A Contingent of Kurths

Rings

2012-02-13T11:44:00.001-05:00

Horse

2012-02-13T11:42:00.001-05:00

Monkey

2012-02-13T11:40:00.001-05:00

Liam likes these parallel bars. He was so proud that he could shimmy all the way across.

Sneaky

2012-02-13T11:37:00.001-05:00

I had the bathroom door cracked while I was getting ready one morning, and Dada took advantage of it to get some mirror shots of me. He claims he was getting the camera ready to take pictures of Liam at gymnastics. ;)

Artist

2012-02-13T11:35:00.002-05:00

Someone would rather color on the walls than on paper, but still he makes a pretty cute artist!

Valentines

2012-02-06T09:28:00.003-05:00

With Valentine's Day quickly approaching, when I was given a "get out for the night free" pass, I took it and headed to Target. Surrounded by Valentines, I immediately saw the ones I knew Liam would want. I grabbed a package of Star Wars ones, talked to Carrie and grabbed a box for her too, and escaped with only one package of candy. Shhh on that... we're not sharing with the kids.

Anyway, today when I told Liam I got him Star Wars Valentines, his first concern was this:

Are there light sabers at the ends like extramation marks?????

=)

"Those are Good Reasons"

2012-01-27T17:45:00.003-05:00

Anyone who has an affinity for Lucy and Linus from Charlie Brown will get that title line. Lucy has had it, as usual, with Linus, and threatens him with five good reasons why he should turn his behavior around. She counts down all five fingers on one hand and then proceeds to wave that fist under his nose. His eyebrows go up into his bangs and he quips, "those are good reasons!"

I'm telling you that because the kids and I have been listening to some songs that we dance to in my Zumba class. One is Don Omar's "Danza Kuduro", but I digress. I told Carrie that she can join us when she's 13. I told her, "you'll like it. We'll have fun."

She said, "and you'll be old."

Then she saw me coming. With a sotto voce "oh dear" that was followed by "those are good reasons" she slid off her stool, giggling.

That kid!

Down on the Farm

2012-01-26T15:40:00.001-05:00

I am trying to clean, so we got out the farm and all the Little People in hopes that he'd stay busy. It didn't work for long, but he WAS pretty cute... the second one looks pretty tentative, but he was trying to say, "cheeeeeeeese" and smile at the same time.

This one he's impersonating Swedish Chef. Just kidding. He was ready to throw the ladybug which migrated down here from the bathtub, and it was quickly followed by the windmill.

Baby Belly

2012-01-26T15:34:00.001-05:00

Damon has quite the physique and we're always giggling about his squishy legs and belly and the fact that he actually has a butt, as compared to his poor sister who can't find pants that stay up. We thought you'd appreciate some body-in-motion pictures.

Cardinal and Super Hero

2012-01-26T15:29:00.003-05:00

Lookie who came to visit! Mama Cardinal proved more elusive. I guess she's camera shy. This guy wasn't afraid to ham it up, though.

And then there's THIS guy. "Why, YES, that's my Super Hero Cape, thank you. And don't make fun of my remote control. ALL the powerful guys have one..."

"Whaddaya mean, 'it doesn't have any batteries'?!"

Linebacker

2012-01-26T15:21:00.001-05:00

Sorry; action shot. That one's all blurry because he was in the process of tackling our pretty girl. I think he's practicing the Playground Rules: if you like her, knock her down and kiss her!

Begging Bowl

2012-01-26T15:14:00.001-05:00

Trying to get a start on spring cleaning, I'd amassed a pile of stuff to give away. Damon, naturally, kept finding my pile of "treasures" and helping himself. He would rummage through it, arrange the articles all over the floor, and steal this basket. How he got it on himself, I'll never know, but it was pretty entertaining for us to watch him try to get it back off.

Success!

Coke is it?

2012-01-26T15:10:00.001-05:00

No way, dude. We're Pepsi people around here. So refreshing. ;)

"...not the one who needs defending..."

2012-01-08T14:34:00.001-05:00

If you haven't already heard this story, you'll be glad you came to the blog today. Carrie's best gift this Christmas was a sword. Yes, you read that right. Her friend Isaac, who moved away at the end of the second grade school year, found this sword and told his mom he wanted to get it for Carrie. His mom, Rebecca, contacted me and we okayed it. When she found out it was an actual stainless steel blade, she obviously contacted us again! EEEEEEEP. We agreed it'd be a splendid piece of decorative art for her bedroom wall ONLY. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves and you can decide what she thought of Isaac's gift. It is an exact replica of the sword used by Link in the Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess. If you remember, Carrie was Link for Halloween. Thank goodness Christmas comes AFTER Halloween is all I can say!

