They look so...Big.

Pepperoni-Sausage Pizza

The first two nights were good, but after eating it for dinner and lunch two days in a row I was beginning to regret making so much blasted pizza. So much for healthy eating this week. The kids seem not to mind though.

Another Day, Another Stick

It was my fault.  I heard him push the chair over to the kitchen sink. A couple of minutes later I heard the sink turn on.  I was upstairs playing trains with the twins and was frankly too lazy to go downstairs.  I've been nursing a cold and was really exhausted.  So he was washing my dishes?  Might be good, right?  Today it was three-quarters of a stick (approx.)  I've lost count how many times he's done this, but let's just say a little over two pounds of butter worth.  He was actually making a good attempt at cleaning up today.  See the evidence on the soap dispenser? :)    He didn't even need a change of clothes!

So, I frowned at him and started making dinner.  Halfway through dinner I realized the cheddar-parsley biscuits (made with a household overstock of cream and parsley) weren't cooking right.  They were browning too fast on the bottom and were in danger of all-out burning.  I started to chew out the random recipe I printed out.  Why didn't they get this right before posting it for everyone!  Then, I realized it probably wasn't their fault. I can't follow a recipe to save my life and this was no exception. I doubled the recipe (not a good idea with baking.) I substituted cream for milk.  Then added a lot more cream.  Then added almost 3 times as much cheese.  Then I put in parsley instead of sage.  Then I got lazy and added even more liquid to turn them from roll-out biscuits to drop biscuits.  Dang.  I guess I'm lucky they didn't explode.

I fed the kids the slightly-crispy (but not burnt-really!) biscuits which Patrick would not eat the bottoms of (grrr...) with leftover ham (also an overstock item today).  I poured myself a large glass of water and reached for the ice.  Yes! There was one piece left!  But it was so large it took up the whole glass.  I stuck it in, but now I couldn't take a sip for at least 10 minutes.  But of course I'm so stubborn by this point I wait, getting more parched by the minute.  And say bad things about the freezer.  Except then I remember who left the ice out on the porch during that nifty thawing day...  Can't I blame someone else for anything today!?

Thankfully, Biscuit, our household scapecat, walked by and meowed at that instant.  I chewed her out for eating too much and not excercising, and whining for her dinner.  I did this while feeding her, of course.  No use making her mad, I'd hear about it all evening!

Mobsters-in-Training

Overheard this afternoon up by 'the tracks':  "Paddy, did you break my train?" Isaac says with a slight whine in is voice.  "Mmmm, yeah," says Patrick.  "No, you can't do that!" Isaac exclaims.  Paddy counters, "I told you though."  This causes Isaac to consider, "Yeah you did. Ok.  I'm going to have to break your leg then."  This gets my immediate attention. "WHAT?!"  I interject. Isaac smiles, "I was just being silly."  "Oh. Ok," I reply with a you-better-be-good look. I think it's going to be a while before I let Mikey introduce them to the Godfather...

The Silver Lining

I gave Patrick a pair of socks to put on this morning.  He pulled them on asking, "Mommy, is this one of my new pair of socks?"  "Umm...no," I replied, glancing at their dingy appearance.  Patrick smiled. "They have a hole in them," he said, wiggling his toes, "so I can feel things!"

Green is Good

The Water Bill Bugs

Isaac drew these great bugs just for me on the back of the water bill.  When I turned it over to tear off the section to return with the check he started to cry-  I tore his one bug in half and was going to send the other away!?  He drew me more bugs but none quite as nice [sigh].  Hope the great city of Saint Paul appreciates them.

Kittylicious

I made banana bread and mango smoothies this afternoon. I found the boys 'customizing' Isaac's smoothie with added milk and banana bread pieces, to make it 'extra good'. Then I found Sam making his 'extra good' too, but he was out of banana bread. He used cat food pieces. Meoooww....

A little lamb

One of the twins' first songs was "Mary Had a Little Lamb" and Patrick especially was very good at singing "Mary WENT, Mary WENT, Mary WENT" at the appropriate point.  Aunt Mary visited us when we were in Colorado.  About a week after she had left, we were sitting around singing, "...everywhere that Mary went, Mary went, Mary went..." when Patrick stopped me.  "Mommy!  Mommy!  Mommy!" he said earnestly, thinking I was asking where Mary actually did go,  "Mary went HOME!"

Sam turns TWO!

He was sleepy and not wanting a thing to do with the party until I sat him down in front of the cupcakes, Mikey lit them, and we all started singing 'Happy Birthday'. As we were singing, I watched a wonderful giddy smile spread over his face, and I think all of the sudden he understood that it was his birthday.

Ice Cave

If it has to be cold outside, at least it can be beautiful. 

Butter Boy, Continued

This is becoming a regular occurance. Whenever I'm so foolish to leave the butter anywhere on the counter (instead of on top of the fridge or in the cupboard where it belongs) Sam gets an artistic urge for butter painting. Here, Raven was 'helping' so I don't have a picture of the final 'art'. Then Sam thought that licking it off the floor looked like a really great idea:

Apparently, I need to feed this kid more fat. Couldn't hurt him, anyhow.

In Case You're Interested...

...this is what a deconstructed kleenex box looks like. Makes me wonder why I pay as much for a bunch of wood pulp.

Going to the Zoo, Zoo, Zoo!

Cold day. Time for the Zoo.

This one was a little off-kilter.

As always, the tortise.

The fish. Way, way, way cool. Bonus diver today!

Paddy at Gymnastics

If Isaac would ever be still for half a second at this class, I'd post a picture of him too.

Drying Off Kitty

After having a hearty breakfast of peanut butter toast, kitty had to have a bath. Sam decided to speed the drying process with a towel from the bathroom.

Chapstick Boy

Yup. He missed.

A Day In

I know it's just because I chose today to eat healthier (and less) which, at first, always makes makes me cranky.  And the kids have colds, and aren't feeling great (hence the day in.)  But the kids really are running the house today, no matter how I pretend that I'm the one in charge.

First the little cups, taken from the kitchen counter, found in the bathroom. Sam using them to pour water on the floor from the sink.

Then the deconstructed kleenex box: a wet pile of soggy cardboard inside of the convenient drawer, with the pile of sopping wet kleenex on a puddle on the bathroom floor.

Then butter boy was at it again, painting my dining room floor with a fresh stick of butter, eating most and giving raven the opportunity to 'clean up' with him.

I can't get Sam to nap because he won't stay put.  And of course, their bedroom door is off the hinges and in the garage (don't ask).

Then the big humidifier, just brought upstairs last night-
      First the buttons:  high, med, low.  high, med, low.  high, med, low.
      Then, the whole thing tipped over in the hallway, water everywhere.
I'm running out of old towels by now. 

Upstairs there's the screws and wall anchors, put on the (supposedly-kid-resistant) high dresser in my room last night.  Patrick and Sam, having a grand time dropping them behind my bed.
Now exactly why won't anyone nap?

Spreaking of my bed, I found where my ball point pen went right after lunch.  There's a giant blue scribble all over my bedsheets.  I walk out of the bedroom with Sam under my arm, walking past my good dog...

...who has lotion all over her.  (!!)  She's not the moisturizing type.

Then I find the rest of the lotion, gobs all over the side of my bed and rolling down to the lovely, bright red, textured carpet. 

I think I'm in need of some help with my (not-so-successful) zone defense.  Or perhaps some chocolate.

Christmas Morning