Ski Season

This year we bought season passes for Rob and the kids and they have been able to make it up to the slopes most weekends.  The boys just go on their own and love to race each other down the mountain as fast as they possibly can.  Lucy is a bit more cautious but had a fun season too.  The big news is Clara morphed from a whiny wimpy skier into a daredevil ski bunny.  She cruises and loves it and is super enthusiastic.  Rob mostly skied with the girls so there is very little footage of the boys.  The season isn't over yet, but Anders started soccer so I'm not sure how many more trips up the mountain there will be.  

 Lucy enjoyed skiing one day with her good friend Ellie who had a pass to Sky Tavern which is a co-op resort for beginners.  At the end of the season they get to ski free at Rose, so the girls had a great time, but got a bit fried.  The next day at church they had raccoon eyes.

I'm outnumbered.  Maybe next season it will be time to teach an old dog new tricks?  I don't know.  I sure enjoy my peaceful alone time.  It's pretty nice.

Day to Day

Here is a quick catch up post on some of our day to day happenings.  Lots of the pictures are crummy ones from my phone, but in a pinch, they will do.

My friend Rose moved to the states a year ago and had NEVER BEEN TO TARGET???!!! So for her birthday we took her and introduced her to the joy that is Target:

 The school had a dress like your favorite book character day.  Clara got very into it and dressed as Fancy Nancy.  She was pretty dang cute.  Tucker opted for a less involoved costume and wore a green blanket and went at Legolas from Lord of the Rings (he is 2/3 of the way through the series now):

 Clara got all dressed up to participate in Just Dance with Lucy:

 For the History fair Anders did some research on David Bushnell and the submarine.  Tucker did some research on Edward R. Murrow and participated in a wax museum where he had to give a speech on Murrow:

 For the invention fair Anders invented the Instatrace, which will assist you in all your tracing needs.  He did an awesome job:

 Clara has started piano lessons.  Her teacher is awesome and she really is doing very well:

 The weather has warmed up and there have been walks and lots and lots of park time:

Lucy had to create a rocket and they launched them at school:

IMG 0640 from Anna Hastings on Vimeo.

At enrichment there was a class on couponing.  I've never been much of a couponer, but my friend is determined to convert me.  She ambushed me as I was picking up her neighbors for school and she took me to Winco and showed me the ways of a couponer:

And that is a little of what we have been up to on a day to day basis here in lovely Reno.

Birthday Celebrations

I'm a little tardy in getting this up.  Don't know why it took me so long.  But anyway, here are the pics from the various birthday celebrations.  Tucker's birthday was on a Monday and we decided to invite a few families over for dinner to help celebrate.  I am HORRIBLE at estimating amounts.  I made enough to feed 100 apparently.  So one thing was there was plenty of food to eat.  And lots of crazy boys running around.  I think it was a pretty succesful night.  

 Everyone closed in for the present opening:

 Hex bugs were played with:

 On Tucker's actual birthday he got to take doughboy donuts to his class (yum) and that evening our family went out for dinner at Men Wielding Fire, a yummy BBQ place downtown.  Tucker enjoyed some ribs.  We went home and he got to finally open his presents.  He was just so excited:

 Lucky Anders always benefits when Tucker gets gifts and vica versa.  The twins were excited about this sweet lego book:

On Clara's birthday I got to go help in her classroom and she got sung to and got to hand out those delicious Costco cinnamon rolls.  It was fun to be there.  (See that cute outfit she got for her birthday.  Clara ruined the outfit.  Dry erase marker, paint, grease, and dirt.  Ruined on day 1.  I'm bitter)

 Clara's birthday was a Thursday.  Last year I threw her a ginormous party.  This year her birthday fell on my day to host the playgroup she belongs to, so I combined playgroup with a picnic in the park and we invited a few extra friends to join in.  It was perfect.  No planning, lots of happy kids, much better than the extravaganza that sucked the life out of me last year.

 That night we picked up yummy pizza from our new favorite Z pizza (we had to dissuade her from Panda Express. ick).  After dinner she got to open up her numerous presents:

 Rob and I made a most fabulous birthday cake.  Clara was thrilled that it had layers and I was thrilled that Rob made ganache frosting that was super amazing:

 The boys were thrilled with the legos Clara got (the new girl legos are super cute) and I had to remind them to let her participate in the construction process:

Happy birthday to my March babies!

Clara turned 6!

 Time flies!  Our amazing baby is now 6.  She reads fluently.  She is the loviest-doviest girl on the planet. A note written to me in church on Sunday: "my mom is in portent.  I love my mom.  Both love my Dad and me and my mom do not hate my Dad."  An excellent essay.  She writes lots and lots and lots of essays. I forsee a blogpost featuring her essays. Yesterday I went to her class to help and she must have given me 15 hugs.  Not exaggerating.  She is the most loving girl.  And she is hilarious.  Packed with personality.  I still remember that time long ago when Courtney was carrying her in Zion's on a hike.  Clara was one.  A lady in purple sweat pants walked by and Clara said softly, "I like your pants."  It is the first thing that I say in my mind when I want to give a compliment (I like the cake you made, my mind says I like your pants.  I like your haircut, my mind says I like your pants. You are hilarious and I want to tell you that,  my mind says I like your pants.   It is a classic line, that I like your pants thing. You see how it goes?) She is cute, cute, cute, and hilarious, hilarious, hilarious.  A friend said to me recently that Clara is the perfect youngest child.  When the others fly the coop she will be good to have around and keep us from being bored or too lonely.  True story.  She is the best.  We love her and adore her and can't get enough of her.  Except around 8:00 every night we do look forward to bedtime.  But that is just because like Olivia, the book character, we love her and she wears us out.

Clara-isms

Clara put on a blue tank top with spaghetti straps under a sweater the other day.  She really really loves that tank top.  She really love tanks .  Anyway, she came in kind of posing and feeling really beautiful.  You could tell by the way her head was tilted and she stopped every couple steps to pose.  "Mom, I feel really responsible today.  This shirt makes me really grown up."

Clara was really sad Tucker's birthday was before hers.   "Why isn't my birthday sooner?" "It was supposed to be sooner, but you just didn't want to come on time." "Why not?"  "I don't know.  But you got here late.  They had to give me medicine to make you come out?"  "How did I come out?"  "Well my belly squeezed you out." "Of your belly button?" "Not quite."  "Well how?" So I explained.  She looked at me with eyes of horror, "I think I am really afraid of having babies."   She should be! Except babies grow up and say really funny things.

Happy 11th Birthday Tucker

Yesterday our baby boy turned 11.  Tucker is a great kid.  His brain is quite smart.  He is going places someday.  He is curious and thoughtful.  One thing I really appreciate about him is his willingness to try new things.  Calamari?  Sure, why not.  California Screamin'?  Absolutely.  Basketball?  Sure.  It's a trait I lack.  I'm kind of a huge chicken.  I love that he isn't and really seems to enjoy everything.  This year he started playing the cello, his piano is coming along great, and his mind is expanding as he studies.  Tucker is a wonderful person.  Proud to be his mom.  Happy birthday T.  We love you.