Christmas Eve Pictures

Christmas Eve has always been celebrated with my mother's side of the family, only now Greg's mother joins us as well. The kids tend to get a lot of the attention, but I feel that's how Christmas should be, with a focus on children.

I like the photo below because of the details. I am the only one posing. Henry is engrossed in the soft teddy bear. Rusty the dog is also interested in the teddy bear, but for more nefarious reasons. (I believe he likes to chew on stuffed animals.) Nick is looking bored and impatient because it isn't his turn to open a gift. 

Auntie Mandy got Nick a hexbug, which looks remarkably like a cockroach. I told him to make sure not to have it crawling around the floor or I might stomp on it.

Nick also got a nerf gun from his Uncle Andy, and boy did all the guys have fun with it. Even Grandpa Ray joined in.

Henry got the neatest bristle blocks. I haven't seen those in years, and he adored putting them together. I am thinking we'll have to get more so he can build bigger things.

Nick got a V-Reader that he calls his "Nook." It is a kind of e-reader, so he's not too far off, actually.

Grandma Linda was just as excited about her books as Nick was about his "Nook."

Henry adored all of the cars he received. He loves cars, and "Ca!" is one of the few words he has been saying consistently. He also makes car noises.

Grandma Toni had a great time watching the boys play with their presents. I think my sons must be some of the most photographed children in the world. I believe there are over 900 pictures on my computer just from the 24th and 25th of this month.  :)

The boys were MOST excited, though, at the end of the evening, when Grandpa Ray brought out his new helicopter and let the boys play with it. (All the boys. . . Uncle Justin, Uncle Andy, Nick, Rusty, and Henry).

Besides the helicopter, Nick also loved the all time favorite. . . empty wrapping paper tube. Typical.

Here's Henry rocking around the Christmas Tree.

One Big Blur of Fun

My mom went with Nick and Henry and me this Saturday to the DuPage Children's Museum for their Family Fun Night. For Nick, it should've been called "One Big Blur of Fun" because he didn't stop moving the entire time.

Most of my pictures are blurry, but that's okay. Here is Nick playing in the music room.

Nick loved banging with those drumsticks, though I'm not sure if we can call the sounds he made "music." Notice how fast those drumsticks were moving.  :)

For a child as active as Nick, this museum is paradise because there is so much to see and do. It is loud, colorful, and filled with toys. His favorite part was the train. I was proud of how he waited his turn to drive the train. However, once he was sitting in the conductor's seat, my boy was not moving. He kept shouting, "All Aboard" and "Choo-Choo!"

Don't think that Henry missed out on the fun. He tried all kinds of things, including climbing up a squishy, wavy ramp. Henry loved people-watching most of all, though.

I noticed after I put Henry in these pants that they look like skinny jeans 'cause his legs are so chubby. Oh well, skinny jeans are in style now, even for guys.

One of the coolest things I saw for babies was this bar. It is set up almost like a ballet bar, but for babies. It had textured semicircles for them to feel with their baby fingers.

I'm so glad I took the boys. They had an excellent time, and slept like, well, like babies after all the commotion.

Christmas Cookie Baking 2011

Every year, my sister and I get together at my mom's house to bake cookies. This year, Nick was able to "help*." He even wore an apron and a hat for the occasion.

*For anyone receiving cookies this year, let me just say that while Nick did indeed make cookies, none of those cookies were given as gifts. Most of them looked exactly like what they were: cookies made by a three-year-old.

Nick also got to use the cookie shooter to make butter cookies. I had been telling him all about this cookie shooter during the car ride up, and he was absolutely enthralled with the idea of a special shooter that shoots delicious cookies. I suppose that would be a little boy's dream.

Meanwhile, Henry tried his first few cookies. He still doesn't have any teeth, but he gave it his all and ate a few.

The verdict? He liked them. A whole lot.

We worked really hard all day, and our end result was a ton of cookies and candy. I think we worked hard enough to negate any calories from all of the cookies we tasted. Because, of course, if a cookie breaks, you can't just leave it there. We had to do taste testing, just to make sure everything turned out okay, you understand.

I love baking Christmas cookies. Unfortunately, they're mostly gone now, so it looks like Nick and I will be making more cookies tomorrow.

Raking Leaves with Grandpa and Making Chili with Grandma

Nick loves to be a helper. Last weekend I took the boys up to my mom's house for the day so that Greg could paint our living room. (More on that another day. But yes, it's finally painted.)

I dressed both boys in what I call "Grandpa shirts." That's because all of their Grandpas wear button-up shirts. I told Nick he had to wear his new brown boots because they were "leaf-raking boots."

He loved raking the leaves and hiding in them. Grandpa Ray buried Nick in a whole pile of fall leaves. We put Henry on top of the pile, but he wasn't sure what to think. I bet those leaves felt weird.

Nick was terribly excited, and he loved raking the leaves. Last year, we bought him his own little rake, and Nick brought it with to "help."  The weather was cool, but not too chilly. I'm hoping we get similar weather this coming weekend. I love the way the boys look in their matching flannel shirts.

Speaking of "helping," Nick helped stir the chili, which was our lunch. I'm sure he would've helped even more if Grandma Linda would've let him.

I'm so glad I took a break from writing my chapter to focus on the boys and enjoy a day with my family. Every minute with these little guys is worth it.

