Best Friends

Wesley loves when we visit the Kellers.  Saben and Wes are best buds.  Today, while my companion and I were visiting teaching Amber Keller, the boys played outside on the tramp.  We were on the porch when all of a sudden the boys burst out laughing and started running up the hill.  Can you see why they were laughing?

Something funny that happened this day was discovered just as we were getting out of the car at the Keller's.  This morning I put a hoodie with Wes' clothes.  I told him he needed to put the sweater on because it was still a little nippy this morning.  He came downstairs and we went to our first visiting teaching appointment.  The Kellers were the last stop.  Wes got out of the car, unzipped his hoodie, looked at my companion (I was still getting Madsen out of the car) and said, "Where's my shirt?!?!"  Yeah, he'd forgotten to put a shirt on.  Silly boy.

Pumping

Wesley learned to pump his legs a while ago on our porch swing.  Today, he pumped his legs at the park.  I'm excited that he knows how to swing, that his coordination is good, and that he'll be able to swing himself at recess (oh wait, I don't think the schools have swings - that's sad), but I'm still thrilled that he wants me to push him sometimes, too.  One day, he might not want me to push him, he might not want me to hug him, he definitely might not want me to kiss him, so I'll take all I can get now.

Happy Pi Day!

We enjoyed PItas filled with chicken gyros and Key Lime PIe.  Andy said, "It's PI day and we're having gyros?"  I told him I thought about making Shepherds Pie, but I know how much he dislikes it, so we're having PItas. He then said, "We could have had pizza PIes."  Guess he's right, but I really wanted gyros.

Key Lime Pie
3 cans sw. con. milk
1/2 c. sr. cream
3/4 c. key lime juice
zest from one lime
Mix and put in 9" graham cracker crust (I bought mine, I know, Mom, I could have bought 2 boxes of graham crackers for the price of that crust, but, Mom, it was on sale) and bake at 350 for 8-10" until tiny bubbles pop.  Cool completely.

Sand and Surf

We visited my in-laws this weekend and our neighbors came with us.  Sunday came and I was planning on taking the boys to church, when I pulled clothes from our basket (I had to use a laundry basket to bring our stuff since our luggage is blocked in our basement due to construction), I discovered I didn't have my Sunday shoes (I had asked Wesley to put them in the blue basket - he thought my blue shoe basket in our entry :P ), so because the Knox's forgot their church clothes all together and Andy was going to stay home with them to keep them company anyway, we all decided to enjoy one of God's greatest creations:  The Beach.  Maybe it's not the best way to spend the Sabbath, but I did try to keep in mind the majesty of it all and give thanks for it's beauty.

Maybe I'm a little overly protective in the 65-degree weather on a windy beach, but as you can see, neighbor Lyndsey is in shorts and bare feet while Wes is in pants, two sweaters, long sleeve shirt, shoes and two pairs of socks.  We later shed the orange sweater.

How is it that the beach makes the most wonderful backdrop for any picture?  I can't get a bad shot, and I'm not a photographer by any stretch of the imagination.

Wesley wrote his name in the sand, buried "treasure" marking the spot with an "X" each time, and looked for shells (sadly, most of the shell are broken on this beach).

Madsen experienced sand for the first time.  He picked up handfulls and let the sand slip through his fingers.  He only tried to eat it a couple times, but it was hard to get a good picture of his face because he was always studying the sand.

For all you animal lovers out there, Wes is not chasing the birds, he's just running to catch up with us.

There was a playground on the beach at the main entrance.  It almost blended into the scenery which I liked because it didn't mar the beauty of the beach.

Our family with King Neptune.

Oh, no!  An octopus has my baby!!

I wonder how much that lobster would go for at market?

Not one minute after I took this picture, Madsen was out cold.

 

Lounger

Wes decided to spend some time on the porch this morning.  I wish I had joined him.

Bi-Polar

It's hard to believe we were sledding 3 days ago.  Today it was 72 degrees and a perfect day for a picnic at the park.  Madsen enjoyed the swing,

while Wesley played hide and seek in this awesome bush.

There were some other children at the park, but they were "GIRLS!"  I visited with one of those "girls'" mother who has an 8-month old and whom I had seen at Story Time.  It was nice, really nice, to meet a new friend.  We have several things in common (teachers, from out of state, kids, likes and dislikes).  So, while Wesley played on the playground, I was having my own play date :)

Madsen's on the Move

Madsen started really crawling today.  He's been scootching, rocking, and crawling a few shaky "steps," but today he really moved.

 

And because of this new found mobility, this went up.  He crawled right up to investigate (the actual crawling was caught on video).

Now he understand he's trapped.

He's not a perfect crawler, yet, but is well on his way.

crash

SNOW

It finally looked like winter - 15 days before the first day of spring (cuttin' it kinda close, Snow, don't ya think?).  Madsen was intrigued, even after falling off the sled face-first into the powder.

We were going to sled in our backyard, we have a small slope, but then we saw our neighbors sledding down their slope and joined them.  Andy had purchased sleds for 75% off at Target a few weeks ago.  They got some good use.

The disc sled was great fun for Wesley.

He loved spinning around.  When he'd start face-forward, he'd end up backwards and vice versa. 

When the snow was gone from the hill, we headed to our neighbors front yard.  The slop there is shorter, but steep.  Wesley was good enough to take Madsen on his first sled ride.

By the time Andy came home, the snow was gone.  So, I think it quite apropos to say, "It was fun while it lasted."

Pasta Mania

We bought a pasta maker, some semolina flour, and got to work.  Wesley loved helping knead the dough and sending it through the pasta machine.  

He also loved how long the noodles were - extra long slurping :)

Basic recipe:  equal portions semolina flour to all-purpose flour, 1.5 eggs per cup of flour, knead until really stiff (15 minutes or so).  We added garlic and oregano to the dough (beat it with part of the eggs and kneaded the mix in).  Yummy.

Happy Baby

This is really our typical baby on a typical day.  Check out those chins!  :)

(do you see two teeth!)

Madsen is 7-months old today.  His accomplishments include sitting tall; getting into a seated position by himself; stage 2 foods; 2 teeth; rocking on all fours; scootching; bababa and mamama "words"; recognized Daddy, Mommy, Wesley, and Belle and turns to look at them when asked; potty trained (just seeing if you're reading); and taking a bottle.