Merry Christmas!

(Those are some seriously cute kids.)

Inevitability

Three years ago, while driving through town, Ian and I encountered a short delay as we entered a school zone and waited for some children crossing with the crossing guard. As I looked out my window I watched as a young boy stepped off the sidewalk and into a large puddle of water on the side of the road. Then, unbelievably, he just stood there. For what seemed like forever. Apparently content to be up to his ankles in the cold water.

I slowly turned to Ian and asked, "Why would he do that?" Ian's answer basically attributed all such acts of randomness to the fact that he was a boy.

I spent longer than necessary pondering this newly-attained knowledge. This scene actually replayed in my mind only seconds after receiving the news that our third child would be a boy...and almost reduced me to tears. Suddenly I was looking at a future where a child of mine would potentially do all sorts of things, like standing in a puddle of water, for no reason other than he is a boy.

Gasp.

Today...three years and many "boy" moments later I found myself standing quietly by, camera in hand, capturing my boy's inevitable leap into this unfathomable world of boyhood.

And I was fine.

Santa

We went to the mall yesterday to visit Santa (and to pay someone else far too much money to take a subpar picture of my kids). They did great and, amazingly enough, Curtis didn't try to make a break for it. Lindy looks like she's less than thrilled to be sitting next to the nice, festively-dressed Santa but apparently she just wanted to put her arm on the giant armrest. According to her that chair was "awesome".

(We use that word a lot around here.)

Introducing Snow

Today we introduced Curtis to a little thing called Winter. He was enthralled...and a little bit confused. For the first little while he just stood there staring at his feet as they swept around in the strange white stuff.

Soon, however, he was off and running. He even "helped" dad shovel the driveway. He looked like such a big kid in all that snow gear. He's growing up too fast.

Annoyances

Ian and I went on a date tonight. A genuine cologne-involved excursion for dinner and a movie. The dinner part was great (JCW's...how can you go wrong?) but somewhere between locating our seats and the end of the movie we experienced a slight complication. This difficulty presented itself in the form of 4 teenage girls, 4 cell phones, and a penchant for seat-kicking.

For the most part, I was able to enjoy the movie and even shed a couple tears...all in spite of the Teen Girl Squad camped out behind me. When I wasn't listening to them giggle, ooooh, and awwww in response to the multiple (so very many) texts they received during the movie, I was involved in a strange battle for seat-back territory. Apparently Teen Girl #3 thought my seat back belonged to her lounging legs. After the 20th kick in the head I was forced to verbally inform her that she was overstepping her bounds.

As I ponder the events of the evening I am led to ask three important questions:

1. What kind of child is so oblivious to other people that they have no idea they have actually smacked someone in the head with their hideous uber-pink Ugg?

2. Are we really so dependent on our texting that we can't turn off our cell phones for a measly two hours?

and

3. How in the world to I prevent my daughters from becoming one of them?

I swear to you, if I ever hear of my daughter kicking someone in the head or texting for 2 hours straight and driving unsuspecting strangers to distraction with her whispering...heads will roll!

Gingerbread Houses

The Babcock's invited us over for a night of gingerbread-house-making madness. (This year the role of gingerbread was played by graham crackers. And, I must say, graham crackers are definitely the way to go, especially when kids are involved...much less chance of a cave-in.)

Marci had all sorts of Christmas candy goodness for the kids to stick all over their little creations.

Always one to explore his construction-worker side, Ian demonstrated the dovetail technique. This super-sturdy method made it possible to construct a tiny little chimney. It also involved a lot of tiny sawing. I've decided he'd make a great elf.

And Marci and I had some laughs of our own. (Marci's idea, of course.)

We had a great time! This might be the start of a new Christmas tradition. I can only imagine what Ian will bring to the table next year.

