Our children

Just this week I:
removed rocks from the garbage disposal(my fault),
pulled broken glass out of the toilet along with our toothbrushes (Noa),
mopped a quarter inch of soapy water off the floor in the kitchen (Noa).
Noa also took it upon himself to upend all of my flower seedlings and was working on the potatoes when I caught him.
Ian on the other hand has taken charge of washing the dishes. He actually asked to wash dishes more often yesterday than asking to watch a movie. Granted he washes them at a glacially slow pace but he does a good job. Now this does not mean I can wander off because Noa wants to help and that is how we end up mopping the floor if we're not too careful.

Thank you again Whit and Joe for the duplo. It is out every day and the boys are crafting new and interesting vessels. Sky boats (powered by clean fuel Ian says) and submarines (yellow ones!) are popular lately. The sprinkler is also a huge success! Now if only he would not so enthusiastically water the vegetables. I keep explaining that watering, while essential, will kill a plant if it is under 6 inches of water.

Noa and Henry just had their wellness checkups and passed with flying colors. Both boys are hale and hearty.

Good Morning!

Shhhh... the boys are all sleeping. Henry has slept all night long and I am fighting the urge to go check on him as well as the need to nurse him. Things are well in the Stek house. Henry had his big dermatology appointment on Thursday and we got answers and solutions, which is such a relief. The official word is that he has x-linked ichthyosis, eczema, and dermatitis. The eczema is treatable and this seems to be what has given him all his problems - the itchy, gooey and bleeding skin. He got a topical ointment and his life improved from the first application. We thought we had a happy baby before but now he laughs, talks and smiles all the time. (And sleeps through the night!!). (I didn't want to say that last sentence out loud in case I jinx it).

With the warmer weather, Ian and Noa are experiencing a whole new level of independence and with it comes trouble making. Which means Mom and Dad are learning a new level of letting go. Sigh. Either Noa or Ian will collect the other one, they will put on their shoes (or not) and walk outside to play. Sometimes we don't even know they have left the house. They know how to turn on the hose and always show back up at the door a muddy mess. Baths will become daily this summer.

We can't wait until the weather decides to stay warm. It's going to be a good summer. Oh and if you are coming to Noa's birthday party, might I suggest a change of clothes for all children or children at heart. There may or may not be water balloons involved. Hint hint.

Gift Ideas

As we often ask ourselves what to get our children for gifts for those special days of the year, E and I did a little brainstorm and came up with some ideas...

Soccer ball, lunch boxes, clothes, Leap Frog/Tag read-along, books, preK National Geographic, Duplo, bean bag chairs, bean bag toss, broom ball, handled bouncy balls they can ride, music, museum membership/GC's, fishing pole, playdough, airplanes, musical instruments ie. slide whistles, hand drums or whathaveyou...

We have tons of matchbox and animals (although Ian would love a large humpback whale) and playsets and trains.

So yeah, just some thoughts and by no means definitive.

Two Month Stats

Henry is keeping up to expectations. He weighed in at 13lbs 5ozs at his two month check up and he has now regained the inches he lost at birth so he is 23in in length. Overall this puts him firmly in the 90th percentile and dispelling all doubts about him being one of our boys.

GO HENRY!!

My 3 Sons

Henry Alan was born 4:55am Feb 13, 2011 on my Mom's birthday. He weighed 9 lbs 2 oz and at the hospital he measured 23 inches in length. By his first doctors appt he had shrunk to just 21.5 in. Life is good. Ian and Noa are great big brothers and enjoy giving Henry lots of kisses. Noa and Ian have become great playmates. Some video evidence is attached.



Henry is growing like a weed and measured in at 22 1/4 inches and 11 lbs 3 oz at his one month check up. He is now almost 7 weeks old and smiles and tries to laugh. My attempt to capture his first smile is shown below.

the name of our blog

the life of elizabeth, aaron, ian, noa, and henry too! seems a bit long? TLOEAINH? HINEA? The Stekster's? .... The Ramblings of 2 with 3 under 5?(only good for a few more months but catchy).. Our Three Sons.. Coming to Grips with the reality of 3 kids?

I dunno... any suggestions?

Slackin'

Henry is a month old today and he doesn't get a blog post until now.

Today's adventure

Snowmaggedon? Naw, Snow Paradise!

This weather has been awesome! We have been playing hard here at the Stek household building forts and climbing mountains and exploring vast frozen wastelands. Life couldn't be better. here are some pics from our adventures...

Here is a Chili recipe that we whipped up recently that turned out delish. Enjoy.


Dave's Mom's Chili (w/ my alterations)
ground beef - 1 pound
pork sausage (italian) - 1 pound (2# sweet Italian)
jimmy dean spicy sausage - 1 pound (didn’t use)
chorizo - 1 pound (1/2#)
vegetable oil - 1/4 cup
red beans - one 16 oz. can (I used black)
onions (.5 inch diced) - 1 medium
garlic (fresh chopped) - 6 cloves (I blanched the garlic)
tomato sauce - one 16 oz. can (sub 2 cans o' toms for tomatoes in recipe)
diced tomatoes - one 16 oz. can
beef stock - 4 cups (homemade – no added salts/sugars/colors yadayada)
chili powder - 1.5 tbsp
banana peppers - 2 each (I didn’t use these – red bells instead)
green bell peppers - 2 each
cumin - 1 tbsp.
oregano - 1 tbsp.
basil - 1 tbsp. (used bay leaves instead – fresh – 4 or 5)
allspice - 1 tsp. (heavy tsp – I ground my own with cumin seed so I eyeballed it)
honey - 1/2 cup
salt - to taste
black pepper - to taste
lots of shredded cheddar cheese
oyster crackers or ritz

Hmm...

Chritmas Dinner

Braciole
Ingredients
• 1/2 cup dried Italian-style bread crumbs
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano or Asiago
• 1/3 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (1 1/2-pound)flank steak
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 3 1/4 cups Simple Tomato Sauce, recipe follows, or store-bought

Directions
Stir the first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl to blend. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the oil. Season mixture with salt and pepper and set aside.
Lay the flank steak flat on the work surface and pound out. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture evenly over the steak to cover the top evenly. Starting at short end, roll up the steak as for a jelly roll to enclose the filling completely. Using butcher's twine, tie the steak roll to secure. Sprinkle the braciole with salt and pepper.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the braciole and cook until browned on all sides. Deglaze with the wine and bring to a boil. Stir in the marinara sauce. Braise until the meat is almost tender, turning the braciole and basting with the sauce every 30 minutes. After 1 hour, uncover and continue roasting until the meat is tender, about 30 minutes longer. The total cooking time should be about 1 1/2 hours.
Remove the braciole from the sauce. Using a large sharp knife, cut the braciole crosswise and diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Transfer the slices to plates. Spoon the sauce over and serve.

Homemade Tomato Sauce
3 can o' tomatoes, whole, crush them by hand as you add them to the pot
2 cloves of garlic, blanched and sliced
1 T or so of dried marjoram (herb of choice here and double if fresh)
a splash of wine if ya like

put it all in a sauce pan and cook at a low simmer for a few hours occasionally stirring
sometimes I mince an onion and sweat it in olive oil with the garlic first then hit it with the wine and top with the tomatoes

We used a local variation on Fusilli for the pasta that had an "s" shaped cross section and was cut to about 4 inches