Is St. Nick Santa?

In the states St. Nick comes to your home if you were born/lived in Belgium (or some other European countries). Lucky for us, I was. We were good this year so we got some loot instead of switches. St. Nick Day confuses the kids a little bit, but they still love it.



Mary, Joseph and an A. I mean donkey.



Two of the Wisemen (apparently I missed taking pictures of the cousins--only sis, Jeannie's kids. Granted, we had to do the story three times so all who wanted to be Mary could be).



Gazing at the loot.



Still happy on Christmas, even with double ear-infections.

Boo is the Dancing Queen

Here is Boo's latest performance. She is AWESOME! She is seriously better than the older girls. Her stage presence is amazing.


Note: When she is just standing there she is waiting for her solo. Mr. Mud just focused on her for the whole time so you don't see the other girls doing their solos.

P.S. I totally get nervous for her.

HSM 3

So, I followed my friend, Vanessa's advice and got myself a five-year-old (and a 10, 8, 7, 6, and 4 year-old) and went to High School Musical 3 over the Thanksgiving holiday. I LOVED it.

Singing. Check.
Dancing. Check.
Cheesy. Check.

After watching it I wanted to sing and dance and felt I could be ANYTHING I wanted to be (Doctor? Sure. Basketball player? No problem. Broadway? Here I come...).

After the show we were in the lobby and Boo thought I was a little weird when I started dancing some of the moves from the movie. Oh well, won't be the first time she'll be embarrassed by me.

P.S. Is it a little weird I got misty-eyed during the movie?

Thanksgiving Happiness

I didn't take many pictures of Thanksgiving, but this picture pretty much sums up the day.

We hung with the Muds and then headed to the A Team to close up the day. Always good to have two Thanksgivings.

For Mr. Mud

Just so Mr. Mud doesn't miss us too much when he's working, and something to make him smile amidst all that boring law stuff.

We love you (and miss you)!

ps--this is why I want another, and another, and another.

100 Years Young

Grandma is 100!!

Some highlights from the Bash:

*My cousin (she was Police Chief of Arlington) contacted Gma's old student (she taught at Washington and Lee), Warren Beatty and he sent her a picture and a note.
*DVD of photos of her life by my sis, Mary
*Delicious food
*Stories
*Crossword puzzle about her
*Boo singing "My Favorite things" (she only practiced for 2 days before!!)


Gma always taught me when you celebrate birthdays in your aging years you just switch the numbers: i.e. 63=36, 93=39. You can't do that with 100 so, Grandma, you're going to have to accept that you've made it to a century!

Hopefully some day I can be the type of anchor she is to my own family.

Why I love my kids Reason #157

Because when they see a cool toy they say, "I think I might like that." Instead of, "I want that! I want that!" in a loud, whiny voice like a little girl I took recently to Target.

And I think I might like these:



I really want to do the crazy colored tights-look. I think yellow or blue would work with this dress (above)...








Sad thing is, I'm sure the calf-size is too big for me. Why do they not make knee-high boots for skinny-legs?!?!?!

I love me some Anthro.

Follow the Yellow Brick Road

Recycling costumes:

Little Man=Flying Monkey: Homemade, hand-me down monkey costume from my sis-in-law, + Boo wore it three years ago, +fairy wings from Boo's 4 year-old b-day party, + red vest from Oakton Stake's Gifts of the Heart=Free

Boo=Dorothy: Dress from Consignment shop in Reston (S.'s childhood friend's mom's) Wig=free. hahaha. One of Boo's friends asked if she was wearing a wig!

Nay=Lion:okay, okay, so I was going to make her lion costume, but got too busy so I bought one for $9 at Kmart.

Me=Glinda: My mom's prom dress circa 1962. Boo's crown from cousin's Libby Lu party 2 years ago.

S=Scarecrow: Jeans, plus old shirt+old plaid material and raffia.

Maybe I'll recycle the candy for next year's Halloween.

Halloween events:




Church Trunk or Treat



Town Parade--SSSOOOOO COLD!


Trick or Treating the night of Halloween+Charlie Brown (so don't like it for my kids' ages. Too many "stupids.")

Jack 'o Lanterns designed by the kids.

I don't think so

Recently Boo told me she likes school days better than Saturday and Sunday. WHAT?!?!?! I asked her why and her reply was that "We do more fun stuff."

I'll show her.

