Back to School!

The boys both had a great start to school. Wilson has walked right into class every day with no problem. So thankful! We have come such a long way! He is really happy in his new classroom and has many of his friends from 1st grade in his class. Luke loves school already. Andy dropped the boys off for the first day of school and he said Luke walked right in, no problems. By day 2 Luke wanted to walk from the cafeteria to his classroom by himself. He said he didn't need Wilson to walk him to class! I was shocked but oh so thankful! Luke was so happy on the first day because he got to go to the treasure box and had 2 recesses! I think he is going to love going to big school with Mommy and Wilson. He has been EXHAUSTED but happy. He has been rather grumpy but we are trying to be patient with him as he adjusts to a school schedule. The pictures are from the first day of school!

Chicken Gyros & Garlic Lemon Chicken

A couple weeks ago we made Chicken Gyros and Garlic Lemon Chicken Kabobs on two different nights. We used tzatziki sauce to go with the chicken both nights. We enjoyed both dishes!

The Gyros were a favorite of Andy's. He loves gryos so I was hoping he would enjoy a homemade version with chicken. The gyro has a pita with marinated chicken (that we broiled), halved cherry tomatoes, purple onion, & tzatziki sauce. The sauce is good though I did add a packet of splenda to the recipe. Plain greek yogurt just needs that added in my opinion! I did not strain my yogurt as the recipe suggests. I just bought greek yogurt. Annie made her own pita bread so you will find that link in the recipe as well. I just used store bought whole wheat.

The kabobs were good and anytime I get to use my microplane to zest a lemon I'm happy! Ha-ha the little things that make me happy..:). The boys enjoyed this chicken though Luke thinks any grilled chicken needs to be dipped in barbeque sauce. Ty refers to it as Q sauce - he loves Q sauce! Wilson, Andy & I dipped it in tzatziki sauce.

Both recipes are from Annie's Eats.

Random Updates

* I'm proud to say I've lost 8 pounds! I am running and still doing the diet thing. I'm cheating a little more so it is a slower process but I am ok wtih that. So just a couple more pounds and I will move to phase 3.

* Wilson lost another tooth. The two bottom teeth in the middle are gone. This is keeping him from biting his nails- I'm thrilled! It's funny to hear him talk right now with the extra space.

* Luke is tired and grumpy a lot right now. Starting kindergarten is hard!

* Ty misses his brothers and me some days more than others. He gets mad at Andy when he tells Ty that we are at school. He says "NO. They downstairs!". Poor thing. It's hard being the youngest!

* Wilson & Luke went to watch Star Wars for the first time with Uncle Mac & Trey last night. They said they liked the movie.

* Luke is starting fall t-ball tomorrow with 3 of his cousins. He is excited!

* I have first day school pictures Andy took on his camera that I need to post.

Tomato Mozzarella Salad

This recipe is from my friend, Jenn. She brought this to one of our summer lunch bunch days and it was delicious! I made it this week. Unfortunately I didn't have fresh basil (I subbed 3 t of dried) or fresh mozzarella cheese (just used good old Kraft that I already had) and it was still very good. It is a very simple recipe!

Dressing:

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced

Salad3 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup onion - chopped
1 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese- cubed
1 pint cherry tomatoes - halved

Mix dressing and toss with salad. Enjoy!

End of Summer

So I'm officially back to work. The boys were able to go swimming with Andy today.  Andy is thinking of taking them to Krispy*Kreme for breakfast tomorrow as a last hurrah. He is such a good daddy. (Not because he buys them donuts but because he is so good at taking care of them and doing things with them. It's hard with all three!)

We let them play outside tonight until about 9pm for the last night. But before that we did the neatest thing at church. From 7-8 we had a Backpack Blessings night. The school age kids came to church with their backpacks. We sang some songs, prayed over the kids, schools, teachers, etc. Then played a game outside and the kids had icecream sundaes. It was such a positive way to start the new school year. Ty brought his backpack too (filled with wipes & diapers) and had a great time as well. Boy is he going to miss his brothers come Thursday!

The boys are excited about school but a little nervous. Andy will bring them for the first day so they can be dropped off. Pics to come later this week!

Hats off to another great year!

Lost Tooth!!

 My big SECOND grader lost his first tooth tonight! He was so thrilled. Giddy even. He told Andy "Now I'll fit in with everyone else." Poor thing :(  but I'm soo happy that it finally happened! The hole looks tiny but look at the next picture - the tooth is tiny!

 

I am not a fan of the wiggling teeth. Ewww. It just creeps me out. Tonight he showed me his loose tooth and it basically could lay flat almost. I said that thing has GOT to come out! So he and Andy were outside throwing the baseball and I looked at him and said just tug it. He did and it popped right out!

He somehow has this whole tooth fairy thing figured out and told me not to forget. Then he showed me where the tooth was and how to trade it for the big bucks!! Now the tooth right next door is loose too!

Ty's Visit to CCH

On Tuesday we took the family to CCH for an appointment for Tyler. This one was with the Hemangioma unit. We had not been there for a year. Ty's PWS is very faint and hasn't really changed in the last couple of years. It was darker and more noticeable when he was a newborn. The best news is the doctor's feel it is of so LITTLE concern that they don't need to see us for two years! Praise God! They chatted with me about his developments, observed him in the room, asked questions etc. They asked me how we feel about his PWS and I said we have NO concern right now! We are just so thankful that what we thought it could have turned out to be (Sturge Webber Syndrome) hasn't been a concern at all. It is so faint I would say 95% of people never notice it. So it doesn't even really cross our minds anymore. An appointment for CCH comes up and we're like "oh, yeah- that".

We are on yearly visits to neurology. We are still on 6month visits to ophthalmology. That is the biggest threat due to the placement of the blood vessels near the eye and the possibility of developing glaucoma. But God is good and our little Tyler is doing just fine!

Two Tyler funnies:
The boys have a kids coconut scented shampoo. Ty does not like the coconut shampoo. In the bath he says "I no want polka-dot shampoo." It is ADORABLE!!!

Ty sometimes pretends to be a cowboy. This week he has run through the house saying "Giddy howboy". Again sooo funny! Instead of Giddy-up Cowboy it's just Giddy Howboy! I love hearing him talk. :)

Grilled Chicken Bruschetta

I made this chicken for myself Sunday night. I prepped the bruschetta and then grilled a piece of chicken. The bruschetta is delicious and could be eaten by the spoonful or over baguettes. Yum. It was pretty good over the chicken but the chicken was so bland. It needs to be jazzed up even with the bruschetta on top. If you marinated your chicken in something before grilling it would help. So the best part of this recipe was the bruschetta! Try it!
Follow this link to Pennies on a Platter for recipe and picture!

Cajun Grilled Shrimp

Tonight I made my first recipe with shrimp. Andy did the grilling. It was simple and delicious! Andy, Wilson, & I all enjoyed the shrimp. I bought frozen, peeled, & deveined shrimp. They were uncooked. After thawing the shrimp you pat them dry, skewer them, and brush olive oil on. Then you salt & pepper. I did both sides because I wasn't sure. Next you sprinkle the cajun seasoning on both sides of the shrimp and grill for about 6 minutes. Follow this link to Annie's Eats to find the recipe and picture!