Our little entrepreneur

Matt cleaned the garage this afternoon; hallelujah! During the 'cleaning' time, Jackson was spot on- helping with the broom, playing with toys Matt already categorized into a basket and helping put away hammers (but still hammering things along the way). By the time I arrived home, he had a specific, schemed plan. He found a few things he wants to sell. At the top of the list is his tricycle, which he has outgrown. His theory is that he plans to sell the tricycle for $109- which is the cost of a lego city set he has been eyeing up at target (don't even get me started on how the heck they can sell a lego set for $109!).

To help him think through this, we started asking questions and should have known what we were in for:

Us: How much will you sell it for?
Him: $109.
Us: It's not worth that much, you know.
Him: It's worth more than $109, that's a deal.
Us: Do you know how much it's really worth?
Him: How much?
Us: It's worth whatever someone is willing to pay.
Him: So, for sure $109.
Us: Where will you sell it?
Him: Target or Ebay or a garage sale, for $109.
Us: Target doesn't do trades and maybe not Ebay. Then there's shipping.
Him: So it would be more than $109.
Us: How about something like Craig's list?
Him: Who is Craig?

Horton hears a mother's scream!

We also had the *absolute* pleasure this past week of going to see the new movie, Horton Hears a Who. I recommend it to everyone- it's a Suess classic and well done by our pals Jim Carey, Steve Carrell and Mary Tyler Hart. Fast forward to this mroning- and imagine Jackson's delight when we went out for breakfast after his skate-fest this morning.... iHop got in on the action with a whole series of Horton foods and drinks. The kid ordered Whocakes and a Beezlenut splash. Translation: SUGAR to the 10th power. Pancakes covered in pink and blue goo (with sprinkles, of course) and a drink that starts with an innocent skiff of sprite... only to be invaded with full sugar red and blue Jello cubes. Simply put: if you see a kid rocket across the sky howling with laughter and bouncing like the best rubber ball you ever owned, wave to Jackson.

SK8R Boi

If you've been following our blog for a while, you know that Jackson's had skateboarding on his brain since early last summer. He set up ramps in the back yard and spent hours on them... and then progressed to skateboarding off the deck and doing stage dives into the grass. He skateboards on the wood floors in the house. So, with the obnoxious snow still falling here, we decided to get crazazayyy and head to a local skate park- Third Lair. Needless to say, he was livin' it up. We went back this morning where he got an actual 'lesson' to learn how to do it up right! I am now working on decoding words like 'deck,' 'truck,' and 'ollie.' Awww heck. Just when I had 'off-sides,' 'hat trick' and 'shelfed' figured out! A mother's work is NEVER done.

Consolation Champs!

**WARNING: SUPER HAPPY HOCKEY MOM TALK**
After a long weekend of hockey, Woodbury emerged as State Pee Wee A Consolation Champs! Heck Yeah! More pictures and info to come!

Respite from the cold...

Enjoy this lovely photo- we certainly enjoyed the moments around it! It showcases the lovely Space Coast of Florida- specifically, Melbourne Beach. Matt and I were lucky enough to sneak away for a weekend preceding a conference I'm still in Florida attending. I won't tell you how nice it is here (*ahem* 75 and sunny).

While away, I've gathered a top 5 list of things I heard from our kids while away:
5. "Everything's fine, Mom." - From Tyler... and then a shriek in the background from Jackson.
4. "I really love you. Can I go now?" - Tyler
3. "My phone is broken but I totally didn't do it. Auntie Dee will tell you 'cause i gotta go." - Tyler, in an effort to report on his broken cell phone, and worse yet he got is AUNT to do the talking!!
2. "Where are you and is Dad with you?" - Jackson, every day we called home to talk to him.
1. It's time for you to come home. You've been gone over a week. - Jackson (on day 2 of our whopping 3 day weekend).

On to State!

What a weekend! Tyler's team made it to state by winnng the Regional Championship game vs. Eagan. Way to go - they're now in the top 8 teams in the state!!

Recipe for a perfect night's sleep.

Jackson's checklist:

- Fluffy white blanket. Check.
- Pokemon/Pikachu pillow. Check.
- Crackers in original wrapper (with some mashed into Mom and Dad's carpet to make it feel the most 'homey'). Check.
- LAUNDRY BASKET. Check.
- Request for help getting out of the basket when legs fall asleep. Check.

Parental note: apparently the investment in super-soft and comfy mattresses in this house are over-rated. We needed a $6.99 basket from Target, a little snack and he was off to dreamland. Every kid's dream...