Christmas 2012

We had a blessed and fortunate Christmas this year.  The kids got their little hearts' desires (mostly) and were content with what they received, and we didn't blow our budget.  For most of the day, we just hung out together, and had fun.  Good times.

I don't think Sam wanted all the help they wanted to give him.

Gingerbread, Mostly

We made our annual gingerbread houses in mid-December, the 14th, to be exact (I only know this because my camera dates pictures, lol).  We had bunches of fun and tried out all sorts of awesome things, including a gingerbread mold (going to buy another one next year, so I can alternate them as I'm baking; NEVER going back to cutting out patterns), a shortbread house (making more of those next year, too), and a chocolate house (I didn't like the way the chocolate got a film coating on it, maybe next year try white chocolate?).  And of course, on Christmas day, we participated in our annual gingerbread house smashing.  Except I forgot to take pictures.  I should have, because the kids got way creative.  Rex ran over his with his bike, and Caleb and Hannah shot their with bow and arrows.

Mom's shortbread house.

Mom and Dad's chocolate house.  Completed after all the candy was gone.

Waiting for the fun to really start.

Lizzi was an angel, letting Sam help with her house.  He loved it!!

Hannah with Nana.

Hannah says hers was a Georgian house, as in why put snow around it when the grass is always green here?

After working on Lizzi's house, Sam very studiously added like a million lemon drops to his own house.

Finished products.

Halfway done.

Whoa!  Mucho frosting.  Sariah was very pleased with hers.

You can't see it in this pic, but on Rex's house, Santa was having some serious issues with the chimney.

Santa brought Lizzi's house a gingerbread baby.  Don't ask me why.  Idk.

Santa is falling off the roof on Caleb's house.  Santa had a bad night at our gingerbread house factory.  Just sayin.

Birthday Fun & General Goofing Off

The birthday boy turned 10 and we celebrated, followed by orange-frosting inspired goofing off.  Oh, and Hannah "posed" for pictures with Dad.

10 Awesome Things about Rex

This young man turns 10 today.  Ten!!!  What?  Now we are in the double digits.  How can this be?  Just the other day, he was a baby in our arms, and we called him Rexie-pooh (he loves that nickname now, yeah).

10 Awesome Things about Rex:

1. Rex loves animals, everything about them, and just about every kind of animal.  He checks out the insects on his hikes into the woods, and his boyish hands are amazingly gentle with small fragile creepy things like lizards.  He's even forgiven and gone on to love the dogs that have bitten him (yes, that was plural--sometimes his friendliness overcomes his common sense).
2. Rex is a collector, kind of like a blue jay.  Shiny bits and pieces of things that look useless to the rest of us immediately attract his attention, and he squirrels them away for further inspection and introspection.
3. He is an avid reader.  He's always got a book he's working on reading, and it's usually a pretty interesting one, too.  Who knew when he was little and ripping up board books that he would come to be one of the best readers ever?
4. When Rex grows up, he wants to be a dad, and he wants to be ... oh, it moves around a bit, from soldier to fireman to police officer to explorer.  You get the idea, though.  Definitely a man of action waiting to happen; ok, who am I kidding? the action is already happening.  Every day.  All the time.
5. Just when you think you have all of the angles of perspective covered...Rex swoops in with an insight that has never ever occurred to you.  And at the same time you are laughing, you are thinking, "Oh my heck, he's so freaking smart!!!"
6. When Rex was a toddler, I used to think he had no sense of caution whatsoever.  While time has tempered that somewhat, and sometimes he is almost overly-cautious, he will still ride his bike down the hills on the side of our house so that he can crush a gingerbread house as he speeds along.  Cool, that.  I was afraid for him, but he just shrugged his shoulders (and probably rolled his eyes).
7. Lego guys.  Lego guys.  Lego guys.  'Nuff said.
8. Because of the whole reading thing (see #3 above), Rex knows his scriptures pretty darn well.  And he's really good at telling the stories therein.  And not just the cool, action-packed parts; the other parts, too.
9. He called me his hero once, for adopting him.  He probably doesn't remember that, because it was several years back.  But I do.  I remember it because it was completely unprompted by me or anyone.  He just came up with it.  Under the boy dirt and sound effects and constantly-firing nerves and muscles, there is a very tender and grateful heart there.  I don't deserve it.
10. Rex spreads smiles wherever he goes.  You can't help it when he's around.  He is always smiling, even on a bad day.  He'll crack jokes or goof off just to cheer someone up.  And when he smiles, his whole face lights up.  You can't beat that talent in life!

