Libby the 5-Year-Old

Happy 5th Birthday, Libby!  While we are in the middle of the craziness of packing up our current house and preparing to move to our new house, we still wanted you to have a special birthday. 

Our day began with presents at breakfast, including some new earrings from Poppa and Gangee because...you got your ears pierced today!  After breakfast, we trundled off to the pediatrician's office for your 5-year-old checkup and ear piercing.  You were a champ.  (A tall champ...still 96th percentile for height!)  You didn't even flinch when the doctors pierced your ears.  But I think you used everything you had keeping it together for the ear piercing because when the nurse came in to give you your immunizations, you lost it.  Poor little thing.

Your BFF Gracie was waiting for you in the doctor's office parking lot for a special girls' day out.  That helped to dry your tears pretty quickly!  After comparing your matching earrings, the two of you had lunch and playtime at Chick Fil A.  Our next stop was a little boutique that does manicures and pedicures for little girls, but they messed up your appointment time and had to reschedule for another day.  Bummer!  So we improvised with a quick stop for Icees and an afternoon playdate at our house.

Libby and Gracie at lunch

I had the sweetest little "spa day" birthday party plan in my head before we began this moving process.  Unfortunately it had to be shelved until next year if your mama wanted to keep her sanity.  So we just had a few friends over for cupcakes and playtime in our back yard.  Aunt Gwen and Uncle Chris even made a surprise visit and had fun laughing when you showed them your new "diarrhea" (your word for the new diary one of your little friends gave you as a gift).

Waiting for your friends to arrive



Happy, happy birthday to our lovely 5-year-old girl!

Spring Break

We are not really Spring Break-ers.  Since we live in the beautiful Carolinas, it doesn't really seem necessary to go someplace warm for Spring Break when we can just stay home, sleep in every morning, and enjoy our own lovely climate.

(Except for this year.  Warm, sunny Florida or someplace Caribbean would have been nice this year.  Seriously, on Thursday it was 41 degrees.  And raining.  I was wearing a sweater and a winter coat and carrying an umbrella.  In April.  In North Carolina.  Just wrong.)

So, we just had a relaxed little stay-cation.  We spent the first couple days just sleeping in and lazing around with no real schedule.  It was cold, but at least it was sunny enough for all the neighbor kids to play together outside. 

On Wednesday, one of the neighbor moms and I got temporary insanity brave and took 2 vanloads of kids to the movies.  Speaking of which, I have a quick message for my babies: 

Dear Children of Mine,

One day one or more of you might accuse me of not loving you.  You might be sleepy and irrational, you might be experiencing teenage sullenness or angst, or you might just disagree with one of my parenting decisions and come to the conclusion that I don't really love you.  If that day ever comes, please remember this:  I took you to the movies and sat with you through the awfulness that is "The Rise of the Guardians" not once but twice.  Twice. 

(Also, to the child whose chocolate Cadbury egg I stole appropriated, remember:  "The Rise of the Guardians."  Twice.)

Love, Mom

Thursday, as I mentioned, was cold and rainy.  It was a great evening for a pizza party with the neighbors!

Nothing crazy about this.

 
On Friday morning we headed to Discovery Place.  We have never taken the kids there.  It was, honestly, not my thing, being all full of science and half-crazed, spring-break-glazed children.  But Andrew and Libby loved it.  Adam would have loved it, but his stomach started hurting when we got there.  Poor little guy.

One fun thing about Discovery Place?  As soon as we walked in the door, we ran into our cousins Grace and Ryan!

We saw a 3D movie about lions in Africa.

Keeping a ball suspended in air...with air.

Lying on a bed of nails! 

 Sitting in the "air chair."

 

 

A really cool rope tunnel!



 Andrew with a stick sculpture.

Libby made one just like it!

 

 

After a fun day at Discovery Place, lunch at Fuel Pizza...for everyone but Adam, who said his stomach hurt.



...And then we all piled in the car and started driving home and Adam threw up in the back seat and Spring Break was over just. like. that.

The End.

Easter 2013

Easter began with the boys' standard: setting up a Bunny Sting.  Although they carefully aimed video recorders at the doors in hopes of catching the Easter Bunny at work, EB slipped through their snare once again!  We're not sure how he managed to enter our house.  In fact, at first we weren't even sure he did because there were no Easter baskets...just a note telling everyone to wait for further instructions. Well, that was certainly a mystery! 

We didn't have to wait long at all before the Easter Bunny sent me a text message...and then the hunt was on!  EB sent the kids all over the house on a really fun scavenger hunt to find their baskets.  After several clues, Libby discovered hers in "the room of blue/ where you're sent when your smell makes people say PEEEEE-YEW!"  There was her basket, right in the shower.  Adam was then instructed "don't walk, you must run/ this is where your mom keeps your Capri Suns" and found his basket in the garage fridge.  Finally Andrew followed the clue "this makes blankets so clean and warm/ it's the final stop on this Easter morn" to discover his basket in the dryer.  That Easter Bunny was certainly one busy fellow!

