(OK - EXCEPT for the Gap sweatshirt on my nephew...)
Christmas Sketches
My brother-in-law Mark was taking photos as the kids opened presents the day after Christmas. He has an app on his phone that turns pictures into beautiful black and white sketch/renderings like this one. Doesn't it look like this came right out of a classic Christmas storybook?
(OK - EXCEPT for the Gap sweatshirt on my nephew...)
(OK - EXCEPT for the Gap sweatshirt on my nephew...)
Merry Christmas!!!
I know, I know - it has been too long. There is a lot that has happened around Owenland Park in the last few weeks. Where to begin? A friend of Devon's gave her a car a few weeks ago. That's right - gave her a car. This helped move up the date for the girls to move back in with their mom. And so, days before the semester ended, the girls got the best Christmas present ever - to be living with their mom! The house is much queiter - that is taking some getting used to.
The boys and I went to the Children's mass late in the afternoon on Christmas Eve. We came home to a wonderful dinner. Mom made a lovely spinach, bacon and feta salad. John cooked up beautiful steaks and potatoes - it was yummy! Then we made cookies for Santa and took the boys outside to spread Magic Reindeer Food in the front yard. This food attracts the reindeer from hundreds of miles away so you have to sprinkle it and get in bed fast! John poured some into each of the boy's hands - Jack crossed out into the yard to spread his around, but Wy just dropped it on the walk way, brushed his hands and declared "We're done!" then he headed into the house.
Christmas was a bit of a gift giving marathon this year. The boys had us up early taking care of stockings. I made everyone take a break after that while I fixed pancakes and BACON!!! Then we took care of the Abels/Owen gift exchange and let the boys build a wonderful gingerbread train from Jeanne & Johanna. Then it was lunch when Devon and the girls came over, presents with them followed by a lovely ham dinner. Sunday brought Melanie and her crew. We went to mass, had Chinese for lunch and more presents. The afternoon brought John's sister Sue, her husband Steve and their young friend - and more presents! It really was a lot of fun and spread things out over lovely meals and conversations.
You can look through our Christmas celebrations if you head on over to Shutterfly by following this link http://owenlandparkproductions.shutterfly.com/ and then clicking on the December 2010 album.
I know this one is pretty short and impersonal, but I'm actually supposed to be running a rehearsal...Don't' tell my boss, OK?
Love and blessings to everyone! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!
The boys and I went to the Children's mass late in the afternoon on Christmas Eve. We came home to a wonderful dinner. Mom made a lovely spinach, bacon and feta salad. John cooked up beautiful steaks and potatoes - it was yummy! Then we made cookies for Santa and took the boys outside to spread Magic Reindeer Food in the front yard. This food attracts the reindeer from hundreds of miles away so you have to sprinkle it and get in bed fast! John poured some into each of the boy's hands - Jack crossed out into the yard to spread his around, but Wy just dropped it on the walk way, brushed his hands and declared "We're done!" then he headed into the house.
Christmas was a bit of a gift giving marathon this year. The boys had us up early taking care of stockings. I made everyone take a break after that while I fixed pancakes and BACON!!! Then we took care of the Abels/Owen gift exchange and let the boys build a wonderful gingerbread train from Jeanne & Johanna. Then it was lunch when Devon and the girls came over, presents with them followed by a lovely ham dinner. Sunday brought Melanie and her crew. We went to mass, had Chinese for lunch and more presents. The afternoon brought John's sister Sue, her husband Steve and their young friend - and more presents! It really was a lot of fun and spread things out over lovely meals and conversations.
You can look through our Christmas celebrations if you head on over to Shutterfly by following this link http://owenlandparkproductions.shutterfly.com/ and then clicking on the December 2010 album.
I know this one is pretty short and impersonal, but I'm actually supposed to be running a rehearsal...Don't' tell my boss, OK?
Love and blessings to everyone! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!
E.R. and a 5 year old? Anyone? Anyone?
Earlier in the week Devlyn cut her pinky finger open on a Coka-Cola glass. Mom took her to the emergency room and God help anyone who has to sit for hours at a hospital with a 5 year old and nothing to do. Mom said Devlyn was "wound tighter than an 8 day clock." When the finally emerged from the E.R., Devlyn had 3 stitches and a removable cast. (The cast is removable as we need to change the dressing 3 times each day until the stitches come out.)
Devlyn is fascinated with her cast. For example, she sits at the dinner table and STABS the cast with her dinner fork: repeatedly with brute force.
How to eat a donut
First you eat the top part.
Then you put the bottom part down and ask for a new donut.
Then you put the bottom part down and ask for a new donut.
It's what we do.
Earlier in the week Mom and I took the 5 younger kids to pick up outfits for their Christmas concert and the holidays. I was talking to Mom about how frustrated I was with some project as we were pulling into a parking space. The kids were all yelling and my phone started ringing with work stuff. All I wanted to do was whine to my mom and we couldn't hear ourselves over the kids and my phone. Once we got in the store and grabbed a cart it was clear that Devlyn was going to be all over the place so I picked her up and plopped her in the cart. Then I turned and did a head count. I came up one head short so I counted again. Still one short. Then I had to run through names and faces from the oldest to the youngest and it was Wyatt that was missing.
I turned and walked to the front doors - no Wyatt. I stepped outside - no Wyatt. It took me all of 3 seconds to realize how LARGE that parking lot was. And it was pitch black outside thanks to Daylight Savings. In those 3 seconds I turned into a crazy screaming lady. I started running through the parking lot looking for the car and screaming "WYATT!!! WYATT!!! WYATT!!!"
Everyone in the parking lot stopped and watched me fly by them. I'm not even sure how I found the car because I certainly couldn't hear the horn (thank the Lord for key fobs) over my screaming. Miraculously, there he was, locked in the car, standing between the driver and passenger seats with his hands in his mouth and tears streaming down his face.
Can you imagine what that poor baby went through? He watched us close the doors and lock them and walk away leaving him there in the car - alone and in the dark. How long must it have felt to him that we were gone? I hauled him out of the car and squatted down in the parking lot hugging him and telling him over "I'm sorry. I love you. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I love you. I'm sorry." And I see all the people who aren't moving anymore because they are watching me. All I could think was that I needed to let Mom know everything was ok, but I couldn't move.
Finally a very nice lady came over to see if we were ok and to tell us that if we were both ok, then everything was ok. Shaking like a leaf, I made it back into the store with Wy. Mom was there with the kids an a man who was ready to launch a code Adam if needed - though he did say some folks had told him they thought everything was ok.
