Swine, Schmine, We're All Fine

Well, we survived it. Can you believe it? In a remarkably appropriate response to the possibility of a suspected case of...of... sick child..... Alek's school closed its doors last Saturday, and we were told not to return until May 18. What a relief. Who wouldn't want to be unexpectedly faced with a bored 8 year old for two weeks? Who wouldn't think this was a reasonable response? Who wouldn't be impressed? And THEN... well, when I got the email that Nora was not particularly welcome at preschool due to her possibly-might-have-been-exposed-to-another-possibly-sick-kid sibling, well, that was icing on the cake. ALL THREE kids home for two weeks! YEE HAW! PARTY!!!!!!

But apparently the eye-rolling in Washington trickled down to Texas yesterday, and we received a reprieve. I rejoiced. Alek teared up (possibly for different reasons than my rejoicing). Nora seems to have not realized it was going on at all. Can I just say (this is for you know who), driving both children to school this morning was, sorry Jon, my moment of Zen.

If you love Mad Men....

PLEASE CLICK ON MY LINK TO "STUFF WHITE PEOPLE LIKE." #123/March 11. I snorted.

YOU PEOPLE CAN'T HAVE IT ALL

Okay, so I posted. Good grief. I posted! Sorry! Sheesh.

Katie, babe. Genie. Sharon. Mom. Tim. I posted. Chill out.

See that kid over there? He's down to an hour nap. You think I can blog while he's up and about? See that? Constant.

I read The Host since my last post. That's at least 5 days worth of reading and two days of recovery. Really. There is a mourning period, don't you think?

And... now I'm trying to do the exercise thing. That means at least an hour and a half out of the house. And, well, honestly, another hour for napping as a result of the actual exercising. Yeah.... energizing schmenergizing. I need a nap.

So here's your post. Two, actually. I'll try to be more interesting over the next week or two.

My Brother, The Elephant Man

You know, there are no real celebrities in our family, so any moment in the limelight is a pretty big deal. But come on, the circus????? Tim was going to be in the circus!?!?!?! We all decided this was worthy of our attendance. Mom and Dad came down. We brought Grant with us. Everyone was on hand.

So at dinner before the circus, Tim was clearly nervous. We asked if he was nervous because the whole town was on hand to watch or because he was about to ride an elephant. His response: I'm nervous because I'm replaying every single episode of "When Animals Attack" in my head right now. (Yeah, I had to admit I was worried that we might be assembling the entire family to watch my brother helplessly strapped to a rampaging elephant...)

So we get there, and we are all expecting pretty much exactly what we see. A single circus tent in an empty lot. A small fairway. We go in and Nora gets her face painted. She's thrilled.... and then I notice that the man painting her face is wearing a robe that says, "The Flying Fernandez" under which I notice are tights. The trapeze guy face paints! Pretty cool.

We sit down and immediately you notice two cages holding two tigers each. Hmmmm. They are inside a cage that surrounds the ring. Dave and Mom and I are eyeballing this cage set-up. Me: "Dave, do you think that cage would actually hold in a tiger if it wanted out?" Dave: "Absolutely not." Great. Mom agrees. So I spend the next fifteen minutes planning escape routes. Dave is instructed to grab two kids. I'll grab one. But, he's arguing that he's staying put while the mayhem breaks out because he's sure the tigers will go for moving targets instead. Yeah.... but eventually all the moving targets will no longer be moving.... and then he'd be a sitting duck. Alek this whole time repeats over and over, "What are you guys talking about? Why do we have to escape? What are you guys talking about?" Excellent parenting skills.

So then the actual tiger act starts. Ummmmm.... they looked drugged..... but... ummmm... they were NOT happy tigers. Ears back, hissing, growling. Yeah.... it was quite an act. And I can honestly say that I have never been so relieved as when it ended.

The rest of the show was surprisingly awesome. I will never go to a huge three ring circus in the Astrodome again. This is where it's at, folks. Hula-hooping, dogs, cool trapeze family, whip drumming, twin Brazillian brothers juggling, this cool balancing guy, some pretty good clowns, a horse-riding act in which a "member of the audience" lost her pants, and of course cotton candy, cracker jacks, pop corn, caramel apples, and soda pop. COME ON - when have you ever had a better time that that??!?! It was terrific. Walter and the rest of the kids watched every second. Tim was set for intermission, and before the circus started, Dave and I agreed we'd leave after that - it's a long drive home. But about half way through the first half, we agreed we weren't going anywhere.

