Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is our favorite cookie recipe. I got it from my sister and have made it many times since. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Chip Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 c butter (3 sticks) softened

2 c packed brown sugar

1 c regular sugar

1 15 oz can pumpkin

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

4 c flour (2 ww, 2 all-purpose)

2 c. oats quick cooking

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

2 c chocolate chips

INSTRUCTIONS:

Cream butter and sugars.

beat in pumpkin, egg, and vanilla

combine all dry ingredients

add to creamed mixture

stir in chocolate chips

Drop by tbsp 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet

Bake at 350 degrees 10-12 minutes.

Cool on wire racks; let them solidify before you take them off cookie racks.

Marriage

Will: (when he's supposed to be cleaning up) "I can't clean up. I feel really bad ... I'm not gonna feel better until I marry someone."

Ah, such a common myth. Who knew it started at 4? 

Will's perspective on why kids need new shoes ;)

Dental hygienist: I like your Superman shoes, Will!
Will: Thanks! My mom bought them for me because my Captain America shoes were shrinking.

A Grown-up Pumpkin

Deep thoughts, by Alex: "I don't want to grow up to be a pumpkin. Do you know why? Because somebody might think you're a REAL pumpkin, and they might take you and cut you up to be a jack o' lantern. And that wouldn't be good. That would be painful."

Of parachutes and elephants

My husband was telling me a story about a time when someone stole something from his dad.
Will asked incredulously, "Someone stole something from my grandpa?!"
Me: "Yes."
Will got very serious and his eyes narrowed. He said, "It's time for ... Avengers (pressed an invisible button on his wrist) ... ASSEMBLE!!"

Seriously, don't mess with these guys ... or their family:

 

Will: Mom, do we have a parachute?
Me: No.
Will: OK. I guess I can't jump out of a plane then.

******

Ah, the conversations we have on the way home from preschool ...
Will: (out of the blue) Did you know that Ailynn doesn't want to marry anyone? She wants to be an elephant when she grows up. A real elephant. But an elephant that talks, like Dumbo. She wants to be at the zoo.
Alex: That's disgusting! Why does she want to pee at the zoo?
Will: No; she wants to BEEEEE at the zoo.
Alex: What does BEEEEEE mean?
Will: Be! Be! You know, *at* the zoo.
Alex: Ohhhh.

Pastoral specialties ...

Apparently Will told his teacher at church today: "My dad's a pastor. He teaches people about God. I'm a pastor, too. I teach people about kung fu."

A few recent anecdotes

Will: "If we don't hold hands when we pray, does God still listen to our prayers?"
My husband and me: "Oh yes. He definitely does."
Will: (nodding thoughtfully) "OK! I wondered and I wasn't sure, so I thought I should ask."

****

Will, matter-of-factly to Alex's occupational therapist while coloring and cutting: "Nobody can defeat my daddy! He's the toughest guy in the WHOLE WORLD. Have you seen his muscles? They're HUGE!"

****
Alex: "When I grow up, I want to marry Baby Leala (our friend's daughter). And I want to have three kids, two girls and a boy. Their names will be Eleanor, Isaac ... and .... Lotto."
****
Alex (on the way home from preschool): "My girlfriend at preschool is Stella."
Me: "You have a girlfriend at preschool? Well, what about Leala? I thought you wanted to marry her."
Alex: "Well, when Baby Leala grows up to be a kid and can talk, then I'll ask her if she wants to marry me. And if she doesn't want to, then I won't marry her."
Me: "Good plan!"

Though then of course we had to talk about how they have a looong time before they have to make those decisions or ask those questions!
And then I found out that Stella is also Will's girlfriend at preschool.
This could get interesting.

The Doctors

Will: It's time for your check-up.
Me: Oooh. Nice, but I've already had quite a few check-ups. Maybe you could do Gabriel Bear this time instead?
Will: (in a practiced grown-up voice) We just want to make sure that you're growing healthy. Now, don't *tell* me you're growing healthy; we just want to check and make sure. We just need to doctor you for a minute, OK?
Alex: And don't worry; there's only two things that will hurt. We're going to cut your skin open, and we'll give you a shot.
Sign me up!

First pony rides

Will and Alex had never ridden a horse before, but they had a blast at a preschool classmate's birthday party today. They each got to ride a pony for the first time, go on a hay ride for the first time, and pet bunnies, goats, etc.  They had so much fun! It was also great to see they have each made at least one good buddy at preschool so far.

Promising New Career

Will: "I'm a pastor."
Me: "You are? Interesting! Where do you work?"
Will: (after only the slightest pause) "I work at the China Mesazoic Cara-fire Training Center. We teach people kung fu."
Now that's an interesting ministry model!

