Lilacs and Lechworth

We went to the Lilac Festival in Highland Park, ran in a Trot with Troops fundraiser, and visited Lechworth Park. And, we still have 3 more weeks of school before Summer vacation starts!
We plan a BIG trip this year (Wisconsin, Iowa, Mt. Rushmore, Cheyenne, Boise, and back to Rochester via Nashville (yes, Tennessee!)

Happy Memorial Day everyone, and especially to those serving our country!

Baseball Game

We went to a baseball game yesterday! It wasn't the Brewers, but the home team won and it was a good game :) Here are a few pictures.

TEENAGER!!!

As of yesterday, we officially have a (gasp!) TEENAGER in the house.

Let the fun begin...
Below is a link to a little slideshow of some pictures of Amanda in her more manageable years.
Amanda is officially a TEENAGER!

Matthew Starts Baseball!

Matthew played his first baseball game today, and it went pretty well.

He took the field and stood on the pitcher's mound, and fielded 3 hits. He also played in the outfield and fielded one hit. It's possible that he had that much fielding because he was one of the only kids to react when the ball was hit. Anyway, each time there was a hit he ran up and stopped the ball with his glove. Then, he picked up the ball and started to run to first. He kept running to first, with the ball. And, he'd keep running (not throwing the ball). When he was about 6 inches from the first baseman he would THEN throw the ball. Four times he did this. Luckily, the runners were either running to 3rd base instead of first, or were just standing at home plant not sure of what to do. Some kids ran with their bats. It was very entertaining! There is some video of his fielding action on my facebook page, along with his first hit and score. After he scored, his sisters gave him a celebratory hug!

After his game, we did a parade for all the teams. Matthew's team is sponsored by Salvatore's Pizza. So, they marched in front of that sign (and Amanda helped carry the sign). During the parade, Matthew got bored and decided to start picking flowers (dandelions). After awhile, possibly because he got tired of carrying them, he started handing out flowers to random women lining the parade route (much to their inital shock, and then delight!) He even chased one lady down who didn't see him trying to give her the flower. This boy is going to be interesting as he gets older...

Attached are some pictures of the day (and one of Allison's team and of her pitching). She pitched 2 innings (out of 4) and had an RBI in her game.

Julia turns 11!

Julia Birthdays

Click the "Julia Birthdays" link above to see a short slide-show of her over the years :)

Julia is now officially a "tween" having successfully completed her second double-digit year. Attached are some pictures of her birthday party last night and one of her softball team. If you check my facebook page, you'll see her sliding into home during her game!!!

That Scandalous Barney...wait, which one???

On the way home from a movie yesterday, we got into a discussion about television shows. The previous evening, Julia had seen part of "How I Met Your Mother", which stars Neil Patrick Harris as the confident womanizer Barney Stinson. Barney, according to Julia, is "a guy who likes to date a lot of girls and use weird ideas in a book he made to get them to date him". So, while we were discussing him and his obsession with women on the show I mentioned that in real life this talented actor is actually gay. Not actually following the conversation (as usual) was Allison who quickly asked, "Barney's GAY? Wait, which one? The purple one or the red one?"

(Is there even a red Barney??? As for purple Barney, I have not idea. I worried more about Tinky Winky and his big purse.)

A Poem...by Allison

Deer

In the deep warm woods
We deer like to run and jump
Early on nice fresh days.

Allison Linskey

Latest quotes...

* While watching television, there was a line in a show that I had to explain to Julia referencing "Theodore Bundy." I said, "Ted Bundy. He was a serial killer." Julia thinks for a second and says, "Why does he kill cereal?"

* Matthew has just informed me that I have to take care of his "invisible slimer dog" when he's at school.

* Why is it when you go to the doctor they give you 30 seconds to ask questions, but 30 minutes to change into a paper gown (so mostly you sit there naked in the "gown of shame" until they get around to returning)?

* Today Matthew asked me when he would get to ride on a dolphin. I said right after I got to. So, he said, "You're going to ride on a dolphin? Can I come?"

* It felt wrong to be told by a high school kid who dialed our phone by accident that I sound "pretty cute" on the phone. However, it was quite disturbing when he said he'd like me to call back to talk "anytime...word". Ohh, and is "word" the new "like"???

A good way to say goodnight...by Matthew

I was watching TV, and Matthew crawled in bed next to me. He wanted a few "superhugs" and was probably also secretly trying to do a sleepover. He did eventually fall asleep next to me. But, right after he got his hugs we had the following conversation:

Matthew: "I love you mom."
Mom: "I love you too Matthew."
Matthew: "I know THAT!" (duh!)

