The Rare and Elusive Bearded Hunk

Sophy has wandered around here for the past few days lamenting the fact that "everyone has a man of their dreams, except her." I told her that of course she had a man of her dreams, that is what daddy's are for! To which she replied, "Well, he is a hunk, I'll tell ya that....but if he grew a beard, I'd have to call him my Bearded Hunk!" As with most Conversations With Sophy (feel free to peruse back through the many,) it's usually best to just walk away before you get too deep.
Yesterday's conversation of the day went something like this," Mom, did you know the Rosetta Stone was written in three languages?" I'm thinking Rosetta Stone is a language learning program that Michael Phelps uses when she goes on, "Yep. Hieroglyphics, Demotic, and Greek. I used to speak Greek, but then I mostly forgot how it goes....but I can still write in hieroglyphics."
That conversation led into this one, "Mama did you know my great grandmother lived a 1,000 years ago in the desert of Egypt. I saw her picture once. Her name was Raeve. She was really old. Like, realllly ooo-ooold. She died in a sandstorm trying to find her way home. I miss her." Like I said, it's best to just walk away when you can.
I met a friend for dinner last night while DaddyP and the kids stayed home. We had a good time, and we even went for coffee/hot chocolate afterwards at the bookstore. Seriously a treat. At some point in my purchase of a book, I managed to totally offend the manager of the bookstore by using his "manager voice" to mock him as I spoke to the employee he had just talked down to. The employee; however, thought it was funny, so I guess there is a lesson there in how you can't please everyone. The Grump was all, "Robert. Get over here and check these people out!" in this giant, booming voice of totally unnecessary authority. In Robert's defense, the bookstore was empty and he was stocking a shelf of calendars. So, as he ran (pleaser that he apparently was) around the registers, I boomed at him, "YES ROBERT! YOU BETTER DO AS I SAY!" ((Uhm, oopps, Hello Grumpy Manager Man who is now glaring at me.)) Actually, I sometimes have these out of body experiences where something is coming out of my mouth and my brain is saying, "NNnnooooo...pppllleasee sttooppp nowwww!!" Only it's too late at that point. It's like trying to stop a runaway train or attempting to suck a bullet back into the barrell of a gun. Well, if you ask me, Mr. Manager Pants was just a tad too stuffy, and Mr. Employee Pants needed a laugh. So there ya go. Plus, I had no idea I could do such a spot on imitation of a grumpy boss. When have I ever seen a Grumpy Boss? Gee...hhhmmm... why would a boss ever be grumpy with sweet, innocent, little old me.
Well, if it makes you feel any better it all went downhill from there.
Young Robert called me "M'am," so I had to tell him that it was very insulting to a woman of my age to be m'am'd.
"You see Robert, I'm not old enough yet to appreciate it. And I'm not so much very older than you, although with these gray hairs and crow's feet, I don't blame you for thinking I'm antiquated."
To which Robert innocently suggested, "I could call you Sweetheart?"
(Oh yes, Mr. Manager was really glaring at us now.)
"Oh, that would be great!", I told him.
"Then that'll be $6.89, Sweetheart."
"Much better," I tell him.
As I carried my bag out the door, that cheeky kid shouted to me, "Thanks, Babe!"
Something tells me that Robert may be looking for a job today.
But I bet he's happy.

He'll make someone a great husband one day!

This little guy is currently resting in his daddy's chair while he attempts to recuperate from a rather nasty spill on his brother's Fuzion scooter. Bunged up his shoulder and knee and got a really pretty scrape across his face and mouth. He came in the door bleeding and crying, "I think I broke out all of my teeth!" Thankfully, THANKFULLY all of his teeth are still intact and as crooked as ever!
He spent the morning at my side making Meem a chicken pot pie. He is a very capable helper. What I love most about Sam's brand of helping is that he really and truly helps. This is a trait that he inherited from his father. It's a good thing he has good genes to tap into on that regard. I'm afraid I'm pretty happy to not be the helper sort. Tacky, I know, but there's the awful truth of it. You know my darkest secret now.
My red headed monster will one day be a wonderful husband for some lucky girl...let's just hope she also likes men who are a.) REALLY loud, b.) REALLY bossy, and c.)prone to pinching people on the buttocks.
In a family such as ours, I have no clue how one of our pets has managed to remain as sweet and innocent as the day she was born. This is our sweet girl, Thomas. She is the most long-suffering, patient, and non-violent kitty you will EVER meet. We're not sure how she manages to not shred us all to bits, but we really wuv her a lot. She even helps us with our homework. Once or twice, we've even let her babysit for us.

