Camo Kid

For quite some time now I've been meaning to get all of Silly's clothes washed at once so I can spread out all his various camouflage articles and take a picture of the assortment. The boy loves camo. He loves all things military, he's starting to be curious about hunting. He makes a distinction between "army camouflage" and "hunting camouflage." Don't ask me how he knows the difference but he does. For years now whenever we go to the library he wants to find "army books." Today I realized we've never found any hunting books at the library. Guess we'll have to fix that.

The assortment - not shown, his hunting camouflage jacket that's being repaired

For Christmas the one thing he consistently asked for was camouflage socks, which were rather hard to find, since socks don't really need to be camouflage. Santa delivered though.

At the time, he claimed that was the only article of clothing he did not have in camouflage. He also has a camouflage watch, toothbrush, flashlight, and Nerf gun bullets. Now he realizes he doesn't have camouflage sweatshirt either. Next quest, I guess.

He also told me over Christmas, after seeing all our hunting relatives come and go, "Mom I decided I don't want to be an army guy any more. I want to be a hunter, because then I don't have to get a job." I had to explain that it doesn't really work that way. He thinks that's all my brother does (because he sees him coming or going from hunting or fishing everytime we're visiting). I had to explain that he's in college right now and he can only hunt when school is out, then when he's done with school he'll have to get a real job and he can only hunt when he's not working. I don't think I convinced him. Scott was already feeling a little guilty that he has no interest in hunting, so maybe Silly would be missing out on something. If it's something he really wants to do someday, he has plenty of relatives who'd be willing to take him along.

In other news, Scott bought me this cooler backpack for Christmas. I wanted something I could use for day trips with the kids without bringing more than one bag. I used it for the first time today and it is great! It looks small, but it is actually pretty roomy. I had two big icepacks and twelve juiceboxes in the cooler; it didn't feel any heavier than anything else I carry around. There's plenty of room in the top for whatever our adventures will require - hats, jackets, sunscreen, bugspray, etc. Bubba is still in diapers, but I don't need to carry around a whole lotta gear for him anymore, just a couple diapers and some wipes. There are two little pockets for phone, wallet and camera (if you know me well, you know I like bags with lots of pockets). It's perfect!


Next post will be 100 so something really cool needs to happen soon...

The Long and the Short

The Short

The kids and I went down to North Carolina to spend New Year's with our favorite people. We weren't even out of Chesapeake yet when Cakes suddenly yelled that Silly's tooth fell out!

...while he was eating an apple.

...and he swallowed it!

I didn't even know that tooth was loose, and I don't think he did either. He'd certainly never wiggled it. I was a little afraid that he'd never eat a whole apple again, but he went right back to it.

Kinda disappointing for a first lost tooth, since there isn't anything to put under his pillow, but I told him we could write a note of explanation to the tooth fairy (I've got a few notes to the tooth fairy myself, my mom saved them and gave them back to me recently). He doesn't seem all that broken up about it.

We had a great time with our friends - as much fun as you can have with 7 children. They also happened to be dog-sitting for a neighbor. Their two year old was completely in love with that dog, in true mauling, loving it to death, two year old fashion. We don't think the dog was too upset about going back home this morning.

This was our third New Year's Eve together. The kids decorate, which involves lots of tape...



My decorators

 we have dinner, cake and ice cream...

Waiting for cake

play a fun game or two and then celebrate on the hour, any hour, and send the kids to bed.

 

We're both surprised that the older girls haven't yet realized they're getting jipped by not staying up anywhere close to midnight.

They also had some fireworks going off somewhere in the neighborhood, so most of the kids were out on the back porch, yelling on the count of three, "Please set off another firework! We're your neighbors!" They were sure it was working, because the fireworks kept coming.

 

And best of all, the kids went to sleep without much fuss after that, certainly not the case for years 1 and 2.

 

Sunday we went to church together, saw the temple next door, and ran into my former Young Women president, who is now my friend's visiting teacher. I just love those little connections.

 

And now...

 

The Long

 

Cakes has had a loose tooth for somewhere around a year - and a half. No exaggeration. The kids have dentist appointments this month, and I know I mentioned it at their last checkup, saying it had already been loose a year. Inspired by Silly's sudden loss, and a little positive pressure from her two friends (which entailed nearly an hour in the bathroom this morning, using lots of tissues and lots of offers of "do you want me to do it for you?) she finally, finally got rid of that tooth! Thank goodness! I was tired of looking at that snaggly little thing. Have you ever heard of someone having a loose tooth for that long? Craziness. I never would have let a tooth stick around that long myself.

 

The tooth fairy will be busy at our house tonight.

 

This morning we were on the road heading for home, and it's back to real life tomorrow; school, laundry, things to sort and organize to start the new year off right, stuff to make the kids get rid of to make room for their new stuff, and all the other regular life stuff I do around here.

 

A pause between holidays

A belated Merry Christmas and early Happy New Year to all of you! We had a great few days in Richmond with our families. My family seems to be growing every second while Scott's is kind of shrinking. As far back as I can remember, we have always drawn names for Christmas in my family; when we were all kids we drew two names but now that we're all grown up we've created a rotation so everyone gets everyone else (over the course of 10 years!) and we give family to family. Someone chooses a theme; this year my parents chose "Christmas without a paycheck." I was extra excited that my sister moved back from Albania just in time for Christmas because it saved me some serious shipping! We finished a family project and gave it as their family present. I took some pictures before we gave it away. It turned out pretty darn cute. Scott stained the wood, I cut out all the felt and we glued everything together for Family Home Evening a couple weeks back.

