A Recent Tour

On Wednesday Mallory and I were able to go into the new school to see how things were shaping up. There is drywall dust EVERYWHERE!!! Right when walking in it was amazing what the office looked like. The secretary area was so nice and spacious! The carpeting in there was nice too. I pretty much made a beeline to my new classroom. Once I walked in I wanted to walk right back out and get things to clean it up so I could move in. The cabinets are beautiful and the built in bookshelves are ready to go. I am ready to move in!!!

Easter Sunday

On Easter morning Mallory and Miles woke up super excited to see if the Easter Bunny had been to our house. They found their baskets and went through them to see what had been left. Then they hunted for eggs throughout the livingroom. Each of them were funny to watch as they hunted under, in, and behind of things to see if there was a surprise waiting for them.

Then we all got around and headed to Ryan's parent's house for a yummy lunch with family. Mallory and Miles were excited to have their cousins there to play with. They were all very excited to have an egg hunt out front so we did that soon after arriving. Miles was not happy during this time and would find eggs but not want to pick them up. He becomes grumpy for no reason at all sometimes and that can easily get onto someone's nerves:). Anyways...from there we went back inside for lunch.

The afternoon was spent taking it easy and flying kites outside. Like the day before, it was beautiful outside and was perfect to enjoy. Days like this one make it hopeful that spring is finally here. Let us hope this to be true!

Easter Saturday

On Easter Saturday we went to Mom and Dad's house for dinner. Mallory and Miles were excited about having their first Easter egg hunt there. It was not long after arriving that they noticed the eggs in the backyard. They found their baskets and were off on a hunt. There were eggs everywhere...or so it seemed. The day was perfect for an egg hunt too (you have to love a warm sun).

As they hunted they found eggs down by the lake, up by the house, and in the craziest places. They were excited and kept going until they had found every one of them. Then they went inside to open their eggs and find what loot was inside them. They were excited!

The rest of the afternoon was spent outside running around, playing in the sandbox, and playing with anything fun. It was obvious that the warmer weather was welcomed by them. They really did not spend much time inside...and who could blame them?

The adults sat outside as well and even played some cornhole. What a perfectly beautiful day!!!

When the sun went down we all went inside. Mallory and Miles made cookies with Melissa (hmmmm...I wonder if she will want to do that again???) and we played UNO Attack. Ryan and I could tell it was time to go when Mallory and Miles were super tired. They had certainly had a fun filled day:).

Coloring Our Eggs

Since we did not have school on Good Friday we had fun at home. We decided to color our Easter eggs. Mallory and Miles were very excited to do this and "bothered" me all morning to do this.

After lunch I set things up and we went for it. They has so much fun! Each had 11 eggs to color (two could not be used because they were cracked). They both went to work quickly and Miles was finished within 5-10 minutes.

Mallory on the other hand took much longer. She had fun writing on her eggs and mixing the dyes to come up with new colors. She acted so grown up telling me how she was mixing the colors and why. She definitely has a creative side to her and amazes me with her knowledge and talent for it.

Of course we could not do this without having a fun photo. I love the look on both of their faces...priceless! They are definitely two very different characters!

Happy Birthday Grandma!

Last Sunday we went out to Ryan's parent's house to surprise his mom with a birthday cake. We sang "Happy Birthday" to her and then she received some help to blow out her candles.

These pictures are always my favorites as I look back throughout the years. They just show how fortunate we are to have such super grandparents for our children. They are caring people who truly make the difference in the lives of our children. How many people can say that? I appreciate each of them and hope they realize that. Anyways...back to the cake!

After eating cake and opening our present the balloon fight began. Now I really do not know how it started but I know who ended up being involved:). It was fun to watch everyone throwing balloons this way and that and pounding each other with them as well. It was a great night out. Happy Birthday to Grandma!

