Dinner Guests

Saturday, the 1st, we finally managed to have people for dinner - with no mishaps! If you'll remember, we tried to have Barb over and a blackout occurred; we tried to have Brent's boss over and she got into a car accident on the way over here. So, the third time must be the charm.

We had Patrick and Molly over for dinner. Pat works with Brent and was transferred from MI to SC a few years ago. Molly is originally from Savannah but moved to MI for work and met Pat while he was up there. After some moving around for both of them, they got married and ended up in Greenville. They have been here for 2 1/2 yrs now and are our go-to people to find anything - Molly steered me toward a hairdresser that I could trust with curly hair (her hair is even curlier than mine), a dentist, good restaurants, and good neighborhoods (for when we decide to start house hunting). They invited us to a great 4th of July party too (see blog entry for details).

So, we decided to thank them by having them over for dinner, and we were hoping our luck (and theirs) held out this time. I decided to go a little Asian in my menu and look through my cookbooks. This is what I made:

- Thai Beef - Forever Summer by Nigella Lawson (she's a Brit and I just love her)
http://www.nigella.com/recipe/recipe_detail.aspx?rid=295
This has a great flavor and is really easy to make; go easy on the fish sauce though (I'm pretty sure I used more than the recipe needed).

- Papaya and Avocado Salad - Giada
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/avocado-and-papaya-salad-recipe/index.html
This one is an unusual pick for me, because although I LOVE avocado, I'm not really into papaya (or mango). But, the quick lime sauce makes it really good. Nice, summer salad and really easy to make.

- Salmon with Thai Rice Salad -- Food and Wine Quick One-Dish Meals Cookbook (this is the best cookbook - tons of recipes, with good wine selections, that are all easy, super good, and fast) http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/salmon-with-thai-rice-salad---qfs
I've made this before and it's fast becoming a favorite. The rice with carrots and cucumbers really makes the dish. We actually found it was even better the 2nd day (just the rice salad) with the thai beef on top.

- Peach Melba for dessert - Nigella again
http://www.nigella.com/recipe/recipe_detail.aspx?rid=210
SC has a ton of peaches and they are all wonderful. So, I decided to do something fun with them. I did modify this recipe quite a bit though, to make it easier to do. But, I did saute the peaches to get the skins off and the pits out. The two that turned out looked absolutely beautiful; the rest, not so much. But, that's Ok. I served it with a raspberry and chambord sauce, and fresh raspberries on top.

Pat and Molly arrived on time, bearing wine and beer. The wine was a great Pinot Grigio and the beer was Leinenkugel Summer Shandy and it is now my favorite beer. It has a great lemon taste and is just wonderful. Will wasn't feeling good that day, so we actually had a quiet evening with just Sofia running around. She made fast-friends with Molly (we think the dark curly hair helped) and was giving her hugs and asking to be held. It was so cute! It's not seen often, but when Sofia can be up and on her own (without Will), she is quite an adventurous little thing. She gets into all the toys (because she can) and loves having your undivided attention. She was very charming.

We had a nice evening, and right after we finished dessert, Will woke up. He only wanted to be held and after a couple minutes, got sick all over (I told you, he wasn't feeling well that day). So, that pretty much ended the evening (while giving Pat and Molly a nice look at one of the joys of parenting). We hope we can do it again soon (without the sick kids).

Tuesday T-ball Update

T-ball on the 28th was very, very short - the weather was very overcast and dark. We remained hopeful as we went through the t-ball routine -- stretch, run, run the bases, catch, and hit. Will was playing catch with Hunter before we started and then one little boy brought out a monster truck - it was all over for interest in t-ball for Will at that point. He just wanted to play trucks. He did warm up a little bit and even ran 2 times, much better than his usual none. He ran the bases and got ready to catch.

They taught the kids grounders on the 2nd day - since then, Will always squats down when they practice catching. Maybe he'll be a catcher . . . He loves to through the ball back, but we can't get him to stand up now. Something for Daddy to work on at home.

