+ 2 - 4 | § ¶New Year's Eve
As per tradition (for the past two years, at least), here is my year in 12 sentences (more or less):
January - Juanito's family is visiting us this week!
February - Zane was having a bad day today.
March - Hi! I'm back! Hurrah for Juanito for MacGyvering a temporary (or possibly permanent? I don't know) router so that we can get internet!
April - After sleeping about 20 hours yesterday, and then restlessly sleeping through the night because i was all achy from sleeping all day, i woke up this morning feeling totally fine.
May - First thing this morning, Houston woke up, came to our room, and said, "Happy birthday, Mama!"
June - Y'know what's weird? I don't like chicken salad.
July - We've been reading "The Magician's Nephew," and the Witch just said, "I can see through walls!"
August - Zane is such an absolute joy of a child.
September - So...i promise to write all about Iowa tomorrow.
October - Katrina and i took lots of silly pictures today.
November - It's November, and that means that pretty soon it's going to be getting really cold and snowy and NOT warm.
December - This afternoon we went to Meijer Gardens to see the Christmas decorations.
i'm still talking...
+ 2 - 4 | § ¶The mall and all my excuses
I promised Houston, back on the last day of school, that we'd go to the mall this vacation. But then we all got sick, and then it was Christmas, and then we had loads of visitors (and they all got sick), and so we hadn't gone yet.* (This, incidentally, is the exact same reasoning that explains why we haven't made Christmas cookies yet, even though Katrina is dying to make them. The day after Christmas, she came to me with tears in her eyes and lamented, "Mama! We never made Christmas cookies! And now it's OVER!" So THAT is on the to-do list for New Year's day.)
Phoebe left this morning, and Juanito's mum brought her to the airport in Chicago and stayed for the night**, so it was just us and the boys. So today we trooped off to the mall. Antony rode the carousel with Katrina and i rode with Zaney, and Houston was off on the opposite side of the carousel, apparently trying out a bit of independence. Also, i think he wanted to ride a pig too.
*Also, i hate the mall at Christmas time. Even today it was packed. And it's AFTER Christmas. On a TUESDAY.
**Um, she stayed with a friend of hers who lives in Chicago. She didn't actually sleep at the airport.
+ 3 - 3 | § ¶The in-laws, Day 3
I got a bunch of frames for Christmas from my grandparents (or rather, from the money they gave us), and have started putting pictures up on our wall. I have two 11X14's, which i want to fill with pictures of the two sides of the family. MY family will be getting family pictures taken in a couple of weeks, when my little brother gets married. And since everyone was up here this weekend, it seemed like the perfect time to get a picture of Juanito's family as well. Except that yesterday 3 members of the family were throwing up. And today Antony was dramatically ill. (Seriously, i have never seen someone be so dramatic about being ill.) And this afternoon JJ and Lauren were leaving, which means...that i will probably have to use a picture of the whole family family without Antony. Unless we can photoshop him in somehow. Sigh.
Tomorrow Phoebe is heading back to England after her short little voyage to America. I'm happy she came - it was really fun to see her again. JJ and Lauren too. It was fun to see them again too.
(For the record, the cause of the throwing up seems to be a dumpy little Subway they ate at on the way from the airport. Everyone who ate there got sick. No one else did. Yuck.)
+ 6 - 2 | § ¶Day 2 with the in-laws
JJ and Lauren cooked us another absolutely fabulous meal tonight for dinner. It was superb - roast and roasted chicken and roasted potatoes and squash. In the past two days, i have eaten and enjoyed squash and sweet potatoes. I usually kind of hate those two things. Even the kids ate and ate and asked for more.
Not that we spent ALL day eating. We did other things too. We played with toys and played games, and i even taught Houston and Juanito's mum how to play Dominoes.
Everything was lovely...until. Until Phoebe started throwing up, and then Juanito's mum and then Josiah. I should be being all sympathetic and asking them if they'd like some tea or a cool rag or something, but instead i'm trying to will my kids and myself to NOT get sick again! And so the night was cut short, with JJ and Lauren fleeing to a hotel for the night and Juanito, Antony, and me hanging out downstairs alone. Sigh.
+ 1 - 6 | § ¶The in-laws are here!
Juanito's family is all visiting us for several days, which is lovely. We have been busy opening presents and going shopping at the Goodwill and talking and talking and eating. The eating is possibly my favorite part, because JJ is a chef and actually cooks food for a living, and made us the most amazingly delicious meal tonight and has promised to make another one tomorrow. I think that i need to find a way to convince him to move in with us - or at least move in next door - and cook for us all the time.
