Labor Day

We got to spend Labor Day in Connecticut with Jackie & Luke and the kids. We had a fun day, as usual, and I took very few pictures, as usual. =) The kids and Jasper the dog all enjoyed going to the park! We are really going to miss these quick visits now that we are moving further away, but I'm sure we'll still manage some weekends together. Thanks guys, for being our family while we lived in New England. It was so much fun to be so close!

Elijah's Birthday Party

On Saturday, we celebrated Elijah's birthday with a party! Jackie's family came for the day, which was fun and a big help. We had a fun lunch with corn on the cob - a big favorite with everyone, and then during nap time we got ready for the party.

I finished Elijah's cake. I tried using fondant for the first time, and it turned out pretty well. I made a test batch first, which wasn't great, but worked well enough to use for some of the decorations. I made all the letters and decorations during the week ahead of time. The second batch of fondant, which I used to cover the cake, came out much better; and with the help of Jackie's extra hands, went on without too much drama. Elijah asked for a Woody and Buzz cake, so that's what I was going for.

All ready for the party!

We had the party outside in the yard. Jackie's family and some friends from church were there, and some of Elijah's friends from Patrick's office stopped by as well. The kids played in the sandbox, rode bikes, and played in the little swimming pools. We had munchies, and cake and ice cream. It was a fun afternoon!

The toys wishing Elijah a happy birthday!

Yay, Elijah!

Just hangin' out, talking.

Elijah, laying in the sun to warm up a bit.

All the kids enjoyed the little pools!

The kids enjoyed their bikes, too.

A Munchkin and this week's news

On Wednesday, Patrick arrived back at home from a conference in Chicago and the kids and I drove home from our visit to Pennsylvania. On the way home, Elijah started throwing up. So we stopped for a while. I was hoping that he was just car-sick and that it would pass if he got out for a while, plus Molly was DEMANDING pancakes. We pulled off the highway and the right at the exit was a gas station/convenience store/diner. It was the perfect place to stop - we got Elijah all cleaned up and got him some juice and Sprite, and Molly got her pancake. Getting out of the van didn't stop Elijah's sickness though, so I prepared for future puking as well as I could and we set off again. It was a long trip.

Elijah continued to be sick through the night, and in the middle of the night Molly started throwing up as well. On Thursday the kids slept in and took good naps, and eventually felt a little better. They ate a sick kids' dinner - ramen noodles, saltines, and bananas, and actually kept it down.

On Friday at noon, Patrick had surgery to repair a hernia. It went well and he came home by dinner time. By the time the kids went to bed he was in a lot of pain, though, and it was a long difficult night for him.

Saturday morning I took the kids and met Jackie half-way between our houses at a random Dunkin Donuts. When we got there, Jackie and Lily were waiting for us with Munchkins to share! Elijah was not sure about them because they were chocolate, and Molly was not sure about them because Lily gave one to her (instead of Mama) ... she just sat there and looked at it in her hand for a long time.

Elijah went home with Jackie and had a great weekend there. It was such a big help to only have one kid to take care of while Patrick was feeling so terrible.

On our way home from taking Elijah to Connecticut, Molly finally decided to try her Munchkin. I encouraged her to take a bite, but she just popped the whole thing into her mouth. It was too big for her to chew once it was in there (she couldn't even close her mouth over it), so she just sat there for about 10 minutes, looking at me like this:

"Really, Mama? What am I supposed to do about this?" She finally chewed it up and got it down a while later. I was laughing so hard. Poor Molly!

Molly had a second round of the stomach virus over the weekend, so we were just hunkered down here - Patrick watching movies in bed, Molly watching Elmo and drinking juice downstairs, and me trying to tunnel out of the mountains of laundry that we've collected - traveling for most of last week, then all the puking, and then more puking, plus many days of rain + wind, which at our house means keeping towels packed around the front and back door so that all the water doesn't come inside - so lots and lots of wet towels.

Patrick is getting better and better every day. He's still in pain and pretty tired, but so much better than he was a couple of days ago. He's keeping busy with lots of movies and comedy while he's stuck in bed. Here's a pretty fruit arrangement his coworkers sent to him the other day. Cool, huh? And yummy, too!

Geneva Homecoming and reunion

While we were in Pittsburgh we got to go to Homecoming and our 10 year reunion at Geneva. We enjoyed seeing friends, professors, and the newly improved campus. It turned out to be a pretty nice day, despite the rainy forcast. We got an Orem's doughnut, had lunch at Alex's (aka Alexander Hall), went to the first half of the football game, and had dinner at Pizza Joe's. It was quite the trip down memory lane! We were also glad to catch up with my Aunt Louise. The kids took their naps at her house, and we all went to the game and dinner together.

