the news

We try to have very open communication with Tyler and Hailey...answering all their questions, talking about whats going on etc.  Dave tells the kids all about work.  Dave is especially good at the explaining part.  He just has the ability to be very truthful and tell them how it really is but in a way tht is easy for them to understand and in a way that won't stress the precious little psychological sweetness out.  Dave and Tyler just click in this way.  Tyler is so curious about everything and he wants to know more and really understand things. 

Enter the news.  I don't have the news on often.  As much as we talk to the kids I do like to shelter them a bit from the what I see as often violent and often depressing news stories.  Yes, it's reality but I don't think the kids need to be burdened with all those details just yet.  I'm sure many families just have the news on in the background while they go about their evenings but it's not possible for us.  Tyler LOVES the news.  He's fascinated by it.  If the news is on, he immediately sits on the couch and is 100% focued on what they are talking about.  I appreciate this and think it's great he wants to learn and understand.  So we've come to a bit of a compromise.  I've been recording Evening Magazine and NW Backroads for him.  It's sort of like the news.  He gets to learn about real life things and it's not a "kids" show but for the most part it's upbeat and not nearly as distressing as the news. 

This morning however Dave was watching the news before the kids woke up.  It was still on when the kids got downstairs and though there was no sound they both sat glued to the screen.  And the news story was on missing girl Ayla.  I was watching out of the corner of my eye and soon the questions came.  Mommy, what's happening.  "Oh, it looks like there is a little girl missing and the police are looking through the house and getting finger prints so they can have some clues to help find the bad guy.   Dave interjected a few more things and answered questions.  Then Tyler said, "What are they saying on the screen".  To which I said "oh that's just the title of the news story it says "missing girl Ayla".  And then Hailey responded "but underneath that it says, 'blood of missing girl found in father's home".  So much for sheltering and I guess there is no hiding things now that the kids can read.  We are going back to Evening Magazine.

Boy Scouts

Is was our month to run the boy scout meeting this month.  Luckily we had the chapter about communities and it tied nicely into visiting the police station.  The kids loved it.  Dave spent some time talking and then he put on his swat vest and various gear.  The kids were able to sit in the police car and hear the sirens.  Then he took them out to the swat truck.  All very cool stuff for a bunch of 7 year old boys (and Hailey).

Millennium Falcon

This post is dated... a lego kit received at Christmas would never sit around this long without being built.  But Tyler did received several lego kits for Christmas.  He loved them all.  Any kit brings him much joy.  But of course, the bigger the kit, the better.  Tyler was very excited to get the Millennium Falcon.  It's a huge kit.  He just couldn't wait to get started.  Nothing makes this boy happier than some legos and an instruction book.  It never ceases to amaze me how quickly he's able to put these things together.  There is lots of detail in this this kit and a whole bunch of stuff inside that you can't even see.  Very cool kit!

Snow - Part 3

...and hopefully the end.  The snow didn't stop on Monday and we woke up to this on Tuesday (and of course school was closed).

snow falling....but that's our neighbors house.

By the afternoon we had snowy snowmen.

We headed out for more fun in the snow.

Tyler actually asked me to take his picture.....gasp.

trekking though the snow

After the kids played outside for a while they headed back in and I spent some time shoveling the driveway.  Although the snow was still falling I figured it would be easier to shovel several inches twice than to try and shovel 6 inches all at once :).  So a while before we expected Dave the kids and I all headed out to shovel snow.  They were great helpers.  They found it so fun to be out in the snow in the dark.  Let these photos be blackmail for future years when they complain they can't shovel.....they did it at 7 and 4 with no complaints :).

hard at work

the snow pile seemed so big then but it's much bigger now!

she's all business

here's the driveway ready for Dave and then the unshoveled part outside our driveway.

the hill up to driveway.  We got one side of the hill sort of shoveled.

Yesterday is snowed all day again and was really really cold.  For a portion of the day I think it was just raining ice.  We mostly stayed inside.  We did go sledding and the kids still get excited to go but their stamina is wearing off.  They are getting colder fast when we go out to play.  No school again today and this is how it looks outside right now.  Still snowing lightly but its supposed to stop this afternoon.  Ty feels like he's on vacation again.  Almost a whole week off (who knows about tomorrow) and then next week is a week of half days since we can't afford to pay our teachers around here.  Such a shame. 

  

Snow - Part 2

WARNING!  Excessive Photos!

I should start this blog post off by mentioning there has been much discussion of snow at our house.  The kids (particularly Hailey) could not understand why it didn't snow on Christmas and I've spent the last few weeks trying to help Hailey understand that even though Christmas is over, it is still winter for quite some time. 

So Sunday morning we woke up to this:

About 9am Tyler opened the door to get a better look and declared, "It's a dream come true".  And right about that time it started snowing again really hard.  So most of the day was spent out in the snow and I captured a large portion of it on the camera.  So this post will be mostly a photo tour of our "finally" snowy day.  OF course the snow has not continued for another three days but that's another post.

beginning of the day snow angel.....by the end of the day we had about 5 inches of snow.

Our hill is always the sledding hill for the neighborhood which is convenient when we want to sled and not so convenient when you want to get your car up or down the hill.  The kids also love going down to the park at the bottom of our hill because there is a short steep hill there that is good fun for sledding (especially if your dad builds a little jump half way down).  I think this is really the first year that both kids sled down our big hill in front of our house on their own.  Hailey still needs a little help getting on sometimes but is more than happy to take the ride down on her own.

sledding down the hill

the long walk back up

she's even cute in the snow

and silly

and hungry

whoops

waiting for Ty so we could go down to the park

growing up



Tyler's fast sled

the trees on our walk to the park

Concentration

snowball fight

sled jumping

wipeout....with some added drama

back up the hill

catching some air

the man that did all the work while I took pictures

Tyler off the jump

more sledding down the hill

the accumulation

 Later in the day it was time for snowmen.  It was Dave and Tyler because Hailey was ready to be inside and stay warm.

 I think these couple were actually from Monday.