But then it was time. The Dog Act. Tim's cue. Off he went to be put upon an elephant. Intermission was next. They announced a member of the community was the honorary ring master, and the lights dimmed.... AND TIM RODE OUT ON AN ELEPHANT!!!!!! WE CHEERED!!!! HE WAVED AT THE CROWD!!! WE WAITED FOR HIM TO HEAD ACROSS THE RING AND AROUND THE TENT. And they led him to the right 40 feet........and that was that. Wow. Alas. But hey - TIM RODE AN ELEPHANT IN THE CIRCUS! How many of you can say that???????? We loved it. And there was no rampaging. Not one little bit.

Which Came First... The Tree or the Wood?

Tonight in the car, Nora was pondering the origin of trees....

"How do you think Jesus made the first tree? Maybe he just grew it. But maybe he made it with wood. Maybe he got some wood and made it into a tree shape and stuck it in the ground. And then maybe he got some mulch and glued it to the wood for the bark. For the leaves I wonder how he made them? Oh, I know. I bet he cut out leaf shapes with paper. And he glued them to sticks and then glued them or stapled them on the wood and the mulch. And then maybe he painted them. Or maybe he just used green paper. Or maybe Jesus is just magic."

Nora says things backwards a lot. "Stick lip..... hawk mosquito.... monk chip....." Really.... maybe the stick did come before the lip, and the monk before the chip.... and the wood before the tree.

And, if Jesus really did manage to acquire wood, mulch, paper, AND sticks prior to the appearance of the first tree, well, then how can one argue that he's NOT magic?

The Week in Review

(Yes, I know this is not in chronological order, but I'm too lazy to rearrange it. So, love it or leave it.)
Alek's team, The Starz, won it's first game on Sunday! Yee haw! It's been a little while. Alek is playing pitcher and right fielder these days and loving every minute of it.

On Friday night, we had movie night. VERY big news. HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL THREE is out on DVD! Watched it, loved it, put the kids in bed. Thirty minutes later, "Sharpay" appeared downstairs.

Today we went to the zoo! Woo wee! Walt is the perfect age for this. Very interested in everything, but still pretty willing to sit in the stroller most of the time. He posed on the carousel, but as soon as it moved, he was done. I had to hold him next to his havelina. Alas.

He was, however, very impressed with the goats and really enjoyed this. I don't know that he's ever been to a petting zoo. So it was a big deal!

This is what it looks like when Mommy is ready to leave the zoo playground before Walter is.

I love going to the zoo with a little herd of kids. I only had two with me today, so I'm glad Caroline and four of hers and Katie and three of hers could come, too!

Oh yeah.... and the tree is DOWN! FINALLY! WOO HOO! Ike is over.

The Space Time Continuum Is In Good Hands

Alek, as you may or may not know, is a HUGE fan... HUGE... of Abraham Lincoln. Abe is a daily topic of conversation. Alek is full of Lincoln facts. He's read numerous books. He knows quite a bit.

So tonight at his Open House, the 5th graders were lining the halls performing as various figures in American history. Abe's sign was there, but no Abe. We asked the kid next to him - Harry Houdini- who said, with a straight face, I kid you not, "Oh he's gone. He got assassinated."



So all of this is to get me to Alek's feelings that both America and Abe Lincoln were cheated out of Abe's full second term. He said he wanted to go back in time and foil John Wilkes Booth's assassination attempt. I suggested that doing so would alter history. We discussed this for a bit, and he quickly came up with the following.



"I would go back in time to a minute before John Wilkes Booth pulls his gun, and I would go, 'POOM' and knock him down. Then I would grab Abraham Lincoln and take him to the future. Then I would tell Barack Obama that he has to let Abraham Lincoln serve the rest of his time as president that he would have gotten if he hadn't gotten shot. So then Abraham Lincoln would be the president for as long as he should have been. Then I would tell Barack Obama he could have his time now, so they would just have to wait for him before a new election. Then I would take Abraham Lincoln back to Ford's Theater just before John Wilkes Booth tried to kill him. Then I would put him back. Then he would get killed and history would not change, but he still got to be president for his whole term in the future."