SNOW DAY!!!

They DO close schools in New York! But, not very often. Yesterday was a rare SNOW DAY. We got about a foot overnight, and probably about 18 inches total. It's STILL snowing. It has been snowing all week. Yesterday, it was HEAVY WET SNOW. Not fun to shovel. But, fun to make forts with. And, fun to sled on. Attached are a few pictures from the day, our NEW hill (which we don't live on, but is cool). There's some video of the kids sledding on Kelly's facebook page. On the video, you can hear Bucky whining. We weren't sure if he was afraid, excited, or wanted to eat the sleds. Probably all three...

Curling on the Canal

Well, almost.

So, there is a Rochester Curling Club. And, every year they go out to a little city called Palmyra and set up a few sheets of ice on the frozen Erie Canal and do curling outside "the old fashioned way." This works well...unless the night before idiotic/stupid/retarded/#(*%&! ice fisheman take advantage of the nice clean ice and drill 15 holes in it to fish. And, seriously, would you really eat anything that came out of the Erie Canal??? Really??? Sorry Sarah Palin, but only a true retard would have done this.

So, there were a few hundred people there...and one sheet of ice and two sets of junior rocks (junior rocks weigh about 12 pounds; regular rocks 42). You can almost throw a junior rock overhand if you want (although it's not recommended). So, 8 people at a time got to try it out. This meant it would have been about next Thursday before all of us got a turn. Allison and Julia were lucky enough to get to the front of the line fast to do it.

Matthew was going to try, but after sloshing around on the flooded sheets (#(&% fisherman!!), his feet were semi-frozen. Amanda and her friend Diego decided to build a Pokemon snow creature instead of standing around freezing to death. They even got their picture taken by a journalist covering the event - maybe they'll be in the paper! So, that was neat.

Okay, on to the curling...

Julia was a little light, but had an excellent delivery and didn't fall down. People did fall down. Without using hacks, sliders, sweeping, or even moving their feet...people managed to fall down. Apparently, for some, upper body position will determine whether or not they can remain upright.

Allison had enough weight, but her delivery...Well, I saw her do something I've never seen done before with a curling stone: She threw it and it skidded down the ice on it's handle. Yes, just like it sounds. I have a picture of her release - this may help you to understand how it happened. Perhaps it was my advice to think of it a little more like a bowling ball. Apparently, I should have told her to put a horizontal spin on it instead of a vertical one. She did this twice. Once, you can understand that it's just trying to get the hang of it. A second time??? Maybe it's just not her sport.

Curling really is fun to do, but it is harder than it looks. A few people couldn't even get their rock out of the house (and I mean the house on the shooting end!) Curling will never be known as a sport that requires a great deal of athleticism. Still, with all the crazy/awkward/un-athletic looking shots it was as though we were witnessing the Uncoordinated Olympics.

I sure hope those fisherman caught something. And, I don't mean fish. BUT, the kids had fun. And, despite my jokes, I would say that not one person there went away disappointed with the experience. Good job Rochester Curling Club :)

Lesson #441

This one is courtesy of mom.

Lesson #441: Never go to the dentist for your child's tooth extraction when you have been exposed to someone with the flu, haven't eaten a whole lot, and then stand for 45 minutes in a fairly warm room. Did you know that standing for 45 minutes with plummeting blood sugar can make you faint? Yes, faint, as in cold sweats, dizziness, tunnel vision, and ending up in a dentist chair with you feet in the air. Yes, it was that much fun!

Luckily, I realized what was happening and got out of the room before Julia knew anything was up (they'd already finished pulling her teeth when it hit me). By the way, THAT is pretty cool. It's not like they grab a pair of pliers and yank. The dentist uses this little tool to go in and loosen the tooth all up first - it looks kind of like a very miniaturized version of a cross between that "hook" they use to scale teeth and (for lack of a better comparison) a chisel. The whole procedure is not even too bloody - especially compared to the last time Julia had teeth pulled. Yes, this is the second extraction I've witnessed (so we know I'm not a queasy person - this is why I felt especially stupid because this stuff doesn't make me sick!) Julia fell on her face about 4 years ago when her two front teeth were loose and made them a whole lot looser. That time, it was pretty bloody. Anyway, the first thing I noticed was feeling extraordinarly warm. For someone who's been literally frozen since moving here, it was especially odd to be sweating! But, really, it was just embarrassing. I tried to shake it off, walk it off, drink some water. But, I started getting tunnel vision and realized there was only one solution... So, after being in the chair with my feet up for about 5 minutes, I felt a little better. I drove home (feeling pretty woozy) and slept for nearly 3 hours in a chair (which is nearly impossible for me under normal circumstances). Then, because I'm nuts, I took the kids to the movies. Actually, it was a planned thing that people were supposed to meet us for (but nobody showed). I got home and actually got sick for a few hours until I managed to get some food in me. Good times!!! Today, still a little woozy, but no fainting or residual illness.

