The Buckingham Palace

Tube Thing

2012-02-13T18:37:00.004-06:00

Do we have sled? Nope. Did I think we should pick one up for this winter? Yup. But I didn't. And it never snowed. Until last night. It snowed like 3 inches. Perfect for sledding.

Refer to how I did not pick up a sled earlier in the year. So off we went, searching Pleasant Hill for one (when I say searching, I mean I had 3 stores to choose from.. Dollar General, the grocery store, and True Value). We quickly found out we should have bought one earlier in the year, everyone was sold out of sleds. Finally at the hardware store a man said, "You know, we might have one of those tube things left." Perfect!

Tube thing bought! Then off to Aunt Leslie's house where the perfect hillside awaited us.

L told me I was "his best mom, ever!" Tube thing totally saved me!

Snow Day

2012-02-13T10:04:00.003-06:00

Good thing Pol won that snow shovel at the Christmas party.

Great-Grandma

2012-02-07T21:32:00.006-06:00

Mary El helped her Great-Grandma Jennie celebrate her 85th birthday this past weekend. L was there to celebrate as well, but he was too busy chowing down on cake and ice cream to take a picture.

For my friends outside of MO, Grandma Jennie is Teri's mom. Teri is Pol's mom. I know... I know.. you want a family tree to keep everyone straight. It is coming. Once I figure it all out myself.

4 month report

2012-02-06T20:09:00.011-06:00

Sweet little girl is 4 months old (well, technically she has been 4 months old for the past three days).

Her report from the dr today:
12lbs 3ozs - 25%
23 1/2" - 25%

Basically she is one little girl - literally!

Here are some pics of her newest pastimes.

Laying by the fire. Naked, of course. You should know she is only naked because I had to come downstairs to pluck her pjs out of the dryer. That's right. Out of the dryer. Why bother folding and putting things away when you can just lay your naked baby next to the fire while you root through a pile of clothes to find something for her to wear. (L's pjs were plucked from his dirty laundry basket... yup, I am an awesome homemaker)

And yes... we do cloth diapers. You can make fun, I make fun. We are not hippies. We are cheap. I wish it was because we were hippies (well I guess the correct term for modern hippies is hipsters). We are not hipsters either. Just boring mid-30 year olds trying to save a dime. Well save a dime so I can turn around and spend that dime on some Target clearance item that we do not need... and this is because I am an awesome homemaker.

Grabbing and chewing on anything she can get to her mouth is a favorite new challenge.

A friend had posted a picture of her daughter (who is only a few weeks older than M) in one of these Jimmy Jumper things and I realized, oh, we have one of those, perhaps I should get it out. I did. She likes it. For about 3 mins. Then she slumps over and gets angry until I straighten her back up. It might actually be a few more weeks before this becomes a favorite.

Starts out pretty good:

Then the slumping begins:

This is her favorite pastime... sleeping. She does this pretty well when in her crib. Outside the crib she isn't a huge fan of closing her eyes, but in the crib she and dreamland are friends.

Winter Getaway

2012-02-03T13:14:00.009-06:00

Grandma Mary was able to come visit this past week thanks to Southwest having a winter sale. Because.. really, who wants to fly to K.C. in the winter? Well Grandmas do! Even better when "winter" is 60 degrees out! Even granddaddy could have handled those temperatures... but alas he was afraid there would be a blizzard so he stayed home.

I really like this pic of mom and Mary El.

Cracking each other up.

L always keeping the Marys entertained.

Quiet time for both... on their kindles!

43 Years

2012-02-01T10:23:00.002-06:00

They met and married in 6 months. That was 43 years ago.

Happy Anniversary mom and dad!

Sucka

2012-01-26T10:50:00.003-06:00

Mary El is thinking... "Check it out momma, I cry and Grandma Mary will instantly pick me up. Sucka."

Yup.

2012-01-16T21:27:00.003-06:00

We are those people. Those people with the dog in clothes.

In our defense:
1. She (Mocha-dog) really does get cold. I would get cold too if I was a freakishly-skinny-horse-looking dog. I am keeping my baby weight on in order to get through the cold middle winters. Of course, this thinking would work a lot better if it would actually get cold here. This is the first and only snow we have had this winter. By the way... I thank the good Lord above each and every day for this. I am not a fan of blustery cold weather.
2. It was a Christmas gift from Grandma Mary and Granddaddy, you should always be polite and wear the gifts you are given.
3. Yes.. it is big on her, but again, she has the body of a greyhound that has been starved for 6months. PS. She is not starved. Though she would have you believe otherwise if you were to come eat at our house. She is also oddly long, so she has to wear the large size so it will fit her in length. She is like her daddy, tall and skinny, jackets don't fit him in length either unless they are larges. Someone needs to make dog clothes in medium talls.
4. I am not homemaker enough to make the dog her own wardrobe. Give me a year.. maybe next Christmas I will have knitted her a sweater. Right after I get the kids' baby books done.

