Spring

Sorry it has been so very long. We are all feeling refreshed since spring arrived in Wisconsin. It feels a bit early, but we aren't complaining. The winter has kept us busy. Quentin is two thirds of the way through Kindergarten and doing well. Lars has started attending daycare a few days a week. He enjoys playing with the other children, but does not enjoy being away from his Momma. We are glad he has started this transition now, or it could have been tough for him as school started. He is actually registered for preschool in the fall, and tells us he is excited to be in school too. He'll have the same preschool teacher Quentin did. Mrs. N is made for being a preschool teacher. If God has a mold he uses to create a wonderful early childhood teacher, she was definately created with it!

Quentin is riding his "two wheeler" these days. He still prefers the grass and going straight to hard surfaces and turning, however we are extremely proud of him for making the leap. Lars is riding his tricycle very well, and has actually begun to ride the small bike with training wheels too. He has a bit too much of the fearless Norse Viking blood in his veins. I have stopped him from riding down the stairs more than one time already!
The boys have been enjoying the batting tee and wiffle balls tremendously this spring also. Bryson has also been enjoying the game of chasing the balls. He is not so great at bringing them back to the kids, but there is a reason we buy them by the bucketload.

The spring bulbs have begun surfacing in the past week, a few crocuses are blooming this week already. It would be lovely to have a few more in time for Easter. We are hoping the bunny comes to our house this year. The kids have been doing a wonderful job eating their fruits and vegetables lately, they heard that the bunny is extra kind to children who eat healthy, especially carrots.

one year ago

Grandpa & Grandma at Lars baptism.

Mmmm, chocolate cake!

Sitting peacefully at Aunt Jan & Uncle Wes house.

Quentin's Christmas program 2007.

Two peas in a pod.

This was taken in the midst of a tickle fight.

We've been thinking a lot about our dear Grandpa Ole this month. It was Election Day last year that Ole was called home. I've wondered many times over the past year how he is spending time in heaven. No doubt none of us will know until we are there. I imagine he is able to play cribbage nonstop and is enjoying a good arguement with his sister about what the proper blood sugar level really ought to be. With Wisconsin Deer seson sneaking up on us quickly, I find myself thinking about him a lot. I'll keep sharing stories of fun memories with my kids. Quentin asks me about Grandpa Ole a lot and remembers his love of sharing a handful of Tootsie Rolls. We miss him. With God's grace and mercy, when my time comes we'll share a round of cribbage, a saltine full of limburger cheese, and a Johnny Cash song together.

Fun

Once again, I am astounded by the blessings we enjoy as a family. Quentin had a classroom party for Halloween. Lars and I were invited to join the class to help with Bingo, we brought an enourmous pan of rice crispy pars that were laced with gummy worms. The kids had a wonderful time. It was a fun morning, Lars felt special to pretend to be in Kindergarten while Quentin had fun sharing his brother with his classmates. We even joined the kids for school lunch!

Quentin enjoyed his Luke Skywalker costume! Seeing a smile like that makes the fun of the season a treat to share with them. Lars was a soldier this year. It was a special treat to be able to bring his toy gun along with him for his adventures. Until Quentin explained what Trick-or-Treating was about, he was not interested in joining his big brother. However, once he discovered how to ring a door bell and get candy he found the evening a lot of fun. This was the first year we haven't had the stroller along for a while. Lars walked for about an hour before he was exhausted and happy to be home!

Jamie and I are making some preparations to enjoy the WI Deer Hunting Season at the end of November. Lists are being made and blaze orange is coming out of storage. It won't be long we'll be enjoying a nice week of vacation time!

We've used the last of our garden squash this week. I always wish we had a few more when they are gone. The following recipe was in a flyer from our local co-op, yummy!

Three Sisters Soup

4 lbs acorn squash

4 quarts broth or water

2 small yellow onions

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup garlic

2 teaspons thyme leaf, dried

1 teaspoon pepper

1 pound corn

2 15oz cans of cannellini beans

1 bunch green onion

1/2 cup white wine

1 large bay leaf

Prep-

Half the squash, scoop the seeds and roast in crockpot with 1/2 the broth. (around 1 hour on high) The liquid from the squash automatically stays in the pot. When soft, remove squash, allow to cool enough to scoop out the flesh. Smash with a fork. Return to the crock pot along with the rest of the broth and other ingredients. Allow to continue cooking on low for at least another hour. Remove bay leaf before serving.

October

The month of October has been as full as all the rest. The closer we get to Winter the more quickly they seem to be passing. Our family spent a couple of days at Grandpa and Nana's cabin in Northern Wisconsin at the beginning of the month. The colors were absolutely spectalar. The boys enjoyed spending time with Grandpa, they played outside, and picked apples. We returned home and had a great visit with a bunch of our family who live in Montana. It was wonderful to have a long weekend to spend so much time playing and visiting.

Quentin's class had a field trip to a local apple orchard a week ago. We had a good coating of snow and slush for the trip. The kids had a blast. Quentin picked apples, threw snowballs and picked a pumpkin out of a field of snow coated pumpkins. I was glad his snow gear from the year before still fit him that morning!

Our other great adventures this month have focused around the kids sports and lessons. Quentin has been playing Flag Football at the YMCA one night a week. He enjoys learning the about the game and has announced that the Vikings are his favorite team. He even watched part of a game with his brother and Dad this afternoon. Lars has been taking swimming lessons. He is a little fish, much like his brother. Lars is going underwater and kicking his little legs to retrieve brightly colored rings, and starting to enjoy floating. Quentin is amazing, he loves swimming the length of the pool. Having the blessing of watching them grow and being able to provide them with these experiences is amazing.

