A Very Merry Digital Christmas!

What a year it's been! MP3 turned 1, the Kidlet 8! MP3 started the year crawling and is going to end it at a sprint (which will probably end with his head bouncing off a piece of furniture, but that's okay).

The Kidlet started 3rd grade this year! Where has the time gone? It seems like only yesterday she was starting Kindergarten. And MP3! It's amazing how fast he's gone from infant to toddler. His vocabulary expands daily...although it does seem to be mostly Spongebob related lately (his newest words include "patty" and he like to sing along with the "Best Day Ever" episode). I'm not sure how many toddlers have a Spongebob addiction. Ours may be the only one, I suppose.

I can't think of a single complaint this year (except money, and who among us isn't complaining about the lack of that?). Speaking of which....

Since my bank seems to not like it when my account balance begins with a "-" I thought that this year our Christmas card shall be digital. And free. The important part is that it is free. Being digital is just a side effect of the whole "being free" thing. I'd love to send all of you a nice card to hold in your hand and put on your shelf, but this is going to be it I'm afraid. Sorry.

However, if I sent an actaul card you would get just a few images, or maybe only one...this way you get a short "Year in Review" from us with a couple dozen pics! Bonus! And music! Are you lucky or what? So.....
Enjoy!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Standing in Sand

So this morning, while the Kidlet was in the middle of putting on her shoes, I saw something in the shoe she was holding.
"What's that in your shoe?" I asked.
"Sand."
"Dump it out, please." I opened the sliding door for her.
"But it gets in there while I'm playing on the playground!" she said while sadly dumping the contents of her shoe out the door.
"That doesn't mean you have to keep it!"
"I suppose this means I have to take the other shoe off and dump that too..."
"YES!"
While dumping sand from her other shoe I hear her mutter, "I like having sand in my shoe...."
It was all I could do to keep from falling over laughing. There must have been over a tablespoon of sand in each shoe! It couldn't have been comfortable...
I love that kid!

New Neighbors?

As some of you know there is a smallish pond across the street from my house. During the summer we really can't see it from the window (too many trees in the way), but once the leaves have fallen, there it is again!

So I'm driving home the other day, going past the pond (which is at the bottom of a near verticle 30 ft. embankment) when I noticed this strange mound out in the water. My first thought was that it couldn't possibly be a beaver, but maybe there was a great blue heron nesting out there. So to Google I turn, and to my surprise I learn that herons nest in trees. I do some more looking for birds that nest in the water but I didn't find to much information.

I drove by again and saw that there were a couple smaller mounds out there as well. Weird. Who ever heard of a bird that makes different sized nests? Could it be a beaver?.... Naw.

Today I climbed down the ditch to the pond (getting down is easy, getting back up can be tricky) to see what I could see.

Okay. So now I'm thinking that it is, indeed, a beaver lodge. Why a beaver has chosen to live in the pond across the street, surrounded by a neighborhood and next to a 55 mile an hour road, I will never understand. Of course this means that we can now add a beaver to our list of neighbors: a skunk that routinely digs up my yard, 2 or 3 raccoons that live in the vacinity (and sometimes our front yard), a opossum that occassionly likes our garage, and the muskrat that I've seen in the pond. Are we lucky or what?

In the next picture, if you look closely on the right hand side you can see one of the smaller mounds. My mother has informed me that beavers store food in smaller mounds.*

And while I was contemplating how to get back up to the road I spotted this....

The Kidlet carved her pumpkin all by herself this year. Why won't she stop growing up?


And she was a ninja!
MP3 had a super warm devil hat that my Mom made to keep his ears warm. I just happened to have red mittens for him, too. He was so happy to put them on: he laughed and laughed and clapped and clapped! We got a little cold, but had fun! At least it wasn't snowing and/or hailing like it has the last 2 years! The kidlet didn't have to cover up her costume with a winter jacket!! Hooray! Just a sweatsuit underneath and she survived the trip around the subdivision. Isn't Michigan wonderful?

* I honestly don't think that I'll ever outgrow the belief that my mother knows everything!

No Paternity Test Needed!

The husband likes to joke around that there's no proof that MP3 is his. Thanks to his mom that proof now exists....









And yes, these are pictures of Daddy as a little boy, not doctored images of MP3. I can see why you might be confused...

A Day at the Farm

Last weekend we went to Shetler Farm for their annual Open Barn. What a perfect day! It was sunny, low 70's with a cool breeze...who could ask for better?

The Kidlet was able to pet a cow


MP3 saw his first turkey and yelled, "Cluck!" Not bad, kid. Not bad at all.


But then he tried to touch the turkey. Luckily Daddy got his fingers out of there before they became turkey feed.


They had a nice hay maze (minus the boys running around on top of the hay. Where were their parents?).


MP3 loved chasing his sister through the maze!


He loved finding her even more!


The Kidlet and MP3 having fun together! Isn't it sweet?

For a small fee they had a pony ride. Even though the Kidlet has never been on a horse/pony/etc. she insisted on getting on and off by herself. She did a great job and (I believe) had a wonderful time!

Riding a pony


Waving at his sister while she rides a pony.


Don't worry, Buddy! You'll be able to get on a pony someday, too!


MOOoooOOOOooo!


There were name cards at each milking station. This cow is appearantly named "Carla." Interesting...


A quick rest stop before hiking back to the car!

Birthday! or no more booster seats

As I'm sure most of you know, the Kidlet turned 8 the other day (where does the time go?). This is a big milestone for her since now she now longer has to use a booster seat under Michigan's seat belt laws. Oh happy day!

So far we've only had a family party for her. She had a great time with her cousins, ate some cake (well...she ate the frosting, anyway), and received some neat presents.

Riding her bike, waiting for the party-goers.

While her cousins skated.....

she hung on her swingset...

and MP3 mowed the yard.

Darin gave his cousin a piggyback ride.

Darin got his hair cut and Alex needs to.

The Kidlet and Jeana watched some skateboarding.

So did MP3

MP3 found his toes....again...

Paigey had fun pushing MP3 on his swing.

More swinging fun!

Got snacks?

And then it was time for PRESENTS!

A new Webkinz...

Darin and Alex's present came with a card made by their Dad (and if you would like to support him and other local native artists, his store can be found here).

MP3 found a comfy place to sit.

And then it was time for cake. This year I wimped out and made a bee cake (much easier than all those others I've decorated). The dark frosting is called Dark Chocolate Fudge and I highly recommend it.

Make a wish!

Perhaps her favorite present is the tennis teatherball set from Nana and Papa. She has become so good at it...it's frightening!

Well, it was a great day. The weather was perfect, the cake was easy to make and very yummy, she received some new board games, and she had a great time playing with all her cousins. I think that even MP3 had a good time! I only hope that her birthdays keep turning out so well.

Gender Differences

It is strange, the things that MP3 does that the Kidlet never did as a toddler. The first time he got his hands on a ball he threw it, for instance. Or a few weeks ago after a particularly nasty belch he grinned and tried to give me kisses. Or when we're watching America's Fuinniest Videos and he laughs his head off every time someone falls down. Or when he does this while watching TV:

Oh yeah, you can wrap him up in pink ribbons but there's no mistaking that fact that he's a boy....

Since that's a strange image to leave you with, I give you bath time!!