Spaghetti Bath!

Starchy is attending a graduation out of town tonight.  

What that means for the kids and I is that we have free reign to be messy (keep in mind, Starchy got his blog-name because he is SO anal about his clothes).  We like to do silly things when he is gone so that we don't have to worry about him hovering over us, or pestering us to clean up.

I decided I was going to cook a VERY messy spaghetti dinner tonight.  After talking to Gramma D on the phone, we decided that the kids would enjoy the spaghetti more if they ate it with their hands (like caveman).  Knowing that spaghetti in eaten in the kitchen without utensils = disaster area, I decided to be proactive and have the kids eat in the bathtub!  Smart eh?

To say that The Dude embraced the idea would be an understatement.  He RELISHED in spaghetti bath.  He made himself spaghetti hair, put sauce on his head and "washed" himself with spaghetti soap.  Not his sister, HP was a bit more cautious.  She didn't really like the thought of getting messy and complained a few times that there was "noodles in the water".  

All in all good fun (and easy clean up after).  We highly recommend spaghetti bath (as long as YOUR Starchy is out of town)!

I want to stop time!

Today was GORGEOUS!  The sun was out, there was a light breeze and it was warm enough for the kids to bust out the sprinkler.  They were having a grand ol' time but for some reason I found myself watching them with a lump in my throat.  Why can't they stay the same age for a while, HP especially?  She is two short weeks away from turning three.  My baby.  Three.  When (or rather why) did that happen?  She is no longer a toddler, rather a spunky little girl.  

HP and I went to Walmart this morning and she talked to EVERYONE.  She was chatting up grandmas in their motorized carts, she told the guy at the deli counter that he was "awesome", she asked numerous people what they were doing and what there names were, and if she didn't get a response she declared that "they must be cranky".

I know I am not the only one to feel pangs of sadness watching their kids morph from one stage to the next, I guess it just caught me a little off guard.  

Here are some photo's of our fun in the backyard this afternoon.  Thanks for listening!

p.s.  Don't mind the flower picture, I am just FINALLY getting used to my new camera and was pretty psyched about the close up.

The Big Rock

The forecast is calling for rain this afternoon and tomorrow, so The Crew and I decided to take advantage of the nice weather and venture to one of our favorite spots.

Sissy showing off her mad walking skills (too bad the sweatshirt I put on her is 8 sizes too big!)...

The classic Peanut pout.  They were playing tag and The Dude caught her.  She didn't want to be caught!  Poor thing.
Don't they look cute when they run?  There legs get going SO fast!
The BIG rock!
The Drooler and I.
Miss Thang (sporting her spiffy new haircut).
The Dude and HP.

For My Homies in the UK!

The Drooler's mum (see how I did that, I wrote it British like) is from England.  She is totally cool and does a wonderful job raising her little man (along with dad!).  She told me that her mum (see...British again) who lives in the UK was checking out the blog from time to time.  

So, for Drooler's grandma, and the rest of his family abroad, here are some pictures from his time spent here at Homebase...

30 second camping...

Starchy was a studmuffin dad this weekend (like he is most weekends)!  

Not only did he take The Dude fishing, but he also had the gumption to get out our rickety 15 year-old tent.  He spent most of the day fixing tent poles and dusting out cobwebs and when it was finally erected in our backyard, he had two VERY excited kids.  

Both HP and The Dude had decided that they were going to sleep in the tent with Starchy (I was quite happy to 'volunteer' to sleep in the house should anyone want to come in during the night).  Both kids tried on multiple pairs of pj's and ransacked though the winter hats to find the right camping attire.  

We decided to wait until the sun went down to get the kids in their tent bed (this was a good hour past their normal bedtime).  The plan was for Starchy to get both of the kids snuggled in, and then I would come out and say goodnight (and snap a few pictures).  Both kids got tucked into their bed when I came out to give them their goodnight kiss.  This is how the rest of the conversation went down...

Me:  "Well, you guys look cozy and warm, have a good night in your tent with Daddy"

HP:  "Where YOU goin'?"

Me:  "I am going to sleep inside the house.  You guys stay here and have fun in the tent and I will see you in the morning."

HP:  "I wanna go wif you."

The Dude:  "Me too."

Camping lasted less than 30 seconds.  The Dude said he didn't like the truck noises.  HP said that she wanted to snuggle-snuggle inside the house.  I guess we will try again another time!

Fishing

Starchy, The Dude and Brina (Ryan's sister's fiancee) went fishing this past weekend.  

