Another Mouth to Feed

We all know I am not a cook.

Nor do I like to cook.

So my heart literally started to race when Kyle informed me I would also need to feed Perry.

(Yes, Perry the Platypus.)

Sure Perry's a stuffed animal, but I knew Kyle wasn't going to go for pretend stuffed animal food.

Thank goodness platypuses eat crackers.

Crackers I can do!

Saturday! Saturday! Saturday!

Saturday night was the monster truck show/race/jam/performance/recital/showcase

(that should cover all my bases)

in Farmington.

Of course, I hardly even knew what a monster truck was until I had 3 boys.

But, I have to give it to them, even I ooh and ahh when stuff like this happens.

JR, TC, and Tobin posing with the trucks.

Reed and Knox trying to get as close as possible.

Kyle's such the Renaissance man.  He loves Hello Kitty and monster trucks.

And, of course, hugs from cute ladies. 

The Ingys take their monster trucks very seriously.

But sometimes ya just gotta do a little "off roading".

Stuck on You

I have been driving around Durango in a 2-wheel drive SUV for 3 years.

(Texans, It's basically impossible to drive in the snow/ice in a SUV that's 2-wheel drive.  People look at me like I don't eat organically, recycle, or mountain bike when I tell them I don't have 4-wheel or all-wheel drive.)

And in those 3 years, sure I've gotten stuck, but I've always been able to get out of it (with help.)

But, my luck ran out the other evening in Kylie's driveway.

After I started sliding sideways (squealing all the way, of course) I went in to get her help and here's the end result.

Kylie shoveled snow and pushed on the car, but it didn't move.

I then had the big plan to call Cassidy to come get me, leave the car as it was, and let Jason "fix it" the next day. 

But since Kylie wouldn't be able to get out of her own driveway, I finally gave-up and decided to call my insurance.

My insurance kept asking me if I was in a ditch.  They didn't seem to understand how I could get stuck in a driveway. I finally said, "I might as well be in a ditch. This is a seriously steep driveway, I'm in the mountains!"

The tow-truck driver arrived about an hour later and asked, "Is this 4-wheel drive or all-wheel drive?" When I told him it was two-wheel he first said, "Wow. I've never even seen one of these before", and then followed it up with, "This is bad."

I told him my husband suggested throwing down some sand. (Jason was in the Denver airport coming  home from New Orleans.)

He looked at me and said, "Um, We're way past sand.  I might have to call another tow truck."

 

Awesome.

Luickly they were able to back up the tow truck, hook my front tire, and turn the car around.

And the next day you could barely tell I'd even been there.

(Can you hear my sarcasm?)

Fashion Fabulous Friday

You're never fully dressed without a smile.

School Scenes

I knew I liked Kyle and Reed's preschool teachers, but when they sent home pictures I knew I really liked them .

Reed and his friend, River. 

(I think Kyle is only allowed to play with Reed when Reed summons him to him.)

I can't believe Mr. Fashion Police let his portrait be taken with his scarf all askew. 

Even better, this one's got his vest under his shirt!

You'll Have to Trust Me

I know they're hard to see, but you'll just have to trust me on this one.

Kyle and Reed's new birthday bikes have something their old Strider bikes didn't...

Pedals!

And yes, these were the absolute best pictures I could get.

Do you know how hard it is to run down a somewhat snowy/icy street with a dog on a leash while trying to take a picture with a phone?

Obviously pretty hard by the quality of these pictures!

"Fancy" Pictures

As a source of entertainment I got out the camera Sunday afternoon.

The kids decided to try their best modeling poses.

They certainly thought they were being fancy (not saying "cheeeeeeeese" and all).

 And Reed being, well, non fancy.

Xin Nian Kuai Le

Happy Chinese New Year!

Year of the Dragon.

Packin' Heat

Think I'll ever get to help make a snowman that's not toting a gun (or two)?

Besides the guns, everyone also insisted on not using candy since they didn't want Kyle to "eat its face off again."

Fashion Fabulous Friday- Winter Foot Wear

For you Texans, these are what snowshoes look like (on my feet).

I'm pretty sure I'd never seen a pair in real life until I moved here.

Even so, I found myself making a pair of snowshoes for a game the Cub Scouts played the other night.

Yeah, you're right.

It is nearly impossible to tell the real ones from the homemade.

My little Cub Scout-in-Training was a perfect snowshoe tester.

(But in all seriousness, if you're looking for a "winter activity" cardboard snowshoeing was a huge hit!)

Look What I Made!

So if you haven't seen me today (I saw both Kylie and Shelly and made them look immediately) check out what I did to my shirt.

I saw these little elbow patches on Pinterest and thought, "That's cute; I think I can actually do that."

And even more "impressive" than my handiwork...getting a picture of my elbow!

We're Probably a Little Crazy

So what that we awoke to 6 inches of snow on the ground Monday?

You think that would keep two shopping starved girls from their planned Target and Hobby Lobby run?

No way.

