Talk of romance

The kids sat down to dinner last night, and the conversation turned to marriage.

Gabi: I'm going to marry Hayden, and we're going to kiss on the lips!

Dad: I'll do everything in my power to prevent that from happening.

Gabi: And then we're going to lay down in the grass ...

(This is where Dad tensed up.)

Gabi: ... and watch the clouds!

(Whew! Crisis averted ... right?)

Little Will: You'd better not take off your bra!

(He got a timeout for that one.)

Caulk Fight!

There's a half-inch of snow on the ground, so of course the local school called it a snow day.

Mom took all the kids to Theisen's, one of their favorite stores (free popcorn!), for painting supplies. The boys found caulk guns and proceeded with a conversation that included these gems:

"No, that's my caulk!"

"This is my caulk; that's your caulk. Leave my caulk alone!"

"Don't touch my caulk!"

This went on--OUT LOUD--for longer than three minutes.

We've never had seats this close before ...

... and assuming the Hawkeye men's team shapes up and attracts crowds once more, we doubt it'll happen again. At least, we hope not.

Brandon and Dad spent Saturday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, watching the men's team (currently 3-5) beat Prairie View A&M.

We started in row 33. By halftime, we moved to row 10, then row 3. Here was our view by the fourth quarter:

After the game, we congratulated the Hawks on their win.

Brandon even stepped foot on the boards. He wants to play there one day.

We're thankful the Hawks won, but their current record worked out for us. Best seats in the house.

Intensity in Tent City!

Four-day weekends sound good, but they can get tiresome ... unless you have our imagination. And parents willing to put up with the mess.

Thanksgiving weekend was chilly, so we had extra blankets lying around. That gave us the idea to make tents throughout the house. And yep, they stayed up through the whole weekend. And we got to sleep in them!

The planning sessions were pretty intense ...

The raw materials plentiful ...

We had to work together, obviously.

It was hard work, but we had fun along the way.

You have to find strong materials as "mortar." That's why clothespins are a lifesaver.

Brandon was the self-appointed Keeper of Clothespins.

The contents of any efficient tent: food, drink, and firearms made of Legos. You know, for hunting.

And finally, the finished products. The "girls' tent" ...

The "boys' tent" ...

Then, the last night, Mom helped out and made a Super Ultra Mega Tent for all four kids. It took up the whole den.

Who said you need TV to have fun?