All sorts of fun...warning LOTS of pictures!

A couple of friends took our families to Orange, CT to the PEZ factory.  You wouldn't believe the smell...pure sugary goodness.  I had a sugar headache without consuming any sugar by the time I left.  It was fun to see all the different PEZ dispensers. We left with a bucket of loose PEZ, turns out they are pretty tasty.  Watch out for the blue ones!

For Faith in God, we made these darling I AM boards.  It was fun to see what the kids came up with.  Ruby and Matt had fun doing hers together.

We live just a few minutes from Dr. Suess's boyhood home and an awesome sculpture garden.  We took him a cupcake for his birthday, he didn't eat much.

A whole lot of crazy going on around here!

Pinewood Derby Winner!

2nd place in the Outlaw division. Anyone and anything goes in the Outlaw division.

Rocky just ran the entire Pinewood Derby.  He is always a blur, he never stops!

We have a new favorite game, the flour game.  Place a quarter on a mound of flour.  Each person cuts a slice of flour off the mound until the quarter falls.  The person who knocks it down has to pick it up with their teeth.  WARNING: VERY MESSY but so much fun!

My little Archers...

The Museum of Natural History in New York.  So fun to find things from the movie, The Night at the Museum.   My dum dum wants some gum gum!
We also found things from the book Wonderstuck.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art.  We loved it!  Had a blast.

Holyoke 10k...check!

 YUCKY Charms!

The Campbells came and celebrated St. Patrick's with us.  Grandma Retta sent us all the makings for a party, we put it to good use!

Hoping these are the last snow of the year pictures!

Magic Wings Butterfly museum.  This place was awesome.  Butterflies were everywhere!!!  Ruby had one get stuck to her lip due to some yummy waffles for breakfast:)  She is often in the right place at the right time.  A few years back she had a dragon fly land on her nose.

After the butterflies, we hit a charming chocolate shop.  Cooper was pretty disappointed when Daddy said no to the $20 bunnies.  Rocky stuffed his chocolate in until he couldn't fit any more in.

 Watching our Hoosier win in the last minute of their game!!

Speaking of winning...Ruby's basketball team was undefeated!  They won the playoff game!  You go girls!!!

Rocky loves to put me in time out by opening all the drawers and a cupboard door.  He thinks this is hilarious and does it every chance he gets!

Ski Sundown

Growing up in Salt Lake City, Utah, my family went skiing A LOT!!  I have great memories with my dad and brothers on the slopes at Snowbird.  I have been hesitant to ski in New England because I will admit it, I am a snow snob!  Over winter break we took our kids to Ski Sundown in CT.  I can't even tell you how much fun we had.  Matt is an awesome ski instructor.  My kids are so blessed to have such a great dad (and doesn't he have great legs??).  Rocky just wanted to go faster!  He had no fear at all!  I love my little snow bunnies and will cherish the first time we all went skiing together!

25 SONGS

25 Songs

1.  A song from your childhood: Close to you, by the Carpenters. My brother gave me a jewelry box that played this song as the ballerina would twirl.  I gave it to Ruby and it still works.

2. A song that reminds you of your most recent ex boyfriend:  These were my head banger days with Jeff Hall.  KISS, Guns and Roses (Sweet child of mine), Motley Crue (Kick Start my Heart), White Lion (Little Fighter) and oh so many others.

3. A song that reminds you of your parents.  Dad: High on the Mountain Top.  He would sing that at the top of his lungs as we would ride the chair lifts at Snowbird.  I took my kids skiing last week and sang it to them, quietly; I think they would have jumped off the lift if I belted it like I wanted to.  What a great memory of my dad! How Great Thou Art reminds me of my dad.  This song was sung at my brother’s funeral.  Dad cries each time he hears it.  My mom would sing the hymn Love at Home when the kids would argue.  It drove me crazy!  Now I do the same thing with my kids.  Shout by Tears for Fears was another song my mom loved.  She changed the lyrics to say, Shout, shout let it all out!  These are the things I can do without, the dishes and mopping the floor, come on!  My parent’s song was I Just Called to Say I Love You by Stevie Wonder.  Burning Down The House by Talking heads reminds me of a trip I took to Washington DC with my parents.

4. A song that calms you down:  I am a Child of God, A Child's Prayer, Teach Me to Walk in the Light.  I sing these when I am angry or scared.  I have taught my kids to do the same.  I hope they remember these when they need them.

5.  A Song that is often stuck in my head: Whatever my kids have been singing or a song from one of my gym classes.  It changes on a day-to-day basis.  Over the Misty Mountains Cove from the Hobbit is my recent song.

6.  A song that reminds you of a best friend:  Just Call Me Angel by Juice Newton reminds me of my high school friends. 

7.  A song that reminds you of the past summer: We are Young by Fun.  Somebody by Gotye. 

8.  A song that reminds you of your first love:  Everything I Do by Brian Adams

9.  A song that makes you hopeful: Firework by Katy Perry. “If you only knew what the future holds, after a hurricane comes a rainbow. Maybe you're reason why all the doors are closed, so you could open one that leads you to the perfect road.”