A while later I was in the boys section picking out socks when Wy declared quite loudly "Mommy, I didn't wike it when you weft me all awone in the car just now."
Have you ever seen the Harry Potter movie where Professor Lupin teaches the students how to handle a Boggart? Boggarts are shape shifters and present themselves as whatever the victim fears the most: Harry's Boggart becomes a Demontor (they suck all the joy and happiness out of a person.) As Harry learns how to defeat Boggarts, Professor Lupin plies him with chocolate to help him settle down and restore his energy.
I'm sure you can see where I'm going: my Boggart is something terrible happening to one of my kids. Anyway, when we checked out, I picked up a load of chocolate to hand to the kids - and to myself. I really think the chocolate helped. (I will chalk that up to "Things a mom can learn from Harry Potter.")
We went home and put dinner on the table: of course the kids didn't like whatever it was I had fixed. Wy refused to eat any of it and I finally gave in and gave him something like a pop tart. Jack asked why Wyatt got the pop tart and not anyone else. What did I have to say about that?
"Because I left him in the car! And because Mommies apologize with food. It's what we do!"
I turned and walked to the front doors - no Wyatt. I stepped outside - no Wyatt. It took me all of 3 seconds to realize how LARGE that parking lot was. And it was pitch black outside thanks to Daylight Savings. In those 3 seconds I turned into a crazy screaming lady. I started running through the parking lot looking for the car and screaming "WYATT!!! WYATT!!! WYATT!!!"
Everyone in the parking lot stopped and watched me fly by them. I'm not even sure how I found the car because I certainly couldn't hear the horn (thank the Lord for key fobs) over my screaming. Miraculously, there he was, locked in the car, standing between the driver and passenger seats with his hands in his mouth and tears streaming down his face.
Can you imagine what that poor baby went through? He watched us close the doors and lock them and walk away leaving him there in the car - alone and in the dark. How long must it have felt to him that we were gone? I hauled him out of the car and squatted down in the parking lot hugging him and telling him over "I'm sorry. I love you. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I love you. I'm sorry." And I see all the people who aren't moving anymore because they are watching me. All I could think was that I needed to let Mom know everything was ok, but I couldn't move.
Finally a very nice lady came over to see if we were ok and to tell us that if we were both ok, then everything was ok. Shaking like a leaf, I made it back into the store with Wy. Mom was there with the kids an a man who was ready to launch a code Adam if needed - though he did say some folks had told him they thought everything was ok.
A while later I was in the boys section picking out socks when Wy declared quite loudly "Mommy, I didn't wike it when you weft me all awone in the car just now."
Have you ever seen the Harry Potter movie where Professor Lupin teaches the students how to handle a Boggart? Boggarts are shape shifters and present themselves as whatever the victim fears the most: Harry's Boggart becomes a Demontor (they suck all the joy and happiness out of a person.) As Harry learns how to defeat Boggarts, Professor Lupin plies him with chocolate to help him settle down and restore his energy.
I'm sure you can see where I'm going: my Boggart is something terrible happening to one of my kids. Anyway, when we checked out, I picked up a load of chocolate to hand to the kids - and to myself. I really think the chocolate helped. (I will chalk that up to "Things a mom can learn from Harry Potter.")
We went home and put dinner on the table: of course the kids didn't like whatever it was I had fixed. Wy refused to eat any of it and I finally gave in and gave him something like a pop tart. Jack asked why Wyatt got the pop tart and not anyone else. What did I have to say about that?
"Because I left him in the car! And because Mommies apologize with food. It's what we do!"
I promise
Wyatt is very concerned about accidentally making a naughty hand sign. He keeps checking in to make sure which finger is which and which one is the naughty finger when it is up all by itself. "Mommy, is vis my middle finger? Ven I won't point it up at you. I promise."
Jack now makes nearly all decisions based on the "Eeny, meeny, miney-mo" method of elimination. If the process ends with a selection he is unhappy with, he then has to process how to play the game in order to land on the option he really wants. I generally let him go through this 2 or 3 times before I tell him he can't have anything unless he makes a decision as we don't have all day to work it all out.
Last week Jack brought his friend Dominic to see the show. Before the show we stopped at Union Station and the boys got to talk to the fireman in charge of the mini fire department museum. They tried on little kid fireman coats, hats, boots and gloves. They climbed all over the old fashioned mini fire engine. They took a ride on the kiddie train and ran like crazy kids through the train model train exhibit. We bought little propellers from the gift shop and flew them in the west hall. They ate chicken and fries at the Fritz's and then helped me get the lights, sound and props ready for the show. They had a great time at the show and made sad faces when we dropped Dominic off at home at the end of the evening. I'm super thrilled that he likes school and is making friends. I am very much looking forward to more play dates and budding friendships!
Jack now makes nearly all decisions based on the "Eeny, meeny, miney-mo" method of elimination. If the process ends with a selection he is unhappy with, he then has to process how to play the game in order to land on the option he really wants. I generally let him go through this 2 or 3 times before I tell him he can't have anything unless he makes a decision as we don't have all day to work it all out.
Last week Jack brought his friend Dominic to see the show. Before the show we stopped at Union Station and the boys got to talk to the fireman in charge of the mini fire department museum. They tried on little kid fireman coats, hats, boots and gloves. They climbed all over the old fashioned mini fire engine. They took a ride on the kiddie train and ran like crazy kids through the train model train exhibit. We bought little propellers from the gift shop and flew them in the west hall. They ate chicken and fries at the Fritz's and then helped me get the lights, sound and props ready for the show. They had a great time at the show and made sad faces when we dropped Dominic off at home at the end of the evening. I'm super thrilled that he likes school and is making friends. I am very much looking forward to more play dates and budding friendships!
The 12 Days of Christmas
The boys and I were heading down to Crown Center Friday after school to see Santa, get something to eat and then watch the show with Melanie and her crew. We were on the highway when Jack starts singing The 12 Days of Christmas. Instead of singing things like "a partridge in a pear tree" he inserted the things he wanted for Christmas. I was really impressed with his knowledge of the song and the list of things he wanted. Of course I can't remember any of it because I was too busy trying not to giggle. I was also fairly sure he would repeat it in some fashion for me once I was near a computer. This is as far as we got
Jack: On the first day of Christmas I want...Um, Mommy, I already told vis to Santa, weren't you wistening?
