Time to get my OINK on!

I decided to ANNOUNCE this, so that I feel one more nudge of accountability toward completing my goal.  I registered myself to run half of the Flying Pig Marathon this spring. 

Training began a few weeks ago, however

it is in full swing starting next week!

I THINK I CAN...

I THINK I CAN...

I THINK I CAN...

Upon searching for a train picture, I found this cartoon. hee hee

Jingle Bells

My family holds an annual talent show during our Christmas party.  Lydia proudly demonstrated a few of her gymnastic tricks, and Luke played the piano.  He's been working hard, and we were very proud of him!!!!

Photo Recap of our last couple weeks

Breakfast with Santa at Luke's school.  Luke had his fingers up listing the items he's wishing for.  Lydia was more fond of Mrs. Claus. 

 This was on our porch.  I wonder what Craig ordered for me for Christmas!  (I'm being sarcastic).  I know AND I already have taken it for a late night spin.  Now I can keep up with my two kiddos!

 Here's the front and back of a t-shirt quilt I made for my sister's family.  I've never made one, but I think it turned out pretty cool!  It fits a queen size bed.

 Before the first true snowfall even ended, we headed out to have some fun.  Even Craig and I took our turns sledding.  SUCH FUN!

 I read about a neat craft.  We froze ice cubes tinted with food coloring and poured them into a pan to freeze.  Then we hung it by a ribbon on our front porch.  It looked sort of cute until after a few hours the food coloring somehow dripped out of the ice!  I guess it was more dense or something, but it literally washed right out and later in the day we had two clear rings hanging.  It was fun to make though!

 Time to make cookies!!!  Lydia couldn't stop wiping her shirt with her floured hands.  If you look closely you'll see she even has flour all over her face.

 They seemed to have a great time and absolutely LOVED decorating them with icing, sprinkles and candy!

That's all for now...

Use Your Big Girl Voice

Luke got home from school today and Lydia

greeted him with a sweet yet silent smile.

He asked her an important question.

The actual question is irrelevant.

 

Then it began...

Lydia answered the question by tossing her fingers and hands around in the air.  They were deliberate movements, and her eyes stayed locked with Luke's.

In a frustrated and raised voice I heard Luke bust out with,

"Lydia! I don't understand sign language!" 

He asked his question once again.

She flailed her hands and arms again.

"LYDIA!!! I DON'T KNOW SIGN LANGUAGE!!!!"

Then he stormed off.

Apparently both Luke AND Lydia are fully convinced
that SHE DOES know sign language.

- and in case you're wondering...

NO, Lydia does NOT know sign language.

She DOES, on the other hand, know

how to tick off her brother.

Run For Your Life!

I suppose it might be milestone in child development
for a three year old to shout this
at the top of her lungs to her older brother:

"THERE'S A CROCODILE RIGHT BEHIND YOU!
IT'S GOING TO BITE YOUR HEAD OFF!
RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

... followed by two psychotic children
sprinting across the kitchen floor!

We're definitely entering a new phase
in our daughter's life, AND I LOVE IT!

Back To Bed

Saturday, Dec. 4th, 2010, 2300 hours, yes... 11pm!

Lydia's bedroom light is on and she's gotten fully dressed for Sunday's church service.   Poor thing.  She thought her few hours of snoozing was actually her entire night of sleep.  Oops. -  Back into her p-jams and back into bed.  We'll try that again in 10 hours.

I Forgot To Flush

Sometimes I get so caught in being an adult that I forget to play.  I think it's been worse since Lydia's become old enough to be Luke's playmate.  Less and less they ask for me to join in their games.

Well today was finally an exception.

In fact, Craig hopped on the bandwagon as well and we were all laughing hysterically at our homemade fun.

Luke likes to be timed at running- usually it will be sort of like an obstacle course.  The four of us were in the living room, and we used a timer to time Luke as we'd design and redesign the course.  Eventually he settled into this route and repeated it a couple times to beat his own best time.

1. Start on the tile by the fireplace.

2. Run upstairs and turn Mom's nightstand lamp on and then back off.

3. Run to the basement and circle around the pole.

4. Run back to the main floor and flush the bathroom toilet.

5. Run to the finish line by hitting Mom's foot.

We laughed and laughed as he would return each time completely panting and fatigued!

Well then the excitement hit a whole new level.  Somehow, someone suggested that I DO IT. 

***That "someone" by the way,

had his feet kicked up in the recliner.

As you may know, I never quite back down from a challenge, so I got in my best runner's stance by the fireplace and the READY, SET, GO!  I was off!!!  I hustled through the route- it was WAY harder than I thought! 

When's the last time YOU ever ran up a flight of stairs?  AND try TWO sets!

I truly was running as fast as I could!  I was also bursting laughter the whole time!  I got up the basement steps and sped quickly to tag Luke's shoe.  I was immediately relieved until I was reminded that I FORGOT TO FLUSH THE TOILET!!!!   UGH!  I busted a move into the bathroom... swoosh..... and ran back again to tag the shoe.

MAN!  I seriously was huffing and puffing.

