He shoots.....He scores!

Corban is playing in the Upward Basketball league again this year. Today was their first game and we could see such an improvement from last year when so many of the boys were still learning the difference between offense and defense. We were excited that Corban scored in their first game (picture on bottom)! You might notice the colored armband that Corban and his defender are wearing. Each boy on a team wears a different color armband that matches a kid on the opposing team. This makes it easier for them to find the boy they are supposed to defend. Sorry the pictures are kind of dark, but our church gym doesn't have great lighting, and our camera is being fussy.

Bed Bugs

The kids piled in my bed this morning as I was on the treadmill. They were too cute to pass up. Corban told me he couldn't give a real smile or else his lips would crack! That kid needs some kind of miracle lip balm in the winter.

Spelling Bee

We took a little break from school today so that Corban could participate in COVA's Jr. Spelling Bee. It was held at a museum in Loveland, about 40 minutes from home. The Jr. Bee, followed by the Regular Bee, were scheduled to take 2 hours, starting at 10:00, but we were completely done at 10:30! There were about 10 kids in the Jr. Bee where Corban took 3rd place (just like last year) behind twin girls. We stayed and watched a quick 2 person Regular Bee competition that lasted probably 3 minutes. Since it was all over so quickly, the COVA teachers did another competition just for fun with any of the kids that wanted. Corban had fun with that, trying to spell words that were meant for middle and high school kids. The girls cheered Corban on as they waited patiently for the refreshments that followed (their favorite part, of course)! After all the spelling fun, we called Rho to meet up for lunch in Fort Collins. He suggested that we come to Cerience first and finally see where he works. We made our way there and got the "grand" tour of their fine facility. heehee I especially liked the "kitchen," comprised of a little microwave stuck on a table next to a row of 4 or 5 computer monitors. The kids each got .50 cents from their Dad when they arrived and used it at the end of the tour to get a treat out of a very ancient vending machine. They loved that and saved their special treat for after lunch. We went and ate at Noodles, a family favorite. Karis was treated to a lap full of cold water when the waiter accidentally knocked her cup over! He was very apologetic and asked if the kids could have a free rice krispie treat, "the least I could do," as he put it. I told him I could not be assuaged by a simple cereal and marshmallow goodie and that I wanted free meals out of this disaster. (Just joking, of course.) I turned down the offer, thinking of the sugary treats already waiting for them in the van. So, it was a special treat to meet Rho for lunch today and I think everyone enjoyed the break from the normal routine.

Kaela WHO?

Last night I read Kaela a book called "Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge ." At the end of the story I made a comment about how big of a name the little boy in the book had. I asked Kaela what all of her name was and she said, "Kaela Billy Bob Joe Toe." heehee (Thanks Taylor!)

By the way, tomorrow's high is supposed to be 12 degrees. I think I'm going to run away.

Stackmania

The competition is getting tight for the Cup Stacking House Champ position. Since last Sunday, Rho has held the title with a time of 16.15 seconds. Though I had not stacked for several days, I went for it last night, beating my record time of 17.28 seconds with a new personal best of 17.07. I was very pleased, but not satisfied. Feeling like it was "my time, " I focused harder than ever, stacked my heart out, and found that I had bested myself with a time of 16.56! I was thrilled and began to believe that I could possibly earn the coveted House Champ title. Stilling my nerves, I stacked once more and, believe you me that I am NOT making this up......I BEAT RHO! The timer announced my win with a beautiful, almost unbelievable, 16.00 seconds!!!! I WAS CHAMP! (Hum theme to "Rocky" here). YEA ME! Quite unfortunately, my time held for less than 12 hours as Rho rocked the cup stack this morning with a 15.80 and then a 15.37 seconds.

Weekend Update

I'm happy to report that we are finally fever-free in our home! We had a 10 day streak of fevers, but now all the kids appear to be doing well. Looks like we'll be able to get back to our normal routine, which will be very welcome.

The weekend was pretty uneventful, but I'll share anyway. Rho got in a long ride on Saturday morning while the rest of us putzed around at home. When he returned, Corban, Andrew (C's friend), and I drove down the road to the grand opening of the new Erie Library. It's really nice and within walking distance, when the weather permits. The library is right next door to the Erie Rec Center, which opened just the weekend before. We decided to go check that out as well. It's got all a rec center should have and seemed very crowded. It made me happy for my treadmill at home where I can exercise in relative peace. I plan to get the kids enrolled in swimming lessons at the rec center soon. It will be nice to pay "resident" fees for a change and not have to drive very far to get there!

Rho and Corban went to church Sunday morning while the girls and I stayed home. In the afternoon, I made a trip to Costco and Home Depot for a new toilet seat. Rho installed the new toilet seat THAT SAME DAY! You know my life is dull when I tell about a new toilet seat, but here goes. It's a kinda neat seat because it's lid won't slam down. The user just gets the lid started with a gentle push and then it closes itself, without a sound! WOW!! Now I know you all can't wait until your next visit here when YOU can try out this super cool pooper stool!

