Family Home Evening Treats

This is a recipe I remember making with my mom when I was little. I talked with my mom last night and she informed me that the recipe came from Jackie Christensen, a long time family friend. It's a great recipe to make with kids because there are several steps they can do. It keeps well but never lasts long around my house.

Microwave Caramel Corn
Spray a brown grocery bag with cooking spray. Put two batches of popped corn in bag.
Melt:
1 stick butter
Add:
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
Microwave 2 minutes on high. Add immediately:
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Pour over popped corn in bag. Shake bag, then put bag in microwave and cook 1 1/2 minutes on high. Remove bag, shake and repeat 1 1/2 minutes in microwave. Shake again and microwave 30 seconds on high. Pour on cookie sheet.

Lego lovin'

All little Fredin boys must love Legos. We're breaking Isaac in.

goodbye to t-ball (for this year)

Is this the best picture of the year?

Eight years

With the first one, shortly after he was born

Eight years
Six houses
Four states
Two countries
Three boys
Many laughs
A few tears

The best decision I ever made!

Happy Anniversary, Nathaniel!

Seven Months and one day

Note: this picture was taken in the car on the way to our failed attempt at strawberry picking with Stacy and Ben. We picked about four berries, got stuck in a downpour, bought some already picked berries, ate them on the way home and had to agree with Stacy's assessment-- those little bursts of in season sweetness were well worth getting soaked.

Here is a post by a busy mom who doesn't want to forget the little things about her boy at this age.

At seven months old Isaac is:

1. crawling forward very slowly because he likes to sit up and survey the scene before he moves ahead
   
2. pulling himself to a stand in the crib and scaring the daylights out of his unsuspecting mother
3. weighing in at a little over 18 pounds (18.3 at his last appointment or was it 18.6?)
4. laughing the hardest at his brother Luke
5. enduring his brother Noah well (This is a relationship that interests me greatly. They will be at home together for three entire years after Luke is in school and before Noah is in kindergarten. Noah and Luke are so close now and I am curious to see where Isaac will make his place.)
6. delighting us with the personality we see unfolding
   
7. making friends with his smile wherever we go
8. always moving; bouncing, kicking, rolling, or crawling
   
9. greeting me with flapping arms of glee when I go into his room to get up from the crib
10. making a lot of noise with his yells, babbling, and happy grunts
    

This baby is pure pleasure.

My father

I posted about my dad here.

Our Daddy

Father's Day came at a perfect time this year. Nat spent the last week out of town, using the GISAXS (grazing incidence small-angle X-ray scattering) instrument at Argonne National Lab. I was just informed that while Argonne doesn't have the only GISAXS around it is the best one-- whatever. We missed him greatly around here. It was nice to wake up on Father's Day with a renewed appreciation for the father of my boys.

This is the accordion album that we made for him for father's day. I made the album and then Luke did the illustrations and most of the text. I love, love, love the family picture at the end. Would that my hair was really that awesome.

I wrote special parenting memories on the other side of the pages. It was a wonderful exercise to pause and think about the wonderful father that Nat is to these boys. He is deeply dedicated, very attentive, and nurturing to them. There is no better father and role model.

I remember the first time that I left Luke and snuck off to take the sacrament in the Spanish branch. I didn't know at the time that babies really didn't need to eat every 45 minutes and so I was slightly nervous about being away from the ravenous boy. I hurried home after taking the sacrament and arrived to find a contented baby asleep in the sling on the chest of an equally contented father who was diligently reading Dr. Sears' Baby Book. I have never again worried about leaving him with a baby. This man is a very capable dad.

Here's to you, Nathaniel!

Sand and Water in Williamsburg

Here is the final installment of the Williamsburg pictures and a big 'ole shout out to Heather and her family to thank them for putting us up in their time share. So generous. I can't say enough about this family's generosity towards us since we have moved here. It is so nice to have an adventurous mom to scheme with.

The beach pictures were taken at a little beach on the James river. These boys could all live at the beach. Water and a huge sandbox makes for a little slice of paradise for boys.

The resort pools were perfect.

Perhaps the funniest water fun happened in our little private hot tub. There was much splashing, giggling, and sliding down the sides. Luke and Tade perfected the art of blowing water through a noodle to spray others.

Note: These pictures were all taken with my trusty old finepix. It's still a good point and shoot and is much easier than hauling around the d60.

Jamestown

We went to Jamestown. It was hot. We loved it.

Around Historic Williamsburg

We took a slow walk around colonial Williamsburg on Sunday evening. It was delightful and brought about all sorts of Nauvoo nostalgia. I do love a nicely restored town. It's even better with a five year old imagination at work, asking questions and imagining himself back in the "olden days".