power to the people

last night, as we were sitting down to sup, 

summer declared, "no more dinner, just candy."

ah yes, the first order of business when preschoolers take over the world.

and second on this list? why, burn all the hairbrushes, of course.

temperature drop

so last friday the girls and i were playing at the park, in the sunshine, without jackets. 

and this morning, we woke up to this: 

it appears that punxsutawney phil has been spreading lies.

note to self:  should summer ask for hot cocoa, should she beg or plead or scream and cry and promise to drink it all gone, should she bat her big brown eyes and say pretty please with marshmallows on top, don't, DO NOT give in to her. because she never, EVER will. she'll take one sip and say she doesn't want it and demand cold milk instead. you'll get upset, dump it down the drain, and lecture her about asking for things she doesn't really like.  it never ends well.

chopped

afton's hair was coming in a bit unevenly (read: she had a mullet), so we decided to give her a little trim. of course, all my "little trims" turn out to be full-blown chopped locks, but whatevs. short hair will never be discriminated against in this family.

before and after:

Snow Cave Camping

Paradise (Mt. Rainier)

On Friday, the scout troops from the Big Rock and Duvall Wards joined forces to test our mettle on the slopes of Mt. Rainier. By 11AM, we had claimed a small valley as our own and were working furiously on our snow caves in groups of two and three. Sadly, at around 4PM, a few scouts threw in the towel and headed home rather than continue in their battle against hunger, fatigue, and cold.  Those who remained would end up digging with varied gumption for around six hours, and by nightfall, the caves ranged from humble to palatial. Then we settled in. It's the one campout each year that every scout is exhausted and in bed by 7PM.

The valley we camped in. Rainier is behind us in this photo.  

Bear in mind that Paradise has a 140 inch snow base this time of year. 

A view inside some of the caves.You'll notice that Mike and I can sit up straight. In fact, we could even stand up straight in the middle walkway between our two separate tunnels (no small feat given that I'm 6'3" with the snow boots on).  This luxury came with a price, however. By my estimates, we shoveled several thousand pounds of snow. The scouts, on the other hand, tended to trade comfort for expediency. Most of their caves required a belly crawl on the way in and crawling on hands and knees once inside. Overnight, temperatures dropped into the mid teens. The interior temperatures of the caves, however, hovered around 35 degrees.

In the morning, we were greeted by western Washington's sunniest day of 2011.  

flashdance

more amour

i know what you're thinking:

really? can she really have another post about valentine's day?  well folks, as it so happens, i can (and shame on you for doubting).

but i promise, it'll be my last one.

probably.

maybe.

anyhoo, after our wild and crazy party this morning, the girls and i packed up a heart-filled picnic lunch for bryan and brought it to him at work. summer loves picnics, i love hearts, and bryan and afton just love food. everybody wins.

confection affection

bryan's valentine:

love is free

frosting and sprinkles cost extra.

(ps - i wish i could apologize for the barrage of pics 

that follow,  but all the pinks and reds and candies 

just make me so happy that i can't help myself).

not pictured:  

the no-hands red licorice chew, mending broken hearts, our valentine

exchange, and the ever popular love song freeze dance game

eat your heart out

"uh, yes, may i get those with a side order of candy, please?"

valentine's is for lovers

bryan and emily, circa 2006

where the heart is

this is how i spend time when my internet

shopping privileges have been revoked:

now playing

in a recent effort to shower my eldest with love and affection, i took summer on a special mommy/daughter date to see her first movie.  here we are, the happy couple:

but let's back up a few minutes. here we see summer on her way to be showered with said love and affection:

thrilled, no?

actually, it turns out that summer didn't care too much for the opportunity to spend "special" time all alone with her mom. she viewed me as an evil overlord who was trying to separate her from her much beloved sister. no, seriously. when i first mentioned the movie to summer, her response was "and afton can come, too," which i sort of brushed off at the time. but after we dropped her sister off at a friend's house, summer expressed her concerns again (see above). 

eventually, she calmed down, not with the promise of a movie and candy, but with seeing her sister and friends again soon. we bought our tickets, bought some red vines, and settled in (two of but three people in the theater) to enjoy a fantastic film.

and at the end of our afternoon together, instead of the "why thank you so much, mom, you're the best ever" that i was fully expecting from my little dear, she showed her heartfelt appreciation by throwing yet another tantrum as we were getting in the car.  this time, i can't tell you exactly what the fit was even about. ah, threes: i am totally looking forward to spending the rest of the year with you.

so in the end, not my best first date, but hey, definitely not my worst either.

who knows, i may even ask her out again sometime.

mr. morton loves

okay, so who else has this song

pop into their head every time they get out the salt?

at a boy, mr. morton.

and a happy valentine's day to you, too.

hair don't

i have an uber talented husband, and i probably don't brag about him nearly enough. this guy, it's true, is a hinckley scholar, a national science foundation fellow, an eagle scout at thirteen, he has been promoted four times since he started working four years ago, he flosses nearly every day, he's a great cook, a charismatic speaker, a talented pianist, a skilled outdoorsman, he does whatever his wife asks, his girls adore him (on more than one occasion, i have had to endure the "dear Heavenly Father, thank you for dadda, amen" prayer), and heck, he can even sew his own tarp.

but it appears there are limits to his seemingly infinite capabilities:

stay tuned for the next installment in our super stylin' series where we see if bryan shows forth any promise with utilizing barrettes and headbands. if not, heaven please help my beauties should momma ever bite the dust.

xoxo

valentine chair backers for my girls:

tutorial ala ourscoop.

clean up on aisle ten

ps - uh, please ignore the excessive evidence of a serious wheeler ice cream habit;

in my defense, it was on sale.