Fancy ~ FANCY!

Today while I was driving around, Jacob was chatting in the backseat.  Sometimes he was talking to me - sometimes just chatting about life to himself.

I heard him start to say some P words - and then Pa, Pap - Pap --- Papillon.  
"Hey Mom, did you know Papillon is butterfly in French?"

"Wow Bud - I did know that, but how did YOU know that?!"

"Oh, I learned in in my class in a book."

"What book was it in - one you read with Ms. Rachel?"

"No, it was just in a Fancy Nancy books - she uses really fancy words for everything."

speaking of fancy - check out Jacob's newest "fancy" glasses...it's part of his spy-gear that he got for Christmas and he wore these around for about a week straight.

I love that he learned this amazing word in his new class - and it cracks me up that it's from a Fancy Nancy book.  I do love that sassy little character and if her books teach my child to have a fancy vocubulary -- Hooked on Fancy Nancy works for us!

Jacob's fancy life keeps us in a state of smiles and laughter!  The first few days that the older kids were in school, Jacob and I would hit the DI (Deseret Industries - I am seriously liking that place!) looking for a few things that we needed in setting up our home....we thought we'd lost the iron (turns out it was just in a random box), but we found snow shovels and all sorts of needed "junk" there!  Jacob would always find a toy that he'd talk me into buying - and since they aren't super expensive it was fun to have him walk around so excited about his new treasurers!  The astronaut helmet in the picture was a mere $1 and it talks to you in your ear....how super cool!  Also, that same day Jacob found a Buzz Lightyear arm control that was again a whopping $1, and it did all these super cool tricks when you pushed the right buttons - and well, I'm a sucker in a store is the bottom line.  It was very cute to see him come right home and put on his Buzz Lightyear pajamas and run around with the Buzz arm control and the astronaut helmet on his head.  

And - so that I don't sweep the obvious part of this story under the rug...Jacob's new class.  There is of course a story with this - so get comfy!  When I went to enroll the children at the public school in the neighborhood, I gave them all the papers for each child and they stopped when they got to Jacob and told me that he wouldn't be allowed into Kindergarten due to his birthday.  His birthday is on September 24th, and the deadline for entering Kindergarten in Utah is September 1st.  I asked the secretary if I could speak to the Principal about this, and within a few minutes I was standing before the Principal trying to plead the case of Jacob - that he had already been enrolled in Kindergarten back in NYC and that he had not only already completed a 1/2 year of Kindergarten there - it is full-day Kindergarten so he's already done the same amount of hours for Kindergarten that the Kindergarten children will do here in Utah.  I also told her that we had Pre-K in the school last year, and that was a 1/2 day program, 5 days a week - much like the K program here.


I then tried to sell her on how well Jacob was doing in class and that he was socially ready for Kindergarten....however that is when I think I lost my sales pitch.  For it was right at this time, that the boys behavior got the better of them, and true to character someone had touched someone else, and that lead to another touch, and then the touch become a hit and the hit became a pinch and the pinch became a kick --- until heaven help me they were on the ground wrestling while I was still trying to talk to the Principal while also realizing that I needed and started to pull them apart.  I was shooting daggers at them from my eyes -- yet, I was trying to keep a very sweet look on the Principal who was again going through Utah law and they just don't accept children that aren't 5 by September 1st.  The boys were swinging punches at each other around my body and I decided that today was probably not the day to convince the Principal that my children were extraordinary and that Jacob would add to the Kindergarten program.  If anything, I was worried that she would tell me they had NO room for us in this public school.

I left the school firmly holding two boys hands on either side of me, and they definitely found out that mom was very, deeply disappointed in them.  Oh, some day I will laugh on this --- even more than I am right now, because I get how funny the moment was...irony is not lost on me!  However, at the moment I thought Jacob's chance to get into Kindergarten at that school was over.  Thankfully - it's really not up to the Principal...I got this loud and clear the day when I went back to register all the children and have them start their first day of school - only to have it told me that due to State Law and that the Principal had called down to the District Office - Jacob would not be allowed to start Kindergarten this year.  I told the Principal that I needed to make the phone calls myself to try to see if they could appeal the process and so I started to make my phone calls.  I called and got a no from not only Granite School District but also the top of the State Board of Education that they absolutely, without any chance of appeal let any child enter Kindergarten during a school year where they have already started a Kindergarten program in another state ---- if they do not meet the Sept. 1st deadline.  Can you talk about extreme frustration?!  Where is the good neighbor policy when you need one?  How can they deny a child an education that they have already been accustomed to, and why would you pause/stop a child's growth only due to that his birth date does not make up to your records because (gasp) --- said child started their education in another state because that is where they lived at the time!  I couldn't believe it when the lady told me that they have had families move here in late Spring (April and May) from out of state, and Utah will absolutely not let their child into Kindergarten if they don't meet the deadline - these children would have been attending K in their other state for at least the past 8-9 months and they don't let them into a class here?  Well, it's good to know that our children's future and education is placed into such caring and considerate individuals who make these laws!

