Memorial Day Weekend

Photos only- I am too tired to write complete sentences!  And not even very many photos, I guess no one did much photography over the weekend.

Birthday party on Saturday:

a snow cone truck came to the party! (with their friend Maddie)

The Philadelphia Zoo on Sunday:

the only photo with all 4 kids

Charlotte sick and exhausted

Pool Date on Monday:

Charlotte in her bathing suit that Daddy picked out

Recipes

Here is our much-requested family challah recipe.  We make the dough in the bread machine, and then take it out, braid it, and let it rise.  You can also divide it into 12 dinner rolls, which is what we do on Thanksgiving.

Challah:
3/4 C hot water
1/4 C vegetable oil
1 egg
1/4 C sugar
1 tsp salt
3 C of bread flour
2 1/4 tsp of active dry yeast

Add to the bread machine, keeping the yeast separate from the wet ingredients.  Put the machine on the "dough" cycle.  When it is done, take the challah out and braid it, then put the braided challah on a piece of aluminum foil sprayed with Pam.  If it is early in the day, you can let the challah rise in the fridge.  If it is closer to the time you plan to bake it, leave it out on the counter or in the oven (not turned on!) to rise.  When ready to bake, put the oven to 350 degrees, and bake it for 20 minutes.  Then take the foil out from underneath and bake another 10 minutes.  We don't glaze ours with egg wash, but you can if you prefer.  It makes excellent French toast later in the weekend!

I also want to share my current favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe.  It's Martha Stewart's "soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies" from her cookie book.  It is simple and quick, and the dough is made up in less time than it takes to preheat the oven.

Chocolate chip cookies:
2 1/4 C flour
1/2 tsp baking soda

1 C (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 C packed brown sugar
1/2 C white sugar

1 tsp coarse salt
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs

2 C chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.  Mix flour and baking soda in a medium bowl, set aside.  In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add salt, vanilla, and eggs and mix until well-blended, about 1 minute.  Then add the flour mixture, mix until you can no longer see the flour.  Stir in the chocolate chips.

Scoop heaping tablespoons onto prepared cookie sheets (I use sil-pats and a Pampered Chef cookie scoop).  Bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges are brown but the centers are still soft.  You want them to look under baked.  They are delicious!

P.S. Can you tell we're a house full of carbaholics?

Belated post: Visit from Memere and Pepere

This is post is extremely belated!  About 3 weeks ago, Eric's parents came to visit from Maine, and gave us a special housewarming/birthday gift of a new garden.

They came on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, and wasted no time ripping out what little "garden" we had.

Our yard before work began

The garden now

Over the course of about 2 days, Eric and his dad uprooted what few bushes we had, created two beds, and planted low-maintenance perennials which I hopefully can't kill.  We tore up the lawn to try to plant new grass seed, but then it poured like a monsoon and I'm pretty sure all the seeds got washed away.  It's been over 2 weeks and not a single thread of grass has come up.

Sunday was Easter, and we had an Easter egg hunt in our backyard.  Asher sat inside and stared out the door, memorizing the locations of all the eggs.  Then he went wild and grabbed as many eggs as he could (so competitive!).

Asher running to get more eggs

Benjamin on the hunt

Charlotte found an egg!

Pepere showing Charlotte what to do with her eggs

I had the boys split their eggs up evenly, and set some aside for Charlotte, even though she doesn't really eat candy.  She only has 8 teeth, still!  6 on top and 2 on the bottom.

Pepere and his little helper (Benjamin No-Nap)

My only contribution- roto-tilling

That evening we had an unkosher-for-Passover Easter dinner of ham.  I made a chocolate cream pie, which was also delicious.  Our Passover ended when Memere and Pepere arrived, and the boys were not too sad about it.  I actually enjoyed eating my matzoh this year, though.

On Monday, Memere and Pepere continued to work hard in the garden, and I took Asher and Charlotte to the zoo.  The zoo was a zoo- worse than on Halloween or a summer weekend- so we left before lunch time.  We had planned to meet friends at the park as an alternative, but once the kids got home to Memere and Pepere, they didn't want to leave again.

Monday afternoon, I managed to get in a long run while Memere took care of my babies.  Then we had dinner together- hot dogs and beans.  We had plenty of beautiful weather, which was extremely helpful, since there was so much gardening work to be done.