She actually does like the jacket. On the few days it has been pretty cold she has waited by the door for me to dress her. She has no shame.

First Laugh

2012-01-12T21:30:00.003-06:00

Mary was helping me clean her brother's room today. She thought it was funny I was trying to clean it. Listen closely at the front of the video... it's one of her first laughs ever.

Mary El Laughing from michelle buckingham on Vimeo.

A 4-yr old lives here

2012-01-11T20:36:00.003-06:00

The plan: Paint L's really dark blue room yellow.
The plan: Accomplished.
New plan: Organize and purge long forgotten toys.
New plan: Not so much accomplished.

He choose to get rid of exactly 2 toys. And one of those is a broken McDonald's toy. Perhaps I will be going through the room without his help when he goes to preschool on Friday morning.

Sidenote: He did remember the name of two dragons he had not played with in at least a year. I mean really. Sam and Charlie must have made a deeper impression than I had realized. Needless to say, those squishy dragons will make the cut on Friday.

So as I was trying to make sense of the bomb that hit his room (and not step on a car, dragon, superhero missile or some other toy that would impale my foot). This is what he was doing downstairs.

In Pol's words: "Our house looks lived in. By a 4-yr old. No one else."

Three months old

2012-01-04T20:48:00.010-06:00

Time is flying! Mary El is already 3 months old (yesterday)! I should be a better SAHM (this is short for stay-at-home-mom. I had to learn this when I became one, it's important to know the lingo). So.. I should be a better SAHM and post a fancy calendar, with a fancy picture, with Mary's achievements in her three months of life. Perhaps I will have this done for the next month... don't count on it... in case you thought I might actually do this. I am still working on L's baby book. When I say working on it, I mean, I thought about it once on his first birthday. Plus, do you really want to know each and every drool, burp, and poo that my child does? YOU DO? Well, I don't blame you for wanting to know, but alas, you will just have to wonder if she pooed on me today.

Sidenote: she did poo on me! In an airplane. In the air. She also peed on me. In an airplane. At take-off.

For fun. Here are the highlights I can remember at this moment:

I have no idea what she weighs (many people ask me this, and I do not know). She weighs less than L and more than a beer mug filled with yummy cider.
She drools. Some. Not a lot.
She burps. A lot. She will cry as if I have done some evil wrong to her when I know she needs to burp. Then about 1min into the beating on her back she will calm down and let it rip about 10 secs later.
The hiccups come, pretty much right on cue, about 30mins after she has eaten.
After the hiccups comes the crankiness, if you keep her up.
She does not settle down easily if you try to rock her to sleep. If you insist on rocking her to sleep (grandparents), make sure to pat her butt, it's about the only way she might possibly fall asleep in your arms.
She sleeps with her eyes partially open. It's a bit creepy.
L can run screaming bloody murder right past her head and she will not flinch. She might look lazily in his direction.
She just moved into her room. Until now she has slept in a bassinet in our room.
Caffeine does not effect her. Perhaps because it's like crack to her. She needs it. I bet she would get a headache if I deprived her. I know.... I KNOW... this might be the one case where "experts" would say formula might be better for the child than the mother's milk
She smiles. This makes me smile, even as I type it.

She is wondering what the heck is that on her head.

Sweet baby sister

2012-01-02T20:20:00.011-06:00

L loves his sister. Good thing it looks like she doesn't mind getting a hug/tackled.

Cousins

2011-12-31T21:20:00.013-06:00

Us

2011-12-30T21:02:00.002-06:00

The Buckinghams on Christmas morning.

Yup, we look good.

A Super(hero) Christmas

2011-12-26T20:00:00.014-06:00

Take a wild guess as to what L's obsession is this year.

I was pretty excited as well.

BFFs

2011-12-24T20:38:00.007-06:00

J to L: "Eum... tonight when we go to sleep, we will still be best friends.. right?" Eum to J: "Yes."

AK to M.: "I love you. You are the prettiest baby ever. I don't just like you, I love you."

Shop-a-holic

2011-12-14T17:25:00.004-06:00

This is the look Mary gave me when I told her daddy doesn't like to shop at Kohl's. Sort of a perplexed, yet amused look.

"Santa has elves, You have Target"

2011-12-12T21:18:00.008-06:00

After 4 years of never meeting Santa, L has finally met the man. I have to admit, this Santa was so good and so real I wanted to tell him what I wanted under the tree on Christmas morning. He was downright magical. For me, it was as if Dumbledore had dressed up like Santa. For L, it was as if someone had reached into his dreams of riding the Polar Express to the North Pole then pulled him onto the sled to be presented the first gift of Christmas.

For Mary El, it was just another warm body to hold her close.

