Ho, Ho, Ho!!!

Here is a peaceful holiday scene. Santa has arrived, but the children are asleep. Later, this living room will look like a train wreck (literally - many new trains will be played with).We left Santa the traditional Christmas Eve fare on the fireplace mantel -- a bean and cheese burrito and a Pepsi. We wouldn't want Santa to get sick from all the milk and cookies, and he could probably use the caffeine. We awakened around 7:00 a.m. to, "Santa brought me a mixer truck!" Feet running up and down the hall motivated me to get up myself. The look on faces is priceless Christmas morning. Abby, I just want you to know that Shawn made fun of me for putting them in matching pajamas Christmas morning, but they were so cute!!! It looks like the hundreds of dollars Santa spent at Toys R Us will buy Mommy and Daddy at least 45 minutes of peace and quiet. I suppose that was worth it. I hope All Six of You had a good holiday too. I'm off to find all the pieces of the new Play-Dough pirate ship before someone has a freak-out. Happy New Year from the March family!!!

It's Christmas, Me Mateys!

Thanks, Abby! The pirate book was a hit as you can see. The batteries on the camera ran out before we finished, but you get the idea!

PS: Amy, I hate the sound of my own voice too!

Thanks, Saranaka!

Posting videos is such fun! This is for you, Lin family!

This is What I Get...

...in a house full of boys. Note: There is even a football game in the background.

I am seriously outnumbered.

Connor's Mom

This girl is a momma. I love it. Congrats, Sarah and Steve!!!And yes, they are the same glasses seen below, in case you were wondering. Nice investment, Tia!

I Gotta Wear Shades

If I ever try to claim this child isn't mine, my husband can provide the following evidence: Sunglasses provide hours of entertainment for us both.

In More Reality News...

Please let this guy win Beauty and the Geek tonight...

Sigh...

WARNING: Seriously lame and superficial qualities about to emerge. SERIOUSLY?! America REALLY voted out my friend Cameron before Marie?! I would threaten to quit watching, but all six of you know this will never happen. Look at him! That man can dance (not to mention the fine acting on AMC). I'm going to have to start voting. Then I will officially be a loser. Go Jennie Garth!

Arrrgh! Trick or Treat, Ya Scurvey Dog!

Halloween. As a teacher, I'm trained to hate the idea. Let your children stay up late to knock on people's doors and beg for sugar products with no nutritional value. Unfortunately, I appreciate a mini Kit Kat as much as the next person, so having children who can provide them by working their first real job is a plus. Last year, Chase became wise enough to choose a costume idea for himself. Last year he was Thomas (see last October's posts). That one did not come as a complete surprise. This year, he informed us that he wanted to be a pirate. I'm not sure where that notion came from, if not from catching the last half hour of the second Johnny Depp flick 3 months ago. Anyway, he can be seen here with Dad, patiently waiting for the grandparent-parazzi to attempt in vain to take reasonable pictures of Pirate Number Two (I may have told five out of six readers already that this is most likely the only year I will be allowed to dress my kids in complimentary costumes). I also tried to take pictures of the boys together, but Hayden was not in a still pose mood. I failed to get a nice picture of the "pirate ship" grandma constructed from a wagon, a giant cardboard box, a broom handle and tag board. Very cute. Also, no one wanted to ride in it. We trick-or-treated about an hour before retreating to our much warmer home to answer the door. We cleared 300 pieces of candy by 8:00, and this time we only ate 10 ourselves. Here you can see the only good picture I grabbed of Hayden. It turns out that deckhands like burritos, which is handy when you need them to sit still for photographs. Since I actually ran out of candy this year, I have no choice but to raid Chase's Halloween loot. He's got three cavities, so I figure he really doesn't need it anyway. So happy Halloween to you and yours. So long, me mateys.

It's My Kid In a Box!

SNL fans, I hope you were singing that title in your best Justin Timberlake. Don't think I wasn't while I was taking these pictures. And don't be concerned about the super long cord in the back. I was taking a vacuum break. I was also trying to put away a box of out-grown clothes, but Hayden has his own ideas.

(Number) 2 Major Milestones

We have abandoned the high chair. Is anyone interested in the model shown? Chase: "Mommy! I just made the most giantest poop in the toilet. Take a picture." Seriously. I cannot make this stuff up. I love the two thumbs up.

