Father's Day

Father's Day for me is always bittersweet.  There is a bit of sadness because of the absence of my own dad in my life, but it is always overshadowed by the joy and thankfulness that I have for my boys' Daddy.  I am so blessed that God allowed me to meet such a wonderful, loving, faithful man who is the most incredible father to our three little men.  

Happy Father's Day!

Practice, practice, practice

Henry got a new baseball glove for his birthday and has been practicing quite a bit.  He's got a wicked throw if we can just teach him to control it.  Note to self: Daddy needs a glove!

Oliver wanting to get in on the action.

Getting Ready

We are going to California at the end of the month and had to try out the somewhat lighter weight carseat.  Carrying the usual one is like trying to lug a rock through the airport so we are trying to make it a little easier.  Oliver thought it was hilarious sitting in a seat in the living room.

Summer Treat

Every summer since I have known Thomas, we have enjoyed the tradition of getting frappuccino's.  I actually have great memories of going out when our big boys were babies and getting a frappuccino late at night, before bedtimes mattered!  The problem with this tradition is that our boys are not babies anymore and they see something with whipped cream and chocolate and they want one.  We've tried to eliminate the "latte factor" from our budget and can't justify spending money on these for ourselves, let alone the whole family.  Not to mention the fact that I really don't want to encourage my kids to develop a caffeine habit at 5 and 6.
We found a recipe a couple of summers ago that is a knock-off of the Starbucks frappuccino.  Honestly it tastes just like the real deal.  The trick is that you must buy the real Starbucks coffee if you are going for authenticity.  You need the Italian Roast, and if you want to splurge you should get the whipped cream too.  One pound of coffee will get you more than 30 drinks (ours has lasted 2 years!)  We usually make one for each of us and 2 small ones for the boys.  If you are interested the recipe follows!

 

FRAPPUCCINO:
Makes 2 "Grande" drinks
Coffee:
1/2 cup Italian Roast coffee
4 cups water
3/4 cup sugar


Note: we brew 4 cups and save what we don't use in the fridge and use it within 1 week.


Brew a double-strength pot of Starbucks Italian Roast coffee using 1/2 cup coffee and 4 cups of water.


When the coffee is finished pour into a heat safe container (we use a Pyrex 4 cup measuring cup) and add 3/4 cup sugar.
Refrigerate until cold.


Frappuccino:
3/4 cup coffee mixture
1 cup milk
2 cups ice
whipped cream
chocolate syrup (or caramel)


MOCHA:
3 tablespoons Hershey's syrup
CARAMEL:
3 tablespoons caramel topping


Combine all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth.  Top with whipped cream and additional syrup.  Enjoy!

Bored in the summer

Is it really only June 11?  Everyday my boys say "I'm bored, I have nothing to do" over and over and over again.  Don't let them fool you.  Our home contains a plethora of toys, puzzles, coloring books, books, outside toys, bikes, balls and board games.  Joseph and Henry are 18 months apart, they should be perfect playmates but no, they only fight the entire day.  
My problem has been too much TV, computer games and laying around the house and TOO MUCH COMPLAINING!!  I am contemplating some sort of chart that actually works, do you know of one?  I am trying to figure out some routine that involves a minimum amount of time per day spent reading, writing, playing outside, quiet time and minimally watching TV.  Any ideas??

Back from the South

After driving for 12 1/2 hours yesterday, unpacking and doing 5 loads of laundry this morning I feel like I have a hangover!  We were down south visiting family and I feel like I need another vacation now. Here are some pictures from our trip.

We weren't able to get to the real beach this year, so this had to do.  The boys enjoyed playing in the water anyway.  I missed the white sand and blue water!

 

We celebrated Henry's 5th birthday.  This was the dragon cake that he requested.  

Yikes, they get more difficult every year!

Enjoying pizza with their cousins.

Playing in the water fountain.