Boogers, Kisses and Spilled Milk

La Tooth

2010-05-18T14:09:00.002-05:00

The Dude has had two obsessions over the past few weeks. One, is the camo bucket hat that he got at Easter (it was the base of his basket, upside down). He has been wearing it every day. Secondly, he has discovered the ability to gross me out by wiggling his tooth. It SERIOUSLY gives me the heebies (just ask Peanut).

After a few days of incessant wiggling, The Dude decided that the tooth was about ready to be pulled. Not wanting to lose my lunch, I told him to wait until Starchy was home so he could help. Never one to have much patience, The Dude took matters in to his own hands and asked his older, wiser (read: third-grade) friend Drew to pull it. Not 30 seconds later, there was a space where a tooth used to be.

The Dude before (this was a few days before, but with the trusty bucket hat on, you wouldn't know unless I told ya!)

After: on the phone with a VERY excite Starchy!

That night The Dude came home with the cutest "story" from free write time in kindergarten. They are encouraged to write with little emphasis on spelling, rather working on sounds. Here is the note word-for-word:

"By Witt

I Lost u toth and et got wglr and wegler and wegler ant IE it stopt and my fen Drew pod et owt"

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes (part 1)

2010-05-18T13:48:00.004-05:00

Oh boy. I have been a bad little blogger. No post since Easter? Naughty RIKKI!

Sorry things have been so quiet around here. Are you still out there Internet? (*Rikki puts her hand to her ear and gives a listen)

I hope so.

Where to start? I guess the changes huh? Well...I got a new job. WHA? That's right! You heard right.

About a month ago there was an article in our local paper about our YMCA director retiring. I didn't think much of it at the time as I wasn't sure what the qualifications for the position were. A few weeks went by and I decided to check out the national vacancy listing on the YMCA website. I was quite excited to find out that not only did I hold all of the "required" skills, but also most of the "preferred" skills as well.

So I dusted off the ol' resume and submitted it along with my cover letter to the powers that be. I didn't hear anything for a few weeks, but then on the car ride to a weekend trip to St. Louis, I got a phone call saying that they wanted to give me a phone interview. Whoo-hoo! I was SO excited!

I had a few days to prepare myself and when the day for the call came, I felt pretty confident that I had put my best foot forward. I tried not to get my hopes up too much though, as it is hard to gauge what other people are thinking during a phone interview.

Another week goes by...

Then I get another phone call. They wanted to let me know that I was still in the running, but that I had not yet been granted an in-person interview. Gulp. I was left in limbo. Thankfully (for my nerves were SHOT) the recruiter told me she would call back the next day and let me know more...

The next day I was told that I was one of the finalists for the position! I would have an interview some time in the upcoming two weeks! EEEKK! They said I would be required to prepare a 25 minute presentation that would address a "challenge question" that would be given ahead of time.

I worked my hiney off on the presentation. I made a PowerPoint, handouts...the whole nine yards! I went out and bought a suit (it was FANCY-SHMANTSY) and a pair of "power shoes"!

The day of the in-person interview I knew I had done all I could. Though I was nervous walking in to the boardroom once I started my presentation, the nerves disappeared. It went by in the blink of an eye and once more I was forced to wait...

Until that fateful Friday afternoon, when I got the call that they would like to offer me the job as the new Executive Director!

I literally did fist pumps while I was on the phone (that's professional right?). Once I accepted the position, it dawned on me that the hard part wasn't over...it had just begun.

Because I now have to say goodbye to the kids I have loved and cared for over the past 2 1/2 years...(to be continued)

Easter 2010

2010-04-05T14:03:00.004-05:00

Chicago Weekend-o-fun!

2010-04-05T08:21:00.012-05:00

Starchy, the kids and I spent a FANTASTIC weekend in the windy city. After taking a much needed day off on Thursday, we made our way north for a two-night stay. I tried my best to chronicle our time through pictures. I missed a few here and there, but did manage to get some good ones.

Let's get started...

We let the kids choose one item from the Children's Museum gift shop. After silently mouthing to Starchy that we "keep it cheap" I was able to stare HP towards this awesome light helmet thing. She LOVES it.

One of the exhibits at the museum was labeled "PLAY!" and that is exactly what The Dude did. I love that there is no "right" (or wrong) way to play at the museum. The staff encourages the kids to explore and play in any form. So much fun.

The kids were enamored with this water display. They stood and watched with mouths open for a good 5 minutes.
The Dude climbing on the Play! exhibit.

HP and I having a little snug time outside.

HP playing with the bubbles outside. It was a REALLY windy day, but they made the most of it.

The Dude playing with bubbles (check out the chachie wall fly in the background).

The kids got to play with this giant parachute. It was SO fun to see the smiles on their little faces. They sat on it, under it, popped balls on it, it was a hoot!
Peekaboo!

Playing with clay in the art section of the museum. Obviously he is trying very hard! :D

Diggin' for dinosaur bones. The moment he got on the "dirt" he started digging like a dog finding a bone. It was hilarious until he turned around and flung dirt on all of the parents that were standing by!

HP posing in the T-Rex skull!

Starchy and HP in the inventing section. The instructions said to try and conjure some sort of alarm clock, HP decided she would rather just stick them in the holes!

Ryan and HP in the butterfly garden. Cutest. Picture. Ever.

HP and Starchy with their faces superimposed on butterfly's! When they popped up on the screen I almost peed myself! Hilarious!

The Dude "catching" jewels. He thought this display was amazing (as did I).
HP and I giving it a whirl!

The Dude and starchy building a water tower. I wasn't sure who enjoyed it more. ;)

This next set of pictures highlights the stark contrast between HP and The Dude. The Dude basically ran through the obstacle course. Check out the little kid in the white shirt...The Dude passed him right by!

And then there was HP. She wasn't too sure about moving across the rope tunnel. And she sure as heck wasn't going to run over the bridge. Much more cautious.

After a LONG day, The Dude snuggled in to a mountain of pillows!

We went to "How To Train Your Dragon" at the IMAX on navy pier. It was a riot. After wards the kids surprised Starchy with their new dragon jammies. They sprinted out of the bathroom like a bunch of wild banshees!

HP and I after dinner.

Oh Canada!

2010-02-28T17:24:00.004-06:00

Sweet Mother Mary! What an Olympics this has been! The Canadians have just captured gold and in honor of them, I present these pictures of HP and The Dude, doing their best Sidney Crosby impersonation.

(almost) Wordless Wednesday

2010-02-17T14:33:00.003-06:00

(sorry Shmook, this doesn't fit you anymore!)

(please stop talking about kindergarten Peanut, it is making me sad :( )

(the boys are having a rockin' dance party here...they LOVE "The Final Countdown" and "Danger Zone")

(rock and roll face's!)

(I caught HP mid jump, doesn't her hair look cool?)

Avon Walk for Breast Cancer

2010-02-01T15:02:00.002-06:00

Hello Internet!

I am so excited to share something today. I have committed to do the Avon 2-day Breast Cancer Walk. :D The reason that I wanted to do this event (aside from the personal challenge of walking for two days) is that I wanted to honor Ryan's grandma Betty who died after fighting the disease, and his grandma Elsie who is a survivor.

Breast cancer can be hereditary. If someone in your family has had the disease, your risk of getting it increases (especially in women). From cancer.org

"Having one first-degree relative (mother, sister, or daughter) with breast cancer approximately doubles a woman's risk. Having 2 first-degree relatives increases her risk about 5-fold".

Having a daughter, who is only two generations away from her great-grandmothers, is reason enough for me to take up the cause. I am committed to raise $1800 (hopefully with your help).

Please check out my personal page and make a donation. I know that times are tough, but any amount you can pledge will bring us closer to a cure! Thanks for all your help!

Rikki

Vampire Claws or Princess Nails

2010-01-28T15:06:00.002-06:00

you be the judge...

The Dude was convinced that even though they had actual Disney princesses on them, that they were actually manly vampire claws. Um, okay.

HP, nice enough to share the second set with her brother, was completely enamored with her pretty nails.

