Memories in Lights

Soooooo many fun things happened in December.   The advent calendar did not disappoint the adventure department.  This has always been my goal in having the treats revealed in each day be more of a fun activity as opposed to a thing.   Whether it was cooking together, riding a horse sleigh through the park or taking a train tour of Christmas lights, the memories far out weigh the goodies I could give them.  Besides, they have enough junk/crud/toys/games and if I give them sweets, I will just end up eating them after they go to bed and blaming it on the cat (or dad) and that would mean I would hit the naughty list.

This system is much better for everyone.

One of our great adventures took us on a night trip to Kingfisher.   We took a wonderful train ride through a little magical winter wonderland of lights and then drank hot chocolate and ate cookies while running around the light fest.

This night so reminded me of being a kid and running under the lights in the trees in the park.   My kids had a blast.  My husband/boyfriend and I did a lot of handholding and strolling behind our kids as they raced from light exhibit to light exhibit.  

Even if they don’t remember this night, I will, but I feel strongly they will.  Or at least the cookies and hot chocolate part.

The Outtakes

Sometimes, I am just brilliant.  

Recently, I experienced  one of those moments  of utter greatness when I decided to take our family photos for our Christmas cards on my own.  Our favorite photog gal is back in Austin, and in all the hustle and bustle of moving, it had not even dawned on me that I needed to start hunting down a new photographer here in OK.  I knew better than to even start that process around the holidays, so I thought, NO PROBLEM!   I can just set up the tripod and get a few quick shots.   I am brilliant, people.  BRILLIANT!

So, I have decided to make this a bit of a HOW TO tutorial for those of you who are up and coming in the world of brilliance and photography, though these are two areas I continue to struggle through.

Therefore, we will label this one

TIPS FOR THE BRILLIANT PHOTOGRAPHER

(FAMILY PHOTO VERSION)

Tip #1:   TAKING PICTURES THE DAY AFTER YOUR WHOLE FAMILY SUFFERS FROM THE PLAGUE HELPS TO GIVE PHOTOS A PALE GLOW.

For the first time in a very long time, the week we took these photos I had the awful, deathly, unspeakable tummy stuff that makes you want to die.   Actually, my whole family fell victim to this horrible affliction.   TMI alert!  I seriously do not do puke.  I was lucky enough to not suffer this type of sickly during my pregnancies.  I can deal with others and their puke and totally go unfazed, but MY puke?   It makes me want to, well….puke.   And jump out of tall buildings.   I don’t know how we all survived that horrendous 24 hours.  My version was more like 39 hours because remember, I AM BRILLIANT!

Doug was in bad shape, but he somehow managed to hold the team together and keep us all alive.  Bless his soul.  I think that I picked the first day of recovery as picture day to celebrate the fact that we were all alive.  

So here is the proof, world!   These bloated, dehydrated, shaky and empty-bellied  beings made it to the other side of that nasty bug, and they want to wish you a Merry Christmas!

Tip #2:   NEVER USE CHILDREN IN YOUR PHOTO SHOOTS

Tip #3:  NEVER USE CHILDREN WHO THINK THEY POSESS THE POWERS OF THE FORCE AND TRY (OFTEN) TO USE THEM ON THEIR SISTER, IN YOUR PHOTO SHOOTS

Tip #4: JUST KEEP THE CAMERA ON THE “AUTO” FEATURE FOR TRIPOD SHOOTS FOR GOODNESS SAKES.   DON’T TRY TO BE FANCY, OR YOUR HUSBAND WILL END UP LOOKING LIKE SLOUGH FROM “THE GOONIES”. 

Tip #5:   IF YOU ARE GOING TO USE THE TICKLE/TICKLE METHOD TO GET YOUR KID TO SMILE FOR THE PICTURES, REMEMBER THE SELF TIMER IS TICKING AND  YOU NEED TO BRING YOUR CHILD BACK TO THE UPRIGHT POSITION BEFORE ACTION TIME. 

I have like 18 pictures of my upside down kid.

Tip #6:   DON’T PISS YOUR KID OFF AND TELL HIM NO PRIOR TO SNAP TIME.