Thomas says, "It's very hard being the Pinkie's cat. Why, some days I can barely hold my head up!"

Christmas Past

Since the holiday week flew by so quickly, I guess I'll be like The Ghost of Christmas Past and revisit some of those moments in photos!

I took Jack to the Life Center one day to get a swim in. This is the butterfly in action. Even after a few years of trying to capture photos of a fast moving swimmer, I still haven't perfected the art of capturing the moment he comes up before going back down. This is the best pic I could get last week at the pool. The others were pictures of water with Jack long gone from the shot. As I type, PDaddy and Jack are at the LC swimming. Jack got some new swimming gear for Christmas and was ready to try out some of his drills with his fins.

My Sammy. I love this picture even though it, yet again, highlights my inability to use a camera correctly. The train coach was so dark on the Christmas light tour. Sam got pretty still, and I thought for a second he might go to sleep. Then again, Sam's motto is:

You Can Sleep When You're Dead.
She looks like such a big girl in this picture.
Sigh.

The Kitchen

I think I've updated here about my quest to rid my kitchen of it's ugliness. Prior to the holidays, we did talk to a couple of contractors, none of which we liked personally or professionally. We've got several other private contractors to talk to before we nix that direction and go with an avenue like Lowes or Home Depot, which I'd rather avoid. Still, now that the holidays are over, we're back to scratching things off of our To Do List. #1 and #2 are getting the kitchen counter tops and cabinets/appliances checked off and getting the the first of three bathrooms re-tiled...starting with the kid's hall bath.
I'd like to say that #3 is getting rid of our car and getting Mr. New One, but PDaddy is holding out for a long wait. UG! I did go look at a Toureg (did I spell that correctly) the other day, but PD is determined that we will wait to see what the economy does. Why does he have to be so darn sensible? Darn his hide.

We'll start at the beginning...

It's always best to start at the beginning. It started with an eye appointment for myself with all 3 kids in tow. Now that was an interesting experience. The kids were good, Bless Them, but the eye doctor's exam room is the size of a broom closet, so it was like seeing how many people you could stuff in a clown car. Oh, SO MUCH FUN! During the eye exam, I got a return call from our pediatrician from a call I had in to them earlier to inquire about some weird sties styes sty(s) on Jack's eyes. Mr. Eye Doctor was pretty crochety about my being on my cell phone during an exam. Shucks, I hate that for him. Anyway, our pediatrician said that since Jack had the same thing happen in October on one eye that she would like to see him because he had 3 crop up over the weekend, one of which is the size of a pencil eraser. He was in so much pain yesterday, so after my eye exam, off we went to the pediatrician's office. Luckily, our pediatrician group doesn't schedule "well" appointments for Monday's, and there was a seriously low amount of folks in the waiting room...which is ODD since there are 5+ pediatrician's in our group, and Sick Monday is usually a packed house. Our pediatrician was in, and that made me sooo happy. I LOVE our pediatrician. She is so awesome. Anyway, she said that Jack had a bacterial "colonization" (which must mean Jack is the emporer of his own little bacterial colony,) so she prescribed him Bactrim for 10 days to hopefully break the cycle we've got going on. I hope it works because that poor kid has been in so much pain. I've never seen anything like what is on his eyes. Blech! PDaddy was able to then meet me in town to get the kids from me and take them home, so I could get to the hospital in time for my mama's foot surgery-which didn't happen-because they had already taken her back to surgery before I made it there. from start to finish, I think it was about 5 hours of waiting which I guess is about average. I dunno. From the hospital, I went to the pharmacy to pick up her pain meds for tonight and then to my folk's house to help get mama settled. Finally, after that, I drove home in the dark and made it in time to eat the pizza PDad had ordered and to get the kids thrown in the tubs/showers. All I can say about my mom's surgery is that I hope that I seriously didn't inherit her feet. Yeeouch. I'm going to make 2 chicken pot pies tomorrow morning and take one to my mom/dad and help my mom get a sink bath. She can't walk on her foot for 3 weeks, and she is unable to walk on her "good" foot because she had a surgery on it 2 weeks ago. She'll have another surgery in April on the "good" foot. Anyway, yeah. I hope I didn't inherit those feet.
Last night the Pinkie's held the First Annual Wii Off tournament. We challenged each other to a driving course on MarioKart, and PDaddy won. Darn him. The kids have asked for a rematch, so we're about to get it started.
(Omg. Jack just did a drumroll and then farted. Help me. Please.)