After unrestrictedly gorging themselves on sugar because hey it's Easter and kids should have days like that once or twice a year a few pieces of candy, we headed off to church.  First we took a few Easter snapshots of the kids.  The boys put their crazy on:

Adam was ticked off about the way his shirt sleeves were designed to roll up.

Libby was mad that she didn't have any pockets to put her hands in for the picture like the boys. 

Andrew had no complaints about his getup.

Once church was over, we hopped into the car to head to Poppa Keith and Grandma Betsy's.  The highlight of the day was seeing Baby Claire! 

Wait, it was the Easter baskets from the grandparents! 

No, wait, it was the egg hunt! (Notice Libby's awesome new yellow "flip-floppers."  They were in her Easter basket from Grandma Betsy and Poppa Keith, and they are her pride and joy.)

Well, at any rate, the day was full of fun highlights for the kids.

But then it was time for the parents to have a little fun...

Once we got home and put the kids to bed, Steve and I realized the next day was April Fool's Day.  So we decided to play a little prank on the kids.  We made sure the kids were sound asleep.  Then we put Libby in Adam's bed... 

and Andrew in Libby's bed... 

and Adam in Andrew's bed. 

(Oh, and we drew mustaches on all of them for good measure.)

It was fun for the kids to wake up on April Fool's Day and wonder why on earth they found themselves where they did not go to sleep, and it was even more fun for Andrew (who realized he had mustache art on his face right away) to point out Adam's and Libby's mustaches.

Happy Easter to all!

Wake Up, Boy

The scene in Andrew's bedroom every school morning...

 

The Passover According to Adam

We've been recording the History Channel's miniseries "The Bible" for the past several weeks but haven't been able to watch any of it yet.  Tonight was the first Friday evening in some time that we've all been home, so we ordered pizza and gathered together to watch the first installment.  It seems really well done so far!  (Although I was surprised by God's rather high-pitched voice...I always imagined Him as a bass.  Casting.) 

I was especially delighted that the kids really knew what was going on and who was who.  There was plenty of action for the boys, and they were glued to the 2-hour episode the whole time.  And good old Adam Nichols, it turns out, is something of a secret Bible scholar.  Who knew this kid knew so much?  Or so I thought until the portrayal of the Passover in Egypt, when Adam wanted to know  "When are the people gonna paint the llama blood on their doors so their kids don't die?"

Conversations With a Four-Year-Old

Libby:  When are we going to give Cooper back?

Me:  Well, never...he's our dog.  We're not going to give him back to anyone.

Libby:  You mean we get to keep him till he's dead?

*********************************************************************

Libby and I are hanging out on the couch together.  She is "knitting," which means she has two knitting needles and is making a giant knotted mess out of a skein of yarn.

Me:  Libby, I have to go get the boys from school now.  Daddy's here if you need anything.

Libby:  May I please continue knitting?

**********************************************************************

We have just finished our dinnertime Bible reading about Abram and Sarai going down into Egypt to escape the famine in Canaan.

Me:  Does anyone know what a famine is?

Andrew:  Yes, it's when there's no food.

Me:  So Abram and Sarai were going down to Egypt to find food.

Libby:  What?  Why would they go there?  There's no food in Egypt!  There's just sand.  And the "Stynx's" missing nose.

Needed: Theologian for Hire

Job Description:  Person with MDiv degree or higher needed to ride shotgun in my minivan for trips to and from preschool.  This person must be, above all, extremely patient.  Must be able to answer *multiple* earnest theological questions of a four-year-old girl (sample questions to follow) as well as the more secular questions that arise from numerous rabbit trails.  Must be OK with delight in listening to off-key singing to the same kids' worship CD over and over...and over and over...

Sample Questions:

Mom, what does "holy" mean?

Mom, if Jesus took our sin away on the cross but he is holy and doesn't have any sin in him, where did the sin go?

Mom, is Jesus bigger than the trees?  Bigger than a building?  Bigger than the whole world?

Mom, does God fill up the whole world?  Even to the edges?

Mom, will the mommies and daddies be in heaven with their kids?

Mom, is God or Jesus the one with the brown beard?

Compensation:  Pay is in Capri Sun and McDonald's French fries (Chick Fil A waffle fries negotiable).

I Can't Stop Laughing

The wolf's version of "Call Me Maybe"...performed by one of the Coconut Bros....wearing his pajama tuxedo...with backup dancers.

Hedgy Turns 7

Our little hedgehog Adam is up a year and down two teeth.  Shortly before his seventh birthday, he lost two more teeth, making him too cute for words.

See?

This year Adam chose to have a movie party since a new movie theater recently opened nearby.  The party was *glorious* for everyone involved:  Adam and his buddies had a great time, and Steve and I just had to show up and watch a movie with the kids.  No cleaning the house, no cooking, no inventing (or copying from Pinterest) party games.  We had a fun time in the party room following the movie. 