Just remember,  YES=SMILES!

YES, you can have a pony!   YES, we are having candy for dinner!   YES, I will only refer to you as Jedi Master! 

Heed my warning, or you too will end up with 26 shots of a kid who looks like he was abducted and just wants to go home to his REAL family.

Tip #7:   DON’T TAKE SHOT (CAMERA OR BOOZE RELATED) ADVICE FROM YOUR SEVEN YEAR OLD.

Throughout the whole painful experience of this shoot, Kaelan kept blurting out brilliant (it is genetic) ideas for what we should  be doing for our pictures.

Oh, I know!   We should all climb up in the tree and hang like ornaments!

Hey!  How about we lay down in the leaf piles and jump out and yell, Merry Christmas! at the the last second?

Oh!  Oh!  Oh!!   Let’s all pretend we are falling off a big cliff and hang on to the rock wall!!

By the end of this torturous task, Doug and I finally just looked at each other and caved.  Fine.   FINE!   Let’s give in to one of her little requests and end this thing.

She totally went into director mode. 

Stand here.   Look scared!   Let Seth fall a little so it looks real!  Move left.   Bring your leg up!  We need a boulder at the top!  Work with me people!

!

I know we have a digital camera, but I was so done that I did not even bother to look at the photos until the next day.   Poor Kaelan did not even make the editing cut in her own pictures.   She moved too far out of the shot.  

Sorry, kid.   It is a tough business.

So, if you did get  a card from us this year, I apologize for the pictures.  I had hoped for a least a handful of decent shots to chose from, and I pretty much narrowed down the suitable photos to well, one. 

I hope these tips guide you in your next shoot.

On a final note,

Tip #8:   HIRE A PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER  AND TIP THEM WELL.

 

Every Day is Like Winning the Super Bowl

It’s 9:45 on a freezing cold Monday night.   I am tired.  I haven’t had the best day.  My joints are killing me, and all I can think about is climbing in my nice warm bed, reading a little and crashing.

Doug took care of baths and all the bedtime rituals, he normally takes care of the majority of those duties, and I migrated towards my bed. 

At our music class today, I talked with a gal who was telling me about how her husband loathes giving the kids a bath.   Another mom piped up and said her daughter once pooped during bath time, so her husband has sworn off ever participating in any form of bathing his children again.

Really?   I kept my mouth shut  and smiled at their stories out of fear if I told them about bedtime rituals at my house, they might hate me.  

Why?  Because I have this really great teammate who actually loves that time of day.   He steps up and lets me tag him into the ring at just that time of day when I need to take a seat on the stool in the corner.   He plays with them.  He runs the perfect bubble baths.   He makes sure he washes behind their ears and under their chins.  He even applies just the right amount of conditioner to the ends of Kaelan’s hair.

He really has it down.   I love standing back and watching him finish off Seth’s bath with a warm towel hug and tickle and  nibbles on his belly as he carries him off to his room to clothe him in jammies.   All this while he starts Kaelan’s bath and gets her started with the soap and rag.   After Seth is dressed, he returns to help him brush his teeth and assist Kaelan in her hair washing.

I am usually right there.  I sit on my stool awaiting a tag.   Maybe I run and get the pajamas out and ready, or sometimes I put the toothpaste on the brush.  Mostly, I am just there.  Sitting on the bath mat visiting with Doug while one or both kids splash around. 

Our team is awesome.

I really do feel at times that Doug is the quarterback, but I like to think that I carry the ball a yard or two when needed.   The truth is, I would never want to play the game with anyone else.

That said, let’s go back to the beginning.   It’s 9:45 on a freezing cold Monday evening.

I just hopped in my nice warm bed and popped open my laptop to check a few quick emails and then I am off to dreamland.

Only, one of those emails holds a reminder that tomorrow morning I signed up (weeks ago and forgot to write down) to bring some litters of coke for a teacher’s luncheon.

No.  No, no, no, no, no.  