Bosom Buddies

When I was leaving preschool with A&W today, the music teacher asked me, "Oh! Are they twins?" I said yes and she replied, "Oh wow, I had them for music class and I had no idea they were brothers! I just thought they were bosom buddies."

Rules of the Road

We were discussing going for a walk and Will said very seriously, "Now, Alex. Remember. You have to pay attention and if a car is coming toward you, you have to go either to the right or to the left of the road so it won't hit you. BUT. If it's coming right AT you ... you have to jump on top of it so then you can jump off. OK?"

That was unexpected.

So Will and I were just having one of our semi-heated bedtime discussions about his shenanigans. This one was about how frustrating it is when he throws a tantrum if I don't do something he wants (i.e. spending a few minutes to snuggle with him at bedtime) ... but if I do it (after he asks nicely) then when I'm done he throws a tantrum anyway because he always wants me to stay longer.

I'm always so tired by that point in the evening, and the endless tantrums make it hard to stay calm ... but I did my best to calmly tell him it's frustrating when he throws a tantrum either way and it makes me not want to do it at all because I know he's just going to throw a tantrum when I leave, and it kind of ruins it ... and instead of continuing throwing a fit or getting upset, he actually listened quietly, with a thoughtful look on his face and then said, "That's interesting. I didn't know that." Has someone been teaching communication and conflict resolution skills to my 4-year-old?!

Sometimes, out of the blue, he just seems so grown up.

A Day in the Life of Will (involving lots of hyenas)

Dinner is never boring at our house. We go around the table and ask each person, "How was your day today? What was your favorite part?"

Will has taken to giving answers like the following:
Will's Day

I finally had to cut him off so he could actually eat. Feel free to just watch a minute or two/skip around to get a feel, since it's quite long. (That's my boy! ;))

SuperStore and Separation

Yesterday when he got home from preschool, Alex informed me that he developed a new superhero identity today at the dramatic play center: SuperStore. His superpower is that he can buy things for people.

******

A&W are in the same class at their new preschool, but we requested that they be in separate groups for the "Letter Land" time each morning (40 mins/day) so they'd have a little practice being separated, too. Today was the first day they were separated and I asked them about it at dinner.

Alex got very sad and said, "But I didn't want to be separated, because I love my brother!"

Will looked at him and said solemnly, "It's OK, Alex; we can still be in love even when we're separated."

And preschool has begun

Our most recent whirlwind of activity has included buying a house, moving, and starting the boys at a new preschool. Which means it's time for pics!

And bonus outtakes:

A Grave Discussion

So Will and Alex got into a lively discussion about gravity, and how there's no gravity in space. They finished with:
Alex: Are we in space?
Will: No, we're on the earth. The earth is that thing that's like a ball, and space is outside of it.
Alex: But I think we're in space.
Will: No, we're on the earth, it's a ball, and it's blue and green.
Alex: What color is it?
Will: It's blue and green, beh-beh!

Just saying hi

on a Sunday afternoon:

And some outtakes, just because:

Bigger Than a Giant

Alex: "Daddy was a kid when we were born."
Me: "No, he was definitely a grownup when you were born. He was a kid a long time ago, before I met him."
Will: "Yeah, he's really big. He's five-ty-six ... is that bigger than a giant?"
Me: "Umm ... I'm not sure how to answer that. ;) Daddy is actually 45 years old. And I'm 37."
Will: "You're only 37?!? You're so little! You're a kid!"

Aspirations

Will: "Maybe, when I'm a grownup, I can HELP people!! ... But I have to learn how to do computers and stuff first."

He's got it all figured out.

This morning, Will asked for his little taggie blanket. I handed it to him and he hugged it to his cheek and said, "I look sweeter with my blanket."

Snugglebug vs. Batman

So my kids still like to rock for a minute before nap and bedtime. Before nap, I sat down in the rocking chair and said to this guy, "Come here, sweet snugglebug." He looked at me and said in seemingly genuine surprise, "How did you know, Mom?! How did you know I wasn't the real-life Batman?"

My little slugger

To put it lightly, my family has had a challenging summer. The biggest of half a dozen major challenges has been my husband's surprising heart disease diagnosis in June. He's had three heart surgeries in the past 7 weeks (the last of which was unsuccessful). This has caused a huge adjustment for the boys, with Daddy unable to wrestle and play with them like he usually does; having to be gentle with his post-surgery wounds and letting him rest a lot more than they're used to.

