Tubing at Sunburst

Much Much family fun!  

I can't believe only a 1/2 hour away from us is a great tubing hill!  Kate of course HAD to have a yellow tube and Stephen, blue.  Stephen, Mr. Independent, was determined to pull his own tube whenever he could.    

We went with our good friends, The Lang's, James, Jennifer, and Peyton.
 

They also have skiing and snowboarding that seemed pretty busy with teenage kids.  (Pardon my "I used to live in Colorado" attitude, but compared to those mountains, you know... The Rockies, this was nothing....)  However, it is very cool that we could ski or snowboard that close to our house.

We took these pictures with Kate's little point and shoot camera....   (Not bad quality and it was nice having a tiny camera in my pocket, not over my shoulder.)

Kate was VERY nervous and scared when we got there.  She did NOT want to go tubing after seeing the daunting hill.

She did say she would try it and David went down the hill with her.  At the bottom, she was all smiles and never stopped for 3 hours!

Stephen was a turtle.... he would sit in the tube, tuck his head down and go down with me holding on to his tube.  He didn't pop his head up until we got to the bottom and then he would say, "Again, Again!!!"  (I think he liked it.)  

Big surprise, Stephen, had a major melt down at the top of the mountain.  For about 45 minutes we didn't know how he was going to get down the hill.  Yes, I wanted to just put him in his tube and go down the hill, but he wouldn't sit down!  Luckily, we got permission for him to ride down in the tube with me.  We got a snack and a break and about 45 minutes later we were tubing again with no problems.  

We had a great time!!!

I came into our family room the other night and everyone was together, watching the TV.

This is the madness of our house that I really love..... 

Belle, Kate, Sumter (above Kate), Stephen, and David

On other side of sofa, Dixie.

Shiloh, is above Dixie on the back of the sofa.

In dog bed, one cat.... Libbie.

I love them all..... 

Last night was Kate's school, Amy Montessori, parent / student night.  Kate was so proud to show off her school to all of us.  Yes, I take her there Monday-Friday, but you could tell that she knew tonight was special.  She wanted to not only show us things, but show us the right way to participate.

Like, if you want to play with a toy on the shelf, you have to pick up a carpet square first.  Stephen was REALLY excited.... I could tell he was thinking, "I get to touch all the stuff you always tell me not to touch?@!#??"

Stephen getting hands on experience at the paleontologist table ....

Kate's George Washington, with marshmallow curls.

Kate's Starry Night

The tree of Kindness Hearts.... Kate has earned quite a few.

We then all HAD to have snack, Stephen was all about pouring his own juice....
Watch out, he will be here in the fall.  

I always joke that one year I want to send a Christmas card that is all the "out-takes."  You know, the 250 pictures you take just to get one good one.
The ones where one kid is smiling and the other is cross-eyed instead of everyone looking forward, smiling, in focus...???

Because my kids were fresh out of a bath and dressed fairly well, let's take a picture of them....
Great idea right?
Here are some of my favorites.

Kate can't put her hand around her brother's waist, so his head is the right choice right?

Stephen, will have none of this....

If I hold on to him he won't run away....

At least one is smiling and they both have their hands to themselves?

Okay, get the sillies out!

The dogs at this point want to participate in the chaos, known as picture taking....
I tell the kids to sit and this is what I got instead.  PRICELESS!!!!  
 

The kids try and sit down with the dogs, Dixie leaves and Belle hangs around for a rub....

I love this picture....

I'm here.... kinda.


I woke up again with a headache.  I really dislike headaches.
They just make my day uncomfortable and all I want to do is enjoy my day the best I can.


I have really been trying to do that, live everyday to the fullest.  I am not trying to sound corny, but whole heartedly at the end of the day, feel like I lived it.  So, I am grateful and annoyed at the same time.  


What is good about today is my kids.... my funny and very entertaining kids.  On a morning with a sick Mommy they seem to know.  They know to entertain themselves and play sweetly together.  I did not have to break up any fights.  


I have noticed that Stephen really misses Kate when she is not here.  Yes, they have their moments, but since moving here they figured out pretty quick that the only readily available play-mate, is the other one.  And for the most part they really play well together.  They have so much fun in their "little lands of make believe"  ....dinosaurs, monsters, flying machines, trains, block towers, coloring, dollhouses, and games of hide-and-seek seem to be keeping them entertained for the past few weeks.  


They have a tendency to "trash" the basement with all the games they make-up and play.  (So, constantly we are working on the "pick up as you go" theme.)  But, what is amazing is that they have never told me that they are bored.  And I love that!  Their imaginations are so big that they never seem to run out of creativity.     

I think one of the best parts of my birthday this year was the excitement of my kids.
They wanted to celebrate my birthday just like we do theirs, BIG.
Cake, presents, decorations, dinner of choice, etc...

Kate found streamers in the party drawer, left-over from her birthday.  I gave them a roll of tape and here is what we have....

33

I just had a birthday...

David and the kids decided to make me a cake from SCRATCH.

I did provide the recipe, Grandma's Chocolate Cake.  

From my occasional observation because they did not want me to help, everything was going perfect and the cakes were in the oven.  David just finished making the icing and we were debating if there was enough, or did we need to double the recipe?

I stepped out of the room.

David made a phone call to Josie / Michael, which ended with the words, "I have to go, there is smoke pouring out of my oven."  

Kate came running down the hall, "Mommy!!! Mommy!!!  Come quick, the oven is on fire!"

(moment for much laughter....)

Yep, the cake pans were too small and the cake over flowed and started the oven to smoke, no fire.

(FYI, I did provide the cake pans to David, so I did feel some what responsible.)  


However, Grandma's recipe does not give any pan sizes, I did check.  I also swear, these were the pans I used the last time I made it.

So, I got out the bigger pans and went to put Stephen to bed.

David and Kate made the cakes again and this time in the right size pans.

The icing was perfect, hence our personal taste testers.  

(FYI, the pictures to follow were taken on the following night, when they iced the cake.)  

Kate approved.  

Stephen approved.  (Please look behind Stephen, at Dixie!  She is just waiting for a morsel to fall....)

The cake was REALLY good!  I wanted to cut into in Tuesday night, but we were good and waited until Wednesday.  

Grandma herself would have been impressed!  

 

Even the dogs got to eat a little bit and celebrate. 

 

Craziness!


David and Kate built an igloo in our front yard.
(Yep, that's what we do here in Wisconsin.) 


Kate desperately wanted a roof on her igloo, hence the sheet.  


Good news, we are suppose to get more snow tonight and tomorrow.  
9 inches possibly...?
Who knows, maybe we will figure out how to build a real roof out of snow.

Sledding in January

I meant to put these up earlier in the month....  These were taken during our last big snow in beginning of January.

Right now Richmond has more snow on the ground than Brookfield, Wisconsin.  

And, oddly enough, Richmond currently has a larger total of snow this year, 2010, than Wisconsin.
(according to the airport totals.)

Virginia, have fun in the snow.  I am actually hoping we get more snow soon.  Right now what is on the ground is mainly ice, no fun.  Snow, lots of snow, that is much fun.