Pepere's hard work- our front bed

Bleeding heart and azaleas

Our back bed- transplants from Maine and my mom's house

On Tuesday I went to work, and everyone else went to Ikea.  Kids Eat Free on Tuesdays, and then everyone got ice cream.  

the crew at Ikea

Memere and Pepere left on Tuesday evening, and the boys were sad.  They had a great time with their grandparents, who spoil them rotten!  It's too bad we're so far apart and don't get to see them as often as we'd like, but it does make every visit to them or from them extra-special.

Benjamin: 4 Years Old

SuperBoo!

I know I did a post a few months back all about my no-nap buddy, but here is an update.

He's talking a lot, and has a lot to say.  He's still a little hard to understand, but his speech evaluation said he doesn't require intervention (this is the 3rd time we've had him evaluated for that outcome, if I ever say I'm going to do it again, please stop me).  He often just pops out with things like, "I love you so much!" which I never tire of hearing.

He is consistent and fairly predictable in his likes and attachments.  Every night he sleeps with his snuggle blanket, his panda, and his fire dog.  Since falling in love with these things, he has not relinquished them, and there are no substitutes.

One cool dude eating ice cream

Benjamin is fairly adventurous when it comes to food, and if he shows any hesitation about trying something, we just dip it in mustard.  He LOVES mustard, and his new lunch food is grilled cheese and mustard sandwich.  I can even send it in his lunch to his kosher school, and the teacher will heat it up in the microwave for him.  He has tried, and enjoyed, artichoke, spicy foods, and ethnic foods of all kinds.  He adores fruit- right now we eat a lot of watermelon, but he also likes pear, pineapple, banana, apple, berries of all kinds, cantaloupe... I guess everything!  Recently he's had a big appetite, and it is amazing how someone can eat so much and still be so tiny.  He likes hot dogs, dipped in mustard of course, and eats them for breakfast sometimes.  While hot dogs for breakfast aren't my speed, it reminds me of when my sister was little and had a hot-dog-for-breakfast phase.

Benjamin is independent, and has a great ability to play by himself or entertain himself for long periods of time.  In general, he's a good listener, and doesn't make too many "bad choices," which is code for "doing things you know you absolutely shouldn't do, but do anyway because mommy and daddy aren't looking."

We've had some regressions with potty training occasionally (only #2), but he is mostly doing a great job of using the potty.  He never asks for treats anymore; he seems to understand that using the toilet is just something you do when you get older.  He wears underwear at night and is dry every night (except once, which I mention only to be completely truthful).

He's also very solicitous of his little sister.  Asher will get impatient and push her away, but Benjamin takes care of her and keeps an eye out.  He's also a great companion- when he no-naps we run errands or get things done, and he is usually cheerful.  Last week we went and delivered food for the food pantry, and he was in and out of the car several times, wandering around unfamiliar apartment buildings, and didn't have one word of complaint.  He is far less aggressive than Asher- I think he is fairly non-confrontational, and backs off quickly when Asher turns things into a competition.

Helping Papa Nick make his mocha

Benjamin is taking gymnastics once a week at the JCC.  I usually take Charlotte out in the jog stroller while he is in there so I haven't seen him in action, but he really enjoys it, and I love that he has an activity that is all his.

I can't put into words the joy I have at watching his personality develop, and the person he is becoming.  He is patient, he is kind-hearted, he is independent, and he is clever.  He's not ostentatious, loud, or braggy about his accomplishments.  I hope he knows how proud I am of him.  I adore him.  Although I wish he would nap more frequently, he is an easy child.  Many of the small things that seemed to set him off before no longer phase him, and that makes everyone happier.  I look forward to seeing his sweet face each morning, kissing him goodnight at bedtime, and all our adventures in between.

Asher: 4 years old

Before our race on Saturday

at his PT eval

This is hard- I don't know where to start, to describe this sweet boy.  It is impossible to believe that Asher was late to talk, because he is always talking.  It is hard to believe that he's only been potty-trained for 4 months, because he is 100% accident-free.  

Asher knows how to talk to people.  He is pretty clever about interpersonal things, and knows how to work things in his favor.  He knows how to sweet-talk people and compliment them to get a positive reaction.

