Reading Nook

The baby crib came down on Sunday. I suppose it could have been a sad moment.  But it wasn’t. 

I decided it to be crafty and create a ‘reading nook’ in Molly’s room by re-purposing the crib mattress and a bookshelf. 

 

 

Each of my kids has gone (or is currently going) through the phase where their favorite book was the “Big Bus” book.  I admit it’s one of my top 5 too.  It’s short and the pages are made from cardboard.  I know it by heart.  Mike and I read it to Maisie one night while she was throwing-up from the stomach flu and Mike and I were on the verge of throwing up from the wine-flu.  I found the book to be absolutely hilarious that night.

 

See Big Bus out on the streets.  See him smile at those he meets.  Stopping here and stopping there. Hop on for a ride, please pay your fare.  He won’t get lost wherever he goes.  Time to rest, time to doze.

 

 

 

Love that story.  Love these kids. Love wine.

I'm glad we had this talk.

 

 

Feeling Blue

Molly loves to sneak in my purse- usually for gum. On Saturday she was after my phone.  From the looks of it, I'm guessing she had a pretty important story share over the phone. 

I did mention this all happened on Saturday... temps in the 70's, hence the lack of clothing. 

I could imagine why you might think she looked a little chilly- almost a little bluish.

 

She wasn't cold at all.  She got her hands on a Halloween stamper and decided to use it like lipstick, blush, wall decor, body paint, soap...  This all happened before a Fareway adventure.  We like to keep people guessing about us there.  A couple folks made comments- most just stared before quickly glancing away. 

 

I think it cracked Molly up.  Anything for a laugh.

The Photo From the Church

 

On Trick-Or-Treat night, one of the Winterset church's had an event with face painting, pony rides, carnival games, a free photo, hot dog dinner... the whole works.  Smart idea if you ask me.  This is the photo they took of my babes.  The shoe/costume combination cracks me up each time I look at it. 

An Excuse

Now that the "Squirrel Hunt" results are forever documented in Boydbabe history, I can fill you in on what happens behind-the-scenes during Squirrel Hunt Weekend; trust me, there's more to it than meets the eye.

It all starts when 9 cousins and their parents get together at GG and Papa's house.  Add a smoked turkey, an outdoor trampolene, a make-shift beauty salon in the basement, an indoor jump house surrounded with patio furniture cushions, alcohol, a maternity photo shoot as well as a photo shoot involving 9 kids ranging in age from 1 to 7, exploding rockets from pop bottles, tractors and hay racks, a dead deer being gutted under the clothesline, 5 (9-by-13-inch) freezer meals, did I mention alcohol?, one emotional breakdown that could only be fixed with fake fart sounds, a dinner discussion on beating chicken, a 1st birthday party, a slide show, haircuts, laughs, smiles and memories.

Let me set the record straight.  It's not just a squirrel hunt, that's just our excuse...

My Dad shot a deer. 

 

He explains how to properly gut a deer to eliminate stink.

 

Our make-shift salon

 

Mom putting meals together.  That big enamel pot in the photo makes this even more nostalgic.

 

The girls.

 

Molly and Laura

 

Maisie helps Laura put her shoes on.

 

Cole jumps on his exploding rocket.

 

Papa teaches Ross proper shooting form.

 

The trampolene is always a hit.

 

Heather was popular with the kids Sunday morning.

 

There's nothing better than a "bubble" with cousins

Election Tuesday

 

While getting ready for work this morning, I overheard the following conversation between Ross and Maisie.

 

Ross: “Hey Maiz, who would you vote for, Smit Romney or Barak Obama?”

Maisie: “Um, who’s Bama?”

Ross: “You don’t want to vote for Bama.  You should vote for Smit Romney, he has 18 grandkids.  Obama only has 2 daughters, no brothers.”

Maisie: "What does Bama look like?"

Ross: “He’s a black man… I can show you downstairs.”

Maisie: “He’s downstairs?”

Happy Election Day!

Squirrel Hunt 2012

This past weekend marked the annual Squirrel Hunt in Long Grove.  Target practice took place Saturday afternoon, in anticipation for Sunday mornings' hunt. 

I'm proud to annouce Mike was able to bring the squirrel trophy home this year.

No, those are not all his squirels.  I think he shot 7.

 

Ross was so proud of his daddy.  Ross announced that daddy was gonna buy Ross  a 22 if daddy won the hunt this year.  Ross doesn't forget anything.

Something about the bucket in the background that just makes this photo even better.

Until next year...

 

How do you like your eggs?

A close friend and I were catching up when the topic of "eggs" was brought up.   I'm sure you're familiar with the movie, Runaway Bride. There's a scene in the movie where Ike (Richard Gere) tells Maggie (Julia Roberts),  "You're so lost you don't even know how you like your eggs". We analyzed that statement for a moment, then moved on to equally pressing topics.  Deep down, her and I both know our true talent is reinacting Sally Fields character in Steel Magnolias... yes, the cemetery scene. 

Anyway, the egg preference discussion came to mind this morning as I made breakfast for my girls.  Maisie requested eggs... "you know, eggs like Daddy", she said.
"Okay, hard cooked or scrambled", I asked.  "I want the ones with the cheese circle in the middle", she explained. 

Of course, silly me, she was asking for fried eggs.  (I'm guessing she assumes the yolk is a blob of cheese).  I made one for Maisie and one for Molly.  Maisie inhaled hers within seconds and was ready for another.  As soon as I cut Molly's egg and the runny yolk spread across the plate, she yelled, "Gross!" and began to cry.  Maisie  couldn't have been happier and went on to eat 3 more.  I listed off as many 'egg options' as I could think of for Molly before she replied, 'amble agg'.  Perfect, scrambled eggs it is. 

My girls are different.  They will always have different opinions, different personalities, different talents and different hair colors. 

Maisie likes to be cuddled, read to, dolled up and I often overhear her telling the cat how much she loves him in a sing-song, high-pitched voice.  Molly, on the other hand, will yell "NO!" at a stranger if they look at her, will discipline the cat to no end, tries to clean the house by shoving anything she can find into the trash, will eat an entire pack of gum as 'snack', and just this week started putting herself to bed in her big girl bed- no questions asked.

I hope they always embrace their individuality.  But more than that, I hope they never forget how they like their eggs.