Merry Christmas!

Stuber Selfie from us to you!

Birthday Dinner Two

Sushi Party!

Requested by Nick, who claims he has learning Japanese on his to-do list, and has even downloaded an Ap for that.

 

Reserved for the weekend, when we had a little time.

I prepped and they compiled and rolled.

 

A first attempt at recreating the "Crispy Apple" appetizer had on a business trip once.  Remains one of the best appetizers ever.  The home recipe needs a touch more work.

 

And we always go all out.

 

We had plenty of hands.

Tradition

Kicking off the holidays: Christmas on the Coosa parade in downtown Wetumpka.

 

Where our boys insist on walking the route instead of riding--every year.

Five Minutes Earlier

Elaine: "I hate you Alida.  I'm never speaking to you again."

seriously.

Their Birthday

The morning they turned 11--wondering why they had to go  to school.

 

But then there were presents, that made a real smile.

Presents for both.

An upgrade to the GhostRider cake.

The cake that looked oddly less scared once it was cut into.

And don't forget steak dinner.

 

Perfect.

Bring it on

And so we decorated.

We even purchased and wrapped (yep, it's mostly done).

We sent out Christmas cards this year!

We planned the menu and table setting.

 

Now, Alida, when you make us a fire, let's settle in and enjoy it.

When we go to church, let's settle in and focus on being there.

When we attend the parade, let's settle in and be taken away for just a little while.

When we play a game, let's laugh and not think of our to-do list.

When we're together, let's be together.

 

 

Happy Birthday Boys!

2005--you were already inseparable.

 

A year later we had 4-month-olds and it was easy to keep you in the same place.

 

And then you were one, and we were all exhausted and conked out together.

 

And at two, discovering together.

 

At three, still clutching the same toys together.

 

At four, your daddy was out of the country and you stuck close to each other that year.

 

At five, we had so many adventures.

 

At six, swim team together.

 

At seven, you were losing the same teeth at the same time.

 

At eight, we couldn't get you off a shared iPad.  Maybe that was cheating to keep you together.

 

At nine, even though in competition, we found you always together.

 

At ten, man I could even get you to smile together.

 

And here you were on the eve of 11.

 

Eleven years, and I adore that it didn't take much time to find you both together in any of the files I searched today.  Ben you are quiet and reserved, and you want time alone.  And Nicholas, you have never lost your fire or your desire to be at the center of everything all at once.  Yet, somehow the different personalities compliment. We wish you a very happy birthday brothers.

Settled In

And after hitting the buffet on a Saturday afternoon, there is nothing better than settling in for a movie with the brood. I spent more time watching these two than I did the movie most of the time.

Buffets

Here is the place where we can get some calories:

The eat-all-you-can buffet.

 

The casino finally tired of the military member onslaught on Sunday mornings, and changed the rules on us.  No longer do we get to walk the smoky floor of machines dressed in our Sunday best to the buffet to collect our free meal; we are relegated to Monday-Wednesday, and now you have to go get tickets from some dark corner of the place before you can show up for the food.

 

So, we shifted to Golden Coral. 

Where Nicholas shows up with Plate Number 1: macaroni and cheese, stuffing, rice, bread, hush puppies and mashed potatoes.

Plate Number 2: an equally astonishing array of chocolate. Every piece available, in fact.

 

Go there on at 2:00 on a Saturday afternoon and we don't eat again until the next morning we're so stuffed.

After School

Girls: Homework

 

Boys: Homework Done and on to fun

 

Every day.

 

Waiting

We have been waiting for rain to see if the ditch the boys dug will divert the rain off our driveway.

It has been so dry lately, it will be a surefire test.

 

Soil erosion--Science Fair project number two found around the house.

Happy Birthday Old Man

We love you!

So much it overflows from time to time.

Poor Thing

 

Called me from school the other day because she wasn't feeling well.

I always ask: "Do you feel like you need to come  home?"

And she usually responds with some form of "I don't know. I'll probably be okay."

My usual response it to tell her to go to the nurse,  have her temperature taken, and rest for a while, and then call me if she is still feeling sick.  Usually, I never hear about it again.

This time, her response was: "I don't think you want me to come home, but I don't feel well."

I told her I'd be there as soon as I could.

Half an hour later as I pulled into the parking lot, her teacher texted to tell me she'd just thrown up in the classroom.  Then she threw up in the car.

Then she and I took a nap.

Then all was well. Sometimes, you just have to throw up and take a nap. 

 

Let it Begin

After our Thanksgiving relaxation, we went to work getting ready for the next big one.

And, I didn't kill them while we did this, so we're off to a strong start.

 

Well, the start was filled with the middle on the bottom of the three part tree, followed by a too-long discussion of finding all the male and female light string ends to put together, and then many scratches on the arms from all of this work. 

 

And in the end, I gave them a box of ornaments and walked away.

Best decision ever.  It's beautiful and perfect.

 

 

 

Thanksgiving

Spent in the country with family.

 

After a little air travel with the brood.

 

But then we got down to the preferred method of travel--the golf cart.

 

And they bunked together as the first guests at grandma and grandpa airplane's new home.

 

Where sunrise never fails to amaze.

 

And we spent time with family.

 

And even snuck in a picture of the six pack.

 

And maybe a game or two of poker--with markers as our chips.

 

Arrow of Light: Crossover Camp

Saying goodbye for the weekend, as the boys attend their first Boy Scout Campout sans parents.

I was still able to get them to smile for a photo.

 

Once I was gone, their smiles apparently became huge...

 

Probably because they got to play huge Jenga.

 

And dodge ball of course.

 

And before I dropped them off and after seeing the forecast for the weekend, mommy went out and bought long underwear, hats, gloves, sweatshirts, 10 degree mummy sleeping bags... because I am still mommy.

 

And then, the rest of the Boy Scouts did not come prepared, and they all slept in the Dining Hall on the 35 degree night out.