It's been tough on all of us, but we know God is working through it in many ways. One of those silver linings has been that Will, who has been an EXTREME Daddy's boy the past 2 years, is now bonding more with me again. He seeks out lots and lots of Mommy snuggles, and my tough little superhero-adventurer has been coming to me often with his thumb and blankie, asking me to hold him "like a baby." It tugs at my heart, since it's precious and yet I know it's because he's needing extra comfort.

Tonight though, we bonded over baseball. The boys just played their last T-ball game of the season yesterday and today Will decided he wanted to practice "BASEball, not T-ball." So we spent a good hour outside, first taking turns batting off the T and then with me pitching to him. He was really getting the hang of it!

During that hour, I got told:
"Mom, you're the BEST hitter in the whole world."
"You're the BEST mom in the whole world!"
"It's OK if I miss sometimes; I'm just learning. I need lots of practice. I'm learning from YOU, Mom!"
And when I apologized for a pitch that was too low, he said, "It's OK. Maybe we're both learning! We both need some practice."

I wouldn't trade times like that for anything.

Tale of a Fly

Will: (gasp) "I did it! I killed the fly! I smacked it with my hand! It's not flying or moving or anything ... but it's trying to get out of its deadness."

Overheard

Overheard after dinner: "Well, I was thinking about arresting you, so I stuck that button into my repulsor beam."

First and Last Day of 3's Preschool Comparison Pics

I've been meaning to post these for a while but had some issues getting them edited. At long last, here they are:

And bonus togetherness:

Today's cuteness

We are doing a belated Father's Day celebration today, since we were dealing with medical crises on Father's Day weekend.

And an anecdote.
Today I bought a set of twin sheets and was explaining to the boys that we'll be buying them new bigger beds soon, and that their new beds are called twin beds. Alex asked, "A twin bed? Does that mean me and Will sleep in the same bed together?"

Bedtime ...

Sorry for the recent silence; been dealing with medical crises. But here's a tale of two boys from last night:

10:55 p.m. Little blond kid opens his bedroom door and peeks out. "Can we come out of our room now?"
Me: "What?! You haven't even gone to sleep yet!"
Will goes back in his room.
Will to Alex: "I know what she means when she says 'What?!' She means we can't come out of our room yet."
Glad he managed to crack that code. ;)

Quotes from this weekend

yesterday

Me, after bath time, ready with a towel and comb: "Alex, come here, let me fix your hair."
Alex: "Is my hair BROKEN?!"

***********

today

Will (looking out the car windows during heavy rain): "It looks like a biiiig toilet!"
So poetic.
 

And of course both boys had to repeat that approximately 723 times on the way home.

And bonus pics. 

Hug cards they made for Grandma:

 Usual getting-ready-for-bed shenanigans:

 I love this picture. He loves his new Superman shirt (Old Navy, and yes, it came with the cape. Attaches with velcro).

 Bet you can't even tell who this is with that clever disguise, eh?

 Because how else do you play on a swingset ... :)

 First-ever T-ball practice:

 He decided to style his own hair:

They are in love with their new goggles.
Or at least one of them is.

 

Growing up

At dinner

Will: "I'm not grown-up yet."
Alex: "No. It's taking a LONG time for we to grow up."

To the rescue

Alex was playing in a ball pit when another kid jumped in on top of him. Alex was crying, I picked him up, and about a minute later Will came running from across the room and put a hand on Alex's shoulder. "Spiderman is here," Will said in a deep voice. "Now tell me what happened."

Outfit du jour

Cape, mask, knitted hat, flashlight, walkie talkie, Spiderman PJs ... ready for anything!

Keeper

Alex (running off toward Will, after I gave him clean Buzz Lightyear PJs): "Mommy is a keeper!"

XOXO

Alex and Will just woke up and (at my request) were playing in their room for a few minutes so I could finish my quiet time.
My husband went in to say goodbye to them since he was about to leave for work.
He gave Will a hug and kiss.
Then Alex said, "But I don't want a hug and kiss this morning!"
Will put a hand on Alex's shoulder and said, "But Dad will be sad if he doesn't get a hug and kiss from Alex this morning!"

Ah, I love them.

Random

Will (out of the blue): "It's GREAT that we're not in your tummy anymore, Mom!"
Dude. Seriously. All 80" and 73 lbs of you two.

 

It was also kind of crazy to look at one of those 40" tall boys and realize that I had 40" (OK, 39.75") of baby in me at time of delivery. That's a lot of baby!

Watermelon smoothie ... mmmm ....

A few days ago I bought a seedless watermelon that turned out to be rather disappointing once we opened it. It was odd; seemed like it had been at least partly frozen and then thawed. Blech!

