Ya Thilthy Animal

Seth has a new expression for entities that disgust him.  While playing his favorite computer game, Roblox, I overheard him saying “ugh!  ya thilthy animal!”  I’m sorry to report that I have also heard him call one or more of his sisters a “thilthy animal”. 

I suppose this should have warranted correction.  But I just couldn’t stop laughing to carry it out.  Luckily, I was in the other room, so everyone was left to assume I hadn’t heard it.  Maybe next time Seth resists cleaning his room, I’ll tell him he’d better get to it because it’s thilthy, and I don’t want him living like a thilthy animal.

The other one fell out today!

For concerned parties, I just want to add a little orthodontic note:  Scarlet has always had a very obvious under-bite  (her bottom jaw sticks out over her top jaw when she smiles).  A couple of years ago, I was told by an orthodontist that she may simply outgrow this.  I am happy to report that the two new teeth coming in to replace those which have fallen out are located further back on her gum line, so maybe that will straighten up her under- bite a bit.

She’s moving up in the world

Yesterday, Scarlet lost her first tooth!  This was a very exciting event for her, and she had spent the previous week or so waiting for it.

She lost one of her bottom middle teeth.  The other one looks like it’s going to fall out in a matter of days.

This one pretty much speaks for itself

The Builders of Tomorrow

Seth wanted to share his recent Lego creations.  He took these pictures himself and asked me to put them on the blog:

The Airfield:

The military vehicles:

The masterpiece, shown to scale with a #10 can:

I took the liberty of adding these next two pictures of another creation of Seth’s.  We went to Home Depot last weekend, and while we were there, he asked for some pipe insulation to build something with.  I said sure (it’s like $1 for 10 feet or something).  He ended up building a marble roller coaster out of it:

 

He drops the marble in at the top of his bed, and it lands in the little white bin shown on the right.  He said that he is starting a new tradition with it:  Every night he will drop a marble and as it rolls down, it will take away any bad things that happened that day so that he has a new start the next day.  Wow.  Who raised this psychologically healthy child coming up with his own cognitive coping strategies?  More importantly, does this mean we’ll have fewer holes kicked in the wall?

(Seth has been doing really well, by the way.)

Scarlet shows promise to follow in her father’s footsteps

Scarlet set this background up herself, then called me to take a picture of her while she posed in it.

There’s a plane always taking off in my kitchen

Seth got a flight simulator for Christmas, and Papa installed the software for it this past weekend during a visit.  Our kitchen occasionally sounds like a flight deck.  Seth is getting the hang of it.  He originally dove right in and started trying to fly, but I’ve recently seen him doing the trainings and tutorials.  Apparently, this is no Wii game.

Seth is on FYE-YA!

Seth has become quite the star of his flag football team.  He plays at the YMCA, against the same team every week because it’s the only other YMCA team this season.  The two teams have developed quite a friendly rivalry.  In fact, if one team is short a player, the other team lends one so that no one has to forfeit.

Recently, on a Saturday morning with a temperature in the 30’s, the opposing team was short.  Seth enthusiastically volunteered to switch teams, which I found surprising.  I later learned his logic in doing so - if he was on the team with exactly enough players, it guaranteed  he would play the entire game.  Not a bad strategy.

As it turned out, Seth played an amazing game.  He pulled 3 flags and scored 2 touchdowns, one of which was an interception.  His team vowed that he would NEVER be allowed to play for the other team again.

 

The Dept. of Defense & YMCA have formed an agreement to provide families of deployed soldiers a free Y membership.  This was great for us – we’ve loved the Y for years, and now we get to go free!  But the more notable benefit has been that it has attracted many other military families, and we’ve been able to form friendships with some of them.  Seth has made friends with a kid on his team whose dad just got back from Afghanistan, and I really enjoy hanging out with the mom during practices and games.

How cute is that?

I don’t know why, but I just find the whole rain  boots thing so totally cute.  Scarlet & Violet went out to splash in some puddles.

Sunny Monday

We must have great karma, because 2 days after my whine fest about the dreary weather, we were blessed with a beautiful sunny day in the 60s.  The kids were out of school for MLK Day, and Scarlet wanted to go to the Butterfly Museum.  So, off we went to see butterflies in action.

 

This is the biggest butterfly I have ever seen in real life:

Everyone got a turn to hold a butterfly.  (Thank goodness!  Although they all held the same decrepit one, except for Chloe [animal whisperer].)

We decided to try something different on this trip to the museum and left after the butterflies to have a picnic an explore Hermann Park.  We checked out this statue of Sam Houston.

We collected gargantumongous leaves.

We ran down the perfect hill.

And then, around 12:30, we went home to have a nice relaxing afternoon on our holiday.

Another Grey Day

We are officially sick of winter.  I know, those of you in Nebraska and South Dakota are disgusted at my whining.  That same disgust I feel when I hear a friend whining about the fact that her husband is out of town for the week. 

Today was another cold (or “cold” depending on your region) day.  Rainy, dreary, and just depressing.  Scarlet’s basketball team had a bye-week this week, meaning no game.  Seth’s flag football game was cancelled due to standing water in the fields.  Sigh.  What to do on this grey Saturday? 

We decided to go feed the ducks.  I’m all for keeping it simple.  We grabbed some bread we don’t really like anyway out of the freezer, and headed out. 

When we got to the park, I warned the kids not to go running up to the ducks, or they might run away.  As it turned out, the ducks ran up to meet us as soon as they saw us coming.  I guess we’re not the first ones to feed the ducks at Clear Lake Park.

Chloe, the animal whisperer, learned how to lure the ducks close enough to feed them out of her hand. 

Seth preferred playing catch with the seagulls, who were very good at catching bread in the air, by the way.

The activity was pretty much a hit.  Long enough to be worthy of going out for a bit, but short enough to avoid getting too cold.

Chloe’s Artistic Talent Continues

Chloe’s artwork was selected from her school to be a part of the art exhibit in the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo.  We recently went to an opening reception showing all the art coming from our area of Houston.  In a large room with art displayed in rows from front to back, Chloe’s art was displayed on the very front and center!

 

I feel so special

I was carrying a box of trash out to the garage by balancing it on one hip with one hand while holding something else in the other hand.  As I tried to open the front door with my less-full hand, I dropped the box of trash and it all went tumbling all over the floor.  As it fell, I said “oh crap!” Seth, who was sitting on the couch behind me engrossed in a challenging riff on guitar hero, paused his game to ask “are you ok, mom?” 

