Springtime Snow

Last Friday we had a spring snowstorm. Todd and I were so excited, since we felt that the balmy January and February we had left behind had cheated out of the full winter experience. Todd got home from work a little early, and we planned the evening. Playing in the snow for the boys (I excused myself from this being quite content with my warm and dry status), while I prepared dinner and hot chocolate and snacks.

The fun continued inside with "snow cones." (or snow bowls?) We had an unusual dinner- the boys had dinner, snow cones, hot chocolate all at once. Having snack time during dinner? Pretty efficient if you ask me.

And ending with something very difficult to catch on camera- a real Ethan smile.

Jack in the Kitchen

A couple days ago, I got to spend some rare one-on-one time with Jack. Ethan is usually the one who gets to help in the kitchen, but it happened that I started making a cake (the Banana Friendship Cake from Jewels' site), and Ethan was content to amuse himself for a bit, while Jack seized the opportunity to help out like he sees his big brother do.

He mashed the bananas ( I wish I had some audio of him- "Mash, mash!") ...

did some taste testing...

was distraught when he realized the bananas were not the end product, but meant to be dumped into the mixer...

decided playing cars with Ethan suddenly looked like a better idea...

then thought that maybe he could have the best of both worlds...

but in the end was happy with his work...

and so was his brother.

"I Caught a Baby"

This happened last week, but this was really such a sweet moment, the same day as the jam making session. Ethan has been doing this to Jack ever since he was big enough to play with without getting squashed. He runs up to Jack, hugs him, tackles him to the ground, and declares, "I caught a baby!"

Clearly, not really a baby any longer, no matter how much we'd love to think so.

And, as long as I'm doing some catch-up...

here are our seedlings at the end of week 3, the true leaves emerging, getting bigger, which means that it is time to...

thin out the extras...

in hopes that those remaining will grow strong.

All things pointed to jam

This wasn't what I was planning on doing today. Not at all. But one thing led to another, and before I knew it, jam was the agenda for the day. When I opened the kitchen shade this morning, there were bright red and yellow balloons flying in the sky, right over King Soopers. The Grand Opening! (Really, they should call it the "reopening," it's been there for years). So after breakfast, the boys and I headed over to see what amazing deals awaited us. Well, free Hawaiian sweet rolls for one. The nice man at the entrance handed a pack to me, and a pack to Ethan. And, strawberries! Lots of strawberries, ones that were actually ripe, unlike many of the sales. So we picked up a few pounds, browsed a bit, had a few samples, rode the horse, and headed home. Meanwhile, Ethan had eaten his entire pack of rolls, minus the little bite I had torn off for Jack. I had been wanting to make jam for the last month or so, since my supply from the time I made it with Deb was just about gone, but everytime I tried to plan a day for it, nothing would seem to go right. But today, today everything just lined up. The strawberries were the cheapest they'd been in months, the boys were heading toward their Plan B nap schedule, virtually guaranteeing me a full afternoon free, Todd would be at a Nuggets game tonight, so I wouldn't have to worry about having dinner on the table at any certain time, and the clincher- I'd been handed free rolls and a free baguette at the store- I think they were definitely asking for some fresh jam. Yes, definitely. So a few phone calls to Debbie later, I was on my way!

When the boys woke up, they had fresh strawberry jam and bread waiting for them. Oh how they loved it-yes, they loved it so much that Ethan asked for his next piece of bread with no jam, just plain please, Mama. Ha! Well, at least I liked it.

All of this jam making resulted in an unexpected, impromptu seasoning taste test. I had moved the spice rack to the table to clear some counter space, where Ethan found it, and asked to taste the spices. We made a little experiment of it, and recorded his thoughts in my notebook. I am clearly raising kids with exceptional palettes. Here are the results:

Chili Powder- It tastes (pronounced taste-ez) like a hot cookie.

Caraway Seeds- It tasted like a doggy.

Cinnamon- It tastes like a menu.

Marjoram- That tastes like...do you know what that tastes like?

What?

A doggy

Meanwhile, Jack starts getting in on the action- more, more, more

Dill- It tastes like a dump

No, really taste it- see what it really tastes like.

It really tastes like a dump

Nutmeg- That tastes like a dump

Do you know what a dump is?

No! What is a dump?

It's where you put your garbage.

Celery Seed- A dump TRUCK. I know what a dump truck looks like. It has strong wheels and a dump.

Basil- A dump truck

Cumin- That tastes like another menu.

So, there you have it. If you have ever felt confused about which spices complement which dishes best, this should clear things up for you.

Recipe for Dump Truck Doggy Hot Cookie Menu to follow.

Seedlings

Our little seedlings at the end of week 2. The peppers and the beefsteak tomatoes are finally poking their heads up. I think that I had too much moss over them, poor little guys.

This is usually the point where the seedlings go from perky and healthy to sad and discouraging, but I'm hoping that this year will be different. Any hints, Deb?

Baby Shoes

These are the baby shoes that I made to go with the blanket and bibs for baby Matthew. Todd and I are hoping that they like this fabric, cause once I got started sewing I couldn't seem to stop. (Just a sidenote- as I was finishing these up last week, Todd was sitting at the computer when I noticed a couple of his shirts that I had draped over the little rocking chair with the best of intentions to sew on a couple missing buttons. They have been sitting there a while. I started laughing so hard. Funny, isn't it , Todd, how I can't seem to find time to sew a couple buttons on your shirts, but I'll whip up a pair of shoes, no problem. Why are those buttons so intimidating?) Good thing he's such an understanding guy.

This is a really great FREE pattern from stardustshoes.blogspot.com. The pattern was really easy to work with, and came with clear, simple directions. I couldn't find the bonded fleece that the pattern called for so I used leather and some cotton flannel for the sole and lining. I think these are my new favorite baby gift!

Breakfast Time

I love breakfast time with the boys. Mornings are usually one of their most cheerful times of day, and they love coming down the stairs, around the corner, and peeking up at the table to see what kind of breakfast is waiting for them. Last Thursday they were exceptionally sweet, even though I had only Grape Nuts waiting for them... otherwise known as trout, bass, and bluegills with a bit of lake water...Mmmm! The boys ate their breakfast (rather, "fished" for their breakfast), and then errupted into one of their hugging fits- unfortunately, my camera was upstairs. Fortunately, once I came back down, camera in hand, the boys were happy to reenact the whole thing for me.

Pretty sweet, these boys.

Then, in the spirit of friendship that started the day, they went off to play cars together. They are at a new stage of play together, really able to communticate on a different level, and it is amazingly fun to watch.

Ethan playing the tractor tipping scene from "Cars." Hilarious!

Just a particularly sweet and harmonious morning. Gets me through the ones that don't go quite as well!