Ski School

It was supposed to be Holden's first day on the mountain, but Ev decided it would be his too!

What a day! we woke up and got all of our ski gear, snacks, drinks, and extra clothing packed and loaded. Then we got a text from Courtney that the Pass was closed (ugh, we were planning on A-Basin) and the weather and traffic were horrendous (love I-70). We really really really wanted to get to the mountains and Ian had the brilliant idea to check out El Dora. I had never been there, but t he trail map promised a great practice area for learners, and we did not have to go near I-70 so we decided to give it a shot.

Warmed up our coffee, closed the doors, turned the key, and NOTHING. UGH, my car was dead. I JUST got a new battery last month so ...ugh. We decided to take everything out of my car, including those darn car seats (unruly beasts) and packed it all into Ian's car. We jumped my car and drove it to the shop and finally headed to El Dora. It was snowing like a beast and was a bit blustery.




But, we would not be stopped! These kids were going to ski dammit! We got them dressed, got ourselves dressed, and trekked them over to the bunny slope. They were both wailing within 2 minutes, but these kids were going to ski dammit!



Ian broke his back on the "magic carpet."



But those two had a FUN ride down!





Everett was giving me fits while we waited down at the bottom. He was insistent on trying to jump on the "magic carpet" and kept yelling, "me, me!" So we took Off Holden's equipment and got him geared up!



Getting him to the base was fun.



Again, the wild ride up (In pink skis!)



And thrills on the way down!






Warm hugs from mommy!



Then off to the cozy lodge for pizza and fries!

Quote of the Day

Dexter Rutecki: "How do you ski?"

Gaper dude: "Shitty"

... From Aspen Extreme

A-Ha!!!!!

I knew the sock mystery would reveal itself to me eventually.

On Saturday, Everett woke up from his nap and had made quite a mess of his crib. (Bad diaper, glad Ian is the one who found him!) Anyway, I was taking off the sheets and realized I was also going to have to wash the bumper. PAIN- had to move the crib out from the corner it is so nicely tucked into to wrestle that bumper off. As I was diving behind the crib I found a bounty of socks. Sixteen to be exact. I kid you not, exactly sixteen socks shoved down behind the back of the crib.

I should have seen this coming. That child takes off his socks when he wakes up in the morning and plays with them until we come in to rescue him from his prison. Don't ask me what's so exciting, but he is usually gripping one in each hand as I lift him from the crib. Duh, of course he was going to lose some back there. I don't know why it didn't occur to me earlier.

We still have a few stragglers, but I am pleased to report that 13 singletons have been reunited with their partners and it was a happy day.

And The Student Becomes The Master

We have had a major roll reversal around our house. Holden has evolved (overnight) into a 97% helpful, pleasant, caring, snuggly, agreeable, downright delightful little girl. It is a rarity when she gets scolded or earns a timeout. However, Everett has been observing and learning from big sis and he has successfully entered his "Terrible Two's."



Or should we call it a "difficult" phase. He is very physical, which has been both good and bad. He gives tons of hugs, and kisses, love and squeezes. On the other hand he spends much of his day tackling, jumping, kicking, pushing, hitting, and laying on us. He doesn't know his own strength and I fear for my safety every day (just kidding).

He likes to yell. Like really really loud at inappropriate times. In stores, during dinner, while I'm driving (and I almost crash). He screams as loud and violently as he can. His face turns red and the veins in his neck pop out. I think he likes how it feels or something. Sometimes it's because he is mad, but often times it is when he is happy and he thinks its just a fun thing to do.

He has learned he has an opinion and how to settle for nothing less than exactly what he wants. What and when to eat, drink, and get dressed. When he wants to lay down, he does it, like in the grocery parking lot. When he wants to tackle Holden he will not rest until she is taken down- one way or another, usually with tears and screaming.


"The Destructor" is trying to give me a heart attack. every single pillow and blanket is removed from every couch, chair and bed every morning. I make my bed, he tears everything off of it. Like down to the fitted sheet. Every bed, every day. I HATE making beds. this is ridiculous. Why does every couch cushion need to be on the floor? I have nowhere to sit.

Poor Holden is being so understanding.



She cannot build a block tower, complete a puzzle, read a book, sit under a blanket, or rest her head on a pillow without falling under the wrath of "The Destructor."

I have to say, watching Holden's transformation into a real live person has been a joy. It also gives me hope that one day Everett will join our ranks and become a a"normal" person. He is lucky he is so darn cute!

Pee Pee in the Potty

Halleluia! We woke up last Saturday morning and Everett felt the need to be naked.




So, Ian decided it was a prime opportunity to push the potty with a bit more gusto than we have so far.

Holden was very excited to participate and rub Everett's back while he pondered the situation.



After just a few minutes and only one juice box he did it!!!!



Hugs and celebrations, screaming and high fives. It was very exciting.


(like the x? Even I won't sell out my son like that.)



We moved the potty party downstairs and Ev continued to use the potty over and over all morning. He and his sister were very pleased with M&M rewards.



Ian caught me in a sentimental moment lamenting the loss of my baby....



Awww heck...I can sell him out just a little, right?

