A Whole Month of September Fun!

On the plate: Spicy celery giardineira, pumpkin pie spiced oatmeal, and a sunken apple honey cake with a salted honey glaze.

Soundtrack to cook to:  Holy snap!!  Soooo hooked on the Guardians of the Galaxy Soundtrack.  It.is.classic rock.heaven!!  You HAVE to check it out!  We're constantly having dance parties in our house to this soundtrack.  Amazing.

Play date fun with old friends!  My friend Roshni
brought her handsome sons Arhan and Rayaan to
our place for a play date on a hot day in September.
This is the aftermath of the play date where they
needed some down time to just hang out on the couch.
(Rayaan is not pictured, but he was strolling around
in the baby walker.)

After Roshni and her sons left, William
wanted to get into the baby walker.

A boy and his dog, snuggling.  :-)

As we were getting ready for the beach
the next day, this is how I found the boys
after I had packed the beach bag.  Hilarious!

They have their sweet, brotherly moments :-)

Since public school was in session and the boys' school hadn't started yet, I decided to trek all the way to Crane Beach (since I knew it wouldn't be crowded), in order to get one last beach day in before the summer's end.  On the way to Crane Beach, I had to make a stop by Woodman's restaurant, the inventor of fried clams, that was recommended to me by my dear friend, Jean.

Our handsome big boy getting excited
for his lobster roll.

Handsome brothers

Oh my heavens!!  Their portions were RIDONCULOUS!
I ordered the clam strips and a small cup of clam chowder
(because they're known for that, too).  And this is what I got!!
WHOA!
The clam strips were good, but WHOA, the onion rings were amazing!
They had an incredible crunch and were perfectly seasoned.
The clam chowder was creamy, but not incredibly thick, and was packed
with tons of clams.  Delish!

Thumbs up from the big guy!  He loved his lobster roll!
(He only eats the lobster meat, though.)  The lobster
was deliciously plump and sweet.

William loooooved his popcorn shrimp and french fries.

And now with very full bellies, it's time to venture to Crane Beach!  It takes about an hour to get there from our house, but it's well worth the trek.  (The beach was about 10 minutes away from Woodman's.)  It's a very clean beach with wonderful facilities.  What more could one ask for?

The boys on our last beach trip for the year
in New England.

Alex loves the water.

William loves the sand.

After splashing around for a while, we rested
and made some sand castles.

My view of our beautiful boys on a gorgeous day
with Pandora on my phone playing, "Wouldn't it be nice," by
the Beach Boys.  It was a truly perfect day.  :-)

Argh...and then the drive back home.  Traffic jam!
Claaaaaaassic Boston.  At least the Zakim bridge is beautiful. :-)

Oscar in his dog cave that he created.

William got a postcard from his school saying
that they were so excited for him to start.
As you can tell, he felt differently.

Playground fun time!

Playground play time!

Ooh, Ooh, Ooh!!  We grilled turkey burgers one night and I made this INCREEEEDIBLE spicy celery giardineira to go on top of our burgers (for the grown-ups, not the kiddos).  It's not super spicy, but it's got an amazing crunch factor that takes your turkey burgers to a whole new level.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb celery, sliced
• 2 jalapenos, sliced (keep those seeds for extra spiciness)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup onion, sliced
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tsp Kosher salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp dried Oregano
• 1 tbsp ground Coriander seeds
• 4 oz red wine vinegar
• 4 oz extra virgin olive oil

Mix all of these ingredients together and let it set overnight (or for 24 hours). 
*Or you can do what I did and sit with a spoon and eat it straight out of the bowl....and then put some on my turkey burger as well.  :-p

Beautiful, crunchy, spicy, juicy, and delicious! 
A perfect accompaniment to grilled fish, chicken, pork,
steak, turkey....anything that you want to give a little extra
crunch and OOMPH to.  :-)

Before school started, I had both boys full time for two weeks.  So, I decided to make the best of it and take the boys on as many adventures as possible.  Our next adventure was Sky Zone, an indoor trampoline park.  I love that they have a toddler hour (with kids up to about age 5 allowed) from 9-11:30 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  It's the perfect amount of time for the kids to jump around and they don't get completely trampled by the big kids.  Love this place!