L's conversation with Santa went something like this "you know.. the one at Target. The superhero, Green Lantern - he is a super hero... I want his castle. I also want the other superheros. They are at Target. Dr. Doom. Silver Surfer. The yellow guy.. he is a good guy, he has a mask, kinda like Batman but not on his head, on his eyes. You know his name? My daddy knows his name. I want him too."

Tummy Time

2011-12-08T20:22:00.002-06:00

It began well...

And.. now we are done.

The healthy and not-so-healthy news

2011-12-07T21:33:00.004-06:00

Mary El had her 2 month appt today. She is a perfectly healthy baby.
Weight: 10.5lbs (50%)
Height: 23" (75%)

In other news.. this little dude has a bad cold (which he has graciously shared with me and Pol). Let's all pray Mary doesn't get it!

Could he possibly have a cold since he is in shorts when it's 32 degrees outside?

Baby's got a new hat...

2011-12-06T21:11:00.000-06:00

and it tastes good.

A man and his children...

2011-12-05T20:22:00.003-06:00

... watching Charlie Brown Christmas.

Bro and Sis

2011-12-04T21:44:00.002-06:00

I had the kids all ready for church.
L asked if he could hold his sister.
I said yes.

Then I subjected them to a few pics.

Yes.. Mary always looks really comfortable in L's arms.

Day of Firsts

2011-11-30T20:21:00.003-06:00

Last night Mary El slept from 10:30pm to 6:00am! WOOHOO

AND
L rode a big boy bike! DOUBLE WOOHOO

My kids are growing up.

8 weeks old!

2011-11-28T17:42:00.003-06:00

L loves to make his sister smile!

Let's just say he learned this from his daddy

2011-11-27T17:50:00.002-06:00

It's Christmas time in Missouri

2011-11-20T20:57:00.004-06:00

We hung the lights by the tree with care. (Well, we hung the lights.)

We tortured little Mary by putting her in the middle of a blaring train.

In the past 2 days Polar Express has been watched 5 times and Charlie Brown Christmas has been on repeat.

We are ready for the season!

Wide Awake

2011-11-15T21:03:00.005-06:00

Sweet girl is pretty happy about turning 6 weeks old!

She likes her daddy.

2011-11-06T21:25:00.002-06:00

A lot.

A Month Later...

2011-11-03T21:02:00.006-05:00

One month in this family and Mary El is getting along wonderfully. We all adore her!

Holy Pumpkins Batman!

2011-11-01T19:48:00.005-05:00

Batman and his little pumpkin.

(Yes, we know she looks like a boy. Yes, I should have put a bow on her head. Yes, I should have put girly tights on her. But check out the socks.. dead give away she is a girl! Right? Right.)

Batman looking for bad guys. Pleasant Hill businesses do an afternoon trick or treating, so L, I mean, Batman and I participated!

Then it was off for nighttime trick or treating! He had lost his hidden identity by this point.

When we made it back to Grandma Teri's house, L climbed into Pol's lap where it took about 2 mins for him to fall sound asleep.

Fall for L

2011-10-31T14:24:00.006-05:00

For real.. how cute is this kid.

Preview of Halloween:

Awake

2011-10-28T20:24:00.002-05:00

During the day she is pretty awake! Luckily for us she sleeps well at night!

Bathtime

2011-10-24T20:40:00.003-05:00

So far she likes baths better than her brother!

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-22T20:38:00.006-05:00

Looking for perfect pumpkin

Found it!

Ready for the tractor ride!

L and M. Neither were too thrilled about taking this pic.

Check this out.. pics of mom with the kids!

Road trip to Alaska

2011-10-15T21:26:00.005-05:00

Here's the lovely story of Mary's birth and the days that followed. Oh.. and there is definitely too much information.. so don't read if you don't want to know.

Back when my dr asked if I wanted to do a c-section or a vbac delivery I had mixed feelings. On one hand, if I do a c-section it will be planned and I know what that is like. On the other, vbac (vaginal birth after c-section), I will be able to deliver naturally and no major surgery. Now.. the catch... we didn't know if I could deliver through the va-ja-ja. There would be the chance I go through labor and end up with a c-section... as I did with L. Pol had no mixed feelings. He was all about the c-section.

Here is how my dr put it in order to "help" me make a decision. She described it as if we told her we wanted to go to Alaska and we were asking what was the best way to get there.. drive or fly. She said driving (which is the c-section route) you will get there. It will be slower and you are more likely to have a fender bender. But not likely to have a major car crash. If we were to fly (vbac) we are more likely to get there fast and safe. BUT if we do crash it would be catastrophic. Then she described what she meant by catastrophic... like the uterus erupting. That was all Pol needed to hear to insist we do a c-section.

We did a c-section. I really didn't have a strong opinion either way, so I was fine with whatever. As long as my daughter came out safe and sound.

My daughter, Mary, arrived safe and sound. And she came out wailing.