Let me tell you, he does not pause mid-game unless it’s something REALLY important.  What a nice young gentleman he is becoming.  It reminded me of a report I received from Grandma Lavery while we were recently visiting.  She took my dad’s cousin Nancy (I guess Seth’s third cousin?) to an area of the house where Seth was hanging out on his own to introduce them to one another.  She said that he stood up from his seat and said “nice to meet you.” 

It’s these little rays of sunshine that get me through times like last Monday morning when Seth did not actually emerge from his bed until about 10 minutes before we needed to go, despite all kinds of “prompting”, and continued refusing to go to school until we were actually sitting outside the door of the school.  I thought I might have to go around and open his door and drag him out.  Luckily, he grudgingly got out.  He’s not a morning person.  I can’t imagine where he gets that. 

Scarlet Basketball Update

It has been so entertaining watching Scarlet and her team.  They are really starting to get it!  Due entirely, to the creative awesomeness of her coach, whose son is also on the team. 

I just had to share a couple of cute things… when they play a game, the method used by the YMCA to help really young kids know who they are guarding is to put corresponding wrist bands on them.  If you wear a red wrist band, you guard the kid on the other team with a red wrist band, and so on. 

Scarlet doesn’t quite get the concept that her team is playing against the other team.  During her last game, her coach reminded her (and every other kid on the team) several times of who she should be staying close to while on defense.  He said “Scarlet, you’re blue – where’s blue? – look, she’s over there, go guard blue…”  Scarlet shyly walked over and stood in front of the girl with the blue wrist band as the game continued.  She smiled at her.  She leaned over and hugged her.  Later in the game, after being reminded to guard her when she actually had the ball and was dribbling up for a shot, Scarlet stepped in front of her and held out her arms, as if asking her to pass the ball. 

Apparently, “guarding” someone means they are your assigned buddy for the game.

Visit to Grandma & Grandpa Lavery’s

For a third Christmas celebration, we got to go to G&G Lavery’s for a couple of days while in Dallas.  The kids raked in some good loot, including a flight simulator for Seth (Papa, if you’re reading this, we’re planning on asking you to install it on your next visit!), MP3 players for Scarlet and Chloe, and a personalized backpack for Violet.  What could be more perfect? 

Now Scarlet can listen to her ultimate fave, “Boom Boom Pow” (edited version, of course) as often as she likes.  

No need for Violet to be at Chloe & Scarlet’s mercy for a backpack to carry around!  I’m hoping this one will last until preschool next year.  The teachers will love us for having her name on it.

During our visit, Chloe got a little sewing lesson from Grandma Lavery.  I was surprised how long it kept her interest. 

They worked on a quilt for Gma Lavery’s non-profit charity, Kiddo Comforts.(www.facebook.com/people/Kiddo-Comforts/100000065529600 )

While we were visiting, it snowed!  And this time, you won’t have to triple enlarge the picture to actually see the snow.  I can’t believe we got to see snow twice this winter, without ever leaving Texas!

I didn’t get any pictures of this, but we also got to meet Aubrey and Dustin for dinner one night.  It’s impossible to not have a fun visit with Aubrey and Dustin.  They are so fun to hang out with!

We had a truly great holiday visit to Dallas. 

Visit to the Chinnis’s’s’s

We utilized some of our holiday time to got see Jennie, Chuck & Lauren.  During our stay, all the of the children provided us with lots of entertainment. 

Here, Chloe & Lauren produced and directed a show starring for Scarlet and Violet, who then came and performed for us.

Violet can really get down!  The creators came to the stage to be recognized.

As you can see, they’re pretty serious about their work. 

The next day, we had to make our obligatory visit to the pet shop near the Chinnis’ house, where you can pet the animals at will!  What I found most interesting about this outing was that Scarlet was so into the birds.  There were bunnies, hamsters – we even had a puppy or two out to play with, but Scarlet wanted nothing but birds.  Naturally, Seth went for the snakes.

We got to visit with Grandpa and Sara, who came over a couple of times during our stay.

We had our own New Year’s Rockin’ Eve when the kids formed a band and came to play for us.  Their unique sound was just…. astounding.

After this amazing of a debut, it was only natural that Chloe would want to go solo.

 

As usual, we made lots of good memories of family fun during our visit.

Christmas!

The big day has finally arrived.  Everyone awoke at 7:00 am (pretty late compared to lots of kids, I know.  I’m lucky.)  We headed straight to the living room to see what Santa brought.

Ok, so there were some presents under the tree.  Next year I’ll remember to place those BEFORE I take the picture for the blog on Christmas Eve.  The important thing is the note on the tree, so let’s just skip to that… it’s Christmas morning everyone!

What?  The present it too  big to fit under the tree?? We have to go find it?  Indeed!  The kids spent a good ten minutes looking around the house.  It was perfect!  Then, it occurred to Chloe to look outside, so she screamed this idea as it came to her.  Unfortunately, Seth  beat her to the door and was the first to see their present, but he kindly yelled was it was for everyone’s benefit.  They all went running outside, looked, got excited, then turned right around and ran back in to get their jackets, since it was 38 degrees out there.

Yes, that is me, letting my toddler jump on the trampoline while eating a candy cane.  Ok, she’s surrendering it here.

It was quite cold for us Texans, so after about 15 minutes of jumping, we headed in to open presents.

Stocking frenzy!

Umm!  Breakfast!

And now, more presents.

Violet got this elephant from Aunt Juli & Uncle Dwight.  She named it “Peanut”, and it became an instant BFF. 

Chloe was quick to change out of her nightie after opening this outfit from G&G J.

She later created her own look with this “Style Six” T-shirt designing kit that Dad gave her.

Scarlet knits by the fire with another G&G J present.

Seth shows off his latest lego creation, which he got from Aunt Juli & Uncle Dwight.

Scarlet & Violet also got adorable rain coats & boots, which I have yet to get a picture of them modeling.  But, Scarlet seems to feel the boots are for more than just rain.  She paired them with a stylin’ new shirt from Mina & Papa, who were here to spend Christmas with us.

Look, it just can’t be a posting of mine if there is no mention of food.   This was an awesome sausage and egg casserole, which I will take upon myself to make every Christmas morning.  You make it the night before and stick it in while you open presents.  It was soooo yummy!  We needed some good ole’ fat to balance out all the sugar in our stockings. 

Later on, we invited our favorite neighbors, the Beckers, over to try out our new trampoline!

Then, it was time for Christmas dinner.  This year, the kids got to pick it.

Huh.  Corny dogs?  Well, why not.

It was a fun-filled, yet relaxing Christmas Day.  Violet snuggled up with a blanket Daddy gave her.  Isn’t it so cute?  The head of the lady bug is a little pillow. 