Also today, we got to visit with Brooke and Travis, who have an adorable little baby and who are moving away to New Zealand for ... forever. Katrina was the only child interested in holding little Sophia, but she held her with utmost joy, glowing the entire time she held the baby. Houston was only interested in wrestling Uncle Travis, who is one of the only people that he is allowed to wrestle with so incredibly roughly. Both of them left the house very happy.
+ 4 - 4 | § ¶Twas the day after Christmas
Remember how Zane spent all day yesterday eating chocolate? And i was all, "Eh, it's Christmas"?Last night i went to bed at midnight - a reasonable hour (for me, at least). I read for a few minutes, and then had just closed my eyes when Zane started crying. I was going to ignore him, hoping he'd go back to sleep, but he sounded so pitiful that i went to check out what he needed. He had thrown up. Really thrown up. He managed to get throw up on every single thing in his bed, all down the sides and bars, and onto the carpet and everything surrounding the crib. And, of course, all over himself and plastered in his hair.
And so, at 12:30 in the morning, i was giving Zane a bath and washing his hair (which he hates). I then put clean pajamas on him and cuddled him up in a blanket on the couch with "The Wiggles" playing and went off to clean up the mess. He was STILL awake when i finished scrubbing everything down and starting the laundry, so i started cleaning the house, expecting him to fall asleep any minute. He didn't. When i finally gave up on him and just laid down next to him on the couch, it was 2:30. He was still awake. He must have fallen asleep at some point, but i have no idea when. Sigh.
We spent the day cleaning and playing with new toys and cleaning some more. Being sick and THEN having Christmas did serious damage to my house. Damage meaning that it was just a major disaster. Bleh.
And now i'm just waiting for my in-laws to arrive!
+ 2 - 5 | § ¶Merry Christmas to all!
Merry Christmas! We spent a fun day at my parents' house - eating yummy food, opening presents, putting on a Christmas play, singing songs, and laughing a lot. I love my family!
The kids got awesome presents, which they are totally excited about playing with in the morning - Houston got an underwater Webkinz and some K-Nex and some model rockets and Uno Attack, Katrina got a Little People castle and a doll bed made by my parents, and Zane got Bristle Blocks (they still make them! But even cuter!). So they now have all those awesome toys that, uh, we didn't get them.
Other fun things from today: My brother Jim built a huge snow fort out in the backyard, and Houston and Katrina played and played and played in that. Zane refused to nap in my parents crib, but then totally fell asleep in his high chair during dinner. He woke up just in time to do the Christmas play, in which he was supposed to be Joseph, but then he didn't want to do anything but sit on my lap, so Mary was totally on her own to find an inn. And give birth. My sister was giving a gift certificate as a present and wanted to disguise it, so she put it in a box with a couple of oranges. The oranges, when the box was unwrapped, were totally shriveled up and moldy and actually kind of white. That's going to make me laugh for a long time. Zane discovered fudge, and ate as many pieces as he could sneak, along with any other candy or sweets he could conjure up. And Houston spent much of the evening running around, playing with his new Webkinz fish.
So a good day, then.
+ 3 - 2 | § ¶Christmas Eve
Merry Christmas Eve!
Tonight our family - Juanito, the kids, and i - did our own little Christmas thing. We did the Advent candles and story, sang Christmas songs while Juanito played the guitar, and opened presents. I love traditions, and i try to keep as many traditions going from year to year as possible. When i was little, my dad always played the guitar while we sang Christmas songs before opening presents, and it's one of my favorite parts of the night. (It's a good thing Juanito can play the guitar or we have to do something extreme, like singing acapella or dragging in some minstrel off the street.) Houston and Katrina are dancers, meaning they enjoy the singing but don't actually sing. They simply dance around while WE sing. Zane is a singer. A really, really adorable little singer who loves the song "Angels we have heard on high." We have it on video, but since i am also singing, there's no chance of my posting it.
One of the things i love about my kids is how completely happy they are to get anything. Zane's favorite present was the pieces of chocolate i threw into his stocking. He had no interest in opening a single present until every last chocolate was gone. And then he got a pack of cards, which he wholeheartedly threw himself into enjoying, ignoring the merriment around him. Eventually i thrust another present at him, and he turned his full attention to that. It is very satisfying to give him presents, i tell ya.
Houston went into raptures about everything. The Magic Tree House books (of which he has already finished TWO. In less than two hours. What???), the lightsaber (even though he had no idea what it was, initially), the scarf i made for him, and especially his new tool bench! He's already squished a car and a plastic grasshopper with the vice. Great.....
Katrina loved everything - the Pinkalicious book thrilled her to no end, especially since it came with a wand, the $1 things she got made her enormously happy, she exclaimed with glee about each present - until she got the fairies and fairy house i made for her. With those her response went from "What is it?" to "But...i really wanted candy." Here's hoping she warms up to it.
