O Christmas Tree II

Just like last year, we recently cut down our own tree at the local Christmas tree farm. It isn't as rustic as it sounds--we drove our car to the parking area, walked maybe 100 yards to a vast field of trees, cut it (the only part that's legit), a guy in a tractor came to pick it up, we paid, and voila! Fresh cut Christmas tree.

Don't get me wrong--it's fun, and it our cute little tradition, but we can in no way claim to be lumberjacks. It's kind of like going fishing at a fish hatchery--which is nothing like fishing in open water (not that I know much about that either, but you catch my drift . . . ).


Anyway, besides actually sawing the tree down (with a borrowed saw, not ours), the only other thing we had to do was tie the tree to our car.

On the very slow drive home, we heard suspicious noises overhead. Oh no! Not again! Even my little 2-year-old was perceptive enough to say in a hushed and fearful voice, "Our Kissmas twee fawin off, Mommy. Our Kissmas twee fawin off."


You should know that the tree started out in line with the car--as in lying from front to back. Somehow along the way, it turned a full 90 degrees and slid off a bit. So Jace was right, it really was falling off.


At least this year, nobody bragged about knot-tying skills.

(If you're wondering why Aubrey isn't pictured--she had Girl Scouts that day and wanted us to go without her. "I don't want to get my shoes dirty," she told me. A girl's gotta have priorities.)

Five Alive

This sweet boy, my first-born son, will be five on Wednesday. But lately he is not acting like a five-year-old. Nuh-uh, not at all. And I keep telling him that we are not going to celebrate this big day unless he gets his act together. Maybe we'll wait a month, or put it off until the Spring.

This is what he did today (with a little help from his younger brother):

*Pulled off couch cushions (AGAIN)
*Dumped pretzels, cheetos, and popcorn onto the couch frame, then sprayed it with kitchen cleaner
*Crunched three bags of ramen with a mallet, and dumped them on the floor and counters
*Dragged a small folding chair from the closet into the kitchen, climbed onto the counters, pulled the frosting bag and food coloring out of the cupboard and left it on the counter (probably thought it was the bag of chocolate chips)
*Cut open a few fruit roll-ups, leaving the wrappers and the scissors on the love seat
*Tore open a package of poptarts, then left them on the end table
*Scattered recently developed photographs across the floor

All of that was before 8:00 AM. When I went downstairs and saw the pandemonium, I couldn't take it. I surveyed the damage and went straight upstairs. I told Gavin he had better get up and get down there as it was the worst mess I'd ever seen, and I was going running. If I was to help the boys clean up, I would dismember them. I was so mad.

Like always, my run did me good. It took a good 1/2 mile or mile before I could think of something else besides how mad I was. Or how stupid I was to stay in bed. Or how ridiculous I was to not remember to latch the pantry before bed. Finally I could enjoy the peace and quiet of hitting my stride and listening to my iPod.

When I returned home, sweet Gavin had most of the mess cleaned up and had coached the boys all along about how naughty it was. Little Jace was sequestered to his chair and kept saying, "Sawee." "No more mesthes." "Doont do it ageen." I helped Lincoln sweep up the ramen, and we were moving on.

Not so fast.

Gavin went to turn on the TV so the boys could watch a show while he ran on our treadmill and I showered. And the TV wouldn't turn on. Apparently the boys had sprayed more than their little couch-top snack buffet. They also sprayed INSIDE THE TELEVISION.

We realized the TV was in fact already on. It was making a buzzing and crackling sound that was so faint you didn't realize it until you unplugged it. When plugging it back in again, it crackled even louder and something zzzted and snapped.

We asked Lincoln if he had sprayed the TV. "Yah." And what happened? "It tuhned yike colors running down the skeen and den made a sound and den dere were no more shows on."

Buh-bye TV.

Okay, so our list continues:

*BROKE the TV
*Locked himself and Jace in the bathroom, filled up the sink with water, flooded the floor, and emptied out a bottle of shampoo
*Smeared peanut butter in Jace's hair (and on a few toys we later found out)

And these last two antics were inbetween discovering the TV was broken and taking Aubrey to her basketball game. While Gavin bathed Jace, I took Lincoln and Aubrey to the game. As long as Lincoln was separated from Jace and out of the house, he was okay.

(Oh, except Gavin called me while we were out to say he found another mess in the bathroom--a whole roll of toilet paper had been dropped in the toilet, then stashed behind the door so we wouldn't find it, and someone had artistically smeared poo on the toilet seat. Yeah.)

