More funny faces

The kids are, without fail, absolutely delighted when they open a brand new ice cream and it's "a butt one" so they were gleeful last night when I pried the lid off of this one.   

I rarely take a good selfie, so here's a funny one for y'all to laugh at. Happy hump day.

The block of cheese looks like he's drawling, "whoaaaa, duuuuude. What happened to you?"

My peeking cheese =D

A clean butt story, I promise

Maybe I watch too much NCIS, for I may be turning into Ducky who has a story for everything. "This poor robe reminds me..."

I mentioned to Liam this morning that he's had this robe for about a year, and that I'm pretty sure it was intact in the pictures here on the blog from last March 9 when he and Damon were having a picnic on the deck. I lamented the sad, sorry state of his robe today, telling him that his bony butt ruined it.

"Ha, Bony Behind- Bane of Clothes. Sounds like a SkyRim boss," is what he quips to me. I'd been teasing him lately, calling him Wind in His Hair like in Dances With Wolves, but I think I prefer Bony Behind- Bane of Clothes...

The story I thought of was from my third summer working at camp, so we're talking 1996. We had some wonderful summer staff from the Czech Republic, one of whom was named Henry. We had a fairly large staff that year- I'm guessing around thirty; we had a lot of those plastic inboxes stacked up inside the dining hall so we could leave each other maintenance requests, encouraging notes, candies, what have you. The staff lounge was in the basement of the dining hall so that a rotating handful of counselors could do morning devotions with the campers upstairs while the rest of us met downstairs for a staff meeting.

We're (mostly) all downstairs, waiting for any stragglers, when we hear a crash from upstairs. Several minutes later, Henry comes in sheepishly and laments, "I had a small accident with the mailboxes."

Bless his heart, he'd knocked some over and was trying, with his English as a second language, to read enough of the notes which spilled out to kingdom come to return them to their proper re-righted mailboxes, guessing where the candies went, and so forth. Poor, sweet guy was so contrite but the confession was so adorable in his accent that we've used that as a code phrase for small disasters ever since. (Henry, wherever you are now, I wish I could give you a huge squeeze and let you know how much we miss and love you! Sorry for throwing you under the bus.)

Hence, Liam has had a small accident with his robe.

It was no match for Bony Behind- Bane of Clothes. 

 

Double digits

It's official, folks. The baby of our family has entered his double digits. Damon Sebastian, who was born as a tornado was menacing the area- which is fitting, now that I think about, it as we often call him "Crash" or "Smashin' Sebastian"- is an entire decade old. 

I informed his Dad that age ten is probably a good time to get him his first knife. I didn't get mine until college, but that's besides the point. I figured we'd go with a Swiss Army knife, one with the tweezers and toothpick and fancy little doodads, stuff to keep a ten year old amused. 

Looks like things loaded out of order again, sorry. 

The house rule here at Lalaith Havens is that you can only be on the outside of as many stairs as you are old. This kid has been pushing and pushing and pushing to be allowed on the 10th step and I kept telling him that he wasn't allowed on it until 1:24 AM on June 5th. This is him, promptly scurrying around his ten stairs. 

All winter this kid wanted to play what he called "Badmit," never mind that we corrected him at every opportunity. Seems like a June birthday is the perfect excuse to find a badminton set, especially as Covid 19 has closed our community's swimming pool for the summer. Otherwise these boys would just play on video games in the basement all day every day. Damon would probably survive because he's sturdy but Liam doesn't eat much and we say he lives on fresh air and sunshine. I'm afraid if he doesn't at least get those that he might shrivel up and turn into dust!

Now, I should be clear here. They're not interested in rules or how to play, even. They're 10 and 14, so they're deeply vested in whapping it either as high as possible or as fast as they can straight at each other. There's no finesse going on here. They're outside and they're enjoying it so it's all good.

Pap came out to help us eat cake and ice cream and goof off. He was even a willing participant in some of the badminton "games." He didn't even seem to mind that his usual bedroom here had been mostly taken over by Dada's work-from-home paraphernalia (wow, is that ever a weird word to try to spell. I butchered it so badly I had to go look it up because spell check didn't even recognize it.)

I know I tell you this all the time, kid, but our family wasn't finished until we had you and I am so glad we did. You make me laugh every single day. You have this incredible zest for life once you shift your attitude from how mean I am to make you get off the video games to whatever needs done next. You're so big and long and tall and are so funny and dirty and goofy and adorable and delicious that I just want to eat you up all the time. I love that you still want read to at bedtime, that you want Oreos after every meal, that you pout and laugh, "you're so mean" whenever I remind you to clear your spot at the table, that you're getting so good at emptying the dishwasher, that I can hear you just about anywhere in the house, and that you worked your butt off for distance learning this spring to the tune of all A's and B's. I love you for a million reasons and I'm so glad you're you. 

Baby Belly

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.

