All Aboard The Polar Express

Today we made a trip to the California State Railroad Museum followed by a ride on the Polar Express. Although this trip involved some planning, a small expense, and a short road trip it was well worth all of it. If your kids are train lovers, and you haven't been to the train museum it definitely a place to visit. It's an amazing space with amazing sites and an interactive train table area. I know you're probably thinking, "My kid can play with his train table at home" and I agree but the ambiance of this train museum makes the train table experience unique. The boys absolutely loved it.

Even more thrilling though was the ride on the Polar Express. An absolutely magical one hour train ride that took us to the North Pole. We were served cookies and hot chocolate while the Polar Express story was narrated with live action performance. Waiters tap danced down the aisle, a hobo came through questioning the passengers "do you believe", a view out the window of Santa and his reindeer while Santa reviewed his list, and Santa on board the train handing out sleigh bells to all as a fabulous finally. If there were any questions at all, after this evening my kids are true believers in Santa.

Holiday Parties Begin With Twins

We attended are first holiday party for 2009 today held by our twin club. It was the perfect way to start off the holiday party season. The boys all had a great time decorating gingerbread houses, playing with friends, listening to Santa read a story, doing the hokey pokey and enjoying yummy food especially the sweets! The venue for this years party was fabulous. Thanks to one of our members, the party was held in a church gym that had ample space for seating as well as the craft activities. Delicious Mexican food was served. High school students were hired to help with serving food, run craft activities and cleaning up. In the past, members helped with these tasks (including myself) so this was by far the greatest idea that allowed all members of the club to enjoy the party. We did all still pitch in, I manned the coloring/craft table for quite awhile and Max was one of the official photographers but it was still a much more enjoyable experience not to be all consumed by tasks. So here's a shout out to all those who organized the event, "Thanks, my family enjoyed it"

A Visit From Abuelito

The boys Abuelito (my dad) is visiting for a week. Tomorrow will be his last day with us. I think the boys are going to miss him. We don't see him very often maybe 1 to 2 times a year so this has been a really special time for the boys. Abuelito has stayed in Aidan's room on his trundle, this has been a special treat for Aidan...like a long sleep over. Because Abuelito primarily speaks Spanish, the boys have had an opportunity to practice. I had a real kick out of Liam yesterday, as he sat on Abuelito's lap. I overheard him saying "me llamo Liam." then went on to just say some random things "la casa, arriba" and continue with counting in Spanish. It turns out he knows more than I realized. Each one has had their special moment with Abuelito, an exchange of words, some time on his lap, a story read together, a bedroom shared.

Thanksgiving ...The Holidays Are Busy

I'm realizing it's hard to blog while you have house guests and preparing for the holidays. I'm hoping to catch up soon.

We had a nice Thanksgiving with the Perez side of the family over for the day. They arrived early, so it was a fun filled day of activity. I cooked dinner while my sister and hubby pitched in and helped as needed. Actually, hubby came to the rescue and made a fancy cranberry & pear dish at the last minute as I had completely forgotten about the cranberries in the fridge. I'm thankful for that, as well as, thankful for having such great family to spend the holiday with. The boys had a great time playing with their cousin Zachy who was just super at entertaining them (Zachy is 15 now.) and with their crazy Uncle Jess. There were also lots of laughs to be had especially when the boys decided to dog pile Uncle Jess on the couch. We also had lots of laughs as the adults played a game of "Who Wants To Be a Millionaire". We had homemade tamales for lunch that Uncle Jess brought over, Mmmm, Mmmmm they were good and just before dinner we sat around the dinner table and everyone took turns saying what they were thankful for. I really didn't expect Miles and Liam to say anything as this is a difficult concept for a 3 yr old. Miles just stared blankly but Liam sure was cute. He said with the cutest face, eyes darting around to see everyones reaction, "I'm thankful for ham." we all laughed and agreed with him. He was so pleased with himself. As for dinner, we had a feast..
Sage & Garlic Butter Rubbed Turkey
Honey Baked Ham
Ginger Garlic Green Beans
Brussel Sprout and Pecan Salad
Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes
Pecan Sage Stuffing
Sage Infused Gravy
Cranberry and Pear Compote with Honey
and Dinner Rolls
And for dessert, Cheesecake ( Aidan's favorite) and Pumpkin Pie

It sure was a delicious and splendid time.

Comfort Food = Home Made Chicken Pot Pie

With the days getting shorter, the weather colder, and everyone with the sniffles, I thought it was time for some comfort food. I made a homemade chicken pot pie using a recipe from my favorite food magazine, Everyday Food. It was actually pretty simple and yummy. The perfect meal on a cold night.

Contraband Takes All Forms

I'm not sure how it happened or when it actually happened. I have been fairly vigilant about not introducing the boys to any movies or images of guns or weapons not even superheroes of any sort...and we absolutely do not have any toy guns in our home. Yet, the contraband makes it's way into our home in forms of a twig, finger, or a cleverly eaten grilled cheese sandwich (yes I know this is hard to believe but the photo tells all). It really is mostly Liam who plays this. I think I first saw him pick up a twig and make the shooting sounds soon after preschool which by the way this is only his 3rd week at preschool. I guess on the positive side of this, Liam is demonstrating a great sense of imagination and artistic ability to be able to manipulate objects and create something out of something, even if it is a gun.

State of Confusion

A funny conversation between 5 yr olds:

Aidan had his friend Luca over this afternoon for a play date. During this time they had a conversation that went like this:
Remember, Aidan has known his states for quite a while now.

Luca: I'm going to my grandma's for Thanksgiving.
Aidan: What state does she live in?
Luca: She lives in Ojai.
Aidan: She lives in Ohio?
Luca: No, Ojai
Aidan, Looking very confused now: Oh, I don't think I know that state??

Just in case you don't know, Ojai is a town in southern Ca.