As we were driving home from the movies (and, to be truthful, the entire time before and during the movie) I was really, really feeling sick. Amanda and Julia were quick to point out (and then get into an argument about who was more qualified) that they could both probably drive the car if I were to faint.

I can't wait to show up to my next appointment in July. Maybe they won't remember (yeah, right!)

A little liar in training???

Matthew has been coming up with new and creative answer to questions. He's also learned that sometimes he will get in trouble if he tells the truth. So, he improvises...

Example:

Dad: "Who ate all the Cheetos?"
Matthew: (with orange hands) "Slimer?"

(Note: Slimer is the green blob from Ghostbusters who eats everything)

The boy succesfully survived another year!

Today was another accomplishment in the life of Matthew - he survived another year! He has had a busy year too. He started kindergarten (twice), he moved, he learned how to swim (sort of), he has discovered he likes baseball, he no longer crashes in bed with mom and dad (he does that to his sisters now!), and he has developed a unique fondness for ... bubble wrap. More on that in just a bit.
So, the day started off early. Today, there was a "try-it-out" session for kids interested in playing baseball/softball. We asked Matthew if he might want to do that (and instead of answering "yes" or "no", he asked for chicken). SO, we took that as a "yes". He ended up having a blast! He also, we learned, can hit, throw, and try to catch with either hand. He didn't actually catch anything, but he tried. At least he didn't catch anything with his face (unlike his sisters). Afterwards, we made a stop at the store to get doughnuts and...cantaloupe. He LOVES LOVES LOVES cantaloupe. At Red Robin a few days ago, he requested melon INSTEAD OF FRIES!!! The server did a double-take in disbelief. This love of good food, however, does not extend to broccoli or anything else that looks like or is considered a vegetable. We're trying, and so far the girls have caved on a few things that are naturally green, but no luck with the boy yet.
During the day, we gave him one present at a time. He was excited to get some checks from Grandpa Terry and Grandma Irma (he was almost more excited that they fit PERFECTLY into his "treasure box"). He got a gift card from Grandma Mary (and he totally knows what those are and how to use them!) He got a few packages from Uncle Brian and Aunt Tarra (Star Wars Anakin and a Star Wars book). Then, we pulled out the ENTIRE STAR WARS MOVIE COLLECTION... and ANOTHER Anakin doll (but a slightly different one). He's calling them "The Anakins". He got a Schnauzer Webkinz he named "Bowser Junior". He also got "Ghostbusters." (Can you tell I had help from his sisters picking out some of the presents???) Later, we will be watching "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs". Right now, however, they are playing with his favorite toy: Bubble Wrap. I wish I were kidding, but he LOVES the stuff. Actually, they all do. We were at Home Depot a few weeks ago getting some science fair supplies and I saw some on sale for about a buck and realized, "Hey, this would be a great gag present." Turns out, it makes a great present present too.
Attached are a few pictures of the day. Hard to believe our "baby" is already 6!

Dad's older than mom...for a little while!

Dad is one year shy of being ALMOST a dirty old man. And, more importantly, he's older than mom!

Matthew inspected the cake (by smelling it) and declared it acceptable. Incidentally, this is how he approaches most anything prior to consumption. If you put something on the table he doesn't recognize or is not completely sure about, he will ask you, "Can I smell it?" We hope he grows out of this phase soon.

Dad got himself some cross-country skis and nice cards. Amanda was nice enough to build him a "Snowemon" (Bucky wasn't even afraid of it this time!) Mom and dad were also able to go out to dinner the night before (which has only happened about 3 times in our almost 14-year marriage!) We have a great babysitter who is across the street who made that possible. We're not sure how much she likes the situation, but so far it's worked out well.

All in all, not a bad birthday. And, tomorrow is a day off :) What a great present!