Seattle

Lindy and I took a vacation this last weekend. A quick mother-daughter trip to Seattle for this:

The beautiful girl pictured above is my niece. She is an amazing dancer and was chosen to dance the part of Clara in the Nutcracker this year. We couldn't pass it up...we just had to be there. And I'm so glad we were. It was incredible. It was so much fun to be able to participate in something that is such a big part of her life. And she was phenomenal. I'm not just saying that because we're related. She's good. But that's not all; she's good inside, too.

Lindy loved the ballet. In fact, Lindy loved everything about Seattle.

She got to stand up, holding onto the pole, while riding the airport shuttle...and thought it was awesome:

She tried Mongolian BBQ for the first time...and LOVED it:

And her cousin (the one she follows around 99% of the time) introduced her to "inventing things". He had a box of odds and ends he'd found (twist ties, wires, paper clips, elastics, springs...you name it) and he graciously let Lindy create all sorts of things. She was in heaven:

It was a fun trip. A big thanks to my brother's family for giving us a wonderful place to stay and for the amazing weekend. We can't wait to see you again soon!

Maybe Not

If you have ever met our little Ellie you will find out quite quickly that she has her own unique way of pronouncing sounds and words. Most of the time it's downright endearing. Some of the time, however, we find ourselves faced with a situation we didn't anticipate.

Tonight, for example: While sitting at the dinner table Ian casually asks, "Should we start calling Curtis "Curt"?"

With a quizzical look Ellie asks, "Curt?"...which comes out sounding like, "Turd?"

Uh...Um..."Curtis" it is!

Post Edit: No, I don't know why Ian suggested calling him Curt. I didn't ask.

Pushing Buttons

Do you ever feel outwitted by your children?

I do.

Daily.

Have I mentioned that my 6 year-old and I are veritable Peas in a Pod? We are. We typically battle back and forth, raising the ante to ridiculous levels, until we are in a complete and total mother-daughter train wreck. The fact that I'm 30 years her senior and a supposed adult doesn't help. Being Peas in a Pod also means she's the one person who knows exactly where my buttons are and how to push them. Trying, in the least.

A mild example from last night: As she was pitching her nightly fit about bedtime and raising the bar on whininess, I told her if she didn't stop making noise I'd have to shut her door (she likes it open a crack). Her response? "I'll just be louder!"

How do you respond to that? It's not like I can shut the door more.

She's a Realist

Today Ellie came running in and exclaimed, "Mom! I drew a picture of you and me."

Like you, I wasn't sure exactly where I was in the picture. So I asked.

"You're in the house. Cleaning."

Dear Santa 2009

One of my favorite Christmas traditions is sitting down with my kids to have them write their Christmas wish letters to Santa. Of course, since neither of them can write as well as they can draw, their letters are typically more of a visual work of art than a literary one.

This year Lindy has expressed her most sincere hopes for any of the following items:

Bubblegum machine, bike, i-Dog, Bendaroos, Leapster game, roller skates

And Ellie is convinced Santa will think her wish list is chock full of the best ideas:

Thumbelina Movie, Leapster, Belle doll, 3 Muskateers Barbie, Tinkerbell game, My Little Pony

Here they are...on their way to the mailbox:

And the letter is on it's way. Santa will surely try his best to make these cute little girls happy and grateful this Christmas.

Powers of Observation

Out of the blue Ellie asked, "Mom, where is daddy's work?" I responded, "At the airport...he drives up there to fly the airplanes." A split second of profound silence was followed by an incredulous, "WHAT?"

I wasn't sure what her "WHAT?" was in reference to, but it suddenly seemed possible that my 4 year-old had no idea that her father was a pilot. I looked her square in the face and explained, "Daddy flies airplanes from the airport and back for his work." The look on her face was enough...she was awash in disbelief. As I watched her adjust to the idea I could tell she thought it was pretty cool.

Or, as Ellie would say, "Awethome!"