William loved playing with the squishy balls.

Our boys got pretty sweaty, pretty fast.

Dancing around.

Our next adventure was going out to Lookout Farm in Natick to go fruit picking!

Farmer Alex on a tractor in the entrance.

Me and our boys on the train that led to the
orchards.
*Not so fun fact:  William was protesting
eating the rest of a bite of a delicious turkey sandwich.
How did he protest you ask?  He held that last bite in his
mouth for an hour and refused to swallow it.  I finally made him
spit it out.  Hence his face formed this way in the following pictures.
What a little stinker.  :-p

Alex and iron-willed William.

Alex picking some juicy plums.

William picked plums, but didn't eat them
because then he would have to eat the
bite of sandwich in his mouth.

Our beautiful boys in the plum orchard.

There they go!

Alex checking out the cute little piggies.

So adorable and squishy!

Alex on the caterpillar ride.

Love this guy!

Apple picking time!

The boys loved picking and eating the apples!

This was clearly taken after William had spit
out his sandwich bite.

William liked this because there were a lot of
beautiful apples located on the bottom branches.

William was very busy eating his apple
and didn't want to catch up with us.

Gorgeous grapevines line the ceiling of the pathway for the trains.

Alex with his apples that he proudly picked!

And then there's sassy mo'lassey William.  :-p

On the train at Lookout Farm.

Yummy, yummy fall-inspired pumpkin spiced oatmeal recipe in the houuuuuuuse!  I looooove pumpkin spice flavored ANYTHING and was tired with my average oatmeal.  I had a personal EUREKA! and whipped this little ditty up one morning.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup lowfat milk (You can use 1 cup milk and omit the water, but I try to cut calories where I can.)
• 1/4 cup pureed pumpkin
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 2 tsp maple syrup
• 2 tbsp almonds

Directions:
1.  Pour the oats, milk, and water into a small pot and heat on medium heat until the oatmeal thickens (~4 minutes).
2.  Stir in the pureed pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, and maple syrup and mix until desired consistency.  (I like mine a little runny.)
3.  Pour into a bowl and top with almonds.
4.  Enjoy a delightful bowl of fall-inspired, soul-warming, yumminess!

Om nom, nom, nom, nom!  Delicious!

Our next adventure before school started was going to the Children's Museum in Boston.  I try to stay away from this place during the summer because it's just overrun with people.  However, as soon as school is back in session, I try to take the kids because then they can have the run of the place and are able to enjoy the exhibits much more.

They love looking at the water and boats before entering
the museum.

One of the museum workers had some fun
bubble toys outside the entrance for the kids
to play with.  Alex loved blowing the big bubbles.

So did William.

Then she brought out a bigger bubble blower
and made a bubble snake!

Alex's mind was blown!

William was mesmerized.

Alex playing in the bubbles room of the Children's Museum.

William just enjoyed stacking the blowers.

Musical chairs, literally!  You sit on the chairs
and they make sounds!

Then we went to the theater area of the museum where they were putting on a play:  The Three Little Pigs.  Alex was called up on stage to be the little pig with the house of bricks.

Our little star

He wanted to show the audience his muscles.
He did a great job!

William loves collecting all of the trucks
and lining them up.

Alex rocking out in the singing area.

Both boys performing.

Little cutie patootie

William, practicing his handy man skills.

Big brother Alex, the handy man.

William climbing the giant structure.
He soon gave up, but Alex continued to climb to the top.

Whoa!  Can you see Alex??

Fun at Franklin Park Zoo!  One of our favorite places to visit during the summer months.

The boys with the wart hogs.

