The Baker's Menagerie: Lemonade and Lollipops

Well, another frantic, hectic week has quickly passed me by. Hard to believe I am almost halfway through my time in UT. I havent seen half the people I wanted and I know I will never get to everyone. It makes me really look forward to moving back here one day so that at least I can not be so stressed about every day.

This week started out slowly enough. The girls and I stayed home on Sunday because we were all a bit sick. On Monday I took the girls to the aquarium with my darling friend Lauren and her son Teagan. The kids all must have taken crazy pills because they were all misbehaving. We still got to see some cool fish including some that would squirt their food out of branches. We then took off to Paradise Bakery for some sandwiches and soup. Madison was being her usual terrible two self and I spilled milk all over the floor. It was a blast though. I love spending time with them!

Tuesday was quiet but we got to go to dinner with my brother in law and my future sister in law. We saw their new house and puppy and cooked hotdogs, corn, pasta, and beans. My kids terrorized their lovely house and were terrified of their dog. I got scared to death of a wasp that Alisha smacked and ran inside. I am such a wuss I know. I still wonder what they thought when we left. It was either "holy crap, we never want kids" or "those are the worst behaved children ever!" actually I am sure it wasnt that bad because I have awesome family and for some reason they like me!

On Wednesday I dropped of Kayla with her Grandma Baker for some much needed family time. I took the opportunity to take Madison swimming in a big pool for the first time. Within one hour I was exhausted and close to tears. The little monster would climb out of the pool, run to the deep end, and jump in. Didnt matter where I was. She drank a lot of water and I had to fish her out a bunch. She kept going and going. The floatie I bought her sucked monkey butt and didnt do much other than force her forward into the swimming position. It will be awhile before I have the nerve to take her swimming again.

On Thursday Maddie and I went to my aunt Jeri's house for a cooking/pan lesson. She showed me all her professional grade pots and pans and told me the benefits and drawbacks to each. My grandma came to play with Maddie while Jeri and I cooked and it was awesome watching them sit on the kitchen floor drawing with markers all over each other. Jeri and I made ratatouille. It was my first time eating it and it was awesome. Maddie even ate some! Cant wait to get home and make it but I may have trouble finding eggplant. Maddie wore out my poor grandma and Jeri's pugs. My favorite quote from my grandma was "With Maddie, all you can do is follow her and prevent her from hurting herself." She has her own mind and own direction. Mom and I finished up the evening by going to Stella's grill where I had my favorite french onion soup and an amazing burger. NOMS!

On Friday I got to go to lunch with my Dad. Mom watched Maddie while I drove downtown and we went to this little Italian cafe. I dont know the name but it was pretty tasty. It's nice connecting with him one on one. I got some awesome pics from his office too. I then went and picked up Kayla from her Grandma's care. She had a blast but was actually happy to see me! I was happy to see her as well. We piled in the car then headed home to get ready for a fabulous family party that night.

Saturday came quickly. And so did two of my nephews and one niece. We were watching them while their mom got a little girl time. The boys had a blast playing the Wii and their handheld games and Kayla and Cosette played picnic, mom and baby, and pretty much every girlie game you could think of. They played outside and ate a ton of blackberries right off the bushes. I had fun having them around. After they left, I dressed the girls in their swimsuits and we headed to East Canyon to play at the splash pad. The restaurant had been closed so after we were done and had a bunch of mosquito bites, we headed into Morgan to have Mexican from and acquaintance who owned a joint there. It was tasty. We took the long route home through Ogden and took the scenic drive along Legacy highway. Beautiful!

Sunday was normal. Got up, went to church. Maddie threw her trademark hissy fit. Unfortunately, as I was standing out in the hall, the Prophet had decided to make a quick stop in to his home ward and was walking out as I held a screaming flailing Maddie. I was stuck in a crush of people and couldnt move. I barely contained her and prevented her from kicking the poor guy as he rushed right next to us and out the door. Phew. That would have made headlines. "Little monster kicks head of church in stomach causing internal bleeding!" Seriously. Thats what it would have said.

Well, that was our crazy week. Below are a few pics I gathered and I hope you enjoy as I head into week #3 of craziness! It only gets crazier from here!