Happy New Year!!!

Do you do much to celebrate on New Years Eve? I never really have. I'm not a big fan of getting smashed drunk like some people do. I'm not a bar person. Usually we have pizza rolls and sparkling grape juice. I skipped the pizza rolls, but made some for the boys. Then I found out Mica and Isaak do not even really like pizza rolls. We never have pizza rolls except for New Years. That tradition will end up going bye bye.

On New Years Day Daddy watches football. I don't watch football. I'm thinking I will take all the Christmas decor down. I'm planning on playing with the kids. Mica got a magician set for Christmas we haven't played with yet. I want to play with some of Isaak's Christmas presents. Sometimes I think kids have to be shown how to play with some of their gifts to really get into them. 

Happy New Years to everyone. I do hope for happiness and families spending time with one another.

Funny Things They Say

In the car on the way home tonight I said, "Well maybe we should start taking down Christmas stuff tomorrow. Do you guys want to help me?" Mica said, "I will Momma!" Isaak said, "We can't take Christmas stuff down until next Christmas when Santa comes again!" I said, "Sorry son, we do have to take Christmas decorations down. He pouted.

We got home tonight and Mica went up stairs. Then he ran back down stairs to tell me, "Mom there's a telegram for you!" It was the answering machine.

Then he says, "I just wanted to tell you to listen to it. It may be important information!" I said, "Mica you're so cute!

Pool

Daddy had to work at the gallery where his work is at tonight. He did find out that he sold a $50 sketch.

I wanted to take the boys swimming at the YMCA. Earlier I kept thinking about how I was going to take them by myself?" The thing is, Mica is too young to go through the men's locker area and do everything himself. He's also getting too old and aware of nudity to go through the women's locker area with me.

Isaak didn't have a nap, so he was really testy. I was thinking about skipping the pool idea all together. Instead I decided to go.

I asked the front desk if they had a family room that lead into the pool? They do, but it's inside the women's locker area. I was thinking, "Ok!!"

I just lead my son through the women's locker area with a towel over his head - Michael Jackson style. Some lady looked at me odd. I said, "Hey he's a 6 year old boy; I didn't know what else to do!"

We shower and go to head in and the door was locked to get into the pool. Again I was like, "OK!!"

I have the boy's step back in the warm shower. We try again in 5 minutes and it was open.

We swam for 15 to 20 minutes. Then a lifeguard comes up and says, "We have to close down the pool; the chlorine levels are too high." Again I was thinking, "OK!!" Why didn't they test it before all the families got in is beyond me!

Out we go to get dressed once again. Mica leaves with a towel over his head again. I wanted to call him, "Blanket."

Then we had to go home to shower, get pjs on and go to bed.

Chuggington

I have to say that I've refused to buy our kids more trains. They have loads of Thomas, The Polar Express that hooks up with Thomas, The Little Engine that Could Train and Team GeoTrax. Trust me, I did not buy most of it. Grandma Spiehs bought a lot for Cousin Ethan. His stuff was handed down to Cousin Evan and Mica. Then she kept buying. The boys love trains! I'm not complaining.

I just didn't want to get into the new train series Chuggington. We just had enough. We got one DVD for a road trip and now the boys have been singing and talking about Chuggington. Mica wanted a set for Christmas and I said, "Nope!"

Yesterday at Grandma and Grandpa Spiehs' house they watched their Chuggington DVD. Mica drew this while or after the movie was on:

If you are not familiar, here's what the DVD looks like:

Uncommon

Last night I picked out $50 worth of stuff at Uncommon Goods. I won a $50 Gift Certificate through Jumpin Beans. They have great products that are upcycled, artist made and just plain cool! The only downfall is that some of their things are higher priced because of the custom factor.

You would think all shopping would be over. NOPE! I have one nephew that has a birthday on Christmas Eve, my niece had a birthday yesterday and another nephew with a birthday in January. This time of year is spend, spend, spend.

I already took care of my nephew that had a birthday on Christmas Eve. We got him a microscope set at Costco.

My nephew that is in sixth grade is getting this:

He wanted a bonsai tree kit. I found a really good one here. His Mom, my sister is picking up the bonsai scissors. It's kind of odd the kit came with everything, but them. This is the best, affordable kit I could find.

