MJS Sports Show

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel sponsors a huge outdoor sports show each year at the state fair grounds.  I really thought the boys (the big one in particular) would enjoy it.  After Smalz was finished up with his basketball game, we headed over to check it out.  After waiting in line for a while we were able to get off the freeway and eventually turn into the parking area.  ( I found out later there was a record breaking crowd that day.  Go figure.)  Anyway, there was a ton of stuff to look at.  From beautiful boats to expensive fishing poles to sleek hunting rifles to just about anything else you would need to have a little fun outdoors.  The boys really enjoyed getting to shoot a bow and arrows.

They were bummed mom and dad didn't have any cash so they could go fishing in this guaranteed catch pond.

But we all enjoyed the lumberjack feud.  This is one of the sawing events that was demonstrated during the feud.  Those guys were pretty quick.

The lumberjack we were rooting for, Turbo, almost won but lost it all in the log rolling competition.

The boys still wanted to go say hi.  They picked up pieces of wood and had him autograph it for them.  Turbo is actually #5 in the world in the tree climbing event.

The Domes

Once again, "HOORAY" for something to do.  Milwaukee has the Mitchell Park Domes that is free on Mondays to county residents.  Can't beat free.  They just happened to have a cute little garden circus train set up this last Monday.  I dragged Peanut away from the Wii long enough to go take a peak.

It was pretty cute and reminded me of the cool garden train at the Colorado Railroad Museum.  (If you've never been, you should go.)  So I missed Colorado and all it's awesomeness for a bit.  I tried to cheer myself up with a few clowns.

And that wasn't totally effective so we headed to the desert.  The warmth of the desert was nice.  But reminded me of hiking in Utah (when we lived in Colorado and could visit much more easily).

So we went to the rainforest where it was very warm and noisy from the waterfall.  The wonderful warm air made me long for summer and the waterfall reminded me of the beautiful waterfall at Rifle Falls State Park in Colorado.

So it sounds like I was a pile of pathetic the whole time.  I really wasn't.  Peanut and I enjoyed our time out of the house and being warm without a coat on.  But after about an hour he informed me that this was too much walking and he was ready to go home.  Well, you would be tired too if you had gone from the garden to the desert to the rainforest all in the course of an hour.

Bubba Grizz

 I found this grizzly bear trying to swipe some fruit the other day.  Seeing that raggedy old bear sitting on the counter made me think about how long we've had him and where all he has been with us.  Smalz's grandpa bought him that bear when Smalz was about 9 months old.  We were at the Boyd's Bear Country Store in Gettysburg, Pennslyvania and Grandpa claims Smalz latched onto him and wouldn't let go.  Grandpa just had to buy that bear.  They were the best of friends immediately.

Bubba Grizz has gone on every trip we have taken.  Smalz has been to something like 31 of the 50 states and so has Bubba Grizz.  Here they are sitting on a train in Liberty State Park in New Jersey.

And here Smalz is getting Bubba ready to move from Northern Virgina to Colorado.

 That bear has been all over this country from Maine to California, from Texas to Wisconsin.  He's slept in tents, nice hotels, and on air mattresses on cousins' bedroom floors.  He isn't nice and fluffy anymore but he is definitely loved and is worth more now than he was then.  Only now it's not monetary value.  He's part of the family.

Pack Meeting

Smalz's Cub Scout pack just had their Blue & Gold Banquet (just like every other Cub Scout pack should have done in February).  Smalz's bear den did a little skit.  I would try to explain it but it barely made since to me so I think an explanation would be a disaster.  But he was very excited about it.  It was his first time on stage when he was actually supposed to be there.  :)

After all the skits were over, it was time for the awards.  Smalz got 2 beads towards his bear rank advancement.  He only has to get two more to earn his Bear.  He also received the collecting and badminton belt loops and the basketball pin.

Smalz is such a great little cub scout.  He really enjoys going to den meetings.  He gets so excited about his awards each pack meeting.  As his mother, it's my job to make sure he gets something every time so he doesn't lose that excitement.  So far so good.  He loves it.

More Snow

We live in Wisconsin.  Do you know what happens in Wisconsin in the winter?  Well, it snows.  Sometimes it snows a lot.  We haven't had a huge dumping snow storm yet but all the minor storms just pile up.  (Note: a "huge dumping storm" is 10" and up.)  So this storm I think does fit that rule.  If I remember right, we got around 14".  This is what it looked like for a couple of days.  It took Daddy 1 1/2 hours to shovel the driveway.

What do you do with that much snow?  You pile it up and dig a cave that can also be used as a slide or a mountain for "King of the Mountain".

Who's ready to come for a visit?

