Playing Catch-Up

I haven't been keeping up on my posts lately, as you may have noticed . . . but I'm not quitting! So much is happening with the boys lately: they have been changing and growing and with the end of school near, so is our schedule! I have been keeping notes and journals with snippets of information and happenings and news, and I still want to share them, even though our time-line may be totally messed up. Here is a quick up-to-dater, details to be filled in later . . .

Big Brother Bryce, our 3rd grader, is in minors baseball league, getting his homework done at school everyday, and researching Adidas jackets he has saved up for.

Ash (the oldest, 11 years) is in traveling baseball, graduating the fifth grade soon, and moving on to middle school! Huge changes and adjustments coming for this busy, athletic, pre-teen.

Cam (1st grade) is continuing to get right to reading, homework, and putting away lunch bag every single day after school. He also has an amazingly funky smile since he's lost 3 teeth in the past two weeks or so! He also just started baseball!

Baby V doesn't just get to sit around and look cute all day. . . he plays baseball too! He swings his bat like a pro, and has an amazing throwing arm and aim. You should see him with his little black glove on one hand, ball in the other, hitting it into his glove like a pro. Awesome.

And we are ALL looking forward to summer. School is over in just a few short weeks, and swim team will fill our mornings. Everything else in the universe will fill the rest of our day . . .

Yay Vitamix!

<><>I scrimped and saved and finally bought the blender of my dreams. The Vitamix. It was waiting for me at work Monday morning. And when that baby went down for a nap, I went to town in the kitchen. The first thing I made was the baby's Green Monster Smoothie. I change the recipe up from time to time, and this time I used applesauce, spinach, and banana. This is the most beautiful green color I've ever seen. Just looking at it makes me feel healthy. 

<><> The next thing I did was put some Prego in the Vitamix and added a big handful of spinach and half of a small zucchini. I added my boosted sauce to the rest, warmed it up and served it with spaghetti for dinner. Unfortunately, when you mix color opposites- green and red- you will always get a less saturated, muddy color. The sauce was less pretty after I added my greens, but healthier. And the boys never noticed. 

<><>For my lunch, I made a Veggie Soup. First, I diced up 1/3rd of an onion and fried it up in a small pot to carmelize it a little. I added one or two diced garlic cloves and various spices halfway through: parsley, tarragon, pepper, salt, and one other. When the onions were about halfway through yummy carmelization, I added one small diced potato and water. When they were soft and the broth was tasty, I threw them in the Vitamix with fresh spinach and zucchini. I added a little sour cream and pepper and enjoyed a tasty, hot, half-raw veggie soup! Yum!

<><>The last thing I did was make each of the boys their own personal smoothie as they came in the door from school. The first two chose strawberry banana with huge baby carrots as a boost. BBB chose banana and carrots. The loved them. I used Dole's Strawberry Banana Orange juice blend, vanilla yogurt, baby carrots, fresh strawberries and bananas and ice.

<><> 

Green Monster Smoothie with Vitamix

Veggie Soup with Vitamix

Dandelion Sculpture at the Park. V's flowers fell out : (

Yummiest Ugly Birthday Cake Ever!

Today the kids will be celebrating their daddy's birthday. I made a birthday cake so ugly that I told everyone the baby made it. But it was soooo delicious. I love you Betty Crocker!

March of Dimes

The afternoon in Times Square was an awesome experience for us. There was so much going on!  We were so busy meeting people, signing the big Dime, walking and raising money. Not to mention all the photographs! We have never seen so many people with big cameras in one square before! (It's needless to say that Baby V was awesome on his first two plane rides. He charmed everyone despite missing meals and naps!)

Here are some photographs from the event:

Signing the big dime

             

Baby V and his friends

                            

Times Square in the early April afternoon

         









                             

Me and the Baby

Sweetness

 

Ferris Wheel INSIDE the Toys R Us in Times Square

The New York Public Library  

My lunch: Lamb Barbacoa with Mexican style corn on the cob and beans

My baby's momma: Dos Enchiladas