Easter Egg hunts

Guess where we went today

     Jackie and I got a chance to go over to the Coffee shop today....and where do you think we headed to after that?????

Another year of Black Gordon....first trip of the spring

Ahhh, another year over at the old Black Gordon.    The night before we had two additions to the bedrooms with Catherine Q and Emily sleeping over.  I had worked very late the night before, with much sleep, of course, we found ourselves scambling around to figure out what to do for lunch.  The girls were gracious enough to suggest we go to Einstein Bagels for some Pizza Bagels.  They were actually pretty good.  Someone, i wonder who, maybe me, suggested that we go see our old friend Black Gordon.  Emily did say that she really thought that it was boring to go see that train.  She had come before.  Luckily, i didnt listen to her and we all went ahead anyway.  The car parked and off we were into the train that doesnt move.  ding ding ding on the bell to that train, then jumping on Black Gordon, then they were all pretending that they were late to catch the train and had to jump on a running train.  Guess who didnt want to leave??  you guessed it....Emily.  The trolley train was going to come in forty minutes but we had to go.  Black Gordon has kept us company once again. 

The much anticipated first Spring trip to Black Gordon.
Of course, to get them to take a nice picture i have to tell them i'll let them take a goofy one.  This one is the train is going off the track and crashing.....

Pimping it and hooping it

Bacon playing the violin...at concert

      It was a great night for my little hippie playing the violin with her fellow hippie Eva.  Those girls are so funny together.  She sounded wonderful.  It was so wonderful to listen to her practice in the living room prior to going.  Normally I would have shut it down, especially after work, but she said she needed to practice....

      Nana, Jack and Catherine were in the audience cheering Bacon on

Collection Night and Father Son b-ball game

Tonight was Catherine's Collection night at school.  The kids are told they have to show off to everyone collections of things they have.  The parents come into the cramped hall andJ we go to different tables and kids tell you about their collections.  Catherine decided that we would package up all the stuffed animals that we had and that is what she would show off.  Jimmy was practicing baseball so the other two kids came with me and umple eddie.  I found out an interesting thing while I was there...the collection night was supposed to be for Laura's class too.....She just wasnt interested though.  Ava, Laura's fellow hippie friend was there and had some sort of collection too....Those two are so goofy together.  They are actually quite cute.  Catherine was loving it.  At first she was very excited...that subsided very quickly though as other things caught her eye.  She actually asked me if I could sit at her exhibit while she floated around.  Of course I did......
Last night Jimmy's basketball team had a father-son game.  Up and down the court we went.....It was a long, long game.  I was one of those obnoxious parents who was fouling all the kids and trash talking.  At one point I took Jack on our team.  He had been behaving so good all night.  When he came down court with me, I gave him the ball to shoot and sure enough he swished it!!  He went back to his seat right after with a great big smile.  While we were driving home he asked me if I could put that on the blog.....Here you go Jackie, you earned it!!!

OMJ had a rough night

     Last night I was sitting on the couch, in the dark, looking out the front window at Ole Man Jenkins.  I just sat there and chuckled as Jack and the others pretended to be asleep and then again as everyone yelled at Jack to be quiet so they could sleep...then Jack comes out and tells me how he's afraid and on and on it goes.........But after all this, I still look out on the front yard and again chuckle at the seven foot snowman adorning our front yard.  He's a sight alright.
     This morning I was driving the kids off to Kara's house and noticed that it looked like he had a rough night.  One eye was missing, his nose discheveled, the carrot nose had slipped and the pipe had tipped over, though it was still hanging on.  Dont ask why the bucket is on his arm, we dont know but it served us well.  He's a funny looking snowthing but he keeps me in belly laughs.

Old Man Jenkins the Snowman

     Welllllll, we were sitting in the living room after dinner and the kids started talking about going night sledding out back.  Well, there was a game changer.  I asked them if they wanted to make the biggest snowman ever....After a resounding yes we all headed out into the snow...and light rain to make the giant snowman.  We took a large bucket and kept filling it with snow and plopping it down.  One over the other and then we filled the cracks. 

     Onward and upward it went, one layer on top of another.  The head fell off a couple of times but we just kept at it.

     Jimmy stayed inside watching a movie.  I think with the school vacation i think he enjoyed finally being alone so I didnt push it.

 

     So now they go back and forth about naming the snowman.  We have gone through Joanne the snowman, Midge, Roger and Ring the snowman.  It was time for Old Man Jenkins the snowman.  We were going to make a two headed snowman and call it Jenkins the snowman after Wendy and Dave but Jackie just wanted to have Old Man Jenkins the snowman. 

     Last year jackie and I were walking down the street and one of the neighbors, Dave, was out in the yard.  Jackie yelled out to me, hey there is Old Man Jenkins!!!  I'm pretty sure its a character from Spongebob Squarepants but thought it was hilarious.  I told Dave about it and he thought it was great too.  His wife Wendy is now Mrs Old Man Jenkins.

     Yes, its a tall snowman.  I think I damn near pulled something lifting the snow onto the top.

Night Sledding in the back yard

Although it was dark, we dragged an extension light out in the back yard and did some night sledding.  Last night we had promised the kids that they could go sledding today....only they thought it meant they could go night sledding in the back yard.  Not a problem I guess.  Baby Erin slept over and Laura was switched with her for the night so she took in the huge (not so much) hill in the back yard.  Its still a good sized hill.  With two sleds that could make it through, they all kept coming back for more and Jimmy and I gave them a good push down the hill.  The dogs were in the pen giving us encouragement most of the time.  I actually got in a few runs too, it was pretty fun.  I really think once again that I am so lucky to be a kid and do these things because once again, it would be awkward if I screamed like a little girl going down the hill without a screaming kid with me.  They got some good speed going down the hill and a couple of times went flying into the portable kids houses out there.  Jackie, of course, makes it an olympic event and creates, and then breaks, all the rules.  I see myself in that little daredevil more an more each day.  Yesterday, he was sitting quietly in a chair downstairs watching Jimmy play video games.  Jimmy doesnt let him talk while he's down there with him and Jimmy is playing xbox.  I was in my office just watching how cute he is....he was so into that game that Jimmy was playing.  I just had to go pick him up and fling him over my shoulder and carry him upstairs with me.  Tonight, after my all too frequent trips to Target, I came home and found him on the living room couch...he had that little flinching look on his pretend sleeping face.  What a little faker.....Lyn told me not to laugh because I was just encouraging him.......I tried not to but its really impossible.  Maybe we can get some pictures of them sledding during the daylight because its very funny to be around.  I have to have three layers of clothes on because I am just a wimp when it comes to the cold. 

Happy Birthday Umple Eddie

     Happy Birthday Umple Eddie.  The kids were all excited about wishing the umple a happy birthday.  We got a nice roast and cooked it after Jimmy's baskeball game. 

This picture below is more like it when the kids are around umple eddie.  They love their umple !!!!

We are snowed in

      The newest storm of the century has arrived and we loved it.  We didnt even lose power.  Jimmy and Laura slept over Kara's house and we got Erin to sleep over here. 

     The red spots on her face are the snow coloring markers that they got for Christmas.  It looked like blood to me but I was corrected.