10.  A song by your favorite band:

11.  A song on the soundtrack of your favorite movie:  Hakuna Matatta from the Lion King.

12.  The last song you heard: We Are Young

13. A song that reminds you of a former friend:  Don’t have any.  Once you are my friend you are always my friend.

14.  A song that reminds you of your boyfriend: In Spite of Ourselves by John Prine reminds me of my boyfriend, Matt Rich

15.  A song you love singing along to:  Anything I know the words to.  Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond comes to mind.  As I was running the Hartford Half Marathon that was on my iPod and I sang the bom, bom, bom part out loud accidentally.

16.  A song that has made you cry:  Everything I Own by Bread reminds me of my mom.  If you want to see me cry, play that song.  “You sheltered me from harm. Kept me warm, kept me warm. You gave my life to me. Set me free, set me free. The finest years I ever knew, were all the years I had with you.  And I would give anything I own. I'd give up my life, my heart, my home. I would give everything I own, Just to have you back again. You taught me how to laugh….”

Everybody Hurts by REM was popular during a rough time in my life.  My mom was very sick and I was very busy with finals, work and life.  This song made me curl up in the fetal position and weep. L

17.  A song that makes you want to dance:  Move it from Madagascar.  Just can’t hold still when it comes on!

18. A song that you love but barely listen to:  These are the Days by Indigo Girls

19. The first song alphabetically in your iTunes: Adele

20.  The last song alphabetically in your iTunes: Van Halen

21.  Your favorite song:  How Firm a Foundation

22.  A song that someone has sung to you:  Happy Birthday? 

23.  A song that you cannot stand to listen to:  Any thing with profanity.

24.  A song that you have danced to with your best friend: Girls Just Want to Have Fun.

25.  A song that you could listen to all day without getting tired of:  I get crazy hearing anything over and over again.

February Frolics

Ruby is rocking it on the cello!  This is her second year and she loves it.  I am so proud of her.  It may have all stemmed from listening to Yo Yo Ma while I was in labor with her:)

I now have some grandfish.  We have two Betas.  Ruby is on her second one in 2 weeks.  Animals are a hard lesson in the life cycle:(

Freezing February Fish Funeral

I am in love with Instagram.  These pictures make me smile!!

Look who is putting his clothes on all by himself.  There is something about a 3 year old in "tidy whities" that melts my heart.

More heart melting material.  Spider-Man crawled in my lap and fell asleep.  A life of crime fighting is exhausting!

 This photo was taken at 9am as Nemo was coming in.  School was ALREADY canceled:)

 

9am the next day...over 20 inches.  We didn't get it that bad.  Just south of us they had 36 inches!  There were state wide traffic bans.  So fun to snuggle up with my favorite dudes and enjoy the snow.  We were very blessed not to loose power.

Happy Valentines!  I love celebrating holidays, if fact I have been accused of being crazy:) I gave my kids goggles and told them that I had my eye on them.  They have no idea how funny I am, sometimes I have to remind them.

My Awesome List

Just read a great book, The Book of Awesome.  It focuses on the little things in life that make you happy.  It made me stop and think of what would be on my list.  Here are a couple of my thoughts:

When no one wakes me up in the night.
The smell of Tide(original scent).
Seeing the time 12:34 on the clock.
Cool humidity at night.
When I tell someone I am thinking of them and they tell me it was just what they needed.
When all the socks match coming out of the dryer.
When I realize I have all the ingredients to make a recipe I am looking at.
Waking up to a clean house.
Cuddling with my dudes on a snow day because nothing is planned.
The smell of Rocky’s head.
When everyone likes the meal I made.
When my kids ask what they can do to help.
When I know my kids learned a valuable lesson.
Spring colors in New England.
Sharing yummy food with friends and neighbors.
Getting lots of comments on a blog post or Facebook status.
Playing a song without messing up.
When someone asks me for a recipe.
The smell of rain.
Bare feet in sand.
Hot bread out of oven.
New England fall leaves before you have to rake them.
When my kids are kind to each other.
Popping bubble wrap.
Popping seaweed pods.
Catching the right wave boogie boarding.
Catching fireflies.
Seeing a cool animal in nature: raccoon in my trash, skunk on my porch, owl in my tree.
The smell of skunk, I know I am weird, but I love it!
Pulling out my green ski suit(from the 90’s) to play in the snow with my kids.
A foot rub from Ruby.
Being a couple minutes early.
My children's laughter.
Laughing until I cry.
Inside jokes.
Seeing my kids proud of themselves.
When's kids look over at me on the sidelines after they have scored a point to make sure I saw it.
Knowing what to say to someone that needs advice.
When one of my recipes or family traditions becomes part of another family.
Finishing a race with a smile on my face.
When I get a great picture of one of kids.
Getting a great family picture.
When I know I made the right choice.
Warm blanket after having a baby.
A hug from someone you love.
Getting a glimpse of what I mean to my Heavenly Father.
Great find at a tag sale or thrift store.
When someone gives me their hand me downs.