I must be the third child!
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Fowler Family Thanksgiving
This year for the Fowler family Thanksgiving, we ate lunch at a church. I was highly skeptical about it feeling like a homey Thanksgiving meal, but it was actually really fun. Almost every member of the Fowler family was able to attend and we had close to 40 in attendance; just too many people to fit in Grandma and Grandpa's house. The gym looked great and Grandma did a wonderful job decorating the tables. When we got their we could smell gravy and stuffing and the kitchen was big enough for 3-4 cooks. It was a great set-up.
Our family brought sweet potatoes, lemon meringue pies and chocolate cream pie. A big thanks to smart-alek Craig for his lemon meringue pie advice; didn't take it though. I made homemade lemon pies from Shannon Smith's recipe in the ward cookbook and they were great. All of the food was so good and Greg's mom is a whiz with turkey.
After dinner, the adults visited and the kids played basketball and pushed each other around on the table cart. That was the best part, having enough room for the kids to play. We all cleaned-up, packed our cars and left the tables up for the next family. We were home in time to have some down time and watch The Incredibles. It was a great day with family and we are so lucky to have them.
Our family brought sweet potatoes, lemon meringue pies and chocolate cream pie. A big thanks to smart-alek Craig for his lemon meringue pie advice; didn't take it though. I made homemade lemon pies from Shannon Smith's recipe in the ward cookbook and they were great. All of the food was so good and Greg's mom is a whiz with turkey.
After dinner, the adults visited and the kids played basketball and pushed each other around on the table cart. That was the best part, having enough room for the kids to play. We all cleaned-up, packed our cars and left the tables up for the next family. We were home in time to have some down time and watch The Incredibles. It was a great day with family and we are so lucky to have them.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Pie Party at Preschool
Enoch has been talking about his pie party for weeks now. He was so excited! He was convinced that I needed to bake all the pies and was a bit disappointed that Costco was baking the pies for Miss Dawn (I wasn't disappointed at all). Every child was able to invite 2 family members and Enoch asked Mom and Kate to meet him at preschool at 2:15.
It was pretty crowded at preschool, but the kids were so thrilled to have their special guests there. The kids entertained us with a turkey song. It was so cute. I'm so mad that I didn't video it at preschool. I was too enthralled by how adorable Enoch was - he was really getting into the song and the actions and I forgot the camera in my hands. Oh well! After the song, the kids served pumpkin pie to their guests and then got some for themselves. Enoch, Kate and Mom sat together and ate pie (Enoch and Kate both really love pumpkin pie) and talked. We had such a great time and I'm so glad I could share that memory with Enoch.
Enoch and Miss Dawn
I finally got Enoch to sing the turkey song after days of begging and bribing with Smarties. You can see he was a bit hyper and he didn't get the song quite right, but we'll take what we can get.
It was pretty crowded at preschool, but the kids were so thrilled to have their special guests there. The kids entertained us with a turkey song. It was so cute. I'm so mad that I didn't video it at preschool. I was too enthralled by how adorable Enoch was - he was really getting into the song and the actions and I forgot the camera in my hands. Oh well! After the song, the kids served pumpkin pie to their guests and then got some for themselves. Enoch, Kate and Mom sat together and ate pie (Enoch and Kate both really love pumpkin pie) and talked. We had such a great time and I'm so glad I could share that memory with Enoch.
Enoch and Miss Dawn
I finally got Enoch to sing the turkey song after days of begging and bribing with Smarties. You can see he was a bit hyper and he didn't get the song quite right, but we'll take what we can get.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
I love my kids - I really do!!
My kids will be the first to tell you that I haven't been in a very happy mommy place lately. I'm tired of being the maid, the cook, the chauffeur, and the person who obviously has the words, "Please whine and complain to me" stuck to my forehead. I'm just sort of sick of being the mom. I know how horrible that sounds and I know it is my attitude and my fault I feel this way. So, for the sake of my kids I am doing everything I can to break out of this funk and get back to enjoying them and their antics. Although I'm pretty sure that it is their antics that has put me in this mood in the first place. I know, I know, my attitude!! Just so I can remember how great my kids are I'm making a week in review so I can step back and laugh at my kids and myself, praise them and realize how lucky I am to have 3 great children.
I was so happy this week when Gavin's Reflections entry won an Excellence Award, meaning that his entry is advancing onto the next level of the Reflections contest. It was an excellent project and looks great in his room. And we still love his room and BYU regardless of what happened on Saturday! I digress; let's get back to Gavin. He earned his 13th Webelos badge this week at Pack Meeting and is a great Cub Scout and a good example to all the boys in his pack. Gavin signed up to participate in Knowledge Bowl again this year. This is a huge commitment on his part and I am proud of him for doing it. Knowledge Bowl takes up a lot of time and considering that this year's topic is Humanities, I'm even more impressed Gavin is willing to do it. Lastly, Gavin has finally talked Greg into giving him saxophone lessons. After much begging, the lessons began and Gavin practices almost every day. I've had to ban him to the basement while practicing, but he really is sounding pretty good.
