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?

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.

We did the Zoo on Monday and it was a bit nuts.  And we thought we were soooo smart going on a Monday when no one else would be there.  Riiiighht.  We actually only saw about 1 animal the entire 2 hrs. we were there.  I saw plenty of tears unfortunately.  Friday, JD is working from home, so we are going to get out of the house, let him work and are going to try for a zoo-do-over…

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Tuesday was a great relaxing day of shopping for me, thanks to Aunt Chris and Uncle Bill : ).  The Tuesday night Kenmore Children’s Concert series continues to entertain us too.  This week was some salsa and meringue music, which had everyone dancing.  We loved it and now we can’t stop listening to The Buena Vista Social Club…

We also camped inside this week; always a treat.  This time, the kids made a little reading nest in there and I caught some ultimate twin cuteness in action.  Both reading side by side without harassing each other with a rogue foot…

Then there are the many faces of Zoey.  Gosh she is so darn cute and funny.  She can turn it on and off though.  A bad combo.  Zoey was such a perfect name for her looking back.  A little clumsy, an independent streak, a handful of fearlessness and those big doughy brown eyes..

We made some of Daddy’s (milk containing) vegan blueberry muffins.  Lucy is an excellent chef and loves to cook just like her Daddy…

I am still running.  5 weeks now.  I can’t believe it in the least.  I also have brand new running shoes that JD got me for an anniversary present!  YAY!  I will be ready for my first 5k the weekend before school starts, if not earlier.  I am going to run one in the neighborhood and I am trying to decide if I want to run the Glen Iris 5K through Letchworth the weekend after the first week of school.  Now that might be hard core, but I would love to run the course through the forest.

Last night we even got out to take a “Thai Vegetarian with a Kick” cooking class at Delish on Elmwood.  It was a.w.e.s.o.m.e.  So awesome.  We came home relaxed, had a good time and were stuffed.  We can’t wait to try the recipes at home.  Something tells me 3 toddlers running around my legs while cooking these again just won’t be the same.

Today we went down to the Buffalo Harbor and water front, which I have never in my life been to.  We walked along the water, watched plenty of seagulls, saw some HUGE naval ships, chased each other, rolled down hills, ate bags of animal crackers and generally entertained the older folk strolling along on a nice summer day.  All that in about an hour.  We really pack it in…

Then there was the snuggle and coffee time.  I included the coffee picture above because I love our new solution to the waste associated with our Keurig machine.  Instead of using disposable pods we use a reusable pod that can take any ground coffee we want.  I fell in love with coffee after we got this beauty last christmas but just couldn’t stomach the packaging that came along with each cup.  I feel better about at least this small decision to reduce waste. With that said, sustainability curriculum is coming along, but going from a Regents course to a “anything you want” course is not so easy!

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.

XYZ BLOCKS

Need to get these for the kids. Hilarious!

So we stayed inside because of the rain too and did a little reading…

…Some things my kids will just have to teach themselves, like how to open and close pocket doors.  When Stella finally figured it out, she didn’t realize she still couldn’t open it because the stool was in the way below her feet.  However, I still didn’t teach her.  Reason #1 to buy myself some more time with the constant open/close routine that will happen after she figures it out and #2 to see the look of pride on her face when she finally does do it herself.

And then we did a little dress up…

Also some coloring and nice sharing…

All while Mommy cleaned the kitchen!  YAY!  I mean from top to bottom, scrubbing cabinets, etc.  Everyone was so great and played together so nicely.  THAT never  happens.  I didn’t have to break up one single fight!  Everyone mostly occupied themselves too and were big helps cleaning alongside me.  In fact, I’m making this quick because I gotta go back for more.  I’m in a nesting type mood today and I don’t care why, I’ll take it.

Also, look at our newly repurposed letter press drawer inherited from my Mom and Dad that is now hanging in our foyer.  It is a great place to display all the kids (and my) nature finds.  Look at the cool chicken feather Lucy found yesterday!

Lastly, check out our pics of a great show by Rogue Wave last night at Thursday in the square.  Great time with my favorite!  Off to another date night tonight- how did I get so lucky for two in a row?  CANNOT wait for the giant dance party Broken Social Scene will bring when we see them in the Fall.

Did I say play?  I mean just move around and eat from the pretzel buffet.

After dinner we took a long bike ride around Elmwood and over to the playground on Thurston.

