Monday, December 31, 2012

2012 Spectacular

When telling personal anecdotes, I seem to always be saying "I couldn't make this stuff up".
So, I figured I'd do a little recap of some of our more absurd highlights of the year.
 
 
January
The highlight of Kyle and Reed's birthday party was experiencing the hilarity of 77 mph winds in a hurricane simulator.



February
Something I never thought I'd witness: JR shares his food in an act of Valentine's Day brotherly love.



March
While visiting my parents, we saw first hand that lightning and gas don't play nice together.
 
 

April
My first (and last) sighting of The Lobster Zone
(Catch a lobster, he's yours to eat!)



May
Elvis serenaded me at the Bolder Boulder.



June
I spent an afternoon babysitting a chick that lost its mother.
(Or more accurately, I babysat a chick that was chased down and caught by my Wild Ones til its mom thought the coast was clear and came back.)



July
We had a "celebrity" encounter on the square in Crockett, Texas.
 
 
 
August
It was touch and go between Kyle and a peacock.
 
 
 
September
Giant stacks of onion rings are the new cookie bouquet.
 


October
Second "celebrity" sighting of the year.
(3rd if you count Elvis.)



 November
We spent Thanksgiving with a one-eyed dog.



December
The kids still didn't behave, and I kept forgetting to move the elf. 
I think he should visit for about a week next year.

Sunday, December 30, 2012

Happy, Happy

It seems our house guests of the four legged kind are not only beautiful, but have exotic names.
You'll remember back in Durango we kept Fiona.
 
This time, we had Zoe for a few days.
Zoe's mom is my friend, Debbie. (You might  remember I fell in front of her house while running the other day.)
 
 
Just look at that happy face.
She's like the dog version of Buddy the Elf. "I just like to smile. Smiling's my favorite."
 
 
She's as big as she is sweet.



The kids are already ready for her to come back!

Friday, December 28, 2012

Fashion Fabulous Friday


Santa really came through for JR in the ski accessory department.
A new jacket, pants, helmet, and goggles.
 
 
Definitely the most fashion fabulous kid on the mountain!


And if you're wondering why his face is all covered up...the high was 4.
That's right, 4.

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Like it Never Happened

As of 7:30 last night, you wouldn't even know Christmas happened in this house.
Granny Sherry came over yesterday and the three of us got it all put away.
 
I love it going up, and I love looking at it, but it sure feels good when it's all put away.
(Although the house looks so empty!)
 
And even though you can't tell it, Christmas did happen.
 
 
Granny Sherry gave all the boys "Uff Da" sweatshirts.

'Uff da' is a Norwegian saying that Granny Sherry and Reed say.
It seems to me they say it when they're tired of doing something, stressed out, or have lots to do at once.
I looked it up, and Wikipedia says, "Within Scandinavian-American culture, Uff da frequently translates into: I am overwhelmed."
 
 
Speaking of the Norwegians, Granny Sherry made the entire Christmas dinner. (Hallelujah!)
Including Swedish meatballs, and of course, lefse...which is what Reed is eating.



JR was super excited about his new gun.
It's a .243.
(I don't know what that means, or what it can do, but he was excited.)



Kyle got a new Perry the Platypus.
He's bigger and "talks". Kyle is in love.


 
And Jason and I got each other the same thing.
 
Now on to New Year's!

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Santa Was Here

These three were sweatin' it out til the end.
Kyle gave Sam (our elf on the shelf) extra kisses and hugs as he said goodbye to him last night. 
 
Guess they were on the nice list after all.
 
 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!
Luke 2:11

Monday, December 24, 2012

Feliz Navidad!

Feliz Navidad from the most Norwegian looking one my kids. (Reed)
 

(If you can't tell: that's Santa at the beach, wearing a sombrero, and shaking a maraca.)

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Annual Christmas Tree Tour

So for those of you who can't see our Christmas trees in person this year, here's what they look like.
 
I think they look so much better in real life.
For the life of me, I can't figure out how to take a decent Christmas tree picture.
 
 
Some of these you've seen before; some are new.
 
 
I did a new hunting tree for the office. It's my favorite this year.
 

Silver Bells


I added a few more peacocks. A peacock tree can never be too over the top, right?


The Chinese tree hasn't changed a bit. 
I want to do something different, but Jason likes it to stay the same.