Two last things: First, did i mention that i finished the Sock Monkey blanket for Zane? It turned out cute, and it totally matches his new Sock Monkey pajamas, on which the feet are my favorite part. Cute! And second, check out the cute new shirt that Juanito gave me for Christmas! Go, my favorite sports team, Go! (If you don't know who Brian Regan is, that joke is totally not funny enough to you.)
+ 3 - 4 | § ¶My little theologian
Houston came downstairs dressed like this and said, "Look! I'm Katrina!" A couple of minutes later he was Mr. Topsy Turvy.
My favorite moment of the day today was this conversation:
Me: "Houston, i just asked you not to touch that door!"
Houston: "I didn't touch it! It was just my body."
Me: "Well, and who does your body belong to?" (Hinting that he should be able to control himself.)
Katrina: "Your body belongs to God!"
Not the answer i was looking for, but a very good one just the same.
+ 2 - 3 | § ¶Snow and Christmas lights and such
We are mostly feeling much better today, and i will not bore or disgust you with any further details. You're welcome.
I awoke sometime this afternoon no longer feeling miserable, but with the sudden realization that Christmas! Is just around the corner! Three days away! Aaaaah! I had planned enough time - really i had. But then we were snowed in and stuck inside for nearly a week with illness and whatnot, and now? Now i am getting slightly panicky. Not that i have lots to do, mind you. Or rather, not that i have lots to buy.... But well, really! Where did the time go?
But first, let me backtrack to say that the snow! Oh, my goodness, the snow! It started snowing on Friday morning, enough for the school to cancel itself for the last day before Christmas break. It snowed and snowed and snowed on Friday, until venturing out was simply impossible. Juanito went out and shoveled, but then during the night, the snow plows came... And lo, our cars were completely snowed in again. On Saturday, my lovely parents came to bring us some things (handed carefully from as far away as possible, so as not to pass on any germs), and my dad decided that, Hey! As long as he was here, why not go ahead and shovel my cars out so we could move them to the proper side of the street? Woohoo! He's awesome, he is. And then Sunday...more snow. Or, more precisely, lots of blowing snow, which promptly snowed us all in again. Add to the snow the insane cold, and the city announced that it was simply giving up until today, when they could actually get something done.
Today the roads were finally clear enough to drive on again. Hurrah! We still stayed home for most of the day, doing fun things like...taking pictures with our Teddy bears and doing cartwheels and somersaults and sleeping. But then tonight we FINALLY left the house (Seriously? Three days of being stuck in the house is a LONG TIME.) to drive around and see Christmas lights!
We have had mixed results with finding Christmas lights in the past. Some years we drive around and find tons of beautifully decorated houses. Other years? Nada. So THIS year, i called my parents and asked them if they knew of any good neighborhoods. My dad looked at something or other and gave me four addresses of supposedly fancy houses. I looked up where they were, and we headed out, confident that finally! We had a Christmas light-seeing Plan! The first house on the list...had no lights. The second...no lights. But then our luck turned around, and we found a lovely neighborhood near #2 that was tastefully and beautifully decorated. And some that were not so tastefully decorated. (Houston looked at that house and said, "Wow. That's really gaudy," which made me all proud, because he just learned that word a couple of days ago and this was his first time trying it out, and he was spot on.) And then, off to the third address. That one? Hoo-boy. That one was decorated. Extremely so. And just down the road from that one was this one, where they had converted their entire garage into a huge nativity scene that talked at you as you looked at it. Amazing.
+ 2 - 4 | § ¶Sick
Our family has apparently gotten hit with the plague. Katrina got it first and had presumably gotten over it, but then threw up again tonight. Zane got it next, and started throwing up at about 2:30 Saturday morning. He was finished by about noon, but then...threw up all over me tonight. Juanito got sick but refuses to throw up, so he just slept all day Saturday. And then i started throwing up around midnight last night. So far, Houston is the only one who's holding out. He might make it - he almost never gets sick. And he's the only one who actually WANTS to get sick.Pictures and more interesting stories....y'know, beyond throwing up....coming soon.
+ 3 - 4 | § ¶Bad Decision Friday: The Poodle Haircut
As i recall, my friend Jennifer got a haircut just before our Sophomore year, and i thought it was So Cute. So of course i wanted the same haircut. The idea was basically this: Leave most of your hair long and permed, but cut the bangs waaaaaay back on your head so that they're all fluffy and look just like a poodle. WHY i thought this was a good idea, i don't know. It really never looked even remotely ok.
In more recent news.... Katrina spent all day today curled up on the couch again, feeling terrible. There was no more throwing up since yesterday, but she simply didn't have the energy to do anything beyond lying there. When the rest of us would do something, she'd want so badly to get involved and would wander over, sit nearby, and within minutes wimper, "I'm just so cold!" Or "I'm so tired from sitting up!" And then she'd have to go lie down again. Once she told me, "I'm just so sad and lonely, doing nothing buy lying on the couch all the time."
