Seven is Heaven

Mario Kart heaven, that is.




Skittles and the just-received toy from Grandad and Connie helped cover up my predictably sub-par frosting job.





Thankfully, even seven-year-olds with gigantic green casts don't seem to mind.


We had planned to do a friend party this year . . .  and then Benito broke his arm.  Thankfully, we hadn't reserved Off the Wall soccer arena yet, or I'm pretty sure we would have lost some money on that.  We hadn't even sent out invitations.  Everything was in the works, however, and B had been really excited.  In fact, one of the first things Bennett said to me in the hospital was that he wanted to do a friends' party next year when his arm would be better, and that he'd rather have a family party this year.  Gratefully, all our local family obliged, making our broken-armed kid one happy birthday boy.




Uncle Stephen and the twin that likes him.  The other seems to have an aversion to his beard.

 
Sometimes I wonder if my kids realize how lucky they are to have so much family in the area.  I didn't grow up near any cousins, aunts, uncles, or grandparents (wait, that's not true.  Grandma Marshall was there until I was nine), and I know I definitely would have loved to have more of them nearby.  Our numbers happily increased this fall when Kendra and Joseph (plus two adorable twins) relocated to San Jose.



The whole crew, minus photog Aunt Kristi





Legos--yes!!  This kid has become truly addicted over the past six months.

 

Might as well face it,

she's addicted to books.

Such a common sight in our house:




Please notice the books on the floor. 

 

 Millie loves to read all her books to herself outloud. 

It's fun hearing her version of all the old board book stand-bys.




Putting those books back on the shelf is THE biggest exercise in futility, because it lasts about five minutes, if that.

 

She typically doesn't like to be interrupted when she's in her reading groove. 




My little dirty-faced bookworm

 

"Mommy, go away!  I'm reading"




What a pill, intentionally closing her eyes when I want to take her picture.

 

Leaf Monster

We've had some serious wind this week. Well, maybe not as serious as L.A. or Utah where my friends' kids aren't going to school, but serious enough for all the leaves on our trees to be blown off and amass on our front lawn. Serious enough to make one gigantic leaf mountain. And serious enough that I couldn't figure out why Stephen kept asking me to come jump in the leaf pile when I got home from my run yesterday. Until I saw this:


Wouldn't this make a great album cover? 





Buried alive





Miss Little Barefoot looks like she got a few leaves in her mouth.






Eating leaves is gross

 




Shake it off, buddy, shake it off

 

Elephant suits rock

It started in the van. You know how you turn up your favorite songs and sing along? This has been one of mine lately, and Millie has taken a liking to the easily-repeatable chorus. She was asking for "Paradise" yet again the other night, and we discovered this little gem:

Now she's addicted to not only the song but the music video!

One holiday late

I realize that tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I'm just now posting about Halloween. Maybe you'll see some turkey pix on Christmas. Wouldn't that be fun?

You know the Halloween drill: ward party (we snatched Liz on her way home from a soccer game), school parade, trick-or-treating. This year, we decided to hit the grandparents' neighborhood (same one where Stephen grew up) with all the local aunts, uncles and cousins. The kids collected some serious loot and thoroughly wore themselves out. Millie wouldn't even take a break to sit in the stroller we brought along for her, insisting on walking up to every house by herself. She really does think she's a big kid.

Am I the only one

 . . .  who didn't know you can make cinnamon rolls without using yeast?  Quite the revelation, thanks to America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook, one of last year's Christmas gifts that I spent some time exploring last winter (and then set aside for the summer/world's longest cooking hiatus).  So far every recipe I've made from this book has been well-received by everyone at the table, including Senorita Pickypants herself.  If that's not recommendation enough, I don't know what it is.

After having success with their dinner recipes, I thought it was time to check out their treats.  I saw this one and wondered about rolls sans yeast.  Could it really work?  Skepticism lingered as I perused the ingredients and noticed a little whole-wheat flour and whole lot of buttermilk (in place of some of the butter).  I have been disappointed by whole-wheat flour in past baking experiments, and while I love me some good buttermilk in Grandma Myrtle's Chocolate Sheet Cake, I questioned how that tangy flavor would taste in cinnamon rolls. 

Curiosity eventually won out and I found myself buying buttermilk at the store.  Not that having all the ingredients in the house means I'll actually make what I bought them for, however.  Does anyone else do this?  Wait to be RE-inspired to cook/bake something you previously felt so excited to make?  It's ridiculous how often this happens to me.  It's even more ridiculous how often those purchased ingredients go to waste because re-inspiration never strikes.

Bennett had a "Break the Bread" activity with all the other second-graders today, which meant bringing some kind of bread to share.  This seemed the perfect opportunity to put that buttermilk to use.  The result surprised me, I'll admit it.  Moist, not-too-wheaty, not-too-tangy, delicious cinnamon rolls.  Who'd have thought it? 

If you're interested in trying them for yourself, go here for the recipe. 

Reunion Review

by Bennett

I have a knack for finding cousin buddies, whether on my mom or dad's side of the family. It helps that there are boys close to my age, and it's probably no coincidence that they're very active and competitive like me. We are related after all.

A list of my faves:

1. Ping Pong. I got in some quality playing time with Braden and Jaren, two guys I seriously wish lived closer than they do.  They play and talk and watch sports the way I do!

2. Monopoly. I'm in love with this game and can't stop asking Mom and Dad to get me my own to play at home. I learned the ropes from Kati and Solana, who patienty played with all us younger cousins.

3. The waves and water guns.

4. S'mores and puppy chow.

5. Hangin' on the beach with the whole family.