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Saturday, December 15, 2012

Plaster...



I have come to the conclusion we will never be done with plaster.  Our houses keep getting older and bigger and the plaster in a greater state of disrepair.  We have just about finished with it downstairs - there are still a few rough spots in the foyer --
 but now we are headed upstairs - and it is really  bad upstairs.


The stairway needs a good bit of help, too...



By the time we are finished I think we will have probably replaced 25-30% of the finished plaster and maybe 15% of the foundation plaster.

I'm pretty sure this is why we never hang pictures...

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Helping Daddy

Doug is helping out at Winchester Montessori by patching their circular driveway.  


Clearly, Reece is helping, too.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Making Ornaments

Once again, I am borrowing ideas from the Play at Home Mom blog and trying some of their activities with the boys.  A few weekends ago I bought a bunch of random little Christmas trinkets and some clear plastic globe style ornaments.  Now that everyone has recovered from the stomach bug that knocked the whole house on it's butt, I decided to give this activity a try after school today.

I set out all the goodies on the table and invited the boys to come and see.  I showed them how to get the salt (snow) in the globes and then told them they could put what ever they wanted in them.  This turned out to be a GREAT activity.  They were very engaged for over 30 minutes.  If I had had more ornaments to fill, they would have kept going!  Once they ran out of materials they were very excited to hang their creations on just the right spot on the tree.

When Doug got home later in the evening, they both raced over to tell him that had made "Beautiful Ornaments" for the tree and wanted him to come over and see what they had done.

I'm pretty sure we are going to have to do this again.

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

One week later...

Well, it has been one week since Reece mangled his fingers at the store.  The doctor at the ER told to have him wear the splint for 5-7 days then take it off.  Reece is still really, really worried about the state of his fingers and/or having anyone touch them - but we did manage to have him go without it after his bath.

He still doesn't want you to touch his hand at all, so I snapped this picture after he was asleep ;)  The little red dot is where they gave him the digital block in the ER.  No nails on the middle two fingers.  :(


And to further make me feel like a terrible mom, yesterday while brushing his teeth I noticed that his front right tooth was ever so slightly grey!  (Holy crap!)  I have no idea when he bumped it hard enough to make this happen, but clearly he did.  After a Google search (note to self - this is never a good idea) and a night stressing over it, I called his dentist first thing in the morning.  They told me it was a bruise, not a big deal if it wasn't loose (it isn't), and that at worst it will be a little discolored.  Whew.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Rough Day

Poor Reece-man. After what started off as a perfectly good day -- and ALMOST ended that way - there was a finger smooshing incident.  He got his little hand run over by the bay door at the hardware store just minutes before it was time to go.

So the day ended in a trip to the ER, x-rays (appears not to be broken), the removal (yuck) of two of his fingernails because the nail bed was so damaged, and a splint.

Sleeping in Mommy's bed after a rough afternoon.
Now we wait (and wait and wait) to see if his nails will grow back 1- at all and 2- if they do - are they somewhat normal.  The Dr. said he wasn't sure what would happen since the nail bed was so damaged.  (And then he added, at least he's a boy so it won;t matter so much.) What?  I hope we haven't damaged our sweet little boy only a few weeks into his second year!

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Not a chance...

First, they each made a pizza
Gabe is driving a bulldozer on his.


Then, they announce "3 little boys all in a row!"



Not a chance of quiet in this house.  My friends with little girls have no idea.  No quiet playing with dolls, no coloring at the table, no crafty cuteness, etc. here.  Nope.  Even coloring often ends up being a contact sport.  We wrestle. We run.  We shout and laugh at the top of our lungs while chasing each other wearing masks and making "chomp, chomp" noises.  Then switch who wears the mask and repeat.

This motley crew of little boys has started to roam the house like a pack of animals.  They go from room to room, activity to activity, as a single, loud, messy unit.  

And don't think you can single one out.  Oh noooo.....that will result in a chorus from the others : "Don't do that to MY BROTHER!" 

And now we are upstairs being loud - but having tons of fun.
These pictures span about a 2.5-3 hour time frame.

Friday, November 2, 2012

Reece's New Car




Ms. Patti got Reece the coolest "book" for his birthday today - it turns into a car.  Even the big kids were amazed :)  (I think it is pretty darn nifty, too!)

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Riding in Their Plane

So I round the corner of the kitchen into the foyer and I find this:

According to Gabe,they are riding in their plane.  They made it by flipping a bench upside down and sitting between the legs of it.  Gabe tells me he is driving it - Reece is pointing out things he sees while they fly.

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Fall Fest at School

I took the day off so I could go to the boys' Fall Fest at school today.  It was, as expected, little kid mayhem.  They had several activities planned.  Over the course of several hours they got to launch a trebuchet, glitter paint a pumpkin, peel and core apples to make apple turnovers, play in a sensory bin, do some fall golf and beanbag throwing, and show my their classroom.  It was loud, and chaotic - but at the end of the day all three boys decreed it was a "good day!"

