The Nutcracker

Wow! I can't believe how long it's been since I've posted something here. Maybe I should make a pre-New Year's resolution to start writing more often--that way I can break it before the New Year even starts! Anyway . . . tonight David took Veronica to see the Montgomery Ballet's performance of The Nutcracker. He's taken her the past 3 years in a row. She always seems to like part of it, but not all. Tonight was no exception. At intermission, she told David that "one episode was enough for her." A nearby teen-ager laughed and said he agreed. While David and Veronica were getting their dose of culture, Harrison, Violet, and I stayed home and watched "Scooby Doo Pirates Ahoy!" I've lost count of how many times we've rented it. Violet is saying more words; one of her favorites is "no!" which is cute right now, but probably won't be for long! When Harrison says goodnight to Violet he tells her to have "sweet nightmares." I guess he's a typical big brother!

Get Down! Get Down!

Tonight we were supposed to go to Zoo Boo with Veronica's Daisy Scout troop, but it was cold and rainy so the troop leader decided to go to Stevie B's (a pizza buffet/game room) instead. I was afraid Harrison would be disappointed because he was already dressed in his pirate costume when the troop leader called. Veronica wore her Tinkerbell wings to the restaurant anyway. And, as you can see in the video, Violet had the best time of all. She really likes to dance whenever she hears music and tonight was no exception. She was really getting down. You probably can't hear the music very clearly, but the song "I've Got the Power" (at least I think that's what it's called--it's gettin' it's gettin' it's gettin' kinda hectic) is playing. I think Violet will be ready if they ever have a show called "Dancing with the Toddlers." This could be her audition tape.

Guilty as Charged

Yes, you can find me guilty as charged for not updating this blog in a loooong time. Since I last wrote, I had jury duty. I wasn't selected for a trial the first or second time they "interviewed" us, but I guess the third time was a charm. I was selected for a robbery trial. Ultimately, though, we ended up being a hung jury, so I'm not sure what happens next. I don't know if the defendent will be retried or not. I was 1 of 3 out of the 12 who thought he was guilty. Most of the rest thought he was guilty, but that the police didn't do enough so they had "reasonable doubt." I agreed that the police could have done a lot more, but I didn't have enough doubt to justify letting him go.

Alternative Rock Dedication Monday

So, after Sunday's choir debut, Veronica and Harrison decided to form their own band.

Choir Dedication Sunday

This past Sunday was Choir Dedication Sunday at First United Methodist Church. Harrison is in the Joy 3 choir and his choir sang "My God Is So Great" and "Jesus Love Me." Veronica is in the Carol choir and they sang "Do You Know Who Made the Day." They both did very well!

Keepin' Busy

Yep, we're keeping busy. We had an organizational meeting for Veronica's Daisy Scout troup today. Next week will be their first meeting of the year. Then we rushed over to First Methodist to have supper before Veronica and Harrison went to choir practice. Harrison is in the Joy 3 choir and Veronica is in the Carol choir. They will both sing at the 8:45 AM service in a couple of weeks. Veronica has done this before, but this is Harrison's first time, so it will be interesting to see how he does. Veronica has also started taking piano lessons. David's dad teaches piano at Huntingdon College and offered to give Veronica lessons every Monday at the school. She had her first lesson this past Monday. She was very excited. She also says she wants to learn how to play the violin. Violet has been keeping busy going to Mother's Morning Out on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. I go to water aerobics at the YMCA on those same days. I'm going to have jury duty in a couple of weeks though. I'd like to sign Harrison up for swimming lessons at the Y, but I think it's too much right now. In mid-October, David and I will be taking a class at the church while the kids are in choir practice called "Scream-free Parenting." I want to know when they're going to offer the "Scream-free Kids" class!

Is This Thing On?

Here are some of Veronica's latest jokes:

1. Why did the shirt chase the other shirt? They were playing tag!

2. What do you call a cow that cuts the grass? A lawnmoooer.

3. What does the wind do on its birthday? It blows out its candles!

Are You Smarter than a Three-Year-Old?

