Big Sis

Lexa's pretty helpful with High sometimes. She'll watch him while I make dinner or do dishes, fetch him from going down the hall to "the forbidden rooms" and intercept the small objects. 

She loves him. It's great to see what a great sister she is.

Orange Drinks

Lexa had an idea to put a straw in her orange. Of course Will wanted to do it too. It didn't work very well, although if you squeeze your orange, you can get some juice this way we discovered.

Houston Museum of Natural Science

Back to catching up on some of our summer adventures.We visited the Houston Natural History Museum, and it was really neat. It's really something to actually see these things in person rather than only in books and shows. Timmy was in awe walking through the dinosaur fossils, literally dropping his jaw and saying, "whoa...". He LOVED it. They also loved the gem and mineral exhibit. It was very beautiful, dark with spotlights on the crystals. There was also a huge, 4 foot diameter amythyst geode at the entrance that they were impressed with.

Ahh!

Timmy was very freaked out by the actual mummies in the Egyptian exhibit.

The alligator is on the ceiling in the curiosities room.

We watched a 3D documentary about dinosaurs.

Those of us that stayed awake, saw the planetarium show. I guess after going through the rest of the museum first, sitting down and turning out the lights was just too much! Timmy really loved the astromy show though. 

After that we took the tired crew to dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. Not very relaxing with the crazies, but the food was good.

Hugh enjoyed some breadsticks.

Lap Napper

They're so sweet when they sleep. There's a million chores I could be doing, but I love being able to take a break and hold him while he sleeps. 

Dishwasher Unhelper

It's so hard to try to load the dishwasher with this guy around!

Baby on a Box

Hugh has been climbing up on this box today and stands up there so happy and proud of himself, laughing and clapping his hands!

Muffins with Mom

Timmy and Lexa's school had "Muffins with Mom" this morning. They were so happy to have me come and eat breakfast with them, very sweet and loving. Will tried to follow Lexa to class when they were lining up to leave. 

I stopped by the park afterwards with the little ones. The weather was so nice and cool that early in the morning. I let Hugh walk around. He was super excited to be let free to explore. He climbed onto the merry-go-round and only tried to put a rock into his mouth once.

Kid Podcasts

I listen to this podcast called Brains On Science Podcast for Kids with the kids, usually on car trips. It's really good. Timmy loves it. They answer questions from kids, and he always wants to send them his. I finally actually wrote some down and sent an email for him. Here's what he wanted to know:

Why is it hotter when you get closer to the middle of the earth?

How do things rust?

Why do some bugs live in colonies?

How do Venus flytraps work?

Why do cats have multi colored fur?

Why were most dinosaurs plant eaters?

Why does oil kill bugs?

Why are trampolines so bouncy?

Lexa wanted to ask about cars.

How do cars work?

How does gasoline work?

Why don't cars drive themselves?

And also, 

How are babies born?

Another podcast I like with the kids is Story Pirates. Kids send their stories in and they read them, then act them out as radio plays. It's amusing.

A Little Boy Can Turn Into a Tree

Ever since Aunt Sara and Kenny introduced Will to charades a few weeks ago, at random times he will freeze stiff and say, "A little boy can turn into a tree."

What shall we play with?

In spite of the over abundance of toys we have in our house with four kids, I think Hugh's favorite thing to play with is my broom. You can see the light up, flashy ball at his feet doesn't stand a chance when he's gotten hold the broom again.

Other things he'd love to play with: my phone, my cup of coffee, the canned goods in the pantry, the Corning ware in the cabinets, our toothbrushes, the toilet water, pencils, everything in Timmy and Lexa's room, the tv remote, anything I try to set on my bedside table, including the lamp..

Will the Wedding Planner and Puppet Show Director

I'm 

Will put his sheriff hat, a bandana, and a headband on my wrist and told me, "Now you're ready to get married!" 

Then he told me to sing a big, big, big song, and said, "Let's celebrate celebrating!!"

Another cute thing he did later was start telling Lexa "Start" "Stop" and "Action" with arm gestures while she played puppet show.

Read ALL the books

This is the stack a "few" books they brought to me to read to them. (Apparently as many as Will and Lexa could carry.) I started marathon story time and had all 4 of them in the chair with me at one point.

I love that they love books. I remember reading one book after another book to Timmy when he was a toddler, an hour or more everyday. He's still always says, "One more chapter!" everytime I finish reading to him today.  Will is really getting into books now too. We could probably read stories all day as well.

 It's hard for me though because Hugh usually starts grabbing the book and crying. I think he notices I'm not paying much attention to him.

Those books have stayed in the living room for a few days now, and Lexa and Will keep bringing me a handful to read. 

Timmy keeps picking one up to read himself. Lexa too, a little.

Pink Balloon, Sequined Hat

Play a board game with me? Read to me? Get me snacks? Not right now. Okay, I'll just sit on your armrest inflating and deflating this balloon.

Late Night Football

Aww. Hugh cuddled up with his big sis, passed out on the living room floor while we were up watching late night Aggie football. 

Hugh was so tired, but he just wouldn't give in. He'd play a little, lay down for a minute, then back up again, then down for another breather. 

Timmy was heading to his bed, (of his own violation!? Unheard of, by the way.), but Patrick made him come back to lay in the chair again. Arkansas had made a big play when Timmy walked out of the room, and apparently you cannot change anything when the Aggies are doing well. The A&M football team went on to play the rest of the game really well, and Patrick sent Timmy over to my chair to give me lots of kisses.(touchdowns). Boom! 

