Kara's Rocks

When Kara was young she had a small rock collection--larger than Lincoln's or Evan's current collections, but smaller than Bentley's, Jake's and Viva's collections. I started it for her one Christmas and added a few more to it over the years, but she never became a rock hound, so the collection stayed small.

She isn't interested in her collection, so we divvied it up between the children (and I kept three rocks for my collection). They each got five rocks.

Rock Store

We love to visit the rock store, but we don't go very often. It's been months, maybe even a year, since we last visited. We went there yesterday afternoon, squeezing it in after math and before super strings, trumpet lessons, and dance.

Our favorite store is Nature's Jewels. They have lots and lots of rocks, both in the raw and polished. They sell many of them by the ounce and they give you a little identification card with every type of rock you buy. Because of these two things, it can take quite a while to check out! Knowing their procedure I had the clerk start processing our purchases as soon as the kids chose them, but Viva kept adding and adding to her pile. She had to put the last two rocks back because we had run out of time. (She made me promise we would go again soon.)

Here is what they purchased:

I told the kids I'd pay for the first $5 of their purchase. Lincoln and Evan came in well under $5. Jake chose a $10 rock and Bentley two rocks, $7.50 and $3. Viva was the big spender and her total was $16.75, but she said it included some gifts.

Snow = Sledding

The last few winters have been quite disappointing when it comes to snow, so when it does snow our family makes sledding a priority. This winter we have been out sledding five times, which just might be a record! Our first trip was just before Christmas and we've been twice this week. (Kara even came with us! She and I watched.)

Our favorite snow hill (one of the best in the city) is just two blocks from our house. It's on the neighborhood high school's campus, so we can't go during school hours. It is always better to sled with fewer people because this means fewer crashes. This year we have had success finding the hill sparse or even empty by going at 5PMish (dinner time) or 11PMish. Once we even went at 12:30AM. It was a fun trip until all the school lights turned off and the sledding hill became a little spooky.

Here are some photos from our adventures:

Evan, Lincoln, & ? (Bentley)

The Gang without Evan

Sometimes he doesn't join us, but when he does he keeps up with his siblings.

Pile-On Sledding is new this year.

They never make it very far down the hill before rolling off.

I purchased two larger sleds last year and two more this year. 

Soon I will need a fifth one for Evan.

It is beautiful at our sledding hill.

Unfortunately it is often very cold, too.

Snow Angel

It was 10 degrees or less outside, but she stripped down because she was overdressed.

Viva likes to lie on the snow and look at stars or snowflakes.

She will spend as much time doing these activities as she spends sledding.

Jazz Time!

Jake's jazz group has had two more local performances since I last posted about it, at a new pub/restaurant in town.  It has been a great experience for him, and the group sounds terrific!  We're lucky to have an active group to play with that is able to get out there and have the chance to share music with others.  :)

We've had many different family/friends come to hang out/listen to Jake play.  It's been a fun time and I'm looking forward to the next performances already!

Baker's Assistant

Evan likes to help make cookies, but he will only do certain chores. He will add the white sugar, but not the brown sugar. He doesn't help with margarine or eggs, but he will with baking soda or salt. Flour is not on his list, but chocolate chips are.

When we were making cookies the other night and I was cracking the eggs he told me to "Cut them open. Look for sea shells." I corrected him on the first part--"we break eggs open, not cut," but I had to pause for a bit while I decoded the sea shells part. Look for sea shells?!? Then it clicked--no not seas shells, we look for egg shells!

Evan is fun and amusing to hang out with it.

Back to Karate!

I am so far behind on my blog posts, that I feel like I will never catch up. I'm currently working on October. I've decided to just leap ahead and post this photo from YESTERDAY!

Yesterday Lincoln attended his first karate class without his older brothers! He went solo! We left him at the dojo with no other family member. (Usually Jake or Bentley go to beginner class with him because they like to lead class and when they attend a beginner class they are usually the highest belt, so they get to lead.)

Lincoln had a hiatus from karate last fall while he attended a junior parkour gymnastics classes with Evan at a local kid's gym. (I will be back posting about that class.) Lincoln started back at karate earlier this month and he wants to test for his orange belt next week, so he insisted on going to karate yesterday on his own to get ready for the test. You go, boy!

(Evan did not want to return to karate. He is only five and not ready/willing to focus on learning katas, so we'll wait until he is ready.)

Hair Gel Boy

Way back in November our boy Lincoln started slicking his hair back or sticking his hair up using water. His mother asked if he wanted some hair gel and hair mousse to help his hair styles stay longer. He did. She purchased him some hair product and he started sporting some different hair styles.

After a few weeks Jake asked if he could use some of Lincoln's product and Lincoln greed to share. Bentley even joined the fad, but Evan remained aloof.

The first can of hair mousse was damaged, so for a while we saw no fancy hair styles, but then the mom purchased them a new can and now we occasionally see the boys sporting their up styles. (Lincoln won't let his mom cut his hair too short because it interferes with his styling it.)

Watch Me Jump

With three children so close in age (Bentley, Jake, and Viva are seventeen months apart) there is a strong competitive spirit in our home a lot of the time. Often when one of them shows off their newest feat of climbing, jumping, stretching, running--the other two feel compelled to prove they, too, can do it.

Here's the latest:

From the order in which I took the photos, I can see that Jake tried this stunt first. Then Viva had to prove she could do it. Then Bentley upped the challenge by using both hands. The fun at our house never stops.