The Fourth

Thanks to our fabulous neighbors we had some impromptu fun with sparklers.

Busy Few Months

We have been really busy during the past few months and I haven't posted because at the end of a busy day it's tough to motivate myself to go into our home office, which isn't the warmest place in the winter, and be creative.

So here I am, making up for lost time, still not so creative, but I'll let the photos speak for themselves.

We have Wizards season tickets, so this year Julia got to participate in the "High Five Club" meaning she got to high five the players before a game.

We dressed up and danced at home.

Julia started ballet lessons which she loves. The girls are all so cute in their leotards and tutus, dancing around and learning a few dances in anticipation of their June recital.

Brendan is on his first soccer team! He had his first practice last week and loved it. His good friend, Kelly, is on the team with him and they had a great time kicking the ball, learning some new skills and providing the comedy by dancing around on the sidelines together. It's gonna be an interesting season. The dear boy was hockey-checking the other kids on his team during a scrimmage. We have already started the conversation about being a good teammate, etc. We'll see how it goes.

Fun in the Snow

We have a short but somewhat steep slope in our front yard which is great for sledding at these ages. Here they are trying to walk back up the slope.

Funny Videos

Like Julia, Brendan is now really into insects. He loves to read about them and hold them, watch them, talk about them. He's also into butterflies. We have a "butterfly holder" which he decided to climb into. Check it out.

This One's for You, Mike Vaughan!

So our lake is frozen and the only skates I have that fit Brendan are the kind with the double blades. We went out this morning to join those who were already out there skating around and playing hockey.

Anyway, we got out there and B loved it! Mostly though he did what he does on his scooter...he gets going and then by choice makes a spectacular fall! He had a GREAT time falling!

Here are some photos and movies of the little guy and Julia and his thoughts about it all. It was difficult to get him to talk to me much because he was concentrating so much on making sure he had a great fall each time.

Oh, one more thing. Let me apologize for the large thumbprint on the left hand side of the screen.

More Skating

Julia tells everyone that she got roller skates for Christmas and that she has practiced twice and is now really good. Good thing she doesn't have self confidence issues. She loves to skate and feels that she's such a big girl. It doesn't matter how cold it is outside, they want to be out there skating and scooting and going as fast as possible.

Hulk SMASH!!

One other favorite from Christmas are the "Hulk Hands." There are little handles inside so that they are easy to grip. As you touch something/someone it growls "Hulk Smash!" or "Hulk is ANGRY!" or "You are making Hulk Angry, you no like when Hulk is angry!" They're soft and the kids have a great time with them.

Christmas 2008

We had a great Christmas. The only thing missing was my family. Santa was good to all of us and we feel very fortunate.

The kids had a blast seeing what Santa brought to all of us and playing with all of their fun new things. For some unknown reason Julia wore a fireman's hat while opening stockings and presents.

Spiderman loved opening all of his Spiderman things and also realized that there are few things more fun than a self-inflating whoopie cushion!

Julia reeeeaaaaallllly wanted roller skates. The old school kind. As the pile of presents grew smaller and smaller she worried that maybe Santa didn't get her request. At the end there they were...just as she asked. Pink and perfect!!

Finally, we are all rocking out to our new favorite game, Guitar Hero.

Last Week

I don't have time to write much but Julia read "Twas the Night Before Christmas" for everyone at her "old" school, which is Brendan's current school. She did a great job and enjoyed it.

Brendan went to his first Wizards game and had a great time. He did very well hanging in there for the entire game and really loved sitting on the policeman's motorcycle after the game.