Why is it?

That I always get the best nights sleep in a newly made bed with warm, freshly laundered sheets? I always sleep like a rock and have the most pleasant dreams.

That kids have impeccable timing? Like Miss K deciding to potty train two weeks before our vacation. And said vacation involves airplanes, public outings, and sleeping in beds at grandma's house.

That kids LOVE seeing themselves on video and in pictures? At what age does this become unpleasant? Because I am not loving reliving all of my past outfits, hairdos, and body sizes.

That Erin can walk so well on her tiptoes all the time? I can barely make it to church and back in high heels. I think the girl was either born to be a ballet dancer en pointe or a high heel fashionista.

That the calendar says April, but it still feels like winter? I'm really done with all the snow. Can we just please be done with this Sprinter (Spring + Winter) and get to the real springtime already?

That my Amish Friendship Bread won't be ready to make until the day I leave on vacation? I want some of that tasty goodness now. I might have to hurry the process by a few days. Does anyone out there want a starter??

Any ideas on life's most puzzling questions this week?

Squinkies

I think that fasting makes you hungry for sweets. Jeff has gotten in the creative spirit tonight and has come up with something quite unique. Little, square, yellow cakes filled with homemade cream cheese frosting. More than a Twinkie, but less then a cake. It's a Squinkie.

Jeff carefully creates the cream cheese icing for inside.

Then, like a skilled surgeon fills the squinkies to perfection.

The kids patiently wait their turn to try the new creation.





The reviews have come in...
Ethan says, "MMMmmmmm! I love it so much!"
Katelyn comments, "Good."
Erin says, "I just like the frosting."
Mom thinks it is a tasty way to have the frosting inside the cake. Less mess and rather delicious!

And Jeff thinks they are "Squink-tastic!"

Going Green

We get into our green around here on St. Patrick's Day. Clothing or food- nothing escapes the celebratory green. In the morning we woke to find the milk turned green by mysterious trickster Leprachauns.


The cute kiddos in their green shirts.

We made lots of green shamrock cookies to spread some green cheer to our friends and neighbors.

Erin enjoys a delicious green dinner including green crust pizza and green kool-aid.

Green is Ethan's favorite color. Could this day get any better?

And oh yes- the green Jello jigglers. Katelyn's favorite treat of the day.

FHE at the MOA

There are a lot of perks from living near a university. Mostly cultural and artsy things that we can enjoy for free or low cost. So this week for FHE we went to the Museum of Art. (A freebie!) They were having an exhibit by Walter Wick. He created the I Spy series. It was very fascinating. They had some of his sets and characters that he uses in the books. We went with family, which made it even more fun. (I have no idea what prompted Ethan's gangsta poses in these pictures. I hope Uncle Cam approves.)

Apparently there are some restrictions on when, where, and how you can take pictures in the museum. We had been plenty of times before and never had any of these sorts of problems. So YES, I did have a photo pass, and here is the picture to prove it. (Which I took with no flash in an approved area.)

So we didn't get many pictures in the museum, but afterwards we had a lot of fun finding an ice cream place. Note- the local creamery is not a good place to take your chitlins on a Monday night around swarms of college kids. After noticing the swarms we headed away from campus as quickly as possible and settled for somewhere with a little more local flair.

Oobleck-y Goodness

Last weekend Provo had a free science day for kids and their families. So we went. There were lots of cool experiments to watch and do, and some cool things to make. The kids made kaleidoscopes and ice cream. They got to see cool bubbles made out of dry ice and dish soap, go panning for gold, see the way cool mentos and diet coke reaction, and they played in oobleck. For those few who are not familiar with this awsome non-newtonian fluid- you are really missing out. Go ahead and google it sometime. It has properties of both a solid and a liquid. Since we were all so inspired by all of this great science, we went home and made some Oobleck for ourselves.

(Click on the picture to make it bigger.)

When pressure is applied it reacts like a solid, but is also liquid-like when there is no pressure. Katelyn was a little leary of getting all messy, but she did stick the tips of her fingers in and was so proud she had to show me. Ethan by far had the most fun with it. He played in it for about two hours. When it got too cold outside we moved in to a newspaper covered countertop. Which did little to contain the mess if you really want to know. Here's a recipe- but don't say I didn't warn you- it is VERY messy. But mess usually equals fun. At least outside and for kids.

Recipe: Measure 1 cup cornstarch into a container. Add 1 1/2 cups of water. Stir slowly. (You can add a few drops of food coloring if you want, but it was messy enough without it for me.)

Monster Truck Rally Recap

Ethan went with his dad, uncles, cousins, and grandpa to the Monster Truck Rally a few weekends back. They had a real loud time and apparently it was fun too. Ethan loved watching the motorcycles do tricks and his favorite monster truck was Backwards Bob. It looked like he was driving his truck backwards! Thanks to Uncle Mike for the awesome checkered flags and to Jeff for bringing the camera and taking pictures all on his own!

And in true Ethan fashion- all that excitement led to this:

His own Lego monster truck (named Airborne Ranger) complete with a motorcycle rider. Oh- and the earplugs that he wanted to wear everywhere including church. They got so caked with earwax that I threw them out when he wasn't looking. Shhh- don't tell!

The Band

Erin and K started a band. There is usually a drummer and a singer or two depending on how things go. They have their own style of music. Erin creates a few originals, but still loves to belt out the classics- like HSM songs. So here are a few pictures from their last practice on the stage (that happens to be Erin's bed) and a few videos as well. Truly classic childhood!

Here is a video of K singing: Short and sweet- but always better when you bounce the microphone around crazily.

Erin singing her original creation, "Very Good Day". K makes it a little bit of a duet for a second and Erin rocks it out with a great ending. (Disclaimer: No cute girls were harmed in the making of this clip, and the star asked me to post this specific clip to make sure everyone got their smile for the day :)

And one more for grandmas- Erin rocks the house with the classic "Can I Have This Dance" from HSM3.

**This footage has been provided by mommy cam of the Erin and Katelyn Band. Thanks for watching. CD's to be released sometime soon or maybe never.