She also loved the built in excuse it provided for her not to lift a finger (literally).
She kept saying over and over "How do they stay on Momma?". Princess magic HP...princess magic. :)

Shower Surprise

2010-01-21T14:41:00.002-06:00

After the Holiday madness was over, the kids, Starchy and I had a few days of downtime. All we did was play with Christmas toys, watch football and movies and hang out. It was WONDERFUL.

One morning Starchy was having a shower and decided to have a little fun with The Dude. He called him in to the bathroom under the guise of asking him a question. Before The Dude could put up a fight, Starchy had pulled him in to the shower, clothes and all!

The Dude's initial reaction was that he was going to get in trouble. Then after thinking to himself "no, wait, it was my Dad that pulled me in to the shower!" he realized he was in the clear.

And boy did he have himself a good time.

Of course HP (being the nosy little thing she is) came to see what the fuss was all about and promptly climbed in the shower with her clothes on as well.

I would have to say that this was right up there with spaghetti bath as their favorite thing! :)

ICY WA-WA!

2010-01-21T14:35:00.002-06:00

We had a pretty amazing ice storm here over the weekend. Conditions weren't too cold, but they were just right to form little ice crystals on the trees. The kids marveled at this commenting that the tree's looked spiky. :)

And in case you can't already tell, I am LOVING my new camera! :)

Besties- HP & Peanut

2010-01-18T13:07:00.007-06:00

HP and Peanut have been in daycare together for the past four years. Ever since I ventured out on my own and Peanut started coming to my house, they have been inseparable. I firmly believe that even if they had other girls to play with, they would still choose each other.

They are the yin to each other's yang.

Neither of the girls is fully aware that come this summer, their time together will be at an end. I know that friends will come and go, but I am glad that these pictures are here to treasure HP's (and Peanut's) first best friend.

Snow Fort 2010

2010-01-11T10:14:00.004-06:00

We have had quite a bit of snow over the past few weeks. But it has been quite cold and The Dude hasn't had much opportunity to play outside. After bundling up in five layers him and Starchy braved the elements and had some fun!

They ended up hollowing out the entire fort. It was surprisingly big inside. The Dude LOVED it! See for yourself...

Easy Bake Fun!

2010-01-11T09:34:00.006-06:00

HP got an Easy Bake Oven for Christmas. We hadn't had an opportunity to play with it yet, until yesterday. While The Dude and Starchy built a snow fort outside (pictures in a later post) HP and I conquered the kitchen. :)

HP got a bunch of packets of assorted mixes along with her oven. She ended up making four cakes (complete with icing). She was nice enough to share two of them with her brother. ;)

Here is princess banana hammock before we got to baking.

Spraying a pool of PAM in the middle of the pan.

Using the "stick" to push the cake in the oven.

Mixing her second batch of cakes. She was very intent on doing every step herself.

A silly face while we were waiting for the cakes to cook.

Taking a peek in the oven. I love this picture because you can see her outfit. Princess dress complete with ratty pink fleece from 2008.

Icing the cake. Look at the concentration!

We talked about how when you bake, you should try not to lick and taste too much. Yeah right. :)

This was her expression when I asked her how the cake tasted. I am guessing from her eye roll and groan that it was pretty good.

The last step...clean up!

Christmas 2009 with Hemmy

2009-12-27T07:53:00.006-06:00

My brother got here on Christmas Eve. It has been 3 years since I last saw him. To say that our visit has been wonderful, is an understatement. Seeing my baby brother interact and play with my kids is the best gift I could have asked for this year. It has been one for the books.

The kids woke up right before 7:00 on Christmas morning. We spent the next 3 hours opening gifts. We would have been done a lot sooner (especially if HP had anything to do with it) but The Dude wanted to inspect and try out each and every gift. He had opened his stocking and present from Santa and was already raring to go outside. I guess he figured the other presents could wait (HP did NOT think that was cool).

It was a great morning filled with memories I will treasure until the day I die. But as always, I will let the pictures do the talking...

Here is The Dude with his trick bike he got from Santa (and helmet he got from GG...good call GG). He was ripping around the driveway like a bat out of hell. It was hilarious!

Figuring out the knee and elbow pads. At first I thought they would be unnecessary (but held my tongue because he was so excited about them). After seeing him whiz around on the bike...they are a really good call.

As was the case last Christmas the favorite stocking stuffer was balloon rockets and a pump. The cheaper the gift, the more they like it! :)
HP checking out her stocking. We had to wake her up and you can tell she is not really herself in this picture. A rare shot taken before she got her glasses on.
The Dude inspecting the colossal stocking!

Our "treats" for Santa. Beer, Milk, candy cane, cookies, crackers and shrimp dip!

The stockings were hung...Hemmy got a tube sock stocking. Keepin' it classy!

The Dude hanging his uncles stocking with care.
One of the many staring contests that have taken place in the last 72 hours! The Dude is surprisingly competitive and has won his fair share!
The. Best. Gift. Ever.

Crew Cuts Vol. 10

2009-12-21T16:54:00.005-06:00

Lots of fun things have been happening around Homebase. The kids are in full holiday mode. We have had plenty of birthdays in December (The Dude, Ms. Frances, Shmook, myself). It has been an awesome month. Here are a few photo's (taken with my spiffy new camera).

Lil' Rick enjoying one of Shmook's homemade cupcakes.

The Dude playing outside in our first "real" snow of the year.

HP crying because she didn't want to take a nap. She kept saying "I'm not tired mommy!"...yeah right.

My little shoveling helper.

Swanny Jr. enjoying a cupcake!

Shmook in a moment of contemplation before eating his 2 year-old birthday treat. Isn't he getting big?

Hp being HP.

Lil' Rick all bundled up at the top of the "castle".

HP and Peanut...the best of friends.
Lil' Rick really enjoyed the snow. He didn't stop smiling the entire time we were outside.
Peanut is probably the hardest child to get a picture of. She is a last-second-blinker and (like most 4 year-olds) she is not one to stay still. Luckily, I was able to snap this good one while playing outside yesterday. As her mom would say "Its a framer!".

He Still Believes...

2009-12-16T12:19:00.004-06:00

As you all know, The Dude is now attending public school. There are a lot of things he has learned over the past few months that are a direct result of him interacting with whole new group of kids. He has pushed boundaries with the eye roll (it did NOT fly). He has given a go at sarcasm and backtalk (again, a major flop). But for the most part, he has stayed true to his happy little self.

We were snuggling on the couch the other night when the following conversation took place:

Dude: "Mom, can I ask you a question?"

Me: "Sure Dude, what's up?"

Dude: "Well...a couple of kids on the bus said that there was no Santa Claus. They said it was just our moms and dads...is that true?"

Me (trying to choke down the enormous lump in my throat, while feigning shock): "No! No way man. I mean...mommy and daddy wrap and buy Christmas presents for you and HP...you know that...but Santa, he is the one that brings you something special on Christmas Eve and fills your stockings."

Dude (pondering for a moment): "I knew it...I knew there was no way you and Daddy could make it to the North Pole and back in one night."

I am SO glad he believes for another year. :)

Update Dec 2009 & Resolution

2009-12-15T13:50:00.006-06:00

Dear Lord. Where to begin?

I am sorry for being such a blog-slacker. My reasons are lame. My biggest road block was that I no longer had the cord that connected my camera to my computer. My posts are always picture heavy and I guess I didn't know what else to do. Boo Hoo right?

I have made a resolution for 2010 that I will do AT LEAST one post a week. *I think I can hear my mom and grandma clapping...weird*

Okay, how about I update you what has been going on with the family lately (daycare update in a upcoming post)?

The kids are wonderful. The Dude is rounding out his first year in Kindergarten. He is LOVING it. The amount of knowledge he is learning has astounded me. He went in to the school year knowing the letters of the alphabet, but not knowing the sounds of the letters. Four months later, he is able to string sounds together and read simple words. The best part about it is that he really gets a kick out of the challenge of trying to read. He is so eager to learn.

