More busy days in Portland

Time to update here again!  So many days and so many pictures to share!  Unfortunately it will be done on my phone, so I can’t promise how it will look. Everything takes at least twice as long to do this way. I will not be proofreading. 

Last Wednesday was a bright, sunny day. There were no usual activities because of Veterans Day, so in the afternoon we went to a nearby park.  What a great place!  We had a really fun time. 

Scenes from around the neighborhood.  The hydrangea blooms are at Jeremy and Mike’s house. 

I caught this precious moment later in the day. 

I have done lots and lots of playing with the boys.  A big project while here was organizing the toys into clear tubs so the boys can easily find and put away their things.  We LOVE Jenga, and are getting really good at it. 

On Thursday afternoon Mike and the boys and I went for a brisk walk around the neighborhood. I loved it. 

That evening I made an old favorite recipe by Jeremy’s request - Grandma’s Casserole.  It was a big hit for everyone. I hadn’t made it in years. 

That day the chimney cleaners came, and after they were finished cleaning and inspecting everything, the fireplace was declared good to go.  Jeremy wasted no time. We had gotten firewood when we went to the hardware store that morning. 

While he built the fire, Natasha and I made a recipe off her phone. I had to change the recipe from metric, so that was a bit of a challenge.  The recipe was for a stove-top apple cake. I have never done a cake on top of the stove before, but it was such a delicious surprise.  It had a caramelly top when turned out of the pan. Perfect treat by the fire. 

On Friday I did lots of playing again.  I really enjoyed listening in on Daniel’s kindergarten class.  

The big anticipation of the day was decorating for Christmas. We realized when Brennan got up from his nap that he had kind of missed the word “decorate.”  He came downstairs asking,  “Are we getting presents now?”  But decorating was exciting too. 

I made oven BBQ’d chicken, baked potatoes, and stir fried cauliflower and broccoli for dinner. Takes a lot to feed this crew. There were no leftovers!

On Saturday we played some more, decorated some more, cleaned, and made food. 

Natasha and I made an apple pie, sloppy joes, and green bean casserole. And like my mom always did, I used the leftover pastry dough to make cinnamon rolls. Sooooo scrumptious! 

 

After such a big day, it was wonderful to relax in the decorated living room with the fire crackling in the fireplace.  We watched the amateur baking show “Nailed It” and laughed so much. 

Sunday was another big day.  The guys were reorganizing the garage while I raked leaves with the boys. 

Then the big production of the day commenced - making spaghetti, red sauce, and meatballs, all from “scratch.” 

Mike made his dad’s red sauce recipe.  They are Italian Villani’s, so you know it was an authentic recipe, complete with pork neck bones.  Never heard of such a thing, but it surely was delish!  

Natasha and I made my favorite meatball recipe. 

And then there was the pasta making. Jeremy has it down to a science. I have never made pasta, so I thoroughly enjoyed watching the long process.  Even the little boys had their own little jobs in the process.  It was so much fun!!

There was energetic music playing as we worked, and once or twice a dance party broke out right in the kitchen!

Monday was the day after.  The adults were tired and the children energetic.  By evening each boy had had the worst meltdown of my entire visit.  There are so many factors that play into the meltdowns, and I certainly cannot go into them here.  Parenting during the limitations of a pandemic is challenging for almost all parents.  All those challenges are magnified when parenting broken children. The needs are enormous. I’m proud of Jeremy and Mike for doing the best they can. There are many joys and much love. But “easy” it is not. It will be hard for me to leave. 

On Monday evening they added some things to the Christmas decorations in front of the house.   I made another favorite recipe from Jeremy’s childhood for dinner - Creamed Sausage and Potatoes.  Natasha and I made Jeremy’s favorite cookie recipe - Molasses Ginger Snaps. 

We ended the day with some much-needed relaxing by the fire and watching The Voice.  

My next post will be done at home on my computer!