Open House, Part II

My dear Taylor,

We absolutely loved seeing your enthusiasm and passion for your work in the classroom.  You love doing big projects, and we loved seeing the final result.  It was so crazy that you did an incredibly complicated report and diorama without any input (except for one small amazon order) from us.

 Your horned owl report cover!

Your diorama.

 This is so amazing!  The painting, nature, all of it.

 Lizzie the lizard in your class. You were excited to show him to us, until he did his "business" on your hand. 

 The Warriors cat village.

 Our family tree above.

The most amazing self portrait I have ever seen.

Taylor- you are AMAZING!!!
xoxo
mom

Open House, Part I

My dear sweet Anna,

Have I told you lately that Daddy and I are so proud of you we could burst?  We spent the day at your school recently and went to family mass, and then got to see your work in your classroom!  It is beautiful, we absolutely loved all of it!  You are clearly working so hard, and we love to see your efforts.

Here are a few pictures:

 Your beautiful butterflies.

 The life cycle of a butterfly.  Sorry photo needs to rotate.

xoxox

Mom

Just an average Saturday

Dear Anna and Hudson,

(Taylor, I know you were with us, but missed all my pictures somehow).

Daddy took you to Costco to check things off his lists I talked about in my last note to you.  Anna, you have never missed the chance to dress up for an occasion, and I guess Costco is an occasion. 

You looked FAB! 

Before Pinterest, people would cut out magazines to create idea boards.  For homes, crafts, clothes, you name it, people would cut it out.  Now you can "pin" it on your boards online- such a fun site, such a time suck, but we love it!

Anna, you decided we needed to get cracking on a major home design overhaul.  So, you grabbed all of Hubbie's french home magazines and got to work cutting.  Your home will be beautiful!

Hudson, after your bath, you got your diaper on and took off running, hoping to get to see a show.  Hubbie's tv is so tricky, it pretends to be a mirror, but Hudson, you know better and wait for me to hop to it and find Barney:)

xoxo
mom

Lists

Dear Taylor, Anna, and Hudson,

The three of you know that I sure love to make a list!  This past Saturday was busy busy, and I had to go to work, so of course, I left lists for everyone.  Except maybe Hudson.  He has a bit of time before he gets task lists!

So, I left this on Saturday- tasks lists for you girls and daddy, and a Costco list.   Most things were done, and I was happy.  What is left will go back on a new sheet of paper for next Saturday:)

 So, Taylor, you thought you were hysterical this morning when you left a list for Daddy and me.  My favorite thing on my list is "leave kids alone."  I probably won't check that off.  Sorry love!  I will keep bugging you about your list.

Daddy especially loved his list.  We are guessing "dump tv" is one item rather than "dump" and "tv" but who can really tell.

xoxoo

Pictures

Hi, Loves,

I am doing a photo dump today. While I could say that I will come back and make notes, I probably will not:)

So, here are the pics from my phone.

Life's a beach

Hi, Taylor, Anna, and Hudson,

I often thought to myself, "who has it better than us'?  NOBODY! (totally stolen for the 49ers).

Anyway, we love our sunny California days in January, especially when we have the day off.  We hit the beach for a little fort building, playing, and freezing.  It may have been sunny, but it wasn't warm.

 I love watching you play together. Hudson, you got right in there and were helping the girls move the wood. Girls, you didn't think your brother was all that helpful.

 Hubs and Hudson walking on the beach.

After a long day, nothing is better than a nap on the couch.  Anna girl, you were worn out from all that playing.

xoxo
mom

Emerald Salad

Dear Taylor, Anna, and Hudson,

I am on a constant quest to get healthier foods into our daily lives.  Dark green veggies- yes, please.  I got this amazing recipe for Emerald Salad from a colleague, and it was out of this world.  I added thinly sliced basil, which added a great flavor.

Parsley and garlic- yum.

Before the oven.

With everything!  So delicious.  I toasted the almonds in a dry pan and they add the best texture.

So, while I only got each of you girls to take one bite of broccoli, but I will keep trying.  Can't wait to eat this for lunch tomorrow.

xoxo
mom

A Perfect Weekend

Dear Taylor, Anna, and Hudson,

I will say this- I love you three more than anything, but I LOVE my weekends away with your dad too!  We got to sneak up to SF for a quick night away, and Hubbie got to have some QT with you three.

Daddy and I started with a great walk on Crissy Field- it was SUCH a beautiful day.  Every so often in the winter, SF has these perfect, sunny days, with temperatures in the high 60s/low 70s.  These are the BEST days in the city, and I am so grateful that we live here.

Walking towards the bridge.

We stopped at the Warming Hut, but it really wasn't necessary:)  Usually it is pretty windy/cold, but not this time!

To take a line from the Niners: "Who's got it better than us?  NOBODY"  Daddy and I felt that way all weekend.  So great.