Jack: On the first day of Christmas I want...Um, Mommy, I already told vis to Santa, weren't you wistening?
Christmas Concert
We thought you might like to listen to...
None of the Owenland Park kids are in the band, and yes that is me giggling in the background. After the kids started their second number, a man I love but who shall remain nameless leaned over and said "I thought the first song was a joke."
This is one of Jack's school friends. This is the best picture we got at the concert last night. Everything else is dark or the Owenland Park kids are in the back row covered by antlers or other kids faces...
You can go to the shutterfly link on the sidebar and look up Christmas Concert 2010 if you want to see more pictures from last night's concert.
None of the Owenland Park kids are in the band, and yes that is me giggling in the background. After the kids started their second number, a man I love but who shall remain nameless leaned over and said "I thought the first song was a joke."
This is one of Jack's school friends. This is the best picture we got at the concert last night. Everything else is dark or the Owenland Park kids are in the back row covered by antlers or other kids faces...
You can go to the shutterfly link on the sidebar and look up Christmas Concert 2010 if you want to see more pictures from last night's concert.
Pinky Swear
Wyatt likes to make Pinky Swears now. He will hook his pinky around yours and declare a "Pinky Square". I have tried to tell him that it is a pinky SWEAR and he insists that it is a Pinky SQUARE. I have asked him what he wants to square about all he ever says is "ENGINES". Then he tells me that he wants a "Golden hammer and Golden engines" for Christmas.
HMPH!
Wy has taken to pouting. When he is upset with life he stomps his foot, throws his arms tight around himself and makes a "HMPH!" as loud as he can. If he doesn't get whatever reaction he is hoping for, he raises his elbows, slams them down on his chest and makes a mad "HMPH!" And if he gets sent to his room for being naughty he stomps, flaps and "HMPH!"s his way up each and every step.
One morning this week he was sent to his room where he stomped and "HMPH!"ed for I don't know how long before he yelled "I HATE MOMMY AND DADDY!" I quietly went to his room and told him he had hurt my feelings and that I would never say that to him. Then I went back to getting ready for the day and forgot all about it. A few hours later we were heading home from some errand and out of nowhere Wy said "I'm sorry I hurt your feewings, Mommy." I tried to tell him thank you and how proud I was of him right then but he just barrelled on talking about what we ate for dinner the day we had Noah's birthday party over the summer and how he wants "have vat dinner again, PWEATHE!!!" . I could not have told you what we ate that day if my life had depended on it, but Wy rattled off the whole blessed menu...
Saturday mornings
I love the sound of a Zerbert in the morning.
Saturday morning cartoons with Dad!
My butterflies. (They are making antenae with their fingers.)
Rudolf
Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer - styling by Wyatt
Rudolf ve red nose reindeers. REINDEERS.
Had a very shiny nose. WIKE A WIGHT BULB.
And if you ever saw it. SAW IT.
You would even say it gwows. WIKE A WIGHT BULB.
All of ve over reindeers. REINDEERS.
Used ta waff and call him names. WIKE BUH-NOCCHIO.
Vey never wet poor Rudolf. RUDOLF.
Join in any reindeers games. WIKE BUH-NOPOWY.
Ven one froggy Christmas Eve.
Santa came to say
(He pulls out his best deep Santa voice here.)
RUDOLF WIFF YOUR NOSE SO BRIGHT.
WON'T YOU GUIDE MY SWAY TONIGHT!
Ven how ve reindeers woved him. WOVED HIM.
And vey shouted out wiff gwee! YIPPEE.
Rudolf ve red nose reindeers. REINDEERS.
You go down in MIS-TOR-EE!!!
If one of us starts to sing the eccho at the end of each line and Jack doesn't want to do that version, he yells "NOT WITH THE ICK-UPS!" (I have no idea where that came from.)
Rudolf ve red nose reindeers. REINDEERS.
Had a very shiny nose. WIKE A WIGHT BULB.
And if you ever saw it. SAW IT.
You would even say it gwows. WIKE A WIGHT BULB.
All of ve over reindeers. REINDEERS.
Used ta waff and call him names. WIKE BUH-NOCCHIO.
Vey never wet poor Rudolf. RUDOLF.
Join in any reindeers games. WIKE BUH-NOPOWY.
Ven one froggy Christmas Eve.
Santa came to say
(He pulls out his best deep Santa voice here.)
RUDOLF WIFF YOUR NOSE SO BRIGHT.
WON'T YOU GUIDE MY SWAY TONIGHT!
Ven how ve reindeers woved him. WOVED HIM.
And vey shouted out wiff gwee! YIPPEE.
Rudolf ve red nose reindeers. REINDEERS.
You go down in MIS-TOR-EE!!!
If one of us starts to sing the eccho at the end of each line and Jack doesn't want to do that version, he yells "NOT WITH THE ICK-UPS!" (I have no idea where that came from.)
Nursery Rhymes
"Mary had a wittle wamb,
wittle wamb
wittle wamb
Mary had a wittle wamb
wittle wamb
wittle wamb"
OVER AND OVER AND OVER...
wittle wamb
wittle wamb
Mary had a wittle wamb
wittle wamb
wittle wamb"
OVER AND OVER AND OVER...
Sparkly balls
The boys were very proud...
You can check out our shutterfly account if you want to see more tree trimming fun.
Love and blessigns.
You can check out our shutterfly account if you want to see more tree trimming fun.
Love and blessigns.
Curtains
I went upstairs to wake Wy up from his nap. There he was snuggled up in the curtains over Jack's bed.
5
Jack wrote the number 5 on the wall by his bed.
I made him take it off the wall with a magic eraser.
I made him take it off the wall with a magic eraser.
A less than stellar week...
Well, we had some rough times this week...
After school one afternoon this week Jack asked me to help him write a note. I helped him spell the name of the person he was writing to and then I got distracted. When I returned a few minutes later Jack had gotten as far as "I am sor" he needed help writing sorry. I helped him spell the word and asked what was going on. He let me know that he got into an argument with one of his friends at school over a toy and he told his friend "I'm not your friend anymore!" Before I jumped his case, I helped him finish his letter and we talked a little bit about saying things that hurt people's feelings.
A few days later Jack got into an argument with one of his cousins and he said "When I grow up, I'm going to get a gun and kill you." I was at work when this happened so I asked him to tell me about what happened. He refused to say anything. I finally asked why he wouldn't tell me what happened and he said he didn't want to say because he didn't want to go to his room. Well, he spent the evening in his room and before bedtime we talked again about saying things that are mean and hurtful.
