Next week . . .

I'll be singing with Sir Neville Marriner!

We'll be doing Henry V by Walton (never heard of it? me neither (-:). I like that at times I feel like I'm in the court of one of the British Monarchy I've been reading about. Other than that it's more like a novelty piece for the choir. The DSO will be playing, an English actor will be narrating and the choir comes in every now and again. But...we'll be sharing the stage with a renown conductor...cool!

At breakfast today:

Mom: William, where's your shirt?

William: Over there.

Mom: Why don't you put it on?

William: I don't have my socks on!!!

Today I'm wondering . . .

when is my mid-winter break??

Kids are off school yesterday and today for "mid-winter" break. Had good fun in our 9 inches or so of new snow yesterday and then today Ben was off for some oral surgery...whoo-hoo! He's been plagued with extra teeth (three!) that have prevented his front permanent tooth from coming down. He's recouping pretty well now.

Anyway, I've had this thought when I hear fellow Michiganders (Michiganians?...hmmm...I got the misspelling red dots for Michiganians and not Michiganders...) any way, when I hear people lamenting the long winter this year I always think, "have a baby, you won't even know what day it is more or less what month." (-: Usually around this time, I'm in the same boat as the rest...bring on Spring. But this year, the days/months are just flying by filled with the endless busyness of a house of seven, one being a newborn. I CAN NOT believe March is in less than a week, I'm still waiting for last summer to warm up!!!

(-:

This weekend . . .

This gal turned 3 months old!!!

Today Livia is wearing a vintage Hudson's sweater made in Belgium, 100% Acrylic, nice!!

(either Aunt Kate or myself used to be the proud owners)

And this guy had his first Pine Wood Derby!

Ribbons for creativity and design

Ben's car

note to self: take pic of child and car BEFORE the race...I learned that after B's race and before H's. If the car's not a ribbon winner, faces aren't really at their happiest. )-:

British Monarchy

For some reason I've been hooked on reading historical books of various British monarchs. It started when I saw the Other Boleyn Sister movie (some name like that). I then read The Six Wives of Henry the Eighth (800-ish pages...took me for-e-ver!!) and from that book became interested in Queen Elizabeth. Read her biography then happened upon a library dvd of The Duchess of Devonshire which lead to reading her biography. Recently I noticed a movie about Queen Victoria came out so I've started her biography that my MIL lent me back when I first started this kick. I hope to finish it by the time the movie makes it to the dollar theater (it's not looking good...I do about three pages a day and there are 438 pages).

So...what's with this post you ask? Well, I think I found the most impractical item ever to spend our hard earned dimes on...and I can't get out of my head how much I want it!!! Check the link for a sample of just one of 150 programed messages and take note that although this item says "sir" I could order one that says "madam."

http://www.firebox.com/video/883

(-:

He is bound and determined . . .

to make her his playmate!

Approximately 98% of Livia's waking moments are spent "playing" with William.

He especially likes when she "races" him to his bed after books before nap time. (i.e. mom flies her like super-baby to his bed yelling "cow-a-bunga!"... he wins every time).

They're going to be quite a pair those two.

And . . .

Let's play, "What's Missing?"

O.K., besides the improved brightness in picture two, can you find what is missing from picture one? No prizes, just a little mid-winter entertainment.

(-:

"She's Scary" . . .

Today at lunch I was leafing through my *free* copy of Architectural Digest (it's fun to dream). As a quick aside...I L.O.V.E. that the little library in a small town a bit north of us puts their last month's library magazines out on a freebies rack for all to take. Of course, our city library (consisting of about five, gorgeous new buildings through out town) wouldn't dream of giving the taxpayers back the magazines we technically bought. I think I'll call them today and see what they do with their old magazines...anyway...

So, the magazine was open to the page with the below picture while we took bites of lunch. Out of nowhere William says "She's Scary." "Oh?" I say "what about her makes her scary?" To which he replies, "her dancing shoes...and (he thinks for a minute)...her eyes." "Hmmmm" I say and make a mental note on how not to look scary. (-:

p.s. Just called our library and two people I spoke to had no idea what happens to the magazines "Um...I don't know maybe they're donated or thrown out or something." Nice. In a town SO proud of the Recycle/Reuse cause! She did say she'd call back with more info.

(-:

A favorite Winter pic

The kids got to go sledding at Vets Park late yesterday afternoon and Lara is so enthusiastic about going over jumps and face plants (I'm not kidding, she has a blast) that it reminded me of this pic from our trip to Crystal Lake in january.

LOVE IT!!

Snow Day . . .

Finally!!

It's been a very light year for snowfall in our neck o' the woods this year. Oh...I might be paying for that comment come April!!! Anyway, the troops were up and at 'em early today getting stated with snowy fun.

This is what I emerged from my bedroom to find!

Yes, it is 20-something degrees out...

They did have the sense to put their boots on at least...

Can you even imagine?!?!

And...

For later today...

A friend of mine emailed that her house was so loud yesterday that she prepared dinner wearing the earmuffs from her shooting gear bag! Been there!! So, I riffled (no pun intended) through my closet this morning just in case my zeal for a snow day wears off around 4 this afternoon!!

(-:

Bath Time

This gal has no problem with bath time. Never a peep as she slips into my little bathroom sink. She still fits but we're on the verge of needing to move into the baby tub. I can't believe we're creeping up on three months old soon!

Question of the Day . . .

"Do mom's stinker?"

(-:

Yep, I live in a house with three boys, that's for sure!!!

Here they are today. Two stayed home from school, kind of sick. One of them still hanging on to a cough that sounds like he should be really sick, but he doesn't act like it at all and one of them that I think was just wanting a rest day today upon hearing there would be two brothers home. I gave it to him since I was dog tired this morning and didn't feel like arguing with him and they don't get "perfect attendance" awards anyway. Not sure how many 1st graders I know that can adequately be the banker for Monopoly, read chapter books, play chess and ace all his math tests anyway...I think he's due a "sick day." (-:

They've been at Looney Tune Monopoly (Value World $1.21) for over an hour now. It was a little shock to the above mentioned first grader when he learned there would be no wii playing on his "sick" day!

p.s. The answer? "Well, yeah I suppose they do, but usually in private or they don't make a big deal out of it." Response, with hand and arm held high as if answering a teacher's question, a big smile and a loud proclaiming voice...

"I Stinker!!"

Yep, a house of boys!

O.K., can I just say . . .

Enough with the poop explosions!!

(no pics)

(and...I'm talking about the baby)

(-:

Hanging around on my desktop . . .

is this picture here,

just waiting to be acknowledged.

I posted this a while ago here in regard to my recent zeal for recovering things with a staple gun. My mom had wanted this stool recovered with the back of this coat and I thought, "what a cinch," after having recovered my chairs with success. Well, it wasn't a cinch. The staples were very hard to remove from the wood so it went to the far back burner.

Then Christmas started sneaking up and I had in my mind that the stool might actually make a nice little gift. So, after two failed attempts at buying staples that would work in the wood, and getting a staple gun loan because mine didn't work with this project, I started and finished it...

on Christmas Eve!!!!!

Wha-la!

(How in the world do you spell that?)