The Case of the Invisible Remote Control - This Week in Alamosa

Casey and I decided we needed a break from the valley and we headed out to Colorado Springs to Santa's Workshop. It's a great kid friendly place with kiddy rides, candy and shopping. We loaded up the suburban with all the kids, Casey, Josh (who we were taking back to the airport in Colorado Springs), Andrea (who we were dropping at the mall to hang with friends) and me. Eight people and it wasn't bad. I loved that car until... dun dun dun... we got off the ramp in Pueblo and the car stalled out at the stop sign. We were trying to get it started up again and cars were piling up beind us. I was freaking out but more than that, Casey, who was driving was about to have a heart attack. I got out intending to help Josh push the car off to the side until we found out what was wrong when we heard, "Yall wanna push?" from the heavens. Jesus is from Texas?! Well, almost. It was a boy scout troup that was caravaning to a campout and the voice was coming from a loud speaker hooked up to the top of a red minivan. Me and ONE OTHER GUY pushed the car off to the side so everyone could get by and then the boyscouts towed us to the gas station where we discovered that our gas gage was broken and we were just out. We filled up and were on our way.

After dropping off Josh and Andrea, we got lost and rerouted several times but finally made it to Santa's Village with the kids.They had a blast.

On the way back, they were playing in the back seat and I hear Abby yelling, "Have the buttons! HAVE THE BUTTONS!" Translation, "Here's the remote control. Change the channel." Now we are in a 92 suburban that has no back seat TVs and no reason to have a remote control. I look back and realize that they are playing with an imaginary device. Sebbie calls out that he has changed the channel and it's CLIFFORD! Yay, Clifford! Suddenly, I feel a tap on my shoulder and Sebbie is exclaiming, "Look what Abby doing! Look what Abby doing! She take the buttons." It's imaginary... what is a mother to do? So I reach my hand back and demand the remote control. It is handed over by a dejected Abby. I feign breaking the remote into two peices and hand one to each kid. They are extatic. Problem solved. Thank you, Solomon.

Buscuit Emergency

Abby looked up at me last night and said, "Make monkey bread, Mommy?" I wanted to but it was bedtime so we got ready for bed. I put her down and she wanted her blanket which I had left over at my sister's house. I jumped in the car leaving Cate (who we have discovered SCREAMS at the top of her lungs for any sitter) with my mom. I was in a hurry but after picking up the blanket, I thought, "I need those premade buscuits for that monkey bread." I stopped at Safeway and realizing that my mom was probably unsuccessfully walking a screaming Cate, I RAN from my car toward the doors of the grocery store. There were two people standing there that informed me that it was to late to get through those doors and to use the other ones. They had concerned looks on their faces and I knew they thought I was going in for something really important. I ran through the aisles looking for the buscuits, ran to the checkout, danced until he rang me up and I paid and then, I ran back toward my car passing the same people again. They looked confused as I only had buscuits in my hands. Then they saw my plates and you know they were thinking, "Ahhh... she's from the South..."

This Week in Alamosa

The car got fixed and is being driven. Insurance paid %100. AMAZING! God is so good. On the not so good side, Dad got sick on Thursday and that was it. He has been in the hospital since and has had one surgery and possibly will have more. I will not describe his problems on the blog or facebook just because I'm not as cool as google but the technical term for his condition is diverticulitis. I'm sitting with him now in the hospital. He is on pain meds. Really heavy ones the make him love everyone. Amazing that I kinda feel like this is a break from my kids. It is about 1 in the morning so I'm not getting sleep but a break from the kids... sure.

I can't believe the drama here in Alamosa. We are still on the verge of canceling our trip to California for my cousins wedding but if Dad comes home soon, it's best to get the kids out of the way so he can rest up.

Savory Egg Roll-ups

You will need:
1 sheet Puff Pastry
4 oz. cream cheese
6 eggs
3 tbsp milk
3/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, basil or spinach (depending on you taste)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Wisk milk, eggs, salt and pepper together.

Scramble eggs until they are soft but not dry. (You are going to be baking them in the oven so they need to still be a little runny)

Roll out pastry on lightly floured counter top. It needs to be very cold but not frozen. Spread the cream cheese on the pastry.

Spread cilantro, basil or spinach on top of that. Then put your runny eggs on top of that and smooth it all out evenly.

Loosely roll into a log and cut into 6 pieces.

Put them in jumbo cupcake pan cups (these are about 3 1/2 inches in diameter). Make sure you REALLY spray it good with Pam or something. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 min.

Put fresh Parmesan cheese on top of each roll-up and bake until the cheese is melted and browning just a bit.

