Why Trips To Target Take So Long

I was in one of the aisles at Target and when I turned around to face my cart, I saw this. If Eric only did this once, it would have been fine, but he kept doing this and also trying to sit on that bottom tier while I was trying to push the cart. Alex and Natalie also wanted to shop for themselves, so with all three of them with me, this shopping trip took almost two hours.

Soccer Cancellations

It's been raining all week, so the kids' home soccer fields were already soggy. In fact, Natalie's game last night (Friday) was cancelled because of rain. Alex had a game scheduled for 8:30AM. When we left the house at around 7:30AM, it was raining pretty hard. We still had to go because if our team didn't show up and the other team did, we would have to forfeit the game. So, long story made short, the referee ended up cancelling the game by around game time because the rain was still heavy and the puddles on the field just kept getting bigger and bigger. By the time we left, the thunder and lightning were starting. Most of Alex's teammates still went out there and played in the rain. He was soaked but happy.

Natalie and Eric had stayed home with Anthony while we were at the soccer fields. Some time after we got home, Natalie was reading to Eric. It was so cute that I had to take a picture. Of course, Eric saw me and had to ham it up for the camera.

I love seeing my kids reading to each other. Now I'll have to dig out a picture of Anthony reading to Alex. I don't think I have any other photos of different combinations of kids reading to each other, but that would make a fantastic scrapbook page. :)

Since Anthony's game at 4PM was also cancelled, he made alternate plans to spend the night at his good friend A's house. He had already made plans to go to a semi-formal dance at the school our kids used to go to, which is also the school that his good friend A still goes to. When Patrick went to drop Anthony off, I took Natalie and Eric to the mall. I had two Gymbucks to redeem at Gymboree. I was surprised that Natalie actually wanted to buy a dress, and I was even more surprised that she wanted to buy this hat and boots. I'm not sure the ensemble all goes together, but she looks pretty darned cute in it. She hasn't been wearing dresses lately, and she has always refused to wear boots--until today.

Here's Natalie's new dress. She is also wearing her Hannah Montana sunglasses, even though it was still cloudy outside. I'm not sure if she was trying to be fashionable or what because we were indoors for this picture and it was definitely not bright in there. We went to Pei Wei for dinner after church and I thought the three of them looked cute sitting on the chairs waiting for our turn to order.

The weather had cleared up this afternoon, as you can see from this picture. When we were walking to Brindles for ice cream after dinner, I noticed how well the kids' outfits matched each other. As usual, even though our plans changed today because of the weather, we still found a lot of things to do today.

Three Year Old Stats

Eric had his three-year-old checkup today. He was 29 pounds and 36 3/4 inches tall (3rd and 25th percentile, respectively), so he's a little guy but at least he's growing and developing normally. He was so good at the doctor's office that Patrick "rewarded" him with lunch at Fuddrucker's. He ate most of his meat and a little bit of the bun--pretty typical. I didn't take a picture today, but this was a picture from a week or two ago. The little stinker was climbing on the outside of the stairs and giving me a little attitude. He's a cutie, isn't he?

In other news, Natalie had her "Achievement Auditions" today. She memorized 2 two-page pieces for this. Up until yesterday we were still working on maintaining the same tempo throughout, especially during an eight-measure section in one of the pieces. She would suddenly slow down to half the tempo for that section. I know that I'm probably her worst critic, but she must have fixed it, because she got a "Superior Plus", which is apparently the highest rating. Interestingly, she didn't want her piano teacher to be in the room when she warmed up. Maybe she does get a little nervous after all. I'm so proud of her!

Weekend Fun

I wanted to show some pictures of what else we did this weekend. This first one is of Alex stuffing himself in my niece E's old car. My sister M gave E's old car to Eric since E has now outgrown it. My nephew N also stuffed himself into the car when we visited them the weekend before. It must be a ten-year-old thing.

Ahh, iPhones are wonderful for keeping the kids busy and quiet. I love that they're so easy to use that even a three-year-old can use them. Natalie had so much fun with my niece A this weekend. Eric had fun too, especially since A was always trying to help him. He's the little brother she's never going to have.

I took Natalie and Eric to Lakeshore Learning for the free Crafts for Kids this past Saturday. My sister C took my niece A to Lowe's for crafts there but Natalie wasn't interested. They later also tried to go to Lakeshore but we ended up missing each other. Surprisingly, Eric didn't want to do crafts nor did he want to play with the kitchen and other toys there. Luckily we found this puzzle. What I love about Lakeshore is that they have some really great (and durable) educational products like this. We also spent some time on the number/letter rug that can be seen in the background. Eric knows his numbers very well, but we still need to work on letters.

The kids got these cool battery-operated bubble guns from my sister for Easter. This is why Natalie and Eric get along so well--they like the same things. They both like playing school and playing with Play-Doh, and they both like to blow bubbles. It doesn't seem to matter if it's a squirt gun, Nerf gun, or bubble gun. Eric has been taught to point it at someone. Older siblings are useful that way.

