Happy Birthday to my Best Sister!!!

Happy Birthday, baby sister...now we're only 4 years apart!!! :)

I am blessed and fortunate that my sister is also one of my closest friends. She's always there for me, at the lowest of lows and all they joys as well. We are blessed that our children are close cousins and friends.

This is CoCo with my Banana, her goddaughter!

Fun at the local water park!!!

Here's Tank and KK sitting patiently in the pool.


Why, oh why, are they just sitting there???



LOL! I can barely make them out!!!

I Spy....

I spy a shark.



Click on the picture to see if you can too!

P.S. CoCo, you can comment but cannot participate!

Crazy Hair Day

Yesterday was "Crazy Hair" day at church camp.

Banana...


KK...


Tank's hair is too short...so we spiked the front. I offered to spray-paint it...he wanted no part of that.

Enjoying the beach...and a sandy self-portrait...

Wow, it's hard to believe it's only been a month since I posted here...It honestly feels much longer than that. Well, we've been at the beach for 3 weeks now, and the kids are certifiably beach bums. Do you think they are excited about hitting the surf?



Banana quickly drew a picture yesterday in a race against the surf. I managed to run to our blanket, grab the camera and snap a couple of pictures before the surf won.



I asked Banana if that was a self-portrait. She said, "No, Mama! That's me!!!" I, of course, busted out laughing. Can you see her dress has polka dots?

Kids Workshops at Home Depot

We recently discovered that all of the Home Depots host Kids Workshops the first Saturday of the month. Mr. O and I took the kids there for the June workshop. The kids each received their own Home Depot smock as well as a pin depicting their workshop project. This month the project was a tool organizing kit for Dad for Father's Day. The kids get to keep the smock, and every time they go back for workshops, they add a pin to their smocks.

At first, Tank thought he should put his kit together with wood glue...that didn't work out so well. He looks cute though, huh?

Here's Banana showing off her decorated kit...

KK was happy observing and letting Daddy do all work (as you can see in the picture of Tank above)...

We were the neophytes there...It was great to be welcomed by families who have been do this with their children for a few years already. One little boy had almost 30 pins on his smock...impressive!!! Here's a closeup of the pin each of the kids received upon completion of their projects...
Upcoming projects for the kids are picnic caddies (July) and a message board (August). We'll be at the beach then, but if the weather is crappy, we are sure going to find a local Home Depot to pass some time by constructively.

P.S. I've since learned that Lowe's also hosts Build and Grow Clinics for kids every other Saturdya. You do need to reserve a spot though.

Best Family Pets...

When I was growing up, we didn't have any pets. If any one of us (siblings) asked for one, my dad would say, "Here, pet your dog/cat/hamster Ghost," and he would pretend to pat a ghost pet. You can imagine my surprise when my folks finally brought a loving brown lab into the family once most of the children (4 of 5) graduated from high school and college. When Hokie graced our presence, the baby of our family was 9yo. Hokie was Baby Brother's dog from the beginning, but very quickly, became everyone's pet.

When I was pregnant with Banana and Tank, I was on bedrest for 19w. Most of the last 5w of my pregnancy was spent at my parents' home "in case" I was to go into labor while Mr. O was at work. I know Hokie sensed how carefully everyone treaded around me. And, once he finally saw me on my feet and pacing with two mewling or howling infants, he pretty much stayed out of the way. However, if any of the babies' caretakers (trust me, there were many between me, Mr. O, Mim, Pop, CoCo and whoever was in the house) walked more than 10 feet away, he would sidle up and stand guard. Here's a picture of Hokie in his last days guarding Tank in late 2003/early 2004.


In Spring 2004, my sis and the Toad bought a home close by to ours. They had and still have a beautiful Bighon Frise named Bailey. Since I was home taking care of the twinkers, my sister dropped Bailey off each morning and either she or the Toad would pick him up at the end of the day. What a great arrangement...my family got to experience having a pet without all the expenses of "having" a pet. Here's a picture of Bailey checking out Banana...
Now, let's talk about the pets in my own household. I saw no reason for us to get any because we have pets in the family that we can adopt for a day or two, or even a week. We'll take them longer if we have to...but, shhh!

So, what's(re) the perfect pet(s) for young children? I think we found them!!! Banana & Tank are 5.5 and KK is 4. Just last month their Mim (my Mom) bought them their first fish tank. :)

All you have to feed these fish are 2 drops of dish soap in "clean" water. ;) Here's what happens if you don't refresh the water and feed the fish regularly. Instead of just floating, they sink to the bottom. That's my first clue that I need to clean out the "tank."

So, I clean out the tank. Instead of flushing the fish down the toilet, I wash them. :) I plop them back into the tank with 2 drops of Palmolive, and all is right in the world again!

Chicken Cacciatore

Here's a great and super-uber easy recipe for Chicken Cacciatore. I found this on Food Network, courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis. This has become my go-to recipe when I volunteer to make food for other families. Every time I have made this dish I have doubled or tripled the recipe; it's so good!!! I've also only used boneless chicken thighs and added sliced mushrooms. I wanted to show a picture, but it appears to have been deleted from my camera...That's what happens when my baby confiscates the camera.

• 4 chicken thighs
• 2 chicken breasts with skin and backbone, halved crosswise
• 2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour, for dredging
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 ( 28-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
• 3/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons drained capers
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves

Directions

Sprinkle the chicken pieces with 1 teaspoon of each salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour to coat lightly.

In a large heavy saute pan, heat the oil over a medium-high flame. Add the chicken pieces to the pan and saute just until brown, about 5 minutes per side. If all the chicken does not fit in the pan, saute it in 2 batches. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside. Add the bell pepper, onion and garlic to the same pan and saute over medium heat until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the wine and simmer until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juice, broth, capers and oregano. Return the chicken pieces to the pan and turn them to coat in the sauce. Bring the sauce to a simmer. Continue simmering over medium-low heat until the chicken is just cooked through, about 30 minutes for the breast pieces, and 20 minutes for the thighs.

Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a platter. If necessary, boil the sauce until it thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Spoon off any excess fat from atop the sauce. Spoon the sauce over the chicken, then sprinkle with the basil and serve.

She's getting it...slowly, but surely!!!

I asked KK if she knew how to wink. Here's her response...




Ta Da!!!!

I really should get this on video!!!

Am I 50 yet?

How is it that in a 4-day span I can be asked if I'm 50 yet and then be carded for the first time for buying wine at a store I frequent often?



Oh, BTW, it was my hairdresser who asked me the offended question!!! And, I'm in love with the young man who carded me!!!

Birthday Blooper

Mr. O and I are very fortunate to be friends with professional bakers. Over the past few years, they have made many birthday and holiday cakes for my family.

Last year for Easter they made us this cake...


For the twinkers birthdays last October, they made this cake for Tank, because he was into Batman then...

and for Banana, they made this...

...and, because, they didn't want KK to feel left out, they made a mini-cake for her...

Our friends our so meticulous in making, delivering and serving their cakes to us, so nothing EVER goes wrong...

Until...

They make the cakes, deliver them to us, but can't be around for the party. Casa de Chaos has to improvise for KK's 4th birthday. The buffet table withstood the appetizers, the entrees, and finally, the cakes!!!

Here's KK's princess cake...

...and Banana and Tank's cakes...



KK blew out the candles...

THEN the table COLLAPSED!!!


Thank goodness, CoCo was able to catch Banana's cake. Can you believe that all 3 cakes remained intact?

They were delicious!!!

My baby is 4!!!

On this day 4 years ago, KK was born. She was "Andre the Giant" of the NICU.



Here she is at age 1.


Age 2...


Age 3...


Here is today's Birthday Girl!!!



Happy Birthday, Baby Girl! I hope you laugh even more than you did the past year. I love you, darling!!!

Banana's First Boyfriend

Of course, Banana's first boyfriend is her daddy.

A few nights ago, Aunt C asked Banana if Daddy was still her boyfriend...

Banana: Yes, I love him.

Aunt C: Are you going to marry him?

Banana: No, Silly!!! It's ACROSS the law.

Me: LMAO

Also, at least right now, Banana's twin Tank still wants to marry me!!!

White House Egg Roll

The White House Easter Egg Roll is an annual family event to race Easter Eggs on the South Lawn while enjoying storytelling and a visit with the Easter Bunny. This holiday tradition has a long history dating back to 1878 when President Rutherford B. Hayes officially opened the White House grounds to local children for egg rolling on Easter Monday. Successive Presidents have continued the tradition of inviting children to the White House Lawn for egg rolling and other activities and entertainment. This year our family was very fortunate to participate in the Egg Roll.

Our tickets had a timed entrance/exit period of 1:15p-3:15p. You had to be at the staging area an hour prior to your entrance. The plan was for me to drive the kids to Mr. O's office where we would park the car (He works 5 minutes from the White House). It was noon when we had parked the car and headed to the staging area. Mr. O asked if I had the tickets.

Me: NOPE, I thought you had them. I started laughing, because the situation was incredulous.

Mr. O: C'mon, stop joking. Do you have them or not?

M: Really, Mr. O...I really don't have them.

The kids were about to cry when they realized we couldn't get in without the tickets. I told Mr. O to take them to lunch, and I would drive 32 miles home to get the tickets.

I got back to his office at 1:20. We got to the ellipse at 1:30, and I was feeling doubtful that we would be admitted since our group staging area was empty. Fortunately, though, we caught the end of our group and just barely made it through.

The South Lawn was crazily packed with people. It was neat to be so close to the President's home though.





I especially enjoyed watching our children participate in their first Egg Roll Race. Each race had 12 participants...Not that anyone was counting, but Tank came in first, Banana finished in the middle, and KK brought up the rear. :)



Fun was had by all!!! I'd like to attend the Easter Egg Roll again with my family, but I would wait until they were a few years older. Many of the events were geared for young children. It was just too crowded, and I was afraid we'd lose one or more of the kids.

Happy Birthday, Mr O!!!

We started the day with a home-cooked breakfast made by the Birthday Boy, and ended it by joining him for dinner at the clubhouse after his round of golf. :) Happy Birthday, Mr. O!!!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Cousin B!!!

It's great that you and your sidekick cousin, KK, share the same age for a month. :)

Happy Birthday, B!!! We look forward to many, many, many playtimes with you.

Desserts

We all love desserts...I especially love all the desserts that come around holiday times.

Just before Christmas, a good friend gave me an extra gingerbread house kit she had. I thought I'd have the opportunity to build and decorate it with my kids before Christmas. With all the craziness in the days before then, we never got around to it. I felt so bad that we didn't use it...I even told her. Her reaction: no big deal, just get some Valentine's candies and make a Valentine home. We never got to do that either. As Irish as I am, I was sure that we'd make a refuge for all the leprechauns in March. Surprise, that didn't happen!!!

The kids were off the week before Easter. On our first "official" day of vacation, we built a "bunny" house instead. We used pastel M&Ms, jelly beans and Easter cake decorations. Next Fall, I think I'm going to buy 2-3 of the gingerbread house kits. You can use them for any holiday.



On Easter Sunday, our close friends, who own and operate a bakery just South of Baltimore provided many goodies for all that came to our family feast. My sister provided the centerpiece.

Here's the centerpiece...



And, here are all the scrumptious desserts from Touche Touchet!!!













And, here are our good friends with our eldest by one minute, Banana!!!