Self Portrait in Homemade play-dough

A picture worth 1000 words

No More PHONE BOOKS

How many phone books do you get a year?

Why do we still get them?? ... we don't use them ... they simply go into the recycle bin.

Until today... I found this link where you can have simply opt out... for FREE!

OPT OUT OF PHONE BOOKS

Thank you and have a (more) paperless day!

Now back to our regular blog... :)

When I put on big brother's glasses...

...I'm fussy enough...

...but ultimately entirely too cool to be the world's smallest rock star!

Is that MEAT????

Every now and then....

we have a BIG country breakfast.

Eggs, Hash Browns & BACON !!


When I got up this morning, my lovely Medium boy said "I'm starving".


Which is highly usual.


He is always starving.

Except when he is not hungry.


So.... after I made the coffee...

I grabbed that package of bacon from the bottom drawer


the one that says ! delicious, salty, yummmy !

oh, I mean low salt bacon.

And Medium boy comes running into the kitchen

sees me with said package in hand

and says "Is that MEAT???"

after we crack up and take a picture of that precious face with his fingers wiggling...

I begin to cook that yummy bacon...

Once the pots and pans clang about a bit...

down the stairs come the bug...

walks sleepily into the kitchen announcing....

"I'm hungry".


um... okay... wait over there with the rest of the vultures! hee hee.



I mean cute hungry people I love to cook for!

Gardening in January...

So... the closest we (here in eastern missouri) typically get to gardening in January is reading seed catalogs, perhaps growing sprouts inside or if we are lucky enough to have one, play in our greenhouse on a sunny day. Well, I don't have a greenhouse (yet, though I've seen one I want, but $1000 is no way no how in my budget for the next few years) so I have been reading seed catalogs and looking at the online seed catalogs. Last night after the boys went to sleep, I went out to Home Depot and looked at what organic Burpee seeds there might be available. Sure enough, I found a few packets of exactly what I was going to buy online this year for a little bit cheaper, so I saved a few bucks.

I am still planning on buying a couple more packets online of a few specialty tomatoes, and then I will move on to buying (and mixing) soil for my upcoming container garden. I also have to plan out my calendar by the predicted last frost so I know when to start each set of seeds. Fun, fun, fun. Who knew veggies could take so much planning. Oh, but how I look forward to eating them!

Remember when I said I spent a few days pulling up bulbs and flowers and such ... well, I looked in the garage today and it seems my narcissus bulbs were sprouting. So, I actually did get to garden today! It was a balmy 56 degrees so I headed outside and put all the narcissus bulbs into two beds at the front of the house. I encountered two or three bulbs in each bed that were also sprouting, so I left them to come up among the narcissus. I think a couple were hyacinth and tulip. I cannot wait to see how lovely those beds are about mid March.

Happy Birthday!!!!

All your Grandkids !!!

Happy Birthday Mom !!!!

We all wish you a very happy birthday!

Love,
Chris

Paige

Tall Girl

Medium Boy

Small Boy

Have a Beautiful Day ... We love YOU!

Feeling FOXY!!

Either the Mommy or the Daddy... this is the one
controlling where the other two went....
It is at the foot of our backyard!

For perspective, I am standing at the sliding glass door in the basement, about 40 feet from it.

Dashing up the hill toward the other two
(and yipping at the other two)

These two were following what the "boss" said.

this one is standing in front of the other... maybe the baby and parent?


They were just getting ready to run off.
They were standing straight out from our deck on the rise.

These are our fabulous pics (too cold to go out close) of the foxes we were visited by today. Caitlyn heard them calling out during schooltime, so we took a quick break to see where they were and what they were up to.

Stinkin' CUTE !!!

This is the way small boy smiles at us
... when he is touching something he knows is a no, no. Too Stinkin' Cute!

Yahtzee Night

Chris got home late from teaching at Summit,

so we played a game of yahtzee with tall girl and ate popcorn...

Tall girl eating the popcorn

This is tall girl getting yahtzee with sixes!!

Tall girl loves to play games, but loves the popcorn more!

Chris is a little enthusiastic about his turn...

And always a ham for the camera

this roll is taking forever!

All that to say we had fun!

Sssshhh don't tell the boys... they were fast asleep! Poor little guys both have colds. (which really means Chris and I did not sleep more than an hour or so at a time last night!)

Peas and Corn

Medium boy:

"I love peas and corn and if they could grow peas and corn in the same patch... that would be GREAT"

Just the cutest things they say.