We purchased a new TV (not what I had planned to do on the last Saturday before Christmas . . . ), and were hooking everything up tonight when Lincoln was in trouble again. I don't even remember what he did, but he was sent to time out in his room.

Unbeknownst to us, he took a large piece of the new TV styrofoam packing to his room with him. While in time out, he broke it up into little tiny pieces with a screwdriver (also contraband!), and dumped them on his floor. So he went to bed all alone without a story. But he's still not done!

At 10:30, he starts puking his guts out. ANOTHER MESS! Poor little guy is so dog dead tired from trouble-making all day long that he is chewing on his barf chunks! Gavin has to rouse him enough to tell him to quit chewing the chunks! Gross!!! It isn't until Lincoln is all showered off and clean and asks me why I'm scrubbing his carpet--he didn't even know he had been sick.

Hopefully now we can get some rest, and hopefully tomorrow he can make better choices. If this nonsense continues though, I am seriously going to postpone his birthday.


(P.S. I have real food in my house too--it's not all poptarts and cheetos and chocolate chips--that's just what naughty boy goes for when he wants to wreak havoc.)

(P.P.S. I DO punish this kid, but it's apparently not sinking in.)

(P.P.P.S. No, I did not take any pictures of today's mayhem. But I chose to blog about it because perhaps someday I'll think it's as funny as my mom thinks it is.)

Elf Magic

Last year, Aubrey couldn't stop talking about how we needed a 'Magic Elf,' and I of course had no idea what she meant. She told me and Gavin all about it, and we were stumped. She even wrote it on her Christmas list, asking Santa to bring her one.

Even if we didn't know what was going on, Santa sure did. Aubrey's wish for a magic elf is going to be granted.*

This adorable little elf is coming very soon to our home, and he is going to monitor the kids' behavior and report back to Santa. Every morning he'll be in a new spot, and some days he might even have caused some 'elf mischief' of his own.

Isn't he the cutest little elf in the whole wide world? I can't wait to see how the kids react. I love his innocent little face and changeable wardrobe, but of course I love even more how he is going to bring a little Christmas peace and joy to our home.

You see, our elf will be very detailed in his reports to Santa Claus, so I'm crossing my fingers sure the kids will be on their very best behavior.

And very best behavior is nothing short of magic in my house.

*(Santa wishes to thank one very smart friend and the all-knowing internet for helping figure out the riddle of the Magic Elf.)

Pumpkin Patch

I went to the Pumpkin Patch not once, not twice, but THREE TIMES this year. I clearly couldn't get enough. I went once crashing a friends' play group, then again with Lincoln's field trip, then yet again with Aubrey's Brownie troop.

Fall is so gorgeous in Washington--if we don't get out and enjoy the sunshine while it lasts, we really regret it once it's gone.

I love my Jace chomping away on his apple. I seriously can't keep apples in the house--both my boys eat them constantly. It's a good thing we live in Washington! They had lots of fun with the water pump and rubber ducky race.

What fun little masks!! You should have heard their animal noises (the kids', not the masks').

Lincoln and I on the hay ride during his field trip. I have a rule about field trips--I go to ONE a year. I love my childen, but they need to experience life without their momma. And I need a break. Plus, other moms need to enjoy the field trips. So that's the rule--ONE, and I had a good time with my boy on this one. It was good for him to have me all to himself.

Lincoln and classmates coming out of the hay maze. They got to do it as many times as they wanted.

Whatta face!! He's such a cute kid (most of the time, anyway).

Aubrey and her friend striking a pose. They were too busy running around like crazy, this is the only picture I took. No surprises there, right?

Jace is yelling "Giddyap" in his best cowboy voice. He's too young to know that his mom is supposed to give him a 25 cents to make it really go.

Our Monster Mash

I could have done a few things on my never-ending 'to-do' list this afternoon, but this was so much more fun. (Be sure to pause the music on the left.)

I can't wait to show the kids . . .

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All Smiley with Miley

One of my most favorite things about being a mom is creating memories for my kids. Doing things with them and for them that I just KNOW they are going to LOVE. Last night was one of those times.

Is that a happy kid, or what?!

Months ago, my little smarty pants Aubrey googled 'Miley Cyrus' and discovered she was coming to Tacoma in concert. Of course she wanted to go, and of course I wasn't going to pay a fortune for the tickets. So my Miley quest began.

When she wasn't watching over my shoulder, I checked out the prices. And I checked again. And I looked on Craigslist. And I just couldn't bring myself to pay $150+ for two nosebleed tickets to a concert for a 7-year-old. So I bought her a new CD instead and kept checking Craigslist--just in case.