Meanwhile, Houston decided that he really, really WANTS to get sick so that he can just lie on the couch and watch movies all day. He has no idea.
+ 4 - 1 | § ¶Why are we always getting sick at Christmastime?
Katrina woke up at 11:30 last night, came downstairs, and told me, "Mommy? I just threw up in your bed."(Awesome. This just made the list as number one on the "reasons why kids should maybe not sleep in our bed." It totally outranks number two, which is, "Houston totally flops around, kicks me, and takes up more space than two sumo wrestlers." Not that i've ever actually tried to share a bed with two sumo wrestlers.)
Since then, she's been throwing up every few hours, and hasn't kept any food down all day. Poor little girl. She's been lying on the couch or her bed or our bed all day long, which proves she's sick much more than the throwing up does. She tried to sit on a chair while we wrapped presents, but that proved too much for her, and she went back to the couch. Aw.
+ 2 - 4 | § ¶Sillyness
For Christmas, we have two Advent-y things going on. Three, if you count the actual Advent candles. Well, four, if you also count the calendar that i bought last year, that's kind of lame because it just has pictures behind the doors of things like snowmen or presents or gingerbread men, but i put it up so Zane would have something to open.
The first thing is a calendar that we've had since Houston was little - one that goes through the Christmas story one person/thing at a time. We act the story out with our wooden nativity set, and the kids love it.
The second thing is a set of envelopes with little cards inside that have a fun thing to do each night. (And another card with a joke on it - like, "What do elves learn in school? The ELFabet.") Tonight, the card read, "Dress up in silly clothes and take lots of silly pictures."
And so...they did. I would like it on the record that Houston and Katrina both picked out their own outfits, and Juanito completely dressed Zane without any knowledge on my part. I cannot be blamed for any cross-dressing or hilariousness in the future. I will, however, fully capitalize on these pictures someday when the kids graduate or get married or something.
+ 6 - 1 | § ¶A few Christmas-y things
Tonight was the annual "Go to the library to see the reindeer and Santa" outing. The reindeer are really beautiful and gentle, but we never get to fully enjoy it because of the cold and the dark. Mostly the cold. Someday i'd like to visit reindeer when it's warm outside. Houston was old enough this year to ask the guy questions like, "Where's Rudolph?" and "Why don't you paint one of the reindeer's nose red to pretend it's Rudolph?" And then later he asked Santa, "What do YOU want for Christmas?" Katrina was interested for a few minutes, but then just wanted to get inside where it was warm. But it was Zane who kept insisting, "One more minute!" He didn't want to get very close to the reindeer, mind you, but he was totally interested in standing a safe distance away and staring at them.
Santa routinely asks the kids what they want for Christmas. I guess it's what he has to do. My kids are always thrown off by the question, because...huh? Why's this random guy asking me what i want for Christmas? This year, Houston answered, "A watermelon," and Katrina answered, "A pony." Okaaaaaay.
Speaking of random Christmas things.... Y'know the Charlie Brown Christmas movie? The part where Lucy threatens Linus by saying, "I'll give you FIVE good reasons!" and then makes a fist? I've wondered, when showing my kids that movie, if i need to worry that they're going to pick up on that and start threatening people that way. Today Houston and Katrina were talking about that part of the movie, laughing because, "She says, 'I'll give you five good reasons,' and then just counts to five! Like THIS!" And then they count up on their fingers, ending with their five fingers up. To them, the joke is funny because it makes no sense. Awesome. So i guess i don't have to worry about THAT anymore this year.
+ 5 - 2 | § ¶Christmas program
Houston's school's Christmas program was tonight. I love going to his Christmas program. All the kids are hilarious and cute and little. Next year Katrina will be in it too! Aw.
Instead of just having each grade sing a couple of songs, they did a little musical thingy this year. It was really cute, except that there were three grades up on the stage at once, and there wasn't enough room for everyone to stand on the risers. And so, the first graders ended up in a big blob down on the stage. It looked like this. Can you see Houston there? He's back in the crowd (this is actually the most i saw of him the entire time - most of the time i had to imagine i could see him), between the boy with the green shirt and the girl with the black and red dress. Beth (who was next to me) and i giggled through a lot of the program, especially when Houston tried to peek around people to see us. He's just funny.
Houston was all happy to have people come to see him. My parents and Beth and Juanito and the kids and i were all there. As we were driving there, i mentioned that Grandma and Grandpa were going to be there, and then later he asked, "But...why isn't Beth coming?" Because i hadn't mentioned her. So he cares when people come to see him. Aw. Sweetie.
