Nolan's gun holder

Notice the gun tucked into the diaper? I do.

Halloween Costumes

We finally got around to getting the boys their costumes and decorating the house spooky (as the boys say).

Jordan at first wanted to be Batman again, then Indiana Jones and now Wolverine. Nolan wanted to be whatever Jordan would let him be. He wanted to be Bumble Bee from Transformers, but changed his mind last minute when he saw TMNT costume.

I let them wear their costumes for a bit yesterday and as soon as they put them on, they started beating each other. And when I mean beating I mean BEATING! They don't know how to pretend fight. They get really into it. It scares me sometimes. Crazy boys! I sometimes wonder if I had girls if they would be doing the same thing but in princess costumes. Probably not.

What are your holiday plans?

Butternut Squash Lasagna

Finally it is starting to feel more like Fall here. It has been raining since early early this morning. It is breezy and cool outside. I love it! Last week it was super humid and in the mid 90's; until today it did not feel like Fall or that it was coming soon. I LOVE this time of year; pumpkins, breezes, Halloween decoration and knowing that Thanksgiving is coming soon. I want Thanksgiving dinner NOW!

Since I have been in a calm, snuggly fall feel I decided I wanted to cook something that felt like the time of year. I came across this yummy looking Butternut Squash Lasagna recipe, courtesy of Giada and it seemed perfect.

UPDATE: I finally made this dish and it really is an amazing Fall dish. Next time I think I will add fresh garlic and ground turkey. Very yummy!

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 (1 1/2 to 2-pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 amaretti cookies, crumbled
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 1/2 cups whole milk
• Pinch nutmeg
• 3/4 cup (lightly packed) fresh basil leaves
• 12 no-boil lasagna noodles
• 2 1/2 cups shredded whole-milk mozzarella cheese
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan

Directions

Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the squash and toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour the water into the skillet and then cover and simmer over medium heat until the squash is tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly and then transfer the squash to a food processor. Add the amaretti cookies and blend until smooth. Season the squash puree, to taste, with more salt and pepper.

Melt the butter in a heavy medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the nutmeg. Cool slightly. Transfer half of the sauce to a blender*. Add the basil and blend until smooth. Return the basil sauce to the sauce in the pan and stir to blend. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, to taste.

Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F.

Lightly butter a 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Spread 3/4 cup of the sauce over the prepared baking dish. Arrange 3 lasagna noodles on the bottom of the pan. Spread 1/3 of the squash puree over the noodles. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese. Drizzle 1/2 cup of sauce over the noodles. Repeat layering 3 more times.

Tightly cover the baking dish with foil and bake the lasagna for 40 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses over the lasagna. Continue baking uncovered until the sauce bubbles and the top is golden, 15 minutes longer. Let the lasagna stand for 15 minutes before serving.

*When blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.

Do any of you have a favorite Fall dish?

Have a great weekend!

Wii rules according to our 5 year old

Today I overheard Jordan and Nolan "discussing" why Nolan is not allowed to play the Wii. Ryan and I did not make this rule, Jordan did. We have been having a lot of issues with Jordan not wanting to share his Wii with his younger brother. We have caught ourselves bribing Jordan with treats, money, games, movies, no school, etc. IF he will share his Wii with Nolan. This still has not worked out for us, cause our kids are smarter than us. Anyway, back to the "discussing" part. I heard Jordan telling Nolan HIS new set of rules for playing the Wii and I had to share.

1. If you touch my Wii and your hands are dirty, you are not playing.
2. Do not pee on the couch.
3. Do not pee in your diaper while you are by the Wii
4. You can never be Batman, only Robin
5. You better learn to follow me
6. If you do any of these, I will spank you until you get a rash!

Nolan pulls out his pacifier from his mouth and says "I have poo".

Pumpkin Parfaits

I am so obsessed with pumpkin pie (actually pumpkin anything)that pumpkin pie is really the main thing I look forward to at Thanksgiving. Once I ate a whole pumpkin pie IN ONE DAY. True story. Anyway, I came across this recipe on Gourmet.com and this has given me the itch to make pumpkin everything. Where is my pumpkin latte? Mmmm pumpkin!

Here is the recipe:


* 1 envelope unflavored gelatin (2 1/4 tsp)
* 1/4 cup cold water
* 1 (15-oz) can pure pumpkin
* 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
* 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
* 1/8 teaspoon salt
* 2 1/4 cups chilled heavy cream, divided
* 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, divided
* 20 gingersnap cookies, coarsely crushed

*
Equipment:
8 (6- to 8-oz) glasses

*
Sprinkle gelatin over water in a small saucepan and let soften 1 minute. Bring to a bare simmer, stirring until gelatin has dissolved. Whisk together gelatin mixture, pumpkin, brown sugar, spices, and salt in a large bowl.
*
Beat 1 cup cream with 1/2 tsp vanilla until it holds soft peaks, then fold into pumpkin mixture gently but thoroughly.
*
Beat remaining 1 1/4 cups cream with remaining 1 tsp vanilla until it holds soft peaks.
*
Spoon about 1/4 cup pumpkin mixture into bottom of each glass, then sprinkle with some of cookies and top with about 2 Tbsp whipped cream. Repeat layers once, ending with cream.
*
Chill until set, at least 2 hours.

Cooks’ notes: Parfaits can be made 1 day ahead and chilled.

Do you think we could of removed the pacifier?

Make a Smilebox greeting

I think I already posted these, but thought I would make them look cuter with music.

Jordan's Birthday Part One

Thank you to all who sent gifts for Jordan! He could not believe that people give him presents besides us and Santa. He was definitely spoiled this year.

We did a small celebration on his birthday and had a pool party with all our friends & his the next day. The day of his birthday we woke him up for school with a candle in a doughnut and an obnoxious Happy Birthday song. He was less than thrilled at first (I included a pic). He was grumpy because he knew he had to still go to school on his big day. We told him that we would be bringing treats for his class and he would be leaving early. That sure made him all hyper at 7am. We ended up dropping him off and the rest of us went out to breakfast, since we would be back to bring treats in 2 hours. It was nice to just go out to eat with Nolan. I think that was our first time. We did notice that he talks more when his brother is not around and very well behaved.

Anyway, we headed back to his school with ice cream sandwiches that Jordan choose the night before and we had Jordan pass them out to the whole class. The kids were so excited that they didn't care that the ice cream was melting faster than Jordan could pass them out. The kids were so thrilled and LOVED us for bringing them a treat! One of the girls said that I was the bestest mommy ever and later drew Jordan a picture telling him how much she loved him! I will scan the picture to show you.

After we got home, Jordan wanted to open his 1 and only present we got him. He had a pretty good idea of what he was getting and couldn't wait any longer. (See pics)

We did baseball cupcakes and Mcdonald's for dinner. Jordan's choosing.

Stay tuned for more on his party! Have to go break up a fight over the Wii:)