I spy!

I spy!, originally uploaded by leslie_capron.

Someone woke up fevery and sick today but had a miraculous recovery right around 9:30 this morning. So glad he did.

Persistent

Boy, when Sarah likes something she really likes it.  She's on to her second crown (so glad the boys still had theirs!).

Change of Pace

Tuesdays all the kids are in school and my usual routine is to drop them off and head straight to a spin class.  I've become completely addicted to spin.  I love it.  I love the loud music, the feisty instructors and the fact there is zero coordination required (unlike Zumba, kickboxing, step and just about every other class at the gym).  But yesterday I just wasn't feeling it.  So instead I took a long walk around the neighborhood and took some pictures with my phone.  I'm so glad I did.  The fresh air did me good.

Sunday Matinee

As Owen's preschool Room Mom, It's my job to schedule a few activities throughout the year for the kids to get together and for the families to get to know each other better. 


Since I'm lazy type B, I haven't planned anything yet, BUT one of our fabulous parents did.  We got together this afternoon for a little outside-of-school bonding and saw Beauty and the Beast in 3D.  





The boys with their cool 3-D glasses.


I was going to just take Owen since Andrew is anti anything with a girl in it these days.  But I was able to get him to come along too with the promise of some Skittles.  


I'm happy to report both boys loved it!  If you've got boys, and aren't sure if they'd be into it, I'd go for it.

Road Warrior

Eric sent this picture just before take off from Spokane this afternoon.  Good lord that's a lot of snow on the ground.   If I were with him, we'd still be in Washington; heck if there was a slight drizzle I'd have second thoughts about boarding.  Glad to say he's home safe and sound now.  

My Princess

My Sarah, she's been wearing this crown for days.  She had it on when I dropped her off at school and when I picked her up. She's sleeping with it on her head right now.  


On Monday, I had a parent teacher conference for Sarah.  She's doing well in preschool and is right on track with her developmental milestones and social interactions.  My favorite part of the meeting was reading this in her assessment:  "Our little smiling sunshine, that's Sarah.  She brings so much fun to our classroom.  She has unique ideas of which no one else thinks."  


This makes me so happy.  I love that Sarah follows her own ideas.  This is so true at home and I'm so glad that she is herself at preschool too.  

Finally

I'm finally getting up before the kids - this hasn't happened for months.  It's the best way for me to start the day!

It's been a rainy, cold holiday Monday; a perfect day for chicken and dumplings.





I tried a new recipe from TastyKitchen and it is fantastic.   It super simple and really yummy.  I can't say the kids loved it, but since I roasted a chicken for the recipe, they were happy with legs and wings.  

In the picture, you might notice diced tomatoes and gravy flour, two ingredients not usual in Chicken and Dumplings.  But very handy when you don't have a rolling pin, and you don't have enough flour!

Sunday night Madden

Sunday night Madden, originally uploaded by leslie_capron.

This is the closest we'll be to football fans.

Saturday

Favorite Pic of the Day: The boys at Joshua's 5th super spy birthday party.





Today we committed to being a ski family.  Eric has outfitted us all with proper equipment  Since the kids are so young, and I'm a total novice, we've got no need for the latest and greatest.  He found a great site for used gear at GalacticSnowSports.com.  So skies, boots, and poles are on the way!   Now all we need is some snow...

Kids eat the darndest things

When it comes to the kids' food, I always err on the side of plain and bland.  There's lots of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, mac & cheese and pancakes.  I didn't set out to cook this way for my kids, it's just after your child actually starts crying at the sight of something green on their plate or refuses the spicy-ness of mashed potatoes, one can get a little burnt out from the food meltdowns and want to have a stress-free meal from time to time with no complaints.  So tonight when we were out to dinner and Andrew enjoyed miso soup (fishy! It has tofu in it!) and some of Eric's tuna sushi (raw fish!), I almost fell out of my chair.  This is a real turning point here at the Caprons; I might just try to serve something crazy like lasagna next week.  

Must rearrange condiments!

Must rearrange condiments!, originally uploaded by leslie_capron.

Eric is in town for the rest of the week, and Sarah and I met him for lunch at Wahoo's. Sarah was great at the restaurant as long as she could stage the table.

My little angry bird : )

My little angry bird : ), originally uploaded by leslie_capron.

I think Angry Birds maybe taking over Star Wars for favorite video game and characters in the Capron house. We have several Angry Birds shirts now for the kids. We mostly got them for the boys, but Sarah loves the shirts too. So much so that she'll go into the boys' drawers and steal their Angry Birds shirts to wear. In my desperate attempt to force pink on my little tomboy, we got her a pink Angry Bird shirt too.  And to up awesomeness of it, its an Angry Bird dressed as Princess Leia.

It's never too chilly for the pool

#janphotoaday Childhood: never too chilly for the pool, originally uploaded by leslie_capron.

We're settling back into our routine after three weeks off. Mondays are free days with no scheduled activities. Tuesdays are swim teams days. Today the weather was so nice that all the kids were in the pool.