HP hasn't changed much. She is still sassy as ever and thinks that her way is the only way! She loves spending time with Peanut and I am dreading the day when these two are going to go their separate ways. They have found a sister in each other and spend every moment they can playing "house" and "honey" and "sweetie" (their own version of games). HP tried soccer this fall and she could not have cared less about the game. She liked the fact that there were other kids there to play with and that we usually got McDonald's breakfast before her game. :)

Starchy is doing great. He survived a very long, very stressful teachers strike in Oct/Nov. Just when I thought I was going to have to get him on some Xanex, they came to a resolution. I would not wish a strike on my worst enemy. It was awful. Thankfully, he has been able to get back in to the swing of things. He has just started a marathon training program which he is very excited about. He will be running the St. Louis marathon in the spring.

A lot has changed for me over the past 6 months as well. I started a weight loss journey back in March (weight watchers) and have managed to lose almost 50 lbs. I have combined sensible (most of the time) eating, with 5-time-a-week workouts. It has been slow, but thankfully, steady. I have another 25 lbs to go before I reach my goal. I hope to do so by March 2010.

Enough of the blah, blah, blah's. I recently got a new camera (yay!) for my birthday and FINALLY have some new pictures to share.

Without further adieu...

This was taken the first night I got my new camera. I love the expression on The Dude's face. No idea what they are doing though.

The Dude right before he blew out his candles on his 6th....yes, 6th birthday cake! His eyes tell it all.

The Dude chose to have his birthday party at a local gymnastics academy and it was a hoot! 17 kids between the ages of 3-7 and all went off without a hitch. Here he is giving a go at the rope climb.

It was hard to get his picture because he never stopped moving! :)
On one of the two trampolines. The kid was sweating by the time our 2 hours was up.

HP and her buddy Peanut. They had just finished making a project when this picture was taken, hence the marker on the face.

Bath time! I love this one because you rarely get to see her without glasses. She is also sporting her new favorite hairstyle that she has dubbed "cinnamon twisties".

Got to start 'em swimming young. So what if it is a bathtub! :)

This was taken at Yamma and Poppa's house on my birthday. HP was taking everyone's order. Her costume is one of her Aunt Nina's old dance recital costumes!

This is what happens to poker straight hair after the cinnamon twisties come out for the day!

First day of Kindergarten (and the poem I was given)

2009-08-21T16:47:00.001-05:00

The First Day

I gave you a little wink and smile

As you entered my room today.

For I know how hard it is to leave

And know your child must stay.

You've been with him for five years now

And have been a loving guide,

But now, alas, the time has come

To leave him at my side.

Just know that as you drive away

And tears down your cheeks may flow

I'll love him as I would my own

And help him learn and grow.

For as a parent, I too know

How quickly the years do pass

And that one day soon it will be my turn

To take my child to class.

So please put your mind at ease

And cry those tears no more

For I will love him and take him in

When you leave him at my door.

Need Prayers

2009-07-13T07:43:00.002-05:00

One of my college roommates and teammates needs our help.

Bethany is a new mom with beautiful triplets (yes, three!). The bigger two, George and Olivia are thriving and at home.

The smallest of the bunch, Samuel, is fighting for his life.

Bethany does a great job explaining what is going on here.

Please keep little Samuel in your thoughts. My friend needs a miracle.

Last Caymans Post...I Promise.

2009-06-29T14:12:00.005-05:00

The wedding madness is dying down and I am now going through a sea of pictures. We had the Ottawa reception this past weekend and it was wonderful. The best part for me, was watching the kids as they saw their friends from the Caymans. Each couple who walked into the boat club was greeted my a very enthusiastic HP and The Dude. The friendships each of them has made over the past month is definitely one of the best byproducts of being in Nina's wedding.

Now, for the last batch of pictures...

HP and Starchy building a giant hole. Not sure who had more fun!

Here is Starchmeister after the wedding. This was taken by Peter, the professional wedding photographer.

Another one of Peter's. Each side of the family.

The Corky family out to eat. I remember this restaurant not for the gorgeous view, but for the kick ass grilled mahi-mahi sandwiches. They were to die for (and I am a loser).

The Dude (and Starchy's ass...ha ha ha...whatever, he never reads my blog).

Squishing in the back of our rental car that smelled like stale bread and cat pee. Good times!

Oh la-la. Starchy and I all fancy.

HP and The Dude walking down the dock.

Pausing like good little girls and boys to get their picture taken. I love, love, love this one.

Even though he was dressed up, he was still 100% boy.

Getting his pep talk from Starchy about how to hold the ring pillow and walk at the same time (Peter's pictures from here on out).

Getting fancy-girl hair.
In these two last ones you can totally see the lagoon that the lanai's look out to. The lagoon is surrounded by homes (in a horseshoe shape) which were all rented by the wedding guests. It was a wild and crazy time!

The Caymans Days 4-8

2009-06-12T19:18:00.004-05:00

Our trip has been fantastic! Starchy, the kids and I are in paradise. The prospect of coming home is weighing on our minds as we try to soak up every ounce of sand and sun. As always, I do better when I let the pictures do the talking. In random order...

The Dude's home away from home. Mr. Man has been making sure all of his bathing suits get equal time in both the ocean and the pool. He has REALLY improved his swimming and snorkeling skills on this trip.
HP and Ashley after renting jet ski's. The salt water kept splashing HP in the face so she used Ashely's glasses (so nice of her!). Ashley said they hovered right around 10 miles an hour. To put that in perspective, The Dude and Uncle Do-It hovered right around 40 mph. It looked like Ashley was driving Miss. Daisy!

The boys giving it a go on their "faster" jet ski.

Starchy and I at the wedding reception after about 15 rum punches.

This isn't the best picture, but you can see HP at the wedding reception showing off her moves on the dance floor. She kept swinging her arms in the air (like the "up-came-the-sun" part in Itsy Bitsy Spider) like a madwoman. It was adorable!

The Bride giving her speech. One of them...

Here are a few of the Ottawa guests that made it to the islands. We had three other tables like this plus the head table. Very intimate and very pretty.

Starchy, The Dude and Uncle Do-It.

HP on the boat between the ceremony and the reception. We ended up going pretty fast and she was screaming her everloving head off.

The Dude was more reserved at the reception. He wasn't keen on dancing and I think he was a little tired having to be "fancy" all day. Here he was taking a moment to himself.

The Three Amigo's on the boat ride! Side note: HP did have a gorgeous flower girl dress on for the ceremony. But after hearing her complain about how itchy it was, she changed before the reception. A comfortable 3 year-old, is a happy 3 year-old.

The Bride.

HP and I (her wearing the itchy dress), me wearing one two sizes too big.

HP's pretty hair and tiara.

The Bride before her big day. In another moment of class and grace.

HP and I in the holding room before the nuptials.

Do-It and Ashley in the pool at Margaritaville on 7-Mile Beach. Yes, there is a water slide in the restaurant!

The Dude with a baby lizard on his arm. He was so brave (I was totally grossed out).

The Caymans Days 1-3

2009-06-08T07:17:00.007-05:00

We have been having a BLAST here in the Cayman Islands. Here are some pictures from the first few days.

HP has been getting good use out of her prescription sunglasses. And they are so fashionable to boot!

The Bride and Groom...

The kids at the Turtle Farm. We were in the bird section and The Dude was asking the quide a question.

The Dude holding a Cayman bird. This bird was perched on another tourist's shoulder about 2 minutes after this shot was taken and proceeded to take a giant turd all over the poor woman. It was HILARIOUS!

Starchy and The Dude in matching outfits (we didn't plan it!).

HP being brave and actually holding a turtle (I did not).

Starchy and I at stingray city. We got in the water and swam with stingrays! You can see one by my leg in the water.

Both kids have been loving the beach. They have spent countless hours on the beach making sandcastles and digging holes.

Carnival!

2009-06-04T08:18:00.006-05:00

The O-Town carnival rolled into town last night. Here is a photo play-by-play of our night...

Here are the three stooges on the pirate boat swing. HP was about 1/2 inch shy of the height requirement for this ride. So when the Carny came around Starchy showed her how to stand on her tip-toes so she met the 42" line. It worked like a charm. We fooled every single ride operator there (not such a hard feat I'd say). AND we taught our daughter to be deceitful to boot! Parents of the Year! ;)

The kids on one of the more tame rides.
This is the speed at which The Dude ran the entire time at the carnival. Fast.