Peacocks hanging out in the prairie dog area - our favorite exhibit.

Kristen and Alex checking out a porcupine eating lunch.

Alex hanging out with some gorillas.

Big man, flexing his muscles once again.  :-)

OY!  One morning, my sister came over and we went out
to breakfast at a neighborhood diner.  All of a sudden, we looked up
and we were surrounded by a bunch of political figures
coming around the restaurant wanting to shake our hands
and learn all about us.  It was crazy.  I was just glad I showered that morning.
We met:  Setti Warren - the mayor of Newton, Martha Coakley (who was
running for governor), Joe Kennedy, and a bunch of other people I
don't even remember.  It was craaaazy!

Martha Coakley, walking outside the restaurant.

In the beginning of September, we took the boys to meet their teachers and explore the classrooms of their new school.

Our handsome man, ready to meet his teachers
and see his classroom.

Our darling gentlemen.

William, playing with some puzzles in his new
classroom.

Their school gave each of them a teddy bear
as a welcome gift.  So sweet!

Mommy and Alex selfie!

William, tooling around on his scooter.

William flying around on his scooter!

*sigh*  On September 16, 2014, Alex attended his first day of Pre-K!  I couldn't believe it!  They're not kidding when they say that, "Time flies."  Here's our handsome little man, all ready in his "fancy clothes" (as he calls them).

Alex's First day of Pre-K.  He said that he wants
to be a doctor when he grows up.  Just like his daddy.  :-)

Alex, playing around on the play ground at his school.

Alex giving me one last smile before he went off to play.

William goes three days a week, so we dropped off Alex at school and then went to the Farmer's market to pick up some goodies.  Then, we went to the library and the park. 

Here's Alex with the "Monster hand" treat that we
got him from the farmer's market.  It was filled with
popcorn and candy corn and was decorated with
ants and a spider ring.
He had a very successful, first day of school!

William being silly with his "Monster hand" treat.

William, pretending to be scared of it.  :-p

The next day, September 17, 2014, it was William's turn to have his first day of preschool.  Here's how his pictures went: 

Fussy...

...ambivalent...

...warming up...

...cheerful!!  (I usually have to take about 6 pictures to get one good one.)
Unfortunately William's first day of school was
not as successful as Alex's.  He is only in school
for three hours at a time.  His teachers called me
two hours into his first day and asked me to pick him up
because he was crying and fussing pretty much the whole time.

I showed up right as he was having his snack and he had
calmed down.  He had snack, played with his classmates,
and had a successful rest of the day.
*I just had to explain to the teachers that that's just his style.*

Our happy boys at their new school!

The boys, snacking nicely and being sweet
at one of my doctor appointments.

I had to get some x-rays, and William
happily hung out in this little dinosaur car
at the hospital.

Happy little boy!

Love this cheeky little guy!

"Look mommy!  I have a pants scarf!"
:-p

What a ham!

Both of our boys, deep in thought.  :-p

They crack each other up!

Love this!

William's very proud of himself.

And now it's time for some fun at Lego Land in Somerville!!  We love this place!

Checking out Lego Boston.

Kristen and William on a ride.

Alex with a Lego guy.

William, getting ready to watch the 4D movie.

Alex, William, and Kristen in the play place.

Joseph was working crazy hours, so I decided to take the boys to King Richard's Faire, which is a Renaissance fair that only comes to Massachusetts for September into the first week of October.  It was a feast for the eyes and a really fun experience for all!  We loved it so much that we took Joseph two weekends later.

Alex in the entrance of King Richard's Faire.

It was held in a beautifully wooded area.

Alex enjoyed chilling on a swing ride that was completely
man-powered...as in two men were turning a crank
to make the swings go around!

Now THAT'S what I call, "Man Powered."

Alex in a giant swan swing.

Alex with the pirate that pushed him.

Alex with a creepy dragon head.

King Richard, himself, strolling the fairgrounds.

