(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

The Fantastic Mr. Dr. Fox

Lovin' the Lights

Who doesn't love Christmas lights? I mean, very few actually love putting them up, but most everyone loves the way they brighten the dark winter nights.

A week or two ago, we loaded the kids in the van and drove through town, checking out the Christmas lights.

We learned a few things. First, the people that love lights really do love lights. Second, our favorites are the blue lights. And third, our camera doesn't take the greatest shots of Christmas lights in the dark. Or maybe more accurately, I don't know how to take pictures of Christmas lights in the dark.

Here are the best shots:


You can't tell from this picture, but this house has 6 garages and is, quite possibly, a mansion.

One of our favorite houses...this is the front.

And here's the back. I am lovin' the Santa chimney!



And here's the best of all. Delightful in its simplicity, right?


Oh, wait, that's our house! I knew there was a reason I liked it, despite its apparent lack of lights, or rather lack of someone who desires to put up said lights.

Allyson's First Grade Christmas Play

We had promised this quick video last week, but forgot to get it going until now.

Just a little background: Ally's school musical was titled, "Littlest Christmas Tree". It was based on a tree lot, full of trees waiting for Santa to arrive to pick one of them to be his special tree. Of course, every tree in the lot desired to be the chosen one, including a sweet little tree, the only tree who knew the meaning of Christmas is love. In the end, he is chosen.

So, here ya go.

A Friend Suggestion

As a room mom, my primary responsibility in Ally's classroom is to hang out during class parties.

I know, challenging, right?

On Monday, Ally's class had a Polar Express Celebration for their holiday party. They sampled goodies from around the world and sipped hot cocoa. They wore their bathrobes and slippers and rang jingle bells, just like the book/movie.

Ally told me I should wear my robe to the party too.


After the treats, the kids returned to the classroom for about 20 minutes of quiet working. The other moms and I just wandered around, helping when necessary, and chatting with eachother.

One precious girl brought me a letter, written in bright pink pen. (I'm changing her name, as I didn't ask anyone if I could write about her here.) Although Ally has never spoken negatively of this girl, they don't typically play together.

This is what the letter said:

"I luv your robe and your shos you luk pride From Ella For Mi. Fox"

She loves my robe and my shoes and she thinks I'm pretty.

I think Ally needs to befriend this girl! Clearly Ella is wise beyond her years.

"Look! It's My Crap!"

Yes, that's what Natalie, our almost three-year-old said.

But I should probably backtrack and tell you the story.

First of all, if you're offended by the word "crap," you may want to come back in a day or two and view the next post. If not, stick around.

As parents, we all say things that we probably shouldn't, just to hear them repeated back to you by the sweet little mouth belonging to your child. Ahem. We're no exceptions.

On Thanksgiving, we ran to K-Mart to try and snag a deal or two and let the kiddos get some fresh air. We shopped for just a bit and when I paid, David took the kids to the front door. Near the door, the ever-present quarter-toy machines summoned their attention.

Thinking it was something else, David jumped on board, purchasing a green die with various words on each side.

When it came out, Dave discovered it wasn't as cool as he originally thought. The girls quickly asked, "What is it?" He muttered, "A piece of crap."


I arrived at the door and asked Natalie what she was holding. She promptly, and excitedly answered, "A piece-a-crap!" (Picture a big grin...as if she had found a treasure!)

We laughed all the way home. And we continually laughed every time she mentioned her prized possession. The next morning, she asked, "Where's my piece-a-crap?" (You have to admit you're smiling.)

Let me just take a moment for a side story. I can't resist a good side story.

The die is like a not-so-fancy version of those Magic 8 Balls. You ask a question, shake the ball, or die in this case, and wait for the answer to "appear." Ally was playing with the die this afternoon and started asking questions...

A: Does Mommy love me?
P-of-C: Oh Totally.
A: Does Daddy love me?
P-of-C: Super Likely.
A: Does Chris love me?
P-of-C: Definite Maybe.
A: Does Natalie love me?
P-of-C: Doubtful.

Then she continued:
A: Will I get a time-out tonight?
P-of-C: Doubtful
A: Will Nat-Nat get a time-out tonight?
P-of-C: Super Likely.

