Face painting and parties…

"I like parties."
-Isla

Ashlyn was digging around in the closet for art supplies and found a face painting kit.  Isla became Ashlyn’s canvas and she was very excited about the end result.

With both the girls in gymnastics, our house will often be turned into a makeshift gym complete with a pad made out of couch cushions.  Ashlyn will run across the floor doing cartwheels.  Isla tries her best to mimic Ashlyn but usually just ends up doing a tumble roll.

We picked up a new virtual reality system this weekend and the kids had a blast playing with it.  James’ favorite game was a virtual theme park where he could play games ranging from ball toss, boxing, balloon popping, and even archery.  Ashlyn liked a game where she could play with a room full of objects that included a flying robot.  Isla was too small to really enjoy it, but she liked riding in the virtual roller coaster even though her height made it hard to see over the side of the coaster car.

We wrapped up the weekend at a party at a friend’s house to celebrate the adoption of their new son.  The kids enjoyed it thanks to two bounce houses, lots of toys, food, cars, and cookies.  Not a bad way to end the week.

Dry ice, bears, and cookies…

"Dogs plus two cats equals daddy."
-Isla

Without going into a lot of details, we ended up with an ice chest containing dry ice this week.  The kids always enjoy playing with science related things and we thought they would find it interesting.  They went a bit crazy pouring water on the ice, watching it turn into a gas, capturing it in cups, and blowing it around the chest.  Who says learning can’t be fun?

It was Valentine’s Day this week and this year the kids got their own personalized teddy bears.  The kids really enjoyed them, at least for a few days, at which point they got lost amongst all the other teddy bears we have scattered about the house.

Grandma also came by to make cookies with the kids.  They had a lot of fun decorating all the cookies, although I’m fairly sure they got as much icing on the table, their fingers, and on their clothes as they did on the cookies.

That’s about it this week.  Unfortunately Ashlyn came down with symptoms similar to the flu (tested negative though) so we’ve been busy watching her and keeping the other two entertained.

Games, ice, and gardening…

"If you could kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your trouble, you wouldn't sit for a month."
-Theodore Roosevelt

It’s time for winter crops, mainly peas, onions, and other vegetables.  We had a few nice days this week that turned out to be perfect for digging in the garden.  James was dangerous with the rake, while Isla generally made a mess of herself.  It all worked out though and we now have green things sticking up the garden, ready to grow.

James has gotten into the habit of putting on his karate uniform on random evenings to practice his moves.  This week he spent most of his time setting up and kicking objects down.  His favorite was doing a running jump kick on a Magna-Tile block tower.  He needs to learn not to kick with his toes though.

It was also a week for games.  Isla learned how to play Disney Infinity and likes to play with Mommy as she flies and explores the world.  Grandma also stopped by one evening and played games with the kids (and a hamster).

The winter Olympics kicked off this week so it was only fitting that Ashlyn go to an ice skating party.  There may not have been any Olympic level performances on the ice, but there was just as much fun.

A moon, a rodeo, and a run…

"I still say, 'Shoot for the moon; you might get there.'"
-Buzz Aldrin

While Ashlyn is in school the other two kids build.  And build.  And build some more.  This week it was Bunch ‘ems and Legos.

Every week we get to watch the kids explore their interests.  This week James showed off more karate moves and bragged about the black stripes he’s been earning.  Isla got to learn how to cook from Mommy and Ashlyn practiced her baking skills by making some sugar cookies.

There was a rare celestial event this week with the Super Blue Blood Moon and we did our best to get the kids to experience it.  We setup the telescope on the front lawn and they took turns looking at the details of a full moon with a clear sky.  It was great to see them so excited about it.

Ashlyn has taken it upon herself to teach gymnastics to Isla and for her part Isla has been a mostly attentive pupil.  Ashlyn needs to teach Isla how to put her pants on so they face the right direction, although I don’t think that’s going to affect her gymnastics much.

This could be one of our last years to visit the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo with a box seat.  The kids had a great time seeing their cousins and getting pelted with dirt from the wagons.  And you can’t ever go wrong visiting the Midway rides afterwards, even though the mix of cotton candy and spinning rides made the drive home an iffy affair.

A new play place opened up near our house and Mommy took Isla to check it out while the other two were at the Rodeo.  Isla enjoyed it, especially the section that had a lot of kinetic sand.  That girl loves sand and she was in her element.

This week was the annual Apex Fun Run, which is an event where the kids run laps to raise money for the school.  The maximum laps for raising funds was 36, but Ashlyn decided to run a full 50 just for the fun of it.  Thanks to everyone who donated to the event!