The day after that Wyatt got mad at one of the girls and he flipped her the bird. I mean he used one hand to hold down all the fingers on his other had except ye olde middle finger. We had to have a little talk about how that is a hurtful and naughty thing to show to someone else. I know he doesn't know what it means, but he obviously knew it was a mean thing to do when you are upset with someone else...
And so it goes...
Wish us a better week.
After school one afternoon this week Jack asked me to help him write a note. I helped him spell the name of the person he was writing to and then I got distracted. When I returned a few minutes later Jack had gotten as far as "I am sor" he needed help writing sorry. I helped him spell the word and asked what was going on. He let me know that he got into an argument with one of his friends at school over a toy and he told his friend "I'm not your friend anymore!" Before I jumped his case, I helped him finish his letter and we talked a little bit about saying things that hurt people's feelings.
A few days later Jack got into an argument with one of his cousins and he said "When I grow up, I'm going to get a gun and kill you." I was at work when this happened so I asked him to tell me about what happened. He refused to say anything. I finally asked why he wouldn't tell me what happened and he said he didn't want to say because he didn't want to go to his room. Well, he spent the evening in his room and before bedtime we talked again about saying things that are mean and hurtful.
The day after that Wyatt got mad at one of the girls and he flipped her the bird. I mean he used one hand to hold down all the fingers on his other had except ye olde middle finger. We had to have a little talk about how that is a hurtful and naughty thing to show to someone else. I know he doesn't know what it means, but he obviously knew it was a mean thing to do when you are upset with someone else...
And so it goes...
Wish us a better week.
Justus Drugstore
So John and I celebrated our 10th anniversary on Thanksgiving day. We knew we wanted to do something special for just the two of us and decided on going out for a grown up fancy dinner at a fancy grown up restaurant.
We narrowed our search down to two places; The Skies and Justus Drugstore. The Skies is a revolving roof top restaurant in mid/downtown KC. Yes I did say revolving. The outer walls are all glass so you can watch the KC skyline slowly pass by as you enjoy dinner and drinks. The Justus Drugstore is a tiny little place in Smithville. I know a few folks who have eaten there and one of my friends said "The food was so good I wanted to cry."
I put the final decision in John's hands and left the reservations up to him. John looked at their websites and decided on Justus Drugstore. (You can check them out at http://www.drugstorerestaurant.com/justus.php?id=1)
The GM seated us and asked if we had ever been there before. She explained how everything was made to order, on the spot and using all local ingredients. She then told us we might want to order a few courses as we would be there a while. She wasn't kidding. From placing our orders to drinking our complimentary Thai Basil infused champagne after dinner - we were there for three hours. I have never been anywhere for dinner for more than an hour or so and much of that was talking AFTER dinner. Not so at the Justus Drugstore my friends...
They started us off with a house made potted goose served over crostini with greens and diced onions. It was a small little mouthful of absolute heaven. Then we shared their Farmer's Platter which included "wild persimmon seed spiced rabbit terrine" topped with mustard seed something. Then there was the house made chicken sausage (which was as tender as a cloud), house smoked Berkshire bacon, the most amazing olives I have ever eaten, bone marrow mousse (I wouldn't say the mousse was heaven but it was very good and I couldn't stop talking about it being bone marrow.) In the middle of the plate was a large dollop of warm soft cheese topped with grilled onions and served with toast points which was utterly delightful. Last but not least, there were house made potato chips - OK, OK, they were called gaufrette potato - but they were tres yummy paper thin potato chips.
Then came our Goat Cheese Salads. People, this "wild blackberry jam stuffed, house cured Berkshire bacon wrapped, local goat cheese, crostini, shallot white wine vinaigrette, mixed greens, apple" salad had me sitting at the table able to do nothing more than put another bite in my mouth and tell John that I was going to cry. This concoction was so amazing that I changed my Facebook status to read that I was going to run off with Mr. Bacon Wrapped Goat Cheese.
For Dinner, John ordered the Newman Farm Berkshire Pork 2 ways: grilled pork rib eye, fall spice pork shoulder sausage, house made dry vermouth/foraged Autumn Berry sauce, barley/chestnut risotto, white wine shallot white shard. And I must say that the rib eye with the sauce was so good I was nearly senseless.
I ordered the Autumn Striper Bass which was a "pan seared hybrid bass filet, tomato onion chard/olive compote, mushroom, exotic spices, saffron rice, frisee." I learned that saffron rice is not one of my favorite things, but it complimented my amazing piece of fish so well that I ate every bite (and then some of John's!)
Now, John is not a dessert fan, but he decided he wasn't going to pass up dessert on our special day at such a fancy place. John ordered the Mint Chocolate Decadence. I don't have the menu and I don't see the desserts on their website so I can only say it was a 3 inch tall piece of layered cakes with a ganache? There was a glass of mint infused milk topped with chantilly and a large thin wedge of milk chocolate accompanying the milk. There was also a rose hips infused mint chocolate sauce drizzled on the plate along side the cake. Delightful.
My Blueberry Crumble was insanely amazing. A lemon chantilly topped with a riduculously, insanely delicious house made basil ice cream and nestled between two thin wedges of what tasted like very dense blueberry muffin and served with a lemon something I have no idea how to pronounce let alone spell - but it all sent me to heaven.
Did I mention that the GM brought us complimentary glasses of Thai Basil infused Reisling after dessert? It was A-MA-ZING.
Is there anything left to say? Well, I say, if you have anything to truly celebrate - RUN, do not walk to the Justus Drugstore in Smithville. (And it wouldn't hurt to have a reservation.)
Oh - And Happy, Happy Anniversary John. I love, love, love you.
We narrowed our search down to two places; The Skies and Justus Drugstore. The Skies is a revolving roof top restaurant in mid/downtown KC. Yes I did say revolving. The outer walls are all glass so you can watch the KC skyline slowly pass by as you enjoy dinner and drinks. The Justus Drugstore is a tiny little place in Smithville. I know a few folks who have eaten there and one of my friends said "The food was so good I wanted to cry."
I put the final decision in John's hands and left the reservations up to him. John looked at their websites and decided on Justus Drugstore. (You can check them out at http://www.drugstorerestaurant.com/justus.php?id=1)
The GM seated us and asked if we had ever been there before. She explained how everything was made to order, on the spot and using all local ingredients. She then told us we might want to order a few courses as we would be there a while. She wasn't kidding. From placing our orders to drinking our complimentary Thai Basil infused champagne after dinner - we were there for three hours. I have never been anywhere for dinner for more than an hour or so and much of that was talking AFTER dinner. Not so at the Justus Drugstore my friends...
