Playroom

Part of February’s goal was to finish the playroom.  I have tons of pictures and descriptions that I will post when we get back from Utah. Here are a couple of pictures: 

Ski School

I've been taking the girls up to Bogus Basin for ski school on Thursday mornings. There are not a lot of skiers on the mountain and the classes are small (2 or 3 kids/instructor).

Chloe likes to be first.

That kid really held back Stella.

Fred and I hang out in the lodge or cruise around in the sled.

The big haul.

On the way home they are really hungry.

And tired.

Flashback Friday

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This video is very shaky (Dan must have been nervous for her) but it is the only one we have.  This was last year when Chloe was five.  She came in last and she cried.  (Have I mentioned how competitive she is?)  It was her first and last race.  Dan thinks bmx racing in Idaho is too redneck so we quit. 

18 Months

Fred is 18 months old today. This is such a fun age. He is growing and learning so fast. To document this stage I’m going to celebrate blog-style by listing 18 things about Fred that make me smile. (Not 18 things ‘I love’ because lots of these things cause extra work for me. But they still make me smile.)

1. He says, “ahm” almost every time he takes a bite of food.
2. He gives hugs by laying his head on you. So, he’ll walk up to you and tilt his head until it is resting on you.
3. I tried to teach him to sign ‘eat’ and ‘more’. He quickly learned to say, “mao” for more and for ‘eat’ he gives his pointer finger a suck. So cute.
4. He has three styles of kissing. He’ll come at you with his tongue sticking out, with his mouth wide open or with a fish-face pucker (my favorite).
5. He sings a lot. Including Hannah Montana’s ‘Best of Both Worlds’. Not kidding. “behhhh bohhhh.”
6. He loves to dance. He can rock out or twirl like a graceful ballerina.
7. He rides his spring horse with reckless abandon, often standing up in the saddle. But before mounting up he has to find his cowboy hat.
8. He really loves books right now. He is always bringing us books and asking, “boo-uh?” But he is really hard on them. I tape them back together but he just pulls them apart again.
9. He has a natural mohawk/alfalfa—two cowlicks that swirl in. He also has the mullet that each of our kids have been blessed with. So ugly on the girls but I kind of like it on Fred.
10. He is very resourceful. He has learned to push chairs around to reach what he wants. Or he’ll get a pot out and stand on it—just the right height to reach into drawers.
11. When he doesn’t want me to set him down he’ll wrap his legs around mine.
12. He is really good at using sound effects to emphasize his actions. Usually, “whoa!” or “uh!”.
13. He likes to open the dishwasher and take out a spoon then open the cupboard and take out a pot and create ‘music’.
14. My girls used to guide me by the finger to show me what they wanted. Fred tries to push or lift me up. He really thinks he can do it.
15. He rarely says 'no' but when he does he screams it. “Nnnnah!!” And he’ll swing his arm around. Usually when I put something in the microwave.
16. He tickles whenever skin on a midsection is revealed and says, “Ticka ticka”. He also tries to tickle Stella’s bum when I’m changing her diaper. (Or he’ll get a wipe and try to help.)
17. He sings “cheese” for the camera. But he won’t let us film him anymore because he just wants to look at himself. (Why did I show him that?!)
18. He is a good climber. He loves to be on the counter or the table.

I’m already to 18? Well, I really want to remember these things so I’m going to keep going…

• Whenever he does something he says, “deh” for ‘there’. If it is really cool then he’ll raise his arms and say “ta-dah!”
• He takes two good naps a day then goes to bed at 8 until about 8.
• He loves to bury his face in the cat’s fur. Or just knock her off whatever she is perched on.
• He usually has something on his face or in his hair. Usually marker but sometimes cream, chapstick, maskera, superglue, toothpaste or anything that has a lid that he can remove.
• He finds it very entertaining to throw things down the stairs or over the railing.
• He can squirm his way out of safety straps no matter how tight I get them. This makes shopping and eating out a pain. I can get the shopping cart strap really tight but somehow he manages to climb over the back of the seat while still in the strap and ends up hanging by his waist.

Ok, I think that will do. We love Fred. We think it is so fun to have a boy around. We are really glad that he is old enough to go into nursery on Sundays.

Happy Valentine’s

The other day, I clicked over to Ashlynn’s blog from Jordan’s blog just in time to see this Valentine idea.
I added the text and border in Picnik and had them printed in wallet size at Walmart (Costco’s wallets are too small).

Unfortunately, we didn’t get to use them for Chloe’s class because they sent home a paper saying ‘no treats’. NO TREATS. On Valentine’s! They are trying to teach the kids healthy eating habits. We were told we could only send healthy snacks. Well, we kind of cheated. We taped sugar free gum to some store-bought valentines. Not healthy but not bad for you—unless sugar substitutes cause cancer. We’ll doorbell-ditch the sucker ones on Valentine’s night at their friend’s houses.

Chloe's Thoughts

Before I relate this conversation let me remind you that I come from a family that watches a lot of sports on television and we currently live in a town that is very fanatical and proud of their blue field.


Chloe: Mom, why do so many people love to watch football on t.v. but we don't?
Mom: I don't know, we just like other sports better. And we don't really watch t.v.
Chloe: But why do so many people like it and we don't?
Mom: I guess we are just more into the sports that we can actually participate in.
Chloe: But why does everyone else like it?
Mom: I don't know. Chloe, you can like football if you want.
Chloe: But I don't.


And that was the end of the conversation. If any of you sports watchers would like to explain this feel free to do so in the comments.


After reading Sleeping Beauty, Chloe asked: How come in all the books and all the movies the good guys always win?
Me: I guess people just prefer to have things end nicely.
Chloe: I don't.
Me: So you would rather have the witch kill the prince and Princess Aurora stay asleep forever?
Chloe: Yeah.


She said it so matter-of-factly--not trying to be funny or different. But I'm pretty sure she likes a happy ending now and then.

This was taken at the Discovery Center in Boise. Reminds me of the mirrored wall we had growing up.

Tribute to Uncle Jordan

I found that jacket for Fred at the D.I. --Jordan's favorite shopping destination. Too bad there weren't any boots in Fred's size.

Jammin' with Jordan in St. George.