Cousins!

Grammy, Ben and Jonathan playing.

Jonathan thought Ben was the coolest thing ever! And Ben told me several times that he thought Jonathan would grow up to be a really great cousin.

Cate, Ben and Andrew enjoying the beautiful New England fall and running off some energy in the front yard.

Keith, Andrew and Ben enjoying a quiet moment reading.

We looked out the window one morning to find a family of wild turkeys hanging out in the backyard. Some were even brave enough to roost on the back porch. They took cover in the woods when they heard the kids!

Hanging out on the sun porch while Andrew took a much needed nap!

Ben and Jonathan getting to know each other.

Ben decided the spit rag would be much better used as a cape and thus, "Super Baby" was born.

playground fun

The kids were super excited to play with their cousins and had a lot more energy than the adults. So, we took them to this great playground to run off some of their excess energy.

Ben and Andrew on the teeter-totter.

Cate and Andrew playing in the sand.

Andrew found a little hill to ride this tractor down. He only face-planted once!

First flight for Jonathan

Andrew checking out the safety information.


Jonathan and I were lucky enough to have an empty seat beside us on the first flight!

Jonathan crashed on the first flight of the morning. Sadly this was the only real nap he took on any of the flights.

We left last Wednesday for a trip to Boston to visit Keith's family and celebrate his parent's 40th Anniversary. It was Jonathan's first flight and the trip there was much easier than the trip back. I strongly recommend flying early in the morning rather than late afternoon, which we did on the way home. No one napped and Jonathan was teething, but we survived. All I have to say is Thank You God for portable DVD players! We had a great time and stay tuned for more great pictures of fall in New England...

We have a CRAWLER!

So, on Saturday, Jonathan figured out forward crawling. He was motivated by the cat, who is horrified that there are now two mobile creatures to chase him. And of course Jonathan learns this skill four short days before we board a plane to Boston. *sigh* And with his new skill, we have discovered how non-baby proof this house is. Plants and outlets and bookshelves, oh my. Everything has been moved up a level, including Andrew's play area.

Yesterday he screeched in panic, "Mommy! He's crawling! Put him in something!" I laughed and tried to redirect Jonathan, which is not an easy task seeing as how, he thinks Andrew and everything he has is the coolest stuff on earth. I see a lot of refereeing in my future!

Markers

This is what happens when I'm on the phone and forget to put the markers away...

This was also the same day that I let Andrew run around half naked in a feeble attempt to get him to go to the toilet. I turned around and he was putting his pull-up on, so I foolishly helped him thinking he was ready to get dressed. Two minutes later I asked him if he needed to go to the bathroom and he said, "No, I already went in my diaper." The little stinker took the time to put his pull-up on rather than run to the bathroom. AAGGHHH!

Everyone tells me that he will not wear diapers to college, but I'm beginning to wonder!

Rosemary Ranch Chicken Kabobs

1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup ranch dressing
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
1 tablespoon white sugar, or to taste (optional)
5 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes

DIRECTIONS
In a medium bowl, stir together the olive oil, ranch dressing, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, salt, lemon juice, white vinegar, pepper, and sugar. Let stand for 5 minutes. Place chicken in the bowl, and stir to coat with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat the grill for medium-high heat. Thread chicken onto skewers and discard marinade.
Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill skewers for 8 to 12 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, and the juices run clear.

We had these for dinner last night and they were very yummy and super easy!

SCISSORS!

It's been a crazy busy week. It all started on Sunday night when I sent Keith to the ER with a swollen foot and an out-of-control case of poison ivy. He had been battling it for a month, no exaggeration, and I had suggested several times that he see a doctor, but...he wasn't convinced that was necessary until his leg and ankle swelled up to twice their normal size. He's fine now and on some powerful antibiotics and steroids. He's very allergic to poison ivy, and I don't think it will take 4 weeks for him to see a doctor next time! So, he had to stay home on Monday to try to get the swelling under control and keep his foot elevated. Not so easy with two active boys in the house, excited to see Daddy on a Monday.

I thought maybe it was a good day for a craft. I love a bargain and I found these cute safety scissors on clearance at Target. I've been saving them, mainly out of fear of the potential destruction they could cause. But I dug them out on Monday as a new distraction. Here's how it went:

"Andrew, do you want to do a craft?"
"NO."
"Andrew, would you like to use scissors?"
"WHAT?"
"I have new scissors for you."
"Mommy! You gonna give me scissos!" (said with much shock and disbelief.)

When he heard that he could use scissors, he came running.

And in case the photos aren't clear - the scissors were a HUGE hit! At one point, he stopped cutting and counted all his fingers and announced, "I have 10 fingers!"
me: "Oh good, you didn't lose any!"
Andrew: "No I didn't!"
Andrew: "Cutting is fun!" This was declared repeatedly.


He has asked for his scissors and paper every day this week. Sadly, this activity requires more supervision and time than I can provide every day. But it is good to know that when I need a few minutes of quiet, I can give him his scissors.