Houdini in the House

Today was a good & bad day.... Good because our friends, the Griffen's, came from Ft. Wayne to visit. Joey & Tiernan haven't seen each other in a while so it was fun for them to play together. Not so good, because I discovered that I have a Houdini. While I was folding laundry this morning upstairs I left the twins gated in their room. Next thing I know, Lincoln is watching daytime television in the guest room... I took a picture of how I found out how he boosted himself out only because if you haven't seen the setup, it's hard to imagine. When I discovered this, Sloan was actually sitting in the rocker reading a book. And then... after nap today, I found Lincoln playing in his room... Yes, he got himself out of his crib. What's scary is that I didn't hear the thump... Houdini.

Raspberry Picking!

On Friday the 22nd, we went raspberry picking with Sonja & Ben Greiwe & Asli. Sloan & Lincoln probably ate more than they contributed to the baskets (I know big surprise). I think each picture here they have berries in their mouths... We all had a great time & came away with some deeelicious berries to boot! So my titles for the following pictures are: 

1) (Sloan) Hmm... thanks for the picture Asli but how many berries you have in there? Can I get some over here?

2) (Lincoln) Sweet! No one's looking! 

3) (Sloan) Great, thanks for the picture Momma & Asli but there are a couple hundred of berries calling my little hands.

4) (Sloan) No one's gonna miss this one!

5) (Tiernan) She's got more berries than me. Maybe I can take some of hers so I'll have more than Ben.

Hmmm...

Wonder why we're cleaning the kitchen floor? Because Lincoln decided to pour out the dog's water... He & Sloan then preceded to tap dance in it (realize I'm singing "he's a maniac, maniac for sure.... dancing like he's never danced before...." - remember what movie?). The next day I got a water slide in the playroom as Lincoln poured entire bottle of water down the play slide... I also got swampy carpet that day too... Didn't take any pictures of the water slide - a little too cranky to break out the camera. No, no we're not quite ready to get rid of sippy cups just yet.

A Morning at the Children's Museum

On Monday the 18th, we headed to the Children's Museum. This was a new concept for Asli, as Turkey doesn't have anything like it. Sloan worked her 1st excavation in the Dino Dig (replicated dig site). She really enjoyed it. Maybe it was because she had to wear goggles (that are so like sunglasses)? Asli took her 1st carousel ride. She said she was a little nervous but ended up liking it. She played with Sloan & Lincoln in Playscape - the area specifically for children 5 & under. Lots of water, lots of sand, lots of exploration. Think maybe we came home with sand in our diapers? Lastly, we did a quick stop at the Super Hero exhibit. Although this picture doesn't show it, Tiernan was thrilled to find a Green Lantern costume (1 we don't have). However, he was not so happy at not driving the taxi. Katie's daughter, Ella, got to drive since she will be returning to Turkey soon & not have the CM.

Turkish Delight!

On Sunday the 17th, we had black olives with dinner. Who knew that everyone would have so much fun with olives? Lincoln especially loved to eat them off his fingers. Asli brought us Turkish Delight. It's a sweet from Turkey that comes in different flavors. Ours was coconut flavor. Other than Lincoln eating olives, these are pictures from the kids with their first Delight. Tiernan didn't care for the flavor of cocnut. Sloan & Lincoln both liked it! Remember Chronicles of Narnia & Turkish Delight? 

Big Feast Marinade

I used this marinade on the chicken from the big feast. Thought it was good enough to pass along:

10-12 medium garlic cloves

1 1/2 cups lightly packed fresh mint leaves

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup orange juice

2 tablespoons soy sauce

chicken

Combine everything in food processor. Puree until smooth. If using whole chicken, rub all over outside & inside. Place in bag & put in fridge for 8-24 hours. If using breasts, skip the rubbing & toss all inside a zip lock. Of course, put in fridge.

"The Big Feast"

Asli (pronounced Aas-la) is staying with us from August 15th through 24th. She is pictured with Lincoln who crawled into her lap while she was eating breakfast on Saturday. She was so touched. I had to come clean & told her that he's a "mooch" & probably wanted her food & that she didn't have to share with him if she didn't want to. It was fun to teach her a little English slang - mooch. She's going to learn a lot with this crowd :)

A little background: She is here to work on her English. She lives in Turkey & has been our friend's language teacher for the last few years that they have lived there. In the interest of keeping this relatively short, a while ago we realized that the Peters family (that we go to church with) know the Brian Greiwe family. The Brian Greiwe's are the cousins of our dear friends the David Greiwe's (which is how we met Brian's family - getting the connection yet?). 

