Food & Friends

We had the Rowes and Tonks over tonight for dinner and games. I made Cherry-Apple Crisp for dessert. Then the kids played nicely together (off-and-on) while the adults played games and reminisced about when we didn't have kids... Of course we love them, but things sure were a lot easier to do without them!

Oh! And here is the soup recipe for Jamie:

Broccoli-Cheese Tortellini Soup

SU-per SATURDAY!

Today was our ward's Super Saturday and I opted to make Super Hero Capes for the kids. They had a girl version and a boy version. It took about 4 hours to make both of them and I think it was well worth the effort and pain-in-the-neck (sewing hunchback). They really were pretty easy and fun to make!

Check it out, check it out, check it out, check it out, check it out...

More Big Trees, Mamma!

On Friday I was freaking out with cabin fever, so I took the kids to the park with Ben & Michelle. It was a beautiful, crisp Autumn day (which inspired my Tribute to Autumn). Here are some pictures Michelle & I took:





Here I am showing my son how to "properly" spit off the bridge into the creek. Ladies do not spit- only for instruction purposes. Right. Yeah.



Sterling wanted to push Sissy as usual, and he had a lot of fun pushing her up this boardwalk (that was slightly inclined) and then running back down with her- roller coaster style. They both thought it was great fun and I was happy just to have them happy!



Sterling had an educational tour of the nature park -we looked at:
Spider webs with spiders in them, leaves hanging from one little gossamer string of web (like magic), uprooted trees, moss (petting zoo style), "more big trees", deer, squirrels, snakes, dragonflies, etc.

Tribute to Autumn

AUTUMN REMINISCENCE:

Cool, crisp air

Feather-down vests

Chimney smoke
Harvest moons

Pumpkins

Halloween sugar cookies

Haunted houses

Lakeview Farms

Auburn leaves

Rustling trees

94.7

Snowboarding

Warren Miller

Flying M Ranch

Warm indoor lights

Forever families

Apple cider

Mulling spice

School

Costumes

Swirling fog

Pattering of rain on leaves

Rosy faces

Scarves

Boots

Favorite jeans

Caramel Fondue

Pecan Sticky Buns

Corn Mazes

Friends

Oregon Coast

Alias

Pictionary

Cherry-Apple Crisp

Warm Vanilla Sugar candles

Homemade bread

Soup

Family strolls

Trillium Lake

Smell of new rain

Feel of new love

**Roll over words with mouse to find links...

November
by John Updike

The stripped and shapely
Maple grieves
The ghosts of her
Departed leaves.
The ground is hard,
As hard as stone.
The year is old,
The birds are flown.
And yet the world,
In its distress,
Displays a certain
Loveliness---

Baring My Inner Soul...

I took this little test for fun, and unlike some other ones I've taken, this is probably pretty close to the truth... Maybe even the ugly parts...

You Are An INFJ

The Protector You live your life with integrity, originality, vision, and creativity. Independent and stubborn, you rarely stray from your vision - no matter what it is. You are an excellent listener, with almost infinite patience. You have complex, deep feelings, and you take great care to express them. In love, you truly see relationships as an opportunity to connect and grow. You enjoy relationships as long as they are improving and changing. You can't stand stagnation. At work, you stay motivated and happy... as long as you are working toward a dream you support. You would make a great photographer, alternative medicine guru, or teacher. How you see yourself: Hardworking, ethical, and helpful When other people don't get you, they see you as: Manipulative, weak, and unstable

What's Your Personality Type?

Watercolors

This was Sterling's first time with watercolors- well, any kind of paint, actually. I am so tired of watching Nemo, so I thought I'd branch out and let him do something different. He really liked it!

Oreo Pizza Beard?

Oh, alright- it's dirt, okay?!

Who Needs a Double Stroller?

Rendezvouz

I can't help but think about Alias this time of year since the Rowes got us and the Wheelers hooked on it this time 4 years ago! Autumn brings about a lot of nostalgia for me and Alias happens to be one of them. This is where Will finds out Sydney is a spy- hilarious.

Will is funny in this one too- plus Sark is in it... ;)



Terry O'Quinn (John Locke from LOST) plays Kendall in this clip...



It may be time for another rendezvouz with Alias...

Flush Gum

Sometimes it feels like I've become so serious now that I'm a Mom- so much discipline, so many "no's." But I had to laugh out loud at Sterling today on our way to pick up Daddy from the train station. I had given him a piece of gum (his favorite) before we left the house and when we were almost there he said, "Sterling floss gum, Mamma."

"Oh... Okay honey..." (I have no idea what you just said...)

"Sterling floss gum, Mamma!"

"What do you mean you "flossed your gum?" (Thinking this boded ill for my upholstery, as usual.)

"Sterling flossed de gum down hole, Mamma."

At this point I realized he was telling me he had flushed his gum down his throat! I had a good laugh over that one as I explained that you flush a toilet and swallow food... There really is no difference to a 3-year-old. He just wants to flush something...

Pee Wee Soccer

This morning was Sterling's 1st time at Pee-wee Soccer and I'm so glad I signed him up! He mostly walked around aimlessly and peeked into the metal lids on the basketball court (that Doug tells me are for putting up Volleyball nets). At the end, another father told me he had a lot of fun watching him do this... None of the other kids were, but he's just so mechanical.

