Su-Weet Trip to the Aquarium

We had sooo much fun! This summer has been awesome. We took the kids to the aquarium in Brooklyn for play group. Check out our pics and make sure you watch the video of the walrus turning flips. It was the coolest. The kids couldn't get enough of it. We had to make them move on. I wonder if the walrus is available for babysitting?

Contagious Laughter

"SCARY GHOST MONSTER!!!"

. . . . yells Calvin as he runs to me in the kitchen. I turn to run with him, and see it. There it is in all of it's horrible, scary, ghosty monsterness sitting on the stairs just waiting to prey on it's next victim. I hope it's not me or Calvin.

At least he has good hygiene.

Zooishness

Bronx Zoo 1.0 - Got lost driving to the Bronx. Big. Pregnant. Calvin just wanted to feed the pigeons. Could have stayed on Staten Island for that. Did I mention hot?
Bronx Zoo 2. 0 - Bad. Bad. Day. Forgot the stroller. Calvin ran around like a mad man. Wyatt was a nursing babe in arms. Swore to never return to that blackhole of fun. Bonus: Stuck in traffic on the way home.

Bronx Zoo 3.0 - What a lovely day! Third times a charm. A little help from Aubri's two sisters, delightful weather, and a zippy, uneventful subway ride made for a great day. I'm glad i did it. Pics to prove it.

Careful to examine the animals with PB&J and sippy cup in hand.

Cool peacock just roaming around. That night Calvin said he dreamed about it. He dreamed that Kira kissed it. Ahhh. . .

Riding in the skyfari. Well worth my three dollars. We got to see the monkeys so clearly, and that's all Calvin really wanted to see.

The sea lion show was amazing. My kids sat still for like 10 mintues. Tell me that's not miraculous.

I like it. You should, too.

#1 Look ladies, swimsuit season is already here. I know. I know. It's a scary thought, especially for those of us who have marred our bodies through the miracle that is childbirth. You should check out this 20 minute toning workout. It's fabulous. Thanks to Danielle for introducing me. I like it because it's fast and right to the point. The only better option would be if you could get someone to do the exercise for you.

#2 Old-School Corelle patterns. My favorite is Batik (see about pic). I'm currently looking around for some cool mixing bowls to put in my kitchen, but I am learning that they are a little hard to come by. #3 Mixing Ranch and Italian dressing on my salad. Don't worry about it too much, just throw it on your salad. It's good. Seriously. I love it. P.S. After doing this, you will need to do #1 on my list.

Dad Hall of Fame

Here are a few Dads that inspire me daily

Noah (Dad of my Children) - This man is good with kids. He has just the right touch for every situation. It brings me great joy to listen to him comfort Calvin after a bad dream, or gently quiet Wyatt when he is sad. I haven't met another man so in love with his children, so willing to give them his time, so good at being their Dad. I'm so grateful for the boys he has given me. I hope that he knows that his boys love him sooo, sooooo, soooooooo much. Really, truly.

Dad (Dad of my Heart) - In case you didn't know, I love him a lot. I love his passion, generosity, and happiness. I strive to be like him, and I thank him for giving me life and the wonderful upbringing that I had. Six kids instead of fancy cars, big houses, or whatever else one might want wasn't lost on me! Dad, you will always be the best Dad I ever had.

Shaf (Dad of My Honey) Our relationship has grown since we first met. It is always nice to have another Dad figure to love and befriend. He showed Noah all of the tricks of the trade, including Daddy Magic. Charming in his quirkiness, he is a favorite around our home. Thanks to him for loving my kids so dearly. PIPAW!

Scott (Half of the Twin Dads and pictured on the far right) As a brother, one could not ask for more, and as a Dad what lucky kids he has. He is a man with an endless amount of energy, humor, and wisdom. He is a teacher, but a fun one. He has the kind of kids that you look at and say, "They are good kids." What a guy. (Conan, Other Half of the Twin Dads and pictured on the left) If you have never met this man, that's a shame. He is inspiring in his everyday life. He is sincerely kind and loving to everyone, his family most of all. His family is dear to me. He spends a lot of time thinking and meditating about them, and he deserves the blessings that his five kids do and will bring.

Eldon (Dad of Kekoa and Leilee) Sorry about the tiny pic. Blame it on my less than stellar bloggin' skills. He is the epitome of patience. Truly if you could bottle it, you would be wealthy. He has such a genuine appreciation of his children that is very endearing. They are so lucky to have someone who is so attentive. He is a treasure to his family.

Photo Documentation of a Breakdown

Poem for Calvin and Wyatt

I have always loved this poem by e.e. cummings. It reminds me of my boys.

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in my heart)

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear;and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

Best. Saturday. Ever.

I'll let my pics do the talking. I simply don't have words for how much I enjoyed being with my husband and kids at the beach on the Jersey Shore today.

Orange Chicken

I got such a great response for this recipe that I thought you might want a copy. It's so yummy. Thanks Susie for sharing it with me.

Orange Chicken

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup orange juice

zest of one orange

1 TBS. ketchup

1/2 tsp. salt

Combine previous ingredients in a pan and simmer. While it is simmering, cut your chicken (about two large breasts worth) into nugget size pieces. Combine 3-4 eggs with about 1/4 cup of milk, whisk together and transfer your chicken to eggwash. In another bowl, put about 2 cups of four in and transfer the egg-covered chicken nuggets to flour and coat them.

