Happy 4th Birthday, Henry!

Today was Henry's 4th birthday. He picked waffles for breakfast, which all of the kids were happy about. Right after breakfast, Husband and I gave Henry his birthday present-- a Spider-Man bike with training wheels. He was so happy. He did that is-it-really-mine? thing that little kids do, where he got a big smile on his face, then stood frozen for a few seconds, like he didn't know what to do next. but don't worry, he unfroze and then proceeded to ride his bike ALLLLLLL around the living room and down the hallway.

Henry went to school today, and Husband, Elise, Clark, and I brought cupcakes to his class during snack time. He enjoyed that a lot... but then got all weepy when it was time for us to leave. Dang. I hate that kind of guilt. Don't-leave-me guilt is the worst.

Henry chose a dinner of macaroni and cheese and hot dogs... I added peas to the menu. I love how unbelievably predictable the kids are when I ask them what they want to eat for meals on their birthday. 

Happy birthday, buddy! I'm so glad I got to share this birthday with you as your Mommy. I love you!

Where Has the Time Gone?

Aaaaaaah! How did so much time pass since my last post? Everything's a blur.

The past few days:

* We had a birthday party for Henry, Elise, and Georgia this past weekend. Their birthdays are all really close together. I asked them if they wanted their own parties this year or one party together and they wanted one together. Cute. That's probably the last time they'll ever want to have a group birthday party. But it was nice. It was at this kiddie play place where they had a bounce house, trampoline, swings dangling from the ceiling... all kinds of stuff. They even played the song "Who Let the Dogs Out," so you know it was a REAL party.

* The kids got lots of great birthday presents: toys, clothes, books, puzzles. They're totally loving life right now. And I'm trying to figure out where all of this stuff will go.

* We are almost done with buying our new house! We should get the closing date any day now.

* We took the kids to the new house this weekend. Our real estate agent couldn't meet us, but we went to the house anyway. One of the locks somewhere on the house is not secured, so we went in. Just a little trespassing with a tribe of toddlers. Or is that breaking and entering? Either way, who cares? I wanted to show the kids their new rooms. They're totally excited.

Elise's 3 Year Old Check Up

Elise had her 3 year old doctor's check up today. Her eyesight is spot on. She is 36 1/4 inches tall and weighs 30 1/4 lbs, which makes her in about the 25th percentile for height and about the 50th percentile for weight.

I asked the doctor about the discrepancy in her height and weight percentiles, because Elise doesn't look overweight at all. He said, no, she's clearly not. In fact, her BMI is within the normal range. So nothing to worry about.

Good!

Baby Man and the Bro Grabs; Toilet Troubles

Clark gives the manliest hugs. He throws one arm around my shoulder and heartily slaps my back three or four times. Like we're both 40 year old dudes, instead of mother and baby. Where did he get that from?

Also, tonight Clark pooped on the potty for the first time! Yay! He then immediately fell off the toilet and bumped his head on the ground. So what should have been an amazingly positive potty training experience turned into a potty trauma experience.  I'm sure that set us back months, and therefore effectively counts as the opposite of potty training. Goddammit.

Healthy Breakfast #4

I found another relatively healthy breakfast for the kids, bringing my new total up to four. My hungry little babies like oatmeal, but that instant oatmeal stuff is super bad for you. I found a recipe for steel cut oats that can be cooked in a crock pot, overnight.

Here's the thing about crock pots, in case you aren't familiar with using them: the food doesn't taste bad-- it's always better than just passable-- but it will never be delicious. The food cooked in a slow cooker always tastes a bit bland to me. Like some of the flavor was slow cooked right out of it. So what you gain in convenience you sacrifice in taste.

That said, this recipe for apple-cinnamon oatmeal is fairly yummy. Not perfect. But better than any instant version you'll get. And healthier, too.

Here's a link to the original recipe with pictures: here

And if you don't want to click anything or look at pictures:

Ingredients

• 2 apples, peeled, cored, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (2-1/2 to 3 cups chopped)
• 1-1/2 cups fat-free milk (or substitute non-diary alternative like almond milk)
• 1-1/2 cups water
• 1 cup uncooked steel-cut oats
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar (or substitute maple syrup or other desired sweetener)
• 1-1/2 tablespoons butter, cut into 5-6 pieces (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon ground flax seed
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Optional garnishes: chopped nuts, raisins, maple syrup, additional milk or butter

Directions

Coat inside of 3-1/2 quart (or larger) slow cooker with cooking spray. Add all ingredients (except optional toppings) to slow cooker. Stir, cover, and cook on low for approx. 7 hours (slow cooker times can vary). Spoon oatmeal into bowls; add optional toppings, if desired. Store leftovers in refrigerator. Freezes well.