Lesson #440

This should be put on a sign and hung on the boy's bedroom door:

Lesson #440: NEVER, under ANY circumstances, let the boy sleep in your room or bed. You will be crowded out, the blankets will be kicked off, and you will either freeze to death or suffer injuries to your kidneys.

Julia and Allison learned this last night. Allison is limping around this morning. Julia at least tried to use her Teddy Bear as a failed blockade. Matthew is well rested and happy.

Some pictures

Here are a few pictures from Ava's visit and from our trip to Philadelphia!




We have several pictures of Ava and Allison in the snow. You will notice that in the picture with the reindeer they made (look closely, it does sort of resemble a reindeer if a reindeer were round and white and had been stabbed with sticks - give them credit, there was NO packing snow that day!) that Allison and Ava are dressed differently. Ava is dressed for the elements while Allison is dressed to catch pneumonia.

Merry Christmas!

"Julia is a genius!"

This phrase was uttered MORE than a few times this morning without even a HINT of sarcasm! Santa was here! His offerings? Way too much candy, Webkinz, two more sets of Wii controllers and nunchucks, and Mario and Sonic's Winter Olympic Games. Guess what? The winter games even has CURLING! Even more surprising is that our kids actually know what curling is AND enjoy it!

Julia is the child responsible for asking Santa to bring us two more sets of controllers (this is why her siblings have, albeit temporarily, granted her the status of "genius"). Santa, also being a genius, must have agreed that this would be a great gift. Our next several posts will probably involve examples about why you should never let 4 children all play Wii at the same time.

So, the morning started out QUITE well. Matthew has said at least 15 times, "This is the BEST CHRISTMAS EVER! I LOVE Christmas!" He has been a very happy boy today. He was thrilled to get some gift cards. Yes, even at 5 he totally knows what to do with those! His sisters were also quite happy and have already asked if they can go shopping. Today. They think they are going tomorrow (ha!)

We got games, we got movies, we got books, and we got toys. The kids all got pajamas. Aunt Stephanie, they wore your present to bed last night and I have to also share that when they saw the pictures of their cousins they all had the same reaction: "Ohh my gosh! Whoa! Zach looks so different! He's like older!" They also thought it was a great picture (and looked at me as if to say, "Mom, you totally need to learn how to use a camera properly! They look amazing, while we always look quizzical and pathetic!") Matthew was especially blown away by his Craftsman "instruction set" (see his picture). As Amanda opened one box, all the kids exclaimed excitedly, "70 servings of popcorn!!!" If only we'd known, right? Matthew at one point opened a present and exclaimed with confused glee, "A WHITE BOX!!???!! Ohhhhh,aaaaaaa, BOY!?!" A little later, we caught Amanda playing with the instruction set...

Our two elves are still with us to create mischief and wreak havoc upon our house. Yes, there are two elves now. Last year, Eugene came to live with us. This year, we were joined by his doppelganger Raymond (aka "Ug"). Allison seemed to think that Eugene may be lonely, and after a tearful plea for a friend to visit Santa somehow complied. The two elves are known for getting into all sorts of strange places and pulling pranks. We thought (hoped?) they had left, but they were found dangling by their feet in various parts of the house this morning (see picture).

We got lots of boxes and great gifts and again were reminded that we are truly blessed with a loving family. The kids even said, "I think we get too much from our family. We don't deserve it." I'm not making that up, by the way. Thank you to everyone for the gifts and we wish we could spend this day with all of our family.

Although we haven't planned it out yet, we will be taking another epic summer trip. Clark W. Griswold's got NOTHING on us!!!

Happy Holidays 2009

Below is the annual letter ...

Happy Holidays from NEW YORK! Yes, we moved again. We finally sold our home after “only” 6 months (which was slightly better than giving it away). For those keeping track, this is our 7th move in 14 years. We will be living in Rochester until the summer of 2011. After that….yeah, we’ll move again. Todd is now the Commanding Officer of NOSC Rochester. Although we do miss Georgia, we are already discovering new things we like about New York. We go hiking at the many local parks and visit the Farmer’s Market when we can. We also occasionally go on canoe trips on the Erie Canal. A few times each month, Todd volunteers for Habitat for Humanity and so far has only had to go to the emergency room once. After moving in mid-October, we finally have settled in. Winter is coming fast, and I’m sure we’ll have some adventures once the snow really starts to fall. Here’s a little about the kids this year…

