an early Christmas present

It’s a lovely, dreary day today. I’m not being sarcastic, either. I am so glad for the dreariness and rain that we’ve had over the last few weeks. All forms of grey skies are welcome after a drought. Now that we’re in December, we’re taking a month off of school. With so much going on […]

the tree + one, 2016

And now. . . I present to you The Tree, 2016: Lydia’s smaller tree is also decorated, just not shown. Total lights on the tree: 2,980; another new record and only 20 short of 3k! Total number of incandescent lights: 1,350 Total number of LED lights: 1,630 Times the cat has eaten the tree and […]

stranger danger

The ending of the Elephant & Piggie books has sent Sam on a quest to find another series of books. Recently he’s discovered the wide world of the Berenstain Bears books, so we have been borrowing them from the library in heaps. Earlier I read to him The Berenstain Bears Learn About Strangers. Afterwards, I […]

making the nurses swoon

As we were leaving the allergist’s office today, Sam turned toward the doctor sitting at the nurses’ station and exclaimed, “Thank you for being such a good doctor!” The reaction was immediate. All the nurses surrounding the station went:

spaceshit

“Sam, come get your shit out of my room!” I hear Lydia scream across the house. Sam mumbles incoherently, so Lydia yells again, “Sam! I said to come and get your shit!” What?! Surely I am mishearing her. I quickly hop up and look down the hall. “What’d you say, Lydia?” Lydia stomps her feet […]

eight year old taco

Another year, another taco post. And the years just fly on by faster than a spinning teacup. Lydia has continued to grow and mature in her eighth year in ways that never cease to amaze me. Eight short years ago she was this petite wiggly baby. Now she’s an exuberant kid who loves fashion, art, […]

watership down

Crunchy, the outdoor cat, shows up this morning clutching a live rabbit in his mouth. He sets it right by the back door and looks up at us. This is the latest of many animals Crunchy has fetched for us. The kids have been both fascinated and grossed out by Crunchy’s recent dining selections. At […]