Guess what's going on at our house this week!

A dollar to the first person who can guess what fun there is to be had over here!

Because it's not a real party until somebody ends up in the hospital. . .

Miles and I got to have a nice little vacation at the 5 star (if hospitals had a star-based rating, theirs would be 5 ) Greenwich Hospital for the last couple of days. He's been sick (as have all of us) for a while and when he got some nasty stomach bug from church, (don't get me started on sick people showing up at church. I might start swearing again.) his system just couldn't handle it. He went in acting like an old gym sock (lifeless and smelly) and woke up the next morning like a road-side diner (loud and busy and smelly). He felt good enough yesterday that they finally unhooked him from the i.v. and he immediately decided to take a walk. First, I should say that Greenwich, being Greenwich, has a fantastic security system and they attach little lo-jack systems to each kid's ankle so nobody can borrow your kid. Miles's little walk took him too close to the door to the ped's unit and tripped the alarm. As soon as the fog-horn alarm went off, he came running back to me, but it was too late. Every elevator in the hospital shut down (some with people still in them) and security people came running. Phones were ringing everywhere and people were saying things into walky-talkies like, "Yes, we have visual confirmation. Yes yes, the baby is right here. Yes, his mother has him." It was all very exciting. As we left the hospital, the valet went to get our car and the security guard asked my baby's name. When I told him, he said, "Oh, so HE'S the one who set off my system this morning!" Sorry. He's better now, although he's still sick. At least now he can be sick in the comfort of his own home.
That's the i.v. tube sticking out of him.

This is obviously right before we went home because he's feeling well enough to be naughty.

The Joys of Winter

My neices in Arizona have been complaining to their mother about what a pain it is to wear a sweater in the morning and then have to carry it home because it's too warm in the afternoon. Here's what we do to get Miles ready to go outside. I'll spare you the getting-on-the-boots-and snow bib pictures because there's a little too much pushing and shoving involved in that. Not to mention the long-johns.









Now, picture what happens when we go into the grocery store, library, or anywhere else. All 3 kids have to peel off all the outer layers and dump them in the shopping cart, then we get to do it again before going out!

Snow Day!!!

We finally had a snow day! Valentine's day was horrible and freezing and scary on the roads, so the school closed and Jake stayed home too. I took everyone out back for a while (Jake's sick so he stayed in the house)



and Miley threw a fit when it was time to come in.

He had the most fun. Tate and I went out again that afternoon with all the neighborhood "big kids" and walked to a very steep part of the neighborhood. We raced on sleds and tried trains and had all sorts of fun until we couldn't feel our behinds at all.

Then we came in and had hot chocolate and everyone made valentines for their mothers.

Ice skating

The only ice skating I've ever done was on "fake ice" at the skating rink in Scottsdale, so it was a little alarming to me when we drove past hockey players and ice fishermen on the river! After 6 straight days of not getting above freezing and 6 straight days of Tate begging, I finally gave in and we all went for a slide. I still can't get the pictures off the good camera, but here's the few we took with the little one.

Question of the day #2

"How fast can a yak run?"
-Tate (in the car on the way to Stew Leonard's)

Will it never end?

I know, I need more pictures but I've been having problems getting them from the camera onto the computer. Miles's pneumonia is gone, so is Lucy's. Tate went into the Docotor today and apparently, it's his turn. So, when I've finished with the tissues and the antibiotics and the tylenol and the breathing treatments and the clear liquids, not to mention the everyday diapers and other lovely chores, when I'm done with all that, I'll get the pictures on here. For now, here is one from 2 weeks ago. The little stinker's playing with my pottery.

Question of the day #1

From time to time, we get interesting questions from our children. Some of them are worth preserving for posterity.
"Dad, do Ninjas live in Mexico?"
-Tate (over a nice quiet dinner table)

School Pictures!

Tate brought home that familiar giant envelope from the school photography studio, and I couldn't believe how nervous and excited I was to see how his first school picture turned out. I think he did a great job.

Baby, it's cold outside!

It may not look all that cold in these pictures, but we were only out there about 1/2 hour before we were all freezin' our bunnies off and had to come in. (I think it was 19 degrees.) Half the neighborhood teenagers came in with us and we all had hot chocolate and sang Weird Al songs. It was a fun Saturday evening!