Amanda
Age: 12 Grade: 7
Favorite color: Turquoise, aqua, or anything else between blue and green
Ambitions: Marine biologist (or anything having to do with dogs or fish)
Fallback: Hula hoop circus performer (see picture)
Favorite TV show: America’s Funniest Videos (AFV)
Sports played: Swimming, sleeping in, staying up all night
Hobbies: Reading, Chorus, Nintendo, Sleeping in, Nintendo, Wii, Nintendo, nagging mom for junk food
Foods I love: Fudge, pizza, mozzarella sticks, chicken, breadsticks, bread, pasta, and anything else involving carbs
Foods I hate: Potatoes, beans, McDonalds chicken nuggets, and pretty much all vegetables
People I admire: People who take care of animals, Mike Rowe from “Dirty Jobs”
Stuff I learned: Moving stinks, and Bucky is afraid of snowmen (but goes crazy when he eats snow)


Julia
Age: 10 Grade: 5 Favorite color: Green
Ambitions: Theoretical physicist (or, if the math is too hard, a biologist)
Fallback: An accountant (or, if the math is too hard, a lawyer)
Favorite TV show: The Land of the Lost (it’s vintage!)
Sports played: Swimming, softball, basketball, soccer
Hobbies: Reading, climbing trees, camping, falling out of trees, hiking, learning clarinet, murdering bugs
Foods I love: Potatoes, chicken, pizza, broccoli (seriously), corn, pie, cheese, cucumbers, all fruit
Foods I hate: Asparagus, beans, celery, garlic bread, anything they eat on survival shows
People I admire: Mom and Dad, Bucky, baby Hailey
Stuff I learned: I can’t remember anything that I learned this year. I’m blonde.

Allison
Age: 8 Grade: 3 Favorite color: Green
Ambitions: Farmer, or Navy Admiral
Fallback: Tree planter, or lottery winner
Sports played: Swimming, softball, basketball, soccer, running into stuff at recess every day
Hobbies: Running into more stuff, hiking, camping, running, canoeing, biking, crocheting
Foods I love: Pizza, broccoli (seriously), spaghetti, cheerios, chicken nuggets, hamburgers, beef stew
Foods I hate: Cheese, eggrolls, bacon, cherry pie, berries
People I admire: Grandma Irma
Stuff I learned: You can lose teeth by being hit in the face with a basketball.



Matthew
Age: 5 1/2 Grade: K Favorite color: Red
Ambitions: Policeman or Rock Star
Fallback: Jedi Warrior
Favorite TV show: Curious George and Dinosaur Train
Sports played: Swimming, soccer, interpretive dance, Wii golf, tennis, and baseball
Hobbies: Giving driving advice, hiking, going to Farmer’s Market, camping, practicing Jedi mind tricks
Foods I love: Oreo filling, Rice, Chicken, Cheeseburgers, French Fries, Gummy Bears, Hot Dogs
Foods I hate: Vegetables, cooking with disgusting sauce, cheese, dog food
People I admire: Bucky, Mom, Joshua, Ian, Yoda, Indiana Jones
Suff I learned: How to swim, ride a horse, and drive a golf cart; To quit touching refrigerator and heating knobs…maybe?!?

“Bucky”
Age: 2 1/2 Weight: 80 lbs Favorite color: Squirrel
Ambitions: To sleep and eat as much as possible while protecting my family that I do so love.
Hobbies: Licking people, standing on people, chewing stuff up, chasing balls, collecting ticks, being weird
Foods I love: I will eat anything. Literally anything. There is nothing I won’t at least try to ingest.
Stuff I’m afraid of: Snowmen, couches (especially sectionals), wheelbarrows, plastic buckets, brooms
Highlights of the year: I caught a squirrel! I now wish to catch more squirrels (and perhaps birds and rabbits).

Have a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year!

Todd, Kelly, Amanda, Julia, Allison, Matthew, and “Bucky”


