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?

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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?

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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!

Lego Party

Andrew is 9!  (9...sigh...I can barely even think about it.) 

Since we have two boys with birthdays right near Thanksgiving and Christmas and life gets a little C.R.A.Z.Y. about then, we have made a policy that one boy gets a big party one year and the other boy gets a big party the following year.  In their "off" years, they are allowed to have a small party with just a few friends.

This was Andrew's "small party" year. Upon being given a few options, he chose to invite four friends over to our house for a Lego party. I'll be honest.  This was a Pinterest party from start to finish.  I can take no credit for doing anything original here.  We are deep in birthday/holiday season at our house, and this time of year it is all I can do to read and follow the instructions of someone more creative than I.  That being said, it was a fun party to put together, and the boys seemed to love all the cool games.  So, thanks, random internet people who posted your great Lego party ideas for me to copy!



our resident 9-year-old waiting for his friends to arrive

  

 first activity:  guess how many Legos are in the jar!  *answer at bottom of post if you'd like to play along!

build your own race car station

 the boys hard at work building and naming their race cars

 

Josh with "Go Go Scooter" and Seth with "Speed Machine" in round 1

 

the other Josh with "Sensitive Speedy" and Andrew with "Speedster 592" in the semi-finals

Seth and Josh racing "Speed Machine" and "Sensitive Speedy" for the championship.  "Speed Machine" pulled ahead for the win!

the boys trying to get as many legos as they could onto their plates in one minute using only straws

Lego skee-ball

 

table centerpieces:  I asked Andrew to make a utensil holder and a vase of flowers out of Legos...

if you look closely you will see what happens when you ask a boy to make a vase of flowers.  he will add a scary Lego biker skeleton to the edge of the vase...which will make his mom smile.

 

the party table...before there was pizza and cake everywhere!

the Lego cake...all I can say is, I tried.  (and that I am grateful that 9-year-olds are quite easily impressed!)

the boys providing us with a little armpit/kneepit luncheon music.  we had a quartet going at one point.  really.  you didn't think Andrew's party would be free of armpit noises, did you?

Lego candy!  yes, you really can build with it!  (not that ours lasted long enough for much building...)

A very happy birthday to our sweet little Andrew!


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