Helmets

It's another football weekend around here.  We had a great time with Uncle T, Aunt K and the cousins yesterday for yet another awesome UNC football game.   E-Bear and G-Bear love pointing out the UNC symbol everywhere they see it, whether on a car on the highway or on someone's shirt passing by:  "Look, look, Mommy!  It's Uncle T's team!"  Yesterday at the game they were faithfully cheering on the team for Uncle T, with E-Bear yelling, "Gooooo Blue Team!" and G-Bear asking, "did they get a touchdown?" every time the crowd clapped.

So far this season, the Bears have been growing impressively in their knowledge of football.  Take our conversation in the car last week, for example:

E-Bear: (pointing to a large white A/C box on top of a airport shuttle van)

 "Mommy, that car has a helmet on it's head!"

Me:  "E-Bear, you are right, that does look like a helmet on that car."

E-Bear: "Yeah, it must be going to play FOOTBALL!"

G-Bear: "Helmets are for players so they don't bonk their heads."

E-Bear: "Yeah, don't get a bonk! Go, truck, go!"

Me:  "You're right, G-Bear, I am impressed that you know that."

G-Bear:  "Well, that is the rule.  That is what the man on the TV said when we were watching with Daddy.  The man said, 'you have to have your helmet on your head before you go out on the field.'"

We're all about safety around here!  

Our exchange also made me realize how much TV and radio conversation the kids are picking up these days.  This was a good reminder to pay close attention to what's turned on when the Bears are around.  And as for the cheers at the game?  Keep 'em G-rated!  My Bears are listening ;)

Three Bears in the grass

My Bears,

 you make me smile,

you wear me out,

you make me giggle,

you make me humble,

you help me learn,

you help me see the wonderful & the simple.

My Bears,

you love each other,

you hug, you snuggle, you wrestle with each other,

you annoy, appreciate, and affirm each other,

you play, perturb, and placate each other,

you are best buddies.

I am so blessed to be your mom.  

Daddy and I love you,

so, so much.

Let's here it for the tooth!

Baby Bear has an announcement to make.....

he has cut a tooth!

The lower left front tooth is the first to make an appearance.  Baby Bear has been a chomping, drooling machine for about 4 weeks now, and we are all relieved to see this pearly white chomper show itself.  One down, nineteen to go, buddy!

The Wonder(ing)s of Superman

G-Bear and E-Bear take after their dad in many ways, but one of the most recent is their love of Superman.  T recently showed them the opening clip of a Superman movie in which the renown Man of Steel rescues a passenger plane from crashing into a baseball stadium.  The kids were instantly awe-struck.  In addition to requesting the above mentioned clip every night for bedtime, they are now requesting the Superman theme song on the music player during every car ride.  These are my children, son and daughter of the man who wore his superman pajamas everyday for two years and begged his older sister to make a "superman curl" in his hair with her curling iron.  This was meant to be.

Superman has become a new found wonder for our family in more ways than one.  At dinner a few nights ago, G-Bear asked T the all-important question,

"Daddy, how does Superman fly?"

E-Bear, ever ready to help out, answering intrepidly,

"He goes like this," 

(arms outstretched in a Superman pose) 

"and he WHOOSHES!!"

G-Bear, not to be misunderstood, repeated,

"No, but Daddy, HOW does he fly?"

E-Bear, not one to miss the chance to clarify, interjected,

"He flies through the AIR with his CAPE."

G-Bear, now thoroughly exasperated, asked again,

"NO, I mean HOW does he FLY?!"

E-Bear, now quite puzzled that none of his answers were sufficient, sat quietly befuddled.

To T and I, the exchange highlighted an interesting difference in how our kids are perceiving the world around them.   To E-Bear, simply seeing Superman fly is sufficient.  Super powers don't require an explanation. E-Bear's trust in the world around him remains very much intact.  G-Bear, on the other hand, is beginning to realize a difference between what is real and what is fanciful.  In her, at the tender age of four, we see a bit of wonder replaced by realism.  For E-Bear, things merely need to be seen to be trusted.  For G-Bear, what she sees must be explained.

In my opinion, having my kids understand the difference between real and fanciful can be both comforting and confounding.  It means that I can explain to G-Bear that she doesn't need to be afraid of something scary because it is pretend.  But, it also means that things like miracles and Jesus walking on water must now be explained.  I certainly don't mind explaining the wondrous parts of our faith to G-Bear.  But, there is something about E-Bear's acceptance that gives me a wistful feeling.  