Our Visitor...Arthur

Over spring break we watched Mallory's kindergarten teacher's guinea pig. We did this last year since we did not go anywhere and both Mallory and Miles had so much fun. Things changed this year though. Mallory cleaned the cage without me telling her to do so and took such great care of him. She was very fair in having her brother involved in the holding and caring part too. I wonder if Arthur will come to our house next year too?

The night we took him back to school it was my turn to lay with Miles. He was silent for quite some time and finally said, "Mommy, I miss Arthur." Who knew that a guinea pig would have such an impact on a little boy?

A Day Up North

On Saturday of spring break (remember I'm trying to get caught up here) we headed north with Ryan's parents to see his brother and family. Scott's birthday is the same as my dad's so we decided to go spend some time with them.

We went our to eat at Logan's Steakhouse (yum yum) and went back to their house to visit. The girls wanted to do some baking with Grandma so that meant a trip to the store for some goodies. Imagine going into a store with three children not knowing where things are...yes, we had fun. I forgot to mention there was a revolving door that we just HAD to go in and out. Oh, what did I ever do to amuse myself before children?

Since the weather was tolerable we grabbed bikes and headed to Rebekah and Ryan's school to play. Mallory and Rebekah had so much fun drag racing on their bikes. No matter what Rebekah did, Mallory seemed to come in first...not by much though.

On the way home Mallory sat in the back seat with Ryan's mom. Miles fell asleep (much needed because the poor boy never stopped throughout the day) about 30 minutes into our trip. Mallory wanted a snack so I gave her some pretzels. After much nibbling and time passing she and her grandma were laughing. Mallory had taken the pretzels and made her name by nibbling this way and that. Who needs video games when you have creativity like that? She amazes me so much each and every day. What a smart cookie I have on my hands:)!

A Fun Day at the Park

Sorry for those of you who check in from time to time. I am more than a little behind on updating my blog. I am taking more pictures since my hiatis of January and February are over.

On the Friday of spring break we headed with Gail and her family to one of the greatest parks in the area. The kids had so much fun running around and so did we. Mallory LOVES to go down the big slides and her hair does the strangest things when she is at the bottom. It makes me laugh.

Sadly, Miles is not in any of the pictures. He decided that he did not want to ride in Aunt Gail's van despite many reminders that he would not go then. Ryan happened to have the afternoon off of work and stayed with Miles...who ended up taking a killer nap. Sometimes things have a funny way of working themselves out.

Gail and I could not believe it when we checked the time and found we had been at the park for two hours. Where did that time go? We did not mind because it was a beautiful day to be out and about.

Thank you to Gail and her family for coming up to enjoy the day with us. We are looking towards the summer to have our days together again too. We always seem to have fun together.

Happy Birthday Grandpa!!!

On Wednesday we had dinner out at Mom and Dad's house. Grandpa was there too. We enjoyed each other's company. After dinner was time for Grandpa (Dad) to blow the candles out on his cake. Of course, Mallory and Miles were on each side ready to assist him. It has become a tradition for them to help their grandmas and grandpas blow their candles out. It is something they always look forward to.

After blowing out the candles, Mallory served the ice cream and Miles served the cake. They were so excited that Grandma had given them special responsibilities. The cake was yummy:)!

After dessert Mallory and Miles went crazy. Miles spent most of his time on the screened in porch. He was so excited because he could finally play in there. He had noodle fights with the person who was back with him and would literally bounce from thing to thing. He spent time in Ryan's kayak, jumped from seat to seat of the picnic table, jumped around the floor, it was obvious that he had been waiting for this moment all winter long.

Mallory was excited to give Grandpa her present. She has been playing around with pastels (it is amazing what kind of teacher YouTube can be) and wanted to do something for Grandpa's birthday. She used some new techniques she learned about online and did a great job. I cannot wait to see what she does with pastels in the future. Her art teacher recently asked me, "Dawn, does Mallory ever talk about the dreams she has at night?" When I asked her why she said, "Her mind is never at rest and she must have the most vivid and amazing dreams." It was quite an observation and I think she might be onto something.

