9:15

Elliot slept until 9:15 this morning. Not too shabby, but tomorrow should be a rude awakening for the kids when they have to get up early for school.

Bikes

Yesterday we got out for our first bike ride of the year. We left with the intention of checking out the flooding the has followed all of the snow we had and it didn’t take us long to find it. The best part of the ride was the ride home. On the way there Andrew was on the tag-along and Mari and Elliot were in the trailer. On the way home Andrew rode his bike and Mari rode on the tag-along, both for the first time. Well, it was not Andrew’s first time on his bike, but his first time riding it a significant distance.

The Last of the Snow

Here in Des Moines, like much of the Midwest, we had a terrific Winter. Our first major snow storm was in early December and we had snow on the ground for almost the entire Winter. We had at least four inches of snow on the ground through all of December, January, and February, most of the time having at least 12 inches. We all had a great time sledding and playing in the snow.

Now that most of it has melted it is time to clean up.

Play Stands


A couple of years ago I made these play stands for the kids for Christmas. Now that the kids are a little older I think they are going to use them a lot more. In the past few months the play stands have enjoyed a much larger role in their play – they have even moved them around the house a few times. The board spanning the two is actually part of the shelf we use for seed starting.

Winter in Des Moines

This Winter has been fun. We got our first major snow in early December and there has been snow on the ground ever since. Our kids are doing really well playing in the snow and have come a long way in learning to deal with snow in the face and in between the mitten and the coat.

For a while it was so cold that it was hard to enjoy the snow, but it has warmed up in the past week and we have made our way outside for some hiking and sledding. In Cincinnati there were hills everywhere, but in Des Moines good sledding hills are harder to come by. The past weekend we tried out Waveland Golf course and had a great time. The hills are probably about as big as the kids can handle at this point. We have also spent some time at the hill behind Susan’s parents’ house.

Thoughts from Myself

Susan was cleaning up the attic and she found a note that said ‘Open May 10, 2008.’ After some thinking, I came to the conclusion that I had written myself this letter on Senior Retreat, when I was in college. Here is what I wrote:

  • Staying up late is always worth it
  • Sometimes is is good to be late
  • We are all different
  • The phone is never as good as the face
  • Sometimes it is good to be uncomfortable
  • Sometimes computers do more harm than good
  • Lines aren’t always necessary
  • Some sleep is
  • Outside is always better than inside
  • We are always in a bubble
  • The weather always changes
  • Don’t get too comfortable
  • Music is good
  • Pretty House is about more than just a good view
  • Communication always makes things better
  • Sometimes old is better than new
  • Look at it again
  • Don’t settle
  • Don’t get greedy
  • It is all relative
  • My time for myself
  • Be who you are
  • Be who you want to be
  • Keep trying
  • Keep looking
  • Enjoy it
  • Take time to walk
  • Take your time
  • Bring your own bags to the store
  • Be not afraid
  • Desafios son oportunidades
  • There are people everywhere
  • The cheese doesn’t stand alone
  • Sometimes people talk out of turn.

The Return to School

After two snow days Andrew and Mari were back in school today. There is a lot of snow around town and in our yard. Some reports say we got 16″, but it is hard to tell because there were also high winds so there are a lot of large drifts. Temps this weekend are supposed to be in the upper 20’s, so hopefully we will be able to get out and do some sledding.