We needed a good excuse to try the new rotisserie so had Asli, the Brian
Greiwe's, 1/2 the David Greiwe's & the Peters for what Tiernan called "The Big Feast". Which he was so right. Katie (Brian's wife & Asli's student) & Asli both made some Turkish food (delicious!), we had sweet corn, chicken from the grill (notice the guys drooling over the grill) & lots of other stuff. It was a great afternoon - we got to swim together & then feast together. There were 8 adults & 11 kids. Chaos but great! I was thankful that everyone was so open to participating in it with us & had the ability of going with the flow. The flow of 11 kids dictated quite a bit. As T was praying before going to sleep, he said "Dear God, Thank you for the big feast. Amen." 

Some funnies from this week

These were from Thursday & Friday (the 14th & 15th):

Tiernan & I found Sloan tossing Lincoln bath toys, however there was no water in the tub for him...I do need to note that the step stool Lincoln used to get into the tub, he found in my closet. Problem solving - I like it! 
My daughter, the bag lady. When she is tired she likes to rub her blanket (aka ba-be) on her cheek. Hmm... sounds vaguely familiar to my family I'm sure. Notice that in her stroller, she's taking Tigger Baby, Doggie & 2 waters for a stroll. Everyone's taken care of in case they get thirsty. Lastly, Lincoln found Sloan sitting cozily in a basket & decided to join her. From there, they sat & chatted for a good 10 minutes. Hey, I'll take it! I got some dinner prepped! 

Headin' North

Wednesday the 13th, we headed to Auburn for a day visit with the Heffelfinger's. For the trip up, all I heard was "Are we there yet?" "Momma, where's Auburn? Are we close?" (Mom & Dad, I'm so sorry for any of the times I've done that to you! It's no wonder someone invented the DVD player for cars... Probably a parent that drove kids around a lot.) Tiernan & Jarin took off & were joined at the hip the entire time. It was great to watch them pick up right where they left off. Of course, Lincoln wanted to run with the big dogs. He managed the ladder to the fort pretty well. Kelly & I were fairly nervous when he tried it for the 1st time. He also tried to take Jarin down. J held his own, but it still makes me laugh that Lincoln's so willing to take anyone on when wrestling. Sloan took solace in Kelly's arms when it got close to leaving time. I don't blame her. The time was too short but I'm still glad we had the time. Better to have gotten a little than none at all!  

It's never ending...

Batman this & Batman that... Batman Batman Batman! These pictures are for Mimi & Poppa especially since they so graciously gifted the kids with their masks. I don't think they're on straight in any of the pictures! 

Batman!

Oh, but it's not who you think it is.... It's Miss Dress-up Queen. Yes, Tiernan was totally preoccupied or this never would have taken place. However, since I love a good picture & knew that he wasn't looking I totally let it happen. I love the one with Lincoln talking to her. I only wish I could understand what he was saying. So... how long do you think it took for T to figure out what happened? 

Now that's a fire!

Saturday the 9th, we were invited to cook-out at our friends the Greinke's. There were 10 adults & 11 kids - 8 boys & 3 girls. It was a great chance to catch up, eat lots of food, play outside & start a fire. Tiernan roasted his own marshmallow for his s'more, however was unimpressed with it. It's the marshmallow - not a fan. However, Sloan LOVED her 1st s'more (surprise surprise). As you can see Josie was looking at her like "who is this kid & why is she grunting like that?" The boys had a blast pushing the big ball around the backyard. When Lincoln wasn't running with the big dogs, he was sneaking cookies. I think I watched him shovel in 3... Hey, it's a cookout & his cheeks are just so darn cute (especially jammed full of chocolate chip cookies).

I turn my back and....

Laughing all day

Like I said, I've been laughing all day. Here are some pictures to help show you why... Lincoln was just being cute saying "cheese" while I was snapping away. It still comes out as "teeeeaaassseee". Our day wouldn't be complete without the appearance of Batman! This is a "different Batman" as described by Tiernan because of the gadgets in his utility belt plus he added his Ironman glasses under his mask... Sloan skipped the princess dress to become Captain America. What kills me is she needed a utility belt too. Since Captain doesn't have one, we had to borrow from Superman. Because Batman had all the cool gadgets, Captain had to resort to measuring spoons & a couple of beep-beep cell phones. That will hold her for a little while... Soon she's going to catch on that crime fighting in this house is rarely done with a tablespoon - it's more like a wooden spoon! The picture of Sloan & Lincoln made the cut merely because Lincoln is so in her face. It was a happy rant whatever it was that he was saying. He went on to become Superman (cape only) & kept on his happy rant while on the phone. Was he calling for reinforcements or just telling Green Lantern that he just had a really good snack?