Family Vacation to Narragansett, Rhode Island!

Here is a recap of our fantastic week with the Benoits and Creeds in Narragansett, Rhode Island…

Before the trip we practiced “sleeping over”…

Practice sleep over

and we packed the diaper bag, the food bag, the “kid packed” toy bag (ie. bag-o-random), baby gates/safety items and adult beverage box.

Diaper bag Food/drink bag w shoes Baby gate Kid toy/book bag Grown up drinks

We drove to Albany Friday night and stayed with my parents :) and took off Saturday afternoon for the coast.  We landed about 3pm, had dinner and headed for some evening beach time.  The girls LOVED the beach instantly, which was a welcome upgrade from last year’s vacation!

Whoa!  A giant sand box Lucy Beach ballerina Continue reading

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Lazy days of summer

Here is what we’ve been up to the last week or so…

We made it to the twins’ 2 year old check up!  They were beyond cute and healthy as can be.  Dr. Tony talked to us about “competition potty training” between the 3 of them, Stella’s speech delay and Zoey’s plateauing head circumference.  He isn’t concerned about Stella’s speech at all and Zoey’s head is measuring on the chart finally!  Zoey was so cute- she wore her doctor stethoscope to the appointment.  They all love going to the doctor and we love Dr. Tony too.  His advice is golden.

He also mentioned, which I didn’t recognize until recently, that Zoey is indeed the “stronger, more exploratory” twin, which is going to highlight Stella’s shyness even more.  I guess I always knew that but its like when you see someone everyday, you don’t see those subtle changes.  Until recently, they both did their own thing, but now, I see that Stella is more dependent and comfortable in social situations when Zoey is around.  In fact, she hardly interacts with the speech therapist unless Zoey and Lucy are there.  Unfortunately, this means that they often speak up before she does when Stella is asked a question, which I am sure adds to the speech delay.  Here are some pictures from our visit:

Dr. Chookies Waiting for Dr. Got this running thing down pat Studious lucy Playing in the pediatricians waiting room

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Bye!


via YouTube – Bye.

The twins were into saying goodbye and giving each other hugs and kisses this weekend. Way too funny and cute.

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Three Sisters

Three Sisters, Oregon

Sometimes, I feel like daily life is all about the relationships between my 3 little girls. And sometimes it feels as daunting as summiting a mountain, but lately, they have started to play together and crack each other up.  They genuinely seem concerned about each other when we are out in public places, looking for each other after waking up from a nap and running to show one another something cool they’ve found or discovered.  That has to be the best reward as a parent so far.  If only I’d known years ago when I actually hiked around on the mountains above that I’d be facing much tougher tasks than just negotiating endless switchbacks.  What would I have thought of my life now?

Smile!

MY 3 little sisters: Lucy, Zoey and Stella

So, I’ve slacked on posting to catch up on some consignment stuff and work on some school work.  I’ve luckily made good headway in both departments (thank you nap fairy!).

So, here is a little about what we’ve been up to. Continue reading

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Zucchini and Olive Breakfast Cake

We had a ton of zucchini and I just happened to stumble across this recipe for a delicious sounding French style breakfast bread on The Kitchn… so I made it! My first fore into more complex baking. I thought it turned out well and others seemed to like it too.

Ingredients and directions
Makes 9×5 inch 1 loaf

1/3 cup olive oil, plus more for greasing the pan and drizzling
1/2 pound zucchini,
1 teaspoon salt
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 large eggs
1/3 cup milk
2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
Kosher salt

Heat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan with olive oil. Grate the zucchini on the coarsest side of a box grater. Place the zucchini in a colander in the sink, and toss with 1 teaspoon of salt. Let drain while preparing the rest of the recipe.

In a large bowl, whisk the minced garlic with the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper. In a separate, medium bowl, lightly whisk the eggs, then whisk in the milk and olive oil. Use a rubber spatula to fold the wet ingredients into the dry until barely mixed. Fold in the crumbled goat cheese and the sliced olives.

Press firmly on the zucchini in the colander, pressing out as much water as possible. Quickly fold the zucchini into the batter.

Spread the batter in the prepared loaf pan, and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle the top with kosher salt. Bake loaf for about 45 minutes, or until golden and a knife inserted in center comes out with a few crumbs attached.

Transfer to a rack to cool in pan for 5 minutes. Run a knife around edge to release. Turn out loaf onto rack to firm up before slicing, about 30 minutes; using a serrated knife, cut into 3/8-inch slices, then cut into halves or quarters.

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