This was taken Sunday night after almost everyone left our house, except for G, Natalie's godfather. As I mentioned in the previous post, Natalie stuck pretty close to him. She kept hugging him and sitting on his lap. Eric just does what his sister does. He also knows that he's supposed to smile when I take a picture. Natalie, however, is oblivious and has this habit of putting her hands up to her face and mouth. I love this picture though, because it shows us just hanging around with G. Thanks for coming to visit, G! Miss you!

Natalie's First Communion

Natalie's First Communion was yesterday. She wore the same dress that her godmother wore to her own First Communion. She's been so excited about wearing it since Grandma showed it to her when we were in Colorado. I was a little hesitant at first because it's more off-white and looks more "vintage", but I was happy that Natalie understood the meaning behind it. She hasn't been too keen on wearing dresses lately, so I was also happy that my little girl was again excited about wearing a dress.

Both sets of grandparents were here, as well as my sister C and my niece A. We were so thankful that Natalie's godfather G was able to make it too. The mass was at 5PM and despite all the people we packed into two mini-vans, we actually arrived early. Eric was fairly good during mass (I was able to get him to take a nap thanks to his car burp cloth and his new Thomas blanket), although my sister witnessed how mischievous he can be. He was shoving his sister over for some unknown reason, and when I tried to separate them by moving him to the other side of me, he shoved his way back over next to her. C got to see that Natalie is not always the instigator of "fights" between the two.

G is a wonderful godfather. He flew without his family for this short trip just so he could be here, and he's not even Catholic. Natalie was stuck to him like glue for most of Saturday and today. A short time ago, when she was a baby, she wouldn't even let him touch her. What a difference a few years makes! He seemed to relish the attention. :) He gave her a beautiful cross necklace and while at first it seemed that she was more excited about the gold wrapping paper and big, brightly colored bows, she wore the necklace today and plans to wear it tomorrow, too.

We went to one of our favorite restaurants, El Mirasol, after mass. For G and Grandma and Grandpa, a visit always includes a dinner at El Mirasol. Natalie opened some presents there, and then chose to go to Brindle's Ice Cream for dessert. We then went home to open more presents. Besides the necklace, she received a rosary from my favorite aunt and uncle (Lolo's brother and his wife), and a ring from Lolo and Lola. My sisters and I gave her a James Avery sterling silver bracelet with a butterfly charm, something we plan to repeat for her two cousins who will be receiving their First Communions in the coming weeks. She also received a rosary from Grandma and Grandpa that they bought while in Italy this past fall.

Before she even opened her presents, Natalie turned to me and told me, "I feel awesome!" She was grinning from ear to ear and all I could do was smile right back. :)

Thomas the Tank Engine Third Birthday

I had so many great plans to do fun things with Eric today for his birthday. I had a super busy night at work last night and I had enough energy to drive home and eat breakfast. Then I crashed and burned. I did wake up in time to get some McDonald's for lunch for Natalie and Eric and then head to the elementary school. Yesterday Eric said he wanted to visit his siblings' elementary school for lunch. I'm not sure if it was because he wanted to go to their school or because he wanted a cheeseburger from McDonald's. Either way, I wanted to do what he wanted for his birthday.

Natalie's class was having a "Teddy Bear Picnic" where they got to bring their teddy bears outside while they had lunch. It was a great day for it--sunny with a nice breeze. Natalie and Eric both ate well, although I was fascinated with how Eric was eating his burger. First he stripped his meat off the bun (with much of the cheese still stuck to the meat). He ate most of the meat before eating most of one of the bun halves. I'll have to do a layout about that, one of these days.

I should have just titled this "Train Third Birthday", because Eric loves all trains, but he is most familiar with the Thomas variety. He started off the day wearing his Thomas pajamas from last night. I was only able to convince him to take those off because I had his Thomas T-shirt to change him into. After lunch, I myself was excited about the trains that I had bought him, so Patrick and I gave him one of them to open. The train he opened was "Stanley", who he has the Lego version of, and he was so excited when he saw it.

We had to wait until almost 7PM for my parents, my sister C, and my niece A to arrive. We ate dinner then again, we continued the train love with a Thomas the Tank Engine cake. He was more excited about the toys on the cake than the cake itself, but we expected that. He blew those candles out this year like a pro.

It was getting late so we quickly proceeded to the opening of the gifts. Since he was expecting trains for his birthday already, it was rather fun when he took out everything from the gift bags from both sets of grandparents and neither contained any train toys. They did have various types of transportation (including trains) on T-shirts that he showed some interest in, but no train "toys". Eric looked a bit surprised. Of course, he got plenty of other train toys. One of them was a set with "Bill" and "Ben", which are two twin engines. I asked him to show his Papa (who was videotaping) and he got up very close, as you can see in this picture. I loved seeing all the family behind Papa smile and laugh when they saw Eric do this. Very cute!

This is the last present that Eric opened. This is the one that he had asked for a few months ago. I asked him to hold the box up so I could take a picture of him with the toy, but instead of just holding it in front of him, he actually held it up over his head. We all laughed because it seemed like such a big, heavy box and he lifted it excitedly over his head.

