Warm Weather and Spring Feaver

Time seems to be going by very slowly.  Mom and Dad asked me the other day what we had been up to, and I had nothing to say.  We've been just living in a routine, which has been nice, but a little boring.  The weather has been gorgeous outside, and the kids and I have been able to be outside everyday this week.  I think we're just ready to get a start on the spring work outside.  Josh suggested that we clean out the chicken coop this weekend.  I thought it was a great idea since it's been so warm that instead of being a nice frozen matt of manure, it's the stick to your boots, but never dry out kind.

Last week we did have a little bit of snow to take the kids sledding a few days.  They both really like it.  Lu Lu is at that really smiley age, so all she does is smile and giggle during sled rides.  It's really cute!  She can sit up on her own in the sled now...You can really tell she has to work those tummy muscles.  John likes this better than her leaning on him.  If we get any more snow I'm going to let him pull her around.  I was getting worn out the last day we went sledding...They just want to keep going and going.:)

Picking up Ice Chunks

Can we go sledding now?

Coming down the hill

Going back up the hill...Whee!

Josh has been getting into the Republican Presidential Nominee race.  He's been watching some of the debates online.  We really like how Ron Paul wants less federal government control and more control given to the local and state governments.  The kids think the debates are getting pretty boring.

Daddy, do we have to watch this?

Last weekend we did some cleaning out.  We're trying to get rid of things that we don't think we'll ever use or look at again.  We've been going through paper work, clothes, memory boxes, old magazines, decorations that have been in storage since John was born, freezer & food shelves, etc.  (The garbage man has really loved us lately;)...Josh did take a load to the dump on Saturday, so it wasn't too much this week.)  Josh took the time to go through his closet (Yay!).  He was thinking that he would have to get rid of all his dress pants, assuming that they were too small.  Well he's lost fat and gained muscle since last winter and most of them fit again.  We figured it was all that pop that we were buying (and of coarse drinking) last winter.

John and Daddy having an Indian Pow Wow with Josh's sweatband that he found in his memory box.

We've been trying to eat more healthy lately.  We've been using up more of the veggies in the freezer and I've been replacing more white flour with whole wheat when I bake.  We've been having baked potatoes almost every night for supper lately.  Josh and I had both been sick of potatoes when we first got married (since they had been served at every meal when we were growing up).  I now see why.  I have to bake way less bread since we all get filled up on potatoes.  I like that.  John sometimes likes the potatoes, sometimes doesn't.  His favorite are the blue ones...I'm not sure if it's the color or if he thinks they taste better.  I made potato soup the other night and was surprised to find that both John and Lu liked it, so we had it the next day for lunch.

We started what we hope to make a weekly tradition on Sunday.  We went to the nursing home here in town to visit with the residents for about an hour.  It didn't take the kids long to warm up.  They liked all the attention they were getting.:)  Josh and I both enjoyed it too.

Before supper on Sunday, we took the kids out to the little pond in the far pasture to go ice skating.  I thought Lu would be scared and want to be held the whole time, so I didn't bring my skates.  To my surprise she loved it.  She sat on a folding chair while me or Josh pushed her around.  She liked it better when Daddy did it, since he had his skates and went way faster.  John spent most of his time kicking a little golf ball and chasing it around on the ice.  It was a lot of fun.  We're hoping it'll get just a little colder so we can go out there again.  John has been asking to go "Whee on the Ice" everyday this week.

Getting ready to skate on the pond

Johnny riding on the chair

Go faster Daddy

Lu Lu riding on the chair.  Whee!

Johnny:  I want another turn!

Johnny:  Wait.  I wanted to go next!

This is what Johnny looks like when we tell him to do something he doesn't want to do, like pick up his toys.

On Tuesday, we went to visit Jake at his hotel (he's in Bismarck for work training).  If you asked John what we did with Uncle Jake he'd tell you "Pizza" & "Whee Water".  We took John and Lu swimming in the pool.  Lu Lu didn't like it one bit.  She thought the water was way to cold.  After trying to get her to think it was fun, I sat with her over by the hot tub with my feet warming up.  Just the steam made her nice and toasty.  John, on the other hand, thought the pool was so much fun that (like any other kid) he didn't want to get out even though he was visible shaking, shivering, and starting to turn a little blue.  Josh and Jake had fun swimming him around and catching him when he jumped into the water.

This week has been so warm that there isn't any so left, only a few patches of ice that turn into water in the afternoon.  John loves playing in the water puddles, which shortens our outing excursions since he gets wet and cold and needs to go in to warm up.  Lu Lu loves crawling around on the porch and playing with the kitties and Cedar.  She can say both "Kitty" and "Cedar" now.  They both have enjoyed playing in the sand box too.

We took a walk to Gambles yesterday.  I had to pick up something for the Church.  Johnny wanted to ride on the stroller on the way there.  He rides on the step of it.  It works pretty well.  He's way better at hanging on then he was last summer.  But he makes the stroller a lot heavier to push.  After walking around at Gambles, he didn't want to ride back on the stroller.  I was surprised how well he walked with me.  It took us twice as long to walk back home, (maybe because it's more up hill ;).  But he didn't even ask to ride on the way back.  He did of course have to walk through every puddle and on every ice chunk that we passed.  He slipped and fell once, completely soaking the front of his pants and coat, but he just got up and kept going (walking on the slippery water covered ice again;).

John's pretty funny.  He says so much now.  We can carry on conversations now about more abstract things than what he's doing at the present morning.  Josh was sitting down with John last night and told him how he's going to miss him when he gets big.  John stood up on his tippy toes and said "Big".  He thinks he's such a big boy.:)

Lu Lu is getting closer to walking every day.  She thinks she's such a big girl when she walks on her knees.  Every time she gets to a doorway, chair, or anything she can lean on, she stands up and walks along it holding on with one hand.  She's practicing all the time.  She wants to be like John so much that I don't think it'll take long before she's got the balance to do it on her own.  She's been talking a lot more too.  When I take the time to listen to her babbles I can tell that she's imitating a lot of the things that John says.  The other morning when they were playing together, they were lifting up each other's shirts and tickling the other's tummy.  John was saying "tickle tickle tickle" and they were both giggling like crazy.  Later that day at lunch time, Lu Lu looked at me, lifted her shirt and said "tickle tickle tickle".  It was so cute!

John and Lu wrestle on the floor constantly.  It is so fun to watch them roll around together and laugh.  I'm glad they're so close together in age.  They have so much fun!