They went to a local fishing hole and were able to have pretty good success.  

The Dude was SO excited he rose WELL before the sun came up.  He was stoked because he got to stop for donuts and chocolate milk (a proper fisherman's breakfast right?) and because he got to show off his new fishing gear!

When asked (after the trip) by our neighbor Dave if he had cooked up any fish sticks, The Dude informed Dave that the fish "were not the eatin' kind". 

Note:  Please ignore the tattoo on The Dude's NECK.  My dumbass brother-in-law thought that would be a funny thing to do on Friday night (while Starchy and I were busy cooking supper).  Dragon tattoo's DO  NOT come off easily.  I will get my revenge...

Birds & Bee's

The following conversation took place last night as I was putting The Dude to bed.  Peanut, one of the girls I watch during the day, is going to be a big sister any day now.  Pregnancy, babies and siblings have been a hot topic around Homebase...

The Dude-  "Was I a tiny little baby once?"

Me- "Yep.  You were as big as a loaf of bread"

The Dude-  "Did I live in your belly like Peanut's mommy?

Me-  "Yes, for a little while, you lived in my belly until you were born"

The Dude- "How did I get out?"

Me (after a long pause)- "Well honey, you came out of my privates"

The Dude-  "Gross mom!  Can we just pretend I came out of your feet?"

Ahh...if only it was so simple.  A small glimpse into the mind of a four-year-old.

Tea Party

HP, Yamma (Starchy's mom, not her real name) and I were invited to a Tea Party this weekend.  

It was hosted by a friend of Yamma's and it was attended by all women (not that the men would have gone if they HAD been invited).  It was a dainty little affair complete with tea, scones, mini quiche and assorted finger sandwiches.  There were flowers, doilies and lacy things everywhere (very ritzy).  My focus was keeping a hawk-eye on HP who kept wanting the lick the whip cream off of a tray full of tartlets.  

I am proud to say that HP was quite well behaved (read: didn't break any of the china or smear chocolate mousse on the white carpet) and the tomboy in me made it through unscathed (I even resisted the urge to put my hair in a ponytail, something I haven't accomplished since 2001).  

All in all, it was a a fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon (especially since the Bears 2008 season is still a few months away).

Batman and Princess

My parents live in Canada.  We try to talk on the phone every few days.  Recently, we purchased a new Apple computer.  My parents also have one, so we have been enjoying using the ichat feature to communicate.  The Dude and HP like it because they can 'see' Gramma D and Grandpa Spencer.  Both kids look forward to time spent talking to the grandparents "on the computer".

My mom and dad mail care packages for the kids all the time.  Usually, the kids rip open the packages as soon as they get delivered and then I relay their reactions to my parents over the phone.  

Now that we have the ability to SEE each other we decided to switch up our present opening so that my parents could take part.  My mom had a batman costume (for The Dude) and a princess costume (for HP) mailed to our house.  Unbeknown to the kids, I took the package and hid it in the room where the computer sits.  That night, when the kids were chatting with my parents, my mom and dad were able to surprise the kids by sending them on a cyber-hide-and-seek until they found the gifts.  Even better, they got to watch the chaos as both kids were naked and changed into their new costumes in 2.5 seconds.  The pictures showcase The Dude and HP strutting their stuff with their friend in the backyard (exactly 2 minutes after opening their gifts!  Thanks Mom and Dad!

Edited to say:  I have no idea what The Dude is doing in the last picture.  He is supposed to be making a 'funny face' but instead looks like he is constipated.  Maybe Batman had to go #2...

Cheerie..uh...oh.

This morning started out like any other.  The kids were all smiles, they were happily watching Diego as I got the cereal out.  After I had poured each of them a bowl of Cheerios I announced that it was breakfast time they came a running.  

My first mistake...I somehow thought I was Tom Cruise in "Cocktail" and slid a bowl of Cheerios across the table to Peanut.  Only, I apparently do not have the suave bartender moves, because the bowl didn't come to a perfect stop in front of her.  It careened over the edge like a car going over a cliff.  

SPLAT.  

I am not usually the spiller (is spiller a word?).  The kids didn't know what to do.  They all looked at me as if to say "Way to go dumbass...that one was ALL you".  Poor Peanut was so upset that her Cheerios were all over the floor that she inadvertently knocked HP's bowl over.  

That's how we started the day.  Two.  Full.  Bowls of cheerios.  All over the floor.

Thank goodness Peanut was able to get her headband back on after the fiasco ;).