Walking In a Pumpkin Wonderland

Friday I had the day off, and so we decided to seize the opportunity to visit the pumpkin patch before the weather turned foul. I know, it's a little early to get in the festive Halloween spirit. Especially if you have a three year-old, who doesn't do patient. We want to go trick-or-treating NOW - like yesterday. The good news is that it wasn't very crowded, and we had our choice of some choice pumpkins. My only hope is that they don't rot before we carve them. As you can see, the kids had a blast. Hayden loved walking over and around the pumpkins. Chase, in true, "I'm three, and I'm the boss," fashion, chose everyone's pumpkin. My days of picking short fat pumpkins are over - my kid is more of a long and skinny pumpkin lover. The patch also boasted a haunted graveyard walk. The witch informed me that this is a lot less scary during daylight hours. I also suspected this on my own, judging from the admissions sign which indicated a $5 increase for nighttime viewing. Shawn and I decided to risk it. Picture Blair Witch meets Walmart during the day, which gave the rural Lakeside scene a Hills Have Eyes quality. For me, the scariest parts were the "engineers," who appeared to be working on the sets with mullets on head and beverages in hand. Anyway, Hayden enjoyed the walking practice, and Chase was getting a hoot out of it until the brush on the walk got thicker, and the skeleton scenes a little spookier. I was reminded of a time when my mom took my cousin and I through the Haunted House at the Enchanted Forest. She had a kid attached to each leg as she wound her way through that thing. Chase never cried or yelled, but he did inform me a few times that he wanted to turn around (ah, the whole internal struggle for Mommy, "Is it further if we go back or forward?"). He started walking ahead of me, then went to hand holding; then some Mommy-dragged-me transisitioned to I-dragged-Mommy. Shawn and I had to laugh -- Example: We walked past a skeleton in a stockade, and my husband mumbles, "That skeleton is there because he pooped his pants (a sore subject in the March house right now)." I kept comparing myself as a parent, to myself in the Enchanted Forest Haunted House. I wondered if Mom was amused as she was getting her calf and thigh workout. I'll bet it was more funny after she was out.

The Cutest Thank You Ever

I am totally stealing this idea from my current husband's sister. I'll be using it for my next wedding. Very cool, Auntie Monica and Uncle Scott.

I'm So Busy, I Almost Forgot to Name This Post.

Fall is here. That means you will have to be patient with me, as it seems like a few things have taken priority over this blog. Things such as my job, my graduate coursework, potty-training (nearly finished), Shawn's return to academia (full-time student/full-time job), catching garbage before it goes in mouths, finding clean unwrinkled clothes for work, cooking dinners, Monday Night Football, the Beavers, building train tracks, wiping noses, getting another glass of chocolate milk, selling jerky for someone's preschool class, and finding the perfect pirate costume. As you can see, I have not even taken a picture of the boys in a month (also, my camera is experiencing some sort of technical difficulties that are too frustrating to share right now). Did I mention Chase has THREE cavities? Get that Mother of the Year award prepped for me. I'll be getting mine along side of Britney. I know you all wait with baited breath for every post, so keep your oxygen tanks handy. It's going to be a long winter.

Channel Your Inner Six Year-Old

So now that school is back in session, I have to put myself in the mindset of a six year-old. As a first grade teacher, I must communicate and impart various academic and life skills to students who will use them for life. So here is my inner six year-old... well me as a six year-old anyway. Yes, my inner six year-old is wearing a visor from an Applebee-esque establishment as a headband and finding it wildly funny. It is this type of humor I must deal with on a daily basis. How do I cope? I laugh. Hard. Like today when we were constructing patterns with blocks, and then transferring them to paper by gluing the corresponding paper shapes. I asked a child with a completed block pattern to get the paper shapes from the table; "You will need four yellows and two reds." A minute later I return to said child's desk and see four yellow CRAYONS, and two red CRAYONS. My EA and I had quite a chuckle as you can imagine, however Six Year-Old did not see the humor. I think he was wondering how six crayons were going to help him glue shapes on his paper. So even when a six year-old isn't trying to be funny, my inner six year-old is thoroughly entertained.

Some Wedding Highlights...

Shawn's sister, Monica was married yesterday! The weather was perfect, the ceremony was beautiful, and the ring bearer was the cutest ever. Judge the photos for yourself. Enjoy the video of Chase dancing (he lip-synched too, during the couple's first dance) and then making a bee-line for the cake table. Just like his mother...:) Congrats, Scott and Monica!!!

A Good Reason to Boogie

This is what a batchelorette party looks like when Olio performers are involved. We require themes, complete with costumes and general shenanigans. Susie, our blushing bride seen here, chose a "swan" costume - an old favorite for many of us - and jazzed it up with her classy veil and faux horn-rimmed glasses (from a different number all together). Others, decided on, uh, well, less conservative numbers? We had flower girls in polka-dots, and bridesmaids wearing their favorites from weddings gone by. Mine? I last wore "Brownie" for Abbie's wedding. Also seen pictured is my buddy Steph wearing "Big Red" from Sarah's nuptuals. Susie was lucky enough to have great friends and her gorgeous daughter (who recently became engaged herself) join her on a night out. We performed the show, hopped in a limo van, and headed to a karaoke/dance party hotspot known as the Timber Inn. Classy in every way, we fit right in with the Saturday night ambiance. As you can see from the photos, I was held at gunpoint and forced to perform my classic, "The Rose," complete with trademark interpretive dance moves. You can see I was provided with back up from the Swan Dancers. After whooping it up, we were graciously shuttled by our friend Kenny to our hotel rooms. The next day we were rewarded for our many entertaining efforts with breakfast at Butch's. Six Readers, Butch is the banjo player for our shows who lives in a Swiss Family Robinson inspired home he designed himself. No joke. Butch not only cooks like a champ (we were treated to mimosas and a tasty, greasy, "logger breakfast"), but has a pool. This was the perfect combination for our danced-out bodies. Although no one likes to see a good party end, we are already planning for Jenny's batchelorette party next summer. It's nice to have something to look forward to, after all. So congratulations, Susie! I love you dearly, and know you and Ed will be hitched forever! And isn't that what a good batchelorette party is for? Oh, no? It's just for an excuse for a girl's night out? Well, I'll take it and run with it either way.