A Day Out for the Girls

On Monday Mallory and I had a day to ourselves. We started the morning by dropping Miles off at daycare and went grocery shopping (she thought it was fun). Then we traveled to the big city for her surprise lunch. She was thrilled when we pulled into Chuck E Cheese. I had only been there one other time when Mallory was three so this was quite a stretch for me. We had a good time together. From there we went to a bookstore and bought some books and ended up having something yummy from Sonic (I am addicted to their cherry Sprites...yummy!!!). It was a great day for the two of us:).

Enjoying the Day

This afternoon Mallory, Miles, and I packed the bikes up and headed to Mom and Dad's house. They were so excited to be outside and it was a perfect day. Neither one of them wasted any time jumping on their bikes and taking off. I realized very quickly that Miles is ready for a big boy bike. I'm sure he will want a blue one! He was doing a really great job pedaling when his little feet would stay on the pedals.

Mallory continues to ride into the wind with no problems at all. I cannot believe how much she has grown though. Ryan needs to raise her seat. Even with her legs being too long for her bike (at the moment) she rode up and down Mom and Dad's road having a good time. She was pretty good about listening when a car would come and I appreciated that.

Miles liked riding down the hill and even figured out how to put his feet up so he would go a little faster. He nearly fell over twice but caught himself...thank goodness!

After riding bikes, and running around the house countless times, the two of them created a store behind the row of bushes in Mom and Dad's driveway. Mom, Dad, and I ended up paying pinecones for an assortment of flags (sticks that had leaves for the flag). Mallory and Miles were so excited by this. Oh, to be young again!

It was a great day to be out and about. We are looking forward to a few more days like this during the week too:).

Our Budding Artist

Today we headed to the big city to the annual art festival. Mallory's artwork was chosen from her school to be on display (second year in a row...not that I am keeping track or anything). This festival is really neat. Students from schools all over the area come to sing, there are special groups that perform, and there is an activity spot for children to work on artsy crafty things. Right when we walked in Mallory said, "There's Jared and Josh!" and sure enough there they were. Congratulations on Josh for having his artwork chosen for this honor as well:). Now Ryan will be working to make another frame for Mallory's artwork. I told her she needs to stop doing so well because we will soon run out of wall space! We are very proud of her!

A Fun Date/A Not So Normal Week

Mallory, Miles, and I were very excited to have tickets to see Disney On Ice. We went with Gail, Jared, Josh, and Abby and had so much fun. The seats were great and the skaters were entertaining as well. The show went through The Little Mermaid, Peter Pan, The Lion King, and Lilo and Stitch. Mallory and Miles were very excited to see Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, and Goofy too. Lots of fun for us!

At the souvenir shop Mallory chose this Tinkerbell doll and Miles (much to my dismay) chose Peter Pan's sword...oh help me here! Needless to say he has had fun with that sword. Unfortunately Miles was a little camera shy and did not want me to take a picture of him with his new possession:(.

This week we have been out of our normal routine. Mallory woke up on Monday night wheezing and hardly able to breathe. We gave her one of Miles' breathing treatments and I ended up taking her to the ER. She took Plumpy, her bear, with her and the quilt her Grandma J made for her when she was two. Before the doctor came in she said, "Mommy there are worser things that could be wrong with me." I about cried because at that point she was having problems talking and breathing a little too.

Everyone we came in contact with was wonderful. The doctor came in and after a breathing treatment, motrin, and steroids, she was ready to come home (a total of two hours).

I stayed home with her on Tuesday and Wednesday she was with Mom. This morning Ryan and I decided to keep her home one more day. She was anything but happy with this decision but I still feel it was the right one because she is still coughing here and there and her nose is running like a faucet. Poor babydoll! She is very disappointed because tonight after school is Jump Rope for Heart for the American Heart Association and she has been practicing her jumproping just for this event. It sure is hard when our children have to learn disappointment. Ryan and I are hopeful that tomorrow we will be back to normal and all on our regular routines.