All day Patrick and I were trying to convince Eric that he was three years old today. Every time we asked him how old he was, he would still reply "two years old". The funny part was that even when we corrected him and told him that he actually turned "three" today and that he was no longer "two", he still insisted that he was "two years old". Finally this afternoon, he started saying that he was "three". He's learning, and growing--too fast. Sniff, sniff...

Potty Time

The older boys were not potty trained until they were over four years old, so we didn't expect much from Eric. Apparently he stayed dry all day at daycare today! He even pooped in the potty! Of course, he was wet when we picked him up, but that was after naptime. I had to convince him to go to the potty when we got home, but he did it so I was able to promptly put him in a clean diaper. He's been enjoying his reward of M&M candies too. Wish us luck with the potty training!

Tomorrow, we'll be celebrating Eric's THIRD birthday! I can't believe he's growing up so fast. He apparently told his Uncle J this past weekend that he will be getting trains tomorrow. He must have been paying attention when I went shopping with him last week. :)

Up To Mischief

This is the sight that greeted me on the upstairs landing when I got home today. I was upset and Patrick immediately yelled from downstairs that he already knew about it but he had left it so I could take a picture.

Patrick also came upstairs to show me this particular spot. Apparently, he had told Eric that he shouldn't color unless it was on one of our blue trays (that we use to protect the house and furniture). Then, he discovered that Eric had covered up the crayon mark with some stickers.

This is Mr. Mischief himself, climbing on the OUTSIDE of the stairs despite my telling him not to. Of course he gave me a sly little smile as he got back on the outside of the stairs and started climbing back up there and he gave me this "in your face" expression when I took the picture.

It's a good thing he's cute!

Happy Easter 2010

Since we weren't with extended family this Easter Sunday as we have been in the previous years, I didn't feel motivated to get a photo of everyone dressed up for church. We got up for 7AM mass so we could avoid the crowds. We then went home for a little while, then went to The Cheesecake Factory for brunch/lunch. After that, we just relaxed at home. As you can see from the photo above, the boys played video games.

Natalie and Eric watched her new "Princess and the Frog" DVD from her Aunt C. The two of them were adorable lying together on the sofa upstairs. Eric has a funny way of laying sort of half on and half off of the couch (and his bed at night), a habit that has started recently. He refused to take a nap so Patrick and I took our naps without him.

Eric maintained his good spirits for most of the day, even without the nap. He was singing songs with his microphone in hand and Natalie was "playing" on her Hannah Montana guitar. His shorts were a little big and they kept falling as he was running around. I would pull up his shorts then immediately he would run around trying to get them to fall off. Of course when they did fall off, he and Natalie would burst out laughing. The rest of us had to admit that it was pretty hilarious.

Patrick made some salmon for dinner and we watched TV together. We had some great times even without extended family around. We have a busy week ahead. Both sets of grandparents, my sister C and niece A, and Natalie's godfather G will all be here for her First Communion. We'll also be celebrating the Little Man's THIRD birthday. I'll be taking lots of photos then. :)

Egg Hunt

We packed in a lot of activity today before we left for home. First, my dear brother-in-law (BIL) made pancakes and turkey bacon for breakfast. We then watched home videos with my parents who spent the night last night. When my other sister M arrived, my sisters and my Mom and I all took off for the outlet mall. We had so much fun shopping together. We didn't even have to spend a whole hour in the Coach store! ;)

When we got home we had lunch and then Natalie, my niece A, and Eric dyed eggs. We had expected the girls to dye eggs, but Eric wanted to do it too. C bought some cotton swab-looking sticks that had dye already in them. The kids were able to use different colors to draw on the eggs. Eric used the same one the whole time, but he had lots of fun doing it. :)

While they were busy doing that, my sisters and I hid some "cascarones" or confetti eggs in their backyard. The older kids found their allotment of eggs in no time at all. Eric got off to a slow start because I was still putting on his shoes when the "hounds were unleashed", so everyone helped him find the leftover eggs.

The fun part for the kids was actually breaking the cascarones over each other's heads. There were the usual complaints of eggs being broken on heads with too much force and unwanted eggs broken down people's backs, but in all everyone was willing and everyone had fun. Eric didn't even try to break any eggs on anyone else but himself, at first. I reasoned that was because that his was the only head he could reach. I summoned his biggest brother at one point and Anthony willingly allowed Eric to break a cascarone over his head.

Unfortunately, the fun had to end and we quickly packed up the car and left for home. Luckily, we'll be seeing my sister C and her DD A along with my parents next week for Eric's birthday and Natalie's First Communion. We missed Patrick and Alex and it felt great to be home.

Spacecenter Houston

My sister drove us to Spacecenter Houston today. We left Eric with Lola since we couldn't all fit in the car. He was also acting very tired and would likely have slowed the other kids down. My sister and I stayed with the girls and Anthony stuck with my nephew N. There was a big play place that they enjoyed as well as some other hands-on interactive type exhibits like remotely driving a Mars Rover, building a space station, and using a flight simulator to land a plane.

