so smart

John whipped up some kraft mac and cheese for a late, late dinner. Athen wasn't that interested in his. I said, "Eat some bites." Athen said, "two?" I said, "More than that, five."

A little later he comes up to me in the kitchen and says "Mom, I ate five bites." I said "Good, have 5 more." Athen said, "You mean have, ten?"

flowers from athen

bubbles

Athen lost all of his plastic bubble wands somewhere in the yard. So, we had to make do with cookie cutters. They work pretty well and make larger bubbles than normal...Athen liked the idea of making Batman bubbles using a Halloween cookie cutter in the shape of a bat.

*Athen says, "I was trying to make bat bubbles but it didn't work. I tried to make heart bubbles but it didn't work. There are only circle bubbles."

*Athen's comments when I read him this post and showed him the photos.

lazy shrimp pasta

This is half a recipe. A quick, delicious dish to make.

3 Tbl. spoons olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 Tbl. spoons of tomato paste
1/2 a lemon
1/4-1/2 pound of small shrimp
6-8 cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Parmesan

Cook pasta as directed on the box. Drain when pasta has cooked.
Meanwhile, saute garlic and olive oil over medium heat until garlic is almost golden.
Cut cherry tomatoes in halves or quarters.
Add tomato paste and tomatoes. Blend well.
Add shrimp, cook until pink.
Squeeze lemon juice into sauce.
Add parsley and stir.
Let sauce simmer slightly.
Combine sauce and angel hair in large pot.
Stir until pasta is completely covered.
Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.

A colorful, light meal that grown ups and kids love.
Serves 3-4

lying

Athen brought me his empty bowl that used to contain the cereal I had poured him an hour before and said, "Look Mom, I ate it all. I ate all my cereal!" But as he finished his sentence he couldn't look me in the eye. So I said, "Did you really?" Knowing that there was no way he would touch the mushy remnants, because he never does...He nodded yes, but still couldn't look me in the eye. I said, "Where did you put it?" "In the garbage," he whispered.

athen's artwork

On the left is a "boat" Athen drew. I think it's an extremely accurate representation. I was really impressed. On the right is a self portrait of him "holding a rock."

On the left is a picture of a person...who looks like they have a runny nose. On the right, are three little water colors he made on index cards. I really like them displayed together. Athen hasn't quite figured out how to manipulate a paint brush like he can a marker or a pencil...but, I'm a fan of his blotches.

play date

Yesterday I had a friend come over with her daughter, Hailey, who just turned four. They stayed all day. Longer than I had anticipated. I was ready for them to leave about 3 1/2 hours before they actually did.... Athen was coming down with a cold and Hailey has a tendency to manipulate situations.

For example, Athen ran into the house from playing outside, hysterical over the fact that Hailey had hit him. She followed right behind him and said simply, "No I didn't, he hit me." Athen looked at her for a second, confused, and still weepy...I looked at Hailey's huge brown puppy eyes...and realized she was full of shit. Athen would not behave so dramatically if he had not been hurt...and she kept insisting that it was him, not letting him get a word in. With her mother there, and both of us not having witnessed said hitting, I said the only thing I could think of. "Both of you, don't hit."

Actually it worked, they ran outside immediately and got over "it." However, after Hailey and her mother finally left, I asked Athen again if he had hit her and he said "no, I didn't." I told him I believed him.

asher triptych

Asher has started to roll over on his own already! 4.15.09

french toast a la bomb

Makes an excellent meal for any time of day. Healthy and filling, it's one of my favorite meals to prepare when I've run out of day and it's dinner time.

3 eggs
1/4 cup of milk
cinnamon to taste
nutmeg to taste
butter
5-6 slices whole grain bread
real maple syrup

Melt butter in a frying pan on medium low.
Mix eggs, milk, and spices in a shallow bowl.
Dip sliced bread into egg mixture.
Fry on both sides until egg is cooked.
Serve with warm maple syrup.

Delicious with pink grapefruit halves!

Serves 2-3

when asher cries...

Athen yells "MOM! the baby's crying!" from somewhere in the house. When I arrive on the scene, Athen just points to Asher without looking at him...When Asher whimpers, Athen yells, "I think the baby's going to cry AGAIN!"

At some point while calming Asher, Athen stomps his foot and cries, "I want you to hold me right NOW! With both hands!"

valentine snake

Athen made this Valentine “snake” at school. He was supposed to make a necklace or a bracelet, but he insisted on making this snake instead. He kept it in an empty jar for a few days as a pet.

the truth

Yesterday was a really difficult day for John and I. Last night I promised Athen I would do better. He asked that I not "fight with Dad."

Well, we fought today...I think I was more emotionally torn up about the fact that I disappointed Athen than about the fight. Weepy, I asked him if he was mad at me. He said, "No, but I told you not to fight with Dad." I said, "Are you disappointed? Angry? Scared?" He said, "No, I'm happy."

I said, "You are? What does happy mean?"
Athen said, "Happy means I'm not scared."

pesto

Add to wheat tortellini with Parmesan .
Excellent with fresh mozzarella and tomatoes on a baguette.
Great on buttered toast.

3 packed cups of fresh basil leaves
1 medium-small clove clove garlic
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Take the basil off the stems. Discard stems and put leaves into a food processor.
Smash and peel the garlic. Add to basil and blend.
Add cheese, oil, salt and pepper and blend again until a thick paste.

3 or 4 small servings
Great way to use up the basil from personal herb gardens.

I love these shots!

fun facts

1. i can convert a transformer under 5 min.
2. i am fluent in fart, robot, space ship, car, monster and karate sounds
3. i can jiggle a fussy baby, make a caprese salad and talk to an acquaintance while keeping an eye on Athen all at the same time

excited!

brotherhood beginnings

Athen spent Friday night and Saturday with his Grammy. When he came home Sunday afternoon, he kept wanting me to put Asher down. He was weepy and whining and his eyes filled with tears and he said, "I don't like Asher! Put him DOWN!" and then he quickly added, "Be gentle and don't drop him Mom..."

dying Easter eggs

Athen's first time. I bought a cheap kit at Safeway. It came with plastic baggies you put the dye into and then squish the egg around until it's covered with color. Athen was pretty impatient when it came to boiling the eggs. Here are the three that didn't break.

This is his favorite one.

Where The Wild Things Are

MovieWeb - Movie Photos, Videos & More

MovieWeb - Movie Photos, Videos & More

This looks pretty good! http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/wherethewildthingsare/

athen' s language:

"hap" means apple
"fisk it," fix it
"piscure," picture
"hold me" means pick me up
"are you happy? or are you sad?" means, "what are you feeling?"
"you're not listening" means pay attention to me
"I need to rest," means "I don't want to eat dinner."
"Beo," Billie
"rebax," relax
"miss you too," means, "i love you too.."

to be continued...