Christmas 2013: this'll be a tough one to beat

"It's finally Christmas morning!"

L. started excavating right after breakfast...

 

...while BR started building his ship. 

 

 

A. and Mom and Dad cuddled up with new books, and everyone stayed in their pj's all day. 



Super Ultra

L.: "I am going to test out my Super-Ultra puppy eyes on Daddy.  It's totally gonna work.  Like, at school yesterday I was shooting at Carlos with a rifle because he was a rabid dog.  But nothing happened so then I used super-ultra puppy eyes and he said, "Aaahhh.." and then fell over.  Ha ha ha ha! "

(Btw: this photo was taken on a different day and is completely unrelated
 to the above story.  Someone is a little one-track minded these days, I guess...)

 

fortune (part II)

L.: "I made a new fortune teller.  The bad fortune for 'deer mouse' is 'you will die of hantavirus'."
Me: "But that's a terrible fortune!"
L.(whispering): "I know..."
 

"Mom, we want to dress up like twins today"

 

stuff they say

L. worked all evening on this paper "fortune teller."  She made up all the options and "fortunes" herself and then tested them out on A.

 

 

Transcript of conversation:

 

L.: "So which do you choose?"

A.: "Uhh..how about that one: 33."

L. (reading fortune): "You will become an old, fat man."

A.: "Huh?  I don't get it."

L.: "Yeah, that one is just random."
A.: "I don't get it."

L.: "It's just random.  Well, except that it's like Jesus.  Except opposite."

 

found while cleaning out the ol' Inbox

Back in February, the children's librarian sent me an email message with this photo attached.

 

Subject line: "Fight the power!"
Email message:  "Is what L. said to me today when I told her I though that she made a great Lincoln, and would have freed the slaves."

Last time I went in for parent-teacher conferences, I was so very proud of myself.  I was on-time, my hair was presentable, I had on some makeup and I wasn't even in pjs.  I didn't even lose a child along the way. 
Came home afterwards to find that my shirt was on inside-out and had been all along. 

Will today's effort be more successful?

I went all the way to PA and they took me to see rocks

 

....and a bear!

 

 

check this out, P-roc:

A praying mantis somehow snuck into our mudroom and then overnight laid a huge egg sack (on that headband).

 

  Isn't that SO COoooL?!?

Boo

but do they really make good employees?

one more summer adventure

Just when we thought Summer was coming to an end, the start of school was delayed.  And just when we were preparing for a couple more weeks of boring summer activities ("we want school! we want school!"), an opportunity for one more roadtrip popped up...

 

"are we there yet?"

 

...to White Sands!

 

 

to see these folks:

NOW aren't you glad that school hasn't started yet?

 

Our girls have been penpals with these girls for a few years but have never met each other before.  Well, not since infancy, anyway...  And, the Livos brought their cousins, too!  Their five cousins, so there would be 9 others besides my three.  And their auntie and mommy and grandma.  All sixteen of us in two hotel rooms.  (Okay, three.  We weren't feeling quite that adventurous...)

We were having so much fun at the Sands that we stayed until dark.  And then a little later... We had grilled steaks and corn and queso and watermelon deliciousness.

...and then we woke up the next day ready to play and play and swim and play some more.

 

there is so much happening in this photo...where to begin...?

 



L. with a black eye, and rabbit ears.  Ha.

 

And that is what you can do in 30hrs with 16 folks, 3 vehicles, 97 degrees in the shade and only one use of the jumper cables.  I'll tell you what, those Hanna/Livos know how to pack in the fun.



Summer Report (Part III): at home

other stuff we did this summer...

we won the softball championship!

we worked on the yard

we watched the parade:

(Navajo Code Talkers)

we went hiking



we taught an art class ("How to Draw Nibbles [the Hamster]")

we wrote and performed plays

we cheered on some of our mountain biker friends at the National Championships:

(a smoothie-maker bike--see the back?)

 

 

 

and we (finally!) finished the backyard project:



(for those of you who do not live in the desert, let me explain that turf and rocks just plain make sense around here.  that said, I would like to get some lavender bushes and spanish broom in here, and some ivy along the fences, too.  Maybe next year, unless we move to the tropics or something)

...and now we can actually play in it!  

 

side yard:

tada!

We have been eating most of our evening meals out there on the new lawn.  It is so pleasant now that it isn't all mud and burrs...

okay, no we did not do this whole job without outside help. but yes,
we are so proud and happy about how it turned out.