He gave Scarlet a similar one, only it’s a Panda Bear, which is her ultimate favorite animal. 

Looks inviting about now.  Merry Christmas!

Lenny

Chloe came home from school one day about three weeks ago unable to calm her hysteria about the fact that another girl in her class, Belle, has an elf.  A real elf.  She wrote a letter to Santa and asked for one and he sent it to her and it is magic and watches her during the day then flies back to the North Pole at night to report to Santa and you can’t touch it or it loses it’s magic and how can we write a letter to Santa and get one too?? 

This was clearly not going to naturally fade away on it’s own.  Luckily, I know the other girl’s mom and emailed her to get the scoop.  Chloe could, indeed, write a letter to Santa and get an elf, and Belle’s mom informed me as to how this could be accomplished.  Armed with this information, we acted accordingly, and about two days later, we woke up to find this.

Along with this, which told us everything we needed to know about our elf, newly named “Lenny” by Chloe.

Every morning, after his nightly flight to the North Pole, Lenny returned and  awaited us in a new spot (well, almost every day… he must have liked some spots really well, so he returned to them for another day… ;).  It was fun to look for him.

 

On Christmas morning, he was gone.  He returned to the North Pole.  But, once a family has an elf assigned to them, that elf always comes to their house at Christmas.  So, we’ll see Lenny again next year.

Little Ones on Santa’s Lap

Scarlet and Violet had a turn to sit on Santa’s lap.  As usual, Scarlet was very affectionate… she hugged Santa and stroked his beard while she talked.  What a sweetie!  Violet was surprisingly sweet to him as well. 

 

Incidentally, Seth & Chloe also sat on his lap.  Being older, and more savvy, they stood in line as soon as word traveled through the underground school-age kid network that he was on the way.  They were the very first kids in line, and I wasn’t there with the camera yet.  Oh well.  It’s all show for them anyway.

I don’t know what anyone asked Santa for… I didn’t want to know to be honest, because I Santa has already delivered what they are getting.  I’m sure you’ll see it soon!

What do you get when you cross a four-year-old with instructions to clean her room?

 

A very creative dress-up ensemble.

Woodpecker

While I was unloading the groceries from the car this past week, I heard some kind of pecking noise behind me.  I turned around and saw two woodpeckers pecking the tree across the street from us.

This was the best shot I could get, and it only shows one of them.  But while I was taking pictures, debris was falling on my head from what they were chipping off of the tree.  Violet and I had a good time watching them.  It was pretty cool.

Daddy Gets Us Ice Cream

 

To celebrate the fact that today is Saturday, we redeemed a coupon from Daddy to go get ice cream.

 

Seth & Chloe team up in Rock Band

Mom got really tired of the grating Guitar Hero music.  Unfortunately, there are no non-grating guitar hero games.  So, we tried out this new Rock Band game, which has “normal” music in it.  The added benefit is that Chloe can use our mic to sing along while Seth plays.  They also discovered that in certain settings, they can use standard wii remotes as drum sticks.  They’ve been at it for about an hour this afternoon.

 

Scarlet’s First Basketball Game

This morning was Scarlet’s first basketball game!  She had fun, and it was a big learning experience for her.   I noticed when I stood on the sidelines to take pictures, she was more interested in posing than playing the game:

Daddy would be so proud! 

I had to move to the stands because she needed all the help she could get focusing on the game.  Here she comes with the ball!

Unfortunately, once she got to the basket, she turned around and started heading back down the court before ever shooting.  This became a common scenario for her.    This, along with twirling her hair and staring into space while someone is trying to pass the ball to her, running into the stands to report something to me or give me her hair clip, and peeking beyond the divider to other side of the gym to see what was going on in that game.  I have no idea how many times I heard some adult on the court yelling her name for one reason or another.  It didn’t take the ref long to learn her name and help her coach steer her the right way.  Heck, by the end of the game, other other team’s coach was yelling her name, too.  But none of this kept her from getting a chance to take a shot!

It was all fun.  Her coach is really great, and gave her lots of high fives and “great jobs” before teaching her what she needed to improve on.  I made sure to thank him at the end of the game.

Disgusting Dinner

I really love using our crock-pot.  I use it at least once a week, and often more than that.  It’s like magic.  You put stuff in there in the morning, and at dinner time, you sit peacefully down to dinner. 

It’s cold today, so I decided to try a new soup.  It’s called “Winter Vegetable Soup”, and it has winter root vegetables such as parsnips and turnips in it.  I thought that would be fun to try; we don’t usually eat those foods.  Now I know why…

I took the lid off the soup to try it a few minutes ago.  Disgusting!  Totally disgusting.  Even the smell is starting to bother me now.  I’m trying to find a word to explain the taste… all I can come up with is “vomitous”.  The tricky part is that is also has potatoes in it, so if you take a bite, you think you’re getting potato, but then it’s actually a turnip.  I didn’t realize until now that I would need to italicize turnip.  I don’t recall ever throwing a meal away without eating any of it.  We’re just not that picky over here.  But this baby isn’t making it to the table. 

Seth asked what was for dinner, then answered his own question with a disappointed “Oh. Soup.”  To which I replied, “No, that soup is disgusting.”  Seth then said cheerfully, “It is?!?!”

On the bright side, I had a delicious loaf of sourdough to go with the soup.  We’ll just dip it marinara for dinner.

FRG Christmas Party

We attended a Christmas Party for the families of John’s unit (the Family Readiness Group).  We arrived early to help set up, and all the kids were quick to entertain themselves with empty wrapping paper tubes.  Seth got everyone going with some good old Christmas sword fighting.

Scarlet and Violet later found a new use for their rolls.  Scarlet said hers was a horsey.  Violet declared hers to be a witch’s broom.  How appropriate.

 

Overall, everyone had a good time.  Santa came and brought gifts.  I was amazed that Purple Heart took wish lists for each child ahead of time and then had a gift from  Santa of something on the list.  The children were called by name and handed their gift.  There are often volunteers of various kinds at these kinds of activities – for this one we had an elf making balloon animals and another elf doing face painting.  Here are the girls’ face painting jobs.

Snow Day!

This past Friday, I walked out of the YMCA around 10am to find this:

Naturally, I went straight to pick up Seth & Chloe from school so we could all play in the snow while it lasted!   We came home to get our winter clothes on.  I told everyone to take their time so that more snow would collect on the ground.  By the time we headed outside, all the snow in our immediate area was melting and the snow had turned to rain.  Ok, lesson learned.  If it snows in Houston, don’t wait for more snow.   Immediately play in the few centimeters collected on the fence tops, because even those aren’t lasting long.