Forget 5th graders! They have nothing on Harrison. On Labor Day we went to the Montgomery Zoo. While we were at the zoo playground, Harrison was at the top of the slide and Violet was climbing up behind him (these were wide steps, not like a ladder). Harrison told David, "Look at the monkey bars. Those are big monkey bars." As David turned to look, he heard Harrison say, "Okay, Violet you can come up here now!"

Decision 2008--Vote Violet

What happens when the red states and the blue states come together? You get Violet! Well, since she's too young to run for President, why not vote for Violet as the cutest baby in Montgomery! Because, of course, she is (and I say that with all objectivity). Here is a link to see Violet's picture in the Montgomery Advertiser Baby Contest. Click on the "Gallery V" link of the left side. www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/ohbaby

Cheetah Girl

Last night Veronica went to the YMCA for a special Girl Scouts night. They watched the new Cheetah Girls movie. Here is what happened in Veronica's own words:

Today I went to the Cheetah Girls. I watched a movie there. And I got to eat food. I ate cookies and chips and popcorn and two juices and a cake. But then I got too sick to stay. I had the snuffles. But I really liked the Cheetah Girls. I weared purple pajamas. And I got a tatoo. And I got a necklace with candy in it. And I got a poster with the Cheetah Girls on it. And I got a magnet with the Cheetah Girls on it. But I got too sick so I went home.

One Week Down

We just got through Veronica's first week of school. She is definitely enjoying riding the bus. It's one of her favorite parts of the school day. The other favorite parts are lunch and snack. According to Veronica, the rest of it is just "boring stuff." Okay, now the promised tale of Veronica's first attempt at riding the bus. The loading process went perfectly. All five of us went down to the bus stop to wait for the bus and watch Veronica get on. David had gone back to our house to get his car because he wanted to follow Veronica to school, but didn't get back to the bus stop until right after the bus left. Fortunately, I think that our stop is one of the last, if not the last stop before the bus gets to the school. So David drove to Halcyon Elementary and arrived right before Veronica got there. He walked into the school with her to make sure she went to the right room, but he could tell that she knew what she was doing. And that's the part of the day that we were most worried about! Then at the end of the school day, I went back down to the bus stop with Harrison and Violet to wait for Veronica. Or, at least, that's what I had planned. Veronica's bus is supposed to get to the stop around 3:26. At about 3:15, I headed out (the bus stop is about a 5 minute walk). As I had just gotten out of the driveway, I heard the bus turning down our street. After it passed me, I immediately started running after it. Now, bear in mind, that I was pushing a double stroller loaded down with at least 65 pounds of toddler and pre-schooler, plus any of the junk that they had dragged in with them, so I wasn't quite able to sprint. As I saw the bus stop in the distance, I kept straining to see Veronica, hoping that she would know that this was her stop and that she should get off, but I never saw her. I was also hoping that the bus driver would wait for me to get to the stop, which thankfully she did. I'm sure she realized that this crazy woman barreling down the street with a stroller probably wanted her to wait. When I got to the stop, the bus driver said that Veronica didn't get on the bus at school. I got on the bus and looked around and called out her name just to be sure, but sure enough, Veronica was not on the bus. So I started walking back home with a million ideas rushing through my head about what could have happened. I figured that she probably was waiting in the carpool lane because that's what she did last year--but I knew that her teacher knew what bus she was supposed to be on and that she was riding the bus. I got home and put Harrison and Violet in the van and ran back inside to get my purse. At this point the carpool line would be almost done. As I was coming in the house the phone was ringing. It was Veronica's teacher who said that Veronica was with her in her classroom. She apologized that they had a new dismissal system in place this year that neither she nor Veronica had heard them announce her bus. So I drove to Halcyon, parked, got Harrison and Violet out of the van and back into the double stroller, and went to Veronica's classroom. But, neither Veronica nor her teacher were in there! I wasn't sure if I should wait there or not, but just decided to head to the main office. On the way, I passed Veronica's Daisy Scout Troop Leader who is now teaching special education at Halcyon. She said I should just go to the office. And that's where Veronica and her teacher (Mrs. Cleondis) were! Veronica was disappointed that she didn't get to ride the bus back home that day. It turned out that she did hear them say "Orange Bus" (her bus), but she was waiting for them to say her name too. (That's how the carpool line worked--they announced her grade and then her name). But since that first day, every day has been smooth sailing. Yes, Veronica did come home on the bus the next day! She is also getting to meet some more of the kids in our neighborhood, even though they don't all ride the bus (or even go to public school for that matter!). Yesterday she and Harrison even went over to one girl's house to play in her wading pool after school for about an hour. That was the first time Veronica has ever done anything like that. I was somewhat concerned about how Harrison might behave, but it turns out he was a perfect gentleman--even though he did strip down right in the back yard to change his clothes. Veronica was good too--until it was time to go. When I went back to pick them up, Veronica was yelling and pouting and throwing a fit because she didn't want to go home. I've heard stories that I was the same way at her age. I guess what goes around comes around! Uh-oh!

