The Olympics are coming...

I loved the Olympics when I was a kid...especially the figure skating and gymnastics competitions. The first Olympics I remember watching were the 1976 Olympics when I was 9. I dreamed I would compete someday just like Dorothy Hamill. I lived in Alaska so I remember watching her skate and then walking to the school playground ice rink and trying to spin and jump.

So now when the Olympics are on, I get nostalgic and lose all self-control spending hours that 2 weeks in front of the T.V. screen. I know there is supposed to be all this goodwill between countries and now that the iron curtain has fallen, we all supposed to get along. But I grew up in the era where the Soviets were bad and the East Germans cheated. I might occasionally cheer for a Great Britain or Canadian athlete if there were no Americans in the mix... but basically I wanted the Americans to beat the socks off of everyone. Sweep the medal round. Show no mercy. It was fun to wave the flag and get all patriotic. So I'm ignoring the current political correctness and we are going to be cheering for "USA...USA...USA..."

Who would win?

My kids love to have long, meaningful conversations with me... long and meaningful according to their definition.

But is it possible to have a long and meaningful conversation with a child who wants to debate "If the world's best karate guy were to fight the world's best wrestler, who would win?" I said the wrestler...so he said the karate guy...and then he demanded I give my reasons...so that he could refute them.

Who do you think would win?

Levi's End of Semester Display

Work from Levi's Art Class

Spring Mud

Science Lab with Dad

A Plum Tree that needs pruned badly

When I get motivated in a couple days, I am going to cut this tree back.

Today's Art with the Artist

Levi's Birthday ...4 years ago

Levi starts counting down to his next birthday months before that day. He has such a sense of aniticpation that I am alway worried his birthday will be a big disappointment no matter what we do. Right now his birthday is 34 days away. He will be 11.

A good biography

I am in the middle of reading this biography. I tell my kids the interesting parts and then they say I get on my soap box and talk about the things we need to change...

Great Read Aloud

Levi and I are reading this together. We read about House Beautiful last night where Christian received his armor...a breastplate and sword just his size.

Think again

One of my boys was impressing me with his science knowledge the other day. I was pretty impressed when he explained electricity to me and was able to answer different questions I posed. He went on to explain how he understood pretty much everything scientific except for quantum physics...he just didn't quite get that.

So for a few minutes I was feeling impressed by my bright son...until he continued "And you know that machine in Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs??? Well, I think that really could work."

Too Early for Tulips

My tulips are poking out of the ground. I am a little nervous that they are too early.

When I surveyed my yard yesterday I could see them coming up everywhere except for in one flower bed. I was curious as to why so I dug up one bulb. It was planted UPSIDE DOWN. ...everyone of the bulbs in that bed is upside down so the roots are sprouting out the top and the little green shoot is coming out the bottom and beginning to make a u-turn toward the surface. Ethan and Levi laughed a lot when I confronted them with the bulb. (Planting them was their job.) I still think the flowers will grow but I will watch the boys more closely next time I entrust them with important outdoor jobs.

Who really lives at our house.

We have decided that Marcos and Cente are really Thing 1 and Thing 2 for those of you familiar with "The Cat in the Hat."

Natalie's First Turkey

A week or so ago, Natalie roasted her first turkey. Of course, she did it with her usual adventurous flair. It was a bourbon-pecan roasted turkey and it was delicious.

Oregon Basketball Game

Todd and a friend met my parents in Eugene yesterday and went to the Civil War basketball game at McArthur Court. The Beavers won... and Levi told me "I feel sorry for Grandpa. We gave him tickets to watch his team lose."

13 Hours of Sleep

The little boys were up at 5:30 which actually was okay today because....

They both fell asleep on the couch at 4:30 having had no nap. I moved them to their beds and then we tiptoed around quietly the rest of the afternoon and evening and they didn't wake up until this morning. Yay!

Challenges to checking my email in the morning

Bedtime Stories

I heard Todd reading to the little boys and peeked around the corner and saw this.

What starting up school again after Christmas break was like today...