A Snowman In Our "Meadow"

Mallory and Miles were excited to finally have conditions that were favorable to build their much anticipated snowman. Since the first snow Miles has been asking, "Is this snowman snow?" I have felt horrible with the answer of, "No," followed by his sigh.

This weekend brought about a new round of snow and yesterday the three of us decided to trudge out to brave the elements. We went out with the plan to shovel snow to help Daddy and to just play for a little while. I had begun shoveling when I heard Mallory yell, "Look! We can build a snowman!" From there the three of us worked together to make the best one we could muster. In the end we had a perfect snowman. I love these pictures because it proves that they were being kids.

Even though I do not have a picture of it Mallory built a baby snowman to keep our big one company. I guess the thought of our snowman not having anyone to talk to was more than she could bear. It turned out cute too. It was a great day in our neighborhood.

I hope wherever you are that the weather makes you smile:).

A New Improved Knee

This morning Ryan had orthoscopic knee surgery. Everything went well. The doctor brought out pictures after the surgery of Ryan's knee before and after so I could understand what they had done. I must admit that it was quite interesting. Ryan stayed awake through the whole procedure and watched on the television screen. He talked with the doctor the entire time. I do not know if I could have done that or not.

We are now home (after stopping at Panera for broccoli and cheese soup for Ryan...and well I could not leave empty handed!!!). He is taking it easy on the couch and I am doing my best to take care of him and help to follow doctor's orders. I cannot wait until he is able to run after Mallory and Miles. I know that was one of the things he mentioned to the doctor and I sure hope this will help him get towards that goal. They are quite something to keep up with:).

Valentine's Day Cupcakes

On Friday night Mallory and Miles frosted and decorated cupcakes for their grandparents. They had so much fun. Miles (as we predicted) licked his fingers and knife throughout the process (that added a little extra love to his cupcakes). Oh no, now his grandmas and grandpas know the truth!!!

Mallory took her time and tried very hard to perfect the art of frosting. Her cupcakes did not have the cake in the frosting like her brothers so she must have been catching on. They both did a wonderful job.

On Valentine's Day morning Mallory acted as if it were Christmas. She woke up bright and early requesting that we all open the valentine sacks we had made the weekend before. It was so funny! Miles woke up shortly after and we all "tore" into our sacks. The valentines were so sweet from both of them.

Mallory, Miles, and I went to my parent's house to visit with Mom (Dad was working and so was Ryan). Mom was thrilled with the cupcakes and other goodies we had for her. Mallory and Miles had lots of fun running through the house and having fun. They always have a lot of fun when they are there.

The rest of the afternoon was spent at Ryan's parent's house. Mallory and Miles spent the afternoon there while Ryan and I headed to the big city to do a bit of shopping for me (I know Ryan did not have the best time ever...but I did get some things that I have needed for quite sometime...my feet should be smiling now). I am thankful he was okay going with me.

Back to the cupcakes...I almost forgot that Mallory and Miles enjoyed one cupcake each after their decorating frenzy took place. They both enjoyed them very much. It was a yummy time at our house:).

Eyes That Are Not Forgotten

Tonight Mallory and I went through the same after school routine of swim lessons. Go home, change, head to the pool, undress, shower, well...you get the picture. During Mallory's lessons I watched and wrote in my notebook. Nothing unusual there:).

As Mallory and I were heading out of the building I saw a young gentleman sitting outside the door. I stared at him and he looked at me and as I began to walk away his eyes registered and I quickly turned and asked, "Are you Kam?" He looked surprised that I would know his name and then recognized my face (I guess I have changed in the seven years since he's been in my classroom) and said, "Oh my! I just tried to email you two days ago!" It was Kam...one of those students (or people) that we all have touch our lives and that we always wonder how they are doing once they have left us and moved on.

We talked for a while catching up. You know, me trying to find out if he has followed the right path in life...in just those few minutes of talking I could tell he has turned out just fine. He asked me if I still had the coffee mug he had given me (he was in my class when I was expecting and then had Mallory and had used his own money to buy a mug that had Mallory's first picture on it). I said yes although it was not currently on my desk. I'm sure you know what I will be doing tomorrow morning at school!

