Rock Star Uncles

Everyone needs one or two of these.  I was blessed to have two.  No matter what these uncles did I still believed (or maybe it's believe) they walked on water, even when one ripped the head off my doll.

Honestly, I can't remember the specific incident, and that's probably a good thing ~:o)

But I digress.

The kiddos went ice fishing with Uncle Ben this weekend.  They had the time of their lives.  Like, they haven't quit talking about it.  

Who knew ice fishing was so fun.  

Not I.  

The only good thing I remember from ice fishing was Dad letting us skate and skate and skate...oh, and all the junk food!

Otherwise it was too blessed cold....and boring....and cold.

Apparently fishing with a creative uncle is a blast.  He has an enclosed trailer all rigged to stay warm and card games to keep even the most boring day rowdy.  They even built a snow mermaid to hold princess Annika's rod.  All the kiddos look up to Uncle Ben, like he is some sort of Roman god (not that we're Romans, but you get the picture.)  He can make anything, do anything, and he is always up for a  good time.
Now that my boys are hooked on ice fishing we may have to fish all year round.

And if that wasn't enough, Uncle Joey met us up skiing yesterday.  Now to say that a day skiing with all the kids is a bit of a chore may just possibly be a bit of an understatement. The gear that has to be schlepped up the mountain is immense. Then there is the ordeal of keeping track of them all day.
It is on ski days that I appreciate Mom & Dad  more than ever.
Holy buckets, I am pooped at the end of the day, but a good pooped, not like, you know, the pooped-from-cleaning-up-diapers kind of pooped.
It is in these instances Uncle Joey shines, I mean truly!  As I was running through the rental shop with a couple kids he was getting gear on, mitts on properly, helmets buckled and kids placed in the correct ski classes.  Then he grabs Dom and starts him down the hill.  His patience, coupled with the piles of praise, and his loud, exuberant nature spurred Dom to new heights in his skiing career that began a mere two weeks ago.  By the end of the day my little 4-year-old was hitting jumps ~ jumps I'm telling you!
He completely buried himself in the powder on the other side, but he got an inch or so of air first.

So there you have it.  Two guys who unselfishly gave of their time this weekend to help Shannon & I give our children experiences that they may or may not have been able to have.  At the very least they made it so much easier on us that we were actually able to share in our kiddos joy.
And what is better than that?!?

Snow Days are Here!

We have been waiting for snow this winter.  The weather thus far has teased us a bit here and there, but over the last few days the skies let loose and dumped at least 18 inches!  The kiddos are ready to blow off school and celebrate snow full time.

Katherine, Eric, Joshua and Annika are ice fishing with Daddy and Uncle Ben and Michaela is skiing all day (lucky dog) so there are no pics of them.

His siblings buried Dom upon his request.  This kept him busy for a good 45 minutes!

Hi Drew ~ we wish you were here sledding with us.  

Since winter is off to such a late start maybe we'll still have snow at Easter.

Snowball fight !

Mom, this is one dorky snowman....

Happy Birthday Nickles ~

You're so special ~ oh so special ~ God gave you to us!
It's no wonder that we LOVE you so!

You were another stylishly late Bell baby.  The day you were born I awoke to contractions, but thought I wouldn't tell your brothers and sisters for a while.  I was planning on doing our math lessons, baking with everyone to end the week, then merrily leaving for the hospital that afternoon.  My labors are so long, that I knew there was plenty of time.  
Halfway through our lesson, I mentioned to Daddy we might want to move a little faster than originally planned ~ actually we may just want to call our midwife right away ~ like pack the bags, throw the kids in the suburban and hit the road!
When we arrived at the hospital I was actually relieved to be escorted via wheelchair to the maternity ward ~ not typically my cup-o-tea.  You were born Cesarean an hour later.  Apparently, all the movement I had been feeling was you turning somersaults.  Unfortunately, in this case, you landed on your feet and decided to make your entry into our lives toes first.
You must have been trying to join in all the activity out in the big world; you are still trying to keep up. Never to be outdone by your big brothers, if you have your way you are always in the thick of things!

 Just one of the guys ~

Our last night of peace before your godparents helped you permanently disrupt the peace and quiet around our house with six (no, not just one but six!) very noisy vehicles.

What am I talking about??? There is no peace and quiet around this house!

We love you Nickles!

Happy Birthday Dom ~

You're so special ~ oh so special ~ God gave you to us!
It's no wonder that we LOVE you so!

Ah, the day you were born...Auntie Theresa was married the night before and life felt crazy.  I couldn't wait to meet you, but I wanted to go to her wedding.  Our family and friends whisked all your brothers and sisters away and Daddy & I had an evening together before you joined us.  The next day we settled in for another of our long labors.  You made your arrival in your own good time, marching to the beat of your own drum.  The minute we saw your precious little face we were worried~ you looked exactly like your big brother, Joshie, and we knew what a fireball he was!
My favorite, favorite, favorite part of when you were born was the next day, though.  Aunt Rose & Uncle Steve came in with their entire family.  All these big guys holding your wee, little body in their strong hands melted my heart.

Calvin to the core!

Uncle Gabe and your favorite tractor, his Skidsteer.

I love you, Dom!

 

More Boy Ideas ~

Maybe it's because I am not a boy that their ideas crack me up.  Okay, sometimes they drive me crazy.
I will never understand them. Maybe that's what makes their thoughts so blasted hilarious.

6:30 a.m. Eric walks into the classroom, "Mom, can I do an experiment?"

"Sure.  Uh, actually, what are you going to try?"

"Well, I am going to put dye in my mouth so when I go outside and blow out of my mouth it will make colored fog.  Then, when Daddy comes home I can blow air at him and he will be scared."

For the record, it didn't work, but Eric looked like a vampire the rest of the morning since he used red dye...mmmmm-mmm-mmm.

Jeremiah Johnson and his fearless sidekick

Did Jeremiah Johnson have a sidekick???

Frog or Toad

We need to emphasize correct letter pronunciation with Dom, but I'm a little slack.  I could possibly be in denial about my little boy growing up, it just happens too quickly.  Besides some of his pronunciations are hilarious...they probably won't be so funny when he is heading off to college!  

Grandma, of course, is more than willing to help him in this department.  "Dom, say F-F-F-F-Frog."

Dom, thinking this over responds, "Toad."

Not too bad for a just 4-year-old.

Ski Days

Dom learned how to ski this week!

Monday morning I headed up to Discovery with everyone but Nickles with grand hopes of everyone skiing at the same level they were last winter...you know, like 10 months ago.  Oh, how quickly my hopes were dashed. Annika had forgotten nearly everything it seemed, and Dom, well that child had no intention of actually listening to his mother teach him anything.  This shouldn't have been a big surprise, but I have a tendency to build white picket fences that come crashing down when reality strikes!

After everyone else was off to their lessons, Dom was arguing with me about actually having to stand up. If one has ever tried learning how to ski sitting down, suffice to say it doesn't work so swell.  He was cold at this point, so we headed into the lodge where I discovered no one else had signed up for their Kinderski program  for the day.   For what seemed a minuscule amount of money he had private lessons for the day ~ my sanity was saved and he learned how to ski by lunch time ~ Woooohooo!  I even got a couple of runs in with my brother!

Skiing is such a good break for us during the winter, no phones, no school, nothin'.  

The smell of the spruce trees combined with the coolness of the air is absolutely mind clearing for me.  And the cheese fries at lunch ~ need I say more?  Our next ski day will not come soon enough.

There is some slope to this hill!

Skiing is so much better with a cute chic ~

Dom telling lies stories about his wild morning