The Zoe and Silas Show

1 pound ground beef or ground turkey 1/2 medium onion, chopped Salt, pepper and other seasonings to taste (marjoram, oregano, etc) 2 cloves garlic, minced Peas and carrots are traditional; tonight I'm using carrots and Trader Joe's soycatash 1/3 c. gravy Leftover mashed potatoes A few handfuls of shredded cheese Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 1. Brown ground meat and onion over medium high heat, season to taste. 2. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. 3. Prepare & chop fresh vegetables and add them first (I'm using fresh carrots); cook through. Add frozen vegetables next (I'm using soycatash). Once all vegetables are cooked through, remove from heat and mix in gravy until desired consistency. 4. Put beef and vegetable mixture in the bottom of a glass casserole pan. Top with mashed potatoes. Cook on 350 degrees for ~ 20-25 minutes. 5. Preheat broiler. Top shepherd's pie with shredded cheese and pop under the broiler for a few minutes, until cheese is b...

Thankfully we had our 18-month well baby visit this morning, because S&Z have been sick for the past few days and they needed to be seen by someone before the weekend was upon us. It ends up that they both have croup  and Silas has an ear infection that is a result of the runny nose and cold-like symptoms that go with the croup. Until he gets allergy tested, we are avoiding amoxicillin (he got a rash the first time he had amox this winter) so he'll be treated with a round of azithromycin. Zoe has had some stridor associated with the croup, so she got an oral treatment of prednisone before we left. Otherwise, the appointment went great - no tears or fussing - probably because there were no shots :) Here are the stats! SILAS: 35-1/4 inches (98th percentile) 27 pounds, 15 ounces (74th percentile) ZOE: 33-1/2 inches (89th percentile) 25 pounds, 7 ounces (64th percentile) Hopefully they will feel better over the weekend. They haven't wanted to eat hardly anything, bu...

The weather was gorgeous in Boston today - oh, how this improves everyone's mood! While Derek went food shopping this morning, I took the kids out for a long walk. It was warm enough at 10am that after pushing 80 pounds of kids & stroller for awhile that I was down to a tank top! When we got home we played play-doh on the back deck and watched our neighbors set up for their annual Easter BBQ extravaganza. Timery & Jason came down to visit from Ipswich around lunchtime. Derek grilled a pork tenderloin with my awesome rib rub (recipe below) and I made risotto-style orzo with saffron and parmesan and spinach salads. It's so fun watching the kids play together as they get older! Even though they are 7 months apart, they will likely all be in the same grade in school! Jason's 1st birthday is coming up in May so we'll be excited to celebrate with them next time we get together. We had a great visit and after such a fun and busy morning S&Z took a 3-hour lo...

After a two week long visit, my mom headed back to North Dakota this morning. It was such a great trip, filled with books, walks, songs, and time spent exploring outside. Grandma came with us to our Friday morning EI playgroup two weeks in a row, so she got to learn & help reinforce a lot of the songs and signs we've been working on. We started eating meals at the dining room table when she arrived, so she helped us figure out that transition as well. She was the bathtime entertainment everyday, which gave us a chance to do other stuff around the house while the kids were "contained". Most importantly, Derek & I had FOUR NIGHTS OUT while she was here! That time out together reminds me that there is an US outside of THEM. It makes us more human and it allows us to be better parents. Bye bye, Grandma, Bye bye, Grandma, Bye bye, Grandma- It's sad to say goodbye... When I returned from the airport this morning, Zoe stood in front of the baby gate in the...

This is what the cribs look like before the kids go to bed. Silas' crib Zoe's crib This is what their room looks like when I get them up in the morning. Just look at this innocent little face...

Since my mom heads back to ND the day before Easter, we decided to have an early Easter lunch yesterday (which also happened to be Palm Sunday). Derek was excited to fire up the grill for the first time in a very long time! While grandma gave the kids baths and got them ready for their nap, Derek grilled filet mignon. I put together spinach salads with sliced strawberries, red onion, candied pecans and poppyseed dressing. I also cooked up what I like to call " crack-braised brussels sprouts ". Top the meal off with everything bagels toasted on the grill and we had a delicious, spring-like early Easter dinner! Today was Patriot's Day (aka, Boston's excuse for a holiday due to much of the city being unnavigable due to the Boston Marathon). We met up with our friends Miriam and Garrison this morning and headed to another neighborhood playground at the nearby Mozart School. The play structures are bigger than the tot lot we went to on Saturday, but the space is beautif...

Aditi, our early intervention teacher recently gave us a recipe for homemade play-doh. Since my mom is visiting, Derek took advantage of the extra pair of hands one morning and made up a batch. It's got a great texture, it's easy to make, and most importantly it's CHEAP! One batch made enough play-doh to fill two quart size ziploc bags. 3 c. flour 1-1/2 c. salt 2 T. cream of tartar 6 T. vegetable oil 3 c. water Add food coloring of your choice Mix dry ingredients. Mix liquid ingredients. Come and cook until the consistency of mashed potatoes. Cool, divide in half and store in plastic bags. We took advantage of the gorgeous weather this morning and played play-doh out on the back deck. Zoe took a break to play some peek-a-boo with Grandma. And then she came back with some sticks. We bought a bunch of play-doh tools at Target today - can't wait to give those a whirl!

The kids were getting antsy leading up to lunch and I needed another 15 minutes to get stuff organized in the kitchen. Derek gave Silas a flashlight, and before a brawl ensued he needed to dig out another one for Zoe. They were fascinated by them - I had more than enough time to get lunch ready! Sometimes it's the simplest things...

I'm calling this post 'All Grown Up' because as I look through the pictures I am struck by how S&Z look like such big kids in a preschool-type setting! Here are a few more pictures from our early intervention playgroup. The art project on Friday was shaving cream colored with a little purple paint. We played with a light box (and sat very close to one another) before snack. There is always plenty of time for books while everyone washes their hands, And then it's snack time! In the gross motor room we spent a lot of time with bubbles, And then it's Zoe's favorite activity - circle time!!! Because S&Z have been taking their time with language development, we are now getting weekly in-home speech therapy on Friday afternoons as well. We are very thankful for all the help and support we've gotten from the Children's Community Early Intervention team!!!

My sister used the phrase "season opener" on FB today to refer to her first pedicure of the season. This is also a great phrase for our first outing to the playground! S&Z started walking in the middle of the winter, so this is our first season of running, climbing and exploring outside. There is a great tot lot ( n . 'a playground for very young children') in our neighborhood that had been recommended to me by another mom. It was a chilly morning (< 40 degrees F), but we needed to get out of the house, so me, Grandma, Silas & Zoe headed out while Derek dealt with having new brakes installed in the M.V. At first they just wanted to walk around and explore the space. It's all fenced in and we had the entire playground to ourselves! I guess it pays to brave the cold weather :) My little people look even littler on this scale! Grandma got her exercise today! What? We needed to take a load off for a sec... Back exploring, hat askew There...

I looked into the living room after dinner last night and I saw S&Z lying in the middle of the floor. I grabbed the camera and this is how it ended up. Maybe Silas is finally figuring out that he can just squash her! Miss Z better watch out - her time is coming :)

Sitting pretty (and proud!) - she got up in the dining room chair all on her own!

Silas & Grandpa Dave Morning coffee with Daddy Daddy is Silas' favorite person Grandma has been reading LOTS of stories! Silas & Great-Grandma Dutra Lemons And more lemons