Sick Sisters

After a 15-hour sleep fest, Corban woke on Wednesday morning this week feeling much better. He even went to his first Upward basketball practice that evening. Karis and Kaela, however, woke up on Thursday morning with fevers. Their appetites aren't good, but really have no other symptoms. They've both taken long naps yesterday and today. I hope they'll wake feeling much better tomorrow so we can all have a good weekend. We're starting to feel a little stir crazy.

Rho and I watched a fun movie last night called "Ocean's Thirteen." We had enjoyed "Ocean's Eleven" and "Ocean's Twelve" in the past and found this to be a good one too. Then, tonight, we all watched "Shrek the Third" and found it to be pretty funny. Rho originally didn't want to see it because he'd heard it had a bunch of crude humor in it, but it was fine and we all enjoyed it. The kids all think bottom humor is just the funniest and they got some good laughs over stuff like that.

It's been rather dull around here lately with all the sickness. Tomorrow, though, if everyone's able, we're going to check out the new Erie Library! Ooooooh. Try to contain your jealousy.

Sick Kid

We were back on track with school yesterday but had to take a day off already today! Unfortunately, Corban is still sick with a fever, a bit of a sore throat and a drippy nose. I took him to the doctor today and was told that it's just a virus. They tested for strep throat, which came back negative. Corban laid around all day and fell asleep on the couch before dinner. He stayed asleep there until Rho carried him up to bed at 9:00. The girls are fine, thankfully, and kept busy most of the day. I was able to get some cleaning and organizing done around here. I think we've finally corralled all those teeny tiny Polly Pockets!

On a lighter note, I achieved my personal best in Cup Stacking today. 17.04 seconds. Woo-hoo! Take that Mr. "House Champ." I'm hot on your heels! Kaela is trying to stack as well and is so cute with it. She makes 5 3-cup pyramids, rather slowly, of course, then downstacks as fast as she can, mimicking Rho and I. Rho is currently stacking in the dark (the cups are glow-in-the-dark) and I hear cups crashing all over the place.

Happy Birthday to Rho!!

We celebrated Rho's 37th birthday today! The weather allowed for Rho to start the day off with a 50 mile bike ride, his first significant ride in weeks. He returned home for lunch and then watched the kids this afternoon while I did some shopping. I cooked dinner when I got home and afterwards, we got the party started! Yeah, right. We showered Rho with cards and gifts ("fuzzy" CROCS, as Kaela calls them, and a bouldering chalk bag). Then we ate carrot cake, his requested birthday dessert. Yummy. Karis asked Rho, "Are you 100 yet, Dad?" She might have been serious, but we're not sure.

Bible Bowl Bummer

After waiting patiently for several days, the kids finally got to "finish Christmas" last night with the opening of gifts from Nan and Pappaw (my parents). The dollhouse that we ordered finally arrived (which is what we've been waiting for) and Karis and Kaela really like it. Corban is especially enjoying his Guinness book of World Records, periodically announcing something amazing or disgusting. Who in their right mind would think, "putting rattlesnakes in my mouth would be neat!" But it's true...there's a picture of it! ICK!

Today was the day that Corban was supposed to go to Garden City, Kansas with his Bible Bowl team for a Round Robin. Unfortunately, he got sick late yesterday afternoon with a fever and sore throat. He was praying for a super fast recovery, but he still had a fever and other symptoms this morning, so he had to stay behind. He has shed tears over it a couple of times, but there was no other choice. Poor kid. He loves competing in these Round Robins. Luckily, there are two more competitions after this one, with one being in Garden City again. So, he'll get another chance to travel in the church vans and be away from home with friends. As for this weekend though, it looks like Corban and Rho are going to be saving Narnia on PS2.

Happy 2008!

Happy New Year! It's a great time to try something new, so I'm taking a shot at blogging. I've enjoyed keeping up with Sharla's (my sister-in-law) blog for a long time now and thought my family might enjoy reading about what's going on here with us. But if you don't, keep it to yourself. :)

It was a cold start to the new year here in Erie, with temperatures just above freezing. It's been this way for days, weeks maybe, and I don't like it. My last check of the weather this evening showed a temperature of 3 degrees. Brrrr.

After a late night out with friends for New Year's Eve, we all slept late and enjoyed a relaxed morning. After lunch, we went our separate ways with Rho dropping Corban and Karis off at the Wilcox's to play with their friends and then going on to hunt for a climbing place with his friend Jeremy. I kept Kaela with me, thinking that she should have a nap this afternoon, but we shopped instead. I got my shopping "high" today when I found a William Wegman Puppies calendar at half price. Yea! Last year's Mary Englebreit calendar was an unwelcome break in my collection of WW calendars and I'm happy to get the new year started out right! Kaela, taking advantage of her mommy as a captive audience, talked non-stop all afternoon. Three year-olds can be hard to conversate with for as long as I did, but it finally paid off just as we were nearing home. She said, "Mommy, When do God and Jesus come down to here?" I told her that Jesus has been here once and we have to wait for him to come again. She continued by telling me that "God loves us so much and wants to come down and give us a giant hug." That's a nice thought to take into the new year.