We did some swings…

We did some slides and Daddy captured us with some great new photos with a new vignette app…

Today we packed up early and headed to Becker Farms for some hot, sweaty blueberry picking…

Then we took the kids over to see some farm animals.  Jonas and Stella were especially loving it!  Lucy and Zoey liked it a lot too and Nafie was getting used to the idea.  I spent some time when I got home hosing down the wagon and some goat poop shoes.  When the kiddos wake up, I’ll be hosing them down too.

In fact, Stella was a little obsessive about the chickens- chasing, harassing and even trying to kiss and hold them.  That girl loves animals!

Now that I am inside, fed and watered and the kiddos are napping, I feel that today was really a good time.  However, being hot, hungry and dealing with almost constant crying from the twins along with them both wanting to be held a lot, it was stressful while we were there.  I almost hit my max today after carrying both babies back from the berry field in my arms at the same time.  I tried to just walk, hold hands and just walk away and they simply lay down and cry.  Do I just let them scream it out until they get up and walk?  Do I just pick them up and go?  Its getting beyond frustrating to have to carry one when she’s tired only to have her sister want to be carried too.  They are not getting any lighter either.  They are probably around 25 lbs each.  Suggestions??

On a lighter note, our 8th wedding anniversary is 13 days away: August 3rd.  We have been together a total of 13 yrs. so I decided to do a little surprise/celebration each of the next 13 days for JD.  Tonight we are going to see Rogue Wave at Thursday in the Square sans kids and then out for dinner/ice cream by the river.  It should also be an early night since we are only going downtown for the first band.  I can’t believe its been over 2 years since we saw a “grown up” live show!!  YES!  And we have Broken Social Scene coming up in September too!  Yipee!

She is also most definitely moving into a new realm.  How long are they considered toddlers?  Sometimes the things she says to me astound me.  Where does she come up with this stuff?  She is so sweet and calm with her sisters when they are upset: “Stella, you’ll be ok- just close your eyes, take a deep breath and take a nappy in the car.” She is so imaginative and particular when she plays, even stressing “difficult” ideas so that even Mommy understands: “No, Mommy.  The brachiosaurus didn’t hurt his foot.  He sprained his ankle right here from climbing up the house.”  Then she comes out with: “Mommy!  I want to BE an eye patch!”, while prancing around trying to fit Mr. Potato Head’s mini eye patch over her head.  She is so so smart and so busy and so funny and so silly and so thoughtful and sooooo patient with all of us.  I think 3 yrs is my favorite yet.  Today she asked me why airplanes “do that” (fly in the sky).  Even this stretched my ability to teach.  It was tricky.  I love the challenge and sometimes the randomness.  However, sometimes the “why” questions are unending and I feel sorry for her when she gets cut off by a louder, screaming sister.

Trying to wear Mr. Potato Head’s pirate eye patch

Stella looking at her and zoey’s first ever picture together.  She was very concerned that she had a nose tube in her nose.  When Lucy looks at this picture, she says, “That is when Stella had a white mustache”.  Yes, its true, we did call her Wilford Brimley.

Reading before bed with Daddy ritual

So, today we decided to make a big trip to Rochester to the Strong Museum of Play.  We LOVE it there!  We got up and out of the house early and had a little caravan with the Creeds (trust me, we tried getting all 5 car seats in my van to carpool and it was just an inch or two too tight.) and met the Benoits there also.  What a huge field trip!  It was hectic and mostly everyone was so good.  Thank goodness for “family rest rooms”.  We found that we could “trap” all the kids in there while we took runs to the potty and wrestled diapers off all the babies.  Also, at this point I no longer bring a stroller in contained places because they rarely sit in it anymore.  So, I ended up dragging (read: twin carry/drag/body hold- twin moms, you know what I mean) two tired, crying, rubber legged, not going to walk, “mommy carry all 50 lbs of us” and the diaper bag out of the entire museum to the parking lot.  Fortunately, Lucy was so good and walked with the Creeds while I booked it (that should count for my run for the day).  That was the finale to an otherwise great trip.  We played and played and ate some fake rocks and licked some random walls and rode a train and served some restaurant lunch and played some more.  The ride home was silent to say the least and whallah!  I pull into the driveway and everyone is up, ready to go and as JD said, “on random mode”.  Here are some good ones of the kiddos, but unfortunately, I didn’t get any of Ava and Jack.  Jack might be a blur on film though…

Apparently all this action is boring Lis…

Twin pushing twin in stroller

Nafetastic

3 out of 4 kids agree, coloring is awesome.  The 4th is Zoey.

Nafie on slide

Jonas running the kitchen, Stella doing dishes and everyone eating at the diner counter

Jonas giving his mommy some lunch

Waiting patiently

Wheres my order?!