But we had a car crash. Actually it seemed like we had a crash in every state.

The surgery should have taken 45 mins max, but it took 2 hrs. Guess I like to bleed. And I had a lot of scar tissue. Just getting to Mary was a chore for the dr. Then she couldn't get me to stop bleeding. So she had to spend loads of time with me on the operating table. I knew the procedure was taking awhile, but I used the time to sleep a bit. Pol used the time to bond with his wailing daughter.

After I was all stitched up and back into recovery everything seemed normal. Then that night (Monday night) I was in extreme pain. They wouldn't give me one of the pain meds because it was a blood thinner and my dr was worried with how my blood wouldn't clot during the surgery for me to have this medicine. Not ok. I told the nurses I could tell it wasn't normal pain, it was extreme gas pains. They just said it was normal since I had been open for so long. Guess more air got into my bowels than normal. Finally half way through my agony in the wee hours of the night the nurse took pity on me and gave me a suppository. Gross.. yes. BUT.. if it was going to help then wonderful. My dr also agreed at 4am for me to be allowed the medicine she had said no to. Whew.. relief. PS.. the suppository did a whole lot of nothing.

Days are sort of a blur, but I believe Tuesday was most of the same.. pain in the stomach.

Next morning was a bit better, I passed gas... I know.. you all wanted to know. It is common with a c-section for them to wait until you pass gas before they allow you food. Well.. gas passed.. bring on the food!

Food was brought.

Then I thought I was going to die. DIE. But then I went to the bathroom... whew. I was going to survive.

Then I ate lunch.

About an hour after lunch death came knocking again. Dr. ordered an x-ray to make sure my bowels weren't blocked and I was put back onto an IV and not allowed food. Boo.

For lack of a better reason, I basically had an ileus (bowel blockage). Food and water were restricted. I was allowed to swish water but then I had to spit it out.

I had another attack of terrible, terrible, no good, terrible pain. The nurses were freaked out, Pol was freaked out, honestly I was a bit freaked out. I was terribly distended and nothing was helping. They called a surgeon in. He checked me over and decided I would live. Whew. He gave me a rectal check. PS... you go in to have a baby you don't expect that. Let's call it a bonus.

Finally Thursday rolls around (my birthday). Around lunch my dr came to visit and brought gum, my birthday present. She had heard that gum is an old wives' tale for something that can help the bowels to start moving. I don't even like gum, but I chewed that gum like it was a cookie cake. Guess what.. about 4 hours later.. gas! YAY! Seriously.. it was a big deal.

Friday was so much better and that morning I was allowed liquids. By lunch I was allowed pudding. Then dinner I was allowed whatever I wanted. OH.. and Mary was discharged on Friday as there was nothing wrong with her. She was allowed to stay in my room, but there had to be someone else there at all times, in case I had to be rushed somewhere.

Saturday I went home!! I had never been so happy to leave a place. The nurses were wonderful, but I wanted out! Six days in a hospital for a c-section was way too long!

You would think the story was over there... wouldn't you. You would think we had made it to Alaska.. NO. NO, just in Canada. At home I realize my incision is bleeding. It's bleeding quite a bit. Monday I call and the dr fits me in. At this point I had seen my dr every day except Sunday. She even came in on her day off to bring me gum. WELL.. the bleeding isn't normal. Fluid and blood were stuck. I am not even going to try to explain all of this. Just to say it lead to a CT-Scan this past Friday. Luckily the scan just showed blood and fluid It did not show a cut in the incision below the skin.. which would have meant another surgery and it would have meant I would have died from annoyance.

All this to say... we should make it to Alaska at some point soon.. just waiting for the fluid and blood to leave my body.

Overall I am feeling great. And this little girl makes it totally worth every bit of gas.

Yes.. L is wearing her pink receiving blanket as a cape. Batman does not discriminate on what color his cape might be.

H is for hair

2011-10-12T22:17:00.003-05:00

In honor of the letter H, L's school had crazy hair day. He was pretty proud of his "crazy" orange and blue hair.

L, L, and Mary El

2011-10-12T10:04:00.002-05:00

I just really like this picture of L, Leslie, and Mary El.

Home

2011-10-09T22:43:00.004-05:00

Mary El is settling in.

My Birthday

2011-10-07T19:02:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was my birthday. As my mom wrote in a card, it will be a birthday I will never forget... and she is right! I spent the day not allowed food or water. Wait.. you don't know this story yet, do you cyber world? Well, I am not sure I have the patience to write it all out quite yet. So for now I will leave you with a picture of my birthday cake. Betsy and family sent me this cake made from flowers for my birthday. It was perfect. Absolutely perfect.

OH.. and before I forget.. the nurses here also wrote me a birthday song, though they never had a chance to sing it to me because I always had visitors and they didn't think it was appropriate to sing it with others in the room. I don't know why they would think that. haha

Happy Happy Birthday
From all of your friends here at St. Luke's.
Happy Happy Birthday
We really really hope you have a big poop.