Thanks for helping the Aggies win, Timmy?

Silly Hair

Hugh woke up today with half his hair sticking out to the side. It seems like it's going to stay that way. I couldn't get a very good picture, but he's looking pretty silly.

Chicken Spinach Alfredo for Dinner

I did one of those Facebook video recipes last night. It was yummy. The Parmesan cheese in it tastes good. Of course I rinsed Timmy's chicken off. Lexa didn't like the look of it, but was a good sport and tried it. Surprise! She really liked it. She said, "I'm going to want seconds." 🙂

I didn't have heavy cream so I added extra milk and some butter. I also didn't put cornstarch in it.

Spinach Chicken Alfredo Skillet

http://12tomatoes.com/spinach-chicken-alfredo/

INGREDIENTS

• 4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 cups frozen spinach, thawed and drained
• 1 (14.5 oz.) can seasoned diced tomatoes (with basil and oregano)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• Olive oil, as needed
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

• PREPARATION

  1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and brown chicken on all sides. Continue cooking until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear.
  2. Remove chicken from pan, cover with aluminum foil, and set aside.
  3. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat and sauté onions for 6-8 minutes, or until softened and translucent. Add garlic and cook for another 1 minute, or until fragrant.
  4. Stir in tomatoes (with juices), chicken stock and spinach, and season with basil, oregano, salt and pepper.
  5. In a small bowl, whisk cornstarch and milk to create a slurry, stirring until smooth. Pour slurry and heavy cream into sauce mixture, and bring to a gentle boil. 
  6. Stir in cheese until smooth and return chicken to pan. Cook for 5-10 minutes, or until chicken is warmed through.
  7. Serve hot and enjoy!

My Baby

Hugh started walking this summer. He's completely adorable. He claps when he's happy and he giggles when I smile at him like we have a secret joke between us. His favorite game right now is practicing his new throwing toys skill. He loves everyone, wants Patrick to pick him up as soon as he walks in the door from work, and follows his siblings around the house. Will and I were playing, I'm gonna get you, chasing each other around the kitchen the other day, and I looked over at Hugh. He was laughing away at us. Then he tried to join in. He still tries to bite us every one in awhile though. We're working on that. So watch out!

River Visit

Sara and Kenny came to visit, and we all headed for the river. On the way there we learned never again to seat Timmy in between both Lexa and Will. The fighting finally ceased when I changed the seats and moved him. 

The river was beautiful and it was a happy afternoon.

Then we went to Neal's Cafe and were reminded of many childhood summer vacations.

A Swing for Three

They thought this swing for three was a great idea. (It didn't last long though because it was about 1 million degrees outside with no shade in sight!)

Lexa Loves Salad

I love how Lexa loves vegetables for a snack. As long as I don't try to do something crazy like cook the vegetables for dinner. That is unless eating them all myself is my goal! Will loves salad veggies dipped in salad dressing too. Other hits are pickled banana peppers and olives. They'll also grab whole tomatoes out of the fridge and eat them. 

Not so much the ever picky Timmy. Although he will eat lettuce and spinach leaves plain and dry by the handful sometimes.

Baby Sock Sabotage

I was convinced that I had broken our washing machine by cramming a heavy bath mat and pillow in it and then to have it stop spinning. It turns out the culprit was a baby sock in the pump. I'm so happy to have it back. You never truly realize how much you need a washer until it's out of order. Now to go put another load in. I keep forgetting to keep the laudry train moving today now that it's going again. I only have at least a million more loads to do to catch up!

Breakfast Race

I guess breakfast is done now, since he's thrown all his food on the floor...

It's always a race to eat between me and him. He usually wins.

Sneaky Photographer

I found these pictures of Hugh on my phone. Apparently Timmy got hold of it as I was digging in the fridge!

Chicken Marsala for Dinner

Even though I'm the only one in my family who will eat mushrooms. 😕

Lexa liked the sauce at least.

It's an easy recipe. I didn't dredge the chicken in flour, I used white cooking wine instead of Marsala wine, and bacon instead of prosciutto, since I had that.

Ingredients

• 4 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• All-purpose flour, for dredging
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced
• 8 ounces crimini or porcini mushrooms, stemmed and halved
• 1/2 cup sweet Marsala wine
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions

• Put the chicken breasts side by side on a cutting board and lay a piece of plastic wrap over them; pound with a flat meat mallet, until they are about 1/4-inch thick. Put some flour in a shallow platter and season with a fair amount of salt and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly.

• Heat the oil over medium-high flame in a large skillet. When the oil is nice and hot, dredge both sides of the chicken cutlets in the seasoned flour, shaking off the excess. Slip the cutlets into the pan and fry for 5 minutes on each side until golden, turning once – do this in batches if the pieces don't fit comfortably in the pan. Remove the chicken to a large platter in a single layer to keep warm.

• Lower the heat to medium and add the prosciutto to the drippings in the pan, saute for 1 minute to render out some of the fat. Now, add the mushrooms and saute until they are nicely browned and their moisture has evaporated, about 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Pour the Marsala in the pan and boil down for a few seconds to cook out the alcohol. Add the chicken stock and simmer for a minute to reduce the sauce slightly. Stir in the butter and return the chicken to the pan; simmer gently for 1 minute to heat the chicken through. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.