redneck playtime

Mondays are a special day at our local Redhook Brewery-buy once case, get one half off.  The two cases were sitting on the front porch when we heard too much "clanging" for our liking.  This is what we discovered.  Why, oh why, do I spend money on toys?  These two lined up the bottles and then tediously went through the "line up" to make sure each bottle was spaced exactly as far as the one prior to it.  Handy husband and I sat on the porch.............and had a beer.

Happy Birthday

We love this birthday boy.

 Cape Cod 2008

Feeling youthful and vibrant with only one kid.

 Patio dining with William. 2009

Now he has two kids.  Feeling like he's in his thirties now....a bit tired and run down.

With Gracie 2009. Lopez Island

With baby Graham

Now he has three kids.  Feeling every bit his age, if not older.

Honey, thirty four is a good year. I know.  There's great things in store for this next year of yours. Most importantly is watching your kids thrive and grow.  I also know that an uninterrupted night of sleep is bound to be on the horizon!

The rugrats will be running to the gate to greet you when you drive in tonight.

Happy Birthday!

Today is also my sisters birthday.  Happy Birthday, Aunt Keri!

our first ER trip

Last night's birthday celebration didn't end as planned.  After dinner, the worried parents were speeding to the emergency room at Evergreen.  Gracie was nipped on the upper lip by Mac.  This little girl is brand new this morning and playing outside in the sunshine.  Quite the turnaround from last night.  When we left, the tissue hanging from her lip left us concerned as to what we were going to find once it was all cleaned up. 

After evaluation by the emeregency room doctor, it was decided that the laceration was jagged and deep enough to warrant calling in the plastic surgeon.  His jeans and t-shirt quickly gave him away that our little matter had taken him away from his family.  Oops.  He spent a good fifteen minutes deciding between sedating her there and suturing the laceration or taking her to the operating room for a more involved procedure.  He wasn't sure if there was missing tissue-which would make suturing more difficult.  With the risk of infection from a dog bite and not knowing for sure if tissue was missing, he decided to sedate her and suture the laceration. 

A few months of healing will determine if a surgery will be needed to further give us the result we are looking for.  Apparently, upper lips are very difficult to "put back togther" for many reasons. 

All in all, our little girl was so brave.  She didn't cry once at the hospital, said "thank you" to each and every nurse after her sedative injection, applying the heart monitor patches, and even smiled when the plastic surgeon took the "pre op" picture.  For me, the most difficult aspect was seeing her sedated.  The "lights are on but no one is home" and odd sounding breathing was just about enough for me. 

We all feel absolutely awful, to say the least.  The surgeon tried his best to validate my feelings but also informed me that he has done thousands of lip laceration repairs from a family dog bite.  He said these wounds are always on the midline of the face, on the nose or mouth.

We'll see in a few months if she will need surgery.  He was quite pleased with the result last night as he was able to maintain the natural curvature of the lip.  Her midline is off a bit due to the missing tissue but once the swelling decreases we will further be able to see the results.
Thank you to the wonderful care at Evergreen.  The stars must have been aligned for us as we were told by several doctors and nurses last night that the on call plastic surgeon was the best they had. I truly believe that after watching his methodical behavior and thought process. 

I know this was the first of many trips to the emergency room....especially with two boys on her heels.

We're off to play in the sunshine and enjoy the attention and gifts that an ordeal such as this brings!

 Before..definitely not detailed enough.

 During the procedure

This morning.

hallelujah!

This boy is capable of going through the night without eating!  I was really beginning to wonder.  Last night, the littlest of my misters slept from seven until six in the morning.  He did wake up at one and fussed for fifteen minutes or so, but went back to sleep, on his own! 

I went to bed at 8:30 last night and took my 50,000 iu of Vitamin D-I'm currently doing this dose once a week for three weeks to try and increase my rather low level.  I feel like I can take on the world today.

a summer solstice birthday

Tuesday was my mom's birthday.  Our Nana.  It kicks off birthday week in this family.  Handy husband and Keri share a birthday on the 28th of June.   It was the first day of summer, the sun was high in the sky, the temperatures were above 70 for the, maybe, second time this year.  We had a reason to party.  Seeing as how it's the longest day of the year, we had a lot of time to fill.  The kids and I surprised Nana with an al fresco lunch on her patio.  We arrived with sandwiches from Purple Cafe, champagne, Pellegrino, and a tablecloth. 

