In his Element

Our MOPS program has great childcare that includes a singing class for all the children. Last meeting, they learned a new song - "I Love to Praise Him." The song's lyrics are:

I love to praise him (cha-cha-cha)

I love to praise him (cha-cha-cha)

I love to praise him (cha-cha-cha)

And lift up his Holy Name,

Singing Hallelujah, and lift up his holy name.

According to Claire, Ben really got into the cha-cha-chas, making even the music teacher nearly fall off her chair because she was laughing so hard. This video doesn't do it justice, as he has calmed down a bit here, but it's still pretty funny. He's singing the Elmo song at the beginning of the video, but then he moves into the other song.

The Weather has a Personality Disorder

Just a couple days after Mother Nature dumped about 7 inches of snow on the ground, it got so warm outside, we thought for sure that spring had sprung. It was nearly 80 degrees over the weekend, and we took advantage of the perfect weather to take the kids to the local park. We were all suffering a bit from cabin fever due to being quarantined with the flu, so it was fun for all of us to get out and enjoy ourselves.

Ben could literally swing all day long if we let him. He LOVES it.

How cute are these pigtails? She threw a fit over them that morning, but I think they are precious.

Driving

Claire being silly. This is what I got when I asked her to smile for the camera.

The two boys

We've enjoyed this warm-up for about 5 days, and now they are calling for freezing rain tomorrow. Go figure.

Real SNOW!!!

Yes, it actually happened. We got real, measurable amounts of snow. So what if it took until March to happen? We were totally thrilled, and the kids couldn't wait to get out in it. We never actually took an official measurement, but Shawn estimated that we had about 7 inches on the ground. That's the most snow that we've had in this area in over 5 years, and more snow than either of my kids has ever seen.

I, unfortunately, was in the midst of my battle with the flu and could barely lift my head off the pillow, so it was totally up to Shawn to take the kids outside (and take the pictures).

What you may not notice at first glance in this picture is what the kids have on their feet. Welcome to the South, where it never really snows, so parents don't invest in snow boots. Thus, when, defying all odds, it actually does snow, parents are required to improvise. What you see on my children's feet are tennis shoes that have been covered in plastic bags which are then taped to their legs - I'm not lying. Go on, laugh it up.

A real snow angel! WooHoo!!

Ben had a hard time staying on his feet. It's hard work when your legs are only about 5 inches longer than the snow you are walking through!

Here are a couple videos taken that day too.

The (Not So) Fun Girls' Trip

Spending time with the old college roommates is always on the top of my "favorite things to do" list. It's not as easy for us to all get together anymore, what with 11 1/2 kids among us, varying work schedules, etc., but we do try to see each other at least once a year. This long weekend trip to Pigeon Forge, TN. was actually planned last fall, and I think we've all been anxiously awaiting it.

I was totally geared up for a great weekend, that is until Ben threw up all over the table Wednesday night (the day before I was to leave). Terrified that the dreaded springtime stomach virus had arrived at our house, we disinfected like crazy and prayed that it was just a fluke. Lucky us, it was. Problem was, Claire woke up the next morning with a cough and a slight fever. I didn't really think anything of it, as she seemed ok. But she started to feel worse and worse as the day continued. Still determined to make my trip and fairly certain that Claire just had a cold, I left as planned Thursday night. All was well (apart from having to wait in the parking lot of Kroger for about 45 min. - thanks, late girls!), until Friday morning when Shawn called me to say that Claire's fever was over 102 degrees and he was taking her to the doctor. I started to worry. Can't help it; it's who I am. Come to find out, Claire had the flu (thanks, worthless flu shot!), and now Shawn had to drag a very sick Claire and a fussy, tired Ben all around town trying to get her prescriptions filled, get the kids lunch and into bed.

So, while he was dealing with that, I was doing my best to focus on my time with my friends and not worry too much. It didn't really work, but we did have a good time shopping and eating out in restaurants - events that don't occur too often for any of us anymore.

These were taken at the restaurant Friday night, after a day of shopping, so we all look a little wiped.