He did manage to kick a soccer ball a couple times and do some warm ups like jumping and arm circles. Next time will probably be better. He looked so cute in his soccer garb, though.

Challah

My friend Danica sent over a loaf of homemade bread a few months ago and we literally scarfed it down in less than 10 minutes. We come from a long line of Hoovers... I asked her for the recipe and when she gave it to me, I intended to make it right away. I didn't. I even took a bread class Danica held at the church and still never made any!
With the crisp new Autumn air that's been hanging about the last few days, I was feeling inspired to make soup and bread. So I pulled out Danica's Challah recipe, my new Roul'Pat, and went to work. It didn't take nearly as long as I thought it would!

I sprinkled the tops of two with Italian Seasoning and Garlic Powder and one with Poppyseeds. I think it could have used a little salt, though. All three cooked beautifully on my Silpat (with foil over the top after 10 min). Aren't they pretty?

Cannon Beach

We went to the Beach this last weekend for one last "hoorah" while the weather was still nice- 90° with the occasional cool marine breeze. It was lovely.

Sterling played in the little river with his "Tonky," and Evany tested out the sand with her toes and hands. She couldn't help but be fascinated with the water and continued to crawl to it even after she got cold and wet and cried. We hiked up the beach with the intention of stopping at Haystack Rock, but Sterling's bladder didn't make it and we were obliged to find a "potty."

We got bubble-gum ice cream and looked through some toy stores. The kids were starting to get a little cranky, but we stayed until 3pm, which was way past nap-time. Evie conked out first thing (like in the first 3 minutes of being in the car). Sterling gave a growl and then was out, too, shortly after.

Papier-Mâché Birthday

Tomorrow is Sterling's 3rd birthday. We had his party on Saturday with some friends and family to celebrate. I made him a piñata.

A couple weeks ago, we were having dinner at the park and a Mexican family was having a birthday party with a really cool piñata. Larry did recon and we got a basic idea of how to make it. So I got ambitious. I blew up a huge punch-balloon, made a vertical and horizontal frame out of cereal boxes to give it strength, added some cereal box cones and some tinsel. Then I found a basic recipe online for Papier-Mâché and mâchéd my heart out! It was alot of work and time-consuming (about three days), but also very theraputic...

The first night I mâchéd, I left it in the kitchen overnight to dry and in the morning I came downstairs to find the balloon deflated and my mâché shriveled. I thought about spitting nails at that point, but then I had the happy thought of removing the old balloon and inflating a new one inside- which worked wonderfully. Anyway, it turned out great! Although, I did see a "Fast Car" one at Target for $9.99 and decided maybe I'll just do that next time (even though mine was cuter). I think the boys really liked taking out their aggression on it (and, inadvertently, Doug's fingers)!

Sterling got some soccer stuff for his upcoming pee-wee soccer classes and a bike & helmet.

He's been holding up three fingers to anyone who comes over to tell them he's three now.

Funny Sterling

Sterling does some really funny things lately that I don't really know how to incorporate into a blog except to list them. Here are the top five:

5. Our phone charger cords have become an item of fascination. He likes to plug them into the wheels of his monster trucks and, "Look a' this one! Sterling get gas, Momma!" He begs me to go to Costco to get gas, and when he's in a parking lot, he will invariably open someone else's gas tank lid. Apparently, we've expanded our obsession with cars from "dual exhaust" to gas tanks...

4. He says "sorry" to everything. If he hurts you, he says sorry. If he kicks the ball the wrong direction, he says sorry. If I swat his behind for being naughty he says (albeit sadder), "Sorry, Momma." No, don't be misled- he is not repentant for what he has done. By this, he is saying, "Say sorry, Momma." And usually I do, except when he's been extra-special naughty.

3. Michelle burned some Raffi CD's for us that we play in the car sometimes at Sterling's request to "listen Raffi Song?". A couple weeks ago, he began singing along. I wasn't sure what I was hearing at first because it was mostly mumbled and very quiet, until the parts he knew well which he would sing out loud (and on tune!). Absolutely adorable to hear him sing Frère Jacques.

2. Sometimes I'll find him in our bathroom with one of our contacts cases that he's filled up with eye solution and he is putting his finger in the liquid and then in his eye (somberly and repeatedly). When he sees me watching he says, "Sterling put 'a contacts, Momma."

1. He says, "Whoa... EA-sy Momma," when I go around a corner too fast in the car. This he learned from his father.

Preschool

Yesterday was Sterling's 1st day of Preschool. It was "orientation" day and the Moms and siblings stayed. We reviewed the number, letter, shape, & color of the day and sang our ABC's. Then we split up into different stations and created a "beginning book" that had Sterling's photo, weight, height, age, favorite color (he says pink), and favorite shape (moon). We do this at the end of the year also to see how much he's grown. Then we made fruit pizzas, read a book and passed out the preschool "pet," Hedgie the Hedgehog, to Anna who will be the caretaker this week.
Sterling was all over the place! He's is one of the youngest and a boy- so he had a hard time sitting still. Hopefully, this improves with time. Unfortunately, I did not take a picture of him with my own camera, so I don't have one to post of him in his new jeans, polo, "fast car" backpack, and gelled-up hair. I'll post it when I get it from Miss Andrea.