Fortunately for all of us, no one batted an eye tonight when I described God as "the strongest, even stronger than Superman."

"Whoa," said a wide-eyed G-Bear, "that means that he can even hold up a plane!"

"AAAAAAnd," chimed E-Bear "he can help us!"

Amen, my loves, amen.

Grocery Bag

It is officially autumn here in North Carolina.  I am stocking up on fall produce and digging out a few more of my favorite fall recipes.  Here is my plan for the week!

Day One

Spicy honey chicken thighs from Cooking Light

with curried butternut squash couscous from Real Simple

Photo and recipe from MyRecipes.com

Day Two

Beef and sweet pepper Lo Mein from Cooking Light

with pear slices

This is one of our favorites.  This week we are switching up peppers for broccoli in the dish.

Photo and recipe from MyRecipes.com

Day Three

Crustless garden veggie quiche from Finding Joy in My Kitchen

with apple, dried cranberry, & romaine salad

This is one of my favorite egg dishes.  I mince the vegetables for the kids, and they love this too!

Photo by Happily Ever Johnson,
recipe from Joyinmykitchen.blogspot.com

Day Four

Sweet and sour tofu from Cooking Light

with brown rice and lettuce cups

This recipe calls for shrimp, but we also like it without.  

I'll serve it with lettuce cups for a fun twist.

Photo and recipe from MyRecipes.com

Day Five

Curried lentils from Everyday Food Magazine

with brown rice and apples

Photo and recipe from MarthaStewart.com

Blessings on your kitchen this week!

Good Friends

I am home after a sweet weekend away with some of my best friends in the world.  T and I are blessed to have developed spectacular friendships during college, and every opportunity we have to reunite with these friends is a blessing.  Although we have varying interests, talents, strengths and live in very different places, the Lord remains the foundation of our friendship and knits us together.  After many years of living apart, my college roommates are able to inspire, encourage and challenge me just as much today as they did when we were undergraduates.

I always depart from my girlfriends feeling full of ideas about how to make our family life better and my walk with God stronger.  Now that I'm home, it's time to get to work!  Lord, thanks for my sweet roommates and all our Princeton friends who encouraged us this weekend.

Are you ready for some football?

'Bama Nation is getting ready for a big game this weekend.  T usually reminds us around Tuesday that it is time to get ready for the game on Saturday.  The Bears have been doing their own preparations over the past few weeks by trying to figure this whole football thing out.  Last weekend, after watching the games, G-Bear and E-Bear announced their approaches to the game:

E-Bear (enthusiastically): 

"Mommy, I'm a football player and I would KICK the ball so the odder team can't get it!"

G-Bear (perplexed):

"Mommy, if I was there, I would get the ball and tell them that they all have to share it."

Depending on how you feel about football, you may be either delighted or disappointed that my kids aren't in charge of the game this weekend.

On a similar topic, our fabulous apartment community handyman recently discovered our allegiance to the Tide by spying our Nick Saban refrigerator magnet while fixing our broken washer.  He announced that he was a Tennessee fan and that we were lucky he didn't know we were Bama fans before he fixed the washer.  Holy moly!  I guess I am lucky to have a working washer.  The season has definitely started.

Roll Tide!

Already forgiven (no matter the mess!)

Tonight T had a dinner meeting, so the kids and I tackled the evening routine by ourselves.  Baby Bear became exhausted during dinner. He had an unmistakable "put-me-to-bed-now-or-else" look in his eye that I couldn't ignore.  E-Bear and G-Bear were enjoying their noodles and applesauce at a snails pace, partially because they were busy singing songs from today's music class to each other.  I knew Baby Bear wouldn't last until the noodle bowls were finished.

I announced to E-Bear and G-Bear that I needed to go put Baby Bear to bed.  I would be in the bedroom for a few minutes.  I wanted them to take a break from singing, keep their hands to themselves, and carefully finish their bites with their bottoms on their chairs.  When I returned, we would finish dinner together, take a quick bath, and then have a bedtime treat if everyone cooperated.  Then, bold woman that I am, I went to the bedroom to put Baby Bear to bed.

Some might say I like to live dangerously.  Two preschoolers at the dinner table, alone, with nearly-full bowls of food is a recipe for trouble, even on a good day.  I don't consider my kids to be overly mischievous, I am simply realistic about their level of judgement.

