My little gymnast?

Will usually wakes up between 7-7:30 am. So, I was very surprised this morning when 10:00 rolled around & I still had not heard him holler to get up.

I went in to his room to take a peak & found him practicing somersaults in his crib. I have no idea how long he had been at it, but he sure was having fun!

Oklahoma, Oklahoma!

We just spent 3 WONDERFUL days in (of all places) Oklahoma!

All week, as we anticipated our big getaway, Rod & the kids watched YouTube footage of the old “Oklahoma” broadway show. Rod even composed his own theme song for the trip. The only words to the song are, “Oklahoma, Oklahoma”, sung to the tune of “Come to Zion, Come to Zion”, in a very peppy manner.

Beavers Bend is a 3 hour drive from Dallas (4 hours with a big stop at Wendy's) and just a beautiful, relaxing place. We stayed in a "cabin", and 3 other families we are friends with stayed in another cabin just around the corner. It was such a fun way for us to do a lot of camping activities without actually having to rough it. Each family took turns hosting a meal & we enjoyed feasting on foil dinners, roasted hotdogs, campfire s'mores, and lots of other goodies.

Most of all, however, we enjoyed just being together.

Rod & Will, bonding in front of our cabin:

A bunch of happy kids:

Learning how to fish from Daddy (the kids' favorite part of the trip):

Will loved our big hike (although Daddy's shoulders took a serious beating):

Playing football down by the river:

Rod & Will, in front of "the spillway":

Completely enjoying her s'mores (which she called a sandwich):

All aboard the train:

One satisified "choo choo" customer:

Feasting on a waffle breakfast:

Savannah, waving good-by from the loft (As we prepared to leave, she officially declared, "I don't like our small house in Dallas anymore!")

See you next year, Oklahoma!

Frozen Hot Chocolate

Will & I were invited over to a friend's house the other day for a homemade replica of Serendipity Frozen Hot chocolate.

As evidenced by Will's face, it was absolutely fantastic. I was completely intrigued by the fabulous dessert & think I will use it as one more excuse to finally buy myself a Vita-Mix.

Here's an entertaining article I found, featuring the dessert:

Serendipity frozen hot chocolate is a signature dish at the Serendipity 3, nestled in the heart of the upper east side of New York. The place is a general store and restaurant combined with a coffeehouse and soda fountain and serves the most famous dessert in New York.

Serendipity New York was founded by Stephen Bruce and his two partners, Calvin Holt and Preston “Patch” Caradine in 1954. Since that time Stephen Bruce has been asked constantly to divulge his secret about his Serendipity frozen hot chocolate recipe. Jackie Kennedy even wanted to serve the dessert at a White House event and he would not give his secret away.

Serendipity frozen hot chocolate is an icy-chocolate type of dessert served in a fishbowl-shaped goblet, topped with whipped cream, shaved chocolate and served with a spoon and two straws. This frosty creation is made with more than 14 kinds of chocolate and exotic cocoas blended into a rich slush.

One taste of this frozen concoction and Oprah wants to “dance on the chandeliers!” The Queen of Daytime TV has named this one of her “Favorite Things.” This Serendipity frozen hot chocolate secret recipe has finally been revealed after 50 years. The Serendipity 3 restaurant in New York City has actually given out the recipe so you can make this unbelievable drink at home. It’s very simple.

Serendipity frozen hot chocolate recipe created by Serendipity 3 Restaurant:

-6 half-ounce pieces of a variety of your favorite chocolates
-2 teaspoons of store-bought hot chocolate mix
-1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
-1 1/2 cups milk
-3 cups of cups of ice
-Whipped cream
-Chocolate shavings

Chop the chocolate into small pieces. Place it in the top of a double boiler over simmering water. Stir occasionally until melted. Add the hot chocolate mix and sugar. Stir until completely melted. Remove from heat and slowly add ½ cup of milk until smooth. Cool to room temperature.

In a blender, place the remaining cup of milk, the room-temperature chocolate mixture and the ice. Blend on high speed until smooth and the consistency of a frozen daiquiri. Pour into a giant goblet and top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

ENJOY!

Happy April 16th!

For the 3rd year in a row, I was fortunate enough to be brought on by my favorite CPA firm to do tax work for the busy season.

I have to say, it's a pretty great gig.

I worked 3 days (20 hours) a week for 8 weeks (with a big California Spring Break right in the middle!). Several of the people in the office are very close friends of mine (we also worked together at PwC), and I really enjoy their company. It's just refreshing to escape my Mommy role for a bit and dive back into my former life of business & order.

I have my own fabulous office, where I have some peace & quiet to work on my projects and feel a bit of accomplishment. On my working days, I go to bed earlier, wake up earlier, and just have an extra reason to be more disciplined with my schedule.

I love it.

All of that being said, I'm happy now to be back full-time with the kids & I'm ready for some seriously long, lazy, pregnant days of summer!!

What a Party!

One of the girls on our block had a 4-year-old birthday party today.

A real princess came to do nails & make-up for the girls...

And Cinderella's horse-drawn carriage gave rides around & around & around the block:

Wow!

The Flying Fish

We recently put the kids in their pajamas & met our friends, Bill & Stacey, for dinner at the Flying Fish (Savannah's favorite spot).

Thanks to Stacey for the cute pictures!!!

The Nasher Sculpture Garden

On Saturday morning, Rod took the kids (all on his own!) to the Nasher Sculpture Garden for a bit of culture, education, crafts & fun! Good work, Daddy!!

Savannah, working on her art project:

Dallas Aquarium

Will LOVES LOVES LOVES LOVES animals.
Seriously, it amazes me. It's so fun to see him light up, giggle, and get all-out excited over dogs, cats, fish, etc.
I just took the kids to the Dallas Aquarium, and I think they could have stayed all day--Will couldn't get enough!

Pink Ponies Update: Serious Improvement

Looks like all of Coach Rod's time & work with the Pink Ponies is finally paying off!

Last night, they enjoyed a 6-1 victory over the Pink LadyBugs!

Savannah has really gotten into the soccer groove & she is always eager to get out onto the field.

Good work, Hinzes!

(The uniforms look a bit strange...since both teams had pink jerseys, our girls had to wear black bibs)

Savannah enjoys a Daddy Victory Toss:

Will stands by as Savannah races through the post-game Parent Tunnel: