Outside the Box

I was helping Amy with her homework last week. She was being too literal about figuring out the answer to a problem, so I told her to think outside the box. She obviously had no idea what it meant to "think outside the box." She drew this picture after pondering her problem, handed it to me, and said "I am close to the box--very close, but I am still outside."

A Few Comments

The layered look is in. Kristen got herself dressed this morning. Stylin'.



This is how I find Misha so often--absorbed in a book. In fact, I had to ground her from reading Calvin and Hobbes the other day because she wasn't doing what I asked. You'd have thought I cut off her toe! We go to the library once or twice a week, come home with loads of books and she just devours them. Misha reads at a fifth grade level. Amy reads a lot too, but not quite so voraciously. She's got art to do and walls to plaster with pictures.



We had pictures taken for a family picture directory at church. Chris and I look great--my girls look like goofs!

Amy and Misha

Amy, as the oldest child, sometimes comes on a little strong with her attitude and opinions. A couple of nights ago, I was putting Kristen to bed upstairs while listening to Amy and Misha downstairs. I had to shake my head at Amy's comment to Misha, "Let's play a game. It's called, 'I don't want to hear your voice anymore.'"

Amy has been on a bit of restriction lately (interpret as three weeks of grounding from friends, tv and computer--tv and computer didn't really stick). We are trying to instill a sweeter attitude and greater effort toward treating Misha with kindness. (Anybody else deal with this with their oldest?) She's kind of trying but her superiority complex often sneaks into conversation. Like this morning for example. She and Misha were discussing the game of Four Square at school. This was her comment, "I played it when I was in third grade (she was only in the third grade for a month). I moved on."

Misha

So Misha just said to me, "Mom, if I was a Munchkin, would you still love me?" Crazy kid.

It's Too Much

So my sweet little almost four-year old is usually quite a trooper on follow through. You ask her to go get her pajamas on, forget that you asked her, and five or ten minutes later she shows up with her pajamas on. She'll make her bed, put clothes in the laundry basket, pick up her toys.... UNLESS her friends have been over. If such is the case, her bedroom is mayhem at its best. And she cracks under the pressure. The overwhelming mess is just too much for her. I try to get her friends to help clean up before they leave, but you can guess how well that works. She'll whine and cry for an hour that it is too hard and that she can't do it. So pitiful. Then I go in pick up a few of the big things so that the destruction isn't quite as bad, give her a specific job like picking up all the Barbie stuff, and sometimes she'll pull herself together enough to get the job done. Or she'll do like she's doing right now and sit down in the middle of it all and keep on playing. The fact that she hasn't had any lunch is forgotten.

Another note about her little friends. One of them, who will remain nameless, but who's name rhymes with Stacy, told me the other day that I looked like a Grandma. RUDE!!!

Letters

Kristen is having fun with spelling and writing her letters. And, of course, her portraits are always fun.

Mormon Ads

Chris came up with a fun idea for Family Home Evening. We ordered three packets of Mormon Ads from the LDS Distribution Center and decided to choose a different Ad each week to talk about with our daughters. Last night we had a conversation about Honesty.



When we were "wrapping up", Misha blurted out, "If you are going to lie, lie with authority." NO. That's not the point (fortunately she was just kidding).

Rascal Flatts

So my brother, Mitch, sent me a link for getting some "free" Rascal Flatts tickets. It was a little short notice, but Chris and I had never gone to a concert together before and thought it might be fun--especially since we both like the music. The first bunch of times I kept getting my not-so free tickets up in the last row of the arena (I say not so free because they ended up being about $7.50 each, but who can complain about that?) What fun would it be to watch a bunch of specs from the nosebleed section? Tickets on the second row of the club level just slightly behind the stage finally came available and after a little contemplation, I decided to get the tickets.

Turns out it wasn't such a bad place to sit. Probably four or five seats to the right would have been better, and obviously lower and more central would have been ideal, but it was great. The stage was huge and covered much of the stadium floor so there was always something to see.



Until.....