Well, no worries, we decided.  We’ll just get in the car and drive north until we get to where the snow hasn’t melted yet.  We only had to go a couple miles to find a neighborhood with snow-covered rooftops.  We pulled in and crashed their neighborhood park.

Chloe and Scarlet had fun for about 3 minutes before deciding they were too cold.  Violet didn’t last that long:

All the girls headed to car after making one or less snowballs each.

This didn’t deter Seth!  He made a massive snowball to hurl at the girls in the car.  (Ok, so everything isn’t bigger in Texas.)  I felt that each of the girl’s responses to this provided a good commentary on their personalities.  Violet got mad and started crying.  Scarlet laughed, clapping her hands for more.  And Chloe didn’t care because she was preoccupied taking this opportunity to rummage through my purse undeterred.

To my relief, even Seth couldn’t take more than 10 minutes of the cold.  We headed back to the car and went home for hot cocoa.  Everyone talked for hours about how awesome our snow day, which consisted of 3-10 minutes in the snow, had been.  That’s what I call success!

Momma Bear Learns How To Post.

This is Momma Bear's first post to the blog.  

There were a couple of rough starts, (a duplicate post, some typos, etc.) I’ve learned that the publish button is not something to click in order to get a list of options related to publishing.  Once I click “publish”, game over.  Good to know!

Special Delivery From Daddy!

Daddy sent all the girls some beautiful flowers.  We came home to find them waiting for us and they really brightened out day.

 

Here is what the card said:

Reading Chloe

Chloe reads every night as part of her assigned homework.  Based on my understanding, she is supposed to read aloud to me for 20 min.  Chloe does not like reading out loud.  She's not nervous about reading aloud; she just hates it.  After the first couple of weeks of school, I decided it was going to make her hate reading to keep making her read aloud, so I told her she doesn't have to.  Instead, she has been reading to herself every night before going to bed.

Today I got a diagnostic report of Chloe's reading level from her teacher.  On the last report I received, on 9/12/09, her reading level was 3.4, meaning the level of a 3rd grader in the fourth month of school.  She's in 2nd grade, so that was perfectly good, and one of the reasons I didn't see a benefit in making her read out loud.  Today's report, less than 3 months later, gives her a 4.5.  Reading on the level of a 4th grader in the fifth month of school.  In three months of letting her enjoy reading in her own way, she has progressed more than an entire school year in her reading level. 

I just thought that made for a really interesting commentary on the value of finding ways to make learning a natural, enjoyable process for kids.  Adults too, I guess.

Violet & Backpacks

Violet loves to wear backpacks.  Over Thanksgiving holidays, she wore Chloe's school backpack around saying "ok, I'm ready for school!" 

Today when Chloe got to school, her backpack contained an oven mitt, a roll of box tape, a pair of pliers, a large stone, a toy dog bone, some straws, a lip gloss and a metal spoon.

Songs for the Buddies

Microsoft research has put together a program that they call "Songsmith".  It auto-generates music for you as you sing.  Think of it as computer meets karaoke machine.  Learn more about songsmith here:  Microsoft Songsmith Home Page.

I went ahead and I used songsmith to create some songs for the buddies.  The buddies thought that they were very funny.  Feel free to listen – but listen at your own risk – these songs are kid friendly, not necessarily ear friendly.

Chloe Rock
Scarlet Latin Jazz
Seth Blues Rock
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star Hip-Hop
Violet Blue Grass

As I recorded, I found it hard to match to the computer’s tempo (just in case you didn’t notice).

Christmas Ornaments – Chloe Style

Chloe made this ornament out of oranges and cloves, then she put a pipe cleaner to hang it.  It smells very good.

 

This one is a snowflake.

Sports Family – Seth & Scarlet

Seth starts flag football next week.  This will be an 8 week season.  Seth really loves to play defense.

Scarlet will play B-Ball starting next week.  Fortunately Mom was able to get both Seth & Scarlet's  practice on the same day.  Scarlet really wanted to do soccer but they don't do winter soccer so Scarlet picked B-Ball.  She will be playing against other 4 & 5 year olds, and they will lower the rim for her both teams.  This is a new adventure because this is Scarlet's very first time doing a team sport.

Pink Jumper

There is a little pink jumper you made that we inherited from Lauren, or maybe it was Chloe’s, I'm not sure.  Anyway, Scarlet LOVES it.  She wears it over her clothing at least 3 times a week.  I don't know why she does this, I've told her she doesn't have to wear pants and a shirt under it, but that's how she likes it. 

I took a picture of her wearing it.  As you can see below, you get the following expressions from  . . .

"I don't want my picture taken"

to "well, maybe"  . . .

 

and finally . . . "ok, I'll smile."

 

Scarlet & Kevin

This is a picture of "Kevin", the grass snake that Scarlet caught this morning.  She kept him for several hours, then let him "go free" a few minutes ago.

Powdered Sugar Party – Scarlet & Violet Style

Scarlet & Violet had a powdered sugar party – while they were in the same room with Mom! YES!! That has NEVER happened to me – children causing chaos while I am in the same room with them. To be fair, Caroline was on the phone with technical support to get the computer fixed. Apparently powdered sugar was all over the kitchen, the hallway and the master bedroom – the bed, the chairs and the rug. Basically, it just turns out that for the girls it was a day at the beach! The powdered sugar was the sand and Scarlet and Violet used buckets to move the sand back to the master bedroom. They were very efficient and very quiet.

The only solution was for Scarlet and Violet to be given a bath. Scarlet said that she was “Sorry”. That means for her, that obviously it is all resolved. Scarlet’s view clearly ignores the fact that she will actually need to do work to clean up the mess she just created. Also Scarlet likes to blame Violet, her 2 year old sister for everything.

At the Zoo

Everyone went to the zoo on the school field trip.  The buddies had lots of fun and created some very memorable pictures and stories.

The lion was Violet’s favorite animal at the zoo.	Scarlet loved the red panda.
Chloe wrote this very funny story . . .	And Seth told me about the entire trip

 

 

Halloween Costumes

We all went to the “Trunk and Treat” event at our church.  Of course, everyone had to wear their costumes.

Citizen soldier Seth ready for trunk or treat.	Chloe the rock star. Obviously she’s ready for trunk or treat.

Scarlet the scarecrow is ready for some Halloween fun!	Violet is dressed up in her “bewitching” getup.

Pumpkin Painting (Part 2 of 2)

Scarlet’s masterpiece.	Cute Violet’s paint job.

