Thursday, March 28, 2013

And for the pictures that didn't bother to post...

in my last entry. Here they are!

Hangin' out on my bean bag.

Concentration.

Caged Tiger.

More concentration.

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Too important

We've all been fairly house-bound these past several days, due to a nasty bug invading our personal space (nasal passages). That hasn't put a stop to much around here, though.
Lochlan, the Lion? Well, he's been super busy charming the socks off all of us, which isn't any good in this cold weather. He can't help it though... the smiles just won't go away! He even added teeth cutting (the man already has 1 tooth to his name!), runny nose and icky cough just to see how the smile would fair, but to no avail. I call him "Happytown", where grumpiness just isn't welcome. He is insistent on the virtues of community, though, and thus rather emphatic about the necessity of never being alone. Hence Mommy's new baby carrier! I highly recommend the Scootababy carrier. It is allows Lochlan to sit on my hip, while leaving me hands-free and it is incredibly supportive. I walked 2 miles with him in it today and felt like I wasn't even carrying him! Sweet.
Declan, the Pauge? Well, his inquisitive mind is constantly gleaning all that it can. I often look over to see him deeply concentrating on a new "project", trying to figure out how something works, or mimicking the antics of his big brother. He is nourishing his independent leanings of late, so has to do everything "all by himself". No assistance needed is the MO in Paugeland. He would be the first to assure you that independence is overrated, though, and there's always time to cuddle. I looked at him this evening, and this very sharp pain hit my heart... "please stop growing up so fast my little brown bear" I found myself whispering.
Madigan, the Tiger? To summarize even a day in the life of a Tiger is simply not to do it justice. He is constantly building, tearing apart, organizing, terrorizing, trying to be obedient, throwing obedience to the wind, kissing on his brothers (and patting their little heads), snatching toys from Paugie, following his parent's careful guidance, throwing caution to the wind, and running, running, running some more. Truly a sight to behold, if you're lucky enough to catch a glimpse.
And dessert: (famous Tiger phrases from this week)
  1. "Mommy, I can't take a nap. I'm too important!" Now, I understand. 
  2. As I carefully pried a hot pink bottle of shimmery lip gloss from his covetous hands whilst shopping at Target, he announced, "Mommy, it's what every boy needs!" To be sure. 
  3. The three cherubs and I were exiting the grocery store, when Madigan spotted a man getting out of his car which was parked in front of ours. Madigan announced (rather loudly, much to my chagrin), "It's Daddy!" I corrected him and said, "No, that's not Daddy. He just has a hat like Daddy." Madigan then shrieked, "It's the NEW Daddy. And he has a NEW car!" I said, "But what about Daddy?" Madigan stated, "Old Daddy is at work." Then, as the man disappeared inside the store, Madigan wailed, "I want the New Daddy!" The lady sitting in her car next to me saw how much trouble I was having keep my composure and she rolled her eyes and laughed out loud. That night, when George came home from work, Madigan's first comment? "Hi, Old Daddy." A funny comment on it's own, but given the context, I couldn't stop laughing. 
  4. Today, Madigan was doing the "potty dance" so I told him to try to go potty. He grudgingly marched into the bathroom, and I heard him whispering to himself. I asked him if everything was alright. He replied, "The Potty Train is gone." "What do you mean it's gone?" "The Potty Train has left the Station." (Desperately trying to keep a straight face...) "OK, you can just try again later." Pause... "Mommy, the Potty Train is back in the station!" Mission accomplished. But seriously... imagine how confusing the whole concept of potty training must have been to him... 

Monday, March 18, 2013

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

It's why

I refer to him as "Will-yummy!"






















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Taco James

This is one nickname I'm not entirely responsible for. I have been known to refer to him as "Locho the Taco" on occasion, but Madigan is the one who tagged his baby brother, "Taco James".

I love this boy! I know this isn't the greatest quality picture but I think it captures that spark that I've been referring to. He really does always seem to have some little secret that keeps him smiling. Maybe when he has his words, he'll share it with us. I think God decided this world needed a little more sunlight, so he made this boy.

















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Indy is home (for spring break) and we're eatin' it up!



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Thursday, March 07, 2013

Trader Joes Must Haves

To my Austinite family/friends who are excitedly awaiting the arrival of Trader Joes, here is a list of "must haves" from our pantry to yours:

  • Cornbread mix (just a little taste of heaven - make sure to substitute butter for the oil, though)
  • Kefir 
  • Frozen mango (in the frozen fruit section) - awesome in smoothies
  • Pub cheese (cheddar) - melt and mix into the next item. Serve with chips, or over chicken
  • Vegetarian Chili
  • Almond Meal (almonds, finely ground) - perfect to substitute for flour in waffles, etc.
  • 50% less salt, roasted almonds
  • Organic blue corn chips 
  • Vanilla pods (if you are interested in making your own vanilla)
  • Swiss Chard - SO delicious as a substitute for kale. We make it just like kale chips.
  • Semi-sweet chocolate chips - the best EVER.
  • Greek yogurt - the honey is the best
  • Whole milk organic yogurt, French vanilla. It is like eating ice cream! But, it's great for the kiddos!
  •  Irish Breakfast tea. We might use it for everything... including chai  lattes. :-) 
  • Organic produce - it's always fresh. 
  • Frozen organic veggies - the boys love the asparagus, spinach, green beans and bell peppers.
  • Organic raisins - they are SO FRESH! 
  • Chocolate - they have really good chocolate. 
That's a start... you will love it! 

And (totally unrelated) here are some tidbits from the peanut gallery this week: 
"Mommy, I can't obey. Today I am talking in Chinese." Meaning you no longer understand English?
 "Daddy, Mommy's crazy. She was trying to put us down for a nap." Just informing Daddy about the day's happenings.
 "Paugie, you need to be quiet so that Mommy can concentrate on finding trains." Madigan is so good about explaining to Declan why screeching in the car is counter productive to the overall family agenda: chasing trains.
 "Baby Devs (Devany) needs to live in the basement. That way we won't have to go to the barn all the time." Good point.
"Baby Lochlan, please be quiet. I neeeeeeeeeed you to be kind to me and Paugie."
"Paugie, Daddy goes to work so he can be big and strong."