Sunday, February 28, 2010

Angel of the Morning

I had such an enjoyable morning. I slept late and awoke to breakfast in bed. And when I say, 'slept late and awoke to breakfast in bed', I actually mean Kyle woke me by throwing diapers at my head (Thankfully they were clean diapers out of the box. Unfortunately, he has amazing aim for a 2 year old) and Reed screaming, "Poo-poo, Mommy! Di-pey poo-poo."
Yep, Everyday's a spa vacay here at Casa Ingy.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Speedy Scouts

Whew! I've been pretty nervous about today. It was JR's first Pinewood Derby with his Cub Scout troop and he'd been letting us know that he wanted to win. Of course I had no delusions that JR was going to win. I knew we were in trouble when Jason called out to me, "Hey! Where's the hot glue gun?" (Apparently hot glue works great on wonky Pinewood Derby car wheels.)
I got even more nervous when we walked in today and saw the seriousness of this race. JR kept asking me, "Can I just shove my car real hard at the start? That way I'll be sure to win!" Yeah, well, obviously JR wasn't the first kid to think up that little strategy. Not only did they have it fixed so all the cars start at the same time, but the finish line is electronic! I guess Pinewood Derby is right up there with Nascar.
Luckily, we had a wonderful time (wonky wheel and all). The kids got to race their cars plenty of times, and although JR didn't finish in the overall top 3, he did win a race or two (Praise the Lord!) And best of all, he handled his non-win better than I ever could have imagined. It helped that he was awarded a "participation ribbon" in the form of the award, "Most Scout-Like Car"...which I guess is what you win when you leave Jason and JR to the decorating...they painted the car navy. (I'll be sure to put in my design two-cents next year.)
Here are some pictures from the big day. JR is sporting some serious after ski hair and is missing his uniform since we drove straight from his ski lessons to the race.
The racers


Lining 'em up


Watching a photo finish


JR and his buddy Kelley







Thursday, February 25, 2010

Dogrango

I have found the cutest Business Dog* in town. I was "gettin' my hair did" the other day and look who was helping out. And, wow, was it refreshing to have a dog running around a salon instead of a doctor's office! Isn't she the cutest?
My crazy husband doesn't think so. As I'm typing this Jason's sitting next to me saying "look at that face!" Um, I'm looking at it, and I think it's totally precious. I couldn't get a good picture of her because everytime I'd back away to snap a shot, she'd run over to me for more petting. And eventhough you can't see it, her bedazzled collar was gorgeous.
*Business Dog(s): Dog(s) that greet you at the door at pretty much every single place you can spend money in Durango.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

From Tigers to Monkeys

Last week at Tiny Tots as the teacher was explaining what they needed to be doing, Reed walked right over to the rings, grabbed them up, and did a back flip. The entire room did a collective gasp, and since I
A. have all boys and am used to "high adventure"
and
B. didn't want to scare him
started clapping and saying, "Yeah Reed! Woo-hoo!" (Yes, the other moms looked at me like I'd lost my mind.)

Today I had my phone in my pocket and decided to try and capture some of the death-defying Tiny Tot moves in action. And as usual, I was way more worried about taking pictures than the actual safety of my children. They could have fallen at any time, and I would have been standing there saying, "Cheese! Say Cheeeeeese!"

The first 4 pictures are all Reed. He got himself in all of these positions without any help or spotting from the teacher or me. I, of course, was too busy trying to unlock my phone and get ready to take pictures so how could I possibly do something like, oh I don't know...help my child.

The infamous flipping rings

This bar is low enough that Reed can reach it on his own from his tippy-toes.


An upside down "cheese!"


I'm guessing his next move will be to let go with his hands and hang from his knees. Great.


Kyle isn't one for upside down, but he loves to hang. (He's also better at forward rolls.) Here he is hanging from a bar that I'd say is at least 5'5". (I have to lift him up and the bar is quite a bit over my head)


And I finally got a picture of The Sliding Mat of Danger. That's Kyle about to slide down and Reed on his way back up.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Spring Festival Continues

Some spring sure would be nice right about now, but I'll just have to settle for celebrating Chinese Spring Festival (AKA: Chinese New Year). Since we already celebrated New Year, I figured we'd call this celebration Spring Festival. (It ends February 28th with the Lantern Festival.) Harry's parents have been here visiting this past week and came over to make jiaozi (dumplings) for their last night here. And sure dumplings are a huge mess and totally labor intensive, but it was fine by me since I have no idea how to make them. That being so, my assistance wasn't needed or asked for in the kitchen. (Just like I like it!) JR has always loved helping his Ayi make dumplings, so of course, he wanted to help Harry's mom. I think he's pretty good at it. He claimed about a dozen were completely made by him.