The mantel


The gingerbread man tree in the kitchen.


The American tree. (This was supposed to be my "Glory, Glory Hallelujah Tree".  My original idea didn't get to come to life after the election.)
 
 
White tree


Texas tree, again.


Gold reindeer tree in JR's room.


And his Cub Scout tree.


Countdown to Christmas for Kyle and Reed.

And a few of the decorated "friends".
 

Friday, December 21, 2012

Fashion Fabulous Friday


Today was pajama day for the 3rd grade, and JR couldn't have been more excited to get up and get dressed for school.
 
So much so, that when I asked if he had on underwear...he did not.
(I'm pretty sure that ranks quite high on my mom duties: making sure my children wear underwear to school.)


Kyle also wanted to wear pajamas to school today (even though the Pre K was not having pajama day).
I told him it was fine by me, and Kyle happily got dressed.
 
 
Reed did everything in his power to talk Kyle out of his decision.
Reed is a rule follower.  It wasn't pajama day; pajamas should not be worn.
 
 
Thankfully, Kyle is Kyle, and pajamas it was.
(And I'm pretty sure breaking the rules is one of the first rules in fashion.)
Rule Breaker. Rule Follower.

Thursday, December 20, 2012

This Elf Needs to Go Home

I know you're all dying to know what our Elf on the Shelf has been up to this week.
Um, not a whole lot.
 
 
There are tons of ideas online this year, but most involve supplies I don't have, elaborate poses my elf can't do (I'm too cheap to buy the "official" elf, and I don't want to ruin my antique one), or the elf makes huge messes that I'm not interested in cleaning up.
 
 
I also can't seem to remember to actually move the thing.
Just as I'm about to fall asleep every night I suddenly remember I haven't moved it.
I then find myself sleepily roaming around a dark house looking for the fastest non-lame place to stash him.
 
 
(And I've been known to forget completely, and then have to make up some pitiful story about how the elf must be really comfortable right there.)
 
 
But, thankfully, I do have these that I did in the non wee hours of the morning.


I thought this one was awesome.
What Texan wouldn't find a reindeer riding like a dog in the back of a pick-up hilarious?
My kids.
 
I keep forgetting just how non-Texan they are.
Dogs in Colorado ride in the car.  (Preferably shot-gun and with a seat belt.) 
They don't see dogs in the back of pick-ups on a daily basis. 
Come to think of it, they don't see a lot of pick-ups.
 
 
 
I did this one in a desperate attempt to put the candles I overbought to good use.

I've only got to move this thing 4 or 5 more times.
I think I can. I think I can.

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

More Sneaky Sneaks

The sneaking off from the kids to go skiing (and them being none the wiser) worked so well we decided to give it another shot.
 
 
I didn't feel bad about the skiing since they couldn't have gone to the work Christmas party anyway. It's not my fault we happened to drive right past Vail.
 
 
I did, however, have a few twinges of guilt about this one.
 
 
Can you read my program?
 
Of course, Kyle and Reed could care less about The Nutcracker, but JR would have loved it.
 
Do we look guilty?
No more sneaking off for the rest of the year.
I promise.
 

Monday, December 17, 2012

Divine Design

I'm not going to lie, I was super nervous about the decorating gingerbread houses (in class so I couldn't cheat and use a glue gun) portion of preschool.
 
 
You might remember, last year, I couldn't even figure out how to put the gingerbread train together and just told them to decorate the pieces like cookies.
 
 
But the kids' school continues to be wonderful and amazing.  Even gingerbread house decorating was, dare I say, fun.
 
 
Just look how super organized this is. 
The teachers had Kyle's station on one side of me, and Reed's on the other.



I'm such a non gingerbread house maker, that I seriously thought the milk cartons were for the kids to get a drink if they got thirsty. 


Obviously, they weren't.
And are the best gingerbread house bases I've ever seen!
 
(Yes, Kyle's hat is sequined. Would you expect anything less?)
 
 
In typical Kyle and Reed fashion, the houses turned out just like you'd expect.
 
 
Reed's: Neat, perfect,
and self proclaimed 'best in the room'.


Kyle's: Well, Kyle's was...whatever you'd call this


But, then I had a chance to get a good look at some of the others.


And yeah.
Ours totally did rock.