They started us off with a house made potted goose served over crostini with greens and diced onions. It was a small little mouthful of absolute heaven. Then we shared their Farmer's Platter which included "wild persimmon seed spiced rabbit terrine" topped with mustard seed something. Then there was the house made chicken sausage (which was as tender as a cloud), house smoked Berkshire bacon, the most amazing olives I have ever eaten, bone marrow mousse (I wouldn't say the mousse was heaven but it was very good and I couldn't stop talking about it being bone marrow.) In the middle of the plate was a large dollop of warm soft cheese topped with grilled onions and served with toast points which was utterly delightful. Last but not least, there were house made potato chips - OK, OK, they were called gaufrette potato - but they were tres yummy paper thin potato chips.
Then came our Goat Cheese Salads. People, this "wild blackberry jam stuffed, house cured Berkshire bacon wrapped, local goat cheese, crostini, shallot white wine vinaigrette, mixed greens, apple" salad had me sitting at the table able to do nothing more than put another bite in my mouth and tell John that I was going to cry. This concoction was so amazing that I changed my Facebook status to read that I was going to run off with Mr. Bacon Wrapped Goat Cheese.
For Dinner, John ordered the Newman Farm Berkshire Pork 2 ways: grilled pork rib eye, fall spice pork shoulder sausage, house made dry vermouth/foraged Autumn Berry sauce, barley/chestnut risotto, white wine shallot white shard. And I must say that the rib eye with the sauce was so good I was nearly senseless.
I ordered the Autumn Striper Bass which was a "pan seared hybrid bass filet, tomato onion chard/olive compote, mushroom, exotic spices, saffron rice, frisee." I learned that saffron rice is not one of my favorite things, but it complimented my amazing piece of fish so well that I ate every bite (and then some of John's!)
Now, John is not a dessert fan, but he decided he wasn't going to pass up dessert on our special day at such a fancy place. John ordered the Mint Chocolate Decadence. I don't have the menu and I don't see the desserts on their website so I can only say it was a 3 inch tall piece of layered cakes with a ganache? There was a glass of mint infused milk topped with chantilly and a large thin wedge of milk chocolate accompanying the milk. There was also a rose hips infused mint chocolate sauce drizzled on the plate along side the cake. Delightful.
My Blueberry Crumble was insanely amazing. A lemon chantilly topped with a riduculously, insanely delicious house made basil ice cream and nestled between two thin wedges of what tasted like very dense blueberry muffin and served with a lemon something I have no idea how to pronounce let alone spell - but it all sent me to heaven.
Did I mention that the GM brought us complimentary glasses of Thai Basil infused Reisling after dessert? It was A-MA-ZING.
Is there anything left to say? Well, I say, if you have anything to truly celebrate - RUN, do not walk to the Justus Drugstore in Smithville. (And it wouldn't hurt to have a reservation.)
Oh - And Happy, Happy Anniversary John. I love, love, love you.
Kinder Thanksgiving Feast
John and I managed to slip away from work Tuesday afternoon to attend Jack's Kinder Thanksgiving Feast and 'play'. The kids were pretty adorable dressed in their Pilgrim and Native American costumes. Jack and I thought we would include one of the little skits for you:
T is for Thanksgiving!
Here is a Turkey with his tail spread wide!
T is for Thanksgiving!
Here is a Turkey with his tail spread wide!
He sees the Framer coming
And he tries to hide.
He runs around the barnyard; wobble, wobble, wobble.
Talking Turkey talk; gobble, gobble, gobble!
You can see a bit more of Jack's Kinderfeast presentation by following the link to our shutterfly page and selecting Kinderfeast 2010! http://owenlandparkproductions.shutterfly.com/
Love, Blessings and Happy Thanksgiving!
You are GOING to like it!
Wyatt - again playing with his trains - said "OK - withen up! You have a new coupwing and you are GOING to wike it!" (This is a little metal hair barrette he snagged from a stash of my mom's craft supplies.)
Penguins
Bath time is always fun until it is time to wash the hair. We have finally gotten to the point where Jack is not afraid of having his hair washed, but Wyatt is still a battle. Wy is another story. He is worried about getting water in his face, but he is freaked out about getting water in his ears. We have a wonderful little thing called a shampoo rinse cup. (See the link for a picture) http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=442788
This thing really helps to keep the water out of their eyes - IF - and I mean if the kids cooperate. It doesn't help keep the water out of Wy's ears and today I had a revolutionary idea: I asked Jack to cover Wy's ears with his hands. Between the two of us we managed to wash Wy's hair with not one freak out moment. It was fantastic! Thanks, Jack!!! And thanks to Wy for trusting us with his eyes and ears!
The boys used to hate getting out of the bath until they discovered they could pretend to be penguins. We wrap them up in their towels and they squat down and waddle all the way down the hall to their bedroom - giggling the whole way...
It wasn't easy to get this picture - they waddle pretty fast and once they knew I was taking pictures, they rolled around on the floor and I had to delete all sorts of inappropriate photos...
This thing really helps to keep the water out of their eyes - IF - and I mean if the kids cooperate. It doesn't help keep the water out of Wy's ears and today I had a revolutionary idea: I asked Jack to cover Wy's ears with his hands. Between the two of us we managed to wash Wy's hair with not one freak out moment. It was fantastic! Thanks, Jack!!! And thanks to Wy for trusting us with his eyes and ears!
The boys used to hate getting out of the bath until they discovered they could pretend to be penguins. We wrap them up in their towels and they squat down and waddle all the way down the hall to their bedroom - giggling the whole way...
It wasn't easy to get this picture - they waddle pretty fast and once they knew I was taking pictures, they rolled around on the floor and I had to delete all sorts of inappropriate photos...
Starting over
Mom overheard Wy playing with his trains.
"OK! Wet's thart over wif a wittle game I wike to call "Thart over!"
"OK! Wet's thart over wif a wittle game I wike to call "Thart over!"
My little Thtinkbomb
As he sings:
Row, row, row your boat!
Gentwy down ve thtream!
Frow your teacher overboard
and ven you'll hear a thcream!
Patient Prince
Jack's teacher and the school Principal gave him this award earlier in the week! Good job, Jack!
