On the Bright Side

At least they aren't carrying purses.

Yoda

I promise I'm still as conservative as they come, but sometimes this Durango lifestyle just sucks you in. Today was one of those 'When in Rome' days as I let JR go to a yoga class at the library. JR was excited about trying it out and asked us more than once if it's called 'Yoda' or 'yoga'. They started with some standing poses outside.

Here's the tree pose. (JR is in the black shirt and khaki shorts.)

Now I'd say it was about 58 degrees outside and here's the conversation they were having in class.

Teacher: Do you feel the energy in your fingertips? What do you feel?

Boy: I feel the energy in my hands!

Girl: I feel the energy in my fingertips.

JR: I feel hot. Can I take off my shirt?

I know. I so had flashbacks of Matt Damon doing his McConaughey impression, "Do you need me to take off my shirt?"

Later they did the warrior pose.

Teacher: What do you feel now? Do you feel strong?

Girl: I'm strong.

Boy: I'm a warrior!

JR: I'm really hot. Can I take off my shirt?

Teacher: *Sigh* Why don't we go back inside.

Now I don't have any pictures of the inside portion of the class since I was too busy trying to entertain two two-year olds while avoiding the wrath of the old, mean, non-smiling children's librarian. But I was able to peek through the window and get this shot when I heard the didgeridoo music begin. I can't believe the picture isn't blurry I was laughing so hard. And BTW, the didgeridoo music was live. That yoga teacher is a woman of many talents.

Yep, first grade is rough. Good thing these kids got to relax!

I Heart Peeps

Guess what came in the mail yesterday?

When Jason saw the Peeps costumes he gave me "the look".

Me: What?! I don't have any girls.

Jason: They're not dolls, you know.

Yes, I'm aware they aren't dolls, but come on. Who could resist Peeps costumes?!

And with Peeps costumes ready, we had our Easter egg hunt practice after church today.

Practice? you might ask.

Yes, Practice.

My mom has always thought it best to practice Easter egg hunting skills. (Must be a tradition of the German Jew Presbyterians.) So JR has been raised with egg hunt practicing as standard pre-Easter procedure. Today's eggs were empty...just warming up for the real thing.

Unfortunately, It was a little difficult finding hiding places.

First problem: snow (which I did hide a few in)

Then there was the mud

And the non springlike foliage

I also had an experienced egg hunter knocking down Peeps to get to the eggs. During our first practice round he was handicapped with a "have a seat and let them find some". I wised up for the second round and hid "expert level hunter eggs" in the next door neighbors' yard.

Egg Hunters beware. We Ingys are ready. Bring it on!

I'm Trained

I spent the day in Cub Scout leader training. I even earned my first patch! (JR has already asked me if he can have it.) As you can see by the excitement of our trainer, I'm pretty sure they've never had a mom accept her patch after a flourishing twirl with a spin.

So with the earning of this patch the subject of my non-uniform came up.
Me: So um, what's the rule on the uniform? Do I have to wear one?
Everybody there (who were all wearing uniforms): Oh, why wouldn't you want a uniform?
Me: (Thinking to myself: because they're shapeless and khaki *shudder*) Well, cause they aren't pink with sequins. (Big smile and a giggle)

Of course I'll post a picture for you if I ever have to get one. I know how you guys love a good laugh!

The Definition of Awesome

Awesome*. It's snowing again.

*Awe-some [aw-suh m]
-adjective
and in this context is being used very sarcastically

To get the full meaning of the word "awesome" in this sentence, it might be helpful to replace it with, "Are you kidding me?! I'm totally sick of this mess! Isn't 200 inches (or whatever crazy number we've had) enough? I've got some super cute spring dresses that are dying to make an appearance and with this kind of weather it's just not going to happen."

Why Limit Happy to an Hour?

I realized I write a lot about Sonic Happy Hour on Facebook, but I don't mention it much here. Every Thursday is Happy Hour day. We pick JR up from school and head to Happy Hour before Chinese lessons. Happy Hour used to only consist of drinks, but I've added food to the mix as bribery for a good lesson. Bad Chinese lesson = no food at Happy Hour. Of course I would never cancel Happy Hour altogether. Why would I punish myself? (That's another parenting gem I learned from my mom.) So here's a peek into our typical Thursday afternoon routine.

