Pass the Salad

Our cousins (Spencer and Andrea and kids up from Nashville) were at our house for dinner this evening, and as part of the preparations, Ivy wanted to make jello. Jello is a great science experiment about chemicals, so I swallow my (mostly irrational) aversion to food coloring and allow it. But normally we go simple- mix the box according to directions and turn a liquid into a jiggling solid.

Well, I blew Ivy's little mind today when I suggested we add oranges, bananas, and strawberries to the liquid. Apparently it's been too long since we've been at a shindig in Utah.

All day, she kept checking the jello, and kept commenting about how amazing it was going to taste, and how wonderful it all was. As soon as Bryn and Calvin arrived home from school, she proudly showed them the cooling concoction. And as soon as our guests arrived, she told them all about the exciting jello news. She was asked to give the dinner prayer and mentioned the jello at least 3 times.

And then I put whipped cream on top. She nearly lost it. This may be her birthday cake request.

As Tim has taken so naturally to saying, "Please pass the salad."

Derby Madness part II

Calvin raced his car on Saturday. He had some very definite ideas about how his car should look, and Peter helped him rough it in with a jig saw. Then Calvin sanded and painted it, and they took it to a friend's house to work on the wheels and the weight.

The first time it raced, the person (a young teenager) who put it on the track made some sort of alignment error and it clocked a very slow time. But the rest of the times were much better, and he even won two of his races. His car won the award for "sleekest" design, and he was well pleased.

Derby Madness part I

"My car is way pinker than yours." -overheard at the Activity Day girls' Pinewood Derby

Bryn participated in the pinewood derby this evening with the other Activity Day girls from three wards. Peter told her before we went that she should expect her car to come in last, since it lacked the sleek aerodynamics of the more classic racers. But Bryn was happy with the way it looked. She had opted for one that already had the roughed in cut, but then she sanded, painted, and later sanded the wheels, added graphite, added just the right amount of weight, and added more graphite).

Imagine all of our surprises when the mighty little machine won it's first race. And kept winning. And suddenly she had won the entire event! Way to go Bryn, and your little blue racing machine.

Captain's Log: Stardate -308813.797564688

We're still here. Life is moving apace and the kids are growing. Our fish had a mass die-out due to Ich, but the snails are still kicking (sliding?). We also had an aquatic frog for two days (RIP Samuel Spotter).

Peter is unemployed this weekend. He went to his last day at the Lab on Friday, and finished the day with a paper airplane contest (that he organized) which occurred on the fourth floor atrium near his office. Little did he know that his co-workers had each written him notes of farewell on their respective airplanes, and he brought home an armload of handwritten treasures. Alas, his unemployment is short-lived: he starts a new job on Monday (same field, we're not moving, and his commute is only 6 minutes longer).

I'm at 28 weeks (third trimester, finally!), anemic (I'm up to 3 iron pills a day), being actively treated for a DVT blood clot (twice daily self-administered injections of Lovenox), and wake up approximately 76 times a night. It's grand. But today Ivy ran up to me and gently patted and kissed "baby sister," so that's sweet. My math tutoring business is busier than ever. I joined a gym out of polar vortex desperation.

The kids moved into a new school after the February break. Bryn came home gushing about the grandeur of the new library. We read a book series together (Septimus Heap), and she's wondering when she's old enough to join my book group.

Calvin is being a prince about the fact that he will be awash in sisters, stating upon finding out that this one is another girl, "That's fine- I can play go get some bad guys with her just like I do with Ivy." He and I enjoyed some quality time at the local Chuckward E. Dairyproduct while the girls attended a dance with Peter.

Ivy will talk your ear off about almost anything. She loves her "habitat preschool," and comes home with all sorts of bird/nature/hiking information. For example, did you know that one of the boys in her class is very naughty and is always not listening to the teachers? Oh wait, I guess that's information filed under "other," but she's just as delighted to report about it.

MS Paint movie posters

We were snowed in for a couple of days during the February break, so the kids decided to create movie posters with MS Paint. I would watch these movies.

There were also a couple of series:

Happy Groundhog Day

"When Chekhov saw the long winter, he saw a winter bleak and dark and bereft of hope. Yet we know that winter is just another step in the cycle of life. But standing here among the people of [my household] and basking in the warmth of their hearths and hearts, I couldn't imagine a better fate than a long and lustrous winter."
-Phil Connors, Groundhog Day

Variations of Awesome

We hiked the Burlington Landlocked forest this fine MLK day. Calvin educated us on the variations of awesome.

Jumping out of trees is awesome in the sense of: 5/5, would jump again.

Pushing snow into the frigid stream is awesome: 4/5, would loiter here again (and did on the way back).

Don't mess with Bryn. She's the kid who puts not 1, but 2 rocks in her snowball.

Ivy proved that giving someone bunny ears while wearing mittens doesn't make it any less fun.

Ivy hated this "dark spooky forest" until the trees started dropping snow everywhere. Then she gleefully ran in and tried to catch the falling snow on her tongue.

Calvin walked the log fence and fell off, which is when he informed us that it was, "Awesome, but I wouldn't do it again."

Dashing Through the Snow

Calvin and Peter hit the jump and catch some air. This jump was Calvin's white whale, and he spent a good long time trying to hit it on his own. He finally succeeded right as we were packing up to leave, and upon landing from his air, rolled and face planted pretty hard. His review of the run (through tears), "That was awesome! And then it really hurt."

Bryn burrowed a bit while waiting for Calvin to capture his whale.

Winter Adventure Hiking

We took a hike to the reservoir near our house to see if it was frozen over (and to stave off cabin fever).

Snow diving board- Ivy categorically refused to participate.

Stump Window photo op

We made it to the frozen reservoir. Someone had even shoveled out an ice skating rink.

drama on ice

Ivy explained to me that making a snow bat is like making a snow angel, except you don't move your legs.

Calvin found a snow shovel near the ice and set to work throwing snow in his sister's face. I mean building a pedestrian path around the rink.

Calvin's finishing touch on the path.

He also found this small tree and decided to hike all the way back with it. Some days I wonder if kids are more dogs than humans.

The undocumented highlight was that near the end, as we were enjoying a picnic of frozen granola bars on a snow-made table in the middle of the reservoir with the glow of the setting sun coming through the trees, a deer made it's way along the ridge line and we watched it's bounding silhouette until it disappeared into the forest. Winter magic.

Christmas Recap

Besides the normal Christmas morning acitvities, we Skyped with Peter's parents in Spain and my parents in Millville so they were able to watch the kids open presents from them. Yay technology.

Last night we let each of the kids open one present- a sibling gift. It was sweet to watch them be so excited for the gifts they had gotten each other.

We attended a Christmas day devotional at our church in the afternoon, and our family contributed a musical number- In the Bleak Midwinter (Holst version- first and last verse). Bryn and I sang, Peter played guitar, Calvin played the triangle, and Ivy provided the big finale by sweetly singing the last phrase "give my heart."

This evening we ate a divine feast at Lance's and Dani's, and came home stuffed and content. Merry Christmas!

The maze ball has the most mileage so far of the Christmas gifts.