It is 18 degrees outside.   I already have plans in the morning, so there is no way I can run and pick them up from the store  and drop them off before school.  It has to be now.   I drag myself up with and loud whine of disgust escaping me and start digging through drawers for socks to put on.  

My teammate hears me from the other room, and comes to check on me.

No sooner did I blurt out my mistake in forgetting to buy cokes and how stupid I am, do I see him reaching for his keys and grabbing a jacket.

TAG.

I’ve got it, babe.   Go on back to bed.

I tell you, this man of mine….MVP.         MVP!. 

 

 I seriously love my teammate.

I stole from my church….

Let me explain.   I didn’t so much steal….I took  something to promote the spiritual enlightenment of those not yet aware of this awesomeness.

 

Do you know what this is?    It is the most amazing invention since the iPhone, people.  

It is holy communion…..TO GO.   This little container holds the living flesh and blood of Christ, all in convenient packaging for the Christian on the move. 

A few Sundays ago, after we dropped our kids off in their classrooms,  we made our way into the Sanctuary for the sermon.   The usual greeters at the door handed us our weekly lesson, as well as that little wine cuplet you see above.  

Now, our church is pretty hip.  Every Sunday (unless a church fast is going on), you can find Krispy Kreme donuts and Starbucks coffee free of charge in the lounge area.   I am not a coffee drinker.  I do, however, sometimes partake in a little caffeine to help me keep awake after a rough night.   Really, I drink Hazelnut creamers (6 of them) with a little coffee splashed in.

Sinful, I know.   Especially when I top if off with one of those Krispy Kremes.

Anyhow, as we walked through the door and received our little cup, I actually thought the greeters were handing me a new sample creamer to try out.  How nice of them, I thought.   They must know how I love my creamers.

I stuffed it in my bag to try out later.   Later, the time  came  for the communion portion of our service.  We only do this about every 6 weeks at our church, so I must have missed out on trying out the new communion “creamer” in times past. Or maybe this was the first time?

It was so cool to watch the congregation whip out their little containers and pulling back the plastic lids.   Doug laughed at my amazement over such a neat idea.

But WAIT, it is not just wine (grape juice), in that tiny package, in the top portion,  you will also  find a perfect round and FRESH wafer!

WHY DID I NOT THINK OF THIS????

I couldn't take it.  I had to share this miraculous invention with the nations.  So on my way out of the sanctuary, I saw a small basket containing these little wonders of the world for the next service on a counter, and I took one. 

I took two, actually.   I ate one for a snack on the way to lunch.

Don’t judge me.  All the excitement over the Communion Creamer (and for the record I am capitalizing it from here forward because that is the official name I give it) made me forget to grab a Krispy Kreme.  

Discover the Dinosaurs

My boy is no fool.  You never, never EVER turn your back on a dinosaur.

My girl has always had a love for the dinos.   By the time she was two, she could name them all and tell you a mass of cool facts about them.  

My boy is on the cusp of Jurassic love.   He just started learning about the creatures and showing an interest in reading books and playing with his hand-me-down dinosaurs.   We decided to fill a Saturday afternoon taking with our extinct friends, and we had a fabulous time, no doubt.

The event was held in a huge auditorium that is mostly reserved for concerts and sporting events.   The whole place was really done up, and from the moment you entered the doors, you really did feel like you were in Jurassic Park.  

That, coupled with the LOUD dinosaur sounds coming from within, made just getting in the door with Seth and adventure.   It did kind of sound like they were torturing rhinos inside, so it took a lot of coaxing to convince my guy nothing would be eating him.

  

The entry consisted of a huge  path with large exhibits of many different types of dinosaurs.   Very cool.   My boy kept with the theme, and NEVER turned his back on any of them.   We stopped and enjoyed some interactive exhibits and fossil bone digging. 

Kaelan did a great job on her Dino Scavenger hunt. 

Seth wadded up his checklist paper and threw it at T-Rex.

The kids had a great time riding on a few dinos.  Seth chose a plant eater, but kept a close eye on Kaelan’s meat eater.

