Friday, May 8, 2009

BIKE RACE


Tonight I challenged Olivia to a bike race on the driveway. This is a big deal, considering that we have the steepest, longest, most grueling driveway in all of South Dakota. At first she refused to compete, knowing that many have died on the driveway trying to retrieve the garbage cans, but then changed her mind once Chris reminded her that my "bike skills" aren't great. (Let me defend myself by saying that I can ride, it's just sharp turns that I have a hard time with....)

Soon the race was on and we were both talking alot of chump smack. I was sure I had her beat...that skinny body was no match for my meaty legs. I was teasing her, calling her "toothpick" and trying to get in her head. Liv headed down first, but she slowed down too much and those long legs couldn't build enough speed to get her back up the hill. I was yelling, "C'mon toothpick, ride!! Go toothpick, go!!" She stopped in the middle of the hill. I was sure to be the champion of the driveway.

I strapped on her tiny bike helmut and squatted over her purple dirt bike. Down I went, a bit worried because her breaks really weren't as good as they should have been for and a hill like that. I turned the corner even slower than Liv did and ran over the grass when I over corrected. I was not going to lose! The family was at the top of the driveway, cheering me on. Then out of nowhere I hear, "GO PORK CHOP GO!! GO PORK CHOP GO!!" It was Nick. Where did he come up with THAT?!? Nevertheless, I started laughing so hard that I nearly fell off the bike.

Round two went a little better....I paced it just right and made it to the top of the hill. Liv did even better and finished at the top of the hill too but with much more momentum than I. "Toothpick" was declared the official winner of the driveway challenge.

Later Chris and I were talking and he asked, "Why were you calling yourself porkchop?" I informed him, very politely, that it was Nick, not I, who had come up with that nickname. That kid cracks me up. Guess he calls it like he sees it, huh?

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

LOST


Tonight was a big night in little Nick's life. He had gone to bed as usual and gotten up, as usual, but tonight he had a NEW excuse...."my tooth is loose!" Sure enough, one of his tiny bottom teeth was as wiggly as could be and ready to come out. I took him into the bathroom to work on it. He was so excited about losing his first tooth that he had a hard time focusing long enough to get it out! He HAD to do it himself. Below are some pictures I took of him as he worked on it in the mirror.
It's always so hard to get a good enough grip on those slimy little things! We finally figured out a good slip knot with the dental floss should do the trick. Nick couldn't bring himself to do it and just about backed out and took the floss off. I caught him off guard by asking him "Nick, How many stars are in the sky?" In the middle of his answer "About three million two-hundred and sixty-four," I counted to three really fast and gave a quick yank. Nick looked at me with this startled face and then realized what had happened when he saw his tooth dangling at the end of the floss. He started to shake and squeal he was SOOOO excited. The pictures below don't begin to capture his excitement. It was precious.
Nick claimed that "It didn't hurt at all!" and couldn't wait to show everyone in the family. He even tried to wake his sister up but no luck... she was out cold. He dictated a note to the tooth fairy and found a special little box for his tooth. In true Nick fashion, he managed to stay up a couple more hours since he was now "Waiting for the tooth fairy!"

Sunday, May 3, 2009

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GRANDPA!

We had a little "belated" birthday party for my dad when they returned from wintering in Arizona. It's always fun to party with the Smiths! I cooked his favorite meal: pork roast with potatoes and gravy and homemade carrot cake for dessert!


Friday, May 1, 2009

FORT

The kids worked all evening building this cool box fort. They begged to sleep in it and after a lifetime  just a few hours, they fell fast asleep. I couldn't resist taking pictures of it!



DO NOT ENTER! STRIKED BISSNESS