Mini Vacation

 Lacking the energy or motivation for a real vacation this month, we were able to get away for a couple of days to Powder Mountain. And some things never change--my kids thought the spiral staircase was just as cool as I did as a kid.

 And the swimming pool was updated and much more cool. In addition to the big swimming pool and hot tub, they had a children's pool and a family hot tub. We spent our time tramping from pool to pool, splashing and learning to swim.

 She even decided to enjoy the splashing after twenty minutes of moaning.

 This is what June looks like in the tops of the mountains this year. No hiking for us. Too bad we forgot our winter clothes or we could have gone sledding.

But we had plenty to keep us busy indoors. PlayDoh, movies, and we even tried a game of Candy Land. Four of us started playing, and mom and dad finished. Woot woot!

Baked Oatmeal

Oatmeal. It's all right if you get to it right away. But wait a few minutes, and it's a congealed, gelatinous muck. Yuck. I don't like oatmeal. I never have.

But now I do. Spread the word. For the first time, oatmeal is delicious. It turns out with just the right texture. We did the brown sugar variation and my husband said it reminded him of apple crisp, without the apples.

Baked Oatmeal


1/2 c oil
1 c sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp baking powder
1 c milk
3 c oatmeal (old-fashioned, not quick-cooking)
1 tsp salt

In a large bowl, mix oil, sugar, and eggs. Add remaining ingredients. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Variation: Instead of oil and white sugar, use 1/2 c melted margarine or butter and 3/4 c packed brown sugar. Add 1/2 c raisins or cinnamon apples, if desired. Makes 6 servings.

Serve with milk and yum.

Oops.

Can you guess where we went this weekend?

I accidentally posted it on my "other" blog. (Don't you love it when people put quotation marks around things that don't actually need them?)

So go check it out.

Updates

No new pictures, sorry. I'll just give a quick update anyway. Life is keeping on. This cold rainy spring is sapping my motivation. I don't even have the motivation to go on vacation right now, and that's pretty sad. I did get some spring cleaning done last Friday, which was energizing, but there's always more to do...

Clara, having learned to walk, has now decided to revamp her entire outlook on life. Where before she'd want me to hold her all through large gatherings like church and family parties, she's now down and going. At a Mother's Day barbecue a few weeks ago, we caught her practicing going up and down the step into the house, climbing behind the grill, and into my aunt's waterfall. She's also decided to learn new words like jacket, uh-oh, and all gone. She's learned where her eyes are, and when you ask, she grins as she carefully points. It's hard to point to eyes without poking them, she has learned. She also likes the feel of eyelashes on her fingers. A month ago she would curl up her toes in protest when I put shoes on her, and now she brings me her shoes and lifts up her feet for me to put them on--she knows shoes mean she can go outside. In short, she's turning into a very fun little person.

Her brother is also a very fun little person. But he's three, and that brings its challenges. I'm trying to find the balance of letting him have his independence and still getting the obedience I need. Also, I need to teach him there are times to play and times to sit. I cannot get him to sit in sacrament meeting, or at storytime at the library. Things he will sit still for: television, reading books, and eating (sometimes). I went in nursery yesterday and he couldn't sit still even during snacktime. And since he's one of the oldest in there, he runs and the others follow suit. So, wiser and experienced mothers and grandmothers, how do I teach this kid to sit still?

Sleds are for snow? Who says?

 Somebody found the sled under the deck last week. Fun times.

Another day last week I was getting our garden ready to plant. With each shovelful of dirt, worms came squirming into the daylight. And Nathan was delighted. "Hey wormy, do you want to go on an adventure?" He carefully set a few worms on the sled and pulled them around the yard. "Are you having fun, wormies?"

Friday

Clara: new molars

Nathan: Olive Garden leftovers for breakfast

Me: Redbox

Happy Friday.

Luckily not all of us are slacking. Clara, in addition to new molars, is officially walking. She's so proud of herself. She's also learned to say baby and dog and kitty and momma (that one's copying Nathan), and Jesus. What a righteous kid.

The Easter Bunny has elves?

We wish.

We've had this large box sitting in our garage since the day after Thanksgiving, when I accidentally woke up at three in the morning and thought, Why not? I'm already up. And a swing set for half price was almost worth the loss of sleep.

I had this lovely idea it would not be there Friday evening and would magically be there Saturday morning for the kids' Easter egg hunt. Surprise!

Never mind that it was 37 degrees that night. Thirty-seven.

We did manage to get one swing  attached before calling it a night. Did I mention I have a saintly husband?

 The box was also a big hit as we finished assembling it Saturday morning. They couldn't wait for us to attach the slide before trying to climb it and go down.