the miracle of medicine

Xavier was sick for a couple of weeks, maxing out with a fever of 104 

and eyes that only opened halfway:

I gave him that ice cream cone in a vain attempt to cool him down and get him to eat something. He insisted on just holding it and staring at the floor. It was truly a pathetic sight.

One week and one round of antibiotics later, and he's back to his fighting self. Isaac and I even let him make chocolate chip cookies with us on Friday. He enjoyed those much more than that dripping sad cone.

Then, he smeared the rest of his lunch in his hair. 

Yes, things are definitely back to normal.

a halloween recap

I've been trying to have a better attitude when it comes to my kitchen and meal planning and I've been looking to my friend Bree for inspiration. If you haven't checked out her blog, do it right now! She's an amazing photographer with a passion for fresh, homemade food. When we briefly lived in the same place, I was amazed by her homemade hummus and lemon bars in particular. I think of her every time I make chicken noodle soup - she taught me to put Matzo balls in - it's such a yummy twist! 

Isaac loves to cook, so I've let him pick a few things to make during our afternoons while the other boys are busy at school and dreaming. One day he chose Bree's pumpkin butter. When it came out so good - and was so easy to make - we made it again and brought it to his preschool class on my co-op day. The kids loved letting their Teddy Grahams go swimming in the pumpkin butter and the teachers were happy to have a little jar to take home. Thanks for the inspiration Bree! We've also sampled your apple butter and sweet and sour chicken recently - keep those easy slow cooker recipes coming! And your caramel sauce? Really? I went through that so fast and never would have tried it without your encouragement. It tastes amazing in a hot cup of tea.

Isaac loves school, which I realize is such a blessing. My kids have always been really excited about school and at a co-op, it's such a nice treat to see them in that environment. Isaac's class has been learning a lot about firefighters, so he was happy to show me some of his firefighting skils. Unlike Finnian at the same age, Mr. Independent Isaac was content to just have me there. He didn't need to sit on my lap or show me everything.  I think he mostly liked the extra attention he got from having his mom there that day.

We headed to Mass. for a Halloween/pumpkin carving party with Mo's siblings and cousins. It's become an annual event and one that we all look forward to. The entries were really fun this year, with many of them actually made by real kids, not just grown-up kids.

The boys loved seeing their cousins - they were all there! And as usual, Colin and Suzi brought their A game. The Angry Birds were a big hit, especially with the kids that had never played the game before. 

We hit the annual Halloween Parade in town too. The kids get to trick-or-treat on Main Street and check out each other's costumes in the daylight. Cowboy Isaac had a homemade costume. I used the same Simplicity pattern that I used for Finnian's 1-year-old cowboy getup. It was such a simple and quick costume and Mr. Texas was thrilled with how it came out. I will never forget the look on his face when he saw himself in the mirror, dressed as a cowboy, for the first time. Magic.

After tossing around a lot of ideas, Finnian finally chose "scary skeleton" as his costume. He's in real school now, so it's time to be scary I suppose! You can't see it in these photos, but I painted a happy skeleton face on his treat bag. Note to self: fabric paint on fleece is not a neat combo.

And Xavier was a monkey who totally understood what to do on Halloween. After watching his brothers, he wobbled to some of the houses and confidently chose a candy from the bowl. He didn't catch on that you could actually eat what was in those shiny little packages, but he sure was a trooper and loved Halloween. Mo and I did our part too to scare the neighbors with our costumes. Grami joined in on the trick-or-treating fun. A good night was had by all!

what else can you make with apples?

We've had a beautiful fall and some gorgeous weekends. But, there also has been a massive flea outbreak in our area, and for the first time, both the dogs got them. We've been vacuuming, washing and vacuuming again for over two weeks and I think we're finally flea-free. It's awful, although I hear bed bugs are worse. The fleas and other busy-ness has left little time for posting, but since it's a rainy day, I thought I could sneak in a few updates. 

We apple picked a couple of weeks ago at the orchard down the street. It was so much fun and we're still enjoying the apples, apple sauce, apple cake and apple pie. Yum!

some photos hanging out on my camera

Just a few weeks ago some good friends came for a visit. We visited the beach while the tide was out (perfect!) and went for a evening swim.

The train went by and we waved. I'm really going to miss this beach.

Love these guys.

Isaac's personality continues to flourish. He now has opinions on his clothes... 

and likes to dress like a little sk8r boi.

Mamo came for a super fun visit. That same week, the Book Barn got a ton of train books. 

She treated the boys to a few that have become instant treasures.

Xavier got the neatest toy for his birthday from Uncle Colin and Auntie Suzi. 

All the boys in the house love it. Thanks!

We continue to get great mileage from the magnet toys Isaac got from his birthday. 

If I could give it 10 stars, I would. Thanks for the tip Jennifer!

Mo and big boys made a pop pop engine (or something like that). It didn't pop as much as Mo wanted, but Finnian and Isaac could have cared less. They made their own boat out of stuff around the house. To two boys who dream about robots and construct new lego creations daily, it was awesome.

With Finnian gone at school all day everyday, Isaac is relishing in his alone time with me in the afternoons while Xavier naps. He asks to cook or bake almost every day. Check out the "muffins." 

Did you know muffins could have so many sprinkles?

Though he STILL prefers to crawl over walk, this little dude is trying his hardest to talk. We recently taught him how to blow kisses and bump fists. So, he like the b words: bump (buh), brother (bruh), ball (baw), bus (buh). That's right, bump and bus sound the same, so we look for other clues, like an arm sticking out or Finnian's approaching ride home.

Finnian started soccer, which is all-in-all, amazing.

Look how cute his coach is!

Sometimes they all end up like this:

And they always end up like this:

Lots of short people with shin guards. So cute.

And, we got one rare photo of us all together! And smiling! A miracle! Too bad we all have scrubby beach clothes on and not everyone is looking at the camera. But really, I cannot complain. 

It may have to be our Christmas photo. Thanks Rich!

back to school, or a beginning

We celebrated back-to-school a couple of weeks ago. The start was a little delayed and crazy because of the hurricane, but the boys' first days were a success! Neither one had their meet the teacher day; all the prep stuff was cancelled. Finnian showed up the first day unshowered, as did I for the first drop off. Good first impression, right? Despite the complications, both boys were excited for their first days, with their new backpacks and new t-shirts.  Buses were cancelled, so I got to pick up and drop off Finnian that first day, with daddy making a special surprise appearance at the end of the school day. Also, the way the schedule worked out, I got to be the parent helper for Isaac's first day of preschool. He really didn't need me there, but it was so much fun to watch him finally go to school... he's been asking for over a year now when he could go to school just like his big brother. They love it. I know I'm so lucky.

The logistics of two schools in two towns with limited bus help and a napping baby brother has been the most challenging for me. I am less emotional about the start of Kindergarten and preschool than I thought I would be, but more stressed than I thought getting everyone fed, pooped, dressed, packed, washed, brushed and out the door. We are over two weeks into it now though, and it's getting easier. We're all adjusting to the new routine. As long as I keep seeing happy faces at the end of the day, I'll get through the logistics. I'm happy for the boys. But I do miss them when they're gone. 

guest photog 2 of 3

From Papa! A few more special moments from 4th of July. So much fun!