Sure it took us 2 hours to get to there, but sit in the house with our brood of boys on a holiday was not an option.

Our only causality:

They tipped over a shopping cart in Target. 

(Yes, completely over. I don't even know how they did it.)

But nobody was in it, so tears and hysteria averted.

Special Again

Week 2 of the Ingy Special Boards and The Puppet Master tried to convince me that he hadn't been the star of the Special Board last week, and I need to make him another one.

I can't for the life of me figure out where he gets his love of being the center of attention.

Hummmm....

But even I have it together enough to know it was Kyle's turn to be special, and was mainly proud of myself that I made it look like my kids have different interests and that I don't make them do all the same things.

Even though we all know I absolutely do.

They'll be plenty of time for individuality later, right?

Come on Down

I don't normally get too excited about the snow.

Sure I think it's pretty, but since I'm scared of it (driving in it/on it that is) I don't really ever wish for snow.

Until this year.

The skiing has been awful.

Awful like we might as well have been skiing on an ice skating rink.

Jason and I have even turned into my mom and dad.

(Mama and Daddy's favorite thing to talk about is lack of rain.)


We sound exactly like my parents during an East Texas summer.

"I just don't know what we're going to do if we don't get some snow soon."

Jason even checks the Weather Channel as frequently as my dad these days.

 

 

But glory, glory hallelujah, we woke up to about six inches of snow this morning.

Now if I could just get it to move on from my house and sit up on top of Purgatory for the week!

Fashion Fabulous Friday

This is what happens when you turn your back on Kyle in Claire's.

If you look closely, you'll see he's holding a wallet.

You can almost make out Hello Kitty's bow.

Here it is in full view.

Yep, it's called Fashion Fabulous Friday for a reason.

(I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried.)



In Case You were Wondering

Kyle, Reed, and I had a long, in-depth discussion about the awesomeness that is The Polar Express.

Which then turned into a conversation about Sam the Elf.

Seems Kyle, who spent most of his days fighting with Sam, is "really hoping he's doing good" and "wondering what he's been up to". 

Kyle's under the impression Sam's taking a much needed vacation with Santa.

Truth be told, poor Sam's been stuck in my bathing suit drawer ever since Christmas Eve.

In a mad panic to hide him before the kids came out for Christmas morning (since Santa's supposed to pick him up and take him back to the North Pole with him) I tossed him in a drawer.

Then I undecorated for Christmas.

And forgot about Sam.

I do appreciate Kyle's reminder, I can't imagine what the movers would think of the crazy lady with an elf in her drawer!

Take Your Lunch Elsewhere

If you're thinking of taking a picnic the next time you go to Telluride, you might want to think again.

This is one time I won't be telling him to get off the table!



Not So Special

This is Reed's week for the Special Board at preschool.

With their birthdays and the move, the Special Board was not one of my top priorities.

And though it doesn't look terrible, it's certainly not up to my usual "mom project" standards.

(And no, I didn't decorate those fancy dotted lines.  They were already there.)

And lucky me, I get to do another one next week!

Party Like a Rock Star

Poor Kyle and Reed, after the excitement of Christmas, the last thing I'm thinking about is pulling together a birthday party.

I tried to plan ahead this year and asked them before Christmas what kind of party they wanted.

I fully expected I'd be renting out the gymnastics gym and having to invite all the kids from their preschool (and making conversation with parents that I've never said more than 'hi' to).

But Kyle and Reed had a different idea.

They wanted to go to Big Bounce with Knox and Koen.

Hallelujah.

Done and Done.

Kyle and Reed are also under the impression that they're friends with JR's friends, so the Wayland kids and T.C. were also sweet enough to come.

We were supposed to have lunch at McDonald's, but since it was closed for construction, we wound up at the fake Fudruckers.

I'm the bad twin mom that only buys one cake.

Hey, at least I bought them each their own candle!

For some reason the Farmington mall has a hurricane simulator.

As you can see, this was $2.00 well spent on 77 mile-an-hour winds in a glass cage.

It was a banner day at Big Bounce.

A jammed finger, a bloody nose (of course that was JR), and a small scuffle.

But they were able to pull it together long enough for a group picture.

A Calm, Tranquil Little Note

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!! (and Reed)

THIS IS WHAT FOUR LOOKS LIKE, BABY!!!!



Fashion Fabulous Friday

One of the perks of Jason taking a new job in Denver before Christmas, meant we got to attend two work Christmas parties.

The Farmington party is always a big time at the Elk's Lodge, and the "prom pictures" we get to take are always part of the fun.

Jason brought ours home yesterday.  

Of course Cassidy and I always have our picture made together since we spend more time with each other than our actual dates.  

(On a side note, Cassidy's wrapping up her time here in Durango too.  They're moving to Fort Worth.)

Our next party was in Denver. 

Since we were already there house hunting, it was perfect timing for us to attend.

(Reed is going through a phase where he has to be in every picture.)

Yep, pretty fashion fabulous!