 One of the things Daddy and I love is sitting at the bar at restaurants.  We love the action, chatting with the bar tender, watching them make fun drinks, and always love the people watching.  This place is one of our favs!

Today was a BIG day for Daddy's favorite football team.  Before we headed home to watch the playoff game with our favorite niner fans (the three of you) we hit our favorite brunch spot for a quick bite.  The have a legendary bloody mary, deviled eggs you wouldn't believe, and Daddy loves their eggs benedict with ham hock.

So, while we missed the three of you, you were in the best hands with Hubbie, and we came back refreshed and ready!

xoxo
mom

The End of an Era

Dear Hudson,

You are my last sweet baby, and we could not have asked for a better little guy to join our family.

What absolutely melts my heart is that you are growing up so fast!

It seems like you looked like this, just yesterday!

Then, we blinked and you looked like this!

And today, you wore your very last Pampers Swaddler.  I know this seems silly, but you are out of the baby diapers, and into the size 4 cruiser.  

It is such a joy to watch you grow up. 

xoxo

mom

(gulp, sob)

Scenes from our dinner table

Dear Taylor, Anna, and Hudson,

We log a lot of time at our dining room table, really our only table space.  We craft there, do homework, and every so often, eat dinner.  If Daddy is traveling, we usually have dinner at the bar in the kitchen.  I have been trying to get us more organized, and one of the ways I am doing this is by having us all sit down for dinner.

So, we went "fancy" the other night.  We used crystal and that is your absolute favorite!  Nevermind that the glasses hold about an ounce and we refill your drinks every 20 seconds!

HTD and I love to share our meals.. they are really enjoyable now.

My big girl!!!

The best part is that you girls set our beautiful table and have been so helpful in making sure we have everything we need once we sit down.

Tonight we all sat at the table doing our "work."  Taylor, you were writing goals, Anna, you were coloring a really nice card for your teacher, and I was reading a celebrity gossip blog- so work for all:)

All finished and beautiful!

xoxoxo
mom

My buddy

Dear Hudson,

You are 18 months and rolling on to 19.  You are LOVING Just Dance on the Wii, and often stand in front of it saying, "dance, dance, dance."

Here is the picture I took on your 18 month birthday.  It was too cute to forget to post.

Love you buddy!
xoxo
mom

Two homecooked things. One week!

Dear Taylor, Anna, and Hudson,

That is right, we have two home cooked things (since the bread isn't a meal) in one week.  Woot woot!

So, here is what I did.  I made Peruvian Chicken from Whole Foods, and it was deelish!  It was almost exactly like the recipe, except I forgot to buy onions and lemons.  So, here you have the mixture of seasonings and oil/vinegar, and my red peppers.  So, you slather that all over some chicken and whip up some polenta and you have a really good dinner. 

The best part?  We had a bit of leftover chicken which I chopped up, reheated and made into delicious burritos for lunch today. 

So, there it is!  A delicious meal turned into two meals.

xoxo
mom

We have pets!

Dear Taylor, Anna, and Hudson,

Mark the day!  We have pets.  I am not quite sure how this happened, but all of a sudden, we were on our way to the store to get your first official pets.  Yes, we have two fish.  Beta Fish to be exact.  The lady at the pet store was very helpful and advised us that we could either get some of the fish that are $.13 a piece and be prepared for a short run at pet ownership, or get the Beta Fish, which only require monthly bowl cleaning, and might live for much longer.  Sold!

So, our fish started out at Blue Lu and Rebecca, but now, we are not sure.  Especially since Rebecca is a boy.

We are so excited, especially since they eat two little smaller than ants.  
xoxox
mom

 Our proud pet owners.

 Anna watching Rebecca, not name TBD.

 Taylor and Blue Lu

 Rebecca.

Let's Get Cooking

Hi, Kiddos,

I have so many memories from growing up, sitting in the kitchen while my mom made the most delicious oatmeal bread.  Every so often I whip up a batch for our family, but it had been months! 

Today, I got a few hours to myself while you went out for some fun with daddy, so I took advantage and got cooking.

First, the bread:

 Bowl 1 (lower left)- let everything rise together
2 tbsp dry  yeast
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup warm water

Bowl 2 (top left)- let sit until cool to the touch
2 cups boiling water
1 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 cup black strap molasses
2 tbsp. butter

Bowl 3
Up to 6 cups sifted flowers (add flour gradually)

Add the yeast mixture to the oatmeal mixture, then gradually add the flour. 

 Once you get it into a ball, knead the dough.  

 Place in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp tea towel in a warm place.  I usually turn on the oven to 250 when I start and turn it off when I start kneading the dough.  Place in the oven until the ball doubles.

 Like this!.  Cut this in half and put it in greased bread pans.  Cook at 350 for 40-50 minutes.  Super easy, super delicious bread.

Voila!  Delicious.