Breakfast
An hour after we had breakfast last Sunday Jack asked if he could have breakfast. I told him he just HAD breakfast.
"Can I have second breakfast?" he asked.
"Yah-yuh!" chimed in Wyatt.
I live with hobbits.
"Can I have second breakfast?" he asked.
"Yah-yuh!" chimed in Wyatt.
I live with hobbits.
Caramel Marshmallow Delights
This is a marshmallow dipped in a concoctin of sweetened condensed milk, butter and caramel. Then they are rolled in rice crispy cereal and set to chill on a foil lined sheet in the refrigerator.
Mom and Jess helped me make the delicious treats last night. We will be making up a batch to contribute to the school's holiday bake sale this weekend. I think they are going to go quick!
Outback accessories
I brought Jess and Jack to the theatre on Sunday. Here they are enjoying a little art session while I was busy getting everything ready for the 2:00 show. Jack wasn't too interested in wearing the hat until I told him he looked just like Alexander (of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day) when he sings about going to Australia. Then he was all about wearing the hat.
Daddy's bafroom
Wy was having a terrible time falling asleep earlier this week. I went in his room and the two of us slipped in to Jack's bed. I laid there petting Wy's hair when I noticed an odd stubbly patch. I looked down and it was nearly bald. I asked him what happened to his hair and he told me "Devwyn cut it in Daddy's bafroom and I put a (completely unintelligible word) in Daddy's cabinet." This was followed with hysterical laughter.
I finally managed to figure out he put a domino in Daddy's bathroom cabinet as a sort of 3 year old practical joke on John. I also learned that the domino was what was important, the little incident with "Devwyn" and the scissors in the "bafroom" wasn't even a blip on his radar.
I finally managed to figure out he put a domino in Daddy's bathroom cabinet as a sort of 3 year old practical joke on John. I also learned that the domino was what was important, the little incident with "Devwyn" and the scissors in the "bafroom" wasn't even a blip on his radar.
My new bracelet
I was cleaning up after dinner the other night and heard Jack say to John "Can you help me make a bracelet for my mommy?" I peeked around the corner and saw Jack standing there with a box of embroidery thread and a box of beads. John said he would be happy to help so Jack sat down beside him and got to work.
Now, I never thought I would be the kinda mom who got teary eyed over macaroni artwork or plastic beaded jewelry, but this bracelet is truly beautiful. Jack made it with a plan in mind - he followed an AB pattern (they are learning all about patterns in kindergarten) with our favorite colors - Thomas blue for Jack and red for me.
Now, I never thought I would be the kinda mom who got teary eyed over macaroni artwork or plastic beaded jewelry, but this bracelet is truly beautiful. Jack made it with a plan in mind - he followed an AB pattern (they are learning all about patterns in kindergarten) with our favorite colors - Thomas blue for Jack and red for me.
Halloween - a bit late...
I managed to upload our Halloween photos to shutterfly. You can follow the link http://owenlandparkproductions.shutterfly.com/ and click on the Halloween 2010 album to see the boys.
We went to the Community Center and the boys had a great time. If you look through the album you will see they had fun balloons - some of them were hung as apples in the trees and someone tied up a bunch of orange balloons with orange ribbon and made them look like pumpkins! It was very cute. We weren't in the mood to be greedy Trick-or-Treaters so after the Community Center, John took us out for Chinese - where Jack asked our very Asian waiter "Do you speak French?"
We went to the Community Center and the boys had a great time. If you look through the album you will see they had fun balloons - some of them were hung as apples in the trees and someone tied up a bunch of orange balloons with orange ribbon and made them look like pumpkins! It was very cute. We weren't in the mood to be greedy Trick-or-Treaters so after the Community Center, John took us out for Chinese - where Jack asked our very Asian waiter "Do you speak French?"
Corn feeder
Connie spent the night at the KC zoo with her Girl Scout troop this weekend. One of their projects was a hanging corn feeder. Grandpa helped her put it up in the back yard after she came home.
Brothers
Melanie sent me this text over the weekend:
So noah was just arguing with me that he has brothers: They are Jack & Wyatt cause they let him borrow stuff
So noah was just arguing with me that he has brothers: They are Jack & Wyatt cause they let him borrow stuff
Make a Difference
Each year JP2 decides on a school theme. This year's theme is Make a Difference. The teachers, staff and parents are teaching the children how they can make a difference (big or small) in themselves, the people around them and the world. The story the Principal shared with us at the beginning of the school year, and that we keep coming back to is the Story of the Starfish.
The Starfish Story
adapted from The Star Thrower
by Loren Eiseley 1907 - 1977
Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work. One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up. As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean. He came closer still and called out
"Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"
The young man paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean."
"I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled wise man.
To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."
Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"
At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, "I made a difference to that one!"
When the teachers or staff see the kids doing something that makes a difference, they put that child's name on a paper starfish and post it in the main hallway. Slowly but surely the hallway is filling up with starfish. Activities are planned with the theme in mind as are school masses. One of the songs the kids sing frequently is "Go Make a Difference". They have heard it enough that they sing it at home and we sometimes get to hear it at mass on Sunday. Little Wy has heard it enough now that he sings it while playing with his trains;
"Go make a difference.
You can make a difference.
Go make a difference in the world!
Go make a difference.
We can make a difference.
Go make a difference in the world!"
The Starfish Story
adapted from The Star Thrower
by Loren Eiseley 1907 - 1977
Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work. One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up. As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean. He came closer still and called out
"Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"
The young man paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean."
"I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled wise man.
To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."
Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"
At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, "I made a difference to that one!"
When the teachers or staff see the kids doing something that makes a difference, they put that child's name on a paper starfish and post it in the main hallway. Slowly but surely the hallway is filling up with starfish. Activities are planned with the theme in mind as are school masses. One of the songs the kids sing frequently is "Go Make a Difference". They have heard it enough that they sing it at home and we sometimes get to hear it at mass on Sunday. Little Wy has heard it enough now that he sings it while playing with his trains;
"Go make a difference.
You can make a difference.
Go make a difference in the world!
Go make a difference.
We can make a difference.
Go make a difference in the world!"
