Fantastic Four: Surf's Up

It's 28 degrees out on February 1st.
Wind gusts to 35 mph with some nice, brisk air coming at us off the Blue Ridge.
Perfect day to surf, right?
So we all got in our bathing suits and had a beach party in the living room after school.
Never a dull moment, I say. ;)

- We figured out why Nate has been such a bear the past few weeks. Double ear infection.
Good stuff. He told the doctor this morning, "My ear boten." That's pretty articulate, I think. Especially for Nate, who's powers of destruction have been out full force this week. He DID get into the preschool here in Walkersville. I warned them to per-emptively start their Novenas now.
-Sam decided at STEM night yesterday he wanted to do his Science Fair project on Herkimer Diamonds. It's not the best time Upstate for prospecting, but we'll plan a trip for the summer. In the meantime, getting our hands on some kid-friendly geology books has been a tough go. I love the power of Google, but I want the kids to be able to think beyond that for doing research. I called both mines in Middleville today to no avail. We'll come up with something. It will have to be easier than doing a project on Megalodons, like he wanted to. Sharks are made from cartilage, which makes poor fossils. I'm on board with the new choice.
Today he got to bring in his PillowPet Triceratops for the teddy bear picnic at school. *Total* facepalm moment when he ran up to his teacher and yelled, "Hey!!! I got Horny!!!" and proudly displayed his pet.
-Caroline has done a much better job in school this week with her organization and focus skill. Hooray for her! We have been working on these a lot - it's nice for her to see the fruits of her labor and have others notice, too.
-Benjamin has started to babble. He does say, "Dadadadadadada" mostly when Jim is around, but I'm not convinced there is a clear association. It's as cute as all get out, though. He is beginning to move himself towards desired objects. Only about a foot or two now - he can get up on his knees but his upper body isn't strong enough to support that much weight yet. Soon, though. Too soon.