Happy Birthgiving

This week is my hubby's b-day and of course, Thanksgiving. At least this year they don't coincide. I'm baking a bittersweet chocolate pound cake for the b-day. I'll let you know how it goes.
This year we're celebrating Thanksgiving with my PILs. We switch off every other year. We're making David's famous sweet potato souffle, cranberry sauce (an awesome recipe), double pumpkin pie (has a cheesecake layer), a pecan pie, a decandent pie (like pecan with coconut), cranberry cream cheese spread, and probably something else, but I can't think of it--oh, maybe my ambrosia salad. I think that's all on our part. We'll also have turkey, rolls, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, veggies, a frog-eye salad, traditional pumpkin pie, and maybe some other things. I guess this is the time of the year when you put ALL your food on the table and go at it. No kidding we need New Year Resolutions.

What about you? Do you have any traditions or recipes you can't do without? One tradition my mom has is to place a new Christmas ornament by everyone's table spot for them to take home. It's pretty fun. My PILs have so many people come that they'd have to buy a tree's worth of ornaments to do that! But we're looking forward to having a great time :).

4-4-4 tag

I was tagged by one of my friends. So I put my 4th picture up from my 4th folder. Here is Chief playing soccer a couple of years ago.
4 people I tag: Anybody who reads this and actually HAS a blog--since many of you don't. :) (If you want to do it and anyone else who wants to do it)So here's what you do, post the 4th picture from your 4th folder then tag 4 people.

Preschool on the move

Here are some pics of our latest preschool outing. We went to the grocery store (yeah, I know, sounds real exciting when you go as often as I do), but it was actually fun. We chose it because the kids have been learning about healthy eating and the food pyramid and about money. Put food and money together and you've got a grocery store.

Here the manager is showing the kids the gigantic mixer they use for the hundreds of cookies they make daily.

Here he is showing them the walk-in oven they use for baking the goods. (Tip: Don't walk in there while on--though I'm sure there is a safety trigger.)

Just some of the yummy baked goods cooling.My--I mean the kid's favorite part: Donuts with icing-colored in autumn colors. Yum!

When else can you go to a store and eat a donut right out of the case without getting in trouble? Okay, I did feel a bit self conscious when the General Manager walked away and we were still standing there eating donuts for the other shoppers to see. But before this, I had never been in the refrigerator or freezer sections of the store before. (Freezer is kept at 25 degrees below zero).

Having preschool age kids does have it's advantages...Let's see, where do I want to go next?

Punkie is such a little mom. She packed Andrew's school bag for tomorrow, wished her brothers a good night, shushed them, and gave them their cup of water at bedtime.

Oh, and I picked up my hubby's b-day present--a book--last Saturday with my 7 year old. We hid it in his room. The four year old brought it to him wrapped in a jacket, so he didn't see, but he told him it was a gift. My hubby thought it was just a book off the shelf and Chief whisked it away before he found out differently. However, I returned from the library yesterday with the same book (my hubby REALLY wanted to read it, so I checked it out), and Chief--not knowing my plan to switch the two on Saturday--blurted out, "But we already got that book for Daddy from the store!" My hubby pretended to block his ears, but I decided the damage was done and he'd get his b-day present early. Now the only present left is to take him to the Twilight movie tomorrow. That and to make a cake for Tuesday that he picked out--a bittersweet decadent chocolate cake (usually he likes carrot, but he's branching out).

Christmas list of the week

Chief has said he wants binoculars. He knows he already owns a real pair, but he wants another one just in case he breaks one.
Red, our little four year old, says, "I'll be happy with whatever Santa wants to bring me."
Talk about melt-your-heart.

Couple new pics

The updated boys' room pic. Not as much space, but not too bad.

Here's Punkie rearranging the nativity scene. Who's not to say everyone wasn't facing the back of the stable?

Christmas is coming!

