Snow Day

We are so excited to finally see snow! One of the first things I noticed when we saw this house was the steep driveway, and I immediately tagged it as a great place to sled. As it turns out, it is an excellent place to sled!

Monster Truck Jam

The boys are bathing with monster truck jam toys. I take that as a sign that today's outing was a hit with them. I must admit that it wasn't as torturous as I first envisioned. First of all, most of the people in attendance were just like us, suburbanites looking for something to do with their young boys. Second of all, those selling Grave Digger t-shirts did not wear mullets or tacky graphic t-shirts. Last, the event did not include any bikini clad women walking around the arena with paper signs. However, I would have preferred a few more crashes, fires, and/or stunts. I could have done without the staged performance involving the four wheelers and the segment of trash talk. 

 As it turns out two families that we are good friends with had tickets for our show time. We caravaned to DC together, attended the pitt party together, and enjoyed an afternoon of family fun. Next time the show comes to town Wes is welcome to take the boys without me. I am certain that I can find something to occupy my time. 

Inauguration Day

Evan: "Why isn't Dr. Gates at the inauguration?"
Me: "He has been taken to a safe place in case there is an emergency during the inauguration."
Evan: "What kind of emergency?"
Me: "Well some people do not like Obama because he is black. Some people might try to hurt him today during the ceremony."
Evan: "You mean they will try to kill him."
Me: "It is possible."

Time elapse of thirty minutes. We are now watching the inauguration ceremony on TV.

Evan: "When will Obama be killed?"
Me: "What!?"
Evan: "You said Obama will be shot during the ceremony. When will that happen? I don't want to miss that part."
Me: "It is not going to happen; it is only a possibility."
Evan: "I am going downstairs to play. Call me if the bad guys come out with guns or something."

I tried so hard to explain to the kids the importance of today's event. I explained why it is important for Americans to have a black leader. I thought that I had made my points with clarity, and yet this is not what caught Evan's attention. Oh well, he is only six.

We Must Have a Plan

As you all know Wes's job requires him to prepare for the worst. He must always have a contingency plan should events not go as planned. This evening he called and requested that I do the following:
1) Fill the car with gas
2) Pack a bag with essential clothing items
3) Pack a day's supply of food/water.
He assured me that there is no reason for me to worry; he thinks it would be wise of me considering tomorrow's events and our proximity to the city. So how should I respond to such a request made of me at 2030?

My first response is, "What does he know that I don't?" His job, for the most part, is a big secret. I rarely have any idea where he is or what he is doing. (For instance, I have no idea where he is tonight or where he will be in the coming days.) Five years ago, this bothered me. Today I rarely think twice about it. We call it life. However, tonight I am wondering what intel he has received, and I think with good reason after tonight's phone call.

My second response is, "Yeah, right. The boys are asleep. There is no way I am waking them up to fill the car with gas. I will take my chances."

My third response is, "How sad! Your job requires you to plan for disaster." I can't imagine always planning for the worst case scenario: death, bombings, snipers, mass evacuations...How depressing!

My decision: I have reasoned that should something occur, I can grab food, clothes, and water within ten minutes. That ten minutes shouldn't put me too far behind in I-95 southbound traffic. However, I will make sure that we are all dressed with teeth brushed before 10:00 tomorrow morning, even though it is a holiday, just in case.

Just When I Thought I Had the Problem Solved

Just when I thought that I had the problem with Keagan and next year's
kindergarten plans all solved, he sits down at the table tonight and writes this in his journal.

With the exception of the words "the water", he was able to spell it all on his own. I was more than surprised because he has not expressed interest in writing anything, and he hasn't even written his name for us at home. This is a skill strictly reserved for school.

We had decided just this week to put him in a five year old preschool program at one of the local churches. And now we are back to square one...What to do? What to do?

Great Falls

We spent this afternoon at Great Falls where we climbed rocks, watched the water falls, and hiked along a nature trail. Sure it was cold, but once you got moving, it was actually really nice. The boys took their new digital cameras and practiced getting the perfect shot. They climbed fallen trees, had races along the paths, and walked to Mather Gorge. Just as we headed to the truck to return home, the sleet began to fall. It was a beautiful place; the boys have asked if we can go back in the summer. I think that they might be looking to swim (although it is not allowed, but for five dollars I think we can swing another afternoon at the park.

End of our Trip

Friday is our last full day in Texas. Although I have had a very relaxing time and even though I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with my niece Mallory, my parents are probably looking forward to our departure on Saturday afternoon. After all they are not used to a house with boys, or any of the following scenarios.

1. A thirty minute interval doesn't pass without some wrestling or physical activity. Oma constantly warns, "Be careful. Not so rough."
2. A pair of underwear makes a great slingshot but invariably lands in the toilet.
3. Opa's oversized rain guage makes for the perfect sword, but it also cracks upon contact with concrete.
4. An episode of Spiderman on Jetix provides thirty minutes of quiet, but it also encourages attempts to climb walls, jumps on counters, and slides through windows.
5. A fireplace brush will clean the ashes around the furnace, but it will also spread ashes all over the house when used as a hairbrush.

And all of this happened within hours of our arrival...