Vacuuming Baby

I was trying to read to K and AJ when H managed to pull a flower pot off of the window sill. I hurried to clean up the mess before it was spread around by curious hands. After I had turned off the vacuum, I went to the stove to check on the soup I was making for lunch. I then heard H turn on the vacuum (although this is not the first time he has done that). When I looked over, he was vacuuming. We have a tank vacuum, and he was holding on to the shaft of the vacuum, near the head. He was crawling forward as he pushed it along the floor. I couldn't believe it, but he was mostly done by the time I could get the video camera out.

Feels Like Spring

While we were waiting for the bread to rise (see previous post), I took the kids out for a walk in the wonderful spring weather. The sun was shining, the temperature was above freezing, and the endless puddles were calling to my kids, begging to be jumped in.

Hunter all bundled up and ready to go. He refused to let me put mittens on him.

Kristen running backwards

Hunter finally fell asleep towards the end. I tucked his hands in so they wouldn't get cold(er).

AJ splashing in a puddle.

I never realized until this year that the sound of water flowing, splashing, laughing is also a sound of spring. There is still plenty of snow on the ground, but I am hopeful that spring is finally here.

Baking Bread

This winter, one of my goals was to improve my bread-making skills. Of course, this means that my kids would also improve their bread-making skills. I have made several loaves of bread since the beginning of the year, but I still don't think I have truly mastered the skill. Maybe I am a little harsh on myself, but I think I still need to learn what creates the different textures and crusts that distinguish the breads from one another. I have, however, come across some good recipes. One of them was a French bread recipe that my sister-in-law told me about. I did a little tweaking, and we came up with a fabulous recipe that the kids absolutely devour. Okay, I admit it, I do, too. It is this recipe that is on the menu for tonight's dinner.

AJ measuring salt

AJ stirring

K adding butter

Kneading the dough

More kneading

While we were baking, K told me that she will start with banana bread when she bakes with her kids. It warms my heart to know that she thinks so much of this time together that she wants to continue the tradition with her kids.

Rumblings

This weekend, we were inside, about to eat dinner when we heard a loud crack, followed by rumbling and a dull thud. The whole house shuddered with the noise. We wondered what in the world it could be, when Timothy said that it might be snow falling off of our roof. Indeed, it was. The weight of the snow that was drenched with rain on Friday, combined with the above-freezing temperatures, lessened the coefficient of friction enough that the weight of the snow was able to push it off the roof. These house-shuddering (and nerve-wrecking) noises were repeated randomly throughout the evening, night, and following day. It is rather alarming to wake up to what sounded like our own, personal avalanche, but knowing what it was helped significantly. Of course, the result is a pile of snow that follows the perimeter of our house. When I open the front door, this is what I see.


And this is out the back door. Notice that the snow reaches as high as the door handle in the back. You can't even see the rest of the back yard from this angle.

I haven't checked outside to see if any snow remains on the roof, but I can see piles out every window.

It is snowing again today. The good news is that we don't have to worry about the snow becoming so heavy that the roof collapses.