Asher has a serious sweet-tooth.  He still asks for treats when he poops on the potty, and every once in a while will try to get a treat for going pee!  At night, he asks for one dessert as soon as he finishes dinner, and then will ask for another if the rest of us are eating dessert later.  

He is my snuggle bug.  Ever since he was little, he has known just how to fit his body to mine for the perfect snuggle.  I love the way he feels tucked up next to me.  I worried when I had Charlotte that he might not want to be my snuggle bug anymore, but fortunately, we still get our cuddles in.  

Strong elements of Asher's personality are emerging.  He is caring and concerned, but also bossy and sometimes argumentative.  He wants what he wants when he wants it, and just this morning, I watched him climb over Benjamin's head in order to get into his preferred car seat.  He is extremely competitive.  He wants to "win" everything (the getting undressed race at bath time; his kids' dash last weekend).  He has a favorite spoon (yes, that is ridiculous) and he races downstairs in the morning to grab it so that Benjamin won't use it.  

Getting "the most" eggs on Easter

He is collecting treasures- basically pieces of trash- that he carries around in his hand or tucks in his pocket.  Things like a broken button he found on the playground, or coins we find on the ground.  He doesn't seem overly emotionally attached to these things; he seems disappointed if he loses them (which he always does, because they are small and he is forgetful), but quickly moves on.  

At night, Asher sleeps with a stuffed animal and a blanket.  He changes his mind about which are his favorites, though.  Right now he sleeps with Broccoli and a brown fleecy blanket that was a throw blanket on our couch; before, it was his big dog he got for potty training and a fleece blanket I made for him.  And as long as he has his thumb to suck, he is happy.

Asher still naps everyday, except for the day at school where they baked cookies but weren't going to eat them until after nap, and he was so excited he couldn't sleep.  He will sleep 3-4 hours sometimes on the weekends, more nap than Charlotte!  

Asher's favorite foods are peanut butter and jelly, string cheese (only Polly-O brand), dried fruits, applesauce pouches, and pasta.  He also loves pizza from Poppi's and Chinese food noodles.  He no longer eats a single fresh fruit or yogurt.  He loves vegetables, especially broccoli and carrots.  And of course, all desserts, no matter how terrible.

His current favorite movie is Wreck It Ralph; before that it was Aladdin, and before that, Frozen.  He loves snuggling up to read stories, and we are working our way through a collection of Winnie the Pooh.  He is good at imaginative play, and it has not yet stopped thrilling me to hear him and Benjamin playing and pretending.

He also loves to play outside, and loves to see his friends and family.  He's always requesting dinner with someone- I guess his family just isn't exciting enough!  He's now spent the night by himself at Meema and Papa Nick's twice, and is perfectly happy to stay there without us.  I love that he feels just as at-home there as he does here.

There is so much more to say about Asher, and I've been thinking about this post for days (weeks), but I know there are things that I'm forgetting.  So for now, this is Asher at 4 years.

last weekend

I am delayed in posting this- we had a hectic weekend, capped off with 2 nights of Passover seders and then 2 nights of me working.  This is my first lazy night on the couch in a week!

We had beautiful weather over the weekend, which put everyone in a good mood.  Saturday was Eric's birthday, and we had a family morning at the zoo.  The first time we have been to the zoo as a family of 5!  Ever since Charlotte's birth, I have taken the kids to the zoo by myself.

no way to get all 5 of us looking at the camera

Boo at the Zoo

 The weather was beautiful, and we had a great time.  We left right as everything was getting busy, and everyone but Benjamin (and mommy and daddy) took a good nap.

After good naps, we went to get ice cream and water ice at the Rita's near our house.  The boys each got a water ice, and Charlotte and Daddy shared an ice cream cone.  I love this series of pictures:

"Cheese!"

"What's that in Daddy's hand?"

"Oooh, I want some..."

"YUM!"

Playing around

Taking a break from intense water ice consumption

 Saturday night, Eric and I had a date night dinner in the city, which was really nice.  We got home a little early, so we went on a walk around the neighborhood while my parents continued to babysit.

