Margels, Bugs, and Rainbow Ladybug

It's definitely spring skiing when your entire party stops for lunch (all two of us) because you have bugs up your noses.  Bugs and skiing don't go together.

It was a good day today, warm, sunny, still snow to ski on and FFM kept asking to ski blue runs and margels.  "Where are the margels, Mommy?  I want some margels!"

Huh?   Turns out margels = MOGULS.  We finally found some and he was a happy camper.

FFM bailing on skis has been a pain in my patootie all season.  Getting up unassisted is the last hurdle he has to overcome before graduating to the next level in ski school.  Clever ski school calls it the "Rainbow Ladybug."  See, you make a nice arc from your fallen body to the tip of your ski (rainbow) and you walk your hands along it to get your body up off the ground (lovely ladybug walking along it).  Goes along with other cool skills like banana monkey/gorilla and duck walk.  We've begged, pleaded, bribed, coerced, and sung rainbow ladybug.  No go.  Suddenly last week something clicked and in typical FFM style he went from zero to total skill domination in 20 minutes.  On our first run today FFM fell and I was in front of him and didn't notice.  He's supposed to holler like mad so I'll stop, but today, not a peep.  I had gone over a rise and *gasp* I COULDN'T EVEN SEE HIM!!! ARGH!!!!  I started hiking back up the hill, hoping he hadn't gone over the side, crashed into a tree, or crashed into another skiier.  I'd taken about five steps when he popped over the rise with a giant grin on his face.

"Mommy!  I crashed and a girl asked if I needed help but I told her no because yesterday I remembered how to do Rainbow Ladybug all on my own!"

After I breathed my big sigh of relief and sorted out 4yr old syntax, we had a refresher about how to holler to stop even though he remembers how to get up on his own now.  Who knows what that poor girl thinks Rainbow Ladybug is.

Faces

The camera happened to be sitting at the kitchen table one day while we were having lunch...

His Very First Brand New Bike

Not his first bike, mind you, his first new one.  Great Big Box toy store had a bike trade in event.  We attended, and traded in the used bike that I found at a consignment sale last year.  FFM was never very enthusiastic about his gently used bike, perhaps because he didn't get to pick it out.  He DID get to pick out his new bike, and is VERY enthusiastic about it.  He and Travis put it together this weekend.

The new bike seems HUGE!  The coolest parts?  It's got a name (Rodger Dodger), orange striped tires, and a rev handle that you crank and make engine revving sounds.  Who knows if it's a decent bike or not but it has one 4.5 year old begging to ride.

Spring's First Backyard Bubble Party

Last week brought longer days and warm temperatures to the front range.  With both of those our back doorbell started getting a lot more use and FFM's buddy Emma came over nearly every afternoon after school to play.

Last year I needed to get these two out of my hair one afternoon so I invented The Bubble Party.  I dumped every bubble making toy I could find onto the deck, filled everything that needed to be filled with bubble juice to the tippy top, turned on the bubble octopus, and let 'em rip.  Who knew it would be such a success that it would become the most requested outdoor game of all time?  

The first day the air smelled warm FFM requested a bubble party and wouldn't you know it, Emma showed up at our back door as soon as school let out wondering the same... 

St Paddy's Ski Day

Tis nearing the end of ski season here, it was warm warm warm today for the wearing of the green. Our wee Irish lad donned as much green ski gear as he could and then asked for a green beer at the end of the day. What?! Where on earth did he learn about green beer?