Where the Sidewalk Ends...Begins!

There is so much joy in watching your children discover the wonders of things that you loved as a child, too! Supergus brought home Shel Silverstein's "Where the Sidewalk Ends" book from the library last week. After reading out loud through several of the poems in a dramatic way, Supergus just eyeballed me curiously, like I had grown a second head. Oh, he'd never heard Shel READ the poems before! They come to life when he does!

I quickly put in the beloved CD and watched as his eyes lit up and he laughed! Even after years have passed: Sarah Cynthia Silvia Stout still won't take the garbage out, Jimmy Jet is still a TV set, Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too are still lost on an adventure and Sisters still aren't going for even a nickle at auction.! Each one was better than the last! We both laughed at "How can you tell if a window is open?~Throw a rock at it!" And the shock on his face when the jaws went SNAP in"Crocodile teeth's ~What's one more dentist, more of less?!" was priceless...

Treasures are hidden on those pages and we're determined to find many of them-together!

Sheldon Alan "Shel" Silverstein (September 25, 1930 – May 10, 1999)

Snow Day!

Wow! What a surprise! Our school district actually called a snow day?! Anyone who ever went to that school and or worked there are probably still picking their mouths up off the floor. You see, it just doesn't happen. You know that story about walking to school up hill both ways in the snow with no shoes, that's true around here. Even if the roads were impassible, we have magic busses, because they'd say that the school was open. I'm thinking the only way (before this snow day of course) for the school to close is if it was swallowed up by the Earth in a freak accident. In that case, we may have a two-hour delay!

Anyway, enough of that nonsense and on to the nonsense of our day off! And it was just that! We had a great time making Valentine's Day cookies for Supergus's class and he wrote up cards to give away. We built a terrific fort out of cushions and pillows. During Cupcake's nap, Supergus disappeared in there with a stack of books and a flashlight. I think he may have dozed off, too! After resting, Cupcake had lots of energy and the fort didn't stand a chance! It was leveled in 20 seconds, tops! This didn't stop the fun. Supergus used the couch as a launching pad to jump into the pile of pillows! What was I thinking? I know there is a rule somewhere around here about "not standing on the couch" and certainly one that says something about "no jumping on the furniture"! Or maybe that was my rules growing up? Either way, it's a SNOW DAY! So jump away! Unfortunately, that hindsight thing is true. Supergus is limping off to school today.

It didn't stop him from snowboarding and sledding in the afternoon, however. Just enough pain to limp into the elementary school. I'm hoping by recess, it's miraculously healed!

The afternoon granted us opportunities to sled, take a walk (in snow drifts up to the thigh!), shovel, and bring in lots of firewood. The cozy fire and hot tea was wonderful as we visited with Moo and Nyn Nyn until the kids finally crashed for the evening. What a day!

I know everyday can't be a snow day, but when they come around it's a great time to just have fun!

Chores will always wait until another day. And kids are only young once....and so are we! (I don't even remember falling asleep, but morning came around awfully early!)

100th Day of School

Today is the 100th Day of Second Grade!

What a day to celebrate!

Supergus sported his brand new “100th Day” t-shirt! He took in 100 Chinese Wishing Birds and a bag of 100 beans. We made the morning fun by singing “Happy 100th Day of school to you!” to get him awake. Then we made him brush his teeth counting to 100 and back. He didn’t care for that too much, until I suggested he count to 100, 100 times. Suddenly, the original request sounded very reasonable. He attempted 100 jumping jacks and sit ups. And he thought the 100 frosted flakes I counted into his bowl was just not enough! Nor, was the sliver of yummy muffin that estimated 100 calories. In any case, it was 100 times more fun than usual! I'm sure the next 80 days will fly by!!

Pretty In Pink

Pretty little piggies and fingers! Cupcake and I painted our nails together for the first time. She “helped” with mine, and boy are they pretty! The lumpy, bumpy look is in right? Hers are so cute and shiny! She likes to show them off and wiggles her toes to make them shine in the light!

First Rate Care...

We had the stomach bug here at our house... It was awful and Daddy was out of town during the first part of it. Don’t worry though, we saved some bugs for him. It’s all about sharing! Cupcake and Supergus were personal doctors just for Daddy as he tried to nap on the couch. Silly, daddy, that’s no place for rest!

Creamed Chicken over Cupcake!

What a mess! She thought it was fun! ~so was bath time afterward!

What a stinker!

The picture doesn't begin to show the gooey mess!

More Outdoor Fun!

Knee-deep in fun.... literally!

In the Meadow we can build a snowman!

Cupcake isn't so sure of the snow, but is slowly checking it out since we've had plenty to observe! Some say we've gotten over 34" so far, but we only have between 1-2 feet on the ground now. ONLY!

On New Year's Eve (day) we made a whole family of snow people~including a little baby for the mommy to hold. However, after New Year's Eve, our poor snow people looked like they had enjoyed the festivities a little too much as you can see from the second picture! It's too funny! Between the wind and newly fallen snow, the snowmen take on new personalities, daily.

And guess what? They are calling for more and more and more snow! As long as you don't have to drive in it, "let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!"

Happy New Year 2010~

What a great start to the New Year! We hosted a game night! We battled it out over a trivia game and Cranium was so much fun, too! Between the puppeteers and the humming of the "Sanford and Son theme" the night was a blast! We dropped our own (disco) ball around 10:30 and sang along to Auld Lang Syne. We had a friend from as far away as North Carolina come, my mother-in-law braved the weather, and we even had a few folks (new friends) we didn't even know come! What a great night! We look forward to monthly game nights with this rowdy and fun group!

All wrapped up and no place to go!

What a great family-filled couple of days!

Christmas Eve

We enjoyed a candlelight service and then off to bed we went! ~After we put out cookies and milk for Santa. Supergus was bound and determined to catch Santa in the act this year, but was snoring before 10:00 p.m.! He fell asleep with the flash light in his hand. So cute!

Good for Supergus!

Supergus made "WOLF" in Cub Scouts!

He's been working hard and was excited to earn this patch!

Way to go!

There's snow way to have more fun!

We've been enjoying the newly fallen snow at every opportunity we get! One afternoon we walked through our woods listening to the "Winter quiet" and writing our names with sticks in the snow. Today we went sledding and tried out Supergus's new snowboard. I crashed and burned, but he caught on pretty well, actually. (Boy, I still hate snow up the back when you slide down the hill!) Cupcake's unsure of the fluffy, cold stuff, but she's investigating it.

It's been fun-filled days of making memories. Loving it!

New favorite toy!

Who needs fancy toys when we have a food container to look through? For several days now, Cupcake has been "wearing" this around, giggling! Too funny!

Christmas ought to be easy~we get her a lid for it!

Thanksgiving

Cupcake helped Supergus make the stuffing. Okay, she ate more than she helped, but it was cute! It was a great day! We indeed have a lot to be thankful for!

Truth through the eyes of a child...

"And despite busy schedules, this Christmas we are celebrating everyday! As we took our children to Kraynaks to see all the beautiful displays, lights and trees-- I cried. I couldn’t help it! For years, we wanted to take our kidS to this and celebrate the love of Christ with them both and the reality was emotional. At the end, a breathtaking display of the Nativity was made perfect. Cupcake stood at the feet of Mary and Joseph (who were holding baby Jesus) with her outstretched arms and grasping fingers indicating, “Please, baby? Please!” If only more people wanted Christ so simply..."