Back to School Part 1

Today was Veronica's first day of First Grade. It was also the first time she rode the bus. More on that later--I'm too tired right now to relay the whole story. While I was getting Veronica's school supplies I also got Harrison an Incredible Hulk shirt/short set so he wouldn't feel left out. When he saw it, he said, "Why did you get me the Hulk? Is it because you don't want to make me mad?"

Tabling Violet

Today as I was getting Veronica's lunch ready, I heard a cup fall off the table, spilling water on the floor. At first I thought that Violet had reached up and knocked it off, but then I realized she was sitting ON TOP OF THE KITCHEN TABLE! I asked Veronica and Harrison if they put her up there (even though I didn't think they did--I just couldn't believe that Violet had gotten up there by herself). They said they didn't do it. Well, Violet did it all by herself, because I watched her repeatedly scoot the chair out from the table, climb up on it, then climb on the table! Neither Veronica or Harrison did anything like that at her age. Next I guess I'm going to find her on the fireplace mantle.

Veronica the Writer

Veronica wrote 3 stories today. Here they are:

#1
Once upon a time, there was a fairy. She was called Veronica because she liked her. But then the fairy turned into a evil witch. But then Veronica came to put magic potion on the fairy and then she turned into back into her own self. And then she liked the people again. The end.

#2
Once there was a penguin. He loved to go shopping because he was in a game. He loved Harrison because he likes me. But then the penguin went in a strange place and then he saw a wicked witch trying to cast a spell on the penguin. But then Harrison came and put magic potion on him. Then he liked Harrison again. The end.

#3
Once there was a zebra. He loved ice cream because it was yummy and cold. But then the zebra didn't have his map so then he didn't know where he was going. But then Veronica came. But then a wicked witch came along. But then Veronica and Harrison came along to kill the wicked witch and then the zebra wasn't scared anymore. The end.

Veronica Gets Carded

Yesterday Veronica got her first very own library card. She picked out 2 books for herself and an Incredible Hulk book for Harrison. I figured she was smart enough to get her own card after she told me, "I know what 'maybe' means--it means NO!" But in my defense when I told her that "maybe" we would go swimming--we actually did go to the pool! So there. This morning Harrison was dancing around like he had to go to the bathroom, so I asked him if he had to go potty and he said, "No, I'm just exercising." And not to be outdone, Violet called 911 about a week ago. No, Lassie doesn't have to worry about losing her job. I don't know how she did it because we don't have it programmed in the phone. She was just pushing some buttons and I took the phone away from her and hung it up. Then about a minute later the phone rang and it was the 911 Operator asking if we were okay and if someone had just called. I explained that my daughter was playing with the phone. She did not sound amused and hung up on me. I try not to let Violet play with the phone anymore!

Bookends

Need I say more?

I Guess That's Why They Call Them Toddlers

Here's a video of Violet attempting to walk. She can do better than this, but is still primarily a crawler. We took her to Sears today to get her one-year picture. Yes, I know she's 14 months, but if we want her to carry on the family tradition of being a procrastinator we have to start her young! In other news, Veronica informed us today that she knows what "soon" means. She says it means, "A really long time." Hmm, it looks like she's picked up on our procrastinatory tendencies as well!