Preheat your oven to 375. Then, Over Medium heat on the stove, heat about two cups of oil in a pan and fry upyour nuggets. I ususally fry each side of the nuggets for about 4 minutes. Once they are golden brown, place them on a paper towel covered plate to get rid of some of the extra grease. Put your chicken in an 8x8 baking pan and pour the orange sauce you made over top, stirring to coat each and every delicious bite. Bake in the over for 30 minutes. The sauce gets all thick and sticky and yuuuuuummmmmyyy! Serve over rice, or granish with sesame seeds and use as an appetizer (as Susie did).

Make this dish with caution, for it will cause all those who eat it to want to kiss you on the mouth. Luckily, I've only made it for my husband and sons, so I'm safe so far. But I would be weary of serving it at a church function. Oh! Imagine the disaster!

Step off, Russian Nannies!

Seriously, I wish that I had a pic for this story, but alas I don't, so I have added one that might kinda sort go, but not really. I just thought a random picture of me and my Mom in a suuu-weet late nineties gem of a prom dress might pique your interest enough to read further. Okay, now that you're in, let's begin.

So, let's get down to business. I was at the park the other day. I was watching Christy's kids along with my own so that she could help a sister in the ward (I went to help, but my kids did more messy harm than good, and since we were there to clean, I was rendered useless.) Back to the park. Cool park (as is the style of New York). There was a big playground for bigger kids and little playground for smaller kids. As the five children who were under my care gleefully ran into the playground, I knew I had my work cut out for me. Wyatt still requires a lot of supervision; and plus, five is just a lot of kids. As the kids were running around playing, I took survey of the crowd there and noticed that I was alone in a sea of older, Russian nannies. They were all holed up together in a corner of the park with large, expensive strollers, gourmet snacks, fancy schmancy continuous spray sunscreen, and we're-wiser-than-you eyes. They looked like they actually owned the park, and I could sense that this was a group of women, excuse me, mothers and grandmothers turned nannies, who would not put up with any bologna that we newcomers might try and serve. This, however, did not throw me off because I was just waaaaaaaayyy too busy. As the kids were playing I noticed that a little girl from Team Russia was crying, and I surmised that she was been told by a little member of Team Almost-In-Over-My-Head (that's my team) that she can't play with their brother. Her personal Russian Nanny would have none of this, marched over, consoled her, and directly asked one of my team's kids, "Can she play with your brother?" (use a Russian accent when you read that question). To which, she was given no answer, and the small, yet defiant, members of Team Katie retreated to the other end of the playground.

At this point, a dark cloud passed over playtime as the Nannies regrouped in the corner by the swings and spoke very quickly, in Russian, with a flurry of pointing in our direction. Yikes! I was feeling the heat! But, you know what? Kids are kids. We will have a talk about this later. Right then I was in full on watch the kids mode. Until . . . . yep, Wyatt runs to the big kid playground and tries to climb. Then, a true New Yorker amongst the Russian Nanny Crowd, in her best abrassive, New York accent says, "He's too little. (well, duh). You should take these kids to a better playground. You are in over your head." Double Yikes! Now my pits started to sweat a little bit (for those of you who know my sweating situation this is a real big deal). I was a little intimidated. I mustered my courage and said, "Don't worry about. I got it." Hurray for me! I have a backbone. Now I removed little Wyatt from danger and decided I needed to regroup.

I called Team Pretty-Much-In-Over-My-Head over to the bench, sat them down, laid out some rules, and fed them some crackers. That brief moment of calm had refocused me, and that was where it all changed. I decided I was not going to chase those kids around the park, but instead they were going to have fun in a way that didn't frazzle me. If you can imagine a scene in a movie where some tough lady puts some leather gloves on and goes to work then you can imagine me at that moment. I totally owned that playground from that moment on.

I started working my magic on them. I taught them Red Rover, made a big pile of sticks with them, assigned them all Thomas the Train names, and even played duck duck goose. And as we were having fun in the shady corner of the park, along came the little Russian kids wanting to play with us. So, of course we let them play with us, and before we knew it we had a big group of kids (from both teams) playing on the shady end of the park. And to add a little sugar on top, the cold-hearted Russian Nannines start to melt. A few siddled over and smiled while their kids played with us. Then one nanny said to me, "You have gift with small children." (again, read with Russian accent). That comment was so funny to me because I didn't consider it a gift so much as a survival tactic. But hey, whatever works, right?

I hate to use my blog to brag, but seriously, I brought my A-game that day, and it felt kind of good.

Haiku for Noah

Sees patients all day

Their best interests in mind.

Hopes for their good breath. . . . er, I mean health.

Make New Friends And Keep The Old . . .

Just like the song goes. I love making new friends, and I love seeing old ones. In Tennessee I was able to meet up with Casey and Kristen, two good friends from back in the day. At our peak we were a force to reckoned with in toilet papering homes. Many a Saturday morning Leslie McConnell woke up to find her house covered in toilet paper, or if we were short on money, items from Kristen's Mom's freezer. Oh, who cares about the materials, she knew our wrath nonetheless.

Now we are a bunch of Moms. And just as we have excelled in toilet papering in years past, we have turned our energy to more important things: our kids. Both of them are such good Moms. I really enjoyed seeing them in their new roles, and I even learned a few new things. Below you will see our pics from the zoo. Sorry no pics from the dinner later (no kids), but we were laughing too hard to think about pictures.