In all, we spent less than two hours there. The drive back and forth was longer than that, partly because of traffic. That's one thing I definitely don't miss about Houston. In this case it was okay because my sister and I got to chat. The kids got to watch "Kung Fu Panda". Anthony and N played on N's iPod Touch. Since my sister graciously drove both ways, I also got to nap and obviously, so did Natalie.

Tomorrow we get to spend more time with the family before we head home. Hopefully my sleep-deprived children will get some rest in the car.

Good Friday

I don't think it's appropriate to say "Happy Good Friday", but in a way it is. The kids are blowing bubbles outside. It's supposed to rain later, so the kids are enjoying the outdoors now. Now my niece A is helping Eric play on the swing. It's so sweet to see the interactions between the cousins. Anthony just got up and he's enjoying some of the treats that Lolo and Lola brought today. He really doesn't get to sleep in very much, so he enjoys the opportunity when it comes. I was chatting with my sister last night while we split up the Scenic Route Paper Co. stuff that she bought online for the both of us. We love scrappy stuff, especially new scrappy stuff! As I'm typing this, my niece E just got here. She gets to spend the day with us too, while her Mom is at work.

We have to remember the meaning of Good Friday, the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for us. Appreciating all of God's gifts is a part of that. He has blessed my family today as he does everyday. :)

Last Dollar Scoop Tuesday

Do I post a lot about going to Baskin-Robbins on $1 Scoop Tuesdays? Well, tonight is the last night. The special ran from October to tonight. It's become almost routine for Natalie and Eric and I and it's been rather fun. Tonight Eric decided to get the Tropical Ice (the "lellow and owange and white one") instead of the Rainbow Sherbet. We had to leave in a hurry as soon as Eric finished because Natalie, for the umpteenth time mentioned the Thomas candles that they sell there, except this time she almost showed them to Eric. Sometimes that girl drives me nuts!

I had been looking at cakes there, trying to decide what birthday cake to get for him. He usually doesn't like to eat cake, however. They didn't have a "Thomas" cake, but they did have a train roll cake. It's only available with Devil's Food cake but different ice creams. I started asking him questions:

Me: "Do you like chocolate cake, Eric?"
Eric: "No!"
Me: "Do you like vanilla ice cream?"
Eric: "No!"
Me: "Do you like chocolate ice cream?"
Eric: "No!"
Natalie: "What kind of ice cream do you like, Eric?"
Eric: "Lellow and owange and white ice keem!"
Me: (Thinking about how I can't get a Tropical Ice Cream cake)

I'm going back to Plan A--just getting a cake that the adults and other kids will like, and then maybe just getting the little man some Tropical Ice Cream just for him. :)

Easter and Birthday Shopping

I love being able to spend time with this adorable little boy. Here he is holding his new toy. I was shopping for his birthday at the local Toy Zone. I had finished buying him some wooden trains and a Lego James set (from the Thomas and Friends show), all without his knowledge. He had been happily playing with the store's trains and train table. He didn't want to leave, of course. He saw this stuffed James and since I had already seen this and thought about buying it, he easily convinced me to buy it for him. When I said, "Do you want to take a nap today with James?" and he said, "Yes", I knew that this new toy was worth every penny. He went to bed with it this evening too. :)

Earlier in the morning, I also took him to Target and Michael's to get Easter basket stuff for the kids. Eric was a good shopper. Even though he did want to walk alongside the cart and not ride in the cart, he kept up with me and went where I wanted yo go. We got a lot done and Patrick got to exercise in peace. I had the late shift at work but I got to go home early, so I also got to be there to put the kids in bed. This was a great day. :)

Fiesta Texas and Facebook

Today was another beautiful day, a little breezy but with a light jacket, Eric and I were good to go. Natalie was cold in her shorts and short-sleeve T-shirt but the sun warmed her up. We went to Fiesta Texas to pick up our season pass coupon books and to get Eric's picture on his season pass. The rest of the family already had season pass pictures from last year but since he's turning three this year, he gets his own pass. He gave them his usual cheesy grin and looked adorable as usual.

Eric and Natalie rode in the small train and ferris wheel while Anthony and Alex went on the Scooby-Doo Ghostblasters ride (shoot 'em up ride) twice. Their favorite, the Waverunner (spinning ride) was apparently closed for repair. They didn't seem to want to ride anything else, so we only stayed an hour and then went to Rudy's Bar-B-Q for lunch.

In other exciting news, at least for Alex, Patrick and I let him sign up for a Facebook account. He wanted to join just so he could play a game called Ninja Wars. To say that he was excited is very much an understatement. His good friend A has had a Facebook account just to play games also so we let them be "friends" on Facebook.

