Blades of Glory

What a wonderful day here in MN!  It was one of those warm winter days where all the snow is dripping off of rooftops, there are puddles forming everywhere, and.... I can actually see the dirt on our road and driveway!!  For those of you that live on a dirt road, you know how awesome this is, to not be driving on packed snow/ice.  It's a small joy, but after being stuck in the deep freeze for so long I'll take it!  We met the cousins for some ice skating at a local rink.  This was Henry and Violet's first time on skates and to be honest, I was very impressed.  I thought I'd get them all laced up and they'd probably last all of 5 minutes but to my surprise, they loved it and we stayed for nearly an hour.  We had a couple of things going for us though.  With the nice warm weather, the ice had a bit of slush, not too much, but just enough for some good traction.  The kids also had double bladed skates which made it very easy to stand up.  The minute we got there, they both took off fearlessly.  There were some hard tailbone falls and a couple tears, but they didn't lose their confidence.  I had so much fun watching them!  Above and below are the sweetest pictures of cousins Violet, Henry, and Jada in an ice skating train... 

Violet was excited that her skates left lines and curves behind her.  She had the walk/skate approach, but went all over the rink.  She even did these teeny tiny jumps and would move her arms in a dance-like motion as if she was performing. 

Henry had a different approach: running!  It reminded me of the old Mario and Luigi from Mario Brothers where they hop/run across the screen at a blinding fast pace.   He didn't slow for a good 20 mns.  Hilarious!

Here's Henry and Uncle Jesse.  Henry insisted on pulling him around the rink.  We had such a good time!

Here's our dear daddy who has been working EXTRA hard the last couple of months.  For those of you that don't know, he is now the official co-owner of Commercial Appraisal and Consulting with his co-worker, Ryan.  They not only bought the business from Jack, but moved it and bought two office condos in Blaine (one for them and one next door to rent).  He's been working overtime painting, cleaning, moving and working after work and on weekends.  With all that excitement comes a lot of financial, physical, and emotional stress but we are confident it will all work out and be wonderful for our family! Here he is with his first check, written out to himself and signed by himself (weird) and a bottle of Cook's Champagne to celebrate - hey nothing but the finest for us!  Movin' on up... to the top... with a deluxe apartment in the sky-i-i!  We love you Jere ~ you're the best husband and the best Dad in the world and we appreciate you so much... love you love you love you!  XOXOXO

Wintertime Stuff

There is definitely less to post now that we are in the middle of the deep freeze.  We basically don't like leaving the house, so we try to find ways to amuse ourselves around here.  Violet has always liked watching t.v. from inside the little storage cube.  She's been doing it since she could climb in.  I guess it feels secure and cozy.  I wonder how long before she outgrows it?  She also likes to sit 2" from the t.v. Bad habit.

Jere and I are now officially geek-patrol puzzlers.  I was in a thrift store the other week and picked up an old Charles Wysocki puzzle because it reminded me of my Grandma Pauline who passed away a few years ago.  After dinner, I sat down at the table and started it (I hadn't done a puzzle since ???) and before I knew it, Jere came home and started in on it too.  We were talking and laughing and as we were finishing, the kids grabbed the last couple pieces and were hiding them because they wanted to be the one to put the final piece in.  We would all yell "Shabam!" as we got a piece in.  Let me tell you, to hear your 3 year old yell "SHABAM!" as she finds the right spot is pretty funny.  We just had so much fun finishing it together. Personally, I think it was a little "hello" from my Grandma above :)  Anyway... since then, Jere has come home with even more thrift store puzzles (see above) and we sit there and drink wine and do puzzles at night.  That is probably the most embarrassing thing I've ever said.  Did I just really admit to that?!  LOL!

I like this one with the reflection in the window - reminds me of those 80's portraits with the floating profile off in the corner.

Our little Henry keeps busy with his LEGOS.  He's been making some pretty cool things usually involving prisons, torture chambers, haunted mansions, etc.  He's that kinda boy.

I thought this one was pretty cool.  It's an alligator jet ski carrying a freaky pumpkin head ghost and his ninja killing sword.

Violet has started to experiment with legos too.... and funky hats.

Here is one of her latest drawings.  Not bad for 3 years old, huh? 

My niece Em gave the kids a science experiment involving Mentos and a 2-liter of cola.  After Henry came to terms with the fact that he couldn't eat them, we headed outside for the show.

RUN!!!!!!

Seriously Babe, how high did you think it would go?  It's not like dynamite, it's Mentos and Coke! Haha! :)

Science is radical.

We were out for 10 mns. tops.  I think it was about -30 F.  Although we like the idea of going out to play it's just too cold and I am not a winter person.  Brrrr!  BRRRRRrrrrr!

Violet says: Winter schminter.  Let's go inside.  It's too cold.  Time to cuddle up in my storage cube with some SpongeBob and hot cocoa.  Yes, I agree.

Jello Shots! Triple Flips! The Tooth Fairy! Hooray!!

Christmas morning at our house was especially exciting ~  No more than 15 mns. after tearing into presents, Henry lost his first tooth!  It had been loose for awhile, but what a special day to lose it.  That lucky kid got Santa one night and the tooth fairy the next.  And if you ask me, five is probably the best year to believe in both of those magical people.  :)

The special "tooth box"

Here Violet is showing off her new big girl bed.  We assembled the bed a couple of months ago, and she hasn't fell out yet!  Haha.  I did put a couple of extra blankets on the ground the first few nights though, just in case.  Anyway, both kids got such awesome gifts for Christmas including this super sweet owl/bird/hedgehog quilt and pillow set, and wall decals from her grandma and grandpa.  It's so sweet to look at - I wish I were 3 again!

Community Ed. gymnastics wrapped up for both kids (the only year they could be in the same class).  A winter session was offered and even though they both said it was fun, they didn't want to rejoin.  That was OK by me, I hate driving on our snowy roads at night!

They walked the high beams...

And practiced the bars...

Violet spotted Henry in a triple flip...

And jumped around on big mats...quite fun!

For those of you who might have missed it on Facebook, the X-mas celebration at my Aunt JoAnn's was very memorable.  I only get to see my Grandma Dina (who is a blog-follower) about twice a year so it's always special, but this year even more so with all the fun and laughs we shared as a family.  Here is my 90 year old grandma, Aunt Jo, and mom balancing cookies on their head while taking a Christmas-colored jello shot.  It was my grandma's game, I swear.

I'm not sure who came up with this idea, we can just blame those darn shots again, but here the family gets my grandma geared up for a snowmobile ride! Her FIRST snowmobile ride!

Hang on Grandma - Jere's driving!  However, you can feel secure in knowing that he was a professional pizza delivery guy in the early 90's. 

Again... She's 90!!  Everyone was chasing them up and down the driveway with flashing cameras.  It was worse than Paris Hilton and the paparazzi.

Grandpa George and Grandma Dina, front and center.  What a great time!  Love you Grandma and Grandpa!!!  Promise no more extreme sports 'till we see you again!

More Sugar Please!

Isn't this sweet?  Violet had her Christmas dance recital at the studio.  The snow was falling outside and it was warm and cozy inside... perfect!

OK, the next three photos I added for pure enjoyment when laughing at other peoples kids!  Check out the girl on the right.  I think she may have had pixie sticks for supper.  She was all over the place including face down on the floor, just laying there.  I can laugh cuz I've been there.  :)

Again, far right..

Oh, that girl was crackin' me up!  There's always gotta be one!

They all pulled it together though for an excellent show.  Grandma Sue always does such a nice job!  Love you Grandma Sue!