I snapped this pic the moment Ms. Miley took the stage--I LOVE the looks on their faces!!

On the day before the concert, a kind citizen posted that Ticketmaster had just launched a 'back to school' special, offering tickets at $16.50 a piece!!! WHAT?!? I immediately went to the site, clicked the options, and sure enough--we had tickets. And they were even decent seats!

"Rock it, pop it, polka dot it . . ."

"Zig zag 'cross the floor, shuffle in diagonal . . ."

I was sweating and my heart was racing because I was so excited. I love a good deal, and I knew Aubrey would be THRILLED! I called a couple of friends who also have Miley fan daughters to give them the tip, and they were just as excited as I was.

On our way to the concert after a yummy dinner at Tacos Cabana.

It was such a blast! I'm not sure who had more fun--Aubrey watching Miley, or me watching Aubrey. I'm sure she'll always remember her first concert, and I'm so glad I was the one to take her to it.

Our little soccer pro

Cooling off between games

What a difference a year makes! Last year, my sweet Lincoln wanted to be just about anywhere BUT at his soccer practices and games. It was truly painful. 

I finally came up with the idea to bribe Linc with M&Ms each time he kicked the ball. As in a single M&M for a single kick. His foot didn't necessarily have to connect with the ball, he just had to try. 

So there he was, haphazardly kicking out his little foot, then running to me on the sideline for ONE tiny candy. Back and forth. One kick (or kick attempt) for one M&M. Over and over and over. I bought a bag of fun size packages, and we wouldn't even go through a single package each time. It was that bad. Not anymore. 

I am thrilled to say that we have started a new season without the M&Ms!! Lincoln had his first game on Saturday, and he was AMAZING!! He had his head down and his eyes focused on the ball THE WHOLE TIME. He was breathing so heavily from exertion that he was almost growling as he made his way down the field. And down the field he went!

After he scored 8 goals, I stopped counting. At half time, the coach told his teammates, "Just watch Lincoln--everybody follow Lincoln." When his own teammate started attacking him  trying to get to the ball (click on the pic below for a better view--that kid was ruthless), we pulled him out. And even then, Gavin really had to talk him into taking a break. Seriously. 

I'm still in shock at how different he is from last year. He's our little soccer prodigy. (And his sister isn't 1/2 bad either--but we've always known she was good.)

My big 2nd grader

Cute Aubrey at the bus stop. Are we excited, or what?!?

It's been a bit of a whirlwind around here. Gavin and I flew back from Italy on Tuesday, September 1st--he flew directly to Seattle, and I flew to Salt Lake to pick up the kids. The kids and I then flew to Seattle on Wednesday the 2nd (and less than 12 hours later), so we could be home in time for school to start on Thursday the 3rd. The first day of school is such a party--we for sure did not want to miss out. Thankfully, we went school shopping in July, so we were rip roarin' and ready to roll.

But who needs school shopping when you're going to wear all of last year's clothes? Oh well. I can take at least 1/2 the credit for my daughter's beauty and brains, but I can take no credit whatsoever for her first day of school outfit. It was all her doing--from the too small T-shirt dress to the gold belt and silver shoes--she's a rock star, and she could not be talked out of it. She was so pleased with her choices and asked me before school, "Mom, doesn't this look like a second-grader outfit?" Sure thing, baby cakes. She even did her own hair, gotta love it.

This is Aubrey's review of the first day of school:

I loved it. My new teacher is super nice. Her name is Ms. Anderson. She is the best teacher in the world. I can't wait until open house day and then my mom can see my poster of me that I made. Community time wasn't that long, but Mr. Yoho had to teach the new people how to do the Pledge of Allegiance. The whole day was super fun. Recess was fun, we didn't do math--that bummed me out. I think school is great, not summer vacation. At Christmas time, Mr. Yoho--or I should say, Hoho--changes his name to Hoho. It's funny, like Santa Claus's ho ho. And I met this new boy at school. We are friends. His name is Matthew. And I saw Noelle, Kennedy, Emi, and Noel. 

Bye bye, sweet pea. Have a great day!

She's all smiles.

 (And yeah, that's my house reflected in the window--pretty cool, huh?)

Happy Birthday to Me

As if leaving on our cruise exactly 10 years from our first date weren't enough, I also celebrated my birthday in Italy!

On Sunday, August 30, I woke up here:

Beautiful, artistic, amazing Florence

Then I went to bed here:

Quaint, one-of-a-kind, romantic Venice

But the best part of all was that I visited here:

All I wanted for my birthday was to go to church in Italy. From the moment I walked in the door, I had tears. So many awesome memories of being with the Saints in Italy. I loved it.