The babies lined up at the counter to try and help too, but they were better at wearing Year of the Tiger costumes. (And although Tigger, may or may not, actually be a tiger this is as close as we had to tiger paraphernalia.)




There were over 100 dumplings made last night. So, as you can see, I have a few leftovers. But Harry and JR can seriously put away the dumplings, so I'd guess these will all be gone by the end of the day.

Monday, February 22, 2010

Project Snowway

JR has been wanting to build a snowman since it started snowing back in October. But, according to Jason, the snow is just now finally wet enough to build one. (Who knew snow needed to be wet for snowmen? Okay, so a bunch of you actually knew that, but this Texan sure didn't.) Jason and the boys went to work building one on Saturday, and with them busy at construction, that left me in charge of accessorizing. And with the wound still fresh of having JR as the most underdressed child in the 1st grade, I figured I could at least somewhat redeem myself by having the best dressed snowman on the street.

JR with the finished product. (Doesn't it look fabulous?! I'm pretty sure I'm the new Rachel Zoe of snowman styling.)


All the workers. Reed says "no-me" for "snowman". Love it!



I learned another lesson this weekend. Snowmen don't look so good after a foot and a half of more snow fall on them.

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Winter Olympian

We were watching the lugers in the Olympics last weekend and JR said, "Oh, that's the luge. I want to watch the skeleton. Call me when the skeleton comes on."
Me: What?! How do you know about the luge and the skeleton?
JR: I just know.
Me: Okay. What's the difference?
JR: Luge is on your back and the skeleton is on your stomach.
Me: How do you know that?!
JR: We luge and skeleton in PE.
Me: Of course you do.

And as we discovered at Parents Night, they've been more than luging and skeletoning, they're doing all kinds of Winter Olympics!

Bobsled



Short track speed skating. JR is super excited there's a skater with his name. So here's JR Ingersoll's impersonation of JR Celski.


William and JR cross country skiing.


I had to laugh out loud when JR asked me, "Mommy, do you want to curl with me?" JR claims he beat me, here he is trying to beat Harry too.


Judging that he's the curling winner.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Didn't See That One Coming

It was just yesterday I wrote a whole post about the fabulousness of male figure skating. Just yesterday I praised their fashion sense, use of feathers, and, of course, sequins. Then last night, something happened I never thought would happen in my entire life. My child....was the most underdressed child in the whole first grade. Gasp! Horror! Embarrassment and shame for my whole family!
It was 1st grade Family Night at JR's school, they sang songs from music class and also showed what they'd been learning in PE (more on that later). They told us that the kids should dress up, but come on, this is Durango. I just figured the kids would wear their dress snowpants. JR was in the Christmas play at church and wore a sweater and was dressed completely appropriate. I never dreamed kids would dress up for a school family night more than the church Christmas play! I almost died when we walked in. Every single boy but JR was wearing at least a button down long sleeve dress shirt. JR's friend, Kelley, ran up to him as soon as we got there and I did a double take. He was wearing a fedora! I turned to Kelley's mom and said, "Oh my goodness! Kelley looks like Justin Timberlake!" Of course I would have had JR in a 3-piece suit (or some other suitable boy band accessories) if I known what these kids were going to be wearing (because that fedora was seriously cute). JR kept talking about all the PE stuff they were going to do, so I had even thought about sending a pair of shorts for him! Naturally, I expected the girls to be decked out. JR said, "Mom! Did you see Emma? She looks like she's going to a fancy dinner!" But I never dreamed the boys would be so fancy. And just to show you I'm not exaggerating, here's a picture of JR standing on the risers about to sing. Now the kids had already done their PE show so most of the boys have their shirts untucked, but you'll see I'm not kidding...these guys were dressed up!

Thursday, February 18, 2010

My Triple Salchow is Ready

Feathers? Check!
Sequins? Check!
Glitz and Glamour? Check!

Looks like we're a go.
Fabulousness beyond all fabulousness, we're ready for tonight.