Balls and Beaches

2012-01-08T14:29:00.002-05:00

Since Damon's first word was "ball", we figured a set of his own Nerf balls would be a great gift. I, however, and forgotten how my brother had munched holes in his own Nerf balls as a kid. The football ends lasted all of 10 minutes, if that, before Damon had chomped them off. =/

Dada's biggest surprise was the painting Care Bear created at her December Girl Scouts meeting. She'd done a Hawaiian beach scene, and we hid it in the garage up high so that Dada wouldn't accidentally find it before Christmas. He was thrilled! She's quite a talented artist, and she was delighted to give him a meaningful gift. It's already up on our wall, which is saying something because there's been an ever-growing stack of framed photos in our hallway just waiting to be hung!

2012-01-08T14:25:00.001-05:00

Liam was very absorbed in every gift, and Carrie had to physically grab his head and jerk it up for him to break his gaze away from everything. =)

I must have been a good girl this year! 0=)

2012-01-08T14:20:00.001-05:00

The kids, playing Santa Claus, kept running up and down and up and down to distribute presents. They were so excited and so noisy that I'm pretty sure you could hear them. We thought for sure Liam was going to just combust. With every gift his voice got higher and he shook with anticipation. It was SO funny!

See?!

Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

2012-01-08T13:22:00.001-05:00

As you can see, the kids got Lego Star Wars and Lego Harry Potter for the Wii for Christmas, and you can tell from Liam's body language that he was over the moon about them. They want to play every single day.

Christmas dinner

2012-01-08T13:15:00.001-05:00

Grandma Barb and Pap brought a rib roast for Christmas dinner and it was delicious! Someone discovered the joys of mashed potatoes with cream cheese and sour cream in them, and has been packing on the holiday pounds!

Pulling a Hin

2012-01-08T13:08:00.002-05:00

My brother, who we all call Hinrew or Hin, was famous for getting really quiet when he was into something he shouldn't have been into. Damon channels that skill (?) regularly. On this particular occasion, he had found a pack of Extra sugarfree gum and had gleefully taken every piece out and peeled a lot of them open while hiding behind the couch. He DID eat some, but we're not sure how many. Judging from the tin foil in his diaper later on, it wasn't too much. Silly boy...

PaPa and his Nomad

2012-01-08T13:04:00.002-05:00

PaPa loves to watch TV, and what could be better than to have a warm, snuggly Damon to watch with you? My parents giggle about the kids' names written backwards being Nomad, Mail, and Eirrac, so they send mail that way and then the kids crack up. Grandmama has taken to calling Damon Nomad altogether, because he so rarely settles anywhere for long. He is constantly patrolling and checking on everyone and everything. It was nice to catch a few shots of him all snuggled in and still.

Yes, that IS Mr. President...

2012-01-08T12:58:00.002-05:00

Carrie's class had to do a biography report last month and she chose, "that guy on the dime." Yes, she meant Thomas Jefferson. Her report consisted of 10 notecards, a 2 minute speech, and a bust of her person. Her teacher suggested a coffee can, but also advised the students to be creative. Well, I buy bags of coffee instead of grounds in a can, so that wasn't an option. Carrie wasn't phased in the slightest, and being Carrie, decided to use an intact pumpkin we still had from Halloween. Grandmama cracked up and said, "well, he WAS a farmer, so he'd have appreciated that you thought to use a pumpkin!" I hope Mr. President is smiling down on her instead of rolling over in his grave. Anyway, she got a 100 percent on her report! We covered the pumpkin with construction paper, she drew the face and ears on with marker, glued cotton balls on his head for his wig, and used a quarter of a Wendy's cup carrier covered with construction paper as his hat. That was needed to cover the pumpkin stem. =) So it is with great pride that I introduce you to our third President, Thomas Jefferson!

JammieDoodles

2012-01-08T12:52:00.003-05:00

Yesterday the kids were all using the MagnaDoodle and Liam's dry erase board. Damon is a natural graffiti artist. Anything he can write with that he can find ends up directly on the wall behind where Triskal has her bed. He's not picky about his medium: crayons, pencils, my blush brush, and a corn cob holder have all been tested out. If he has a broken crayon, one half goes in his mouth while he doodles with the other half. When the half in his mouth is confiscated, the drawing half goes back into his mouth...

Monkey

2012-01-08T12:47:00.001-05:00

Someone has been in slippers like these for months, so he's just now figuring out that he can climb. Let the games begin!

Randomness

2012-01-08T12:39:00.002-05:00

This was such a pretty sunrise, and we wondered what the vertical light was made by...