Dave asked how he was going to convince Abraham Lincoln to go back. Alek, undaunted, said, "He wouldn't want to change history." So, prepare yourselves. If time travel is discovered during his lifetime, Abe Lincoln may just be our next president.

Let the Games Begin

On Saturday, Nora had her first EVER sporting event. She is playing soccer this spring and is on the Sharks.
Coach at first practice: Okay, since our colors are yellow and black, I thought we could be the hornets or the bumble bees. Let's vote. Who wants to be The Hornets?
Kid 1: I want to be the monkeys.
Kid 2: I want to be the sharks.
Kid 3: I don't want to be a bee.
Coach: Who wants to be the hornets? (maybe two kids raise their hands)
Coach: Who wants to be the bumble bees? (maybe another two kids raise their hands)
Coach: Okay, who wants to be the monkeys? (Four raise their hands)
Coach: Well, who wants to be The Sharks? (Five raise their hands)
Coach: Okay - we're The Sharks!

Before the Game

GO SHARKS!!!

Nora scored FOUR goals in her first game!!!! No score was kept, but she was VERY proud!

Last night was Alek's first AA Baseball game. He's on The Starz this year. Very exciting.

They lost 17 to 1 last night. Alas. I was filming the whole thing for Dave (in Wyoming), so I didn't take pictures, but I will take some on Wednesday during Game 2. Stay tuned!

Februaries Past

Not many pictures taken so far this month, so I'm grabbing a few from past Februaries. Time flies.

Nora and Alek

February 2005

Alek and Nora

February 2006Nora and Alek
February 2007
Alek
February 2007
Nora and Walter
February 2007
Alek

February 2008

Walter and Nora

February 2008

Unknown Clown

February 2008

A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words, or At Least Five Questions

1. Why isn't she in her bed where I tucked her in?
2. Why is she using a towel instead of a blanket?
3. Where are the items that were on the hangers?
4. Did she have the tights on at some point and then change her mind?
5. What gives with the potty training toilet seat?

Christmas may be over, but.......

Alek and his friends have apparently been playing a game since one of the kids came to school with a Santa hat in December. At recess one kid puts on the Santa hat. The others chase him down and incarcerate him. The name of the game? Isn't it obvious??????????

Elf. B. I.

Creative Connections

Nora: Guess what I had for lunch today?

Alek: A sandwich.

Nora: No.

Alek: Pizza.

Nora: No.

Mommy: A hedgehog!

Nora: (angrily) NO! I did NOT eat a hedgehog! I ate pancakes and sausage.

Alek: You really did eat kind of a hedgehog.
Nora: STOP IT!

Mommy: Alek, don't tease her.

Alek: She did! Sausage is like ham. Ham is from pigs. Pigs are called hogs. Hedgehog.

Okay.... she ate a hedgehog.

No Word Wednesday

(Sorry Susan.... I'm not letting go without a fight.)

Life Goes On

Okay, so it's really painful that my Twilight post is now being shuffled down the page. It's literally almost painful. But, life must go on after Twilight... or so they tell me.

Here's some evidence that life did go on even in the midst of the Cullens and Swans, the Blacks and the Volturi.

We spent New Years with Dave's family and got to see Brian, Julie, and baby Lillian!

Nora and Brandon (whom I continually call Jacob and have done so since October, a full month before I'd even begun the first Twilight book, so I can't figure this out at all) were playing so quietly that I investigated.

This is a gift from Nora to me. We often receive Nora gifst around here. The wrapping paper consists of two kleenexes. I wouldn't give her the tape, so she improvised with stickers.

Well, when you have a child accustomed to having his picture taken, getting anything but "Cheese" can be a challenge. Walt loves jingle bells. You can often here one jingling as he makes his way through the house or yard.

Alek is now 8 years old! We celebrated by taking him (alone - left the younger two at some friends' home - Thanks Monika and Cameron!) to dinner the weekend before his birthday at a restaurant near the airport. It revolves, and we got to watch the planes taking off, landing, and just enjoyed the general hubub of the airport terminal exteriors.