The Tooth Fairy Falls Asleep on the Job

Last night, after an agonizingly long time, Veronica' front right tooth finally came out! This is the 4th tooth she has lost for those of you scoring at home. (Her first was the lower right central incisor; followed by the lower left central incisor, which she had pulled at her first dentist's visit because it was loose; then came her lower left lateral incisor, which fell out a few weeks ago during dinner--she spit it out on the table.) For the record, her upper left central incisor as well as her lower right lateral incisor are both loose. Anyway, this tooth that just came out had been loose for at least a month. Veronica had wiggled it a lot one day, leaving it hanging by a thread, but then refused to pull it out or let one of us do it. I noticed that the new tooth was starting to come in under the part that had already been pulled away, so after much coaxing and bribing (yes, a chocolate chip cookie was involved), Veronica finally consented to let David pull the tooth out. I held Veronica's hands down as David wrapped dental floss around the tooth and with one big yank, the tooth popped out. Now, Veronica has a big gap as shown in the picture and talks a little funny sometimes. So, now that the tooth was finally out, Veronica combined it with her two other teeth that had recently come out and put them all in an envelope (she had been holding on to the others because she liked to look at them and wasn't ready for the Tooth Fairy to take them yet). Then she put the envelope under her pillow for the Tooth Fairy. When Veronica woke up this morning she was disappointed that the Tooth Fairy had taken her teeth, but hadn't left any money. I told her to take another look because I was sure that the Tooth Fairy wouldn't take her teeth without leaving anything. Just then, Harrison came running out the bedroom holding a dollar saying, "Look what I found in my bed!" He was very excited that someone had left him a dollar in his bed! Veronica immediately realized that it must be hers, and of course, a little sibling dispute ensued. I told Harrison that I was pretty sure that the Tooth Fairy had meant to leave that dollar for Veronica and it probably just fell into his bed by accident (his bed is directly below Veronica's--she's in a loft and he's on the floor). He wasn't convinced. Finally Veronica told Harrison that she had lots of dollars in her piggy bank and that she would share one of those with him if he gave her that dollar. He agreed to that and they went peacefully back to their room. I don't know if Veronica gave him a dollar or not, but someone left a dollar on the kitchen table--I just assumed it was a tip for me--maybe not! Maybe we need to write a letter to the Tooth Fairy to make sure she does a better job of placing the money under the pillow next time!

Bend It Like Harrison

This week Harrison started playing soccer in the YMCA's "Turf Tykes" league for 2-3 year olds. He seems to be having a lot of fun. His team is called the Lions. This video is from today's practice. It's an indoor soccer field with astroturf. They haven't played any games yet, so we'll see how he does when the time comes.

Happy Father's Day!

Greetings from Texas Roadhouse Grill

Violet's First Day of "School"

Yesterday was Violet's first day of "school" (a.k.a. Mother's Morning Out). She and Harrison are enrolled for the summer session (Tuesdays and Thursdays 9 AM to 1 PM). This week Veronica is also going to Vacation Bible School so I actually have a little time to myself this week!! I wasn't sure how Violet was going to react. She is familiar with the place because she came with me 3 times a week last school year when I took Harrison, but this is the first time that she didn't leave with me. Well, I could barely carry her into the room because she was trying to wriggle out of my arms to get on the floor and start playing. She didn't even look at me when I left. She was too busy! When I went to pick her up, her teachers said she did great. She played, ate her lunch, and never cried. She was happy all day. Let's hope this continues tomorrow. I'm sure it will. Harrison had a good day too.

Countdown to V-Day

Tomorrow is Veronica's 6th birthday. We're having a cook-out for both her and Violet (who will turn 1 next Wednesday). Needless to say, Veronica is very excited. Tonight I asked her what she wanted for her birthday (hoping she would say something I had already gotten her!) and she said if she told me what she wanted it wouldn't be a surprise! Because that's what she really wants--something she's not expecting. Harrison is also full of surprises. Today he was playing with an abacus and asked me what he was supposed to do with it. I said it's used for counting. So he said, "Okay, I can count! 1, 2, 3, 8, W, R, P, 11, N!" Not to be outdone, Violet has started climbing up the slide on Veronica/Harrison's loft bed--all the way up to Veronica's bed on top. I'm keeping a VERY close eye on her! She's liable to be on the roof next.

It Must Be a Boy Thing

Yesterday morning when Veronica was leaving for school, Harrison saw the big orange garbage truck outside and he got really excited and said, "Awesome!" Then he looked at the big dump truck he got for his birthday and said, "Awesome!"

