Harry Potter Party At PopPop's

Saturday February 19, 2011, PopPop hosted a Harry Potter Party.  The boys had so much fun. They were welcomed into the Three Broomsticks, where they were served caldrun cakes, every flavor beans and pumpkin juice.  They were all sorted into their house. All the kids took this very seriously as PopPop read them questions to see what house they were in.

Once sorted, they all received thier robes and wands.

Then it was time to head to the basement and watch the movies.  In the morning, they watched the first movie. For lunch they had Dragon Meat Pie (pizza) with chocolate frogs for dessert. After lunch they watched the second movie.  They also recieved some gallons - not sure what they did to earn money.  The boys had a wonderful day.  Thank you, PopPop this will be remembered for a very long time.

A Beautiful Random No School Day

Yesterday, the boys and I left the books in their drawers and went to the Zoo. It was beautiful outside. We walked the Northern Trail, then headed inside to Discovery Bay and the Tropics Trail, ending the day walking through the Minnesota Trail.  The boys loved watching all the animals and many were quite active.  The boys loved being able to run on the outside trails and to see many animals. 

Today, both boys wrote and drew about things they saw at the Zoo. Micah dictated his sentences to me, then copied them. Bryce wrote his own narrations. They love to draw, so this was another chance to practice their drawing skills using the books Draw Write Now.

Micah's Writing and Drawing of Monkeys

Bryce's writing and drawing about bears.

Matthew had fun finding and matching upper and lower case letters today.

Thinking hard and making sure the letters are in alphebetical order.

3+1= Fun

Three boys plus one castle equals hours of playing together.

Sledding at the Dog Park

Derek and I took the boys and Lucy to the dog park.  Lucy ran and played with the other dogs. The boys slid down the hills as many times as they could. The other dog owners were able to smile and laugh at all of our antics.

Lucy running like the crazy puppy she is. She loves to run with the other dogs.

 I got in on the sledding action for one trip down the hill with Matthew.

 Derek had fun coming down with Bryce. Then decided to take Lucy for a ride with him and Matthew. Many people stopped to watch these three head down the hill.

 Bryce just kept going up and down the hill. He didn't care which sled he got or who he went with. The thrill of the ride is all he wanted.

 Micah had fun riding the blue sled and watching. He was content to sit and watch while throwing snow for Lucy when she was interested.

Matthew's trips down the hill seemed to end in him falling out of the sled. He even convinced another dog owner to pull him up the hill in the sled, not something Mom or Dad were going to do.  Many times he would get up and say, "That was so fun!"

I am thankful that the dog park has a nice hill for the boys and we were able to all come home exhausted but happy.

Today there is Sun - Waiting for the Warmth to Follow

Snow and more snow.  Yesterday, I was wishing for spring so the boys could go out and play. I am not finding the work of getting winter stuff on worth it for the small amount of time they spend outside. I am tired of the jackets, hats and all the extra stuff in my kitchen. Oh, spring is coming but it is so far away. Days are getting longer and that is helping. I know these mounds of snow will melt and we will be able to go out and play without the jackets.  For today, I will enjoy the new white blanket that has fallen across the ground with the beautiful sun shining. We will go swimming at the YMCA and dream of the days that we will go to the outdoor pool.