JR enjoying a grilled cheese while rockin' some serious after school hair. Surprisingly he mixes it up a bit each week. The grilled cheese stays the same, but I never know what flavor slushy he's going to request.



The Babies always split an order of tator tots.


And a Sprite. Reed always says, "Coke. Coke." I bring their sippy cups because Sonic ice, besides being the perfect consistency, makes a super neat sound in the Styrofoam cup...which means it gets turned upside down. Speaking of Sonic ice, did you know our ol' buddy Matthew McConaughy has a Sonic ice machine in his house? (I read about it in Texas Monthly.) I'd say that's money very well spent.


And finally, here's me. I felt so Kim Kardashian posing while I took a picture of myself in the car. My only choice each week is if it will be a Cherry Diet Coke or Vanilla Diet Coke. (It was cherry today.)

It's Art. I Think.

Reed came running to me so proud to show off this little creation. The only problem is this amazing mom has no idea what it could be. From what Reed told me, it's either:
A. Kyle's name.
B. A portrait of Kyle.
C. Reed's name. Sometimes it's hard to say "Reed" so I think he substitutes "Kyle" for himself.
D. A car. "Car" and "Kyle" sound awfully close.
E. Quite possibly all of the above.
Whatever it is, I'm pretty sure I was also told to go hang this masterpiece in a museum ASAP.

But I did feel redeemed when Reed announced the title of his latest work: "No Me!"
Which, of course, looks exactly like what he proclaimed it to be.
I present to you, Snowman By: Reed

Tiny Elvis

We have a naked problem in our house. (Or as I say with my Texas accent a "neh-kid" problem.) Of course, JR still goes by his superhero name, Shirtless Wonder. But now Kyle refuses to keep his clothes on too. He's gone to sporting my least favorite look "baby in just a diaper" at almost all times now. (Which is so unKyle, you'd think he'd be styling himself much more fashion forwardly.)
I went in to check on them after they'd gone to bed, and there was Kyle, again in only a diaper... pajamas on the floor. After a redressing, I think Kyle and I have come to a good compromise in sleeping attire. If I'm going to make him wear a "jumpsuit", I guess the least I can do is let him customize it after a legend. And by the look on his face, he's quite proud of his new Tiny Elvis get-up.

WooHoo! Or was it a YeeHaw?

I had the best night last night! Jason and I went to a fundraiser put on by the Durango Pregnancy Center. It was a fun night with all of our favorites: silent auction, live auction, and my personal fav-costuming. (This is my friend, Shelly, and me modeling our western attire.) I was a little depressed about my western wear as I left the house. As I stood in front of our 17 year-old babysitter and her boyfriend I said, "Whada ya think? Do I look Taylor Swifty?" And the looks on their faces confirmed that, no, they did not think I looked Taylor Swifty. (On the bright side, they did say they thought my boots were cool.)
And although I wasn't passing for Taylor Swift's twin (my brown hair and 8 inches I need to grow come to mind just for starters), the night really began to pick up as I "won" many of the silent auction items. (Jason says I shouldn't use the word "won" since we actually have to buy the items, but the way I see it, I outbid somebody else, so yes, I am the winner. ) Then things got really exciting when Jason "won" a live auction item. I, of course, had to jump up, do a little dance, and woo-hoo (or maybe it was a yee-haw since it was a western night). And as exciting as that was, that still wasn't the best part of the night. A little later I was in the bathroom and heard two girls (sounded high school age) have the following conversation:

Girl A: Ugh. These auctions are so boring.
Girl B: Oh, I know.
Girl A: But did you see that girl that jumped up and cheered when she won. That was funny.
Girl B: Oh I know, that was so cute.

Yes, my friends, these girls called me a "girl"!
Not "lady", not "woman", but girl.

I wanted to burst out of the stall and hug them! But not wanting them to think I had completely lost my mind, I just waited til they left before I came out.

Yep, this girl had the best. night. ever.

Check Us Out Elsewhere

Kyle: We're back! Mommy hasn't let us write a post in forever!
Reed: And guess what else?
Kyle: Mommy took us swimming.
Reed: Swimming! And best of all, she let us meet up with our girlfriend, Norah.
Kyle: It was a swim date.
Reed: You can see really cute pictures of us, especially me, and read all about it at Norah's Mommy's blog.
Kyle: We better hurry back to bed because Mommy will be super mad if she finds out we were up late!
Reed: Later!

