Bread!

BREAD! I made bread. I have been wanting a KitchenAid stand mixer for a long time and I finally took the plunge. I think what finally convinced me was that so many breads have high fructose corn syrup in them, even the ones labelled 'healthy'. So, I took a few months to really do a gut check and decide if I would really and truly make our own bread. I've decided I can do it. :) It didn't hurt that there is a special on KA mixers right now and they'll throw in a free ice cream maker attachement. I can't wait to get that in the mail. Anyway, back to the bread. It wasn't all that hard to do, seeing as it was my first attempt. The house smells wonderful and the bread isn't half bad. For a first try I am thrilled. I can't wait to try different recipes! Happy baking everyone.

Lizards, Lizards, Lizards!

Andy has just brought in lizards number 7 and 8. I don't know how he catches these things! I am concerned that lizard number 7 will attack lizard number 8. Lizard 7 is a lot bigger. Last week I was prying the jaws of a large lizard off the neck of a smaller one. So far, we still have two unattached lizards. Andy is outside looking for more lizards. I am babysitting these for him, under strict orders not to let Natalie touch them!

Yesterday, when he caught lizard number 6, he made the mistake of letting Key hold it. As Key tried to put lizard 6 in the carrier he escaped. I have NEVER seen Andy so mad in my life! He was shaking like a leaf and redder than a beet! He sat up in the garden until we made him come in for bathtime. I told him that those lizards were on high alert and were in hiding. I promised that if he'd wait til today, he'd have much better luck. Looks like I was right!

Why does this kid love lizards so much and how does he catch them so easily?

Things that Go Bump in the Night

Lately the things that go bump in the night have been the kids. Natalie woke us up at 1am to report a 'fider' (spider) in her bed. Robbie got up and fluffed her covers a bit and she crawled back in and went back to sleep. I am sure she was dreaming. I don't think she actually saw a spider. When asked about it the next morning she had no clue what we were talking about.

As I was rolling over in bed last night I caught a glimpse of someone laying in the doorway to our bedroom. It was Andy! His head was in our room, his feet in the hallway. I poked Robbie to let him have a look and asked him to pick Andy up and put him in his bed. Andy must have been awake because he piped up at this point and said that he'd been dreaming of scary things and didn't want to go back to his bed. So, into our bed he crawled. When he woke up this morning I asked what he'd dreamed about. He asked if I knew 'that dog' from Scooby Doo. I said, "Yes, I know the dog on Scooby Doo." He said, "Well, he climbed up in a tree and turned all evil." So, this was the reason I had Andy kicking me half the night. An evil Scooby Doo was in a tree and about to get him.

Key's funny wasn't associated with bed, night time or dreams. I went with his class to Gatti Town today. Gatti Town is an upscale Chuck E Cheese. He and a friend decided to ride the bumper cars, something Key has never done before. He was so excited. He ran to the back and got on a car. I got out my camera and started snapping away. He finally made his way to the fence where I was standing. I just knew he was going to tell me how much fun he was having. As soon as we made eye contact he screamed, "GET ME OFF THIS THING!" So much for bumper cars!

The Knights

Key and Andy are both on the same soccer team this year. Robbie is coaching them, along with a set of twin girls and three other little ones. Their first game was Thursday afternoon and they lost 3-0. They played hard and had fun though, so all is well. A friend asked Andy who won and he replied, "Well, I don't think it was me." The just-after-half-time entertainment was when Natalie ran onto the field and pulled her shirt over her head! She wasn't even born when Janet Jackson pulled that stunt on TV so I know she wasn't being a copycat.

Gangs at School

Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later. Key is in a gang! He came home from school last week and told us he'd formed a gang. Yep, he is the ringleader! (Oh, the shame!!) Criteria for being in the gang: being 5 or 6 years old, attending Gateway Elementary and being able to ride a bike without training wheels. They meet at recess and chase girls.

When pressed as to why he thought a recess gang was necessary in kindergarten he told us he wanted a gang like the one on Fat Albert. Robbie bought a DVD of old Fat Albert episodes for the boys recently and they love it. So, just as the song says, "You'll have some fun now, with me and all the GANG.........Nah, nah, nah gonna have a good time!"

Natalie's Big Girl Bed

Natalie is in a big girl bed now! Can you believe the Goodsons don't have a crib up in their house anymore? Where has the time gone? Our friends, the Stones, loaned us a toddler bed and Natalie was really excited about sleeping in it. The funny thing is, she hasn't realized that she can just............get up! She calls me every morning, just like she did from her crib. She'll be standing up in bed and waiting for me to put her on the floor. I hope this lasts for a while yet. Even at bedtime she cries and wants to get up but doesn't think she can! So, she just lays there and falls asleep. For those of you who know and love Natalie, she's at her best while sleeping. And that is all I am going to say about that! :)

Andy the Lizard Man

Spring has barely sprung and this is Andy's second lizard of the season. He considers himself faster than a lizard and spends most of the day in the garden - a lizard hotspot! He isn't the least bit afraid to snatch one right up, even though I've seen them bite him over and over again. ("It's just slobber mom.") He is really gentle with them and carries them around until dark. Then he returns them to the spot he captured them and declares he could catch them again tomorrow. He is, after all, faster than a lizard.



Lizards are at the top of his reptile list but he has been known to cry because we wouldn't go get him a desert snake. It is a hard life living with all these restrictions.

My First Blog!

This is Key's imitation of a guinea pig. Specifically Bennie Buster Borneman the guinea pig. Thanks for letting us borrow him, Eric! :)

Thanks Natalie!!! (No, not 'my' Natalie. Natalie friend, not Natalie daughter.) I don't know why I never thought to do this. I'm excited to get started and share our lives with whoever will take the time to wade through our minutia. Now, to see if I can figure out how to post a picture...