Ethan's Basketball Hoop

On Friday, Ethan bought his very own basketball hoop! He's been saving up ever since Christmas, and we finally went down to pick it out.


Next came the fun part...putting it together!

(Of course, the fun part for some was playing in the box.)

There were a lot more parts than we thought there would be.

We had to improvise one or two of the steps!

Kevin was eager to "help."

The final touch...only after a trip to Home Depot to buy a part or two.

We had barely stood it up and Ethan was already shooting a basket (and he made it!). The other thing I like about this picture is the stormy-looking clouds...we did get rained on a bit.

And, yes, it was dark by the time we finished.
Here's Trevor going for a shot (and almost getting hit in the head by Ethan's shot).

Here's Ethan going for a shot. The smile on his face was priceless, and he's been telling everyone ever since, "I bought it with my own money!"

B-17 Surprise!

About a week ago, Robert's mom was visiting and we were driving in St. Paul. Robert just about jumped out of his skin when he saw this old airplane flying right over the capitol building. He got very excited as he explained that it was a B-17, a bomber from World War II (if you've ever seen the movie "Memphis Belle," it's the same type of plane), and that you just don't see those flying very often. In fact, it was the first time he has seen one in the air. (As a pilot and a World War II buff, you can imagine how excited he was.)

Robert decided it had to have taken off from the St. Paul airport, so off we went in hunt of an explanation for why B-17 was flying over St. Paul on a Saturday. It turns out that this particular B-17 is the only one that flies all over the country. You can even take a flight in it (a mere $450 per person for a 25-minute flight), or take a look at it for free once it's on the ground. Needless to say, we opted for the free option.

Here's the plane coming in to park after landing.

The plane is called the "Liberty Belle." You can see the pilots in this one (as well as the scantily clad woman painted on the side).

The boys were very excited to go inside.
(Except Kevin--he was scared the plane would start up. He's not a fan of loud noises.)

Trevor was amazed at how big the propellers were close up.

Robert loved that the cockpit wasn't "behind glass," like in a museum. There was just a rope that separated you from it. He got a good look at it!


Here's Ethan at the bomardier's station. It has the best view from the plane.

Here's Ethan at one of the machine guns...he thought this was very cool.

Robert and Trevor with their game faces on.


We met a lady there whose father flew in the ball turret of the B-17 during the war. They opened up the ball turret and let her get inside to see what it was like. Luckily for us, they let the boys climb in, too. They said they don't usually allow that.

Trevor could barely fit in there! He got to see how they would control the position of the ball turret and fire the guns at the same time. I can't imagine sitting in there during a mission. We met a man whose father flew 30 missions in the ball turret during the war...that's amazing! Robert says it was probably one of the least safe places to be.


This man flew in a B-17 during the war. He was a tail gunner.

Here he is checking out the tail gun. He's looking for the entrance to the tail gunner's position. You couldn't access it from the inside of the plane. You had to crawl in through a door just under the wing before take-off. Unbelievable!

We had a great time experiencing this amazing plane and getting an in-person history lesson. I loved how much the people there respected and revered the men who flew in these planes or served in other ways during the war. We owe a lot to those brave men and women!

Upcoming Garage Sale

So, my neighborhood has a big garage sale every year. I am participating this year: I am finally getting rid of the baby stuff...it took a while to come to this decision, but I am ready!

My friend Stacey will be selling some of her hair clips and jewelry (and delicious baked goods). She is also giving me garage sale advice...she is a pro! She's going to put a post on Craigslist and told me pictures would be helpful. The only pictures I could find of the crib and toddler bed have a child in them...

I love this pic of Trevor...I came in to get him from his nap and he had flipped himself over! Also, the teddy bear in the background is still an important thing in his life..."Boose" looks nothing like that now!


Robert had a hard time determining if this is Trevor and Kevin...they really look alike at this age!This is Trevor, by the way.

I suggested to Stacey add "Baby not included" under the picture of the crib!

Cub Scout "Blue & Gold" Dinner

The theme for this year's "Blue & Gold" Dinner for Cub Scouts was "Beautiful America." (I've also heard that the theme is "The ABC's of America," but whatever.) Each boy was to decorate a cake or cupcakes to go along with the theme. We contemplated doing the Washington Monument, the White House, a dollar bill, or a quarter. But, with the requirement that each boy had to decorate it entirely by himself, we kept searching for another idea.

Trevor finally chose to do the moon. Now, I know that's not officially part of America, but we decided that American history might fit into the theme somehow. And since we just watched "Apollo 13" last weekend, Trevor decided that recreate the Apollo 11 moon landing:

The frosting is white buttercream with crushed Oreos stirred in. The "craters" are Necco wafers.

I think he did a great job with it! I didn't get a picture of it, but Trevor's friend Max let him borrow his lunar lander, which we placed next to the cake. It looked even more authentic!

