school begins

Well, the day I've been living for finally came ... the kids started school on Monday and I have to admit that it was bittersweet. They were actually pretty excited for school, but it was harder for me than I thought it would be. Breje was so ready that she could barely stand still for pictures and Trayson got a hug from his new teacher the second he walked in the door and that made me feel better, but Kutter was practically inconsolable. He came to me several times with little tears in his eyes because he missed them so bad. I thought about reminding him that these were the same kids he is constantly bickering with, but instead I reverted to distraction. We decided that it was necessary to bake a cake. That kept him busy ...

... and tasting the frosting made us both feel better!

It was so yummy that we thought we should share the recipe;

Lazy Oatmeal Cake
1 1/4 c boiling water 1/2 tsp salt

1 cup oatmeal 3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup butter, softened 1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 cup sugar 1 1.2 cup flour

1 cup brown sugar 1 tsp baking soda

2 eggs

Frosting:

2/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup coconut

1/2 cup chopped nuts (my fam makes me leave these out and it's still fine)

3 Tbspl. milk

Pour boiling water over oatmeal and let sit for 15 minutes. Beat butter, eggs, and vanilla until creamy. Add sugars and mix until well blended. Stir in flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg until all ingredients are blended and moistened. Add in wet oatmeal. Pour into greased 9' square pan and bake at 350 for 50 minutes. For frosting, melt butter and add in order: brown sugar, coconut, nuts and milk. Spread over cooled cake.

I know, it's not my usual recipe -- no chocolate involved but it is still so tasty!

(Thanks "E" for the yummy new dessert!)

Kutter-isms

Ok, so I guess it's been about forever since I blogged. We have been crazy busy these days and I just can't seem to get around to an update. Instead, I will share some of the priceless jems Kutter's been throwin out lately. (Hayley, this one's for you!)

"Mom, you should tell Trayson that if he can't be nice to me, he is grounded and can't ever have fun again ... cause that's what mom's do!"

"Mom, is Dad allowed to babysit us?" hmmmm

This one needs a small backstory. Kutter has a favorite stuffed puppy named "Goldie". Goldie sleeps with him, eats with him, watches tv with him, even accompanies him to Grandma's house. Goldie is his pride and joy. The other day he pipes up out of nowhere and says, "Mom, you and Dad and Goldie are my 3 very best things!" I've decided to be flattered.

Swimming Lessons Are OVER!

Picture this...5:00 in the afternoon. 90 plus degrees outside. Three kids. 2 different swim times. 1 hour. 1 naughty toddler who can't get in the pool. 2 weeks. Every day. No help.
Does this sound fun?

I didn't think so!
Yet, somehow, we made it through it. All three kids made it through swimming lessons. They actually ended last Thursday, but it has taken me this long to recover enough to type about it.

I had to post this picture first because I was completely forbidden to take it -- and then expressly forbidden,upon pain of death, to ever post it on my blog. I can't help it if Breje is so darn cute, even if she was thoroughly irritated at me for putting her in swimming lessons. (apparently she is way to grown up for this!)Trayson looks a bit funky in this one, but this is him showing me how good he is getting at "breathing". Can you tell by this pic which one of my children was most excited about lessons? Kutter didn't stop grinning the entire time! I should've taken a picture of Brielle, but her time was spent in such wanton destruction that I'm afraid the footage would be unsuitable for all audiences! She was getting seriously good at begging other people for food, toys, attention, etc and finding numerous ways to distract me so that she could try and sneak into the pool.
I sure hope they got the hang of this, because I'm not sure I can do it all again next year!