Ice Day

The kids got a snow day, but it was really just ice. Typical Memphis winter! Everything in these photos was frozen solid.  They still did their best to have fun in it.

Valentine's Day

The traditional Valentine meal - heart shaped pizzas from Coletta's South Parkway! Got to call these things in two hours in advance - every casanova in town wants one.

Hot Springs Pt. 2

The kids love their pizza, so it was off to Deluca's for birthday dinner.  Easily one of the best pies we've had down south.

Walking off dinner on the main drag.  Hot Springs was a big destination back in the 20-30s, for vice, spring training, and the bathhouses.  Here the kids are having imaginary cigars with Al Capone.  We've been told that Capone would stay at the old Wahpeton Inn on Wahpeton Hill on his way to Hot Springs.  We have no idea if it is true, but Hardy is right along the train line if you were coming down from Chicago and where else would anyone have stayed in Hardy back then?

Eating gelato in the Superior Bathhouse.

In the lobby of the beautiful Arlington Hotel where the ballplayers would stay when Hot Springs was a spring training town.

Bday breakfast at the Pancake Shoppe.

Phoebe insisted on spending some of her track winnings on a fortune from this wizard.

She liked her fortune until she got to the vegetables part!

Hot Springs Pt. 1

We didn't have big birthday parties for the kids. Instead, we took a little family trip for their birthdays to Hot Springs National Park - their first time there. They've been wanting to go back to a track since the went to Del Mar in California with Aunt Kelly, and Hot Springs is home to Oaklawn Park.

We booked a hotel with an indoor pool because it was their big birthday weekend.  A quick dip before the track:

Big shots!

Checking out the ponies.

Check it out - Calvin Borel, 3 time Kentucky Derby winner getting set to race!  The King of the Rail mounted 3 horses that day.

They can't take money from kids at the windows, so dad had to place Phoebe's bets.  She didn't win as big as she did at Del Mar, but she hit twice, and ended up being up on the day after the final race.

Great views at the finish line.

Oaklawn's claim to fame is their Reuben sandwich and it really is good.

First Reubens!

Happy Birthdays

Ten pancakes for Phoebe.

Seven pancakes for Frank.

Official measurements.

The kids made their birthday cake.

5K

The kids' school has a 5K race every year and Mom has to participate as faculty. Frank had a basketball game, so Phoebe chose to go to the race with Mom. She didn't have any plan to run it, but then the competitive side took over and she took off running and ended up finishing in 29 minutes - 3rd place for her age group.

Hanging with her school pals.

Grizzlies-Nuggets

Three Griz tix fell into dad's lap one recent school night so we went on down to the game after dinner with mom.  The kids were fired up for the game and to be out late on a school night.  It was a 30 point Memphis blowout of Denver so the game got over pretty quick without all the fouling down the stretch and we stayed for the whole game.