Friday night was Fondue Night - Yum! - You'll notice Andrea on her cell phone in this picture. Actually, this was a fairly common look for all of us that weekend - checking in with the husbands and kids while we were away.

Merica - really happy about that Fondue! (Notice Andrea in the background. She's "texting." Apparently, I am like soooo totally uncool because I don't text. It is the "in" way to communicate in Cleveland.)

Despite having so much fun with the girls, I was still feeling like I needed to be at home, and I think I probably should have listened to my conscience. I woke up Saturday morning not feeling quite right and continued to feel worse as the day went on. By that night, I was miserable.

This picture was taken Saturday morning at the cabin. Oh, I forgot to mention that the cabin was wonderful - apart from a non-reachable fire alarm that needed its battery changed and thus would squawk about every 45 seconds or so. It made sleeping interesting, to say the least.
In the movie theater. Yes, we dorks actually took pictures in the theater. Actually, I think this is a great one of them.

And Saturday night at dinner - Sorry, Andrea, just had to include it.

Notice there are no pictures of me and Rachel that night because she was sitting next to me, and I was leaning against the wall of the booth, doing my best not to slide under the table. Not fun.

Anyway, all in all, it was a good trip, and I was happy to spend time with my friends. However, next trip we plan will most definitely be scheduled nowhere near flu season (or stomach virus season - Rachel's son came down with that while we were gone too). I'm sure all the husbands would agree that this is a good idea too.

Claire - the Snowflake

Hoping to capitalize on her penchant for tip-toe walking, we signed up Claire for "Snowflake classes," a 6-week session of ballet at the local dance studio. The classes are very low-key and are essentially to help parents determine if their child would be interested in studying ballet in a more formal setting. Though she didn't wear high-heeled tap shoes and a beehive with spit-curls, Ms. Joyce certainly reminded me of my childhood ballet teacher. In fact, I really think her name was Ms. Joyce too. Anyway, this Ms. Joyce did not mess around. There was no playing around or time for coddling. It was, "hands on the bar, watch my feet, get back in line, etc."

Claire had a great time, and we are considering signing her up in the fall for full-time classes next year. Today was the final "snowflake" class, so all the girls got certificates of completion. Claire asked Shawn today if she danced in the fall if she would be called a "leaf."

These pictures were taken with Shawn's cell phone, so they aren't the best quality. Claire is all in pink, third from the front.

Ms. Joyce and Claire

Valentine's Fun

Shawn has pretty much guaranteed that any man in Claire's later life will have a hard time measuring up when it comes to Valentine's Day. Friday night, he came home from work with a dozen red roses for me, and three pink roses for Claire. As you can see, she was thrilled.

Saturday morning, Shawn handed out the rest of the Valentine's gifts. Both kids got cards from us and cards from Grandma. Ben was fascinated with his Thomas the Train card that whistled when he opened it. Claire got a small heart-shaped box of chocolate, and Ben got brand new Lightening McQueen pj's. He just saw Cars for the first time last week, so it was the perfect gift for him.

Here's a short video from the morning. They all think that I'm just trying to take a picture.

Here is Claire showing the camera her Valentine card from Grandma. It included stickers she could use to dress up the princess on the front cover.

The icing on the cake was Saturday night when Shawn took Claire to the Children's Museum's "Daddy Daughter Dance." They went to this dance last year, and Claire had such a good time that she was asking me about it right after Christmas. She begged to wear her "pink princess dress" without tights, and since it was fairly warm outside, she got to do just that. The night included museum admission, dinner, crafts, and dancing.

While Claire and Shawn were dancing the night away, Ben and I had our own "date." His dinner choice was Taco Bell, so after eating our tacos, we spent the night eating Valentine suckers and watching Thomas the Train videos. He was perfectly content. You'll notice that he's still wearing his pj's from the morning. He refused to take them off all day.

Claire was what can only be described as "smug" about the fact that Shawn took her and not me on a date for Valentine's day. I'm still holding out hope that my date will come soon. (hint, hint!)