Brothers Gotta Hug

(I am too behind right now with Christmas photos. They will come soon. Maybe by Valentine's Day? *sigh* Until then, look at these adorable brothers.)

We have snuggly boys. At least Sam is... Zack remains to be seen. This one is Sam trying to give Zack a snuggle and Zack trying to give Sam one of his slobbery open-mouthed kisses. Too cute.
Here's Sam attempting the snuggle again.
BOTH MY BOYS LOOKING AT THE CAMERA AT THE SAME TIME (with somewhat normal expressions on their faces)!!! You have no idea the hoops I jumped through to achieve this mediocre photo.

And last night. So heart-warming to find your boys reading books together.

Everyone is Jealous of...

My Hair.
(Seriously. Just ask Jake. and... yep. No product or styling. Just good ole backlight to accentuate the awesomeness factor for you.)

A belated Merry Merry...

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday. We'll be back with more pics, stories, etc later!

Favorite Quote

"The forces of entropy and my husband are closely allied."

-Anne Fadiman

Amen, Anne. Amen. In my case... I would have to add Sam and Zack too!!! (okay, okay, and occasionally me.)

Help...

Two things.

1 - Need to buy a new carseat since our little tiny baby ain't so tiny (aka I can't really pretend that he fits in his infant carrier anymore). Any suggestions / What do you use?

2 - How do you get your kids to clean up after themselves? Rules? Consequences? Regular clean up time each day? Looking for ideas...

Little Tank

Today, I put this adorable little boy (with his awesome hair) who is not quite EIGHT months old...
into an 18-month old size shirt.


AND IT FITS.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEL!

(an aside... now i think i am fully caught up to the present... HOORAY! Does that mean I get to go on a blogging holiday for a month???)

Happy Birthday to the best sister 4 years younger than I am. :)

We finally were able to celebrate with Bel last Friday. We met her in Ptown, gave her these gnarly glasses, and went to Sammy's Cafe, thanks to this post.
The food was delicious. The pie shakes were seriously some of the best (and most fattening death in a glass) I've ever had.
Happy Birthday Bel! (and good luck with your finals...) You're the best!

(This next part is from one of your adoring fans, Sam)

jhjkigjhihogggggggggggggggggggggggggppppppppppfyttttttttttttttt tgftd fvtfc tdgysfgyvgyyyyyyyygguhiufhyudihyuhyihyuyfgfyuguyhuhiyuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhgggihuyfvghygubufghut yht yyyyyyyyyy hguhgiuh76fyg yfgdytfgdtfgtdgyfghffgdyfgvdfvhfgvdfyrhfuyh nygbvuhgubhh8bh
I LOVE BELLLLLLLLLL. LOVE SAM (typed by Sam. He's really proud.)

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

We had so much fun this Thanksgiving. I didn't take a ton of pics of some of the best things... but here are a few. My family came in town, we enjoyed a delicious dinner at the Romneys, and played games games games. :)

Also... here are our FACES OF THE SEASON!
(I snuck up to everyone with my camera ready and told them to give me their "Face of the Season" with no further explanation. Here's what they each did...

Snow Days

Sam LOVES playing in the snow. Saturday, he was begging from the moment we woke up to go outside. He had to wear a hat, scarf, gloves, and coat just like Matt. He loved it.
This morning while I was doing the dishes, Sam went into his bedroom to take off his pjs. He is so proud that he can do this by himself now. Then, he came downstairs, and this is the conversation we had.

Sam: Mom, I'm ready. I just need a hat, scarf, gloves, and coat to go play in the snow.
Me: Sam, aren't you missing something?
Sam: No, Mom. I need a (counting off on his fingers one by one) hat, scarf, gloves, aaaaaaand coat.
Me: Sam, you're missing something.
Sam: No, I NOT, Mom.
Me: Sam... why don't you look at your legs?
Sam (looking down): Ooooooooooh, WHAT!?!? I forgot my pants. Silly Sam.

Silly indeed.

New Favorite Homemade Babyfood

My mom's chicken noodle soup. SO GOOD.

Recipe -
Mary's Chicken Noodle Soup

1 large can chicken broth
1 bag of whole wheat (or blend) noodles
carrots
celery
onion
chicken, cooked and cubed
poultry seasoning
salt and pepper

1. Cook noodles according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile chop a bunch of carrots, celery, and onion. (Should be about 1/3 each onion, celery, and carrot. I like lots of veggies, so I use 4ish large carrots, a whole stalk of celery, and a large onion.). Place in large pot with some water and boil / steam veggies until soft.
3. Add full can of chicken broth and as much water as you want the consistency of your soup.
4. Add chicken and noodles. Shake in LOTS of poultry seasoning (if measured, might be a tablespoon or two) and some salt and pepper to taste.
5. Enjoy.

This is really soul-satisfying food - and good for you. No fat. Whole grains. And lots of veggies.

Last time my mom was here, she made a batch and I pureed some for Zack. He LOVES it! So, I made a giant pot of it the following week, and pureed a bunch. He loves it plain, mixed with any vegetable, etc. I love knowing he's getting good food AND that it's food that we eat regularly (so hopefully he will be a good eater unlike his brother.).