I love rubber gloves.

We had a blast with the rest of our vacation, and a hard time getting back into "school schedule" afterward.  Yet another reason I am seriously considering the home-school route.  It stinks having to work your life around school functions, and I am looking at the beginning of doing it for what, like, at least 18 more years?  Of course we would still try and participate in sports, music, etc.  Still trying to come up with a finalized plan, but I do keep mentioning to Caleb how cool it would be to have school at home with me as the teacher.  We'll see.

Exciting moment of the week was Ella coming out of my room buck naked and really frazzled about something.  Turns out she was hopping around after using the toilet, and her new Christmas hair barrette flew off and landed straight in the un-flushed toilet.  Nice.  I pulled out the trusty long rubber gloves and fished it out for her, but can I just say EW.  Made me think that I am blessed because so far (knock on wood) I have never had to examine kid poo for days to find some nasty swallowed thing, like a coin or an earring.  Double EW.

The kids have been sledding up a storm and loving the snow.

 

 

 Our poor snowman was the victim of some vicious nerdy teens who toppled it over (witnessed by the neighbor); Caleb and I decided the wind knocked it over, or maybe Pixie (the Pug next door who is like 8 inches tall- hee hee).  I didn't want him getting mad or upset because some mean kids did it. 
The kids seem to have no problem playing outside this year even when it is uber-cold outside - like most of you, we've been having a really cold snap around here.  When we wake up it's in the range of -15; when we left for the grocery store Friday morning at 9:30 it was -6; by noon when we picked up Caleb it was a balmy 0*.  Brrrrrr.

Anyway we all had fun driving to Aspen this morning to look at the house Kip's building; it is huge and wonderful, but too modern I think.  Kind of ugly in the middle of the beautiful mountains. But, hey, it's their money!  The kids got to ride in the giant loader with dad and play in snow piles while Rachel and I played in the warm barn (for their toys, not their animals!).  Now it's our turn to clean the church, so off we go.