Still Laughing....

Greer:  Daddy, I am gonna ask you for a nacho. 
Greer:  Daddy, can I have a nacho?
Dad:  No.
Greer:  Daddy, I am gonna ask you for a nacho, again.
Greer: (very slowly)  Daddy, can I have a nacho?
Dad:  Um, still no.

Little Dude is a riot.  He truly is very, very funny.  At the moment everything that comes out of his mouth is followed by "...isn't that right Mama?"  He is also very polite which is a pat on the back for Terri, cuz he surely didn't learn manners from his Mama.  Little Dude is also loud.  He talks in a very loud, almost high pitched voice.  Sweet, perhaps.  But, since he talks incessantly, the sweetness soon morphs into something like the sound of fingernails on a chalkboard.  I have attempted to have him bring the volume down a bit by instructing him to use his inside voice.  It works for all of a couple seconds and then the octaves climb.  I have also told him that we need quiet time and he is not to talk at all.  That doesn't last more than a second, if that.  I have joked that he is only quiet when he is asleep.  Now, Little Dude repeats that but it sounds something like " I only quiet when I asleep...isn't that right Mama?"  Funny Little Dude.

Introducing Our Fiddling Phenom

Six months ago the Empress began violin lessons. Technically, fiddle lessons. What I would refer to as hoe down music. In the beginning, definitely not my first choice. I, of course, had envisioned my beautiful, petite violinist playing lovely classical scores. But, I reasoned that fiddle would probably be more enjoyable for a child, and not as big a snooze for a beginner. So glad I made that decision. As I may have mentioned in previous blogs, my little Empress leans to the lazy side of things. She is very willing to take the easy route, so practicing was often times a match of wills...hers against mine. Then one day a couple months back, she saw the trophies on the wall of her instructors house. She asked about them and how she could get one. And, in that very moment she decided that she would enter and win a fiddle contest. She wanted the prize...she always goes for the prize. Jump ahead...

Saturday was the Annual Glacier Fiddlers Contest. Our Empress, the youngest contestant, won third place....her first trophy (more like a medal, but she still refers to it as a "trophy."), and a check for $10. She was sooooooo excited. Sooooo, sooooo excited. She turned to me and stated that she loved the violin and was going to win her next competition! And, you know something, I believe she just might!

We are so very proud of our little fiddler!! Great job G!

Colored Eggs, Candy, and Favorite Folks!

Quick trip. Sketchy roads. Miles of smiles, Easter egg hunts (yes, two of them!), dinner at the Den with our favorites, and even...a petting zoo.

It was a short weekend, but very full of love and laughter. I made a quick call to my close friend and colleague, E. Bunny, and informed him that we would not be home for Easter. Together we schemed and came up with the solution. E. Bunny agreed to travel to Dillon on Saturday morning. A day early, yes. But it freed E. Bunny up to visit more children on Sunday morning and it allowed for our travel back to Kalispell. The children awoke at 5 a.m. on Saturday and despite sending them back to bed, we were all out of bed by 7. There was a nice egg hunt, some breakfast casserole and time with BB and Papa Joe. Around 9:30 we crossed town and greeted Nana, Papa Skip and Sue Sue. Another egg hunt, coloring eggs and visiting. Then we hopped in the car and went to a petting zoo put on in downtown Dillon by the high school FFA. The Empress loved it and petted all the animal babies. The Dude...well, not so much. After a nap and the game of "Life" we sat down to a marvelous dinner with the Family, Papa Joe and BB included. It was nice. It was yummy.

It was short but sweet. It always is. I wish we lived closer. I wish we saw each other more. Despite the distance my family shares a very special love. I have been blessed. And, remembering the reason for Easter, thank you Lord Jesus for your love, sacrifice and for your divinity in creating my family!!