Christmas

Christmas came and went. We were lucky enough to have my mommy here visiting for the festivities. (Yeah I'm in my thirties and still call my parents mommy and daddy.) She's been wintering down in Arizona and wanted to come up for Andrew's baptism on Jan. 3rd. Her plane came in on the 24th and we had a nice Christmas Eve dinner at our house, just the 4 of us. She stayed until later the next day and then she headed up to Plains to visit the zoo and we headed out to Tim's parents' for Christmas dinner and a little sledding (I forgot to take my camera out there). All in all it was a pretty relaxing couple of days and nothing overly exciting or funny to report...except that Tim got a onesie.

This little piggy went to market


Making cookies for Santa

Andrew made this at school for us...a snowman with Andy's face on it.

This was Andrew's favorite present...'Potty Putty' that makes fart noises when you squoosh it. Why would Santa leave something like that?

How many grandmas do you know that are cool enough to wear Spongebob pants?

Grandma Sue got a family book from us made here. Grandma Vicky got one too.


Andrew got more climbing holds for his rock wall. So now we can finally finish this project. (I got a ski helmet I was breaking in).


And finally...a drumroll please for the onesie...

Yes, those are penguins.

Seriously...we are very blessed and grateful for all that we have, especially in these crazy, unsettling times. But most importantly we are very grateful for our family and the relationships that we have. My mom put together a 'treasure box' for each of us. She contacted everybody in the family and had them tell something they admire about all their siblings and even their siblings spouses and kids. She wrote everything down on cards, organized them by family, and put them in boxes for each of us. She put some blank cards in as well so we can continue to add to it. It was so fun to read what everyone had written! Thanks mom for all the hard work you put into that! We love it!

Oh Charlie Brown Tree

We just got our tree up a couple of days ago. Kind of late I know. The cats have been having fun with it as usual. Once a year they get to pretend that they are wild animals. The smell of a real, live tree makes them freakin' crazy! (they are used to staying inside 24-7 because we have crazy cat killer neighbors). Last year Squirt almost tore the tree down and broke I don't know how many glass ball ornaments. And I don't know why the water in the tree stand tastes better than the water bowl I put out for them but that's where they go for their drinks now.

We would really love to go into the woods and chop our tree down but that has only happened a few times in our married life just simply due to lack of time and lack of sunlight in the afternoon. So it's off to Pink Grizzly to buy...ugg...buy our tree nowadays. We consider purchasing a tree sacreligious but what can you do in busy times like these? And if I'm going to buy a tree from anybody it's going to be from Pink Grizzly because those Clouse boys are smokin hot. Even Tim thinks so.

We are "subby" folk around here (sub-alpine), yes Charlie Brown tree people. It's a good thing because our home could not handle anything chubbier. And Tim and I both love that our ornaments can actually dangle like they are designed to do.

Luckily we found our tree within just a couple of minutes because it was about 1 degree outside - I'm not exaggerating. We got to our nice warm home, put on some Jewel Christmas music, put some water on the stove and got to work. Andrew insisted on putting the star on first, kind of taboo, I know.

Don't you love the matchy matchy fuzzy guitar pants I made last year?
All done! Time for cocoa!

Unacceptable Advertising

I wish I had been there first hand for this one...but I wasn't. I almost peed my pants when Tim relayed me the story. He and Andrew were driving home when they both spotted a particular billboard. It was an advertisement for a local gym or something. It was a giant picture of a rather flabby mans' bare chest. And he was hairy. This was Andrew's reaction...

"OOOOOOHHHHHH....AAAAGGGGHHHHH...THAT'S GROSS!!! That man's got a hairy chest!" (Tim's chest is like that of a twelve year old boy so a hairy chest is not normal in Andrew's opinion apparently.)

He continued on with his disgust, "That is NOT acceptable! Dad, look at that sign!" Then he decided to read what it said, sounding out his letters very carefully. "No more man...boobs. BOOBS???...AGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

My poor child is going to have nightmares tonight.

Eternal Wendy's

Yesterday after church, as we climbed in the van and got buckled up, Andrew was super excited, talking about how Jesus will come to earth again...and how we will be able to "hug a bear" because all the animals will be nice.

We added that the animals also won't have to eat each other and we won't need to eat animals either. He shrieked like a little girl..."WHAT??!!! But what about Wendy's? How will they get the cow meat?"

Kids are so weird.

How to be a Salesman in Andrews World

This morning at breakfast Andrew said, "Hey dad, an upside down heart is a butt."

Tim: "Ooookay...it kind of is, isn't it?"

Andrew: "You should tell that to people at work today so they'll laugh and you can sell more cars."

Wonder Woman

When I was a little girl I desperately wanted to be Wonder Woman.

Well, I also wanted to be Princess Leia or R2-D2...I did have the R2-D2 underoos which made me feel totally awesome but maybe we can discuss that later.