I gotta say...there may be something to this twenty-five cent piece of crap.

Back to the point...

The small die gets lost in our piles of toys, so Natalie hadn't seen it in days. This morning, I heard her squeal, "Look! It's my crap!"

It never gets old.

She'll never be the same...

Both Natalie and her doll are a bit more...uh...moisture resistant today.


In Nat's words, the doll "got a owie on her head," and apparently all the Desitin in the tube couldn't fix it.

The upside is that the doll smells remarkably more lifelike now with the distinctive aroma of diaper-rash cream.

Wait, that might be a downside.

Did ya' notice?

In case you didn't, let me draw your attention to the fabulous new logo above. One of the designers that David works with, Brooke, needed help with her website, so she and Dave worked a little trade.

She has mad skills, folks. She designed our new logo and we would totally put it on our letterhead and business cards. That is, if we actually had letterhead and business cards.

Until then, you'll see it here.

And if you ever need a little design work, you should check her out!

Recap

(For the record, I have revised and updated this post no less than 4 times. It's been a LONG week. It is now Sunday morning and church has been canceled due to a blizzard, so I'm thinking now's the time get this sucker posted.)


Seriously, it's been weeks since our last post and so much is going on! I had been on a roll, posting a few times a week and now I feel I've let you down. All four of you, that is. Our apologies.

Here are the highlights.

Thanksgiving brought us to the great city of Minneapolis. What a fun trip. The kids were well behaved (until the last day...but who would want to hear about that anyway...). The drive was peaceful and smooth without a lick of traffic. And we all had a stinkin' good time. The Mall of America, Thanksgiving Dinner, Macy's and the City Center, Ikea, and family...how can it get much better? We have tons of great shots from the weekend, but here are just a few.



Just three days after returning from Minnesota, Dave's mom came to visit. She often comes in December to celebrate an early Christmas with the kiddos, but this year was extra special for David and I.

We escaped.

For 32 hours.

For 1,920 minutes we took off our parent hats and put on the young and cute hats that resemble those worn by honeymooners.

We took the train to the grand city of Chicago, took in many sites and shops, attended a FABULOUS Christmas concert with two of Dave's favorite saxophone players, slept in until waaaaay after our normal hour, ate 4 meals without cutting anyone's meat or bargaining with a child for dessert. It was priceless, really.

And it was pricey.

It was worth it. Totally.

But we forgot our camera. So here's a few pics of the kids with Grandma Webb.



When we got back to our vehicle at the train station in Harvard, Illinois, where we would then drive home, our vehicle was gone. LOVELY.

We parked in the wrong lot. Normally this is relatively benign, with a simple $25 ticket. We could deal with that. Unfortunately, there was snow emergency during the 32 hours we were gone. And apparently it is a city ordinance that all vehicles be removed from parking lots during snow emergencies.

We got towed. An act of God got us towed.

So we arrived home a bit later (and a bit poorer) than originally thought, but we still had a great time.

And Grandma Webb survived, in case you were wondering. It's possible that she was more tired than normal. And it's also possible (no, probable) that our sick-ish kids lovingly shared their germs with her.

She still loves them.

Ally had her first Christmas musical on Thursday (video coming soon...). I love all the dynamics of a group of kids "performing"!


On Friday, David had Lasik surgery to correct his poor vision. Dave's company had agreed to build the surgeon's website in exchange for a few fixed eyes! What an unexpected blessing! (Updated: As of Sunday, he is seeing things very clearly and experiencing only a bit of discomfort. That's a pretty nifty surgery.)

On Thursday and Friday Christopher and I had a nasty stomach flu that had us feeling downright yucky. Mommies just aren't supposed to be that sick. As of this morning, everyone is healthy.

What a whirlwind.

We'll see what tomorrow brings...

Hope your Thanksgiving and first two weeks of Advent were pleasant and peaceful and not too cold. And if you're sitting in the midst of a blizzard like us, take a moment to enjoy your warm house and a cup of cocoa.

I'm gonna go ahead and hit "publish" now before this could be published as a documentary and made into a very boring film that no one pays to see.