Magic

I made myself some butternut squash soup for dinner tonight using the baby food maker. Talk about smooth. And nummy. I waited until the kids were in bed to make it because I wanted to be able to eat in peace. Imagine my non-surprise when, just as I sat down to enjoy my meal, Big walked out of his room and announced that he was too hungry to sleep. 


So, we sat at the table together and ate-- Big a banana and me my soup. He was enthralled by how effortlessly I crushed my crackers one handed above my bowl. 


Big: "That's amazing. How do you do that?" (he motions a cracker crushing motion above my bowl)


Me: "Magic."


Big: "It must be."


Me: "Yup." 


Big: "Do you think I'll be magic when I'm older?"


Me: "Probably."


Big: "Cool."


Then he finished his banana and I tucked him in. Sleep well, Big.

Friday Favorites: Is This Getting Old Yet?

1. On Saturday, I helped Pen throw a fabulous costume birthday party. All 5 of the friends she invited were able to come, and if the amount of laughter is any indication, they had a great time.

2. We really had some nummy food over the weekend-- salmon on saturday night and sweet potato gnocchi on Sunday. I'm glad I can cook. 


3. I got home from taking Pen to ballet on Wednesday to find that Rophone had taken the kids on a walk and was getting some things done in the yard. Awesome. It was great to be outside in the lovely fall weather. I love this time of year.


4. When the kids were outside on Wednesday, they discovered how much fun it is to ride the tricycles up our driveway and then coast down the steep incline, coming to a stop in our oversize garage at the bottom. I am more than happy with how much time they have spent doing that since then. 


5. I got my flu shot yesterday, which means that the whole family is now good to go. It gives me peace of mind to know that we're doing our part to help keep Rophone healthy while he's on these immunosuppressive medications.


6. We are in the midst of a 4 day weekend. It hasn't all gone smoothly (I think the kids need to get used to being around each other so much again), but I love the break from having to do the morning routine.  


7. I took the kids on a great hike yesterday afternoon. A real hike, not a halk. It was beautiful and the cold breeze coming down the canyon was refreshing. Hiking 40 minutes uphill definitely wore Big out, though. He was conked out in bed by 6:40 with all of his clothes on and he didn't wake up until 7:30 this morning. (I'd guess the fact that he rode his bike up and down our driveway all morning and took it upon himself to weed the yard for almost an hour also contributed to his exhaustion.) I'm just happy that, even hauling Edith, I was barely out of breath and don't even really feel sore today. We're definitely going again.


8. Oh, and I'm proud of myself for taking all 5 kids on a hike yesterday all by myself, instead of just thinking about doing it but not doing it. It can be done. And enjoyed.


9. I made some really good blueberry muffins this morning. 


10. My mom surprised me with a gift ladle today because she knew I didn't have one. Thanks, Mom!


11. I genuinely really like my husband and kids. I know not everyone can say that, so I'm glad I can.

Friday Favorites: One Day Late

Oops. But I was actually out living life rather than just writing about it, so it is what it is. 


1. I already posted about it, but we went on a fantastic halk over the weekend. If you want to know what a halk is, you'd better read about it.


2. We spent a lot of time as a family last weekend. That's always the best. 


3. Bud had a great week, getting to go on two field trips-- one to go bowling and the other to do PE in the big football stadium at the local university. Fun stuff. 


4. Big and I spent some time working in the yard. The area we focused on looks great, and working always makes Big happy. A win-win.


5. We had dinner with my mother-in-law and her sister. It was good to see them and the new-to-us pizza place we tried was nummy.


6. My brother, Rib, and his family were in town this week. We finally got a chance to hang with them last night at my folks. The kids loved seeing their cousins and eating s'mores. Rophone and I got to go back over after the kids were in bed for some adult conversation and laughs. We haven't had that in a while, so it was fun. 


7. Rophone is still on the mend and isn't back in the hospital. Yay! The fact that he seems to be heading in the right direction makes me happy. We hope it continues. 


Guess we'll see what happens next week.

The Raspberry Breakfast

The blowing of raspberries has made a resurgence around here, probably because Edith has learned a new technique. Instead of keeping her cheeks tight, she has learned to let them fill with air and puff out. So much fun. It can make feeding Edith a bit of a challenge at times, though. And it can definitely get messy.


"It's like I have a compulsion, Mom. I can't seem to help myself."

"Seriously. Do you know how I can stop?"

"I'm really hungry and I'd like to keep more of this food in my mouth."

"Oh, no! I feel the urge coming on..."

"Aaaagh!"

"I just can't fight it anymore."

"Here we go again!"

"Whoa. I am so out of breath!"

"Okay, one more with the cheeks puffed out. You'll be impressed with this one. Do you think it makes my nose look smaller?"

