In which it is Winds-day... a Blustery Day

Because it just seemed like that kind of day.
photo by Gunnar :0)

Fictionary #11

Reintarnation: Coming back to life as a hillbilly.

Nice Try

Background:
The boys think it is a wonderful treat to sleep in the Big Bed with Mom. This works to our advantage, as we dangle this privilege from time to time. Gunnar tries especially hard to work his way into the Big Bed... just look at the face. Could YOU resist?

What Happened:
So, last night, Kerry was out late with his brother, and I put the boys to bed and told them to BE QUIET. They all share a room, so this can be an issue. Tate, of course, without his HA, usually goes immediately to sleep, but Wyatt and Gunnar will sometimes chatter.

I called from my office for them to quit talking and go to sleep. Pretty soon, little feet pitter pattered across the hall. "Mom, Wyatt is keepin' me awake, talkin'. " It was late, and I wanted QUIET! Knowing that Wyatt resents it when Gunnar gets to sleep in the Big Bed (and that Wyatt is usually the one who keeps talking and talking and talking...) I escorted Gunnar back to the bedroom and announced: "Wyatt, if you keep talking, I'm going to let Gunnar sleep in my bed!"

Not five minutes later, (I could still hear a bit of chattering), Gunnar marched triumphantly into my office with Wyatt on his heels, and declared, "Wyatt won't quit talkin', so now I get to sleep in YOUR bed!"

Wyatt gave me a knowing look and explained, "But Mom, he asked me, 'What d'ya wanna talk about?' "

Nice try, Gunnar! Back to bed!

Never a dull moment...

Here they are...

Ta Daaaa!

Here is an overview of the entire scene.

Looking a little closer, we see the Baby Jesus in the "manger", Mary and Joseph adoring Him, and a shepherd who has come to worship.


To the right of the stable, be sure to notice the Practical Shepherd - there is a banana in the food box behind him, and he is cooking chicken over the campfire. Mary will really appreciate HIM!

We see the three Wise Men approaching Jesus with their gifts. Unfortunately the chests are closed, in the picture. One is filled with Lego "jewels" and the other with tiny gold coins. Gunnar has explained to me that the last wiseman, carrying something blue (you might have to check the other pics), has the myrrh.

I know it's early. We're still looking forward to Thanksgiving :0) More about Christmas later, but I just had to get the pics up!

Lego Lovers...

My friend Stretch Mark Mama just passed on this link in the comment section of the previous post... but I'm not sure it all came through.

This is really cool!

Okay, honestly, I'm not sure I want to show the boys just yet, because I don't want them to think their Lego Nativity is "less cool", but check this out:

The Brick Testament

Is it too early?

I have a confession to make:

It is not yet Thanksgiving, and I have a Christmas decoration up at my house. Made by my three boys - pictures to come, when I can get Kerry to upload them…

In keeping with their previously referenced obsession, they have created a wonderful Lego Nativity scene!

They’ve built a stable, with baby Jesus. Some sort of cauldron is standing in for the manger. The part of Joseph is being played by Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Mary is represented by Marian Ravenwood (from Indiana Jones). “Get it Mommy? MARIAN… MARY?”

There is a shepherd, come to worship, who I think is another, older, Ben Kenobi figure.

The Wise Men and camels are being played by three Knights in Shining Armor (from the Castle collection), carrying treasure chests full of gold, jewels, and another special piece that Gunnar informed me is the myrrh. They have come on their three warhorses.

We have no sheep, but several snakes and fire ants have come to keep watch. And another very practical shepherd has built a fire outside the stable where he has apparently cooked some chicken drumsticks. He appears to have brought a bucket of bananas to share.

My boys rock!

Testosterzone #6

There are some things about boys that are very predictable… dirt, danger and demolition just for starters. Of course, there’s the endless amusement with bodily noises and functions. And let’s not forget the constantly competitive approach to many of life’s otherwise mundane events. (Does it really matter who was the first one INTO the minivan? Or OUT of the minivan? Or who got his teeth brushed first?) But what I really love is the UN-predictable ways in which their minds sometimes run.

