Lego Girl

H has never been fond of playing with Legos. However, the other day I gave Legos as an assignment during school. I love how her mind works--she works her girlishness into everything she does. Here she is with the Lego Closet:



The flag she made for her very patriotic dad, and she definitely received the brownie points she sought with that creation!

Wool sweaters and dryers

A friend recently posted about a mishap for which he felt like kicking himself. I thought I'd give him some company.

The sweaters below both belong to JRR. The sweater on the left (given to him by his daughter for Christmas, and which he has worn only twice), made it through the washer and dryer undetected by me until I was putting the load away. Fortunately, I have a very good natured husband whose first thought was a blog entry! After reading the cell phone incident, I decided it must be time to make it happen. I owe my wonderful husband at least this!





It would barely fit Little L!

Little L

Upward basketball is the extracurricular activity of choice for Little L this season. Soccer has been the passion for the last several years, but he needed a change. I am continually amazed by his energy, enthusiasm, and drive. He may be little, but not intimidated. Although a bit nervous at the beginning of the season (he has not played basketball since 1st grade-he is now 5th), he has jumped right in and is doing well.

The camera we used to take these pictures is not so great, and the lighting in the gym (as illustrated by silhouette man in the last picture) is even worse. We'll get a better picture of little L up soon. I love this last picture; it speaks volumes about him. Notice that while the other players casually move to the bench, little L is still on a mission. He never stops!

"It dawned on me. . ."

As we are spending time following the primaries, watching our sons become interested in the candidates and the process, and finding opportunities to teach them the importance of being responsible voters, it dawned on me. . . Big L will be able to vote in the NEXT (2012) presidential election! Which means, of course, that he will be an ADULT.

So many thoughts on that, but it must wait for another time. Now, it's time to blog about Little L.

Birthday Bash

Tonight big L had a belated birthday celebration with some friends. The evening was full of fun--complete with pizza, soda, ice cream, video games, and NOISE!

the birthday boy. . .

the pizza . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ."the leader"

the blue man group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .the dog

Though I have protested and then unenthusiastically accepted the presence of video games in my home, I must admit that the Wii has won me over. It was a great evening, and everyone left looking like they had just participated in a track meet!

When I got them together for a group picture, after the first shot one of the guys said, "Turn to the right". Couldn't resist taking a couple of group mug shots after that!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BIG L!

Where does she get this stuff?

I know I need to blog about the boys, yet H continuously keeps herself in the spotlight.

Tonight at supper, I asked H to eat her asparagus. Her reply: “It tastes like swamp.” My ever-so-lame-mother response: “Well, eat your swamp. It’s good for you.”

The Elf Daughter

Well, material for a blog entry has presented itself much sooner than I expected. I’m not sure why it surprised me—I do live with H.

Today, her daddy and I have decided that she must somehow be part elf, maybe a distant relative of Buddy.

As I was working on school plans, the youngest L came to inform me that H was, and I quote, “drinking syrup”. I decided to defer the matter to JRR, who went to talk to her. He emerged from her room with an empty bottle of chocolate syrup (which had been over half full). L’s eyes widened at that sight, and I immediately knew it was not chocolate syrup that he’d meant. I asked, “Were you talking about pancake syrup?” He nodded.

It seems that after polishing off the chocolate syrup, she moved on to the maple, but had her plans foiled by the little brother. She only managed about an inch of the latter.

After receiving news of the consequence (no going to spend the Christmas gift cards tonight as planned) and moping around the house with an exaggerated frown, she delivered this note to me:




I hope you can read the note, but just in case, it says: Dear Mom, I am sorry I drank the syrup. I am Really Really Really Really sorry. The face in the bottom corner is crying.

Life is never dull, and sometimes it's just downright funny. And, for the record, this incident does not exactly shock her seasoned parents; after all, she ate an entire 12 oz. bag of milk chocolate chips last week.

How can I be angry? At least she is sticking to one of the four basic food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns, and syrup.