Dino Soar

I couldn't resist getting the boys these jammies when I saw them at Target last week. They were brand new and not even officially on the floor yet.

Dinosaurs on rockets: the perfect combination for little boys!

And can you read the words on Will's shirt? It says "Dino-Soar Flight School."

I love it (and so do they!).

At Nana and Pop's House

As soon as our boys get to Nana and Pop's house, they head straight for the toy closet. This time, they were in for a surprise because Nana and Pop had some new toys in there. Henry found these dinosaurs right away and the boys played with them forever.

Gene preferred the new Cars puzzle.

Look, he did it all by himself! Henry found a snack and Daddy's shoulders. In the backyard, the boys went exploring through the bushes.
Can you see what Will's shirt says? Wild Explorer -- the perfect shirt for my little adventurer!Will got out his flashlight and the boys found sticks
and a bunny
and got to hang upside down with Daddy.What a fun day!

More Stinky Cheese, Please

Henry loves cheese. He loves cheese so much that he will choose to eat a piece of cheese over dessert any time. In this, he takes after his father, not his mother.

Gene loves to have cheese around, and I rarely think to buy "snacking" cheese, so he's left to fend for himself at Spec's every few weeks. On Friday, Gene picked up some Serra da Estrela cheese and brought it to his parents' house on Saturday night. Serra is made in Portugal, near the hometown of Gene's grandparents. It's also a rather stinky cheese.

Gene asked the boys if they'd like some stinky cheese after dinner Saturday night. They both took some. Will took a couple of bites and went back to his lemon roll. Henry abandoned his dessert and asked for "more stinky cheese, please."

He ate so much Serra that we lost count of how many times we heard him say "more stinky cheese, please."

Henry and his daddy are welcome to eat all the cheese they want. That just leaves more lemon roll for Will and me!

Birthday Bash #2

At our house, it seems like everyone gets at least two birthday celebrations, and Gene's birthday was no exception. We celebrated on Friday at home and we had our second birthday dinner last night with Nana and Pop. When it's your birthday, you can count on Nana for two things: making the birthday dinner of your choice and a much-needed gift (I always get chocolate as part of my gift, for example, and I definitely need chocolate!). Gene chose Vinho Alho (marinated fried halibut) for his birthday dinner, and it was so delicious that we ate it up without snapping any pictures! I did get a couple of shots of the birthday boy with his two favorite small people, though.

They helped open his gift. We are all laughing at the box, since it's from Ann Taylor. Don't worry; Gene got two shirts from Joe Banks. And since he wears his shirts til they're practically in tatters, they are much appreciated!

Nana made a Lemon Roll for dessert. It was delicious!

We sang "Happy Birthday" again, complete with arm gestures from Henry.

Gene blew out his candles. May your birthday wish come true! And the night ended with full tummies and happy hearts.

Getting Ready for a Sleepover

We took the boys over to Nana and Pop's house yesterday afternoon for a sleepover. When Will heard that a sleepover was in the future, he ran upstairs right away to get his suitcase.

Gene's lovely Aunt Rosemary always sends the best gifts for our boys for Christmas and their birthdays. For Will's birthday in August, Aunt Rosemary gave him a Mickey Mouse suitcase, complete with a pillow, blanket and flashlight! Will loves to pack his bag for our at-home campouts, but this is the first time he's used to for a real sleepover.

Can you tell how excited he was?

Will packed all the essentials: pillow, blanket, flashlight, his favorite bunny Baxter, a chapter book, and his large purple and black snake. Poor Henry couldn't figure out how to fit his three small animals in the bag. Perhaps he just needs his own suitcase?

When Gene and I left last night, Henry had set up his pack-n-play right next to Nana and Pop's bed and Pop was telling spooky stories, per Will's request. I can't wait to hear all the details of their sleepover!

The Wagon Wash

My little boys love to help out around the house, so when I was outside yesterday morning cleaning the dirt off tables and chairs, Will and Henry begged to help. I never refuse help with the cleaning! Our wagon lives in the garage, so it really doesn't get dirty. But when the patio and driveway were pressure-washed this week, all kinds of grit got all over everything, even the stuff inside the garage!

The boys did a great job scrubbing all the dirt off the wagon. They also cleaned the slide, tricycle and picnic table.

They got very wet, but it didn't matter because when we were done, we just stripped off their jammies outside and got into our clothes for the day.

The end result? A clean wagon, two wet helpers, and one happy mama!

The Big Birthday Boy

Today is a special day because it is my sweet husband's birthday! Gene spent the day at work, of course, but the evening was very special. He got home early in order to make his very own birthday dinner (poor guy!). He wanted Bacalhau a Gomes de Sa, which is a Portuguese codfish and potato casserole. Since Gene cooks all the Portuguese meals in this house, he made dinner himself. Don't feel too bad for him, though. He loves to be in the kitchen!

The weather was beautiful, so we ate outside.

It's been awhile since we had codfish, and the boys just loved it!

Henry came over to steal all our olives.

He literally pulled them off our plates and gobbled them up.

Do you think we liked the codfish??

Henry made Gene a card and Will and I made him peach kuchen. Oh my goodness. This is such a simple recipe but it is so yummy! Will had to show off the uncooked version as soon as Daddy walked in the door.

The boys watched it bake. After finishing our codfish dinner, we got to eat the "special." But first we had to sing "Happy Birthday" to the birthday boy. Gene even loved the peach kuchen, and he's not a huge fan of sweets! In fact, he said I can make it anytime I want.After dinner, Daddy and his boys played ball outside. And the evening ended with a tackle or two.
Happy birthday to the best husband and daddy ever!