I've said it once and I'll say it again...isn't she lovely?
HP coming down the "fun house" slide.
Starchy in a moment of contemplation. MEOW! He is so cute.

Getting tired. This pic was taken about 15 minutes before leaving.

Navigating the fun house. HP had is down pat. She got on her hands and knee's and zipped right under the bungee cords. The Dude on the other hand, went over the top. Luckily he was able to catch up to her and make up for lost time by running through the rest of the house.

See...

Another ride in which we fudged HP's height. They LOVED this one!

Brother and Sister on a mini roller coaster.

HP and I. We were waiting for Starchy and The Dude who were on a ride that HP was CLEARLY not tall enough for.

But the boys sure had fun on it! :)

Starchy giving The Dude a pep talk. He was a little nervous on this one.

Going on the giant Ferris wheel!

For every ride she went on, HP made a beeline towards whatever she could find that was pink. Like she had to coordinate with her outfit or something.

Grinning from ear-to-ear after her 11th time (I'm not kidding) down the giant slide.

Backs-of-heads

2009-06-04T08:15:00.000-05:00

Wordless Wednesday- HP Edition

2009-06-03T07:38:00.000-05:00

Crew Cuts Vol. 9

2009-05-29T14:06:00.006-05:00

Here are some recent shots from around Homebase!

Shmook needed some reflection time so he decided to sit himself under a tree and have a good look at the grass. He sat like that for a good 10 minutes!

Miss Thang and The Dude. These two punks go off to kindergarten in less than 4 months...not that I am counting. :(

The Dude hanging (literally) out at big Rock.

Peanut sporting a cute grin in the backyard!

Can you believe that this little man up and turned ONE?! The nerve! Doesn't he know that he is supposed to stay a baby? Happy Birthday Swanny Jr.

I love this pic because Shmook looks so cute in his bucket hat!

The boys showing off their muscles!

I LOVE this pic because the kids all sat down and were visiting without any prompting from Ms. Francis or myself. Its like they all decided that they needed a few minutes to cool off and chill out (it didn't last long). :)

Miss. Thang. The girl has never met a camera she didn't like. She actually said to me "Ms. Rikki, I am waiting for you to take my picture please!". Such a little diva!

Sissy reaching for the sky!
Lil' Rick doing his best "cheese" imitation. THEE CUTEST THING!
The Dude and HP loving it up.
Swanny Jr eating his 1st Birthday cookie!

Preschool Graduation

2009-05-27T08:01:00.004-05:00

The Dude and Miss. Thang had their preschool graduation last week. HP and Peanut were there as well performing a song with their class and getting a "Certificate of Achievement". These pictures are a little grainy, but you get the gist of the ceremony.

The Dude is in the back row in the middle of the picture. He is the only one looking at me. Gotta love the graduation hats!

Mr. Man with his hair styled like Daddy. At his parent/teacher conference his teacher told me he was very popular with the girls in class. I can see why. Such a cutie.
HP talking to Swanny Jr. It is so cute to see the kids outside of the daycare setting. It can be a few minutes or a few hours since they have last seen each other, but they are ALWAYS so happy to see their friends.

The Dude showing off his diploma! ;)

HP and Peanut. I couldn't get them to stay still long enough to take a decent picture. They were so excited!

The Dude strutting off after getting his diploma.

The Dude with Ms. Judy and Ms. Carol.
HP getting her certificate from Ms. Hollie.
HP striking a pose when she was supposed to be sitting and listening to her teacher.

Why Kids Shouldn't Throw Toys...

2009-05-12T14:33:00.003-05:00

HP got her first shiner this past week.

It was an accident that happened at daycare, but the lesson was learned by all.

The bottom picture was taken right after the incident happened, then the other's as the "boo-boo" got progressively worse.

The girl has now mastered the art of getting Starchy to feel sorry for her. Our teenage years are going to be interesting...

Wordless Wednesday

2009-04-22T11:51:00.002-05:00

Starchy takes the kids to Shedd Aquarium

2009-04-20T11:10:00.003-05:00

Because I was gone this past Saturday (spa day whoot-whoot!) Starchy took it upon himself to take the kids to Chicago's Shedd Aquarium. To say they (I include Starchy in this) were excited, was a gross understatement. They were literally shaking at the prospect of going on an adventure to the big city.

Now I am usually the one with the kids 24/7 so my nose was a little out of joint at the thought of missing out on such a fun day. But being the consummate grown-up that I am, I put aside any jealousy and sent the three of them on their way.

My one request from Starchy was that he take pictures and document the day.

Here are the pictures that Starchy came home with...

Clearly HP and The Dude mistook some other person as their dad. Because they are totally looking the wrong direction! Or maybe Starchy took up ventriloquism and threw his voice over to the right...I dunno.

A nice straight-up-the-nose shot of Starchy and HP.

Even in a crowd, HP knows how to strike a fierce pose (Oh look! A fish in the background!).
She looks half-hammered here. Don't know what is up with the face. Maybe Starchy said "Gimme a look like you are chewing on your tongue".
Again with the posing (notice how HP is more concerned with the popcorn then the fish). She takes after her grandmothers in that respect.
A nice shot of The Dude gazing at the underwater sea life...oh wait...nevermind...just some more popcorn.

HP checking out a tent...at the AQUARIUM...are you starting to see the pattern here?

3-D glasses before the big Sponge Bob show.
A nice shot of The Dude checking out some sharks...nope...wrong again...just him wearing two pairs of 3-D glasses.
HP and The Dude in front of the sea otter's exhibit. Can't you see how excited the kids are at seeing the marine mammals! Frickin' eh! NOT ONE SINGLE PICTURE OF THE KIDS WITH SOME FISH?
Next time I am SO going. And I promise a giant post all about the kids AND FISH! :)

Wordless Wednesday -My sister-in-law Nina

2009-04-15T08:43:00.000-05:00

Crew Cuts Vol. 8

2009-04-14T14:22:00.004-05:00

A little sampling of some pictures that I had lying around Homebase. There is NEVER a dull moment in my house (and that's the way I like it).

Little Peanut. I guess she's not too little, but she isn't ditching me for Kindergarden just yet. I am happy that I get to watch her grow for another year. She is a little ray of sunshine.

The Dude (who is ditching me for Kindergarden...not that I am bitter or anything). Here he is in all his big boy glory, chillin' under a cot-tent that the kids made. Damn he is cute.

I LOVE, LOVE this picture. Here is our little half-British darling Shmook in his "galoshes" (that's how his mum said it). Isn't he priceless!

HP getting good and dirty. Little Rick is watching on as if to say "I can't believe you are doing that!".
Swanny Jr. loves the swing!
Little Rick is is such a ham. I lurve this kid.

Easter (without the killer bunny)

2009-04-13T13:18:00.005-05:00

As I was tucking the kids in on Saturday night, I commented to HP about how exciting it was that the Easter Bunny was paying us a visit that night. Not a good thing to say.

She went into full on freak out mode.

Not only did her arms have a vice grip around my neck, but her legs were wound around my waist in a similar fashion. I felt like one of those Orangutan mom's you see on the Animal Planet with her little baby clinging to her every move. I am pretty sure I could have done a cartwheel and HP wouldn't have moved.

So, in order to get her to calm down and go to sleep I had to "call" the Easter Bunny. I was able to strike a deal with him, that he would skip our house and leave all the loot at Yamma and Papa's house. Thankfully, the Easter Bunny followed through with our request.

Here are the pics from Egg Hunt 2009....

Shart

2009-04-10T16:16:00.002-05:00

The Dude was riding his bike up and down the driveway this morning.

He was pretty zoned in and his concentration was written all over his face. I was watching from the sidelines when he got a look of horror on his face, and immediately stopped biking.

He dismounted and walked over to me with a look of concern. "Mom" he said, "I think I pooped my pants". I responded with assurance that accidents happen and that it wasn't a big deal.

After walking a few steps towards the house he stopped and said (as if confirming a diagnosis) "Nope. Nope. Wait...you know what mom? I think it was just a slimy fart".

I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried.

She dressed herself today...