Zoey on bearstein bears slide

I jetted to the dentist and let JD take over.  What a good Daddy.  I heard Stella was pretend riding her mini giraffe around the family room, Lucy served 30 minute birthday parties during dinner to all of her animals and Zoey was dragging around our Magic Hat beer box!  I came home to all of them playing quietly in the backyard and a worn out JD sitting nearby on the patio.  HA!  Short naps lead to early bedtimes.  Yay.

In other news, I ran tonight and the first mile was a piece of cake.  YES!  I think I probably ran the fastest I had ever.  However, the last mile (I only did 2) felt like death.  Oh well.  4 weeks in after years of child having and raising is pretty good.

Also, made major head way on the consignment sale stuff.  Entered inventory tonight and am already up to $200 if everything sells.  That was only one bin of clothes and 9 pair of shoes!  Those big winter items really bring the cash and I haven’t even done those yet.  Can’t wait to rake in the dough again in late August.  Just in time for the “flat broke month” of the year when you are a teacher!  I am hoping to volunteer for the pre-sale Friday night and get in an hour or so before anyone else so I can xmas shop for the girls and look for a few gently used, more expensive winter items like boots, jackets, etc. for them.  Some details: Its only $10 to consign and you keep 70% of what you sell if you work at least 4 hours.  If you are an expecting mom, you get a free pass to the pre-sale that is only otherwise open to consignors and volunteers.  If you don’t want to consign but have a few big ticket items like baby gear you want off your hands, let me know and I can sell them for you.  If you decide to consign and are new at it, I can help you and also let me know… I get some extra bonuses if I can say I “referred” you.  Happy reusing and making money off of it!

Stella and Zoey on their 2nd birthday…

Its finally here!  My squishy, funny little ladies turned 2 today.  I can’t even wrap my head around the last 2 years.  I think it will take even more time than I imagined!  Just a little to remind you and me what you both were like when you turned 2:

Zoey,

You are a sweetheart that takes most of life in stride.  You have an independent streak and are generally a happy soul.  You pick up things fast, especially any kind of mechanical,  hands on sort of project.  This can be great because you usually figure out things yourself before we show you or this can be challenging, if the thing you are figuring out is, say, the baby gate.  You LOVE to run around and sing.  In fact, I love when you run the most because your little cheeks and “chookies” (cheeks below your cheeks) bounce around too!  You are so darn cute and also very charming with those big brown eyes of yours.  You still have a baby buddah belly and your hair is finally getting long.  You love wearing pig tails and are often the first one to brush your teeth, get dressed and get your shoes on (you also love anything that sparkles!).  Unfortunately you sometimes have a hard time waiting on your sisters.  You have also taken an interest in the potty lately, to my delight.  Maybe you will be the first one potty trained?  You have a bit of a jokester streak in you too, pushing your sister’s buttons (especially Stella) and making your own sort of jokes, even different funny faces to suit the situation.  You are both funny and cute: a bad combo!  You seem to be very comfortable with other kids outside of our family too and its funny to see you start interacting with peers.  You love to cuddle on the couch at night and watch cartoons or read books, but you are always the first to hop off the couch after just 5 minutes and find something independent to do.  You don’t like to sit around and watch the world go by!  You love to eat all kinds of fruit, especially blueberries.  You also really like noodles and your milk and are learning to drink from a cup.  You especially like to do anything that Lucy does and often copy her playing, the things she says and how she does things.  You really love her.  Lucy really likes to play with you too.  There are a million reasons I like you, but these are just a few.  Happy Birthday my Zoe-Zoe!  You are growing every minute and I can’t wait to see what my little independent woman looks like at 3 years!  Love, Mommy

