Blogger Blah

I'm in blogger blah at the moment! I have absolutely nothing to write about this week. Monday, we all went to Rachel's basketball game. It was a nail biter but they lost in the end. Tuesday was the day I spend all day in the car but we survived. On Wednesday, we had a snow day but it was a miserable day, starting with snow, then ice, then sleet, freezing rain and finally rain. The only person who ventured out was Rachel who went sledding with her friends in the water retention basin by our house. Even with snow pants, boots, a jacket and waterproof gloves, she came home soaked and freezing and said it wasn't very much fun. The kids and I made cookies and the twins called it a "pajama party"and wore their jammies all day. It was a relaxing day.

All the rain at the end of the storm froze overnight and turned our world into one giant hockey rink yesterday morning. Every sidewalk, driveway and roadside was covered in a layer of ice. Rachel had a two hour delay so we took the twins to pre-school first only to discover (with about 30 other parents who showed up at the normal time) that school was delayed one hour. I just figured 9 a.m. was late enough--wrong--I should have checked the TV. Oh well! So we took Rachel to her bus stop at 9:15. After cautioning her to be careful, I took a couple of steps out of the van and next thing I know, I'm staring at the sky, flat on my back. My neighbor didn't see me fall and wondered what I was doing laying on the ground (sunbathing, maybe?) Funny! It was more embarrassing than anything else but my back is slightly injured and is hurting a bit today. That's what I get for my usual clumsiness, something Paul will attest to, having seen me fall one too many times during our marriage. Spencer also fell at the bus stop later that day so perhaps he has my clumsy genes as well. I feel lucky, though. . . my neighbor (who also has four kids) slipped on the ice about three weeks ago and broke her ankle so I feel grateful that I'm okay.

Today we're back in the normal routine and I'm trying to get the house in order. My vacuum is not suctioning properly so the house is looking a little crumby (literally.) But I'll try to get as much done as possible. Wish me luck!

Our Busy Life

Hello! It's been a while since I've written a real post. The past week has been very busy. Every night, we have been going to basketball practice or a game. The two games Rachel played were awesome. Her team won both in huge blowouts. The most exciting thing for me is to see Rachel develop more confidence as she gets more playing experience. She has improved a lot since she first began in November.

On Friday night, Paul and I arranged for a babysitter so we could go on a date. As we were trying to decide where to go out to eat, I told Paul that Rachel really wanted us to see her ski so we headed for the ski resort. We stopped for dinner at a little Mexican restaurant we discovered on our way to the mountains. Those of you who live here know Mexican restaurants are few and far between so we were excited to find it. We each had a delicious freshly-made burrito with homemade tortillas. Mmmm.

Whenever we drive to the Poconos, I don't feel like I'm in the mountains because there aren't the awesome cliffs of the west and if there was a view, it's blocked by trees so I wondered what kind of skiing there really could be. However, we rounded a bend, and suddenly we saw an actual mountain in front of us with lights all over it. Paul and I are amazed that we've lived here for eight years and have never been to any of the ski resorts that are so close to our home. After searching for a while, we finally located Rachel and watched her ski. It was fun to see how well she was doing on her second time skiing. One of these nights, I'm going to have to go with her. I just hope I can remember what to do.

Yesterday, Paul wanted to give me a break (did I tell you he's the best?) so he took all the kids swimming. I should have done something amazing while they were gone but I just watched a movie and cleaned up my main floor. It was still a beautiful couple of hours of quiet and I am very grateful to Paul for making it possible. I just wish I didn't feel guilty the entire time like watching a movie instead of doing something productive is a crime. Do any of you feel like that? I was crocheting the entire time but even that felt like a guilty pleasure.

Today was my last Sunday substituting as primary chorister. I will miss it! They finally called a new person. We had a fun day in primary and the senior primary kids had a great time playing "Name that Tune" boys vs. girls. Choir went well despite having only three men at rehearsal. After choir, I came home, ate lunch and went visiting teaching. When I returned, Paul went out with the missionaries and I cooked dinner. We ate and then our home teachers arrived. Now all is quiet in our home and I am headed for bed. Good night!

Yoda already has a last name, in case you're wondering!

Paul was talking to Spencer about Star Wars this morning and they had the following exchange:

Paul: I wonder what Yoda's last name is. Makumoto? Hiroshima? (Not sure why he picked these names)

Spencer: No, his last name is Duh. Yo-Duh!

Duh, Dad. Didn't you know that?

Another version of the inauguration!

Yesterday I overheard Rachel talking to her friend on the phone. She was telling her about an assembly they had where they watched the "immigration." I started giggling and she said, "What? I still can't remember the name of that thing!"

Ingration, Inauguration, whatever!

Yesterday Rachel asked, "Isn't it the ingration this week or something?" It's unusual for her to pronounce something incorrectly so Paul and I had a good laugh!

Get a jacket--it's fffffffreeeezing outside!

Today my neighbor called to inform me that Rachel's bus broke down on the way home from school. When I explained to Caitlin and Courtney that Rachel would be returning home a little later than usual, I suggested that the mechanical failure may have been caused by the extreme cold. Caitlin had a terrific idea to solve the problem! She said, "Mommy, they need to put a jacket on the bus." I said, "Don't worry. Rachel has a jacket. She won't get cold. I'm sure all the kids have coats with them." Caitlin answered, "No, Mommy! They need a jacket for the bus. Do they make jackets big enough for busses?" Yep, that would have done the trick, for sure! I thought it was a cute idea. And the good news is that Rachel made it home safely so all's well that ends well!

Oh What Do We Do In the Wintertime, When All the World is Cold?

We fight virtual light saber battles on Star Wars Lego

That's right, we bike in the house!

We dress up and perform our best growls for Mommy

We pretend we're ladybugs and crawl around the floor

We go to basketball games and then wii play!