I seriously can't help it. I've loved watching men's figure skating in the Olympics since I was a little girl. It all started back in 1984 with Scott Hamilton. I loved him! The way his few wisps of hair he still had left would blow as he spun on those skates. I thought he was amazing. My friend, Stacy, and I went to see him in the Ice Capades. (Stacy and I were also in love with the 1984 Men's Olympic Gymnastics Team, but that's another story.) I ran down to get Scott's autograph and he told me he couldn't give it to me, but he touched my shoulder. And um, yeah, I still tell that story often. One of the first times I met my friend, Sunny, (I was an adult living in Beijing) she told me she was from Sarajevo. I immediately freaked out and started asking her about the '84 Olympics and Scott Hamilton. "Had she gone? Had she seen Scott Hamilton? What was it like?" And since Sarajevo has suffered through a civil war since they hosted the Olympics, I'm pretty sure she thought this American had lost her mind.
My next crush (not really sure "crush" is the right terminology, but I can't think of a better word) was Brian Boitano in the '88 Calgary Olympics. It was the battle of the Brians! The Canadian, Brian Orser, against The American, Brian Boitano. Boitano had on that blue military inspired jumpsuit. Classic. The Ice Capades were passe' 4 years later, but I did get to see Boitano in the Campbell's Soup Stars on Ice! (I still have the flyer in my scrapbook.) My friend, Julie, didn't share the same love for figure skating as I did, but she was happy to go with me and agree that Boitano did, in fact, wave back at me.
Unfortunately, I've had a 22 year dry spell of male figure skating idols. Sure, I've watched them at the Olympics, but nobody has jumped out at me like Scott and Brian did. But I think I've found a new "love". My mouth literally dropped open when Evan Lysacek skated onto the ice in full black sequins and feathers. I woke Jason from a dead sleep trying to make him watch. (You can imagine Jason's excitement, so I texted my friend, JD, instead.) And though Johnny Weir's pink and leather ensemble was pretty darn cute, it was no match for Evan's chiseled cheek bones.
So, yes, I'm looking forward to tonight! The costumes, the pageantry, the jazz hands! Nothing could be better.
Go Evan! (and Johnny and Jeremy!)

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Church Lady

Since it's Ash Wednesday and lots of people are busy being on their best behavior giving up things for Lent (As a Baptist, I would not be one of those people. I've also never known my mom to give anything up, so I'm guessing the German Jew Presbyterians also don't participate in that practice.) I figured a church picture would be appropriate for today.
One of the great things about Facebook is when old friends post really old pictures you've never seen before. And one of my friends posted this one a few weeks ago. This was from Forest Cove Baptist Church in Kingwood, Texas. (The church is now part of Houston's Second Baptist.) I'd guess we were about 5 or 6. And yes, I remember everybody in this picture but one...our parents had us up at that church everytime the doors opened. See if you can find me. Jason picked wrong!
Jason thought I was the girl standing on the right end. I guess he thought I only became short as an adult. Nope, I've been little all my life. Which, yes, would make me the shortest girl up there...all in pink and ruffles. My hair is French braided, which my mom can't do. My aunt, PamPam, was the only person who ever French braided my hair. And if PamPam was there to see me sing, so was my grandmother, Mimie! Proof that a picture really can speak volumes. Such fun. Thanks for posting it, Christi!

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Now That's Some Serious Pressure

I really don't consider myself a high adventure gal. I guess some would say I've done some pretty high adventure things (I'm thinking moving to Communist China with a 7 month old would count), but as far as extreme sports type things, I have no desire. I do enjoy more "medium adventure" things like riding on the 4-wheeler, a jet ski, or riding Jason's sidecar. Notice I said "riding", not "driving". So when Jason decided I should be the one to take JR snowmobiling with Gary and Anita (while he stayed home with the babies), I was a little nervous. And very quickly I went from nervous to feeling some serious pressure.
They lined up all the snowmobiles and I was to follow the guide, and right behind me was Anita. Now, had I had one of my other silly, giggly girlfriends behind me I wouldn't have felt any pressure. I would have cared less if we'd held up the line, laughed when we stalled the snowmobiles, and felt comfortable that neither of us would have any idea what we were doing. But Anita's not my typical, giggly girlfriend. She rides her own Harley and had her own sidecar in Beijing. And she likes to go fast. We did a sidecar ride to the Great Wall and I've seen first hand that she doesn't like getting stuck behind somebody slow. So yeah, I was under some pressure. When we stopped for a break and Anita told me I was doing a good job, I was so relieved and empowered I was even able to restart my own snowmobile! And to make the day even more perfect, JR told Jason I was faster than him (Jason) and "did the jumps bigger". I am woman snowmobile driver...Hear me roar!
(Although I'll be happy to go back to being the rider anytime!)

