Pics of the week

Levi has been gnawing on apples and carrots this week. His cousin, who is only 5 weeks older, has eight teeth! Levi is still nothing but gums....

On a completely unrelated note, I will never buy play dough again. It is so easy to make!

Mt. Hartman quincy hut

We built a snow fort in our backyard this weekend. March is usually the month I start shoveling out the yard into the alley. (My internal clock starts saying, "Shouldn't the azaleas be blooming by now?") However, I've decided to embrace the last few, ahem, months of winter this year. In case you have enough snow in your back yard, which I seriously doubt, here is a recipe for cooking up a quincy hut:

1. shovel all the snow in the yard into a large conical mount

2. let the snow harden over night

3. shovel out a door

4. go in and shovel out the "room" through the door

5. poke air and light holes in the ceiling

6. voila

A week of Firsts

1. First snowman of 2010. We even found a heart for him. Silas made the snow balls all by himself.

2. First Hartman family ski day. Silas and Christian had been a few times, but last weekend we took all three kids to the ski hill. Priya was skiing all by herself on her first day!!! Levi enjoyed his ride down the hill in the back pack. Silas was giving me pointers as I obviously needed help. (At least I could button my snow pants this year!!)

3. First 3-D movie. We went to see Alice in Wonderland. The review I read called it C.S. Lewis Carroll's "Alice returns to Narnia, " which I think was appropriate.

4. Levi's first time to Crested Butte. If you're ever there, check out the Lobar sushi restaurant.

5. Today marks Christian's first day in his 30s. Happy Birthday!!

6.  The kids went to the dentist. They loved the raspberry flavored toothpaste and all the neat things in their "treat bags." 

7. Later today we will dye eggs for the first time. Last week, I discovered that the whole family is bonkers for boiled eggs. So, we'll make them pink and blue and then eat them.

Prince Charming and Cinderwhite

My children have been going to the Royal Ball as of late. Although they could polish up their dancing and their manners could use some work, here are a few of the charming things they have said lately:

Silas (about the elk and beans I prepared): "Mom, this looks like bumpy dirt, but it tastes like dog food."

Priya: "Why do you have this big line on your forehead, momma?" (It's called a wrinkle, and that one is named after you, P-nut).

Silas (about school): "We learned about Dinosaurus Rick." (ummm, T-rex?)

Priya (when I was looking for a jacket that was right behind me): "Momma, use your brains."

Levi, who is truly charming, is trying to walk and says the following: "night-night, bye bye, daddy, momma, hi, hey, all done, and mmmmmmmm when eating." He also does a mean tiger roar and makes a great smoochie noise when giving kisses.