+ 3 - 3 | § ¶Parties and programs
My soon-to-be sister-in-law Alisha graduated from college this week (Hurrah, Alisha!), so today we got to go to her graduation party! While we were there, Katrina tried on her little flower girl dress to make sure it fits (this is the first time i've seen it, and it's So Cute!). Katrina and Houston wandered around their basement being amazed at all the animal heads on the walls, and Katrina was enthralled with the bear skin with the "real teeth and tongue and everything!" The bear was almost as exciting as the Christmas tree that had "Barbie dolls on it, and they are just so, so, so beautiful!"
From there we went to my parents' house for a short time and fooled around until it was time to leave for the Christmas program.
My nieces and nephew had their church Christmas program tonight, so we went to see it. Kelly was the angel, and that's all Houston and Katrina have been able to talk about for the past few days. "Kelly is going to be the angel! I wonder who will be Mary and Joseph? What will Cheyanne and Wyatt be? Maybe Wyatt will be Joseph! Kelly is going to be the angel! I wonder what she will say?"
It was the perfect stereotypical Christmas program. The kids were all cute and played songs on instruments with nearly-perfect notes and completely-wrong rhythm, said their lines all rushed and monotone, and wore their cutest dresses. One boy stood in the front row and had his hand down his pants for a good 10 minutes until the pastor made them all raise their hands for benediction. And another little boy threw up in the middle of the stage, right in the middle of the program. That poor kid is going to be branded with that for the rest of his life. He'll be getting married and someone will stand up and say, "Remember when you threw up on the stage at that Christmas program back when you were 4? And your dad had to carry you, still puking, down the aisle to the bathroom and you made that other little girl cry? That was awesome!"
Houston and Katrina loved it.
+ 4 - 2 | § ¶Sledding, concerts, and stories of my idiocy.
This afternoon we went sledding! Fun! Our friends Linda and Andrew and their kids came to the hill by our house, and we went sledding for about an hour and a half, until it started getting a wee bit dark. Houston is quickly becoming a BOY when he goes sledding - the kind who searches out jumps and stands on sleds instead of sitting and generally searches out ways to make the already-exciting fun of sledding even more exciting. Zane, on the other hand, is enjoying sledding for the first year, and loves it. He went down with Juanito and then me, and then was ready to go by himself. The first time down the hill he made it almost to the bottom and then got tipped off, but rolled around a bit and then told Juanito, "Fun!" Katrina, who has been asking to go sledding since the first few flakes fell this year, went up and down as many times as she possibly could, happy as a clam. Hurrah for sledding!
Earlier this afternoon, Beth's friend called to tell her that she (the friend, not Beth) was horribly sick and wouldn't be able to go to the Jars of Clay concert tonight, so would she like to give the ticket to someone else? And so i got to go see Jars of Clay! And Sixpence! And Sarah Groves! For free! Except that to do that, i had to kind of ditch Linda and Andrew for the second part of the evening, which involved plans to eat some kind of food. So i felt terribly guilty about ditching them until the concert started, and then i got over it.
Also? In "Wow! I'm a moron!" news... Remember how i was making that blanket and i needed the right kind of yarn but it was discontinued and i hadn't bought enough and now i had to somehow do something different to make the blanket work and it would be different but maybe ok? So i finished the last two blocks with just the red and white, cutting out the brown. And i sewed the squares all together with red instead of brown. And it's cute. Not the way it was meant to be, but cute. And original, i guess.
And then today? I found the other skein of brown yarn which i apparently HAD bought. Sigh. Anyone want to buy a skein of brown yarn? I'll sell it for only $40!
+ 6 - 2 | § ¶Katrina
Katrina dressed herself all up in a Tinkerbell/gymnastics/80's get-up today, and then cracked me up by making horrible and hilarious faces, and then gleefully jumping around when i gave her temporary permission to jump on the couch for a few pictures. Graham seemed slightly confused. But mostly indifferent. "Eh, you want to jump three inches from me? Whatever. I'm just going to take a nap, ok?"
+ 2 - 4 | § ¶Huh. We were kind of busy today. But fun busy.
The last "picture" in that slideshow is actually a video. If you're interested. It's much cuter in HD, if you can do HD.
We made a deal with Houston that if he could get 5 great days in a row in school (no being too silly or rough), then we'd all go to the mall to ride the carousel. Today was day number 5. Woohoo! All three kids loved it. This was Zane's first time riding the carousel, and he was completely enthralled. He spent the entire time looking up and down and behind him and at the other kids, and then looking at me wide-eyed to say, "Fun, Mommy!" It was adorable. Houston and Katrina had fun showing off for Juanito. "Look, Daddy! No hands, no feet!"