Happy Birthday, Rex!  You light up our lives in more ways than you can know.  We are so proud of the young man that you are becoming.

See other birthday posts for Rex here, here, and here.

Tomorrow...

...we celebrate!

Who Knew?

Who knew that play-doh could be so entertaining? He has been playing with it for about 6 hours. Straight. He wouldn't even eat lunch. And bonus: even though he is completely engrossed, he hasn't had a potty accident yet today. Go, Sam, go!

Generational Perspective, as Illustrated by Les Mis

imdb.com

Bob, Hannah, and I recently viewed the new movie, Les Miserables (if I could figure out how to add the little accent thingie, I would).  It has been a topic of much discussion, even with those of our family who haven't seen it.

Here is some insight into the mindset of maturity (me -- hahahahaha) and that of youth.  Keep in mind that this is NOT an actual conversation, but more a conglomeration of comments made over the last week around here.

ME

• Number of times viewed: Once, because I am too cheap to pay for a second viewing, no matter how many Golden Globes it's been nominated for.
• On Hugh Jackman: Awesome.  He is good at everything he does.  But then I already knew that, because he sang in a film adaptation of Oklahoma!.  And he's the Wolverine.  And he does romantic comedy, too.  And I liked Australia.
• On Russell Crowe: The Gladiator sings?!  Awesome.  He looks good, too.
• On the guy who plays the bishop: Cool.  25 years ago, he played the part of Jean ValJean.  How cool is that to come back.
• On Anne Hathaway: She's good at everything she does, too.  And she lost 25 pounds to play this role.  She didn't have 25 pounds to lose!  Definitely she deserves the Golden Globe.
• On Amanda Seyfreid: She can act and she can sing.  She needs to quit being typecast and start doing something with those talents.
• On Eddie Redmayne: Eye candy.  I'm old enough to be his mother.  Wait, what?!  He's 31?!  Are you kidding me?  I thought he was like 18.  He's really funny to listen to on all the commentary on YouTube.  But.  Eye candy.  

YOUTH

• Number of times viewed: twice, and counting, because Eddie Redmayne is hot.
• On Hugh Jackman: Who?  Oh, the old guy.
• On Russel Crowe: Who?
• On the guy who plays the bishop: There was a bishop?
• On Anne Hathaway: Isn't that the chick from Ella Enchanted and Princess Diaries?
• On Amanda Seyfreid: Wait, wasn't she in Mamma Mia?
• On Eddie Redmayne: Completely, utterly awesome.  Wait, what?! He's 31?!  He's so old!  And now he's the wallpaper on my iPhone.

flicksandbits.com

Ok.  It is a pretty cool picture.

Oh, Potty, You Slay Me

I totally know how to celebrate the New Year.  Especially on my blog.  Instead of posting my resolutions (I did make them), I decided to potty train Sam.  Oh, the awesomeness of potty training.  It should have been done awhile now.  Buuuuuuuut things keep coming up.

You know, though, after the experience he and I had a few weeks ago, I thought that I really shouldn't keep delaying.

I was drying him off after his bath, and I laid him back on his towel.  He said, "Wait, watch this, watch this!"  Then the little rascal assured himself that I was watching, gave a dramatic pause for suspense ... and proudly peed.  Straight up into the air.

And then he was confused when I freaked out.

Nice.  Definitely time to tackle this, seeing as we have a great deal of control.

That's what we've been doing today.  I haven't even considered giving up, so it's going much better than any other time we've tried, and better than with several of his siblings.

I don't want to jinx myself, but I soooooo hope I don't have to buy diapers this month.

Hurray, Sam!

Hannah

Swim team is eating our lunch ... or more accurately, all of Hannah's time, and some of ours, too.  This is from the NHS's win last week.  They had fun.