Childhood Revisited

How old is this guy? I think that Mike has had about as much fun as the kids this Christmas. It's been great seeing him play the new wii with gusto and run around the house playing nerf guns with the kids.

We had a really great Christmas and I have now been promoted to awesome mom. Money may not be able to buy happiness but I guess it can buy a wii and some awesomeness.

Birthday Girl

Happy Birthday Reagan!

Reagan's birthday is today but we celebrated last night. Our schedule has become so hectic that it was really hard to find thirty minutes when the whole family could be together. Since I didn't have to teach seminary today we had settled on a Birthday Breakfast at 6 AM. I thought, "Nothing could possibly get scheduled at that time of the morning." I was wrong. Some of Mike's Genetics students requested an early morning tutoring session. (It pays $100/hr--we rescheduled the party) But we had a nice party from 5:45 to 6:20 last night and then Geoff and Rachael hurried off to a Treble Choir concert. The concert was excellent.
Here is Reagan in her new coat from Grandma Sharon and shovel from us. Reagan said her old coat that used to be Geoffrey's, "makes me sick." Well, it wasn't pink and she REFUSED to wear it. Reagan was pretty happy when it started to snow this morning. Just after 7 am Reagan insisted on going out with her new coat and shovel. She had a blast.
Here is Reagan with a monkey game from Grandpa Peterson. We enjoyed playing it this morning.

Christmas Activities

We've had quite the weekend. Full of unexpected but very welcome family and some fun Christmas activities. Bonnie and family joined us from New Hampshire for several days because their power was out thanks to the ice storm. Here are some of the great activities we have done this week.

Decorating Gingerbread houses

We decorating these great houses at my neighbor Cerradwyn's house. I think they all look great and the kids think they all taste great.

Geoffrey and Reagan's House

Cousin Karin and Jeremy's House


Rachael and Lilly's House

Now, three days later, all of the houses look more like this. Yummy!

Decorating the Christmas Tree

Reagan is quite intrigued with an old picture of Geoffrey pasted on a gingerbread body.

Lilly and an handmade ornament with a picture of Jesus.

Mike is doing push ups on the ceiling after putting the star on. Wow! He is so strong!

Here's the finished tree.

Visiting with Santa

Lilly thought Santa was great. Reagan was not thrilled to see him.

The Christmas Program

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Reagan was a Wise woMan for the Nursery Christmas Pageant

The girls and I sang Are My Ears on Straight? at the Christmas Party. Mike helped us out at the beginning by being the Doll Doctor. It was cute. Lilly, the ballerina doll kept magically moving every time Mike turned around, I was so floppy I couldn't sit up and Rachael seemed at first to be the perfect doll---until she kicked Mike in the butt.

Now I know why I am so tired. That was a lot of activities for one weekend. But we enjoyed them all and are looking forward to at least a few more Christmas Activities.

Budding Artist or Graffiti Vandal?

Lilly came home from school today with the top parts of her fingers covered in blue marker. Not just her nails, the whole top third of all ten of her fingers. Of course, that meant that she also had smeared it on her forehead and cheeks and had a slightly blue mustache from every time she had touched her face. She was pretty angry that I made her wash it off. Then later I looked at her jeans. She had colored orange squares all over her jeans. When asked why she did it she said, "What??! They're Washable markers, DUH." Let me tell you, they are not so washable. Then I asked her, "What were you supposed to be doing while you were coloring on your jeans." That was really the key question because, of course, she was supposed to be working. The child acts like she is allergic to work. We will be working to remedy that allergy through exposure. It may not be a good week for Lilly. Time to open her eyes to the joys of work.

Happy Birthday Geoffrey

Geoffrey turned 14 a few days before Thanksgiving. He had five boys over and they watched The Incredible Hulk, almost as large as life, projected on the dining room wall. They had pizza, chips, grapes, soda, popcorn, Whoppers, cake and ice cream. Wow can teenagers eat.

Scary-me Elmo

Would you want to sit on this giant Elmo's lap?
















Well, Reagan didn't either. The girl has some sense after all. He was certainly not the cuddliest Elmo I've ever seen.

Hot Lava

"I be careful Mom. It's hot lava."

Apparently, my carpet is lava, it is red after all. At least once a day she lines up my books, picks a pair of my shoes and walks on her newly formed book bridge over the lava. Later she tried crossing it in my heels. I think she does better in heels than I do.

Elevator Nightmares

Does anyone else suffer from recurring dreams? My obsession is apparently with elevators. I think it is how my subconscious says, "Pay attention!! I'm trying to tell you something!" So the elevator symbol comes up again and again in my dreams and it always seems to mirror my life. If I feel stuck in my life-I'm stuck in an elevator. If I feel out of control--then the elevator no longer stays on its designated course--it will go sideways or around and around in a circle or even swing completely out of the building.

Last night I was yet again in an elevator. This time the elevator suddenly started going really fast in the downward direction. Then it would slow down again and repeat the process. Eventually though I got off of the elevator and a man was trying to fix it. He said it was acting erratically because its battery was running low. Odd, I know.