And THEN, as long as we were at the mall, we went to see Santa, but Houston and Katrina both refused to go anywhere near him, and Zane barely objected, so he's the only one who actually sat on Santa's lap to get a picture. And then we ran into the bookstore to get a present for my nephew and the kids and Juanito played in the play area while i looked in the toy store (where i found NOTHING that i'd want to buy - and was amazed at one lady who was about to buy a baby doll that cost $90.00. NINETY DOLLARS! For a DOLL!), and then we all shared some Chinese food. And then we went to Cold Stone Creamery, because they had free samples of their yummy ice cream pies today. Big samples. Yum!
For the past month or so, i've been trying to convince Houston that he really wanted to get his hair cut, and he kept telling me that he liked it long. And then, today, he came home and said, "PLEASE will you cut my hair TODAY?" Um...sure? But....why? Apparently his teacher (almost certainly in a joking way) told him that it was about time he cut his hair, as he was starting to have trouble seeing out from under it. And apparently his teacher has much more sway with him than i do now. Sniff.
So tonight i cut his hair. It's all short now, and i can actually see his eyes again. Hurrah!
Oh! And also, while Houston was at school, Katrina and Zane and i spent the entire morning and early afternoon at my cousin Jenny's house. While we were there, my Grandma said, "When we were in high school, I used to sit in front of Grandpa, and I used to always turn around and try to talk to him. One time he got annoyed and asked, 'Don't you EVER study?' Yeah, I didn't go with him in high school." And maybe it's just the tone she used and you had to be there, but it is now one of my favorite quotes from her EVER. It was hilarious.
+ 5 - 1 | § ¶I'm a bit crabby.
Today was one of those days when i felt like the crabbiest, meanest mom in the world. I think that half of my evening was spent saying things like, "Stop pestering your brother/sister!" or "Quit jumping on the furniture!" or "Do your homework PLEASE! Now!" I hate that feeling.
But then i made cookies. Dozens of cookies. I was planning to make them with the kids, but then (what with the kids not obeying, which made everything take twenty times longer than it should have) i ended up doing it after they were all in bed. Beth has a really awesome recipe for molasses cookies, so she gave me the recipe - and at the same time had me make a batch for her too. Two batches of those cookies is a lot of cookies. Mmmm.
+ 4 - 2 | § ¶Noseman
Yesterday Katrina and Juanito and Zane made a little snowman. The kids are all a little in love with it. Every time he walks past it, Houston comments on exactly what is happening to it now.... "One of the eyes is falling off! The mouth has a couple of pieces falling off of it. The arm is crooked." Katrina and Zane just wander over to it at every chance and gaze lovingly into it's eyes. (My favorite part is how Zane can't say "snowman." He says "Nose-man." Because he can't start words with "S," so he throws it on to the end of the word instead. Cute!)
Hey! Do you Twitter? You should. If you're not following me on Twitter, you are missing such brilliant gems as these:
- I finally STAMPED all of those Christmas cards that were addressed and enveloped back before Thanksgiving. Now to send them before new years.
- Christmas lights lose some of their luster when 2-year-old yells "Krifom Yites!" every time he sees some. And demands an answer. Every time.
- Every electronic device in our house is not working. VCR - dead. TV - digital thing sucks. Server - dying. DVD player - unplugged
- Houston is "very angry" at the United States puzzle. Because it says "Lansing" where we live. Instead of "Michigan."
- I love the toy nativity scenes, but when the wise man is "dead" and Jesus and the angel are across the room in fear? It's not as great then.
- Zane, while eating lunch, declared, "Poop. Smells." I'm not sure if he was making a general statement or telling me to change him.
Hmm... Maybe you don't need Twitter after all. I'm not very exciting. But if YOU are, you should totally let me know.
+ 3 - 2 | § ¶Gingerbread houses
The library had a little thingamabob today where we could go and make gingerbread houses. They weren't technically gingerbread houses...more like graham cracker houses...but the kids had lots of fun making them. And eating them. I managed to get Katrina and Houston out of there with minimal candy eaten, but Zane? He held off until his house was finished, and then he just went at it, eating almost every piece of candy on the house. Nothing like getting the kids hopped up on sugar right before bedtime, right? Houston's house was totally cute, even including a little yard by the front door. And Katrina generously invited me to help her, and then kept trying to convince me that i wanted to eat her candy. She's really cute. And generous.
So anyhow...yay! Fun, easy way to make "gingerbread houses" with little kids. Now i just have to find a supply of empty milk cartons and we can do that every year!
+ 6 - 1 | § ¶Bad Decision Sunday
On this one blog i read, she started "bad decision Tuesdays." Yesterday i was going through old pictures i have scanned, thinking, "Yeah. I could TOTALLY do bad decision Tuesdays. I have more than enough pictures of myself where i look like a dork." So...maybe i will. Or occasional "Bad decision Sundays or whenever i do it" days. Besides, it's a good excuse to post old pictures of me. Or not. I'm not fabulous at actually following through with things.