The End of Summer Approaches...

And should this be my outfit for the first day of school? This is my last week left of vacation (inservice is next week), and my last Sawduster show is this weekend. This will be capped off by a gi-normous batchelorette party with the Olio ladies. I am excited, but skeptical that my elderly sleeping habits will interfere with a good time. Then it's work, work, work, and my sister in-law's wedding over Labor day weekend (we are super excited, Monica!). As usual, I have reached the point in my summer where I'm looking forward to returning to school anyhow. The rain here is helping to put me back in "fall" mode. I'll have a fresh batch of first graders, and a few more grad classes to take. Chase will be taking his POTTY-TRAINED self to preschool (more on these items later). Shawn will be a full-time student in the fall too. It sounds super-cheesy, but it seems to be a great time of change in our household. I've been having several "time marches on" moments, as I'm sure a few of you can relate to. All Six of You enjoy your last weeks of summer. I'm off to watch my TiVo'ed Big Brother After Dark while I still have the time!

380 Days Later...

What a difference a year makes!

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!

I cannot believe it is August already! Yesterday I thought it was time to go on all the outings that we haven't gotten around to this summer. Well, we didn't go on all of them yesterday, but we DID go to the Wildlife Safari in Winston. It is a drive-thru safari, where you drive through the habitats and see all the animals through the safety of your vehicle (no convertibles allowed). Chase absolutely loved it - except when animals were lurking in places he couldn't see. Three year-old appropriate mini-tantrums followed. Hayden was into it at first, but then he thought the car didn't move fast enough. Cue the portable DVD player - at least he didn't have to pay an admission. The pictures of the animals you see here are the ones Chase demanded I take, and then show him immediately on the camera. Hmmm... it occurs to me that I might have taken pictures of the animals he couldn't see, and showed him right away? Of course I do not come up with these genius ideas until it is no longer appropriate to use them... I was impressed with Chase's ability to name all of the animals (I suppose I shouldn't be, because he is three and the smartest kid I know). However, my terrible parenting skills shone through when he corrected my pronunciation of "cheetah," calling him a "cheeto." Yikes. After we drove through the large exhibits, we visited the "Safari Village," which contained more animals, a petting zoo, and other novelties. Shawn and I both remember taking elephant rides when we were younger, but we didn't even go there for this trip! We did ride the safari train (duh), and take some cute shots with these animal faces. And now if you'll excuse me, I must go and see what my little animals are doing. I hear growling in the background.

Camping in Suspect Weather

We have been camping for the last few days at Laverne park (Six Readers, this is twenty minutes from my house -- we don't like to travel far from the TiVo). Thank God for the trailer, with its heat, electricity, running water, blah, blah. It was humid/occasionally rainy, and persistently overcast. At least I didn't worry about sunburns, or attempting to clean sandy buns at the swimming hole. I realize I may sound a bit prissy, and perhaps I am. I was not raised with a love of camping; although my grandparents used to take my brother and I to Thousand Trails (camping "resorts" with indoor pools and nightly activities at the lodge -- Kellerman's on wheels) when we were young. Hey, I did allow my children to run wild and bathless for four days. Baby steps. Here is Chase enjoying his first S'more ("choco-late sammitch"):

And here is Hayden inside the pull-out, making faces to his brother outside. It was so funny, I just had to keep taking pictures. Then I remembered the teething/runny nose situation and had to run for the antibacterial Windex. Baby steps, I told you.

A woman camping a few spaces away noted my bravery, "taking those two small boys camping." I remarked that she should have seen us last year when Hayden was a newborn. I think I saw her physically shudder at the image on her way to the river with her school-age kiddos. Mmm... And I didn't even mention Chase's application of the "five-second rule" while dining in the wild. Perhaps I am braver than I thought...

Beans, Beans...

...the musical fruit. I'm not sure if they are musical, but my kids sure do love them. I felt lazy the other night, so we ordered Mexican food out. I did have a major mess on my hands though. I'm not sure that this photo shows justice to the bean-anza. Shawn admired that Hayden not only uses his hands to shovel food in, but also his arms as well. This is followed by running fingers through hair and flinging burrito chunks on the floor to express our appreciation to the chef. Two baths later, I am still discovering beans reminants between toes and in ear crevices. Next time I'll just get off my hump and turn on the stove.