~~Thanksgiving~~
Thankful for grandpas. And BB guns too.
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Thankful for boys and their daddies.
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Thankful for cousins and cookies.
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Thankful for more cousins. And walking sticks.
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Thankful for warm fires.
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Thankful that chicks dig scars. (This one is almost gone now.)
1. Help your mom make sugar cookies with a mix she got for free.
2. The next day, put on a glum face and tell your mom you’re having trouble saving half the money for a Lego Power Functions Motor Set.
3. Tell Mom you want to sell something.
4. Make a sign by yourself.
5. Drag furniture downstairs and set it on your street corner.
6. Wave and smile at cars.
7. Do not push, hit, or scratch your brother in the vicinity of your cookie store. No one will stop at your store if it looks dangerous.
8. When people stop, tell them you made all the cookies. By yourself. Point out the special ones.
9. Always thank your customers.
10. Share profits with your brother. He stayed by your side the whole time, which is priceless, but you can go ahead and pay him with money. He’ll think that’s fine.
Almost.
900, actually. On our new Christmas Tree, of the Walmarticus Fake-Us variety.
This year marks the end of a tradition: our day-after-Thanksgiving trip to the tree farm. Why? Was it the calisthenics required to get the tree on the car, then off the car, into the house, and upright in the stand? (Except for last year, when the thing came off the top of my car on its own, in the middle of the highway. Really.) Was it the constant headache of dropping needles? My inability to keep the tree watered without climbing into the middle of it and emerging with spinal deformities? I don’t know. Maybe a little bit of all of that.
This year, the tree and lights took, umm, about 10 minutes of hardly focused effort. I think I’m a convert. So, sorry tree farm and “the” Santa there that our kids have visited since they were born. We will miss you. But this year, we’ve started a new tradition of allowing the kids to pile all the ornaments they want on the lower branches of our Fake-Us while I sit and watch from the comfy chair (see it up there in the picture, just to the left of the tree?).
And, when we’re settled in again after Thanksgiving festivities, there will be no cold, muddy trek around the tree farm for a pine that looks deceptively straight in the orchard but is bent like a question mark after being installed in our home. There will just be us, our 900 lights, and -as always- lots of laundry.
* allowing the boys to play imaginary games outside all morning on a Friday and counting it as P.E.
* Nathan reading to Daniel
* realizing that Daniel can, in fact, read many words; he’s sneaky that way
* accepting as a precious gift a home made grocery list from Daniel
* accepting this compliment from the sales lady at the shoe store regarding the boys: “They’re very well-behaved.”
* the shocked look on Nathan’s face when I bought him a new toy for no reason whatsoever
* 6-year-old with violent bed-head
* the word “chrysalis” as pronounced by a 4-year-old who lisps and is still working on Ls and Rs
* Daniel insisting on buying me a grapefruit at Kroger just because he knows I’m the only one in the family who eats them
Daniel:
(to Dave on a weekday morning): No, don’t go! Because we need a dad!
Nate, you’re an expert talker! (true)
I use this (toy frying pan) to swat people on the head, and then I make machines! And that’s what I do.
When are we goin’ to God-Town?
Mom, how do you spell video podcast?
How do you think God is doin’?
(at 4am after waking me up because he had a fever and crying about taking chewable Tylenol instead of “drink medicine”): I know something. Hungry Hungry Hippos is a four-player game.
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Trust me, I just went poop.
(swinging in the backyard): Yahootee diarrhea!!!!!!!
I need some water. I just tasted my mouth and it was disgusting!
(to Daniel, after I locked their TV in a closet) Let’s go find some electrodes after I’m all dressed and you are too!
Only I can cheat, because it’s my game.
Why come up with a whole new Halloween costume when there’s a cool one in the attic? And why not make another one so both your kids are uncomfortable and unable to sit down all night? Heck, yeah!
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And, finally, when your robot gets tired, let him hand out the candy. To someone old enough to be his babysitter.
Really, if this was you, wouldn’t you feel silly taking candy from a little kid? Whatever. Daniel had fun giving it out.
Attachment Parenting, Tough Love, Time-Outs, I tried it all. Finally, I just locked him up.
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And sent him off to Scout day camp with his daddy.
Dear U2,
When I was in high school sporting my girl-mullet and wearing Ray-Ban knock-offs, I listened to you a lot. The Joshua Tree was, well… a pretty big deal. You remember, of course.
Though my hair has changed, I do still love sunglasses. And you.
So, thanks so much for coming to Dallas. It was loud. And awesome.
Your fan,
Me
Last year we forgot our camera when we went to the local fire station open house. This year, the camera came along! The bonus? The open house was held at the brand new fire station on the edge of our neighborhood.
Wants to do it himself. Of course.
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Nathan points to a hose hook-up on the truck and asks, “Is that an inlet or an outlet?”
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That’s a good look for you, kid.
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Daniel is finally taller than the tire!
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These guys were probably like Daniel when they were little. They looked like they were having fun ripping up this car.
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Nathan tells the firefighter all about it.
After the computer tanked (yes, again… #3 for me now), I never got around to posting some things we’ve been doing lately. Here’s to playing catch-up.
While doing a science unit on water, I was looking for a way to let Daniel in on some of the fun. It was warmer then 
so I froze a few toys in some blocks of ice and set the boys to work digging for dinosaurs (and other stuff).
Nathan, using his own personal tools BTW.
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Daniel breaks out the big gun.
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Future paleontologist?
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Danosaur.