There was a football field size area just full of dinosaur jumpers and slides and jungle gyms.   We turned them loose and sat down to enjoy a $7 watered down frozen mango drink and took turns taking 5 minute naps. 

And it was magical.

They soon tired of running crazy and were ready to head to the movie and 4-D area.   We cried for more naptime, but they are slave-drivers.

Kaelan found her happy place in the mining area.    It was a really neat “cave” area that was basically constructed within the bounce house type things.  It was dark, cool and wet feeling inside, and she got to go in and mine for actual fossils and gems.   There were several different caves, and she had to go in ALL of them to find the perfect stones. 

While Kaelan worked to make us rich with gold, we took Seth over to the awesome Dino Tot area to run off the last wisps of energy. 

Doug and I sat down and enjoyed another $7 frozen fruity strawberry watered down drink until Kaelan caught us in the act and made us fork over the last few sips.  She then joined brother and ran off her last bits sugar buzz before dragging us to the face painting and game area.

We would definitely do the Discover Dinos again. 

Note to cheap self:   Sneak your own fruity/frozen drinks next time.  Bring an airplane pillow for quick naps. And maybe a box of peanut M&M’s as well.

The Soccer Season Endeth (thank goodness)

We finished out the soccer season with a perfect record and this time I don’t mean 0-8.   We actually WON every game!!!  But remember, we don’t keep score in this level of soccer, and everyone is a winner, so shhhhhhhh.

I really was quite disappointed in this league.   The practices were held right before the games, and the teams were 5 on 5.  Too much chaos.   Anyhow, it was the only league I could get the girl in to as we moved here too late to join the others.  We consider this fall season to be one really loooonnng    extended practice (we meaning the positive person in our household). 

Others in our house (me) who are a little more negative in perspective, considered this season a really loooonnng and frustrating way in which to blow your Saturday mornings sitting in icy cold weather watching your girl TRY to play competitive ball with a bunch of boys who are on the same team as her, yet they insist on  STEALING the ball from her and have absolutely NO real coaching from the two adults on the sidelines who like to drink Starbucks and shoot the breeze about the OU game.    And….off my box.

She really did a good job despite the circumstances.   She scored many goals and has really improved her footwork.  However, she still has not mastered the art of keeping her tongue in her mouth while playing.   We will work on that for next season.

I am proud of her.

   Her dad (and second biggest fan) is proud of her.

 

And this little man, the loudest member of her cheering section,  could not be more proud!

 

      

Author’s Choice Winner

Chances are, if you have a little  kid in who loves to read, you have probably read one of Tammi Sauer’s books.   Kaelan’s school recently hosted a day with the author and Kaelan was very excited to meet one of her favorite storybook writers.   In conjunction (this word makes me think of pinkeye. yuck.) with the visit, the school also hosted a bookmark contest.   It was a simple contest, the students just needed to submit a bookmark design (in black ink only) based upon one of Tammi Sauer’s books.   Each student had the opportunity to submit 3 designs.  

Two of Kaelan’s three submissions were selected as top winners!  

Now, hold on…..here comes a BIG brag.     Her two were chosen out of over 700 submissions!!!

Man, my kid rocks.

So, not only did she get to hear Mrs. Sauer read one of her books, she also had breakfast with her and received an autographed book.   The funny thing is she actually  made her designs in the car on the way home from school.  She was not crazy about the fact that she could not color it and really did not like the idea of having a very simplistic and boring bookmark (for reproduction purposes).   However, she did it anyhow, and it all turned out super!

Over 1,000 copies of her bookmark were made to hand out at local libraries.

And now you want to see a picture of one of those bookmarks, right?  Well, here is the deal.   I put them away in her keepsake folder which I have now moved to the storm shelter located in a dark hole via a door in the garage.  If you think I am going to go marching down into that cold, deadly spider infested death pin for a picture, you are wrong.   I may or may not be exaggerating a bit about the spiders, but it is for sure cold.  

Let me see if I have a cell picture….

This is pre-production (that sounds so Hollywood), so it is not the best quality.

The one Mostly Monsterly one was my favorite, but again….not going to venture into the depths of the dungeon.  Sorry.