Snowmen and Snowballs and Sledding, Oh My!

What a day! The snow fell steadily throughout the night, so before I went to bed  I pulled the blinds up in the girls' room so they could see a winter wonderland first thing in the morning. Their excitement upon waking was out of control. A blanket of white, as far as the eye could see! They got right to their schoolwork so they could go play outside, but I had to take pity and let them have an hour long "recess" mid-morning. They were in heaven!! They built snowmen (we were out of carrots, so they got celery noses!), sledding hills, made angles and, as always, snacked on snow. Dashiell kept sneaking his mitten off so that he could gobble up some handfuls, too. After some more schoolwork and a nice warm lunch, back out they went! The neighbor kids had a snow day from school, so some friends joined them out front as they built a few more snowmen and another sledding run. Finally, frozen and soaked from head to toe (but beaming from ear to ear!) they headed back in to "bundle up on the inside" with popcorn and hot chocolate. In the world of kid-dom it simply does not get much better than this!

It Came Back!

Dashiell simply could not contain his wonder and excitement as Winter returned in full force...snowing for three days in a row, right outside in his own backyard. He ponted out the window, jumped up and down, and squealed with delight.  Mostly, though, he stood mesmerized, watching the beautiful flakes descending outside of the window. Snowfall always has a magical quality about it, regardless of how old you are. Watching a little one really see it for the first time? A priceless gift.

Bug Me

Well, you know we love the library. And OMSI. And we've got a self-procalimed etymologist (though I like "tymolotist", the way she says it) living among us. So, when we happened  to be at the library the day they started registering for an OMSI bug class...well, Miss Amarra was just in heaven. When it was time to talk about the parts of the insect, the instructor asked for volunteers that liked to wear costumes. Elora's hand shot up as she shouted, "I so TOTALLY do!", which made everyone laugh. So she got to go to the class as he dressed her in an abdomen, thorax, wings, legs, and head. Pretty funny stuff! Then the class got to "meet" a few insects from OMSI and learn about their habits, diet, life spans...all that good stuff. Then the class split up to examine specimens through microscopes and do some buggy crafts (yes, I have marshmallow insects living on top of my refrigerator right now). Those who wanted a closer look at the insects gathered, just a few at a time, at the other end of the class.  First in line?  Oh yeah, Amarra. Another mom and I grossed out together a bit as she leaned her face about an inch away from a hissing cockroach, and she petted the Rosie the rose haired tarantula more than once. Her favorites, though, were the walking sticks. (I just know it wont belong before this house is full of even more bugs than the currently captures spiders and grasshoppers.  *shudder*) She looooves those walking sticks. The big surprise, though, was that when Seleia and Elora joined a later group to get up close and personal with the bugs they both petted those hissing cockroaches.  Ewww! (For those not in the know: cockroaches and I?  Not friends.) I love the look on the little boy's face in the background when Seleia pets it...I think I was making the same face. These girls get an A+ in my book, though, between the bugs and the squids. Tough little chickies. And  we came home with another hundred or so bug books from the library that day. That's my tymolotist!

"I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, quality and freedom for their spirit. I believe that what self-centered men have torn down, other-centered men can build up." 
~ Martin Luther King Jr.

Basketball Season!

This past Friday was the last basketball practice before the games begin later this week. Joel had to miss it so I, of course, compensated by taking about 752 pictures. My phone doesn't take the best action shots, and these kids were moving, but you get the general idea. (And Dashiell, when not entertained by watching his sissies, rather enjoyed chewing on his mini basketball and making Amarra fetch it. She got quite a workout herself.) They ran lines, practiced defense, dribbled with their right and their left, worked on rebounding, did layups...you name it! Coach Frank (yes, the tall guy in the blue) was a red shirt for the Olympic team and knows his stuff, but Basketball itself is his secondary emphasis. First?  Character. He talks about commitment, life skills, attitude, hard work, sportsmanship, respect and reaching your goals even more than about shooting and passing. Out of the couple of hundred kids in this league he seems to know them all by name (he even said Seleia correctly) and genuinely care about each individual. He wants them to succeed. Seleia and Elora are in the youngest age group, 7-9, and so most of the kids are just learning the sport. It is so fun to watch these kids discover what they can do! And if you've ever been to a children's sports game, then you know there's an element of just plain entertainment in there as well.
Oh, and Seleia? That girl can shoot. This is going to be fun.