Spring Break

As most of you know, I'm a nerd, and I really liked school. I miss it less than I used to, but one thing I will probably always miss is spring break. A week in the middle of the drab push through schoolwork, where you get to take a break, close your weary eyes, and do whatever you want.

But with kids, there is no spring break.

So I'm thinking back to a time when I did get spring break. In college, I had this ultra cool friend whose family had not one, but two beach houses. In Mexico. And for two years, we got to go to them.

 Road trip with fifteen friends, five days in the sun, making giant sandcastles, eating delectable Mexican pastries, looking at the marine life in the tidal pools and having your genius friend Kevin explain what they all were, watching the sunrise on the beach with your future husband. All for less than a hundred dollars. What can beat that?

Oh, Mexico. I miss you this time of year.

This year I guess our spring break was: last night for dinner we had crep, egg, jam, straiys, and bingo. For those of you not fluent in Nathan, we had crepes with egg, strawberries, and mango. And fresh-squeezed lemonade. That's about as tropical as we'll be getting for a while.

Greedy?

Two blogs, one person. A bit much? No matter. I have two blogs.

Because sometimes I want to think with my fingers, and I don't necessarily want to put it all on this, my family blog.

Although, since you now all know about it, this distinction really is moot.

So, anyway, if you want to check it out, I just posted a fascinating treatise on drinking.

Because, of all the things I should be doing, like cleaning my house, doing my editing project, transcribing family history tapes, and bathing, I chose to blog instead.

http://jillary.blogspot.com/

This never happens

Namely, this:

And especially, this:

Notice anything?

No binky. No shirt, either, but that was his doing. It got all wet when he was doing "water"--helping with the dishes. He wanted it off, and I was much too lazy to put on a dry one. What, you never let your sons lounge around the house shirtless in March?

I decided not to put him down for a nap after church so he'd go to bed at a reasonable time. Then I found him, sans binky, asleep on the floor at 6:30. I felt awful waking him up for dinner, but I did. Then, immediately after he was done eating, he threw a fit and I put him to bed. Time: 7:10. Accounting for it being Daylight Savings, his little body was thinking it was 6:00, but just couldn't take it anymore.1:00 church is hard on a little guy.

He slept long and deep until about 10:30 when we decided to try putting Clara, already sound asleep, in the crib in his room. She woke up, incensed. How dare we lay her down? Nathan woke up, also incensed. How dare we wake him up, and then not play with him?

And so for the next hour they yelled at us for being bad parents.

And here's the innocent non-sleeping baby, flashing a little "I love you" gang sign. At ten weeks, she's only a ounce and a half shy of Nathan's birth weight. And eight ounces bigger than my neighbor's baby who was born on Saturday. She's getting enormous.

She's also grown so much, she grew right out of her good sleeping days. I guess she's overcome the overwhelming sleepiness of a preemie, and now has entered the not-sleeping days of a newborn that I thought we had bypassed by her staying her first days in the hospital. So if you have any super-good baby sleeping tricks, send them my way. Please.

Life in a zoo

At first, we didn't realize we lived in a zoo. Or, if not a zoo, then at least a pet store. A pet store that has exactly two pets. When did we realize this? When, as we were both cooking dinner in the kitchen, and we would throw a ball into the living room to keep Nathan occupied. He'd happily run after it and bring it back for us to throw again. It was a great way to focus the pre-dinner hyperness without any whining. And occasionally, he'd carry the ball around in his mouth. This is when we realized, Nathan is a puppy that talks.

And boy, does he talk. He's been learning lots of new words lately. Today I realized I should not have taught him the word "beach" until his pronunciation improves. Likewise with "fork" and "fox." And "ants." But he is getting really good at talking. Last week we were trying to decide what to do with our evening (like, living with a newborn, you ever really have a choice) and asked Nathan if he had any plans. He thought about it. "Pwans? ...Nope." He said it so seriously, as if he had a slight clue what plans means. But he is really sure that he doesn't have any. 

He still has a great love for shoes of any size. For a few weeks I hid one of his boots so he couldn't put both of them on and then insist on going outside. And yesterday during sacrament meeting, in the interest of not having him throw a fit, I let him put both of my shoes on and walk up and down the bench. Shoes with three-inch heels. He did pretty good.

And Clara, she's a turtle. She still loves to be swaddled. So you get her all wrapped up and snuggy, and in the process of sleeping she somehow scrunches herself more deeply into the blanket. Then when you go back to get her up later, she's very cozy with only the top of her head sticking out of the blanket. Very turtlish, don't you think?

We took her for her two-month checkup last week. 7 lbs. 6 oz. and 21 inches, which is tenth percentile for height and zero percentile for weight. But, the nurse said, she is positive on the growth chart for term babies, and not negative. So she's doing good.When she's awake, she's starting to look around more and be aware of her surroundings. She was watching Nathan yesterday. And of course, she is pretty much the most adorable baby girl that has ever existed, even when looking sort-of undead (see below). And that is a non-negotiable fact.

Easy Breadsticks

1 Tbsp. yeast
1 1/2 c. warm water
2 Tbsp. sugar
Mix and set aside for 10 minutes

Add:
3 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt

Knead for 3 minutes; let raise for 10 minutes. Roll out directly on greased cookie sheet. Brush with melted butter; sprinkle with your choice of seasonings: garlic salt, paprika, Italian seasoning, parsley, Parmesan cheese. Using pizza cutter, cut into strips. Let raise 15-20 minutes. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

Usually when people ask me for recipes, I forget. And then I feel awkward about giving them a recipe six months after they ask for it. Which reminds me--I owe Devri a gingerbread cake recipe that she asked for in October...maybe if I get it to her soon, she and her family could enjoy a nice Easter gingerbread cake.

So Erin, here's the recipe. And feel especially loved that I remembered, the very next day, to give it to you. We use this recipe all the time, for breadsticks, pizza dough, stromboli, cinnamon pullaparts. All sorts of delicious from one easy recipe.