School Work

I am not good with THINGS.   If the kids have a school paper or something that I want to save, it usually ends up on the dining room table, until it migrates to the bill drawer, and eventually to the bottom of the stairs to be put in the Big Bin, in the hopes t hat ONE DAY, one special day, it will be filed.  So far, there is a purgatory of waiting papers to be filed that is two years long.  And the papers only make it in there if they're lucky, because usually, while residing in the "pile at the bottom of the stairs", they have to survive the onslaught of little hands and feet going up and down, up and down, up and down, about 75 times before even MAKING it to the bin.  So, bluntly, under the current system, things rarely survive into "memento-hood" around here. 
That's why I have a propensity towards all things digital. Digital things are easier to organize, usually stay where you put them, and don't get mangled by little hands.  In the virtual world, I wouldn't call myself highly organized, but at least six gazillion times more organized than I am in the real world. 

To that end, I'm going to TRY to start putting things I want to save here, digitally protected for all eternity, on my blog.  To wit.... these fine examples of 2nd grade handiwork:

I'm particularly impressed with Colby's handwriting on the above paper.  That's not typical, I assure you.

Daddy's Birthday

It was an airplane themed birthday for the big boy - no surprise there.  Airplane cake, airplane shirt, airplane video cam, and his very own airplane-construction blog book.  Very fitting for the man with planes on the brain.

After a noon-time party with his parents, we packed up the kids and headed to a Wisconsin water park for the evening.  Rob called around to every restaurant in town to find a free birthday meal, and finally talked one restaurant into giving a free rack of ribs.  "Bad Bones BBQ" was a run-down white rancher in the middle of an older neighborhood, with a neon sign that said "EAT" on the outside, and a picture of a tattooed pig strangling a chicken on the logo. 

The kids and I were afraid to get out of the truck, but Rob wanted his free ribs. Inside, in what would've been the living room, were two folding tables, under a sign that said "Your gun is welcome here, your cell phone is not". We sat down, and the lady behind the counter looked at us and said "WHAT? You think I'm gonna wait on you? Get up here and order your food." OK then. That's how this works. After threatening to put the children to work in the kitchen if we didn't have enough to pay the bill, she brought out platters of pulled pork sandwiches for the kids and I, and a plate of ribs for Rob.   Rob, since it was his birthday, had his own plastic fork.  The rest of us had one plastic fork to share between the four of us. Honestly. And we were really too afraid to ask for any more. We splurged and bought each of us a bottle of pop, to ensure that the kids had JUST enough sugar to crash hard after the waterslide. Definitely a memorable dinner, and a fun time getting away, even if just for a night!

 Reagan, opening her first blueberry soda, sans parental assistance!

 The propieter of the eatery.  There on the left.  He's who agreed to the free rack o' ribs.

A toast to the birthday boy!

Cross-country Flight

Robbie and his new baby are venturing further and further away from the airport, as confidence builds between the two of them.  Today, he flew to Ontonogan and back, and was greeted by the locals as some kind of air pioneer.  Apparently not alot of air traffic there in Ontonogan, except for the remote-controlled kind.  He's becoming a videographer, my husband, so stay tuned for footage of his adventures!

Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras night at church tonight.  The kids had never experienced Mardi Gras before.  Needless to say, they are big fans.....

Reagan experiments with the many uses of coins and beads.  All that bling just sits right with little girl.

 Quinn found a jelly bean in his King Cake, and won a bottle of Root Beer.  Oh, the sugar high of Mardi Gras!

Pinata!!

 

Swimming

Cub Scout Swim = diving with this crew.   I'll take pictures, but it really is hard for me to watch.  Well, hard to watch the little one from the BIG dive platform (did I mention it's 33 feet?  Yes.  33 feet). 

Can't really see, but Colby lost a bottom tooth while at the pool.  Maybe all that  impact from the high-dive loosened it????

Finlanders....

Yup.  They're Finlanders.  Even the little one.  Love their sauna, every last one of 'em. 

Progeny on a Sunday Morn

Mailing the Children

We got a special Valentine's care package from Grandma Betty and Grandpa Jim.  It came in a BIG BOX, which is, as everyone knows, the funnest thing in the world.  First the BIG BOX was a house for Reagan, but then Colby wanted to join her, and before long, Quinn had the bright idea of sending both his brother and sister BACK to grandma and grandpa in the mail.  Colby and Reagan were all for this, and packed pillows, blankets and snacks in the box for the journey.

Thank you, Wikipedia, for proving Mom's point definitively, as the children apparently didn't believe me that mailing yourself isn't the best idea.....

"Human mail is the transportation of a person through the postal system, usually as a stowaway. While rare, there have been some reported cases of people attempting to travel through the mail. This form of travel is both illegal and highly dangerous, with cases leading to prosecution and serious injury."

Actually, Colby's response to the above was "so, it's been done before and the person didn't die...."

Do I respond to that statement with a "HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM" or a (sigh)? 

Grandpa's Birthday

75 years young, a little italian food and a carrot cake.  Happy Birthday, Grandpa Al!