Hedwig Joins the Clan

SwingDaddy's mom and stepdad sent the Hedwig plush for Q-ster and my mom hand-knitted Gryffindor scarves for both boys. No photo in full Hogwarts regalia yet, but maybe tomorrow.

The Night Before

This was our fourth Christmas in this house and each year, I love how the mantle gives me enough space to put all the cards and photos that arrive in the mail.

Bonus - this was the first time we had the stockings hanging for the whole month, because I could trust Buster not to pull on them, bringing the weighted mantle hooks crashing down upon his forehead. On Christmas Eve, he made a point of telling me that he hadn't pulled on the stockings at all!

Happy Holidays

From Lady M and Family

TKD2

The micro dude decided that he was ready to join his big brother in taekwondo class today, and sure enough, he was.

This Makes Me Feel So Normal

The Kardashian Christmas card photo.

Sometimes I wonder if color-coordinating our clothes for the annual family photo is just too much . . . but clearly, it's not enough. We need to coordinate our hostile expressions!

More Angry Birds, More Butter

Credit: Matti Matikainen / MV Photos / Polaris

Check it out - I guess the company behind Angry Birds is pretty big stuff in Finland, so here are the chief marketing officer and his wife, formally attired in an Angry Birds gown, attending a celebration of national independence at the Finnish Palace.

And more on what is now know as the butter crisis: Swedish butter smugglers have been captured crossing the border! The drama continues.

Who Says Video Games Make Kids into Couch-Potatoes?

Hmm, what's going on? I see something green way up there.

Let's see that close up:



Ah-ha! Someone is making use of the Angry Birds plush toys he got for his birthday.



This is where I have to admit that it was such a fun idea that I didn't act like a responsible parent and say, "hey, don't throw the birds around the house like that, you might hit the lamp!" and instead joined in. By the way, who knocked down the pig? Mommy did!

Later, Buster placed the pig at "easy level" for a couple of rounds.

P.S. Sorry for the horrific picture quality. I didn't have the camera settings right.

P.P.S. You can reach that very high shelf easily from back, where the staircase is.

Holidays Galore

The little dude, wearing his St. Lucia crown from last week's holiday lesson and holding his dreidel, from this week's holiday lesson. It's one of the side effects of living in a highly multi-cultural area!

By the way, he was quite impressed that I already knew about St. Lucia - originally from a Swedish friend in college, but of course, my Scandinavian colleagues have been telling me about the celebrations they are attending in their children's kindergartens.

Other Scandinavian news - the dire butter shortage. Whatever is to become of the Christmas baking?

And other Hannukah news - apparently we have a loaded dreidel, because it's turned up "nun" twenty times in a row.

The Second Tooth

Q-ster lost his second tooth tonight - now both lower center baby teeth are gone! You can't even tell in the photo, because as any good planner would do it, his permanent teeth are almost grown in, ready to go.

On Our Tree, Of Course

Our newest ornament, a glass pentapus!

We got our Christmas tree and decorated over the weekend. There's nothing quite like the sounds of Christmas (which for us, is the Darth Vader/Imperial Theme, since the boys have been given Star Wars ornaments that play music.

Dum, da-da-dum, da-da-dum,da-da-dum.

Shoes of a Sith

There was a problem with Q-ster's Commander Cody shoes, so I took them back to the store. Stride Rite immediately exchanged them for the one Star Wars shoe available in his size.

Fortunately, these TIE fighter/Darth Vader shoes with green and red lights were well received at home.

Bigger and Better

Look who's sitting in the big car seat now! And his brother is now in a booster. Ah, how fast they grow.

Donuts Galore

An outing to Krispy Kreme.
The dough get formed into donut shapes.

The clever donut conveyer.

Frying


Frosting, the best part.


Yum! An original glazed donut, hot off the rack is so good - it can practically be slurped instead of eaten.

Outtakes

Ok, so it took more than a few days to get to this, but here we go.

My children, impersonating squirmy, squirmy worms.