The kids did a really good job (except for Bubba - he was determined to make that last wise man by himself and had all his pieces glued just any old place on the block and would not let me touch it. I had to distact him before it all dried and fix it). And it kinda makes me want one of my own, but then my SIL gave me this cool "Knitivity" book of knitted nativity figures, so I just might work on that for next year. Have I mentioned I love nativity scenes?

We did our usual routines for Christmas Eve and Christmas Days:

Christmas Eve breakfast with Scott's parents and sister then we all exchange gifts with each other.

Over to my parents' house where the kids play outside for hours at a time while the grownups wrap, clean and cook.





Christmas Eve festivities: eat, sing all the Santa Claus Christmas songs, act out "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" sing all the baby Jesus Christmas songs, ending with Silent Night in English, then German, and finally act out the Nativity story while Dad reads it from the Bible. Then we all get to open one present, my kids always open pajamas and a book so they can get right into their jammies and go to bed when we get home (home being Scott's parents house in this case).

At home we write notes to Santa, leave him cookies and milk, and this year Silly had some reindeer food he wanted to put on a plate outside next to the chimney, because that's where they would land, then off to bed.

Scott and I go back to my family's houses where the girls fill stockings and the boys string the string presents. We had a new-comer to the stringing this year, and we neglected to give him sufficient guidance, so his strings were a little out of control (maybe a lot out of control) but sure fun to watch.

Once that's done it is back home to put all the presents under the tree while the kids are asleep.

This year they woke up at 5:15; there have definitely been years when Scott and I were up that early, just waiting and waiting for them to wake up. We open all the presents, play for a bit, then head over to my brother's house for stockings and breakfast.

Cakes reading Santa's answer to her note

Nerf gun! Scott has been begging me to let him get Silly a Nerf gun for ages, I finally gave in, even though he isn't six yet.

 

 

Next, across the street to Mamie and Papop's house to open more presents.

 

Usually after that, we go to Scott's mom's family gathering for lunch, but that didn't happen this year, so it was just lunch with his family, then lastly, back over to my M&D for clam chowder, crab legs and mud pie.

And that is Christmas for us. A little crazy, huh? For the last many years Scott and I have ended up at the very least annoyed with each other, at the worst having a major fight over some little Christmas Eve detail, so this year I wrote everything down as detailed as I possibly could, made him sign it, and included that he was not allowed to ask me any questions other than what time something starts or ends and whether or not the plan has changed. He refered to it as a gag order, which might not have been too far from the truth, but it worked! He did admit that he appreciated having everything written down, but he didn't like signing it. I'll make some adjustments for next year.

Oh, I almost forgot all the hilarious things Silly said:

I know where Frosty lives - Winter Wonderland!

For Santa, is it just December where you have to be good, or is it all year?

In the car on the way to Richmond I was listening to Wicked, after Defying Gravity, he asked, "Is that a Christmas song?" Not so much.

And one from Bubba - we gave him this little kid version of the Millenium Falcon complete with all the characters, all the good guys at least. He kept talking about an angel, asking where his angel was, we finally figured out he meant Yoda! Hey, he's got a robe on, right?

Pre-Christmas Festivities

We never spend Christmas Day itself at our own house, so several years ago we decided we needed to do some fun Christmas-y things around town so our kids have some Christmas memories associated with home and not just Richmond. Several things have become annual events: the Chesapeake parade, Christmas in the Country and the Triple R Ranch, Polar Express and lights at Norfolk Botanical Garden and making cookies.

Today we spent about 5 hours making cookies. Amazingly, Bubba was the best, longest lasting helper of the three kids. He knows how to work that mixer too. I convinced the kids we should try a couple new things so I didn't have to make sugar cookies because I hate rolling things out. We made candy cane cookies which involved three colors of cookie dough, twist any two together and shape it like a candy cane. Silly was working on twisting his together and asked, "Mom, is this fun?" Apparently he wasn't quite sure. Here's the end result:

They've each picked out a few friends and teachers they want to take cookies to, so we'll probably do that after church tomorrow.

Tonight we went to the Triple R Ranch. Bubbs and Silly were thrilled with the tractor-pulled hayride. Bubba kept saying he was going to drive the tractor, which I was a little afraid might turn into a meltdown, but he was perfectly happy with the ride. Cakes was the only one that would ride a horse, again. She also climbed the rock wall. She was rather impressive.

Silly saw this rock later and declared himself a rock climber too.

Somehow in the next ten seconds after that he lost his little angel he'd made. We couldn't find it anywhere; he went on and on about it being the most beautiful rainbow angel he'd ever had and now he'll never have another one. But then we went and ate and he hasn't mentioned it since.

On the way home I was telling Scott about these Star Wars snowflake patterns my sister found which led to him saying, "Should this be the year I get my Stormtrooper costume?" Cakes immediately said, "I think no year should be the year 'cuz I don't wanna be embarrassed. People would laugh at you like 'hahahahahahahahahaha' and then they'd be looking at us and that would be embarrassing." We were cracking up laughing and then she said, "It's true!" I told her I know it's true, that's why I'm laughing so hard.

And finally, in our very own neighborhood we saw the most hilarious Christmas light display ever. Really, when have Christmas lights ever made you laugh out loud? These ones will.'

That's for all my huntin' relatives. Scott said this guy made it himself. I just might have to see if he'll make one for my brother. :-)