I took her out of school last Friday after her only being there for 1 hour. We went to Cox Farm with Gma/pa Mud and cousins. That will teach her to say I'm not fun.

Saturday we went to Fall Days at Mt. Vernon. Have you ever tried roasted apples (over a fire--like s'mores)? Delicious.

And leave it up to Uncle S. to use all of our Annie's Honey Bunny's to bring the seagulls to the back of the boat.

Little Man and his cousin, Noah looked like fraternal twins running around. And "No, they're not all mine."

C-ville Mini Reunion

The Brintons came to town which gave us all an excuse to get together. We opted for a picnic by the WWII memorial instead of causing a scene at a restaurant with 7 children and 1 pregnant mama (not me). It was so fun to catch up and for the kids to be reunited. Two and a half babies have been born in those 2 years since we left. We ain't slow.

Shabby Apple Code

So, I hosted a Shabby Apple party tonight. Good food, good friends, a couple of flaky friends, who RSVP'd and didn't come (Looks like I'm picking up some of Emily Post's Etiquette books for Christmas presents...), but so it goes. The last ones to leave the party got to take the leftovers (mmmm, Chicken Empanadas with Corn Salsa and Cilantro-Avocado Sauce, Mini Apple Crostatas, Flourless Chocolate Cake, Lemon Curd-stuffed Strawberries, Black-bottom Cupcakes).

If any of you too far away to come want to get a dress (or a dress for a baby girl), shoes (the green bow ones are mine. Dude, I totally found the same ones at Anthropologie for $32 more!) use this coupon code for free shipping for three days (the 19th, I think is the last day).

www.shabbyapple.com

CODE: MudrickNeedsDress


ps--email me if you do purchase something.

To go or not to go

To the E.R.--that is the question.

Luke was at a friend's house, tripped and cut his eyelid open on their coffee table. After consulting with Dr. Moms I didn't take him to the E.R. We put a butterfly stitch on and I found some steri-strips from when he busted his other eye-lid open 2 years ago on Gma/pa Mud's rocking chair. When we got home he told me he couldn't shut his eye to pray because he had a band-aid on it. Just an excuse? I think so.

Oh well, Chicks dig scars, right?

Well, fast forward a week and two days. I had a fabulous birthday (later post on that). I was getting ready to go to my first PTA meeting, I put Nay down on her play mat and go into the kitchen (20 feet away) to start getting dinner ready. I hear a weird cough-cough, run in and she is fine. I look at her head and something is missing.

I question Little Man, "Did you take her barrette out?"
"No."
"Did you see her barrette fall out of her hair, did she put it in her mouth?"

I look around, but of course the floor is clean. Meanwhile, Nay is just laughing and acting completely normal. I called S.

"I'm 99% sure your daughter just swallowed a barrette."

I called the pediatrician and they told me since it was metal I needed to take her to the E.R.

I called S. and told him I had to go to the E.R.

"Do you want me to come home?"

Seriously? SERIOUSLY? Do I want to go to the E.R. with three children at 6:30pm on a Friday night, a hospital that I have to travel on 66 West, again... ON A FRIDAY NIGHT?!

So, he headed home and my mom came over to watch the kids till he got home.

After hanging in the E.R. for 3 hours...
Diagonsis: A barrette in her stomach.
Dig through poop.
Find barrette.
If it doesn't come out in 72 hours? Call.

Success. It was found just under 45 hours later. The kids thought it was pretty funny.

On the Things to Do List: Put away ANYTHING smaller than a toilet paper roll.

Oh, and I guess I will have to deal with people calling my baby girl "He" for a little longer. (The nurse in the E.R. was taking us back to take the x-ray and she kept saying how cute "He" was. Finally she looked down at the chart and saw it was a girl--purple and flowers didn't give it away) and apologized. I wanted to say, "Lady, it's because of people like you that got us in this mess in the first place!" Okay, not really, but COME ON!



A boy? Really (say it like Jason Bateman does on Arrested Development)?



See how small it was?!?! If I hadn't been a "good" mom it could have just passed and I would be $100 richer (stinking E.R. copay!).

Happy Birthday to a Rockstar

The Little Man has turned 3.
B-day consisted of:
Diego cupcakes
Saving Baby Jaguar
Jumping over snakes
Eating salmon-shaped PBJ sandwiches
Joy School Friends
Presents
Monkey Bread for breakfast
Gma Mud coming over to bring his one request for his present--Diego car
Potbelly's (I have done something right--he chose Potbelly's over McDs)
and...
DISNEY ON ICE!

