FrankenThumb

I'm feeling a little Frankenstein-ish. I get to spend 10 days like
this and then hopefully I'll be as good as new.

Cuties

My little Cutie eats about 4-6 cuties a day. He LOVES loves LOVES them.

Love

I just love this sparkly little one.

Fwd: [Dingleberry's] Yankee Doodle

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Try number 2.

Hyrum wanted to try out for the school Talent Show.  He's a great little pianist but nothing that would make him stand out. . . so we put on our thinking caps and came up with this number.  It is super short (which I think makes it endearing) and unique since he's playing it on the melodica.  

He did well at tryouts and was thrilled to find out that he had made it.  I'll be sure to record the performance later this month.

Sam also made the talent show and will be playing Concerning Hobbits from The Lord of the Rings.  We are working on his hobbit costume now.  

Yankee Doodle

Hyrum wanted to try out for the school Talent Show.  He's a great little pianist but nothing that would make him stand out. . . so we put on our thinking caps and came up with this number.  It is super short (which I think makes it endearing) and unique since he's playing it on the melodica.  

He did well at tryouts and was thrilled to find out that he had made it.  I'll be sure to record the performance later this month.

Sam also made the talent show and will be playing Concerning Hobbits from The Lord of the Rings.  We are working on his hobbit costume now.  

Thumbs Up

A can lid. A thumb. A collision. Blood everywhere. (I never seen blood spurt and spray like this before). Eight stitches. 

Drive home in 8 inches of snow was scarier than the stitches. 

Picasso in our midst...

Today I was waiting in the school office while Warner was down the hall at speech therapy.

Mrs Murphy, the art teacher, stuck her head inside to say hello.

MM: Did Sam tell you the good news?

Me: No.

MM: You mean he didn't show you? I told him to show you. We'll, c'mon, you've got to see this.

Mrs. Murphy scurried down to the art room while I followed closely behind. She sat at her desk and pulled up the Anchorage School District's homepage. Then with a wave of her hand she unveiled Sam's masterpiece prominently sitting in the spotlighted column.

Horray for Sam. Art is his thing. Telling his mom about his 15 minutes of fame, not so much. I wouldn't have it any other way.

More love

Grandma showered us with some more love this week. In fact, the
package came yesterday and Hyrum was begging to make another pennant.
He does a bang up job and while his lines aren't as straight as Sam's,
he's not one bit scared of the sewing machine. He LOVES the purple
bunny fabric and made sure it made it into the middle of his creation.
Love this boy. Love his love for projects. And love his Grandma
that sends so many fun things our way!

I'm in love

I'm in love with those little smiles. I love the way that Mudgie's
eyes turn into crescents. I love the awkward pained expression on
Warner's happy face. I love Hy's inbetween phase look he's got going
on. . . baby face and big teeth. All of those things plus the arms
around each other. . . I'm in love.

happy helpers

Warner is my BEST helper. Ask him to do something and typically he
gets right to work. He's a CHAMP at garbages, dishwasher, and
windows.

Ugh

Little buddy, I feel the same way about laundry. . .

afternoon entertainment

Me and My Irishmen

Typical St. Patty's Day fair. Green decor. Green garb. Green grub.

With or without a four leaf clover, I'm the luckiest lady alive with
these Irishmen at my side.

Pinch Proof

After spending the morning getting pinched by his little brothers,
Christian made himself pinch proof from head to toe.

I'm Scared

I'm scared of my baby.  

Yes, you read that right, I'm scared.  I'm scared of something that holds 1/8 of my heart, who is 1/10 my size and 1/35 my age.  Something with sparkly blue eyes and chubby cheeks.  The same something that just started crinkling his nose when he smiles and laughing when we go on walks.  I know, you're thinking, how can I be so scared of something so adorable.  

Let me tell you. 

My adorable little fellow is a biting, grabbing stalker.  Let me explain.  [No, there is too much. Let me sum up]  

Holland has a glorious set of six sharp chompers which he is constantly trying out on any flesh he can find.  Why?  I don't know. He is a biting grinding maniac.  He'll bite fingers, shoulders, cheeks, noses.  Need I go on?  If it is soft and tender he'll bite and bite hard.  There is no remorse, just a feverish appetite for more.  I'm still holding onto my theory that he has rabies. . . I'm just waiting for him to start foaming at the mouth.  :)

Holland also loves my hair.  Not all of my hair, just the really tender stuff by my neck.  Those little chubby fingers are quick and strong.  Now I can do hard things, and I'm not a stranger to pain.  But when it comes down to it, I'd rather birth a baby without drugs than get my hair permed.  Why?  Because getting those silly rods out about kill me.  The pain is crazy and there is no precious baby at the end of all that agony.  The last time I got my hair permed I literally had to ask my friend to count down the rods for me. . . so I could breath through the pain.  Silly, I know.  But that's how sensitive my head is.  Don't even get me started on the stories from my childhood and my mom going through my hair with a comb.  So when Holland has my hair in his death grip you can only imagine the thoughts going through my head.

Holland loves me.  And yes, for those wondering, I love him too.  But he really really really LOVES me.  And most of the time only me.  If he sees me he wants me.  If he hears me he wants me.  So what do I do?  I've been hiding from my baby.  Yes, hiding.  If he's in the front room playing, I sneak into the kitchen, do what I've got to do, and sneak out all in 100% stealth mode.  I've contemplated getting camouflage clothing so I can blend in with the walls.  Or maybe I get a mask made so I look like Eric.  Hmmm. . .   If Holland happens to catch one glimpse of me he army crawls at full speed to where I am and whimpers whimpers whimpers.  Adorable?  Yes, at times but more often discouraging because he was playing perfectly until he saw me.  At times I find myself pantomiming to the kids just so the baby doesn't hear me.  It all seems silly but so does lugging around a 20 lb bundle of cuteness who is simultaneously trying to bite me and pull my hair out.  

So right now I am scared.  And perhaps a little scared that I'm scared.  But until my baby boy keeps those fangs and phalanges off of me, I'm keeping my distance.  :)

SIL Inspiration

My sis-in-law Jess pinned this. 

 I loved it and quickly set to making up a 8x10 version.  

Holls

Holl's just chomping down on some delicious banana bread. He loves
his little highchair perched on the side of our island and happily
begs food of any and everyone around him.

A Moment Later

Mudgie wanted to join in a moment later. . .

Too Busy Living

Most days we're too busy living life to even find the camera . . . but
the other day I wanted to document my teenagers and all the growing up
they've been doing. Here is just a five minute moment in our kitchen.
I especially love the first picture. . . from their expressions, to
the way they are standing, it has teenager written all over it.

It sure is a priviledge to parent these two.

Furrondy 2013

Bacon Family at the snow sculptures and the Running with the Reindeer.
Eric wants to sign up for that next year. If he doesn, I'll be sure
to make him a Bacon Costume for the event.

It was a beautiful day and felt so wonderful to get out as a family.