Because of the weather, Coach Jim had everyone start batting so that all the kids got to bat at least once. It's a good thing he did because shortly after Will batted for a 2nd time, the weather got bad. It started to thunder and lightening, so Coach Jim called it and we all went home. Will, of course, wanted to keep playing; Brent talked to him on the bleachers about why we had to leave and told him that we would come back next week and play some more. (Don't you just love that picture? I totally do!) It seemed to work. Well, that and a promise of a milkshake on the way home.

Formatting Issues

I'm sorry, dear blog readers, but I've tried like crazy to format the Mom's and Jerry's Visit postings (so they don't look like run-on paragraphs) but I can't, for the life of me, get the returns to show up. They show up when I type and save, but when I publish, they're all gone. I even looked at the Html code, and it looks like the returns are there as well. I'm sure it has something to do with the pictures I posted, but that's about all the troubleshooting I've got at this point.
So, I don't know why they're not working, and I'm sorry for it. But, I'm done trying to fix it at this point. I hope you read them anyway (oh, and John or Ann, if you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them). Thanks for understanding.

Jerry's Visit

(Just to overlap a bit) Jerry came to town on Thursday. Will and I picked him up at the Greenville airport, which is really nice for a small airport. It's very convenient. We all had a nice night Thursday. Friday, we had fun at the pool and the apartment before Brent and Jerry watched the kids for the night.

Saturday, while Mom and I drove to the Charlotte airport (and I shopped on the way home), Brent and Jerry took the kids to the downtown farmer's market. It's pretty cool - they shut down 2 blocks of main street and vendors set-up booths on both sides of the street. There are home-made goods (soaps, photos, ect), veggies, flowers, and even honey. Brent picked out some good zucchini, cucumbers, and a green tomato. (Side note: I discovered fried green tomatoes when we moved down here. They are wonderful and are fast becoming one of my favorites - especially if they are served with cheese grits. Do I sound Southern yet? :) Now, if only I liked collard greens - I tried them and they're not for me.) Plus, there's a great general store downtown, Mast General, that sells candy by the pound. Jerry's already got a frequent buyer card and loves that place.

The rest of Saturday we played at home and then headed downtown to Sticky Fingers for ribs. They are amazing - you have to try the Memphis Dry Rub and then add the Memphis Original Sauce on the side. So, so good!

Saturday night, Jerry got to leave the couch and sleep with Will. We offered to move Will to the air bed in Fi's room (they both love crawling and jumping on it) but Jerry said he was Ok with a bed buddy. You have to understand, Jerry typically goes to bed quite late (almost always

after 1) and sleeps quite late (he's retired). So, deciding to be woken up at 7:30/8 every day by

Will really says how much he loves Will. And, he did get up with him every morning - he had Will go potty and got him juice and cartoons while I was getting moving (Will's normally my alarm clock). By Sofia's nap time, Jerry was ready to take a nap of his own (isn't that the cutest picture? He didn't even spill the pop.)

Sunday, Brent and Jerry had lined up some tours in Greenville. First, they had a private tour of the Shoeless Joe Jackson museum in town. They said the guide was very knowledgeable and the museum had some good memorabilia. After that, they went to the Confederate War museum (both Jerry and Brent are huge Civil War buffs). They said that one was also good. They came home, related their adventures, and relaxed.

That night, we went to the Greenville Drive baseball game - I really love minor league baseball. The kids had a blast playing on the play ground - it was a good thing we did that first because it was utter chaos when the kids and I went back around the 6th inning (I wouldn't let Fi out of the stroller because there were too many kids running around.) Then, we got them suckers to hold them through a couple innings. For whatever reasons, the suckers were HUGE! Sofia couldn't it in her mouth, and was dripping all over the place - but she loved it and wouldn't let me hold the sucker. It was hilarious! Will did a good job with his. We ended up leaving around the 8th inning as it was close to bedtime and Sofia had had enough. It turned out to be good timing, as it started to rain as we left.