What can I say about my Enoch, except that he is either making me laugh or cry. The child is a whirlwind, full of energy, stubbornness and questions. His favorite word is why and I've resorted to my favorite response being, "Because that is how Heavenly Father made it!". I know, a total cop out, but at the end of the day that is all I have left. Enoch loves preschool and his teacher, Miss Dawn, is perfect. The other day I told Enoch I loved him and he told me he loved Miss Dawn. I can't really blame him, she really is great. We still have Enoch Kitty at our house and most days I deal fairly well with the meowing, pawing at my legs and taking Kitty for a walk by tying ribbon around his waist. Although it is hard to dodge two crawling kids in the kitchen, Enoch Kitty is just part of our lives now. Enoch's imagination has no limits - he amazes me. He can disappear into his room for an hour at a time and be completely entertained by himself. Of course, his room is always a complete disaster, but the quiet time is worth almost any mess he makes. After loading the dryer the other day, I found Enoch had morphed into the Ovaltine Pirate under the kitchen table. He thought it was great and I just took away the Ovaltine and sent him to the bathroom to clean up. He spent the next 20 minutes making faces in the mirror and clogging up the sink with Ovaltine. Holy Crackamole as Enoch would say!
Kate is my little angel, about 20% of the time. In all fairness to her she is teething and feeling pretty crummy. Her top two teeth have broken through and then pulled back in about 3 times this past week. Her gums are swollen and bleeding, she is drooling everywhere, has a runny nose and about 6-8 poopy diapers a day. Will these teeth just come in already! We are both sick of this. By 4pm she is crankier than all get out and just wants to be held. I would love to hold her, but of course that is homework, dinner, clean-up time and so we just try to get through each evening until Dad gets home and can walk with her a bit. Poor little thing. She is generally happier that this and I love to see her smile and hear her laugh because I've missed it this past week. She loves to explore the house and her favorite room is Enoch's (because it is so messy and all the toys are on the floor where she can reach them). She is starting to let go of the couch and stand for a few seconds on her own before she realizes what is going on and make a mad grab for the couch again. I can't figure out where she is stashing all her binkys. I suspect I'd find a few in the car. If she has a binky in her mouth or hand while riding in her car seat, she throws it across the van. And she is still eating moss. At her 9-month check up this week she weighed in at 18 lbs. 15 oz., measured 27 inches long and has a head circumference of 44.5 cm. She is growing up in so many ways and her sweet, determined personality is started to show through.
I love my kids more than I every thought possible with such big emotions that it is sometimes overwhelming to me. Gavin, Enoch & Kate are everything to me. When I think about who they are and what they are capable of, it truly humbles me. I just hope I don't get in the way too much of their great and eternal potential.
I was so happy this week when Gavin's Reflections entry won an Excellence Award, meaning that his entry is advancing onto the next level of the Reflections contest. It was an excellent project and looks great in his room. And we still love his room and BYU regardless of what happened on Saturday! I digress; let's get back to Gavin. He earned his 13th Webelos badge this week at Pack Meeting and is a great Cub Scout and a good example to all the boys in his pack. Gavin signed up to participate in Knowledge Bowl again this year. This is a huge commitment on his part and I am proud of him for doing it. Knowledge Bowl takes up a lot of time and considering that this year's topic is Humanities, I'm even more impressed Gavin is willing to do it. Lastly, Gavin has finally talked Greg into giving him saxophone lessons. After much begging, the lessons began and Gavin practices almost every day. I've had to ban him to the basement while practicing, but he really is sounding pretty good.
What can I say about my Enoch, except that he is either making me laugh or cry. The child is a whirlwind, full of energy, stubbornness and questions. His favorite word is why and I've resorted to my favorite response being, "Because that is how Heavenly Father made it!". I know, a total cop out, but at the end of the day that is all I have left. Enoch loves preschool and his teacher, Miss Dawn, is perfect. The other day I told Enoch I loved him and he told me he loved Miss Dawn. I can't really blame him, she really is great. We still have Enoch Kitty at our house and most days I deal fairly well with the meowing, pawing at my legs and taking Kitty for a walk by tying ribbon around his waist. Although it is hard to dodge two crawling kids in the kitchen, Enoch Kitty is just part of our lives now. Enoch's imagination has no limits - he amazes me. He can disappear into his room for an hour at a time and be completely entertained by himself. Of course, his room is always a complete disaster, but the quiet time is worth almost any mess he makes. After loading the dryer the other day, I found Enoch had morphed into the Ovaltine Pirate under the kitchen table. He thought it was great and I just took away the Ovaltine and sent him to the bathroom to clean up. He spent the next 20 minutes making faces in the mirror and clogging up the sink with Ovaltine. Holy Crackamole as Enoch would say!