On his birthday I surprised him by taking him out of school for his lunch/recess hour. We went to have our favorite Mom and Alek meal - sushi. California rolls, Crazy rolls, Phoenix rolls, and Unagi, baby! That evening, we ordered take-out Chinese (his choice) and played with presents.

Nora gave him a card that played "Bad to the Bone" She was VERY proud of it.

It was an RC kinda birthday. Truck, car, AND Airhogs!

Alek is not a cake fan, so he requested brownies for his birthday treat.

This past weekend was Alek's Cub Scout Pine Wood Derby. This is the car that Alek and David built together.

No matter what heat it was in, the car placed fourth every single time!

So, as you can see, depite the general gloom that has settled on me as the last sentences of Midnight Sun came and went. In spite of the fact that the movie is leaving the theaters and there will be no more teenagers gawking at the middle-aged moms bouncing in their seats and swooning at vampires....... life goes on. All is well and happy here in our little neck of the woods!

In the Closet No More....

Okay, so if you've been talking to me day to day, you know why there has been only one blog post in nearly two months. If you've been talking to me day to day, you know that I've truly discovered the fountain of youth. If you've been talking to me day to day, you hear the giddy gushings, the swooning giggles. You might even find me to be ridiculous and unbearable, but you know.


On the other hand, if you've not been talking to me day to day, you know none of this. You probably think I've been a little quiet. Some birthday cards did not go out on time. Some TV shows have been neglected. Book club books didn't get read. Maybe, you think, the holidays did her in. Maybe you're a little miffed at my lack of communications. I have been in the closet to all but those who see me... people who see me know the truth because I can't stop talking about it.... I was hiding from those I could hide from, but Katie once again has made me brave. Why fight it? Why hide what I'm clearly sharing with millions of middle-aged women and fresh-faced teenagers? If she can admit the addiction, I can as well. Besides, I can't let her gush about him while I remain silent. It might give her the edge, and he's mine.

She claims to be 16 again. I don't know, Katie.... I think I'm coming in at 14.... I think I beat you.

For those of you still in the dark, you don't have to be. Don't you know you can come out in the light? That dark business is myth. The sun burning your skin? Myth. Sleeping in coffins? Myth. It's Twilight. In all it's glory, all its incarnations.... Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn, and yes, Midnight Sun. 2500 pages of angst-ridden, teen-aged love. It's the devastatingly romantic and tortured Edward Cullen. It's the unrequited desperation of Jacob Black. It's battle-worn Jasper and exuberant Emmet and spritely Alice and the vain Rosalie. It's the noble Carlisle and tender Esme.... It's the villainous James, the vengeful Victoria. It's the frightening Volturi, the bitter Romanians, the swaggering Irish, the fierce Amazons, and the Werewolves. Oh... the werewolves. Katie's right. I DARE you not to get sucked in. Read the first. You'll be driving the streets at 10 pm in the rain trying to get your hands on the rest (and likely every place you go will be sold out). Don't laugh. I've lived it. Papercuts, my family and friends, will quite simply never be the same again.

I've read the books, even the unfinished draft of book 5 that's only online. I've seen the movie (thank you, Katie and Pen--- and Sharon). I've purchased the soundtrack. I am head over heels with vampires. Read Katie's blog and those she's linked to. I am not alone. The Cullens have a veritable army of women who would likely smite each other over a chance at Edward. Vampires are tragic, and romantic, and exciting, and fabulous in every way. My children are fascinated with me.

• Nora: "Are vampires bad guys?" Me, bristling: "Not ALL vampires are bad, Nora. Some of them just eat meat. Just like regular people. They're very nice and VERY handsome."


• Alek: "Why do you like them so much?" I have to think about this. Have to stay age appropriate, you know.... "Well, did you know that when a vampire hits a baseball, it can go a mile or more! BUT that vampires can run so fast and throw so hard and catch so well that it's not even a base hit???!!?!" He's sold. Success. Another fan. And he likes "Supermassive Black Hole," too.


• Both: "Was the movie good?" Me, swooning: "IT WAS DELIGHTFUL!!"

I've threatened and whined and cajoled my friends into reading these books. Really, if you've not read them, then you're not going to be very interested in a conversation with me at this point. I'm smitten. I know the release date of the DVD AND the next movie (March 21 and November 20 in case you're interested). I've driven my mother to buy the book. We've all driven our husbands into eye-rolling, patronizing, exasperated standers-by. What else can they do? How do they compete with the lush and devastatingly romantic world of a vampire?