(Pictures coming as soon a I get them off the camera)

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Meal Planning : Oct 22, 2012

OK, so I am still trying to get my act together here - I have found that if I don't make a meal plan, Doug and I eat popcorn for dinner after the kids go to bed.  So now you know.

Here is the plan for this week - in no particular order:

  • Refried pintos (from crockpot) w/ Chorizo and Avocado with corn tortillas
  • Tortellini w/ pesto from the last basil in the garden
  • Seasoned pintos (made in Crock pot Sunday night), collards, and cornbread
  • Chicken saltimbocca with sage from the garden
  • Homemade pizza with what ever is hanging around in the fridge 
  • Potato, kale, and smoked sausage soup
Inspired by OrgJunkie to get my act together!

Monday, October 22, 2012

A Boy and his Riding Mower

Waving "BYE!" before he rides off into the sunset.

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Gabe's Nature Walk and Reece in a Pot...

Gabe went walking through the woods with Doug today while the other two boys took a nap.  He loves to be in the woods, under the trees where it is "so pretty and quiet."

He brought me back some things he thought were pretty during his walk - a piece of petrified wood and some osage oranges.

He's a pretty cool kid.



And not to make anyone think our life is all quiet / reflect boys that love nature, I give you - Reece.  Stuck in a pot.  Yes, I went and got a camera and took a picture before I helped him out.

This is the only shot I for where he wasn't looking at me yelling for me to help him out.  You can see Grayson's legs in the background - he kept asking him, "Reece, are you stuck in the pot??"

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Pumpkins!

We finally managed to get ourselves to the Pumpkin Patch!  The boys played for a couple of  hours and when it got crowded we decided to head home.  Just for kicks, we decided to take the pumpkins and sneak them into the garden and have the kids "find" them.


Yep, totally for our own amusement.  It was worth it.

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Reece the "Tire Man" and tucking in the Owl




Today there was a tire incident.  Not on a car, but on the log splitter. Doug had to leave the log splitter at the school, take off the tire, go to the hardware store, fix the tire and go back to the school to replace said tire.  (Whew!)  Reece thought this was GREAT fun and really did think he was in charge of the whole process.

He carried the tire though the store and was rather adeptly using the hole repair kit.  (He also seems to be seriously considering be left handed.  That would make two out of the three - yikes!)



And after this busy, busy morning of tire repair, he felt his owl needed a nap, for certain.  So he tucked him in, because that is what you do, you know.  And if the owl was tired, the ladybug probably was, too...

Helping Daddy...


Grayson helping Daddy make scones for breakfast before school.

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Halloween Project


The boys were a little stir crazy when I got home this afternoon, so it seemed like a good time to break out a crafty activity to refocus attention.  Since it was nice outside  we set up on the front porch.  I gave them

Look Mommy! It has 3 eyes!
  • a bright yellow desert plate, 
  • few tubes of glitter glue, 
  • some white glue, 
  • fall colored pompoms, 
  • googly eyes, 
  • crayons. 
After about 15 minutes, Grayson brought me his.  

Monday, October 15, 2012

Bikes and Puddles


The weather has been a bit wild - and it is getting dark so soon after we all get home - and the boys are dying to ride their bikes more.  The solution : Daddy let them take their bikes to work and ride!  Needless to say, this was a big hit.

In typical little boy fashion, the puddles in the parking lot were like a magnet.


Saturday, October 13, 2012

Porch Art

Porch Art - a 3 boy effort.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

DIY Light Box!


We have been slowly (and I do mean slowly) working on getting the boys a light box built.  It has taken months and months, but it is so close to complete that we couldn't stand not to let the boys have a sneak peak.

This was out on the front porch as the sun was setting.  We'll have to bring it inside because it will be too cold when it is dark - but the boys immediately started gathering their Magnatiles and building.


Monday, September 24, 2012

Meal Planning Monday - Back on the Wagon

I have totally fallen off the meal planning wagon, and it shows in the quality of our meals these days.  Our life is so freaking chaotic and crazy with all the things three little boys entail - I figured I have to get back to this or will simply not survive!  (OK, the boys will, we feed them - but Doug and I are another story.)

I will link up the recipes as soon as I get a chance.  

So this week I am planning on making the following meals:

  • Big Taco Salad
  • Chicken Saltimbocca
  • Sauteed Kielbasa with root veggies
  • Something with Tofu - just not sure what
  • Homemade  Pizza Night
  • Frittata with Veggies (anything left over or in need of being used up at the end of the week), Salad, and Rolls


This past weekend I made some snacks in advance for the week, two loaves of bead, canned about 40 pound of tomatoes, and made a protein side dish to take in packed lunches:

  • Whole wheat bread
  • Rolled cinnamon and raisin breakfast bread
  • Blueberry oatmeal bars (for the kiddos)
  • Honey Lentils (packed lunch protein)


Thursday, September 20, 2012

Evening at the Park


Since school has started we have made Thursday afternoon "Park Day" for the boys.  After I get off work I go pick them and take them over to the park and Doug meets us soon there after.  Some weeks we get a pizza or subs, but this week I packed a nice picnic and we stayed until the sun started to set.  The park is on a creek and the boys wanted to go over and look at the water before we left.

