Left Overs

Our old apartment. I miss how festive and friendly everyone is.

Running races without pants.

First one out during musical chairs. It's a rough game.

Picture taken a few minutes after Hannah's dentist said no sugar till her cavity is filled.
He said it twice.

A friend recently told me about a new way to peel a pomegranates. 

It changed my life. If you like to eat pomegranates you must watch the video.

I like 5 year olds more than 3 year olds during Christmas.

If you tap on the glass, they come right up to you.

Someone learned how to whistle. It's kind of a big deal.

Date.

Gratitude tree.

I want to relive Thanksgiving dinner. I take pictures of yummy food.

I went to the bathroom early one morning and came back to find my spot taken.
I punished them by taking a picture with flash.

Family Minecraft.

We play alot of Minecraft together as a family. 

We all built the house together and then I made everyone gather at the front door for a picture.

She Wants One So Bad.

I said we would get her one for her 8th birthday if she can keep the bamboo plant alive without any help. 

She waters it every day now. 

I figure if she still wants one in 2 1/2 years then it's not just a fleeting desire that I'll get stuck taking care of.

Because I don't want to touch that thing.

And He Shall Be Named...

Edward Lawrence Falconhunter. 

The kids have a absolute hoot every morning running around looking for him.

I sometimes hear the kids talking to him. Asher often says hi to him as he walks by.

I bought a Elf on the Shelf for a new tradition this year. If you haven't heard of it, he's your personal elf that you get to name. He watches you during the day and then goes back and reports your behavior to Santa. I thought that idea was a little creepy so I kind of changed the idea a bit and just told the kids that he's our personal elf that likes to hang out with us during Christmas. And he will deliver your Christmas wishes to Santa. And every morning he will sit in a different spot in the house so you have to go and look for him.

It's a blast for all of us. 

Today he's hanging out by the kids cup spot in the kitchen.

Picture of the Month - December

Cheating.

This and That.

Every year around this chilly time I wonder why we live here.

I love Cap'n Crunch, Zebra cakes, and Totinos pizza with all my chemical loving heart. But I only allow myself to eat them once a year. And I usually hork them down secretly in a closet so I don't have to share.

In our family, whenever someone farts, someone else says, "Somebody stepped on a duck!"

24 hours a day, 7 days a week Hannah wears a pony tail and headband. I sometimes wonder if it's warping her skull shape.

I haven't really slept in 6 years. It's changed me. I have a distant memory of possessing patience.

Hannah hasn't worn a dress to church in at least a year. She hates being dressy. So she wears a very specific shirt and pants every week. I'm fine with it.

I've resigned myself into the fact that no matter how many times we move and start fresh, my walls will eventually get crapped up.

Small, slow, pretty beetles live outside in the ivy that crawls up our building. They often get inside. And for some reason they don't bother me.

Asher is still obsessed with hot milk.

They say that you shouldn't bribe or threaten kids to get the behavior you want. I've tried the nice way of talking it out. Doesn't work.

You would think a person like me who used to be a photographer would care more about her official annual family picture. I don't. I grab it when I can as easily as possible. This year was at the pumpkin festival and the kids had their faces painted. Check.

I don't know what to do with the rest of my life for a career.

I've decided to never have a Christmas tree again. But to do alternative trees instead. It has nothing to do with being environmentally friendly. I just really liked my light tree last year.

I love being pregnant and I think I might want to have another kid. But I reeeeeally don't want to take care of it. I'm the perfect candidate for being a surrogate mother. I would love to do that.

I'm conducting two experiments that I'm taking seriously:

1. I'm letting my dyed hair line grow out instead of fixing it. I'm weirdly curious to see how much my hair grows in a year. It's been about 3 months and my hair has grown an inch and a half.

2. I'm doing a liver cleanse every morning. I regularly drink throat coat and immune boost tea. I run the humidifier and diffuser every night in my kids room. I eat Zicam like candy every day. And I make every child who enters my home wash their hands immediately.  We'll see if it makes a difference this winter. I've been doing this for about a six weeks. So far so good. But I'm keeping my expectations very low. I fully expect to be barfing by Christmas.

My kids are 21 months apart. The first 2 years were hell and I regretted it. Now it's awesome! It was worth it.

I'm extra super excited for Christmas this year. Way more than usual. I don't know why.

I get on Facebook maybe once a month. Or less.

I didn't vote. The line was too long.

I am dehydrating tomatos and onions right now without doing any research as to wether this was a bad idea or not.

Till next time...

Apparently Asher went to the Farmers market with the sitter.

Hannah and mummy are the same age.

Riding between two barfing kids is not my cup of tea.

"Mom, is my tongue blue"?

Family Picture 2012

On a date with my boyfriend.

MSI.

Bought my first stock pot. Big grin.

Spends most of her waking hours drawing.

Two pumpkins and a coconut.

First field trip. 

He loves picking out a pumpkin.

Bath time is quite the event around here.

If he's asleep, I just pile the groceries on top of him.

My dad mails me California pomegranates and homemade jam.

32.

 Happy Birthday to our favorite 32 year old.

And it's also my first time ever making a cake in my life.

I'm a little proud.

Grandparents Are Great To Have Around.

Jared's parents came to visit for a few days. It was so fun!

The kids and I took Teresa to the Hancock Building to eat and look at the view.

Best view is actually from the bathroom.

Thanks for the visit. Come again.

We loved having you!!

Picture of the Month - November

It was all his idea. Not mine.

He's a worm on a fish hook.

I stressed about how to make it for over a month.

The are no worm costumes on Amazon.

The idea of pantyhose came to me in a dream.

He practiced wiggling on the ground for weeks.

Dad Dad Daddy-O.

My dad came for a visit.

We took a little date downtown.

It was fun. 

The kids had a good time with him. 

They watched him fix the toilet. 

They watched him make coconut ice cream.

Asher got a lesson on putting on shoes.

And he showed them how to properly eat a cucumber.

Thanks Dad! My stove, microwave, and floors never looked so good.