Thanks, Bob!

We have a phrase in our family that was passed down from my mom. It originated with her dad, Bob, my Papa. He was notorius for answering simple questions that were meant for the kids.

"What is 2 plus 4?" If he were present,the kid had no chance.

We carry on the tradition. Whenever someone answers a question that is clearly meant for someone else we say, "Thanks, Bob".

Today, our 3 (on Friday) year old was muttering to himself, then looked at me and said, "Thanks, Bob", just the way I do it--slow and sarcastic.

What a memorial to Papa! Ha! It would have made him laugh.

Jack, the Insomniac

Every day when I put Popcorn down for his nap, we go through a charming stall routine. The demands include:

1. Row, Row, Row Your Boat
2. Jack be nimble
3. Jack Sprat
4. Little Jack Horner
5. One, Two, Buckle my Shoe
and finally,
6. Jack and Jill

Our rendition of Jack and Jill goes something like this:

Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water.
Jack fell down and broke his crown and Jill came tumbling after.
Up Jack got and home did trot as fast as he could caper.
He went to bed. . . "No, mommy. He not."
"He didn't fall down?"
"No, he fall down. He not go nigh-night, to bed, Mommy."
"Oh, okay, let's try it again."
...as fast as he could caper. He went to bed and plas ...
"No,no,no,no,no. He NOT go to bed!!!"
"He didn't go to bed and plaster his head with vinegar and brown paper."

Then we give kisses and blow kisses as I shut the door.

Gotta love that kid! He's three next Friday and already so advanced in the art of stalling.

Bouncin' Birthdays

Every year our February birthday kids (Popcorn 16th, Shakespeare 22nd, Gem 24th)get to have one party. This year it's Shakespeare's turn. He and 15 friends will be bouncing at "Bounce U". (Perhaps it was Tigger's influence). Picture those inflatable jump toys at your local festival x 10, complete with obstacle courses, slides and a wrestling ring, all indoors. For an hour and fifteen minutes they get to bounce and pummel each other, then off to the party room for presents and cake. The nice thing is that the staff there sets up and cleans up and we get two helpers during the party. So, on Feb. 22nd, at 3:30 we'll be bouncing!

How we Celebrated 10 Months!

Okay, so maybe we were just tagging along to Orlando for a business conference. We spent every morning doing school at the sand pit playground right outside our villa. In the afternoons we hit the pool and soaked in the rays. THAT is the way to do school! My kids were so motivated by the pool that we were done by lunch every day.


My in-laws drove over from Tampa for lunch one day. It was wonderful to see them, even though the visit was so brief.

We saved Disney for the end of the week (after the conference). We spent the day in Magic Kingdom. This was Popcorn's first trip to Disney that he could remember. We thought he'd love Buzz Lightyear and Mickey and all the characters, but no: trains. "Where monorail, Mom?" and, "Monorail asleep?" and, "Look! (squeals of delight)Monorail!". "Steam train" and "Fass(fast)train" (small rollercoaster) were also favorites. Basically, anything that rolls and follows a track was a big hit with our little mister.





We met Alice and the Mad Hatter and all the Pooh characters, but our piece-de-resistance was Gem's big date the next day with Daddy: A Cinderella and friends dinner at the Grand Floridian Hotel. More about this trip in my next entry.

We have autographs, photographs, squashed pennies and quarters. We have pens that look like wands and a little princess too.

On our last full day in Orlando I took Gem to Downtown Disney where we went to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. They specialize in turning little girls into princesses. We opted for the up-doo, complete with tiara, sash, and fairy dust. To celebrate her coronation we made a beeline for the Godiva chocolate ice cream shop, where, for $8, you can get two single dip ice cream cones.

Mostly beautiful weather! Wonderful entertainment! Fantastic food. Only kids throwing up on the way down and the way back! What more could you ask for?

To view more pictures (all of the family)go here.

8 Months with Grandpa

What would you do with a Million Bucks?

I would:
1. Buy some shoes that stay tied.
2. Get a the new Honda Odyssey (fancy, I know)
3. Hire a maid/organizing service
4. Take a Mediterranean vacation with my husband
5. Invest . . . so I can afford a maid for a long time . . . and maybe a cook too.

Happy New Ear . . . and hair

Gem got her ears pierced and her hair cut in the same day. What a way to start the new year! We had a girl's day out. What fun! And she was so brave. Yea, Gem!

Family Christmas

Despite some opposition, we had a wonderful family Christmas before heading to Indiana for the holidays.

Merry Christmas!!! and Happy New Year!!!!

We're going to the land of dial-up, so blogging may be out of the question for a while.

Seven Month Sinatra

This family cutie is crawling everywhere and pulling up on legs, chairs, toys, tables, anything within reach. Thankfully, he can't climb stairs and has not discovered the joy of pulling ornaments off the tree. (All the breakable ones are up high). Great shot of you, Mom, with Sinatra!

Merry, Merry, Merry Christmas!

For the last two years my hubby has been drooling over MP3 players. But over the last year he zoned in on the 80 GB Ipod. The thing holds 20,000 songs, can play movies, podcasts, take out the garbage, and scrub toilets. Only the price tag has held him back. But with all his managers pitching in we bought it for him.

Last Thursday he took his management team to P.F. Chang's for their Christmas outing. While they were finishing their appetizers I walked in with a huge gift bag. Three bags later, he was holding his new toy. One of his managers said that the look on his face was priceless. He was shocked. Now he's putting tons of music and all his sermon tapes on it. He's thrilled.