I have been terrible at keeping up with this blog. It seems that every time I get a minute to update this something comes up or someone else is using the computer. Sorry that it's been so long. We ended up having four snow days in January. It was nice to not have to drive in to work on those days, but now we have to make those days up at the school. So.... we've lost our two-day mid winter break and will have school two days later at the end of the year. I guess it's true that when you play-you pay. The boys got some sledding in this year and some snow forts built in the yard. We still have a lot of snow covering our back yard but the driveway becomes more clear every day. That makes Tom and Marcia happy - now they can get their cars out.
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Keaton did very well in wrestling this year. He took 3rd in the Bi-State finals. It was pretty amazing to us and his coaches that he did so well with this being his first year ever to do that sport. He really is pretty good at it and really knows what he's doing out there - for the most part. It's really neat to see your kid do something well and use skill that you didn't realize was just beneath the surface.
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Preston has started Track. He's been looking forward to it all winter. He got some ankle weights to help him strengthen his legs because he wants to do some running events this year. He will still do the long jump and triple jump. He'd like to pole vault but I think he may be getting too tall for that. I just can't believe how fast he's growing up. Every time I hear his voice I think it's Tom talking - and a couple of times when he's come through the door I thought he was his father. I think he's almost caught Dad in height!
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Winston is plugging along with Preschool. His language and speech is really coming a long way. He's finally catching on to a lot of things. Tom has gotten him to say his ABC's with almost no help. And count to 20! He gets to 10 (once and a while tripping over 7) and then he gets through to 20 after confusing 11 and 12 - but for Winston, that's pretty good. He can recognize his name when it is written and he tries to write it. Sometimes he can do it beautifully - other times it ends up upside down or backwards. He'll get it one of these days. He's really been our little Science Fiction fiend lately. He keeps drawing pictures of space ships, talking about alien planets and looking out at the stars to see if there is a space ship in the sky. He keeps us guessing as to what he will be one day.
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Tom has been doing well at work. He really enjoys his job at the university an says he's become a softie. He - along with some of the other guys - has been taking turns working the supervisor job when their supervisor is gone. I tell him they're grooming him for a supervisor position. He just shrugs it off and says they all get a chance to do it once and a while. He's also enjoyed visiting with a couple of the guys from work who car pool with him. It makes for a nicer commute. He's also coming up with plans for what to do this spring in the yard and in the house. Got the tile bought for the bathrooms - maybe they will get remodelled sometime in the next 10 years!
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My job at the school has kept me busy. It has a lot of benefits like the feeling of accomplishment when new things happen with the little boy I work with. He's a lot of fun. By the end of my four hours, though, I'm exhausted! I do work in Winston's class, so I get to see him more, too. That has been nice - except for the days when Winston's not so nice. This last weekend Tom and I had to go to Spokane to get the car worked on, and afterward he took me out to the Steam Plant Grill for lunch. It was really nice to get to spend some time together and go somewhere kind of fancy. We don't get to do that very much so it's very special when it happens. The Steam Plant is the old power plant that they used to make electricity and heat the city of Spokane. It operated from the early 1900's to 1986. After that, they made a restaurant out of the boiler room part. It's really cool - there's a place in one of the boilers where they have a table large enough for several people. All of the old pipes are still in there. It's really neat. It's something worth checking out if you're ever in Spokane.
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We've been kicking over our Spring Break plans. I think Moab and Arches Nat'l Park are on the list with a stop in Salt Lake. The boys haven't been down there, so it will be fun to take them. Tom and I've never been to the park, so it will be a first for all of us. We are really looking forward to it. Hope the weather holds out! So if you don't hear from me in a while....that's what we'll be up to.
Preston and Winston engineer the great marble race tower on a Sunday Morning
Keaton brings home the Bronze from Bi-State Champ Tournament.
Valentine's Day Flowers for Mom - Dad did a great job of picking them out.
Dad built us a new "Winter" home in the back yard. Winston Loves it!