Ice Age

For Christmas, Emma received ice skating lessons from Santa. She has really enjoyed them and is doing great! With her lessons came a punch pass to visit the ice rink for some extra practice. The first time I took the girls and enjoyed watching them skate. The second time I took all of the kids except for Rilla. I barely endured helping Nathan "skate" around one time. In fact, he cried after only going around 1/3 of the track wanting to go home. Skating is not his thing. I took him home and then returned to the rink to skate with the other kids. We still had a little over an hour of skating time. I was a bit jittery at first, but was happy to be skating. I enjoy it just as much now as I did as a child. I definitely wasn't doing any fancy tricks or even going too fast but I was having fun with my kiddos. I had just reminded my kids that we had less than five minutes left to skate when all of a sudden I felt PAIN in my bum and then heard a loud whack and felt immense PAIN on my head. I have no idea what happened. Though I felt completely humiliated, I truly did not know how I was going to get up let alone drive us all home. I knew it was a bad fall because 2 ice skating attendants helped me up and followed me off the rink and stayed with me until I left. The DR said I suffered a mild concussion and agrees I probably bruised my tail bone. Ray insists that IF I go ice skating again I must wear a helmet. I just think I'll go and quit 10 minutes earlier :) I hate experiences that bring me to the realization that I am getting older....

Hair Evolution

The week before Valentine's Day I thought I'd be a super cool mom and try out some new "heart" hairstyles on my girls...While I thought it turned out super cute, my poor Emma came home in tears being called, "Medusa" the entire day....Perhaps the original plain ponytail has survived for a reason...true evolution at its best.

Versatility of Oatmeal

I do not know how Rilla ended up with Nathan's bowl of oatmeal. Nor do I know how it ended upstairs. I do know that she had a wonderful time spreading it all over the floor and herself and then had fun sliding around in it. I also know that she enjoyed eating some as she went. What I am most happiest about however, is that I have grown as a mom. If this had been Elizabeth I probably would have started crying especially since I'd just mopped the floor. Instead, all I wanted was to find my camera and make sure she'd stay put until I could take her picture :) And, I figure an oatmeal bath must be good for her skin :)

Family Picture 2010

My friend is in charge of making sure that every family in our congregation has a family picture to put on a bulletin board. I realized we haven't had one taken since last Christmas...so here it is...a very unprofessional snapshot capturing us remarkably well.

Rilla decided that one drawer wasn't enough to accommodate all of her needs so she now has also acquired a closet.

My Space

I suppose even the youngest of us can appreciate the significance of our own drawer space. Rilla decided to make this drawer hers. She dumped the original contents out and moved right in. She can often be found eating a snack or playing with a toy. One thing is certain it is her space and no one is going to attempt to tell her otherwise.