A Warm Cozy

Rach and I had a warm cozy today even though the skies threatened rain. We had a bit of brunch and tea in town and a short visit to an Unmentionable Store. Good visit, and PDaddy was nice enough to corral the posse at home while I went. He had pics this afternoon, so I made it home in time for him to make it to his shoot. I came home and started on my long neglected laundry and de-frocking the house of it's Christmas attire. With one more week off, I wanted to spend my days doing things I would enjoy without laundry and Christmas undoings hanging over my head. I'll consider myself caught up tomorrow when I have the rest of the laundry finished. I'm not sure if Piano Girl will come tomorrow or not, but I imagine she will.

My mom has surgery scheduled for Monday at noon, so I'm going to attempt to get my eye appointment that I scheduled before I knew about her surgery out of the way before heading to the hospital later on. Should be an interesting morning with all 3 kids in tow to the eye doctor and then to the hospital. Other than helping my mom out if she needs it, the rest of the week is unscheduled. Not sure of our New Year's plans. DaddyP has work and more work all week, so I'm not sure what's planned for ringing in the new year. Maybe I'll ring it in while I sleep! GREAT IDEA!

Topic Tuesday (on Thursday!)

What can I say? I was in Dallas on Tuesday, but I do have a topic to discuss. So there!
Ok, I really would like some input here. I know I had to bribe all of the good readers of this blog(all 2 of you) with pictures of scantily clad men for the Man Contest of '08 in order to get you to respond; however, I'm hoping to get feedback here without having to stoop to your tawdry level.Ahem. I can't always be hiding behind people in an attempt to snap photos of young, unsuspecting men for your vile purposes. For shame.
So, digital photos. I'm talking about photos of your kids, your pets, your funny moments, etc. Do you share these with friends and family via email? If so, what are your reasons for doing so or for not doing so? Here is the dilemma. Of the 4 million people or so in my email address book, I receive photos (oh so happily) from a regular group. Now, it has occured to me, that the other 3.5 million of folks I have contact with, do NOT send the first photo of their children. Ever. For any occassion. And yet to these same people, I send photos of anything from Sophy painting our cat to Sam covered in mud from head to toe. From graduations to soccer games to swim meets to dance recitals to mud fights and backyard football games. You name it, I snap a photo and send it along. Most folks we know have kids, and yet, I do not receive photos of any shape or form from these people. Yes, I know after 10 years of parenting, you'd think I would've caught onto this little phenomenon before now, but what can I say? I'm on the low end of the learning curve. Honestly, it's like a photo black hole. Can anyone else relate to this? I guess it all started when PDaddy mentioned a person the other day whose child had been involved in a particular event, and I commented, "Oh! I'd love to see that pic!" And I sooo totally would have. I'm not just some random sender who doesn't or wouldn't enjoy someone else's photos. I LOVE photos of other people's kiddos (for example one of a certain GORGEOUS little man wearing a tee that said BABY'S FIRST CHRISTMAS and a gummy grin!! Aahhhh, now THAT was an awesome photo), but I'm turning over a new leaf, I tell ya. I have decided that my future photo mailing list will include only those folks who currently send me photos of their own children. Not for to be mean or nasty, but because now I'm thinking...have they been wishing all along that I'd stop sending photos? For those who know me personally, you know how I can talk (and I mean BLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAH) without the first thought as to my fellow listeners comfort, desires to speak, etc. Is it the same thing only in reverse and with a photo? Are there people on the other end of the computer line thinking, "Would someone please take her camera away?!"
I mean, what is the proper etiquette for such a scenario? Is there etiquette for such? I know, I know. Some of you who have been receiving pics of my kids doing everything and sundry from wearing King Tut head gear, to boxers or Santa hats are probably wishing I had come to this conclusion a few years before now. I know, I know. Slow learner here!
Now don't just sit there.
Respond.
And ff it makes you feel better, do so anonymously....especially if you're on my email list.
HA!

