Dress up

We bought a bear rug when Constance was little and we still have it.  The boys decided they wanted to dress up like a beat and have me take a picture of them.  

At one point Nic was on his hands and knees crawling around with this on him.  It was funny to watch.

"Blonde" moments

I have to really laugh at myself sometimes.  I was vacuuming and had to plug in to an outlet in my bedroom.  I got distracted or something -- I tried the button 2-3 times without success only to discover I hadn't plugged the cord in.  In the mean time, I had washed my sheets earlier and had yet to move them to the dryer ... I had also bought cleaner for the washing machine.  I put cleaner in the dishwasher and started it then I put the cleaner in the washer and started it 2-3 minutes later I remembered my sheets that were still in the washer and ran to stop it-- they were soaked of course and so I had to run them in drain/spin cycle.  I then went back to the vacuum to finish and tried the button a couple more times only to remember I hadn't plugged it in yet.

She shoots ... She scores

I had to laugh, Constance decided she would make a basket with her lunchbox.

She did a great job and made it on her first try.  She kind of ran into a snag when her lunchbox didn't come all the way thru.  She tried jumping but couldn't reach.

 Thankfully there was a good stick she could use.

How to eat a Klondike

I've seen them eaten with the wrapper on - to keep ice cream and chocolate from getting on your fingers.  (At least it keeps you mostly clean)

My kids have even eaten them from a bowl with a spoon.

This was a first for me -- 

Jordan took the wrapper off completely; ate the chocolate off and ate it piece by piece, which left him with ice cream in his hands.  He definitely wasn't in a big hurry and it was a big mess.  He had to clean up before I would let him anywhere near the van.  This just made me laugh.

A miracle

Blackie usually avoids Jordan due to the fact that he teases him non-stop.

We had to pick him up early because he got sick and was throwing up.  So when we got him home we had him on the couch.  I came in and found Blackie snuggled up beside him -- Blackie could definitely tell he was not feeling well.

A penny

We were at the farm today helping on my parents' house when my brother asked me if Dad had told me about what happened with Nic. I looked a little confused because I didn't know what they were talking about. Kam looked at Dad and told him he needed to tell us the story.

Earlier in the week when Nic was at the farm he had gone with my father down to the barn. While they were down there, Dad happened to see a shiny penny on the ground and pointed it out to Nic. You have to understand, Nic gets super excited when he finds money and immediately puts it in his pocket. This case was no different, He picked it up and looked at it and then he asked Grandpa whose money it was. Dad told him he didn't know but he could have it. Nic put it in his little pocket and they continued on. Later when they had returned to the house Nic went up to Grandpa with the penny in his hand and told him that he couldn't keep it because it was his Uncle Hambone's and asked Grandpa to please give it back to him.

Kam came up to him today and told him he was so proud of him for being Honest. To which Nic asked what that meant. Kam told him it meant not taking something that wasn't his. He told him he had something he wanted to give him for his Honesty and handed him $.51.

Left me completely and totally speechless -- he's 5 and it was a penny. Humbled and amazed at my little boy.

Recovery

Mike went in for surgery on his elbow Friday, 12/20/13.  It has bothered him off and on for the last several years.  But the pain has always eased or went away.  Not this year.  Bless his heart he has been in constant pain and after the surgery -- for good reason.

His Dr, Dr. Milek, told me afterwards he was glad we went ahead with the surgery because it wouldn't have healed on it's own.  The tear in the tendon was about the size of his thumb and the nerve that goes thru the elbow was pinched.  I was surprised by the size of the opening when they first took the bandage off.  Thankfully the pain has eased considerably ... The cabin fever is only getting worse though ... He is definitely not one to sit around doing nothing.