Funny Story

I have said it before, but I love walking Audra to school. It has been so cold that we we have not been able to walk for several weeks, but this morning the sun came up and we could. As a bonus, Ben had today off of work, so he stayed home with the other kids while I walked with Audra. It was really nice to have some 1-on-1 time with Audra.

While walking, we had the following conversation:

A: It would be neat if I was a bird and you were a human.

Me: That would be fun.

A: Well, not really because then you couldn't be my mommy.

Me: Oh, that's true. What if you were a baby bird and I was your mommy bird?

A: That would be nice. Except then a fox might try and eat us.

It's so fun to try and figure out what these little minds are thinking!

Our Weekly Headlines

This last week has been...interesting.

First off, it was FREEZING! Literally. Audra had two late start days this week because of COLD- not because of snow. It was in the negatives for 48 hours, and when it is that cold it is difficult to breathe when you are outside. I was glad for the late starts. We got to sleep in- plus, I was in charge of pre-school this week and so I had a shortened class on Wednesday.

 

This picture of Camille makes me laugh. She has this doggy coat, which she seems to like. But then I wanted to get a picture of her in it- and she did NOT want her picture taken! So, she leaned up against the door as much as she could and whined. Too bad for her though, she still looked cute! 

Then, the other news from this last week is that Ben traveled to Las Vegas for work. He was gone from super early Monday morning until this morning. I actually thought that I did pretty well. Ben's parents helped me out a bit, which was great- and needed. Everything went well until Friday morning. And then I just missed Ben. I really wanted him to come home! Thankfully, he is now back- and we are all grateful! Camille was so super excited- she kept bringing all of her toys over for Ben to see- as if Ben had never seen them before. 

The girls made Ben books to welcome him home, and we made a small banner. Audra was worried because I said we should name it "Welcome Home Dad" and Audra said, "Or should it say, 'Welcome Home Ben?'" I assured her that I didn't mind if it said Dad instead of Ben.

We learned something this week: Ben HATES traveling, and I HATE him traveling. I think five days of him being gone is my max. The problem is, it looks like he has a lot of traveling coming up in his future- with some trips being 6 weeks or longer. So, now we're in the unenviable situation of making some grown-up decisions about things that we really don't want to make.

Why can't things just stay the same?

I guess that's life. It could be worse. For  now, I'm just glad he's home and that the weather is slightly more moderate!

Art

The other day the girls were coloring and Audra said, "Claire, when we grow up I bet we will be great artists. Especially you, Claire. You draw beautiful pictures." Claire responded by saying, "I know."

Here's Audra's pictures:

 They decided they wanted to make kites:

 Then here's a sheet Audra filled out about herself at school- I love that she's from "Coworadou"

 Here's Claire's art- she's a little Picasso:

 

And her kite:

You may think that I like Audra's art better as I have more pictures of her art. That is not the case, however. Claire is very meticulous about her art. She will spend an hour on one picture, and so she has fewer pictures.

Camille has also started getting in on the art action. I will post some of her pictures soon.

Funny

Claire had a doctor appointment today. I had Camille in the stroller so we needed to take the elevator. This was the conversation I had with Claire:

Claire: Let's take the stairs.

Me: No, we need to take the elevator.

Claire: I really want to take the stairs.

Me: I'm sorry, we can't.

Claire: Why? Is the stairs broken?

(that's not a typo- that's how she talks)

I got a good laugh from that!

Rapid Reaction

So...

The Super Bowl didn't turn out as exciting as we all thought.

The party started out awesome. The food was SOOOO good- bacon wrapped Little Smokies, Broncos Krispie Treats, Hawaiian Sliders (SOOOO GOOD!), and lots more delicious food. Umm....I'm salivating just thinking about it!

Then the game started.

The safety happened and we were all like, "Huh. That sucks."

Then all of a sudden it's 8-0. We're all sitting there kind-of like, "What is happening?" But, the Seahawks are obviously outplaying the Broncos, and they're only down by 8- just one touchdown. So it's like, "OK- we've got Peyton Manning. Let's get something started."

We eat another slider, look up, and the score is suddenly 22-0.

We were all just stunned.

Even as both a Broncos and a Seahawks fan I couldn't believe what I was watching. It was awfully nice of the Broncos to not show up for the game.

I can't decide if the Broncos played that bad, or if the Seahawks are THAT good.

It was a pretty somber mood at the party. I think everybody was in shock. Everybody left before the game ended.

Nevertheless, I am happy for the Seahawks. They looked absolutely unbeatable on Sunday night. I wish I was in Seattle celebrating with all of you over there!

Go Teams!

You all know that it really doesn't matter to me who wins because I will be SO INCREDIBLY HAPPY regardless of who wins (can it end in a tie? I wish!), but because we are going to a Super Bowl party with all Broncos fans, I will be cheering for the Broncos during the game. I can't risk getting beat up if the Seahawks win!

Predictions

We are busily making preparations for what I think is a bigger day than Christmas! I am making a chocolate trifle and have a veggie and fruit tray ready for my friend's Super Bowl party. Ben isn't too excited to be going to this party (he would rather have a root canal then spend time at a friend's house), but I was able to convince him by swearing he would have a reserved spot to sit and that nobody would talk to him.

Anyway...

What are your predictions for the game?

I have been reading and studying a lot about this game. I know how Pete Carroll failed to recruit Manning to play for the Seahawks, that Rusell Wilson plans to eat "normal food" tomorrow morning, and that John Fox compares his heart surgery to having a sprained ankle.

What I simply cannot predict is who will win this game! I think this game is simply going to be fantastic, and a close one.

Even though it's hard, here's my prediction:

Seahawks 27 Broncos 24

I think the Seahawks will win thanks to a defensive touchdown.

Ben's Prediction:

Broncos 21  Seahawks 20

Ben thinks the Broncos will win by 1 point and that it will be a lot of fun to watch. Don't worry, there is no marital discord as a result of our two favorite teams playing.

Either way, it's going to be great! I hope you all enjoy the game- I know I will!