How does your meat loaf?

When I was growing up, my mom made meatloaf into a, well, 'loaf.' She'd make it into the shape of a football and bake it in the same black roasting pan everytime. Her meatloaf was always good no matter how she made it. She'd sometimes put rice or stewed tomatoes in it, and she's always use canned tomato soup on top. My dad always enjoyed an 'end piece' and would rave to my mom that "This is the best meatloaf you've ever made" - every time.

As I grew older, I learned there were other recipes for meatloaf. I learned a recipe from a family for whom I used nanny. Theirs called for milk and dry onion soup mix - a recipe I adapted as my own.

When Bobby and I got together, he hated my meatloaf. He hates onion soup mix. He wanted his meatloaf dry and flavorless - just meat in a pan. A pan? Yes, a pan.

Bobby grew up eating meatloaf pressed into a flat pan and then cut into squares like brownies. This was odd to me. But I sometimes make it this way for him - for nostalgia's sake. No onion soup mix - just salt, pepper, bread crumb, Locatelli cheese, and egg and occasionally some ketchup or dry onion flakes. He seems to like it.

So, now when meatloaf comes up in conversation, I ask people "How do you make your meatloaf? In a 'loaf' or in a 'pan'?" The answer is almost always 'in a loaf'. See, I knew the pan thing was odd.
But it all tastes the same no matter how you shape it, I guess.

More tidbits

Alex says uh huh when you ask him a question. It's more like 'uh huh' (his voice goes up on the huh part) - not just uh huh. Hmm, you probably have to hear that one to get it, huh? It's very cute nonetheless.

Today I took the kids to the Halloween Store. Robert tried on a few hats. He said "Mommy, how do I look?" Before I had a chance to answer, he told me "I look very distinguished." I almost peed my pants. That darn Max and Ruby got him again! (I mean, I am guessing that's where he got it from anyway!)

Tonight Bobby and I were sitting on the couch. I leaned in to give him a kiss and Ava caught us. She ran over and climbed onto Bobby's lap. She pushed outr faces together and made a kissing sound. It really made us laugh, so of course she did it over and over. Too cute.

Sorry, wrong number...

When Bobby is away, I sometimes let Robert 'give him a call.' I supervise as he dials the digits to Bobby's cell phone - saying each number and watching him find and press each number with such precision. Then he gets to push "the green button" to turn the phone on and 'make the call.'

Tonight I watched him until the very end. Well, almost. I walked away as I announced the last digit - 7. I looked back and saw the he did in fact push the green button to connect the call and I reached over and pressed speaker phone. This is what I heard:

Man: "Hello?"
Robert: (very enthusiastically) Hi Daddy!
Man: Hi! How are you? (Me: hmm, that doesn't sound like Bobby.)
Robert: I miss you. When are you coming home?
Man: Who is this? (Me: its kind of sounds like our BIL Eddie. Bobby was out to dinner with him tonight - it must be Eddie)
Robert: It's me Daddy - Robert.
Man: Who? (Me: hmm, maybe we dialed the wrong number)
Robert: (proudly) Robert Trifiletti!
Silence.
Robert: Daddy? Why aren't you talking, Daddy? (me: okay we definitely dialed wrong)
Silence.

I took the phone and turned it off and looked back at the last number dialed. Sure enough, he had dialed a 4 instead of a 7.

Oops.

Trif Kids update

Alex says shoes, juice, cheese, fishy, upstairs, go, down and outside. He is always talking, but we never know what he is saying, He loves to turn off the television while Robert and Ava are watching. And he is always looking for trouble. My mom says he has 'mischievous eyes.'

Ava says Stop and cheese fishy among other things. She will point to her body parts if asked. She knows, hair, ears, eyes, mouth, teeth, tongue, and belly button. She uses anything she can find to use as a necklace, bracelet or purse. She is very maternal and loves her baby dolls. She is in desperate need of 'girly toys' but Santa will deliver this year, no doubt. She just started giving real kisses and there is a little boy in particular at the gym that she loves to kiss.

Both kids have a crazy appetite and will eat anything you give to them. Alex especially loves fruit of any kind. He will take whatever he is chewing out of his mouth when fruit is placed in front of him. Ava once ate a 4oz steak. Need I say more?

Robert knocked his front tooth loose a few weeks ago. He had compromised this same tooth last year and the dentist didn't seem concerned at that time. Now, it's very loose and discolored and I fear it won't 'hang around' much longer. We have an annual appointment with the dentist in a few weeks. She said she'll check it then, but if it falls out, there is not much that can be done.

Robert knows all of his upper case letters and most lower case, but he gets confused with b,p,q and d. He can spell his name with ease and is loving his new school already. He knows all of his colors and can count to 20. Is it too early to be counting on that Penn State scholarship?

Handsome Robert

About a month ago I taught Robert that "Boys are handsome" and "Girls are pretty." He caught on rather quickly.

Today over lunch, I explained that Grown up boys are called 'men' and Grown up girls are called 'women.'

After I explained, he said "Yes Mommy. And me and Alex are hamsters."

Where's that Lion Pride???

We are so proud of 'our' Nittany Lions here at the Trif house. The season has started off looking good so far and JoePa is still going.

During the excitement of this weekend's game, we chanted "We Are..."

Robert replied: "No, We Aren't!"

Take Two:

Me: "WE ARE..."
Robert: "No! We Didn't"

Guess this kid has a lot to learn in the next 15 years.

Ava said "TouchDown" and "Football" during the game. She'll be the one that only takes 4 years to graduate.

Alex didn't have to do much but look cute. He's gonna be a Penn State line backer some day!

House for sale

My mom and dad have put their house on the market. They have lived here for 30 years. It's the only 'home home' I have ever known.
My dad's health is not good and the house has become too much to upkeep. No one is happy about this decision. It's a very emotional time for us all. But we are all in agreement that it is going to be a hard experience whether done now or done 5 years from now.

I went to realtor.com last night and searched for the listing. When it popped up, my heart almost skipped a beat. My mom said she had the same feeling when she walked outside yesterday and saw the 'For Sale' sign on the front lawn.

I'm sad just typing this. I know they don't want to move. They love that house. It's filled with so many memories and so much love. I hope some day my kids will say the same about our home.

School Days

Robert is starting school on Tuesday. He will be attending the preschool program at our church on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. One of the neighbor's kids is in his class - it's so nice to see familiar faces.

This morning there was an open house - a chance for him to re-meet his teachers and get orientated. He seems very comfy there. We scoped out the cubby area and the coat hooks - He looked very carefully for his name, and was so excited when he saw it. We checked out the potty and played with the very popular train table. He didn't want to leave.

I am hoping this is a good decision. I was really happy with the school he attended last year and I was sad to pull him out. But the fact that this school is affiliated with our church is very important to us. We want the morals and values we are teaching at home to be reinforced at school.

Will post pics on Tuesday...

Robert and Mommy

2006

2008

Mommy in the same bathing suit... lol