Snow Time

This weekend we headed to the mountains for some inner tubing fun. It's always exciting to see the snow and have some play time.  Carmen was way into the tubing and was extra jazzed because she could go down by herself.  She however wasn't a fan of having to pull her own tube and walk up the rather steep hill.  A good workout nonetheless.  Max was more interested in trying to build a snowman and throw snow balls rather than tubing.  He wasn't a fan of the snow hitting his face as he went down the hill.  There was ALOT of snow coming down and we spent a fair amount of time inside warming up.  But all in all, it was a fun snow adventure.

Tooth #2

Today Carmen lost her second tooth.  After having a wiggly tooth for weeks, it finally came out while she was eating breakfast.  She must have been extra hungry since she ended up eating (or rather swallowing) her tooth.  There was a moment of panic when she realized she didn't have anything to leave for the Tooth Fairy.  The problem was quickly resolved when we decided she could write a note.  This is a common problem the Tooth Fairy encounters all the time I'm sure.  Now, getting ready for tooth #3.

Overdue...

Sigh, it's been more than two weeks since my last post, closer to three.  For some reason the last few weeks have been keeping us busy and any posts have fallen to the bottom of the 'to do' list.  Nothing overly exciting going on, just busy living life.  A good life.

Here are a few updates on the happenings.

Max started swimming lessons and is enjoying remembering how to be a fish.  He is excited to be in the 'big kid' class and is acclimating himself to the water again.

Max is also perfecting his soccer skills with two soccer classes.  Soccer seems to be his 'thing' these days and he can't get enough.  It's soccer AllTheTime around here.  Inside soccer, outside soccer, playing soccer on the iPad, on and on.

Carmen is keeping busy too with her activities. 

She is enjoying gymnastics which she is taking with a friend.  She loves the bars the best and I love the entire hour of quiet I get when I get to watch.



She's taking a world of Dance class as an after school activity where she's learning about different countries, their cultures and doing some dancing.  Last week she came home with moves to the can-can.

She joined a Daisy troop this year where 8 fun and silly girls are eagerly selling cookies, doing crafts and learning about contribuiting to their community.

I certainly have my chauffer hat on but am enjoying watching the kids grow, learn and do things they enjoy.

In addition to the kids' stuff, we have been loving the rain-free weather the last few days and have taken advantage of bike rides and some playing outside.  While it's still cold, the clear, crisp days are welcomed.  We've been busy with family functions, birthday parties and even some grown-up only outings.  Needless to say, 2017 is off to a busy but great start!

Kindness Counts

Today I was at Costco with Max.  Of course we had to make a trip to the food court for some lemonade.  I gave Max the full cup to hold for a moment while I got some napkins.  In the ten seconds he was holding the drink, he spilled 99% of it on the floor right in front of the soda machines.  Sigh.  If you've ever been to Costco on a Friday during lunch time, it's like the Audubon in front of the soda machines.  I quickly start mopping up the mess with paper towels.   A gentleman with a full shopping cart of his own saw the whole thing happen.  He quickly stepped into action and got down on his hands and knees right along with me with paper towels and started helping me wipe up the mass amount of liquid among the crowd.  I was so appreciative of his kindness.

To the nice man at Costco, a sincere thank you.  You were not only helpful with the mess, you helped teach my son a lesson about kindness.  Kindness does indeed count, there are nice, kind people in this world. Thank you.

An Abstract Piece

According to its creator, this piece is titled "Snowman at Night."

Max was very proud of his creation.

I've learned to appreciate the abstract nature of his art.

Minnesota

Carmen loves library day and has been coming home with some great books--books about holidays, early reader books in lots of variety, fun story books, etc.  Today was library day and she came home with a 144-page book on Minnesota.  Yes, Minnesota.  Interesting choice.  When asked why Minnesota, it was obvious, the cover looked like a castle.  I guess I can't fault her.  This week we will learn about anything and everything there is to know about Minnesota--it's economy, land, government and first people.  Can't wait!

Happy New Year!

Here's to a happy, healthy, prosperous, fun, adventure-filled 2017!