Score!

Miles had his last soccer game of the season.  I was down in St. George so I missed it, which is especially sad since he scored a goal!  His first goal ever!  He has been sad all season because most everyone else has scored.  We told him that it's all about everyone working together, having fun, getting exercise, etc. but he wasn't satisfied until he got one for himself.  And the bonus of the night...not only did he score a goal, he scored a trophy too! 

Happy Birthday Daddy

Guess who else just joined the "Dangerously Close to 40" club?!  He woke complaining his back was hurting, which seems appropriate, right?  The kids had fun writing out a card and we sang Happy Birthday more than once.  Love you babe!

Happy 39th!

Chapter books

It's easy to float from day to day, month to month and still think of both kids as babies, but we got yet another reminder last week that Miles is growing up and getting smarter all the time.  He started reading chapter books for school!  For the past year or so he'd bring home a simple phonics book every night.  One of us would read with him and then when he could read it back to his teacher he passed off and got a new book.  When they have read all the phonics books they get to start chapter books and do book reports.  His goal was to get to them before kindergarten is out this spring and he did it. 
It blows my mind that we are making plans for fall when he'll start first grade.  He turns six in May.  I now totally get how people say your kids will be adults before you know it.  All too true :(

Time for reading

Odds and ends

Iris ready to head to a friends birthday party

Miles' kindergarten animal report.  He was assigned to write about a bird so he picked the cassowary, a big aggressive Australian bird. 

Funny shades at REI

Dentist

We work hard to make Aunt Jen proud!  The kids had their dentist appointment and got the good news that they are still cavity free.  They actually like heading to Dr. Barneys office, which makes my life a little easier. 

Cool cucumbers!

Skiing

The skiing lessons are going really well.  I worried the newness and excitement would fade after a few weeks, but he is happy to head up there every Sunday and play.  I went up 2 weeks ago and took a few runs with him after his lesson.  I was so excited and so worried at the same time since I am not able to help him much on my snowboard.  He did a great job, even with me hollering "red light" every 5 seconds!

At the top of the Majestic lift.  Our first official run together!

Yard carnage

I got a call this afternoon at work from the Cottonwood Heights police department.  At first I thought it was a prank.  Then I panicked and thought the house was on fire or had been burglarized.  The cop explained that four 16 year old girls were driving at excessive speed (approximately 60 in a 10 MPH zone) down our road, lost control, smashed through our front yard, off a 15 foot retaining wall and landed in the neighbors bushes.  I rushed home to see for myself just what it looked like and it was nuts.  How they managed to avoid the house is beyond me.  We lost 2 trees and a chuck of the retaining wall, but it could have been much worse.  The driver was taken away by ambulance with a concussion and the other three were cut up from the truck windows getting smashed out.  Seriously crazy.  The neighbors came out en masse when we got home.  In fact, I think I met more neighbors today than I have since we moved in.  There was lots of gawking and picture taking and pretty much just disbelief at the fact they didn't have to carry bodies away from the scene.  Bummer Jeff is in Elko and only gets to live it through pictures until he gets back tomorrow.

Crab apple tree got launched up the hill and the sign...well, it's history

Skid marks across driveway. Another crab apple tossed into the garage door. She flew right through the pile of snow, lost her side mirror on the brick wall and flew over the front steps

Exit from yard Thelma and Louise style. A 15+ foot drop down to the road.  Witnesses said one of the girls was bleeding and screaming she wanted her mommy.  I would have been too after a maneuver like that

Her landing zone.  Note the giant retaining wall bricks scattered in his yard.  Considering I can't even lift one of them, it was clear she was traveling at a crazy speed

Can you imagine launching off that and flying all the way across the street???

Clean up

Stupid girl