It was a fabulous day and he was so proud to finally be turning 3 (all of his friends already are--ahh, the life of a fall birthday. I could do a whole post on that). As we walked out of the Patriot Center I chanted, "Whose birthday, whose birthday?" He'd yell, "Mine!" Then I'd yell, "Who's 3? Who's 3? And he'd yell, "Me! Me!" He was so happy. And can I just mention CARS on ice is awesome?

A daily occurrence:

Me: Little Man, I love you.

Little Man: I know.

I'm so glad he knows. He has such spunk. He is so loving, funny, smart (he is already sounding out some words), athletic, and a great helper. I love watching him learn and grow.

ps--his sweatshirt reminds me of his Uncle Jesse

Awww Man...poop, again!

It is the beginning...

Nay has started solids. She wasn't so sure what she thought of them at first, but after the kids fed her she is starting to dig them. Surprisingly, peas are her favorite.

ps--Thank you Care, for the fabulous HOMEMADE bib!!

Summer Wrap-up

Swimming Lessons with Aunt Mary (Daddy's Aunt Mary--that is how we distinguish between my sister, Mary and S.'s sister Mary).
Thank you! Thank you! The kids had a great time and we loved having an excuse to visit Gma/pa, Aunt Mary, and Uncle Josh, Uncle Jacob,and baby Stella.



Crab Fest at the Mud's. I think Joshua enjoyed it the most.




Labor Day at Lake Anna.
We thought, "a nice day at the Nuclear Lake (it is PERFECT temp and there is a nuclear power plant nearby--coincidence?), relaxing (even without S.--he had to work--Boo)." So, we're enjoying a nice ride, wind blowing our hair, when we hear a weird sound (water gasket broke, I think) we head for the shore, and then the boat dies. Seriously. There we are, middle of the lake, 7 kids, 5 adults and the hot, hot sun. We flagged down some help and it happened to be some novice boaters with 6 month-old twins. Doh. They started to tow us in, and the rope broke. Meanwhile, the boat is smoking (it's coming in from every crevice), I am making the kids breath into towels so they don't get high. Plan B: We transfer those 7 kids and 3 lovely ladies to the other boat. They take us to shore and go back for the boat and the men. We decide to go to the beach of the lake while Craig and Uncle P. get the boat out of the water and into the shop. The kids ended up having a great time playing in the sand and water.

It's Not that Easy

Nay blowing raspberries--it is one of her many talents.

Being Green...That's right, we went to the Jim Henson exhibit downtown today. They had some funny old commercials he made that the kids thought were hilarious. Something about using the product or I will blow you up. Little Man hogged the Elmo puppet and loved watching himself perform the puppet show on the t.v. My favorite part was when a kid was in front of the television and Little Man used the Elmo puppet to relay the message that he could no longer see himself.

We played the role of cool parents and let the kids ride the carousel afterwards and then grabbed dinner at a Creperie in Georgetown. Nay had her first ride on the carousel and growled the whole time. I think that meant that she liked it. I have a lot more to post about, but I had to post pictures of Nay. EVERYWHERE we went people would comment on how cute she was. A man from Japan kept taking pictures of her. I don't know if he was taking them because she is chunky, or just because she is so dang cute, but a little weird, in my book, to take pictures of a stranger baby. And some homeless men in Georgetown went off about what cute kids S. had, and then added that his wife wasn't too bad, either.

Can I just say that this 3rd child is AMAZING?!?! She was perfect all day. Wait, she's perfect every day. I look at these pictures and actually miss her even though she is just sleeping in her crib upstairs.

Back in Time

Meadowlark Gardens



Lunch and pool fun at Gma V.'s


Kyle and Nay

Now that things are "slowing down" (um--Kindergarten, Joy School, Soccer, Ballet, Playgroups...) I thought I'd catch up on some Summer activities I never posted about.

One of my BFF's yearly visit, or maybe I should say Boo's top pick for her future husband, and Nay's new prospect...

Withdrawals

Nay 4 months and Stella 2 1/2 months



Nay about 5 1/2 months Stella 4 months

Nay is in withdrawals from her favorite girl cousin, Stella. She misses sucking on her feet. She wanted me to post these pictures to help her remember the good times they had together--sharing the bottle, screaming together, and causing all sorts of trouble. Nay is excited to be roommates with her at BYU in 18 years.