A One-derful year

Damon turned one yesterday. I know! How can our Doodlebug possibly be one already!? But he is. He celebrated by being one of two babies in his Sunday school room at church. There were four ladies. Hehe! They were thrilled to share his birthday with him. We putzed around an outdoor shopping center later on, and Dada gave him ice cream and the inside of soft pretzels. Last night he devoured, not kidding- DEVOURED crock pot chicken, carrots, and potatoes. It was as if he thought, "if they know what I'm eating, they'll take it away. STUFF IT IN!" He was using both fists and we couldn't even get it onto his high chair tray long enough to cool down before he had it in his cheeks. Nothing fazed him. And he had more ice cream. And, of course, he was mad when that was all gone. Happy birthday, sweet Bebeeeee.

I figured we could celebrate with some quotes. How bout it? Here's the rest of the quote board from Fall 2010- Spring 2011. Enjoy!

C, end of second grade: Adishon, Subterakshon, Times.

Mama: I burst my button! That's what I get for trying to fit my ego in size 2 pants!

L, age 5.5: How come old men use walking sticks?
Mama: Cuz their legs aren't as steady as they used to be.
L: Mine are steady.
M: You're young and fresh.
L: Yep, I'm young and fresh. And you're old and yucky.

Dada: "Wildflowers" is the Latin word for "weeds."
Mama: *#&^%)#&^%@#^% Grrr!

L, 5.5: Oh, you stupid poop! I wish I did not have a butt!

Mama, impersonating Jeff Foxworthy re: tornado, disaster, etc.
C: Why are you speaking Cowboy?
M: I'm speakin' Southern, darlin'.
C: Where's Southern?

L: There is a black, flying, hopping, and crawling bug in the bathroom. Maybe it flew out. Or maybe it is just camoflauged on my underpants. On the ink part.

M to Dada: Can you please get unplugged and go (help w/ getting kids ready for school?)
D: Yep. As soon as I learn how a human cannon works. *GRIN*

Liamism #278: potty pumper (answer at bottom of post)

Dada, checking Carrie's teeth: no, no, no, no, and no. Go brush again.
C: which ones?
D: In this general direction (pointing to the entire mouth) where your teeth are!

Mama: Liam, what're you doing?
L: I'm brushing my teeth. That was one half. Three more halfs and I'm done! (We brush for 2 minutes in these parts...)

Mama's almost out of Caramel Marvel sauce: does that mean it comes outta the grocery budget?
Dada: that comes outta the Makes-My-Baby-Loooooooove-Me budget. Woot woot!

Liam's all-purpose number: one hundred ninety and eight-two.

Liam: Who was on the moon?
M: Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldren...
L: Buzz Lightyear Aldren!?!?!?

Dada, singing: Hot lovin' every night...
M: *smirking* that's the only line of this you know, isn't it?
D, continuing: Woooo-ah! Hehehheeh!

April 2nd, Mama: WHY are there fruit flies already!?
L: What? You got fertilized!?

To get this one, you have to have read A Sock is a Pocket for Your Toes, which is an absolutely charming, rhyming children's book with wonderful art. Dada: a bellybutton is a pocket for your lint!

C, reading: forklifted and raced...
M: "frolicked", Carrie, "frolicked"

This one is for my Dad. PaPa, remember how I used to call shredded wheat "hay"?
L: why do the mini wheats have frosting?
M: to make them even yummier.
L: even yummier than the straw?

C to Pap: can you guess what music this is?
Dada: yeah, what movie about a young wizard who goes to school?
Pap: oh yeah, that's a good one. ..... "Billy Potter."
C and L, indignant: NOOO! HARRY Potter!

Dada: does anyone want scrambled eggs?
C: what kind of eggs?
D: whaddaya mean what kind? the kind in the little shell packages!

Dada: Liam, please pee and wash up for dinner.
L: I did! (long pause) Yesterday.

L: once, twice...
M: thrice
L: what's fource?
M: Hhehehehe

Dada, musing about 2011 garden: Hmmm. I don't think I've ever spelled "broccoli" right. It's like E.Coli. Not sure I wanna remember it like that!

Mama, reading Harry Potter to Carrie: Professor Quirrel... zombie...etc...
C: What's a zombie?
M: they're called Undead. Something that came back to life. They're not real. Like in the Michael Jackson video (Thriller, which scared her to death)
C: So... Jesus was a zombie? He came back to life! I'm confused.

And the answer to what Liam's potty pumper is a plunger, as many of you would have guessed. Have a super week! It's our first week of summer vacation, so if you see SOS smoke signals, come quick! =D

Tucking in

I was just tucking Carrie in for the night and I was telling her how beautiful she is. Our conversation went like this:

Mama: You're so beautiful. Gorgeous skin, tiny little nose, great big eyes, long gorgeous eyelashes, pretty eyebrows *pauses to breathe*
Carrie: And big feet.
Mama, giggling: And bunny feet. And pretty eyebrows-
Carrie: And no butt! *laughing*
Mama, giving up but also laughing: Yes, and no butt. Good night, you nut. I love you.

My brother has 28-30" of snow at his house, my in laws lost power but it is back on, and we can still see grass in some places. We have drifts that are taller than the kids' knees, and yes they played outside this morning, but our wind has calmed a good bit and we're not supposed to get any more snow. We hope the rest of you are dug out, toasty warm, and satisfied with your Saturday! =)