Likes

Claire likes: baby dolls, telling jokes*
Jane likes: Angelina Ballerina, using the potty by herself (or doing anything by herself)
Audrey likes: Word World, her new rain boots (she's also saving her money to buy an umbrella)

*When I change Claire's diaper, she always tries to roll over and get away.  Typical, right?  Well, today when she did it, I made the usual fuss, which she thought was pretty funny.  After that she'd fake me out and then laugh about it, until she would just turn her head to the side, watching me, and then laugh really hard.

Claire is getting even more adventurous in her walking.  She walked the entire length of the kitchen yesterday.  And she's tried dancing with Audrey in the living room during our weekly Dance Party, which she thought was the funniest thing in the world.

Official

We are homeowners.  :)

Rockwall, Texas, here we come!

(I'll post pictures of the inside next week.)

More Decor

We completed the next in the series of seasonal blocks.  This one is adorable!

I found THE perfect picture.  The one I had been looking for for so long.  It fits all my criteria: something country, landscape, has red, blue, and yellow in it, not too much green, mostly blue, makes me happy.  

The light in this living room is horrible.  And it was a cloudy day, so when we put it up in the new house with a  light on it, it'll be awesome.

Donuts with Dad

(Submitted by David.)

This could be a Christmas story.

One of those Christmas stories that is so unbelievably sad that you don't even remember what it has to do with Christmas -- you just remember that every time you hear it, you sob uncontrollably.

The Little Match Girl is precisely such a story. It's just TOO amazingly sad.  You can't even deal with it.  (Warning, the link above will break your heart unless you do not have one, you miserable human being.)

Well, I don't know what the donut story has to do with Christmas either, but someday I am sure it will be read to children the world over every Christmas Eve.  And families the world over will sob uncontrollably in their various languages and widely divergent traditional Christmas garb as they look at the picture and think of the poor sweet little Audrey angel, who went to preschool alone...

...on "Donuts with Dad" day.

That's right.  Yes I did.  I'm not proud of it.

If you can't read the sign, it says "will work for time with Dad."

Isn't it painfully obvious that there are supposed to be two people in this picture?  That there were probably two people in all the other kids' pictures?

I think the idea with the jacket, hat, and tie was so the child would stand by her father in the picture and look like she had tried to be just like her best pal -- her dad.  What a hero.

Turns out, when the dad doesn't come, this plan not only doesn't work, it totally backfires.  Not only does she  not have a dad in a picture labeled "Donuts with Dad," but she is also now dressed like an orphan from the 1930's.

Put a little coal dust on her cheeks and I am officially the worst. father. ever.

In fairness, I was absolutely stuck.  I agonized over the "decision," but there really wasn't much of a decision to make -- I couldn't go.  I had a witness interview scheduled that morning that I could not change or cancel.  I didn't set the appointment.  I am just trying to keep food on the table.

The real solution here would have been to simply keep her home from school.  Then she never would have known that she I missed Donuts with Dad's day.

And Lewis Hine never would have taken this wretched photo that will haunt me until the day I die...alone...with only my career to comfort me.

Celebrating Stuff

I finished this "Lucky" for Saint Patrick's Day.  We try to celebrate St. Patrick's day . . . some people don't, but we kinda have to.  Red heads, Jane's birthday . . . ya know.

This was the granddaddy of all our block projects--Happy Birthday.  I think it turned out AWESOME.  Jane will be the first to use it.

I saw this saying somewhere a long time ago and thought it was great.  It had been on an old-fashioned looking metal sign . . . like something you'd see in a collage at a chain steakhouse or in a gas station or saloon . . . I had thought it was charming.  But them I saw someone else frame some cliche' cutesy sayings with typewriter font, like how I did this one, and I liked the look--so I just combined the ideas.  Not sure where I'll be putting it in the new house, but we'll see.

Oh yes.  The NEW house.  I was going to post a link so you could see pictures, but the listings have all been removed (which is nice to know), so after we close next week, we'll take some proper pictures to share.  You're just going to love it.

