March 2008

I think the blog is great. No one has to do anything but post! But, that means when I'm late on one month, it's going to get posted in the next. Sorry, you will all just have to endure my constant belated-ness.

March 2008

Koen played "Itty-Bitty Ball" (a 6 sport sampler for preschool aged kids) for the first time this month. Each day of the program they played a different sport and every day Koen declared that sport his "favorite sport." But he was particularly apt at flag football. Whenever someone got the ball, irrespective of which team they were on, Koen would rip off not just their flag but their whole flag belt and then proceed to whip it around his head with victorious glee while the other kid stood there either oblivious or dejected and sometimes in tears. Over time he would pile up his scalps near a certain safety cone. He was, as Jenica would say, amped.

Hale loves 4x4 crawling over any obstacles. Brothers, cardboard blocks, open dishwashers, and Koen's bed are all favorite challenges. He also has a fascination for wallets and a special talent for finding and throwing out the cash and plastic cards. Every time he sees Jenica's wallet it's sure to produce a protest. His ears continue to be invaded and colonized by evil bacteria. Jenica is contemplating sending money with the neighborhood runner to Mexico for meds (the legal kind) so that Hale could just be on Omnicef 365 days a year and we wouldn't have to worry about late nights and doctor visits. (just kidding Uncle Jared!)

At the end of March Joel and Jonah went to a orchestra concert for video game music downtown at Abravanel Hall. The show was - not surprisingly - multimedia and interactive. There was a video screen, disco lighting effects, snow/soap-sud machine (?), costume contest, Frogger play-off, and a sort of VR Space Invaders where the contestant moves back and forth across the stage to control the on-screen ship. The mission of the production was to raise the profile of video games as a legitimate art form (which they are, of course). But for the most part the orchestra only served as background music for a crowd of under-dressed geeks to woot and holler as highlight clips of their favorite games played on the big screen. When they played to a montage of Zelda games, Jonah cheered/screamed so loud that the man sitting on the other side of him had to turn and look at him more than once to make sure he was okay.

What kids in Silas's class want to be when they grow up:
Boys
3 - Cowboy, Athlete
2 - Astronaut (Silas)
1 - Pilot, Policeman, Doctor, Architect, Game Retailer, Missionary
Girls
3 - Teacher
2 - Zoo Keeper
1 - Cowgirl, Athlete, Veterinarian, Homemaker, Doctor, "A Kitty"

Easter this year found us this year with more family around than usual. We decorated cookie eggs of course, but this year our tiny kitchen held 8 kids and 6 adults. Joel's sister Julie and her family were visiting Utah, and with Brad's family nearby we had quite a crew. The cookies were decorated in no time with many vertical, multi-layered frosting types. High art. Very sweet. We had enough kids for 2 hunts. One over easy, one hard boiled. Almost all the Barber and Utah Nielsens and Nilsses helped hide the eggs for the big boys. They have only found 3 stragglers since Easter, so they kids must be getting good. It was a great day.

While family was in town Jenica, Jonah and Silas were able to go skiing with cousins. Over all it was fun, even if it was more of a learning day than anticipated. We can hardly wait to see Zak and Owen flying down the slopes. Joel was able to take a bobsled ride with his brother-in-law Allen. The orientation meeting for their bobsled run was kind of like a legal waiver you can't skip over reading. Bruises were promised. The sled flipping over at 80 mph and snapping the necks of all passengers - though extremely unlikely - could not be ruled out (okay, not the neck-breaking part but it logically follows). As it turned out they had the final run of the session. At the appointed time they took the #2 and #3 position in the (almost) regulation sled behind an aging world-class driver and in front of an 18-year-old kid headed for BYU in the fall. At the top of the run they were cordial; after reaching the bottom they were downright chummy. And champions! Their time bested all of the 9 previous "competitors." See you in Vancouver, losers. USA! USA!

Overheard at 517 N Center St.:
Koen: "Hey Jonah, remember that time when you were a prophet?"

Parent: "Do you still like Egypt?"
Koen: "Yeah...I like desserts, shaped like a pyramid"

Si: "Whoa. I can't believe no one got hurt."

Joel Jenica Jonah Silas Koen Hale