ABC, Drum

Boy, can this kid drum! It's not annoying because his frenzys don't last too long. Usually. Though the more I type, the more I remember (yelling) asking him politely to stop.

But apparently, he can also sing a toddler version of the ABC's !

Click HERE to see for yourself :)

Water Parks, Happy Dances and Super Stealth Mode

*blub blub blub*

That's the sound of our family coming up from a few hours of water park fun. It's a local place, nothing big or exciting, and yet... very exciting for a toddler. Unfortunately, Kaden was too small for the toddler inner tube slide. So we found one of those closed ones. He sat at the top, with his Da, saying "NO" while I cheered from the bottom, saying "Cmon, buddy." The line grew a bit, so Da pushed his cute little rump down.

we interrupt this blog to note the background noise: kaden counting to 13 by himself.
And who taught him what a flute was? He pointed one out earlier today in a book.

So as Kaden is gently pushed down the slide, hsi face takes on a look of terror, and he throws out his arms and his legs to the sides of the tunnel. And stops. Halfway down the very toddler-sized, closed in slide. Sigh.

Yes, he got out, and it didn't take long and I'm not giving out any other undignified details.

So we moved on to the open water slides- six mini ones, right in a row, and a few of his friends were excitedly going down. He was enthusiastic about following them- all up until the "get pushed down the slide" part. This time, he twisted so he went down on his belly, feet first. It wasn't pretty, but at the bottom, he said MORE. The second time down, something changed his mind immediately after the push, and this time he not only twisted around to his belly, he _grabbed onto the side_ of the slide. And hung there for a good 2-3 seconds. I filled the part of the encouraging mom who pried his little fingers off and tried not to laugh as he slid down. His reaction at the bottom? Again, asked for MORE.

So the third time- the third time is a charm, right? - the third time, he actually tries to help push himself down the slide, but somehow *spins* around a few times adn then he is going down headfirst, on his back, with legs and arms flailed out. There was no more requests after that!

BUT... it was a grand day all in all, as we had about 5 spontaneous "happy dances" (two while he was in the water). Just to keep us on our toes, though, we did need to have a few conversations about the tool closet being off limits. Kaden's response was to move QUIETER, and he managed to swipe a paintbrush (thankfully clean) before I realized what he was up to. Ah, life with a toddler.

Which reminds me, in a water park with a toddler, there is no such thing as a "lazy" river :)

Key Lime Pie- for Quicas

* note to family and friends, one of my postcard pals requested a recipe from my hometown. Key Lime pie seemed appropriate, but I couldn't fit the whole recipe on the postcard, so I figured it was easiest to post here. Maybe you'll be adventurous and try it too?

Key Lime Pie
( from: www.reluctantgourmet.com/keylime )

1/2 cup fresh (key) lime juice
4 tsp grated lime zest (do this before juicing limes)
4 egg yolks
14 oz sweetened condensed milk
11 graham crackers
3 tbsp sugar
5 tbsp melted unsalted butter

Whisk together egg yolks & lime zest.
Beat in milk and then the lime juice. Set aside at room temp until it thickens
Preheat oven to 325
in another bowl, crush graham crackers into crumbs, then add sugar.
Add butter to crumb mixture, and stir until well blended.
Pour crumb mixture into 9 inch pie pan, firm across the bottom and up the sides.
Bake for 15 minutes (until light brown) - remove and cool.
Pour lime filling into crust, bake another 15 minutes (until it's set but wiggly).
Remove and cool to room temp, then refridgerate at least three hours.
Top with whipped cream before serving.

Where is it 80 degrees and full of love?

Not at the airport, but please notice the cute traveling bag...

It's where cousins celebrate your bday early by making an easybake cake
(and then fight over who gets a piece with you)

and a Pop who takes you for rides on the tractor
(even when you call him Grandma, repeatedly)

and a Grandma who loves squeezing playtime into her to-do list...
(even if that list is too long and your visit too short)

Yes! Pennsylvania is the place to be...