Our Week in Collages

I try to keep blog posts topical in theme rather than random lists from our day.  By the end of this week I ended up with 100+ pictures of things I meant to share but never did because they didn't fit with the rest of my posts.  Each collage deserves its own post, but I don't have time for that.  It's been a busy week with lots of activities.  Here are some of the highlights of our adventures.

Field Trip to the Aquarium

An aquarium recently opened just a few minutes from our house.  I'd been wanting to take Jackson, but not for $21 per ticket! Jackson's preschool scheduled a field trip with discounted rates.  It ended up being $10 for the whole family, and we got to invite friends!  The aquarium was interesting and a nice change of scenery from our usual outings.  There was an impressive touch tank, variety of sea life, and intricate displays. With that said, I walked away feeling perfectly content to never go back again.  The crowds, narrow walkways, and lighting proved to be over stimulating for Jackson.  He sat in the stroller the latter half of the trip and even closed his eyes and covered his ears at the very end. The babies were bright eyed initially, but fell asleep after an hour.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Food Exploration

• I tried three new recipes this week.  The Irish soda bread was really flavorful and moist but very crumbly and hard to slice. The Guinness stew had a thick broth and rich, hearty flavor.  I won't be repeating it often though since it takes so long to make and requires us to buy Guinness. The winning recipe of the week ended up being completely improvised. I have all my shredded chicken to use and wanted to try enchiladas for the first time.  I combined an 8 oz package of cream cheese, 3 cups of shredded chicken, and half a can of rotel mix for the filling.  I filled 10 tortillas, rolled them up, and placed them in a casserole dish.  Then I mixed the remainder of the rotel with an enchilada seasoning packet and smothered the tortillas with it.  I sprinkled cheddar cheese on top of the boys' enchiladas and baked on 350 for 20 minutes.  SO good!
• Jackson surprised me one morning this week by climbing the pantry and refrigerator and pouring his own cereal and milk for breakfast.  He didn't make the slightest mess.  However, Jesse asked me the next day what was in the milk carton.  Jackson said, "I drop my spoon in there.  It not come out." Ha!
• The babies have been devouring everything they can get their hands on.  This week they have eaten all the usual purees along with scrambled eggs, waffles, enchiladas, and strawberry yogurt.  Graham crackers still prove to be the biggest hit.
• A friend of a family member is an overproducer and donated over 300 oz of breastmilk for the triplets.  I'm happy to have been able to both donate and now receive milk.  It makes me feel connected as women/mothers in such a powerful way. 

 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

IKEA

Jackson and I used to go to IKEA every single Monday. We stopped going once they stopped offering free breakfast.  After the fiasco with the van on Wednesday, I was determined to go somewhere.  I found myself at IKEA, which was completely for me rather than the kids. I love walking through the showrooms and fantasizing about having a library one day, bunk beds for the boys, perfectly organized walk-in closets, and so on.  We browsed through the children's area, played in the tents, binged on 75¢ hot dogs, and purchased a play mat for Jackson's cars and trains. 

 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Castle Park"

When I was in labor with Jackson, I drove a half hour to visit my sisters.  I was having regular contractions and knew that walking was the best thing I could do, so I drove to our childhood park and walked.  I walked for miles.  Jackson was born twelve hours later.

Even though I visit my sisters weekly, I've only been back to that park once since Jackson was born.  I thought it would be fun and nostalgic to spend the afternoon there.  I brought the wagon, but the damn wheel fell off again as I was unloading it in the parking lot.  I was totally ill prepared to care for four children, but was determined to enjoy ourselves since we were already there.  I wore Maddie in the Ergo, put Amelia in a random umbrella stroller, carried James, and ran after Jackson.  My arms felt like butter.  Thankfully, my sister and niece came to the rescue to provide relief and entertainment.  Alas, we had a great afternoon after all.