Pumpkin Painting (Part 1 of 2)

Chole gets started on her pumpkin.	Scarlet gives her million-dollar grin while waiting her turn with “Pumpkin Face” painting.

Seth’s final masterpiece. He said more blood keeps the goblins away.	Chloe’s final masterpiece.

Halloween Trunk or Treat

We went to the “Trunk or Treat” event that our church sponsors. Violet was a witch (who couldn’t keep track of her hat). Scarlet went as a scarecrow – she had straw sticking out everywhere. Chloe was a rock star. Seth was a soldier (but we didn’t let him take his bee-bee gun).

Papa set up the trunk of his car so that he and Mina could see everyone’s costume. Papa had a skeleton which was about 2 feet tall. It was voice activated. He would say “boo” and the arms and legs of the skeleton moved. There was also a song that came from the skeleton. “The worms go in and the worms go out” plus more lyrics that were unintelligible. The whole thing was silly, silly, silly & lots of fun. Seth came over to show Mina & Papa his candy and said he went through twice. Mina asked Seth why he didn’t go thru three times. He made it clear to Mina that going through three times wasn’t his style.

Mina and Papa also got to see the Primary program on Sunday. Caroline had it so sell planned that it went off like clockwork. Every kid had a speaking part. The singing was very, very good. It was most fun to watch Scarlet. They had her sit behind the pulpit. But every time the kinds sang and she could get away from her teacher she was at the rail looking cute with her personality and million dollar smile. She was the cutest Sun beam there.

The most amazing part of the whole program was Violet. Papa expected to be in the foyer half the time with Violet. Not this Sunday. Violet was so interested in finding Seth & Chloe & Scarlet that she was perfectly content during the entire meeting. We probably won’t see that behavior from Violet again until next year.

Chloe Drawings & the Chloe Acronym

Chloe mailed me some drawings that she did.  Here is here self-portrait . .

 
. . . and as any good American Citizen that has to send mail with the USPS (United States Postal Service) and goes to the YMCA (Young Men’s Christian Association ), she came up with an acronym for her name.

Scarlet Drawings

Scarlet really likes to draw.  Scarlet would also like to be able to write.  on the left you can see that she wrote a bunch of letters.  They do not mean anything – they are just letters, but she can write most of her name.

Seth Plays Flag Football

Rainy Day Puddles – Clips Only

These are the original Rainy Day Puddle Clips.

Rainy Day Puddles

Running through the puddles, using the memory box video style.

The “Gar-Goiles”/“Gargoyles”

I have always called the girls the “Gargoyles” and I have called Seth the “Boy-Barian”.  There has been some debate over how to spell the mix of “girl” and “gargoyle”.  For this video I spelled it as “Gar-Goiles”.  Enjoy!

Gumballs for All

Everyone gets a gumball this time!

Violet Gets a Gumball

This is a test

This is a test

Riding Bikes to School

This is everyone riding bikes to school on the second day of school.

Violet ABC’s

Violet used the microphone and the speakers on the computer to sing the ABC’s.    She is holding in her hand the microphone (it is just a small bud microphone).

There is some loud feedback near the beginning and the end of the song.

Towel Animals - Class

I took the Buddies and we went to learn how to make Towel Animals.  Chloe was kind enough to pose for the camera!

Beaches of Cozumel

This is the official “We got to go and you didn’t” post.

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Be Jealous, be very jealous.  :=)

Cozumel Snorkeling

We ended up at a different resort area to stay at and we had just an amazing time.  We had a TON of fun.  When we went our our snorkeling tour, we went out to deeper water, better coral, and it lasted about 2 hours and it was cheaper.  It was so amazingly better.  We had a blast.

However, the start was rough.  It was lightening, raining and there was a cold wind blowing. 

Towel Animals – Day 3

A brontosaurus . . .

 

A sea turtle . . . (and a Violet who does not fully understand the subtleties of looking at the camera just yet). . .

 

. . . All of the animals together!

Temple of the Bearded Man

This is a picture of the Temple of the Bearded Man. Inside the Temple there is a carving of a man with a beard.  A Man with a beard is an unusual thing since Mayans genetically did not have facial hair.

The Ossuary or Tomb of the High Priest

Here C-Mommy is standing in front of “The Ossuary or Tomb of the High Priest”.

“The Snail or Observatory”

Here is Caroline standing in front of “The Snail or Observatory”. It is believed that this structure used to be an observatory. The guide book did not say clearly why it is called the “Snail”, but there is a spiral staircase and several layers of concentric buildings, I guess, kind of snail-like.

Temazcal

This is a picture of the Temazcal – a cistern with steps leading down into it.

Chichén Itzá

We went to Chichén Itzá today. Translated, Chichén Itzá is Mayan for “At the edge of the well where the water wizards live”.

Here we are in front of “The Castle”, also called the “Pyramid of Kukulcan”. It has 9 levels and is 78 feet high.

Chichen Itza – Day - Pictures

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2009_08_04 - Day at Sea - Pictures

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Scarlet’s Awesome Video

Towel Animals – Day 2

 

We came back and the children found the following towel animals:  Gorilla, a Dog lying down, and a bear sitting down.

Our steward was kind enough to put the other stuffed animals that we had purchased on the bed and so we had all of the animals together.  Of course, a little bit of posing and some help from 2 of the girls and the entire scene is just perfect.

Neon Elevator

What cruise ship would be complete without the gaudy neon elevator in the middle of it?

Musical Inspiration

Chloe is taking piano lessons and so we went over to one of the piano players and watched him play for a little bit.

Scarlet & Colors

The ship was amazingly decorated.  Lots of vibrant colors.  I was able to get Scarlet to stand still long enough that I could get some of the vibrancy and colors photographed.  Thank you Scarlet!

On the stairs . . .

 

On the stairwell . . .

. . . At the top of the stairs.

Lil’ Pirates

Scarlet and Violet cam from the children’s activity area with makeup to help them look like pirates.  Then of course I had to take a pictures.

Towel Animals – Day 1

Carnival always does this thing where they fold up a towel to look like an animal/creature.  This is the towel – Towel Lobster. (cue re-write of B-52’s Song “Rock Lobster” to change the word “Rock” to “Towel”)

Pictures – Day 1

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Ship’s Bow

Seth was told by Gpa L. that he had to go as far towards the front as possible with Dad and stand with his arms out.  It would feel like flying.  He was told that he had to go with his Dad.  Seth was very upset that he had to share the experience with his mother and his sisters.  We tried to convince him (and I think he eventually bought into it) that there was enough ship and time for everyone for him to share it with them too.

Does This Make Me Look Fat?

