We actually made/finished a craft project

I learned about these really cool marshmallow shooters from my friend Emily's blog (but hers are much better looking considering that she took the time to paint them). This weekend when our friends the Isons were in town (and we also had our friends Lamech and Jesse staying with us for the weekend) we needed to find something for four boys to do that didn't involve destroying the various rooms in the house. So we made the basic, unpainted model and everyone had a really great time shooting eachother in the back yard. And I think that Phoebe had a really great time picking up the spent marshmellows and eating them.
p.s. They tell me that when the marshmallows turn hard thanks to the cold air outside, they really hurt when you get hit with one.

Revenge of the Chipmunks

Way back when I was little, the Christmas music in our house basically consisted of a few MoTab Christmas albums, a Ricky Tanner Christmas album (think a teenaged Josh Groban, but in a Utah Valley-homespun way), and the "Christmas with the Chipmunks" album. Of course, my brothers and sisters and I thought that the Chipmunks were the ultimate in funny and were just overall totally awesome. I pretty much had the Chipmunk album memorized from the time I was like eight. (And ok, I'll admit, I had the Ricky Tanner album memorized too.)

Fast forward to Christmas 2007 where thanks to our online music subscription I can just pull up practically any old album that I feel like. And I thought that it would be really cool to pull up the Chipmunks Christmas Album and play it for the kids this year--and it was instantly a hit, just like I knew it would be. We were Living la Vida Nostalgia and it made for a really fun family evening. Except, then the next day Olivia asks me if I can put on the music of "the man singing with the babies." Ok. Cool. Then, when it's over, she asks again....and then again. And when I try to change it to another album, she gets upset. Then, when Adam comes home and he goes to put on some music for the kids while we get dinner ready, Max requests the Chipmunks, and since he's not already exhausted that fond little piece of 1985 more than three times already today, he happily restarts the play list.

Let's just say, those chipmunk voices are starting to become more than a little irritating and now I'm wondering how my parents put up with this album for so many years.

Weekend Visitors

Just some of the reasons why we love having an aunt and uncle in for a weekend visit:

Another open lap for sitting

Exploring the oddities of the family gene pool


Crazy dancing

Playing hide-from-the-monster is way more fun

A new willing subject for medical examinations

And a good excuse to get out to see some lights.

Thanks Chris and Kami! We hope you'll come again soon.

And thanks for washing my dinner dishes too....you're welcome to come back anytime!

'Tis the Season

It's a good start to winter when the first snow of the season coincides with a day off of school.






And it's a good start to the weekend when you can start it with a party and some eggnog milk mustaches while putting up the Christmas decorations.



And a Christmas tree we cut down from the backyard.

Bye-bye Baby Mullet

I gave Isabel a little haircut yesterday.....

Before:



After:

Happy customer.

Ok, here's another......

This is for all you people who laugh at watching Masterpiece Theatre!!


Take the Quiz here!

Looking forward to the 2008 season of Jane Austen adaptations!