Happy Easter

It was a super quiet Easter. We had visited family the two weekend prior, so it was just us hanging out here in Lafayette. We hunted eggs, went to church, had a huge lunch, and then enjoyed the weather. It was a nice day.

The Easter bunny hid the eggs outside. It had rained Saturday, but was warm. Why not? All went well during the hunt, but when we came in to crack open the eggs, we had a few visitors. All the eggs that had been hidden in the lush, moist, hosta beds, were full of slugs. Little, baby, slugs, but, still, . . . slugs. Yuck.

Spring Break Staycation

According to the kids, we were the ONLY family that didn't go to Florida for spring break. Hmmm? Really? The only family? Oh, well. That great economy hits us all in different ways. We did eat out a couple times (rarity for us), and took a trip to Indy. We stayed the night in a hotel so the kids could swim. Our room overlooked Lucas Oil Stadium. Not too impressive for Bears fans, but still neat to be that close to a piece of the NFL. We spent about seven hours gawking around the Children's Museum. This is one of the most amazing places our family has been. We loved it so much, we bought a membership and plan to go back. That tower behind the kids, spans up three floors and is made of glass. That's just the middle of the middle. In the lobby -- Bumblebee. Not some cruddy replica. The Bumblebee is in the lobby. We had a hard time convincing Ike to move on through the rest of musuem. Trust me, it only got better from there.

Signs of Spring

Forget the crocuses poking their heads out or the sweet chirping of the birds in the morning, the first signs of spring around here are the sounds of Dad coaching out in the drive. I think he's planning to turn children that are half mine into athletes. He needs to remember -- they are half mine. Their athleticism ranges depending on the day and the kid. Let's just say, I'm not holding out for scholarships.

Ava's Donation

Ava has been growing her hair out since August with the intent of donating it to Children with Hairloss. They donate wigs to children with all forms of hairloss, not just loss due to cancer treatment. It has been a struggle for her, as it got to the ten inches she could give away. It reached the middle of her back and was becoming a struggle for her little, first grade arms to brush. Many a tear was shed over the tangles and frustrations of her long, beautiful hair. Finally, she made the goal and was able to give it all away. It was such a freeing experience for her. She really is a short, hair gal. She's crazy into accessorizing her new 'do with clips, bows, and headbands. She's a tomboy who doesn't let her love of skirts and pink get in her way.

Swiss Valley Valentine

Our neighbor Mike, who is a crazy, good skier, set us up with a sweet deal of room, ski lift, and rentals for the weekend, if we just drove up to Swiss Valley Ski Resort in Michigan. An offer we couldn't refuse.

Five out of six Hamby's turned out to be darn, fine skiers. The kids LOVED it. Already, Ike and Ava said that all they want for their birthday next year is to go skiing. This displays a great desire in a seven-year-old to forgo gifts to spend a day on the slopes. All four of the kids and Brant took to it like they'd done it before. They zipped through the bunny hill, moved on to the bumpy hill, passed the smaller, speed hill, AND then went on this huge, insane Triples slope. I could not believe my kids were zooming down this impossible looking hill after only one day. They were on such an adrenaline high and totally in love with skiing. Paige and Claire are already thinking of ways to earn money to get their own skies, boots, and helmets.

Did you catch the the fraction of 5/6ths of the Hamby family were good at this? Yeah, I'm that 1/6th that sucked it up. I fell three times in the first five minutes. The third fall (on the frickin' rope pull -- not even a good crash-and-burn story here) felt like someone smacked me in the back with a shovel making every fall after all the more painful and embarrassing. Oiy. And then when you fall, it's darn near impossible to get back up in skies. I wallered around on the ground like Randy from A Christmas Story ("I can't get up!). I haven't felt so handicapped since I was 9 months pregnant with twins.

100 Days of School Down and Then. . .

We hit the 100 Day at school, a huge, elementary landmark. The kids had a day of fun, crafts, and snacks. And then . . .
SNOW DAYS! We've been stuck here without much to do. The snow is really crusty from sleet, so you can't even sled on it. Bummer. We've already put together a 1,000 piece puzzle, made cookies, painted nails, and got out the trusty craft box. I'm running out of regular, snow day fun supplies. Hope this breaks soon or the crazies may take over this asylum!

Snowy Weekend

Here's how we spend a snowy weekend. We watched movies, read books, played PS3, and ground up a deer. I know. The first three were great. The last one was fun in it's own way. We stocked the down stairs freezer with ground deer, deer roasts and deer sausage. Brant added in some pork so it's not so deery. I'm excited to try out some soups and chilis with my man's kill.

We've had snow for weeks, but it's been too cold to make a snowball, let alone a snowman. Finally, today it warmed up enough to make a man. The kids made a Daddy and a baby. They are almost old enough it took minimal Mom-help this year. Sad.