Sledding

We were going to spend last weekend in Illinois. The plan was to leave early on Friday and arrive back home on Sunday. I was looking forward to helping with my future sister-in-law's bridal shower on Saturday. Upon arriving home Thursday night after a rare evening out with friends I was put on high alert.  Another snowstorm would be arriving in our area and the weather team on the local news alluded to the fact that the end of the world was near. 

I then did what I do best.  I fretted and worried and did a lot of hand wringing trying to decide if we should make the trip or not.  I made a hundred or so phone calls to get opinions from everyone but the pope. In the end, we decided to err on the side of caution and stayed put. 

The boys were bummed all weekend that they didn't get to see their cousins. I stayed in my pajamas for a few days to display my disappointment .  To who?  To the man.  The weather man.  (It made much more sense then I promise.)

Imagine my dismay when the snow storm skipped by us completely.  Not a single flake fell-let alone accumulated.  The roads were no worse than they were before.  Normally I would be delighted because I HATE SNOW but I was pretty peeved that the weather guy got it all wrong and thwarted my plans.

Now that I got that out there I can tell you what we did on Friday.  Jeremy and I took the boys over to the subdivision lake to go sledding with our neighbors.  We quickly realized that we are ill prepared for these types of activities. 

Ben lost a boot in the snow.  They are hand me downs from Jimmy that might be too big.

I only have one pair of water resistant gloves for the kids.  Owen had to make do with mittens. 

And Jeremy does not have a pair of boots. 

It was our lack of equipment that kept us from staying very long. The fact that I was afraid that I would slip and go rolling down the hill had nothing to do with it.



Baby Blanket

Baby Ben around 4 months old





Baby Owen at 4 months

Growing up I spent a lot of time with my Aunt Doris and Uncle Darold.  She helped my mom teach me to swim and is the reason I still have weird cravings for a ham salad sandwich every now and then.  They took my brother Ryan and I camping in southern Illinois every labor day weekend.  On the way Uncle Darold taught us the rules of the road while explaining the meaning of every sign and highway marking we passed along the way. 

At my baby shower I recieved this blanket from my aunt.  I had seen one just like this before as my mom made one when my brother Greg was a baby.  I did not know that Doris had made one at the same time and was stunned as I opened her gift that day.

I just thought I'd take a minute to let her know that every time I wrapped one of my babies up in this blanket- they got a great big hug from Aunt Doris.  These pictures are especially for her.



Potty Mouth

I just overheard this conversation between the boys:

Ben: Which kind of poop do you like?

Owen: I like green poop.

                            

And this little gem earlier in the day:

Owen: "Look at this superhero I drew Dad. He has pee and poop as powers!"

I'm not it sure if it was all the bathroom talk that we did while potty training, but Owen has a way of mentioning words such as poop, fart, or pee in every single conversation.                                    

I suppose it is a good thing I grew up with brothers.  It reminds me of sitting around the dinner table.



Fun and Games

Preschool has been closed due to inclement weather for the last 42 days and we have been trying to keep busy (aka staying sane).  The kitchen has art supplies scattered around and board games litter the dining room table.  We had this "What am I" game that the Ben received for his birthday out today.

                                             

                        

We tried it out for the first time with my parents and it was hysterical.  It took forever for me to figure out that I was a toaster.  A toaster! It is fun to play with Ben. He likes to give out hints and ask if he is the thing on other player's heads. 

When he hasn't cheated by looking in the entryway mirror or his reflection in the fireplace, he gets really animated . (We have to keep our eyes on that one.)

                             

We have also played a fair share of Uno Moo, Chutes and Ladders, Memory and (my personal favorite)  Perfection.  There's a theme here.  They can totally beat me at any of these-especially Memory- I'm terrible at that one.  (Go ahead and insert random sucks to get old joke here).     



Wordless Wednesday; just part of the routine



Snow Day

This is what we woke up to this morning.

 

 Just a few inches of snow, but it's supposed to keep falling all day.

The boys were beyond excited. They also know that I don't like to be cold.   Honestly, I probably would not have gotten them all bundled up and outside if it weren't for the prodding of our sweet neighbor.   She called to forwarn me that her boys were heading out. If I didn't want to join them,

I had ample time to shut the blinds.  

Instead, I managed to get the boys layered up and found our gloves. 

 We made it out the the door for a fun fifteen minutes.

The boys were able to taste the snow 

  

 to sled down the hill in the back yard

and to throw snowballs at our friends.

 Kim and Joey stayed at the top to get the sledding started

and Jossie kept her eye on all of them.

It was worth a few minutes of discomfort to see them all having so much fun.

But I'm not going to lie. 

 I was just as happy to come back inside the warm house and snuggle up with my boys.





silly kids

Between birthdays and the holidays, Ben and Owen have received a ton of gifts recently. 

This is what has been played with the most.

 A piece of cardboard that came in one of the boxes.

So far it's been an art canvas, a shield, a roof to a fort, a guitar, a hat, a skateboard and a sled.  I have been instructed that whatever I do - I am not to throw it away. 

It does not require assembly, batteries or parental supervision and does not take up a lot of space.  This piece of cardboard will not sing or make loud irritating noises yet has provided hours of entertainment.  Rest assured, I have no reason to put it in the recycle bin.

So I figure from now on I will be ordering items for myself just to be able to give them the cardboard that comes with the package.  Really- it's for the children.



It's a new year!

The tree was supposed to come down yesterday. 

My resolution of staying on top of things has already flown out the window. 

Whew, I'm glad that's over.   I was buckling under the pressure.

Now back to relaxing and enjoying the last few days of Ben's Christmas break.

Happy 2011!