Sit Left

   We have been teaching the boys the difference between RIGHT and LEFT.  When we are driving we give them the choice between the two before we are about to turn.  They get it right about 50% of the time:)

  During lunch this afternoon, Brennan was sitting incorrectly in his chair.  I told him to "sit RIGHT".  Brennan's response was "sit LEFT".  It cracked me up.  I guess I am going to have to think about my choice of words.

The Best of Today

Everyday, the boys say or do something that is worth writing down.  Most of the time, I forget what it is 2 minutes after the event/comment take place.  While "the best of today" is still fresh in my mind, I thought that I would write them down.

1.  Braxton and Brennan wake up smiling  and asking to play with their new grill.  We got the grill yesterday and they have been playing with it non-stop.

2.  We went to the library this morning and ALL three boys were well behaved!

3.  Colton stood up in the middle of the room for a whole minute before he sat down.

  Nap time provided quite a few note-worthy moments:

4.  After hearing them giggle for about 15 minutes, I went upstairs to see what they were doing. (keep in mind that I did not hear drawers slamming or any crashing-that is why I waited so long)  I opened the door to find my two year olds using the area rug as a blanket.  They took their pillows to the floor and crawled under the rug.  

5.  Braxton was pretending to sleep when I walked into the room.

6.  The next time I went into the room, Brennan was not wearing pants and Braxton did not have pants or a diaper.  I put them back together.  While doing so, Brennan bumped into Braxton and said "I am sorry". Brax replied "that's all right".  

7.  Mommy realized that they are growing up and becoming little boys.  They have their own thoughts and are able to communicate MOST of them now.

8.  They finally took a nap after 2 hours of goofing off.  

First Recipe

  I have been meaning to post some recipes.  I LOVE cookbooks, but some of my favorite recipes to make come from product packages, the internet or the newspaper.  Wednesday is my second favorite day for the newspaper because the grocery ads come and the Good Eating sections is featured.  I found this recipe for Cinnamon Scented Granola in the Chicago Tribune on November 18.  I cut it out in November and held on to it.  I finally got around to making it last Saturday.  It was really easy to make.

Cinnamon scented granola 

2 3/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats 

1/4 cup each: wheat germ, chopped walnuts 

2 Tablespoons roasted unsalted sunflower seeds 

1/4 cup honey 

2 Tablespoon each: brown sugar, water 

1 Tablespoon each: canola oil, cinnamon, vanilla 

1/4 cup raisins or dried cranberries  

Heat oven to 275 degrees. Combine oats, wheat germ, walnuts and sunflower seeds in a mixing bowl. Combine hone, brown sugar, water, oil and cinnamon in a glass measuring cup. Microwave on high for 30 seconds. Stir; microwave until hot and sugar as dissolved, 30 seconds to one minute. Stir in vanilla. Pour liquid over oat mixture. Stir to coat evenly. Spread evenly in a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Bake 15 minutes, stir. Stir in raisins. Bake 15 minutes more. Let cool completely. Store in an airtight container for 3 weeks.

I left out the chopped walnuts, sunflower seeds and raisins because I wanted Colton to be able to eat it. I have mixed with vanilla yogurt and blueberries and given it to the boys as a snack. A 1/4 serving is 128 calories.

Order is Restored

The toy room has been a problem for as long as I can remember, but after Christmas morning it had become a natural disaster.  Trying to figure out how to restore order to this room was more difficult than I thought it should be.  After hours of internet searching and shopping, I am happy with the end result.

 

Here is the BEFORE shot.  It is absolute chaos.

Matt totally took one for the team.  This cabinet was IMPOSSIBLE to put together with the hardware and directions that the manufacturer provided. Luckily, Matt is handy and had the right materials to bolt it to the wall.
The AFTER shot.  I am SO happy that the toys are off of the floor.

Happy 1st Birthday Colton

It is hard to believe that Colton Matthew is now ONE.  This year has been busy  and exciting.  Brennan and Braxton welcomed their baby brother with open arms (thank goodness).  Colton loves to see what his big brothers are doing.  It won't be long until the three of them are causing trouble together.  Colton has been making us all smile with his contagious grin.  He is truly happy (unless you take his food away).  He is getting ready to start walking.  Watch out world, this boy is ready to start exploring.

We celebrated his birthday over Christmas while we had family here.  This is a picture of Colton enjoying a cupcake.  He ate that thing in record time.  The Flanagan side of the family was there to witness Colton's potential as a professional speed eater.

We celebrated again with the Blind side of the family.  I made him a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting...yum!





Happy Birthday Colton!!