Lego my Lego

It was recently the 100^th day of school.  So, he had to decorate what looked like a gingerbread man to look like he was 100 years old.

He had some help.

He wanted the man to have red shoes.  Hip old man he is.   Well, except for the fact he is wearing draw string pants.

Mama didn't read the directions too well.  I just told him to make him look old.  Turns out it should be a 100 year old version of himself.  Thank goodness he made his eyes blue.  Thank goodness we didn't put a dress on him.

He is doing so well in school lately.  I guess the bribes are working.  We tell him he can have a prize if he does well, and the only thing he wants is Star Wars Legos.  And...here’s the problem.  Have you priced these things lately?  Good grief!  It’s like Lego and Star Wars ganged up and said, "Let’s make an experiment out of this.  Let’s price a set at $75 and see if these idiots buy it.”  And damn if the people did.  And here I am in this predicament. 

Hello ebay.

So the dining room is Lego World.  Who needs a formal dining room anyway?

And the fighting has begun.  Jesse wants to help.  Jonah doesn’t want her near.  The pink and purple legos we bought for her help some, but not all the time.

The kids are constantly bickering back and forth, and Jonah is constantly asking us to help him find a piece.    And...these instructions are giving me headaches.  Calgon take me away!

But the look on his face when he completes one is worth all of this.

You've worked hard Jonah.  We are so proud of you.  And yes, sometimes she gets on your nerves, but at the end of the day...it's always better when we're together.  We love you.

Jump

So, the awesome thing about the trampoline, besides jumping with the kids, is that it gives me the most perfect opportunity to practice my action shots.  Good-bye blur.  I think I'm getting it.  And guess what people...it's not that hard.  It's all about Shutter Speed.  

My granny would have said right now, "Well, I do declare."  

Yep, it's not that difficult.  You can do it too.  Follow these incredible instructions right here. (Read that entire series if you have time.)

Granted, these are not perfect.  Getting them to face the sun when they jumped wasn't the easiest task. "Get on that corner and look this way!"  Yeah, right.  This part is just luck when you get it right.  I think so anyway.

It was still chilly.  The hat was a necessity for little one.  But it caused a little problem.



Little dark there on one side, but looky here...motion without the blur.



"Hey, where did everybody go?"



"Jonah, look at the sun and do that!"



"Jesse, how about showing me that sweet face?"



Little bit better.  Half the face lit anyway.



"Hey Jesse!  Over here!"



And a glimpse.  Please don't lose those cheeks my angel.



His head went through the trampoline.

Just kidding.  I should position myself better.  Actually, he was just standing on it and was very proud of himself for it.

Now, Jesse sort of trots along.  She's not jumping as high as her brother.  Not yet anyway.

I thought this was a nice, sweet playful pose.  Ah, they love each other.  They play so well together.

But...my love just informed me while looking over my shoulder that Jonah has her in a deathly, Jiu-Jitsu Gi hold (a Gi is his uniform top in Jiu-Jitsu, and this is a technique he is learning).  Oh yeah, seems like I remember a "playful" throw to the trampoline.  Poor Jesse.  She didn't have a clue.  Perhaps I should look out for this more?  Oh well, there were no tears.  She probably just enjoyed the attention.

And I enjoyed this time more than they could ever possibly know.  I'll be there.  I'll watch you grow on this trampoline.  I'll capture all I can and I will thoroughly enjoy every minute of it.  No other place on this earth that I would rather be.

Sparks

Jesse girl just fell asleep in my arms.  She's breathing so hard.  I can't believe I am not taking her picture.  What a day.  I am listening to the final Dora song.  "We did it!  We did it!  We did it!  Yeah!"  I don't think I have ever had to endure a character that gets on my nerves more.  But, I endure her.  I endure her for Jesse.  I do miss Elmo.

We finally got her and her brother out of the house today after a week of being snowed in.  I thought they would be going crazy to get out...turns out that as long and Grandmommy is around, it doesn't matter.  But, we got them out anyway.  It was nice.

My attention is on my love at the moment.  He has been busy during these snow days.  I showed him plans for a bookshelf for the playroom online and he was all over it.  Mind you...he has little tools, but he was all over it.  

I had no idea that when I jumped in that Toyota truck that night that I would end up here.  He had me at Hello...or whatever.  I sat on the floor and watched him building this bookshelf for my angels.  I'm sure he thought I would blog about it.  I'm sure he thought it would be "Look at this!"  But, it's more than that.  It's more about this...Hey, Jonah and Jesse...your Daddy rocks.  He did this for you.  And guess how much I love him for it?  I can never put it into words.

They are in the storage room in our basement.  Excuse my Monica like tub labeling.  I can't help myself. Back to my love....

He's going to be thrilled I posted these.  Probably not.  It's ok.  He will forgive me.

Holly crap.  This is going to happen.  $69 bookshelves.  I totally almost paid Pottery Barn a grand.

He moves me.  Good Lord.

Wala.

They do a mean prime coat.

I'll have to post more of the finished product...one day...when we finish it.  Right now, well right now, I just have him on my mind.  And I want him to know...well...I saw sparks.

Feeling Good and Frosty

What do you do when you are feeling good and snowed in and can't go to work?  Well, that's easy.  You build a snowman.

And Jesse named him simply, Frosty.  

And you stare at him out your window and wonder how the hell you are going to get him to the North Pole before the snow melts, because he is so perfect, and well, because you've been wanting to make him since you were a little girl and may cry real tears when he melts.  

And on this day, I put a little check on my bucket list in my head.  We made Frosty.  I am in love with him.  How will I keep him forever????