And of course it helped having this guy around:

He even surprised me with a special birthday gelato--pistacchio e nocciola! My faves--what a babe!

Yeah, turning the big 3-2 wasn't so bad (or maybe it was 34, or even possibly 36--who's counting?).

{Don't you fret--many, many more vacation extravaganza pics yet to come!}

Goosebumps

Ooh, scary!!

Aubrey and I have been in a Mother/Daughter book club this year. I heard about a similar book club with some older girls that was a HUGE success, so we started one for Aubrey and her friends too (6 and 7 year olds). Our first book was 'Clementine' by Sara Pennypacker (absolutely hilarious, and still one of my faves), and we've read many since.

When we meet, the hostess of the group (the girl, NOT the mom) has a list of questions. It is so cute to sit back and watch the girls eagerly answer about the book they've all read. We usually do some kind of craft or activity, have a treat, and go home. Aubrey and I have both really enjoyed it.

Aubrey was so excited for her turn to host. She picked the book for everyone to read, and her criteria (after convincing her not to go for a book that was also a Disney TV show) were that it "had to be an adventure outside, a mystery, and scary." The mom's criteria is that it needs to be easily accessible at the library and at the girl's reading level. We finally settled on a Goosebumps book, Be Careful What you Wish For, by R.L. Stine.

Her big day finally came the night before the last day of school, so it was definitely a party at our house. In keeping with the theme, we made a 'witches brew' which was a big hit! The girls loved watching the dry ice smoke and bubble.

The book is about a girl's wishes that go wrong. As part of our activity, we drew on a crystal ball what we would wish for. After saying she would wish to be a 'Pop Star', Aubrey drew this wish. She wants to have wings to fly. A flying pop star, I guess. Sounds fun!

Our final activity was making our own edible magic wands.

Step 1--coat the end of your pretzel rod in melted white chocolate.

Step 2--add sprinkles to the white chocolate.

Step 3--allow to dry and VOILA! Your very own edible magic wands. Harry Potter would be proud.

We're taking a break from book club for the summer, and Aubrey is already excited for our next meeting after school starts. It's been great to spend extra time with her as she learns to love reading as much a I do.

I'm Gonna be a Greek Goddess

School is almost out for summer. Aubrey only has 1 1/2 days left. Just like last year, I'm not quite sure how I feel about it. On one hand, it will be nice not to battle her to get dressed and catch the bus each morning. But on the other hand, that just means she'll be home all day long for other battles. 

At least I have this to look forward to:

Gavin and I are going on a 10-day Mediterranean Cruise (WITH NO KIDS) in August. As it turns out, we depart from Rome exactly 10 years from our first date. How great is that? We'll spend a few days in Italy before and after, then return home just in time for school to start.

So when the going gets tough over the next two months, I'll smile knowing the 'tough' will soon be hanging out with Grandma while Gavin and I are crusin' the Med. 

Our Amazing Adventure

We love Disney. And we especially love when they offer awesome military deals. When Aubrey was 18 months old, we took advantage of one such deal and drove from Maryland to Florida for 5 days at DisneyWorld. When we found out Disney was offering a similar promotion again, we wanted to make it happen. Then when I found screamin-killer-deal airfare on Southwest, we couldn't pass it up.

To avoid the myriad of questions and countdown tactics, and to make it more fun, we decided to surprise the kids. I love the Amazing Race, and Aubrey has watched it with me a few times, so I knew she would love it too.

On the morning of our departure, their first instruction was on the front of the fridge. I've never seen them get dressed so quickly.


Clue #1 was on the windshield of the van, but the kids didn't spot it until we started to pull out of the garage.


I sneakily gave clue #2 to the flight attendant and told her which seat Aubrey was in (diagonally behind us). She was shocked that someone else was in our adventure. It was so fun to watch her looking at the Southwest napkin (also their route map) and try to guess where we might be going.


Gavin was super clever and put clue #3 in the line-up markers for our next flight. The kids were busy looking out the windows at the planes, then turned around to see their clue right in front of them.


By this time, Aubrey had kind of figured it out (hard not to with all the Disney promos and ads as soon as you hit California). She was a good sport though and didn't tell Lincoln.

The fourth and final clue was handed to them in our rental car. Under the flap was a Mickey Mouse sticker. It was so fun to surprise the kids, and so great to pack without their help and not answer questions all week about when we were going to go. We will definitely do many more 'Amazing Adventures.'

(I took pictures of the kids and their clues as we traveled, but that poor camera was accidentally left in the airport bathroom and never turned in to Lost and Found. Boo hoo.)