David went hunting today (cause it's Saturday and the only day he can really go play in the mountains with a clean conscience) which I totally understand. Normally I would make a fun day for myself and the kids but I happen to have come down with one of those cartoonish colds where I am sneezing constantly with watery eyes and a runny nose. So we are stuck inside as trekking around with 3 kids in the cold sounds like a good way to exhaust myself into a worse cold. So I feel like 'blegh' but am trying to find the energy to make some kind of deliciousness in the kitchen....what else to do on a cold day when we are stuck inside?
So today I made spaghetti. Spaghetti, along with being one of those words I never seem to spell right is such a fast comfort food to make. I happened to have some fresh basil which was my inspiration for it. I never think it sounds good, but I always end up eating far more that I probably should, and enjoy it heartily. It's also one of those food that I love the day after.
As I made it I recalled all the messy noodle dishes that Eli was fond of as a baby and so when Dallin woke from his second morning nap (he's been under the weather too) I thought it would be fun to let him try his first pasta lunch. I decided to throw some sauced spaghetti noodles in the blender to chop them up finely. Well as you can imagine I ended up with a nasty looking mess. Some of the pasta was blended into a thick gluey orange paste, while the some of it was simply cut into small pieces. It's looked gross, but Dallin was shrieking about the need for food (did I mention he is 18 1/2 pounds at 6 mos---he isn't starving!). So I dumped the unappetizing mess in a bowl, added a little extra sauce (LOVE Francesco Rinaldis Tomato Basil sauce--I can eat that with a spoon!) and begin to shovel it in. He continued to scream after the first mouthful....then paused and begin to grunt his well known commands to continue to shovel it in. It's hard to keep up with this hungry guy but he loved it! In fact when the bowl was cleaned out, he began to protest loudly....but here is a picture of him before the protesting got too angry:
What can I say? We Westenskows take our food seriously!
Well that is not entirely true. Preston would be happy to eat the same thing most days. You know I virtuously felt that I would NEVER have a picky child, because I would expose them to a variety of foods at a young age, but apparently some kids just don't care enough about food to care AND if you tell them they 'will have to make their own peanut butter and jelly sandwich if they don't want to eat what I made for dinner'--they are happy to do it! Preston's blood is probably made up of bits of jam, honey and peanut butter. Gosh, even though he is stubborn, I admire it a little too. He is much to busy with important things like building forts and creating drama for his transformers to act out, then to worry about the fact that he eats a variation of PB&J at least once, sometimes twice a day.
Eli on the other hand, is a food lover after my own heart. If I ask him to make his bed or clean his room he is like Alexander (and the horrible, no good, very bad day!) crying and lamenting that it is the 'Worst Day EVER!'. It generally takes him about four times as long as Preston to do a chore, because he feels the need to whine and drag his feet, and flop his head around every step of the way. The only time he does not drag his feet about working is when it comes to cooking. He can be in the middle of playing an exciting game and if I ask him to help me cook---he is in the kitchen ready, to peel, chop, pour, etc. at the drop of a hat! Ana, his youngest Aunt found a fabulous Chef outfit for him for a Christmas present...he takes his chef role very seriously as you can see...
So when all is said and done a Cabin Fever filled Saturday is at least interesting. I recognize that before I know it my boys will never spend a Saturday with me as they will be too busy with more important things and staying in watching Chronicles of Narnia and Harry Potter, eating spaghetti and bowls of cereal (not in the same meal) and building forts out of cushions and pillows behind the couch will be distant memories. As Dallin screamed in my face about the smallness of his lunch and my head felt like it was blowing up from all the congestion...it hit me that this time of my life will fly by and my cuddly baby boy Dallin will turn into a busy young man far too large to cuddle in my arms. And my big boys will only be checking in with the occasional phone call from their new grown-up adventures. But for now I have a sticky kitchen floor , energetic creative boys clamoring for my attention and really the happiest lot in life!
So I am off....off to help Eli write me a note (so far he has "Dear Mom, I hope next time we watch a movie we...."how will this end?) and summon the energy to make some pumpkin bread. I know I shouldn't have sugar but it sounds so yummy. That is why I love that I workout for a living. Gotta 'Liv' a little. ;)
PS the note ended with "...we can watch this.." and the note was wrapped around a star wars movie....something to look forward to with my little men!
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