Back Tracking

It's been a crazy week, so I'm just now getting to the Tut photos. We couldn't get Sam to stop knocking on this false Tut in the DMA gift shop. I was wishing so hard for someone to be hiding in that thing to jump out and scare the underpants off of him.
I think the picture says everything you need to know.

The 2nd Annual (or possibly 3rd) Christmas Toy Review

I'm a die hard Amazon review reader and will be leaving reviews for the toys we bought or received this holiday season. Here are our reviews for '08:
Jack:
iPod Nano - We actually got a better deal on this item in the store than purchasing through Amazon. Plus, we also bought the warranty through the store which, hopefully, will cover when it gets flushed down the toilet. If you are of the ilk who thinks that 10 is too young for such an item, please keep in mind that PDad and PMom are in possession of said technological device (as is the story with all of our techno gadgets that are kid oriented) and only allow access in limited intervals. Kid Vote: 5 Stars!
iHome - Just the name cracks me up! I home. Get it? HAHA! Anyway, we got this little gizmo in camo color and bought it based purely on the fact that we knew folks that had one that recommended it. Kid Vote: 5 Stars!
iCoaster - Very nice toy. Seems to be capable of assembly without engineering degree. We've owned various different types of marble runs throughout the last 10 years, and this seems to be a decent big kid version. We purchased this item on Black Monday through Amazon. Free shipping + a serious discount = happy customers! Drawback: it doesn't glow which we thought it did. It doesn't claim to glow, so I guess I can't fault Magnetix; however, it does SEEM to glow in the pictures. And heck, it would just be plain, 'ol cool if it did glow. For that reason, we give it 4.5 stars! (Note: It will glow under a black light...but then again, so would I.)
Fuzion Electron Scooter - As with most of Jack's toys this year, we were seriously looking to upgrade to bigger kid version of some favorites we've enjoyed for the last 5 years or so. We have loved the Razor Scooter, but after several years of use, we were ready for a change. We can't attest to it's durability (which is hard to beat with a Razor), but it seems to be seriously agile and fast. We purchased this on Amazon also for $49.99 (which it is still listed as) with free shipping. At some stores, it is still listed as $90 or so. Kid Vote: 5 Stars!
Air Hogs Havoc R/C Heli - Ah, well. Into everyone's Christmas a little tears must fall. The boys begged for the helicopters. The reviews were mixed, but on Black Monday (Amazon), we got each boy one for $14 or so. In theory, they're awesome. They really do fly indoors, they really are zippy and awesome; however, they really are HARD to fly and are NOT durable. One of the helicopters that we bought will not charge which was the cause of some sad Christmas moments this a.m. Now, having said that, they're so darned fun to fly and watch that you almost forget that your heart is breaking with each little whirl of it's blade. The charge lasts for just a few minutes, but those few minutes are wonderful. Picture a remote control dragonfly zipping through your house. It's cool, no doubt. Still, it'd be nice if it...I don't know...worked. Kid Vote: 5 Stars! Mom Vote: 2.
Sam:
Mega Rig Space Shuttle - Sam played with this thing for 4 hours this morning. We also got the launcher that went with it. Seriously, seriously a good buy. Very well made, and get this...the alien's space ship makes the most awesome Jetson spaceship noises, and it came with batteries. In it. Included. In it. Yeah, I know! We got this item from Amazon on Black Monday for half of what it is listed for now, along with free shipping. Kid Vote: 5!
Transforming Wall-e - Sam is all about Wall-e these days. This toy is small, but it is the only thing he asked for specifically this Christmas. I couldn't find it anywhere, and I actually got his on Ebay for WAY less than anything shown here. He likes it, but I couldn't get over how small it was compared to how big I thought it would be. It does make a cube, which was VERY IMPORTANT for some reason, and Sam absolutely loves it. I caught him talking to it several times today which concerned me. Kid Vote: 5! Mom Vote: 3.5.
Hyper Jump - This game is a bit dinky, but it really keeps you hopping. I'm worried about how long it will last given that you have to step on, pound on, punch, slap, or WHAM the numbered/colored pods. It sort of reminds me of the Simon Says game from back in the day, only with this game, you have to move. It certainly gets your brain juices pumping. Basically, I stink at it. Jack and Sam both liked the game, but my word, it's tricky...which is quite a lot to ask of a kid on Christmas morning. Kid Vote: 3.5, Mom Vote: 4.5!
Lego R/C Car - Sam can build anything, and I'm not kidding. He's a whiz, for real. He received this from a family member, and he really, really liked it. I'm not sure if they paid this price, but I don't think so. Actually, I think his may have been a slightly different version. Either way, it's Legos with a twist, which is cool for us. Kid Vote: 5. Mom Vote: Depends on who had to pay for it.
Sophy:
Hello Kitty - We love Hello Kitty. We love Build-A-Bear. What could be better than to put them togehter? Cute. Cute. Cute. Santa brought this and a nice stash of outfits for the kitty. Kid Vote: 5.
Fur Real Kitty Cat - This was on Sophy's wish list last year, but we couldn't find one in time. This year I just happen to stumble upon one without really looking for it. This cat is really something. When you stroke it's head, she nuzzles you and purrs. When you rub her back, she lays down and kneads her paws. When you pull her tail, she hisses and YEOWS (guess how many times Sam pulled it's tail today?) The cat senses motion and tracks you as you walk nearby, blinks, bends her ears to follow a sound, blinks, makes facial expressions, etc. Kid Vote: 5 for sure!
Tinkerbell - The fairies and the playset came from Santa. The cool thing is that the fairies and their pets attach to a wand which flaps their wings giving the appearance of flight. The bad thing is that something they attach to the wand and other times they don't. Overall, it's a great set, but she loves Tinkerbell...so how could you go wrong? Still, it could be improved upon. Plus, it only comes with Tinkerbell. The other fairies are sold separately. Kid Vote: 4 (due to frustration over the fairies falling off the wand)