I hated to waste this big old watermelon so today I hunted for watermelon smoothie recipes. I'd never had one before but figured they had to taste better than this melon was as-is! We didn't have all needed ingredients for any of the recipes I found so I combined a few to create my own.

Watermelon Smoothie (serves 3-4)
3 c. seedless watermelon chunks
6 ice cubes
1/2-1 c. strawberry ice cream
1-2 Tbsp (to taste) lemonade mix

Blend until smooth. Pour into glasses and enjoy!

All four of us loved it. Will took a sip and then exclaimed with great feeling, "This is the yummiest treat that I never had before in my LIFE! ... Mom, are you my life?"

Never argue with a 4-year-old.

I just got in this debate with Will and Alex about whether the archer superhero is "Hawkeye" or "Hawkguy." I'm like, "Trust me, people, I can read; it's Hawkeye." And I explained what a hawk is and why the name "hawkeye" was chosen. And Alex replied, "No, I read it on the Internet; it's Hawkguy!" Little liar. ;) (And FTR, he can only read about 8 words so far.)

Eyes and New Freckles

Who is that masked hero?

Ah, I love this kid.

Kites

Alex: "Mommy, can we fly our new kites today?"
Me: "Well, not right now. It's not windy."
Alex: "Hmm ... well, can we walk our kites?"

Teacher-Mom

Today was really kind of a rough day with Will, overall, especially when we were out and about, trying to get errands done and at the gym free play, trying to keep him from injuring any of the babies and toddlers while doing his usual human pinball routine. Which made this little post-bath encounter tonight all the sweeter.

For context, before bedtime they each get to choose a short reward video to watch if they meet certain criteria. Will's a major daddy's boy and Alex is more often a mommy's boy, so there's usually no surprise which parent they choose to watch their video with.

Will: "I want to watch my video with you tonight, Mommy. And I want to give you a hug and kiss."
Me: "Aww, OK. That's so nice!" (opening my arms for the tackle-hug and kiss that came next)
Will: "You're my BEST mommy I ever had!"
Me: "Why, thank you! You're my best Will I've ever had!"
Will: "You're like a teacher, too. You teach us anything! Can you be like a teacher-mom, Mommy?"
Me: "Mmm ... you mean like a home-school mom?" (not sure if he even knows that term/concept but some of his good friends and most of his cousins are home-schooled)
Will: "Yeah! Like a home-school mom!"

Jury's still out on what we'll do for schooling past preschool, but maybe that's one vote for home-schooling? Or maybe he meant something else; who knows. But whatever he meant, he made my day. :)

Re-creating their first 9 months

I had to wonder, as I took this picture during gym free play, if it brought back memories for these two ... ;)

You know when being a mom of boys is NOT fun? ;)

Here's when being a mom of boys is not fun:
When you're sitting on the couch, and your little Batman and Buzz Lightyear come out of their room. Batman tells you in a serious voice, "Mom, we have something to show you."
And you hold out your unsuspecting hand, Batman puts something in it, you look ...
and it is a cockroach.
A smushed, dead cockroach.
And you let out a scream (because you are startled, of course; NOT what you were expecting), drop it on the end table, then pick it up with a Kleenex, throw it away, and sanitize everyone's hands.

But then Batman says to you, "Mom, you are Wonder Woman. You're brave of cockroaches."

OK, so maybe it's fun after all. A little bit. Once the sanitizing has been done and the trash can lid is closed.
Hey, at least it was dead, right?

Interview with 4-year-olds

I try to do a video interview with Will and Alex on every birthday and half-birthday. I'm a few months late doing their "age 4" official interview ... and they were both kind of sleepy (just woke up from nap) when I did this, but late is better than never, right?

Technical problems are preventing me from uploading the video directly here but here is the link. Enjoy! :)

Interview with our 4-year-olds!

Easter Pics, Past and Present

I love to do comparison pics through the years on holidays. Hard to believe this was Alex and Will's FIFTH Easter!

2009 (I didn't go to much trouble with their outfits that year; overwhelmed with two 3-month-olds!):

If you're puzzled trying to figure out who's Will and who's Alex, Alex has always had the darker hair (i.e. he's in the blue plaid outfit above; Will has the sweater vest).

2010:

 Alex has always tended to be a little moody on holidays:

Finally coaxed a smile out of that boy! :) Will was busy trying to break into his egg for some more yogurt melts (one of the few egg-friendly treats he wasn't allergic to at that age)!

2011 (2y3m ... and yes, I got some good use out of those vests. They fit better this year!):

2012:

2013:

Ah, I love those two. :)
Hope you all had a happy Easter!