Monday, Brent had to go to work. Jerry, the kids, and I went to the zoo (I told you, we go at least once a week). We had a good time, even though Will didn't want to do anything but head to the playground. After the trip through the zoo, we went to the playground and let the kids run around. Will climbed to the top of the spider web (first picture) and was, obviously, super proud of himself. Sofia just wanted the swings. After we were done there, Will wanted to show Grandpa the train nearby (it's a little play structure). Sofia and I stayed in the car (with the air running - it was super hot that day) and Will told Grandpa, "All aboard! I take you and Uncle Chris on the train." So, I think they had fun.

Monday night, I cooked a southern dinner for the men - steamed mussels (which I don't care for, but Brent and his family love), fried catfish, fried green tomatoes, and green beans. The catfish and tomatoes were good, if I do say so myself. Brent and Jerry quite liked the mussels too, so all in all, it was a successful dinner. (The kids had nuggets and applesauce - gourmet for them.)

Tuesday, we played a bit before we took Jerry to the airport and said good-bye to him. We were only a little sad to see him go, because we knew we'd see him (and the rest of the Maxwell's) in a couple weeks - it makes it easier to know when you're going to see someone again. We had fun and are looking forward to his next visit.

Mom's Visit

Sunday (the 19th), Mom came to visit - yeah! We drove to Charlotte to pick her up at the airport. I think that's one thing I really miss from pre-9-11 -- I loved people meeting me at the gate or meeting people at their gate. I think it's just really awesome. So, we surprised her and met her on the way to baggage claim - Sofia was all smiles and Will was jumping up and down. It was so cute and showed how excited we all were to see Mom.

We had a nice day Sunday and showed Grandma everything we had been doing since she left us down South. We also got Brent packed up to head to MI. We thought it was pretty ironic that as Mom came down here, Brent was heading back up North.

Monday we just played at home - showing pictures, videos, and live action of all the fun we're having with the kids. Monday night we tried out a new-to-me restaurant Cooper River Grille and it was quite good. Then, we did some shopping (Mom wanted a new dress for an upcoming wedding) and, while she didn't find anything she liked, we found two dresses for me. I'll have to take pictures and post them, because they're really pretty and I'm so excited to wear them. The kids were very patient and we rewarded them with a trip to the play area. They had a great time and were nice and tired when we got home.

Tuesday, we wanted to wear Will out so that he might take a nap before t-ball so we decided to go swimming. We had a blast in the water with the kids - I really need to take video of it to show everyone. We had the pool all to ourselves and were able to let the kids have the run of the place. Sofia was so tired she fell asleep before her usual naptime (1:30/2) but not Will. He and Grandma had fun playing trucks, trains, and sandbox before we got everyone ready for t-ball. T-ball was good (see previous post for details) and we had a fun evening.

Wednesday, we headed out to the Greenville zoo. It's nice - smaller than the Detroit zoo so the animals are much, much closer and it's landscaped beautifully (Mom really liked the tall bamboo). It's a great workout too - the paths wind up and down the mountain side. Will took Mom our usual way and told her about all the animals as we walked. We all learned about yellow pythons - one of the ones at the zoo had just laid a clutch of eggs and they twitch around the eggs to keep them warm; it looks like their hiccuping. So, there's a new trivia fact for you. After the zoo, we headed to the park right outside the zoo and had a great time. We left so I could go and get my hair done - it turned out good, so there's one less thing I have to find down South (thanks for the recommendation, Molly!). Another good day.

Thursday was a busy day - Jerry to town for a visit. We went to the mall again (dress shopping at Dillards this time) and let the kids play for a bit before Will and I went to the Greenville airport to pick Jerry up. Mom and Sofia stayed at the mall and went to some new stores. We got Jerry; I dropped him and Will off at home and then went back to the mall to collect Mom and Sofia. Brent came home later that day (he had to fly into Charlotte) and we all had a nice evening together. Since he was the last visitor in, Jerry had to sleep on the couch since Mom was already sharing Will's bed.