This morning, Patrick and I were both in our room playing on our laptops. Alex, who was on the computer downstairs, sent us each messages saying "hi" through Facebook's "chat" feature. Did I mention that he was excited? I have to say that it was both funny and convenient. I sent him a message back telling him to change out of his nightclothes so we could go to Fiesta Texas. That way I didn't have to yell downstairs. :)

Rocks

I got some sleep last night when I was on call, so I feel pretty good today. The sun is shining and there's a nice breeze. What a gorgeous day to play soccer! Eric is currently plating with rocks. He's getting quite dirty but he's happy and I have plenty of wipes to clean him up. Both of the older boys are warming up for their soccer games. Patrick is with Natalie at some First Communion meeting, but they should be here for most of the games. I'll post more pictures later.

Middle School Match

I haven't been very good at posting to my blog lately. We've been trying to get back into our usual routines after being on vacation and I have some late shifts this week. I do want to let everyone know that today, Alex got an acceptance letter to his second choice middle school next year. His first and second choices are in the same physical building and the classes overlap a little, so it's kind of the same school. The other good thing is that school is close to where I work and where Anthony goes to school, so dropping off and picking up will be easier for Patrick and me, even though the times differ by about a half hour. Alex says he's happy, although not "excited". I have a feeling that he'll be more excited when the news soaks in. :)

Choices, Choices

Eric usually chooses the Rainbow Sherbet when we go to Baskin-Robbins. He can't remember "rainbow sherbet" so he calls it "the owange and pink and white one". Today, he noticed the Tropical Ice flavor, which he called "the lellow, and owange and white one". He chose that one first, but when I showed him the Rainbow Sherbet, he said he wanted that one. I told him to sit down and while I was waiting my turn to be served, he tells me "lellow and owange and white one". I was confused, so I asked him about the Rainbow Sherbet but this time he insisted on the Tropical Ice. I didn't want to waste money on a flavor he hasn't had before, so I got him a taste of it. As soon as he tasted it, he immediately said he wanted the Rainbow Sherbet. Maybe you had to be there, but I thought it was funny. He ate it all up, and quickly too. He even drank what little had melted at the bottom of the cup. :)

Aesop's Fables Symphony

We didn't get home until around 11:30PM last night, so we didn't try to go to our usual 9AM mass. We went to the 11AM mass instead. We rushed home after mass so Anthony could eat and get ready for his 2PM game across town. Natalie, Eric and I planned to go to the Children's Symphony. Since Alex wanted to stay home and work on his school project that is due on Friday, we invited Natalie's best friend M to go with us. The two of them look very cute together, and Eric just loves her too. Here, Natalie is holding an egg "shaker" that Eric made. Natalie and M each made one too.

Before the show, they always have an "instrument petting zoo" where the kids can play actual instruments. Last time Natalie tried out a violin. This time they wanted to try the bass. M went first, then Natalie, so naturally Eric wanted to try it too. This was a very adorable moment, as you might imagine. They played "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star", one of the songs Eric can sing by himself. Too cute!

The theme of the show was how music can tell a story. They started out with the "Prelude to Hansel and Gretel" by Englebert Humperdinck. The conductor described how the different parts of the music represented parts of the story. The next two pieces were from "Peer Gynt" by Edvard Grieg and they were recognizable, even by Natalie's friend M. The pieces were "Morning" and "In The Hall of the Mountain King". They finished off with someone narrating three of Aesop's fables while the orchestra played. They really do a wonderful job trying to get the kids interested in classical music. In the middle, they had a 15-year girl who won the local "Young Stars" competition, play her cello with the orchestra. After the piece, she answered questions from the audience. When she said that she practices as much as four hours in a day, Natalie said emphatically, "I won't practice four hours in a day!" Oh well, I tried! ;)

Going Home

Alex really enjoys puzzles. He's been trying to do the crossword puzzle from the newspaper this morning, and he's been asking us questions about almost every clue. I teased him by asking if HE'S the one doing the crossword or WE are. He already finished the Sudoku puzzle. He said that he finds those much easier to solve. Oh, and he seems to think that my dad, his Lolo, is a great crossword puzzle solver. He told a story about how Lolo asked him for a pen, and then five minutes later Lolo gave him the pen back because he has finished the crossword. :)

Everyone else is either reading or playing on their electronic toy. Natalie already went outside to play in the snow, but now she is downstairs feeling tormented that Eric is destroying her Lego creations. She doesn't remember when she used to do the same thing to Alex, who used to do the same thing to Anthony.

Patrick is doing a small load of laundry because Eric leaked onto his pajamas. Other than that, we're ready to start packing. It's a two hour drive to the airport from here, and our flight doesn't leave until 7:55pm. It's going to be a long day, but at least the sun is shining and it should be a fairly easy drive. It will be nice to sleep in our own beds tonight. Thanks for the hospitality, Grandma and Grandpa!

Snow Day

This morning we awakened to snow falling. I love watching snow falling because it's so quiet and you can see the accumulation. The deck outside was covered with snow and the kids were watching the snow so longingly. It was a bit colder than it's been here, so we stayed indoors in the morning. Natalie and Eric were playing on the poker table downstairs when I snapped this picture of Eric. He had put his vehicles in the little slots on the table and he was so proud. Natalie was playing the card game "War" by herself.

