blogging and I…

Blogging and I haven’t been hanging out very much.  I don’t blog and I haven’t been reading blogs.  Why, just today I saw a friend, who is living a fairy tale dream over in the Alps, comment on her new baby.  New BABY!  I mean, I’m missing an entire gestation?

One of the things that stops me is when I don’t get a chance to blog a big event I feel like I can’t move on to something new until I cover it.  So, instead of my eipc gingerbread house that should have been blogged long ago, you get the park, in January, in weather warm enough to wear short sleeves (well, if you’re a 3.5 year old boy – I had a sweater.)

So here we are at the park:

And this is what it’s like at the park:

My kids like a challenge, a struggle.

Even Roz, but she’s only two and she made it as far as she could.

I am always really excited when I manage to get all three movers and shakers in the same picture.  They never turn out very majestic but they are telling.

 

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO CUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUTTTE. Wow, sorry.  That popped out.  I guess I am exercising a mother’s prerogative. 

We took a little hike through the empty trees:

 

I was there.  I was trying to get myself  in the picture with them, but that’s impossible.  So, here you get an awkward smile on a bare face and some trees.  You’ll have to take my word for it that the kids were there too, and that we were all having fun together. 

 

 

 

And since I may not be motivated to blog for a while, here’s another hike on a different day.  A day when I didn’t pack warm enough clothes and the hats were too small, and we ate bagels with cream cheese and had a generally good time.

I intended for these pictures to reflect the epic nature of poking sticks in a small pond, but alas, they are what they are.  You needed to see the big sticks though.

and let’s just …let me show off my valentine décor:  You know, because I can.

And where we sat beneath said artwork and had valentine cookies.  Cutters generously donated by Grandma. 

You know, you do less laundry when your kids don’t wear clothes.

Eat the frosting first.

Until next time I feel like blogging!

I heard the wee babes on Christmas Day.

Although, my wee babes aren’t really all that wee-ish anymore.  Or babe-ish for that matter.  Well, Roz is still babe-ish.  Roz needs to find Neverland so she’ll never grow up.  Anyway, I ramble…

Christmas morning the kids found their stockings first.  Everett was excited:

But, I quickly realized that next year it might be better to keep the stockings out of sight until presents have been opened.  The three could care less about opening packages.  They just wanted to eat ALL THE CANDY.  How do you tell Santa to lay off the chocolate? 

You don’t tell Santa to lay off the chocolate.  He did have toothbrushes in there, sooo…

At some point we got them to move on to opening gifts. 

Oh, Roz didn’t know it then, but she LOVED that food cutting gift.  Pictures to come later.

Yes, Yes, Yaul and Huggly Books. 

This is Rosalyn opening a little wooden tote that my Dad made for her to carry all her toys around in.  My Dad is a cool guy.

My mom is a cool gal.  She’s also a festive gal, and sports that jingle bell necklace you see around her neck there every Christmas morning.  I don’t think there is a holiday that goes by that she doesn’t dress to represent. 

She and dad used to don matching union suits every Christmas morning, so when Target was selling these pajamas (I’m wearing in the picture below) a couple of years ago I knew I had to cash in.  That was a fun morning busting down the stairs in that to my parent’s surprise.  So, what I’m saying here is that I get all my festiveness from my mom.  I’ll wear that union suit every year until it falls apart.  I tired to get Nick a green pair that year as well.  Thing is, women’s pajamas don’t fit men like men’s pajamas.  It didn’t work out.  Someday I’ll find him a manly union suit.  I’m sure he’ll just love it.

Later that day, while everyone was off playing with their new Christmas toys,  I found Rosalyn raiding everyone’s stocking stashes.

She tried to cover by acting like she had been opening it for me.  Here she is offering some in goodwill.

But as I left I noticed she kept right on eating.  I did not have the heart to stop this.   I think I remember someone else did shortly thereafter.  But how can you deny this face anything? 

Like chocolate cake?  Here’s Grandpa later that evening helping Roz out as she feasts on chocolate cake with her cousins:

I didn’t get the greatest pictures of the cake eating, but the cake eating itself was great. 

And here is Roz madly chopping away at that wooden fruit when it really is bedtime.  She had snuck away from us and the boys while we were doing the bedtime routine and found her little wooden knife and was happy as could be. 

Look at that orange go flying.  Really, it’s impressive.

Chapel Hill Christmas Parade

Though I’m sure it’s not called that.  It’s probably called a Holiday Parade.  But I’ma call it what I’ma call it.  This happened a good while ago, but I’m going to blog about it when I’m going to blog about it.

Nick stealing a lick.

This float got my vote.

The boys learned what a marching band was at this parade.  I apologize to any marching-band-friends that I may have who are offended by that. 

Blue truck.

Red truck.                            Truck, truck, truck.

Santa.  I think the boys were pointing at the street sweepers that were following.  Ah, well.  Nick thought it interesting that Santa was sponsored by a pawn shop. 

This is what our spot looked like.  It’s very important to see that too.  Roz worked on that lollipop the whole parade through. 

Note:  If you stand at the beginning of the parade route you get all the candy.   I thought this picture was going to look more impressive, but you can’t tell that my pockets are bulging full of sweet lucre.  Everyone is really enthusiastic about handing out the goods right there at the beginning.  A nice man near us told us that last year he was at the end of the parade, and didn’t get any candy.  So, depending on what you’re after, place yourself accordingly.

So, for all my adoring fans, I’m in a blogging mood, and I’ll be writing up a bunch of entries tonight and setting them to post each day, so, get excited.  All our Christmas fun is on its way.      … Okay? Mom?  Will that be sufficient?    ;)

JUMP!