Carrie got Scrabble junior for Christmas and couldn't wait to play. This was our first just girls game for the two of us. We'd played with Grandmama too when she was here. The only letters we had left spelled UM and we still had the Q...

Then we dug out the real game and used all our letters!

Eventually this will make it to my winter Facebook picture, but you can see it here first, hehe! It's winter, so I am perpetually cold and have a hot cup of something most of the time. Actually, to be honest, it'd be a lukewarm cup of something most of the time....

Dada's gettin' kisses!

2012-01-08T12:32:00.001-05:00

Dada is getting kissed all over by the Damonater. And he's so pleased with himself!

Christmas Eve 2011

2011-12-24T20:46:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas to everyone! We girls wore our sparkly dresses to church and decided we needed to get our pictures taken in them. The rest of the crew cleaned up great as well!

Merry Christmas 2011

2011-12-24T10:37:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas from We5 to all of you! Last night we went to our church's Christmas service and were really impressed, once again, at how much time and talent goes into their message. Care Bear sat with Dada and I while the boys played in the kids' area. The music, lights, message, everything was all good, as usual. You can catch it today here: www.cedarcreek.tv at, I think, noon, 2, 4, 6, and 8 PM. Christmas Day showings will begin at 8 AM and run every two hours until 10 PM. We hope it blesses you, too! Just click on the iCampus link. You can even do it in your jammies. 0=)

This was our silly picture, followed by our "serious" picture, capped off by probably our best picture. You can see we laugh a lot as our family. When we're not trying to clobber each other. Anyway, Merry Christmas! May you enjoy the season and not forget the reason!

The night BEFORE the night before Christmas

2011-12-24T10:32:00.001-05:00

This poor kid crashed right in our big chair. It was midafternoon and amidst all the noise, cleaning, rushing around that was happening he just conked out. Naturally, I had to take pictures!

His feet are almost as long as my entire hand already!

Such a sweet angel boy. Sleep sweetly, Liam!

Handsome men... and a fuzzy dog.

2011-12-23T12:37:00.001-05:00

We like to snuggle around here. Someone is usually climbing on top of someone else and invading someone's space. Just fair warning for any visitors headed this way for the holidays.

And here's 2 of my 3 handsome men, showing off their coordinating jammies!

This little cheeseball knows exactly what to do when he sees the camera come out. He gets right on the other side of it and says, "chiiiiiiz!" So heart-melting. =)

New Duds

2011-12-23T12:33:00.001-05:00

I think this was before church one of these weeks. Hard to tell, since both of them seem to use these clothes as their favorite outfits for just about everything. Liam will be wearing the same thing tonight for a Christmas service at church. Carrie will be wearing a dress, and is already griping about it...

Company holiday party 2011

2011-12-23T12:29:00.001-05:00

WHY I didn't get any pictures of Dada this night is beyond me. He looked very sharp in his deep violet shirt, silky white tie, and jacket. We had a wonderful time with our friends Bob and Avril, and Lexi came to play with the kids. Wins all around!
Anyway, here's me. With our tree.

2011-12-23T12:24:00.001-05:00

My helpers for decorating for the holidays...

And Liam got new-to-him tennies, but the old laces were just about destroyed. We headed to the shoe store to find new ones, and check out what he picked! He was bummed there weren't any yellow ones and that the ones with flames on them were waaaaaaaaaaaaay too long, so he got these instead!

And this is our SweetieDee before her holiday concert at school. Yes, she really is that slim, but I was trying to crop out the bag of potatoes at her feet. 0=)

Santa's Little Helpers

2011-12-23T12:21:00.002-05:00

Check out these helpers! That Dratted Kitchen Fairy never seems to show up, but I have terrific vacuum helpers!

Scroll down fast, PaPa.

2011-12-23T12:17:00.002-05:00

PaPa doesn't like snakes, so he can skip this entry while the rest of you see the kids petting a snake in the Reptile House. Bebeee and I had to step out. I don't mind snakes, but we WERE in a few layers and we were melting. I didn't feel like stripping him down while he was in the stroller just to put everything back on him again a few minutes later, so we wandered around outside and oogled the baby elephant while we waited for our crew to finish snuggling this pretty snake.

Lights Before Christmas 2011

2011-12-23T11:56:00.002-05:00

It was SO nice this year to go while it was still warmish. As you can see, people were not in boots and 12 layers of warm clothes. We love this tradition of seeing the zoo lights at Christmas. These are the singing trees whose lights correspond to the music. The kids especially get a kick out of the "I want a hippopotamus for Christmas" song.

I believe that's what you call "blazing" lights, hehe!