Wonder Woman was great. I used to take construction paper and make myself wrist bands and that little headband crown-looking thingy. I wanted more than anything to be Wonder Woman. Yesterday, I got my wish.

Andrew loves eggnog (he hates most food, so it's a big deal when he says he loves anything). So yesterday, after I dropped him off at school, I thought I'd try my hand at homemade eggnog. Mmmm good...no, no, I didn't put cognac or rum in it or anything.

By the time Andrew got home from school, the eggnog had chilled long enough and was ready for the ultimate taste test from the ultimate picky critic. When I told Andy that I had made him some eggnog, he put his hands up in the air and starting bowing...up down up down...chanting "eggnog, eggnog, eggnog". I was like, whoa that's weird. I poured him some and he tasted it and then said something about it giving him "the jollies" (seriuosly, no rum). I missed the bulk of that sentence but to be sure, he was acting very strange. Then he went and plunked down at the kitchen table and said..."Wow, mom. I just don't get it. You can make homemade bread...and pizza...and now eggnog".

I said, "That's because I'm Wonder Woman."

He just looked at me and smiled. I think I've got him convinced.

Honesty

I was just going through Andrew's backpack...reading through some of his finished assignments and found this...

(click to enlarge)

I had a good chuckle.

Happy Day

I have had a big time pumpkin addiction this year. Big time. I looove them. I can't get enough of them! This was a happy day for me. I happened to be at Michaels looking for frames and just look WHAT I SCORED.


I really don't need any more pumpkins. But Thanksgiving is on it's way so a little more pumpkin decor can't hurt...except that I have absolutely no place to put them. But that's not the point by golly. Can you guess what I paid for all these lovely pumpkins? A whopping $1.78 total! I never, ever luck out on finding deals like this - ever. I came home so excited...I spread them out on the counter to show Tim and made him guess what I paid and he was like, "oh yippee" in the most unamused, bored man voice.

To top it off, I filled up my gas tank today...18.85 gallons for $36.56. WOW! At the peak of summer I had a fill up that cost me $80.49.

A happy day indeed.

It's a Guy Thing

Tim managed to score a Barbie doll for his birthday a couple weeks ago - FINALLY! Not that he really wanted one.


This goes way back. Since the dawn of time, Andrew and his daddy have teased each other about being in love with Barbie. For example, Tim will say something like..."Hey, Andy. Barbie called today and wants to know when you're going to pick her up for the movie." Fumes will inevitably steam out of Andy's head and he'll say something back like this, "Oh yeah, well Barbie told me that you took her to the movies last night and that you got married." Stuff like that. Back and forth, back and forth.

Andrew used to be highly, and I mean HIGHLY, offended by the Barbie teasing. He loved to dish it out but he couldn't take it. Finding fun with the Barbie jokes has been a gradual progression.

For the past couple of years I've asked Andy if he would like to buy his daddy a Barbie for his birthday or Christmas to get him back for all the teasing. He would get excited at the idea but then CHICKEN out at the last minute. He just could not bear the thought of walking down the Barbie aisle at Walmart or the thought of actually having a Barbie in his house. Until now.

Barbie has been found in Tim's sock drawer with some type of love note - twice.


Then, much to Andrew's dismay, she appeared one morning on his pillow as he woke up for school. (There she met Napoleon Dynamite and they are now friends).


She's just getting started. I'm sure there will be many more Barbie adventures to come.

Smart Boy

The other day Andrew and I were eating some yummy sandwiches in Subway before heading out for some shopping when he just randomly says, "Hey mom, when I grow up and get a wife, I'm going to make her go to work and I'll stay home and do the shopping."

Me: "But I thought you hated shopping."

Andrew: "I do...but I really don't want a job!"

Heartbreaker

After trick or treating, the boys had a sleepover at our house. They watched The Nightmare Before Christmas and then talked and giggled from their sugar high and then the next thing I know they were OUT cold. Ben had to go home early the next morning to go to a Grizzly Football game with his dad (they kicked some Northern Arizona butt). Andrew walked him home and then came back looking rather glum. He told me he might need to see a nurse.

Me: "Why do you think you need to see a nurse?"

Andrew: "I just feel kind of weird."

Me: "Are you sad because Ben had to go home?"

Andrew: "Yeah...it felt like a brother that had to go away."

I'm sure most of you know by now that we can't have any more kidlets so any time Andrew says anything about having a brother or sister it just breaks my heart!!! But I'm so glad he has such a fantastic friend in Ben. They are two peas in a pod and if his family ever moves we'll probably have to follow them!

Halloween

Wow, I just have not been in a posting mood lately. Anywho, I should probably get some Halloween pictures up.

After school on Friday, Andrew had his best friend over to carve a pumpkin. He didn't want to touch any of the guts so Ben and I did all the cleaning.