Earlier, Patrick had gone with his parents to a mass dedicated to his paternal grandmother who would have been 100 today. Later, he went with them to look for a USB dial-up modem. They recently got a new computer and Patrick was going to help them set up their dial-up Internet. I guess they don't really sell those anymore since most people have some type of high speed Internet nowadays. They'll now be looking into getting mobile Internet since they travel. They'll be amazed at how much faster that connection will be.

Later in the afternoon, Patrick dropped me off at the nearby Silverthorne outlet stores and I shopped for about three hours. While I was gone, Alex, Anthony, and Grandpa played poker, with Natalie as a spectator and Eric "helping" by putting his cars on the poker table and playing with the poker chips. Alex loves games and he seems to really enjoy playing poker while we've been here.

Natalie did go outside for almost an hour to play in the snow by herself. The big boys were busy playing their Nintendo DS games. Eric would have wanted to join her, but he would have gotten very wet and cold and we were about to go out and eat. Alex and Natalie did go out with Grandma in the morning to Keystone Resort where they were having kids' activities like make and takes involving making bracelets and snow. Natalie enjoyed it far more than her brother, but still it was a good snow day activity.

Hopefully the weather will clear up overnight so we have an uneventful and quick drive to the airport tomorrow. We won't be leaving here until after lunch. We won't get home until around midnight from our nonstop flight.

Last Ski Day

There's that cheesy smile again. I took this picture at Arapahoe Basin. Patrick, Grandma, and the other kids had gone up the Exhibition Lift to ski while I spent time with Eric. Grandpa was at home. We decided that instead of hanging out inside the lodge, we would play outside in the snow today. Yesterday when everyone else was leaving to go ski, Eric was telling us that he wanted to "go to ski hill" too. Poor thing! Anyway, today he got to play in some of the snow outside and he was very happy about it. He would pick up some chunks of ice, which he called "snowballs" and throw it at my legs. If I picked up a "snowball" and threw it back at him, he would laugh and laugh. He had a difficult time even picking up the "snowballs" because his mittens were way too big. His thumbs barely reached inside the thumb part of the mitten, and sometimes he would have to use both hands.

This was our longest ski day, since we figured that it was our last for the year. Alex especially kept wanting to ski more. He wanted to ski tomorrow, but Patrick and I both wanted a day of rest before heading home on Saturday, so we compromised and skied until around 2PM today instead of quitting around lunch time. We all also got to ski with Grandma today. She was impressed with how the kids are skiing now. Natalie seems a bit more timid than last year when she head down a bumpy blue run with Patrick scrambling to keep up with her. She skis with more control, however, and that is always good. Alex is much more confident this year. He enjoyed some of the more difficult blue runs, although he still doesn't like the bumps like the rest of us. Anthony is still a bit tentative, but still more relaxed. We suspect that this may be because he doesn't want to get hurt and ruin the rest of his club soccer season. He also enjoyed more difficult blue runs this year.

After we got home, Alex and Natalie spent another couple of hours playing in the snow outside. Eric joined them for a good hour or so of that time. They loved it! I can still remember how Eric hated being dressed in his snowsuit last year but then fought being changed out of the snowsuit because it meant that it was time to go inside. This year he begs to put on his snowsuit but he still gets very upset whenever he has to go inside. He still fits in that snowsuit but his little ankles end up getting very cold. That doesn't bother him at all. All of the kids have had SO much snow fun this year!

Snow Fort and Tubing

Eric had a blast in the big snow fort at the top of one of the mountains at Keystone. Here he is sitting in an ice chair. He had the hardest time getting on it because he kept slipping. He loved the slide most of all, but then he usually loves slides. He did a lot of climbing and picking up chunks of ice and calling them "snowballs".

The rest of the family went tubing, including my sister and niece. Their minimum height requirement was 42 inches, so that's why Eric couldn't go and I stayed at the snow fort with him. They all apparently had a lot of fun, although we weren't able to get any pictures. Alex started to not feel well near the end because of the spinning action of the tubes. He loves the spinning even when he doesn't feel well.

We went out to eat at the Snake River Saloon tonight, partly to say goodbye to M and E. They're leaving for home tomorrow. It was really fun being able to see them this week. Hopefully we'll be able to vacation together again in the future. Tomorrow we have more skiing planned.

Thomas Crisis

Grandma kept lots of cars and trucks that used to be Patrick's and his brother's toys, and Eric has been happily playing with them. This morning he was looking for his Thomas the Tank Engine and we couldn't find him anywhere. Patrick informed me that we didn't bring Thomas with us. Of course the little man wouldn't accept that for an answer. Luckily, he was okay with watching Thomas videos instead. Whew! Crisis averted!

Our plans today include going to the library, tubing at Keystone Resort, and going out for dinner on my sister's last night here.