We finished up in the garden for the winter this past weekend. The plants are out, leaves mulched in along with compost and hoses are packed away for the winter. Quentin and Lars love digging in the garden boxes this time of year. They are able to dig and dig without anyone telling them to be careful for the vegetables. The boxes are essentially giant sandboxes, but with garden soil instead of sand. The worms never seem to get away quickly enough.

We've been using the CrockPot often to keep a meal ready and waiting with all the swimming, football and outdoor playtime this fall. One of our favorites, the kids even like the vegetables uses chicken.

Slow-Cooker Chicken Cacciatore
Makes: 6 servings Prep: 15 minutes Slow Cook: 3-1/2 hours on HIGH or 5 hours on LOW
Ingredients
1 package chicken pieces (about 4-1/2 pounds), skin removed, trimmed of excess fat
1/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups thinly sliced mushrooms
1 large green pepper, seeded and chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
2 cups canned diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 cup white wine
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions
1. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Place flour on a plate. Coat chicken in flour, shaking off excess. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken for 12 minutes or until browned, turning halfway.
2. Remove chicken from skillet and place in slow cooker bowl. Place mushrooms in skillet; cook over medium-high heat for 6 minutes.
3. Place mushrooms in slow cooker, and add green pepper, onion, carrot, tomatoes, wine and Italian seasoning. Cook on HIGH for 31/2 hours or LOW for 5 hours. Stir in basil, pepper and salt and serve immediately.

Pizza Art

Our family project this weekend was making pizza with the kids. This is a shot of Pepperoni Man, if you look closely the nose is made of dough and complete with at least two nostrils of its very own.

School started, where did the summer go?

Wow, the last half of summer went far to quickly! A short rundown of the 2nd half. We visited the Washington County Fair with our neighbors in August. The kids had a riot! We visited the 4H exhibits and saw more animals than imaginable. I was unable to get Quentin to be still long enough for a photo, there was too much to see! Lars however was facinated with the creatures he could touch.

Quentin used his allowance one week to purchase a monarch caterpillar from the local farmers market. He did a great job keeping it fed from milkweed we had in the garden. His efforts were rewarded, I think this was the largest monarch butterfly I've ever seen. The kids released it once the wings were dry.

We spent a few days getting ready for Kindergarten also. Thankfully Quentin is pretty easy to please in the shopping department these days, in fact he would rather that all clothing and necessary items magically appear. Shopping is one of his least favorite errands to help with. (If you haven't read the childrens book "Llama Llama, Mad at Mama" it would be great insight into what shopping with little ones can be like.) Quentin has a walk of only three blocks to school. He has enjoyed visiting with the neighborhood kids each morning as we stroll.

The tooth fairy has also been frequenting our house lately. Quentin lost his first tooth in church a week ago, his brother pulled it out for him. The second tooth came out on his second day of Kindergarten.

Over the Labor Day weekend, we had a small bbq with some neighbors. It was nice to have the time to visit with our friends. The kids all played well together and ran for hours nonstop, other than a break for an icecream cone or to cruise by the table of food for a handful of something yummy.

A few shots of garden bounty....

Pesto
4 cups packed fresh basil leaves, washed well

1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted until golden, cooled, and chopped fine

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan (about 1 1/2 ounces)

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

In a food processor purée basil with remaining ingredients until smooth and season with salt and pepper.
(ps- Kids really like peeling garlic and pressing the buttons for food processors, with supervision)

Lars has named affectionately, or not so affectionately... pesto poop.... enjoy!

July

What a busy month! The Fourth was really fun with the kids this year. We rode our bikes a few blocks to the parade route and watched the parade. This was the first year the weather was not sweltering and the kids could be comfortable. Quentin enjoyed picking up the candy from the parade participants. He was so kind, to give Lars the very first piece he grabbed! Not everyone get a big brother that awesome! We are also lucky enough to be able to view the city fireworks from our own lawn. Lars fell asleep before they began, and Quentin was bored with them before they were finished. So, for this point in our lives watching from the lawn works the best for all of us!

The children have been happy to spend time

painting and coloring at the table this summer.

Quentin always loves a good mess! Lars has learned that green markers do not taste a great as they look.

We've been fortunate to enjoy a few trips the local state park for swimming and nature hikes this summer. Quentin also participates in an education program sponsored by the park. This past week he learned about honey bees, why they dance, and some of the different types of bees within a hive. We met a pal from school for class, had a picnic and played on the playground afterwards. It was a lovely day overall!

The boys and I have visited the Farmer's Market this summer to visit a few stands and find some treasures we aren't growing in our own garden. The sugar snap peas have been a favorite.

Summer Dishes I enjoy...

Lighter Potato Salad
1 cup cubed cooked potatoes
2 hard boiled eggs ( I removed the yolks)
1 cup cubed apple
1 cup peeled cucumber
½ cup diced red onion
½ cup mayonnaise
2 Tbspn light sour cream
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix together all together. Refrigerate for a couple hours. Eat within 2 days, tends to get a bit watery and cucumbers get soggy much past two days. Garnish with parsley, or fresh dill.

Baked Beans
1 lb dried small white beans
3 ½ cups water
1/3 cup molasses
¼ brown sugar ( I don’t pack it)
1 white onion
1 Tbspn yellow mustard
½ tsp salt
Combine all ingredients in a crockpot. Cover and cook on high for 6 to 7 hours or until beans are tender. I have added at least an extra cup of water half way through the cooking process each time I have made these. Also removed the bacon from the recipe to cut fat, but feel free to add a few slices.