Packing (dun dun...dun dun...)

I just filled up ten boxes with all the stuff from one bathroom.

We're going to need more boxes.

We Give

Due to popular coercison by grandmas, here are some pictures of the new house, freshly dusted and de-cobwebbed, de-bugged and de-all disgusting things, and ready to move in:

Big living room with big, sunny windows and a big cozy fireplace.

Our yellow kitchen! Doesn't it look so cheerful? Yes, those are our washer and dryer in the kitchen, thank you 1940's for designing that.

A dining room! So luxurious.

And the bedroom count-off!

One

Two

THREE!

It has lots of character, for sure. Example: a hallway spot for an old style phone. Everytime McKay walks past this, he puts on this pinched, nasally voice: "Hello? Hello?"

YES THOSE ARE POT RACK HOOKS WOO HOO

Tyler has dubbed this the green house (it's a brick house with green trim). He has fun exploring it and re-discovering rooms that he had forgotten where there.

But nothing really compares with ordering pizza while you wait for the water people to show up.

Birthday Girl

We started the special day off with a birthday banner, of course:

Tyler helped me write the letters, and Jamie unrolled half a mile of ribbon around the living room, and I let her, because, you know, it was her birthday.

We had a lovely morning at Sprouts, picking up THREE pints of blueberries for our freshly turned one-year-old girl, and sampling all the bulk yummies.

Birthday Lunch! (Diapers following this feast were unusual.)

After naps, and after daddy came home, we started a new birthday tradition (thanks, NieNie)

Balloons!

We wrote birthday wishes on all the balloons:

and then let them go.

Our wonderful friends had us over for dinner, cake and games. We brought (what else?) a blueberry topped cake for Jamie:

Tyler couldn't help himself, and he helped Jamie blow out her candle.

Jamie picked off and ate each blueberry very meticulously

before diving into the cake-y goodness and demolishing it.

Happy Birthday Jamerson, we love you!

1

Happy Birthday to my beautiful baby girl:

Our family would be lonely without you. (I'd say less crazy too, but who are we kidding, Tyler is the crazy king)

New Home!

Cross your fingers. Our days of apartment living may be over.

We are the proud home renters of a brick red, oh-so-cute ye olde home in Dallas with:

Fabulous wooden floors
A Dining room!
Count 'em: THREE bedrooms
Big backyard
GARAGE
2 miles from McKay's work
Not an apartment

And we will be moving in as soon as we can rid it of its not so cute qualities. Apparantly no one has lived there in a year or so (one failed sale and several months of overpriced rent--like 30% more than other homes in the neighborhood), and the landlord is...reluctant to help clean it out.

But after six hours of exhausting house and yard work yesterday, I am kind of in love with the results.

No pictures til it's done though!

We move in one week from Saturday. Wish us luck because I haven't even started packing yet.

The Hinckley Witching Hour: 8:00 PM

Something happens to our babies at 8:00 each night:

They sense bedtime closing in, and the crazies come out in one last, desperate hurrah.

Jamie A. C. Hinckley

Loves ripe, delicious blueberries:

Down to the very last morsel that her dainty little baby fingers can find

Ms. Jamie A. C. Hinckley does not love stinky older brothers who think blueberries are not for eating, but for launching like a cannon out of his mouth.

Feasting With the Prophets VI

Week #6: Joseph F. Smith (remember the F!)
Favorite Dessert: Custard Pie

Unfortunately, me plus polygamists equals frowny face, so it's best to just leave the prophet life facts alone until we get past the Manifesto (which actually happened during Joseph F. Smith's presidency. Hurray for monogamy!)

So while his life will remain a blank for me until I can calmly deal with the idea of polygamy, we will enjoy this gem:

This is Joseph F. Smith and his freaking enormous family, with lots of grumpy faces and one ray of sunshine just to the prophet's right:

I love this kid. Makes me happy everytime these ol' polygamists get me riled up.

