Good Tunes

Whether you consider yourself a Twilight Fanatic or not

Whether you will or won't be going to the midnight showing on Thursday night

Whether you just need a little music downtime between your board exams today and a presentation at a state-wide conference tomorrow {fun week, eh?}

You need to get this. It's just some darn good music.

Diary of an almost 2-year-old

Wake up: {at approximately 5 am, ready to party} singing, calling for the dog, jumping in the crib
Breakfast: Squash bananas between fingers. Eat 2 bites of pancakes before feeding the rest to the dog {but say "tank-ooh" when you get the plate}. Squash more bananas between fingers. Yell for ba-ba. Spit fork-fed bananas out and then feed the rest to the dog.
Mom's getting-ready-time: Watch cartoons with brother for 3.5 seconds before getting down. Eat 3 kleenexes. Open toilet bowl {"potty!"} and gleefully splash until Mom finds you arm-deep in toilet water. Get hands scrubbed.
Kindermusik class: {free class. I'm not sure they want us back}. Run in circles yelling "I get oooh! I get oooh!" Refuse to sit with mommy, sit on the blanket during story time, sit during music time, sit to play intruments. Refuse to sit all, yelling "nononononono!!!" Instead, lie down on another little girl's mommy while she's pretending to be jelly.
Lunch: Squash bread between fingers. Eat 4 bits of grapes and then feed the rest to the dog.
Nap: Call for "daddy? Boooo? Eeekey? {Lukey} Mommy?" Give up and settle for singing songs.
Playtime: Drive cars saying "vroom vroom." Try to steal brother's super-cool-remote-controlled car. Try to steal trains. Dance. Find "sooohs" {shoes} and put them on your head, hands, and then try to put on feet. Dance some more.
Dinner: Squash vegetables between fingers. Spit out fork-fed beans. Feed the rest to the dog.
Bedtime: Let mommy rock you. Finally, quiet, sing some songs. Sing some more. Cuddle baba and teddy. Fall asleep, looking like little angel.

First Snow Pictures

Just enough to stick on the ground and look pretty. But it was perfect for snowballs. And the kids were excited (at least Evie was until she got out in it and realized it was cold). She looks pretty cute, with her tiny little self all over-stuffed and puffed up. And nothing will stop Luke from romping outside.

Booooo!

From Evie's room every morning:

"Booooo!" {Baloo}
"Hi, Booooooo!"
"Booooooo?"
"I-ahnt Booooo!" {I want Baloo!}
"Booooo ow-shide?" {Baloo outside?}

She loves that dog. And he is so, so good with her - never complaining, even if she's jumping on him (she's currently watching cartoons from the vantage point of his tummy). And nothing, absolutely nothing, makes her laugh like he can.

Christmas List

Luke's already got his Christmas list ready to go. Transcribed word-for-word by Daddy.
{my favorite ones are highlighted}

* Remote Controlled Fire Truck
* Hockey helmet with face basket and ice skates
* Zoom-zoom turbo car launcher
*Geotrax train and airplane set
*Toy fishing stuff
* New Clifford books
*Cuddly Stegasaurus {"Steggy"}
*HARD golf balls {as opposed to the plastic ones we currently have}. When we asked him why he needed new golf balls he responded: "to go with my . . . "
*New golf clubs -putter, driver and iron.
*Hole in the back yard to hit the golf balls into
*Remote control car
*Construction vehicles
*Cars for Luke and Evie
* New movies
*Drawing paper
*Trace and draw projector
*Lego sets with wheels
*New soccer ball
*Big, red horse trailer
*Truck that has animals and cages
*Robot that shoots plastic things to hit the monsters in my closet

Santa had better get crackin'.

To flu or not to flu

Please excuse my soapbox.



Get your flu shot (please).

It really isn't fun to get if you're healthy (I got it once and ended up in the ER and then didn't get out of bed for an entire week).

It can be fatal if you're very young or old.

And, if it's any consolation, I don't think your child can scream louder or kick more nurses than my almost 5-year-old did yesterday while getting his.

Find a flu clinic near you here.

Today

I woke up to this:

photo via flickr.

Evie stared at it with her little nose smushed up against the window as if she hadn't ever seen snow before. And I guess the last time she saw it was almost half of her life ago. And there is something about the first snowfall.

Then, Luke instructed Evie on the fine art of jumping in circles on the bed.

We made it to the gym (Luke asked if I was going to turn on the "snow-shield-wipers"), the grocery store, and then made these babies from Bakerella for a church event tomorrow.

(disclaimer - mine aren't nearly so pretty. But brown butter maple icing -- to die for.)

Baloo just finished cleaning up the half a bag of powdered sugar we managed to dump on the floor. Evie is following Luke around the house, quacking, trying to get him to play with her.

Today is good.