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-12-23T11:45:00.002-05:00

Apparently we were too busy eating to take many pictures, but suffice it to say that everyone had a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving at aunt Sherri's once again! This is uncle Eric with Damon and Zach. Just boys, hangin' out in the kitchen!

The bean bag chair was a huge hit. Damon kept throwing himself into it with all his might, and needed fished back out so he could do it again. Though here he seems to be thinking, "ugh, should have done this BEFORE pie...."

2011-12-23T11:39:00.001-05:00

Oodles of cousins! Neva is in the Gobble Gobble shirt with her daddy, uncle Rob. Liam is in yellow, of course, just like Carrie is in green. Lizzie is the beautiful young lady up front, Zach is in the red shirt with overalls, and Damon is squashing Mama. =) Good times!

Nobody does ice cream like this family. You can tell by the picture, right? ;)

Beautiful aunt Becky with Liam, and her kiddos, Zach and Lizzie.

Owlet

2011-11-24T16:57:00.001-05:00

This is Grandmama's hat. Damon has always reminded us of a baby bird when he's eating because he can't possibly open his mouth any wider. But this hat completely cracked us up!

Greens

2011-11-24T16:46:00.003-05:00

I love this tree. This was taken from our bathroom window. It's mostly naked now, but I love how it starts to change colors from the top down. It looks like a torch for a little while. It's been super windy lately, and Damon likes to look out his window at the pretty tree blowing in the wind. I don't like fall because it means winter is coming, but this beauty makes it a little more bearable...

This is my dinner helper. These baby carrots were grown in our garden, and he took it upon himself to decorate with shredded carrot greens. He munched them, too. This kid will eat anything!

More puppy love

2011-11-24T16:43:00.001-05:00

I love Triskal's face in this one:

He's getting to be SUCH a big boy. I wish he'd cut it out. =(

Giddyup, horsie!

2011-11-24T16:39:00.001-05:00

I'd have said, "A Horse and His Boy", but C.S.Lewis already used that. ;) Dada took these photos of our almost 6-year-old Newfie tolerating the almost 1-and-a-half-year-old boychild. He's finally getting the hang of "GENtle touches!"

Pilgrim pants

2011-11-24T16:36:00.002-05:00

Okay, not really, but I've been thinking about our dearly departed friend, Skink, a lot lately and that was his email address. Anyway, Liam's kindergarten class had their Thanksgiving feast and they got to wear their pilgrim outfits, which is how I got the title. Isn't his artwork wonderful? I especially enjoy the smiling fishies!

Happy Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-24T16:32:00.001-05:00

How We5 are spending our Thanksgiving:

Tomorrow we'll head to Sherri's for Thanksgiving dinner and all the fellowship and festivities that go along with it. Today we're just taking it easy and staying in jammies, hehe! Be blessed, everyone. We all have more blessings than we realize!

Tino through the XRay

2011-11-13T16:38:00.003-05:00

Care Bear joined the Girl Scouts this school year. They meet once a month after school and also do one fun monthly outing. For November, the girls met up at a local hospital for a tour of the X-ray section and were told to bring one stuffed animal or favorite lovey from home. Of course, steadfast Tino got to go with Carrie. Tino is a rainbowy Beanie Baby whom Carrie has had for years and years. She says she got to see his beans!

When they were finished, the girls were in the cafeteria having cookies and punch. And they were all in the tie dyed Tshirts they'd made at their first meeting. AND they were wearing the soft, blue surgical hats that look like poufy chef hats almost. Tooooo funny to see a whole troop of girls in matching garb, munching away. She had a wonderful time.

She's also very much looking forward to their camping trip in May. That oughta be hilarious!

Taking it easy today. We did church and it's break time now. Dada even got to mow, for what's hopefully the last time of 2011. Triskal is enjoying it completely; rolling around like fresh cut grass is the best thing ever for Newfoundland fuzz. Silly girl.

Happy weekend, and happiest of birthdays to Grandmama! oxoxoxoxoxoo!

more Legos

2011-11-11T16:44:00.002-05:00

Yes, that would be Voldemort, Nagini, and Bellatrix.

And an alien, up close. Skellie behind, ninja behind him, and then way back in blue, an astronaut.

Quit bickering or Voldemort will get the both of you!

Trick or Treat 2011

2011-11-11T16:41:00.001-05:00

Damon doesn't look too sure about this whole deal.

"Oh, I get it. Liam's Bumblebee Transformer, and Carrie's Link from the Legend of Zelda!"

"Now who's got the goods?"

Tigger 2011

2011-11-11T16:39:00.001-05:00

Tigger in the skyyyyyy with diamonds....

