Breaking The Rules

Yesterday as I woke up, I quickly realized how busy the day would become. Brady had a dentist appointment at 8:30, which meant that I had to bring all 3 boys along. It also meant that Brady and Logan would be late to school, so I brought along the school's phone number, to let them know.

We rushed through breakfast, getting dressed, and brushing teeth. I packed up lunches, grabbed backpacks, and stuffed 3 tired boys into the van and off we went. It was wet, hazy, and humid outside, much different than the day before, our wonderful Easter sunshine and warmth., but I knew the forecast was for a wonderful, warm and sunny day. And I didn't want my boys to miss out on it.

As we pulled into the dentist, Marshall still eating his cereal, I asked the boys if they wanted to just skip school for the day. And, once the cheering subsided, I called the school to let them know that the boys would not be there. I was actually allowing my children to miss a day of school only for the purpose of enjoying a beautiful spring day--and it felt GREAT to have the power to do it :).

The appointment was quick, and had we not been taking the day off school, we would have only been about 20 minutes late. I didn't care, though, because upon returning home, we discovered that Daddy was also taking the day off of work--just to enjoy the weather with us.

The boys started the day by playing in the basement and driving buses around.
By 10am, the sun broke out and the day turned warmer.
We were quickly outside and Marshall was riding his tricycle down the sidewalk and around the lake. Brady and Logan were on their new electric scooters in a flash too! (Both boys decided to spend a potion of their savings on electric scooters last weekend, and they have not regretted their decision for a moment).

We made a short trip across town to buy a bike for Marshall from a Craigslist ad, and then returned home in time to meet a couple of ladies who were purchasing items that we had posted on Craigslist (we ended up $2 ahead between what we bought and what we sold).

Next, Marshall tried out his new bike and Peter attempted to help a lady install a car seat into her car, while I packed picnic lunches out of leftover Easter salads and buns.

We took our lunch across town to one of our favorite new playgrounds, which happens to be located at the best park for blocking the wind while you eat :). We ate lunch, played on the playground, and then walked on the wooden boardwalk across the street to another park. We played again and climbed the big rock there.

Pine Knoll Park, first picnic of the season

Get ready to be dizzy!

Vermillion Grove Park, giant rock



At the top of the rock, Vermillion Grove Park

Next up, Peter grabbed some gas for the car, while I unpacked lunch, switched the laundry, and gave the big boys back their new scooters to ride. Peter and I tossed the football around some, and then he pitched the ball to Brady while I fielded it (boy, can that boy hit the ball!). Logan rode his bike to a friend's house for awhile, and Marshall took a break from the sun to watch an episode of Mickey Mouse.

Once the laundry was folded and put away, we ate dinner, and then headed out for a family walk around the neighborhood. The big boys took their scooters again and our very tired Marshall opted for a ride in the stroller this time around. We walked to another park, looked for the ducks, ran into some friends, and then came home.

To end our wonderful day off, we got into our jammies and watched an episode of The Price Is Right that we had recorded from earlier in the day.

The 2 things that I learned today were these:
1. I LOVE warm weather and sunshine.
2. I can't wait for summer days with my boys home all day!

It's Too Cold Outside

It's impossible to believe that just last Friday, Marshall and I made our first trip to the park. It felt warm out and we did not even wear light jackets. Brady wore shorts at his track meet that night too.

Yesterday parts of the metro area received nearly a foot of snow! Luckily, down here in Farmington, we did not see even a single snowflake.

But, it's COLD today, so I made a huge crock pot full of chili for tomorrow night's dinner.

This Chili has become a fall favorite at our house, and even though it is clearly spring now, I thought I'd share the recipe.

Three Bean Chili

30 ounces canned diced tomatoes
2 stalks celery, diced
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, diced
1 tablespoon chili powder
15 ounces canned black beans, drained and rinsed
15 ounces kidney beans, drained and rinsed
15 ounces cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup brown sugar
29 ounces tomato puree

(If you like your chili more spicy, you could also add the optional teaspoon fresh jalapeno, teaspoon ground cayenne, teaspoon of paprika, and teaspoon of cumin)

Place all ingredients in the crock pot and cook for 6 hours.
Serve with fat-free sour cream and reduced fat cheese for a healthy, hearty dinner :).

The View From Here

Welcome to Spring!!
I am beyond thrilled to report that we have been playing outside lately.
Baseball have been thrown, chalk pictures have been drawn, the Cozy Coupe has moved back outside from it's winter home in the basement, and I have started running outside again.
The boys are back on their bikes and trikes and scooters, and Marshall and I are going to some garage sales tomorrow already.
It hasn't exactly been what I would call "warm" outside just yet, but being able to wear a light jacket and walk on dry ground is a wonderful start.

Our duck has returned and is now laying on her eggs most of the day. She has done such a great job of covering them this year, that it is very tough to see exactly how many she has already laid.

It is wonderful to see the backyard grass again. I am happy to report that there is NO snow anywhere in our yard (or neighborhood for that matter).

These beautiful white birds have been out on the lake all day today. The last of the ice on the lake melted a couple days ago. There was even a lady out in my backyard today taking pictures.

Marshall celebrated his 4th birthday a couple weeks ago. Among his gifts was his favorite book of all time: Betty Bunny Loves Chocolate Cake. We just finished reading it a couple minutes ago.



And last, but certainly not least: My newly toothless Logan.

On Monday morning, I received a call from the school nurse. She told me that she had Logan in her office and that there had been an accident at recess. She went on to tell me that Logan had been hit in the mouth with a hula hoop and that one of his teeth was knocked out.
Upon hearing the news, I was not surprised, since his tooth had been quite wiggly for quite some time. But then, she told me that the other front tooth was also quite loose and bleeding.
Marshall and I went to the school to pick up Logan and then onto the dentist to make sure the first tooth had come completely out and that the second had not been fractured.
After waiting for over 2 hours, Logan left the dentist with another tooth missing. Our dentist suggested that they pull the tooth out, since it was so wiggly and since the gums around it were so inflamed. This was my first experience with nitrous oxide (laughing gas), but Logan was a champ!
The best part about the whole experience for him was missing a day and a half of school and collecting his "tooth fairy" money from Daddy and Grandma and Grandpa :).