Serve warm.

Train Spotting

As I have mentioned, my nephew is in love with trains. He is totally OBSESSED with trains. He can watch crossing gates for hours. I know he will have a career in the railroad industry if it's still around when he's old enough.

He has a huge Thomas the Train Engine train set with tracks and engines and cars and all the fun stuff you can imagine. He sets it up and plays for hours but it's hard with Abby and Davy there to wreck it all. He's gets mad, crosses his arms and comes into the kitchen. "Auntie Callie, Abby just crash and bump and it went smash like that." Very expressive. Arms waving. Very upset. I go out and tell Abby to stop stepping on the tracks and move Davy out of the way and try and set him up with his own stuff to play with. It's hard for them because Sebbie's stuff is WAY cooler than anything else in the house. So cool that Andy sat down the other day and put together a huge circle of track with fun twists and turns. When the kids got up from naps and started to play with him, he was trying to supervise and hold it together but they kept stepping on the track and holding the trains and suddenly I hear him say, "Sebbie, Abby, you are messing everything up!" He walks out grumbling something about "Why do I even bother...?" It was hilarious. He's a great playmate but Andy's an organized player and these guys are just not ready for that. I really just want to wait until they are in bed and Andy and I make our own track and play trains. Really... It is just way to cool.

But... I want too.

Yesterday the whole family went to the pool. The prices were outrageous, the food was crazy expensive and there were things floating in the water. The kids had a blast. Actually, so did we. I just took a really good shower after that. On the way home, Sebbie and Abby sat next to each other in the car. Casey and I usually are smarter than this. A two year old and a three year old, next to each other in the back seat and kinda tired from playing like fiends all day: what does that spell? T-R-O-U-B-L-E! So I hear the sounds of spitting from the back and I yell over my shoulder, "HEY!" You know, that's the warning shot into the air. These kids are way to young and dumb to really get the warning shot. Sebbie is a little smarter, older, and you would hope... wiser. Not so after a long day of play and a bratty cousin next to him. She is spitting and spitting and the mommy's are to engrossed in conversation to turn around and figure out who is doing the spitting and who needs to be yelled at and a possibly put in time out. (How the heck are you supposed to do time out when they are strapped into a car seat?!)

Seb finally turns to what he sees as his best option: He tattles. "He's spitting at me, Auntie Callie." (Seb calls everyone "he." There is no gender distinction quite yet... that to be dealt with later.) I turn and look at my daughter with fire in my eyes.

"Quit."

That's one. I turn back around and resume mommy talk.

*sploit*

"HEY! CUT IT OUT!"

That's two. I slowly turn back to the front, making it clear that I WILL TURN AROUND AGAIN!

I have to get them this time, I turn just in time to see Seb spit at Abby.

"SEBBIE!" He jumps a mile high. He knows he's been caught because his little tongue is still hanging out. "If you don't want her to spit at you, don't spit at her." (Hoping he gets that "her" is referring to Abby.)

Without me even turning back around, Abby spits at Seb. He gives me that mouth open see-what-she's-doing? look.

"Abby! Are you out your mind?" Yes, I actually said this to my two year old who ACTUALLY shook her head no like No, Mommy. My mind is totally in place.

"Abby, if you don't want him to spit at you, don't spit at him."

I kid you not, she actually says, "But I wan spit a Sebbie..." in a whinny voice like, You have just ruined our fun!

"You may NOT spit at Sebbie."

"Spit a chee-air?"

"No, don't spit at anything!"

"Spit a Abby?"

How do you explain the word "anything" or "nothing" to a two year old?

From here until we reached home there was a string of questions about what she could and could not spit at with her naming a random noun and Mommy getting more and more frustrated as Auntie Casey giggled about the fact that she had already been through this a year ago and now someone else was suffering.

"Abby, stop spitting!"

"But... I wan too..." I have ruined her world.

Sunshine Festival

We went to the Sunshine Festival on Sunday. The San Luis Valley puts on a little carnival and we took Abby. She wanted to ride the ponies until she was on one. These are a few realistic pics of her NOT wanting to be on the pony.

Then she got to ride the train with Daddy.

While they rode the train, Cate and I tried on hats.

This one was kind of a snore...

But this one was a winner. We bought it.

And of course we had to have some carnival food. It's my only chance to be a pirate so I get a Turkey Leg whenever I go to the carnival.

Abby bathed herself in ketchup and cheese with some chips.

And of course we had to get the traditional funnel cake on the way out. At least Daddy did... Mommy was DONE after the turkey leg. But Abby can eat and eat and eat. She's like a fish. You put it in front of her and she'll eat herself sick.