Snow DayZ

The camera hag cast a spell on me and I can't take any pictures. And the memory monster ate everything else.
Ahhhh... Val and JR and their brood moved back from Hawaii. There's nothing better than family. We do stuff with them. There was a Pizza Taste Test (sort of), A Hike (no 'gators), A Conference Weekend Sleepover (no sleeping just Guitar Hero)... and maybe this weekend we'll go to the Air And Space Museum and maybe see a star show at the planitarium and maybe have Barbeque (only the way I make it it should be called Crockpotaque)

Aunt Anne invited us for Easter. We accepted, naturally. I like going to Anne's. She's fun and relaxed and I like her. We had an egg smash that lasted all of five minutes. One Hundred and twenty hollow eggs filled with glitter. Isabella still has glitter in her hair. Experts (read: Willy) say you have to scrub the stuff out. Sorry Pon family. I don't know who broke that egg on Jorany's head. Rotten thing to do. But the egg rolls were something else. I don't know who ate all of them. Greedy person.

Oh, and I cut Isabella's hair again. It's like I didn't learn my lesson last year.

Americans are funny. When I first came here from a far away place, you may have heard of Canada, I couldn't understand Americans. A group of us would be talking and then someone, usually a guy, would spout some familiar nonsense in a weird voice and everyone would bust up laughing. Except me. Turns out that person was quoting a line from a movie. Odd right?
Actually I'm not sure if this habit is peculiar to Americans. It might be one of those Mormon things. Or another subgroup. American Mormons who quote movies for fun and cheat at Uno for fun and...{fill in your favorite peculiar habit here}. Anyhow I first encountered these crazy people in America... and then I married one of them and now my children do it.

They're still white, only now they look clean. Mostly it was a touch up job, but I think I could really get into painting walls. It's fun and it lends itself to a rich fantasy life. As in: when I'm rich I'm going to paint my walls to look like a forest and I'm going to buy the coolest coordinating furniture and I'm going to love doing it -all the while thinking I hate painting.

The best is being done and feeling like you really accomplished something spectacular. You say to yourself, "So I missed a spot! It looks great. I had to paint at midnight with 60watt bulbs. Not bad. Not bad atall."

So yes, painting is better than running on a treadmill. In fact I don't think I'm going to wait until I'm rich, after I fix this job, I'm going to go a little crazy. Maybe get some chalkboard paint. It'll be great, just imagine it. Willy will LOVE IT. Anyhow enjoy the picture of paint drying. Until I post again...

Isabella 'mailed' her first letter. She drew a picture. Then she sealed it in an envelope and wrote "Fraaaaaaaaam Isabella". She gave it to our neighbour before I could scan it, or steal it . Not for myself but to be placed in her memory book naturally. Still I'm very impressed.

Ever since Luke started solids he's had an aversion to chewing. At least that's what I think the problem is. My observations are not consistent for all food types. For example Luke will chew and swallow candy. Anyhow here's a perfectly good meal gone to waste despite the lure of dessert afterward. I think maybe I should have cut up that broccoli smaller, or dipped it in candy. I'm still learning.

Willy hates this picture. But it's the only proof I have that I remembered his birthday on his birthday. I think he really wanted a party. Next year I say. Everything is always perfect in the future.

Special kudos to Marcia for being such a sport, at 10 months pregnant.

Here's a picture of the mud I made. It was really really gross. No body ate it- but Isabella and I had a riot putting it together. I think we'll do it again, but next time only top quality gummy worms, ixnay the butterscotch and maybe we'll follow somebody else's recipe.

Right after Isabella's party Willy got sick. Then Luke. Then Isabella. Then Me.

Why do we grown ups crowd out the playgrounds so there is no room for our children to move, let alone play? Really, if mom and dad and grandma and grandpa and nanny must accompany Jr. to the park then they should chat amiably with their friends off to the side and not block my view of a thrilling game of super spy fighters or glare at my children if they get too close to baby Jr. who has absolutely no use for park equipment but must sit in the middle of it.

In an perfect world I would end an extremely productive and harmonious day with The Beatles Hour (or any loud peppy music I can thrash around wildly too) at 4pm. During that hour I would tidy up the place while I sang and danced and chugged an ice cold beverage. Something always goes wrong. I almost never have any Dr. Pepper... and I live in a time warp. It is never 4pm in my household, but it is often: "Holy Cow! 6pm! Hurry up kids! Put everything in the closet! We'll skip bath time and have Kraft for dinner! Get a move on. Dad's coming home!"

We're getting much much better at this. Two years ago Isabella and I tried our hand at graham cracker houses. Last year Mama Snow sent a kit. And this year I made my own. Ah, the cement is a little messy.... but there's always next year.



We invited our neighbours over for dinner and then we decorated the house together. Buck, the father, said with a wry smile, "You know in Ethiopia we don't play with our food." Well, I'll take Gingerbread House making very seriously from now on.

We went looking at Christmas Lights. Another waste of resources (the electricity to light up the night AND the gas to drive around looking at the lights). Still it's lots and lots of fun. We dedicate this activity to Mama Snow, the most enthusiastic Christmas Lighter I know. Here's the fire truck, it comes to us. One night we did drive behind it, for half a block or 10 minutes.

Christmas time is wonderful. And Christmas trees are wonderful too.

I mean they have their uses.
But what I really love is putting the tree up with my family. Don't blush or roll your eyes or feel uncomfortable or anything. If it's cheesy, at least it's honest.

*I'm so glad the Chambers are back in town. It was getting lonesome out here.

sorry no pictures. It was so demoralizing that I couldn't even think of posting. However my eyebrows are back and Jon has called twice to assure me I have a very nice blog. It's Willy's blog, really. Anyhow the silence is over. Enjoy.