Sunday the weather was even more beautiful.  I took the kids to Smith Playground, and I don't have photos because taking 3 mobile kids to a place like that is very anxiety-producing and requires every bit of attention I have.  I definitely lost the boys every now and then in an effort to keep an eye on my escapee daughter.  Asher insisted on wearing his super-cool sunglasses, which he lost when we got there.  Then I kept losing the kids.  They did have fun, and we met up with my cousin's husband and son for some play time and a picnic.  Unfortunately, people are kind of rude and disgusting and let their dogs poop all over the lawn where kids play and people picnic, so Asher stepped in dog poop, and then Charlotte stepped in poop, too.  Then I was overheated and we got in the car to go home, and sat in traffic the whole way home.  I was so exhausted!

My sister and I went for a jog together- I am supposedly getting ready for the Broad Street Run and wanted to do a long run, but it was 80 degrees and very sunny, so I pooped out.  She scolded me and I think isn't convinced I will be able to finish the 10 mile run, but I'll show her!

Sunday night we had our first dinner outside.  Our neighbors were all gathered, but we had invited my parents and a friend of my sister's to our house.  We stayed out way after dark, talking and eating. It was nice, and the kids were great and in good moods.

The kids are in spring break this week, so we have had some extra play time together.  Our Passover was fun, and the boys loved playing with their big cousins.  Even Charlotte loves being one of the gang!  Now we are looking forward to a weekend with Memere and Pepere and celebrating Easter.

4 year well visit + 15 month well visit

Asher/Stevie Wonder at lunch today

Big girl tackling the playground

Benjamin playing with photo booth on my computer

Today we had a combined appointment for all 3 kids.  Being the super-mom that I am, I forgot to write down anyone's height or weight, but here is what I remember.

Asher: 36.8 lbs, 40.25 inches
Benjamin: 34.2 lbs, 39.25 inches
Charlotte: 27 lbs, 31.25 inches

Charlotte is rapidly gaining on her brothers!  Asher was around the 50th percentile for height and weight; Benjamin's weight was much lower (30? I can't remember), and Charlotte's weight is in the 96th percentile, and her height is around the 70th percentile.  She is one very solid munchkin.

Overall, the kids are all in good health, and there were very few concerns.  The doctor said we could try to get speech therapy for Benjamin since he still mispronounces words (or, as he says it, "I say the wrong words"), but he will also be able to get speech once he starts elementary school.  I don't think he has trouble at school, or with friends understanding him, but I'll check in with his teacher.

We did get a referral to PT for Asher, because his torticollis is getting worse.  It had improved for a long time, and I had stopped noticing it, but now I'm noticing it again, and the doctor agreed that it is noticeable and could become problematic as he gets older.  Ugh.  She didn't seem overly concerned about the fact that Asher doesn't eat fruit, even though I am.  She said we could start giving him rewards for trying bites of fruit, but I can guarantee he won't put a piece of fruit in his mouth.  He eats enough dried fruits and veggies that he isn't stopped up, but I don't think it's healthy to exclude an entire food group.

Charlotte checked out just fine in every way.

All 3 kids got shots.  Asher went first, he was quite anxious and the nurse asked that I pin back his arms (he was snuggled in my lap).  He shrieked!  Then he got on Daddy's lap and calmed down quickly.  Benjamin was next, and he didn't make a peep!  I was really surprised.  Charlotte was last, and Asher got upset that he was going to hear her cry.  He had to put his hands over his ears while she got her shots.  She did cry- but stopped quickly.  I think she is just more pissed off that someone is hurting her than she is in actual pain.  I told Asher later that he had been so brave.  He said, "but I cried!"  And I told him that you can be brave and cry at the same time.

Then we were finally on our way.  Everyone was hungry, so we went straight to Panera for lunch.  There wasn't a scrap of food left! I ordered 2 kids meals for the 3 kids, and a lunch for both Eric and me.  I guess we were all starving.  Asher kept going on and on during lunch about how great lunch was, and how special it was that we were all together, and that Daddy was there.  He was laying it on thick!

We had planned to take the kids to the playground, but Charlotte was exhausted, so she and I got dropped home while Eric took the boys to the playground.  I think they had a good day- we ended the day with dinner with Meema and Papa Nick and Aunt Jane and Uncle Ed.  Meema made brownies for dessert for Eric's birthday, and we all enjoyed brownie and ice cream for dessert.  Tomorrow is Eric's birthday, and hopefully beautiful spring weather and a trip to the zoo.