"Whaddaya mean Tiggers don't eat O's? Whaddaya think all that "whoohoohooHOOing" is about!?"

Somebody is SIX!

2011-11-11T16:34:00.002-05:00

We made a big number 6 on Liam's cake, which he blew out as we began singing "Happy Birthday." Oh well. He wanted a Funfetti cake with Funfetti icing and chocolate and vanilla ice cream, so that's what he got. We did this party on Sunday, right before he officially turned 6. Halloween is crazy around here. Carrie had school because it was a Monday and then we had Trick or Treat that night. Grandma Barb and Pap took the kids Trick or Treating while Dada and I stayed in with Tigger (Damon) and handed out candy. It was a good birthday weekend, that's for sure!

Damon's thinking, "I just know I can get cake outta Mama Rita. She's a softie!"

"See!? I knew it! Go me!"

2011-11-11T16:33:00.001-05:00

2011-11-11T16:29:00.001-05:00

He got a goofy, gross card from Dada. And a squishy ball from Grandmama...

...that the baby promptly took off with!

Nina and crew bought him a replacement Bumblebee Transformer that talks and his hand does some spinny thing. Liam was thrilled, and didn't mind at all that it didn't transform!

Old shoes, new shoes, silly faces

2011-11-11T16:26:00.001-05:00

Damon's adorable giraffe shoes are finally too small. So sad. =( Now he has a heavy pair of new blue shoes, and a soft pair of new blue shoes. And new blue snow boots. Hoping we don't need them for many more weeks! *shiver*

Lookie what came for Christmas!

2011-11-11T16:22:00.001-05:00

A Damon in a guitar case! Actually, Dada got his self-chosen Christmas presents early. He placed a bid on a collection of guitars and won. The kids were over the moon when FedEx brought them!

I may just be raising an Evil Villain...

2011-10-28T10:28:00.006-05:00

This one's on the quote board, so you'll be reading it again later, but I did need to share:

Liam was in the bathroom a LONG time.
Mama: You okay, Liam?
Liam: Yep. (Pause) Didn't fall in or anything.
Mama: Good.
Liam: Cuz I was STANDING! *diabolical laugh*

What in the world!?

Heart

2011-10-26T11:15:00.001-05:00

And there can be no doubt about it... this one makes my heart feel like it is running around outside my body. Who can believe that this little cutie

can now do this

and this? He is growing WAY too fast. My little heartthrob.

Challenge

2011-10-26T11:08:00.002-05:00

This girl is a total nut. She is incredibly creative, silly, focused (whenever she's doing what SHE wants to do) and determined. She will never be a follower, that's for sure. She decided she wanted to join the Girl Scouts this year, and has had a fun montly meeting and a good time at the pumpkin farm outing so far. We're especially proud of her ability to make good friends. Her sweet little face has captured our hearts. She is definitely my challenging one, but we're hoping to grow her into a strong leader who will lead others in the right paths and not off of cliffs!

Pride

2011-10-26T11:03:00.002-05:00

This not-so-little boy is going places. This shot was taken on his first day of school, way back in August. He's going to be six years old on Halloween. I can't believe we will have a six year old in our home once again. I can't believe how big he is, how brave he is, how enthusiastic he is, or how much I love him. I am crazy head over heels for this boy.

Some of my favorites

2011-10-26T10:39:00.000-05:00

Garden stuff

2011-10-26T10:24:00.002-05:00

We had TONS of basil this year. It did unbelievably well. We had a frost advisory or warning or watch or whatever, so we hurried out there and chopped as much off to save as we could. They were such hardy little buggers that I think they probably would have been fine, but now they are drying in the garage. Does this actually work? We dunno! Never did it before! Dada used good old American ingenuity though, and rigged up a drying rack out of stuff lying around:

And we picked LOTSA tomatoes that weren't ripe yet. This will give you some scale:

Leaves and noodles

2011-10-26T07:55:00.003-05:00

These were taken October 11th. We've had such a nice fall!

Roar! I like leaves!

What the thunder is she doing? Even IIIII know that's not a rake... and she had better not bean me with that noodle!

Snuggly pjs and giggles with Grandmama

2011-10-26T07:53:00.002-05:00

My handsome boys. =)

Grandmama teaching Damon how to blow raspberries. Hehe!

Froot Loop Donuts

2011-10-26T07:51:00.001-05:00

Have you SEEN these before!?

Rediscovering sidewalk chalk ~ Oct 7, 11

2011-10-26T07:46:00.001-05:00

Damon, what are you DOING? Oh, the joys of sidewalk chalk!

No no, don't eat it!

Good boy. Dipping it in water makes the color more vibrant.

DON'T LICK IT! AAAAAAAUUUUUGH!

