Homework

I just love that he has discovered drawing "profiles" (check the faces). And the fingers are killing me! But my favorite part...has GOT to be my high heals. (click on picture if you need to enlarge).

"5"

Click on photo to enlarge and read text. He is 5. He is my sunshine. He loves Star Wars, Sponge Bob, stuffed animals, crafts and construction. He loves his brother and his family. He showers us with hugs and kisses. He is sweet and gentle...he still sucks his thumb with blue blankie. He loves everything lemon. He won't eat cheese or butter. He loves to snuggle. He loves swords, guns and light sabers. He weighs 38 pounds. He has a mother that is totally in love with him.

Living with boys

I found myself home with a sick kid today. So after vacuuming the entire house, mopping the kitchen floor, stripping all the sheets on the beds, washing them and remaking all the beds, doing 5 loads of laundry, making a batch of Rice Krispie treats, running to Blockbuster for more movies, stopping at Wegmans for supplies and the State Store for wine...I threw a pot roast in the oven and well...NEEDED SOMETHING MORE TO DO. Are you throwing things at me? It's understandable; I am sick, accept it. Anyway I decided to throw out the Tollhouse cookies I made Monday because they weren't quite perfect. Again; I'm sick, accept it. Anyway, I go to grab my Kitchen Aid mixer and what do I find? A Clone Trooper...who might I add was in quite a predicament in my blender. Sigh. I bathe with crocodiles, I sleep with Komodo Dragons, I apparently cook with Clone Troopers and well...I live with boys.

The second batch was MUCH better by the way.

Goodbye 2009

Aaahhh...the last breath of the holiday. Playing at the table with new toys. I sat and watched. I closed my eyes and listened and reminisced. All the food, all the champagne, all the wonderful partying with friends and family. The shopping, the wrapping, the cooking and the decorating. It was all fantastic. The amazing performance of The Great Christmas Hunt on Christmas Eve was beyond hysterical. The memories. I sat and soaked up the last drips of the season - hopelessly in love with the magic. Goodbye 2009; you were good to us. We will remember you in photographs, stories and blog posts.

Quick catch up - 4

So I think I mentioned Star Wars. Star Wars Legos. HUGE hit. (Thank you Uncle Richard). Every single set was put together by the 27th. I loved loved loved watching him put everything together. He was so organized and followed the directions page by page...so very Virgo...strange I would find that so appealing I know.

Uncle Butchie came to help...

Hard to tell who had more fun.

Quick catch up - 3

And then we had Christmas. Which for a 5 year old...meant feverish riping and tearing and just over all blurred excitement. And for the 6 year old...meant Star Wars. Lots and lots of Star Wars. Lego Star Wars. Notice the Clone Trooper halloween outfit that he had to put on just to put together his legos...totally cute.

Quick catch up - 2

Then came the snow...which was pretty and welcome...because it's December. In March...it will not be so welcome and definitely not pretty anymore.

Quick house update: inside all electrical, plumbing and heating is installed. All drywall is up and John has started painting. Outside siding has just started going up (look to the left of the front door).

Another kitchen picture.

Quick catch up - 1

Okay here is the 30 second recap... Chanukah...thanks to my sister and the boys we remembered I think 5 of the 8 days...not bad for 2nd Jews once removed. Cooper's teacher told him that people who celebrated Chanukah did not have Christmas Trees...CLEARLY she has never been to the Adelson's/Larson's/Engel's house around the holidays. Candy dreidels we had at our CHRISTMAS dinner. John got a little carried away with the Hebrew letters...1 o'clock is Santa I believe and 7 o'clock is Sponge Bob.

The cousins...just as cute as ever.

Ah and the FOOD...the glorious food...the food that just kept coming and coming and coming...ALL month long. Isn't family the BEST? Duncan and his Aunt Carla.

Welcome

I swear I had every intention of updating you all yesterday...but...well...I can blog any day... Welcome Katherine Olivia. Congratulations Bryn and Kelly. She is absolutely perfect...thank you so very much for including me in her arrival.

Well this is about how we all feel around here... Fast asleep with new green hat and light saber on Christmas Day. I will attempt to catch up on the entire month tomorrow; but for now know that we are here...swallowed up in everything Star Wars...recovering from too much champagne, cookies, food, partying and overall holiday craziness!

Santa's backup

To tide you over (because I have been a pathetic blogger)...I give you...Mr. Christmas. Duncan is in FULL holiday mode. He has scammed all of us into taking him to Michael's (craft store) to stock up on "supplies". He has informed us that he likes to decorate because "the girls like decorating and I like to make the girls happy and make friends with the girls". Hey, you gotta give the kid credit...

Top ten

1.) I miss bare feet 2.) I am TRYING to enjoy the process of building a house 3.) But I'm not really succeeding 4.) I had Cooper's Parent/Teacher conference and was reminded how absolutely in love I am with him 5.) I'm really looking forward to Saturday night with old friends and family up at my mom and dad's house 6.) I love coloring and creating and telling stories with my boys 7.) I am rolling my eyes and trying to be patient but above all...loving Duncan's infatuation with decorating for the holidays 8.) I'm looking forward to John Mayer's new album release on the 17th 9.) Looking forward to Thanksgiving, my WHOLE family being here this year and a short work week 10.) I can't wait to get all the slides digitized

Where have we been?

We've been eating cake! Happy birthday to my lovely sister Jess:)

Yesterday & Today

I recently embarked on something new and exciting. I am taking an online scrap booking class titled Yesterday & Today. I have never before taken a scrapbook class of any kind (online or otherwise). I steer away from most of these classes because they seem to focus on a bunch of stickers and glitter which is just not me. What I love to do is take photographs...I know, surprising...and I love to tell stories...again, I know you're stunned. Well this class focuses on just that...taking your photographs, old and new and telling your stories. As part of this class and the process of getting ready for the class I have had to collect a bunch of photographs from my childhood and before. I am so incredibly lucky to have a father who enjoys the camera and loved documenting our lives growing up. Almost all of the stuff from the 70's and early 8o's is in the form of slides though; which has meant that over the past few weeks (and over a few bottles of wine) my family has traveled down memory lane and watched NUMEROUS slide shows. So far I have pulled 377 slides to have converted into digital format. Along with documenting my life and my childhood I plan to document the lives of my parents, grandparents and great grandparents - at least as much as I can. So...the journey began to collect even more photos...even older photos...memorabilia...stories. I have really enjoyed this process and loved some of the stuff I've come across. This is my grandmother (on my mother's side) when she was young...

and this is her at her baby shower when she was pregnant with my mom.

And this I just LOVE. This is a letter to my grandmother from her brother, congratulating her on the birth of my mother.

And the bill for my mother's delivery... So loving uncovering and learning the history of my life....