This is How You Do It

Now that's the way to celebrate scoring a goal!

 

I Knew It Was Just a Matter of Time

The way this bunch acts, I knew sooner or later it was bound to happen.

 

Okay. So they didn't really get arrested.

But, of course, this was their favorite thing the Denver Scout Show had to offer.

They had to use the smallest handcuffs they had on these two. 

And they could still slip out of them!

Fashion Fabulous Friday

It's the wardrobe of spring:

Shorts and snowboots.

And the squished up faces let you know the sun is out.

 

Does that mean spring might actually be here?

Or by saying that did I just forecast 14 more inches of snow?

There's About a 30% Chance of a Follow Up to This

So one of the PreK moms is super in to gardening.

I'm totally cool with that (it actually reminds me of my daddy) and think it would be really neat to do.

In theory.

 

 

The problem is that I'm totally scared and just assume I'll kill everything.

 

 

She told us she has 700 tomato plants (that's right, 700!) and that we basically had to take some and try.

 

 

So here's what she gave me.  She told me they're dwarfs. 

(Not that I know what I'm supposed to do with that information, except tell you.)

She also gave me a full page of typed instructions.

Wow. Things just got serious.

 

 

Of course if you never hear another word about these tomato plants, just know I wasn't cut out for "living off the land" and they're...well, dead.

Tuesday Weather Check

It's Tuesday.

 

And since I've reported on the weather every Tuesday since...what seems like forever...let's go have a little look-see.

 

Well now, can you believe it?

 

 

Snow! 



Who woulda thunk it?

Certainly not me.

 

How could I have possibly thought we might get another 3 inches?

Not with this warm and wonderess spring we're having.

Look at Me...Being All Jason-like

On Friday, Kyle had the awesome idea to shove the itouch in between the piano keys.

(The perfect hiding place to keep his brothers from using it.)

 

Now, I know you're thinking...What?

Yeah, I thought the same thing.  Here's a picture.

So that teeny-tiny space between the black keys and the silver bar...that's where the itouch went.

Fingers don't fit, pencils don't fit, a knife doesn't fit.

You know what does fit? An itouch.

 

I kinda panicked for a moment thinking it really might be gone for good, but then I went behind the paino and noticed the screws.

 

So I unscrewed the top. 

(I know...so engineer minded of me!)

 

Here's what I found.

There's the itouch. See it?

 

Here it is close up.

That's how far he had shoved it back there.

 

Kyle's grounded from the itouch for a month...not that he has any idea how long that is.

But I guess we're even since I have no idea what would possess him to think of hiding it in a piano!

Fashion Fabulous Friday

 

Ever since our spring break trip to the skating rink, Kyle and Reed have been going to roller skating lessons on Thursday mornings. 

An hour and a half of skating, skate rentals, plus a snack...it's the best 9 bucks (total!) I spend all week.

 

 

After the first week Kyle talked incessantly about going back the next week...so he could get a glow stick.

 

 

It's the biggest thing going in Pre K fashion.  Glow stick on a skate.

 

 

Now we have to get one every time.

Every time.

Tumbled Over

The Easter Bunny brought practical gifts this year.

We'll, I'm not sure "practical" is the right word..."gifts that will get used" might be a better term.

 

JR got a scooter. 

He was riding it to school everyday until it started snowing feet and feet of snow every week.

 

Kyle and Reed got a cheese mat. 

I'm not sure that's what it's really called, but that's what I call it since it looks like a piece of cheese.

 

I'm so glad all this is on the mat and not on my furniture.  And in my basement and not in the middle of my kitchen or living room.

Kyle's mat work isn't nearly as impressive as Reed's, but he also doesn't practice nearly as much.

 

 

 

And, as always, the videos are only seconds long.

 

So Fortunate

I know I've told you before about how you don't get fortune cookies after a meal in China.

Actually, there's nothing that even remotely resembles a fortune cookie, or a cookie at all for that matter.

 

But, authentic or not, we still love them.

 

Especially when they are absolutely perfect.

 

JR got this one the other day.

 

 

Yep, I'd say that's about right.

Just What I Wanted

I was really hoping for another huge snow this week.

I've been soooooo happy about all the others.

 

Well, lucky me, I was not disappointed.

 

 

I was hoping for a foot, and according to our neighbor who measures it, we've gotten 14.5 inches!

 

 

ANNNND, it's supposed to snow for the next two days.

 

Yipppeee!

 

(Insert eye roll.)

Giant on the Field

I don't like to loose.

JR and Reed are exactly like me.

 

No matter how small or insignificant the game/contest/competition we want to win.

 

Kyle and Jason could care less.

 

That being said, I'm not sure Kyle and Reed have really ever lost a soccer game...until Saturday.

 

And when I say lost, I mean, they got killed.

 

Their team only scored 1 goal the entire game. (But Reed scored it!)

Kyle was throwing his whole body into the other team's net trying to block shots.

 

I don't like it when they loose.

But it's hard not to loose when you're competing against a "5 year old" that, as Jason described, is "as big as me".

 

Reed has always been able to outrun anybody they put him up against.

But, it's hard to outrun someone who only has to take 5 steps and they've made it across the field.

 

 

I was so enthralled in the game I didn't take any pictures, but I did somehow take this quick video.

The kid who's as big as me is in the video.

 

Soooo, it's only a 13 second video.

Kyle kicks off (Reed isn't paying attention and just stands there). 

The giant takes the ball from Kyle, and then Reed runs up. 

You'll clearly see Reed only comes up to his shoulders.

Fashion Fabulous Friday

A crown goes with everything, right?

 

 Caroline told me this picture looked like it could be on the cover of a New York City playbill.