The one thing I was responsible for was making cupcakes.  I figured since I really didn't have anything else to do for the party, I should make them good.  (We all know what's coming next...)  So I checked out Pinterest for some movie-themed cupcake ideas!  And, as always, my beloved Pinterest came through:  Cupcakes that look like little tubs of popcorn.  Look at these babies!  Adam and his buddies loved them.

The crew at the movie party.

Adam's movie party was actually held a couple weeks before his real birthday, which is the only way to get friends to come when your birthday is five days before Christmas. 

So we had a little family celebration at our house the night before leaving for Indiana for the holidays...

...And then we spent Adam's real, actual, bona fide birthday in Indiana at Chuck E. Cheese with Poppa and Gangee and the Nichols aunts, uncles, and cousins.

 

Happy 7th Birthday to our wild and crazy guy!

Andrew's Letter to Santa

Dear Santa Claus,

Please for Christmas I would like:

A go-cart, beyblade stuff, Pokémon DS or 3DS games, any DS or 3DS games, Skylanders, Skylanders Giants, LEGOs, a wagon that you can steer, a foam sword/s, Spy Gear.

I can't think of anything else but, what ya' got?

Love,
Andrew M. Nichols

P.S. Please no clothes, they aren't nessicary [sic].

P.P.S. How you do fit through a chimney?

Write back please!

Thanksmas

This year is an "In-Laws Christmas" year for the Moon family, so we all made sure to be home at Mom and Dad's for Thanksgiving.  We decided as long as we were all there and wouldn't see each other for Christmas, we may as well exchange a few gifts and do our annual Yankee Swap. 

Now my children think that they get presents for Thanksgiving and are apparently announcing it to all their friends (as I was informed by a certain young man's first-grade teacher).

We had a close call and almost had to miss the whole thing.  The day before Thanksgiving, Libby woke up with a fever and what was obviously an ear infection.  (Here's something I'm thankful for:  Children who are old enough to say, "Hey, Mom, my ear hurts."  No more guessing whether or not to take the baby to the doctor!)  After I called and got her an appointment with the pediatrician, I came downstairs to find Adam with "that look" on his face.  I know "that look" by now.  It says, "SINUS INFECTION!"  So Adam got to come along to see the doctor, too.  And Dr. Mom was right:  Ear infection for Libby and sinus infection for Adam.  Since both kids were running temperatures on Wednesday, we didn't know if we'd get to go be with everyone the next day for Thanksgiving -- can't be too careful with a new baby in the mix.  Fortunately the antibiotics started doing their jobs quickly, and we were able to go (with Adam and Libby under strict instructions to stay away from Claire).

Honestly, I thought we were past this.  I mean, my kids are the oldest grand kids. Isn't it supposed to be the babies and the toddlers who have the penchant for getting sick at the holidays?  I was so sure we'd outgrown this.  Guess it just proves my axioms:  It's Not Christmas Until...  (Here's another thing I'm thankful for:  Timing.  So much better to be at the pediatrician's the day before Thanksgiving than in the ER the day of!)

Is it Thanksgiving or Christmas?  It's Thanksmas! 

(Thankful for generous aunts and uncles who gave our children such thoughtful gifts!)

The Moon grandchildren:  The count is up to 6!

(Oh, so thankful for these little lives)

Andrew could hardly wait to meet new cousin Claire

(Thankful that my little boy loves babies oh. so. much.)

The oldest and youngest Moon grandchildren

(Thankful I got to spend most of the day holding this sweet, sweet baby)

Aunt Whitney and Cate

(Thankful for Cate's funny little be-bopping personality.  What a sweet little clown she is!)

Uncle Jordan with Libby and Mary Caroline

(Thankful that Uncle Jordan genuinely loves kids!)

We couldn't decide if these were supposed to be Indian headdresses or turkey feathers.  Either way, they crack. me. up.

(Thankful for the friendship blooming between these two.  MC went home referring to Libby as "my best friend Libby."  This mama's prayers are being answered!)

The men outside hard at work drinking beer frying the turkey

(Thankful for kind, hard-working dads, uncles, and grandfathers!)

The kids' Thanksgiving coffee table.  If you're thinking it looks like a Dexter kill scene what with the shower curtain taped to the floor and the coffee table completely covered in a vinyl tablecloth and duct tape...I agree.  (Mom got a new rug and wasn't taking any chances!)

(Thankful that no blood -- or food! -- was spilled this Thanksgiving!)

Sweet little Cate was fascinated with Claire and kept coming by to pat her head and say, "Awwww."

(Just...thankful for everything about this picture.)

Aunt Alison has a new baby girl to crochet for!

(Thankful for all the uncontrollable cuteness)

Just...couldn't...stop...crocheting...

(See above)

Merry Thanksmas from Ruldolph Adam!

(Words fail me.  Thankful for this picture that is quintessentially Adam Nichols.)

One last thing I'm thankful for? That Aunt Cara took such fabulous pictures of Thanksmas!