Erie Orchard fun ~ Oct 8, 11

2011-10-26T07:43:00.001-05:00

Somebody has discovered apples

2011-10-26T07:40:00.001-05:00

We took our first Erie Orchard trip of the season on October 8th, and the Damonator discovered apples. There's been no stopping him since. =)

Tis Not QUITE The Season...

2011-10-21T13:33:00.003-05:00

I really wanted to post this as soon as I found it, lest it disappear before I could do it. Liam's favorite Christmas carol is "Carol of the Bells", so when I saw this, I knew it had to show up here. Hope you get a kick out of it, even if it isn't yet Halloween! 0=D

Click on this link to see Beaker, Animal, and Swedish Chef doin' their thing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysIzPF3BfpQ&NR=1

Little Drummer Boy

2011-10-11T14:58:00.001-05:00

Why yes, Mama, I'm drumming on the pots in the dishwasher. It makes such a nice display.

What's that, Conductor? Certainly I'm reading for my close up. Cheeeeeeeese!

One tuckered out boy and one little "helper"

2011-10-11T14:47:00.002-05:00

School has been tiring for this poor boy. I can't believe he fell asleep like this!

And then there's this one. He so badly wants to help with everything!

Remembering AJ and the Kix...

2011-10-11T14:46:00.000-05:00

What's the dill? And other funny faces...

2011-10-11T14:43:00.000-05:00

Real bugs

2011-10-11T14:41:00.002-05:00

I mentioned bugs earlier... here are some of the critters we've had visiting lately.

Ahhhhhh! It's as big as a house! Not really, as seen beside my finger. AND he/she is outside. =) Rest easy, citizens.

Autumn? Really?

2011-10-11T14:28:00.001-05:00

You'd never know it's officially autumn. We've been spending as much time as possible outside, and have really been enjoying watching the leaves turn colors and the bugs moving around. This walking stick bug visited this same window screen three different days. It got to where we'd ask Damon, "where's your bug? Go find your bug." and he'd crawl to the window to check the screen. Liam got a big kick out of this guy because he was always positioned upside down. The first time we noticed him, I pointed out that he had REALLY long antannae. As if it heard me, that silly bug stretched out his "praying" hands to point out his antannae! Liam giggled and giggled. Haven't seen him for a few days now, but there have been many around this year. They like the front porch, the garden, the window screens, and the garage. I even found one on the dairy case in our Aldi store! =D

Grandparents' Breakfast

2011-10-11T14:20:00.000-05:00

We interrupt your lunch to bring you this neverending diatribe about grapes.

2011-09-21T12:11:00.005-05:00

Liam, age 5 3/4, discussing grapes at lunch today:

"So, green ones to the same thing. Only they turn red when THEY die. So it's kinda the same and kinda different. Depends on the vine. How it grows, like yellow ones, the vines, turn purple. The yellow vines turn gold when they die and yellow grapes come. But different people get the yellow grapes, instead of us. Red grapes grow on red vines only the red vines turn green when they die and THEN grapes grow. Green grapes grow on green vines when they're dead they turn green. But the kind that we have is not the kind that turns red. Cuz we did have um grapes that grow on the same color tree as this. But instead we got the wrong kind of tree. The wrong kind of vine. So. That's what I'm talkin' about. This part right here is the vine, but we didn't pick the grapes off. It's not swinging cuz it's dead. And when it's dead it doesn't swing so much. It doesn't bend so much either.

So anyway, can I have dessert?"

Is it just me, or does he kinda sound like Sarah Palin?

Things that shouldn't need to be said but apparently DO need to be said...

2011-09-10T09:48:00.008-05:00

I know some of you are anxiously awaiting news of Liam's first day of school. Sorry about the delay. He has 5 days under his belt now, but the first one definitely counted as memorable. He got on the bus in the morning just fine, like a big boy, with no looking back or trembly lips or tears.

The school doesn't call at all, which is always a good sign. ;)

The bus is late getting home. Our neighbor, Suzanne, and I wonder aloud if it's because they have new kindergarteners who need lined up and double- and triple-checked to make sure they end up on the correct bus, etc. Finally, finally, the bus pulls up and deposits our kids. Suzanne and I ask Carrie what took the bus so long.

"Oh, Liam got off at the Y." (Where he had preschool and soccer.)

"He got off at the Y???"

"Yep. And the Y person said, "waitaminute, we have one extra. And Mr. Mike said, "hey, isn't that your brother?" and I said, "yeah, that my brother!" So they got him back on the bus and we came home."

At this point, Suzanne is literally bent in half, laughing. And I shake my head and smile and say, "of COURSE it would be my kid who would make the bus late on the first day of school!"