On to the dessert!

Custard Pie

Ingredients

1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust
3 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg white
2 1/2 cups scalded milk
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 drops yellow food coloring (optional)

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).
2.Mix together eggs, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Stir well. Blend in the scalded milk. For more yellow color, add few drops yellow food coloring.
3.Line pie pan with pastry, and brush inside bottom and sides of shell with egg white to help prevent a soggy crust. Pour custard mixture into piecrust. Sprinkle with nutmeg.
4.Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on rack.

It actually tasted a lot like flan, only less delicious. We did top it with caramel sauce, so it was pretty delicious.

Run On

I am a runner.

Except for the fact that I have not regularly done so for almost two years now.

I sheepishly admitted this to McKay last week, and out of that conversation grew a new summer goal:

We will be running a 5K this summer! (And hopefully a 10K later if we love it.) I wanted to join the Dallas Running Club so we could get 8 races for the price of one, but for some reason McKay was not as excited about running seven more races.

I Think I Love You, Dallas

Dare I say it? I may like where we live afterall. I've been dreading the summer for the last few months and moaning about the impending months of yucky, sticky, stuck-inside-all-day days. Someone had the sense to give me a talking to about dealing with the heat, and I think I've discovered the key:

1. Obtain a car. You ain't going nowhere in this heat without wheels and a/c.

2. Open your eyes! There's a million and one indoors air conditioned (and free!) activities for kids to do in this city during the summer, because (duh) everyone has the same problem: it's hot!

3. Get out the door in the morning, because, simply put, Jamie missing her nap is worse than staying home. Plus, it's cooler at 9AM than noon.

Following these rules, our summer is off to quite a fantastic start. We are working with the heat and going swimming, visiting ponds and finding cool fountains. We're also researching every week to see where all the cool kids are going. Here's just a few for all you cooped up mommies:

• storytime everyday at the library


• $1 kids movies every Wednesday morning at Cinemark


• shows, parties and music every Thursday afternoon at the mall


• kids workshops every first Saturday at Home Depot


• Free kids carnival days at the museums

We aim for an outing a day, and Tyler and Jamie are loving it. The most exciting phrase in our house right now is "Tyler, can you find your shoes?" Even Jamie knows that shoes=fun times.

All in all, this is shaping up to be a really good, really busy summer. I can't believe it, but I think I love Dallas in the summertime.

Dear Mavs:

Please pull it together for the next two games because this is all McKay has been doing for the last week:

This one was when he realized I'd been taking pictures of him in his underwear.

(See, I told you I'd crop it out.)

I absolutely love her when she smiles

With the arrival of her top two teeth, Jamie has developed an adorable gap toothed grin:

Not to worry. Until her big teeth grow in, Jamie is in good company:

Danielle from ANTM:

Condi

Frodo:

And, of course, Madonna:

Big Night Out

McKay and I PAID a babysitter for the first time ever (shocking, I know!) McKay sent me on a scavenger hunt all over north Dallas to find out where we were going for our anniversary.

(in rush hour, mind you...I was on the edge of my seat as we crept forward in bumper to bumper traffic) Eventually, we arrived at our destination:

The Melting Pot!

I've been wanting to go for years now. I was so so excited.

So delicious. So full. I didn't feel hungry until two days later.

May 6 (our own day of infamy)

Here's the tally:

5 moves
4 cars
3 homes
2 babies
1.5 bachelor's degrees
1 little peck on the lips that stuck us together forever*

*it really was little because I hate kissing in front of other people and everyone was staring at us--yuck.

Assistant Bakers

Leftover fondant from the wedding cakes plus cornstarch, a rolling pin and cookie cutters, and voila! A happy three year old! Tyler happily ignored the rest of the cookie cutters and made haunted houses over and over. He is an October baby, after all...

"Mom, stop taking pictures."

"Mom, put this fondant in your hand

and come play with me!"