 

. . . unfortunately Violet, yes.

Space Center Houston – Space Baby Violet

Space Baby Violet was the star of the family’s visit to Space Center Houston.  In the first picture she is practicing the types of maneuvers she would make during a space flight.  In the second picture she is wearing the helmet used during the Gemini program. 

Way to go space baby!!

Bandage Girl Violet

Bandages have been a source of constant entertainment for the children between the ages of 1-3.  They have cool colors, have interesting pictures of everyone’s favorite cartoon characters – and on top of that – they are adhesive!  A 1mm thick piece of plastic just doesn’t get better than than.

In the morning, in her pajamas – Violet is seen with the bandages.

Before we left for the day – after a change of clothes – I took a better, close up picture.

Space Center Houston – George Lucas Tribute

The special exhibition was things from the movies of George Lucas.  In the first picture are featured characters in costume from the Star Wars movie.  Darth Vadar is of course not being nice to Mommy.

Here, Chloe poses with the different helmets from the movie Willow.  (Produced by Lucas Films, directed by Ron Howard).  I just love this movie and I purchased the Soundtrack by James Horner.  One of the themes has been used for trailers for other movies.

Chloe stands in front of Indiana Jones’ costume.

All in all it was a very fun day!

Bunk Bed Cot

The buddies have figured out that if they hang their blankets from the top of their bunk, they can have a nice little cot in their rooms.  It is actually really cool.  I think that they are fun and the kids LOVE playing in them.  I think they have only ripped only one blanket to shreds so far.

Mad Libs

You may not remember what “Mad Libs” are – here is a referesher.  There is a small book you buy.  The book has about 12-15 sentences per page.  In each sentence there is a blank line where a word needs to be written.  Under the blank line there is a part of speech.  Then you ask someone (in this case I asked Seth & Chloe) to give you an adverb, a noun, a verb, etc. and you write that part of speech into the blank line in the Mad Libs book you purchased.  After you fill in all of the blanks with the part of speech indicated – you go back and read what was written.  So instead of a normal sentence: The Bulldozer is big and yellow – because random parts of speech were asked for – you get “The mouse is happy and crusty.” – which is very fun to listen back to – especially if you are 7 & 8.

In the video – Mom is trying to read the Mad Libs.  Seth and Chloe have heard the Mad Libs several times and so they are a little bit- not paying attention.  Basically it is somewhat controlled chaos – a fairly typical day/activity at the household.

Mad Libs:  Funniest Part is 0:45 sec to 1:00 (According to Seth).  He was very entertained watching this when we watched it again.

Seth on the 4 Wheeler

Seth driving the 4 Wheeler at Aunt Julia’s.

Violet Fedora

Violet was randomly walking around with Chloe’s hat on.  Time for a picture!

(This is the same hat that Chloe wore to her piano recital).

Monochrome

Scarlet was not feeling particularly colorful this day

Freedom Message - Chloe

Chloe wrote this during a family activity around Memorial Day.  Since J-Daddy did not have time to put this on the blog around Memorial Day . . .  Hey, it makes the perfect 4th of July message!  (This could be the start of a trend we see for the next decade.).

Just in case you don’t read “Chloe-ish” Mom provides the following translation.

I am happy for our freedom.  My Grandma had retired in the Army.  My Grandpa been an air glider in the army for years.  [Grandpa was an Airborne Ranger in the Army - and somehow this was translated to "Air Glider".]

Chloe Piano Recital

Chloe had her piano recital, and was awarded a trophy after it was over.

Scarlet Hula Hoop

Father’s Day Message

Chloe left me this beautiful message for Father’s Day.

Violet Prayer (8 words Long)

 

Chloe’s Birthday Celebration

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Palm Trees

When the children got out of school Mom had these hula hoops.  I wondered what they were for.  Then I came home and Chloe & Scarlet had palm trees in their rooms.  It was a pretty cool craft to start off the summer.

Hula Palm Trees

Mom & the Wonder Twins made Hula Palm trees.  (There is a hula hoop at the top that gives the round shape.  Some cut felt makes it a palm tree, and some "tule" fabric makes it a canopy).  Mom let me know I had to see these before I went to bad & I found Chloes message on her canopy.  If you don't read "Chloe-ish", the translation is below.

"STOP.  You have to give me 50 cents to come in my cool thing.  Pe BFF's [Editor's note:  BFF stands for 'Best Friends Forever'] now can come in it for free!  If you are at my Birtdhay and if you are my DFF at schoo all my BFF's!  Dad or Mom."

Tootsie Pop – Scientific Research

Seth asked the classic scientific question:  How many licks to get to the center of a Tootsie pop?

After concentrated licking, and focused sugar intake, Seth arrived at the answer 1,174 licks.  Q.E.D.

Houston Museum of Natural Science

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Something showed up to pick Violet’s brain.

Seth got to hang out with the Jedi and Storm Troopers.

. . . any my pretty busy bees are just hanging out.

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Chloe’s Piano Recital - Video

This is the video of Chloe’s Piano Recital at the end of April.

Scarlet’s comment at the 20th second (kind of hard to hear – but worth the effort) is absolutely classic little sister!

Lipstick Destruction

Violet got a hold of Mom’s lipstick, pulled it out of the case and just starting drawing on her hands, and many surfaces all over the house – oh joy!

Girls Comment on Their Drawings

 

Baby Froggie Scarlet

Scarlet had some fruit tape and decided that she looked like a frog.

Scarlet’s Cupcake

Scarlet drew a cupcake!  The best part about this cupcake is even though it’s size is 71,000 bytes – it has zero calories!  (IT humor/J-Daddy Humor for you!)

Crouching Wolf – Hidden Cub Scout

Seth felt that this was a good example of the games that he played at Cub Scouts with his friends.

So, while the picture was taken back in February, during the Pinewood Derby, this is representative of the games he played all year.

Chloe & the Moth

Chloe found a moth.  It was not doing very well.  So we had time to take a picture or two, and then we had to have a way to dispose of the moth. 

Chloe made a dramatic text about the entire experience.

After Chloe wrote the dramatic text – we had per perform it for the camera.  Here it is.

Attack of the Facer Snatchers

Scarlet is violently attacked . . .

Violet is struck as well . . . and it has moved to her eyes . . .

Chloe may be attacked as well . . . . if she is awake enough.

Fiesta Girls

When Daddy came back from San Antonio he had gifts for everybody (of course).  All of the girls received paper flower wreaths.  Even though everyone has less than enthusiastic expressions, they really did like them.  Violet had a “wardrobe malfunction” and here does not look quite right. Of course, with the lollipop Dad gave to everyone, it really helped things out!

