Misadventures in Cooking

Well, I write this as I listen to the whir of the breadmaker on what is now my 4th (seriously!) attempt to make a loaf of bread to go with our dinner tonight. I am trying to be more careful in the foods that I feed the children and attempting to make more "from scratch" foods using whole foods instead of depending on so many preservative filled easy alternatives. It can't be that hard, right? Lots of people do this, with lots more kids than me. Now, don't worry Ronald McDonald! I still love you! I'll still be by for a Big Mac when the craving hits! I'm just trying to make some small changes.

So, on that note, I decided to make a big crock pot of homemade soup and homemade bread for dinner tonight (I'm also trying to get better about making double batches of dinners in advance and freezing!). The soup is simmering away, so I'll let you know how that turns out later. I'm not sure the carrots are still supposed to be crunchy...maybe I should have cooked them in advance. Anyways, it's edible, so I'm not too worried about the soup. The bread is what's killing me. And....it's even in a breadmaker! Yes, I know, they're supposed to be so easy a kindergartner can do it, and I used to use it often, but apparently having two kids has sizzled my brain a bit. All I'm trying to do is make the dough in the breadmaker, then shape my bread and bake it in the oven. Here's how it's going so far:

Attempt #1: Added everything in the correct order for my machine, set it to "dough" and let it go. Hurray! Only 2 hours to my dough. Oh....what's that! Why does it look like it's BAKING! Dough is not supposed to be dark like that...is it? Well, I'll just let it finish and see what happens. (2 hours later) Oooppssss!!! I set it to "quick bake" instead of dough. I'm looking at a small cinder block of dense burned bread. Better dump it.

Attempt #2: Well, it's only 3:00pm, I'll just try again! I dump out the old bread, clean out the pan and start putting the ingredients back into the pan. Wait....what did Dr. Phil say....this stuff about Prop 8 infuriates me...let them get married for pete's sake! Oh shoot! How many cups of flour was that. I lost count. ERRRRR!!! Better dump it.

Attempt #3: Third times a charm right! Cleaned the pan again and started putting all the ingredients back in the pan. Perfect! Made sure it's on the right setting and away it goes. I go back to Dr. Phil to catch a bit more of the show while my machine whizs away. I go back to check it and WHAT! Why is nothing mixing? It looks just like it did when I put it in 20 minutes ago. But I can HEAR it mixing. Oh Crap....I forgot to put the little mixer part back into the pan. So it's spinning around, but the mixing paddle isn't in, so nothings happening. I try to reach in and put it in, but the yeast gets all mixed it and now it's a giant mess. Dump it!

Attempt #4: Currently, it's working away and looks like a great little dough ball! Now, as long as we don't eat dinner around 9:00pm (after it has time to rise and cook) we should be good to go.

Well, that was easy, right! As long as I have 5 spare hours each day and an unlimited supply of flour for all my blunders this should be no problem. Better go check my soup!

For Jacob and Noah's Third B-day Celebration with Grandma and Grandpa on Saturday night we decided to just frost a cake, and then let them decorate it however they wanted with an assortment of sprinkles, M&M's, smarties, and gumdrops. The boys were great little cake decorators and were very careful in getting the candies "just so" on their cake. They even stuck the candles in themselves.


I guess you have to push those gumdrops REALLY far in to get them to stick.

Here they are just getting started with their decorating. I think our little Quality Assurance Specialists had to sample the decorations to be sure they tasted OK before putting them on the cake.

Happy 3rd Birthday Boys!

Today the boys had a little Birthday Party with some neighborhood friends. We started at the local Fire Department, where we toured the fire station with some very nice firefighters. The kids got to see where the fireman slept, where the cooked and ate, and how they slid down the pole. Then we went out to the giant garage to see te trucks. Jacob was a bit intimidated by the giant fire trucks, but he ended up wanting to climb up into the seat. Then of course he wanted to get up into the other one! Noah was a little overwhelmed by the station and never made it up onto the truck. After our time at the station was over. He told me that he "liked his firetrucks small". Apparantly these were just a bit too big for him.

