Boomerang

Mila and I have been going for a walk through the neighborhood most evenings. Technically, I walk while she rides her tricycle, but you get the point. She's really very happy to chug along and point out all sorts of things along the way.

We have to stop and look at every single little flower. That's swell when we get to the yard that's filled with dandelions and clovers. It takes ... a while to get get past there.

We have to stop and talk about every single dog along the way, including the concrete statue of a Bulldog a few doors down. Dogs have always been a highlight in Mila's life.

We pause to comment on the colors of the sky, especially when Mother Nature puts on a show at sunset. Pink and orange clouds will always be worthy of a "Wook! They're so boo-tiful!"

We look for yellow cars. We talk about how everybody is sleeping or everyone is outside or why is that boy not wearing a shirt while he plays basketball? Mila asks every question that pops into her head, often with a  rapid-fire style that makes me question how much duct tape you're allowed to use on a kid before someone calls CYS.

It's all very leisurely.

Except for Sunday night. Sunday night we waited just a little bit too long to get moving and ended up going outside as a storm was starting to report for duty. We were a block from our house when the wind suddenly picked up, knocking over a neighbor's trash can and scattering garbage all over the street.

I have never seen a tiny person pedal as fast as Mila pedaled when that trash started flying. She was Dorothy chasing Toto as the house crashed down on the witch and it was HILARIOUS.

I know I'm not supposed to laugh, but you have to picture her tiny little legs pedaling SO FAST and not really going anywhere because tricycle. Those things just aren't made to move fast. Even with me holding the handle on the back and pushing her, she was moving soooooooo slowly compared to the amount of effort she was putting into it.

And then it started to rain. Mila very literally raises her fist to the sky and shakes it in anger when the weather doesn't do what she wants, so she was the little person pedaling frantically with her fist in the air and an angry expression on her face. All she would say was, "STOP RAINING, SKY!" and I shouldn't have laughed as hard as I did.

Or maybe I should have because we are talking about the kid who licked me when she wanted my attention at lunch the other day. KARMA, MILA. IT'S REAL.

Bunny Thoughts

There are a lot of places I want to be on a Sunday morning. Most of them involve sleeping but ... I have children. Mornings haven't been mine in a very long time. Thus, this Sunday morning required a trip to the mall so that Alexis could get an eye exam. Of course I drug Mila along for the ride because she exists to entertain me.

Alexis is old enough to handle appointments by herself now, you know. I mean, I could still go in the room with her and hold her hand while she reads the letters, but she doesn't need me to. I want my kids to know how to handle the routine-but-not things in life independently, so I spent Alexis' appointment looking at cat and dog videos with Mila out in the waiting area. I live in two worlds and all that.

While we were looking at ridiculously adorable kitten videos, it dawned on Mila that the Easter Bunny was in the building. She became OBSESSED with the notion of going to visit him and getting a photo. I love throwing away $25 on a photo I don't need, so why not? I half expected her to chicken out, but then she didn't, so somewhere in this house is a ridiculous photo of Mila sitting with the Easter Bunny and being really very happy about it.

Alexis was NOT happy about it. Alexis has maintained her contempt for the hoppy guy and she articulated every syllable of it to Mila prior to the photo. "You want a photo with THAT? But WHY?"

I think the part that bothered Alexis the most was that Mila is scared of Santa. Mila is not scared of the Easter Bunny. Alexis says you can look in Santa's eyes and determine if he's a psychopath. You NEVER KNOW if the bunny is a psychopath. He just might be.

He probably is.

He has to be, right?

I'm just saying, I don't totally disagree with Alexis. At least with Santa you can see what you're dealing with. That bunny, though. There's no telling.

Cinnamon Bread

Mila is head-over-heels in love with bread. All bread. Garlic bread, cheesy bread, cinnamon rolls, biscuits, buns ... just hand the kid some carbs and we'll all rest better at night. As a result, I've been making some breakfast breads every few weeks. The goal is to interrupt her obsession with waffles with something else made almost entirely out of flour. I mean, why not?

This Cinnamon Bread was a solid winner. It's similar to Banana Bread, but with a whole lot of cinnamon because sometimes you just have to mix things up.

Mila destroyed half the loaf in about 10 minutes, so I guess I'll have to go make more. And more. And more.

Cinnamon Bread

1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons butter, cubed (and cold)
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cinnamon (yes, again)
3/4 cup granulated sugar (yes, again)
1 cup milk
1 large egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter a 9x5x3" loaf pan and set it aside.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/3 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon. Smash in the butter with a fork so that you end up with a lumpy struesel-like topping. Set aside.

3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinammon. Add the sugar and whisk some more.

4. Add the milk, egg, vegetable oil, and vanilla. Whisk until thoroughly mixed.

5. Pour half of the batter into your loaf pan. Top with about 1/3 of the cinnamon/sugar mix then swirl it gently with a knife to make little cinnamon stripes.

6. Pour in the remainder of the batter and top with the next 1/3 of the cinnamon/sugar mix. Swirl it. Top with the remaining cinnamon/sugar mix.

7. Bake at 350° for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes then score the edges to remove the bread from the pan.