The Lessons
#430 – Never let a 4-year old maintain possession of any remote control ever. You may never see it again, or you’ll find it 12 years later in the bottom of a suitcase or encased in shoe polish or buried in the mud in the backyard under the orange bucket so Bucky won’t get it. Guess where ours was???
#431 - Keep all 4-year old boys away from birthday cakes. If they don't flip them upside down or drop them, they will "take a peek" at it and take enough "tastes" that by the time you actually get around to eating the cake you'll have to re-frost it (if it's still intact).
#433: Don't buy blankets with tassels when you have a boy (who has access to scissors) who doesn't care for tassels.
#434: Do not be lazy and decide to "incinerate" all the leftover gunk in the grill by turning it on full-blast when said grill has the equivalent of a gallon of grease coating its inside. Propane+"gunk"+grease+crazy-from-trying-to-sell-house-mom=FIRE. Fire bad.
#435: Don't assume the refrigerator is broken if it's not running as it should AND there is a 5-year old boy living in the house.
#436: Always have a pen and something to write on within reach at all times. But, make sure that said pen is not a sharpie AND that it is not within reach of a 5-year old boy.
#437: When you are such a wimp that you cannot actually pull out your own loose tooth with your fingers, look no further than the bathroom drawer for a handy pair of fingernail clippers. They grip that tooth like a vise and will rip that baby right out! Also, FYI, tweezers are TOTALLY ineffective for pulling teeth.
#438: Never leave a 5 year old boy to his own devices when there is a nearly full container of Oreos that he will only eat the filling out of within his sphere of influence. Does anyone want an Oreo shells???

Quotes:
Polite Refusals: In Matthew's school today, they were asking the children what their favorite vegetable was. The children were not asked WHICH they liked but instead were asked to name a vegetable they liked. So, the teachers listed the vegetables and the names of the children who chose that particular vegetable. Then, at the bottom of the list, there is one last category. And, it's not a vegetable. It simply says, "No Thank You." Apparently, when asked what his favorite vegetable was, Matthew calmly and adamantly replied, "NO THANK YOU!"

So, Matthew likes Wii sports. A lot. He will play them all and it's funny to watch him. He really gets into it and tries SO hard. One day, he was playing Wii sports and had just finished playing a round of Wii golf when Todd walked in. Todd asked what he was up to, and Matthew responded matter-of-factly the progress of his game: "Yeah, I got a double-monkey."

"That's my dog Bucky. He's very weird." – Matthew

“Just a second-a-minute.” - Matthew

"Mom, can you throw a softball at my face?" and "Mom, do we have any pliers?" - Julia (trying to lose teeth)

Julia murmurs something I didn't catch to Allison. Allison loudly and adamantly responds: "It's not your business or concern Julia...whatever THAT means!"

"I broke my toe! It's awesome. Well, it doesn't feel awesome, but it's so cool. But, it doesn't look cool, it's disgusting." - Julia

Allison: "Ummmmmm." (visibly drooling contemplating a handful of popcorn)
Amanda: "Ohhhhh, no. Don't even think about it. And, it's not because I'll kill you. It's because it's hot."

"Sorry mom, a force is not with you." - Matthew

Memorable comments heard during our 60+ showings while selling our house…
1) “ Ohh, are we late?” (No, everyone shows up 3 hours late! In fact, some people just don’t show up at all. The spontaneity makes for great fun!)
2) “Did you ever think of putting a bathroom in the basement?” (Yes, we did. No, we won’t do it for you).
3) “You have radon?” (No, we just put in a radon mitigation system because it’s so aesthetically pleasing).
4) “Can we look at your house for a 5th time?” (Seriously? Uhh, no.)

Less #439...

It's been a few months, so we were due for one...

Lesson #439: Never let 5 year old boys use their parents' bathroom. There are so many reasons why. For example, they sometimes lock it up for no reason whatsoever! When asked why he locked the bathroom door upon exiting (preventing mom from using it to finish getting ready), Matthew had no good reason other than a shoulder shrug. He then stated, "I guess we have to break the door down now." Mom successfully opened the door without resorting to violence.

This happened right before he left for school, so it was still locked when he got on the bus. Upon his arrival home from school, the first thing he asked was, "Did you break the door down? Do we have to wait for dad?" I told him it was open, that it wasn't broken, and he was quite impressed.

National Toy Museum

Okay, we found it. We visited. We found the stick AND the ball. Sadly, there is not a display for the cardboard box. We also discovered that Amanda could fall back on being a hula hoop circus performer if any other career choice fell through. And, she really does NOT enjoy riding on kid trains. Lexi had a good time, and she even designed a life-sized Mrs. Potato Head.

Ohh, we also have an exciting announcement from the world of Bucky: For the first time in recorded history, Bucky caught a squirrel. He didn't know what to do with it and let it go. But, he caught it. It was magical...

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

NOTE: For those who have no idea why I put a picture of the stick and ball from the National Toy Musuem, watch the following video:

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-november-16-2009/windowless-news-van-for-kids---the-ball