Alex wanted to get his face painted.

"We do accept Lady Visa and Master Card."
HAHAHAHAHAHA!
They may be medieval, but they ain't no fools.

What does one get painted on one's face
at a Renaissance fair?  Ah yes, a Ninja Turtle, of course!

Me and our little Ninja Turtle at King Richard's Faire.

Then we got to see some knights jousting.  It was awesome.

We appreciated that our knight was black
and gold; just like Purdue colors!  Boiler up!

Our handsome and happy men after a fun day at King Richard's faire.

The boys' new school hosted a nice picnic in order for the families to get together and get to know one another.  It was held at a beautiful park in Auburndale and the boys had a blast, running around with some of their new friends after the first full week of school.

Alex picked up some sand/dirt from the playground
and went to blow it away, but ended up sliding
it all into his mouth somehow.
This is our goofball in the aftermath. 
Claaaaaaaaassic Alex.

Our happy boy :-)

Later in September, my sister and I took the boys to the DeCordova sculpture park.  It was a gorgeous day to be frolicking amongst the sculptures.

One of the new pieces this year.

Somewhat dark, eh?

The boys were hesitant to approach
this sculpture at first, but then admired it once they
stopped fearing it.

Kristen and William climbing the hill to see the sculptures along the path.

Beautiful.

The Zen garden.

A boy and his dog.

A sweet moment captured.  They're both very
happy to see each other in the morning.

Alex, finally big enough to wear a shirt that
my grandmother, Mama Domy, got for him
when he was two.  :-p

\

William Billiam, playing around.

Love his eyes...

...and those cheeks! :-)

Our handsome men, ready to go for a walk
around the neighborhood.

A bunch of hams, these guys! :-p

Magic carpet ride time!

L'Shanah tovah!!  Happy New Year!!  We celebrated Rosh Hashanah by enjoying a delicious brisket, crispy potatoes, a fresh salad of heirloom tomatoes and basil (from our garden), and a sunken apple honey cake with a salted honey glaze.

Our spread ;-)

Cheers!

Joseph and Alex breaking bread at dinner.

The incredibly delicious and simple to make, apple-
honey cake with a salted honey glaze.
It was wonderfully moist and sweet.  Perfection.
And a beautiful way to bring in a sweet new year! :-)

Alex blowing the shofar, ram's horn, to announce the new year!
(With gusto, I might add!)

When I got a hold of our Shofar, I discovered that
the boys decided it would be a nice home for a dinosaur.
Ahhhh, life with boys.  :-p

The little stinker.

William having a blast at Monkey Joe's.

Oscar looking pensive in his blanket fort.

William enjoying his, "TONE!" (corn)

Back to the Children's Museum once again!  We had a blast before it was time for the kiddos to go to school in the afternoon.

The boys writing with lights.

Since there were no other kids there, the boys were able to
play in this area for a good 30 minutes without any
interruptions!  They had a blast!

William, hard at work and heavy lifting!

They loved making little forts.

Alex loves to watch himself up on the TV screen in the Arthur section.

There was a visiting monster exhibit.  In this part,
you had to smell inside the monster's mouth to see if it smelled
good or was stinky.  This one, thankfully, smelled like vanilla.  :-)

Alex working with one of the museum employees,
to make a monster of his own.

William enjoyed making a felt monster.

Alex, proudly displaying his monster.

Our silly guys :-)

I woke up to Oscar, my "dogband" (dog husband), like this.
Once Joseph leaves in the morning, Oscar jumps up in bed,
(if he isn't in there already), and takes Joseph's spot.  He tucks
himself under the covers and positions himself like this.
Hilarious!

I promised you a catch up, didn't I??  This was all of the fun that we had in the month of September.  What a wonderful mixture of beautiful weather and lots of fun before the boys started back to school.  The next post will be all of our fun from October, so bear with me on the long posts until I catch up to present day.  Until next time...

Love and kisses,
Nikki