Gracie... cute and almost crawling!

Sisters: Grace and Sarah Smiling Grace







Gracie almost crawling

Equal Opportunity Photo

Just a sunny winter day at the park.

Snow Trip!

Last Monday (the 11th) the school district had teacher meetings or something like that so school was out. Yahoo! With a day off the Young Men and Young Women in our ward planned a snow trip to Leland High Sierra Snowplay (a tubing "resort") just past Strawberry. If you are still not sure where that is, it is near Dodge Ridge ski resort. I was asked to drive so I jumped at the opportunity. The total bonus was that Ben could go with us. Ben and I had the GREATEST time together. We couldn’t have planned a more fun trip to share. We can't wait to go back and hit the slick slopes again. I hope you enjoy a few photos and a couple movie clips.




This is Ben on the rope tow. Much better than walking up the hill!













Ready for the First Run!
















Waiting in line with some of the Young Women from the ward.




















Some of the Youth from the ward demonstrating the initial staging for a "Cluster" or a "Clump". The advantage of a cluster over going down by your self. SPEED!
















A cluster going down the hill






Ben and I enjoying the ride!





Me and Ben after a really fun time together! Love the hat hair!















Ben thanks for a Most Excellent Day!

I want Fish!

About a week ago Nancy came home from the store with some Dover Sole fillets. I prepared a nice Sole Dore that night. If you are not familiar with a Sole Dore, it is prepared by dredging the fillets in seasoned flour, then dipping in egg, then pan frying. It is finished off with a squeeze of lemon or a lemon butter sauce. It actually turned out well. Besides Nancy's favorite fish dish, it turned out to be a surprise favorite for Emma. It was hard to believe with out seeing her shovel down bite after bite and come back for more. I have to admit that I was pleased!

Fast forward to today. Emma came up to me and said "I hungry! I want FISH!" My first thought returned to that wonderful Sole Dore, I figured she loved it the first time so much she was requesting it again. We did not have any sole in the house, so I tried to change her mind by offering her other things. (I really didn't want to cook it anyway, too much effort and too many dirty dishes just to satisfy her desire for fish.) Regardless, I do have to admit I was pleased she was asking for my fish! She took a yogurt and bounced off.

About an hour later she returned and said "I HUNGRY! I... WANT... FISH!" this time she seemed pretty earnest in her desire. As a good father I started to search the freezer for what else? Fish! I found some and figured that even though it was not Sole I could cook it the same manner and it may pass. I grabbed the package and showed it to her seeking her approval.










Her answer when she saw the package of tasty fish was both swift and vehement as she screamed (no kidding she screamed) " NOOOOO!!! THAT NOT FISH!"




She then took me to the cupboard and pointed to the box shown below and reassured me that "That Fish!"







I have to admit I was a tiny bit crushed that she was not interested in My Fish, but I had to laugh at the simple miscommunication I had with my 3 year old. Note to self. Emma really likes fish, but the cracker kind is her favorite.

In the end Emma got her fish and she was finally happy and quit badgering her dumb dad for fish!



By the way Nancy and I had a good laugh over this incident, and for the record she would have gone for the Goldfish the first time.

I guess in the end it is a good lesson on communication that reaches beyond today's 40 year old -vs- 3 year old fish tale. Maybe next time I will listen and try to understand before I decide what Emma (or anyone else) really wants. Lesson learned... again!

Mama Bear

Yesterday, one of my nightmares came true. I have a pretty high-level of anxiety when it comes to the safety of my kids when they are out of the house. I hate it when my fretting is for good reason.

Emma went to preschool like normal yesterday. At normal pick-up time, Scott left to go pick her up and left Grace and I at home. Shortly after I got a call from Scott saying that the road to her school was completely closed. He was able to cut through a neighborhood but as he would quickly learn, there was absolutely no access to her school because construction workers had busted a natural gas pipe right in front of her school. She attends a preschool that is part of a much larger private school to the eighth grade. They are in the middle of a huge construction project building a huge new building for their facility. Apparently, the gas line was broken during the construction.

I soon received a phonecall at home alerting me that Emma was part of a "shelter-in-place" emergency. There would be no access in or out of the school for who knew how long. Scott, meanwhile, had planted himself at an access street across the intersection from the school. We were in contact by phone, of course. I was giving him all sorts of instruction including storm the place and GET MY DAUGHTER OUT OF THERE! I didn't care how he was going to do it, but I was freaked that my little girl was stuck and we couldn't reach her. The mama bear in me had emerged and was growling! I was thinking of fences he could scale, anything. I was desperate. The school had suggested that the parents go home and await a phonecall as to when their children could be picked up. Can you imagine? "Oh great, free daycare, I'll be at Nordstroms. Hope that gas leak works out alright." I don't think so!

Leave it to Scott's ability to work the crowd. With some patience, he stuck around and then was finally able to learn from a police officer that if drivers would keep their windows and vents closed, they were going to allow cars through to pick up the little ones. Scott was second in line! That's my boy! Emma was the first in her class to be picked up.

I can't explain the emotions of knowing I can't get to my kid and then the absolute joy of knowing she was safe and sound with Scott. She was a bit nervous (she was probably at school an extra 45 minutes) but of course just fine. I'm very grateful for a good ending. Homeschooling is sounding better and better. All my kids could be safe and sound in the nest and never go out. Of course, no kind of a disaster would ever happen at home on my watch!