POST EDIT:

Not long after posting the what-do-you-mean-my-daddy-is-a-pilot story, Ellie asked me the following: "Do boy babies come out of daddy tummies?" At which point I reminded her of my very pregnant & very large tummy all full of baby boy Curtis.

I'm beginning to wonder what else she's missed.

I Should Treat Them Better

First, a disclaimer: I don't want anyone to panic or feel like I'm all in a lather over here. I'm not. I'm perfectly balanced and happy with life. Pinky promise.

The other day I started turning my house upside down looking for a book. A particular book. And so far I've been unable to find it. The only conclusion I've arrived at is that I've lent it out to someone. I do that. I enjoy doing that. I've said, and I'll continue to say, "the Amy Jones library welcomes you!" My only problem is I'm a horrible librarian. I love my books but I'm not sure I take adequate care of their well-being. I have sent them out into the world to circulate but I haven't necessarily taken steps to ensure their safe return.

This librarian is, therefore, turning over a new leaf. This morning I purchased a lovely little book whose sole purpose will be record-keeping. Call it my little black book of books (though, by choice, it is not black). My goal is to write down the location of all my beloved tomes.

That being said: I'm hereby requesting information. Not books--yet--just information. If you have one (or more) books from the Amy Jones library, please comment and let me know what you have. I'll record the information and we'll be set.

I really do, however, want to find this one:

If you have it...and aren't in the middle of it...can I beg it back?

I Feel Like Crying

This morning started off as any other. Lindy and I bickered and fought over clothes, hair, socks, shoes, breakfast choices, and various other semantics of the day. Typical. As I drove her to school this morning I was, to be honest, quite sick and tired of dealing with her.

As she bounded out of the van, however, my heart caught in my throat as I watched her trip, limbs flailing, up the sidewalk. It was quite a fantastic fall. She immediately turned and caught my eye and I watched helplessly as her little face crumpled. I had a sudden, forceful, urge to jump out of my van to gather her in my arms and make it all better. But, before I could move, I saw my brave little girl gather her dignity around her like a jacket and courageously march into the school.

Suddenly I was the one fighting back tears. Because being a mom is tough. All the nuances of the day can be...well, exhausting. But, this morning I realized we've only just begun. Dealing with my daughter's idiosyncratic behavior will never be more challenging than having to stand on the sidelines and watch while she faces pain. And the problem is this: pain is the plan.

And that really stinks.

Family

Ellie has a newfound love of drawing. She started out drawing pictures of herself. Soon she moved on to pictures her and I (she's my buddy). Lately she's been drawing pictures of our little family. Cute, right? Well...not so much. We have a slight problem. See for yourself:

Yup, that's right...no big sister. Not in a single picture. (And trust me, there's been a LOT of them). Today a very offended Lindy pointed out that once again she was not in the picture. Ellie (in the middle of yet another picture) brushed it off and impatiently indicated that Lindy could be the brown "circle" off to the left of Dad. She then calmly ignored Lindy's demands that she finish the picture properly.

As you can see, she remained resolute.

Happy Birthday Steve...Again

By the way...the girls styled Curtis' hair especially for you. Awesome.

Disneyland

Our Disneyland vacation was awesome! This is the first time for all three kids...and we had a blast!

We arrived at the Magic Kingdom the day after the Halloween festivities concluded. For the next three days we watched as the entire park became transformed, bit by bit, for the Christmas season. We never saw anyone working on the decorations, but as we walked through the park we'd notice something else that wasn't there the day before (or even the hour before). On our second morning we looked at Sleeping Beauty's castle and were surprised to see snow!

The girls were so excited to meet so many of their favorite Disney friends.

And everyone agreed: the Teacup ride was THE BEST! Even Curtis...even though he looks slightly concerned in this particular picture.