I was so excited to see him and it has sent a flood of emotions and thoughts to my head. I am going back to when he was in my classroom. When he would walk around the playground with me and tell jokes like, "Why did Tigger look in the toilet? Because he was trying to find Pooh!" And I will never forget before Thanksgiving break when my belly was bulging and he bent over to it (he had found earlier that day that Mallory could hear him) and yelled, "HAPPY THANKSGIVING!" and there is the picture that has been behind my desk of when he borrowed Ryan's Gretzky jersey for his wax museum presentation. Like I mentioned earlier, Kam was one of those students that I will never forget (hence the tears in my eyes that you cannot see on your end of the screen).

So tonight I will go to bed with a smile on my face knowing that maybe, just maybe, Kam thinks of me as much as I think of him. Maybe in a few years I will get an invitation to a graduation party. I would definitely be there with bells on:).

I think that someone placed Kam there to cross my path because I needed to be reminded of my daily job and how important it is although many times it is difficult. I am thankful for that angel looking over me.

...and thankful to Kam who has touched my life:0).

Our Little Tree Hugger

Yesterday after school I had an unexpected visitor come in (a friend of mine). As we were talking a picture came up on my computer and she looked at it and said, "Ahhhhh". Being the proud mom I am I showed her some other pictures from when Mallory and Miles were younger. We oohhhed and aahhhed at them and shared memories of our children's pasts. I really enjoyed that conversation and hope for more in the future:).

That conversation made me think of Mallory in her "baby stage". She is growing into a really great young lady and is working to build her character each and everyday (trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship). Although she has her moments (like every child) she thinks of others and how to make the world a better place. She is my "tree hugger". The one who is quick to say, "We shouldn't use paper plates because they are not good for the environment. They waste trees." Now how many seven year olds would say that?

Mallory has really become excited and is using her citizenship to help our new school. She took the responsibility to talk with her principal about having a bake sale to sell cookies to the students to earn money for the new playground (her idea). She learned yesterday that it is going to happen very soon. Can you imagine the feeling of pride she must feel? She was asked something very exciting from her principal yesterday afternoon (a secret that maybe I can share with you in pictures later) and cannot wait to buy cookies.

I am very proud of Mallory and know that Ryan is too. She is going to be very successful in life...but the hard part is keeping her on the right path.

Just the Two of Us...Plus the Time Capsule

On Friday Mallory and I had a "heart to heart" with the time capsule before it was to be "buried" inside the new school. This picture was important to me because this was a historical day for both of us. It is rare that someone has the opportunity in their life to see a time capsule being put together...and we both did. From the sounds of it we might have the opportunity to see one opened that is currently inside our school now. Is that not exciting? I will definitely let you know if and when that happens!

Thank you, Jenn for taking this picture of us!

A Time Capsule Surprise

On Friday my school came together for a very special reason. Together we put items in a time capsule to be buried in our new school. I was amazed with how respectful the students were as our principal named each item, had a student stand up that had the item to show, and then tell why it had been chosen.

As I was sitting there I had one of those, "Hey, I've seen that before!" moments when a picture was shown. It was the picture I took when Ryan's boss had taken Mallory, Miles, and I up for a plane ride back in September. Our principal mentioned that I had taken the photo (and then it felt like all eyes were on me...which I am not comfortable with) and explained how. I looked over at Mallory and she looked at me. I gave her a smile and a thumbs up.

I was very thrilled inside to know that down the road (not probably while I am living) that a new generation will open that time capsule and see my picture along with my name. They will learn what life was like for us at our school and in our community in the year 2009. Can you imagine the changes they will see?

I feel more than honored to be such a part of something special:).