Thankfully - I have a name of someone in Legislation here and because I'm starting to go a little crazy not having a project to keep me busy --- I'm going to try my hand at politics and trying to get a bill proposed in the Utah Legislation.  I hope they will see that there should at least be an appeals process for families, like ours, that move here from out of state and have proof of the child attending another school.  It just makes sense this way - really, I'd love to know what person came up with the current law....I'd love to have them be the one to explain it to the children that aren't able to go to school and continue on with the class level they have just left.

Anyway - the good news is....there are Kindergarten programs at private schools and after looking for a few, I am thankful that I found out about the U of U program through a gal that I bought a chair from on Craigslist (there are some amazing blessings that come when we open our mouths and share stories that I think at times must be dull to the other person...however, many times it turns out that by opening my mouth the Lord is answering my small prayers of what needs to be done in my life).  I went on a tour of the U's program with Jacob, and although he was hesitant and wouldn't talk to anyone I was immediately in love with the entire program.  The director is from Scotland and has her master's in Early Child Education and creates the way that they teach the Utah State Curriculum (so Jacob is learning exactly what other K students are as well), however the way she approaches education is very child centered and wanting the child to be in charge of their own learning and develop their own love of learning.  That is where my heart lies as well - NYC was too caught up in the rat race of education and while there are some pros to being that on top of education and pushing for your child to be and get the best...sometimes its just too much and the focus in not on the child which is where it should be.  The other bonus to this program is that it uses the students that are studying education and they get practicum hours for working in the classroom.  For a class of only 15 students, there are usually 5 adults in the room!  I still can't believe it when I stop to observe his class from the little concealed window and I'll see Jacob working with a small group of 3-4 children and at least one adult...many times I've seen just Jacob getting one-on-one attention.  It was such a wonderful program that landed in our laps & although it's a crazy time of day to have his class (1:10pm - 4pm) and I wish the commute weren't so long it's only 20 minutes each way and thankfully our lives are not busy as we have just moved and I'm committed to keeping the schedule for family this go-around....in the city it was a priority among too many other priorities!

Jacob in his classroom as captured through the "secret window" - Bryson Jr. likes to pop in here and say he's spying on Jacob, which makes Jacob mad at B....and so goes the circle of brotherly love....

Anyway, I had no idea that we would have a UTE in the family ever - or this young - however, I'm grateful to the university that it has this program and that Jacob is benefiting from it.  We are BYU fans through and through - and yet I can appreciate the U for the great job it does with its education programs...especially this education program.  And I'm so grateful that our Jacob just loves his class, all his new friends, and the fancy new words like Papillon that he is learning!

We'll just have to remember to save all the BYU shirts to wear just around home for the next few months :) 

Memories

Each day there is a moment where I miss NYC. Perhaps it's seeing a friend, running to Debbie & Lillian's to borrow something or to send the boys to say hello or show Lillian something, missing the beat of the city or the treats that we enjoyed there.  Thankfully --- we can recreate the latter.  The other things, we aren't really homesick for them, but there is a part in my heart that misses much of what was our life the past 2+ years.

Today, we must have all needed to do something about our NYC memories, as it seemed the afternoon was full of city trademarks right within our home way out here in the good ol' west.

To pay homage to the city that we just left we went all out & I made the copy-cat recipe for Banana Pudding (I call it Banana Mousse since it's SO thick!) from the one and only (well, not the only one as there are quite a few in the city!)....MAGNOLIA BAKERY

Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding (Mousse) Recipe

1 package instant vanilla pudding
1 1/2 cups cold water
1-14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
3 cups heavy cream
1 box Nilla wafers
4 ripe bananas

Put vanilla pudding mix in a bowl. Whisk in water and sweetened condensed milk. Once it's whisked together, refrigerate for at least 15-30 minutes, preferably an hour.

Whip cream with an electric mixer until it gets soft peaks. Fold the cream into the pudding base.  Be sure to mix completely so there are no more yellow streaks.

Slice up bananas. Arrange1/3 of Nilla wafers along the bottom of a pan or bowl (I like to make mine in a deep glass bowl we got for our wedding - it's almost like a Trifle bowl so that you can see the layers) and then top with half of the bananas. Top with half of the pudding mixture. Top with another 3rd of your Nilla wafers and the rest of your bananas. Put the rest of the pudding on top and then crush the remaining Nilla wafers until they're a powder and sprinkle over the finished pudding.

