our Gingerbread Village

Gingerbread Baby is one of our favorite winter books. The boys enjoyed decorating their own gingerbread houses and we ended up with a delightful gingerbread village!

Thankful

I forgot to post this a while back but had it written on a piece of paper to record...

Benjamin's list of things he is thankful for...
Trevin
Speedie
Mommy & Daddy
Lana
squirrels
the workers
pumpkins

Funny things he's said lately...

"Mommy, I have a good rememory"

"Mommy, you can't hear my mouth!!" (when he was losing his voice a bit)

"These socks make me wiggle!"

Trevin's discovery

Trevin, oh Trevin! What are we going to do?? You are in love with your thumb! We put mits on your hands and you (somehow??!!) get them off at night. We cover your hands with the cuffs on your pjs and your fingers find a way out. You will still take the pacifier but if it isn't handy the thumb works well. Tonight you had the perfect combination - Papa's shoulder & warm embrace along with your thumb. It was fun to see you drift off to sleep - even in a lively house. I'm hoping that you lose interest in your thumb soon, hmmm....wishful thinking.

Concentration Required

We enjoyed the outdoors at a nearby park with Jesse & his Mom on Wednesday. No jackets or hats required! The boys took their digging jobs quite seriously.

Staying warm...

We can't complain too much about the weather here since so many people are getting pounded with snow today - however it was 70 degrees yesterday & now we're down in the 30s with a tremendous wind. Benjamin met Frosty at the entrance of the Dell's Childrens Hospital.
The boys waiting to go to the cafeteria for lunch with their mamas.

Congrats big brothers, Mason & Chase!

Their little sister - Madelynne Elena. She is precious.

December 2008

There is nothing better than horseback rides from Papa. This was taken about a year ago when cousin Damion came to visit. We miss you, Damion (& his parents)!!

Caught on Camera

Benjamin has never ever tried this before - however the whipped cream topped with peppermint candies must have been calling his name. I just happened to have my camera right next to me, so I didn't miss this photo opportunity. Oh & by the way, the cheesecake was amazing. We shared one piece & it was the perfect way to end a good meal at the Cheesecake Factory

Benjamin's Recital

Here is the link to see Benjamin's violin recital. He plays third.

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/3060397

This and That

Trevin is enjoying his bumbo seat more everyday. He loves the green frog that was on top of my diaper cake from our baby shower.
Benjamin played in his 2nd recital this weekend - he did so well performing on the little stage in front of 70+ people.
Come on over & we'll give you a concert!

3 months old

Trevin just turned 3 months old. He’s a big boy! It’s so different than with Benjamin. I always heard “he’s so little” and now we constantly hear “he’s so big.” Trevin loves to be held and is very smiley. His sweet little voice makes our hearts melt. So far, he’s a very good baby - mellow and happy most of the time. He looks like he will roll over pretty soon. Trevin will take the pacifier but he gets unhappy with it if he is hungry. He still hasn’t had a bottle yet. We haven’t noticed any thumb sucking yet, but he will chew on his hand. Trevin wakes up two times at night to eat and we’ve thought about trying to get him on a better schedule so I can sleep a bit more, however we haven’t attempted to change that yet. We need to work on taking more pictures of him - he is a cute little guy!

Snow!

Yes, we actually saw snow today. Some parts south of us got quite a bit more, but we enjoyed sitting by the window & watching it fall silently from the sky. Benjamin was overjoyed.

This is the only snowman we saw today - he was pretty cute.

Trevin will be 3 months on Monday - how is that possible??!!

Trying out some interesting color settings on my camera

Don't laugh - those white specks are snowflakes. Benjamin told his Daddy on the phone at noon today, "When you get home we can build a snowman!" We had to change expectations just a bit. Of course, I'm sure this is what Benjamin had in mind. Sorry buddy.

"Look, Mommy, here's some snow!"

Keep warm & have a great weekend,

Father & Son

Walk with me Daddy

Walk alongside me, Daddy, and hold my little hand.

I have so many things to learn that I don't understand.

Teach me things to keep me safe from dangers every day.

Show me how to do my best at home, at school, at play.

Every child needs a gentle hand to guide them as they grow,

So walk alongside me, Daddy -

We have a long way to go.
Helen Bush

Good fall memories...

Fall Days

We enjoyed every moment of our time out at the Lost Pines. The weather was perfect. Benjamin loved exploring along the trails, looking for 'wild things' (I had told him that we might see some wildlife), and making little leaf piles to jump in. The simple joys of life as a 4 year old.

Happy Thanksgiving

We have been enjoying beautiful weather. This week has been filled with arts & crafts, making pies, having the workers here, getting ready for Thanksgiving, & playing with our boys. They are so much fun!! We are really going to miss being with Russell's family this year. We are so sad to not be with them this weekend.

Apple Ginger Pie
Benjamin's art work - a penguin!
Benjamin painting his "dog house'
A grin from Trevin. He giggled on 11/24 - my first time to hear it!

Fun times in Dallas

We had family pictures taken at a fabulous hotel in Dallas last weekend. Thanks, Shanda, for the great pictures! The train lovers in our family were in awe over the miniature trains & displays. We had a great time.

2 months already??

Some days seem long but other days fly by. We're trying to get Trevin's tummy troubles resolved - it appears to be an ongoing process. Maybe someday??!! At any rate, we're glad he's growing & thriving. Look at these stats:

Weight: 13 lbs, 12 oz (75-90th percentile)
Length: 24 3/4 inches long (95th percentile)

goodbye 0-3 month clothes!! We enjoyed you for such a short time.
hello 6 month clothes!! We'll need you sooner than we realized!

His little smiles & coos are as sweet as sugar. He is smiling at big brother in this picture.

Oh, cousins Mallory & Liam, we love these zip up pjs on our little Texan!!!

Roasted Butternut Squash and Polenta with Fried Sage

A wonderful side dish for this fall

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line sheet with parchment paper.
Toss together 1 lb butternut squash (peeled, seeded, & cut into 1/2 inch cubes)
and 2 tbsp olive oil in bowl. Spread on baking sheet and bake 15 minutes. Stir and bake another 15 minutes or until tender.

Meanwhile soak 1 cup polenta in 1 1/2 cups of cold water in a bowl for 10 minutes.
Bring 2 cups chicken broth to a boil over high heat.
Stir in polenta and remaining water, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp ground pepper, 1 tbsp olive oil.
Return to a boil, then reduce heat to low & simmer, stirring occasionally about 15 min until thickened. Stir squash into polenta and cook until heated through. Spoon into hot bowl to serve.

To fry sage: Melt 2 tbsp butter (I used 1 tbsp) in a small saucepan over medium heat, and cook until it sizzles and browns lightly. Add 12 fresh sage leaves and saute until crisp. Scatter over polenta. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese & serve!

side note: I purchased soft polenta in a tube and thus omitting the soaking in 1 1/2 cups of cold water. I added the polenta directly to the boiling chicken broth and it worked fine.
Enjoy! We all loved it.

Smile!

This picture makes my heart so happy.

Rounded Corners

This was fun! Thanks Alison for the great idea. I'd do more, but my free time is quite limited right now.