event without getting a funnel cake.) When it was all said and done, we were glad we went, but decided that it was something we could do every other year. Taking three kids is an quite an endeavor.

And the Doctor Said...

When I pick Ian up at school, his teachers always tell me how sweet he is and how much they love his smile. Well, this isn't news to us, but it is great to hear. When I picked him up last Thursday, he was just waking up from his nap which can be disruptive to the rest of the children since I'm usually one of the first to pick up. (We go to their classroom for drop off and pick up.) There usually isn't time to chat long because other parents are there. So, that night I received this email from Ian's teacher, Mrs. Brigitta:

Clai,

I was sitting here tonight thinking about our day today and I remembered something I forgot to tell you about Ian. It brought the biggest smile to my face. We have been singing the five little monkeys jumping on the bed song and we were using a finger puppet that has a mitten with five monkeys, a mommy and a doctor figure.  I gave Ian the doctor today to hold.  (We rotate it all around.). So we are singing. And its mostly me singing.. "Five little monkeys jumping on the bed. One fell off and bonked his head. Mommy called the doctor and the doctor said.." I pointed at Ian and like he was cued... He sang loud and clear. "No more monkeys jumping on the bed."  It was PERFECT and absolutely amazing and cute.  Maria and I looked at each other in awe. We have some of it on video. I haven't looked at it yet as I left my camera at school but I'll get you a copy if it came out!!!

Ian is so smart and so attentive and such a joy!!!! We love having him in our class!!

Have a great weekend. We will see you Tuesday.

Love
Brigitta

Now, if we could just get a note like that about Clare!

Ian's First Sick Day

Our sweet boy has succumbed to the preschool germs after only going to school for a week and a half. He has a cold already. He was so upset today that he could not go to school. It was made worse by the fact that we had to take Clare. He kept saying, "I go to school, Mommy. I want to go to school." He also did not understand when we went to get her that he was not going to stay again. Poor baby! He did benefit a little from his sick day. He had his favorite "chocky" milk after our trip to Target. By the time we finished our errand, Graeme was showing signs of the same cold! So, now I have 2 sick boys and G is cutting 2 or 3 more teeth on top of it. Fun times in our house!

Another treat today was meeting our friend, V.J., for lunch. VJ was our realtor when we moved to Texas and has become a great friend. She is Clare's buddy and loves the boys, too. We don't get to see her as often as we'd like, but usually catch up every few months. 

What do you know about meat?

I took a class yesterday called Steak 101 at a local market. The market is called Local Yocal Farm to Market. They are a butcher shop and local goods market. The shop is farmer owned by Matt Hamilton who taught the course. He talked about the different cuts of meat and the real meanings of terms like "All Natural", "Grass Fed", "Certified Angus", "Organic", etc. He explained USDA meat grading standards. It was awesome and so enlightening.

Basically, I left there wanting to buy all my beef, poultry and pork from his shop, which I guess was the point. I learned so much about what to look for when buying meat at the grocery store. Here are some key points that stood out to me:

1) The price we pay for organic meat has little to do with the actual product. EVERY step of the process from birth of a cow to the time it is packaged must be clean. In other words, a truck transporting an organic cow must be completely cleaned prior to loading if it has been used for a non-organic transport.
2) "Certified Angus" is a label placed on any cow that is at least 60% black in color. So a cow that resembles a Chick-Fil-A cow could be "Certified Angus" and it's all up to the USDA-trained inspector at the slaughterhouse to make that determination.
3) Pink slime has been almost eliminated from the market as a result of the NBC reports. Only one plant that produces it is still in business and it is suing NBC.
4) Chicken nuggets are the poultry version of pink slime minus the ammonia. The chicken parts are wrapped in edible plastic so that the breading will stick to it.
5) "Grass Fed" and "Grass Finished" are different concepts. A grass fed cow may be grass fed up, but then spend 6 months on grain, corn, etc. before it goes to market. Grass finished means that it is only ever fed grass. Grass Fed is still better than any other classification, but you should ask that question.
6) "Natural Flavorings Added" just means that what you are buying has been injected with broth and water - as much as 16%, so you are paying for water.

On a side note: This shop is so great. It serves as an incubator to vendors who have outgrown the farmer's markets, but aren't big enough for Whole Foods level sales. They sell dairy, eggs, mixes, pickles and just about anything you would find at a farmer's market. I can't wait to go back!

Dinnertime Funny

While Mimi and Pops were here, I made one of my go-to dinners, Chicken Mirabella. One of the ingredients is capers. The chicken marinates overnight, so the capers tend to blow up kind of like raisins do when they are soaked in liquid. (Do you know where I'm going with this?) Well...we were eating dinner and everyone seemed to be enjoying their meal when Ian got a look of confusion on his little face. He looked at my mom, held up a caper in his little fingers and in all seriousness said, "Mimi, it's a poopy." The three adults at the table did all we could to stifle laughter, but to no avail. I'm still laughing about it.

Mimi and Pops' Visit

Mimi and Pops came to visit for a whole week! Brian had a golf trip to Pinehurst for four days last week, so Mimi and Pops came to help out and boy did they! They cleaned the kitchen, wrangled little ones, did laundry, put furniture together (IKEA drawers are not self-explanatory!) and all the things that a family with 3 under 4 requires.  They were such a big help. On top of that, Brian ended up having to travel for work and was gone for most of the time following their stay. I don't think we would have survived without them. We did lots of fun stuff while they were here.

We visited the American Airlines C.R. Smith Museum in Fort Worth to airplanes and the history of American Airlines. It was riveting, but Clare and Ian enjoyed it and that is what counts. They played in a weather exhibit and turned into little aliens.