The stockings are hung..

The reindeer food has been tossed from one acre to another, the Christmas breakfast is ready to start cooking, and the mom and dadster are ready for bed now that it is very near midnight. We sincerely hope that Sophy doesn't make good on her promise for tonight to "turn into a nocturnal creature," so she can "do her song and dance routine" that she made up for "the big guy." I tried to explain to her that Santa would be here only for a matter of seconds because he uses a fair amount of magic to poof in and out in order to get around the world overnight....to which she pleaded, "C'mon Mom, all I'm asking for is 10 minutes of his time!" We had to agree that if she didn't get to perform tonight, we would video her little extravaganza to send to him via email. That seemed to appease her.
Sam asked a million questions today. They went something like this...mostly reindeer fixated:
Why do I have to go to bed, but you and dad get to stay up? Santa won't come with you two sitting in the living room either.
Do reindeer like to be hugged?
Does Santa have any pets?
Do reindeer get training?
What are the games that reindeer like to play?
What if I accidentally sleep walk into the living room before morning? What will happen?
Does Mrs. Santa have any kids?
What does Santa do if he shows up and there are no cookies? What does he give you then?
Jack, almost non-Santa believing 10.5 year old that he is, was Mr. Laidback all evening. While he mostly still believes, he wasn't as hung up on Santa this year as with other years. Maybe he's just being a good guy and playing along so as not to break his mama's heart? I don't think so...that will be next year, I'm sure. He did get awfully excited tonight when the Santa Tracker came on television and the radar showed Santa to be passing over Florida.....with Jack's iPod in the goodie bag.
So, we're off to bed....only to rise in a few short hours. That is, unless we are jostled out of bed earlier by a rousing song and dance routine.

