(not forgotten) february

I really didn't forget about February because I did a couple of posts during that month, but I didn't post everything I wanted to, so this is a hodge-podge of our month...

This is Will's favorite box of legos we have--the mini figures!  It's amazing how many we have collected in just a couple of years.  (Not to mention all the other legos we have)

4th graders at Waterford get to choose a stringed instrument to learn for 6 weeks.  Ben wanted to play the cello, but figured that would be kind of a pain to haul on and off the bus, so he went with his second choice--the viola.  He did well, but he isn't clamoring to continue it. 

Daren went to Father's Visiting Day at school with Ben (in science) and Jake.  

I got to go and take pictures. :)

I completely missed writing about valentine's day, which the boys LOVE getting ready for.   

The candy isn't so bad either.  

The boys each got a mini-figure and a sugar cookie (from Great Harvest--yum!)...and then Will got a hold of the figures to mess them all up.  Typical!

Will with Mrs. Payne, holding the card Will made for her, and a shot of her desk with the pictures Will has drawn and given to her.  

The first grade assembly was taken from Aesop's Fables, and Jake was in The Boy Who Cried Wolf.  He was one of the townspeople, and had a great time.  

At the end of February we threw a small party for Jake's friend, Grant, who moved to Paris, France, over spring break.  

I had to include this picture of Ben and his friend Reggie, wearing his onesies p.j.'s.  Love 'em!

The 4th grade "World Fair" was at the end of February.  Ben, along with Maya, Carson, and Emma, all did reports and presentations on Costa Rica.  Thanks to one of our neighbors, Michelle, who let Ben borrow many items she had from Costa Rica.

Now that February is done I can get back to the present and catch up on April!  

cruel season

"It's a cruel season that makes you get ready for bed when it's still light outside."

--quote from Ben, last night after his at art class and a piano lesson, as we were finishing dinner at 7:50pm, with only 10 minutes left to play outside.

(I think it's a cruel season that gives you 65 degrees one day and snow the next.  At least today is the 65 degree day, before we have to brace ourselves for tomorrow!!  I'd better go mow the lawn now before it's too late.)

dropped the ball

Needless to say, when it comes to blogging about sports, I have totally and completely "dropped the ball," so to speak.  It is one of those things where I have so many pictures over so many different days, that I have to go through them all, and it's just kind of gotten lost in the shuffle of bloggerdom.  I went back to check, and I haven't posted any of these pictures before.  That's terrible, because some of these pictures are a year and a half old!  

In the fall of '09 Ben (3rd grade) and Jake (kindergarten) both played lacrosse.  For Ben, it was his last season.  He loved playing with all his school friends, but he didn't love the sport.  As you can see in the picture below, that was about as into it as he got. :)  That's ok, though--he's found other things to keep him busy, including piano, art class, and building Legos of course.

Jake, on the other hand, was a machine (as a kindergartener!) and he really liked it.  Unfortunately, they didn't have enough kids to make full teams, so the season was mostly just one big practice.  

So in the spring of '10 Jake decided to play soccer with some friends 

here in Riverton, and had a great time.  

Then last fall he hooked up with a bunch of school friends to play up in Sandy.  This picture was taken after he scored his first goal, just before the end of the season.  He was so excited he could hardly contain himself.

(Jake on the left in the front row)

Which brings me around to winter '11.  Jake was the first of the boys to take a crack at basketball.  This picture was taken just before their first game--the boys thought they needed to workout to get stronger!

This is a classic shot--Jake is the tallest on his team, so in the first game they asked him to do the jump ball to start the game.  Um, he had NO CLUE what a jump ball was, thus his feet were planted firmly on the ground, just looking up at the ball!  Really, I should be ashamed of myself for not teaching him better.

This was one of the best moments of the season.  The ref stopped the game to help the girl on the other team tie her shoe--how cute was that?!

Jake shooting, and making, his only basket of the season.  He's getting there!

Jake and his friend, Daniel, with their first grade teacher, Ms. Neal.  They LOVED that she came to the game to see them and support them.

For the last game of the season all I had was the camera on my phone, but I still got some fun shots that night.  Daniel's mom, Oksana (from Russia), helped keep Will preoccupied with folding, and flying, lots of paper airplanes.  She was a lifesaver that night!

After the game I took the boys to La Frontera, formerly known to us as "The Chip's Place," for dinner to celebrate the end of the season.  And now we are caught up.  Jake just started soccer again (Will wanted to play so badly with Jake's team, but they are bursting at the seams this year with 14 on their team), so I'll try to be better about posting something about this season before the end of the year!  I should have taken pictures of last week's game...in the SNOW!  

7 x 2 = 14

That's seven YEARS times two equals fourteen YEARS...

no wonder I'm so tired these days!

Will and Jake turned seven a couple weeks ago, and it seemed as though the parties went on and on so I had to wait until the last one was over so I could put it all together.  But really, I am that tired, and I'm sure it's completely their fault.  Well, at least partially.  What started in California with Disneyland continued to their actual birthday, and then celebrating it at school (two schools, cuz they go to different schools), and then finally their first official b-day party with friends, it was non-stop fun around here.  Tired and all. 

They both LOVE to read now, and their favorite choice, as you know if you have read this blog at all, is Calvin and Hobbes, so why not add to the madness?!  More books=more reading=more laughs. You can't beat that!

For Christmas Ben got the BTTF Delorean from the first movie, and for their b-day's Will got the car from the second movie (he is child #2, by 1 minute) and Jake got movie #3 car.  Bits and pieces have already come off, but they LOVE these cars.  Great Scott!!  

It was tricky celebrating birthdays at school when they go to two different schools, but it worked out well.  I took chocolate donuts into Will's class on his birthday (see below--such a cute class!), and then the next day I took donuts into Jake's class when I went in to read If I Built a Car to his class for the book reading that week.  It was a great time in both classes.

And finally, they had their first official friend birthday party this year, and we held it at Daren's fire station...so much fun!!  This was their invitation:  

First, we had all the kids dress up in Daren's turn-outs...

(Will hadn't had a haircut in 3 months!!  His choice)

...next there was a tour of the station, pizza for lunch, and then messing around on the fire engine...

...presents and cake (Star Wars, cuz they didn't have a fire engine cake at the grocery store)...

...and finally some swinging on the workout rings and a group photo.  We had the party with all the neighborhood friends, and it was so much fun!!  Jaycie held her own, as usual, with all those boys. :)