So then I dared Craig to try and beat my time.  Happily, he didn't want to miss out on the fun, so he got into his runner's stance and BANG- off he flew through the house.

Long story short, he TOTALLY beat our times.

It didn't end there though.  I did it second time, and also Craig did it again!

It was a majorly immature thing to do.  I don't know that most responsible adults would run like maniacs through their homes, but we utterly enjoyed ourselves.

What about Lydia, you ask?   Well, she invented her own fun.  For over a week now, she's been a "puppy".  Seriously, she crawls on all fours and barks.  It's strange, I know, but I think it's age-appropriate, so we haven't called the psychiatrist just yet. 

Back to the main topic though, she competed the course too, but as a puppy.  Needless to say her time was so very long, but she had a bunch of fun in character and that's all that matters.

Lesson:  Don't forget to play today.

It will be TOTALLY worth the effort!

November Recap

 Luke used his birthday gift tickets from his beloved Mr. & Mrs. Marble Man (Thanks, Buehlers).  He and Craig enjoyed perfect weather watching a less than perfect game.
Craig told me it was a fun experience
(minus the sloshing beer and potty mouths).
WHO DEY!

This month had a remarkable hike in temperature.  We reached the seventies, and the kids and I couldn't help but get out a few more times before we're completely couped up for winter.  It also prompted me to go out and get Lydia her very first 2 wheel bicycle.  Look closely... it even includes a snap-on Barbie bike so Barbie can ride in style with my sweet baby cakes!

Craig finished his first full marathon (26.2 miles) on November 6th.

 It inspired me/us to have the kids participate in THEIR first "run".  Craig's been running in the Turkey Trot Race in Miamisburg, Ohio for a few years.  It's on the morning of Thanksgiving, and I registered the kids to do the 1 mile Fun Run.  We left Craig (who went on to run 5 miles at a fast and steady pace, placing #545 of 4649 runners, YAY)

The kids and I completed our 1 mile in just 22 minutes!
Luke started with a bolt, until I explained that it's not a race he can "run".  He of course completed the entire thing, but midway through told me,

"This is REALLY long!"  ha ha

I guess he imagined he'd be sprinting to a checkered flag.

Lydia was engulfed by the mass of people around us and took off with a steady jog right from the start.  She lasted a few minutes before I encouraged her to just walk.  (I posted the video below of her chugging along).  There were plenty of distractions, so she ended up walking at least 3/4 of the distance.  The other 25% of the time she spent in my arms.

At one point, I asked her if she liked this.  Her answer,

"I don't want to like it."

AWESOME ANSWER!  Who does?!?!!!

It WAS a fun experience though.  The temperature wasn't freezing and the rain let up for a bit, so we weren't completely soaked to the bone.

I believe we've found a new Thanksgiving tradition!

Gobble, Gobble

"I think I can.  I think I can."

BFF

I'm SO GLAD that on MOST days,

my children are  F R I E N D S ! ! !

Bad Winter? We'll see...

I just posted this on facebook.
I decided to also put it here on my blog, so I would remember to come back and check its accuracy once winter passes. 

"Wondering if it's true- Can a caterpillar's color predict our winter weather? I've seen 3 black ones in 2 weeks- a sign of a BAD winter.
Another supposed sign of a bad winter... excessive acorns. A friend just told me they had so many acorns this year that they needed a shovel to remove them from their yard! Anyone see 2 woodpeckers sharing 1 tree? This is strangely another sign (according to the Farmer's Almanac)."

If These Walls Could Talk

Lydia: Luke, will I be a big boy like you someday?

Luke: No. You'll be a mommy. About 100 years ago, Mommy was a little girl like you.  Then she grew up and turned into a mommy.

Awww..... cute!  Well, minus the 100 years ago part!

English is a Stupid Language.

Let's Face It... English is a Stupid Language.

There is no egg in the eggplant,

No ham in the hamburger,

And neither pine nor apple in the pineapple.

English muffins were not invented in England,

French fries were not invented in France.

We sometimes take English for granted,

But if we examine its paradoxes we find that:

Quicksand takes you down slowly,

Boxing rings are square,

And a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

If writers write, how come fingers don't fing?

If the plural of tooth is teeth,

Shouldn't the plural of booth be beeth?

If the teacher taught,

Why hasn't the preacher praught?

If a vegetarian eats vegetables,

What the heck does a humanitarian eat?

Why do people recite at a play,

Yet play at a recital?

Park on driveways and

Drive on parkways?

How can the weather be as hot as heck on one day,

And as cold as heck on another?

You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a

language where a house can burn up as it burns down,

And in which you fill in a form by filling it out

And a bell is only heard once it goes!

English was invented by people, not computers,

And it reflects the creativity of the human race.

(which of course isn't a race at all)

That is why:

When the stars are out they are visible,

But when the lights are out they are invisible.

And why it is that when I wind up my watch

It starts,

But when I wind up this poem

It ends?

Run, Forrest... Run

Welp... he did it!

