Out with the old year

I enjoy taking a look at the past year, it makes me realize how blessed we have been and how much has been going on. Last year at this time I was crazy stressed out with being pregnant and having to deal with an upcoming surgery for Evan. We did not know if we were going to face a move soon after the birth of the baby. Kindergarten was something that was also weighing on my mind.

Hindsight lets me see that the surgery went fine and the baby came out nice and healthy. We got a reprieve on the move and Evan and Harry are doing well in school. I have adjusted well to having three kids to parent and haul around. We have been blessed with a steady job in a time when many people do not have work. We also welcomed a nephew into the family a few days ago. I am excited to not be the only one of my sisters that has kids.

Looking ahead I see the long wait to find out where we will be moving to. We will have to get the house ready for renters and find a place for us to live when we get where ever it is that we end up. Hopefully there will be more visits with family in the coming year. I also hope that Evan and Harry will continue to have the strong growth that they have had in school and that Daniel will continue to keep on track with his development.

To all my readers I send a happy new year and a hope that 2010 is a good year for you.

Christmas photos for the grandparents

The boys were spoiled this year and we are still expecting a few more packages. I went a bit overboard this year as well, but stuck with simple yet fun things that should last awhile.

This is Harry showing off two gifts. One is the doctor's coat that I got each of the boys. Evan asked specifically for one and I told him that grandma would get him one only I forgot to tell grandma so mommy had to step up. They were both very excited to play doctor and I received a number of shots over the course of the morning.

The second is a gift that my mother in law made sure to tell me was the idea of my father in law. It is an air gun that shoots mini marshmallows. The boys do not know this important fact and run around puffing air at each other.

Doesn't he make a cute doctor?

Evan opening a large tow truck from my parents which he fell in love with instantly. Harry loves bugging Evan by trying to play with it.

Here is a dose of cuteness. Daniel is soo funny and huggable. He had a great time watching everything that went on and playing with the wrapping paper.



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Merry Christmas!

The presents are mailed and all the gifts have been bought. The weather relented a bit so that it was actually a nice cold instead of the awful hideous cold it had been making it a lot easier to get stuff done. A snow storm is supposed to come in tonight and give us a white Christmas. I don't mind a bit this time around because I have no reason to leave the house so I can hunker down and be warm.

I hope that you all have a great holiday and are able to spend it with the people you love.

(I would post pictures of the boys and Santa right here but my scanner is borked and won't scan them.)

Winter pictures

Here are a few random pictures that I have taken recently.

Last night the k-2nd graders put on a musical concert. Evan is wearing his elf hat that he made himself. I had been dreading the thought of going (thanks to the crappy weather) but it turned out ok. The roads were okish and the program was short.

This is how Evan spent the majority of the program. He did stay in one spot and did not make a break for it like one little girl did.

Daniel's going out clothing. He is not normally this happy when he is bundled up like this but it keeps him warm. Note his fang face, he has two side teeth on the top but no middle front teeth.

Evan and Harry warming up after some play time in the snow.

Tuesday it rained for a little bit after the snow so it was actually wet enough to make showmen. Generally Kansas snow is quite dry and will not pack well.

A closeup of Harry's snowman, I love the teeth he put on it.

I hate snow and I really hate ice

The weather here in Kansas has been awful!!! It if fricking cold (and by cold I mean it is snot freezes in your nose cold) and we had some snow on tuesday so all the roads are icy. Yesterday the kids had a snow day, which they were pissed about since they like school. I was less than thrilled to be stuck at home with two grumpy kids so I thought trip to Target you be fun. Boy was I wrong!

First off I had to dig the stupid car out of the snow which took forever and the whole time I was freezing my butt off. Then I had to get the kids all bundled up and ready for the cold. I think my first warning sign that this was a bad idea should have been one of the back doors being frozen shut. With the automatic doors there is no forcing them open or anything so Evan and Harry had to climb under the baby's rear facing car seat to even get in. I had to crawl over the front seat to get back to buckle the kids in.

I made it through the first stop light ok with a little bit of sliding but the second stop light I slid so much that I bumped into the car in front of me. Luckily all that was damaged was the front license plate holder and that was merely bent, but it freaked me out and we went right back home despite the weeping and wailing of the older kids. We ended up staying at home (I even missed my knitting group) all day and watching a ton of movies.

I hate snow and I hate driving in the snow and ice and I hate the city for not using my tax money to take better care of the streets. Yesterday there was no sand or anything on the road where I had the fender bender and it is a main road that is heavily traveled. Today there was finally something but this is a road that should have been plowed and it wasn't. I can't wait for this weekend when it is supposed to be a balmy 40 degrees so that the flipping ice will melt off the roads.

You can lead a horse to water...

I love messing with my kid's minds, that is half the fun of having kids. When else are you given free reign to shape how another human being thinks and also maybe slip a few silly things into that noggin.

Lately Harry has been pestering me about what we will be having for dinner, not that he eats it, but he sure seems really excited about it up until it is on his plate. I have been telling him that we are having Baby Daniel for dinner. It started as just a smart ass answer to a question I had been answering a lot and then because of his reaction (disbelief) I have kept it up. Occasionally Daniel will nap during dinner prep time and so I will ask Harry if he sees the baby when he tells me that we could not possibly be eating the baby. That of course confuses him for a second until he thinks about it and comes up with the thought that the baby could be in his room napping.

This silliness backfired this evening. We are working on using up the leftover turkey and I have been substituting it in our normal dishes for chicken where ever possible. Tonight I did that yet again so when Harry worked his way through the whole we are not really eating Baby Daniel but are eating something else bit I told him that we were having turkey. He would not believe me! He insisted we were having chicken and nothing I could say would convince him otherwise. What made the whole conversation even funnier was his pronunciation of chicken and turkey. He says them "kiken" and "kurkey", it was soo hard not to giggle and laugh.

He is also convinced that in our only family picture that the baby in it is Daniel and not Harry (yeah yeah I know I need a more current picture). If I ask him where he is then he will pull out a newer picture of himself and put it on top of the family picture. He has figured out a way to edit himself into the picture with out a computer, what a creative kid!