Grandma and Grandpa came for the first couple of days and THANK HEAVENS. Managing three crazy kids for three days might have sent Ian and I straight to the funny farm. We implemented the buddy system. Ellie was my buddy. Lindy alternated between her dad and Grandma. And Curtis? Well, he became quite attached to Grandpa. It worked great. (I should mention: I fretted a LOT about Ellie. She gets lost all the time. But apparently the thought of being mom's "Disneyland Buddy" tethered her nicely to my side. Awesome.)

All in all we had a fabulous vacation.

Happy Birthday Uncle Steve!

Dear Uncle Steve,

We wanted to wish you a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

(There is also a video in honor of your birthday, but since I am often technically-challenged it will most likely be posted tomorrow....sorry). :)

Love,

Ian, Amy, Lindy, Ellie & Curtis!

A Day at the Beach

While on our vacation in California, we decided to spend a little time at the beach. Lindy has been pestering us for a year or more, so it seemed time. The kids just loved it. The girls both jumped right in the water. I thought they'd be a little more nervous than they were.

Curtis ate sand (along with sea-water). Apparently he didn't mind so much because he did it again a few minutes later.

Ellie tried to give herself a mermaid tail.

Some "dude" was hanging out on the beach playing a drum (no, I don't know why) and Curtis was entranced. He watched the guy the entire time. When offered the chance to bang on the drum himself he balked and ran off.

He then spent the rest of his time trying to chase down a seagull.

What a great beginning to our fun vacation!

Trick or Treat

Curtis as "Bones"

We attempted a group shot. It didn't happen.

Lindy

My two girls.

And now we have far more candy than any of us need. But we have three happy children.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

A little trip down memory lane. This is Halloween 1979. Jeffrey is on the table, yours truly in the middle, and Wade on the right. As you can see, Karen went all out for this particular holiday...decorating every inch of our kitchen in a glorious pumpkin orange. (You gotta love the 70's.)

Post Edit: I should apologize for the lack of a little sister in this particular photo. She's there...somewhere. Probably being doted on by one of her parents while the rest of us were left to our own devices. Smooshing pumpkin guts in our hair, no less.

MEOW!

Today was Ellie's preschool Halloween party. She (and her sister) begged to be cats this year for all of the festivities. And here we have the result:

Isn't she cute? She had such a blast playing all sorts of games at the party. At the end of the fun and games her teacher gathered them all together for story time. I was able to catch photographic evidence that Ellie does, in fact, have moments of focus. Trust me when I tell you that this face of rapt attention:

is never directed at me.

My Boy

Normally I don't post pictures that include me. I'm much more comfortable behind the camera than in front of it. But what's a mom to do when she has such a cute little boy? Holly C. took our family pictures (big thanks, Hol) and she caught this near-candid moment with Curtis and I. From this picture you wouldn't suspect him capable of the numerous (and often successful) attempts at escaping confinement during our photo shoot. Trust me, I was nowhere near this calm...or smiling...during the ordeal. Luckily, we managed to catch a few great shots (which I really am working on posting).

What a cute kid.

Note To Self

Don't let Curtis have pens.

Crazy Hair Day

As part of Lindy's school's Say-No-To-Drugs week, they had a "Crazy Hair Day". After much deliberation Lindy and I came up with this awesome idea:

It looked great. And she loved it. Unfortunately a snowstorm blew in during recess and all but demolished her crazy hair. When we picked her up from school she had a perfectly normal ponytail. Bummer.

First Snow

You would think my Canadian upbringing would endear me a little more to the snow. It did not. As I remarked to someone earlier today, "Why do you think I moved south?...I just didn't move far enough south!"

So here we are. Snow in October. Disgusting.

Other members of my family apparently see things differently. Little Lindy eagerly dressed herself for snowman-building with dad. And, if I'm not mistaken, that's a HUGE smile on that face.

While I snuck out to snap a few photos of Frosty, Curtis managed to venture out (in sock feet) to satisfy his curiosity about all the white stuff on the ground.

Boy, is he going to love the winter time. I just hope he enjoys it from inside. Or at least in boots.