I love her.

Yards of Fun

Before the snow came we had some spring yard sprucing done.

 

Reed and I barely looked outside.

Kyle never came in.

He took every step they took.

Every step.

 

 

My little Mulch Face.

Sigh.

It's April 9th.

It's 15 degrees. The wind chill is 2.

 

That's right. Two.

 

These pictures were taken today. April 9th.

 

I have no words.



Tongues a Waggin'

Just in case you were thinking JR's the only one that uses his tongue to think/write/run/play/do most anything...just check out these two.

 

 

Fashion Fabulous Friday

 

I'm always so proud of the packing job I do for the family. 

Everyone always has underwear, socks, bathing suits, shirts, and pants.

 

Oh wait.

 Did I say everyone always has pants?

 

I somehow completely and totally forgot to pack Kyle and Reed pants for the spring break trip.

 

They didn't even have a pair on their body since we left Wednesday and went straight to the mountain...they were wearing their ski pants.

 

So that's why they're wearing their pajamas while out-to-eat.

 

Sorry guys!

I promise I'll remember to pack you full outfits next time. 

Upside Down and Flat Out

Now least you think (after yesterday's pictures) that we're a family of amazing skiers, let me clue you in on the truth of it.

 

We all had such spectacular falls over 3 days that if any had been videoed, we'd surely be the next YouTube sensation.

 

 

Jason wins for falling while doing absolutely nothing.

He's definitely the best skier in the family, but he was literally just skiing along (doing nothing)...and then he was on the ground.

 

He knocked the wind out of himself so badly that he couldn't even answer me when I asked if he wanted me to call ski patrol. 

 He rallied and was able to ski on for the rest of the trip, but his shoulder and ribs are still sore.

 

 

 

Kyle and I win for most embarrassing fall.

Kyle and Reed are still so little they aren't tall enough to just sit down on the ski lift. 

Jason and I have to lift them on using the handles on the little backpacks they wear. 

 

 I saw the lift coming, and lifted Kyle up, but I didn't get him up high enough. 

I felt the lift hit him in the back of the legs, and then...well, that was all she wrote. 

 

It knocked us both down. 

 I was lying face first, spread eagle, thinking: this lift is going to hit me in the head...and then I'm going to look even more ridiculous in front of this crowd of 200 people!

They had to stop the lift, take off my skis for me, pick me up. 

Total humiliation.

 

 

JR wins for scariest fall.

We have begged him and begged him to stay out of the trees. 
You couldn't pay me enough to ski through trees (trail or not).

 But he doesn't listen. 

 

You know what happens when you ski through trees? You hit them. 

 

Thankfully he hit a tree with his shin and not his head. 

Thankfully he was able to ski away (after tears and dramatics), and with only a bad bruise. 

This one could have been a million times worse.

 

 

 

And most photo worthy fall goes to Reed.

Jason was skiing behind him and said he cartwheeled. 

 By the time I skied up, he was shaking the snow off and asking me to take a picture of his skis. 

 

Which I did, of course.

 

It's hard to tell at this picture angle, but the ski closest to Reed is actually sticking straight up out of the snow, ski tip down!

 

 

 

Thankfully the season is over, I'm not sure our bodies could take anymore!

Spring Ski

We were able to easily entertain our pack for the rest of spring break with a ski trip. 

Though "easy" might not be the right word since they officially wore Jason and me out!

 

 

I was sooo excited for this trip because we met Gary and Anita (our Beijing friends that live in South Carolina) there. 

We had a rotating group of kids to ski with, and we were always trying to remember if we had the right number of kids for that day/time.

Thursday was our smallest group (at Keystone):

Kyle, Reed, JR, and Madison

 

 

JR and Madison have always been good friends.

Here they are in July of '08

And in February of '10

 

 

But now they're wayyyy too cool for me, and decided they need to ride the gondola alone.

So here's my view of them in their own "mom free" gondola.

 

 

 

By Friday we had added kids, and traded kids (at Breckenridge):

Madison, Emily, Reed, Kyle, Meredith

Gary and Meredith came in a day later, and we traded JR for Emily. (The Stengers were also there skiing.) 

 

 

Scott took JR and Anna off to the top of the mountain where it looked like this.

 

 

And they did these kinds of runs.

 

 

 

And finally, I have one video from the first day we skied.

(Don't worry, I don't expect anybody to watch my kids ski, it's for the grandparents.)

 

Kyle comes in first from the left side, slightly falls and then skis backwards for awhile. Reed comes in after that, and you also get to hear JR get on to me for "missing his jump".

 

Bunny Brunch

The kids woke up at exactly 7:01 yesterday excited to see what the Easter Bunny left.

I tried to play down the Easter Bunny thinking they'd sleep in, I guess my effort bought us 1 extra minute of sleep.

 

 

 

The excitement continued when we were able to get an Easter picture with all the kids looking at the camera and make it to church with time to spare.

 

The Stengers and Granny Sherry came over for Easter brunch.

(Though Debbie brought most of the yummy food.)

Just check out those plates: bacon, sausage, french toast, quiche, biscuits, and cinnamon rolls!

 

We then participated in the Easter traditions of our "cultures".

 

We introduced the girls to the awesomeness of cascarones (confetti filled eggs).

 

 

Look, you can actually see the yellow egg in flight about to hit Anna in the stomach.

I think this is what's referred to as "brotherly love".

 

 

 An "after" group shot.

 

 

 Then the girls showed us the Easter tradition of their homeland...microwaving Peeps.

 

Crowding around the microwave

 

 

 Faces of amazement

 

 

In case you were wondering, they look like this.

 

Gooey Peeps goodness.

 

Now that's some gourmet food!