Oscar Stew

Aren’t spring snow storms great? Everyone else in Colorado is sick to death of snow, but we are quite enjoying ourselves! The only reason I’m allowed to say that without getting lynched is because of our 4 month hiatus to Sunny St. George. We welcomed the first big snow storm with hats, gloves and lots of hot chocolate!

We were excited that the snow was wet enough to make a snow man, or a snow woman in Brinley’s case.  And for anyone waiting to see our humble new abode…here she is! This is what we waited for for 4 months. And it was worth it. totally.

An exasperating search of the disaster area formerly known as the basement did not yield a snowsuit that was Rowan’s current size. Hey Ro-sausage, how does last winter’s suit feel?

Drew & Brinley rolled snow boulders so big Ryan could barely pick them up. He did manage to stack them on top of each other to create a monstrous snow castle of danger.

With all the snow used up in castles and snowmen, it was time to move on. The previous owners left this rusty old swing set behind, which is a shame because the kids don’t really use it much…

Soggy Dog had enough of the winter games and wanted to tap into her artistic self. Behold, the masterpiece!

A few weeks ago Grandma F sent the kids some craft supplies. We saved them for a snowy day, and when school was cancelled due to weather, they did not disappoint!

Brinley was excited to learn that when you mix red and white you get PINK!

Ever patient Drew achieving quick dry results. He goes through the craft supplies a lot faster this way.

Rowan tired of her artistic talent being limited to just a canvas, and experimented in body art as well. If she only knew that later that day she’d be adding some painful art to her right eye…

We played. We worked. We got soaked. This three part adventure was filled with all kinds of fun, sweat, and maybe a few tears. Now that it’s over we can’t wait to go back for more! And so the story goes…

We started our road trip to St. George bright and early. Per the ceiling mounted map of felt, we made a beverage stop in Green River. Yellow River may be a more appropriate name after we left town…it was the first potty stop we had made in quite a while. I’m just sayin’…

At approximately mile 610 of the 650 mile journey we experienced a blowout. And we thought disposable diapers would make the trip a little easier…this folks, never happens in cloth! Never!

Rowan and Grandpa had a good laugh about it when we got there. Look out Grandpa! That little crook is trying to steal your watch from right under your nose!

First things first. I needed to finish my quilt.  Kelsey told me about this guy she knows who does a fantastic job finishing quilts. He’s a little goofy looking, but he has a nice smile and strong arms. Meet Steve:

Drew & Brinley vowed to stay in their swimsuits for the entire trip. Their first aqueous adventure was to explore the water park. Drew can ski barefoot with no boat!

Fancy Nancy found her water boa, and fine-tuned her olympic skills at the water luge.

Rowan will be the the cover girl on the Baby Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue next month. Cottage cheese never looked so good!

All the women folk went for pedi’s and Cafe Rio. Ooolala and mmmm in the same sentence!!

How many cousins does it take to scrub down Grandma’s new dog? Drew,  Brinley, Sam & Emma gave Merlin a hefty scrubbing.

Not a tail was left unturned. This doggy is clean!

OK, well Mission: Human Prunes seems to have come to an abrupt end. Sleep is a necessary element of vacation. Separation from children isn’t bad for parents either. Drew & Brinley were singing a musical about how their “Night at Grandma’s” would be an unforgettable experience. Ro-dog seems to have forgotten her lines…It’s OK Rowie, there will be more swimming tomorrow!

One of my favorite parts about visiting my hometown is catching up with old friends! Thanks for the fun afternoon Maegan, I wish we lived closer!

Ro-doggy? Naw, it’s Ro-fishy!

Hey Rowan, what does that hot tub sound like?

We had many family swim nights! It doesn’t get any better than this when the temps soar to 118.

Grimy Grandpa freshened up a bit, or maybe that’s Gator Grandpa?!

Swimming and hot tubbing just aren’t enough. Water fights must be involved!

It’s past sunset and we’re still swimming! A big thanks to Jeremy& Sharla for letting us stay in this fabulous house. Look at that view!

Our life has finally resumed it’s regular schedule, we haven’t lost ourselves in the depths of spring break blues, or in mourning Kelsey’s departure. While the men are at school/work we ladies have kept busy doing fun stuff around the house, while we “patiently” wait for winter to pull it’s claws out of spring…

Here is Domestic Diva Brinley, host of the next hottest show on Food Network – Gourmet Cooking for the Toothless. Here she is getting ready to add the goose-goose, er….couscous to the pear/broccoli gumbo.

We use all natural ingredients, including leaves and bark…This chicken noodle soup will have a crunch to it, that’s for sure!

Moving on to breakfast foods…peaches, oatmeal and some Wheat Germ for added brain power. Rowan might not be crawling yet, but watch her IQ soar!

Later in the week Binnie & I decided to go full throttle with the girl power and make a new church bag for her. Here Brinley is showing us how to apply interfacing – it’s easy she says…just look for the bumpy side.

I let my 6-year-old play with matches and my (almost) 4-year-old do the ironing. Rowan put down the blow torch!

Do you think Brinley is having fun yet playing with all of mommy’s big girl toys?

Forget the bag, she’s breaking out, making something on her own. Something. Next week we’ll work on sewing a straight line.

Look at that intense focus. She didn’t even sew her fingers together!

The finished product. Look for Brinley’s latest designs on Etsy. Watch out Martha!