IPSSSDR

 

 

 

What an envigorating morning we have had. We drove up to South Pass (check out the web cam-that place is wintry) this morning to watch the beginning of the second stage in the International Pedigree Stage Stop Sled Dog Race (IPSSSDR). Inspiring it was. So much excitement, beginning with Charlotte the entire 30 minute ride there asking all about it and mostly "are we there yet??". Really she talked the entire way. She also looked at one of our favorite books on the way there: Togo. The book is based on a true story from 1925 and is about the famous sled dog Togo who led his team 300 miles across Alasksa in January to bring much needed Diptheria serum to the town of Nome. She was sure we were going to see him at race and insisted that we were goint to his house. She even got Timothy mumbling about it.
As we neared the start line for the race the wind picked up and the snow was blowing across the road. Reid and I were getting nervous that we would drive all this way and not even be able to get out of the car. We were skeptical and even Timothy was saying brrr, brrr.
We arrived and luckily found a very close parking space, we bundled up, stepped out of the van, and were greeted by a chorus of barking dogs. It was windy and snowy, but everybody was happy and excited. Charlotte eyes were darting back and forth between the teams looking for Togo.

-We watched people running here and there with the dogs.
-We watched the mushers hop on the back of the sleds.
-We watched the dogs getting harnessed up and led up to the start line.
-We watched our friends Sandy and Jerry take off with their dogs.
-And we visited with the dogs that were staying behind for the day.

As cold as it was, 45 minutes was about all we could take of the cold blowing snow. We thought we were heading off a kiddo melt down by leaving before anybody got too cold. But as soon as I made tracks towards the van, Charlotte began crying. She wanted to stay, she wanted to go with them, and she wanted to see Togo. She was definitley not satisfied by our brief visit and was not convinced that we really saw Togo. Truth be told, I wish this event were more than once a year, I would have liked to have stayed longer, I wanted to go with them, and I wanted to meet Togo too. Maybe Charlotte and I will sneak back there this afternoon to wacth them cross the finish line for this stage of the race.

blogspired

I admit I have not been very blogspired lately. Here is why:
-dealing off and on-mostly on with sick kids.
-dealing with the stomach flu myself for the 2nd time in 3 months (finally better today), but now I have pinkeye for the 2nd time in 1 month!!!
-dealing with a spacebar on my keyboard that barely works.
-dealing with 2 jobs.
-and then-
-loving my family time
-loving my alone time
-loving dreaming of house projects, wall colors, organization, etc...
-loving being more distant from my computer

so hang in there everyone, I will be blogging, I am just looking for some more good inspiration , oh I mean blogspiration.

Mr. Timothy

 

Still a goof. He loves to do whatever his sister is doing, and loves to antagonize her at the same time. His is saying more and more all the time. He is still on one syllable words, and he can just about make any word you say one syllable. He tries to say everything you do, studies your lips, repeats, and will ask you to say the word over and over while he keeps trying to master it.
Some of his favorite words lately are: trash-he will find a piece on the floor-easy to do around here-and take it to the trashcan. I love the eagerness!
deer-while looking out the back window for them.
bus-we see lots of school buses on the mornings that they go to daycare
truck-any large vehicle is pretty darn exciting
plane-he has a serious ear for them flying over
wa-that would be Ava
hhhaathat would be Charlotte
ju-juice, hi, bye, nigh-nigh
the list goes on and on....
He was also having some difficulty with hitting-well we were all having difficulty with it-kids fighting, parents dealing-it was hard. He was really taking pleasure in hitting his sister in the head, banging his cart into cabinets and people, and well just hitting and banging everything he could. After a few weeks of time-outs for uneccessary roughness, the aggression has lessened much to everyone's pleasure.
Lately he is extra cuddly, and I am soaking up all I can.

Miss Charlotte

 

 

Charlotte sure is full of spunk lately. She is just talk, talk, talk. She will talk your ear off at the dinner table or anytime she has your undivided attention. She still loves playing the little mama to all her babies, animals, friends and parents-really anyone who will sit still for a minute and induldge.
Oh boy and this girl loves pink. I tried hard to push any color but pink for the first years of her life, like purple-what is so bad about purple??? Nope, all she wants is pink (don't get me wrong-I like pink-just not everyday head to toe). I am swallowing my own opinions and preferences and letting her choose her own clothing each day, as long as it is weather appropriate. Now I think I am left to find the cutest pink things I can and hope that it doesn't last too long.
Today she had her first ballet class. From the moment she woke up she asked every 20 minutes "is it time to go to my dance performance now?" She loved every minute of it!

enjoying

Here are some of my favorite things that I haven’t had time to write a post on lately-so I am grouping them into one big post and I hope you will enjoy them as well.
Making new socks anti-skid by applying puff-paint. We have plenty of hardwood and linoleum floors that are super slippery, and poor Tim-O is still getting the hang of running around in socks.
Charlotte’s new people that she loves to draw. A big face with eyes, mouth, nose legs, arms and hair-precious.
Making my children’s clothes-here are some pants I made yesterday, sock monkey’s for Tim-O and cashmere pants from an old sweater for Charlotte.
Handmade Christmas presents-teepee, toolbelt, and felt flowers (sewed onto the vest I knit Charlotte). Flowers pictured here, the rest pictured on the Christmas post.
Kids playing together happily.
And last, but certainly not least-really cute baby bums!!