After the firestation tour, we headed back to the Brooks Family Fire Station for lunch, playtime, and of course cake and ice cream. Here's our fire truck birthday cake. I decided that I couldn't stomach the amount of red food coloring needed for a fire truck cake, so we decided to make a burning building, and use Jacobs beloved Duplo Fire Truck and Fire Guys (that he calls "his boys") and have them putting out the fire. We added a some other Duple touches, like shrubs, trees and a fire hydrant, then frosted the baking sheet to make green grass and a road for the firetruck. Thanks to Nates awesome frosting fire and details, and lots of help from Grandma Brooks, this cake turned out even better than I imagined! The boys and their buddies loved it and it helped make the day really special, just like our boys!

Hmmm....how many fingers is three again??

Our Not-So-Happy Plastic Hot Dog

Saturday was such a beautiful day that we decided to grill out. Burgers for mom and dad, hot dogs for the kids. As I was putting the dogs on the grill, I noticed that one of the dogs looked like it had moldy spots or something it. So a took it off the grill for closer inspection, since these dogs were fresh. After looking at it and breaking it open to see what it was, IT WAS PART OF A PLASTIC BAG! Absolutely disgusting! The black parts were black markings on the plastic that were showing through the hot dog skin. Yuck! Just reminds you to check everything you give your kids to eat carefully. If I hadn't seen the back marks on the dog, my kids could have eaten it.

Pumpkins, Hayrides and Costumes!

A few weeks ago we took a trip to Russell Farms to pick out pumpkins and go for a hayride. It was a beautiful day and the boys had a blast. They walked thoough corn mazes, rode pedal tractors, got to see some small farm animals and of course took the tractor ride out ot pick out their own perfect pumpkins. Here's the boys with me after finding our way out of the corn maze.

The farm also had putt-putt golf and the boys really had a blast with that. Noah was very determined to use the club to putt his ball into the holes. Jacob tried the club for awhile and then discovered that it was more fun to just roll it. We actually just bought the boys their own golf clubs so get ready Grandpa, these boys will be hitting the fairways with you soon!

Oh my, have you ever seen a sadder face? I have, since poor Noah was sick for a few days with a high fever and all around yukkiness, I've been seeing lots of this sad, sad little face. But, as of today he seems to be doing fine and no more scary high fevers and nightsweats. Now...if we can just keep Jacob from getting sick!

Happy Halloween! These little knights are exhausted from fighting dragons and needed to rest for a snack. They couldn't even wait to get into the house before digging in to their Halloween candy! Check out my eyeball pumpkins....usually it's my artsy-fartsy husband who does the painting, but I whipped out these eyeballs in a matter of minutes before the first trick or treaters arrived to help keep the kids from raiding our candy bowl (as you can see, our originally brimmed bowl did actually have a few treats left!). Since these two brave knights are pretty quick on their steeds, and Princess mommy didn't think she could keep them out of the moats by herself, we left the bowl of candy out on the porch for a while while we roamed the countryside in search of candy and our fairmaiden Sydney Jane to rescue from the dragon.

Here's Sir Jacob, resting before we head out for trick or treating. I guess that armor is pretty heavy, he looks beat. Or maybe it's because they didn't take a nap that day.

Flashback to October 2007

Wow, what a year it's been. Here's some pics I found from last October. I can't believe how much they've grown!

Cruisin'

This weekend Jacob got a new Thomas the Train big boy bike, training wheels and all. I thought it would be great for spring when the boys were a little older (and taller), but he wanted to ride it immediately. He climbed right up, kicked his little leg over, and took off, speeding down the sidewalk. He's quite the speester, and we fully expect to see him riding BMX in the X Games in about 15 years!

Running Wild at the Zoo

Well, after a nasty bout of sickness for me (Mommy) and the boys, it's great to finally have everyone well again. It was nice to lay low for awhile and veg out in our jammies, but now that we're felling better, I suppose I need to start actually getting the kids dressed again. Darn, I love jammies!

The boys are still LOVING going to school on Thursdays. They wake up every morning asking if it's Thursday, and when they play with their animals, they play "school" and "music class". they load all their little people and pirate guys into one of their trucks and tell me "Bye Mom, we're going to music class!". Then I hear them singing the songs from class and telling their friends it's time for lunch at the big table.

These little fireman hats are something they made at school, and they're so pround of them. Jacob tells me that his had is REAL all the time. The cutest thing is that instead of calling their teachers Mrs. Worley and Mrs. Schmitz, they just call them (without the Mrs.) "Whirly" and "Smitz".

