24 December, 2008

Yule tide cheer

Multiple choice quiz

This tree:

a. is 9 feet tall and there were no ladders in the vicinity when it was decorated

b. is not yet finished

c. was decorated by two young elves who placed everything at their eye-level or below and declared it the most beautiful tree they'd ever seen. :-)

Happy Holidays from our family to yours!

23 December, 2008

So he DOES have ears!

Is it just me or did S age by about 2 years in the last hour and a half?

17 December, 2008

Last minute save

B had to bring in a craft to do with his class as part of Advent. So over the past couple of weeks the anxiety level has been building around here because he's convinced that this one activity could make or break his reputation as an utterly cool guy.

Those of you who remember my own anxiety-laden attempts at being artsy can probably sympathize with the dread I've been feeling about coming up with something which is "just right" when B's entire social future is at stake. I mean, really, I would like to become a grandmother someday!

And then suddenly, VOILA! I had a brainstorm between glasses of Tempranillo. Marshmallow Snowmen, Ahoy! Now let's just hope his classmates think they're as cute (and tasty!) as he does!

14 December, 2008

Boys...

S and B spent this afternoon sledding down a huge hill near our house with other neighborhood kids. I walked out there to bring them a snow hat and was met halfway by S trailing a crowd of children. He was crying and there was some blood on his face. Apparently he'd been sledding too fast and flipped over, bit through his lip, broke off the top of one tooth and chipped another. (of course these are permanent teeth. and of course he's the one who had a perfect bite. at least up until this afternoon.)

By the time we got home he'd calmed down and went to the mirror in the bathroom to inspect the damage. When I came in he was smiling really big and bubbled over: "Man! Am I going to have a great story to tell in class tomorrow!"

*thanks to "Me and my Oneyes" for the use of this image.

05 December, 2008

Dear God make it stop!

Hello from somewhere in southern Holland. We're on our way to Oma's and Opa's to celebrate Sinterklaas. The drive hasn't been any more arduous than usual, but I'm really ready to get out of the car and escape my increasingly restless family.

In order to keep the peace M instituted a system in which each of us gets a turn choosing a song to play on the CD player. Which might have been a fine except for the fact that he kicked it off with an extended version of "Freebird". I think I might have had a stroke sometime during minute 11.

But then B was next. His choice? A track from his children's Audibon bird calls CD. Think garden finches on Meth. With bullhorns.

I'd probably be stringing myself up with the seatbelt if there were any rafters available...

04 December, 2008

Ye Olde Street-Cred Duds

B is procrastinating his math homework at the livingroom table.

Hey Mom, did you see that kid today? The one with the baggy jeans hanging down so that you could see his underwear? Crazy, huh?

Yes, I did, actually. B, please do your homework.

Yeah. I wonder what he was thinking? You see kids wearing their pants like that, but you don't often see it on adults.

B? Your homework?

Maybe it's because those pants are too small for adults and wouldn't be baggy on them.

B!

Unless the adults were very small, of course.

???

Like they used to be in the 1700's...