Monday, December 31, 2007

Scooters and Skates

NTS got a wee leetle scooter for Yule. He rode it around the house, very gingerly, and the first couple of times we took him over to the park he insisted on standing on it and being pushed. He watched me and his older brother ride it a bit, and yesterday something - just- clicked and all of a sudden he was really pushing himself around on it. The video below is from today. We found the razor scooter for NOS at Goodwill yesterday, and you can see how icy it was today when NOS slips in it for a second:



Another video of the kids at the park today. NOD is wearing the roller skates we found at St. Vinnie's yesterday (Goodwill and St. Vincent's are right next-door to each other, and we were looking for, and found, a snowsuit for NOD).



Notice the trick dismount from NOS. Also, the ever-present gum. Ah, eleven...

Also, at the end of that video you can see NTS mired in the grass and trying to turn his scooter around. About an hour after I took this video, he figured out how to turn the scooter so he can actually go around corners, now.

It never got above 30 degrees F, today, and GRAY!

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

White Christmas

We did get a white Christmas. We had to hike up to the top of Spencer Butte to get it, but we got to the top and it started to snow, and it snowed on us all the way back down to the parking lot.

I really wish we had remembered to bring the camera, because it would have been great to post a heart-stopping video of NTS vaulting down the rocky trail in his free-fall "Hi! Catch me!" style. He had a blast. Had his older brother worried, of all people.

NOS: "Now DON'T JUMP!"
NTS: "Hee hee!" [Jumps off rock in general direction of older brother]

Everybody made it back down in one piece, and once we got the mud cleaned off we found that we did indeed leave with the ones we came with.

Tidings of comfort and joy

The swag today included a big box of dress-up clothes from Godparents.



NTS got a packet of M&M's, mostly because there was a cute train on the top. Oops, he spilled them. Got them all cleaned up, though.
We're working on having his extra feline head removed surgically, sometime after the holidays are over.

The Season of the Reason

"I'm so worried about being mental that I'm mental!"

"Uh-huh..."

"Isn't that mental?"

"Ummmm....."

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Shameless Defective Yeti referral

The Scene You Hate.

Read through all the comments. It'll take a while, but they remind me of why I don't watch that many movies.

Please note: if you are easily offended, I invite you to never, ever, click on anything linkable I post on my blog.

Monday, December 17, 2007

Why do people bother buying toys for kids, part 14

When just a table and a window will suffice?
[Disclaimer: He got up there with *no* help at all]

We think we have a future Parkour hobbyist on our hands. His other favorite thing to to is to stand on the arms of the computer chair, one foot on each arm, behind whomever is at the computer.

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Boil that cabbage down

Home again for one final (I hope) day of recovery from this flu. I worked yesterday but it was a really bad idea.

Some vintage Smothers Brothers, my favorite:

Sunday, December 09, 2007

Influenza, part 2

Just switch the genders for our household:

Influenza

After having two bereavement days off for the funeral and related travel, I worked two whole days before becoming too sick to go in on Friday. So I spent Friday curled up in The Big Chair, draped in various children, but Friday night was when the fever came on. So there I was all Friday night, with the two sleeping children, alternating between puking and writhing around in some sort of delirium which had something to do with congruent triangles. Saturday morning I found that my eyes were burning up and I could feel both entire eyeballs inside my head since they were so hot. I slept all day, and the fever finally broke in the evening and I was able to eat a bowl of oatmeal. Another night with slightly less writhing but just as much head-pounding, getting up every few hours to down some Tylenol, until early this morning when I decided I was recovered enough to take a couple of Excedrin Migraine to take care of the pounding head. So now, no fever, no headache, but I'm AWAKE and actually starting to feel hungry. This means I'm going to live.

Speaking of which, I have a picture to share from the past weekend's trip to SLC for the funeral. It was the first time since 2000 that all my husband's siblings were together:
What's funny is that the last time they were all together, Teresa was pregnant then, too. That baby will be born later this week, so stay tuned. My kids also got to play with seven of their 13 (soon to be 14!) cousins.

I just love that picture. I wish we could be together more often.

Friday, December 07, 2007

Tagged by Elisa

I hate these things.

5 Things I was doing 10 years ago:
  1. Attending UCSC.
  2. Living in Santa Cruz.
  3. Going Lindy Hop dancing as much as possible (Lindy in the Park was only 1 year old!)
  4. Ending a misguided long-distance relationship with a depressed bipolar individual.
  5. Math. Lots of math.
5 Things on my to-do list today:
  1. Sit and be sick.
  2. Watch movies.
  3. Grade Geometry tests.
  4. Sit and be sick.
  5. Eat popcorn.
5 Snacks I enjoy:
  1. Popcorn with butter and parmesan cheese.
  2. Tortilla chips and cheese
  3. Quesadillas
  4. Cheese.
  5. Cheese.
5 Songs I know the lyrics to:
  1. Violent Femmes's first album (that's a generational thing)
  2. Poisoning Pigeons in the Park
  3. Hot Rocks Polka (Al Yankovic)
  4. Sunday in the Park with George
  5. In My Merry Oldsmobile
5 Things I would do if I was a millionaire:
  1. Remodel the house (this from my House Bean).
  2. Buy a better bicycle.
  3. Buy the house next door and remodel it.
  4. Plant a bunch of fruit trees.
  5. Get our backyard landscaped, patio in the back.
5 Bad Habits:
  1. I don't call people.
  2. I don't like to answer the phone.
  3. I'm not good at finishing things.
  4. Getting angry.
  5. Not mentionable here.
5 Things I'd never wear again:
  1. Big plastic glasses.
  2. Spike heels.
  3. Miniskirts.
  4. Anything tight.
  5. Underwire bra.
5 Things I like to do:
  1. Sleep.
  2. Sit Zazen.
  3. Eat.
  4. Drink tea.
  5. Pee.
(All of the above from my daughter)


5 Favorite Toys:

  1. My computer.
  2. My sewing machine.
  3. The stuffed rocking tiger.
  4. Digging fork.
  5. Sparkly lights for my bike.

5 People I tag:

  1. Barack Obama
  2. Hillary Clinton
  3. Mike Huckabee
  4. Bruce Willis
  5. Sandra Bernhardt

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

Alfred C. Nielsen

I have many thoughts from the last several days. Many of them I'm sure I won't have the time or the eloquence to record. The Salt Lake Tribune Obituary Notice for Alfred Carl Nielsen.

Thank you, Grandpa Nielsen, for being part of my life and for welcoming me so warmly and lovingly into your family. Thank you for giving your blessing to my son, William Charles. Thank you for all you did for the people in your life. I love you and miss you.