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Thursday, December 30, 2010

Irony

Driving home, we pass a billboard that has a picture of 2 bald dudes with huge letters that say,
"More coverage."

It's for a local insurance company.

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Sugar

You know you've had too much sugar when you hear this from your kid:
"Mom ... I'm hungry for something healthy."

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

To get what I want ...

"Hey mom, I have a question for you.  Wait.  Maybe I'd better ask dad."

Monday, December 27, 2010

Sledding

Yes I admit we drive 4 hours round trip for 2 hours of sledding.  :)  The snow was pretty packed down and at the bottom of the hill there is a nice uphill runnaway stopping area for those who actually make it that far.

Some of my favorite moments:
  • My son screaming his head off as he's airborn and manages to stay on his tube while returning to the ground.
  • My daughter trying so hard and succeeding in avoiding taking out a little one who wandered onto the sledding zone.  (It was a nice wipeout, have to admit.)
  • My husband making it to the top of the runnaway stopping slope and bailing before he's carried down the other side onto the frozen water down below.
  • My feet in the sky as each 10 lb boot took my legs spinning skyward while wiping out myself.

It was great fun.

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Funniest Thing I've Heard in a LONG Time

While taking my kid's friend and her older sister home, I'm asking them about what their New Year's Eve plans are.  The older sister tells me she's having a party, which I respond to with something along the lines of that's good, that's what kids your age are suppose to be doing. 

She then proceeds to tell me that it's her anniversary.  I ask her if she has a boyfriend (I don't keep the best tabs on her, but I'm thinking I would have heard about that...)  She goes quiet and was uncomfortable with the idea of her being attached and then tells me that it isn't that kind of anniversary, but rather the anniversary of when she started.  My mind tells me, no that can't be what she's talking about so I ask her, "Started What?"  Yup, my mind was right.  She tells me that she figures everyone is celebrating that day anyway, so why not have a party for it?  And yes all of her friends know what her party is really for.

She said I could post this, even use her name if I wanted.

Thursday, December 23, 2010

TMI Does Not Apply

3 year old little girl proudly tells us, "I just tooted"

A few minutes later with some giggling, "I tooted again."

A few minutes later, "Mom says the living room stinks when I fart."

Merry Christmas!

So adorable - the doorbell rings and instantly there are a few little ones that are still awake that know it isn't their time yet still wonder if it's their parent, while we see who it is.  :)

Open the door and there stands a little 4 year old boy holding a gift bag for me with his mom standing behind him.  He looks at me and smiles.  His mom kindly tells him, "Go ahead and say it ..."

So he pushes the bag towards me and said, "It's soap."

Mom, "Guess we should've practiced, he was suppose to say Merry Christmas."

:)

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Countdown to Christmas with Little Ones

Can I just let it be known that I cannot count how many times these little ones have asked me just this week alone - if it's Christmas yet?

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Message

Here's a fun message I got:
"Hi Tamra, this is 'Rebecca'.  I'm just calling to let you know my new phone number.  Well,  I guess I'll wait for you to call me back."

It's Humid

Here on the "wet side" of Oregon, rarely do we see snow on the valley floor.  But what we do get is 6 months of an almost constant sheet of rain poured out on us.  I'm looking at my fingers and they're all pruney.  Normally I'd have to be in water for a good amount of time to get them looking like this.  I get these incredible results just by going about my daily activities, no pills to take, no tub soaks, all na-tu-ral.  I know you're jealous.  :)

Friday, December 17, 2010

A Cool Bathroom

While looking at a house (no we're not buying but it's a house that's been on the market for almost 2 years and curisosity got the better of us - imagine that), we go to the upstairs bathroom and I see something I have never seen before.  Actually this entire house has a lot of things I've never seen before.  It would suit us.  :)

Back to the bathroom, to the left of the sink is a square metal sunken in box about 1 1/2' x 1' that has dirt in it with little toy tractors and small pine trees and little people that are on toothpick type sticks so it stays in the dirt easier.  How cool is that?

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Thursday

Four year old boy, "When I'm big like you I won't have to take naps!"


An almost one 1 old girl falls down and starts crying since she's really tired.  As I'm picking her up to comfort her the same 4 year boy tells me, "I think she likes your hugs."

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

A Few Things from Today

This morning my husband walks by me and swats my bum.  Well there were a few little ones who saw this and the next thing I know a little hand swats my bum followed by a little giggle.  For the next half an hour I played cat and mouse with a few toddlers who thought it was the funniest thing in the world to swat my bum.


Today a little guy is wearing buzz lightyear on his shirt.  Pointing to his shirt he tells me, "Buzz can fly."  Then pointing to me he said, "But you can't."


A little girl asks me, "Why are you decorating for Christmas?  It isn't Christmas time yet."  Tell you what, I'm so excited for Christmas this year, I'd have it be tomorrow if I could.  My kids keep telling me I have to wait.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

I'm not a very good actress

Some days are amazingly quick, fun, and fabulous.  Some days aren't.  While pushing through one of the not-so-great days, a little one asks me, "Do you have a headache?"

Surprised, I reply to him, "Yes, how did you know?"

"Because big people make that face a lot when they have headaches."

Friday, December 10, 2010

I Agree

An ad for Mission Mill Museum in Salem, OR reads, "The best present a person can receive is love, but the second-best present is a box of puppies wrapped in money."

Thursday, December 9, 2010

The Bright Side

Yesterday we made oreo truffles.  If you haven't had them - I'm sorry, you won't find any at my house.  :)  Instead of regular melted chocolate, we put chocolate ganache on them.  Very tasty. 

