Nightmare Before Christmas

I attempted to take a nice photo for our Christmas card...what insanity!!!! You know, that classic holiday portrait of the happy family, blah, blah, blah...? Oh, they may look cute and cuddly here, but this is one out of, I don't know, a hundred?! Thank God for digital cameras! I am firmly convinced that my babies are the most adorable, perfect children in the universe, but this was an off day. Or somrthing.

Click. "Man! He had his tongue hanging out!" Click. "Everybody's eyes are shut!" Click. "AAAArrrggg! This one would have been PERFECT if it was in focus!" Click. "What's that on your sweater? Oh, it's vomit." Click. "The static plastered my hair all over the baby's face." Click....click...click...

Finally decided that the odds were better if we took just the boy's picture. We ended up with one, only ONE of the boys to use for the cards, and let me tell you, it took a lot of bribery to get The Kid to sit still and hold his little brother. It took a lot of bribery just to get his hair combed. So, to all you who receive a card from us...the photo (though not taken in my finest hour....it is best described as a hellish, baby wrangling, husband-doubles-as: cheerleader, dancing clown, Pleading Dad/Yelling Dad, circus) deserves more than an "Aawww, isn't that sweet?" This year it deserves an "Aaawww, isn't that a MIRACLE!?"

Angel Eyes

I Wish I Could Do This

This post is dedicated to some of my little sister's artwork...The photos aren't great-as in they don't do justice to the paintings. It was pretty dark and hard to focus when I shot some of the work stacked in her room. ...And some of it was still wet, it takes forever for oils to dry. I am so very proud of her talent. Sigh. If only some of it had rubbed off on me, I have a hard time with stick people.

Snow Day

...And it's still coming down! The littlest one wasn't into it, so he watched from inside the window, but this guy and his cousin had a fun time. We shoveled snow onto the dog, took a sled ride, checked on the chickens, and ate our fill (of snowflakes, that is).

Letter To Santa

When first asked by his auntie if he was going to write a letter to Santa, my 3 year old son asked for some paper and painstakingly drew an emormous A. After we explained to him that she meant the other kind of letter, he dictated it to me. I have written every word exactly as he said it.

Dear Santa, (I did prompt this part)

I want a train, trucks too. And I don't have a lot of.....uummm....let me see...see, see, bo bee....
Hey, can I draw Mom? Please Mommy?! Can I write? Are you writing it down? How 'bout The Cat In The Hat COMES BACK!!! I want that. It's Okay, he cleans it all up in the end. Mommy, Mommy, Bo Bommy...Can I do the writing? Oh, and bring me chocolate in the Santa bag, put it in the socks on the hangers. MO-OMMMM! I WANT TO DRAW!!!! (I hand him the pencil, he draws a jagged line up one side of the paper and pronounces it "Stairs") Santa, can you bring me stair parts? Like lots of metal stair parts? Thank you (also prompted).
Love, (most of letter is blotted out as he prints his name over it.)





Later, we eat some lunch and he tells me "Mom, you know....I don't love riding chickens" to which I reply "Oh, really, you ride chickens?" "Yup. Like big, really big, huge chickens, like an ostri-squish" Me: "Wow!" Eli (all cool-acting) "Yup, you know, I been racin' em', real fast, but then their wheels fell off."


(Sorry, I think he's really funny and random, and as this is MY blog, I can write whatever I want. ...However, I'll stop short of the "There's a poop party in my diaper" story.)

Snowflakes

The pretty pattern on the patio table this morning. We are expecting a huge snowstorm tonight so I thought I'd better catch this before it gets buried!

More of my Darlings

Hey, it's freezing out...not much else to do but oggle the kiddies through my camera lens.