Since Red's friend put out a fake candy cane outside her door today, he insisted it was time to decorate for Christmas. So the boxes came out and the kids were enthralled for awhile decorating. And then they stopped. Now my family room looks like a few boxes exploded and the contents were strewn everywhere. At least the bookshelf looks okay and the nutcrackers and small figurines are lined up facing out the front window.
As for their wish lists: beware any parent of a child with an active imagination! Two years ago, Chief asked for magic coal for Christmas so he could do whatever he wanted. I explained that magic coal was only something on the Island of Sodor (*you'll recognize this if you know anything about Thomas the Train). However, Chief and his cousin decided to ask the big man himself. So at the yearly church Christmas party, when we had a visit from Santa, the two boys asked him. And Santa told them that there WAS such a thing as magic coal. Let's just say I wasn't feeling very jolly toward the guy with a belly like a bowl full of jelly. Thanks Santa. So my son asks for fast shoes (apparently the shoes that have a letter 'N'--Nike--are not as fast as those with a letter 'S'--Sketcher) and for magic coal. Well, there where two options: tell him he exceeded the limit of asking for ONE present or to see if Santa could actually grant his request. It's a good thing Santa has the internet to google strange requests. (Note--if you are reading this aloud to your kids, and if you are I have no idea why--stop now). Anyway, there was a recipe for a "magic coal" garden where you can grow multi-colored crystals on coal. Apparently now you can buy pre-prepared kits from Toys R' Us, but I digress. Needless to say, I'd never been to a business that sells coal before that time. It was...dirty. All the other ingredients are easily bought from the store. Some items were pre-mixable. Others I mixed early that Christmas day, after scripture reading and before the kids were allowed to run to their stockings. One container I labeled Magic Potion #1, the other #2 and I had the coal on a pie tin. I also had food coloring ready. The whole 'package' came with a gushy note from Santa explaining that the coal wasn't magic in that it could do anything, but that Chief was very special and could do almost anything he set his mind to. Well, the letter was more eloquent than that. And gushy. Kinda like a corny 80's sci-fi. The experiment went well. He enjoyed it. And his cousins, who were also strange enough to WANT to have coal, were able to benefit from the extra pieces I had.

Now I have another problem. So far, Chief has indicated to me he wanted rocket-like shoes that would allow him to fly (that's it--I'm getting rid of my t.v.) and has told his Dad he wants magic mittens like Santa has. I thought that kids definately outgrew Santa when they started asking for expensive toys, but if he continues on like this maybe he'll have to be let in on a few things. Actually he did tell me a friend of his suspects his parents buy the gifts and hide them until Christmas. I think he was fishing for info...

Augh!

Where does the time go!?!? I keep thinking I will blog when something interesting pops up, and I'm sure some things in my life are interesting (or, at least I think so), but when it comes right down to it I never know exactly what to write. Anyway, I'm finding myself busy again. When one of my many things slow down, another comes up. At least they counterbalance each other.
Red has the stomach flu that is going around. The one that his preschool friends had. I'm just hoping the rest of us somehow miraculously escape it (though it seems to target the young and elderly). I cancelled school for tomorrow, a bittersweet thing to do.
By the way, if you shop at Albertsons (if you have one where you live), until next week there is a bonus sale: buy one Sara Lee pie, get another pie and two Breyers ice cream containers free. Though the store here is understocked until Saturday. Let's just say I know where I'll be early on Saturday!

Change of Plans

You know how it is: you are going on about your day, doing those things that you need to do when suddenly something comes up and you find yourself immersed in another project? That would be today. Just as I am finishing up cleaning up the family room, I head upstairs to check on the two young ones and find them sitting above my head. On the bunkbed. Apparently my 20 month old decided she's old enough to climb up.
Uh, I don't think so!
We've talked about taking down the top bunk a few times, but today was the point where we had no choice. The room was rearranged and the bunks were separated, joints tightened and room completely cleaned (including the stuff that had fallen behind dressers, etc).
And now, we have a new room design for the kids (which means they might play there more for awhile).
On the other hand, we've just changed our jungle gym into a trampoline...

Cute conversations

Here's a way cute quote my sister found on a blog:

Conversations I Have Every Single Day
"Hey, awesome 7-year-old, whatcha doin'?"