Cookies

I typed this up a week or so ago to save and post "later." As usual, I forgot to share it when "later" got here. This is a simple, light, tasty, tasty, cookie recipe that you can change and add what you want. For example, the lemon cake mix version of this cookie is to die for! For Santa, we're using a vanilla cake mix and adding chocolate chips. Without further delay, this is the recipe for cookies that we are making Santa this year. We're also leaving him a shrimp cocktail, a crescent roll baked with bacon, tomatoes, and cream cheese inside, and a cup of coffee. We think it's what he would want.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Mix together: 2 eggs, 1 cake mix, 1 regular sized container of Cool Whip.
• Chill the mixture for about half an hour in the fridge. It will be easier to work with.
• Drop in spoonfuls (not too big, not too small) on cookie sheet.
• Bake for 12-16 minutes (You'll want to check them often because these tend to make a fat, soft cookie. You don't want to turn them into bricks, but you also don't want them too gooey in the center. I tend to cook mine closer to 16 minutes. They will be soft to the touch even when they're done. Once you find the cosistency you like, just make a note of how long they cooked. It's a hinky process.)
• After removing them from the oven, let them sit for a minute or so before setting them out on waxed paper or a cup towel.
• Sift a sprinkle of powdered sugar onto the top of the cookies.
• Eat 7 or 8 of them.
• The End!

Glad Tidings!

May your holiday be determined and focused.....

with an insane amount of good memories.....

a gathering of those you love (even if some are scowling).....

and warm toes and a snuggly Christmas Day......and the happiest 2009!

Going to the Big D

We'll leave sometime tomorrow for Dallas, and it can't come a moment too soon. Sophy is in full Egyptian mode, and she is convinced that she will ice skate at the Galleria just like "the Egyptians ice skated." Uhm, hhhhm. Did they now?
I spent most of today finishing up shopping with Meem, and we got to have lunch at the tea room which was tasty, as always. I had a new tea, Windsor Castle, which was really good....so I bought some to enjoy in the comfort of my own home. Hehe. The rest of the evening I spent wrapping presents while PDaddy was at a wedding.
I'll update from the hotel if time permits. Otherwise, talk to ya later taters!
((PS!! Hello to Colin who is visiting Ang from England! May Texas, Leonard, and The Ernestine fill him with as much glee as humanly possible! Merry Texas to him!))

Today's Happenings

The field trip with 20 sixth graders to the nursing home was such a pleasant surprise. I knew the group that I was taking would not be any trouble, but I was unsure as to how they would react to the residents. After all, we're talking about 11-12 year olds. What I saw did my heart good. Made me have hope for the future. The only direction I gave the kids as we went in was to treat them as if they were their own grandparents, to say yes m'am and no m'am/sir, to remember that they were old but not stupid, and to speak loud enough to be heard. When it came time to leave, I found one of my Hispanic boys sitting and holding hands while listening intently to a 101 year old grandma tell him about the Christmas where she received an orange, an apple, and a few walnuts in her daddy's black stocking that was hung on the fireplace. 2 other boys were in a deep conversation with a 99 year old man about how football used to be a "real game." I wish you could've heard what these kids told the other kids when we arrived back on campus. "We had so much fun! My grandma was cool! Did she tell you about her first car?" Priceless.
I also was able to pop into Sam's class to help with the gingerbread house construction zone. WOW! Talk about a high energy activity! Totally cute. With the Christmas music blaring and the 2nd grade chatter going 90 mph, let's just say I thought teaching middle school was WILD! Wow.

Topic Tuesday (dramatic pause) on Tuesday!!!