"I need help. Do you think they have a 12 step program for this? I just feel so ashamed of my addiction."

We'll see what we can do, Edith. 


**Photos posted in the order they were taken, Edith told me what to write. 

The Halk

Over the weekend we went on a hike. Well, sort of a hike. Because we're trying to keep Rophone from overdoing it, we went to a place where the paths were paved and not too strenuous. I guess that makes it more of a walk. But it wasn't just a walk, it was kind of a hike. Looks like it's time for me to coin a new term for the hike/walk. The Halk. 


It was a lot of fun, despite the fact that a few people there had brought their dogs and had them on those extend-o-leash things. Not good when you're on a path bordered on both sides by water and one of your kids is scared of dogs. Freaked out by dogs is more accurate. 


Because of this fear, Bud pretty much kept us moving at a frenzied pace, stopping only briefly to enjoy our surroundings before rushing on, looking around wildly as he went to be sure no dogs were getting too close. It was making me feel a bit anxious, too. And snippy. Sorry, kids, that I got a little ornery. All I wanted to do was take a few pictures and our spastic hiking halking style was making things difficult.


I mostly managed to take photos like this:

I tried a bunch of times to take a picture of the boys touching the freezing cold water, but Bud was afraid to pause for too long. 

I was able to snap a few shots along the way anyway, although Bud looks shifty-eyed or ready to run in a lot of them. He had to keep a worried eye out for dogs as he posed. Poor kid.

Wait, here's a good one. No dogs in sight!

We made the boys climb in a tree while one dog went by on the path. The distraction worked.

For a minute, anyway.

Then we went on our speedy way. Don't leave us behind, Bud!

Things were going swimmingly...

...until Bud inadvertently took a swim. Well, not a swim, really, but one of his siblings bumped him in. Having one foot and leg wet with freezing cold spring water didn't feel too good, I'd say. Just a guess. Poor kid.

Bud still managed to squish his way into the lead to maintain our pace, however.

Ginger obliged me and my request for a shot as we went. Thanks, Ginger. You look gorgeous.

Edith is a little outdoor girl and loved being out. Not that you can tell by her expression.

We all survived. Really. Even Bud had a little smile to give at the end of our halk. See?

It was just so nice. Getting out felt so good, and the drive up and back was beautiful. I am now going to add even more pictures to this post to prove it. Lucky you.

We hope to get out for a few more halks before it gets too cold. Hopefully we can find a more secluded place with no dogs the next time around. Yeah. That would be good.

Living on the Edge

I dressed Edith in one of her many hand-me-down outfits yesterday. As I watched her, I noticed that she couldn't stop doing this:

It was then that I really took stock of the outfit. Hmmm... baby clothes covered in buttons. I've dressed my child in a choking hazard! 


"That doesn't sound too good, Mom."

Well, it's not too good, Edith. But, you look really cute in it, so I guess we'll just have to live life on the edge and let you wear it. 


"Um, Mom? Don't you know that clothes have buttons all the time? It's not that big of a deal."


Seriously, Edith?


"Seriously. It will be okay."

Okay, thanks for the reassurance, Edith. Now leave that loose button on your pants alone until I can resew it. And no stealth picking of buttons when you're supposed to be napping! Man, I have a headache. And I think I'm breaking out in a cold sweat. 


This living on the edge thing can be stressful. 

Friday Favorites

I almost forgot to do this. Thank goodness one of my faithful readers reminded me. 


1. Last weekend was fantastic. Because of Rophone's recent hospitalizations, he was excused from working Conference. For the first time in 5 years! Instead of Rophone being gone the whole weekend, working about 35 hours in the two days, we were all together. So much more relaxing and uplifting. 


2. On Saturday, we went and visited Rophone's grandma. She will be 105 this month. It has been far too long since we have gone to see her, so it was nice to say hello.  


3. Pen turned 13 on Sunday. (Another good thing about Rophone not having to work was that he was here to celebrate with us. He missed her birthday last year, so we are glad that he didn't have to miss it a second time.) I can't believe that we have a teenager in the house. Crazy!


4. Rophone and I stayed up far too late one night this week, talking of our hopes and dreams for the future. The staying up too late part wasn't the smartest, but I love that Rophone and I still enjoy talking so much. And our conversations always reaffirm the fact that we are on the same page and hope for the same things. A good thing to know.


5. Edith started clapping her hands together today. It's super cute.


6. We managed to find both Ginger and Pen some new Sunday shoes this week. Not an easy task. Ginger wears an 8 already (at age 10) and Pen wears an 11 (yes, an eleven!!). Somehow I have the feeling I'm going to be the shortest in my family. Anyway, I always feel a sense of relief when we get them outfitted.


7. I enjoy hanging out with my family. I'm glad we get to do things together as much as we do, and it's the weekend again. Hooray!