Early Christmas Gift

Aunt Sara asked if she could give the boys their Christmas gift early... December 1st at the latest.

 

So today she came over and gave the boys each a special advent calendar...

 

 

A LEGO count down!!

 

Each day until Christmas, there is a small figure to put together, each a part of a Christmas scene. 

 

Evan's, of course, is Lego Star Wars... Ryan's is Lego City. 



Evan's New Favorite Soup

Evan tried some Dal Shorba at our favorite Indian restaurant and fell in love.  Ever since then, we have been experimenting with different lentil dishes, and I hit a home run with this "throw it in" soup. 

It was the night before grocery shopping, and I was just trying to make something warm and hearty... and had very little "fresh" left on hand, so I just started adding ingredients.  And it turned out so good he had thirds!

First, I cook bit pots of beans (and lentils) on the weekends and then freeze them in 1 and 2 cup packages.  So, while lentils may usually take a bit of effort and time to rinse, sort and cook... these are ready in 5 quick minutes. 

I do the same with the sausage.  Our local grocery store makes amazing sausages in store.  The one I used in this recipe is a chicken garlic sausage.  But I like to keep a few baggies of cooked sausages and burgers frozen for week night meals.  Not only do I not have remember to take it out before I leave for work, but not having to cook it that night saves a ton of clean up. 

Anyway... here's the recipe:

2 T diced onions
1 t butter
Dash of Garlic, Cumin and Coriander
2 cups of cooked lentils (I used green)
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 cup of chicken broth
1 link of chicken garlic sausage, cooked and sliced

Sauté the onions in the butter until soften, add the spices and allow to cook for just a moment.  Add everything else and bring to a boil.    Serve with a nice crusty bread. 

Why Aunt Robyn is cooler than Me.

 

 

She lets the boys play with Moon Sand at her kitchen counter.

 

And make HUGE messes.

 



Umples

My brothers (Shane, James and Wade) live in Montana.

 

No offence to my parents and sister, Mary, who also live in Montana, but my boys loving going to Montana to see their Umples. 

 

And it's no wonder they adore them...

 

That would be James throwing Evan through the air at the hotel pool.

 

And this is James and Wade passing the boys back and forth in a water wrestling version of keep-a-way... I think. 

 

And it's not just that they go swimming with them...  There's the fact that they let Evan order a hamburger called "The OMG Burger" which is 12 oz of beef topped with 4 slices of bacon and 4 slices of cheese. 

 

They take them to movies, to watch games, out to eat... they play video games, wrestle, harass and play and talk to them on THEIR level.

 

 

 

Oh, and they encourage all the irreverent behavior that parents frown upon... like shooting things out of straws...

 

 

 

And as the Mom, I feel it my duty to sit back and let my brothers spoil my sons... because it's through these activities that they will grow to be amazing men... just like my brothers.  



I blame Ben.

There is a guy I work with named Ben. 

Ben is awesome.  He's got a great sense of humor, and is just a fun loving guy.

He talked me into watching the Walking Dead.

I hate him now. 

Seriously.

That show is addicting. 

I started watching it on Netflix... and I would watch like 6 episodes in a row and then be so freaked out I wouldn't watch it for MONTHS. 

And then he would talk me into watching a few more...

Then I would get all freaked out again and reach a point I had to could stop again...

And then he would talk me into it AGAIN.

I finished all of LAST season the Saturday before the NEW season started... and I decided I was going to try watching it in REAL time, because obviously the marathons were the problem...

or so I convinced myself. 

And the new season was great!  A little zombie killing, but everyone was happy and life was GOOD.

UNTIL THE LAST FIVE MINUTES OF THE SHOW.

So, in my mind, I have rewinded the last five minutes, and I'm pretending that it never happened, and that the group is happy and safe. 

THE END.

Someone come delete them from my DVR so I don't get tempted again....

This little boy...

 

Is in THAT stage...

 

The one where he's still just a little bit toddlerish, but a lot independent.

 

Wants to be part of the BIG BOY world, but still loves his snuggles.

 

The stage where he is learning and growing at amazing speed...  Just last week he was working on learning what a "W" said, and this week he is READING.  BOOKS!!!  ...  !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

The stage where I want to hang onto every precious bit of the baby he once was, but get excited... butterflies in my stomach and all... as he takes huge leaps forward toward boyhood.

 

It's my favorite stage... even if it is heartbreaking at the same time.



Wow, There's a lot of dust around here!

Sorry for the lack of posts... No excuse other than just didn't make time for it!

I'm hoping to get back into the swing of blogging again now that I seem to have a few moments free at the end of the day!!

So, ummmm.... Let me just leave you with this:

It's officially WINTER!!!!