A Special Quilt...Times Two

Last spring I went to Amish country with Ryan's family and fell in love with a Very Hungry Caterpillar quilt that was hanging in a store we like to visit now and then. Needless to say I ended up purchasing all of the material that day and headed home with a big smile and full of dreams to finish it. With the help of Ryan's mom I ended up finishing the quilt in October and decided to wait until Christmas to give it to Miles. When he opened it Christmas morning I was so excited to see his face. The quilt now follows him throughout the house. I see that as a compliment:).

While quilting my quilt Mallory began to find the excitement for sewing as well. She sewed scrap pieces of fabrics together creating amazing things (an indian, a blanket for her stuffed animals, a blankie for her to sleep with to name a few). In the end we found our way back up to that special store for Mallory to choose fabric to sew a rag quilt for her cousin. She decided to make it for him since the quilts her grandma made for her and her brother are so special to them. I thought that was a great idea.

We chose the fabrics and the cutting began...cutting...cutting...cutting until finally it was all ready. Mallory sewed the two squares with the batting together. There were quite a few of them (and tearing out mistakes became a little tedious but taught her to take her time) and I thought we would never see the day where they were finished...but low and behold...it was my turn. At that moment Mallory and I took all of the quilting squares and tried different layouts until we were happy with one.

During this process, which my sister had no idea was going on, we learned the news that baby number two was on the way for my sister. Mallory's first words (which I could not share with my sister at the time) were, "Oh no! Now I have to make another quilt!!!!"

I had fun sewing the squares together and began to watch it take shape. The bigger the quilt became the more excited Mallory was (and me too). Finally, the first of December brought about a finished quilt. Mallory wrote a letter to Payton, her cousin, and we included pictures of her making this quilt for him.

We shipped it off and on Christmas morning it was opened by Payton. We sure to hope he feels love from us when he uses it. It is a very soft quilt and the monkey print is too cute!

I guess now we need to be planning for our new family member...a girl! Oh what fabrics will Mallory choose for that one?

The Frosty Whiteness

On Monday morning we were once again greeted with a two-hour delay due to fog. Unfortunately this has become quite a normal thing. In fact, when we are up at a normal time Mallory has demanded more than once that I check the computer to make sure we have school. I am ready for a normal routine again.

When I looked out the window I noticed the trees were wrapped with white. This is when winter is beautiful...it really takes the chill out of the air for a small moment. Mallory, Miles, and I took enjoyed the scenery and talked about the trees all the way to both of their schools. It was quite spectacular.

Coming down the road to school was breathtaking. I stopped in the middle of the road (which made Mallory more than a little nervous) to get out and snap a few pictures. The sun shadowed by the clouds was an added bonus.

-17 Degree Day = A Day Off

On Thursday I heard (along with my students) that school was going to be delayed two hours before we left for school. I was a little surprised by this because I cannot remember this ever happening in my teaching career. The actual temperature was supposed to plummet overnight and I guess they were being cautious. Well, I received my call at 7:00 that school was cancelled. Miles was thrilled (he tells me quite regularly that he does not like to go to school). Mallory on the other hand was not.

We stayed in our jammies (a perk on those cancelled days) and made our wish list of things we would like to accomplish during our day together. Miles decided after breakfast that he wanted to play with Playdough. Mallory joined him shortly after her "he always gets to do what he wants first" tantrum. (I am pleased to say that was the only tantrum of the day...now that is progress). Mallory amazed me with her amount of creativity by making me an ice cream cone and Miles made me some hot dogs. They had a lot of fun.

Miles had a haircut appointment that was moved up so we all bundled up to make it through the "warm" part of the day (a plain zero degrees) to make him look like a little man again.

After spending time with Daddy at lunch it was time for "happy nappy". Miles and I settled in for story time while Mallory spent her quiet time in the living room. I was so surprised when she screened a phone call and it was Ryan. I was very proud of her:)...my little girl is growing up.