From the bedroom, as I nursed Baby Bear, I could hear the whole conversation at the table.  If I wanted Baby Bear to fall asleep, however, I couldn't announce my 'watchfulness' to the Bears by shouting to interject or intervene.  I made the decision that, unless bodily harm seemed imminent, I would let them handle the next few minutes by themselves and deal with the consequences afterwards.  I said a prayer for the carpet and prepared myself to forgive them for any youthful infraction they might commit in their next few moments of independence.

I was ready to forgive them, before they misbehaved.

For me, this was a momentary insight into the grace-filled parenthood of God.  He watches our every moment, even though we often forget that He's there.  He knows how our capacity for good is often obscured by our sinful nature, yet He allows us freedom to choose our actions.  He is ready to forgive us (thank you, Jesus), knowing our sin even before it happens.

I returned to the table to find two delighted Bears playing finger games and making spoon sculptures together.  No dinner bites had been eaten, but neither was there applesauce on the walls, noodles smeared on the floor, or underwear on anyone's head.  But more importantly, if there had been, I was just as ready to forgive as to correct.  Hopefully next time, when I need it, the Grace of God's parenthood will be present in mine.

Misty Eye Moments

Parenthood is full of moments that make you realize how great life is and how quickly it is passing by. Here are a few of my latest misty eye moments:

While helping the kids ride bikes:

G-Bear (to T holding the handle of her bike): " Daaaaaad, let me go, let me go!"

T (to me): "That's what she's going to say to me in twelve years when she's learning to drive."

G-Bear (now stuck at the bottom of a hill):  "Daaaaad, will you please come help me?"

~

Freshly 5 months old, Baby Bear was playing in our Exersaucer for the first time this week.  When he would become unhappy with something, G-Bear would run to the rescue, delivering a chew toy, a paci, a blanket, whatever she thought he needed.  As she sat and played with the Exersaucer toys with him, I realized I had seen her do it all before, nearly 3 years ago, with E-Bear.  When I asked her if she remembered when E-Bear used to play in the saucer, she said she didn't.  But I remember.  She is still the same sweet sister, one brother later.  

~

My big boy E-Bear, racing into preschool with his backpack on, give me a big hug and a kiss and a wave today before darting off to play with the classroom toys.  One week ago he was a super sad dude when we parted ways at the classroom door.  Not anymore.  He brought home an apple tree picture today and was so proud to show it off at dinner.  That's my E-Bear.

~

Baby Bear has no interest laying on his back anymore.  Set him down, and he is rolled over on his stomach almost immediately, ready to watch the action.  He is happy as a clam on his tummy, as long as he can see what's happening.  Just don't step on the little guy chillin' in the middle of the floor!

~

T has been home early these days from work, a welcome change for all of us.  From the kitchen as I make dinner, I can hear the peals of laughter from the playroom.  T is simultaneously ordering food from a chef, playing pretend with a princess, holding a happy Baby Bear in his lap, and checking his email so that I can have the kitchen to myself.  Is it any wonder that he's my prince charming?

~

We all take our shoes off when we come into our house.  This particular day, the routine took our breath away.  We know things won't always be this way.  

Thank you, Lord for these precious days.  Help us parent these sweet souls with your grace and wisdom.  

Grocery Bag

This week we are all about regaining our routine after a week of travels and family fun.  Meal plans are a key way for my to keep our sanity in check during re-boot weeks like this one.  As the weather gets colder, I am dusting off some of my favorite fall recipes to make them for the first time this year.

Day One

Ham steaks, baby lima beans

and Honey roasted root vegetables from Cooking Light Magazine

I broil our ham steaks for a few minutes once the vegetables are done cooking, and voila! 
This is one of my favorite fall dinners. 

Photo and recipe from MyRecipes.com

Day Two

Hamburger stroganoff from Cooking Light

with spinach, broccoli slaw and blueberry salad

This lightened version of the classic dish hits the spot every time.  I don't change a thing, except I use grass-fed beef.

Photo and recipe from MyRecipes.com

Day Three

Lentil chili from Food.com

with homemade bread
This is a tried and true fall favorite, a hearty main using lentils.

Photo and recipe from Food.com

Day Four

Corn and fingerling potato chowder from Cooking Light Magazine

with biscuits and carrot sticks

I love chowders, and I can't wait to try this one.

Photo and recipe from MyRecipes.com

Day Five

Southwestern steak, corn and black bean wraps

with mixed green salad and orzo pilaf

This dinner is great because we can all eat the various parts our own way.  Our kids usually enjoy eating everything separately, while adults will enjoy the satisfying wraps.

Photo and recipe from MyRecipes.com

Blessings on your kitchen this week!