"So, Liam. Why did you get off at the Y?"

"I dunno."

Hooooooooooooooo boy. "Liam, you get on the bus here and you get off at school. Only at school. Then you get on at school and get off the bus again here at the same stop where you get on. Only those two places. School and here."

"Okay."

He claims he had a good first day.

...................

Yesterday, which was like day 12 or something for her, Carrie comes home with her Tshirt on inside out, which incidentally was NOT how she left the house. I ask her, "why is your Tshirt on inside out?"

"I turned it inside out."

"When did you turn it inside out? It was not like that when you left this morning."

"At either the first or second bathroom break. I don't remember."

"WHY did you turn it inside out?"

"I dunno."

"No, you have to have a reason, or it would have stayed right side out."

"I just WANTED to. That's my reason."

Trying to stay calm, "Carrie, your clothes need to remain on your body right side out. Unless the school announces it is Inside Out Day, you keep your clothes on your body right side out. Okay?"

"Okay."

...........

Like I said, things that you'd think wouldn't need to be said sometimes need to be said.....!

Charming Daughter

2011-08-30T09:35:00.001-05:00

This is our lovely Carrie, all ready for preview night at school. That's the night they meet their teachers, take in their school supplies, sign up for conferences, see the layouts of their classrooms, etc. We figured we better warn her teacher right up front:

And here she is during her downtime, building, scheming, looking innocent...

Garden goofiness

2011-08-30T09:29:00.002-05:00

We haven't taken as many garden pictures this year, so I apologize to those of you who're wondering how that's been going. We have cucumbers coming out of our ears, the squash and the tomatoes have both grown into the tree (yes, you read that right), and the broccoli all went to flower before we could eat it all. It's really pretty when it flowers! The garlic has been drying in the garage for months now and will probably be moved to the basement soon. The onions we chopped and froze because we had so many. The bottom picture of Dada showing off the height of the tallest tomato plant may be deceiving; he is on TOP of the step ladder!

Little People

2011-08-30T09:20:00.001-05:00

Damon, whatchoo doing?

"Oh, don't mind me, Mama. I'm just a Little People!"

SweetieDee's first day of school

2011-08-30T09:15:00.001-05:00

Care Bear's off to third grade this year. She's an old hand at this. But Dada started taking pictures before we were ready!

Darn it, who said he could go and get big!?

2011-08-30T09:13:00.001-05:00

Sweet pickle

2011-08-30T09:11:00.001-05:00

Actually, it's a dill pickle, but it cracks me up anyway because you won't get the other two kids anywhere NEAR a pickle, let alone one as big as their heads!

New hat

2011-08-30T09:08:00.001-05:00

Damon got a new hat from Grandmama. There was a lot of this:

Hey, wait a minute!

"When what to my wondering eyes should appear..."

2011-08-30T09:04:00.001-05:00

Nope, not reindeer. Just evidence that Demolition Damon had been here...

Liam's first day of Kindergarten

2011-08-30T09:02:00.001-05:00

Well, the first day of Kindergarten has finally arrived for Liam. Judging by the smiles, he's more than ready. He didn't even look back once he got on the bus. Big sister Care Bear announced she'd sit with him on the bus today, and would show him his room again once he got to school. "Just for today." Here's hoping for a wonderful new beginning!

Nutshell

2011-08-29T14:29:00.005-05:00

Liam's first day of kindergarten is tomorrow. I figured, what better way to end the summer than by thinking about all the stuff we did? So here's our last three months in a nutshell:

Damon turned one.

We drove to the Outer Banks for a week of vacation.

Liam spent almost a week and a half (during two separate visits) at the farm in southeastish Ohio with the grandparents.

Carrie spent a week in Pennsylvania at church camp for Owl Patrol.

We drove to Cleveland for a graduation party.

We drove to Columbus for Dada's triathalon.

We went to Oglebay Zoo in Wheeling, West Virginia; to the Aquarium in Manteo, North Carolina; to the Toledo Zoo here in Ohio, and to the Pittsburgh Zoo in Pennsylvania.

We went to Woodland Park and Side Cut Park.

Carrie attended two VBSes and Liam went to one.

We attended my grandfather's memorial service in Pennsylvania.

We (the Royal We) hung out countless loads of laundry, washed zillions of dishes, ate way too much junk food, and caught plenty of fireflies.

We tried to stay vigilant about watering the herbs out front and the blueberry bush. Some of us were more vigilant than others.

We also tried to stay on top of picking produce from the gardens. Some of us were more successful at that than others, as well.

