Tradition, Tradition!

Before December made its official appearance (but after Calvin's birthday), we headed up the hill to go on our annual Christmas tree hunting expedition. This year, we were greeted with quite a bit of snow, but luckily we were prepared. Well, some of us were prepared. I'm still sporting the same holey sneakers I've had for years, but that is a subject for another time.

Sunshine and snow!

Unfortunately for Jay, he's taught the kids how to aim well.

Cal refused to wear a hat, but his mop top kept him warm.

Finally, we found a tree!

The tree is now up in our room, festooned with white lights and a jumble of family ornaments. The kids all participated in hanging the ornaments this year, which was slightly stressful but fun nevertheless. So far no one has knocked down the tree (even Pippin!) but there have been a few broken ornaments and a half eaten candy cane. Cal hasn't picked up on the fact that if you're going to steal a candy cane and don't want to get caught, it's best to wipe all the sticky red stuff off your face before your mama sees it. :)

I have a bunch of crafty things to share, as well as pictures of our latest home project, so stay tuned! I'm going to try to get to them before Christmas. :)

It's Official ...

Calvin is 2!

He is currently obsessed with elephants...

...so these presents were well-received.

And for Mommy's sake ... a Lightening McQueen rolling backpack! With two young boys in the house, only having one backpack was causing quite a bit of trouble. (And people say girls are the dramatic ones!) One problem solved, thousands to go ... :)

Happy Birthday to our strong and silent, not-so-little 2 year old boy. We love you!

Chucky Cheese on Steriods

We spent $70 at John's Incredible Pizza and all we got was:

3 crazy straws

2 thumb traps

2 cheap rings

1 shark grabber

heartburn

and a headache.

Obviously, it was not the best family outing we've ever had, but we learned something**, and that's all that really matters, right? Right?!?

**Bea learned not to waste her money on those "claw" games.

Jay learned not to let Calvin play with his sunglasses.

Dexter learned he's still too young for skeeball.

Natalie learned that 300 tickets doesn't amount to anything,

And I learned that Spicy Peanut Butter Pizza is disgusting.

That's One Way to Declare Your Love

Another Halloween has come and gone, and if the amount of candy sitting in my cupboard is any indicator, it was a success.

Some highlights ...

The girls' school holds an annual Halloween parade, which is a lot of fun. This year, one of Bea's classmates took the opportunity to express his feelings for her via his costume:

Isn't it adorable? If you can't tell, he was a road (love the creative costume!) and his hat was a street sign named "Beatrice Court." It just kills me. His mom and I had a good chuckle over his crush (which, I have to say, is mutual).

The kiddos

Beatrice wanted to go as lightening, which was fitting because the weather kept threatening to rain, although thankfully it never did.

Natalie wanted to go as a tornado, which was a bit of a challenge, but as usual Jay pulled it off. You can't see it, but there is even a little witch flying in the twister. *I'll get you my pretty!*

Dex was Buzz Lightyear, obviously, and Cal is was a monkey. Of course, he only wore his costume for about half an hour before Grandma graciously took him home for bed.

Jay had the most creative of all our costumes, and although I have to claim credit for the seed of the idea, the details and the execution were all his:

Humpty Dumpty! We won "Best Car Decoration" at trunk-or-treat. Pretty good considering Jay whipped up the castle about 2 hours prior using paneling we had previously ripped out of our living room.

As we were preparing for trunk-or-treat, I started to feel a little left out because I was the only one who never got around to planning a costume. So, I threw one together at the last minute (swiping an idea from a former coworker): The tooth fairy.

Ain't I pretty? :)

I'd say we better start planning for next year, but like with most things, we do Halloween better under pressure. I hope you all had a fabulous holiday and that your kids shared a Reese's Peanut Butter cup with you!

Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag ...

Back in July, the girls and I threw an American Girl Book Club party, an idea I swiped from my sister-in-law, Davina, who did the same thing with her girls a while ago. I thought it was such a fun idea that I immediatley put it on my To Do list, and - look at me! - I actually followed through!

We chose the book Meet Kit, which focuses on Kit Kitteridge, a 10 year old girl growing up in the Great Depression. Some of you may have seen the movie version. For the party, we dressed up, decorated with items popular in the 30's, listened to 1930's music, and had some yummy era-appropriate food. We played jacks - or at least tried to with the junky plastic jacks they sell nowadays - and learned to type on real typewriters, just like Kit.

I intended on having a good discussion about the book during the party, but that didn't really happen. Part of that was because many of the girls were Bea's age (most of Natalie's classmates couldn't attend), and they didn't quite have the attention span for a discussion. Looking back, I should have just read aloud from the book for a little while, but oh well ... maybe next time. We had a great time regardless. Hopefully we will be able to do it again ... when the rest of my life calms down. (Ha!)

Here are a few more pictures if you are so inclined!

Another Lesson Learned

I learned a valuable lesson at the grocery store a few weeks ago that I need to share with all of you as a public service. I happened to be grocery shopping alone (*angels singing*), so I was meandering through the aisles, just taking my time. The store was relatively empty, which is always a plus. I turned down the aisle that has all the kitchen supplies - the peelers, the graters, cutting boards, etc. - and I saw a grown woman pick up a plastic pasta spoon and use it as a back scratcher... under her shirt.

Now, my first instinct was to yell out, "What in the world are you doing?!?" but I was embarrassed for her, so I just walked casually by, acted like I didn't notice, and pretended to be extremely interested in the canned pears on the other side of the aisle. The woman had, of course, quickly removed the pasta spoon when she saw me come into the aisle, but it was too late. I had seen. As I slowly walked down the aisle, I kept one eye on the woman, waiting - praying - that she would put the pasta spoon in her cart. But alas, she did not. The pasta spoon went back on the hook, just waiting patiently to be used to scoop up spaghetti for some poor, unsuspecting family.

Lesson learned: Always wash anything you buy from the store before you use it. Also, pasta spoons are very versatile, and I am buying one for every person on my Christmas list. :)

Moving On Up, Part 2

Another year of school has begun!

It's only been a few days, but so far, so good. The meltdowns don't usually begin until the second week, anyway, when reality starts setting in.

3rd grade! Holy Cow!

1st grade , here I come!

And this is Dexterese for "preschool."

Moving On Up

Natalie and Beatrice have been having a great time at karate, and now they both have earned their next belt - yellow with white stripe. Hooray!

Natalie has already declared her intention to be a black belt. I have no doubt that she (and Bea, too) could do it. Karate suits Natalie especially well, as it is all about rules and preciseness and proper technique. She's got a tad bit of the perfectionist about her ... wonder where she gets that from?

Congratulations, my girls!