We went to Sealife Aquarium in Grapevine. The kids always love going to see the sharks and fish. We didn't take any pictures while we there. We had lunch at Grapevine Mills and did a little shopping, too. 

We only took one good picture the whole time Mimi and Pops were here. This one is a great shot of Mimi and our little Owl.

Our Family - September 2012

We have been trying to find a great, but reasonable photographer to take family photos for us for some time. A friend of mine has just started a photography business. Most of her photography is of newborns, but I asked her if she might consider working with us. She said Yes! So, we ventured off to a local park a few weeks ago and she worked her magic. She managed to get some fantastic photos of all of us and a few funny ones of Turtle's tears, Owl on the move and Monkey's antics. Here are a few of the great ones:

Donuts - Clare always makes a bigger mess than either of the boys!

No use crying over broken donuts.

Donuts - what donuts? I don't see any donuts.

I have rights to print all of them, so if you would like to view the whole album, email me and I'll send you the link and the password.

First Day of Preschool - 2012

We sent Clare and Ian off to preschool last Thursday. This is Clare's third year and Ian's first year. We decided to change schools this year to a more academic program that is also closer to our house. Stonebriar Preschool Pals is amazing. After only one week, I am very impressed by what Clare is doing. I'm not sure if it is just because she is 4 or if it really is her teachers, but either way I love it. Clare and Ian both have fantastic teachers that I am already so pleased with. They appear to truly love the kids and what they do.

I was worried about Ian - he is such a Mommy's Boy these days, but he is having a ball. He is the oldest in his class and I think it shows. He is the only one that doesn't cry at drop off, but is still excited to see me when I pick him up. So far he has been asleep each day when I pick him up. I love that his teachers let me come into the room and pick him up off of his nap mat each day. He's so sweet (and a little cranky) when he wakes up.

Clare is singing new songs already and truly enjoys going to school each day. She needs to work hard. She told us yesterday that she wants to be a doctor when she grows up!

A Pancake in Your Hand

I'm always looking for fun and easy breakfast ideas. I've made pancake muffins before that turned out okay, but I thought I'd give it another shot.  I found a fairly simple recipe, but made some modifications. I'm not sure whether I have an issue with my oven, but I need to extend the baking time on almost everything. (I think I just verified that my oven has an issue - add a oven thermometer to my list.) So here it is:

Mini Pancake Muffins
makes 24 mini muffins

1-1/4 c. pancake mix - I use this one*, but Bisquick will work
2/3 c. almond milk - regular milk will also work
2/3 c. syrup
1/2 banana, sliced and quartered
4-6 strawberries, diced for toddler size bites

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together all ingredients. Spoon the batter into a mini muffin pan**. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

Supermom disclaimer: I do not make bacon and sausage on a daily basis. I do, however, attempt to give my children a little protein and fruit or vegetable with every meal. In this case, I cooked bacon and sausage earlier in the week and reheated it for this mornings breakfast.

*I've used this pancake mix recipe for over a year. I make a double batch and keep it in the pantry. The only change I've made is to use a full cup of almond milk in place of the milk. Owl and I were dairy and soy free for almost a year, so I made this substitution out of necessity. Now, I use almond milk because it tastes so good in pancakes!

**I used a small cookie scoop to spoon the batter. It helps me maintain a little consistency in the amount that I put in each muffin. I also find that stirring as I go helps distribute the fruit evenly. I also needed to cook these about 4 minutes longer than the inspiration recipe suggested.

I freeze the leftover muffins for a school day! Enjoy!

Adventures in Chocolate Cake!

The girls in this house love chocolate. For me, I've always liked it, but something about becoming a mom has made me LOVE any form of chocolate - maybe it is the ridiculous hormone rollercoaster I've been on through five years of pregnancy, nursing and babies.  While our Turtle napped this afternoon and the Owl catnapped, the Monkey needed entertaining. My quick and easy go-to project for her is baking. I can usually find a simple recipe that will capture her attention for a few minutes.  Today, she requested chocolate cake. I'd pinned a recipe on Pinterest a few weeks ago for this one - Triple Chocolate Bundt Cake - which fit the bill. I followed the recipe with a few changes:

Chocolate Cake Mix (I used a Duncan Hines devil food cake mix, but any cake mix will do.)

Chocolate Instant Pudding

4 eggs

1 - 5 oz. container of plain greek yogurt (replaced the sour cream)

¾ cup water

¾ cup oil

12 oz. chocolate chips (I buy in bulk, so I measured instead of using a bag)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients well and pour batter into a well-greased bundt pan. Bake on 2^nd to bottom rack for 40-50 minutes. Remove from oven; let cake cool completely in pan. Take a small slender spatula and loosen cake around the outside and inside edges. (this was not necessary since I used cooking spray.) Tip upside down onto platter. Cake can be refrigerated and removed prior to serving or tastes just as good chilled.

I've found that cooking spray works much better on a Bundt pan than the old standby shortening and flour - plus it is healthier.

You will notice that our cake looks different from the picture. Miss Monkey insisted on sprinkles rather than powdered sugar and I can't hinder her creative spirit.

Ian's Birthday - Our Turtle Turns Two!

We celebrated Ian's 2nd birthday by inviting a few friends over for hamburgers, hot dogs and cake. Ian likes dinosaurs, so it was only appropriate that we have a dinosaur cake. I decided that my attempt at a dairy-free and soy-free cake was not successful enough to impose on our guests so I would abstain.

Grammy and Papa were here, too.

We had lots of fun with our friends...

Rylee

Clare, Jacob and Josh

Our Sweet Friend, Stella

CAKE!!!

PRESENTS!