Cover with plastic wrap, keep in the fridge for at least 4-6 hours.  I just learned with this 2nd time of making it....that it really is that much better when it gets almost 12 hours to set....I'm eating the left-overs now and I like the consistency that the wafers have become with how long it has sat in the fridge to soften them up.  Oh this is divine --- it's almost scary that I know how to make it, as now I can have it anytime when in the city it would be a rare treat when I'd let myself stop and get this nectar of the gods! 

I had started the pudding the night before, however Madeleine & Bryson were so excited to help me finish making it, and then Bryson Jr. talked me into making Black & White cookies.  To make a long story somewhat short :)  I went in on Friday to his class as he had been Friend of the Week in his class.  I had already done a presentation just about Bryson on Wednesday - showing pictures and the two of us told about who he was and what he liked.  On Friday I got to go in again, and this time he and I did a presentation on what it's like to live in NYC.  We had talked about making the Black & White cookies to share with his class so earlier this week I had collected all the ingredients and then Thursday came along and it was a crazy day -- our van windshield wipers has stopped working when I was driving to get Jacob from school and it was pouring rain!  The older kids and I had to pull over and Bryson left work to pick up Jacob and pick us up so that we could run him back to work and then drive home.  We were off-schedule, cranky and the timing was not working in the first place to make the cookies...so that by 8pm when I started to finally pull things out and realized I didn't even have a cookie sheet (mine were old & nasty so I threw them out when we moved)....I just figured I'd find some at a local bakery and serve those to Bryson's class.

Bryson had really wanted to make these cookies for his class with me - that boy loves to cook!  As we have church from 9am - 12noon we had most of the afternoon to bake and play games...so after the pudding was finished we started on the specialty of almost every deli or bakery in the city, the famous
Black & Whites! 

And a funny part to this story - I found the Black & White recipe while browsing many magazine articles while at Dr. Lord's office (the Dentist Dr. Lord the first week we had moved here).  I came across the recipe and wondered why I hadn't tried them before - which I know why as our kitchen was so small in the city I really gave up most fun cooking...but now, with a kitchen that I can actually work in I knew I'd have to try these.  


I pulled out my iphone and took a few photos of the recipe, which I told this story when we got to Nana & Papa Lord's house for Sunday dinner when someone asked where I'd found the recipe.  Papa Lord laughed and said that was the difference between our generations - he would have asked for a photo copy of the recipe, Nana said she'd probably have written it down by hand & I pulled out the phone to take a picture....I wonder what trajectory path our children are on....will there be some gadget that can produce the item on the spot?  Probably not, but I'm sure it will exceed what I did in "copying" the recipe down.  

I made a few tweaks in the recipe - I doubled the recipe and even then I don't think it made near the amount I had expected.  I need to get a cookie scoop so that I can get even amounts for each mound.  The spoon worked fine, however some of my edges were really scraggly and it would be nice to have more of the moon look of a perfect circle for these cookies.  Also, I put a little more lemon zest into the batter...probably by just 1/4 tsp. but I liked how it picked up the lemon flavor and then also I squeezed fresh lemon juice into the white frosting mixture as it tasted too much like powdered sugar.  I didn't measure, but I'm guessing 1/2 - 1 tsp. of lemon juice according to what your palette likes.  

The frosting takes awhile, so listen to music you like or bake with someone that you want to catch up with and enjoy talking because you'll be there for some time frosting these cookies!  The key is to do the white first - if you have time let it set up and then do the chocolate....we didn't have time so we did them at the same time and I was surprised how well the dividing line worked between the vanilla & chocolate.  There was no problem  with that - the only issue was that the frosting hardens up rather quickly so I made it in 1/2 batches or someone else on a blog I read put a little butter in hers which kept the frosting smooth and easy to work with.

Either way - these are delicious cookies that are enjoyed....the biggest question is how you'll eat them?  White first - or black first - or trying to get the perfect mix of black & white in every cookie (this last one is attributed to Jerry Seinfield in one his episodes, which I'd love to find....the classic episodes (meaning the clean ones) are so true to living in the city, Bryson and I laugh with new appreciation for that show!

While we were busy making the cookies, Jacob had taken our last game of Blokus and turned it into his art masterpiece where he created his version of The Empire State Buildling (the building is in red, blue clouds in the sky and then some trees or the playground (at Madison Square Park) is on the left. It looks like in the eyes of a child the tallest parts of a playground are close to that of the tallest building in NYC!

We had a fun afternoon enjoying time together, and making some memories of our time in NYC.  We are definitely enjoying many of the perks of living in a home, and being by family - however it's nice to give into memories and recreate things we loved about one of the great places we have lived.  

I'll make a list/post soon of all the things we love about the changes and the things we do miss.....as I said we are more than grateful to be here, and yet at the same time We Love NYC!