“Turn on the Speed!”

We have had lovely spring weather for the past few weeks. Saturday we took the kids on a bike ride around the neighborhood. As we were leaving Parker turned to Adam and said, “Dad, I’m going to turn on the speed!” True to his word, he sped off and then stopped at the stop sign to wait for us. As an aside, we’re working on bike etiquette and rules since the freedom of wheels underneath him is a bit intoxicating for this little boy. He frequently rides off into the sunset, and it requires one of us cutting him off at the pass to catch up with him. He may not be getting his driver’s license at sixteen. Anyway, after he “turned on the speed” we continued on our walk to the kids’ favorite hill. On the way down the hill, his speed got the better of him and he hit the pavement, HARD. Luckily, the doctor was in, and after a bath and some antibiotic ointment, he was on his way to a full recovery.

All Aboard!

See if you can follow this train of thought. On Sunday Madelyn said, "Sunday dinner is my favorite." Adam responded with "I really like Sunday meals too." Parker jumps in with,"Yeah, and when I go to the mail box I get the male and when Madelyn goes, she gets the female." I would love to spend a day in his head thinking all his thoughts. Meal+mail+male+female=a great ride on the Parker Express!

Making a Splash

Winter is still very much alive and kickin' here in our part of the country, but yesterday Madelyn and Parker started swimming lessons. It seemed a little strange to bundle them up in full winter gear and head off to swim, but that's exactly what we did!

Parker had not done lessons yet and felt a little nervous, thinking he might have to put his whole face underwater for 20 minutes straight (that's the preschool equivalent of .1 second), but it didn't take him long to figure out the water was warm and that this would be a great way to spend Saturday mornings for the forseeable future :)

Madelyn did a great job as well. Her first swim lessons were when she was just younger than Parker and it took several lessons before she stopped crying and was willing to loosen the vice grip around the teacher's neck when she was in the water. Oh what a difference a couple of years makes! Yesterday she got right in the water and within minutes was going across the pool holding onto nothing but a noodle. I can't wait to see her progress!

In other news, namely the kitchen, I tried a new recipe this week that I came across on the blog http://www.chocolateonmycramium.blogspot.com/ (how could I not love a blog with that name?!) It was wonderfully simple and I thought I would pass it on.

Triple Chocolate Brownies

1 package (3.9 oz) instant chocolate pudding

1 package (18.25 oz) chocolate cake mix

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Prepare pudding according to package directions. Whisk in cake mix. Stir in chocolate chips. The mixture will be very thick. Spread into a greased 10 x 15 x 1 inch cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until top springs back. Dust with powdered sugar. Makes 4 dozen.

They are lighter than a traditional brownie, but are wonderful nonetheless.