Harry Potter & SpongeBob

For the last few weeks the boys have been all about Harry Potter and Sponge Bob. Jacob has been reading Harry Potter and just finished the first book. I was surprised that he was so interested in reading a long book like that - especially since he does not usually like fantasy books.


I've been trying to read with Benny more often but unfortunately he wants to read SpongeBob Squarepants books and usually this silly joke book that includes winners like:

"What is SpongeBob's work motto?"
"If at first you don't succeed, fry, fry again!"



Now, could I accidentally misplace this SpongeBob book? Would lightning strike me down? Is that against the rules of motherhood?

Green Iguana

I really have to recommend the green iguana -

No, not that one (although I did want an iguana for a pet when I was a third grader but my mom talked me into getting a hamster.)

The green iguana drink.


It is a nice cocktail for the summer. It is strong so you can't have too many.

Here is the recipe:

Green Iguana

1 1/4 oz tequila
1 oz Midori
1 oz fresh lime juice
1 oz Cointreau
lime wedge, to garnish

Add all ingredients to a shaker filled with ice. Shake and strain into a rocks glass (or whatever glass you like!)

Enjoy!

Play Ball!

Baseball has started and this year both Jacob and Ben are playing. Jacob has moved up to the minors division. This is the first time that the kids will be pitching. Jacob's first practice was yesterday. I noticed right away that the kid's skill level has increased. Many kids can throw the ball pretty hard. (I know that I would not be able to catch it! And yes, I also throw like a girl.)

Benny is playing t-ball. He had his first practice this morning. Benny did great and had a good time. George was joking that we have not done right by him and need to show him some of the fundamentals. Benny did hit for power though and kept telling his coaches that he "wanted to hit a home run!".

The boys reluctantly posing for a photo.


Benny at his first practice.


Getting some expert instruction from his coach...

Walking with Dinosaurs!

Last night we went into Manchester to the Verizon Center to see "Walking with Dinosaurs". This is a show that brings dinosaurs to life and features life-sized dinosaur contraptions. It was amazing!

The dinosaurs are life-sized - so they are huge - and they move around and roar just like dinosaurs would (or should). Benny's expression was priceless. He was speechless and truly in awe of the show! Jacob loved it too! My folks joined us as my father was the one to hook us up with tickets. I highly recommend the show and I believe it is there until Sunday.

A long neck...



T Rex - scaring the heck out of us!



The mommy T Rex and baby.

Jump In - The water's c-c-cold!

Jacob and Ben swam in the pool today. The air temp was 80+ degrees but the pool water was only 68. The water certainly looked inviting but I am not going in until it is at least 75 degrees. Spoiled, yes.

If you look closely at some of the pictures the boys are shivering and trying to smile but the water was frigid! This may be a record for the earliest "first swim" of the season.


Getting ready to jump in


Cold!


I am having fun!


All the way in!


Almost warm enough - NOT!

My crazy, mad scientist, obsessed with the pool water husband would want folks to notice how crystal clear the water is.

It's a Family Affair...

We had company this weekend. My cousin Michael, his wife Leigh and their son Dylan came up from NY. We had a great visit and took advantage of the nice weather. On Sunday we went to my parent's house for dinner and Big Grandma, Michele and Elizabeth joined us too.

George also opened the pool this weekend - still way too cold to swim but he has started the process of perfecting the pH, metal balance, acidity, etc. of the water. What this really means is that George has once again become the crazy mad scientist and is constantly discussing the merit and meaning of our pool's latest water test results.



Ben playing in the woods...



George needed a rest after cleaning the pool.



My cousin Michael and his family.



Ben at Grandma and Grandpa's.


Jacob - with a pillow for a body!


The ladies...

Happy Birthday to Me! (A Totally Self-Promoting Post!)

Today is my birthday. I am 37 and now just a few years away from the big 4-0! 40! Yikes!

To celebrate my birthday, we are going to Newick's for dinner. At Newick's you eat free on your birthday and one can never get enough fried seafood. Oh, the calamari! (Yes, I like the little squids.) They also serve mighty fine clam strips.

Lunch at Grammy's

We went up north to Vermont today to visit Grammy, Grampy and Aunt Stacy. Grammy made a delicious lunch for us - including her famous braided bread and her old fashion potato salad. I can not make either of these dishes so it is always a treat to have them. For dessert we had chocolate cake!

The kids enjoyed playing with Grammy's collection of toys. She is a yard sale guru and always finds unique, one-of-a-kind items. The boys were intrigued with these Ewok Lego guys. (You know Ewoks - the little furry creatures who saved the day in Return of the Jedi. On a side note - George thinks the Ewoks ruined that movie but that is for another discussion.) Jacob is now on a mission to find them on E-Bay.


The gang - minus George.


Wanted: Lego Ewok Guys - Will pay top dollar! (Ha, ha!)

Peepers, Patio Furniture and Piles....

Spring is finally here. Despite the rainy weather forecast, today turned out sunny and warm and so came peepers, patio furniture and piles.