But this is a good starting point. Because SERIOUSLY. Let's start with the sweater. The one with the geese on it. Sadly, i loved that sweater. I loved that whole outfit. The skirt is a short-ish off-white number which can't be seen and thus i can imagine that it actually was as cute as i remember. But the sweater! Gah!
And my hair. Yes, i know that it was the early nineties and all that, but ... wait? Can you see my hair? Let me make it bigger for you. I was attempting, i think, to curl it and make if fluffy - kind of like Jackie's bangs are in that picture. But my hair doesn't really do fluffy, and i never really got the knack (or had the patience) for getting my hair to do that big bangs look. So what i have is kind of flat-ish, badly parted bangs that are kind of swooped off to one side. And then, to make it really ridiculous, i have a little ponytail sticking straight up out of the side of my head with a bright red scrunchy. Yep. Stylish.
I was also experimenting with wearing makeup at that point, which makes my eyes look kind of weird too.
But my favorite part of this picture is maybe how we're all lined up beauty contestant style, standing sideways, arranged by age. Awesome.
+ 2 - 5 | § ¶Monkey
Something i want to remember: Zane cannot say "Christmas." He says, "Krifpom." He also loves Christmas lights, and so while we are driving, we are treated to random little outbursts of "Krifpom Yites!" every time a house with lights goes by the window. It's entirely adorable. Other things that he says:
Deebrop = diaper
"Hop out!" whenever it's time to get out of the car. It's TOTALLY what i say.
"Guess what? I yuv ooo." Again? What i say All. The. Time.
But anyhow. (I've been kind of focusing on Zane the past few days. Either he's been really cute or i'm playing favorites.)
My sister and brother-in-law gave Katrina and Zane memberships into the public TV kids' membership doohicky. Today, as a membership ...thing, we all got to go to Craig's Cruisers, where we each got a free lunch at the buffet AND two "big things" each. Big things include, among other things, the Frog Hopper, the Go-Carts, and the high ropes. Fun!
Katrina and Zane started off by going on the Frog Hopper. I was slightly concerned that Zane would freak out, but he loved it. Houston chose to NOT go on it, so that he could save that "thing" for something else. Smart boy. Juanito and Houston went on the go-carts, and then Katrina and i went. Zane isn't old enough yet, poor boy. He wanted to go. And THEN, we went up to the high ropes, which we've never done before.
Houston and Juanito went first, and ... wow. Houston is a MONKEY. This was his first time ever doing high ropes, and he just flung himself into it, fearless. He flew across the tires, ran across the balance beam, and even did the one-rope things with seeming ease. I swear the kid has some monkey-genes in him somewhere. Probably from Juanito's side. I don't remember there being any primates in my family. Katrina and i went next, and Katrina, while not as monkey-like and not quite as fearless, was still really, really brave. She got some help on the first thing, but then did everything else totally solo. And eventually, after lunch and Houston doing the ropes again, alone this time, Zane finished us off with another go on the Frog Hopper.
And then, after all THAT, the i took the kids (Juanito left for work after lunch) shopping. Shopping! On a Saturday in December! Except, see...here's the thing. About 2 years ago i decided to make that really cute sock monkey blanket, which is just REALLY CUTE, but then i started making the monkey faces and gave up in frustration. And didn't start again until a couple of days ago. But then i made most of the blanket really fast, until i almost ran out of the brown yarn that i need. The brown yarn that is kind of the most important thing to not run out of. So i figured, "Well, i'll just put it on hold and go buy some more." Except that there ISN'T ANY MORE. They've discontinued it. I didn't KNOW that they had discontinued it until i had been to two Hobby Lobbys and a Michaels and then finally looked it up on line. So i searched for maybe somewhere that would have some that they'd want to sell me, and i found two places. Except that the yarn is $3.00. And the shipping is $9.00. And i just...can't. So now i have to figure out how to modify the blanket to make it not look stupid. I hate when i don't plan ahead.
So we went shopping but didn't buy anything. So by the time we got home, we were all exhausted and could barely pop some popcorn and watch Frosty.
+ 2 - 4 | § ¶Smarty pants
This morning, as i was hurrying everyone out the door to bring Houston to school, i paused and, thinking out loud, asked, "Now where are my gloves?" And then i remembered that i had been wearing them by my computer yesterday because i was cold, and had probably left them there. But before i could say anything or even start to move, Zane was dashing off. He ran straight to my computer, grabbed the gloves, and ran them back to me with a very proud smile. How he knew where they were? I don't know.