Craig completed his first full marathon this morning in Indianapolis!  He did great- finishing as place #1238 (there were approx 10,000 participants between both the half and full marathon routes).  The race started at a bitter temperature of 31 degrees and didn't rise above the 40's; the sun peeked out though, so that helped a smidge.

I went with the kids to cheer him on, yet unexpectedly we LOVED witnessing ALL of the runners accomplishing their goals.  What a tremendously inspiring sight to see!

YAY - CRAIG! CONGRATULATIONS!

Just Horsin' Around

Craig always coordinates his costume at school with the

other assistant principal.  They're so goofy.

Luigi and Strawberry Shortcake

 

Laugh Until It Hurts

Out to eat and having a terrific time!!!

(at bd's Mongolian Grill)

Can't you tell?!?!!!!

Well, all of us except Lydia.

I'm surprised she didn't dig the

Pippi Longstocking look!

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

Luke caught his first 2 fish last weekend.

A FUN MOMENT FOR OUR FAMILY!

Grody Gourds

Okay, so it's been decades since I've carved a pumpkin.  I thought it would be a super fun activity for our family to do... LAST WEEK.  YAY for us, right???  I mean, NO ONE around has gotten around to carving their pumpkins yet!  WOW! We're WAY ahead of the game...

W-R-O-N-G

Our pumpkins are now in the compost pile,
because they all shriveled up and got moldy.

BOO HOO

I never considered WHY no one has
gotten around to carving their pumpkins yet.

Lesson learned!

3 Jacks and a Frank

We carved pumpkins yesterday.  We've never done this before.  The idea was foreign to our kids.  It was a fun experience letting them see and touch and squeeze the goopy slimy innards.  Luke LOVED the nastiness.  Lydia was disgusted and wanted to leave the room.  Craig decided to try something more intricate than a plain old "jack" face.  The kids had to go to bed before he finished, but it turned out pretty awesomundo!

Dressin' Up

This past weekend we went to HallZOOween with our good pals. Check out the happy crew!

Lydia's accumulated quite the dress-up collection.  We assembled a little clothes rack for her.  Changing outfits has become her new hobby!

Mini-Dippin'

Have I said before how much I love my daughter?

I don't always mean to say Luke's gross, and I love my daughter.

I DO love them equally!!!

I just tend to adore Lydia's choice of activities around the house sometimes a little better... for now.

Well the other day, I walked passed a toy area and this tiny display caught my eye.  It's a miniature dollhouse we picked up for our 10+ hour vacation drive this past summer.  It was nice for Lydia to plop onto her lap and have some stationary fun in her carseat.  Well, bless her little heart... she just recently set up all of the furniture and placed the little mini-dolly right into the swimming pool for a dip-a-roo!

SO STINKIN' CUTE!!!

This little dolly is less than an inch long; the house is less than 6 inches tall. I can only imagine Lydia's teeny little fingers gently setting each piece into its place.

I LOVE my daughter!!!!

Bug Goo

For a birthday present, Luke received a Bug Kit.  It includes a machine that helps you mold and make bugs.

Once you MAKE the bug, you can inject nastly slime into its belly so when you stomp on it - it's guts squirt out.

SUCH A BOY THING!

It's been fun though.

Gross, but fun.

Silhouettes

I like to keep busy with all sort of creative outlets.  My new fun is using the website www.fiverr.com.  It's a website where anyone can list something for purchase in the amount of $5, then anyone can go on there and buy something for purchase in the amount of $5.  The website collects the money from the buyer and the seller gets $4.   Simple and genius!

SO... I recently made profile silhouettes of my kids AND DOG.  They turned out really cute!  I've gotten a handful of compliments, so I decided that could me my service on the website.  I've already had a couple customers in just 2 days time.  I don't know how long I'll keep up my craft, but for now it's pretty fun!

Disney on Ice

I took Lydia to see Disney Princesses on Ice this weekend.  I was informed about how we would see many many girls dressed up in costume.  Since Lydia on an almost DAILY basis has costumes on around the house, I thought I'd treat her to a special new gown.  We left early for a breakfast... just the two of us.  Then we stopped by Target and raided the Halloween rack until we found the perfect one.  Lydia was GLOWING with excitement as we pulled up to the The Nutter Center and saw dozens of little girly girls JUST LIKE HER!  Then as Cinderella made her grand entrance onto the ice, Lydia burst out with, "She is dressed JUST LIKE ME!"   I was a sappy mess during most the performance.  I cried several times, because I just felt overjoyed for her.  She was SO HAPPY!  I fell in love with her on a whole new level that afternoon.  It was our FIRST of MANY mother-daughter experiences!!!!! I LOVE MY DAUGHTER!

Six on the Sixth

Luke chose to have a movie night for his birthday party.  We had such a great time serving up Skyline Chili, HIS choice (GOOD choice)!  For the movies I put together a medley of Halloween cartoons.  Below is one made in 1929, and it was a BIG hit! 

Here is the birthday boy!

Here is his cake.  I had fun going along with his theme, Super Mario Bros.  He LOVES playing this game on the Wii, even though he gets to play maybe once a month- at the most!  I guess absence DOES really make the heart grow fonder.