Nowhere Else to Go

I promise I'm wrapping up our Spring Break trip today. (So not fair that I'm posting about Spring Break as I watch it snow outside...Sigh.)

Today's edition: "Pictures That Were Too Cute Not To Post, But Didn't Fit Anywhere Else."

Things We Learned On Spring Break

Six Life Lessons from Spring Break:

1. We weren't the only Durangoans tired of the snow and cold. JR saw lots of kids from his school, and here's the car we parked next to when we arrived. Is there any doubt anybody but a Durangoan would have this bumper sticker? (They actually did have the 'DGO' sticker on the back of the car, so yep, I was right.)

2. JR has qualified for the pro water slider circuit.


But, if that career choice doesn't pan out, there's always professional lazy river tuber.

3. Kyle and Reed plan on winning the next season of So You Think You Can Dance?

4. Going to a "real mall" is exciting for everybody.

5. Not only did Kyle prove he's a native Texan, but I believe he's auditioning to be Adam Richmond's Man Vs Food sidekick in the spicy challenges. Kyle's dinner? Chips and a bowl of hot sauce.

6. Speaking of food, don't try to go to a breakfast restaurant you saw featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives on a Saturday morning.

Especially one that's teeny-tiny and doesn't take reservations.

Green Day

The Norwegian German Jew-Baptists that probably have a little Irish in them somewhere since my maiden name is Reynolds wish you a Happy St. Patrick's Day!

The Rainbow Connection

I know, I know. You're expecting me to change this over to a craftingcheffing blog any day now. But until then, I'll just keep dazzling you with my amazing homemaking skills. Today's feature is once again showcasing my cheffing talents.

I let the kids make the St. Patrick's Day rainbow cupcakes that are supposedly "all over the Internet". (Although, I only saw them one place.)

JR and I actually got the cake batter mixed up without our twin assistants. They were still napping. And would you look at that, I actually planned ahead. I have the extra 4 bowls out ready to mix in the different colors.

By color mixing time, The Babies were up. Reed moved his own stool to his cooking station and got to work. Kyle, like Mommy, needed a minute to wake up, so he was enjoying some juice and a little TV.

Our colors of the rainbow.

As I was taking the cupcakes out of their pans, this one's top fell off. (I wish my muffin top would fall off.) I couldn't believe it! They really do look like rainbows. Gross Play-Doh looking cupcake rainbows, but JR thought it was the coolest thing he'd ever seen.

Some green food coloring in the frosting container, a couple of stirs by each kid, and we were St. Patrick's day ready.

I'm guessing the more you mutilate the cupcake as you eat it, the better it tastes.

And it just wouldn't be one of my craftychefy blog posts without some sort of injury/kitchen mishap/ruining of the food, but these pretty much went off without a hitch. Of course, not one to disappoint you, I did stain my fingers with food coloring. And Martha would never let that happen.

Hangin' with the Upper Crust

You know us Ingersolls, only the best.

So, naturally, a huge celebrity was also vacationing at our resort in Phoenix.

And really, I don't think my kids could have been more excited. I am not a Sponge Bob fan. In fact, I've just now started letting JR watch him every so often. And just as my mom didn't let me watch Facts of Life, (nobody in the universe could have been cooler to me than Blair, Jo, Natalie, and Tootie) not letting my kids watch Sponge Bob has, of course, made Sponge Bob the biggest superstar walking the face of the earth. The babies even know him (how, I have no idea) and as soon as they saw him started screaming ,"Bob-Bob! Bob-Bob!" Much to the kids' delight we saw a lot of Sponge Bob this trip. He was a bit like the Pied Piper of the water park, and had a huge following everywhere he went (glad mine aren't the only ones obsessed). Yep, hanging with celebrities. Just another day.

This next picture just cracks me up. Check out how seriously the "Fun Director" (AKA: Sponge Bob's security detail) is taking his job.

And We're Home

Now I Have the Sad Face

Leaving the perfect, beautiful weather behind and headed back to the snow. (Weather Channel is predicting 6 inches by tomorrow morning.) Some of us (Reed) are just closing our eyes to that bit of news. Others don't ever close their eyes in the car, right Kyle?