That evening, the family headed to our house for dinner and dessert. Thanks to my new issue of Bon Appetit (well, it's a couple months old but that's how far behind I am at reading) I found a couple of delish new recipes.   We started off wth a Shaved Summer Squash Salad, followed by Roasted Tomato and Anchovy Oregananta Pasta, and really enjoyed our Coconut Cake with Rasperries and Lemon Cream.  It's the first time I've made this cake and the recipe is from the cookbook of my local favorite bakery, Macrina Bakery.

Shaved Summer Squash Salad

3 tablespoons whole almonds
1 pound summer squash (a mix of green and yellow)
2 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 minced garlic clove
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Baby arugula

 

 

Roast almonds and coarsely crush. Meanwhile, trim the ends off summer squash. Using a vegetable peeler, thinly slice the squash lengthwise into strips and transfer to a large bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together extra-virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, minced garlic clove, and kosher salt to taste. Pour dressing over squash. Let stand for a few minutes, then add a few handfuls of baby arugula. Shave a little Pecorino over the squash and toss. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Garnish with the crushed almonds.

Roasted Tomato and Anchovy Oregananta Pasta

 

• 4 cups cherry tomatoes, divided
• 9 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• Kosher salt
• 1/4 cup unseasoned dry breadcrumbs (preferably homemade)
• 1 tablespoonfinely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 teaspoonfinely chopped fresh thyme
• Large pinch dried oregano
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 16anchovy fillets packed in oil, drained
• 12 ounces spaghetti
• 2 cloves, finely chopped
• Small handful fresh basil leaves, roughly torn

Preheat oven to 200°. Place 2 cups tomatoes in an 8x8x2" glass baking dish. Stir in 1 Tbsp. oil and a large pinch of salt. Roast, stirring occasionally, at least 3 hours and up to 8 hours (the longer they roast, the sweeter and more concentrated the flavor). Set aside.

Increase oven temperature to 400°. Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper. Place breadcrumbs and herbs in a small bowl; season with salt and pepper. Drizzle 1 Tbsp. oil over; stir until mixture resembles damp sand. Lay anchovies about 1/4" apart on prepared sheet. Evenly pack breadcrumb mixture over; drizzle with 1 Tbsp. oil. Bake until golden brown, 3-5 minutes; set anchovy oreganata aside.

Cook spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until tender but still firm to the bite. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, place remaining 2 cups tomatoes in a large bowl. Crush tomatoes with your hands. Heat 4 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic; cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add crushed tomatoes and a pinch of salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until juices thicken, 6-7 minutes. Add roasted tomatoes.

Add drained spaghetti to skillet; toss to coat, adding reserved pasta water by 1/4-cupfuls if dry. Remove from heat; stir in basil. Drizzle with remaining 2 Tbsp. oil. Divide among bowls. Top each with 1/4 of the anchovy oreganata.

 Roasted Tomato  and Anchovy Oreganata

 Shaved Summer Squash Salad

 Impatiently waiting for food

 Food always silences this crowd

"Are you really going to eat all of that, Nana?"

 "Where's that rascally wabbit?"

(Get him, Mac...they've been mowing down my peas!)

 Nana enjoying her photo book

 "I wish that I don't have to help out with the rugrats as much this year!"

 Coconut cake with rasbperries and Lemon Cream

The ultimate "fat pants".  Just take them off when you've eaten to much.

it's a dogs life

Happy Birthday Koby & Mac

The BDW's...Best Dogs in the World.

Swimming, a stop for a large chew bone, and a special dinner are on the agenda for the day.

There's a joke in this house (it's not really a joke to me, though).  Koby was here before the rest of this clan.....Henry, the kids, the other animals.  He's been through it all with me.  Love you buddy. 

You truly are a best friend.

These pictures taken at one of their favorite places, Tyaughton Lake, British Columbia.

And, as they say,  "I wish I was as wonderful as my dog thinks I am". 

fathers and fish

We have some fabulous fathers to celebrate today.  The kids and I made dad a special breakfast-goat cheese and basil strata with mimosas and plain orange juice for the kiddos.  We ate in the dining room, lit candles per request of a certain three year old, and gave dad a couple gifts that were solely for the benefit of his time with the kids.  A vintage and handmade slingshot is just what a dad of two boys needs and no time is too earlier to learn, right?  Dad also received a heavy duty wool blanket for the hammock.  The kids love to swing under the trees with him and they sometimes get chilly with these cool days we've been having.  And, who couldn't pass up a beer with the name, "Daddys Little Helper"?