Mary Eleanor Buckingham

2011-10-06T20:22:00.004-05:00

Born: Oct 3rd, 2011
Weight: 8lbs 1 oz
Height: 20 3/4"
Beautiful.

Adjusting

2011-09-17T21:48:00.006-05:00

Want to know how L is adjusting to life in Missouri? I think you can judge for yourself from the pictures below.

He would live in his fort/pirate ship/tree house if allowed.

Here Pol and L are installing a flag my co-workers gave L.

Playing in the rocks.

Picnic in the fort.

Mocha is also adjusting well. She is on guard to keep the rabbits away.

L's first day at his new pre-school. He finally gets to use his batman bag!

The Move

2011-08-24T14:07:00.009-05:00

I have been pretty vague on ye old blog about exactly what has been happening in our lives these past 3 months. Thought I would catch you up in bullet points. Who reads full paragraphs these days anyway... life is full of bullet points.

Mid-May Pol is offered a new job. YAY! It's in Kansas City. YAY...wait.. what?!? That's not where we live. But yay!?!?!
It's technically a job in Lee's Summit, MO. (about 20mins outside of K.C). I say K.C. in the same way I say I work in Nashville.. technically I work 20mins south of Nashville.
The job is a call technician job at a company called F'real Foods. F'real. Yes, I make fun of the name. Yes, I usually say "F'real, yo." in my best ghetto lingo. Yes, I sound as dumb as you think. If you want to know more about F'real and their yummy shakes, go here.
Pol takes the job. He has to start early June.
EARLY JUNE.
People... we have been remodeling a house for the past 5 years.. and we are not finished.
Panic mode strikes.
Let us not forget... I am growing a child.
Pol busts his butt for the next few weeks to get as much done as he can before he leaves.
OH... I didn't mention this. We decide L and I should stay here in Nashville for a number of reasons. The main reasons being 1. To get the house done and on the market. 2. Because I have a job with good maternity coverage.
We pack up half our house and send it to MO with Pol in June.
Pol and Mocha begin living in his parent's basement. Every parent's dream.. their mid-30's son moves into the basement with his hairy dog.
Jon decides he loves Mocha because she is a rabbit hunter.. and come to find out a rabbit killer. She is knighted by Jon with a Mizzou leash. PS.. Mizzou is some college in MO that I guess is some big thing.
Rob (Pol's BFF) spends many an evening at our house finishing the bathroom upstairs and other random odd jobs that I cannot do myself.
Let us not forget... I am growing a child.
I spend pretty much every evening cleaning/painting/packing/taking care of L.
My parents, sister and her family come late June/early July to help out.
They are amazing. Anthony gives the outside a major overhaul of love. Mom and dad are work horses.
Mid-July I put the house on the market and head to the beach for a much needed vacation.
Pol is able to come to the beach for a few days.. first time we had seen him in 5 weeks, well minus Skype.
4 days after putting the house on the market there was an offer on the table. YAY! We were blown away.
Offers all accepted and inspections underway the house was pretty much sold.
Here is the craziest/best part. We know the people buying our house. They didn't know they were looking at our house and we didn't even know they were looking for a house. We go to church with them. I could not be happier that they are moving into our beloved home.
The past month I have been packing what's rest of our belongings.. which is still a shocking amount of stuff.
Let us not forget... I am growing a child.
Pol flew in this past Saturday morning, loaded the truck and drove away Sunday with the rest of our stuff and L.
I closed on the house on Monday.
I am staying with a very gracious friend for the next few weeks until I can leave Nashville. (Work is awesome and letting me take all my vacation/sick/personal time early so that I can get to MO before the baby is born while keeping my maternity coverage)
Let us not forget, I am growing a baby.
Yes, we can discuss back pains and such later. OR we can discuss how Pol and my mom have spent the summer fussing over what I should not be doing while prego. And then we can discuss how I have been ignoring them.
I won't even go into the joy of having to find a dr to deliver me in MO. I am very grateful to Jon's sister who works at a OBGYN and was able to find me the perfect dr who is more than willing to deliver this momma.
I will end here with letting you know I will have an entire blog post dedicated to MO shortly - map will be included for many of my friends who have no idea where in the mid-west MO is located. Heck, let's be honest, it's for myself as well.
PS.. most of KC is on the MO side, well, at least the "cool" parts. At least that is what the people from the MO side say. And there is a BIG difference between MO and KS. So don't go saying I am moving to Kansas. Those be fightin' words! (so I hear)

For now I leave you with a picture of my boys before they drove away from Nashville.

