Scott Keith: "Next time Sandy wants something, check with Paul first."

So the trampoline is a big hit. Elijah enjoys having a good "jump" any time he can :-)

This past weekend, Ed was peaking with Paul on the phone. Paul, somewhat dismayed at the news of the trampoline, said, "Trampolines, swimming pools and pit bulls are the 3 biggest liabilities for a homeowner. You should call your insurance agent." You know Paul, he's kind of like Mr. Safety. But Ed did take his advice and called up Scott Keith, whose response was, "Paul's right. Get rid of the trampoline. And the next time Sandy wants something, check with Paul first."

Really though, I guess insurance companies are very wary of trampolines, even ones with the safety enclosures, like ours. I guess most of the injuries occur when multiple children are jumping together. But since 99.9% of the time Elijah is jumping alone, we're not too worried about it.

In non-trampoline-related news, we've got some fun plans coming up in the next few days. I have tomorrow off of work (personal days, use 'em or 'lose" 'em). Thursday evening, Eric and Barbara Burnham are coming for dinner. You might know Eric, he is Ed's great childhood friend. They live in AZ, but Ed and Eric reconnected a few years back when Eric's Dad passed away and they spent some time here in VT. Since then, we look forward to their annual visit, although they didn't make it to VT last year, so it's been a while. We are SO thrilled to see them!!!

I am excited for the upcoming marathon weekend. Tyler and Matt are splitting the distance, as are Kate and her sister. I can't wait to see Aimee, since I'm embarrassed to say that I haven't seen her in person since before she announced her pregnancy!!!
My friends and I are just running a 5-person relay team, nothing too intimidating. Afterwards, we are hosting the post-marathon BBQ at our house.

The following weekend, my friend Liz and I are running in the Covered Bridges Half Marathon in Quechee. Three of us were ecstatic to win spots in this race back in December, as it is one of those races that fills its maximum registration within minutes. Unfortunately, our third partner Mary was diagnosed with tendonitis last week and has been warned by both her doctor and physical therapist against running such a long distance, so she has dropped out. It's such a shame, as we've all worked so hard and are all feeling very ready for this race. We'll miss Mary, but maybe we'll have an extra-excellent run in her honor!

School seems to be dragging on forever. SO many "snow" days this year! But if our calculations are correct, we have officially dropped below 20 days remaining. Summer cannot come quickly enough!

p.s. It might seem somewhat unbelievable, but Zoe busted through ANOTHER screen and ended up back on the roof Saturday evening. Elijah was up in bed, when suddenly he started yelling in earnest, "MOM! MOM! HELP!" Ed went running upstairs, where Elijah proclaimed, "Zoe's on the roof again!" She came back in quite easily, but sometimes I wonder if she has a screw loose. Only our dog...

Trampoline!

Sorry it's been so long since the last post!

Here's a photo of the world's worst dog- looking as guilty as ever. Last Thursday, Zoe chewed through our (2nd story) bedroom screen and got out onto the porch roof, where she proceeded to try to commit suicide by jumping to the ground. She only managed to dislocate her shoulder and landed herself at the dreaded veterinarian's office! She made an amazing comeback, though, and within a week was walking perfectly without even a limp!

This is what Ed worked on all morning. My Mom gave us some money as a gift from the sale of her childhood home, so we decided one of the things we wanted to use it for was a trampoline for Elijah.After several hours of asking, "Daddy, is my trampoline ready yet?" Elijah FINALLY got to climb aboard.The finished product. Notice that Zoe has also found a way to enjoy the new trampoline! With on-and-off rain, we didn't get nearly as much done as we had hoped. Here's tomorrow's Big Job:Finally, I'll leave you with a grainy but cute video of ONE EXCITED BOY.

Right now, Ed and Elijah are upstairs in bed watching the Preakness Horse race. I just overheard Elijah say, "I wish I was on my trampoline!"

Spring Has Sprung

This weekend was beautiful! Two sunny days, in the 60's to nearly 70 degrees. Just heaven for springtime in Vermont!

The Alexander household is officially healthy- we even ALL went to our respective schools on Friday! While we enjoyed some spectacular outside time this weekend, which included a 7-hour stint today where Elijah barely stepped into the house, I never thought to grab my camera. The following action shots are from a rare healthy-ish moment last week, when Elijah and I headed through the woods to check on "our" frog eggs in a vernal pool. He reminds me of Cole, with his boots on the wrong feet!

Nope- they haven't hatched yet!
Ahhh....Daddy Time! I started today (Sunday) with a long run with Liz (a bit too long, if you ask my toes tonight), while Ed and Elijah dragged out the old lawnmower and mowed some of the yard. Then I took Elijah off to the rec path to ride his bike while Ed rototilled the garden! We topped off this summery day with lobsters for dinner, a nice long walk with my girlfriend Heather, and a bowl of ice cream. Perfect, if you ask me!