Kareen

My sister-in-law Tysen's brother Kris and his wife Kecia (got that connection?) are adopting a little girl from Ukraine.  International adoptions sure do cost a lot (like an arm and a leg), so any help you could give would be swell.  Really, really swell.  Go here for more information.

Ice Castles

We went to Midway this evening to see ice castles.  Each year, a guy named Brent Christensen creates these wonderful, large ice sculptures.  We have been told that they are really cool and should be seen at night, when they are lit from within.

We drove up with Christopher and Tysen and their crew, stopping in Heber for dinner at the Dairy Keen.  I think we arrived on the busiest day of their year.  There was a fund raiser going on for a local elementary school, and the place was packed.  It was loud and crazy and Kent was worried we were going to loose the children.

When we got out of the car to go see the castles, the thermometer in the car registered 12 degrees.  Though we were bundled up and the castles were, indeed, very cool, it was so cool we didn't last long outside.  All the children were complaining that their hands were cold.  Mine were too.  It was a fun outing, even if it was freezing.

 I was able to get a picture with Brandt looking at the camera, and I was able to get a picture with Blythe looking at the camera, but I could not get a picture of both children looking at the same time.

A Week Away--in Vegas

We were away all last week, in Las Vegas, for World of Concrete.  It is a big trade show, and Kent goes every year.  I was not planning on going or taking the children, but on Friday night before he was to leave, Kent suggested we come down for a couple of days.  To go to all the trouble to pack up the children and all their gear, I suggested that if we accompany him we should stay the whole week.  So we did.

It was so nice to get away.  Las Vegas is not my favorite place in the world, but the weather was terrific, the hotel we stayed at had an indoor pool as well as an outdoor hot tub so we swam every day, and I took the children to do some fun things around town while Kent worked.

The first night we got there (Monday), Kent suggested we take our Buccaneer Brandt to see the pirate show at Treasure Island.  I say "pirate show" loosely.  The show is called "The Sirens of TI" and features a number of scantily clad girl pirates mouthing off and shaking their booty at boy pirates.  The boy pirate ship sinks and the whole group end up together on the girl pirate ship singing and shaking together.  I spent most of the show saying to Brandt, "Don't look at the girl pirates.  Look over here at the boy pirates."  I hope we were standing far enough away that the bumping and grinding was not so obvious to our sweet and innocent boy.

In this picture, Brandt is looking at the girl pirates, but we were closer to the boy pirate ship, so I think he watched them more.  

I hope. 

Blythe was not really interested in the show.  

She was so tired, she fell asleep in my arms as we waited at valet parking for our car.  

Poor thing.

Mandalay Bay has a wonderful aquarium, The Shark Reef.  We spent Tuesday morning there watching the fish.  I had a very hard time keeping track of the children; they just kept running off.  They did this everywhere we went.  I was in a panic I was going to lose them.  They loved watching the fish.  There is a touch pool that houses horseshoe crabs and small rays, and Brandt eventually worked up enough courage to touch them.

There is a large room at the Shark Reef that simulates a sunken ship.  As an observer, you get the sense you are underwater with large fish (shark, barracuda, saw nosed shark) and sea turtles swimming all around you.  It's really quite cool.  In the middle of the room is a pile of crates meant as decor and a place to sit.  Blythe saw those crates as a stage and entertained all our fellow fish watchers with her lovely singing.  Repeatedly.  I could not keep her off them, nor could I convince her not to sing.

Frustrating shot.  

The camera was so slow in the dark and the children would not sit still.  

So Brandt's eyes are closed.  

Oh well.

 Brandt is working up his courage to actually touch a crab.  

And those are crabs mating right there in the pool.  

  

On the stage, preparing to break into song.

On Wednesday morning we went to the Mirage to see the dolphins and big cats.  It was a gloriously beautiful day, so nice to be outside in the sunshine and warm.  The dolphin pools have very low sides so it seems as if you could reach out and touch the dolphins as they swim by.  Blythe wanted to touch them and couldn't understand why she couldn't.  She would have been happy to get in and swim with them.  We did watch trainers working with them and Brandt wanted to feed them some fish.  

The big cats were pretty lazy.  Most of them were sleeping.  But we did get to see two new baby lions recently acquired by the casino.  They are seven months old and nearly 100 pounds, but still cute and baby mammal like.  Blythe asked, "Where is their mom?"  

