This is what grumpy looks like. Alex got off the bus in a grumpy mood and I had a meeting early in the evening that lasted till after bedtime. That meant today’s picture was the back of his head while he ignored me and read books. This is the life of a six year old.
Teague and I decided puzzles would be a fun activity today. I was pretty sure he could do the harder ones, but he was hooked once he saw the car.
Poor Kaitlyn’s bedtime is often a rushed affair, but tonight she got her books and a little time with Daddy.
We have recently rediscovered this recipe from Cooking Light in our house – as in we have it at least once a week. When I went to find a link, I realized I had adapted it from the original recipe. I’m sure I tried it as written originally – Sugar-Crusted Pork Cabbage Wraps, but I’m going to put the recipe below for what we actually eat. It’s delicious and my entire family fights over the leftovers for the next few days (we actually double and triple the recipe).
Ingredients
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder
1 (1 1/2-pound) pork tenderloin,
2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil, divided
1 cup (1-inch) green onion pieces
8 teaspoons hoisin sauce
Preparation
1. Combine the first 5 ingredients, stirring well; rub spice mixture evenly over all sides of pork. Place pork in a zip-top plastic bag, and seal. Marinate in refrigerator for 1 hour, turning every 20 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 375°.
3. Remove pork from refrigerator; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Remove pork from bag, and discard marinade. Place pork on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest portion registers 120°. Remove pork from oven; let stand 10 minutes. Cut pork crosswise into 2-inch pieces, and shred with 2 forks. (My pork doesn’t shred – maybe it isn’t done enough? But I always cook it to the 120 degrees and then cut it into thin slices – similar to how Chinese stir fry meet is cut.)
4. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon canola and 1 tablespoon sesame oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add half of pork to pan; sauté 4 minutes or until browned and edges are crisp, stirring occasionally. Repeat procedure with remaining oils and pork.
We eat the pork over white rice sprinkled with the green onions (uncooked) and then drizzled with the Hoisin sauce. Yum!
Soccer season has begun.
Just reading on Mom’s bed while Kaitlyn naps.
It was a cranky pants kind of day.
(See Alex in the cranky pants here.)
Brothers.
One of my favorite parts of Daylight Savings Time is that Kaitlyn goes to bed when it is still light enough to sneak in and get great pictures of her.
(On a side note – I would never have done this with Alex. He was a light sleeper and once awake would cry for hours. We shut the door when we put him to bed and didn’t open it again till morning – EVER.)
Thank you Easter Egg Hunt. A giant Pixie Stick is exactly the kind of candy we needed today – or at least Alex thought so!
Alex loves when Paige comes to play. He even tolerates the time she takes to play with Kaitlyn before she returns to playing with him.
Teague decided to play vet to all his animals today. Thankfully it looks like they are all going to be okay.
Paige offered to push Kaitlyn on the swing and she loved it. We’ll see what happens next time we try it.
The boys were so excited for the YMCA Easter Egg Hunt. Then we arrived to the coldest, windiest morning. (I swear it dropped 10 degrees and the wind picked up 10 mph between our house and the field.) We literally lined up for the hunt, grabbed our eggs, and were done in 10 minutes. Brrr!
Teague had some friends over this morning. The boys managed to get most toys we owned out and had a blast. Teague’s favorite activity might have been the obstacle course they made with our new stepping stones. The boys had to get from the red ottoman to the blue Bilibo without touching the carpet or being caught by the pink alligator (Kaitlyn).
Alex was a little grumpy at having missed a playdate due to school.
(Darn school does get in the way of fun things sometimes.)
Happiness is wearing a car shirt while playing with cars.
Kaitlyn may have no choice but to grow up a tomboy. She seems happy with our boy toys and it seems like a lot of trouble to start accumulating girl toys…
I knew when I got up yesterday morning the house felt a little cold. I assumed Wade had been hot the previous night and adjusted the temperature. Nope. It turns out something is wrong with our heating (and cooling) system. Thankfully we have plenty of wood and two wonderful wood burning fire places. The temperatures are just dipping down low enough that if we have a roaring fire in the evenings up until bedtime and first thing in the morning then the house is warm during the day. Here’s hoping the necessary part comes in soon!
Silly faces before bed.
I kept hearing the sweetest whispered conversation coming from the master closet and I went to investigate.
