Coconuts, Asian Pears & Lobster Tails

We are officially trying to break free of the food rut we are in. It seems like I make the same thing over and over again. I can't believe I'm actually going to admit this in writing but about 4 months ago Mike took over much of the dinner time cooking and since then our taste buds have really been thankful! The boys are really into trying new things. Jay loves all those "Wild" shows on the Discovery channel - Shows that include, "Man Vs. Wild," "Man, Woman, Wild," etc....anyway he learned that coconut is a really good liquid to have if you're stuck in the middle of nowhere. Mike picked one up and for giggles, we broke it open tonight to give it a try. All four of us agreed, it was DISGUSTING!
Nick is proving to be our child with rather "snoody" tastes. Recently he decided he likes asian pears - Nick can't just settle for a regular pear, Oh No, he wants an asian pear. Then we learned that his all time favorite food (and I'm not kidding) is lobster tails. Needless to say, he costs us a fortune when we go out to dinner and he no longer eats from the kids menu.

Here is Mike getting ready to break open the coconut. He has that goofy grin because he can't figure out why I'm snapping pictures of him chopping up a coconut. Duh - Because I want to blog it!

And here's just sweet Jay and I. His eyes are kind of closed but I think it's still a good picture. He took this picture without me threatening or bribing him - mission accomplished.

Quirks/habits I've established in motherhood

*Locking the door when I'm in the bathroom. The boys think nothing of just coming into the bathroom when I'm in there! I've learned to lock the door everytime or else I'll have an audience.
*Doing a load of laundry everyday
*When I'm driving I can identify construction equipment that ranges from skid steers, graders, excavators, wheel loaders, back hoes.......need I go on?
*I've learned to love and appreciate penguins and giraffes almost as much as Nick
*Licking my finger to wipe the boy's mouths - this is a quirk I hate but can't help that I do it anyway. My mom use to do this to me growing up and I hated it. I swore I would never do it - Funny how I've developed one of my mother's quirks that drove me nuts.
*I've got this odd habit of always putting Jay's football pads in wrong - everytime! It drives Jay crazy. He's usually trying to fix his pads around while we're en-route to football. I tell him to stop complaing, at least I've learned how to put his cup back in his jock strap correctly!

Chocolate chip pancakes, football & a wedding

Jay's new breakfast of choice is chocolate chip pancakes. Nick loves pancakes too but he prefers them plain. Isn't if funny how kids are so aware of what they do and don't like? One morning this week Jay begged me to make him chocolate chip pancakes - on a weekday - I set my alarm nice and early and made the pancakes. I never quite know what kind of reaction I'll get from Jay but when he got up and realized I had made him his chocolate chip pancakes he was thrilled. He thanked me profusely and told me they were delicious so it was well worth getting out of bed early. The funny thing was Nick ate a bite or two and turned up his nose, he said it was too chocolately for him. Next time I'll know to make some of the pancakes plain.

Mike and Jay attended Jay's football game on Saturday, in the RAIN! I hate to miss Jay's games but truth be told, yesterday was the game to miss. Thankfully, Nick was at his grandparent's house so he didn't have to endure the cold and rain. Mike said by the time the game was over, everyone was soaked and freezing cold and to top it off, Jay's team got beat again. Oh well, at least they are having fun. I helped my good friend, Karen (above) with her daughter's wedding yesterday. We had a lot of laughs and it was a fun-filled day. As I'm writing this, I can't believe it's Sunday afternoon - I mean, really, could the weekend have gone any faster? Have a great week everyone. I'll try to blog more this week. We've been really busy with football, school, swim lessons, etc.......

Thursday night ritual

Every Thursday night my mom picks Nick up from daycare and drives him into town for swim lessons. Meanwhile, Mike and Jay head out to football practice. I meet my mom at Nick's swim lessons, just in time to watch his entire lesson and relieve my mom. After lessons Nick and I go to Qdoba. We sit in the same place and eat the same food. After we finish dinner we go to the nursing home and visit my dad and here is where it gets to be a little like the movie, "Groundhog Day." Nick usually throws a curve ball at some point and tonight it was him having to pee four times in the course of a 2 hour period. Anyway, I digress.......the same ole, same ole part of our nursing home visit consists of us walking into dad's room and finding him the same position we left him in the Thursday night before. He is sitting in his wheelchair in his black and white pants with his shirt, shoes and socks off, waiting for a nurse to dress him so he can go to bed at 6:30!!! He always huffs around, impatient from waiting for a nurse to get him dressed. I try to remind him that it's not like he's sitting on the toliet - It's 6:30 at night, what kind of a hurry can he possibly be in to get dressed for bed but he always is. But the topper is......every Thursday night when Nick and I come in to find dad in all his "glory," Nick responds the same way by saying, "Grandpa, it really creeps me out when I see you without your shirt on." The other curve ball Nick threw tonight (in addition to having to pee every 30 minutes) was deciding that he needed to poop! He used my dad's potty. Luckily, most people in the home having a hearing problem because Nick proceeded to grunt and carry on and tell us how stinky his poo was! To top it off, on our drive home Nick asked if I could take a shower with him when we got home. I told him that No, I couldn't do that, he was too old for me to take showers with him. He responded by saying (and I quote), "Trust me, Mommy, I won't touch your boobs, trust me." I just have to shake my head over another fun-filled Thursday night.