The Middle Name
The boys begrudgingly let me sleep in late today. This was extra-luxurious due to daylight savings. (Poor John had to be up and out the door by 7 yesterday and today as they are building, building, building A Christmas Carol: of course the design team couldn't be held to their deadlines so the shop is very behind, again.) Anyway, I got up to make the boys banana and honey french toast sandwiches. We were out of bananas so I had to make a change in the game plan. This was not good because the boys were already all over me about how hungry they were. My eye landed on some apples so I decided to make up an apple pie filling to put on top of the french toast. Delicious, but I thought the boys were going to drive me NUTS while I cored, peeled, cut and cooked up the apples. While I was washing the dishes after breakfast Mom & Jack were at the computer and had the following exchange:
Grandma: Here, Jack. You can get on the Thomas site.
Jack: No, Gammy, ve middle name is WEB. You know, Thomas WEB Site. (He spoke to her as if she were very slow and used his hand to punctuate each syllable.)
We took the boys to see Alexander and The Terrible, Horrible No Good, Very Bad Day this weekend. Jack told me his favorite part was when the dad fixed Alexander's Mickey Mouse Night Light. (Alexander has as I'm sure you can guess a really rough day which ends with his beloved night light burning out.)Jack then went on to list his other favorite moments in the play. He paused, I could see him thinking, then he said "And vose were my 1o favorite parts." Then he nodded once and left the room.
Earlier in the week the boys were playing in their room and Mom overheard Wy tell Jack "Well, you doesn't has to be rude to me, you know." (He didn't like that phrase off a tree. I can often be heard saying to any one of these 6 kids "You DON'T have to be rude.")
Grandma: Here, Jack. You can get on the Thomas site.
Jack: No, Gammy, ve middle name is WEB. You know, Thomas WEB Site. (He spoke to her as if she were very slow and used his hand to punctuate each syllable.)
We took the boys to see Alexander and The Terrible, Horrible No Good, Very Bad Day this weekend. Jack told me his favorite part was when the dad fixed Alexander's Mickey Mouse Night Light. (Alexander has as I'm sure you can guess a really rough day which ends with his beloved night light burning out.)Jack then went on to list his other favorite moments in the play. He paused, I could see him thinking, then he said "And vose were my 1o favorite parts." Then he nodded once and left the room.
Earlier in the week the boys were playing in their room and Mom overheard Wy tell Jack "Well, you doesn't has to be rude to me, you know." (He didn't like that phrase off a tree. I can often be heard saying to any one of these 6 kids "You DON'T have to be rude.")
DJ Jazzy Wy Guy & the Witch Doctor
The following are the musical stylings of Wyatt, which I am treated to on a daily basis
One, two, buckle my shoe.
Three, four, shut the door.
Five, six, pick up sticks
Seven, eight, lay them straight
Nine, ten, a big fat FISH! (Hysterical giggling)
Trick or treat!
Smell my feet!
Give me thumb-thing good to eat!
If you don't,
I don't care.
I'll pull down your unnerwear. (Hysterical giggling)
(To the tune of London Bridge is Falling Down)
Salt and pepper, salt and pepper
Salt and pepper
Salt and pepper
Salt and pepper, salt and pepper
SALT AND PEPPER - c'mon, Mommy!
Salt and pepper, salt and pepper
Salt and pepper
Salt and pepper
Salt and pepper, salt and pepper
SALT AND PEPPER
Mom has down loaded a lot of songs as ringtones on her cell phone. One of them is The Witch Doctor. Wyatt is constantly demanding that he get to listen to the "boy who goes to ve doctor." He laughs and laughs when she plays the song and he tries to sing along but the chorus is so fast and tongue-twistery that its like listening to a crazed 3 year old budding rap artist.
One, two, buckle my shoe.
Three, four, shut the door.
Five, six, pick up sticks
Seven, eight, lay them straight
Nine, ten, a big fat FISH! (Hysterical giggling)
Trick or treat!
Smell my feet!
Give me thumb-thing good to eat!
If you don't,
I don't care.
I'll pull down your unnerwear. (Hysterical giggling)
(To the tune of London Bridge is Falling Down)
Salt and pepper, salt and pepper
Salt and pepper
Salt and pepper
Salt and pepper, salt and pepper
SALT AND PEPPER - c'mon, Mommy!
Salt and pepper, salt and pepper
Salt and pepper
Salt and pepper
Salt and pepper, salt and pepper
SALT AND PEPPER
Mom has down loaded a lot of songs as ringtones on her cell phone. One of them is The Witch Doctor. Wyatt is constantly demanding that he get to listen to the "boy who goes to ve doctor." He laughs and laughs when she plays the song and he tries to sing along but the chorus is so fast and tongue-twistery that its like listening to a crazed 3 year old budding rap artist.
Anyone want to be a Room Mother?
I signed up to be Jack's room mother this year. I was reluctant to do this because I was unsure about the amount of time I would need to commit to this but mostly because my schedule changes depending on whether I'm in rehearsal or performances. The lady in charge of room mothers assured me that being the Kinder room mother would be easy and I only had to plan for Valentine's Day and Christmas parties. I agreed to be the point person among the room parents. A few weeks ago I got an e-mail saying our first event was Oct 29 for Halloween and it was not to be a party because we don't want to overshadow that night's Trunk or Treat (all the parents decorate their cars, go to school and the kids can trick or treat from car to car in a safe environment.)
People, organizing this non-party has been ridiculous. As kinder parents, it is our first classroom event and we all want to do something special for the kids. This translates to the non-party becoming a party and that is a no-no. Late in our discussions, one of the parents reminded us that we have been asked to keep this from being a party. She was right. We had gotten a bit too big (not a lot too big, but a titch too big)in our planning but I wanted to pull my hair that this person a. hadn't said a word about anything previously and b. waited so long to say anything at all.
I took a breath and thanked her for reminding us about getting out of hand. After thinking it all over I said that I thought we could keep everything we were planning on as long as we kept scale in mind and made our snack, goody bag and craft simple, simple, simple. It just got more complicated from there. Someone suggested not doing the craft, someone else suggested not doing the goody bag, someone else suggested a different snack that would be less like a teat... Most parents had already purchased items and no one wanted to give up what they were contributing to the non-party. I felt like a failure and I finally had to say that I had no idea what to do because I wanted to include everyone. I wanted to abide by the teacher's wishes and I had invested too much emotional energy in a snack for my 5 year old. AND I had to say without being snotty. What I really wanted to say was "JUST DO IT AND KEEP IT SMALL! If you wanted to be the room mother then you should have signed up!!!"