Violet got the cowboy hat lollipop.

Dad in San Antonio

The statue dedicated to the Confederate Soldiers.

I stayed at the St. Anthony’s hotel, on the 8th floor, and it still had windows you could open, so I opened the window and took a picture of the plaza in front of the hotel.

Chloe Heart Art

Happy and Sad – Chloe Style

Chloe was asked to draw a Happy and a Sad picture for her Sunday school class.  The results are below.

 

. . . what J-Daddy got out of this was that if you are sad, you have ponytails instead of bangs . . .

Violet Queen

You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life
See that girl, watch that scene, digging the Violet queen.

Chloe’s First Piano Recital

Chloe had her first ever piano recital.  The piece she played was called “Tongue Twister”.

Everyone had fun, because when we were done, we went to the yogurt place.

Scarlet really enjoyed her yogurt.

Scarlet Opens her Family Presents

What self-respecting 4 year old DOESN’T want bandaids to stick all over herself and her little sister?

 

. . . . and who can resist the present that is as big as you are.

Mini-Floods

We had mini-floods on our street.  The rain came down so quickly that the water just could not drain quickly enough.  When you have a flood - what do you do?  Go Swimming of course!

Seth rode the floodwaters at high speed . . .

and Chloe went on her training skateboard.

Violet stood around and ate lollipops.

Eat Your (Jello) Heart Out

When we went to the Houston Museum of Natural Science, we purchased the heart-shaped Jello mold.  Not only fun for the whole family, but it has no Cholesterol either!!

Seth didn’t like the idea too much at first, but he found the strength to ham it up for the camera.

Scarlet & the Flood

Scarlet really wanted to walk out into the middle of the storm and the flooded street, so like any decent parent I said “Okay – if it makes a good picture, why not?”

Scarlet’s Birthday Party

We celebrated Scarlet's Birthday with balloons, friends & cake!

 

Attack of the Lizard

We found a lizard around the house, and then the lizard decided to hang around Violet and the Buddies

Easter Eggs

Mom helped the Buddies and the Letties make Easter Eggs.

Family Easter Egg Hunt

This set of videos is displayed “as-is”.  Maybe one day I will get around to editing this.

School Assembly

Seth was recognized for All “A” Honor Roll & Citizen Award.

Chloe was honored for having her art selected for the phone book.

The Beast, Unleashed

What radioactive, scary thing can  leave this footprint?

A SETHIE RADIOACTIVE ZOMBIE BEAST!!! . . ..  RUN!!!

Beads o’ Cuteness

We went to a garage sale and they gave us a whole bunch of necklaces with beads.  The ‘Letties had lots of fun with the beads.

However, there is a quickly deteriorating life cycle for these beads.  When we first get them, everyone plays with them and puts them on.  They are the new toy.  Then they get boring and are dropped on the floor – usually where they Lettie was last-standing – aka – right in the middle of the room and way.  Then, during clean-up time, the beads are picked up.  Over the next few days, the beads are everywhere.  They get twisted together, worn, torn, and thrown.  After walking around barefoot and stepping on beads for a week – and then still having to clean them up, the children & Mom & Dad aren’t too sad to see the bead necklaces thrown in the trash a few weeks later.

Dad at Cub Scouts

For career day for our pack, Dad went as a soldier.  Seth liked wearing Dad’s helmet.

Undeniable Cuteness – Violet Style

Dubbed Martial Arts

Seth and I were watching an old Jackie Chan film.  I was working and filing, Seth was watching.  After the first 15 minutes or so, Seth turns to me and asks, "Why does the sound come out at a different time than when they move their mouths?"  Welcome to the world of Martial Arts Dubbing Seth.  You’re probably going to see and hear a lot more of it!!

Sea World Visit

Violet tries to say hello to the dolphin . . .

Seth feeds and pets the dolphin . . .

Then, like a good big brother, he helps Scarlet feed the dolphin.

And even though it was hot, everyone had fun.

Color/Child Quiz

Here are my two youngest daughters.  Which one is named Scarlet & which one is named Violet?

Think about it carefully . . . .

. . . Ready?  Okay, the one wearing Scarlet-Colored clothes is Violet, and the one wearing Violet-Colored clothes is Scarlet. 

I had gotten the kids dressed for church, and when I got to church, I realized that oddly enough, I had dressed the two little ones in the "wrong" colors.

Chloe: Tales of the Moth

Chloe found a moth.  All of the girls in the family really like butterflies and moths.  This moth was a very special moth and different from all of the other moths.

This was their favorite moth.  But sadly, it was dying, so we had to flush it down the toilet.  <Crying voice> At least we can find a different moth.  I was crying when we flushed the moth down the toilet.

(This entry was dictated by Chloe)

Le Artisté - Scarlét

The artist during a “blue” moment . . . (kind of like Picasso, but just for a few minutes, as opposed to a few years) . . .

Chloe, Scarlét’s older sister .  .  . with a brush . . . . and the artist holding a brush.

 

Art critics & psycho-therapists all over the world are arguing if it is a PAINT brush or a HAIR brush.  What does a hair brush tell you about the artist’s relationship with her older sister?  With her parents? Or is Scarlét offering a searing critique on the social order of our, cold-hearted Capitalist societé?

The Silver Shark

It is Pinewood Derby time for Seth’s Cub Scout Pack.  Seth is working on several cars & the night of, we will pick & use the best one.  Seth has put the most time & effort into the car on the right.  This car is called “The Silver Shark”.  Seth describes the Silver Shark as follows:  “The Silver Shark will beat all of the other race cars.” 

Dad remembers that last year, we did not do so well in the Pine Wood Derby (but it was not the Cub Scout Derby).  I think that there were several races where the car did not finish at all . . . . just getting to the finish line will be a vast improvement over last year.

Scout’s Kitchen

Seth and his Cub Scout Pack had a fund raiser where they cooked pancakes, eggs & bacon for the families of the church congregation.  The Cub Scouts served up the food.  They did a good job.  The funds are for their weeklong, afternoon activity, Twighlight Camp.

Seth and his friend decided to commemorate the event by posing like ninja’s. 

Violet's Ponytail

Dad tried to get a picture of Violet & her ponytail.  Violet didn't have as much fun as Dad did . . .

. . .  as you can tell from the picture.

Dr. Scarlet - The Chocolate Experiment

Chloe is writing this entry.  Chloe says, "Dr. Scarlet is conducting a scientific experiment about chocolate.  Dr. Scarlet learned that chocolate can be very messy to eat & if you give it to Baby Violet, Baby Violet can turn into a sludge monster."  (Dad is not sure, where the sludge monster part came from, but that is a faithful transcription of what Chloe said. . . . I would have just written "My Precious.")

