What have we been up to?

It seems every week, or every month now, I vow to be better at blogging, but the time just somehow gets away from me! We've had a fun couple of weeks (minus the strep throat and pink eye... but let's not dwell on that). Hudson and Gregor launched their first model rocket with lots of excited spectators (see video). The rocket launch was almost too successful... that sucker went high and far! Somehow, Gregor and Hudson tracked down the pieces, but it seems that it broke mid flight and wasn't suitable for a second try. It was quite exciting though! On the launch afternoon, the kids also decided to fly their kite. I tried so hard to get cute pictures... the kids were so excited and so freakin' adorable... I just couldn't capture their faces. They were all moving too fast and I mostly got their backs and their little heads staring up at the sky. Afternoons like this one seem so perfect and will be stored in my memory forever.

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing
Time as just been slipping by these last few weeks. We've had a taste of spring and have really been enjoying playing outside (not today... it feels like it's going to snow right now). In general though, it's been fun digging out the bubbles and bikes. Nellie's turned into quite the handful... climbing, screaming, demanding... you know that "fun" age where they want to do everything the big kids do and will scream until you understand what they want. Ugghh... I probably posted that before, but man, this stage is hard and seems to last forever! Nellie is now doing the sumo-stance... standing up by herself and getting really proud but she doesn't know what to do from there. I'm predicting she will take her first steps in the weeks to come. I think she took a step yesterday outside... but I don't know if I'm going to really count that one. I think it was an accident. What else... We went snowboarding a couple of times. Hudson is getting really comfortable out there. He's seems so grown up getting on that lift by himself! If the snow lasts, I want to take him up myself one of these days. I think he's better than I am already!What else...We were hoping to spend a month or so in Santa Cruz this summer trying to make it work with Gregor's two jobs and such. We were super excited about it, but those plans fell through. The realization of how expensive it is to travel as a family of 6 hit us pretty hard and we aren't going to be able to make it happen... so sad. But, I'm trying to make the best of it and get excited about some of our summer activities (and avoiding thinking about what the reality is going to be like when I have 4 kids all day every day by myself and it's hot... we're all sweaty... nellie is running into the deep end of the pool... no one wants to do the same thing... ugghhh... at least I'll have a tan... that's a positive...but I'm going to be in a bathing suit... ugghh... now I'm thinking about packing the pool bag over and over and over again. Ok... I'm stopping that train of thought right now!)Well, that's it for now. Nellie just woke up from her nap and now I'm going to have a little cling-on monkey for the next few hours.