Kids Say the Darnedest Things

Today, Harrison heard the washing machine and asked me what that noise was. I told him it was the washing machine. He said, "No, the Mystery Machine. It looks like we've got a mystery on our hands!" And, no, he wasn't making a comment on my laundry skills--he's just really into Scooby Doo.

Harrison also saw the picture that Veronica brought home from church on Sunday and asked me what it said. I told him that it says Jesus loves us. Then he said, "This I know. For the Bible tells me so." But he didn't sing it; he just said it.

And Violet said, "Da!"

Violet Eats Grits for the First Time

Violet couldn't get enough of the cheese grits at Easter Brunch. Unfortunately the video didn't capture all of her gleeful vocalizations.

Like Mother, Like Daughter

Last Friday on a walk/bike ride through our neighborhood, Veronica met a girl close to her age two houses down from ours. They exchanged phone numbers and Veronica has wanted to call her to invite her over ever since. I told Veronica that she couldn't call Madison until her room was clean so they'd have a place to play. To which Veronica replied, "I'll have her come over and she can help me clean my room!" In Veronica's defense, Harrison is the one who makes most of the messes in their shared room.

Easter Photo Essay

Folks in the journalism biz call this a "photo essay." I call it, "I'm too tired to write anything to go along with the pictures." Enjoy!

This is the Life?

Spring Break is almost over and I can hardly wait! Of course, Veronica has it all figured out. Two days ago she asked me if she had gone to school that day (I think she was delirious). When I reminded her yet again that she had all week off because it was Spring Break, she leaned back, sighed, and said, "This is the life!" Today, though, Harrison set a new record for the number of ways he could get into trouble and the number of household items he could smear all over his body (soap, toothpaste, hand lotion, and diaper rash cream). I could add boogers, but since he rubbed them on Veronica and not himself, I guess it doesn't count. He also rubbed diaper cream all over Scooby Doo's bottom and tried to put a diaper on him. And this happened while he was supposed to be in time out! Violet managed to stay out of trouble--for now.

Another Product of the Alabama Educational System

Last night David took Veronica and Harrison to the new Burger King across the street to let them play in the play room. He got a milkshake for them all to share and told me, "I had half of it; then, Veronica and Harrison split the remaining two-thirds." Yes, David received a B.S. in Math from the University of Montevallo (in Alabama). Maybe I should homeschool Veronica . . . Speaking of school, Veronica and Harrison are on Spring Break this week. And for some reason, one of their favorite pastimes is making a mess in the bathroom. They know they always get in big trouble, but for some reason they just can't help themselves! Today I sent them into our bathroom to wash their hands and face (I know, big mistake), and when they didn't come back out right away, I went in to see what they were doing. Both of them were kneeling on the sink counter looking into the mirror. Veronica had my lipstick in her hands, and when she saw me, she immediately said, "Harrison took the top off!" Yes, she has an uncanny ability to immediately try to shift blame to Harrison no matter what the situation! Fortunately, I caught them before they were able to do anything. Later, though, they were taking a bath when Veronica started screaming at the top of here lungs. I assumed that Harrison had splashed her, but when I went in to investigate, she said, "Harrison put too much paper in the toilet." And then, I found Harrison standing in the toilet! Again, fortunately, he hadn't put too much paper in--just himself.

On the Mend

For the past two weeks, we've been taking turns being sick. Fortunately they've all been 24 hr things for the most part, but hopefully everything has finally run its course. Harrison's preschool is having their annual chili supper fundraiser tomorrow night and as part of that, they also have a raffle. Harrison saw a pirate ship toy on display (one of the raffle items) and wanted to take it. He keeps calling it "his" even though we've explained to him that it's a prize and someone else might win it. I guess I have to at least buy a raffle ticket now--who knows, maybe he will win! Violet had some Cheerios for the first time today. I figured it was safe given all of the things she picks up off the floor and tries to chew up. She had no problem shoveling them into her mouth. She can use the "pincer grasp" but then she can only get one in her mouth at a time and what's the point of that? I gave her some Cheerios tonight while we were eating supper just to keep her occupied and both Veronica and Harrison wanted some on their plates too!