This week's topic: PDaddy. Due to last week's apple rant, I figured I should tone down this TT. Yes, it would seem that I rattle on and on incessantly at this here bloggy-blog and never really quite do justice for one of Pinkieville's main characters. You may or may not know the man, but let me tell you 20 facts about Sir Pink A Lot:
1. He would not approve of being called Sir Pink A Lot.
2. He is every wife's dream husband. He cooks, he cleans, he mows, he changes the oil. When the kids were babies, he could change Sam's diaper with his feet while giving Sophy a bottle. 'Cause, as you may recall, Sam was 2 minutes old when Sophy was born. I exaggerate only slightly.
3. On his death bed, he will ask to use his grill one last time before going on to his Eternal Reward.
4. He drives like a 99 year old man. All accelerator and no brake! I'm talking scary people! Scary!
5. One of his hobbies is ending up in the E.R. For instance, this little event was fun. Of course, I think my personal favorite was the night we spent in the E.R. because the cat broke a vase which shattered and flew across the kitchen and sliced across his forearm leaving a really nasty scar, which caused the lady admitting us to the E.R. to inquire as to the 'real reason' his wrists were slashed. HAHA! Life just got to be too much, I guess. HA!
6. No one on Planet Earth is sweeter than Mr. PDad. Mr. Considerate, Mr. Thoughtful, Mr. Helpful, Mr. Wonderful. Yes, all of these things. I know what you're thinking....and no, I will NOT take lessons from him.
7. PDaddy is one year and 8 days older than me, and I will never let him forget it.
8. Favorite food: Coffee
9. A little known fact about DaddyP is that you can always count on him to test the weight limit of the kid's toys, ride the fastest water slide, jump on the rickety-est trampoline, drive the hooptiest go-cart....ride an inner tube across a lake just a few days after having a metal plate screwed permanently into his collar bone.
10. He talks to animals. I wish this meant that he was like the Dog Whisperer, but no. He just talks to them, and I think he waits for an answer.
11. He grew up in Louisiana.
12. DaddyP loves to eat a lemon AND it's rine. How do you spell rind? Rine? I'm having a weird blank moment. Moving on....
13. PDaddy has one dear sister. Bless her poor, sweet heart for that!
14. He is crazily, crazily anal. It took me years to stop him from taking my plate from the table while I was still eating off of it. People ask how I stay so trim...well, there ya go. Obviously, I broke him of that habit, as my thighs and hips will attest.
15. He couldn't wait for the day his hair started thinning, so he could start shaving his head.
16. Speaking of body hair, he has 2 entire hairs in each of his arm pits. Ask him. He'll show you.
17. Most people that meet me first, and meet Daddy P later, usually go out of their way to say to me, "I met your husband (expression of disbelief), and he is sooo nice!"
18. Mr. PD can lay tile, build a tree fort, install a window, fix a hot water heater, and make a mean omelet.
19. He loves Dave Matthews. I. Don't. Get. It.
20. For some strange reason, despite all of these wonderful things, he still loves me. Amazing, I know!

Toothless Wonder

I used to keep a yearly tooth count of the # lost each year. This year it proved to be too much for me. At any rate, Sophy lost 2 this week, and that has got to round out a Personal Best for her for 2008 with a whopping total of 5 teeth lost this year. Jack is still in the lead with 7 lost this year, 4 of which he pulled at one time. Impressive, huh? Sam, on quite the contrary, still has teeth locked down as tight as ticks in his mouth that he technically should've lost last year. Sophy is getting big teeth in places that Sam hasn't even lost teeth.
We're reading Junie B. Toothless Wonder this week. Very fitting.

Jack, Sam, Sophy

The latest Jack favs:

Food: Cheese Pizza & Mac N' Cheese

TV Show: Destroyed in Seconds

Car: Ford Mustang (and can he please have one when he turns 16?)

Book: Captain Underpants & the Perilous Plot of Professor Poopy Pants tied for first with Captain Underpants & the Big, Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boy, Part I The Night of the Nasty Nostril Nuggets

Hobbies: Reading train magazines, playing cards, swim team, eating

Randomness: 4'11 and a half...he is now officially an inch and a half taller than Aunt Jewel.