The kids had a great time with the Rices' dog, who was very patient.

Jackie and Erin

How many cute girls can you hold at once?

The gang, catching up while Mark Rice played a concert on Memorial Lawn.

Up in a tree!

Jackie and Lily

Molly and Daddy

Oh, that cute toddler walk!

Labor Day, and a recipe to share

We got to spend Labor Day with Jackie and Luke in Connecticut this year. We had a good time just hanging out - the kids played, the adults talked, we ate good food and played a fun game.

We tried actually taking some pictures, since we never do. Mostly, it didn't work out too well.

Molly was not going to sit there.

So, we tried to get just the older three. This is the best one.

But we did get this one - thanks, Luke!

While we were there, Jackie and I were talking and she asked me for this recipe. I thought I would put it up here, so everyone can try it! I've made this a couple of times, and we love it. It's pretty mild (and we like it that way), but using hot salsa instead of mild and adding Tabasco or a jalapeno would heat it up if you like it spicier. I prefer to use leftover chicken, or to marinate and then bake or grill it - I think it is less dry and more tasty that way. Of course, this way is very quick and easy! I don't think I let it simmer for that long, either, but it always turns out great.


Chicken Tortilla Soup

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (or leftover cooked chicken)

1/2 teaspoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth

1 cup frozen corn kernels

1 cup chopped onion

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1 tablespoon lemon (or lime) juice

1 cup chunky salsa

1 cup milk

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 can black beans, drained (optional)

tortilla chips

sour cream

In a large pot over medium heat, sauté the chicken in the oil for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cumin and mix well. Then add the broth, corn, onion, chili powder, lemon juice, salsa, and beans. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes. Add the cheese and the milk; bring just to a boil, and remove from heat.

Break up some tortilla chips into individual bowls and pour soup over chips. Top with a little sour cream.

Yum!

Colorado trip - fun with cousins

The kids and I went to back to Colorado to visit for 3 weeks in August. We had a great time with Nana & Grandpa and lots of family and friends. My brother John and his family came out from Grand Junction to visit us twice, and Linde and the girls stayed for the whole first week. We really enjoyed spending time with them, and it was great that the cousins had a chance to play together! We also got to spend time with some of my cousins and their kids - Jackie and Jen were visiting Melissa during our trip. You can check out their sites for more pictures and stories of all their visits.

Elijah making a rock collection

Molly and Luke playing soccer


The girls busy with their rock coloring

Lily - rock chalk

Sophie helping Elijah with his rocks

Logan enjoyed his ice cream a little too much!

Nana reading with Elijah and Piper

Elijah and Piper spent a lot of time with the Play-Doh

All the kids loved playing the piano.

Watching train videos with Grandpa

Miss Molly - silly

Playing bubbles with Nana

Little girls playing

Elijah and Piper did such a great job together! Their mammas and grandparents were all surprised and pleased at how well they shared and worked together (most of the time). The little girls mostly played near each other, but they were cute, too. Tallie is just four weeks older than Molly, and it was fun to see how much alike they are, and all the things that they are doing at the same time. Tallie is walking better, and Molly is talking a little more. And of course, Tallie has more hair than Piper and Molly combined! It has been over a year since we had been together with John's family, and this was the first time that the little girls got to meet. We were so glad for lots of time to just be together!

Children's museum

On Wednesday, the kids and I met Jackie, Noah and Lily at the Providence Children's Museum. We had a lot of fun playing! The kids especially loved the water room. It was nice enough to eat and play outside for a while, too. It was such a good day. I forgot to take my camera, but probably wouldn't have gotten many pictures anyway, since I had my hands full with Molly. Jackie was nice enough to send me the pictures she took - thanks, Jackie!

Noah and Elijah play with boats and work the locks.

The locks.

Elijah loved playing with the balls.

Miss Molly - relieved to get out of the stroller for a while!

Playing a silly game with Mama - I throw myself backward ...

... and Mama blows on my face.

It's hysterical!

Elijah playing with the ramps.

The pouring toys are always fun, too.

Playing with Lily outside at the fountain.

Talking to Molly

Mama, the big kids are over there.

A giant noise-making instrument, with different textures and sticks for the kids to play on it.

Dressing like early Rhode Island settlers.

Aren't they cute!?