Belated Birthday Happenings

Here are some of the ways that I celebrated my 37th birthday (which must mean that I'm now a perfect 10 because 3 + 7 = 10). We went to Atlanta for the weekend to visit my dad. He watched the kids (with the help of Barbara Boos--whom he made do all the dirty work) while David and I went to an Indian restaurant and saw the movie Persepolis. We both enjoyed it. We came back on Sunday when a tornado ripped through Prattville (the town next to Montgomery--about 15 miles away) and did a lot of damage, but no one was seriously injured thankfully. However, at the time we were still on in the road just south of Atlanta (right before the Newnan exit) when traffic came to a complete stop for about an hour and half because a semi-truck had overturned and was blocking all the lanes (it was raining really hard). The storm passed while we were waiting. There were a few people riding up and down the interstate on skateboards--that's how we found out why the traffic was stopped. Also shortly after we stopped, Veronica announced, "I have to poop!" We tried to offer her one of Harrison's diapers or a plastic bag, but she decided just to wait until we got home. Then, that night, around 1:30 AM, Veronica came into our room because she had thrown up all over her bed. David and I cleaned up her bed and fortunately, Harrison slept through it all--even the smell! The next day she had a fever of 104, so David took her to see a doctor. They did a swab of her nose and it came back negative for flu, so it must be some other kind of virus. She seemed to be getting better, but then had relapse (another fever) last night, so she stayed home from school again today. It looks like she will going back to school tomorrow, though. This morning she asked where Harrison was going and I said he's going to school. Then she asked if she was going to school and I said, "no" and she said, "Yes!" (complete with pulling her raised arm down in a triumphant motion). We're not sure exactly how she got sick, because thankfully no one else has gotten sick. But we think it may have something to do with the bottle cap she picked off the ground and stuck in her mouth on Sunday afternoon. Oh, yes, and what did I do on my actual birthday? Well I spent most of the day at home taking care of Veronica, but David's parents came over in the evening to watch the kids so that David and I could go out to dinner at Bonefish Grill. They brought me a very nice llama wool scarf that they got on their recent South American cruise (in Chile). Well I have to go watch a lunar eclipse--I can't stay at my computer writing all night you know!

Harrison Math

It's Valentine's Day! That means it's time for a lesson in Harrison math. Here's an easy one to get you started. Question: When do two lollipops count as taking one item from your treat bag? Answer: When you eat them at the same time! Yes, Harrison thought he'd get around the "take only one thing" rule by putting two DumDum suckers in his mouth at the same time and saying, "See--one!" It doesn't help that it is now customary for Valentines (the cards that kids trade at school) to come with candy attached to them--so they all end up with a ton of candy. I staged my own rebellion by having Veronica and Harrison pass out "candyless" Valentines. On the other end of the spectrum, Violet enjoyed her first piece of toast today (15 whole grains, no butter).

You Get What You Ask For

First Methodist rebroadcasts their services later in the week, so David tried to record Violet's baptism at his parents house (they have cable so the picture is clearer). His parents are currently on a South American cruise (they're also flying to Antarctica) so he had to figure out their VCR on his own. Of course, since David is technologically gifted, he had no problem. To make sure that he didn't miss any of the service, he decided to set the timer for a little before and little after its scheduled air time. He meticulously set the timer to start at 5:59 AM and to end at 6:01 AM! He may be tech savvy, but I guess he's a little temporally challenged. Anyway, the VCR dutifully recorded the 3 minutes he set it for. I guess we'll just order a DVD from the church . . .

Violet's Baptism

Violet got baptized on Sunday the 27th. Here are some pictures taken afterward. Violet did pretty well. She didn't cry. Unfortunately the same can't be said for Harrison! It was his first time actually being in the sanctuary since his own baptism. He had taken Violet's cup and she started to get fussy, so I took it back to give to her. Needless to say, Harrison was not happy. To hear him in all his glory, go to http://www.fumcmontgomery.org/ and click on the video services icon. It is the January 27th service (the current one). You can also go to http://www.wsfa.com/Global/story.asp?S=6957729&nav=menu33_7 to get to the menu of videos directly. Violet also appears on January 6, 2008, during the Baby Recognition.