We took the boys to the zoo, and of course had to ride the train. Even though you don't see much on the train, the boys of really enjoy it. Here's Noah and Nate getting ready for take-off.

Nate and Jacob ponder deep thoughts while gazing at the giant rhino butt in front of them.

Noah gets brave and sticks his hand in the shark pool to try and pet one of these cute little sharks. All I can think about is how disgusting that water is! Yuk!!

All Grown Up

Today was the first day of school (well, MDO anyways) for the boys. They were so excited to go that they wouldn't even eat their breakfast. Noah was sitting in front of the front door trying to put on his shoes while he still had his pajamas on. We had had a lot of conversation about what happened at school, with me always stressing that it was just for kids, and that the mommies would leave to go shopping while the kids had lots of fun at school. So every time we talked about school, Jacob would say, in a very matter of fact manner, "then...mommy comes back after lunch". I was so proud of how they gave me a quick little wave, a quick kiss, and turned back to the toys as I left. Proud, but a little sad. Maybe I just wanted one little teeny tiny "Mommy, don't go!" It was hard to get a good picture of them getting ready to leave for school this morning, since they were so anxious, but I did get a shot of them hauling their bags out the door, trying to hurry me along.

Here's my hot-sweaty-grumpy-little guy at the park last week. His red cheeks finally match the hair.

Yup, mom caved and got the boys both their own scooters, which they LOVE! I thought that 2 years old was a bit young for them, but it's amazing how fast they fly on them.

Here's Jacob scooting on his. He's much more daring and not the least bit afraid to go waaaaaayy too fast. It's a very good thing there are no big hills around, because he'd be flying down them at top speed with a giant smile on his face. Honestly, he must get his fearless personality from Nate because Mommy is the most cautious worry-wart that there ever was.

Oh my! I almost forgot! We had a major change this weekend when we moved the boys into their BIG BOY BEDS! That's right, no more safety of the boys stuck in their cribs at night. After the cribs were scaled a few times by these little monkeys, we took the plunge and on Friday night I took apart the cribs. We decided to go right for the twin beds, instead using the convertible cribs as toddler beds. We wanted it to be a whole new room for them to come into. We ended up laying the mattresses directly on the floor for a few days while we got the furniture ready (as you can see in the pic), which worked great because then they didn't have far to fall if they rolled off. Which of course they did.

Their room is still a work in progress, but it has an airplane theme that they really love. Especially the mobile of little bi-planes that hangs from the ceiling. When the fan hits it, the planes all "fly" and the boys love to watch them. They have done fantastic sleeping at night, but that wonderful thing called nap time is pretty much gone. (sigh) But they were only napping a few days a week prior to the big switch anyways. We haven't had any problems with them climbing or getting into things. In fact, I don't think they've even tried once to open a drawer or anything in their room. We'll see how long that lasts.

There have been so many little signs....switching from the baby bucket swings to big kids swings on the swing set.....buying less diapers and washing lots of little underwear.....having to plan lunches to pack in little lunchboxes....buying clothes in a size that doesn't have a "T" after it. I guess I've just been trying not to acknowledge it but....our boys are GROWING UP! Sniff, Sniff. They'll be 3 in November and I can hardly believe it. What happened to my little tiny boys? Yesterday Jacob told me that he wanted to watch the news!

Rolling with My Homies

Our friends Molly, Mya, Sydney and Baby Luke came to play today. The kids had lots of fun getting together before everybody starts school and schedules get crazy. Here's the crew loaded up on the rocking alligator.

Mmmmmm...dino shaped chicken nuggets! The greatest invention of all time.

Look at these little smarties! Everybody loves making pictures with shapes (even mom!).

Potty Training Update

I know, I know, I haven't posted in awhile. We've been enjoying the summer and having lots of fun. Monday I took the boys to see Horton Hears a Who with their friends Andrew and Noah, and they did great for the first 45 minutes or so, then it sort of went downhill and we had to leave a bit early. But for most of the movie they sat with their movie treats and their blankies and watched Horton the adorable elephant declare "a persons a person no matter how small". Too right, Horton!

Well, Noah's potty training is poking along. Not great, not terrible. Sometimes he wants to go, and sometimes it's a struggle. Lots of successes and lots of accidents, so we'll just keep on trying and celebrating all of his successes. We've got plenty of time (my goal is by his 3rd birthday in November) so we'll see what happens.

Here's a few pics from the past week or so that we've been MIA.