Saturday evening we all went out to our church’s Harvest Festival. Nothing like church pot-lucks :0) The boys had a GREAT time… didn’t want to leave. As we started driving home, Tate started squirming, and then practically thrashing around! I couldn’t figure out what he was upset about, but he was pretty hot and bothered, and couldn’t seem to get comfortable in his seat.

Wyatt said, “Tate! I know what’s wrong! You have a SWEAT WEDGIE!”

And he wasn’t even trying to be funny.

The Beer Cave?

On the corner just south of our church is a typical gas station / mini-mart. This particular one is a source of enduring fascination to the boys because of the sign, which reads, “Come check out our BEER CAVE!” What is it about this place? Maybe it’s the irony of driving past it every time we go to church, or that may be lost on the boys. And honestly, guys, there is no cave. It is a walk-in cooler, for heaven’s sake!

But we stop there. You know why?

$1.99 gas, baby! WOO-HOO!

Bookworm Award... continued

Around the dinner table, this evening, I mentioned the Bookworm Award.

The boys were intrigued.

They bring you page 56, sentence 5, from the books they are reading in Silent Reading time. Well, Gunnar and I read "Hop on Pop", but - again - I'm not sure there ARE 56 pages, so he made another selection.

GUNNAR
"An' you know what else? I think that dragon is followin' me around!"
"Fone Bone! We've been over this a hundred times!"
"But I'm tellin' ya, I saw one! He had a goatee, 'n' a cigarette, 'n' big ol' hairy ears like this!"
Out From Boneville, by Jeff Smith

TATE
"For dinner on my birthday shall I tell you what I chose:
Hot noodles made from poodles on a slice of garden hose -
And a rather smelly jelly
Made of armadillo's toes.
(The jelly is delicious, but you have to hold your nose.)
James and the Giant Peach, by Roald Dahl

WYATT
"It was going to pass no more than a hundred yards from us, closer to us than any tripod had been on this trip. There was no satisfaction this time, but a great relief when it had gone past. Until I saw it swing around and turn toward us, and heard the ululation that I had twice heard before and had cause to dread."
The City of Gold and Lead, by John Christopher

So there :0)

An award... an activity :0)

I'm in uncharted territory today. My friend, "Ambulance Mommy", a fellow HoH mom, has tagged me with The Bookworm Award. She may have been laughing a bit, as I was whining about not being able to read when I was on the pain meds :0)

But here's the deal:

Get hold of the nearest book. Not the most impressive book, or the one that will make you really look smart, but the nearest book. Turn to page 56 and type in the 5th sentence, and a couple more after that. (I had to go to another room... the nearest book - a kid's book - didn't HAVE 56 pages...)

Oh, this is too funny. In my Vicodin-fog I had TRIED to read our next book-club book, and then gave up. My eyes were sliding over the pages like tires on bald ice... no traction. But I marked the page where I gave up. Would you believe it WAS page 56?! True.

We're reading "Hannah Coulter", by Wendell Berry, and here is page 56, sentence 5:

Did we spoil her? I can honestly say that I at least didn't spoil her, I was so afraid that she would be a bother to her grandparents and not deserve their love. I sort of knew that she didn't have to deserve their love, but I was strict with her. Mrs. Feltner, for one, thought I was too strict, and eventually I saw that she was right.

Okay, now I need to choose five friends to carry on...

1. Mel-beth, at Caffeinated Moments, my friend, a relatively new blogger, and the mother of two boys who also have special health issues (diabetes), as well as an obsession with all things Lego and Star Wars, and - so - play really well with my little critters. :0)

2. Deborah, at A Different Drum, a fellow homeschooler who I've never met, but seems to resonate on many of life's issues.

3. Tina Marie, at Waxing Mundane, who is embarking on an adventure that will seriously cut into her reading time (!) and I am excited to see unfold. We've shared a relationship with Gatorade...

4. Lisa, at Stretch Mark Mama, who has a much bigger bloggy "voice" than I do, and loves to "hog books from the library".

and...

5. Ginny, at The Hansens, who may not get to read a lot, with an 11 month-old bundle of cuteness and energy, but shares a love of good books and a great many other things!

Oh my goodness, I'm so un-techie... now the test is if I've got the links right...

Have fun :0)

Julie