Take home message: I need more sleep and a serious battery recharge because life can be pretty crazy around here. Anyone know a good elevator repairman?

Take home message number 2: Never Never again will I ride the Tower of Terror elevator ride. Last time I rode it, there was a medical emergency. Doors started opening and shutting, the lights all went out, and we just hung there. . . waiting. . . . . .

Halloween

These pictures are all from our Trunk or Treat Halloween party at church (or right before). The kids really had a great time at the party. Lilly and Reagan were both cowgirls this year. Or as Reagan more aptly puts it, "I not a cowgirl, I a horsey girl." She's riding a horse not a cow--How could she be a cowgirl? I made the costumes and horses several years ago for Lilly and Rachael. It's great when they are willing to recycle.

Rachael finally decided that she would be a pirate this year. It worked out great. I made her the skirt and she already had a great looking "pirate" blouse. A few accessories and she was all set.

Geoffrey decided at the last minute that he was going to be Uncle Sam. We already had the hat so all I had to do is find one of dad's old suits and glue some batting onto his face for a beard. We had to get this great picture with Uncle Sam in the middle of Palin and McCain. We told Geoff he should go around the party saying, "I want YOU to vote!" Reagan must have really liked that phrase because she has been repeating it for days.

Lilly and Reagan both got their faces painted at the party.

On Halloween, I took Reagan and Lilly around the neighborhood trick or treating. Lilly got to have two of her friends go with us. Reagan just had a blast galloping on her horse from house to house. The big kids went trick or treating with their friends. They all had a fun time.

Sore all over

I took my first class at the YMCA on Monday. We lifted weights for the first half of the class. Being a novice (and an idiot) I grabbed weights that were slightly too heavy for me. Oh, I could lift them all right--at least at first. But after twenty times of lifting them up and down and around I was feeling it. Or course, I was too vain to walk over, get some smaller weights and admit I was a weakling-so I stuck it out. For the second half of the class, the instructor taught us kickboxing. Mom, this is kickboxing for exercise--not to kick butt. The only one's butt kicked was mine. I am SOOO sore. But I'm a glutton for punishment so I think I'll try it again next week.

Freedom

This is a picture of my new purse. Why, you might ask, is a new purse worthy of a blog post? No, it is clearly not a designer purse. But, even better, I had to buy a purse because I am throwing away my diaper bag. After almost fourteen years, I no longer need to carry a diaper bag. Reagan is day trained (pull-up at night) and I couldn't be happier. Definitely cause to celebrate!

Pumpkin Chunkin'

This year we took our annual Fall trip to Western New Hampshire. We went with the Stevens family (Mike's sister, Bonnie and family). First, we HAD to get some ice cream at Kimball Farms. A lady from the local newspaper took some pictures of us eating our ice cream. We'll see if we are cute enough to make their paper. Then we went on to Greenfield for the main event. A Trebuchet! And not just any trebuchet. The World record holder trebuchet called the Yankee Siege.

The majestic Trebuchet!

They had a faux castle set up on the hill. You have to have a castle to siege! Apparently though they have only ever hit the castle four times.

Here's the new Lord and Lady of Yankee Castle and the kids, for once, where they ought to be. In the dungeon.

Here is the Trebuchet in action. Unfortunately, the pumpkin was just too speedy to see on our video. But let me assure you, it really flew~1600 feet.

The rest of our trip included some amazingly beautiful scenery--mountains, streams, lakes, forests, fall colors, quaint New England towns and covered bridges. It was an awesome day and I feel very blessed to live in such a beautiful area.

Pumpkin Pickin'

On Friday, Reagan and I went on a Hayride with many of our friends from church. Reagan had a great time climbing the hay tower and cruising down the tall slide while we waited for the hayride to start. Here she is with her favorite pair of sunglasses. She ALWAYS wears them upside down. Unfortunately, she later lost them somewhere in the hay.We got to start the trip off with an apple. Reagan ate right down to the core. I think she swallowed a few seeds. Then we got to see different kinds of squash and produce, including several different kinds of corn. She really liked the different colors of the Indian Corn.

Reagan picked out a nice pumpkin but then realized, "It's too heeeavvvy mom!" Being the nice mom that I am, I helped her carry it back.

Beach Day

Thanks to Rosh Hashanah we got to have a beach day at Aunt Bonnie's.

We went once at high tide and then again at low tide. What a difference. The kids were amazed at how everything changed.

High Tide

Geoff climbed out to a rock and I snapped a picture just as a wave came in. It looks like he got soaked but he actually never got wet. Or maybe he's just learned to walk on water.

Here's a picture of me and Bonnie and a cute one of Reagan.

Low Tide

Rachael found a nice little chair to rest in for a while and Lilly and Reagan went surfing and rode the rock wave. Hang Ten!

Geoff walked way out on the seaweed covered rocks. I know from personal experience that they are VERY slippery. Just ask my knee-(alas, my knee has no smile). What a great day!