Not everyday!

Last night we watched the movie "Jumanji" while eating dinner. During the scene that the police car runs into the store and knocks over a wall of paint onto the bag guy, Evan states "You don't see that everyday". Too funny - Alex and I both burst out laughing! Then of course it was funny to say during most of the scenes of that movie.

This morning Avery came & joined Alex and I in bed. Alex asked if he could tickle him and he replied "a little bit". I love it!

Shortly after that Avery stated "Daddy, I wish I was old like you." Alex's response "Gee, thanks!" Then Avery said it was because he wanted to be Thor like Daddy. Very sweet!

We measured the boys last night on their Curious George growth chart that Alex made & painted - they are getting so big! I think today I will need to rearrange Avery & Owen's clothing. The size 2 PJs all seem to be too small for Avery - this morning he looked like he was the Incredible Hulk bursting out of his clothing!

Later this morning Evan asked Alex if he knew what Evan wanted to be for Halloween next year, Alex replied that he did not know. Evan said he wanted to be a doughnut, a REALLY BIG doughnut! Then he also told us he wanted to go to the doughnut store. He also said he wished the doughnut store would have another festival. When Krispy Kreme had their grand opening in Cotswold, Pizza Peel next door was also having a big celebration and had a Scooby Doo bouncy house. Unfortunately we had special plans for our 6th anniversary that night and could not stay to bounce. Amazing they things they remember!

Avery has a coat hanger which he keeps trying to attach to Owen's shirt or pants. I said don't do that and Avery replied, but he is my doggy. Obviously Owen does not want to be Avery's doggy.

Evan is now up to 31 site words, I am so proud of him! He gets very excited when he sees one of his words written on something. This morning we worked on putting up a few things in their play room as it is a disaster - I know, shocking! We were also looking for items that begin with "J" for tomorrows show & tell at school. We were hoping to find the Joker, thus far we have not, but we did find a Jeep - so that will work if we are unsuccessful at finding the Joker. I guess we had best get him to school. We have another very busy week ahead, luckily with some very fun things to look forward to such as Nana coming to town & Elle's 7th birthday!

Thankful

For the third year in a row I am posting things I am thankful for during the month of November on Facebook - below you will see a few of the ones I have posted thus far.

I am thankful for Evan! It was amazing we both survived his birth. He is smart, funny and already understands how to use sarcasm - Lord help me ;-) 

One evening we were all in the Prius and I gave Evan a bag of pretzels and told him to be sure and share with his brothers. Owen was screaming and I asked Evan to give him one. Evan was holding the bag with one had and reaching in for a pretzel with the other one - his response "Do I look like an octopus? I only have two hands, I don't have eight". I think possibly Aunt Nancy is channeling down through him - ha! If this is him at 4 what will the teenage years bring? 

I am thankful for Avery. He is my little fire cracker! I think we need to rename him Forrest Gump - as his current passion seems to be running. Yesterday he got into the elementary school and ran around an entire block of corridors - thankfully his shoe finally fell off! Bully one moment to prove there is nothing a 4 yr old can do that he can't then so loving, caring and sweet the next. (side note - I am also VERY thankful for the angels watching over my boys!).

Tomorrows will read:
I am thankful for Owen. At one and a half he already has such a great personality. He LOVES to laugh and you just have to join in with him. His vocabulary is till quite limited to words such as Mommy, Daddy, ball, more - his favorite new word is "plane". He loves to point out the airplanes in his room and yesterday pointed to one in the sky.

We are so very blessed with all three of our boys - they are all loving, caring, sweet, funny, adorable, VERY ornery and a bit wicked at times - I guess the saying "all boy" applies times three.

Next week we will be enrolling Evan in kindergarten, I can't believe he will be attending kindergarten next fall! Wow! We are going to enter him in the lottery to try and get him into one of the magnet schools - we will see happens. I have been praying for what is best for him to happen. The first lottery is at the beginning of the year and I guess time will tell.

Tonight for dinner I believe we will have Seafood Fra Diavlo (shrimp, scallops & calamari) over Lemon Spaghetti. I am looking forward to special family time this weekend. So... off to do more cleaning, organizing, laundry so we can concentrate on family this weekend!

Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta

I tried this tonight for the first time - YUM! We all loved it! I got this from someone's blog and I can't remember to whom to give credit (so sorry) - I modified it  - as I typically do... Highly recommend. Quite simple & so tasty!

