The Gross Family

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Ears that Hear

This morning went fabulously, and we are now plus two pairs of ear tubes! The kiddos did great and the staff were all very kind.

They had the cutest little ankle bands.

We got home, and they were just so happy, especially Blythe. The kid has been giggling all day. Here she is giving Joy rides on the truck.

And tonight, for the first time, when we were talking about animal sounds with the girls, Blythe tried to say, "Moo" for the cow!!! Praise Jesus that my sweet babes' ears can hear us!

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

The director of our BSF called me last week to tell me there would be room for Blythe and Joy to join the phenomenal children's program there this spring. We are so thankful for Sandy watching the little ones this fall until the girls got to join Abby Jane and I!

Today was our first day, and thanks to a little help from Daddy in the morning, it was a total success. The twins were very much exptected and we had a small entourage by the time we arrived at their class! All four of us girls had a great time this morning, but I do believe the little ones were very ready for their beds by the time they finished their brief lunches! Joy didn't even make it to her back before she conked out!

Blythe was also out for the count within a couple of minutes, hugging her Polly.

Tomorrow morning both of these ladies will get ear tubes after a series of ear infections. It's so sad that some kids' anatomy makes it so hard for those ears to drain properly! We're excited to get their sweet baby ears cleared and looking forward to seeing how the girls continue to develop in speech and how Blythe's equilibrium is improved as we go forward... hopefully we'll have her walking before long. We sure love our babies and are thankful we can do something to help them reach their own potential!

Sunday, January 16, 2011

What's been in your pot?

We've been cooking up some fantastic soups/stews recently, and I told a few people I would post the recipes. No pictures. Our dinner hour is the Indy 500 many nights, so pictures would truly be a feat. I will also say on the outstart that Jake was an equally huge fan of all of these, so feel free to serve these healthy, hearty dishes to gentlemen as well!

1. Black-eyed pea and Rice with sausage- I picked up a bag of black-eyed peas on sale around New Years and had been hunting something fun to do with them. Found it. The adjustments I made were 1) used a red pepper/spinach sausage that I had instead of the andouille, 2. cut the Cajun seasoning in half and held the tabasco to be added as desired, so I could feed the meal to Abby Jane without her mouth catching on fire, and 3. stirred in about half a bag of fresh spinach right at the end so it was just barely wilted. FANTASTIC.

2. Kale and White-Bean Stew- WAIT DON'T STOP READING! I promise it's good. When I have had kale in the past, I've honestly told myself I am eating it because it is a "superfood," but I haven't exactly been excited about the taste.

This is not one of those recipes.

I could have polished off the entire Dutch oven's worth all on my own. The flavor is amazing, and I did not stray one bit from the recipe (other than using a chicken sausage b/c it's what I had on hand). Jake, Blythe, and Joy were all in the same boat of obsession. I think Jake had thirds. Blythe and Joy wanted to lick the bowl, too. (Eating anything is low on my almost-three year old's priorities, so what is good or not is hard to define. Sitting still to eat is her battle.)

Make it super easy and go buy a bag of pre-chopped kale in the produce section- it's the exact right amount (another one of my sale purchases around New Years!) and makes it all a breeze.

If you try nothing else, try this- it is a surefire way to get something as crazy as kale on your family's rotation.

The last two are recipes of my dear friend Emily York's. I've made this veggie chili numerous times since she gave me the recipe in November for both big and small groups, and it's super colorful and always a hit. I haven't made the chicken noodle soup myself, but I have partaken of Emily's, and it was just delectable.

Black Bean and Vegetable Chili

1 large onion, coarsely chpd
1 pound Kielbasa sausage, sliced (optional- I've used turkey kielbasa)
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 (28 oz) can whole tomatoes, undrained and coarsely chpd
2/3 c picante sauce
1 1/2 tsp each: dried rosemary, oregano, chili powder, cumin
1 tsp dried basil
2 (16 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 green and 1 red pepper, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
1 large yellow squash and/or zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
Hot rice

Cook onion, and if desired, sausage in oil in large saucepan. Add tomatoes, picante sauce, and seasonings. Cover and simmer 5 min. Stir in beans, peppers, and squash. Cover and simmer 15 min or until veggies are crisp-tender. Serve over hot rice. Garnish each serving w/sour cream, chpd fresh cilantro, shredded cheese, hot picante sauce.