People, organizing this non-party has been ridiculous. As kinder parents, it is our first classroom event and we all want to do something special for the kids. This translates to the non-party becoming a party and that is a no-no. Late in our discussions, one of the parents reminded us that we have been asked to keep this from being a party. She was right. We had gotten a bit too big (not a lot too big, but a titch too big)in our planning but I wanted to pull my hair that this person a. hadn't said a word about anything previously and b. waited so long to say anything at all.
I took a breath and thanked her for reminding us about getting out of hand. After thinking it all over I said that I thought we could keep everything we were planning on as long as we kept scale in mind and made our snack, goody bag and craft simple, simple, simple. It just got more complicated from there. Someone suggested not doing the craft, someone else suggested not doing the goody bag, someone else suggested a different snack that would be less like a teat... Most parents had already purchased items and no one wanted to give up what they were contributing to the non-party. I felt like a failure and I finally had to say that I had no idea what to do because I wanted to include everyone. I wanted to abide by the teacher's wishes and I had invested too much emotional energy in a snack for my 5 year old. AND I had to say without being snotty. What I really wanted to say was "JUST DO IT AND KEEP IT SMALL! If you wanted to be the room mother then you should have signed up!!!"
Soccer is over
Jack's last game was last weekend. He didn't score, but John says he played a good game. He got one of those medals that coaches give out to all the kids, but that didn't matter to Jack - he got a medal and he is VERY proud of it. You can take a look at his last game by visiting our shutterfly account http://owenlandparkproductions.shutterfly.com/. I can only put names to 2 of the faces on his team. Jack tells us that Emmitt and Noah are his friends so I made sure I can point them out.
Boys, it's time to go to the Dentist...
Our life is very crazy with getting everyone where they need to go when they need to be there - especially when we are all going in different directions and considering that Devon needs to be able to pick up kids and she doesn't have a car. This makes for frequent strategic planning to determine how we shift around who drives what car when because only one car is big enough to contain all the kids at once. This was the case recently when the boys had to get to the dentist in the morning. John and I split the kids between us, he took the girls to school then back tracked and took Jack to the dentist. I took Wy with me and we took mom to work then backtracked to meet J & J at the dentist. I actually thought this might be a nice few minutes to actually sit in the same room with my husband. Nay, nay, Renee. Jack was early for his appointment and the 8:00 kid was late. By the time Wy & I arrived, J & J were heading out the door. Boo. Jack was pleased though because he got to pick out 2 prizes after his visit with the dentist and he picked a paper/foam airplane thing. (His appointment went well.) Then it was Wy's turn. I couldn't believe how well he behaved with multiple strangers poking around in his mouth with things that buzzed and whirred - especially considering the 5 year old who was screaming and flailing every time the assistant started to tilt the chair back. Here is Wy brushing the kangaroo's teeth as we waited for the Dentist. (I know, I know - they are pics from my cell phone. I can't make them any larger.)
Jack's first field trip
To the Kansas City Pumpkin Patch! I went along as a driver/helper for the day.
You can check us out at http://owenlandparkproductions.shutterfly.com/. There are 20 kids (7 boys and 13 girls: believe it or not, 3 of the girls are named Olivia) in Jack's class. This was my first opportunity to really meet his classmates. I was in charge of 4 kids but all the kids were everywhere and I was trying to start learning names. I asked one little girl her name and she put a hand on her hip and said to me "Um, you already asked me that." She might as well have said "Well you aren't the brightest bulb in the box." All I can say is she didn't even bother to learn my name and I was chasing down 20 names...Not fair! Not fair!!!
And who knew that 5 year olds are OBSESSED with vampires? I did not know this. The drive to this place was about 35 minutes and the 4 kids in my car talked about vampires non stop. They told vampire stories, they talked with Transylvanian accents, they told us about their vampire dreams. One young man kept telling us about the dream he had about the vampire in his underwear...
Anyway, it was a great day and I have managed to keep a few names (with their proper faces) in my head. And though I don't think any of the kids remembered my name, the remember me and wave and say hi when they see me in the hall way.
Today is black and orange day at school. The kids get to wear jeans if they wear something black or orange. The girls picked do rags and look like preppy thugs. Jack already had an orange shirt and pull over fleece jacket. He didn't want to wear either of them - I assume it is because we didn't run out and buy them band new last night...
Wish us luck, we have our first Parent/Teacher conference next week. I'm already putting too much emotional energy into stressing out for that.
You can check us out at http://owenlandparkproductions.shutterfly.com/. There are 20 kids (7 boys and 13 girls: believe it or not, 3 of the girls are named Olivia) in Jack's class. This was my first opportunity to really meet his classmates. I was in charge of 4 kids but all the kids were everywhere and I was trying to start learning names. I asked one little girl her name and she put a hand on her hip and said to me "Um, you already asked me that." She might as well have said "Well you aren't the brightest bulb in the box." All I can say is she didn't even bother to learn my name and I was chasing down 20 names...Not fair! Not fair!!!
And who knew that 5 year olds are OBSESSED with vampires? I did not know this. The drive to this place was about 35 minutes and the 4 kids in my car talked about vampires non stop. They told vampire stories, they talked with Transylvanian accents, they told us about their vampire dreams. One young man kept telling us about the dream he had about the vampire in his underwear...
Anyway, it was a great day and I have managed to keep a few names (with their proper faces) in my head. And though I don't think any of the kids remembered my name, the remember me and wave and say hi when they see me in the hall way.
Today is black and orange day at school. The kids get to wear jeans if they wear something black or orange. The girls picked do rags and look like preppy thugs. Jack already had an orange shirt and pull over fleece jacket. He didn't want to wear either of them - I assume it is because we didn't run out and buy them band new last night...
Wish us luck, we have our first Parent/Teacher conference next week. I'm already putting too much emotional energy into stressing out for that.
Me and my Wy-Guy
It seems that whenever I ask Wy to smile for the camera, he grimaces like he is in pain...
Happy Birthday, Abby!
Abby's 10th birthday was Sunday. She asked for spaghetti and meatballs for dinner. Mom made up a delicious batch of meatballs. John made up some super yummy garlic bread and somehow it felt like my birthday. (I didn't have to do anything!)
I have a theory: I think there should be more cake and ice cream in the world. (The girls didn't have much time for grumbling at each other once the cake was on the table.) Now my problem with this theory is that if there WERE more cake in the world then I would be eating it...
Abby scored a purse, press on nails, perfume, glittery jeans and a lovely flowery purple top with sequins. She also scored a mini Simon Says game which I'm sure is going to drive us all INSANE in the next few days with all that beeping and buzzing...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ABBY!!!!