Make up Girls

The girls convinced Mom to paint their their fingernails, toenails and put on some make up.  Dad of course wanted to take a picture.

Violet doesn't quite get that she needed to turn her hand around so the CAMERA could see them.  I mean actually made perfect sense to Violet.  If she could see the fingernails just fine, why couldn't anybody else?

 

Brief Kid Letties Update

Violet:  She now says "Actually".  She can annunciate the “ct” part.

Scarlet:  Loves the bread store.  "Mommy, next time I come remind me that I want the pink ones."  At 3, she has not only mastered delegation, but has captured the essence of vision as well.
(Note:  Date is approximate)

“Viol-Indian” in the Cupboard

Space Center Houston

Seth and Chloe with the Space Center Mascot.  I don’t know the mascot’s name, but it is supposed to be a star.

The Distortion mirrors are always fun to use to take pictures!

At the end of the day, everyone was tired out.

Space Center Houston – Apollo Exhibit

Having fun at the controls of the Apollo Exhibit!

  

Alternate Text for entry:  Ground Control to Maj Seth, Chloe & Scarlet . .. .

Random Acts of Cuteness

Christmas Presents

Opening Presents

Opening MORE Presents

. . . Of course, it was general chaos opening Christmas presents!  Looking at the pictures, Seth remembers that "That he wanted to open his presents first, but he had to open them after everyone else."  J-Daddy says "Well, Seth, welcome to being the oldest."

Scarlet got a box of Dora the Explorer Band-aids . . .

and she immediately put them all on!  Why wait for you to be hurt or have an owie before you actually put them on?

. . . Dad was always on the lookout for noteworthy pictures . . .

. . . and Chloe came through.

Opening Presents

Opening MORE Presents

CSI - Scarlet Style

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Chloe Observed:  "Scarlet really likes chalk."  With some help from J-Daddy, we she posed for some chalk art.  As you can see - J-Daddy is "Chalk-full" of good ideas.

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The Pet Store

Pet Store Pictures

Even MORE Pet Store Pictures

We went to the Pet Store.  It was great!  We could look at the animals & then we could leave all of the work to someone else AND Dad got to take really good pictures!!

Pet Store Pictures

Even MORE Pet Store Pictures

Ice Worlds

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We went to see the display "Ice Worlds".  They had lots of things made out of ice, like polar bears, deer, ornaments, people skating on ice and they even had a huge ice slide.  Dad's camera ran out of batteries :-( so Dad didn't get to take all of the pictures he wanted.  Chloe really liked the big Santa, but no pictures.  The display was at the location, The Gaylord Texas & so we have pictures of that as well.

Chloe likes the picture of the big ornament a lot. Chloe also really liked the ice bridge.

 

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Winter: It’s Diaper-Wearing Good

So, winters in the south tend to be somewhat mild as evidenced by Baby Cuteness, her Royal Eminence – Princess Violet wandering around in her diapers. 

Dat Mines

Violet has learned to be possessive - to the extreme.  If you tell her to give you a book, she will say, "No! Dat Mines."  This is of course a book she has never seen before, can't read, doesn't recognize - and oh, by the way - is the 13th volume of the Encyclopedia Britanica - but Violet is sure, "Dat Mines."  If you politely ask again, she will (for now) generally give you the book and give it up.

Mommy has clarified further, that "Dat Mines" does not relate only to possession or ownership.  It relates to POWER & CONTROL.  Here are some examples:

Mom is holding the toothbrush and says, "It's time to brush your teeth." Violet says, "Dat Mines."  Meaning "Fat Chance".

Violet sees a cookie, and wants it so she says "Dat Mines", meaning "Give me the cookie."

Mom says, "We need to pickup our toys."   Violet responds, "Dat Mines" - meaning "Actually, I'm in charge here and I'm not picking up my toys."

My Mommy

Continuing with the whole overly possessive thing that Violet has going on, Violet loves to let everyone know that her Mommy is "My Mommy" - and cannot be shared.  So, if someone is sitting on Mommy's lap, Violet will come over and start saying "My Mommy", and start climbing into Mommy's lap - doesn't matter that Mommy doesn't have any more room.  I mean, didn't everyone hear Violet stake her claim on Mommy?

Snowing in Houston

Seth explains why cotton coats can kill you (in the snow) & Violet doesn't like the snow.

Family Day

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Everyone came to Dad's Family Day.  Seth go to see some of the HEMTT tankers . . .

The girls climbed all over this HUMVEE . . .

And then they got to go to a briefing, just like the ones Daddy always go to - except J-Daddy carries fewer stuffed animals to the meetings.  Everyone had a lot of fun!

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Museum Presents!

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What's trip the museum without buying some Museum gifts?

Scarlet got this foam butterfly mask.  She looks cute wearing it.  Then she started to run around flapping her arms . . ..

. . . However, then. the next day, Scarlet found a new use for her cool new mask!  Since the mask was thicker and made of foam, she found out that she liked to cut the foam into pieces.  By the time we realized what she was doing, she had cut the mask straight in half and was working on producing other, smaller pieces.  Well, it was her mask & if she was having fun cutting it, when that's how she was having fun - but it still would have been nice if she had been able to wear the mask more than once.

Scarlet has a museum ball.

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SWIM FOR YOUR LIFE!!!

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Seth, Chloe & Scarlet are going to be eaten by a giant whale or a squid!

Of course, they also learned a lot while they were at the museum.

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Museum Movies

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We saw the 3-D movie about the Grand Canyon & it was awesome.  Here is everyone with their 3-D polarized glasses on!

We did not see this show (we had seen it about 6 months ago), BUT they did have a cool photo poster out front. 

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The Secret Code of the Geode

We went to the Museum of Natural Science & there you could buy a geode.  We watched them crack the geode open and we found out that there were amethyst inside.  Seth and Chloe got to keep half of the geode.  Scarlet, in the top picture is just borrowing Seth's geode.  The geodes are actually really cool!

Seth is holding his geode in front of the geode that costs about $10,000.  In case there is any doubt, Seth's geode cost a little less than $10,000.

Cruisin'

J-Daddy & Momma Bear went on a cruise.  Here are all of the pictures.

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Seth the Aerospace Lego-Engineer

Seth put together his Lego Bat man plane.  Then he took two pictures.  The first picture (left/top) - is Seth holding the camera & the plane at the same time.  Not too bad!  The second picture is just the from the front - you can see the propellers at the very front.