Two words: Test. Cookie.

Seriously, I am WAY TOO EXPERIENCED of a baker to make this mistake. Not only did I not do a test cookie the first time I baked cookies in the oven in our rental, I put in two FULL pans at once. this is what came out. \ Now I know the difference between a convection oven and one that is not!!!

Andrew turns 1!

Our baby has turned 1!! He loves trucks and cars so we had monster truck birthday party for him. the best part was he was more interested in the truck on the cake than the cake!!

Andrew is meeting all his milestones well--I don't mean your regular run of the mill, pediatrician's list milestones. I mean the alternative list. Within the last month he as learned to empty the dishwasher, stick his hands in the toilet, unroll the toilet paper role (with glee), unload the dryer, goes up stairs (but not down), and most importantly, he has learned the fine art of pestering an older sibling by standing in front of the television. These are all milestones that every child must meet, and I am so proud of my little Andrew. He's turning into quite a little helper*.

Candyland . . . the Jochim Family Way

So, for family night this week we decided to play a game of Candy land with the older kids. I'm thinking, James is 4, Kate and Clara are 2 3/4--we should be able to start playing games for kids 3 and older, right? Well, this is how it went:

• I pull the game out. James immediately claims the red game piece and declares that it goes on the red squares. I'm not sure if he was claiming ALL the red squares as his, but I wouldn't have been surprised. I try to explain that we start the beginning and draw cards.
• Melt down #1 from James.
• Kate comes to play and claims the green guy. She starts dancing him all over the board. Finally get her and James' guys to start.
• We start drawing cards--James going first again, because well, the squeaky wheel does sometimes get the grease.
• He draws purple and I explain that he gets to move his guy to the purple square . . . Which he does with surprisingly little resistance.
• Kate draws a card and moves to her square. Nice. easy. No fights. No frantically trying to explain the rules through the tantrum. Huh? Isn't she the younger one? There's something to be said for raising girls.
• Clara draws a card . . . Oops. Purple. My kids don't share so well--as the lady at the Fred Meyer's play land recently informed me. James is upset about Kate's man being on his square and pushes it off.
• Melt down #2 goes to Kate.
• We play another round.
• Kate decides at some point to hijack her man by stuffing him down her pants.
• Man retrieved.
• James draws a Pink candy piece. Huh-oh. Now both the girls have to have pink pieces. I search for more pink pieces to conveniently be drawn next.
• James turn again. I make a fun little do-do-do song (think Bill Cosby and the magic drawing pen) to move his man. James loves this and now insists on moving his man all over the board to make the do-do-do song. Doesn't get that he WAS in the lead until then--now who knows where he was.
• Clara in melt down because she only wants Pink pieces.
• Kate in melt down because, well . . . If your friends jumped off a bridge would you too? Yes, yes she would.
• Mom declares game over. We move on to Memory--which is played face up, go fish style.

Bring on the Sunshine! or Spokane!

We've been wild busy getting settled into the house we're renting here in Spokane. It's in an older neighborhood, near a park that was used as a horse track back around the turn of the the century. We love the house, and not just because it has a basement to throw all the toys (and kids?) in. We're loving the sunshine and don't mind the cold one bit. I haven't had a chance to take many photos this past week so I snapped a few on the way to the park today. Take care!