December 2, 2007
It has been awhile, I see, since I last posted to this site. Well, things have a way of getting away from one.
In the last month, what has happened? Well, starting with yesterday -- it snowed! Oh what a day! I woke up early to start making the baked donuts that I had promised to Xander. I got the dough made and rising before the boys and Tom woke. When they woke, we punched down the dough, rolled it out -- both boys helped -- then cut the donuts out using cookie cutters. Then for another rising. While that was happening, Tom read and boys played legos. Finally, after 45 minutes, it was time to put them in. I bustled around the kitchen and, being a nosy sort, decided to check the donuts... when I opened the oven door it was to see that the oven was on fire and the donut sheet on the lower shelf was blackening rapidly. I was rather stunned, staring into the oven but Tom swept in and proceeded to remove the burning bits to the sink. (We had made Chocolate Zucchini Brownies that day before and some of the dough had bubbled over onto the oven floor.) While Tom was scooping and carrying fire, I happened to glance out the window and saw... snow! What a perfect counter point!
We ate the somewhat underdone/charred donuts, sopping them well in sugar and butter. They were not great but the boys were so pleased to be eating their own product that they didn't care all that much. Afterwards, of course, they HAD to go out. There wasn't really all that much snow on the ground -- more a dusting, really -- but they were so excited... and even more so when Jason came out of his room dragging his new snow suit.
'Can I wear this, please?' he asked, face shining with hope.
I looked into the brilliant blue eyes and said 'Sure, why not?'
That meant, of course, that Xander had to wear his. So we dressed them in long underwear (after a trip to the restroom for each one) and struggled them into their suits and boots. And off they went to try and make snow balls and snow angels in the dusting.
When they came in, they played for awhile before we trooped over to the library -- Jason had completed (and more!) the library's reading contest (20 minutes a day for what worked out to about 15 days) and was eligible to pick out a paperback for his very own. We collected that, and a pile of loaners before heading home for lunch... and naps. The old ones in the crowd needed that -- and I was scheduled to go get a massage at 12:30 so we wanted them resting BEFORE I left.
When naps/massage were over, we looked out and... it had snowed again! This time there was enough snow to actually build the snow man of Xander's fantasy. (In the end, he had three heads because the first two fell off under the boys' helpful ministrations). When they came in, boys had hot chocolate and mixed snacks (Pretzels, chocolate chips and marshmellows). They then played and were read to until dinner time. We had planned to try a trip out for Christmas shopping but the weather was not helpful:>
Dinner was a mixed bag -- of left overs and pigs in the blanket. Xander ate the pigs, Jason the blankets and Tom some of everything. We then had, finally, Jason's building night where everyone sat on the floor and built with legos. Tom built a monster Titan, Jason a hero Titan and Xander and I played with mini-figs... that is, he told me what to build, I built it and he demolished it...
All in all, a good and peaceful day.