Kate is my little angel, about 20% of the time. In all fairness to her she is teething and feeling pretty crummy. Her top two teeth have broken through and then pulled back in about 3 times this past week. Her gums are swollen and bleeding, she is drooling everywhere, has a runny nose and about 6-8 poopy diapers a day. Will these teeth just come in already! We are both sick of this. By 4pm she is crankier than all get out and just wants to be held. I would love to hold her, but of course that is homework, dinner, clean-up time and so we just try to get through each evening until Dad gets home and can walk with her a bit. Poor little thing. She is generally happier that this and I love to see her smile and hear her laugh because I've missed it this past week. She loves to explore the house and her favorite room is Enoch's (because it is so messy and all the toys are on the floor where she can reach them). She is starting to let go of the couch and stand for a few seconds on her own before she realizes what is going on and make a mad grab for the couch again. I can't figure out where she is stashing all her binkys. I suspect I'd find a few in the car. If she has a binky in her mouth or hand while riding in her car seat, she throws it across the van. And she is still eating moss. At her 9-month check up this week she weighed in at 18 lbs. 15 oz., measured 27 inches long and has a head circumference of 44.5 cm. She is growing up in so many ways and her sweet, determined personality is started to show through.
I love my kids more than I every thought possible with such big emotions that it is sometimes overwhelming to me. Gavin, Enoch & Kate are everything to me. When I think about who they are and what they are capable of, it truly humbles me. I just hope I don't get in the way too much of their great and eternal potential.
Calling all Pie Makers
This year I've been assigned the lemon meringue pies, chocolate cream pies and sweet potatoes for the Fowler Thanksgiving dinner. Yikes! I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed with this assignment. I feel fairly comfortable making chocolate cream pies and sweet potatoes, but lemon meringue pie is a bit beyond me. I made a test pie a few weeks ago and ran into a few problems. Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated.
1. My crust was soggy. How do you keep the crust from getting soggy if the pies have to sit for 4 hours per the instructions?
2. My meringue shrank; not badly, but enough to notice. I've heard there is a way to seal the meringue to the crust but I don't know what that is.
I know I'm cutting it close since Thanksgiving is on Thursday. Please send helpful info my way. Thanks.
1. My crust was soggy. How do you keep the crust from getting soggy if the pies have to sit for 4 hours per the instructions?
2. My meringue shrank; not badly, but enough to notice. I've heard there is a way to seal the meringue to the crust but I don't know what that is.
I know I'm cutting it close since Thanksgiving is on Thursday. Please send helpful info my way. Thanks.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Randall Family Thanksgiving
Since all the children were going to the in-laws for Thanksgiving this year my mom decided to have a Randall family Thanksgiving a week early. It was a great idea and we all had so much fun spending the day together. We rode the 4-wheelers, played games, visited, watched the BYU/Air Force game (yahoo!) and ate lunch. Everything was so yummy. We brought the sweet potatoes. It was a very fun day and we are glad that we could have one more Thanksgiving with Mom and Dad before they leave for Africa.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Kate moss
I feel that we have done okay baby-proofing our home, but leave it to Kate to discover the things that aren't quite safe. Her new favorite thing is eating the Spanish moss out of the planter of our ficus tree in the living room. I have no idea why she finds this so fascinating; it can't taste that good. Maybe it's the texture. Who knows? This is the same kid who eats and licks the rocks from the planter of the ficus tree in her room. We are feeding her, I promise.
Her brothers think it's quite funny and have joined in on the fun. They built a large barrier to the tree to keep Kate out. The only thing this accomplished was Kate getting stuck in the middle of it and me trying to get her out (and then me getting stuck too; I'm glad we don't have pictures of that).
Enoch, my little engineer, has designed in his creative mind a 'Katers Catcher'. It is a machine that has a claw on the end of a big stick that is attached to the ceiling. When Kate gets to the moss, the claw grabs the back of her clothes, picks her up and moves her into the family room to get her away from the moss. He is convinced that if he tells me about it enough I will finally let him built it - not very likely I keep telling him. Until he is able to build his 'Katers Catcher', he now just yells at me to tell me that Kate is eating moss. Lovely. I sometimes wonder how my life got to this point.
Her brothers think it's quite funny and have joined in on the fun. They built a large barrier to the tree to keep Kate out. The only thing this accomplished was Kate getting stuck in the middle of it and me trying to get her out (and then me getting stuck too; I'm glad we don't have pictures of that).
Enoch, my little engineer, has designed in his creative mind a 'Katers Catcher'. It is a machine that has a claw on the end of a big stick that is attached to the ceiling. When Kate gets to the moss, the claw grabs the back of her clothes, picks her up and moves her into the family room to get her away from the moss. He is convinced that if he tells me about it enough I will finally let him built it - not very likely I keep telling him. Until he is able to build his 'Katers Catcher', he now just yells at me to tell me that Kate is eating moss. Lovely. I sometimes wonder how my life got to this point.
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