2009-04-07T08:19:00.004-05:00

PINK barrette, PINK shirt with strawberries on it, PINK tu-tu-skirt, PINK tights. Take the outfit, and add the look-at-how-sweet-I-am pose, you have a deadly combo! Cuteness overload!

They are GENIUSES!

2009-04-02T07:07:00.003-05:00

HP and Peanut are the best of friends. They truly love each other and get along wonderfully 99% of the time. They have the uncanny ability to take something ordinary and kick it up a notch. For some reason, they felt the need, not to paint with their hands, but rather, their mouths.

Watching the spontaneity of children is one of the best perks of my job!

Peanut was gently telling her brother, Swanny Jr, to get his little mitts off of her paints! ;)

Wherever Peanut is, you can guarantee that Swanny Jr. is not far behind. Here he is giving me his "Power to the People!" fist. I taught him that. :)

HP getting ready to "face paint"!

Best buddies (tools in mouth).

Peanut showing off her skills! That girl can PAINT!

100% Boy

2009-04-01T10:27:00.003-05:00

We had some snow over the weekend which was gone almost as fast as it came. Although this didn't result in a lake forming in our backyard, we did have muddy conditions. The Dude wasn't about to let all the good muck go to waste. He took it upon himself to relish in it!

Here he was talking to Shmook and his mom who were safe behind the kitchen screen door. HP was the only "victim" of The Dude's muddy hugs (and she was TICKED!).

The kid had mud everywhere! I gave him a bath after and upon seeing the muck that he had left behind commented "Mom, I think someone pooped in the bathtub". Umm...no...that is just the mudslide that washed off of you!

The Dude was having a blast!

The muddy slip-n-slide that The Dude and a neighbor created. Who needs grass right? ;)

The Dude getting a running start!

Crew Cuts Vol. 9

2009-03-19T07:39:00.006-05:00

Dunky-doo, debunking the myth that only girls like to play princess.

Swanny Jr. as his alter ego Patricia Louisa. He is such a good sport!

Teensy is starting to break out of her shell. She LOVED the sidewalk chalk!
The entire crew out enjoying the warm weather!
The big kids showing off their green.
Swanny would not smile at me, no matter how many ridiculous faces and sounds I made! He could give HP a run for her money in a poker face contest!

Shmook showing off his modelling skills! What a little charmer!

Say Cheese!

2009-03-13T07:39:00.004-05:00

The kiddo's had preschool pictures the other day. Both were clean and looking dapper so I jumped at the opportunity to snap their picture.

Unfortunately, I had only one willing participant.

No matter how much I tried to get her to smile, HP just glared at me. This kid has one fierce poker face.

Getting tired of hearing me ask his sister to smile, The Dude took matters into his own hands.

Blessings

2009-03-12T20:57:00.005-05:00

I tucked both kids in tonight.

After reading books and the obligatory snug, I went to each of their rooms one last time.

After smothering kisses all over HP's face and praising her for wearing her eye patch, I moved on to The Dude's room right across the hall.

Before I pushed open his door, I could hear him trying to stifle his tears. I paused at the door and heard him take a big breath before we had the following conversation...

Me: "Dude, are you okay? It sounds like you are a little sad (keep in mind that the lights were off so I couldn't actually see his face).

The Dude: "I am okay, I was just saying a prayer to God".

Me: "Well, good. That shouldn't be a sad thing though. Is there something that you want to talk about?"

The Dude: "I don't want to get made fun of".

Me: "Who makes fun of you for praying to God?" (at this point I didn't understand that he was embarrassed to tell ME and just couldn't find the words).

The Dude: "Nobody".

Me: (realizing that he may just want to keep his reasons private) "Okay Dude, you don't have to talk about it. Goodnight Buddy. I love you."

The Dude: "Momma...I was talking to God about HP."

Me: "Okay."

The Dude: (through sniffles and tears) "I was asking him to help her eyes get better so that she can see the wide open world. Its not fair that she wears glasses and an eye patch. He should make her better."

My heart nearly burst out of my chest.

I am SO proud to be this kids mom.

Puddle O' Fun

2009-03-09T12:24:00.005-05:00

It rained something fierce this weekend.

The kids had fun watching the rain from the kitchen window. It felt like the scene from Forrest Gump where Forrest describes all the different types of rain he saw while in Vietnam. We had rain coming in sideways, rain that was bouncing off the ground, hail (small marble sized), rain that was misty...it was nuts.

Finally, on Sunday, we had a little break in the storms. The kids quickly discovered that there was a small pond in our backyard. After frantically getting on their rubber boots (The Dude had to borrow a pair of pink and purple ones left from daycare) the kids went outside.

This is a little video clip that showcases the state of our backyard and the kiddo's.

Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-03-04T07:22:00.000-06:00

Thug Dude

2009-03-03T15:57:00.001-06:00

We just got a care package from my parents in Canada.

Do you think The Dude likes his new hat and shades? ;)

It was laundry day.

2009-03-02T07:11:00.004-06:00

I decided on the title of this post because I wanted to let everyone know we have not gone color blind. Nor do we dress our kids so that they appear homeless. It was just laundry day and we threw on whatever we had. For example, I had my trusty "FA-LA-LA-LA-LA" pyjama pants, a red "Canada" sweatshirt and Starchy's dress shoes on while taking these photos. Our neighbors are so lucky. ;)

Anyhoo, the kids went outside to blow off some steam on Saturday afternoon. There wasn't much snow, but the kids managed to entertain themselves by breaking up ice and inspecting a dead bird.

Good times.

Here is HP just as she came out of the house. Starchy got her dressed and didn't put a winter jacket on her. I sent her back inside. :)

The kids taking a close look at the dead bird. Notice how well HP's boots are zipped up, thanks again Starchy.

The Dude tapping the dead bird with his boot. He wanted to pick it up but I stopped him before he had the chance. Why are little boys so fearless? I wouldn't touch a dead bird if you paid me. Eww.

HP striking a pose. Again.

I cannot believe I caught this on camera. This is HP's pose when she is checking out the situation. She does this all the time. One for the books...

The Dude, bead head and all.

The Dude showing me the chunks of ice he broke with his "ice breaking stick" (really just a broken broom handle)!

The Dude was such a sweetie. He got dressed way faster than HP but made sure he "saved" her some ice to break. He even went as far as to tell me where I could walk so that I didn't break any of the prime ice! :)

Crew Cuts Vol. 8

2009-02-26T09:21:00.004-06:00

Here are some tidbits from the past few weeks...

HP and Peanut. Although they prefer the princess gear, if none is available, they will gladly dress up as superhero's!

Dunky-Doo making one of his leave-me-alone-Ms-Rikki faces!

Here is one of our new additions. Her name is Teensy and I think she is just the sweetest thing! She only comes a few days a week but is adjusting nicely.

Yes. This is what the playroom looks like in the middle of a normal day. Luckily, the kids are as good at cleaning up as they are at making a mess. ;)

Sissy is almost big enough to fit in to the princess dresses. Until then the tu-tu and some princess shoes will have to do. She looks happy enough!

Peanut, Dunky-Doo and HP chowing down at our Valentines party.

The party in full swing. Don't you just love our banner? :)

HP and The Dude at nap time. They have been moving their cots side-by-side when they nap. A couple of times I have caught them holding hands while they are sawing logs. I think it is pretty cute that they obviously love each other so much.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-02-25T12:11:00.002-06:00

Snowman Carnage

2009-02-24T17:16:00.004-06:00

I promised you all the video that accompanies the post from earlier today.

I want to just throw out there, that I do not encourage violence among the children. We do a lot of hugging and kissing and make every effort to play nicely together.

But every once in a while, when I am busy fiddling with my camera, mayhem rears its little head. So turn up the volume on your computer and enjoy 30 seconds of crazy...

Snowy Big Rock

2009-02-24T12:21:00.003-06:00

We got a little snow this weekend and since it was mild enough outside this morning, the bigger kids and I decided to venture to Big Rock. It was Dunk's first time and all of the other kids acted like expert tour guides. We had a blast making a snowman and having snowball fights! Here are some pics from our winter fun...

