Monday, February 11, 2008

Bike riding

Phil tried out his new commuting vehicle this weekend! We hooked up the bike trailer (thanks Mom and Dad!) and took the girls on a little ride around the base on Saturday. I hadn't been on my bike for about 8 years - had no one to ride with and then with the girls I really couldn't go riding even if I had wanted to. It's true what they say, though: riding a bike just comes back to you like, well, riding a bike! Claire and Maddie had a great time in their trailer. I actually heard a few cries of, "Wheeeeeee!" as they rode down the street.

Here they are:



Claire has put in a request for the Easter Bunny to bring her a new bike (her trike is a bit small for her now) so Maddie may be enjoying that trailer by herself soon.

Monday, February 4, 2008

Beeeeautiful

In stark contrast to the snow we recently had, our weather was really nice yesterday and today. Highs in the mid- to upper-70s. Sunny. Not too much wind. The girls got to play outside without coats! I know it's just February, but we're sure looking forward to the spring.


(Click for pics!)

After the outside fun, we ended yesterday with a pizza "picnic" in the living room so we could watch the SuperBowl. The girls love to eat in the living room on TV trays as a special treat. I think they actually eat better, too, because they're out of their usual element and the TV distracts them from the fact that the food is going into their mouths. Claire really wanted us to pick a team (she likes to know which color jersey to root for) but we really had little interest in who won or lost. It's just fun to watch football and see the new commercials.

Saturday, February 2, 2008

Snow

Last Thursday we looked out the window and saw this:



I know those of you in the frostier parts of the USA saw the same thing (only lots more of it!) but Claire was really excited about our little dusting. She begged and begged to go out and play in it, so we let her outside to run around in the white stuff before it all melted away. It was really COLD with the wind blowing, but she ran around like a goofball until the cold finally got to her.

It's so fun to see something like snow through a child's eyes. While we grown-ups were groaning about how cold it was, she was bouncing around like it was Christmas or something. It made the snow a little fun for us too. Not so fun that we went outside to play in it, but it was nice to see her excitement.

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Maddie the lefty?

I thought I'd put up the following photos for my dad, who is still hopeful that one of his grandchildren will be left-handed:





Maddie does seem to prefer her left hand for eating and drawing. That tendency might be explained by the fact that her right thumb is usually in her mouth, but we thought we'd give Pawpaw some hope anyway.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

We did it!

There are those who saw what the garage looked like with the extra 1,000 square foot worth of stuff from our Washington home shoved into it. They will appreciate this photo a little more than the rest of you...


But after a little help from some more movers, we're able to actually use our 1-car garage to hold--a car! It's taken a month and a half, but just in time to protect the Volvo from a night and morning of predicted freezing rain and drizzle.

It makes me feel good to actually use a garage for its car storage purpose. We took pride in storing two cars in our 2-car garage in Washington (most of the time...). Don't get me wrong--there's plenty of other junk still in there to organize, but the car is in the "car-hole" (all you Moe Szyslak fans).

Friday, January 18, 2008

We're still here!

Just a quick little update to let you know that we're still blogging; it's been a little while and the family blogs have been quiet... Here's a couple of quick videos of the kiddos playing around at the house.

They continue to amaze with their learning and new exclamations each day. Maddie has developed a clear "I want that!" and "Alright!" phrase while Claire explained that she learned about Jesus helping someone who was sick with leprosy while at preschool--yes she actually said "leprosy!"

We're starting to hear from a bunch of folks since we sent out our change of address cards, too! Our proofreading was a bit off as we forgot to include our email address and left some poor grammar in the note! If you need/want our latest and greatest email address, leave us a comment on this post or another with your address and we'll email you right back (and then remove your comment so you don't get spammed)!

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

School

Claire's preschool finally started their spring semester today, so she had her first day of school here in Altus. She got a little nervous when we pulled up to the building (she told me she was feeling "shy") but she seemed to feel better once she found her seat and started on a craft. Here she is, all dressed up in her uniform:

Monday, January 7, 2008

Disney

The UPS man brought this box to our door yesterday evening:



Upon seeing it Claire exclaimed, "Oooo! It says 'Disney'!"

Claire knows all of her letters and the sounds they make, but I assure you that she does not have the practical skills to put all of those sounds together to make a word like 'Disney'. So Phil asked her what 'Disney' means.

"Princesses!" she sang and then began dancing around the room.

That mouse has some brilliant people in his marketing department.

Sunday, January 6, 2008

Saturday, January 5, 2008

More Child Labor

Here's an update, from an earlier post. Maddie is also moving quickly when it comes to chores -- at least reminding us and doing the work that she can when it comes to feeding Bailey the dog!



She loves to call him at feeding time and is really pretty good at putting the feeding dish away (not like in this video, she got distracted by the camera!).




Maddie may also be our next blog editor, based on her early skills with the computer!


Check out our stylish slippers

These were a Christmas gift that arrived yesterday from Grammy and Grampy. They were a big hit! Phil's big feet were a little too large for his, but the rest of us are enjoying them.

Thursday, January 3, 2008

Our Budding Aritist

Claire received a BIG watercolor pad and paints for Christmas from her Aunt Heidi and Uncle Bill and has been busy at it ever since. We understand that, as her parents, we are not the most objective judges of talent; nevertheless we thought this was pretty good: