Yum!

Derek: Are the brownies ready?
Me: Does that look like cake (not brownies)?
Derek: No.
Me: (getting the pan ready)
Derek: Mmmm, yummy.
That's when I looked over and realized what he was doing. :) He just couldn't wait for a taste of the chocolatey goodness. Too cute.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

A few weeks ago I took the boys outside to play baseball. It was chilly and overcast, but that's how a lot of days are. They had a great time playing. I was impressed by Elliott's ability to throw the ball up and hit it with the bat. Derek generally uses the bat more like a golf club, but he loves to play!

Last week Brent got tickets to the IronPigs game. I was just going to take Elliott, but then Brent got another ticket, so I decided to go ahead and take both boys. (Brent stayed home.) I wasn't sure how it'd go, since last summer neither of the boys were very interested in the game. This time was totally different. They had a blast. Elliott doesn't usually like to cheer or get involved with the crowd. He got into it this time. Derek was awesome. When a batter was getting ready to hit, Derek would say, "Hit the ball!" Anytime a cheer would start, he would be ready to say it. He loved saying "Let's go Pigs." During the 6th inning, it started pouring, so the game was stopped. We headed inside and waited it out. It was a school night, so I didn't really want to stay too long (and really I figured the boys would have had enough after an hour or so, but that wasn't the case). After 30-45 minutes, the game resumed. By that time it was after 9. Most people left once the rain started. An usher took us back to our seats and dried them off for us. During the 7th inning stretch, the boys sang along with "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." Derek LOVES that song now. Then they played the "Chicken Dance." Elliott recently learned the dance at school, so he had fun doing it. I was holding Derek and dancing along. We were even featured on the Jumbotron! That was exciting. (Like I said, there weren't that many people in the stadium by then.) I told Elliott we wouldn't stay past 10. Right before 10, Elliott was ready to go. Just before we left, the other team tied the game 3-3. We were up 3-1 before that. I'm pretty sure the other team ended up winning. Elliott thought it was pretty cool when one of the batters broke his bat. Derek also loved the pig mascots (Ferrous and FeFe). Aside from the rain, the weather was perfect for a ballgame. It was 80 degrees during the day, so the evening temperature was just right! I am so glad I took both boys to the game. We all had such a great time.

As a bonus, the pregame show was Mixed Martial Arts. This picture shows 2 of Elliott's Senseis fighting each other in a demonstration. It was fun to watch people he knows on the field.

Our First Winter in PA

Here's a glimpse of our first winter here in PA. The winter was long and COLD! We had a couple ice storms. They are really beautiful although dangerous. One morning I went out before it was really icy. By the time I got back, I was lucky to make it home. I made the mistake of going to the sidewalk to get the newspaper. I mostly slid down the driveway to reach the paper and then couldn't get back up the driveway to the house. I kept trying to move and would just slide further into the street. I finally fell on my hands and knees at one point. After several frantic minutes and numerous futile attempts, I had a stroke of genius and I removed my shoes. My socks stuck to the ice enough for me to get inside.

These next pictures are after a huge storm. The third picture is my leg giving you an idea of how deep the snow was. It was almost to my knee!

This picture is of the field in our backyard after the snow and ice. It looked like a frozen lake. It stayed that way for weeks. You couldn't walk out there because it was just slick ice on top of all the snow.

I have to laugh when I talk about the weather with people who have lived here awhile. When we moved in during the summer, we were told "this is an unusual summer - it's really hot." During the winter I kept hearing "this is an unusual winter - it's really cold and snowy." At the end of winter/beginning of spring, it was still really cold and once again I was told "this is an unusual spring." Hmmm...I wonder what usual is all year long. I guess it'll take some time to figure out. Now the spring has been very wet, but we've had a few beautiful days. The grass is amazingly green and flowers are blooming everywhere. It is beautiful.

"Where is Jacquo"

Derek loves to listen to "Silly Songs" every time we are in the car. We listen to it a lot. It's fun to hear Derek sing along with many of the songs. The other day I was impressed when he started singing "Frere Jacques" on his own. Then I listened closely to what he was saying - the third line is what really got me. Too funny.

"Where is Jacquo? Where is Jacquo?
Dor ne nu. Dor ne nu.
Someone's on the tina. Someone's on the tina.
Din din don. Din din don."

Baptism blues

Today there was a baptism for a 9 year old right after church, so we stayed to attend. Right after the girl was baptized, we went back into the Relief Society room to wait and Derek started screaming. I don't want to go in the water! I don't want to be baptized! over and over. That got everyone laughing. Poor kid. He was traumatized by seeing the girl go under the water. Good thing he has a few years to change his mind.