I have my palm pilot set to beep at me shortly before Houston comes home on the days when i don't have to pick him up. Today i also set the alarm for Katrina during quiet time, so that when it beeped she would know that she could come downstairs. Unfortunately, Zane took a ridiculously short nap (this after not falling asleep until after 10:00 last night - Houston was asleep before he was! In the same room! - and waking up at 6:30), so i let Katrina come down at the same time. When the alarm beeped, signaling the end of quiet time, Zane heard it. And immediately said, "Houston come home!" Because after naps, when the alarm beeps, that means Houston is coming home.
He's smart.
+ 5 - 2 | § ¶Some of my favorite quotes from today
During dinner, we were talking about the candle, and i asked the kids if they knew why the flame was flickering and bouncing around.
Houston immediately said, "Because the world is spinning SO FAST!"
Tonight the kids each chose something to wrap and put under the tree for Jesus. Katrina showed me her tag, saying, "I accidentally wrote a W, but i scribbled it out. That way Jesus won't see it."
Zane said something hilarious, but since i can't remember it right now, i'll tell you a different Zane story. He was on a time out, and i realized that he needed his diaper changed. He HAD been wanting to get down, but as soon as i said that i was going to change his diaper, he started crying, "No, no! Uh-oh time! Uh-oh time!" Geez. Who knew that getting your diaper changed is worse than having a time out?
I didn't take any pictures today. Whoops. (I have, however, made about 2/3 of a blanket for Zane for Christmas. It's going to be really cute. It will, hopefully, look something like this when it's finished. Except that my monkeys won't be NEARLY that perfect.) Instead, i give you...Houston. We did that last year, when i had the scanner out and the kids wanted to scan random things.
+ 6 - 3 | § ¶On being a dad
Juanito woke up this morning with the kids and sent Houston off to school. He's awesome.
When i got up, Katrina told me, "For breakfast, we had Cheezits and Teddy Grahams and candy!" Zane just ran over to me blue all over his face. Juanito didn't really deny the breakfast allegations.
Then i noticed that Houston's snowpants and scarf and hat were all still by the front door instead of, y'know, at school with him.
Being a dad is really different from being a mom.
+ 4 - 3 | § ¶Busy, busy, busy
Today was entirely busy. In general, i'm kind of a fan of busy days. (Sometimes. Not always.) But when there are three little kids involved, sometimes the "busy" just changes to "crazy" and pretty soon i start questioning my sanity. Mostly, though? It felt good to get lots of stuff accomplished.
This morning Katrina and i (mostly me, although Katrina will TOTALLY try to claim most of the credit if you ask her) hung up Christmas lights all around the family room. It's all pretty and twinkly in there now. I'd totally keep Christmas lights up all year if it wouldn't just make me look like i'm too lazy to take them down. And then we hung all the fragile ornaments up on a little string on a wall in our front room. Where Zane can't touch them. Because he cannot not touch the tree. Then we put all the regular dishes away in the basement and stuck all the Christmas dishes in the dishwasher to wash all the basement grime off of them so that we can use pretty Christmas plates now.
When Houston got home, we immediately left to do some Christmas shopping for Juanito and some cousins. We went to three different stores, and were really only successful at one of them. And then, only for Juanito. Sigh. Maybe i'll have to start doing my shopping online. (Except then i have to pay for shipping, and i just can't want to pay for shipping.)
After a quick dinner, we made snowflakes and wrapped some presents and talked about Mary and Joseph and the angel and i sent Houston to a time out on the stairs a ridiculous number of times for being too wild, and i didn't realize until after the kids were all in bed that i totally forgot to make him do his homework tonight. It's a good thing that his homework only takes him about a minute to do or he'd be in trouble.
And now, i'm off to wrap some more presents. We're using cloth again, but THIS year, we're doing red and white and black. This is when i'm happy that i have GOBS of material just sitting in the basement waiting for me to come up with a project to make.
+ 7 - 0 | § ¶Christmas at the Gardens
This afternoon we went to Meijer Gardens to see the Christmas decorations. For some reason, there was almost no one else there, which has NEVER happened to me before. It was great - no crowds to worry about, it was easy to keep an eye on the kids, and everything just looks prettier without a huge crowd of people surrounding it.
This year was actually more enjoyable than the previous few years. Houston and Katrina are old enough now to obey the "no touching ANYTHING on the trees" rule, and Zane really did remarkably well at not touching anything too. Katrina and Zane still wanted to move a bit faster than i would have liked, but Houston seemed to really get into the trees this year, picking out favorite ornaments and favorite trees, reading some of the facts, and asking lots of questions. Plus, Beth came with us, which always makes things more fun.
Zane and Katrina loved the train overhead and just watched and watched it. Houston was excited about it at first, but then decided that he hated the squeaking and tooting noises that it made and started covering his ears and running out of the room whenever it came near. Ah well. Can't win them all.