We tried to be good dog owners, but we secretly think Triskal loves our neighbors more than us. They borrow her and walk her regularly. We owe them big time for all the times they've kept an eye on her so we could be where we needed to be without 100 extra pounds of Newfie tagging along!

Liam had gymnastics classes on Thursdays through the Y. He loved it and is registered for a new class this session. He's convinced that if he's at gymnastics, it must be Thursday. Never mind that class is on Mondays now...

We headed out for sun and sand at Maumee Bay a few times, too. Damon can't get enough of the water. Even in the yard, he heads for the dog dish, the bird bath, anything wet he can find.

We even made it to the Farmers' Market several times this year, which is more than we can say for last summer. We even went to the June First Friday Night of fun downtown!

We did NOT host Christmas in July, because we ran out of July. We're tossing around the idea of a fall festival of some kind. Muggin suggested Kurth Cornucopia, and I think it has promise...

Whew. Is it any wonder I am pooped? Cheers to a new school year and autumn!

"Absolutely, positively, great, great, GREAT!"

2011-08-24T15:14:00.003-05:00

Carrie just came home from her first day of school and this is how she summed it up. "Absolutely, positively, great, great, GREAT!" I think it's safe to say she's going to have a wonderful year in third grade. Her teacher is very nice and understanding and fun, she's with some old friends and some new ones, and she started off the year with her favorite subject- gym. Hooray for great starts! Happy 2011-2012 school year, everyone!

Boat safety

2011-08-19T14:09:00.001-05:00

These ones need to be viewed all together. Damon would head for the edge of the "boat" and Liam would pull him back in. Damon thought it was hilarious and would lay in Liam's lap and laugh before trying to "escape" again. Repeat.

Let's just say it'll be a good long while before this water baby will be allowed on Pap's boat!

Still got my sea legs...

2011-08-19T14:05:00.001-05:00

"Be right back, Liam..."

"Oof. Maybe not." (He fell in slow motion and didn't land hard, as you can tell by Liam laughing at him in the background. He got right back up and crawled right back into the "boat".)

Daaaaamon, whatchooo doooooing?

2011-08-19T14:02:00.001-05:00

"Who me? Just standin' around, Mama..."

Disarray

2011-08-19T13:58:00.001-05:00

"Hmm. Dada's poking around in the cupboards, and he left all these things out. What does one do with them?"

"They all sound different when I whack them, and they're kinda spinny..."

"This is fun!"

"Even better, I'll go help Dada!"

Rub a Dub Dub

2011-08-19T13:54:00.001-05:00

Three kids in a tub!

I just love this picture.

2011-08-12T14:00:00.000-05:00

OBX Aquarium

2011-08-12T13:30:00.001-05:00

The kids had a good time again this year at the Aquarium at the Outer Banks. It was a really hot day, so it was nice to be inside enjoying the fishies!

Plus, there were divers in the fish and shark tank, AND we got to watch the fish get fed!

Some more sights of summer

2011-08-12T13:23:00.001-05:00

A little more of what we've been up to this summer... both kids are attempting to learn to ride without training wheels.

Damon is learning right side up and upside down.

And Liam, working on architecture at OBX.

Double Date

2011-08-12T13:18:00.001-05:00

In July, Dada and I got to go on a double date with Mama Rita and Papa Lee. We went out to dinner and ate hot food and didn't have to cut anyone's up, even though we all shared everything we got. Then we went wandering around and found big sandboxes had been set up for a festival. Of course we girls had to play in them! Here's some proof that big kids just want to have fun, too!

Of course, we had to clean ourselves up before we got into Papa Lee's car... hehe! That's what fountains are FOR, right? 0=)

Before

2011-08-12T12:59:00.001-05:00

This is the room that needed some work at Grandma Barb and Pap's. It turned out to be a "Farmhouse Project", you know, the kind where you set out to do one specific thing and it ends up a much bigger, more involved project than anticipated.

Midway

2011-08-12T12:10:00.002-05:00

Ack, I forgot to take an After picture =( Well, this is after the walls had been torn out and replaced and painted. Now it's time for the floor! =)

The room looks super now. The floor is done, the walls are clean, the ceiling is repainted, and the furniture is replaced. The guys worked really hard on it and it looks amazing!

Oglebay

2011-08-12T12:08:00.002-05:00

Aunt Jana, Neva, Grandma Barb and I took the boys to Oglebay Zoo so the big guys could work on the room in peace. Here's the cousins playing peek a boo. Neva would grin over the top of her stroller and then under it at Damon, and Liam just giggled at her kicking Damon!

2011-08-12T12:03:00.001-05:00

I'd never been this close to kangaroos before!

Lorakeets

2011-08-12T12:00:00.001-05:00