Let's roll!

Saturday afternoon, the whole family loaded up to go to... the skating rink! The music school where they take lessons had a party for the students and their families. It was so much fun! I haven't been on skates in 15 years! I started skating around age 6 or so and it was one of my favorite activities, but when I put those skates on and got on the floor, I forgot what muscles to move (and not move!) and it took me a good half hour to remember! Amy was excited to get to skate with her friends and classmates, and she took off! We managed to encourage Aidan to give it a try, so by the end of our time, he could roll around the rink without being supported by a parent. We all had a really fun time! Will managed to get some very unflattering video of me right before we left, after I remembered how to stay upright and stop! Hey, 90 minutes of rollerskating is 10 Weight Watchers Activity Points!

Hokey Pokey- that's what it's all about!

I think I may have found the exercise activity for me!

Maybe Santa will bring me some skates, too!

Spring Break

Wow! I didn't realize it has been almost a month since our last post! We have been very, very busy. The first weekend of Spring Break, I loaded up the kiddos and we drove to Sherman, Tx to visit my college roommate and her kids, Reid and Elizabeth, and to show the kids the Austin College campus. The kids played very well together while Christina and I gossipped for hours on end while eating Chips Ahoy. It was so good to see her- it had been over a year since we last got together. Then I took Aidan and Amy to see Austin College, which has had some major changes since I graduated many years ago. There are several new buildings and some that have been demolished and replaced, either with landscaping or fountains. It's a beautiful campus.

After visiting for 3 days, we drove back south to Kerrville/Fredericksburg, where I left the kids with my mom. They spent a few days with her and a few days with Granny and Pop and had a great time. While they were there, Will and I decided to take advantage of the break from parenting to... lay tile. Yes, we decided to tile our kitchen floor, all 266 s.f. with 18x18 tiles, on a diagonal (can't make it too easy ya know) with 2 inch square accents. Never again. It took us 3.5 days total, though I lost count of the actual hours. I do know it took us 5 hours just to grout. It looks great and I know we will enjoy it once the aches and pains go away! The photos don't do it justice, of course.

Aidan got to experience the joy of demolition!

Before wiping and buffing.

The finished project!

Our last weekend of Spring Break was spent at Mo Ranch, a Presbyterian Retreat in Hunt, Tx, about 10 miles from Granny and Pop's house. We had reservations for a cabin, but since the weather turned from sunny and 80 one day to rainy and 40 degrees the next, and to comfort our aching muscles after our tiling marathon, we upgraded to a hotel room. On Saturday, all four of us mustered up the courage to do the Ropes Course. Anyone who knows me knows I have a long history of a fear of heights, and no, I was not medicated. The main attraction was the zip line, which was about 40 feet in the air. Amy and Will went first. Amy climbed to the top alone and once she got up there and looked around, she lost it! She started to shake and cry because she was terrified! Will quickly climbed up after her and between Daddy, Dan (the line guy) and the other families cheering her on, she managed to jump off!! Here she is, with Daddy right behind her!

Of course all she wanted to do the rest of the day was the zip line! Amy and Will also did the Big Gulp, which is a swing sort of contraption. I decided I had had too many cups of coffee to attempt that one with dignity. Aidan passed on it too, but we were so proud of him for really believing in himself and being brave enough to zip with me!

"Mom, I'm really scared!" "Aidan, me too! Let's go!" Though we didn't have much down time at Mo (20 minutes here and there), a few times we got to rest in our room and just relax. While Aidan explored the mechanics of the room A/C, Amy entertained herself with a mirror sculpture with playdoh. We named her "Mira."