Puddle Fun

Remember those cute raincoats and boots my mom brought the boys? Well it finally stopped snowing, at least for a few days, and we were able to make good use of those cute coats and boots. And what better way to make use of raincoats and boots than to go puddle jumping.

Jonathan started out just interested in looking in the puddles. But it didn't take him long to catch on to the idea that jumping in puddles is FUN!

I absolutely love those last two photos. They might be my favorites so far this year. I love the action that they capture. The pure joy of boyhood is written all over Jonathan's face. He had so much fun.

Even Jason got in on the fun. I took him out to a puddle and jumped while holding him. I wish you could hear how hard he is giggling. He had so much fun. I can't wait until next year when he can get out there and run around and splash with Jonathan.

Jonathan was absolutely soaked to the bone by the time we decided to head home. As we were walking home we could hear the squish, squish, squish of wet boots. It was so funny when Jonathan would run because the squishing got louder and faster. When we got home I took off his boots and...
dumped all the water out! I'm pretty sure we brought home at least half the water that was down there. After playing around in that muddy water Jonathan got a nice bath to clean up and warm up.

I'm Back

Finally, after what seems like forever, I feel like I have time to blog again. School is still incredibly busy and it probably will be until May. Mid-terms are over and I did fairly well.

My mom has come and gone but she'll be back in May just after school gets out. We had a great time while she was here. I still have several more posts, besides this one, about her trip in the works.

My birthday came and went and I had a fantastic time. We didn't do much on my actual birthday, just open presents. Dan got me new car speakers and installed them. I'm so excited! I have only had one working speaker in my car for almost a year now. Since I commute about 16 miles a day the music has been a little lame. I will be nice to have music with bass again!

Jason turned 11 months on the 18th. I can't be believe he's almost 1. Here is his 10 month picture with his bear to compare with 11 months, below.


Jonathan and Jason went to the Dr last week. Jonathan's asthma seems to be under control. The Dr said his breathing sounded great. Jason's ears are almost completely cleared up. There is no fluid in his right ear and just a little in his left. The Dr is confident that it will all be cleared up by his 1 year check-up. Praise the Lord!

And don't forget Kellsey's auction. Bidding ends today at 11:59 pm central time.

That's it for now but I'll be back tomorrow!

Baking with AG

In addition to the adorable raincoats, my mom also got Jonathan his very own apron. We do a lot of baking when AG is in town and he loves to help out. I need to include him more when I cook and bake when AG isn't here but so often I've already started dinner by the time they get home from school that there is nothing left for him to do. Anyway here he is in his adorable Hatley Dinosaur Apron.
The first thing he got to bake wearing his new apron was mommy's birthday cake. Normally mom and I go for a boxed cake mix but this year we got brave and made a cake from scratch. We made this Chocolate Cake. It was tasty but a little dry. Mom thinks we might have over mixed it but having never made a cake in the food processor before we had no idea what we were doing. I think we're lucky it came out as a cake and not a chocolate brick!
Jonathan thought the food processor was pretty cool. Sometimes loud noises freak him out but not this time. He just covered his little ears and watched the cake batter go round and round, maybe a little too long!
The next morning, after the cake had time to cool completely, it was time to make the frosting. We have used the same buttercream recipe for years. It's divine, I could eat it with a spoon.
1/2 cup butter
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
4 - 5 tablespoons milk or cream
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
Salt, a few grains
Cream butter; add sugar, gradually, stirring or mixing until well blended. Add salt. Stir in liquid, a little at a time, adding just enough to have a good creamy consistency. Beat until light and fluffy. Add flavoring.
This kind of mess is what will happen if you don't add the powdered sugar gradually. I put a little much in and Jonathan turned the mixer on to a high speed. Poof!
Of course everyone knows the best part of making frosting is licking the beater when you are done. Don't worry he thoroughly brushed his teeth when we were done.
Then he got the opportunity to try his hand at frosting the cake. This didn't last too long. We didn't add all the cream and the frosting was a little too thick to spread easily. He got frustrated and moved on to better things.
And of couse really the best part is the eating the cake. Jonathan decided to abondon the fork method and just eat the cake with his hands. Cute kid!

Back to the Daily Grind

My mom left yesterday after two full weeks here. We had a great time and I can't wait until she is here again in May. But for now its back to the daily grind. School starts again on Monday and I have a small project due Tuesday that I haven't started yet. I also found out the other day that I have to resubmit a paper for one of my classes because the teacher didn't like what I submitted. I'm super bummed about that because I thought I did a really good job. Oh well at least I get to resubmit rather than being stuck with a bad grade.

I have a really bad case of summeritis. I can't say senioritis because I'm not a senior yet but summeritis definitely fits the bill. I can't wait to sit on my deck, watch the boys play, and drink lemonade. I don't want to have to do homework everynight and read bunches of text books. I want to read a book for pleasure and not spend my day running all over the place for school. Ok I'm done whining, time to man up and finish out the semester.

I'll schedule some posts about my mom's trip with pictues for later this week. For now, to get y'all through, here's a picture of my cutie pie baby boy.