recent dinner table conversation...

Ryker shared his theories as to why Daddy is bald:

1) He shaved his head so much that his hair just gave up.

2) He didn't get in the shower often enough for his hair to have the water it needed
to grow.

3) He didn't get in the shower often enough and the awful smell made the hair weak.
Eventually it just died.

About this time, Daddy told Ryker to stop thinking so hard and use his mouth for eating. :) I thought they were all good theories.

Eventually the conversation picked up again and somehow, Ryker thought it appropriate to use the word penis. And it was perfectly appropriate to use the word penis but because it isn't the word we use around here, I was curious as to where he'd picked it up. It went something like this...

Where did you learn to use that word, Ryker?

At school.

Really? I asked, assuming it was on the playground.

Yeah. He replied. The teacher said, "Hey Class!" We were studying the letter P.

Really?

Yeah. We were circling all the things in the picture that started with the letter P.

Really.

No. Grandma was talking on the phone to Nurse Christy and I learned it.

Ah.

Yeah. A man stuck a Q-tip in his penis and it was the size of a "trofical" fruit.

One of the hazards of having a grandmother who works for a urologist, I guess. As soon as I stopped laughing, I called Grandma.

rAndOm

Ryker noticed that Alvin's "Squeakquel" is no longer in the theater and is convinced that he can rent it at Blockbuster by now. After all, the two are less than 100 yards apart and it can't take very long to run the movie over. :)

Em talks non-stop about traveling to Palm Springs in March. It is in Mexico. And Mexico has a beach and "picy" Cheetos. California is also in Mexico, in case you were wondering. She is sad that Caroline won't be there and is only somewhat consoled because Jaden will be. As far as Em is concerned, Caroline is all that and a bag of "picy" Cheetos! Ryker is planning all sorts of activities that include Jaden and exclude Em. I think he is grossly underestimating his lil'sis.

Ryan has been five days gone and two days home since Jan. It stinks. He is missed. Even on the road, Ryan is working to maintain a running schedule and is still totally game to go for our early morning Saturday runs with the TEAM, which is consistently running five miles now. He can't wait to meet up with his family in Palm Springs for a little fun in the sun and a couple of date nights at Blue Coyote. It can't come soon enough!

Kristi is keeping crazy busy so as to miss her man less. It works. A little. :( I log a lot of miles, on foot and behind the wheel. I'm still teaching Skylar every morning and after 5 years together, often feel like I have a teenage daughter. Love her! I especially love volunteer teaching at Ryker's school. Wish I could teach more and am thinking about ways to make that happen without "stepping on toes". Wanting to plug The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and their great cause again. CANCER RESEARCH, friends. Think about it!!! Just click on the TEAM logo to the right of this post and it will take you to my fund raising page. It is a piece of cake to make a donation there. Please do. A *BIG* thanks to Grandma Marilyn, Grandpa and Grandma Tim and Amanda for supporting the cause by babysitting our kiddos while we run. Love you lots!

First timers...

They did GREAT!  I can assure you, learning is much easier at 5 and 7 than at 18.  It was as if the snow was rubber.  These boys bounced right off it.  I am proud of them both!!!  Schwietzer Mt. (awesome bunny hill)...here we come!  And if the sound comes through on these vidoes,  pls ignore the obnoxious cheerleading mom.  She just showed up and started yelling at my kids.  An otherwise nice lady tho.  ;)

*videos to come*

Like pink matches purple...

Which color clips would you like to wear in your hair today, Em?

Ummmm...yellow.

Yellow doesn't match very well.

Ya it does. Yellow matches orange.

No. It doesn't really.

Ya it does. Yellow matches orange like pink matches purple.

A Good Cause

I'm off and running. A race, that is. And I'm in love again! With ACDC, my favorite running companions. Sorry honey. Ryan and I decided it was time to stop talking about running a marathon (just a half for us first timers) and actually get 'er done. With hopeful intentions to expand our family once again, it was sort of now or...much later. :) We enjoy running but thought it might be even more enjoyable to run for a cause. We didn't have to look far and as soon as we found TEAM IN TRAINING, we knew it fit. The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is the world's largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research and has raised, to date, $680 million dollars for research and patient care. Our family is no stranger to cancer but watching Ryker's young friend, Tyler, battle leukemia made us want to participate in an organization that has directly contributed to many breakthrough cancer treatments. In 1960, the five-year survival rate for children with the most common form of leukemia was just 4%. Today it is 85% and are we EVER thankful for that! In addition to completing our goal of running 13.1 miles at Seattle's Rock'n'Roll Marathon on June 26, I've also committed to raising $2500 in charitable donations for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society by March 15th. We are so excited about this cause that we've come to consider greeting the damp cold morning at 6:45 each Saturday as a privilege. There are so many good causes and I can't begin to tell you that this one is better than the next. So I simply ask that if you have a little money to give to this great cause, please do!!! At some point in time, cancer will touch us all. It'll take just a minute to visit my TNT WEBPAGE and make your donation there. I'd love to take your money...and run! Tee hee.