Right in Our Own Backyard

Not literally, but I didn't realize that we had a ski area as close as Manchester. With the boys enjoying it in the backyard, I've been wanting to get them a lesson. Jim's idea of learning is to bring them right up to the top of the mountain (which is why I have never learned from him) but I wanted them to learn some of the basics. One thing about my boys is that they think they are perfect at everything and can't learn anything more.

On school vacation week we headed up.

It was great because Jacob was able to use things Jeffrey had when he was younger and was into snowboarding. The boots were just Jacob's size. We only had to rent equipment for Joshua. Wouldn't you know, as soon as the lesson was done and I bought them a mini-lift ticket Jacob said, "I'm not doing any of the stuff Austin taught us. I'm doing what I want". That's his father's son!

They had a great time. I enjoyed Joshua putting in all his effort until he was successful. That is the way he is with learning new things he is psyched about. I remember when Jim first taught him how to draw a dirtbike. He drew and drew all day until he got it down. I could really see the improvement in his pictures. Snowboarding was the same way. By the end he was able to make turns without changing the direction of this body, just his board. Now he feels ready to go up the real lift. We just need to find him a partner to teach him how to get off.

Before the Buzzer

Tomorrow is Spring forward which means Spring is on the way. And if Punxitony Phil was right, Spring will be coming soon. So I figured I better post these pix before Spring arrives. They will help us remember why we are such a hurry. I need reminders, because Spring to me means mud, since I have boys and all. And while I am not looking forward to that at all, I am ready for Spring because I had plenty of snow days in January...5ish in all.

The trampline almost disappeared. We really should have leaned it up against the shed instead of leaving it out. Truth be told, we had plenty of time since we didn't get our first snow til after Christmas.These suckers were bad. Luckily we didn't have any water damage like so many others we heard about.At one point we had so much snow the kids were sliding off the picnic table.Here are some sledding pictures from school vacation week.Regular sledding is too boring for this dare devil...the more jumps the better!Never too old for good old fashioned, not to mention free, fun. Though the next day when every muscle reminds you that you are old, you have to rethink that statement.And to prove that I was there, and that my snowpants fit (and stayed buttoned) Auntie took a picture. Pardon the ugly look on my face, apparently I just can't help it. And the creasing inbetween my eyebrows is proof :(

Update

So since Amy was the only 'player' she gets the benefit of the doubt for the photo contest. She guessed the necklace, the slippers and that I was 'lighter'. She didn't expound on the 'lighter' meaning weight or lighting, so I'm giving it to her.

My plan is to take a picture each month on my journey of weight loss. I plan to wear the same outfit and know exactly where my feet need to line up. I'm hoping that I will be able to see the results over time. I know if wasn't really a fair contest being that it was really only 12 pounds which is barely noticeable, but it was a lead in for fun.

So, Amy will be getting a little treat in the mail for playing and technically winning :)

Out of the Mouths of Babes

Tonight Jacob, wearing his Paul Pierce Celtic's jersey, walking into the living room and informed us, "I look just like Paul Pierce. But I'm not a brown guy". That kid can crack me up!

What's the Big Friggin Difference?

About once a week TMZ my favorite Celebrity dish site does this game. What's the Big Friggin Difference? They always show two pictures and tell you that there are 3 differences between them.

My two pictures were not taken on the same day. Find the three differences first and I will send you a little treat. Two are pretty obvious, one not so much. The slight difference in where I am holding the camera and bits of hair in the front are not the differences.

In a couple of days I will update the post below the pictures with the answer and any winner if we have players :)

I'm so excited!!!!

And I want to share it!!!! Our kitchen has been through many changes since we bought our house. It has been in many stages of transition through the years. We never really had very many cabinets. Really just one wall along the sink. Take away the window space and it didn't leave much room for food and dishes. Jim added a little section with a defective one from a job (with doors that didn't match the existing ones) and recently he added some more.However, he was all gung-ho...temporarily. He took all the existing doors off and we lived with that for over a month. It was real convenient I have to admit not having to guess where things were. You could see everything.But this week, with things being real slow with work, he got re-energized. He made me doors and our kitchen is 95% back in order. (He forgot to make one drawer front, but it is drying as we speak)

I am in love with my cabinets! It looks so good and bright. Now to figure out a way to not let the boys ruin them????

Can someone please tell me though how I can gain six cabinets and two drawers and have them full already?

Poor Joshabooey

Even though I've been knocking on wood when I comment how Joshua hasn't been sick yet, he got sick. Usually it happens by November so we did good this year. Unfortunately he happened to get sick during the AllStar Basketball Weekend. The poor kid gets it so violently. For him the worse part is the incesant dry heaving and not being able to drink for hours upon hours since he throws up and sucks off ice cubes, and for me it is the hallucinating.

He says crazy things when he is sick, mostly when he is sleeping or just waking up. It frightens me because I think he is going psychotic. He doesn't even have a super high temp when it happens.

Quotes heard during this illness.

Daddy- "Joshua, do you want me to turn up the TV?
Joshua- "No, I don't want to break the screen."

Daddy- "Joshua, do you want some sips of water?"
Joshua- "No, it's chunky. I like it when it is smooth so it tastes better on the other side."

The second night he was sick, he woke up several times talking about how he could get one more car in the parking lot and using his hand to demonstrate where to moves the cars on my comforter. I always wake right up when he starts because I am afraid he is going to get up and walk. There have been times when we are still up and he has walked down and sat on the couch without saying anything, at like 11 o'clock at night.

Today he is back to normal and I am grateful :)