OPB

(Other People's Babies)

Roxie Jane is our youngest.  So she has not been surrounded with younger siblings to experience and learn the ways of baby-wrangling.

It was funny to me the trepidatious look she gave me when I asked her to hold onto Jimmy, a baby at church.

 The thing you have to know about Jimmy is that he is just the most ridiculously happy baby in the whole world.  I mean ever.  Look at that grin; he *never* stops smiling!

Or moving.

I am grateful for the great big family we all are, and the chances we have to love, serve, and enjoy one another.

Yay Spring!

 I was struck going to church a few weeks ago that all my girls have green coats.  Oh wait, it was St. Patrick's Day!  Jenni got Sam a green tie so he could join the party.

This was Sam being awesome and joining the party for a Regional Youth Dance that asked attendees to wear a Disney Costume.  He is wearing his Great-Grandpa Landbeck's kimono, and is Chang, the training/soldier dude that Donny Osmond sang the songs for in "Mulan". Hysterically, a Young Woman from our ward came as Mulan.  Sam reports they did dance together at least once.

 An East Coast Tradition.  On the first day of Spring, a local dessertery named "Rita's" gives out free small Italian Ice Desserts.  It was Wednesday, and I was bushed after Mutual, but Suzanna very nicely gave them rides.  Happiness!

And something I sincerely hope does NOT become a Spring Tradition, six inches of snow on the last Monday in March!  Kids enjoyed the snow day from school, but are all grumbly about having to make it up this week with a shortened Spring Vacation.

Roxie Jane at That Jumping Place

I can't believe I drafted this and then never finished it.  Roxie Jane got invited to a birthday party at a local joint.  It's basically a warehouse that's filled with those inflatable bouncy play-things.

Called "That Jumping Place".  Go figure.

It was interesting being with Roxie Jane in a group dynamic where the group was her peers, and not her family.  In family settings, Roxie Jane is always one of the youngest people in the room.  I think she models the more mature and adult people she sees.  She likes to read, and pursues alone/quiet time.

But when she's hanging out with a dozen pre-teen girls, she is just a squealy as any 11-year old I've ever met.

Or heard.

Saturdays Are for Exploring

You know that one street that looks like it's probably just a dead end, so you don't go down it unless you have a destination?  Those are *exactly* the kinds of streets we look for when we go walking on Saturdays.

If you turn onto Baltimore Street off of West Bel Air Avenue in Aberdeen, after about five blocks, it looks like the street is running out.  There are trees between the street and the railroad tracks (the houses stopped a block earlier), but the foliage is thinning as the tracks get closer to the street.  Then, you get to the end, and see that road turns slightly, becoming truly parallel to the tracks again, and appears to go off into the trees.

We kept on going, until there was a healthy helping of "KEEP OUT" and "NO TRESPASSING" signs proliferating on the trees.  Apparently, the road just sort of fades into a final driveway.  We respected the signs.  We did see a creek going under the railroad.

This was about a month ago, when it was still pretty cold out.

This is a great example of rime ice. Or is that hoar frost?  The wind was blowing across this standing water as it froze, so it made little spears of ice that look like they are growing upwards.

It's fun to explore!

Possibly the Worst Thing I Have Ever Cooked

Have you ever been to an event, like a State Fair, where they have a booth that fries everything?  Like Fried Snickers Bars, or Twinkies?

This isn't *quite* that bad.

On most Friday mornings, a Seminary parent will bring treats for the students. Sometimes, when there are leftovers, the Landbecks have them for dinner.  Friday, there were four glazed donuts left.  Hmm, what can I do with glazed donuts?

Fry an egg in them, of course.

First, I had to tear the center a little bigger so the yolk would fit neatly inside.  When I make egg-toast, I butter the bread, but the donuts were too sugary to spread butter on.

So I just dropped a small dollop of butter into the frying pan, and the put the donut, unglazed-side down, in the bubbling butter.

The sugar caramelized a little, so it was almost like having candied french toast.

Decadent, but a fun way to eat left-overs.

Train Track Trek Training

Today, we took Sam to see the dinosaurs. We got to the train crossing RIGHT as a long car-carrier train was going by. What great art!

I don't think Sam was very enthusiastic at first.  But the train gave us a fun jolt after the first half-mile of walking.

Cross-training for trek on train tracks amuses me.

Sam liked the dinosaurs.

We are getting ready to walk in the pioneer trek in June. 

Suzanna at the Dinosaurs

These are from a week ago, but I wanted to show Suzanna making friends with our graffiti dinosaurs.





Here are some close-ups of the tags that are on the opposite of the tunnel from the prehistoric creatures.



These both say Bless (with only one "S" I guess)



Insane (minus the first "I")




I think this is supposed to be Krips, with a super stylized "I" man.



Jenni's favorite, Wish with an upside-down "I".



"Shout out 2 BMW".  I guess somebody like Bavarian Motorworks cars?