Closing Time

2011-08-22T10:00:00.005-05:00

"Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end"

Last Day

2011-08-19T10:50:00.004-05:00

I realize this is the time of year most parents are dropping their children off for their first day of school. I, on the other hand, dropped my son off this morning for his last day of school. I am pretty sure it's harder on me than him, as I do not think he totally gets he will not be going back. Ever. Again. Today when he leaves he will be saying goodbye to friends he has been with since he was 6mns old. He will be saying goodbye to his second home.

He wasn't a fan of having his picture taken this morning.. but I insisted.

His teachers also made him this going away book.

Inside was a sweet letter from this past year's teachers.

There was also a photo of him and his BFF. He told me the other morning he was going to miss her and he would think about her. He then added he hoped she would think about him.

Not a real update, but an update of sorts

2011-08-09T21:43:00.005-05:00

I have been a terrible blogger. I apologize. One of these days I will update you with all the summer happenings... which will include my family's visit in June, L's bday (yes, I did manage to remember he had a birthday, no way he would have let me, or anyone else for that matter, forget!), and of course the annual Everette beach trip.

As soon as I have the energy to do all that updating I will also update you on all of our life changes. Until those exciting blogs get done, I have pictures from my fancy new phone to share.

He thought we should buy daddy this hat. We did not buy daddy this hat. Nor did we buy L this hat.

Just a random picture before school

Laying out at the pool.

Lunch time.

"It's ok because I've got my boat" (name that show)

For Sale:

2011-07-14T20:25:00.004-05:00

Want to live in E. Nash/S. Inglewood or know someone who does?

This house is for sale:

Work hard. Play harder.

2011-07-11T20:27:00.004-05:00

Cheap labor:

Water break (lots of these as it was HOT!)

It was so hot L actually poured water on himself. This is the boy who FREAKS out every single night when water is poured on his head. He absolutely hates water on his head... guess 97 degree heat will get you over that fear. I turned around to find him drenching himself instead of the tomatoes.

We had a great time playing in the hose... it's the simple things.

WAKE UP!

2011-07-06T10:11:00.002-05:00

L's new fav thing to do is to wake up his little sister so he can feel her move. He will shake my belly and yell at her to wake up. Then he puts his hand on my belly and waits. Then she moves. Then he gets the biggest, sweetest grin. Repeat.

PS. It's not as cute at 6:18am.

Holy Smokes! Fireworks!

2011-07-04T23:24:00.004-05:00

Happy 4th!

2011-07-03T22:20:00.002-05:00

A wife has to do what a wife has to do

2011-06-27T15:18:00.005-05:00

I am willing to suck up 2000 calories to support my husband's new job.

Busy Work

2011-06-21T22:17:00.008-05:00

L is a pretty good helper these days. As he says "We have lots of busy work to do, right mommy?" Yup.. that's right, buds.. lots of busy work to do.

This weekend we spent it painting. He and I went to Home Depot where he got to build a toolbox. Then we came home and he painted it while I painted his room. No one worry, he was given strict instructions not to paint off the towels. We are pretty lucky and L is a relatively careful child, especially when it comes to getting messy. It's a good thing he takes after his father in this regard. If he took after me he would have painted his entire body from head to toe.

After he was done with his box he felt as though he and I should take turns painting the walls. Again, in his words, "Mommy, you have to share the busy work" So I did... might have added a good hour to my job, but it was worth it. He was happy as a plum to help me out. When we were all done he told me how pretty his room looked.

He also thought I should share the camera. When it was my turn to paint, he took pictures. He actually got my face in the this pic, so I thought I would put it on here.

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-19T21:25:00.003-05:00

Sadly, L and Pol could not be together for Father's Day. I do know L was thinking about his daddy today since every time he played with his cars they always went to Missouri to see daddy. It was sweet, and made me sad they couldn't see each other. Unless you count Skype where L told his daddy Happy Father's Day without any prompting from me.. AND he gave his daddy a virtual hug by putting his arms around the computer. Then he ran away from the computer screaming MONSTER! Completely normal.

In case you want to know how well an almost 4 yr old knows his daddy... check out the questionnaire L did on Pol at school.

I am just glad under fav drink he didn't say whiskey or beer. :-)

This Kid

2011-06-17T21:58:00.003-05:00

The other morning the kid below said these words to me, "I need you to listen to the words coming out of my mouth, mommy!"

His father and I plead ignorance as to where he would have heard such a statement!

Hello Superheroes

2011-06-08T09:10:00.005-05:00

As fast as dragons replaced trains, dragons have been replaced by superheroes.

Here he is shooting a web at me so I couldn't take any more pictures.

PS. Superheroes are more violent than dragons, who knew.

Pool time!

2011-05-31T21:56:00.003-05:00

As most people know by now, this is going to be one crazy summer for the Buckinghams. L and I decided we were going to need somewhere to go for a happy distraction. After a short discussion we both agreed the local pool would be the perfect spot for us to spend our last summer in Nashville. Thanks to Grandma Mary and Granddaddy for sponsoring our love of the water.

