Good teachers and yummy meals!

We got a little surprise when we went to pick up the triplets from school today. I guess we don't have "those kids" after all. They can be a handful for us, but it seems they already are behaving better for everyone else. We had no idea, at drop off we usually say to ourselves "Poor suckers" expecting the teachers are in for a doozy with them.

Today the teacher asked if she could speak to us for a few min., I was a little concerned..."Oh what did they do now?" did cross my mind ever so briefly LOL. It was actually good news, sort of. She told us that the trio are doing really great, they aren't attached at the hip and are very nice to everyone. Then she said maybe a little too nice, and asked if she could give us something to take home. She went on to say how our kids default choice in an argument with the other kids is to just give up and give in. She said not to get her wrong, if you are going to have a default that is the one to have...instead of say hitting or fighting over things. Though she worries that they are pushovers and wondered if we would try working with them at home to come up with other peaceful solutions than just giving in. I was both impressed and surprised. Surprised that my pretty rough and tumble, at home anyway, kids were not standing up for themselves. And very impressed that Teacher Bonnie...who has known them all of 2 weeks, not only picked up on it but came up with a plan to try and help them grow and learn how to deal with situations in different ways. Pretty awesome!

The kids, all 4 of them, love pick up time. We have been trying to take advantage of the remaining nice weather and spend a half hour or more playing at the playground before heading home.

Hayden giving Jericho a ride.

So happy together :)

The big kids new tool for working through their problems with others. Lots of options on here LOL.

Some of the trio's crafts from school.

After school snack...my own little concoction. Peanut butter, oats, flaxseed and chocolate chips. When the apples ran out, they shared using the spoon until all the dip was gone. The bigs even cut the little guy in on the action :)

Jason made a yummy dinner...and for once it is not anything I found on Pinterest...though I bet it is on there somewhere LOL.

Dr Pepper Ribs!

You'll need:
2 racks baby back ribs
1 2-liter Dr Pepper
1T chili powder
1C water
1/2T canola oil
1/2 onion minced
1 clove garlic minced
1/2 C ketchup
2T Worcestershire sauce
2T apple cider vinegar
1/2t cayenne pepper
salt and black pepper

How to:
-Place ribs in a baking dish large enough to hold them comfortably. Pour enough soda to cover, saving at least 1/2 a cup for the BBQ sauce. Add 1/4 cup salt and soak for at least 2 hours or overnight in the fridge.
-Preheat the oven to 350. Remove the ribs from the liquid and pat dry. Discard the liquid. Sprinkle the ribs with the chili powder and return to the baking dish. Add the water and cover tightly with foil. Bake for 2 hours until meat is tender and nearly falling off the bone.
-While the ribs are in the oven, make the BBQ sauce. Heat the oil in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Saute the onion and garlic until soft and fragrant, then add the ketchup, worcestershire, vinegar, cayenne pepper and the reserved 1/2 cup of Dr Pepper. Simmer for 15-20 min until sauce thickens.
-Heat a grill until hot. Brush the ribs with the BBQ sauce and grill for 10-15 min, rib side down, on a cooler part of the grates. Flip over and cook on the other side until lightly charred and smoky. Remove from grill, brush with more BBQ sauce, and serve!

Mmm Mmm good!

I am a walrus. That line from Breakfast Club was all I could think of when Xander started blowing bubbles in his milk with his nose. Silly boy LOL.