Lightened Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta

Ingredients: 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into small bite-sized chunks Coconut oil - brush pan 1/2 shallot, minced 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 tsp Cajun seasoning, divided 1 can diced tomatoes - drain some juice & then mince the tomatoes 1/4 cup cream 6-8 oz dry linguine pasta Directions: Cook pasta in boiling salted water. Drain and set aside. In a a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the chicken and 1 tsp cajun seasoning blend and cook until the chicken has just cooked through---about six minutes. Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate and add the minced shallot and garlic to the hot skillet (add a little more oil if necessary). Saute until the shallot is tender and then add the tomatoes, cream and additional cajun seasoning. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring frequently, for a couple minutes. Add chicken back to sauce. Add linguine to the pan and toss to combine. Serve pasta with a grating of Parmesan cheese if desired. Time: 20 minutes

Weekend away

Alex and I went away this past weekend to a marriage retreat with our Sunday school class. We went up near Hickory to the Holliefield Training Center. It was the perfect time of year for it - our little cabin was right on the water, the leaves are all changing color - it was lovely! One place we went for lunch had amazing mango quesadillas as well as an amazing selection of 28 craft beers on tap - the one I had was the Founders Breakfast Ale - YUMMY!

Upon everyone's return home yesterday it was fun to hear how their weekends went. Evan had a great time going to Cason's soccer game and getting to enjoy hotdogs following the game. He got to sleep in Cason's bed while Cason slept in the closet, he loved playing with Cason's back-pack toy, Elle told him he wasn't allowed to say the words "poopy" and "oodie". My favorite bit of information was that on Saturday night for dinner they had Zomie and he LOVED it! Of course I had to follow-up with Kristen to see what Zombie was and it turns out that they had lasagna - ha!

Avery & Owen went up to the mountains with Aunt Diana, Uncle Tim & Bodaddy to join G'ma. It sounds like they also had a great time. It seems that Avery liked to run & run - no surprises there! Owen had to be cut out of one of his sweatshirts.

This afternoon after school Evan informed me that he loved me, but that he loved Daddy best - I guess I know where I stand.

Avery picked a Tootsie Roll for his lunch treat today. He wasn't quite sure what it was and I told him it was candy and that he was to eat it - he did and said "mmmm, it tastes like chocolate milk!"

Hoping and praying that our family will continue to be more healthy and be up to 100% by the end of the week. The last few weeks have been challenging with very little sleep.

I also look forward to putting some of what we learned this past weekend to make our marriage even stronger and better.

For now, I must wash some china I bought this morning and get it put away then start getting stuff ready for dinner - think tonight we are trying a new Cajun chicken pasta recipe.

Tomorrow Evan doesn't have school, due to the Presidential voting so we may do something fun like go and jump.On a political note I saw an ad last night where Colin Powell endorsed President Obama - the man never ceases to impress me. The reason he won't run is exactly why we need him to run! One republican I would not hesitate to vote for should he ever change his mind.

The boys have been playing great together this morning (for the most part anyways). Earlier they created a submarine in the living room using sofa cushions, pillows, blankets... I love hearing their conversations about being in the submarine or on the floor which is the water - they are so creative - LOVE it!

Evan to Avery "You can't fly anymore - I took your powers!"

Yesterday while Avery, Owen & I were in the car waiting for Evan while he was at speech - Avery asked me for a nose paper - took me a minute and I figured out he meant a tissue - thought that was quite clever.

Yesterday afternoon while we were waiting at the pharmacy for Evan's prescriptions for his bronchitis he gave Owen a sword to play with and Avery a Spiderman book & a dinosaur then stated that was teamwork. Then he informed me he wanted to change his name to Smart Evan.

Avery has been on a kick lately where he will do something nice then say "wasn't that nice of me?". Bully one moment and so very helpful the next - you just never know what you are going to get around here!

Last week I took all three boys to Trader Joe's to pick out some carving pumpkins. We selected three - I had Owen in the front of the cart & the pumpkins in the back. This left Evan & Avery walking. As I paid Avery ran out of the store and down the sidewalk. Luckily as I grabbed the receipt & ran out of the store telling Evan to follow Avery I noticed Avery duck into one of the doorway recesses. As I turned around to talk to Evan, I discovered he had not followed. So I was in the middle of Evan & Avery and had Owen and the pumpkins with me - which way to go? I yelled for Evan and went after Avery. Evan then did appear taking his time leaving Trader Joe's (mind you Trader Joe's is a great store... but...). 

Alex and the boys carved a pumpkin last night while I was getting my hair done. The did a Darkwing Duck.

What did parents do prior to the creation of the Magic Eraser? I have needed it twice today - first when Avery wrote with a blue highlighter all over the half bath then as second time when they used what was to be Owen's green make-up all over the wall. Currently Evan is crying because I stated we might not go trunk or treating this year as they had just ruined Owen's The Hulk costume. Deep breaths... I NEVER pictured myself as a stay-at-home mom - but I love it more than I ever thought possible - but it is by far the most challenging job I have ever had. Now to go check on them to see what they have gotten into next.

