Easter Sunday

We bounced from Ben's sister's house to my sister, Megan's house last Saturday night for Easter.  It was great.  This was our first time to stay with them since they moved into their new home.  

Church was at 9am, supplying just enough time for the kids to run downstairs, mainline the chocolate from their baskets, have cinnamon rolls, and then be expected to sit still for the next 3 hours.

We had the Easter egg hunt right after church, followed by a delicious dinner, followed by a whole lot of laying around.  It was perfect.

                                            Megan and Roger's fourth, Grey.  


Right out their front door, they have what they call The Cinnabon.  The kids ride the never ending paved spiral on their bikes. The parents don't have to move.  Heaven.
                                               My brother-in-law Roger

Bowling for Vegas

We got home last night from Easter in Las Vegas.  We are spoiled and both Ben and I have sisters living close to one another.  Friday we and the Francis' hit it hard: Horton Hears a Who directly followed by a mean game of bowling at Red Rock, followed by a night of more sushi than I have ever seen on one table.

The girls loved the bowling alley. Téa had a moment of pause when I handed her the shoes.  She put her hands up and said, "No Way." Immediately followed by, "Does everyone else's shoes look like that?  You promise??" (Remember, this is coming from a girl who tried to talk me into letting her wear a skirt and knee-high boots to Sports Camp today.)  I swear the lanes are on a slight slope because there were times that Avery merely set the bowling ball down, yet it mysteriously made it to the end.  It may have been the Indian Rain looking dance she did every time until the ball made it to the end.  

Ben KILLED me at bowling.  Before you take that as a given, let me just tell you I was holding my own - to my own surprise.  He started-out a little cocky - as you can see him bowling while on his cell phone- but when he saw what a true threat I was it was "game-on" and he threw so many strikes in a row that I actually had no idea how the computer would calculate that kind of feat.  

So, now I not only believe he sneaks out to visit our local skating rink, but I fear he has been frequenting the bowling alleys as well. Great.

Thank you Francis' for a great weekend!

BIG GAME

Ben found this photo the other day.

It just makes me laugh. 

Whoever thought to do that is hilarious.

The Best Cooker

Today Téa gave me a big hug and told me I was "The Best Cooker in the World."  

Fabulous!  Thank you Téa, thank you very much.

She didn't stop there.  She listed what I was so good at.

And I quote:

"Lemon Meringue Pie,

Chips and Cheese,

Pies, and

Grapes, well you don't cook the grapes, but you wash them really well."

She apparently has over-looked my apple-washing and cereal-pouring skills. Hopefully, someday, she will hold those in as high of regard as those awe-inspiring plates of nachos and sanitized grapes.

Good to Know. . .

Preface: I ran into this on one of those baby center websites about pregnancy.  The fact that information like this even exists confirms to me that you need to have an IQ Test taken before you are allowed to conceive.

This is for real. I can't make this stuff up. . .

"A woman is advised to remove her nipple jewelry as it can be a choking hazard for the baby as well as their gums and tongue can be injured by it. Babies who are left to nurse from a nipple with the jewelry remaining, aside from the two major risk factors listed before, tend to improperly latch onto the breast, release and latch more often than a baby nursing from a breast with no jewelry, slurp and gag as well as experience milk leakage from their mouth. The studies, though, also showed that once the jewelry was removed, the breastfeeding experience became more like what would be considered "normal breastfeeding" such as a breast with no modification at all."

My favorite part is where it says, "The Studies, though, also showed. . ."  

Studies?  There were actual studies? 

Who spear-headed that one?  Who proposed this hypothesis to the board?

"Gentlemen, after placing jewelry in the mouths of 450 infant subjects, and analyzing the data, it has been scientifically proven that introducing a piece of metal into an infant's mouth is indeed dangerous.  Conversely, we have discovered that when the object in question is removed, the danger is no longer present."

Genius.

SHOOT THE DUCK

We went to the roller skating rink tonight with Téa's school.  Apparently a very important event to attend, in her book.  

It's not right by our house, or near a main road.  It takes some maneuvering and small roads to get there. Ben was driving, and just drove directly there.

Uh, can you drive directly to your local skating rink?  I wouldn't think so.  So, I make a comment about him secretly going skating on Saturday nights.  And he says, "I have 3 words for you Briar: Shoot The Duck."

I didn't get it.  Do You?????  

If you do, then you need to tell me, because I swear to you that nobody knows what it is.

When I found out what it meant, I lost it.  I laughed so hard that Ben would know this.  

I'm still not sure if I should be impressed or terrified that he would know some serious skating-lingo.