The annoying lady sat down in front of us. I wouldn't have expected her type to be a groupie--she was kind of granola-ish complete with a fanny pack sitting on her tummy. But as soon as the music started she stood up. She was sitting in the first row of the section so it wasn't as if anyone was blocking her view--she was just getting into the moment. BUT, her butt and torso completely blocked my view. Her boyfriend's view was completely blocked, but she didn't seem to mind and he seemed to be along in the supportive I-don't-really-want-to-be-here-but-I-love-her role.



I was ducked down in my seat trying to see around her when all of a sudden she grabbed her jacket and spread her arms out wide. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Can you spell insensitive? L-A-D-Y--W-I-T-H--T-H-E--F-A-N-N-Y--P-A-C-K! Chris finally asked her if she would sit down when she turned around and sat on the railing, still blocking our view, not even watching the concert. Fortunately she stayed seated for the remainder of the concert because Chris kept telling me, "Just give her a little nudge."

Fun Activity for a Day Off

The girls had Friday off from school. They got a little bored and decided to turn my living room into a race track.

Library Books

You know you've found a winner when you select a book for your daughter in the morning and when you stop at the library again, she picks a book in the same series. What book did I so fortuitously choose? "Walter the Farting Dog." What book did Misha pick? "Walter the Farting Dog Banned from the Beach." At least we don't have a Walter.

Gotta Dance

I like to dance. I'm pretty good at free style dancing, but ask me to do a choreographed aerobic, line dance or kick boxing routine and I'm am woefully uncoordinated. I mention those three because I've tried them and am pitifully unskilled. Some people come to this world with rhythm doing a tap dance on their hearts. Amy would be such an individual...and she likes to dress the part.

Trampoline for Sale...Like New

It has been a little windy around here lately. Fortunately this trampoline is not ours, though we had our wind and trampoline moment a couple of years ago. One afternoon my next door neighbor called me and said, "Would you like me to tie your trampoline to my kids' play structure?" I tentatively respond though somewhat confused, "Well, no, but maybe...just a second" I then take a quick peak out the window and to my shock our trampoline is sitting upright in their back yard in perfect position to be tied to their play place. "...yes, please do."

Chris was working at home that day and I ran upstairs to his office, interrupted his phone call and said, "You need to look out the window." He looked, quickly ended his conversation and headed over to the neighbors to help tie the trampoline down until it could be moved back to our yard. What is amazing is that in order for the trampoline to get into our neighbor's yard it had to become airborne enough to be lifted over a five foot vinyl fence. We're not sure if it was lifted up like a UFO or if it tumbled. The fence was perfectly intact, the trampoline was unharmed and no animals were injured.

Our trampoline is now staked firmly and deeply into the ground. I imagine that if the owners of the above trampoline ever get a new one, they'll find a way to protect their assets.

Anti-nap Propaganda

Kristen was getting out of the bath this afternoon and inadvertently let out a big yawn. "Oh my goodness, does that mean you're tired?" I asked. She replied in the negative. "But," I continue, "A yawn usually means you're tired." Her response, "Not in Spanish."

The Children's Museum

After an enjoyable evening at the Arrowhead Manor in Morrison, we met our children, Grandma, and Molloys in downtown Denver for an afternoon-o-fun at The Children's Museum. The last time we visited was probably four or five years ago sans Kristen. We started with a quick lunch at McDonald's, a goose chase around downtown following Christopher's GPS' instructions (it seems to get confused sometimes), and finally arrived to a packed house. Seems as though we weren't the only ones who thought the museum would be a good idea for a day off from school. Still there was plenty to keep the kids mostly occupied--there was a lot of sitting around time for parents. Thanks heavens for Chris that he has his Blackberry!







Watch out when you get in front of a fire engine!!





I stayed with Kristen in an "Under 4" area while Chris went upstairs with Misha and Amy where they got to create stuff out of recyclable material. It was pretty funny because I think there were more Dads than kids at these stations...and some of the Dads stayed to finish up after their kids left to do something else.






Some of Kristen's favorite activities were playing in the grocery store, dancing and basketball, but most of all painting.