The latest Sam favs:

Food: BBQ anything, beans, shrimp and hot sauce

TV Show: Max & Ruby

Car: The trash truck

Book: All of the Biscuit stories

Hobbies: building things, learning the piano, and learning to drive the mule

Randomness: Sam still sleeps with Happy and Slappy, our spotted Dalmatian friends from babyhood that have traveled every mile he has traveled.

The latest Sophy favs:

Food: Green Beans and Brownies

TV Show: Anything with Barbie in it

Car: do rollerskates count (?) because that girl is a rollerskating whiz

Book: Junie B. series (mom & dad love them as much as Soph...we laugh....)

Hobbies: cartwheels, splits, developing her own hieroglyph code (I wish I was kidding)

Randomness: the heiroglyphs weren't random enough for ya?

Last Monday

I really didn't intend to update today, but once I realized that today was THE LAST MONDAY that I would have to work for 2008, well...how could I not? HOORRAY!
As I type, the cat is head butting me for some affection, a pot of chili is bubbling on the stove, a fire is in the fireplace (hello, it's like 29 degrees outside), bread is in the oven, PDaddy is getting the massage that I got him for Christmas last year, and 2/3 of the kids are in some form of shower/bath. Sam has complained of tummy pains for the last few days, and he is laid up in DaddyP's recliner with an afghan. Not sure what is wrong with him. ((PDad just called to let me know he was on his way home, and he could barely form words. Apparently, the massage did the job.))
Last but not least, a big, 'ol CONGRATULATIONS to my sweet, long-time and far away (well, at least--what--13 hours??) sis-friend, Tristin, for passing Part I of the Santa Fe Fire Dpt. exam!! Fingers crossed for Part II on Friday! EEK!! XOXOXO

Dear Santa,

Forgot to mention ONE LITTLE THING!
(I have it on pretty good authority that Santa has decided what I'm getting for Christmas! Check this little diddy out. We've seen a couple of these out and about lately, and I am EXCITED to get my hands on one!!)

Rail of Lights

Hooray! I finally remembered to call and get our tickets for the Rail of Lights tour in Jefferson this Friday night! Instead of letting the kids in on the info, we're just going to surprise them. Jack will be especially happy as he is a rail nut of the highest order. We really thought it was something he would outgrow with Thomas the Tank Engine, but he is a life-long, die-hard train lover, I guess! Meem and Pop are going with us. It is supposed to be super nasty and cold this Friday (the entire week for that matter,) so I got tickets for the enclosed car which is better anyway because it's decorated for Christmas. Can't wait! It will be a treat to look forward to with this last INSANE week of school to push through.
I was pretty bummed about not getting tickets to see the Rockettes Radio show in Shreveport. I hope they come back next year. Just too much fun stuff going on to do it all. I've never seen the Rockettes. Sniff. Sniff.
Loads of school things on the calendar this week, both for my classes and for the Pinkie 3. I have to take 6th graders on TWO field trips (one to a nursing home to deliver toiletry goodies in Santa bags and another to see Despereaux-which we are finishing this week!) Sophy has a book parade and Christmas party on Thursday, and I have to help Sam's class decorate gingerbread houses that day. Tomorrow we have a county judge coming to do a mock court demonstration for/with the students, and Tuesday I have to speak at an awards breakfast for a 6th grade student as well as travel to the nursing home with 20 of my students. Friday will be our trip with 60+ students to see Despereaux (I CANT WAIT!), and then we get out at one o'clock!! HHHOOOHOOO!!!
I may not be around much this week, but I'll update when I can! We leave a week from today for King Tut! Sophy is brushing up on her "walking like an Egytpian." I can't wait to see her face when she sees the Golden Boy!
PS Turns out that I can make a very substantial, legitimately from scratch, and wonderful to the tastebuds pot (and by pot I mean industrial size) of gumbo. Who knew? Wow. Wow. And wow again.