Everett is talking...kinda

I saw this (above) Friends episode last night and laughed my arse off. It is EXACTLY how Everett tries to repeat words for me.

"Ev, say crocodile."
"cook-a-pee-poo"
"Try again, crock-o-dile."
"druoog- lllll"

"Ev, say movie."
"EEE-oh-vay"

"Ev, say orange juice."
"aaanch"

Currently he adds the hard e sound to most words. For example:
Eee Holden
Eee hide
Eee thirsty

Ian cracks up every time I translate his speech and says, "only his mother would understand that."

Socks

We've ll experienced the mystery of disappearing socks. A few here and there, eaten by the dryer or the dog. I get it, I accept it as a natural part of life that is completely beyond my control. My friend Nichole decided to only buy exactly the same white socks for her kids to help with the issue. I can't resist cute socks, so that's not an option for me.

Those baby and kid socks are so tiny and I couldn't keep track of them all if it was a my full time gig. However, the joy and satisfaction I feel when I reunite a long lost pair is immeasurable. Rolling those two lonely socks into one tight and complete ball makes me smile every time.

Lately though, this problem has been blown out of control. I was folding laundry this morning, my least favorite job in the entire world, and as usual,Everett had a bunch of loners. He is always the worst. I took the six singles into his room and with hope in my heart went to his pile of lost souls. I really was optimistic that I would find at least a few matches. NONE. Not one. UGH, how annoying.

SIXTEEN

I'm not exaggerating even a little bit. SIXTEEN single Everett socks. Is he trying? Because I know I'm not. I just don't think there is any way to accidentally "misplace" SIXTEEN socks. Maybe he has some weird disease and is eating them and belongs on the TLC show I just saw advertised. "My weird eating secret" or some nonsense. Girls eating soap and hair follicles and the like.

Anyway, my new mission is to uncover Everett's sock mystery. Because something fishy is going on around here and mommy doesn't like to be out of the loop.

The Magic Garden

On Christmas morning my mom presented me with the best gift ever! As I pulled the dvd from a gift bag I almost cried with happiness. THE MAGIC GARDEN!!!!! My favorite Children's show from my toddlerhood. I mean, I LOVED this show. It was a regional show out of NYC so many of my friends out here in Colorado have no idea what they were missing.

This is completely low budget and kinda trippy. The hippie, guitar playing, pigtail and bell bottom wearing girls are sweet as pie. They sing old classics and original songs while the "chuckle patch" offers up jokes, the magic tree gives surprises every day, Sherlock the pink squirrel causes trouble, and the story box lures us in with disguises to supplement their storytelling.



I had doubts that my hip kids who love Dora, Pixar animation, and the excitement of Cyberchase would go for this simple and sweet entertainment. Holden was hooked in an instant!
This morning, I presented Everett with the HUGE dvd drawer and told him to choose what he would like to watch. I watched his eyes inspect the cover of the now beloved Magic Garden box and secretly hoped he would choose it. While Holden has already declared her devotion to Paula and Carol, Ev has not been as excited to watch the folksy show. But, this morning my dream came true. He grabbed it and said , "this one!" He pointed and poked at it furiously until I got it started. As I sit here typing, he has his nose glued to the tv and is kissing Sherlock the pink squirrel. AWESOME!

A Tale of Two Christmases

I know, it has been FOREVER since I've posted! We were so busy with the Hanou Christmas, Ev's birthday, our trip to Pennsylvania, Christmas and New Year's....that it is too much to write about everything. Here is the highlight reel....

Frank, Marsha, Great Grandpa, Sev, Colleen, and Uncle Tom all came to Colorado to celebrate an early Christmas. We were too busy having fun and forgot to take many pics. We had pretend Christmas eve at our house on Friday night and Holden enjoyed helping everyone open their presents!



On Sataurday we headed to the Botanic Gardens to enjoy the beautiful lights. It was super cold and super crowded. It was amazing. We even tried the 3-d glasses which turned all of the lights into tiny little snowmen! It was fun for for twenty minutes, then the kids freaked out and it wasn't so fun till we got back to Casey and Rob's for Oma's famous meatballs!



Then on Sunday, we pretended it was Christmas and watched football and ate chili at Courtney and Mike's. Holden was very proud to give Great Grandpa his present.



We TRIED to get a good family pic....



oh well

Since we had the date of our trip to Pennsylvania wrong (it's still up for debate as to who is at fault...) we got to attend Holden's Holiday program. She was front and center, singing so loud, and doing all the movements. Here is a clip for your enjoyment!





Then we headed to PA for another Christmas celebration with my family. We had 11 days to spend with tons of family and lots of my high school friends and their kids. Mostly we were REALLY excited to get our hands on my nephew, Blake.




He is scrumptious!




He is 9 months old now and Holden is completely enamored with him.



Ev was super excited for his new truck from Grandpa!



My Christmas eve cuties in their new Christmas PJ"s



Christmas morning brought lots of fun gifts including a Buzz Lightyear



And the "princess makeup" Holden has been asking Santa for for the last 3 months.



Even though he had a nap, Ev could not handle all of the Christmas excitement.




Here are ALL of the pics
http://picasaweb.google.com/KimHanou/20110101#