Forced Creativity

Winter weather, although not that cold in Idaho, does tend to keep us indoors. I don't think of myself creative but as I've looked through my pictures from this winter I realized that I have managed to keep my kids busy. So this post is in honor of the creativity forced from spending too many hours trapped indoors.

This was our pudding eating contest. We had a race to see who could eat their pudding fastest without using a spoon. Greg won for staying the cleanest. Natali won for getting the messiest. I won for having the cleanest bowl (I can't remember who was fastest). However, I actually can't take credit for the creativity here because this game was created and perfected by my sister, Val. She always won the award for the face with the best Lincoln beard (no kidding).

Welcome to make a face pancake night. Mack made his cute face then took almost everything off before he ate it. (He didn't even eat the bacon and eggs. I guess they were merely decorative). Natali, on the other hand, gleefully relished every drop of the whipped cream hair she piled on her pancake. The creativity on this next photo came entirely from Mack. He saw this idea in a reading book of Natali's and started saving milk cartons and cutting bags to make one for everyone. So after a few weeks he had made four space suits (Kate never really liked hers). Give that kid scissors, tape, glue, and paper and he will occupy himself for hours. He has already made Greg a birthday and fathers day present - including wrapping. Grandpa Dame's present is made and wrapped as well. He will come to me with sealed envelopes and say "That needs to be send to..." Some of you have received such treasures and I'm sure he has plans for more. I have no clue what he sends but he loves doing it.So on these cold winter mornings and nights the kids have started laying in front of the fireplace and requesting that I tell them stories. My creative story telling skills have surely improved. They love stories about when I was a little girl, Lobo stories, and Bunny Foo Foo stories. But my favorite part is when they tell stories. I love to hear their where their little imaginations go.This last picture is of Kate and my niece, Abby. They were fighting over who sat in which car seat until Natali distracted them by beautifying them. She gave them paintbrushes, her fake make-up, earrings, and necklaces. She eventually put them in princess dresses and even fixed Abby's hair. Check out Kate's earring and Abby putting on her own make-up. I love my Natali- she is such a great helper.I started this post talking about my creativity, but after writing all this I realize that most of the ideas really started with someone else...so I am not that creative after all (no shocker there) but I am happy to embrace the creativity of others - especially my own kids.

Dinos in Heaven

This is a conversation between Mack and Andrew in the car on the way home from the library. They are both treasuring the educational dinosaur books they just checked out. And you should know that the cutest word Andrew says is "definaly". He says it all the time and I love it. Here is the conversation...

Mack: So dinosaurs lived and died. Then we lived and when we die dinosaurs will live again and then us again and then dinosaurs again and then us again.... (here I interrupt to explain that that is not exactly what will happen - the conversation continues)

Mack: So will there be dinosaurs in heaven? Because that might scare people and well that doesn't seam like heaven.

Andrew: There will "definaly" not be dinosaurs in heaven because they would fall out of the clouds and that would be a problem. (he repeated this point numerous times while I cracked up.)

Enjoying the Snow

A few weeks ago we went up to McCall with my parents and some of my siblings. We enjoyed playing in the snow together, but the highlight was going skiing. I got a full day of skiing with three of my siblings and my Dad. I have such great memories of skiing with my family and now I'm teaching my own kids. Natali and Mack both tried it out and loved it. The next day we were going to ice skate and feed some elk, but Mack and Natali both just wanted to ski. They keep asking when we can go again. It is so fun to watch them (check out Mack's arms - so cute)

Well while we skied the second day Greg took Andrew to see the elk. He loved it - as expected. This picture doesn't quite capture his love or all the elk surrounding the trailer, but we'll take what we can get.

While enjoying the time with my family, and reminiscing I had an epiphany. All of my winter McCall memories happened because my dad sacrificed his time and created those opportunities for us. As I skied with my kids I realized how much effort it will take to get my kids skiing. My dad taught all seven of us how to ski. He gave up his own skiing time and work time to play with us in McCall. I am so grateful that he taught me to ski, sled, snowmobile, and just love playing in snow. I'm excited to teach my own kids to take the time to enjoy the snow and make memories together. Thanks Dad!