The Cone of Shame

Matthew's Statement of the Week:

We stopped at the mailbox the other day and Matthew suddenly yelled out, "LOOK! THAT DOG IS WEARING THE CONE OF SHAME!" We saw the poor dog across the street who indeed was wearing a cone, which thanks to the movie UP, Matthew thinks is a bad thing. Naughty dog. He must've done something really bad.

Glen and I are still in stitches about it, and think it will rival my infamous childhood statement that killing buffalo for the buffalo wings is serious animal cruelty!

Too much of a good thing!

No, we're not talking about Matthew's candy addiction, (although it's reaching frightening levels now) we're talking about lemons. 240 of them. Here are some of them taking over my kitchen counter. Remember my Beauty in the Desert post about the pretty lemon tree outside my kitchen window? Well, that lovely tree gave me more lemons than I will ever need for lemonade, lemon-herbed chicken, lemon curd and lemon meringue! I've juiced and frozen into cubes 40 of them that I picked before this group. Now what?

Santa's Return Program

Happy Christmas to all! And to all a good ... return line? ...

I wish Santa could get his kids straight. This year, he delivered 2 beautiful black and white bikes (don't ask me how he got them down the chimney without scratches) to Ethan and Matthew that were TOO BIG. What happened up there at the North Pole? Don't they keep measurements on kids? How embarrassing for that poor elf who will have to be fired. At least Santa provides all good parents (yes, they can be on the NICE LIST too!) with a return and exchange program at their local store. Thanks, big guy. Now, can you do something about those long return lines?

At least he came through for Emma with the perfect kitchen and accessories to make the best plastic food you've ever tasted. (Which, ironically, provided some entertainment while Dad spent 5 hours on one of his days off going from store to store to find the right bikes.)

Dad was right... we all should have asked Santa for a Wii! Maybe next year...

Happy Halloween!

My kids said "This was the BEST Halloween ever!" Who needs Trick-or-Treating on a Sunday? (Because I did burst that bubble for them) Nah... you can have the best holiday ever by going to a local Trunk-or-Treat on a weeknight, carving a pumpkin with a group of 1st graders during school, playing countless rounds of Boo! Who!, (the funniest board game ever. Thanks Grandma Orton!) watching It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown and inviting the missionaries over for dinner and cookie decorating. All that is definitely worth more than doorbell knocking and candy!

(Except for all those parents - you know who you are - who dive into the chocolate stash after the kids go to bed. You'll have to buy your own case of candy bars from Costco to make up for the lack of choc!)

The Twenty-Dollar-Wonder

Please meet the Twenty-Dollar-Wonder. Also known as the CHEAP cell phone (Twenty dollars to be exact) I've been using ever since my slick slide phone broke. It looked like a toy, and if I'm honest, it didn't text easily or get reception many (OK, practically any) places. But it could handle repeated drops! I lost it this week. I've never been so sad to lose such a cheap piece of technology before. I have ALL my contacts on it, without storing them elsewhere. So, along with losing my phone I may have lost my family and friends too! So, while I am arranging for a new one, I have no cell phone. Oh, and if you're reading this, please email me your phone number. I don't have it anymore. :( Maybe I'll keep my contacts in a good old address book from now on...

Hooray!

I've been singing Billy Madison's Back to School song all week:

Back to School!

Back to School!

To prove to Dad that I'm no fool!

I have my lunch packed up,

my boots tied tight,

I hope I don't get in a fight...

Oh! Back to School!

Here are the boys before their first day of school. Both terribly excited to be going back after a long boring summer with me. I must be old if my kids think school is more fun than me!

Ethan bravely faced his fears at a new school head-on. He walked across the field to his class line without us and waited for the bell with a serious look on his face. He may have been nervous, but didn't show it. He told me he was determined to make 3 new friends everyday and I'm sure he meant business!

(Check out all those parents swarming the school on the first day! It was packed with people.)

Matthew cautiously approached his first day. He had already met his teacher and seen his classroom, but asked everyday during his first week if 1. Could he stay home? and when the answer to that was no, 2. Could we come to class with him? I plan on volunteering asap! He has been drawing closer to us since we moved here. However, he is adjusting well to 1st grade and says "I mostly like school but it has too many rules."
(Welcome to life, kid.)

And then there is Emma. She and I are happily sunning the days away enjoying a bit of peace and quiet. In short, Emma is being spoiled with attention from me during school time. Lucky for us, Glen's cousin is in town with us and the 3 of us are loving the girl time.

Beauty in the desert is

1. The lemon tree outside my kitchen window. It is a cheery reminder of good things to come. I anticipate the day when I find them ripened to a yellow color. 2. The little shrubs near my front door. I have been coaxing them with water for weeks hoping to see them blossom, and I had given up on the thought, until I woke up to these purple blossoms today. They are radiant. They even attracted honey bees! (How nice to find a sweet little insect here that I don't want to kill)