After breakfast, we headed to Gold Creek trout farm to introduce our wee ones to the sport of fishing.  They had a blast and they both caught fish.  Let's just say, in our defense,  we know that this is the urban, "hokey", and lackluster way to fish but it was the perfect way to teach the kids the process of fishing.  Next time, we'll head to a real body of water for some "real" fishing-just like Dad and Papa grew up doing.

Handy husband, you're quite the dad.  We've been blessed with three kids in thirty nine months and you've adjusted better than most. You're a patient, always inclusive, and loving father to our two little misters and our little miss. We love you.

Grace Renee

William Henry

Graham Augustus

I think you have a permanent locker at the hospital with your name on it.  Don't you?

I had pretty high standards when it came to finding a husband.  My dad was pretty cool growing up.  The horsepacking trips, the hunting trips, the fishing, snowmobiling, and waterskiing are all fond memories. I had the best childhood.   He always included us in everything and took us on many adventures that my Mom would pack us for.   He taught me how to change a tire, change the oil in my car, shoot a gun, and pee in the woods without a potty.  Life skills everyone needs, right?

I can't wait for the adventures that he'll take his grandkids on. 

Love to Dad, Papa, and Grandpa.

Happy Father's Day.

a couple days of sun

The sun shone proudly on Thursday and Friday and we took full advantage while handy husband nursed his wounds with ice packs and movies on the couch.  We started the morning off with a Custardy oven pancake with mixed berries. 

Then, we decided to take Nana, Aunt Keri, and Adelyn to our newest and most fun outing-the Edmonds waterfront.  It was low tide, really low tide and the sea creatures were out in full force.

The starfish were the big find of the day.

 We even spotted  high steppin' Crocs.  Very rare in these waters.

Under the ferry boat loading dock.

 Making sand angels....and sand in the cracks.

Nana & baby Graham keeping everyone in check.

When we arrived home, we noticed that the "wood fairy" (aka, our dear friend Leah) had made a visit. She left gold fairy dust sprinkled about and sunflower seeds with pots to plant them in.  

After an afternoon nap, Gracie painted on the patio.

Cowgirl and Koby snoozed in the sunshine as well.

Then, when the weather turned crummy on Saturday, we scooped poop in the paddock.

handy hubby not so handy

Today was round two of Dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) surgery for handy husband, aka: creating a new tear drain.  His first surgery in October didn't heal as anticipated so he was in for a second try.  Lucky me.  His post op orders are to be reclined at a fourty five degree angle for two days with as little as movement as possible....bathroom breaks, basically.  Lucky me.  At least this time we don't have a three week old to take care of. 

I was surprised to see him in such good sprits when I met him in the recover room.  Last time, he could barely walk and was almost incoherent due to the tranquilizer they used.  Yes, tranquilizer.  The anesthesiologist opted out of using it this time.  Thank you.  However, may I get some of that stuff in a pediatric dose?   Just a little. 

Here are a few pictures of my new dependent.

 Sleeping next to Brownie (Gracie's adored stuffed horse) and her pink blankie.

 Close up of the surgical site.  This time they inserted a tube to aid in healing.  It will be removed in a few weeks time.  Keep your fingers crossed that this surgery gives us the results we're hoping for.  It's nice to know that they identify the surgical site with an "X" above his eye.  I wonder how much we paid for that "Bic" pen?

 Our dear Gracie is a natural caretaker.  Here she is propping his feet up on a pillow and straightening his blanket. Seriously, this girl has been helping him in and out of bed, visiting him in bed every 10 minutes to see if he needs anything, and giving him "check ups" to inform him of his wound healing status.

 Serving dad his dinner on the "special" plate she chose just for him.

 Snuggling with the patient.

Nana left this picture for me of baby Graham doing laundry. My Mom  has a knack for entertaining children in ways that I would never think of.  He has been so fussy today, so she put him in front of the dryer....he loved it!

On a side note, I think we have this eczema thing under control after a visit to our favorite pediatric dermatolologist that has treated William's birthmark.  We learned that Graham's eczema really isn't that bad, he has a secondary bacterial skin infection from the scratching, and he'll be good as new in the blink of an eye.  I've learned more than I ever imagined about eczema in just this one visit and left feeling successfull and full of information on daily mangement,  at last. 

On another note, William's response to laser treatments of his birthmark have been miraculous.  She recommended two more treatments on his arm.  I'm so grateful for the wonderful doctors we have been referred to and have met.  Our pediatrician and pediatric dermatologist both came highly recommended and they have served to be everything I had hoped for. 

I'm off to bed.  All of my boys have been to the doctor today and I'm going to need one if I don't get some sleep! 
Thanks to my Mom for all the help shuffling the kids and the hubby around today. 
Night Night.