OT- HP went to the eye doctor last Monday. Her alignment is looking great unfortunately her vision in her right eye is getting worse. We have to patch her left eye 6 hours a day for the next two months. She is being a trooper about the whole thing. I found these fun felt patches on the Internet and they are great. She especially likes the "fairy" one!

The Dude. I registered him for kindergarten yesterday. *sniff* I am enjoying every day with him knowing he will be starting a new chapter of his little life soon. It is SO bitter sweet.

Here is The Crew with the snowman that we built. It was made entirely from stuff we found around big rock. It took about 20 minutes to build. Tomorrow I will post a video of the kids demolishing the snowman in 20 seconds. It was pure carnage.

Dunk finally figured out how to climb up big rock only to catapult himself off a few seconds later!

All of the kids (including The Dude here) loved gobbling up the snow. I made sure they ate only the nice white stuff! ;)

Peanut was cracking up as she chucked snowballs at the other kids sitting on the rock!

Miss. Thang showing off her pine cones. Her face is total rock-and-roll!

Happy V Day!

2009-02-13T07:43:00.001-06:00

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

American Idol

2009-02-12T07:32:00.002-06:00

My Wednesday nights have been pretty tame lately.

While flipping through the channels a few weeks ago I came across American Idol.

I have to admit, I rolled my eyes and didn't think that I would stay on the channel for more than a few minutes. Then something really weird happened. This Ryan Seacrest fella started telling back stories on all of these wanna-be singers. They were heart-wrenching. People that were homeless...their parents were dead...parents were in jail...they had 5 kids and no baby daddy! The list went on and on. Each one of these underdog stories had me rooting for them and hoping that they could actually sing.

The cool thing about the auditions, is that you get to see a wide variety of talent. I felt for the people that could probably sing, but were so nervous in front of Paula, Randy, Simon and The New Girl, that they came out sounding more like a goat in heat (or what I imagine that to sound like).

A few times I laughed right along with the judges when someone thought they had talent, but were apparently tone deaf and didn't realize they sounded awful. It was weird to watch people huff away telling the cameras that the judges had made a mistake by not giving them a pass to Hollywood. Yeah right.

This past week the contestants have been at Hollywood and they have whittled the prospective singers down to 36.

I am hooked.

Although I can't watch Tuesday (Biggest Loser trumps American Idol), I will be tuning in on Wednesday nights to see if these average people can actually make their dreams come true.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-02-04T14:55:00.000-06:00

HP...one in a million.

2009-02-02T14:59:00.005-06:00

Being HP's mom, I am sure that I have a skewed vision of what she is like. That said, I think she is one of the most unique people I have ever met. She is FULL of spunkiness, she definitely beats to her own drum and she is very independent for a three year old. I took some random pictures of her this weekend that kind of showcase her personality.

Here is HP after just getting up from her nap. She is ticked off at Starchy and I, and is hiding in our closet. I know she doesn't mean it, but as I was snapping this picture she told me "Your the worst mom I ever have'd". Too bad for her I am the only (and I ain't going anywhere)! Little Sass Monkey!

Here is HP with Starchy. She is wearing a swim suit in the middles of winter, her hair looks like a baby ostrich and she is giving her best "fish face" impression.
I took this picture, looked at HP and thought to myself "that hat makes her look like a friggin' cone head". Cute, but a cone head nonetheless.

Here is a rare shot of HP without her glasses. Although her eyes have improved since her surgery last year, you can still see slight crossing when she doesn't wear her glasses. We have been using the patch (on her eye, not the nicotine one!) once a day so hopefully we will continue to see improvement.

Blogger's Block

2009-02-02T14:02:00.002-06:00

I think I am suffering from Bloggers Block. Not sure if that is a real ailment, but you get the gist. So in order to force myself out of this funk, I am just going to ramble.

- My friend Bethany (college roommate and teammate) had triplets last week. They were born at almost 29 weeks. So far all are doing well despite being born teeny-tiny. I cannot imagine what it would be like to have three children at one time. Its funny too, because she was probably the LAST person I would have imagined becoming a mother of three. I have no doubt that she will rise to the occasion and be a damn good mommy to those little ones. Olivia, Samuel and George are VERY lucky. Congrats B (if you ever get time to read this...doubtful). :)

- I have been doing a little daycare reflection lately. It has been almost a year since I was "terminated" (doesn't that sound like I was murdered or something?) from my old job and decided to watch children out of my home. I am SO lucky. Not only do I have a wonderful batch of kids, but they all have fantastic parents. Not trying to be sappy or seem like I am blowing smoke, but I really like the parents of the children I care for. They are thoughtful, they are attentive (and believe-you-me at my old job I witnessed some terribly inattentive parents) and they in-turn have great kids.

- I miss my mom and dad.

- I recently went bridesmaid dress shopping. I shaved my legs (at least the bottom half) and everything. I ended up with a flowy little number. I think it will work nicely for the Cayman Islands. Now I just have to work on my pasty white skin. You can't be pale and wear aqua-green...can you?

- Starchy's birthday was this past weekend. Old man is now 31. His mom invited us over for brunch on Sunday. I made lemon poppy seed mini-muffins. They were nasty. I think I baked them too long because they were hard as a rock. Luckily my mother-in-law made some hot curried fruit that went over "like a fart in church" and her disaster made mine pale in comparison.

- I am obsessed with blue cheese. I went as far as put it on a baked potato along with some bar-b-que sauce. It was surprisingly good. Look out Pioneer Woman (yeah right)!

- We are going to Minneapolis this weekend. Our good friend Mike is turning 30 so we are going to celebrate with him. The kids are staying with Yamma and Pappa so it should be a fun grown-up's weekend. Although, whenever we get together with college friends grown-ups is the LAST thing we resemble.

I guess that's all the purging I have for now. If you have made it to the end of this post I commend you. Hopefully all of this writing will get me back in the action again. If you have any ideas or topics you would like to see in upcoming posts please do share!

Peace out!

Rikki

Crew Cuts Vol. 7

2009-01-22T14:52:00.006-06:00

Since my posts have been sporadic (to say the least) I am trying to play catch-up. Here are some recent shots taken around home base.

One of our favorite games to play is the "running game" (I know, really original name for it!). The kids line up along the wall and (after all toys are cleared out of the way) I have them run to the other end of the playroom. The only thing that makes this game interesting (at least in my eyes) is that each time, I tell the kids to run a certain way (on their tiptoes, with their arms out like an airplane, hopping like a bunny, etc.). This shot, is blurry because their instructions were to run CRAZY! Gotta love Sissy out in front not knowing what the heck is going on! :D

HP, looking more four than three.

The group reading about Arthur and his bad manners. They sit really well for story time!

Swanny Jr. Getting so big!

We used paper to make a "castle" in the playroom.

Well hello there Shmook. Don't you have two of the biggest blue eyes.
Dunk, a before and after school new addition! He is quiet but has a big heart!

The Dude (Mom, he is still wearing his "golden medal" he got from Hemmy at Christmas). We made beaded bracelets this day.

Swanny Jr after I played "beauty shop" with him! I couldn't help myself. He looks so hard core! :)

Winter Wonderland!

2009-01-22T12:35:00.004-06:00

The weather here in Illinois has been chilly lately. Not, Saskatchewan chilly, but too chilly for the kids to be outside enjoying the snow.

Not today.

It was gorgeous out.

The entire crew (yes, even the babes) went outside to romp in the snow.

The little ones only stayed out for 10 minutes, but they seemed to enjoy their little sled ride around the backyard. They were all intrigued by the snow. With the exception of Sissy, I would say they enjoyed getting to go outside (although, none of them can talk, so I could be totally wrong in guessing their enjoyment level!).

The older kids were in hog heaven. They had some serious cabin fever and the only prescription was playing in the snow. They had a hoot. If I hadn't forced them inside after an hour, I am sure they would have played all day.

See for yourself...

Peanut struggled with the snow covered stairs, but with a little encouragement from HP (who isn't the most patient of kids) she managed to get to the "castle".

Shmook taking in his surroundings. He didn't want to venture off the sled, but did smile when I put a tiny snowball in his lap.