Then they got dressed. Ben was Elmo and Andrew was supposed to be a bloody ghost but ended up looking like a vampire. They are such dorks. I think next year we'll stick with Ben's Sesame Street theme and they can go as Bert & Ernie.

Jumping on the bandwagon

Everywhere you look across blogland, people are making their own chalkboards. So I decided to follow the crowd. They're great for putting up your dinner menu or birthday greetings, lovey dovey crap, or whatever. I love mine! Even Tim thinks it's pretty cool...which is saying something, coming from a man and all.

So, dig up a large, old, framed picture...I got this beauty for $2.50 at our local thrift store.


Get yourself a can of chalkboard spray paint - paint on a couple coats...

Let it dry for 24 hours...then rub all over with chalk...

...wipe off and it's ready to write on. Simple, cheap, and fun! I never thought I would have a big chalkboard in my dining room and actually think it was cool!

Field Trip...literally

Andy went on a field trip the other day with his 2nd grade class. He came home very excited so the first thing I asked him was how his field trip was.

Andy: "Mom, you won't even believe it!! We DID NOT go to a field."

Too Cute

My favorite boys...sound asleep on the couch.

Flashback

It's almost that time of year again when we dress our kids up silly and send them out into the night to knock on the doors of strangers and beg for candy. I'm not that into Halloween. I think it's a really bizarre holiday. Anyway, that's not the point.

I was recently reminded of a very memorable Halloween 4 years ago. We went up to Plains to visit my sister and her family and to go with them to their church Halloween party. Andrew adores these particular cousins which at the time were all girls (they've since added two boys and another girl for a total of 7)! He has been highly influenced by these girls in his life. He looooves them!

Andrew had asked to be 'Woody' from Toy Story for Halloween that year and so I spent many hours sewing a pretty dang cute costume...

...see, isn't that cute?

When we got to Plains and it was time to get dressed Andrew wanted nothing to do with his Woody costume. All of his cousins were getting dressed up as fairies. For some reason he decided it would be better for an almost-4-year old boy to dress up as a fairy than to be Woody. We tried and tried to convince him to put his Woody costume on but he wanted nothing to do with it. So, my sister - God bless her - rounded up some extra dress up clothes and outfitted him as a fairy. He was as happy as a clam. We got some pretty weird looks from people at the party but Andrew had a blast. He danced and twirled like a real pro. He did wear his Woody costume very briefly for trick or treating a few days later but that was it. His happiest moments were in that fairy costume. (sorry for the bad pics, they are scans of poor quality 35mm)

LOVE the shoes!

I've since shown him these pictures. It's not funny. At least not for him. He's almost eight now. They make him seethe. He would keel over if he knew I posted them on here. If he could only remember how happy he was! And for crying out loud, it was not my idea!

Perfectly Natural

I really wish I knew how to take better pictures or had a better camera or something! These pictures are okay but they could have been phenomenal. I found these two PERFECT spiderwebs on our tree out front. It was foggy out with the morning sun just coming up and sparkling off these webs. It was absolutely amazing. I hate spiders with a passion but these webs had me captivated. I never did see the amazing critters that created them but they sure made my day.

(click to enlarge for a much better view)

The Arts and Crafts Store

A couple of weeks ago we were standing in the kitchen and Tim says to Andy, "Hey Andy guess what tomorrow is? It's Daddy-Bubber day!" (note: Bubbers was Andrews' nickname as a baby and Tim's day off other than Sunday is Monday. So Mondays are their big day together, hence Daddy-Bubber day).

Andy was very excited and said, "Let's go to Michaels!"

Tim was hoping he would say, 'lets go fishing or hiking, or shooting bows and arrows'. He looked at me with his eyes popped wide and says, "I'm a complete failure as a father."

I looked back and said, "Yes you are."

Basically Andrew gets drug around with me a lot and I have to bribe him any possible way I can. Beings that he is really, and I mean really into Halloween, the only way to drag him with me to Michaels without him having a cow is to remind him of all the cool Halloween stuff they have. It works every time. So now he thinks Michaels is pretty cool - cool enough to invite his dad.

Monday rolled around, Andrew gets home from school and Tim was hoping he had forgotten about Michaels so they could go do something manly. Nope. Tim was a good sport and went to Michaels. Of course I had to go with to document it.

Trampoline Fun

We were all three hanging out on the trampoline one day - wrestling, tickling, bouncing...whatever. Andy smacked me on the butt and said, "Mom, I like slapping your butt because it's all wiggly and movy." Great.

Then I had Andy play with my hair. I loooove to have my hair played with and beings that Tim had fallen asleep on the trampoline, I asked Andy if he wanted to do it. He tends to yank it and tangle it but it's still better than nothing in my book. I love it...as long as he doesn't rip it out. He put my hair on my face, shoved it into my mouth (that wasn't all that great) and made designs with it. He really got into it and concentrated really hard getting my hair to do just what he wanted. Just simple, family fun!