Zoey eating her 2nd birthday dinner at Mississippi Mudds

Zoey

Stella,

Stella you have had quite a year.  Just thinking back, you haven’t even been walking a full year yet, but man have you grown.  You are even a little taller than Zoey, but have this tiny, light, skinny body….definitely a Dettbarn.  When I look at you, you remind me of Daddy and Grampy Dettbarn.  You are a spitting image of Daddy when he was your age, believe it or not- even the way you “sniff” your yellow blankie when you are really tired.  Lately, you have been working on learning more words with a speech therapist once a week and your family.  You are doing amazing and I’ve lost count of all your new words.  Just tonight you were dragging me around the park pointing at all the wildlife!  You seem much less frustrated and happier all around.  At the same time, you have really started to LOVE reading, probably more than either of your sisters.  You will sit and read all day with us.  You also love wildlife, looking for critters outside and notice the smallest details on anything nature-related- trees, in the sky, bugs, you name it.  You are a budding naturalist at heart, which makes me proud.  You are not a fan of getting your hair done or getting dressed, but when it really counts, like bandaging the cut on your foot lately or at visits to the dentist or doctor, you are excellent.  You are also learning to play with other kids your age.  You are shy when other kids are around besides your sisters, but you have also always been a bit closer and depended on Mommy and Daddy a little more.  You are especially close to Mommy and Daddy and you love frequent cuddles, being held a lot and being carried.  We are all working on giving you some more opportunities for your own independence and I can see you trying hard lately.  I know two years is a tough time.  You’ve been a baby for 2 years and now, all of the sudden you are expected to not only do lots of things yourself, but you are being physically distanced from us especially when there are 3 of you that need so much attention often.  However, you do like to have your own quiet space and take your own time to finish projects or tasks.  It is clear you enjoy working hard, are determined, motivated and are very proud of yourself when you do something you’ve set out to do.  Unfortunately, you get interrupted by any number of people and circumstances often and this is a challenge for you.  Luckily, you are learning to be adaptable, which I think will be your greatest strength.  Another thing everyone knows about you is that you love to eat!  You eat and eat and eat.  You love just about all kinds of food and will try anything, especially pickles and any kind of “dipping” condiment.  You were born in Buffalo after all!  Like Zoey, you love to snuggle, especially on the couch and you are quick to literally fall over asleep if you’ve been especially worn out.  You love your sisters so, its like glue.  You just can’t get enough of Zoey and chase her around with your funny faces, making her giggle non-stop.  I can even hear both of you up in your cribs going back and forth with laughs!  Your smile is infectious, your cute as a button and man, are you charming in your own quiet way.  Happy 2nd birthday my Stelley Belley!  I love you to pieces in every way and seeing you grow is a joy.  I can’t wait to see what your third year brings!  Love, Mommy

Stella eating her birthday dinner at Mississippi Mudds

Stella

Maybe I should work backwards to recap the rest of this weekend?

Today we celebrated Z & S’s birthdays by doing one of our favorite things- swimming!  We joined our other favorite set of twins, Wes and Andrew, and their hot Mommy, Aunt Margie, and Nana Stefko at the wading pool.  I could just eat these two boys up.  They are the cutest little red heads!  I also fell in love with those pink tutu bathing suits my grandma got the twins for their birthdays!

Sharing crackers

Tutu bathing suits from great gram

Nana Stefko and Wes

Pelczynski twins

2 sets of twins and a singleton

WES!

Girls and boys

Little Lucy in the pool

pastey-white redheads

2 sets of twins

Nana with a sleepy Drew-man

Zoey in her B-day tutu

Why, its a blue ball!

This morning we were lazy and it was grand.  We celebrated with dinner at Mississippi Mudds over looking the Niagara River and Niawanda Park and some playtime at the playground.  A perfect day when you are two!

Little duckies following Daddy at Niawanda Park

The fam celebrating Z & S’s 2nd birthday with a dinner overlooking the Niagara River

Lucy telling her new friend”my two sisters are Zoey and Stella and they are getting bigger and bigger all the time”

Saturday was a lazy day as well but we had a great time at Jonas (4th) and Nafie’s (2nd) birthday party.  We played in the pool, broke a squid pinata, played Pin the Tail on the Blue Whale and ate our hearts out, especially the yummy undersea themed cake.  Awesome party Creeds!  Unfortunately, it was so fun, I have no pictures!

Friday was a great day as well.  We got to visit the Aquarium and touch some real live sea creatures!  Lucy loved holding the clam (a safe bet), Zoey enjoyed the tiny fleshy tube feet of the sea star and Stella loved holding the hermit crab.  We also got to touch some turtles and learn how they like to be held too.  What an awesome activity and so glad we became members so we can do it again… like every week.

Learning how to touch turtles at the Aquarium

Creedlets

We also got some great presents from Great Gram, my grandmother.  She sent all the right things- sparkly and pink!  The girls love their tutus, dresses and glamour shoes, along with their new coloring books and markers.  Thanks Great!

Presents from Great Gram!

On top of that, I’ve made some good progress on the sustainability curriculum I am working on thanks to an awesome meeting with Don and Katy Friday night.  Thanks for the hospitality and all kinds of good conversation, including a glimpse into life with older little girls.

I’ve also been running consistently despite the heat and have been able to shave time off and will be starting into 2 miles next week.  I just have to remind myself why I am doing it (alone time!) to get out the door.  Some days I feel ready by lunch to just take off and run!  HA!  I am trying to pick a great first race and have my eyes on the Glen Iris run Sept. 11th at Letchworth.  That would be awesome.