Up at the Farm

Last weekend, we took the boys up to Northern Wisconsin for a memorial service for Greg's grandmother. She passed away last February, but the family waited until her birthday weekend to have a graveside service. It was a great way to remember her--far more positive and uplifting of a remembrance than most. 

Anyhow, Nick is well past the point of parallel play and is desperate to interact with other kids. He was absolutely elated when he saw that his cousins were at the farm to play with him. I do believe that Nick thought they were there specifically to entertain him. He kept asking for his cousin Lukas by saying, "Where is that boy?" Why does he like his cousins so much? (I believe they're 2nd cousins, actually, since their parents are Greg's 1st cousins. Is that how this works?)

Cousins make us laugh. (Nick was the one laughing. I'm aware that Henry is looking somewhat dour.)

Nick and his cousin Lukas enjoyed swinging golf clubs at one another. they haven't learned to play, but they were pretty good at whacking things.

Cousins with lots of energy can go swimming even if there's no water. A big field will work!

Henry and Nick also got to spend time with their Grandma Linda and Grandpa Jay. See Henry's relaxed smile?

Cousin Gracie absolutely loved holding Henry. She fed him bottles, helped me change him, and cuddled him for literally hours. 

It was a great weekend for the kids, though it was pretty exhausting with all of the traveling. Do I look tired?

Septemberfest 2011

I adore cool, sunny weather, and we've had an abundance of those days lately. Perfect carousel-riding weather.

Last Sunday, we went up to G.G.'s house for Schaumburg's Septemberfest. We last took Nick to this festival in 2009, when he was still a baby. My, has he grown. Until Sunday, however, he had not tried cotton candy.

That situation was quickly rectified, and Nick is now an expert on this sweet treat. Poor Henry wasn't old enough for cotton candy, so he had an alternate treat.

Nick absolutely adored all of the rides. He does not, however, grasp the concept of "all done," and every time it was time to leave a ride, bouncy house, ferris wheel, or other such things, a loud and terrible fit ensued. I can understand why--rides are such fun! This, I believe was Nick's first ferris wheel ride. He went with Grandpa Ray and Grandma Linda, and begged for more.



Both boys enjoyed the carnival and craft fair, but I think Nick's favorite thing was the bouncy house. He absolutely would not come out. We had to bribe him with a cupcake--if we hadn't thought of that, I'm sure he still would be there, bouncing happily away.

We were pretty tired on Sunday, for various reasons. Greg caught up on his sleep while we were visiting with G.G. I forgot how much fun Septemberfest can be--we'll have to make sure to go next year. I will have to remember to bring something to bribe Nick with so he doesn't stay forever.

A Tapas Birthday Dinner, Part One

Last Saturday, we celebrated my mom's birthday with a special tapas dinner. Last year, we had a French-themed meal, and this year we "went" to Spain. My mom and stepdad went to Barcelona a few years ago, and I spent a month in Spain back in 2004, so it was nice to revisit those memories. I put out all of my pictures from Spain, and I even downloaded some Spanish music (titled ironically, "Tapas Bar Music.")

I'm thinking I'll talk about our dinner in two or three posts, because I have lots to tell and recipe links to share. By the way, my sister took all of the photos. I was way too busy cooking and drinking sangria.  :)

Yes, that's a Cordobes hat I put on Henry. I was trying to find a way to "put" the kids in traditional Spanish costumes. This is the best I could do. I used my poor photoshopping skills to dress Nicholas up as a matador. Yes, I know I'm not terribly good at this, but hey, I tried.

This meal was the culmination of weeks of preparations, at least four separate shopping trips, and hours of cleaning/decorating. I also spent a very long time on the menu, which was given to everyone but also served as a birthday card for my mom. It's kind of long, but I'm going to attach it here for you to see. (Click to enlarge) Oh, and by the way, I don't actually speak Spanish, at least not very much. I understand a decent amount, but I can't speak or write well, or at all, really. Google translate worked well, and if it didn't, well then, no one in my family would know any differently. Hopefully I'm not saying anything too naughty in Spanish.

Tapas, if you've never had them before, are basically small appetizer portions of both hot and cold foods.  In Spain, they're often combined to make a meal. I love this way of eating, because you just have a few bites of every food, try many new flavors, and spend hours eating and talking. Tapas meals are supposed to encourage conversation. In Spain, dinner is served late (think, 9 pm. at the earliest) and can easily drag on until midnight.

Greg made a homemade Pomegranate Sangria that was delightful but made everyone kind of drowsy.

My stepdad even fell asleep on the couch in between tapas courses.

So what did we eat, you ask? Well, we didn't sit at the table all night, that's for sure. We ate a little bit, then rested and talked, then ate some more. I served Tortilla de Patatas (Spanish Potato Omelet) first. basically, it's a potato and onion omelet, served cold. It is delicious and was quite time-consuming to make. I was impressed, though, at how well it turned out. I loved the flavor of this dish. You can find the recipe here. I followed the directions exactly, except that I added a few more eggs into the mix.

I went to Whole Foods to get fancy Spanish cheeses, along with grapes and apples to serve with them. I think I liked the sheep's milk cheese the best. I also did a baked goat cheese, served with toast made on my homemade baguettes.



Henry, of course, did not get to sample any tapas. But he got plenty of formula and snuggling.

I will write more about our dinner tomorrow. In retrospect, it really was a ton of work. I think my mom enjoyed it, though.

Wordless Wednesday