And, speaking of love, this is a picture of "100 blooms of love" that David got me for V-day.  They came as buds and we were very worried about how they'd be, but the next day they were blooming and beautiful.  I adore them.

So, I planned all these super fun things for Valentines day, which we did, but I forgot to take pictures.  I made some amazing homemade spaghetti and meatballs (because it seemed like a romantic meal--a la Lady and the Tramp--and because it's one of the few things my kids like to eat a lot of), we had candlelight, and the whole family got a mini crash course in manners.  We ate in courses, had chocolate covered strawberries, had cream soda out of glass bottles with straws (not exactly "romantic" but it was defiantly something exciting for the kids), and had an awesome time.  So far this year I have have kept up with all of my planned family traditions, and I'm surprised at how easy it's been to keep up with them--especially when they're planned ahead and marked on the calendar.  And the pay-off with the kids has been so worth the effort.  They've really been having a good time.  

Next on my radar for February is the family service project.  :S  Sure hope the family cooperates for that one. 

For the sad news, Jordi is in Alaska now.  So I'm on my own again.  :(  We all miss her so much already.

V-Day and Stuff

This picture is totally candid.  They were ready for bed and waiting to see Daddy before I took them up . . . they put on socks and shoes and sat together to watch a little movie while they waited.  :)

We had "heart beets" for dinner Saturday night.  :)  And, no, they still didn't eat them.

Audrey posing for the camera.

 Claire was just curious about the camera, and although the light blinded her a little bit, she still thought it was funny.

Audrey posing for the camera again.  This time she's pretending to be a dog.  She does that a lot.

Jane, wearing her favorite outfit (ballet clothes), eating chocolate cake, without being bothered by an older sister, on the trampoline, in the living room with both Mom and Dad . . . it was clear to us that she was having the time of her little life.

My friend and I have set in motion a series of holiday blocks to go with our Autumn blocks (before I had any idea that Cheryl and Cara made some for me for Christmas!!) and we finally finished Valentine.  Next up, "Lucky" and "Spring" and "Happy Birthday"!!  

I'd also like to point out Jordi (in the mirror) and how awesome it's been having her here!  You know how Josie came to stay with us last summer, well Jordi is spoiling us now.  And it's the best EVER.   She's really creative and does lots of fun little crafts with the girls and draws them fun pictures.  This one on the mirror is of the whole Hunt family!!  So cute.  :)

When I went over to my friend's house to finish the Valentine blocks, she was just finishing one of these, so I went home and whipped up my own.  I adore it.  It's just a cardboard heart with fabric and ribbon scraps tied to it.  Easy.

With the center cardboard heart I cut from the wreath, I made this to go on my season plate holder.

Here are some of the blocks that Cheryl and Cara made.  It's supposed to say Be Mine, but Dave changed it as a joke.  :)  The whole series of blocks have phrases for the whole year!!

Here is Jane with her Valentines from Nana and Mommy.  The glasses she got at a birthday party on Saturday and she wears them constantly--I think they're SO cute!

Another project I did with my friend--these suckers.  We made little ones for Audrey's class, and big ones for the teachers.  Easy as ever and the best way to use up old candy canes.

What we've been doing:

Claire helping Aunt Jordi unload the dishwasher.

Notice her little apron?

Winter party!

The girls doing their Jack Frost craft

We read wintry books.

And we had hot chocolate.

Audrey was dressing up Claire.  If I recall, she dressed Jane up exactly the same way . . .

If you haven't heard, we had a bit of a cold week.  It was icy and cold, then snowy and cold.  Everything was cancelled.  We had so much fun eating soup and watching movies and playing outside only once because everyone got too cold.  

I want my parents to note the cool sandwich bag boots I made for Audrey.  Socks and shoes + Daddy's sock over top + sandwich bags + rubber bands = snow boots.  I vaguely remember something about sandwich bags on our feet when we went outside as kids . . .  

Um, yes, I made some for Dave too.  :)  And yes, they worked amazingly well.  They don't look pretty, but they're effective.

News

Claire: walking.
Jane: potty training.
Audrey: drawing.
Dave: working.
Crystal: surviving.

:)