The sad part of the day came when the girls had to say goodbye to Grandma so she could make her flight. Hugs all around.

Grandma's Visit

Grandma Ball came for a short visit this past weekend. The girls loved having her come and all the fun stuff she brought: Wii Ski, Valentine plates and cups for a special dinner, and chocolate Valentine trays for making their own chocolates. They were thrilled last night as they realized Grandma had hidden Valentine Tootsie Rolls all over the house before she left--so much fun.

Chris and I made good use of her offer to watch the girls and went on a date Saturday evening and then a one-night get away Sunday night. Each Valentine's Day, our Stake hosts an adult dance. Chris freely admits that he isn't in to dancing that much, but he graciously conceded to go with me this year if I wanted to. I did. In twelve years of knowing my husband, I have never really danced with him.

I made reservations at Pinocchio's in Longmont, invited a few friends to join us, and both of us dressed up for a night out. Sadly, no pictures. We did have six other couples join us and had a great time. And yes, we danced. One thing I realized was that my husband is so tall, that it was difficult to do much more than wrap my arm around his waist. Still it was great. He probably won't readily admit it, but he had fun too.

Second Grade Music Showcase

Misha had her Musical Showcase last week. I really like that the school holds these showcases on a grade by grade basis. It cuts down on having to sit through an hour of listening to kids you don't even know. Still, there were three 2nd grade classes and the gym was packed. The school staff seemed to have learned with Amy's grade and had the kids up on the stage. We weren't close to the front, but at least we could see Misha. She did a great job singing, following instruction and smiling throughout. She is fun to watch...and we got to hear great masterpieces such as Bubblegum and Skidamarink. Gotta love hearing that one over and over.

P.S. Misha is fifth from the left on the top row.

On Another Misha Note

I was attempting to tidy the stack on my desk and came across Misha's Christmas letter to Santa. I thought it was pretty sweet.

dear Santa, I was thincking mayeb you could help some other poor people to make ther Christmast. Thank you Santa.

From, Misha

Misha....always my tenderhearted soul.

When She's Not Singing...

Misha is creating wonderful little contraptions like this one around our house:

Cut It Out

On the way to the library this morning, I was minding my own business driving the van and listening to the radio. All of sudden Kristen commands from the back seat, "Cut it out!"

"What? Cut what out?"

"It."

"It what?" I asked.

"Cut it out." Kristen repeated.

"Cut WHAT out?" I'm getting totally confused.

"It."

"What are you talking about? What is IT?" Now she's starting to drive me crazy. I chalked it up to learning a new saying. Maybe someday she'll figure out what it means.

Valentine's Day Worries

Misha lamented to me this morning, "Valentine's Day is not going to work out for Amy and me this year. There's not supposed to be any fighting."

No No

Kristen is not a big fan of petite diced tomatoes in casseroles. Even if the casseroles are tasty (which they always are), she can't get past eating those little red things. Last night was no different. She either had to finish her dinner or go to bed at 6:30. She complained, whined and finally decided to go to bed. She came in to the office to tell me, "My tummy is saying, 'No, no.'"

Weight Watchers

So, I finally decided to join Weight Watchers Online. Right now they have a 7-day trial period, so you can check it out. I just need the extra motivation to lose ten pounds to be successful in the competition that Chris and I are having. Anyone interested in joining me?

By the way, I have set a goal this year to not eat a single french fry.

I was/am Short

So this is the dress I wore when I was baptized at age 8. There was no hope in saving it for my daughters to wear for their baptisms. Kristen will be 4 in April and the dress is only mildly too big for her. It is great for dressing up in now.

I'm a Doof

Kristen and some of her crazy looks:

Without Arms?

We were reading scriptures this morning--Mosiah 20. It was Amy's turn to read--verse 24.

And it came to pass that the king was pacified towards his people; and he said unto them: Let us go forth to meet my people, without arms...WHAT??????

Chris and I had to laugh and quickly explained that arms also meant weapons. Amy and Misha laughed over their dad's imitation of Limhi's people walking to meet the Lamanites without any arms (as in limbs).