Patiently waiting for adult swim to be over!

Dragon boy

2011-05-25T16:27:00.005-05:00

L: I am going to turn into a dragon boy if Mocha eats my prizes.
M: Ok.
L: I will breath fire on her if she tries to eat my bucket of prizes. But I am a nice dragon boy.. right?
M: Yup, you are the nicest dragon boy I know.
L: But not to Mocha.. I will get her if she does something bad.
M: Well, I think she will leave your stuff alone. You probably don't have to breath fire on her.
L: When my little sister comes out of your belly I will be a nice dragon boy to her and not breath fire on her. Right?
M: You will be a great big brother dragon to her.
L: Yeah. I will be. But not to Mocha.

Ummmm...

2011-05-18T15:57:00.002-05:00

Text from Pol:
This is where L sheathes his sword when not in battle!

Work trips

2011-05-16T23:23:00.004-05:00

Pol and I have both had extended work trips this past month. I am still on mine, going home tomorrow!

Pol was gone for 8 days. EIGHT DAYS! In order to ease our pain of him being gone, he did the sweetest thing. He left envelopes for everyday he would be gone. Inside each envelope was a clue to where he had hid a surprise. Y'all... most of you know Pol is a keeper, but for real.. this reminded me of how lucky I am. He had to put forethought into each surprise and he had to think of 8 different things! The gifts were fun things like.. a body pillow with his face on it so I would have him to snuggle with at night, money to go to breakfast with L, chap stick (because I might have an addiction to Burt's Bees), and my fav was a recipe to make a Strawberry smoothie... he had actually stocked the fridge with everything I would need.

Like I said earlier, I am on a work trip at this very moment. It's only for four days, but I do miss my boys terribly! Pol asked me if I was going to leave him surprises as well. To which I said, "Yeah, I am planning on leaving you a list. A to-do list." I know.. I know.. Pol is super lucky to have me.

Fire pit

2011-05-10T13:43:00.004-05:00

Male bonding over making a fire. Not quite how a cub scout would make one, but it works just fine in our world.

Showing their muscles for breaking the twigs.. I mean sticks.

Change in plans

2011-05-08T21:47:00.005-05:00

Today we left the house to go the grocery store and somehow ended up at the TN Renaissance Festival. It was perfect. Hot, but absolutely perfect.

We saw knights fight. We saw a joust. We saw Queen Elizabeth. We saw many, many, many maidens with their cleavage hanging out.

Most importantly, we saw our son slay a dragon.

Ren Fest from michelle buckingham on Vimeo.

Sorry, quality isn't great, Pol doesn't have a fancy iphone.

May The Fourth Be With You

2011-05-04T13:55:00.004-05:00

"Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you?"

"Always two there are, a master and an apprentice."

Words

2011-05-02T16:29:00.009-05:00

We are really working with L to communicate his feelings with words and not actions. Such as, when he is angry/mad at us he should talk to us rather than roaring or throwing something (even though he has let us know over and over a loud roar is how a dragon says he is angry). Words are much more effective than actions during these times. After this weekend I think we might have had a break through.

I did something to break his little spirit. Goodness only knows what, as it so happens, I tend to do this daily, if not hourly. Here is the shocker: Instead of throwing a fit he sat down on his stool put his head into his little hands, looked up at me and said "Mommy, I am angry with you."

Folks, this was huge! There was no pouting. There was no yelling. There was no roaring. There was a simple statement. A statement that broke my heart, and at the same time, made me cheer a thousand cheers on the inside.

Since I was so overly enthusiastic about his calm response, for the rest of the weekend he felt it necessary to let me know every single moment I didn't make his little life perfect. But that was okay, because we talked about each and every time I made him angry/sad/mad/infuriated/exasperated in great detail.

My favorite was this morning when he told me he was angry at me and I responded with, "Well, why are you upset with me buds?" His answer: "I don't know. Yet."

And suddenly I felt like a husband having a conversation with his wife.

Hand-Me-Downs

2011-04-28T14:20:00.009-05:00

Me: Buds, your shoes are getting a little worn. And I think they are too small. Perhaps these should be retired.

L: RETIRED? To where?

Me: Maybe to the trash can.

L: Because they are too small?

Me: Yup.

L: Maybe when the baby is ready to come out of your belly we can give my shoes to the baby since they are too small for me.

May I present the baby's first hand-me-downs. What I am sure will be the first of many. (Perhaps we should all hope it's a boy. A girl might not like her brother's hand-me-downs)

I Becomes We

2011-04-25T14:57:00.015-05:00

Eight years ago I became we.

Then eventually three.

This year we add one more
as three becomes four.

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T21:02:00.002-05:00

We had a wonderful Easter weekend at my parent's house! More pictures to come, but until then I leave you with this handsome little man.

