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Brown Yuckies and Chocolate Cake

It's 6 below and a blizzard outside today, so I was a little nervous about what the day would bring, being cooped up yet again. I was pleasantly surprised when Colby went "brown yuckie" on the toilet!!! That's twice now! I can almost call it a "habit"! To celebrate, as promised, we made a chocolate cake. How much of it stayed in the bowl, and how much got on shirts and faces is debatable. Afterwards, the boy had a "sugar high" moment in the living room. Check it out.... :)

Learning to SIT STILL

The boys got desks from Grandma and Grandpa Patterson for Christmas, and we try to use them often in an effort to learn how to sit. Some people may not know that this is a skill that requires teaching, but I assure you... it is. So, after a somewhat crabby morning visiting our friends the Sommervilles, and a good long nap, the boys awoke in an improved mood, and voluntarily sat at their desks. Even more impressive... they drew productively -- not just mad, random scribbles like they normally do. Look at the smiley face Quinn drew! Colby had some help with the train, but the wheels and track are all him! We are making progress!

Swimming Lessons

Swimming lessons began today. The boys did great, and the entire family got thoroughly wet. Quinn cried for 45 minutes straight afterwards because he was NOT done when class was, but other than that, I think the morning was a rousing success. Of course, we didn't get any pictures, as all Aho's were submerged in water, so we'll have to enlist some outside help for next time. I think we have some fish on our hands here.

More Snow...

Length of time it took to get both boys and myself fully dressed to brave the cold: 35 minutes
Rolls of duct tape to secure gloves and boot liners to little hands and feet: 1
Number of minutes boys lasted in 6 degree weather outside: 9 1/2
Pictures of the experience: Priceless

Cooped-Up Kids

Day number 5 of being trapped in the house due to extreme cold weather. Two little boys with WAAAAYYYYY too much energy, bouncing off the walls. The solution? Turn the basement into "The Jump House"! Bounce all you want, little boys! You can't hurt a thing this way! Blessed sanity is preserved!

The Blustery Day

It's all of 1 degree faranheit out there today. We were going to start swim lessons, but decided to punt, given the liklihood of "insta-freeze" afterwards. We'll spend the day watching movies under a warm blanket instead, I think :).

Warning: Product Danger

To all you Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich eaters out there... BEWARE! Read labels carefully, to avoid a tragic incident like we experienced today....

Goodnight kisses.

Today, at nap time, I decided to lie down with the boys, telling them I was tired (but in reality to ensure that they STAYED IN BED). Quinn promptly got up out of bed, gave me a kiss goodnight, turned off the light, told me that in the morning I could go see Grandma and Grandpa in an airplane, and shut the door as he left the room.

My First Blog - Welcome to the 20th Century

I received DSL for Christmas. This is very exciting, as it is a vestige of advanced technology previously unseen in our "middle of nowhere" household. Dirt road, burn our garbage in a barrel out back, rabbit-ear television, no cell-phone, Dad on the front porch with a shotgun and beer shooting squirrels... heck, we struggle to find a calculator around here. So DSL for Christmas was a BIG DEAL, and I am therefore starting a family blog to keep in touch with our loved ones so far away! We'll see how good I am about updating it, eh?