Friendship Party

 So I don't know when Valentine's Day became "Friendship Day"  but I guess it's at least part of the package.  I got to help in Peanut's classroom today with their friendship/Valentine party.  It was so fun to see those little cuties and hear their fun conversations.

Here's Peanut with his Valentine box he decorated and his friend.  Isn't she adorable?

Practicing some counting skills with conversation hearts.  Classic Valentine activity.

Passing a Valentine to one of his favorite girls.  He had planned which color to give her.  I'm not sure if he actually gave her the one he had planned on.

Finally getting to eat his heart shaped cupcake decorated with frosting and lots of sprinkles.

Play Day

 Peanut and I got to get out of the house today.  HOORAY!  This Wisconsin winter stuff wears on ya.  We went to a fun place called Kids in Motion.  It is a super fun indoor play place.  They have a gigantic light brite on one wall.  Peanut had fun moving the pegs around and pretending they were lightsabers.

There is a huge indoor playground with tunnels, slides, and obstacles to climb over, through, or around.

Room after room of fun play things.  There is a dress up room with a stage, a supermarket room, construction rooms, an art room, lazer tag, a game area, and this fun Lego/train room.  Wouldn't you love to have your playroom walls painted like this?  I know my boys would.

The weather was totally yucky outside but inside we had lots of fun.  I'm so glad there are wonderfully creative people willing to take a risk on places like this.

More Sledding

Wisconsin is lacking in the sunshine department but not in the snow department.  With plenty of snow to play in, we had to hit a sledding hill.  This time, we needed one with a bit more distance, more of a challenge.  We found one that had been recommended and it was a huge hit.  Chief went with us again and went down and up more than I expected him to.

Again, Smalz's snowboard had to come along.  He has gotten much better and made it to the bottom a couple of times.  He even hit a jump and kept his balance more than once.

It is pretty here.

A good day on the slope.

Bucks Weekend

 When the YMCA's basketball season started, I was handed a paper to fill out.  It said it would give my child a chance to be chosen to participate in a basketball clinic with the Milwaukee Bucks.  I thought that would be cool even if they were bench sitters.  I filled it out not expecting to hear anything else about it.  A couple of weeks later, Smalz's coach handed me a paper that said he had been chosen to participate.  Super excited!  So on a Friday night in February we headed over to the Bucks' training center.  Smalz was given a t-shirt and headed onto the court.  The kids were split into 6 groups.  Each group had a Bucks team member in charge of it and they were each working on different skills.  At the end of each group, the player autographed the kids' shirts.

 In his first group, Smalz got to do a little dribbling against Bucks' center 6'11" John Henson.

His second group was shooting with Montay Ellis and then #3 was dribbling with Ekpe Udoh (from Edmond, Oklahoma).
#4 was more shooting with Beno Udrih who is from Slovenia.

 #5 was shooting with Tobias Harris, the youngest player on the Bucks' team.  #6 was layups with one of the assistant coaches.

Assistant Coach Bill Peterson ran the camp.  At the end Tobias Harris and John Henson did a little Q&A with the participants.

As they were exiting the floor, each participant received a Bucks nylon bag and water bottle.  This boy was pretty happy, happy, happy.
The next day a gal in our ward had some extra free tickets to the Bucks V. Pistons game that night.  Smalz and I got to go watch the game as a very special treat!  All of the players  he had worked with the night before (except Tobias Harris who was on the injured list) played in the game.

Pre-game.  We were pretty excited!  This was a first for both of us.

Tip-off!

So, it was a pretty close game and came down to the final 20 seconds.  In the end the Pistons pulled off the win 105-100.  Smalz was so upset he cried, but said he had a great time anyway.  I loved sharing this experience with him.  I hope we get to do it again someday.
**Since this game, Tobias Harris and Beno Udrih have been traded from the Bucks

Basketball!

 OK, I admit it.  I was thrilled when Smalz said he wanted to play basketball again this year.  With the YMCA, they only have practice once a week with games on Saturday.  After his first practice, Smalz remembered how much fun basketball is.  Here's his team this season.  (Yes, same coach as for flag football.)

Protecting the ball

Smalz loves when he gets to play guard though he frequently plays a forward.

  He works fairly well in either position.

Just got 2 points!

And this is how Chief spends the games.  He and Peanut aren't nearly as interested or excited as I am.  But whatever.  They've done better this season than last so I guess they are getting used to it.

Milwaukee Public Museum

 Every Monday the MPM is free to county residents.  The boys were out of school for Martin Luther King day so we finally had a chance to go.  We had so much fun!

From old world Europe to old Milwaukee,

From dinosaurs to butterflies,

From storytellers to legend makers,

From the ocean to the Mountains

The Milwaukee Public Museum has a bit of everything.