I wonder if he will feel the same way this summer when we are weeding. I know he will LOVE eating it all fresh! He is my veggie guy! Tall girl cannot get enough of them either... we never have leftover veggies!!

Tonight we met Baby Swanner

Danielle & Brandon

Cute new baby Swanner ...
"Baby Nugget"

who does not yet have his name... though Mom and Dad are close!

The current vote is due to be completed at Midnight... We are excited for what they pick.

It is officially announced for a few days now...

Elias Josiah Swanner!

We are very fond of his name.

Walka - walka

No, it's not Fozzy Bear....




It is small boy this morning...

Can you Believe it?!

See medium boy peeking around the silk container, he is so well backlit!

!!! LOST TOOTH !!!!

Looky Looky....

NewsFLASH : Medium boy has lost his first tooth!!!

On January 3rd. He is happy it did not hurt.


on a side note... Mommy pulled it.


Well... it had been loose for a bit... then he bit into an apple and it hurt.

So....

later that night (after the apple biting)

Mommy kindly wrested with him
(I say kindly, because I verbally wrestled with him)


He finally agreed to let me give it a tug...


when fear hit him and as soon as I touched it he RAN across the living room


saying... "no I'm not ready".... waving his arms

saying: "Wait, wait, wait..."


But I am laughing

and then Chris starts laughing....

so he shoots us both a scowl,

but we keep laughing...

Until FINALLY....

Medium boy quits scowling long enough

for me to explain
WHY I am laughing...


THE TOOTH IS IN MY HAND!

he says "what?, OH"

"lemme see"

then he got 50 cents from the tooth fairy that night!


There you have the story of the first tooth.

Except we forgot to mention that the one right next to it is just as loose as it was...


But NO WAY NO HOW is he letting Mommy or Daddy or Dr. E (our dentist)
ANYWHERE NEAR THAT TOOTH



and believe me I tried, and Dr. E actually looked at it today when he was taking impressions for my new crown for that front tooth I lost.
(which is going to cost us $965 we don't exactly have yet
and that thing will be ready in 2 weeks)

but, I digress...

Dr. E told me about a little trick to "ease" the very loose and almost completely sideways in his mouth tooth right out

except his version included Ora-gel and I couldn't find ours... sorry little dude.

anyway....

Medium boy was adamant that no one was touching his tooth
until tonight, of course...


when Mommy convinced him to let her tie dental floss around the loose tooth



and ... after it was strategically tied on, but hanging from the tooth


he says "I look terrible"




well, duh.... you have a strand of dental floss hanging
down from your front tooth draping down your chin!




but after that

he let me tighten the floss... just so...

until

the tooth came out

which is fabulous... because it looked really silly all sideways in his mouth

(though he says he is mad at me because "I look terrible")
silly guy... those new teeth are practically halfway in already

and fabulous because the tooth fairy put another 50 cents under his pillow



though if you ask me, he should get more


just cause he let me pull them!




Now on to the next cute pic...

I really love this toy.

I like to watch baby einsteins from the drivers seat.

Happy New Year !! ... and now for Christmas day photos

Facepainting at Missiongate Christmas Party
(Yes, I am painting on her leg... she's just a baby!)

Slightly harder to see, Mommy and Tall girl getting their facepainting supplies
for a missional facepainting extravaganza!

I am one cool Cat!

Eat your heart out Bono!

Yes, I leaned right over and grabbed the roll I am currently munching on!
(right after eating a full dinner)

Eating the last Roll

LOVE THIS !!!

A Lovely Match

Black Pearl Earrings

Happy Guy!

That's just GOOD!

YAY ... A Tabletop Easel !!!

This is my Mom's Calendar !!!
(just like my old one!)

This is serious fun... a book with scrappy ideas all up in it. I Love it!

Seriously, this is my favorite toy.
(If only I can keep medium boy away from it!)

Medium boy gave Tall girl an ornament he handpainted for her!

"This is the SOFTEST bear EVER"!!!

Sterling Silver Amethyst Earrings
(that match her necklace and bracelet from GOTCHA day!)

WHAT ?? a package in a package???

OHMYGOSH ... YOU GUYS ROCK !!!

Now son, really - don't touch the cd (HA HA)
~ He loves that Medium boy picked Stravinsky Firebird!

Now... that is all the Christmas day pics. Enjoy!