JR and Madison enjoying our break.


I did let JR drive when we got to an open field area. This is my view from behind JR. And to be fair to Jason, JR reported that Daddy let him drive faster than I did.


More JR at the wheel. (Sorry Grandmothers for JR's face being cut off, my arms just aren't long enough for self portraits.)

Monday, February 15, 2010

Gotta Get Me Some Girls In This Place

The babies are down for a nap and *whew* am I wore out. I'm also quite depressed since my two full time babysitters boarded a plane back to South Carolina this morning. I haven't seen much of Kyle and Reed for the last few days (hence today's wore-outness), and as you can see, they've been well taken care of.

I'd just like to go on record right now: If you have a girl (or even better, girls) over the age of 7 and then other little ones at home, I am completely jealous. In fact, you've got it so easy, everyday must be like a spa-vacay in your house. I was telling my mom how Meredith and Madison had taken over Kyle and Reed and she said, "You must feel like Michelle Duggar!" Yep, that's right, I've been feeling a little Michelle Duggarish these past few days (just not the being pregnant, nursing, and homeschooling all at the same time part...just the having young girls take care of my kids part).

Not only are young girls amazing babysitters, but they're also super funny. JR and Madison slept on the couches in our game room and when Anita went to check on them one morning Madison told her, "Um, Mommy, can you leave? JR and I are trying to talk." Ha! I love it!

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Happy ValenTiger Dear!

How do you like my celebrity couple name for the two holidays we celebrated today? Of course it's Valentine's Day, but it's also Chinese New Year (Year of the Tiger). I think we did an awesome job celebrating both since it feels like we've partied all day.

Starting off the morning celebrating Valentine's Day.

There were so many presents it almost looked like Christmas. You moms might recognize that huge bear face sitting on Kyle's highchair. The babies are obsessed with Bear these days and really loved their Bear in the Big Blue House presents.

Tonight was our Chinese New Year Celebration. (The Chinese restaurant we like here in Durango is surprisingly good.) And you know it's not a real party unless costumes are involved. I so love that Meredith, Madison, and JR love costuming as much as Anita and I do.

Reed was pretty excited when the dumplings arrived at the table.

But not as excited as JR!


Past Chinese New Years with Gary and Anita have included fireworks so fantastic trees have been known to burst into flames. And although we couldn't light up the night sky, we did have dumplings, Tsingtao, and just getting to hang out with each other to make it a great night!

Friday, February 12, 2010

Top Chef...Here I Come!

I was looking at a party idea blog the other day and noticed a Chinese themed birthday party. Everything they served was so completely un-Chinese, including fortune cookies (Sorry, but Chinese have no idea what a fortune cookie is...it's totally American.) and sushi. (Sushi is Japanese.) But after further inspection I saw the "sushi" was actually Rice Krispie treats. It was so super cute I called JR over to look at it. He thought it was the funniest thing he'd ever seen, and begged me to make them for his Valentine's party at school. Without any instructions, and just a picture to look at, I would be winging it, to say the least. But with Anita here to help me, I felt empowered enough to give it a try. I don't have any pictures of the actual Sushi Krispie making process because 'sticky' is an understatement. But they were seriously easy! Anita suggest rolling them into a log and slicing them like you would real sushi, and it worked. It also works to just roll and shape them individually. The "seaweed" is strawberry Fruit Roll-Up and the "salmon", as we were calling the insides, is just sprinkles. I used red since it was Valentine's Day, but if I were making them for another time, I would use green Fruit Roll-Up and green and orange candies to make them look more realistic. The kids in JR's class loved them! They loved them so much that some of the kids ate them before their cupcakes, and one of the moms took a picture of them! And since I just couldn't bring myself to say they were in honor of Chinese New Year, I said, "They're in honor of Lunar New Year", since pretty much all Asians outside of China refer to it as such. And while not Chinese, sushi is definitely Asian.