Friday, Brent headed into work and the rest of us headed to the pool. Jerry manned the deck (Sofia likes to climb in and out) and we were in the water. The kids had a great time, again. It might sound strange, but we really do have a good time at home. Friday night, Jerry and Brent watched the kids while Mom and I went out for a make-over. It was fun - we had our make-up done at the Precriptives counter in Macy's (don't worry - I'm still a Mary Kay girl) and then did some more shopping. Shopping is a lot more fun and productive when children are not involved. We ended our fun bonding with an appetizer and chocolate dessert - yum! Plus, when we got home, the kids were actually asleep (good job, guys!) so we could spend some time talking with Brent and Jerry.

Saturday, I had to take Mom to the Charlotte airport. We decided it would be easier for her to say good-bye to the kids well before she got on an airplane. We all had a fun week (Will still talks about it) and hope she comes back soon!

T-ball Tuesday Update

Tuesday the 21st - T-ball at Howell Park (thought I'd put the date in since I'm behind)

We had a nice treat this Tuesday at t-ball - Mom was there (more on her visit later)! It was especially nice since Brent was actually in MI and I'm not sure how I would manage both the kids by myself at t-ball.

Before we went this time, we told Will that if he wanted to bat, he had to do everything. And, to sweeten the deal, we brought his bat. So, we got there a little early and set-up our camp in the usual place. We sit next to Hunter and Cale's parents. (Side note: I have no idea why it is, but I know all the kids names and none of the parents; the same thing happens at the playgrounds and parks too. And, I know I'm not the only parent doing this either.)






Will and Hunter started playing catch - we remembered to bring a ball too - and were having a good time. Then, when things started, they both went off to warm-up together. I thought that I might actually be able to hang out and just watch for once. I did - for about 2 minutes. Then both Will and Hunter came back to the parent fence and I led them back to the circle. We did pretty well after that and then it was off to our little "orange shirt" ball field.

The boys lined up on the fence for running and Will ran - twice. :)





The coaches tried to get him to run some more and he decided to tell them all about his new car carrier instead. They were pretty amused.

Then, it was time to run the bases. He did most of this too (without help from me) and was really excited to come back in for the water break.

At water break, we met Camden (his mom camps next to us most days) who has the same attention issues that Will does. They were a great match for one another as they headed out to catch.




Will decided to change-up catching groups - 2 or 3 times. He started out with Cam and Hunter. A ball went by him and he decided to join Ben. Ben and Will played catch by putting their gloves on each others heads and running around. It was really cute and kept cracking everyone up. The coaches finally gave up (since they couldn't reel the boys in, and the boys were encouraging others to join them) and called for another water break. (Having dealt with kids from my swim instructor days, I know that some of the breaks are just to let the coaches regroup and I can totally appreciate it.)





We finally got to batting and had our diva melt down - Will wanted to his "his" bat, not the other bat. I told him he couldn't bat now with his but we would do it when t-ball was all done. He calmed down a bit (only a bit) and hit well a few times. As promised, when things were all done (thank goodness they don't start cleaning up right away), we let him bat twice and then headed home.

All in all, it was a good t-ball day. As much as we joke, all the kids are getting better at taking direction from coaches and playing. So, we think it's been a good thing. I can't believe it's half-way through already!

Playing Catch-up

I know, I know. As usual, I'm way behind in my blogging. But, we had company (Mom came to visit and then Jerry came down too - it was awesome) and we've been really busy with normal life too (t-ball, work, laundry, reading). So, as you read the coming posts, try to imagine that it's 2 weeks ago and I'll eventually get all caught back up - probably to play catch- up again. It's just me. :)