Now, off to see what next week brings!

SERVES 12

Ingredients:
1/4 cup margarine
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 T baking powder
2 T vanilla yogurt
2 T flax seed
1/2 cup low fat milk
2 cups fresh blueberries

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350F. Line 1/3-cup muffin cups with paper liners, or spray with cooking spray.
Mix all ingredients together in mixing bowl. Spoon into muffin cups, filling three-quarters full.
Bake 35 minutes, or until tops are firm. Cool slightly on rack.

Then there was the paint in the Explorations area.  Then Lis yelling “Shut it down” to us and the kids.  Then the eye rolling from other parents who seemingly had their brood under control.  Then me laughing hysterically and taking pictures of the chaos while Lis is dragging a soggy old towel full of paint across the room to the sink as our kids paint up their arms.  I thought it was hilarious!  Lets just say that after the nice docent said, “Well, that was the first time we did paint in here”, they will be putting it away for a very long time.  Thank goodness for Amy and Lis- they helped me corral my 3 and provided someone to laugh/roll eyes with.  Here are some great ones from today:

Lucy and Joefa at the Rube Goldberg machine

camping with Joefa

Older kids at the ice table

Lucy and the 3 babies at the water table

Lucy and Joefa at the water table

Playdough muchkins

Shut it down!

We scooted out when we could and the twins went down for a nap right as we got home for lunch.  Recipe for disaster.  I should have known too.  JD and I enjoyed a nice lunch with Lucy and then BAM!  Right at 1pm Zoey and Stella were up and ready to go with a tinge of crabby.  We alternated crazy art projects, movie time and swimming at the Creeds to get through till JD came home for dinner.  By then everyone was slap happy and out of control, whiny and incredibly funny all at the same time.  Zoey was even slapping Stella’s bum in the tub while they both squealed in entertainment!  Lucy passed out at 6pm on the couch and the twins were down about 7pm.  Breathe out…

No nap today for the little ones and Lucy playing with the antique baby carriage

These two were in time out so much today they just posted up there for fun

An early night mean’t I got out for an early run.  For the first time in 3 weeks of running/exercising, I just wanted to get it over with, even though I had looked forward to the alone time all day.  It was 88 degrees, humid and after the endless day I had, I was done.  However, pushed through it and ran 1.8 miles at a pace about 9 1/2- 10 1/2 min.  I was pleased.  Also, that’s getting close to 2 miles.  A 5K is only 3 miles so it seems within reach.  I keep reminding myself that if I can do my twins’ 1st yr. then I can always run just a little farther.  Besides, I think 3 weeks is officially the longest I have exercised consistently in years!  Now I am looking for a good first target race.  Suggestions?

Some other noteworthy things:

THANKS to Joseph and Mrs. DiMaio for the awesome birthday and big sister gifts for the girls!  They love their new phone and key sets!  I love the eco-friendly packaging and the funny sayings hidden within.

Kid quote…

“It shuts itself off if no buttons are pushed for a while. Just like Mommy.”

Finally, I shared with many already, but I LOVE this article someone else posted.

Last night we went to the first concert in the Children’s Concert Series in Kenmore.  The kids danced it up to some blue grass/folk music and continuously ate snacks, as usual.  We took the bikes down there with the seat/trailer and it took us no time at all (or at least faster than the 5 min. it takes us to pull them there in the wagon).  The kids are really getting better in the bike trailer and seat already and seem to love it.

At 1st kenmore childrens concert

Zoey making a friend

This morning, with a big trip to a farm impending tomorrow, we laid low and joined a pool party across the street at the Creed’s.  Highlights included sea creatures & teddy grahams. It was lovely and got me thinking a lot about sharing and how to help the kids (peers or siblings) work through disagreements.

Brothers

The “babies”

Jonas and Lucy

These two caught in action

Playing “sleep over at Jonas’ house”

I am not really sure how to handle these things and especially at home I try to be as fair as possible.  Sharing is a constant big issue in our daily lives.  How do you teach your young kids to share?  Mine seem to naturally not want to, which I think is probably normal, but how do you get them to do it and like to do it besides showing them and talking them through it over and over?  OR is that it?  Any tips or is this just obvious; they grow up and do it after being shown over and over?

Here are some more great ones from our adventures today and yesterday…

Daddy pile

Beading

Zoey doing dot art with her new dot markers

Just got her nails painted

Zoey w her tired eyes and thumb

Stella doing her sniff thing w her blankie

Cooking dinner with this “distraction” happens a lot