Chicken Noodle Soup

1 c sliced carrots
1 c chpd celery
1 small onion, chpd
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh chpd marjoram or 1 tsp dried marjoram
3 Tbps butter, melted
8 c chic broth
2 c chpd cooked chicken
1 (8 oz) package egg noodles
salt and pepper
1/2 c milk
1/2 c all purpose flour

Saute carrots, celery, onion, garlic, and marjoram in butter until veggies are crisp-tender. Add chicken broth and chicken. Cook over med heat 20 min. Add egg noodles, and cook 10-15 additional minutes. Season to taste. Mix milk and flour or cornstarch in separate bowl. Add to soup to thicken, stirring until well blended.

From "Food for Thought," Bham Junior League

"Helpful Task" Chart

That's how Jake framed "chores" for Abby Jane the other day: "helpful tasks." He said it sounded more positive. I have to agree. See, that Ph.D. work is already paying off.

I would like to make one to start giving Janie official tasks that are always hers. I seem to remember some of your blog posts concerning how you did yours, but I can't recall who it was. I know we'll be revamping it as the twins get old enough to contribute, but I want to go ahead and start setting some precedents now. Can whoever it was send me the link to that blog post or to the website that inspired you? I can think up my own spreadsheet of actual tasks (making bed, doing silverware, picking up, etc.), but I guarantee someone out there has thought of a particularly clever way to display it.

Once I make my chart, should I laminate it? Do you use stickers to put in squares? Do you make a new one every month? Thanks!

The First One

I just love 1st birthdays. The child has no expectations, so it can only be fun for them, and even if they cry the whole time, it's funny because they're so little and cute.

We had two 1st birthday parties yesterday, and the first was Caden, a friend from church. He's in that age where most of my pics will be blurry...

Ashley did a Candyland theme, and successfully turned their house into quite the candy wonderland!

The favor table. I'm just glad I know teachers- they always are so creative- the rest of us just get ideas from y'all.

Party #2 was precious little Katie's! I didn't get a good picture of this, but here are a few of the itty bitties there- the older ones were upstairs. Katie is second from the left. I meant to get a picture of the "Happy birthday" sign on the front door- her Aunt Selwyn made the girls darling signs on their 1st birthday to get to pull out every year- brilliant.

Look how captivated she is by her sweet mama and the treat coming her way! (Look how sweet that cake was, too! The Kelleys got in town less than 24 hours before and amazingly hosted a big group of us the next afternoon- well done, friends!)

This girl got right down to business with that cake! She had some big sister/big cousin help, too.

It was such a treat to see the Kelleys and meet some of their sweet friends! I'm so excited that our family trip this year will be to St Simons, where the Kelleys are spending this year for Drew's work. It will delightful to get to see these fun friends during our family vacation!

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Shadiest Yard in Kennesaw?

We still had this much snow in our yard today- six days after the storm! We've played in it every day since we've been home. That pink lump of Joy on that boogie board sure loved sledding!! I've never seen her so still.

Blythe absolutely ate it up, too. Literally. She tried to eat the snow, and I stopped her right before she tried to go "Christmas Story" and lick a particularly icy part.

Speaking of "Christmas Story," all these layers made Abby Jane look pretty funny and often get stuck on the ground.

Pic of the year, going down a pretty steep grade- Blythe's eyebrows are one of her best features- look how high they are right here!

Triple stacker

Got pretty warm today, and with church tomorrow morning, today may have been our last day to so fully enjoy the snow... and right when we were finally getting efficient at putting on and taking off all the girls' layers!