I did not go to the mall and ended up doing chores and spring clean up. George put out the patio furniture and then I took part in my yearly attempt to clean the cushions and remove the stains and mildewy-like spots. Next year I swear I am splurging for new Pottery Barn cushions. Maybe something like this -

After the furniture looked somewhat decent, I helped George rake the lawn to get rid of the matted grass. Somehow we accumulated more than 6 wheel barrows of debris on our lawn. The raking was quite the chore, but I think it can count as exercise! (At least that is what I am telling myself.)

equals

Raking does count as aerobic exercise.

Throughout the afternoon we were serenaded by the peeper frogs. We have a wetland pool right behind our house and it must be full of these little frogs. Their mating calls are a sure sign that spring is here and that the days are warming up. Frogs are my favorite "outdoor" animal so it always makes me happy to hear them.

These small frogs are quite loud!

Men at Work

The boys working on their Lego creation.

Taking a quick break to pose for the camera!

Jacob's buddy Brendan spent the night. The boys had fun with their usual routine of video games, wrestling and Legos. This morning they opted to work on the Lego base. Brendan added his personal touch to the base and the base now offers a custom medical room courtesy of Brendan.

The rainy weather gives me the perfect excuse to head to the mall this afternoon. So I am going to sneak out and do some shopping. My plan is to spend my Christmas gift cards on some spring clothes. Hopefully I'll find something I like - sadly, I can spend hours at the mall and not come back with much at all. But I am hopeful I can find a few things.

Jacob - the Journalist

Jacob is on the newsletter club at his school. The group meets weekly to write articles, comics, and puzzles for the school newsletter. Jacob enjoys being part of this group and has contributed a couple of articles to the school newspaper. Usually his articles are interviews of his classmates asking them to name their favorite food, sport, least favorite subject, etc. Brendan has been interviewed by Jacob and featured in a past newsletter.

This week Jacob put together a cartoon....about guess what...Legos! I thought it was cute and wanted to post it on the blog. (I took the picture and it is not the best job but you can get the idea.)

Wild Times!

Jacob and I stumbled across this state of New Hampshire web site - Just for Kids - a while back and enjoyed printing and reading the Wild Times nature magazines. Now that the weather is warming up we may see some of these creatures out and about again. Jacob really liked reading about Frogs, Toads and Salamanders and the one on Birds, Birds, Birds was good too.

Finally...a bird.....

A customer for Jacob's bird feeder.

Jacob wanted and got a bird feeder for his birthday. We put it up this winter - it is located right on our deck - and then waited for the flocks of birds to arrive. Sadly, we did not get any action and not a single bird visited our feeder. We would have even been happy to have a squirrel come by but for some reason they stayed away too.

So, this morning, as I was toasting my english muffin, I look out the window and there they are! Birds, birds and more birds. Black birds, brown birds and yellow birds. A small woodpecker even stopped by. Now, I just need to figure out when I should take the feeder down, as I don't want to attract any bears!

Kids Say the Darndest Things...

Jacob and Ben said some funny things this week....

A couple of days ago, on our way out to the bus stop, I commented to no one in particular that my hair looked puffy. Jacob then consoled me by saying that it was not puffy and that he liked it. He particularly liked "the way that one side is lighter and one side is darker" and "how one side is curlier and one side is more wavy". Now, these are not things I requested from my hair stylist. So, despite my somewhat neurotic and compulsive nature, I promised myself that I was not going to worry about this!

Benny also had me laughing this week. He is very excited about playing t-ball this spring and also mentioned that he wants to play soccer in the fall. We are not a soccer playing family but we will certainly give it a shot. Benny wants to play soccer so that he "can score goals on all of the teams and win all of the games".

When asked if having fun or winning was more important. (I naturally asked this question because as a mom I need to use this type of questioning to gauge the moral compass and developing character of my children....ha ha, but I digress....) So, when asked if winning or having fun was more important, Benny quickly said "Winning!" and then added "I want to win a trophy". Now, who does he get this from?

After a few more words of wisdom from me and his pre-school teacher, we convinced Benny that having fun was more important than winning, especially when we explained that these days all of the kids get trophies - even if you don't win!

Another Yankee Fan!

Today is opening day for the New York Yankees. They were scheduled to play yesterday but the game was rained out. This is an exciting event at the Snow household.

George is a Yankees fan and has been since he was a little kid. Yes, he did grow up in New England but for some reason chose to like all of the most hated rivals of the local teams. (So in addition to the Yankees, he likes the LA Lakers and the Pittsburgh Steelers - no local teams here in the Snow household.)

By association, and as a survival mechanism, I too am a Yankees fan. My interest and knowledge level wanes from year to year and some years I can easily list off the entire line up and other years I am surprised by the names on the roster.

Jacob is also a dedicated fan. He has been to Yankee stadium three times now and is not afraid to wear his Yankee gear to school and out and about here in NH. He is starting to get into the stats surrounding the game and keeping track of players, trades, league records, etc.

This is the first year that Benjamin has shown any interest. He has now watched a couple of games with George and appears to be excited about the game.

Let the games begin!

George and Benny watching the Yankees take an early lead...


Jacob sporting one of his favorite player's number