New favorite show

Season 2 of Downton Abbey premiered last night.  A PBS Masterpiece Theater series I had not even heard of a week ago.  Tim and Rhonda raved about it during our Tahoe trip and thought I might like it.  It's an upstairs/downstairs drama set against World War I England.

With children named Andrew Charles, Owen Alexander and Sarah Elizabeth, you might suspect that I am somewhat of an Anglophile.  And you'd be right.  To say that this show fits my demo would be an extreme understatement.  I loved it, and need to catch up on season 1 immediately!

Sunday Blues

The view at the Back Bay, originally uploaded by leslie_capron.

Andrew has loved his vacation and is dreading tomorrow. Tonight he hates school. I wish he didn't. I want him to love it. I encourage him tonight, and hope tomorrow in class he's ok. Not sure who has it worse, me or him...

Update:  Andrew wasn't thrilled about school this morning, but was much better than last night.  His attitude just stumps me.  I don't remember disliking school so much so early on (high school yes, 1st grade, no).  When I'm in the classroom on Wednesdays, I see how he is in class and he's just fine, and borderline class clown even.  He is in his element.   I'm hoping this is just a case of liking to stay home more than going to school, who wouldn't?  I'm also hoping this gets better - we've got a long way to go.

Updated Update:  And Andrew was just fine when I picked him up today from school.  MORE than fine.  He was happy and bouncy and excited that he had earned a STAR card today.  (STAR cards are given out for good behavior).  So, I think the moral of the story here is Andrew hates Mondays, just like 95% of the general population.  And this mom worries too much about her baby, just like 95% of other moms.

Back to reality

Back to reality, originally uploaded by leslie_capron.

Back to SoCal! Great trip, great to be home.

Back to suburbia

We're home from the mountains and back in Rocklin.  Today we did our usual fun: big dog walk on the William Jessup campus, big time fun at the park across the street from Gege and G-pa's house, car washing fun, and lots of time on Club Penguin for Andrew. 


Eric's been in Spokane for the last two days. I told him he better come home quick before I move us here.  Life in Rocklin is pretty great.

Never made it onto skis

Here's a pic of the Squaw Valley Tram.   We didn't make it to the top this visit, but perhaps next time when Sarah naps aren't so imperative right in the middle of the day.



There really isn't any snow to speak of in Tahoe right now.  Most of what the boys and Eric skied on was man made.  But for me, the sunny days and warmth (jeans and a couple of layers were just fine), and zero crowds made this winter ski trip just about perfect.  

Olympics 2024!

The boys made major progress on their second day of ski school yesterday.  Owen did a great job getting those tricky turns down, and Andrew did well enough to go on a real chair lift and ski down a real slope!  I'm so proud of these two.  I'm most proud of the fun they had and the good behavior reports from their teachers, getting better at skiing is gravy on top (total mom perspective!).


Going up the Magic Carpet!



Let's work on those turns Owen!



Owen adds his own style to all his moves



Great job Owen!







My baby went on a chair lift all by himself!  He wasn't scared but I was freaking out!  That's a long way down.



On the "big" mountain!



Nice turn Andrew!



On the big box!  Nice job Andrew!



Not only does all day ski school help your kids make quick progress, but it gives mama plenty of time to escape to the spa!  G-pa was fantastic and watched Sarah while Gege and I got facials.  So wonderful!  Thanks G-pa!

Bright side

_DSC6427.jpg, originally uploaded by leslie_capron.

Driving 8+ hours with the kids can be a chore, but views like this almost make it ok.

Progress Report

It's 11:30 and no calls from Ski School yet, the boys must be doing ok!  We spied on them about an hour after we dropped them off and they were looking good.   Eric's on the slopes now and he's keeping an eye on them too (and texting their worried mama with updates : ).   The snow discombobulated Sarah and she was a bit grumpy this morning while we were checking out the snow and dropping the boys off.  But nothing a little snack and a nap won't fix. I can't wait till next year when we'll all be on the mountain.


French Fries



Pizza



Owen getting his ski legs



Sarah by the fire enjoying her donut



Taking that last sip of joe before hitting the slopes
 

Getting psyched for ski school tomorrow!

Getting psyched for ski school tomorrow!, originally uploaded by leslie_capron.

We're off to a great start to 2012! Here are the kids at Squaw Valley in North Lake Tahoe today. We're staying with Tim and Rhonda right across the street from the slopes. (It's is so fantastic not to have to load up and drive to the slopes!) They boys are so excited for ski school tomorrow, I'm not sure they'll sleep tonight. Sarah will not be happy when she realizes that she's not going too - you have to be three for ski school. We have some fun in the snow with her planned. She's not too young to do a little saucer sledding! This is such a great way to finish off our holidays.


One of my 2012 resolutions is to post here everyday. That's a BIG stretch since I think I'm averaging once a month, but I can do it! Other resolutions include spending more time with friends and family and to finally take the kids camping.


Wishing you a fantastic 2012 and if you have some resolutions, let me know and I can cheer you on!