"I Want To Ride My Bicycle...

I want to ride my bike. Bicycle! Bicycle!" Queen...what a funky bunch of guys singing catchy tunes.


We bought bicycles for the kids for Christmas. Maybe it was a funny time to buy bikes, since the kids wouldn't be able to ride them in the snow, but we did it because I have the most vivid Christmas memory I call "The Year of the Ten-Speeds". My mom and dad always left the Christmas tree lit all night long from Christmas Eve to Christmas morning and it was so magical to come down the stairs of our darkened house in the light of the softly glowing tree. One year we snuck downstairs at some insanely early hour to snag our stockings off the banister and shake a few presents, but were stopped in our tracks by the shiny bicycles glinting in the light of the tree. My oldest siblings had been given wonderful ten-speed bikes...it was so exciting! I always wanted to recreate that scene for my own "some day" family so this past Christmas we bought the bikes, hid them at Jeannine's house and then had a serious Christmas Eve discussion about whether we should have the bikes by the tree. We had a concern that the kids would try to ride them indoors and end up falling down the stairs or something (not a concern my parents had to deal with) so in the end we decided that we should pull the cars out of the garage, set the bikes up there and then take the kids out to them; that way they could ride them a little too. It turned out to be a great decision because they were so excited (judging by their whoops and shrieks...Grant was holding a dinosaur toy and totally chucked it in a corner as he ran to his bike) and were able to get on and ride a bit. Maybe they'll want to recreate that scene for their "some day" family.


Well, the bicycles have been much admired but unused until recently. The spring rain and snow has curtailed our outings, but every Saturday with sunshine has seen the kids riding along in the church parking lot. Bicycle! Bicycle!

Bicycle Love!

My Own Harry Potter

I went to get Joseph out of his crib one morning and saw that he had been battling his nemesis in the night. His fingernails are this Harry Potter's Lord Voldemort. I clip those things all the time and this still happens!! I wonder if "Expelliarmus!" would work on them?

Looks Like Somebody's Lost Their Mind...

and it's not Chad.
When he started mowing the weather was fine, but by the time he was finishing up the snow was flying. Mother Nature...are you okay?

I Believe in Child Labor...

Obviously.

You're doing great Grant! Now...where are my bon-bons?

Merritt the Artist

Merritt is really a talented artist. He's always drawing and we've gone through five doodle boards and over 2000 sheets of paper at least. At school they periodically have assignments where the kids need to illustrate words they are learning. Here are some of Merritt's drawings.

Angry

Joy

Ornery

Bored

Discouraged

I love how expressive the faces of these little people are! It is amazing to me how quickly he can whip out a picture where I would have to labor at least twice as long to get something half as darling.

And now, for your delectation and delight, some more Merritt homework:
The kids were supposed to classify things they see outside into the categories of living, non-living, and once living. I asked him why he included monsters and aliens on his list of non-living creatures and he looked at me like I'd lost my mind. "Because they don't exist. They are non-living!" was the "well duh!" answer he gave me. Why didn't I think of that? It's really so very obvious! Apparently his teacher didn't think of it either.

In another assignment, Merritt had to write the Presidential Oath of Office in cursive script. This was very painstakingly done...
and was really not an assignment he appreciated as noted by him on the paper.
I love the teacher's comment. You'd have to be one humorless human being not get at least one hysterical moment of laughter a day as a elementary school teacher.

Baby Joseph: A Photo Essay

This is cuteness x a million!

2011: A Clothes Oddessy

Emphasis on odd...here is Grant...cue the music!

Grant loves to take the shoes left at the back door and clomp around in them. This time he decided his hands needed some shoes too.

After dinner one night we sent Grant down to change into his pj's. We could hear some whining, but didn't know the cause until he came out all twisted up in his shirt. It looked like his pajamas were trying to eat him! I still can't figure out how he managed that.

Grace decided to dress Grant up today. She really needs a girl in the neighborhood to play with! Grace came out and declared that Grant was a fairy godmother, but he shook his head and said he was a "bad guy with glasses on." Then he stomped away in his pink high heel shoes making robot noises.