spring

spring
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

we have really had a spring this year. three weeks of beautiful blue skies between snowflakes and hazy/hot/humid. washington at its finest.

we are ready

we are ready
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

we have been cooking for a few days, the set table snakes its way throught the house and we are finally ready for passover.

eric,tobi and dad

eric,tobi and dad
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

eric, the master horseradish preparer.

sarah and the horseradish contest

sarah and the horseradish contest
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

several years ago the older boys established a traditional horseradish eating contest at passover. the goal is to see who can take the requisite large quantity on a piece of matzoh, eat and swallow and come out unscathed. eric prepares the horseradish from scratch and it can be quite potent. will and bob are, at least in this arena, the over achievers. sarah tries to keep up, but as can be seen, still needs a bit of practice.

wendy and the horseradish contest

wendy and the horseradish contest
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

wendy doesn't take a full dose, but is beginning to regret entering into this insanity.

john and the horeseradish contest

john and the horeseradish contest
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

i think john is too old to indulge in this ritual.

rainforest

rainforest
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

tom, mike, samuel and marianna went exploring in the back yards yesterday and went to a favorite place, bamboo woods. they discovered a storm had blown over lots of bamboo stalks, so they decided to put them to good use and created a rainforest out of the swing set, complete with beanie baby inhabitants. they were busy ALL day with this whole set-up- making me a happy mom!

tom in the rainforest

tom in the rainforest
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

tom in the rainforest hut with the monkey and other asst. animal friends

birds of the rainforest

birds of the rainforest
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

here is a closer look at the bird roosting in the raiinforest.

playing on hammock before the snow

playing on hammock before the snow
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

marianna, tom, mike and shadow enjoying the afternoon. the daffodils are blooming, totally unaware of the impending sleet and snow.

Forest

Forest
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

Robin sent us wonderful news of Forest (formerly Rufus). Robin and her family raise sheepdogs in New Orleans and together they all survived Katrina. It makes us ao happy to see Forest thriving thanks to the wonderful love and care Robin and her family have lavished on him!

nothing like a big brother

nothing like a big brother
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

will stopped by for a quick surprise visit after bowling in the area with friends. nothing makes mike and tom happier than a visit from will. will definately appreciates, might i say encourages, their antics.
this is my first picture with my new camera!

Cozmo 8 months 002

Cozmo 8 months 002
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

Duffy's puppies no longer look like pups. Linda sent us this wonderful picture of handsome Cozmo at 8 months. He has Duffy's black coloring. Very handsome!!

snowymorning

snowymorning
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

it has been a month since i last posted- must be the full time job i started.
but this beautiful snowy morning has slowed everything down and i have a few minutes to take pictures and post them.
12" of wonderful snow!
the boys were up at 6 am,, excited and ready to sled. i convinced them to watch the deer chomping on my azaleas and that bought us about 20 minutes of sleep.
the girls (sarah is home from college for the weekend- seems the partying is getting out of hand- even for her) probably won't wake up until after the snow melts. the joys of teenage daughters.

layerbylayer

layerbylayer
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

tom readies for sledding as he puts on layer by layer. i am just so happy that they are old enough to remember to use the bathroom before getting dressed for the snow. a huge advancement!

readytosled

readytosled
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

the boys are ready to go- layered up and waiting for dad.

comeondad

comeondad
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

john, mr."what, me rush?" is holding up the sledding show. slowly, but surely. note the knitted teddy bear that madeline knit, in the background. this knitting thing has to be a casey trait- because she certainly did not get it from me.

guyswithsleds

guyswithsleds
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

and they are off to sled at the local sledding hotspot. all the neighborhood kids are here- from the teenagers with their snowboards to the preschoolers with their "pull-me" sleds. a great hill where the kids build jumps etc. and the parents pray that a trip to the emergency room is not in store.

mom's helpers

mom's helpers
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

it is nice to have our kids grow up. will and madeline are cooking dinner tonight. of course, there are arguments about important questions like whether to put cucumber in the salad and how to rip the lettuce etc..but all in all, they are a help.

sisterhood

sisterhood
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

madeline, just home from swim practice, works on her cosmetology skills, straightening sarah's hair. those wonderful bonds of sisterhood.