A pre-Mardi Gras dance and putting kids to work…

"It's in our soul to have Mardi Gras."
-Arthur Hardy

I brought some Mardi Gras masks home from a work party and Isla immediately wanted to show the New Orleans's spirit by putting on a dress, wearing the masks, and twirling in the living room.

We’re glad this was entertaining for Isla.  When she gets bored, she does things like this.  It’s a good thing winter is over, since we now find ourselves out of Chapstick.

Pepa, Nina, and Papa all came over this weekend to spend time with the kids.  This was exciting for the kids, and we used it as an excuse to trick them into doing some productive things around the house.  We started by having them make banana pudding.  Yes, you can argue it wasn’t productive, but when the kids are in a constant state of destroying some part of the house, doing anything other than that is considered productive.

After the dessert was put into the oven, out we went for some real work.  Spring is pretty much here, which means it’s time to rake up all the dead grass so the new grass can come in.  Ashlyn and Isla wanted to help, and both were able to scrape up some grass and put it in a bucket.  Then they proceeded to throw the grass around the yard, presumably because they had so much fun gathering it in the first place.  They forgot to re-gather it though, and before I knew it they were off doing something else and I was left to clean up the mess.  Thanks kids.

I wish we had taken more pictures when family came over, but we were too busy making breakfast, prepping dinner, and doing other things that we only got a few pictures off before the night came to an end.  That’s ok, we don’t need pictures to tell us we had a good time.  We only need the kids crashing quickly at the end of the night to tell us that.

A week of Valentine’s

"All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt."
-Charles M. Schulz

Love was in the air at Ashlyn’s school this when the kids sang a quick Valentine’s song for the parents.  And before any grandparents reading this get upset at us, this wasn’t a big event like an end of year grade graduation.  Ashlyn got up with the rest of the kids, sang her song, showed off her heart, and all in all had an enjoyable time.

Valentine’s Day at the house did not have singing, instead we had steak, chocolate covered strawberries, and some small gifts that Mommy bought.  Luckily there was more strawberry than chocolate but even so it took longer than usual to get the get the kids to bed.  I suppose adding sugar to their day after all the Valentine’s candy may not have been the best idea.

Grandma and Grandpa have been sick and haven’t been able to see the kids in a while, so they decided it would be fun to come over the day after Valentine’s to drop off yet more treats in their own Valentine’s bags.  The kids were appreciative, and we had yet another night of difficulty putting the kids to bed.  Why can’t American holidays involve things like cauliflower instead of candy?

Since Ashlyn’s newfound ice skating ability has come mostly from her skates, and as a reward for James getting out on the ice again even though he spends more time on his stomach than on his feet, we bought James some skates of his very own.  Ashlyn helped him get strapped in and Mommy took him stumbling around the driveway. 

Because Grandma and Grandpa haven’t been feeling well when we were free since my birthday, we got everyone together this weekend for a belated birthday dinner.  Afterwards, we hung out at the house and enjoyed deserts, cards, and wine.  Not a bad birthday dinner if I do so say so myself.

A plane, a book, and more hockey…

"Half the game is mental; the other half is being mental."
-Jim McKenny

Amazon gives the kids a constant supply of toys.  Not actual toys, it’s the boxes our deliveries come in.  This week I needed some air filters so the box was a bigger one.  The kids disappeared into the room for a bit and came out with an airplane, complete with flag streamers on the back.  When we asked why they had made an airplane, they matter of factly stated that it was windy outside and so they needed an airplane.  Makes sense I suppose.

Ashlyn’s reading is progressing really well.  Since we started having her read difficult books each night, she’s improved significantly in a short amount of time.  This weekend we walked by Isla’s room and saw Ashlyn sitting on the bed reading a book on her own.  This was a first, and we were all happy to see it.  While Ashlyn was doing that, James and Isla tried to get cereal out of a container at the same time and got their arms stuck.  It takes all kinds.

This week both kids got out on the ice and it was a lot of fun to watch.  James was nervous at first, and it took a few minutes for him to get his feet settled on the ice.  Once one of the teachers came over and helped him, he traded in the bucket for a stick and started to skate on his own.  He was still a bit clumsy, but that’s expected for his first time out on the ice.  Ashlyn, thank to her practice skating, was starting to look like a real skater.  Both of them are doing great at something new and difficult, and that’s what we’re most happy with.  Now we need to buy James some skates so he can practice and spend more time on his feet and less time on his.. well, not on his feet.

Hockey, a rodeo, and a dance…

"The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance."
-Alan Watts

Sewing lessons continue, this week it was a Star Wars bag for James.  Ashlyn was proud of her achievement, and James was happy with his bag.  No fingers were sewed into cloth in the process, so I’ll call that a success.

This was the first weekend of hockey practice for Ashlyn and James.  James got cold feet (get it?  It’s a hockey joke!) and refused to go, but Ashlyn bravely suited up and got out on the ice.  They had some buckets for kids who needed to get a feel for the ice, but Ashlyn asked for a stick instead of the buckets after only a few minutes.  She did awesome, and is excited about doing it again next weekend.  James has promised he’ll do it next weekend, so hopefully we’ll have more stories to tell after.

The rodeo was this weekend and the family got a box like we have the past several years.  James didn’t get to go, but Ashlyn did and she had a great time watching the horses and bulls.  Her favorite part was the calf scramble, and she even enjoyed getting dirt flung at her during the chuck wagon races.

Sunday was an abnormally warm day for February and we took advantage by going for a bike ride to a park at the back of our neighborhood.  We swung, slid, ran, and played tag.  It was a good thing to, as they were more calm than normal when we started to heat up the grill for the Super Bowl.

There was a Valentine’s Day dance this weekend and we thought it would be fun for Ashlyn and me to go.  It was.  We spent almost the entire evening out on the dance floor, alternating between Ashlyn dancing with me and Ashlyn dancing with some her friends from school.  Ashlyn’s dancing mostly involved her spinning in circles until she made even me dizzy, but she had a great time and I’m the last person to judge anyone on their dancing abilities.  We have more pictures coming, I’ll update this post when I get them.

Someday, many years from now, I’ll walk Ashlyn down an aisle.  And shortly after that, she’ll take her first dance with the person she chose to marry.  And when that day comes, I’m sure I’ll have the mixed emotions every father feels as they see their daughter taking that first dance.  I hope, in that moment, I can keep from being smug.  Because I know… the first dance was mine.