last weekend at the cabin

Those were my snow boots when I was little.

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We spent last weekend at a the cabin with my family. Plenty of snow to play in, slippery garbage bags to wear while being pulled behind the snowmobile without a sled, homemade Oreos, laughing until there were tears, dance party, cousin bath time, naked 2-year-old zipping down the slide in the playroom, Swedish pancakes with berries and whipped cream, Hawaiian Haystacks for dinner, caramel popcorn, Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie, not enough sleep, tiny snowman, playing on the swings, warming up by the fire, soaking in the hot tub, happy times!

Hawaiian Haystacks

{Perfect for a crowd! Serves about 12 people.}

1/2 c. butter

1/2 c. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

4 c. milk

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of chicken

6 chicken breasts, cooked and cut into pieces

Melt butter in large saucepan. Add flour and salt and stir. Add milk and cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Add cream of mushroom soup and chicken. Simmer on low heat for 15 minutes.

Serve over sticky white rice with any or all of the following toppings:

grated Cheddar cheese

chopped celery

chowmein noodles

pineapple tidbits

sweetened shredded coconut

toasted sliced almonds

chopped green onions

chopped tomatoes

sliced bananas

sliced olives

bath gnomes

work it baby!

Here's my cute husband working out on his bike trainer. It allows him to use his actual road bike, and increase and decrease the intensity of the ride. Cycling videos that take virtual tours through Alaska and other nice places help keep it from becoming boring. It's the next best thing to riding outside during the winter months.

baby will at 6 months

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I'm really slow getting these up, he's actually going to be 7 months next week. Can you believe that?

Here's the latest on this adorable boy:

-He's been rolling over since about 3 months and he actually prefers to be on his tummy. He never just lays there on his back.

-He gets up on his hands and knees and rocks forward and back. Almost time to pull out the gate for the stairs!

-On his tummy, he kicks his legs straight up behind him, as if he is swimming or pedaling a bike. He does it so fast, it's hilarious watching him. He has these super strong, rock solid butt cheeks from all the workouts. {I need to start doing that!}

-He gets around the room by rolling and scoots like a baby seal, reaching for toys and chewing on them with his gums.

-Starting to get comfortable with solids, although he doesn't like the spoon in his mouth. He does better when I feed it to him off of my finger. So far he likes the baby oatmeal mixed with bananas best.

-Will is super cuddly. He lays his head on my shoulder, and he holds onto the neck of my shirt like a little monkey. Oh, I love him so much!

-He's just the sweetest, happiest little guy. Laughs easily, makes the cutest squealing sounds. He plays shy when people smile at him. He will smile back, then immediately burrow his head into me while kicking his legs, over and over.

-He makes the cutest babbling noises.

-Sometimes I put my ear right up to his mouth so I can listen to his cute little breathing. :)

-He can sit on his own for about a minute before he topples over.

-He weighs 16 lbs. 8 oz. {just about double his birth weight}. He's swiftly catching up to Olivia who is at a pixie-sized 22 lbs!

-He loves when I just lay him in his crib when he's tired. He smiles at me, then closes his eyes. He's such an angel.

-He doesn't sleep through the night, but that's my fault for spoiling him. He sleeps for about 4 hour increments. Once he wakes up, I cuddle with him all night. It's the best. I really need to just move him out of my room now, and let him cry it out so I can get some sleep. I just love to cuddle him though!

something from nothing

Look what Ben made for me out of a paperclip.

He's so sweet and so creative. I love you Ben!

green eggs & ham

Here's what we had for dinner last week on Dr. Seuss' birthday. Nina wanted an egg just like in the book, so I dropped some food coloring just on the yolk. Then I made a different version of green eggs & ham in the form of an omelet. The spinach was the green. Everyone was so excited about it, but that doesn't mean they actually ate it. At least I tried to be festive!

mary poppins

Mary Poppins is practically part of the family these days. Olivia is obsessed with the movie and watches it everyday. I can pretty much quote the entire film word for word now, but

I don't mind because I like Mary Poppins too.

I know what they say about little kids and too much TV, but you know what? I watched my fair share of it when I was little and I turned out okay...I think?

I do feel a teeny bit guilty about the TV, and ironically the main message in Mary Poppins is about parents needing to spend more time with their kids...you know, flying kites with them and all that. I'm not going to beat myself up over it though because honestly, life is crazy with these 2 babies, and I really do try to spend quality time with my kids. It just doesn't always happen as often as I would like. I just keep telling myself, "Next year will be easier, next year will be easier!" Besides, it seems like we always go through a big TV phase in the winter, then we hardly watch it at all in the summer.

As Olivia's obsession grew, I had a vague recollection of an old Mary Poppins book that belonged to my aunt Heidi, which she gave to me when I was little. I searched our bookshelves and ta-da! I found it! It's the 1964 Disney authorized edition, almost 50 years old! The illustrations are so pretty. Of course Olivia is in love with it. Sometimes she actually sleeps with it.

One night Uncle Trevor came over and was chasing Olivia around. When he caught her, she squealed the line from the bank scene where Michael shouts, "Give me back my money!" Haha! From time to time she asks me, "Where Jane, Michael?" I just tell her they went up the chimney.

{For more on how we love Mary Poppins, go here and here!}