Photo evidence: Sushi Krispies about to be eaten....Yummy looking cupcake still on plate!

Thursday, February 11, 2010

They Made It!

It was just yesterday that Dulles Airport was shut down due to a blizzard, so I was seriously concerned our friends from Beijing, Gary and Anita, wouldn't make it here today. But their flight from Dulles to Denver left without a problem, and they're here! Here's JR and Madison enjoying Rice Krispie treats, more on that later. (Their other daughter, Meredith, was already sleeping off her jetlag.) They'll be lots of skiing and snow sports for this bunch in the next few days!

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Watch Out, Here I Come!

Dear Snow,
Hello? Was it not just Monday that I told you I was going to have a few choice words with you if I got stuck again. Now to be fair, I'm not sure if you're the main culprit, or my archenemy-nemesis Ice, but since you decided to show up last night with a few more inches, you're the one getting blamed. Seriously, what is your deal about making me get stuck at the Mason Center (the place where the kids take gymnastics)? And since I'm there twice a week, this is getting ridiculous. I have gotten stuck every single time I've been there for the last 3 weeks. You and Ice better get your act together because I'm sick of this! I'm a Texan without 4-wheel drive, give a girl a break!
Love,
Jan

And for the rest of you: Let me just say, my Beijing driving "skills" finally came in handy today! Okay, so I never actually drove a car in Beijing, but I saw plenty (and when I say 'plenty', I literally mean 'millions') of insane driving practices. But I have to give the Chinese credit, because it was one of their favorites that got me out of a sticky situation today.
I drove my big, honkin', Expedition....down the sidewalk.
Oh yeah I did.
I was stuck (yet again) and two of the moms from Tiny Tots were helping me. Between the 3 of us we decided there was no way I was going to be able to back up. Of course we didn't see any reason I couldn't pull forward, right onto the sidewalk. One of the moms suggested it, and off I went. And really, isn't sidewalk driving a perfect way to celebrate the upcoming Chinese New Year?! Woohoo!

(Durangoans, I was parked at the Mason Center facing 3rd Ave. I drove on the sidewalk until I got to the parking lot exit for the tennis courts and was able to pull out on to the road. I know, I'm such a rebel! )

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Vday Ready

I was laughing today when a Facebook friend said she was busy making elaborate Valentine's Day goodie bags for her daughter's class since she was the only one who sent "just cards" last year. Yep. I made that mistake too. For those of you moms who haven't sent a kid off to school yet...Yeah, um, you have to send more than just cards. And cards don't come with envelopes like they did when we were kids! The no envelope situation just blows my mind every year.
Thankfully, we finished up addressing Valentines tonight. Notice I said "we". I have a 1st grade boy. Anytime handwriting is involved it's a we project. JR actually does all the printing, I just have to be there for serious monitoring and moral support. We also break handwriting projects up over a few days, hence the finishing of the 'Tines tonight. Look at that happy face. Finished!

And since we now know you can't send "just cards", we added in Fun Dips.

And yes other boy moms in JR's class, I know you're loving me as your son is only having to write 2 letters when addressing cards to JR. (And I'm sure the little girls are loving me too since JR's name leaves them plenty of room to draw extra flowers, ponies, and kittens.)

Monday, February 8, 2010

Snow Okay

After checking the Weather Channel and seeing snow forecasted until Thursday I really felt like saying, "That's enough. Thanks, but I'm good."

But then today I found some forgotten snow pictures I'd taken on my phone, and I had a little change of heart.

Yes, Snow, you're quite pretty. Very pretty, in fact.
So, okay, you win.
Go ahead and do your thing.
But seriously, if I get stuck again, I might be having a few choice words with you!

JR in his new ski outfit. The zipper broke on his old coat, and this little ensemble was just too cool to pass up. He told us that a "big kid snowborder" even told him he liked his pants!


This was from Snowdown weekend. There were tons of balloons taking off as I was driving JR up to the mountain for Snowburners. This was the best I could get. Texting and driving is illegal in Colorado now, so I'm pretty sure taking pictures of hot air balloons while your driving would also fall under that category.


I literally made my children pose in a random parking lot because I thought the trees covered in snow were pretty. There was a guy walking to his car about that time who gave me a giggle. It's times like that I might as well have "Native Texan" written across my forehead. (Don't get me wrong, I love being a Texan, it's just when I do stuff like this people can figure it out before I open my mouth.)