Skiing Day 1

Today was our first day of skiing. Arapahoe Basin doesn't offer reservations for ski rentals so we got there early, around 8:30AM. It was good thing too, because while we were finishing up our rentals, lots of people arrived and Patrick later heard them say that they ran out of equipment to rent. We bought Anthony, Alex, and Natalie a group "private" lesson because they are all around the same level and the cost was a little cheaper than the regular group lessons. They did that from 10AM to noon. Patrick and I went skiing for about an hour before I decided I was exhausted and went to the mountain lodge to rest and wait for my sister and her daughter to arrive. Patrick is a much better and faster skier than I am, so he went up the mountain for more skiing.

My sister M and niece E arrived around 11:30ish. E took her first ski lessons yesterday, and M took a refresher lesson since it's been something like 10 years since she has gone skiing. They bought lift tickets for the beginner lift because they had the "magic carpet" lift and E had never been on a regular lift before. E was very hesitant and kept sitting down instead of trying to stop while doing down the very short beginner run. By the second run, I knew that she was done. She would not even try to get up once she fell. I had to physically turn her skis and pull her up. M was of limited help because she wasn't that confident in her skiing either, but she finally took her skis off so she could help E down. Finally, E just sat at the bottom sulking and eventually playing with the piled up snow while I took M up the beginner hill a couple of times. She did well and might have been ready for the mountain, but we went back to the mountain lodge instead.

By the time we got back, the kids had finished their lesson and wanted to go skiing with Patrick and me. Grandma and Grandpa had also arrived with Eric and waited in the mountain lodge with M and E. Anthony and Alex both felt like they learned some new things during their lesson and relearned some old things as well. The instructor told Patrick that Natalie had some problems with "control". She apparently did not turn enough and kept speeding up. We tried the reinforce skiing under control when we went up the mountain with them. After one run, she was ready to go in again, while Patrick went back up with the boys for one more run.

We were all pretty tired after skiing, but Natalie and Alex apparently had not had enough of the snow. They immediately went outside to play in the backyard. Eventually, Eric and Anthony joined them, as did E when she got back from their hotel. I took a nap! I found that walking back and forth from the beginner lift to the mountain lodge while carrying my skis was much more exhausting then the actual skiing. I woke up when Patrick brought Eric into our room after his bath. Eric played hard, apparently, and even threw a snowball that hit Anthony. Anthony responded by inadvertently getting snow in his baby brother's snowsuit. Patrick said he took some pictures and video, so hopefully I'll have some pictures to post here later.

Tomorrow we're going to relax and "sleep in". Eric actually asked to go to bed tonight so that usually means he is exhausted. Natalie is spending the night at M and E's hotel. We'll see what time people actually get up tomorrow.

We're here!

We got to Grandma and Grandpa's house by around 11pm MST last night and didn't get to bed until around midnight. At least it was a fairly uneventful trip. Eric took a long nap-- almost until we got to Phoenix and then he was awake and happy until Denver. The three youngest kids napped in the car until we got to Grandma and Grandpa's house. They were up and waiting for us.

This morning we heard Eric stomping on the floor above our heads by around 7am. Natalie was up too. Apparently when Grandma asked her if she wanted cereal for breakfast, she responded that she didn't eat cereal on Sundays, she ate donuts. Grandma did get donuts for everyone. When Patrick heard that he promptly told her that she could have cereal next Sunday.

Natalie was the only one who had all of her snow gear (the pants and boots still fit her from last year) so she is currently playing outside by herself. Patrick left with the boys to get them new boots. Eric can still fit in the red snowsuit from last year but not the boots. He was very excited about the thought of playing in the snow.

I'll take some more pictures of all the kids playing in the snow later.

Mobile Blogging

I'm going to start mobile blogging this week an I wanted to practice. We're at Starbucks after dropping Anthony off for his game. Natalie wanted the chocolate cupcake. Eric wanted the "boo muffin" aka blueberry muffin. Both are having the kids' hot chocolate. I'm having a blueberry scone and my usual Mocha Frappucino.

Patrick and Alex are headed to Alex's game.

Melanie
Sent from my iPhone

Indulgences

Today was a beautiful day. I got to go to the gym with Patrick and Eric. Eric was so cute running to the child care area at the gym. As soon as he got in there, he got some hand sanitizer from the automatic dispenser, rubbed it in, then proceeded to almost break down the locked barrier until they let him in. He was excited to be going there! After going home to take showers, we went to Piatti's Restaurant and Bar, located in the Quarry Market shopping area. Eric loved the calamari, although he referred to it as "chicken". That was just the appetizer, but he was full after that, so he kept busy looking at the flowers and birds in the outside seating area while Patrick and I ate our meals. Eating out is a wonderful indulgence, and Patrick and I like to do that when I'm off from work.

At home, Eric showed me how much he needed a nap when I was changing his diaper. Patrick left to go to the bank, and as Eric heard the garage door open and close, he suddenly burst into tears. He cried out, "Papa!" and would not calm down when I reassured him that Patrick would be right back. So, we spent a good portion of the afternoon in bed. Taking naps is definitely an indulgence that I try to get whenever I can. I especially love taking naps with Eric because I love looking at him when he's sleeping.

