1st Lost Tooth

Clara's tooth had been loose for a while. It rattled me. I lost my teeth in the second grade and I thought that Clara's would follow suit. I keep thinking she is too young. But here she is with a hole in her grin. I was so glad when she came to me and asked me to pull it out. I was glad to share in the expiriance with her and photograph it.
Her words "that it felt like a fist in my mouth but now that it is out it is so tiny"  She was excited to tell Dad and Grandma and really anybody she talked to!

Heigh Ho

 For about 2 of his 3 years of life John's favorite song has been Snow White's "Heigh Ho". When Kelly plays the song John marches around the living room with his hammer over his shoulder.  He casts Kelly as Grumpy because he would play the piano, I am Dopey, and John is Doc.

 Margaret is crawling and pulling herself up. She is fun to tickle. I can put her hair up in a little elastic and it makes a point. She had a play date with Brooklyn and they sat like this for a good 3 minuts.

Hopping the Fence

Valentines Day

The card that Clara gave out.
What our piano looked like. We wrapped up undershirts, socks, and a new Angry Bird bomb.
Kelly thoughtfully printed the first two years of my blog and gave it to me. Clara and John love looking at it.
Heart trees.

I Like the Way You're Growing Up

 Margaret is growing up. I am so pleased with how she is doing. She is getting so close to crawling. She rolls to get where she wants to go and complanes if I try to entice her to go strait forward. The most exciting thing is that she has started talking a bit. She said "go" today after I said "ready set go." She has said up, hat, all done, mama, Dada, owder (for powder). She says num for eat and food. She gives really good attempts at signing too. She also turns pages in books we read at night.  We love this little girl.

Three Landscapes

Summons

Keep me from going to sleep too soon
Or if I go to sleep too soon
Come wake me up. Come any hour
Of night. Come whistling up the road.
Stomp on the porch. Bang on the door.
Make me get out of bed and come
And let you in and light a light.
Tell me the northern lights are on
And make me look. Or tell me clouds
Are doing something to the moon
They never did before, and show me.
See that I see. Talk to me till
I'm half as wide awake as you
And start to dress wondering why
I ever went to bed at all.
Tell me the walking is superb.
Not only tell me but persuade me.
You know I'm not too hard persuaded.

Robert Francis

Sledding

Today Grandpa took us sledding. It was just the right size of a hill to get lots of rides in. I was impressed with how quickly Clara and John were able to break the shoe strings and go down on there own. It makes me more confident that if I took them skiing they would do well and have a good time.

Outside on Christmas

Our Christmas

Christmas was so fun. This is what made ours special.

  Kelly suprising us and getting home before the children were in bed rather than at midnight! I have never heard John scream so loudly or happily.
 We had a little program and sang lots of songs.
Magaret looked cozy in the same pj's that Clara wore on her first Christmas.
The children didn't stop eating ribbon candy all christmas.
Cold and beautiful snow.
I made a yule log. The meringue mushroom were delicious and darling. The cake roll was not. ( I am planning on making jelly rolls all this year to practice.) I made and used clarified butter (I had never even heard of that.) I also made real buttercream (my goodness!!!)
We had a lovely dinner with Aunt Rhonda.

 John said it all when while were writing in his journal I asked him "What was the best part about Christmas?" He replied "Having Dad here."

Discovery Gateway

Craters of the Moon

It has always been a lifelong dream of mine to go into space and walk on the moon. Today I did not make it to the moon. I did the next best thing. I went to Craters of the Moon National Monument! We went in a cave and walked on an active volcano. It was so fun. Kelly took the first photo. I think it is excellent. I am even in it!