I doubled this recipe and cooked it in my 5.5 quart slow cooker with no problem-- everything fit and it cooked  fine. Every crock pot is different, though, so you'll have to watch the length of time you cook it for the first time you cook this recipe. I cooked mine for the full 7 hours, but it was starting to burn around the edges. I'll probably check it after 6.5 hours next time.

With this recipe doubled, we have enough for two breakfasts and still have some left over. Clark especially likes this oatmeal.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Goosey!

Elise had a very nice 3rd birthday today. She picked out the day's menu, so it was pancakes, blueberries, and orange juice for breakfast. She got to open her present in the morning and she was delighted to see that she got the roller skates she's been asking for forever. Also, elbow and knee pads, and protective gloves. Gotta stay safe.

After breakfast we all went to a local historical site (Elise wore her roller skates) and got the pleasant surprise that there was an archery demonstration today. Everyone got to shoot some arrows and Clark even got to hold a bow. Of course, Elise and Henry and Georgia each needed some help, but they all wanted to try it and that's the most important thing. My adventurous babies. It was fun!

Peanut butter and jelly for lunch. Elise is very predictable that way. Then after lunch and a nap, we made her birthday cake. The kids all got to help, even Clark, and they were excited to dump ingredients in the bowl and help hold the electric mixer.

We had pizza for dinner, with birthday cake and Sprite for dessert. We never have soda. Ever. Except for our trip one time to the Coca Cola museum in Atlanta, but that was literally the only time the kids have had soda. Getting soda today was an extra treat. The girls didn't even like it. Only Henry drank his soda.

After dinner, Elise wanted to watch "The Lorax," which they've seen probably about six times now. But the kids watched it from beginning to end. They really like it.

Elise said it was a good birthday. I'm so happy.

Happy birthday, Elise! I love you so much!

Enough with the Poop Jokes

Elise continues to think that poop is the funniest thing on the planet and does her very best to insert mention of it into every conversation possible. The other day as we were leaving the speech therapist's office:

Receptionist: Bye, Henry! Bye, Elise! See you soon!

Elise: Bye! See you... POOP!

And she runs away laughing.

I try not to react to most of her shenanigans, but she seems to intuitively know what's inappropriate. At the pharmacy a day or two later, Elise caressed her shirt and said in her loudest voice that was just barely not yelling, "Mommy! I have big nipples! I have HUGE nipples." She doesn't, by the way. But that didn't stop her from rubbing her nipples through her shirt, dancing up and down the aisle we were in, and singing, "Look at my big, big nipples! Look at my big, BIG nipples! Look at my BIG, BIG NIPPLES!!!"

I'm cataloging this stuff. And then as soon as she becomes a teenager, I vow to return each and every one of these little favors. Ten more years until her 13th birthday. I can't wait...

Healthy Breakfasts

I've been on a little bit of a health kick lately. Nothing crazy. I'm not trying to do a complete overhaul of my lifestyle or anything-- I just want to make some small, permanent changes.

One thing that I've been working on is finding some healthy, natural breakfasts. Frozen waffles are sooooo tempting when I'm trying to get four kids ready and out the door in the mornings. But I know I can do better than that. I have three solid options so far.

#1) Scrambled eggs. I've added parsley to the eggs as well as basil, both of which the kids liked. Turns out parsley is really good for you, by the way.

#2) I went on a huge search for the healthiest, most natural boxed cereal I could find that the kids would eat. There are plenty of healthy breakfast cereals, but not many that the kids would take more than one or two bites of. I tried a few different kinds, and ultimately got lucky with Cascadian Farm organic Honey Nut O's. They're like Honey Nut Cheerios, but healthier. And more expensive. Of course.

#3) Smoothies! Here's the recipe that we tried last weekend and the kids loved:

• 1 1/4 cups orange juice
• 1 ripe medium banana, peeled and sliced
• 1 cup frozen blueberries, blackberries or raspberries
• 1/2 cup silken tofu
• 2 ice cubes, crushed

Just blend it up. Add sugar if you want, but we didn't think it needed it. We used raspberries this time, but I think that next time I make it I'll use raspberries and blueberries. This recipe makes 3 servings. Here's the link to the original: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/banana_berry_smoothie.html

Clark Has Ear Infections

Poor little Babu. Ear infections in both ears. He's been super congested with a yucky cough for over a week now. I finally took him to the doctor today, as it became obvious the problem wasn't going to resolve itself. I wasn't expecting ear infections; his cough sounds so bad I was only thinking he might have a respiratory infection. His chest is clear, but his ears look terrible. He'll be on a round of antibiotics (not amoxicillin!) for the next 10 days.

I always feel like a terrible mother when I take my kids to the doctor and then I'm told that they have something wrong with them that I wasn't expecting. I feel like I missed something. Clark didn't have a fever, he wasn't pulling on his ears... nothing like that. He's been cranky, but I figured that was just because he's so congested.

Hopefully he'll start feeling better soon.