This is what you call serious snow in the South.  Perfect for building Frosty.  Perfect for having a snowball fight.

It hasn't been the easiest start to 2011.  I've been sick and hate talking about sick details, but I'm much, much better.  Just FYI...don't let a stupid doctor give you an antibiotic without checking you for Mono.  It will give you the worst reaction of your life.  You'll think you are dying.  You'll go to the ER.  If you get lucky, your sister-in-law will rescue you from the ER while your love is out of town.  Your mother-in-law will come rub your back while you moan through the night while your sister-in-law coats your feet with cold wet rags.  You're love will finally get you to another doctor for a second opinion who looks you in the face and says simply...."You have Mono."  She'll say the other docs shouldn't have given you Augmentin.  She'll say it's Med School 101.  She'll say "Give a Mono patient Penicillin of any kind and they will have the worst skin reaction of their life."  You will look at her somewhat embarrassed you are 37 with Mono and somewhat relieved you are not dying.  If you are really lucky, you'll get snowed in for long enough to really feel better and enjoy all the people who helped you get well.  You will rejoice in watching your kids play in the snow and thank God for good health and a wonderful family.

That's what you will do.  Just in case you are wondering.

It's so good to feel good.  It's so good to have Frosty.  It's so good to have a wonderful family.  Thank you wonderful family.  It's so good to know how blessed I am.

Lovely Day

Sometimes after the presents are opened and all is said and done...you just get a little down.  It's depressing my love says...when it's over.  Yes, it is sort of a let down.  Yes.  But....

I don't have to go to work till next week, and I can look back at all this.  It's Lovely to me.

Like this.  I had a birthday this month.  I spent the day with my love and the evening with my angels.  

Jesse is not smoking a cigarette.  That would be licking a candle.  Oh, that makes me laugh out loud.

Christmas baking.  Loved capturing it all.  Baking with kids.  It's fun...a little crazy, but definately fun.  We started out with Mrs. Claus' Peppermint Wonders (Chocolate-Mint Brownies that is).  Ahhhhh, melting chocolate and butter.

Roasting the nuts....

Give a kid a wooden spoon and something to crush...instant happiness.

"OK, I need you to crush these candy canes kids."  "OK!"

Well now...you don't bake without letting them lick the spoon now right?  It wouldn't be fair.

Wala.  This was one of my favorite surprise recipes this year.  Never tried them before.  Yum.

Clean the floor!  Just kidding.  I didn't even tell them to do this.

On to the Snowmen.  This was supposed to be easy.  Marshmallows stuck together with a toothpick, pretzels, chocolate chips, a hershey kiss, fruit roll up, yeah, easy.  Oh, but I had to make royal icing to stick the chips to the marshmallow.  Royal icing.  I should have took Jonah's advice.  "We can just lick it and stick it."  Looking back, brilliant.

Jesse tortured the first little guy.

Jonah helped her revive him.  Luckily it didn't require mouth to mouth or else I hate to think what would have happened.

And here we go.  One eyed Willy and his buddy Frosty.  Get this, they enjoyed eating everything but my royal icing.  It was not that good.  Lick it and stick it.  Lick it and stick it.  

On to the naughty recipe.  You have to have something naughty.  Fruit cake cookies might not sound like the best.  But add this... 

and you are sure to get a few smiles.  Jesse girl is not smoking this time, but it looks like she's been in the Brandy...well, at least the flour.

Now, these babies had an entire cup of Brandy in the mix.  An entire cup.  You should have smelled it.  You should have licked it.  

More of the nice now.  Cookies for Santa are my very favorite.  This year the cookies were really good.  The recipe called for almond extract and that is just delicious in a cookie.

The really fun part.

Sometime during the baking day, I checked my email and low and behold...I had a couple of messages for Jonah and Jesse...from Santa's portable North Pole.  Seriously, this was really impressive.  The kids were in a trance.

Jesse's message:

http://www.portablenorthpole.tv/watch/c2CIsa2SBnKNfhHzANNWgw

Jonah's message:

http://www.portablenorthpole.tv/watch/FQEyXSB2rMxELWttHnqUdQ

I believe Jonah's expression above was a result of Santa telling him to be nicer to his little sister.  And below is the result.  He kept his promise a few hours.

And finally...Christmas Morning.  Santa left quite a mess.

And the simple things were some of their favorite gifts.

A Barbie car.

A notebook to store his Pokemon collection.

"You'll shoot your eye out!"  Love, love, love this movie and it wouldn't be Christmas without it.

And kids.  My favorite gift from Santa was the Scavenger Hunt to find your trampoline.  I just wanted to cry as I watched your little faces light up with every clue and little gift.  I wanted to freeze time.  I never wanted either of you to grow up from this moment.  Santa led you to every tree in the house.  He visited every single one.

Christmas Breakfast.  Now, this is when you go all out.  You buy the good bacon...not the turkey bacon.   You get the thick cut bacon with all the fat.  And you actually cook it in the oven and not the microwave.  This is what my love did.  And it was so good.  I could eat it like candy.  Homemade buttermilk pancakes that make you want to flip.

Man, I wish I had a piece right now.  I didn't realize how much I loved bacon.  Bacon done right that is.

And the good stuff comes a pouring.  Hello.  Good Morning.  This while watching the snow fall on Christmas morning with my family was better than any experience at any fine restaurant.  It's the simple things.  My love should open a restaurant and name it that.

And of course...the icing.

Today we danced in circles playing with our toys and listening to this.

I hope this makes you dance in circles too.  Happy New Year!