Veronica's New 'Do

Veronica's Grandma Conely took her to the beauty parlor today to get her hair cut. Here are some pictures of her new look. In other news, Veronica has gotten into the habit of calling David "dada" which sometimes he doesn't like, so he told her that she doesn't have to call him that, she can call him "Daddy." Then she went in the opposite extreme and called him "Father" so David started feeling a little guilty and told her that she could call him whatever she wanted. Then she said, "Can I call you Giraffe?"

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

Yesterday we got the first snow since we've lived in Montgomery. It barely dusted the grass, but I insisted that David go up into the attic to get my sled. He didn't think it would work, but I knew that our backyard was made for sledding--if only we could ever get some snow! We had to act fast, though, because the falling snow started to turn back to rain very quickly. I got three good runs in, then David did too. I helped Veronica the first time by letting her ride on my lap, then I just pushed her, then she did it all by herself! It was really fun, but also really wet because it had been raining so much that the ground was very swampy. All of the snow was gone probably within an hour or so, and now it's just COLD! If only the cold could have coincided with the precipitation, then we really could have gotten some use out of our hill.

Odds and Ends

Here are some things the kids have said/done recently: Right before getting out of the car to go in to his preschool, Harrison grabbed his brush and started brushing his hair. When he was done, he said, "Now I'm handsome!" Later that day, his teachers had to change his clothes because he had a dirty diaper and decided to stick his hands in it and rub it all over his clothes. Veronica used to do that all the time, but Harrison has only done that once before. It was chilly one morning so I put a blanket on Violet before taking her outside. Inside the car I noticed that Harrison had stolen Violet's blanket and had covered himself with it. I asked him why and he said, "Because I'm sooo coooold." He had a coat on too! Veronica got a prize from the treasure box last week (some bubbles) because she was good all week! Report cards come out this Thursday. Violet has started saying "Dada" a lot lately, but no "Mama" yet!

Recognizing Violet

Yesterday, First Methodist Church had a recognition ceremony during the 11 AM service for all the new babies born in 2007. We carried Violet to the front, they announced her name and ours, and gave her a cute little pink Bible (of the Psalms) with her name embossed on the front. Veronica walked up with us too. Harrison stayed in the nursery. Today was Veronica and Harrison's first day back to school/preschool. Harrison has been ready to go back for a long time. Veronica wasn't quite as anxious! She did come home with a smiley face on her hand today, so she ended up having a good day anyway. Harrison's preschool is going to be working hard with his class to get them potty trained. They won't let them advance to the K3 class in the fall if they aren't potty trained. So I'm hoping this will encourage him. He has all the skills to do it--he just doesn't have the desire to do it. I feel confident that he'll be potty trained by September, especially if everyone in his class is doing it.

Goodbye 2007, Hello 2008

For New Year's Eve, we went to the zoo to see the Christmas lights and then to Pizza Hut for supper. We got home around 9 PM and I put Violet to bed. Even though we are in the Central Time Zone, we still see the New Year's shows (like Dick Clark) live. So, when they do the countdown, it's only 11 PM here. So we all celebrated at 11 PM with some sparkling cranberry juice that we got from Goodwill. (David had dropped off some donations and they gave it to him because someone else had dropped it off and they don't take food donations. It was still sealed, so we drank it and we're still all alive.) Maybe if we had cable TV there would be some "live" New Year's show for us to watch, but all they do here (on the regular broadcast channels) is re-run the same show they just showed an hour earlier! Needless to say, it's very anti-climactic. I struggled to stay awake until midnight, but had dozed off, when David woke me around 12:03 saying "Happy New Year." Then I went to bed. New Year's Day is different here too. No one has heard of having pork and sauerkraut. Obviously, you can buy it at the grocery store, but it's not a featured item, like the traditional foods here--blackeyed peas and turnip greens. We had a "traditional" New Year's Day meal at David's parents house: blackeyed peas for peace, rice for riches, turnip greens (again for money because they're green), and some sausage. It was good. I like turnip greens and blackeyed peas (which are really more like beans than peas) and probably healthier too. Last year I made pork and sauerkraut at our house and invited David's parents over. They enjoyed it, but Veronica complained about the smell of the sauerkraut the entire morning that it was cooking. You would have thought she was being tortured! I'm sure it built lots of character.