In addition to seeing the dolphins and big cats, we rode a tram between The Mirage and Treasure Island.  It was a very short ride, about a minute one way.  Brandt thought it was great.  He rode at the front and acted as the engineer, then as the conductor when we stopped, encouraging "folks" to take a seat and hold on.  We rode the tram four times before we went to the see the animals, and we rode it again another five times after seeing them.  Brandt really, really thought it was great.

Wednesday afternoon we met Kent at the trade show and went to see the big equipment.  There was really big equipment.  Brandt was in heaven, racing from excavator to paver to skid steer.  Blythe was not to be outdone, and she climbed into and onto everything Brandt did.  

 

In an excavator

 

In a skid steer

At the top of a paver.

We spent Thursday morning and early afternoon with my friend Lesli Streets.  I know Lesli from study abroad (London '89).  Every time I go to Las Vegas, I make sure to see her because it is always the highlight of my trip.  It was wonderful to visit with her.  We got lunch and walked with the children to a nearby park where they played and we talked.  She took this great picture of us which I have pilfered from her blog.

Being able to swim each day was a treat.  It felt good to move around and it felt good to be in the water.  Brandt and Blythe both loved the "outdoor pool," which was the hot tub.  Having to sleep in the hotel room all together was not a treat.  Children make terrible, and I mean TERRIBLE bedfellows.  Blythe kicked me all night the first two nights.  I do not understand how one small person can take up a whole bed.  And then she developed a cough and kicked and coughed the next two nights.  

As Brandt and Blythe were both very good travelers (in the car), and very good tourists (as we ran around), I think we may do this again, sooner rather than later.

A Girl

Blythe is a girl.  A girl who likes girl-y things, like baby dolls and jewelry.  And makeup.  Every time I am "putting on my face," she'll come into the bathroom and say, "Mom, I want to watch you."  She'll climb on the counter and watch intently as I apply foundation, powder, blush, eye shadow, liner, and mascara.  She'll get each cosmetic out of the bag and replace it when finished, and she'll always ask for some on her face too.  She gets to use powder and blush, both applied with a "tickler."

Apparently, powder and blush have proven insufficient for my girl.  She wanted more, and the other day, she got it.  Without me knowing, she found the makeup bag and attempted to apply mascara.  She did pretty well, at least getting the mascara in the general vicinity of her eyes.  We could only laugh and take a picture.

As a tomboy who does as little as possible with herself, I'm not sure I'm equipped to parent a true girl-y girl.  To her credit (in my opinion), Blythe does not like me to put frilly, foofy things in her hair, so thus far I have escaped the bane of having to do much with her hair.  In fact, this same picture sort of shows off her new bob.  I must also say, I find our Blythe beautiful, whatever she has done--or not done--with herself.

L is for Lemonade

Lemons start with L.

So does lemonade.

For another L week activity, we made lemonade.

First we washed our lemons.

Then we squeezed them using our vintage juicer

(bought at a garage sale in Albany).

More squeezing and some licking.

More squeezing.

It took a lot of squeezing.

After adding some water and sugar,

we stirred and tasted.

Then we drank it, although we did manage to save some for Kent.

It was a refreshing taste of summer in the middle of winter.

And it kept the children entertained for about seven and a half minutes.

More Cold Winter Fun

In an effort to burn off more of that pent up energy in some way other than making messes in the house, Tysen and I took our children over to the church to run around the gym (literally).  We brought bikes and scooter, balls and bubbles, rockets and a parachute, and even musical instruments, as well as a picnic lunch.  Then we turned the children loose and let them run wild with only minimal supervision and interference.  Grandma Dawn and Baby McKenna, also needing to get out of the house, joined us too.

 

Zooming on various modes of transportation.

 

Rocket launching

More launching and some scooting.

 

Blythe scooting and having a pout because I wouldn't let her have a cookie before lunch.

 

Playing with the parachute.

We launched small stuffed animals off it too.

Way fun!

 

Blythe blowing bubbles and singing to sweet Lyla. 

Brandt and The Dudes throwing paper plates off the stage.

They were too flimsy to go very far (the plates, not the boys).

Grandma Dawn zooming Blythe around the gym in the stroller.

Singing and playing the maracas, sticks, and large yellow bouncy ball.

Another indoor picnic.  That makes two within a week.

Aren't we lucky.