Another One Bites the Dust!

Nate lost his big front incisor tonight. (Maybe that means his other incisor--the one he had pulled when he was FOUR years old, the one that's been missing for 3 1/2 years, maybe THAT tooth is going to grow back soon?!)
As for these current teeth, he either doesn't notice or he has a fast process; but, again, when he left for school, all was normal. When he got off the bus, he excitedly announced, "Mom, I have a loose tooth!" Boy, was it loose! It was gone after dinner (Jason wanted to pull this one!) Here's a pic of the toothless wonder and the nice note he left for the Tooth Fairy.

Crazy Lovebirds

Happy 43rd Anniversary, Mom and Dad!

I posted this picture on Facebook this morning as an Anniversary surprise. It generated A LOT of traffic and reminiscing amongst Mom's Facebook friends and family. I hope that made Mom and Dad's celebration a little more FUN!

:)

Slowing Down for the Season

Whew! The week is over--parties, teacher gifts, Christmas cards, Christmas programs, etc. Our household is exhausted. In fact, we got home from the taekwondo test results (yellow belt, decided!) & potluck by 7:00, changed right into our jammies, cuddled under the blanket for "It's Christmastime, Charlie Brown!", opened the next Advent door and we're ready for bed by 8:30--all of us!!
It's Friday, so Nate and Amelia were having a sleepover in Nate's loft bed. I had just finished the last of the night-time to-dos and crawled in bed myself when I heard little voices from across the house shout in unison, "Mom, will you sing us a lullaby?" Of course I was exhausted, but what would any mom in the trenches do at that moment? I rolled out from underneath the covers, put my slippers on and walked down the hall to sing soothing Christmas carols and the final request, "Hush Little Baby." I returned to my warm bed (I'd left the electric blanket on in my absence) a little after 9:00. Jason was already asleep and I soon followed.
We must have been in a deep slumber! We woke up in the morning with Nate snuggled comfortably in our bed (we typically carry them back to their beds after a few snuggles when they come down to our room at night). Neither Jason nor I woke up when Nate snuck in last night. He said, "I came down here so Amelia could get some sleep. She kept tickling my feet and being silly and she needed sleep because she's sick. The clock said 9:53 when I came running down here in the dark." Hmmmmm, we were O.U.T. and it felt G.O.O.D!
I DID go to Target this morning--at 10:30 on the Saturday before Christmas--that's sort of the opposite of slowing down and relaxing; but we survived. Tonight? Saturday service at Woodcrest followed by Christmas lights and cocoa!!

12-12-12

So, we wanted to make today special, which in the eyes of a child means a PARTY!! A pizza party to be exact. And then, just to make the day memorable, Nate and Amelia tried a Twinkie for the first time. Nate's observation? "Twinkies are just little cakes." Amelia said, "yum! I like frosting."
It was a sort of farewell party--the end of the world (according to the Mayans) and the end of the Hostess Twinkie (since they went bankrupt last month). And if the world is going to end soon, why not fill your belly with pizza and processed sweets?! ;)

DOES Mommy Know Best?

Amelia is struggling with her strong emotions right now. We hear "I hate you!" a lot. We remind her that those are strong words. They are hurtful words. Her response? In all innocence, "I know, but I
just hate you right now." Then today she was upset about one of my decisions and after stomping her foot and shouting "arghhhhh!" she starts singing, "Mother DOESN'T know best" (a play on the song from "Tangled"). I must say, that girl has a quick wit.

How Summer Vacation Should Be

This morning we had a short, relaxed NRS play date at Jane and Woody's Wacky World of Animals. Nate and Amelia fed a camel, miniature donkey, and chickens; watched flipping pigeons and fainting goats; saw the elusive llama and Turkey Tom; and we bought a dozen blue eggs. The weather was a perfect 68 degrees (quite a cold snap). This afternoon we played at the Barton's with Carrie and her kids (a mutual friend from the neighborhood). We finished the day with a Taekwondo class. I thought the chilly evening (59 degrees--the temperature dropped throughout the day) called for soup, so homemade chicken quinoa soup for dinner and s'mores on the fire pit out back for dessert. YUM!

School's Out for Summer!

Nate was excited for today! Yesterday he brought home his desk--handwriting books, memory journals, science notebooks, fiction and nonfiction journals, free choice notebooks AND the school yearbook. Nate and I spent most of the afternoon perusing the accumulation of a year in school.
But today:
*tie-dyed red, white and blue class shirts
*special "last day of first grade lunch"--salmon and tuna sushi rolls
*half-day of school
*afternoon playdate with Drew and Kate
AND
*Celebratory pancakes for dinner!!
I made a collage of his first and last day of school. When you put the two photos side-by-side in direct comparison, it's striking how much he's grown this year...there's no more l'il kid, he's ALL BOY! (*sniff!)