Adventure Seekers

Yesterday, we took the boys to see the USS Nautilus, the first submarine to pass under the North Pole. We got to go through the docked vessel and predictably they loved the torpedo chambers and periscopes. We had to pry them out of the simulation room where they could work the wheels, flip the switches and spin the dials. We managed to get out without any paraphernalia except the free "Future Sailor" stickers. Except spoiling daddy managed to secretly buy pens, complete with floating submarines inside. There is a reason he's the favorite. The minute we got home they had to sit down to use them.

Lost in drawings, they have the best chatter about what they are drawing and why. They sit and draw and color and get consumed in their projects. It is really fun to watch. Yesterday, I had to laugh to hear them announce their aspirations, with little minds full of submarines. To date we have paleontologist, naval officers, who drive backhoes (or wrecking balls or cranes or diggers...) while owning their pizza restaurant (called Aidan's Awesome Pizza) and while teaching artists and running races.

Here are a few pix from the past few months that have inspired their aspirations.



Eric, you are the coolest! I wished we had something more that our camera phones.








I think this may be on the short list of my favorite pic of Aidan. That is a blissed out boy!



after running their first race.

The Butt

We've all seen Finding Nemo. If you have or know small children, you have probably heard it ad nauseum from the other room while thanking god for allowing man to create tv and giving Walt Disney his infinite wisdom. I, like you, am no different.

Think about the scene when Nemo is trying to hang out with the cool fish. One of them refers to the boat as a butt. Hee hee.

Despite outside appearances, I have a real appreciation for potty humor. This scene never fails to crack me up.

It was with that in my head that I got a good laugh when I heard Noah whispering "I see the butt. The butt is in sight. Approaching the butt." Then I realized this litte voice was getting closer...to me! I turned around to find Noah inching towards, well, my butt, holding a 2" telescope with the biggest sh*t-eating grin ever.

Rhymin' Simon

Noah has decided that nothing should go without being rhymed. Nothing. For example,
me: "Noah, are you ready for breakfast?"
Noah: "Yes, pes"

This does cause one to avoid the obvious "truck", "hit", "trap". I have fallen victim to this before. This morning, without enough coffee, I fell headlong into:
me: "hey, Noah"
Noah: "what, slut"

Sweet

On Valentine's Day 1998, my future husband gave me a delightful cookbook called "Breakfast in Bed". Sweet. I never intended on really using this beautiful book since not only is it a hardcover cookbook (!) but also said future husband pledged to use this gift once a month in perpetuity. Remember the title? Yea. He is so behind on his pledge that he owes me a breakfast in bed for approximately the next 159 months. We have gotten some use out of it and have experimented with some new recipes and ingredients. These days the book falls open to the Sweet Muffins recipe. My darlings have been known to eat an entire recipe's worth of muffins in one sitting. Here it is:

1/2 cup unsalted butter
a cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream, milk or fruit juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 2/3 cups unbleached white flour or 1 cup white flour and 2/3 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder

It comes with suggestions for variations and our current favorites are pumpkin crunch (add 1/2 c. pumpkin and pumpkin spices) and lemon poppyseed (juice of one lemon and 2 T poppy seeds). My favorite variations include substituting light margarine, splenda for sugar, egg substitute and fat free sour cream and they are 2 point Weight Watcher muffins.

and if you don't believe that these few ingredients are really, really good, take it up with my taster.


Note the batter above his eyes!