Maybe someday Blessing #5 will be bringing lots of money home to his Moma because I think we’ve got a little basketball superstar in the making. Well... I guess he might not have the game moves down, but he’s got the tongue right where it belongs! Don't you think? Just see the little guy- he cracks me up... that tongue is always sticking out the corner of his mouth!

Last night we went out to dinner at Noodles, and the kids ate with chopsticks. They always grab some, but this is honestly the first time they’ve eaten the entire meal with them. With the help of the Fun Chop, they had no problems. I am an instant fan of this nifty little contraption. (In fact, I could use one myself!) The Fun Chops came home from the restaurant and have made their way into my utensil drawer… What a neat idea, huh?!

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Woody and Mrs. Woody (yes, we have a pair)

are still at it... only now they're no longer trying to build their nest by pecking away at the outside vent louvers...

...they're poking on the roof!

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Yesterday was Bunco night, so the kids got to have an evening with Daddy. Of course that meant getting to do really fun things like go to McDonald’s for ice cream cones and watch the first half of the first Star Wars (that is to say, the first of the good, original, classic Star Wars movies)… so this morning at breakfast, I heard all about the movie. The all were really excited about it.

There are sand guys. And there good guys. And there are bad guys. And there’s a princess. There’s a robot (read: C-3PO) and his little thing (read: R2-D2), and the robot wants to go one way, and the little thing wants to go the other way and ends up in a trash truck. (I was not aware of Waste Management vehicles in the movie, but I guess I was not paying close enough attention to those details when I watched it!) There’s a boy named Luke. There’s a really big bad guy. Daddy says, “The good guys always win,” but the big bad black guy (read: Darth Vader) killed Obi-Wan Kenobi…. (There’s a long pause, and after much thought, Blessing #2 says,) But they both had life savers (actually, they both had lightsabers), so I really don’t understand that part at all… How did the big bad black guy kill Obi-Wan Kenobi if Obi-Wan Kenobi had a life saver, too? Hmmm… life savers, huh. Life savers like the plastic donuts that they throw into a pool or Life Savers like the tasty original fruits candy? Then there’s the big guy named Chewbacca. (B#3:) He’s a lion! (B#2:) *giggle* No he’s not! He’s a gorilla, silly!

It was at this point that I asked if they saw any Ewoks. They asked what they were. I said they look like Zacchaeus but they wear little leather vests and carry sticks and walk on two legs. They just stared at me blankly.

Anyway, there is much excitement over Star Wars, and they are very eager to watch the second half. As such, it only seemed obvious to get the Star Wars’ Mr. Potato Head for a Christmas gift. This guy cracks me up-- he’s hilarious! I honestly think that Darth Tater is just about the coolest thing!

Speaking of Mr. Potato Head, the kids are really into this new thing of scrunching up and twisting their faces and saying, “Look! I’m Picasso!” After many puzzled looks, I finally made the connection and figured out the source of the new game…. Toy Story—the part where Mr. Potato Head says that when his pieces are all mixed up on his face. So silly...

Kids pick up the funniest things on t.v. A lot of times it’s the things that you wouldn’t really expect. Drugstores everywhere can be glad to know that successful marketing may just bring in a younger generation of oral care shoppers. B#3 informed me yesterday that we needed to buy some SeaBond because, well, “we need it.” It’s comfortable, and it works. “We need some ‘cause it’s the best.” SeaBond has convinced a 4 year old that it is a necessity to purchase their denture adhesive!

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I have found the wall knocker. I’ve heard the knocking off and on for over a year. It’s gotten louder and more frequent lately. The intermittent incessant knocking on my house is definitely not a persistent door-to-door salesman. Yesterday I spied the knocker, pterodactyl head and all. It appears that Woody has taken up residence. I’ve snuck around the side of the house and seen him twice. Both times I had my camera in hand. Neither time was I successful in snapping a picture. I hope to get him before BH puts something up to discourage his presence. I know we don’t really need a hole in the side of the house, but there is something intriguing about having a woodpecker living at your house!

In the midst of all this knocking, there was also some buzzing. And the buzzing produced a couple good chuckles. Usually it’s my little man who entertains me with the funny things he says, but the credit for yesterday goes to Blessing #1.

I have my phone set to vibrate and ring. It starts vibrating before it starts ringing. The phone was on the kitchen counter and I was in the other room checking my email. The phone started to buzz on the counter. I headed to the kitchen to answer it. When I got in there, I picked up the phone (thus eliminating the buzzing on the counter) and heard B#1 giggling. She turns to B#2 and excitedly says,

“Moma’s phone was tooting! Did you hear that?! Her phone toots! That is so funny! Moma’s phone’s tooting!”

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It was fingernail day for the girls. The boys watched the Cowboys play football,
and I painted
snowflakes
and Christmas trees!

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Car conversations

Blessing #3: Moma, Moo-omm-aa... Hey! You know what?

He is intently studying his finger.

B#3: Hey, Mom. Did you know that snot is made out of booger juice? It sure is. Did you know that, Moma?

Monkey Moma: Oh really, huh. Hmm...

B#2: Moma, I'm feeling thirsty. I feel like drinking some juice or something.

MM: Booger juice?

B#2: Yeah! ...Really!

She lowers her voice some as she turns to talk to B#5 who is sitting next to her.

B#2: I said that because I really just want to know what booger juice looks like!

This prompts B#3 to quickly unplug his finger from his nose and shove it in front of B#2's face.

B#3: Hey! Hey! Lookie at my finger! Look! Mmm! Hey!
Booger juicy! Booger juicy! Booger juicy!

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