"I'm making a creature called Dinoraptoflymus. It has 25 teeth, no, 32 teeth, no, no--51 teeth, that are all really sharp for biting through the flesh of its prey, and its wingspan is 7--no, 13 FEET wide, and so that's why it's called DinoraptoFLYmus, because it flies 48 hundred thousand miles per second, but really it's called DRAGOraptoflymus, because it has scales like a dragon that are made of steel, no, stronger than steel, stronger than the strongest steel in the whole world, because its the DragoflySTEEL, because it's scales are so strong, except for its teeth, which are even STRONGER, because they have to bite through the hardest scales, because its prey is-- is really the Dinoraptoflymus! because Dinoraptoflymus is the strongest creature in the world except the Dragoflysteel, but it's really the DragoEAGLEsteel because it's as fast as an eagle. Right, Mom?"

"That's right."

"No, Mom, you should say it's faster than an eagle, because 48 hundred thousand miles is WAY faster than just a regular eagle!"

"Oh yeah. I forgot. Well, how's my favorite five-year-old doing?"

"Great. Mom, does this look cool?"

"Yes, very cool."

"How about this? Is this cool?"

"Way cool."

"Is it cooler than the other one or not as cool?"

"Um... which one do you think is cooler?"

"This one."

"Yeah, me too."

"No, I mean the first one is cooler."

"That's right, the first one was cooler."

"How about this? Is this cool?"

"Yep."

"Is is cooler than the other ones, or not as cool?"

"Uh, cooler."

"Oh no! I thought the second one was cooler!"

"Oh, yeah, that's right, the second one is cooler. I just forgot about that one."

"Yeah, you just forgot. Cuz this one's really the coolest, huh?"

"For sure."

"How about this one? Is it cooler than the other ones or not as cool, or just the same cool?"

"Hmmm. I'll have to think about that for a minute. I'll be back. So, how's my little baby doin'?"

"I not a baby!"

"You're not? Well, what are you then?"

"I da Bug!"

"Oh, you're the Bug. Hello, Bug."

"I not a Bug! I a kitty."

"Hello, kitty."

"I not a kitty!"

"What are you, then?"

"I a.....a....a baby cow!"

"Can I have a kiss, baby cow?"

"No! Baby cows not kisses Mom! Silly mommy." (I swear that's a direct quote.)

"Yeah, silly mommy. Okay, see you later baby cow. How's my big teenager doing?"

"Mo--om!"

"What?"

"You don't have to ask my how I'm doing like you do with the kids."

"Well how else am I supposed to know how you're doing if I don't ask?"

"Mother! Just don't act like I'm one of the kids. Just talk to me normally, you know, like not like a mom."

"Oh, okay. So, whassup Dog?"

"Argghh! MothER! Don't you ever do that in front of my friends!"

"Do what, homie?"

"Stop it Mother! Fine, fine, I'll tell you how I'm doing!"

"Okay."

"I'm doing just fine. Everything is good. Thank you for your interest. Now can you leave so I can finish my homework?"

"Oh, all right, you spoilsport."

"Wait, Mom!"

"Yeah? You wanna tell me something, honey?"

"Um... you shouldn't wear those shoes with that shirt. They don't go."

"Thanks a lot. Hey, God?"

"Yes?"

"I sure get tired of having the same unproductive conversations all the time."

"Yes, I know. Me too."

I survived Halloween!

Well, the witches and ghosts have been packed away,

And the pumpkins are gone--they couldn't last another day.

Monsters and ghouls no longer roam the street,

And I don't hear any more frantic heartbeats.

(I thought I'd scream if I heard another yelled 'Boo!'

Or had more sightings of Hannah-you-know-who.)

At last I can sit back, relax, and slouch,

I don't have to constantly get off my couch.

I won't have to stir until the next holiday,

which is...only 3 1/2 weeks from today!

Okay, okay, yeah I know I'm weird. And honestly I don't have a big problem with Halloween. Which isn't to say I'm not relieved that the school carnival is over (I got home at 11:00 pm--two and a half hours after it was over, which is early I'm told) and that the trunk or treat was last night--on a warm, non-rainy night. Everything went fairly well for both I think. Here's some pics of our night last night.