Swanny Jr. really liked the ride. I had blankets in the sled keeping the babes warm which made for a slippery seat, but lil' man had no problems at all!

Sisterly love! Aren't they a sight in pink!

Peanut giving a heart warming smile! What a stinking cutie!

Can't you just see the cabin fever oozing out of their little snow suits?

The Dude. Be still my heart.

When I see this picture I can almost hear The Crew yelling "CHEESE" especially Peanut! HP would not stop eating ice. She actually asked me if she could bring this giant hunk inside and eat it for lunch. It would be a nice change of pace from chicken nuggets...;)

Not sure why this picture is crooked (it isn't in my iphoto) but it was too precious not to put in this post. So tilt your head to the left and check out one of the cutest kids I know (I am a bit biased).

I told you Sissy didn't like the snow as much as the rest. :)

Shmook...for my peeps over the pond. He is really starting to get a little personality! He is flirting with all of the girls and giving ga-ga eyes to Ms. Francis! It is a hoot to watch!

The Three Amigos!

Fingerpainting!

2009-01-14T10:36:00.002-06:00

Due to the colder weather we have been experiencing, The Crew has been doing more indoor activities. The other day, we decided to bust out the finger paints. At first Peanut, HP and The Dude were hesitant to get dirty. Once I assured them that they could wipe their hands on their paint shirts, they really started to have fun.

This is the point where Peanut and HP gave up on painting on the paper and decided the table provided a better canvas.

Three messy kids = three HAPPY kids!
I don't think she is praying, but HP sure does look like a little angel (although we all know better!)

Peanut working her magic on the paper. Although they all started out with vibrant colors on their paper, in the end all we had was a mucky, brown color. This picture was taken early in the process.

I love this picture because Peanut was SO hesitant to get dirty. As soon as I took this shot she looked at me and said "Miss. Rikki, can I be done?". Obviously, she was encouraged to play more!

Sledding!

2009-01-12T11:27:00.006-06:00

The kids, Starchy and I took advantage of the recent snow and went sledding this weekend! The weather was cold enough as to not melt the snow, but mild enough that HP (who is a cold weather wuss) could still enjoy it.

Here is the view from the top of the hill. As you can see it was quite overcast, but not a bad view of the river I'd say.

This was HP's preferred method of getting down the hill. Starchy was at her beck and call the entire day!

HP pouting because Starchy decided to ride with The Dude. She's quite the Daddy's girl.

Feeling better, HP decided to "let" Starchy carry her up the hill. There were at least 70 stairs!

Here is one of The Dude's many wipe outs! The kid was all over the hill. He would get to the bottom and literally get up and run back to the top. It was a sight to see.
The Dude riding what I affectionately call "the bucket o' death". There was absolutely no steering on this toboggan and more often than not you ran into the bushes (at least I know I did). Thankfully The Dude had more luck and agility and was able to fly down the hill unscathed.
Mr. Stink.
After he biffed it and got a face full of snow!
The one time HP tried to get herself up the hill. You can see she didn't have much success...
There are no words...

Christmas Break OHH!

2009-01-05T20:04:00.002-06:00

OOH: The Packing

2008-12-15T10:45:00.002-06:00

The fact that I am willingly posting pictures of my messy basement, should show you how excited I am about going home for the holidays. Two days and counting...

Here are the bags. Mine, HP's and The Dude's. We are trying to pack light and efficiently. This isn't a problem for The Dude and I. Unfortunately, HP feels the need to pack every outfit under the sun along with coordinating accessories. I may just have to repack when she isn't looking. (Don't mind the blue lizard on the floor, it is left over from The Dude's birthday party this weekend).

Here is our basement and Mt. Laundry. All of this is clean and I had the *sarcasm* good fortune of being the one to sort it on to piles. Starchy would help, but he doesn't fold right and we can't pack wrinkly clothes. There is a method to my madness...I swear.

Operation: Home for the Holidays (OHH)

2008-12-12T13:23:00.004-06:00

I am going to try something new with my blog (besides my new layout).

I am going to attempt to chronicle my Christmas vacation (OHH) from start to finish. Why would I do that you ask? BECAUSE IT WILL BE AWESOME! Whoo. Sorry about that. Didn't mean to yell.

Anyways, the reason I want to document it is so that everyone can watch (um...read...) as HP, The Dude and I travel to Canada (and we can enjoy the pictures and my witty posts for years to come).

It is going to be a trip (pun intended).

The kids have never been North. The Dude has been to the Caymans (little punk ass, I haven't even been there) and keeps telling HP everything there is to know about urrr-planes (that is how he pronounces it). And HP wakes up every morning, points to the jammies she is wearing and asks "can I bring these to Gramma D's?". I think she is worried she will forget something. Silly girl.

I haven't been home in 7 years. Not for lack of trying, I just had to unfortunate luck of getting the runaround from the Immigration & Naturalization service. After years of filling out forms, getting physicals and fingerprinting and mucho deniro (I know ZERO Spanish, so if I spelled this wrong, my bad) being spent, I am now legally able to cross the border! Whoot-whoot!

So. The kids and I will be spending 10 days in the bustling town of Saskatoon!

I will do my best to post pictures and stories about our big adventure. It should be fun! :)

I hope you can join us as we commence OHH!

Five

2008-12-11T10:19:00.006-06:00

My little Dude is 5 years old today.

Those of you who read my blog on a regular basis know what a friggin' sap I can be around milestones. Today is no different. I have a nice pit in my stomach and a big ol' lump in my throat. He is five...

The day he was born was one of the best in my life.

I remember both Starchy and I being so dang excited to finally get to meet him. Labor took a little longer than I expected and was DEFINITELY a lot more painful then I had planned for.

But the moment I laid eyes on him...I was done for.

He was the most beautiful baby I had ever seen (disclaimer: I think I was suffering from new mommy euphoria, because looking back at pictures I can now see he looked more like the bald Stooge).

The nurses wanted to take him from me to check him over and I remember thinking "No need ladies...my little man is perfect". If I would have been a cartoon I would have had two little hearts where my eyes should have been. I was smitten.

I can honestly say with every ounce of my being, that five years later I feel the exact same way.

The Dude, thank you for being my little man. I am so proud of the thoughtful, generous boy you are growing up to be.

Happy Birthday, I love you from the bottom of my heart.

Love,

Mom

If I had a million dollars...

2008-12-10T14:03:00.004-06:00

Inspired here by Barb a blog friend of mine, I decided to tell you all who made the "nice" list and what you are getting from me this year!

*drum roll please*

Starchy- For Christmas this year, you will be receiving a personal butler (a wrinkly old man, don't get your hopes up that Lucy Lu is going to waltz through the front door...perv.). They will live with you and personally iron your clothes each night. They will triple starch and get the iron nice and hot (just they way you like it). Enjoy.

The Dude- For you I am building a giant indoor gym. That way, when your boundless energy comes to a boiling point, you can run around like a chicken with your head cut off. There will be climbing ropes and old school gym scooters as well. Enjoy.

HP- I am getting you a jewelry box, filled with the best costume jewelry money can buy. Because I have never seen a 3 year old so into accessories in all my life. Enjoy.

Peanut- I am getting you a daycare husband. This way, when you have the "bride" dress on at daycare and none of your friends will marry you, you won't have to beg me as a last resort. I promise he will play "prince". Enjoy.

Swanny Jr.- I am getting you a temporary tattoo with Michael Jordan's head on it. We are going to plant that sucker right on your bicep, tough-guy style. The chicks are gonna dig it. Enjoy.

Shmook- For you, I am building "stairs to nowhere". I figure you would love to have the opportunity to climb stairs to no end. This way you can stop getting upset with me when I put the gate on the 3rd step up (I swear he is cursing me out in baby talk). Enjoy.

Sissy- I have decided to turn all of the daycare meals into different flavors of milkshake. This way you never have to suffer through eating food (blech!) and can drink all of your meals with a straw. Enjoy.

Miss. Thang- I have decided to appoint you "Boss of Daycare" for Christmas. That way, when you are telling everyone what to play with/eat/sleep/breathe, they will actually listen. Enjoy.