In the preschool hallways the topics of diapers and sleeping schedules and playdates have been replaced with rapid, giddy talk of cold skin, mind-reading, wry smiles, and the anguished howls of desperate werewolves. There's speculation about the reality of two-exited bathrooms in airport terminals and the difficulties of escaping someone who sees the future. Just mention the books in public. Do it. Anywhere there are literate women, there are Twilight fans. Mark my words. It's everywhere.

And really, you should know, in case you ever run into a vampire, that you need to see their eyes. Are they black? Are they amber? Or are they red? Knowing the difference could be the difference between life, death, immortality, or the greatest romance of your life.

December Redux

December in Review

So.... it's apparently annoying to some of you that I've not posted in 26 days. This does NOT mean I haven't been checking to see who's been checking the blog.....

Really, it's not my fault. The card reader on the PC died. This would be easily fixed by using the USB cable that came with the camera. However..... I couldn't actually find that cord until today. Really..... how many of you know exactly where every one of the 437 USB cables that you likely own actually is????????? Give me a break.

This first picture is a little out of order chronologically, but I think it best exemplifies the way I've operated this December.

It was about 8:15 on December 8th. I was on the phone talking to Sharon about her impending departure from Doha and arrival in the states. We were chitting and chatting a hundred miles an hour. Alek had already been taken to school. Nora was dressed and ready. I needed to dress Walt. I dressed him, continued the chitting and the chatting, and left the room to make Nora's lunch. A bit later, I called Walt to come into the kitchen so I could put on his socks and shoes. He just kept laying there and ignoring me. I gave up, went and gathered Nora's bag, and then tried again. "Walt, come here!" Usually he runs for socks and shoes. Today he said.... quietly in a matter of fact kind of way...... "Ow." Ow? What's wrong? Come here and show me. Walt:"............. ow."

Keep in mind that it's now about 8:45. I'm still talking to Sharon, but I get off the phone so I can see what's wrong with Walt who has apparently been laying in the same place for almost 30 minutes. Yeah. EXCELLENT parenting.

The weekend of the 5th, "The Aunts" came to visit with "Baby Ella"

I discovered a flare for modern photography. (How many of you True Blood fans don't find this a compelling interpretation of the new character?)

Tim and family came to greet "The Aunts."

At the park with the aunts, Ella, and Grant.

Yes, Dave claims this to have been a "perfectly safe" way to retrieve the football.

Dave apparently needed a handicap for the football game.

Grant and Alek practice kicking.

Alek and Ella share some down time.

The night of the aunts' departure, we put up the tree!

Then, on the 9th, IT SNOWED!!!!!! I know, I know, many of you are laughing, but for those of us who actually live here, where it NEVER snows, it was AMAZING!!!!! (Can't you see it?????)

Also on the 9th Sharon and family arrived in town. This heralded the beginning of a great week filled with "Carrie" necklaces, lovely dinners, book club, and ENTOURAGE SEASON 5 !!!!!

We celebrated the SEVENTH anniversary of Alek's Adoption Day!!! And then just a few days later, we celebrated Walter's 2nd birthday!!

Then we were visited by Grandma and Grandpa. Then Granny and Grandpa arrived, and then...........

Christmas Eve 2008!

Alek played a Roman soldier AND one of the Three Kings in the church nativity.

On Christmas Eve, each kiddo opened one present, but the rest was saved for Christmas Day! Nora and Walt went right to sleep, but Alek stayed up until after 11 o'clock quietly watching out his window. Christmas mornign was fun, the kids were thrilled with the Pony Fair, wii, and Cars Racing lanes that Santa brought.

Oh... and somewhere in there I read the complete four book, 2000+ page Twilight series. Ladies.... you're missing out. After all, it's a bona fide "pop culture phenomenon!"

The next day we travelled to see Cousin Lillian's Baptism, and then hurried back for Alek's last playdate with Stone (who has since moved to Kentucky) and my last playdate with Sharon (who is probably circling the airport over Doha as I type this), and have now enjoyed TWO quiet days at home! And now, dear friends, you are up to speed.