Flitter flutter, little butterfly

If you have never been to a butterfly house, you are truly missing a magical experience. The life cycle and movements of butterflies is fascinating, and to see several types of butterflies in one place, seemingly living in harmony with each other, is uplifting. For me, an even greater joy was to watch Nicholas and Aleah gleefully encountering different types for the first time at the Living Desert in Palm Desert, CA. "Look Mom! there's another one!" Nicholas was able to coax 5 different butterflies onto his hand and at one point there was anothere one on his back. He also managed to transfer one of the butterflies to Aleah so she could feel what it is like to have this delecate creature in her hand. And, because Nicholas was so comfortable, he was able to transfer a butterfly onto Grandma's hand too.

California look out - here they come!!

My Mom & John live the reasonably quiet life of retirees - but not the 14th - 20th! Nicholas and Aleah were like spinning tops, they were so excited to be on vacation. Their stated desire was to go to the pool, the pool, the pool some more, and if there was any time left over, maybe the Living Desert and the Children's Museum. Well, we managed to do all of that, plus the big park, the swanky Rancho Mirage Library and my favorite, the Street Fair - whew!!

Jump Rope for Heart

On February 12th, Nicholas joyfully participated in Jump Rope for Heart - a fundraiser for the American Heart Association. The event was held at his elementary school for the 19th year in a row - and he was quite proud to be a part of it. I served as a parent volunteer and had a great time holding ropes, serving snacks and cheering on the teams. I felt bad for Nicholas though, because he had soccer practice too, and gave great effort there. He ate voraciously at dinner, begged for "just a quick shower", then nearly fell into bed. What a great kid!

Happy Bunco to you...

A Bunco party, if you've never participated, is a madcapped game with lots of fun and a chance to include everyone. This Bunco party was to celebrate Mike's 41st birthday. The kids always have a marvelous time at Christie and Mike's house and really look up to Mason (who is so gracious and patient with the "little kids").

Hannah Montana MOVE over!

Question - what's more entertaining than a 4 year old with a microphone and a guitar? The answer - THIS 4 year old, of course :-) Add in a "diva attitude" and seriously butchered Hannah Montana songs and you have a typical day at my house - life is good - and ALWAYS entertaining!

How do I walk with these things?

Snowshoeing to some, is just another form of exercise disguised as "fun". But, to us it truly is exhilarating and delightful. We've had a rough couple of weeks and the time was definitely right to get out and burn off some bad "mojo" and get back to appreciating each other and treating each other better (read sibling torture here!).

Nicholas's comment: "This was the best day of my life because I learned how to snowshoe." (And he typed this message himself)

Aleah's comment: "I liked it, but I got kind of tired. I LOVE the snow!"

The day had its ups and downs, specifically not knowing we needed a parking pass for the SnowPark, and finding out AFTER we were already dressed and ready to go. But, it wasn't a big deal and we held on to our sunny attitudes which matched the sunny, gorgeous day. And, because we had to adjust, we were able to find a less crowded location for our first outing. Nicholas got the hang of things right away. "look at me, Mom" was a common phrase, accompanied by falling on purpose and lots of laugher. Aleah was a bit more pensive and felt better when we held hands.

And, when it was all over, our pre-made hot chocolate was still hot! (We stopped at Starbucks anyway) :-)

Feelin' a bit BLUE

Ok - we were feeling Blue - that is SEAHAWKS Blue! Nicholas has recently taken an interest in Sports - specifically football and loves cheering for the Seahawks. We've had lots of fun watching the games and I like teaching him about the game. Today was our day - we knew that we were going to the Superbowl and the party was going to be fabulous as our beloved Seahawks won the big one! But, alas, we fell prey to the Favre machine and the frozen tundra of Lambeau field. A bit of a bummer, now we are just blue.... But! the Seahawks will go all the way next year!