They were really busy the whole time we were there, but this was a nice end to the day.

Name tags and Letter Sounds



The boys are in week 2 of school and working hard.  They had been telling me about using their name tags at school on their work - so I thought I knew what they meant.  (They put them on something they are working on but not finished with so that no one else will mess with it.)  Grayson actually asked me to get them name tags at home.

Doug snapped this picture of Gabe's work this morning.  He is working on matching up items and their letter sound.  Gabe loves to play this "game" at home - asking and trying to figure out what letter different words start with.  He is on the cusp of reading and it is so interesting to watch as he slowly figures it all out.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

In the Nuts and Bolts Section

One of Reece's favorite activities when he is at work with Daddy -- the Nuts and Bolts section of the store.

Monday, September 17, 2012

Monday morning

Grayson has started his Speech Therapy again this fall and today was his first session.  Doug played on the playground with Gabe and Reece while Grayson was inside - but the real fun was AFTER speech when they all got to get out of the car and visit the HUGE COMBINE that was out by the road.

As we suspected, Grayson has made progress - maybe too much!  He has his next re-evaluation this winter and we are expected they will cut off his services all together.

In the meantime, we are looking into private OT because we know the evaluation given at the school we false - as we watched them help him do things he can't do and then report him as capable of doing them.  It really bites - because he clearly needs just a little help to catch up.  It is going to cost us a small fortune and I'm not sure how on earth we are going to find the funds to pay for it, but it just has to happen.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

...and he ran out of steam...

Sometimes little boys just won't quit.  
...and sometimes they just collapse,
 in their PJs, 
with the lights on, 
right where they were when they were playing.  

(Of course, the lights were off and bed time was called over an hour earlier...)

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Boxes are (still) fun

Somehow this toy box :


ended up at our house.  We are not fans of the huge toy box concept, but apparently it is Doug's old toy box and now it is ours, so we have to figure out a good use for it.  Right now, it is the place where the boys 1- hide, and 2- go to play when they want to be left alone.

Weird, I know.

If WE put them in a box CPS would come and tell us we were terrible parents.  If they put themselves in the box, however, it is OK.

(Gabe refuses to not make weird faces when he sees the camera. I tried three times, sadly, this is the best face.)


Wednesday, September 5, 2012

First Day of Pre-K


I can't believe today is the first day of Pre-K for the boys.  Not that they didn't go to "school" last year, they did.  But somehow this is different.  (Just bear with me...)  It is different because it is the last year that they don't have to go.  Don't get me wrong, they love, love, love school.  But this means that they are now one year away from going to Kindergarten and I am terrified of sending them to our local public school.  Which is bad, because I work in a public school.  Which probably is why I am so freaked out about the whole thing. 

So today was the one year of worry mark.  Ugh.  I hate that I am such a worrier, but I can't help it!

Monday, September 3, 2012

A little surgery for the 4 year olds...



Tonight Doug decided it was time to take out his massively wide stitches he got about a week ago when playing with the table saw.  The boys have been very, very interested in his thumb all week and taking inventory of if has healed yet.  So this combination of events led to a little preschooler surgery in the kitchen tonight.

Doug gave each boy a hemostat and then snipped the stitch and let them each have a tug and pull one out.  (Pictures to come when I can get them off the camera)

I have to say I thought this was pretty brave on his part - and the boys thought it was very neat.  (Gabe wanted to actually keep the nasty, crusty stitches - but luckily we convinced him it was not a good idea.)





The Buick Refuses to Die

The Buick absolutely refuses to die.  I keep thinking - this is it -- finally! But no.  It just keeps hanging on.  Today Doug needed to get the Roll Back so he could take the Buick into the shop and have the brakes checked, as the brake lines leaked out all the fluid last month and now we need the third car for kiddo pickup.

So the Roll Back is called in, the Buick is loaded, the chucks are pulled out from under the tires and...well, the Roll Back did just that.  It rolled.  Back.  And over the 8 foot retaining wall.  With the Buick on it.
Sigh....  and was the Buick injured?  No.  Was the Roll Back - ummm, yeah.  So a BIGGER Roll Back was then called upon to get the first one (with the car still on it) from the dangling position it was in over the wall.  Many, many hours (and an ulcer on my part -- but great fun for the boys and a large portion of the neighborhood) later the Buick was on the Roll Back, which was on the Roll Back.  
Welcome to what it is like to be married to a Bowen man.