Chef in training

In the hope that I'd actually get Jakers to eat something other than yogurt, chicken nuggets, and cereal bars, I've been having him cook dinners with me. I'll give him the choice (within reason, of course) and then we'll make it together. So far it hasn't really worked too well - but at least I'm able to prepare a dinner without too much hassle!

Last night I gave Jake the choice of kapusta and kielbasa, or soup. He chose soup, much to the dismay of my tastebuds (I've been craving kapusta and kielbasa, with some fresh rye bread...mmm.....) So I dove into the freezer and cabinets, pulled out the necessities, and began to cook.

Stirring the pot...

Adding the tortellini...

"Yumma yumma in my tumma tumma!"

The finished product:

OK - so the picture doesn't really do it justice. But it was G O O D!! I'm not sure where I got the recipe from, but I've made it so many times over the years that it's never the same. This version had sweet Italian sausage, garlic, chicken broth, vegetable broth, tomatoes, spinach, cannellini beans, mushrooms, and cheese tortellini. I made this HUGE pot - and it's all gone! It's one of Steve's favorites, and I had hoped to have some leftover to freeze... Guess I'll have to make it again!

And Jake STILL didn't eat any!!!

Think he's tired...?

Steve has this magic when it comes to Justin. When he's tired and cranky and hungry, he just wants mommy. But when all else fails, and I just can't get him to settle down to sleep, I give him over to daddy and leave the room.

Last night, Justin was super cranky - and Jake needed to go to bed. I tried my best to get him to settle with no luck. I handed him over - went up to brush Jake's teeth - and was pleased when I didn't hear any more crying. I came down 10 minutes later, and this is what I saw. Apparently, Steve set him in the corner of the couch to grab his bottle. The next thing he knew, Justin was wedged in the corner of the couch, out cold.

And I still can't get him to sleep through the night!

Snow What Fun!

Winter in New England just isn't winter without snow. And as luck would have it, we had a Nor'Easter this past Monday. It really wasn't too bad in our part of the state - we got a few inches of heavy, wet snow. But it was all the boys needed for some winter entertainment.


Jake and Justin had a blast watching the snow on the deck.


Even Sophia join in the fun.

Jake said it looked "brr cold" outside, so he wanted to be all bundled in his blue blankie.

I figured the boys would want to play with the snow, but it was too wet to go out. So I brought the snow in! Justin wasn't too sure what to make of it. First he poked, then played, then ate!

Little Drummer Boy

Think he's got some natural talent... Watch out, UCMB Drumline!

Freezers, Babyfood, and T-Rexes - OH MY!

How else can I link 3 totally seperate ideas together?

Thursday we became the proud owners of a Fridgidaire upright freezer. It was a Christmas present from my parents - our "Santa gift" as mom and dad say. I suppose I've now hit "housewife" status when the arrival of the freezer was the highlight of my day. I had to ensure proper preparation and initiation of the freezer by stocking up on food Wednesday night. I took full advantage of the sales - how can you pass up buy-one-get-two-free sales on chicken breasts, pork chops, and pork tenderloins? By Thursday night, that little Frigidaire was kickin' out the cold air - and freezing all that meat rock solid. Since then, I've been dreaming of all the goodies I can buy, cook, and preserve with my Food Saver for eternity. God forbid we ever decide to put a car in the garage - where will we put the freezer?

Friday I made my first batches of home-made babyfood for Justin. He'd eaten thru the few jars I had bought, and I didn't have the chance to run to the store. So I broke out the rocket blender I got for Christmas and blended up some leftover butternut squash. I set out some fresh mush for Justin to try, and poured the rest into ice cube trays to freeze. It was so easy! I was instantly addicted - rummaging through the cabinets for other things to blend. Justin loved the sweet orange goo - I can only imagine how much better it tastes! Jake was slightly afraid of the whole process - not sure if it was sound of the blender or the look of glee on my face as I watched a can of pears whizz around. But our freezer is now filled with Ziploc bags of frozen mush cubes - quart bags of pears, peaches, squash, pears, beans, all labeled so no one mistakes them for ice cubes.

Saturday was the day of the T-Rex. Jake got a book for Christmas from his Grandma and Grandpa in St. Louis called "Gigantosaurus Numbers". It's a counting book with dinosaurs, and we read it at least once a day. His favorite part is the T-Rex page - we'll stare at it forever, noticing their faces, teeth, eyes, colors. After our third go-round on Saturday, Jake decided it was art time. So up to the kitchen we went, and while I made lunch he drew. As I'm squeezing the pouch of scary orange cheese onto the macaroni, I'm presented with this drawing on green paper. "Here mommy, this is for you!" "Oh, it's lovely!" I say, having no clue what it is. "It's a T-Rex, mommy - just like the book".