Francis- For you, I am getting a Platinum Mastercard with no limit. But don't you worry, credit cards are free money, so you don't have to pay it back. Buy yourself some furs and diamonds. No more wine tastes on a beer budget! Enjoy.

Jen- I am signing you up for a service that cooks your family a healthy dinner each night. That way when Swanny is working, you can enjoy your evenings and maybe get an hour or two of solitude (and blog surfing) every once in a while. That, and I am nervous that pretty soon all you will be eating is omelets. ;) Enjoy.

Swanny- I have set up a dinner for you with Barack Obama, Michael Jordan, Superman and J.A. Konrath. I wanted to invite Harry Potter, but he had a scheduling conflict. Enjoy.

Joanne- For you, I have invented a travel pod with a direct line to the UK. That way, when you are missing home, all you have to do is hop in and say the magic word. You may have to lend it to my parents from time to time, but I told them you were nice like that. Enjoy.

Kane- You are getting socks. I wanted to get you something cool, but you are always on the cutting edge so I went practical. At least your feet will be warm right? I promise they won't be scratchy. Enjoy.

Mom- Much like Joanne's gift, I have decided to give you the gift of travel. The only difference is yours is more "Star Trek" style. You know, the whole "beam me up Scotty" thing. Direct line from Toon-town to O-town. Enjoy.

Dad- I have bought you a house in the Bahamas AND it has a dishwasher. That way you don't have to live where it is STUPID cold, and you can enjoy all of the modern comforts a dishwasher will bring! Enjoy.

People who did not make the "nice" list:

Rod Blagojevich, Rex Grossman, Hillary Clinton & Sarah Palin

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

The Big 3-0

2008-12-09T08:33:00.005-06:00

I am 30.

Holy shitznit. I remember when MY mom turned 30 (and I thought that was old).

Now that I am here, 30 really isn't that old. Right?

While reflecting on this GIANT birthday, I realize I am in a really good place.

For starters, I have a great husband. Yes, he may starch and iron his sweaters (I kid you not). Yes, he may have a 13-step process for getting ready in the morning (of which the steps can never be rearranged). But, he is a great husband. And he is the best dad I could ask for my kids.

Speaking of the kids...I got a couple of good ones. They are really growing up to be fun little monkeys. They are both healthy and well adjusted and I love them to bits and pieces. Being a mom to them, is the best job in the world.

I have a great set of parents. As a parent myself, I am finally able to realize how wonderful, my own were. My brother and I truly did grow up in a warm, loving household. I really feel like the past 6 months have allowed my parents and I to connect better (through my blog and the wonder of ichat), and I know the kids are blessed to have two sets of grandparents who love them to bits and pieces.

I am also lucky to have a set of in-laws who I LOVE spending time with. They are wonderful to me. I know there are people who would never dream of vacationing or spending time alone with their in-laws. Not only have I, but I do so happily. I married into a great family.

Thanks to everyone for your well wishes.

I hope the next 30 years are even better than the first 30!

Cheers!

Dudeisms

2008-12-05T15:14:00.006-06:00

The Dude has been saying some funny things around home base.

He has started to become more observant, which has lead to more questions.

Why, just yesterday he exclaimed that his "pee-pee was peach colored".

And just a few minutes ago the following conversation took place:

The Dude: "Mom, do I have butt teeth?"

Me: "Butt teeth?"

TD: "Yeah, you know...the ones in front" (taps his fingers on his front teeth)

Me: "Buck teeth?"

TD: "No...Butt"

Me: "No Dude, you do not have Butt Teeth"

TD: *Pause* "I still love you even though you have butt teeth mom"

Hairy Christmas!

2008-12-04T11:32:00.006-06:00

The little boys never really play dress up. I decided to remedy that this morning...

Shmook was a good sport. He kept the wig on his head and was actually smiling (though not in THIS picture).

Swanny Jr was a bit more reserved. He didn't fuss, but looked at me in a get-this-freaking-thing-off-my-head sort of way. He is such a good little guy!

Grandma D and Grandpa Spencer Visit!

2008-12-02T07:44:00.005-06:00

I have a good reason for the lack of posts. I really do. My parents were in town.

It renders me physically incapable of posting on my blog.

We were just too busy having fun that I barely sat at the computer all week (except or to play poker online with my dad).

I think we jam packed a months worth of activities into 10 days. It was a blast.

The kids were completely over the moon to see their Canadian grandparents. HP was constantly sitting on Grandpa Spencer's lap or holding his hand, and The Dude had a constant play pal in Gramma D, who were always playing kickball, feeding the creatures or chasing each other around. Even though they don't get to see my parents as much as we'd all like, the kids had no qualms and were completely smitten the moment they walked through the door.

Here are a few pictures from our wonderful visit...

Snow...sort of.

2008-11-18T13:08:00.005-06:00

The older kids were amazed to go outside this morning and see snow on the ground.

Now you may be looking at my pictures and thinking "Um...Rikki...are your kids trippin' because I don't see any freaking snow?".

The great thing about 3 & 4 year olds? They can find snow in the darnedest places.

Here are Miss. Thang and HP going to check out a "discovery" at the other end of the yard.

Boo and The Dude doing the same thing. All of the kids figured out right away that there was more snow in the shade (smart little whipper snappers).
HP stopping to pick some very dead flowers.
It was cold today. Hovering a little warmer than freezing (but not by much). Luckily the sun was out and there was no wind, so we were nice and toasty.
They found more snow behind the climbing wall handles!

Peanut playing peek-a-boo. Doesn't she have gorgeous eyes?!
This is the snow we found! Isn't it exciting! (I am sure all of my Canadian readers have just choked and spit their coffee on their computer screens) (WHAT?! The kids were stoked, and it is real snow...albeit pretty pathetic snow).
HP likes to swing on her tummy. They girl always goes against the grain. Beats to her own drum...that sort of thing.
The Dude practicing his jump off the swing technique.
Mr. Stink himself. He was obsessed with blowing smoke (steam) out of his mouth outside. He exclaimed "Mom! I look like a chimney!".

Hair Affair

2008-11-11T13:44:00.004-06:00

Today is a blah day.

The sky is grey, it is cold out, and when the kids got here this morning, I knew we would need a change of pace.

So when Boo requested that we play "beauty shop" (her second favorite thing only to "princess") I figured we would kick it up a notch.

Miss. Thang, HP and Boo were thrilled to have wacky hair makeovers!

All The Leaves Are Falling....

2008-11-11T07:56:00.004-06:00

Starchy, the kids and I (I am including myself but honestly was good for nothing) raked leaves this past weekend.

It was the first time this season that it has been really cold. After bundling up, the kids were ready to help.

They started out swinging each other around with a rake.

They helped Starchy pull the leaves to the street (it is a bad picture, but you can see the little white and black heads poking out of the pile).
HP was especially good at lying on the grass and making "snow angels". *eyeroll*
HP also declared a "bike break" after all her hard work was done. *sarcasm*

The Dude loved this hat! It wasn't quite cold enough for a rabbit fur lined hat, but he couldn't pass it up. Here he is giving a go at making a snow angel. *eyeroll*
HP "helping" Starchy...

Fashion Football

2008-11-09T21:50:00.003-06:00

HP is has been coming with Starchy and I to The Dude's weekend flag football games. She has embraced the role of cheerleader with vigor. She screeches from the sidelines whether her brother has the ball or not.

But, I can say with all honesty that her excitement on Saturday mornings is due to the fact that she will have a crowd to play to...and she is working it like a mofo.

When I post about her fashion sense I imagine people thinking "Well Rikki, you are the one that dresses her, so aren't you...like tooting you own horn by marveling in HP's fashion sense?".

That's where you are wrong.

HP, and ONLY HP, picks her outfits.

She has more girlishness in her little finger then I do in my entire being.

My little three year-old can accessorize with the best of 'em.

Case-

in-point:

This picture was taken this weekend. HP not only decided on the purple shirt because that is The Dude's team colors, but was able to coordinate her boots to match.

This one was taken the weekend before. An outside game, so HP had to accessorize with striped tights and a hat (and is ANYTHING more Diva then Starbucks hot chocolate?).