Soccer & Corn maze

Friday night we had soccer practice then went to Pizza Peel for dinner. Katie, from Evan's soccer team and her family joined us for dinner. The kids sat in a booth and we sat at the table. I did get to hear Evan telling Katie that she was his BEST friend in the WHOLE world - such a talker! She replied that he was also her best friend - too cute!

Saturday was pretty crazy as we were running late trying to get everyone & everything needed for soccer & the corn maze into the car. We arrived a few minutes late for the game - oops! Evan still has no desire to play and so I am thankful for only one more game! Avery is a go getter. Coach Sara stated that her favorite part of the game was when Avery went up against the other teams biggest player with no hesitation. When he sets his mind to something he goes for it 110%!

Then off to the corn maze - after stopping to get some cash - in case it was necessary. I managed to forget drinks for Alex & myself - thankfully they sold water by the bottle! I also forgot paper plates, flatware, napkins (luckily Esther brought extras for us!)... I did remember all of the food - so we did eat well. with what we brought and what others brought we had hot dogs (turkey & grass-fed beef), sausages (chorizo, chicken with spinach & roasted red pepper, and hot italian chicken), corn (necessary at a corn maze - ha!), chips, pretzels & most importantly s'mores! YUM! Everyone ate and left prior to doing the maze and hayride except for Esther, Caitlyn and Ryan and our family. We had a great time - it was quite the maze! It took us about an hour and a half - crazy! The corn was the tallest corn I have ever seen and had no corn - I am wondering if it was a special hybrid created for mazes - possible? I don't know - I guess I could research that. Owen slept during the hayride. We thought someone stole our wagon while we were on the hayride - but we did eventually find it in a new location - whew! Avery passed out about half way through the maze he had literally been running ALL day! The place was great and had a sand box, a place with lots of bouncy balls, a Little Tykes area, a tractor, a hay house, a store, a giant spider, a pumpkin patch, two fire pits - sooooo much to see & do! The kids absolutely loved it!

Evan was up most of the night coughing so he and I have stayed home from church today. Alex took the two youngest for Sunday school then will stay to help with Extended Session and 11:00 - unfortunately we have left them one short by me staying home. Unfortunately I am not convinced that my sinus infection has 100% gone away - so we will see.

Last night Evan & Avery both informed me they wanted to be firefighters when they grow up. This morning Evan told me he wanted to be a teacher - a church teacher. He then proceeded to color (scribble) on every page of his drawing pad - this has something to do with what one of his church teachers does - hmmm... Now he needs every single page of the drawing pad torn off so he can teach. When I asked who he was going to teach - he replied his brothers Avery & Owen.

Happy birthday GiGi/Aunt Nancy! We love you and miss you so very much!

Lunch

Today I opened the refrigerator and was inspired by a container of leftover brown rice from ordering in Chinese the other day. I made fried rice with ham, broccoli, onions, carrots, eggs - all yummy stuff... well at the last minute I drizzled in a few drops of chili sesame oil - well... mistake! Too much - too spicy for the boys. So (except for me - the fried rice was YUMMY!) honey sandwiches all around - chunky peanut butter with big bear honey (honey in a small bear or in a jar just won't do!). As Evan is eating his sandwich - he eats it into the shape of a boat. As he is rocking it back and forth he asks me - "Do you know whose boat this is?" I replied that I did not. He then informed me it was Noah's boat - who knew? The do listen and they do learn - good to know! (At least most of the time - ha!)

Evan has been doing great with his site words - he currently knows 16 - but not every single time. Yesterday and today both he is getting stuck on "it" and "is" with me. He knew them for Alex last night... he sounds them out perfectly... who knows? Each time he adds an additional five new works to his list he earns a minifigure - after every group of "x" amount then he can earn something bigger. Last night with Daddy and he was able to earn a new minifigure - he got the Lumberjack - so with that he started singing the Lumberjack song from one of the Monty Python songs - too funny! I guess Alex had shown it to him once - again - scary how they do retain things!

Owen has been super fussy lately - not sure what that is about - teething, sinus, allergies...

Tonight is soccer practice - only two more left!

Yesterday we received a note from Evan's teacher stating that they have noticed a pattern that he is sleepy and won't pay attention on Thursdays. She then asked if there was something we were doing on Wednesdays that could contribute to this. I guess that is the end of Wednesday nights at church for a while. I know Evan loves it - but it is something that will have to be put on hold for the moment.

Tomorrow is a big day - soccer game, corn maze/weenie roast, then dinner at Duckworth's to help raise money for Breast Cancer. Currently it is amazingly gorgeous out - the perfect fall day - hopefully that will be the case for tomorrow!

Avery is still resisting potty training - he is doing pretty well with the poopy part... but he continues to pee in his pants the majority of the time - we have tried bribing, putting him on the potty every 30 or 40 minutes, big boy underwear... NOTHING seems to work! Owen has also started... will see how that goes - our boys seem to take at least a year before they will do it.