Miles brought tears to my eyes. As we were laying there talking he said, "Mommy, I do not like it when you leave me at school. I don't like to say hello to my friends but I like to play at school." I told him that I get sad when I leave him too. He said, "I like being home with you because mothers keep you safe. I like being home. I love you so much." Now how can you not be brought to tears when a three year old says such big words? I realized through tears what a big responsibility I have...to keep my children safe and Miles already realizes it. He is absolutely amazing.

When I came out from Miles' room Mallory and I baked cookies with her Easy Bake Oven. I love buying the cookies that are already made for you for her because it simplifies the process a little bit and it makes her happy too. She told me that she was ready to be a big girl.

She was invited to her second sleepover in a week (she did not go to the first one because we had family come in from out of town unexpectantly and Mallory made the decision to visit with family instead of going to the party...what a big decision). She decided that she wanted to try to spend the night. Ryan and I decided that it was her choice (it is so hard for me to let go) when she was ready to pass this milestone in her life. We just wanted to make sure that when she did we were comfortable with the family she would be staying with (her life is too precious). Well our time was spent talking about what to take. She wanted to take her bear, Plumpy, because she wouldn't be getting a backrub and wanted to take the quilt I made for so she would be surrounded with my love. Another teary-eyed moment there...I think my children are working together today.

We finished making the cookies and she told me she wanted to take some to her friend's mom to say thank you for having her over. I was shocked because I never even mentioned doing that. She's got it...I am so proud of her. When Miles woke up we had a quick snack, loaded up the van, and headed to Mallory's big girl moment. She was so excited that she bounded up the stairway without us. Miles and I got our hugs and kisses and left.

On the way home Miles was very sad because he wanted more kisses and hugs from Mallory. I quickly changed the subject and began talking about what he wanted to do the rest of the evening. When we got home the two of us worked together to create a Thomas track in our living room and waited until Daddy brought us home our dinner (Miles wanted him to choose). The rest of the evening has been spent playing many games with Miles and wondering how Mallory is doing.

It is now 1:16 and the phone has not rung...I think my little girl is growing up (sniff...sniff...watery eyes)...

Snow Falling = A Day Off

This morning during my shower I found out that we had a two-hour delay. At that point Mallory was already up so we just continued about like it was a normal morning. Miles woke up on his own a little while later. Ryan went to work and I began the task of getting us all around. I really figured that the chances of school being canceled were not that great. I had everyone dressed, hair brushed, potty breaks taken care of, breakfasts eaten, and teeth brushed when I decided to check to see if school was on. Well it was closed. I was quite shocked because we were one of very few schools who delayed and then to cancel. Oh well I roll well with the punches:).

So we all wormed back into our comfy clothes and began to have fun. Miles dumped his GeoTrax in the middle of the living room and started going crazy building and Mallory was on the computer. Finally I suggested to Mallory that she should bake today. Boy was she every excited! She baked a chocolate cake, a yellow cake, and peanut butter cookies. The girl was on a roll! She looked so cute all dolled up. She could be the next Rachael Ray (oh wait, she doesn't bake)...maybe Emeril...yes, that's it!!!

While Mallory was baking the house was unusually quiet (except for the Jonas Brothers CD - I have to admit I don't mind that one). I went back to M & M's bedroom to find Miles. He had all of the stuffed animals surrounding him in the closet and was building a house. That boy sure does have a good imagination!

Later he was calling my name. I went back to find him on Mallory's bunk. He said (all proud like), "Mommy, I climbed all the way up there!" He was pointing to the side of the bunkbeds. After inquiring if he used the ladder he told me no. Sometimes I do not want to know all of the details. I told Ryan what he had done and Ryan said, "Well, at least he's a good climber." YIKES!!! In case you are wondering, I did have the conversation on how he could have broken a body part. I know that my little monkey is destined for a cast. I just hope my stomach will be strong when it happens (Yes, I am preparing for the worst here).
Right now the house is quiet because Mallory and Miles are watching the Tinkerbell movie. They both like it and it settles them down for a little while. I really do not think that Miles will be going down for a nap so this is a good alternative to keep his busy body from moving...for a little while.