Cops, Candy Shops, and Sunday Sweets

It’s sunny like springtime, but you wouldn’t know it from the temperatures. At least we missed the rain. Hallie took the kids over to the local fire and police station with the Grosse Pointe Mom’s Club, and Landon got to try out the different vehicles. He got to see prisoners in their cells and detectives in the detective bureau. Eliza seemed to enjoy being out of the house too, and she sat contentedly in her little car seat. Everyone seemed to notice when Landon pulled the air horn on the fire truck, and they all had a good laugh.

With his buddy, Xavier

"Oh, . . . . !"

On Saturday, we got into the Easter season a little bit by having lunch at the Pantry and then going next door to Morley’s Candy Shop for their Easter Open House. They had free candy samples, face painting, and a photo op with Alice from Alice in Wonderland. Landon decided right as we were leaving the house this morning that he was going to wear a dishtowel as a cape and that he was a super hero. We played along, and when he went to have his face painted, he got a green facemask so that he could be a super frog man. Once he received his green sword from Alice, his costume was complete! Eliza also had her face painted with a little ladybug. The face painter said she thought Eliza was the youngest child she had painted. At 6 ½ weeks, that may be possible. So cute!

Note the dishtowel tucked in under the coat. 

Is it just me, or does Alice seem a bit intimidating?

Today we baked some cupcakes, and Landon was a big help. He monitored the quality of the product and made sure to take care of any extra batter. Hallie fancied them up with special frosting and sprinkles. Mike pitched in by baking sweet potato fries. It’s been a while since Hallie and Mike have made them at home, and it might have been the first time Landon has had them homemade. He gobbled them right down. 

This is Landon's angry face, the one he uses any time he wants us to know he is not pleased. It is often accompanied by a throaty growl. 

Quality check

The first draft of the finished product

Spring Has Sprung!

The crocuses are in bloom, we have had a couple of days of decent weather and sun, and we have planted seeds in starter pots for the garden. Spring is (nearly) here!

Eliza has had a hard time this week and has needed a lot of cuddling and 5 S’s. We read somewhere that a baby’s tendency to cry increases for the first two months and then gradually decreases. Let’s hope so. Other than that, when she’s awake and recently fed, Eliza is a delight! She’s about eight pounds now, so we still get comments from people about how tiny she is. She holds up her head and looks around with her bright eyes. She darts her little tongue about and makes little piggy noises. So cute!

Our big man Landon is getting through his little potty setback. He has been very helpful around the house. He helped Dad put the seeds in the starter pots, and he helped Mom take out the garbage. He also was finally able to get out on his coaster bike. He and Dad went for a ride on Dad’s bike, and Landon, Mike, and Eliza all went to the library, where Landon watched the tropical fish, played with the puzzles, and read Brown Bear, Brown Bear with Dad.

We celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with corned beef and cabbage. We bought buttermilk for soda bread, but we just couldn’t quite get our act together to make it. Something about having a new baby. . . . The morning was also quite busy with Landon’s last Detroit Zoo Tots visit and a stop at the Oberweis Dairy for green mint chocolate chip milk shakes (WOW!). It made for a delicious start to the day but a late start for dinner. 

Detroit wears its blue collar credentials as a badge of honor and has the kind of stick-to-your-ribs comfort food that you'd expect to appeal to folks who make their living building things. On Saturday, we took the kids to National Coney Island--comfort food central. Mike had a BBQ hani (essentially a chicken gyro or donair with BBQ sauce) with a side of chili, Hallie had a tuna melt (not as good as Dwight's, but what is?) and cheese fries, and Landon had macaroni and cheese. We'll have to make sure to get some extra time in at the Y next week. 

Speaking of Y's, how about those BYU Cougars, eh? Go Blue! 

Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose

The more things change. . . .

This week we had several changes in the branch leadership, including a new branch presidency (Thank you, Pres. Ellsworth, and welcome back to the pews! Congratulations, Pres. Chirolla, and we look forward to working with you!). Even Mike was affected by the proceedings. He’s back to familiar work as the branch clerk.

Now that Eliza is officially one month old and getting longer by the day, we have officially moved her out of newborn clothes and into 0-3 months jumpers and other outfits. She has been a little restless (colicky?), so we have been working on her with the Happiest Baby on the Block’s 5 S’s (swaddling, sucking, swinging, shushing, and putting her on her stomach or side). Generally speaking, the 5 S’s have worked pretty well. Mike has had a little better luck, and Hallie has taken to calling him the Baby Whisperer.

Mike had a paper to present in Saginaw on Friday morning, and with the predicted storm, we figured it might be safer (plus he’d be able to get up just a little later) if we all headed up to the Birch Run/Frankenmuth/Saginaw area together on Thursday afternoon and stayed the night. While in the area, we had dinner at the Zehnder’s cafe in Frankenmuth. Sure enough, it did snow overnight, and the roads were pretty nasty going into Saginaw, but by early afternoon the worst of the snow had melted away. After the conference, Mike picked up the rest of the crew, and we headed back to Frankenmuth and Birch Run. We went to the Popcorn Wagon (lots of different kinds of gourmet popcorn), Bronner’s (we bought Eliza an ornament), and the factory outlets for clothes for the kiddies.  

On Saturday, Landon had a little accident on his scooter and scraped up his face a little bit. Chick dig scars, though, right?

Landon and Eliza

From as soon as we got out to Utah to pick up Hallie and Eliza, Landon has really taken to his role as big brother. He loves to hold her, and he constantly wants us to take his picture as he has her in his arms: 

(maybe she's not quite so enthusiastic)

Note how he's holding his hand up to her foot. He's fascinated by  how small her hands and feet are. 

More comparisons 

She seems to be warming up to having him hold her.

He's very proud of how careful he is when holding her. 

I'm not quite sure how to interpret the look in her eyes, but he seems very happy to be the big brother!