When they kids got home from school, Alex played outside with one of his friends, and Natalie practiced piano. Despite a little reluctance from her, we managed to get through one of her pieces that she is supposed to memorize for "Achievement Auditions" in mid-April. I couldn't believe that she didn't know the notes already, and I was tough on her. She ended up playing for over an hour. I had already promised her at the beginning of the week that if she didn't "move her clip" at school all week, I would take her to get her nails done today. She's been consistently "moving her clip" once a week for the past few weeks. Taking away privileges weren't working, so I tried giving her a reward this week. She may have had a good week anyway, but I want to think that the positive reinforcement worked.

I forgot my camera at home, so I'll just have to describe the image. When she was getting her toenails done, she was short enough that she had to practically lie down to get her feet to reach the footrest. That girl LOVES to get her nails done. I reminded her that I was over 40 before I ever had a manicure and pedicure, and she's had three since she turned 7. That doesn't even count when she had the Libby Lu and Disney Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique "makeovers" she's had at age 6 and 7. That girl is definitely indulged!

Tomorrow morning we have to finish packing and go to soccer games for Anthony and Alex. We're leaving for Denver in the late afternoon and then spending a week with the grandparents. Taking vacations is an indulgence I hope we'll always have the time and money for. I'll try to post from there, but I may have to add pictures later since my internet will be limited. Have a great week!

Revelation

Tonight instead of Natalie's piano lessons (at 4PM) and the boys' soccer practices (at 6PM and 7:30PM), we also had to go to Natalie's "Showcase" where all the grades performed a little show for the parents at 6PM. Luckily, this show was held at a bigger facility across the street from where the kids have their soccer practices. I think this was because their school really could not hold that big of an audience. So, Patrick took Alex to his practice and then went with Natalie to her show. I had just gotten home with Anthony and we stayed home with Eric until it was time to take Anthony to practice.

I picked up Alex at 7:30PMish and took him home while Patrick was still at the show. Soon after Alex got into the car, he asked me, all of a sudden why I tease him about girls when I "know" he likes girls. Wow! I wasn't expecting that at all! Patrick and I have discussed how Alex probably liked girls, but didn't want to admit it, but to have him flat out admit it struck me completely by surprise. He then started telling me about how his friends all like certain girls at his school but that he wasn't interested in anyone right now. He admitted that he liked one of the girls on our street last year, but that he didn't anymore. He told me that he "felt pressured" to tell me because I was alone in the car. Actually, Eric was in the car too, but he knew that Eric "wouldn't care". I told him that maybe "felt pressured" was not the right phrase. He probably meant that he instead felt like it was a convenient time to tell me. He has the oddest way of expressing himself some times!

He said that he wanted to tell me on Wednesday when he was last in the car with me, but that I didn't seem like I was in a good mood. That was because he and his sister had been bickering constantly in the car! He also mentioned that certain friends had "girlfriends" (with one friend having "lots of girlfriends in different states") but that he didn't think he should have a girlfriend until maybe high school or college. I told him that was a good idea so he can first find out what he likes in a girl.

Alex had to admit that the main reason why his whole family teases him about girls is because he acts so funny. He'll cover his face with a pillow just because there's a screenshot of a young lady on TV. He admitted that he started doing that because his Papa teased him. I informed him that Patrick has a "deal" with Anthony he won't tease him about girls if Anthony confides in his Papa. So far that has worked pretty well. Hopefully it will also work with Alex.

Sorry this post sounds so "stream of consciousness" but I had to record this story while it was still fresh in my mind. REMEMBER--don't tell Alex I told the world about this! I only asked him if it was okay if I told his Papa about this and he agreed. *SIGH* My baby is growing up!

Waiting at Church School

Patrick and I did switcheroo of our roles again today. He went to Anthony's soccer game and I took the kids to Alex's guitar lesson, church school, and then Natalie's soccer practice. Today was the day when Natalie was supposed to have her "interview" before getting First Communion. I'm not sure what the purpose of this was except to make sure her parents are praying and going to church with her. Also, the lady was checking up on us to make sure we were going over the First Communion lessons we're supposed to do at home. We haven't started the book yet.

Natalie was in her silly mood during her interview despite my threatening her to calm down and be serious. This whole "interview" thing was very inconvenient for me because I didn't know how long this was going to take ahead of time or when exactly they were going to be doing this. I wasn't sure if Natalie would have enough time to eat after class and before soccer, so I went ahead and picked up some Chick-Fil-A on the way from Alex's guitar lesson and we ate early.

Eric was good for me at least. He sat quietly during the interview and he played nicely while we waited for class to finish. Here he is laying in the grass after purposely falling and landing in the grass. He kept doing that and then, just to make sure I was watching, he would tell me, "Mama, I fall down." Here he is also probably saying, "I'm lying down in the gas (grass)." He would keep saying that until I responded verbally in some way and looked at him. He was quite a distance away--this photo was taken with my 12x zoom all the way zoomed plus I cropped the photo after uploading it to the computer.

While Eric was being good, Alex and Natalie were constantly bickering. Ugh! Those two give me a headache when they do that. I need to remember that the next time Patrick and I do a switcheroo!