This week was my husband's finals.  He has them all done now and is overjoyed that this term is over.  So this morning he's driving our daughter to school and is rubbing it in that she has to go to school and he doesn't.  Her reply, "Ya but mom gave me truffles (in her sack lunch) and you're not going to school so she didn't give you any and I'd rather go to school and have mom's truffles."

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

One Liners

After the last little ones wakes up from naptime, a 3 year old who doesn't take naps anymore cause he's a big boy asks me, "Can I be loud now?"


My son's friend is over and he tells me, "I have gas really bad, so just to warn you and sorry."


A little guy who's outgrowing nap time has learned that he gets to watch tv during newly found "quiet time".  All week long he keeps asking if we can have naptime so he can watch a movie.  "Can we take a nap now?"


After getting down the basket of marble works for the kids to play with, there is a loud and llooonnnggg repeated cheer of "Yay!"  Well I can handle it for the first 3 minutes but then after minute 4 of 4 little ones yelling "Yay!" I cut them off and say it's time to do something else now.  A little boy looks up at me and asks, "What should we do besides yell?"


A little 4 year old boy walks up to me and asks, "Are you medium sized?"  I'm choosing to think he's referring to how tall, or short, I am since I was standing next to my husband who is a good foot taller.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Suspicious

During naptime the doorbell rings not just once, but twice.  Very annoyed, I grumble about who would ring the doorbell at my house.  Open the door and nobody is there.  Are you kidding me?  Then I hear my name.  It's one of my boy's friends.  He's about as far away from my house as he can be while still in view of the front door.  Wearing safety glasses.  Yelling to let me know there is something on my front porch that my son made for me and not to peak.  Ya.  Nothing to be afraid of.  Only because I trust my son do I pick it up.  And put it in the backroom until he confirms I shouldn't be wearing safety glasses too.

Monday, December 6, 2010

Good Morning

This morning started out just like any other morning.  The regular tip toe quiet stuff so I won't wake Dustin up stuff.  Have my face washed, teeth brushed, and the mascera is going on the 2nd eye when I think to myself - wait a minute.  I don't remember turning my alarm off.  What time is it anyway?  Sneak back into the bedroom to look at the clock.  3:45 am.  I'm wide awake.  Makeup is already on.  Nice.  Well there is one Christmas present I haven't been able to figure out yet, guess this is a good time to look.  Hope ya'll have a great one out there today!

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Names

There's this adorable little boy that comes to church with his grandma every week.  His name is Chris.  While flipping through the Bible, he gets very excited and tells her, "Look - my name is in the Bible!"  Looking what he's referring to, she can see that it is actually Christ, not Chris.  She lets him know and his response is, "You mean that Jesus was named after me?"

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Love, Dad

An update on the Christmas present I already opened from my dad (October's posting, "A Gift for Me").  Just wanted to let you know that my older sister opened hers early too and got the same thing.  :)

Friday, December 3, 2010

Learning Experiences

Thursday night was my son's first band concert.  (They combined with the choir.)  They have A & B days with only 12 weeks into the school year, 99% of the students never having any previous instrument / reading music lessons.  I wasn't expecting much.  A few highlights from the evening:
  • In the choir, there were 2 girls that must have been sisters.  A bit into the song, the older one reaches across and starts pushing her sister - who is in the row ahead of her and about 3 people over.  It didn't make much sense to me till the next verse when the younger sister walked over and sang a solo.  The really funny part is that she was smacking on gum the entire time. 
  • The band is about to play.  The audience is quiet.  The director stands to the side of his box stand and waits till he has their full attention.  When he's satisfied they're watching him, he takes the stand.  As he raises his hands signaling the students to ready their instruments, the students immediately respond.  In the process, a boy in the front row knocks something off of his stand shattering the silence as it hits the floor.  As quick as only a 6th grader can, he pulls an innocent face and points to his female stand partner.
  • The choir participants left their programs by their feet when they stood to sing.  There was one girl whose program must've been bugging her because through the entire song she didn't sing a single note but was looking down at her leg and rubbing it with her other foot, trying to shift her weight, and finally just bending down and picking it up.
  • The band was just getting ready to start and the boy responsible for the bells was trying so hard to keep them quiet.  He was doing a good job considering the task when the boy sitting next him whispers quite louding, "Shut up!"
  • The band director, in his zest during the last number, moved just the wrong direction and knocked out the support on the left side of the box-podium he was standing on.  Very loud bang when it hit the ground.
Overall, I think it was the absolute best "1st concert" I have ever heard.  I was very impressed with how much the director accomplished in such a short amount of time, so much better than I was even hoping for.  If I can figure how to get anything off of my camera, I'll post a song.  They did awesome!

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Speaks for Itself

While brushing my daughter's hair this morning, a little 4 year old boy wanders in and stops to watch.  After a while he states, "Wow.  Her hair is really long, just like a real princesses."

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Peas Please

Yesterday for lunch our vegetable was peas.  Guess how many got eaten?  Not many.  Even with butter & salt.  When my husband got home, he pulled out some blue colored white chocolate.  (It isn't just women that go for chocolate.)  When the little ones asked him what he was eating, he happen to say, "It's blue colored peas.  Do you like peas?"  Of course after not eating for lunch, there was a blank look on the face and asking if it was really blue colored peas.

Today while getting lunch ready I was enthusiatically asked, "Can we have peas today?"