This is Noah after sampling the wares while decorating cupcakes to take to a friend. Nice goatee!

Jacob was a little more extreme with his mess. Not only did he manage to get frosting all over his face, but he also had it smeared all over his arms and legs. The boys were great helpers though and were very excited to take the treats to their friends house.

Two big boys sitting on the potty! We've spent A LOT of time on these little potties lately. Each one is decorated with stickers they get to pick from a box each time they go. They also really like to have a good book to read while doing their business. Who doesn't?

New toybox? Nope! It's a super-fast-magic-flying-rocket-boat with jet-boosters and a butterfly-mailbox, of course!

Potty Training - Day Two

Okay, today I made a rookie mistake. I thought that since Noah did so well this morning that it would be a good idea to put his underwear on UNDER a Pull-Up when we went to the park for a neighborhood get together. Well, after two bowls of ice cream with sprinkles, and the mess that followed, I learned it would really have been better to have the underwear on OVER the Pull-Up. Oh well, you live, you learn. Besides that, he did great and even earned himself a little Leo guy (his fave Little Einstein charater) for his first poop in the potty today! We're definitely making some headway, but it's slow going. After the "Great Ice Cream Fiasco of '08" he kept a diaper on the rest of the day due to frequent aftershocks. Here's some pics from our trip to the park with the neighbors for a back to school picnic.

This silly boy cracks himself up!

Here's about half the crew. My kids had had enough of sitting on the big rock long before the rest of the kiddos made their way over.

The Potty Party

Meet my new close friends, Pee and Poo! This cuddly pair may look sweet and innocent, but when they're on your kitchen floor or stuck in a little bitty pair of undies, fresh from a potty training accident, you won't think they're so cute!!! Well, It's official, it's Day One of really trying to get Noah potty trained. Today we definitely had some rough patches, but luckily mommy had a stash of Kit Kats and a new package of Little Einstein underwear to use for bribery to get him on the potty. The Potty Sticker box also helps too. He did great, with only two wet accidents, but that was with me spending an obscene amount of time trying to remind him to go, along with his 2 year old cheering squad of Jacob and his buddy Sydney. Jacob loves this new sticker and treat approach too, since he's already potty trained. He's been collecting quite a few stickers for doing what comes naturally!

Garden Party

What a beautiful day for a wedding! We drove to Newaygo, MI where Nate's cousin Heather was married in her mom's stunning gardens. Seeing her beautiful blooms made me want to come home and pull some weeds or something. (Don't worry, that feeling was well worn off before I got home!). Here's Jacob resting in the garden after the ceremony.

Hmmm... I think maybe I need to get Jacob a belt!

Okay, here's one where we all managed to keep our clothes on. After this the boys hit the dance floor at the reception where they danced the night away. At first Noah was really upset by the MC's loud voice booming over the mic, but once the music and lights got going, I think these kids spent more time on the dance floor than anyone else at the wedding! I never new they had such amazing moves. They did get shy when it came time to dance with the beautiful bride, but they had such a good time they've been talking about the "dance party" ever since. Congratulations to Heather and Kevin, it was a beautiful wedding and reception and we wish them lots of love and happiness!

We stopped back by Aunt Barb and Uncle Bills house on Sunday to say goodbye and the boys were once again drawn to the garden. They loved running up and down the path through those beautiful flowers. Uncle Bill took them out to feed the fish in the pond and took Noah out for a paddle boat ride. They loved going into the barns and seeing the cows, and ooohed and aaahhhed over the giant tractors and farm equipment. Lots of fun for these city boys! The boys also loved seeing all the horse drawn buggies out here in Amish country.

Mooo!

We also stopped by to visit Great-Grandma Thenikl before heading up to Gladwin. This year Grandma Thenikl celebrated her 90th B-day!

Hittin' the Hard Balls

This weekend we packed up the car and hit the highway for Michigan. First stop: Grandma and Grandpa Masarik's house. As usual we set up the wickets for a down-and-dirty game of no mercy croquet in the back yard. Uncle Andy put up quite a fight, but in the end, Nate had to show him who was boss. Grandpa also took it pretty well, considering he's usually the winner of the family game. Grandma Karen fed us well (as always!) and the boys had a good nights sleep and lots of fun playing with all Grandpa's great antique toys before heading out the next day for the wedding in Newaygo.