On to Uncommon Goods. My one and only niece in high school wanted this:

I got it for her room. We always celebrate her birthday with her brothers in January. That way it's a little further from Christmas.

That clock wasn't the full $50, so I picked out a few other things.

Socks for me. I just love the mismatched socks they have:

I looked at socks for my nephew Emerson to. They were kind of expensive, he got some socks for Christmas, Aunt Terra says some socks are too tight around the top part and lets face it if they don't work for him online stuff is harder to return. So I refrained from the cuteness of these tube socks:

Instead I finished off my $50 with a book for my Dad. I'll give it to him in March for his birthday.

The book is both funny and true. My Dad always says, "You can tell a lot about your poop." It's gross, but so true. He also has told me, "If your pee is very yellow you need to drink more water!" After I had kids poop and pee are ok to talk about. Heck I had to describe poop to the doctors when each of my kids were in the hospital and weigh each of their pee diapers. Isaak insists I say, "Goodbye" to his poop when it's flushed down. It's just part of being a mom.

Tonight After Work It Was Raining

I went into Grandma and Grandpa Spiehs' house and went to wake up Sleeping Beauty Isaak. He usually is awake, but doesn't want to get out of the bed he sleeps in.

I said to Isaak, "Come on lets go! It's raining cats and dogs outside!" He sort of got ready once I told him it was raining.

He told me minutes later, "Come on lets leave! I want to see the raining cats and dogs!"

I had to break it to him that, "It's raining cats and dogs" is just a saying. Then went on to say it's just raining. There are no dogs and cats to see. He looked so confused.

Today Daddy Found Out Our Name Has Been Tagged

Many, many times people have been using our last name in graffiti. I'm not even sure why. Kind of interesting. Maybe a graffiti artist has our last name. Daddy just typed our last name under Google Images and this is what he found:

Another fun side note: I had a fortune cookie today. If I would follow what it says, I would totally get myself fired! It says, "Never jude a work of art by its defects." HA HA! I'm a college art instructor. It's kind of my job to judge a work of art by its defects. It's called critiquing and grading.

One Child is Simple, While the Other is Complex - When it Comes to Their Play

Last night I picked up Isaak's penguin gift name tag. He said, "Mommy that's mine! See it says 'Isaak.'" He proceeded to spell out his name for me. He asked for the tape to be taken off the back of it. He held it in his hands for 20 minutes.

You want to know what I found under our Christmas tree a few times? A bowl full of plastic babies from my cousin's baby shower that was months ago. Who put it there? Isaak did.

A simple feather will occupy Isaak for 2 hours.

Mica's the opposite. He's the type of kid that will dive into his toys. He'll only pop his head out for help or to ask, "What can I do next?" He wants to stay busy.

Not only does Mica play with his own toys, he plays with Isaak's to. Isaak got a building set of some kind from his Great Aunts. Guess who put it together last night? Not Isaak. Mica did. Mica's been playing with Isaak's Chuggington lap top that I won. Isaak will turn it on and say, "Listen Mommy it plays the Chuggington song." Then he turns it off to here it say, "Goodbye."

Sick

A few weeks before Christmas Cousin Emerson was sick with a cold. He was put on antibiotics. One week before Christmas most all of Aunt Terra's family had the tummy flu, our Daddy had a cold, then I got a cold.

1AM on Christmas Eve Isaak gets the tummy flu. His personality bounced back, but he wouldn't eat for two days. Grandpa Spiehs gets the tummy flu on Christmas Eve and missed out on all the Christmas activities.

Mica got a cold somewhere in the middle there and lost his voice on Christmas day. He sounded like a little old man talking.

The day after Christmas Grandma Spiehs felt blah and I got the tummy flu. I was really down yesterday, but came to work anyhow. No one is at work. It's more quiet and restful here then it is at home. I'm now feeling much better. Emerson is back to having a cold. That poor little baby is well, sick, well, sick and so on.

WW - Pajama Time {Linky}

It's a ritual for the kiddo's to be in their pajamas while opening up presents. Their first gift was their new pjs. We got after Isaak for moving around all over. That is why he's grumpy in the second photo.

Mica's really into Lego's this year!

Isaak got Automoblox cars and a puppy that breathes.