Kaitlyn loved tormenting Tabit from inside the house.
Due to Kaitlyn’s early bedtime (6 pm) and the general chaos in our house at that time, Kaitlyn almost never gets an evening bath. Tonight was an exception and Teague loved playing with her in the bath. He thought it was somewhat interesting that she had figured out how to drum on her drum.
He loved playing with her after he realized dumping water on her head caused giggles. (On a side note – Alex has never minded water in his eyes at any age. Teague has always hated water in his eyes.)
The boys are really good about letting Kaitlyn “play” with them. Tonight it was too much. Kaitlyn wanted the helicopter Alex was using and he wasn’t willing to give it to her. He finally moved her to another part of the living room. Kaitlyn was not thrilled with this plan.
Teague’s favorite job in the house – putting in the dishwashing detergent tab and starting the dishwasher.
(I have in fact caught him doing this when the dishwasher did not need running.)
What I learned (and confirmed) in Kaitlyn’s bath tonight:
1.) She learned to drum on her drum.
2.) She loves to have water dumped on her head (hence the red eyes)
(see more bath pictures here)
Lately my Tuesday mornings have included Mom Fit – a class for Moms and Babies taught at my YMCA. It’s not necessarily a class I would normally take, but it’s been fun. The class is taught by a girl from my church and a lot of my friends take the class. The class is open to anyone with a baby – newborn to 12 months. My two problems with classes – 1.) I have my own workouts that take 3 days a week that I struggle to fit in each week and 2.) I have a very mobile and active 9 month old. We’ll see how much longer I can keep this up. I’ll also point out I don’t usually use a 16 pound weight (Kaitlyn) for most of my exercises.
I think they completely miss the point of these glasses…
It’s amazing how his day improves with a new car shirt.
This little one woke up with a new tooth – totaling three now.
We finally got around to measuring the boys on their growth chart. They are obviously getting big – the question still remains who will be tallest in the end?
Just waiting patiently for their bedtime book.
Look at that grip. The way he stays in the lines. He’s a natural.
The drool in the house has reached such epic proportions I have broken my “no bib except while eating” rule. I did opt for the “it’s a scarf not a bib” look, but it’s still a bib.
There might have been some serious Mario Kart racing happening in the basement today.
We didn’t push a nap on Teague today so of course he took one on his own – in our closet floor at 4 pm.
Granny made this dress and bonnet for Aunt Emmy when she was a little girl. How perfect that Kaitlyn now gets to wear it.
This one is trouble. She is in to everything. There is no room in my house where I can leave her for a second without constant supervision.
A thank you note for one of Jerry’s friends.
(We love Leon’s Baloney and Sausage. Alex and Teague)
This one entertained herself most of the way home – thankfully!
After over a week away, we have gathered all of our kids and are headed home. We are blessed with wonderful travelers and everyone (except Dad) managed at least one nap in the car today.
We almost have Kaitlyn figured out on long trips. She is pretty content to ride until she is hungry, which can be fixed on the road. She had a particular fretful whimper that we kept thinking meant sleep was needed – but then she would never quite drift off to sleep. This happened on several occasions and when we eventually stopped we realized a dirty diaper was the culprit. Parents are so hard to train.
Bike races around Granny and Pop’s driveway.
Gram says Kaitlyn has developed an interest in her little people toys.
Wade and I got up this morning in Louisville and drove to Paducah. We both realized we had quite missed Kaitlyn and it was great to have some time with just her (and Gram).
Where better to meet a clown than at the circus?
These two got to ride a camel!
I missed this sweet face!
Our first stop this morning was the Independent Stave Company – my favorite by far. This place makes Oak barrels for aging bourbon. We were running a little late and missed the intro to the tour so Wade got a single picture before we were told no pictures allowed. (But seriously – take this tour. Fascinating.)
Then we moved on to Maker’s Mark (with our new friends from the ISC tour). This distillery knows how to give a tour! By this point on the bourbon trail we are pretty familiar with the process of making bourbon but we enjoy comparing the facilities and hearing what makes each place a little different. (At this point I realized my camera battery was dead so Wade and his iPhone are responsible for all pictures.)
Alex loves his special pancakes (much better than Mom’s round ones).
Teague is in heaven with a full-time personal reader this week. Thanks Pop.