Trevor also earned his Bear badge, along with 3 arrow points. He worked really hard on his Scouting the past few months, and he's ready to move on to Webelos!

I'm so proud of him! (And my fingers still show the scars of sewing on that Bear badge the next day!)

New Snow

We got a bunch of new snow this week, and the boys have had a blast playing in it. In Minnesota, the snow at the end of the winter (it is nearly the end, right?!) is always better. Plus, it's no longer -15 degrees, so you can actually go outside.

In this picture, Ethan is attempting to use a snow brick maker to build himself a wall.

In this picture Kevin is helping me bury something...

It's under that huge pile of snow....

Wait...what IS that?!

Oh yes, it's Trevor. You know, it's kind of like being buried in sand at the beach, only a little chillier.

This is Trevor's unfinished igloo. He's still trying to figure out how he is going to put a roof on it.

Don't you just want to move to Minnesota in February?!

Homemade Valentines

If you know me well, you will know that I am NOT a crafty person. Yet, for some reason, I get the biggest kick out of clever, homemade valentines. So, for the last 3 or 4 years, I have helped the boys make valentines for their classes. I even subscribe to Family Fun because they have the greatest ideas each year!

For Trevor's class, we decided to make iPod valentines (an idea from Family Fun).
It's actually a box of those conversation hearts wrapped in red paper with the playlist and controls glued onto the front. Check out the playlist:

Such a great idea! The earbuds are the smaller peanut butter cups wrapped in tin foil.

Ethan chose the paper airplane valentine...you print out the airplane and instructions off of the Family Fun website.

He signed each one and we rolled them up, then tied it along with some Smarties. For Ethan's teacher, we traced his hand on pink cardstock and stuck them to a small tube of hand lotion. He wrote, "Mrs. Lewis, you deserve a hand. Love, Ethan."

They were the hit of the class Valentine's Parties.

And I'm all crafted-out.

Merry Christmas!

We had a nice, relaxing Christmas this year. It's the first time in around 3 years that we haven't traveled some where, and I have to say it was kind of nice! Robert's mom came into town.

Here she is playing Blackjack with the boys.
(Yes...BLACKJACK. And yes, those are real poker chips.)

(Supposedly it teaches math skills or something.)

On Christmas Eve, we let the boys open a few presents. Grandma gave them each beautiful quilts. They were made by a friend of a friend. They are the same pattern, but different fabrics. They each have jars with bugs, frogs, or lizards in them. They are really beautiful, with lots of detail.

The boys LOVE them!

Then they opened another present: matching pajamas.

Cute boys!

Crazy boys!
(By the way, there are no presents under the tree because a certain 2 year old would have opened them up faster than you can say "Jingle Bells.")

Then we read the Christmas story. Robert tried to explain to the boys what frankincense and myrrh are. He described frankincense as something that made you smell good, to which Trevor replied, "Like deoderant?" He then described myrrh as a balm that makes your skin soft, to which Ethan replied, "Like lip balm?" So, now my children think the wise men brought the baby Jesus gold, deoderant, and chapstick.

Next, we sang some Christmas songs (my favorite part of Christmas!). This year, Trevor learned a lot of Christmas songs on piano, so he accompanied us.

Here he is with Grandma singing along.

Next, we hung up the stockings. (Again, we put this off until Christmas Eve because a certain 2-year old would have pulled them down faster than you can say, "Ho, ho ho!")

The far right one is for Grandma...it has 5 little pockets with varying degrees of naughtiness and niceness listed, with a little candy cane you can place according to your rating.
(The boys rated Grandma "Nice Occasionally." Santa changed it to "Nice.")

We put out cookies for "Mr. C."

Here's Ethan is standing guard...Kevin thinks they are for him.

Next morning, the boys didn't wake us up until around 8 a.m.

One of Trevor's favorite gifts: Legos!

One of Ethan's favorite gifts: a book all about the A380

(Yes...apparently an obsession with airplanes is hereditary)

Kevin just wouldn't let go of his candy from his stocking.

It took some convincing to put it down to open presents.

Even when Kevin finally opened some of his presents, it was at a rate of about 1 per half hour. He was all about playing with whatever he opened. He still had some to open after everyone else was finished. Ethan was convinced it was because Kevin actually had more presents than anyone else. We did an unofficial tally to convince him otherwise.

We had yummy cinnamon rolls and orange rolls for breakfast, followed by my first turkey dinner that I've prepared by myself, ever! It turned out all right, but I was pretty tired that night. Our friends the Deans came over later for dessert (I made a peppermint twist cheesecake...pretty yummy!) and games (Bananagrams, Farkle, and Nerts).

It was a great day! I love Christmas. I hope you all had a great holiday, too! Happy New Year!