Shiloh

This summer my mom bought Jay a chapter book, "Shiloh." It's about a little boy who acquires a dog from an owner who mistreats his dogs. It's a really sweet story. On the days my mom kept Jay she would read a chapter to him. I got the impression that some days were better than others - it all depended on what mood Jay was in - whether or not he wanted to sit and listen to his nana read to him. But my mom always said that even on days when Jay acted like he could careless about "Shiloh" he could tell my mom and me what a particular chapter was about. My mom ended up buying Jay the series in the "Shiloh" chapter books and I have picked up where she left off this summer and Jay LOVES it! Many nights I finish a chapter and Jay begs me to read more. It's been fun to see Jay so enthusiast about reading and it warms my mom's heart to know she started it. Thanks Mom!!!

A giraffe......on a bike

As most of you know Nick is crazy about penguins and giraffes. It is true that penguins were his first love but it turned out they weren't his only love. Honestly, I can't think of any two finer animals to be in love with! Since Halloween is right around the corner and since Nick was a penguin last year for Halloween he chose to be a giraffie. When I bought his costume I couldn't resist giving it to him but I knew that once I gave it to him he would want to wear it morning, noon and night and hence by the picture above, even when he bike rides. Last night I took Jay to football practice and apparently while we were gone Nick wore his costume around the house but since it's like 90 degrees out right now he wore it a short time period and decided it was too hot. Mike said the minute I pulled in the drive he tore off into the bedroom to get his costume back on so he would be in "full gear" when Jay and I came in the door and sure enough he was! This morning, instead of getting dressed in his school clothes, he came down to breaksfast in his costume (I did draw the line of him going to school in his costume because he has asked). Thankfully the costume is of a darker color because Nick will have wore it out by the time Oct. 31 comes along.

Just me and my boys

Here was my attempt, pathetic it may be, to get a picture of the three of us before church on Sunday. I think I look like a big headed giant - with big hair. Nick is kind of stuck between Jay and I and Jay has that goofy grin. So I gave up and decided the picture below was more appropriate for us! Have a great weekend everyone.

Eight years beautiful

My mom use to read me the book, "Alexander and the horrible, no good, very bad day." She would read me these books on days when I had just that, a horrible, no good, very bad day! Tonight was one of those nights that I wish I had the book to read to Jay. He had a hard time with other kids today - and his feelings got hurt. This is SO hard as a parent to watch. I know this is all part of growing up but to see Jay in tears is hard to watch - All this on top of him dealing with his learning disabilities and being pulled out of class everyday. Jay knows he learns differently from other kids but that's just it, he learns differently, it doesn't mean he's stupid but he hasn't quite figured that out yet. He gets down on himself and says he's stupid. If he could see the bright, funny loving, physical boy who brings me, his dad and his brother so much joy everyday. To me he is eight years beautiful and not only does he shine right now but I know the Lord has wonderful things planned for his future. He's extraordinary, he just hasn't quite figured it out yet but when he does, I'll be right there to say, "I told you so."

Nick's dreams

Just the other night my mom asked me if I thought Nick actually dreamed about penguins and giraffes. When I went to check on him after I put him to bed I found him like this so you be the judge....I think it's safe to say Nick dreams about penguins & giraffes..........Happy dreaming, Nickel Pickel.

Our Labor Day Weekend

Friday started off with Nick's "brown" show and tell. he dressed in all brown (notice his giraffe on his shirt) and insisted on his gi-normous giraffe for show 'n tell.

Jay's first football game was Saturday. They got beat but still enjoyed the game and it gave them a sense of what a football game is all about.

Jay's biggest fans cheering him on!

Jay after his game - He looks so serious, doesn't he?

Now here's something you don't see everyday - Mike taking a cat nap. I have to admit, all of us (but specifically mom and dad) were exceptionally tired this weekend.

Jay had his two good buddies over on Saturday night. The boys built a fort, rode their bikes and rode the tractor around. Needless to say, they had a good time.

And wonders never cease. Here are the boys quietly (now there is a word I don't use very often in my blogs) putting togetgher a puzzle together on Sunday! It was a really nice and relaxing weekend.

Whatever happened........

I was going to post pictures from our Labor Day weekend but something else hit me for this blog (so look for the Labor Day pictures later this week).
In May my Grandmother passed away. Recently my Aunt Karen gave me some family linens and dishes from my Grandmother and my Great Grandmother. As I went through the boxes I discovered cute little plates with a floral print - kind of like an appetizer plate but I'm sure 60 some years ago they were referred to as something else - some crystal sherbert bowls, Yes, way back then they even had bowls for sherbert and dainty, hand stitched linens. I carefully washed the dishes and found space for them in my cabinet, praying that someday in the near future I would find time to use the dishes - Perhaps a sherbert and wine party for my girlfriends! It got me thinking, whatever happened to the neighborhood women getting together once a week for coffee, whatever happened to eating dessert at every meal (and not being concerned how many calories it is), whatever happened to the formal, hand written notes that my Grandma sent me so many times when I was away at college, whatever happened to dinner parties and whatever happened to time itself? Sometimes I think that when my boys are older I'll have more time to plan dinner parties and make desserts (all things I really like to do) but then I wonder if dinner parties and desserts will be a thing of the past by the time I'll actually have time to experience them. Only time will tell.

Boating

This past weekend we went boating with Grandma & Grandpa. This summer Mike's parents bought an R.V. so the boat has really taken second fiddle. Ha! The boys were out on the boat a few times this summer but usually by summer's end I have been out and this summer it just didn't happen. Heaven knows it was plenty hot enough!

Loves with Grandma!

Nick in his new spider man life jacket

My big boy Jay, all smiles!