L-I-am: finally time for more phrases

2011-04-19T22:06:00.005-05:00

Some of L's fav sayings. These are just the ones he has said in the last 24 hours, as my memory does not extend any further back these days.

(Yelling from his room) Mama, come here! MAMA! I DO NOT HEAR FOOTSTEPS! (I obviously did not move fast enough!)

Mama, I am going to tell you a story. Well, it's just a short story. It's about a dragon and a princess.

I get waffles this morning!?! HOLY COW!

Trust ME! I do not like apples, but I do like marshmellows.

I am done talking. The end.

A Scout's Life

2011-04-14T20:28:00.005-05:00

Those of you who may not understand the love between a person and an animal are going to think I am slightly/totally deranged.

Those of you who understand the loss of a friend who has been your constant companion for a third of your life will totally understand why I would create a video dedicated to my eldest child.

A Scout's Life from michelle buckingham on Vimeo.

Pol wrote "The Couch" song years ago, when it was just the three of us. I always joked he wrote it for Scout. She did love to do some snuggling on a comfy couch.

Scouter girl

2011-04-08T21:07:00.014-05:00

She was top dog.
She was my dog.
She was forever under my feet and by my side.
She was my protector.
She helped Pol propose marriage to me.
She never took a car ride without throwing up, no matter how short.
She thought the electric fence was of the devil.
She wondered why we got a dog when we brought Mocha home.
She wondered why we got a cat when we brought Liam home.
She loved for someone to scratch her butt.
She loved snow. She smiled the most when she was playing in it.
She always found water on our hikes and always insisted on a quick swim.
She always found manure to roll in if water was unavailable.
She once swam out to the middle of a lake trying to get to me.
She once jumped 8 feet off a deck to chase a squirrel.
She always knew if it was me coming home.
She never got up if it wasn't me.
She never slept on furniture, until I taught her otherwise.
She was Dobby's girlfriend.
She let all kids ride on her back, pull her fur and her tail.
She stole Liam's food out of his hand when he turned his head.
She swallowed a hotdog in one gulp at our wedding rehearsal dinner.
She had blue eyes.
She was a mix of a red-bone hunting dog and a Siberian Husky, or so we were told
She was born Dec 15, 2000. The exact same day Pol and I consider our first "official" date.
She got kicked off a farm for killing chickens.
She was a year and 4 months old when she came to live with Pol.
She was a surprise for Pol. I told him we were getting a dog at the exact moment she arrived.
She gave the best hugs.
She is our best friend.
She died unexpectedly at age 10 1/2 on April 8, 2011.
She is laid to rest behind our garden.

Opening Day

2011-03-31T17:20:00.006-05:00

For those who may not be in the know... Baseball's opening day is today.

L can hit the ball pretty well, if I do brag so myself. And I do. After he makes a hit he likes to roar like a dragon.. well, he likes to roar like a dragon after everything, but it's especially cute after hitting a baseball (actually, that might be the only time it's cute anymore). I think he does it because he wants to make sure he has a cool nickname.

I present to you future Atlanta Braves player, Dragon Buckingham:

Opening Day from michelle buckingham on Vimeo.

ps. I tried a new feature in imovie... that is why it's edited so weird. I don't love it, but whatever, it's what I used, so you will like have to like it.

Hardworking Irish boy

2011-03-18T20:45:00.007-05:00

L cleaned out Pol's shop to earn some green milk. You would have thought he found a pot of gold.. or in this case, sawdust.

If you need someone to take sawdust from one place to another, we will rent L out.

He really was having a blast helping his daddy out, but it was a serious job, no smiling allowed (plus, if you smiled you might get a mouth full of sawdust).

Importance of Friends

2011-03-14T15:47:00.005-05:00

Sometimes you need a friend to sleep with his hand on your face.

(They are honest to goodness sound asleep in this photo)

And sometimes you need a friend to take your hand and go down a slide with you.

(yes, it's very blurry as they were going very fast. Also, in case you are like L's grandmas and worried that an older woman is taking their grandson's heart... no cause for alarm, she is his age and shorter than him, she just looks taller here because he is further down the slide. He is the one in the orange shirt and not the blue dress, in case you were worried.)

Knights vs Dragons

2011-03-13T20:57:00.012-05:00

Pol played a show on Saturday night, one that L could actually go watch (read as: it was a show not in a bar or at midnight). As Pol was getting ready to play L asked me the following questions:
Is he going to play a song about a DRAGON?
Is he going to sing about knights?
Is he going to sing about castles?
Is he going to sing about dinosaurs?
What else could he sing about?

Obviously... all other subjects are not song worthy in a 3 yr old boy's mind.

Where have you been?

2011-03-10T21:42:00.003-06:00

Hello me, where have you been?
I have been tired.
Been busy.
Been stressed.
Been relying on the Lord.
Been trying to figure out what that means.
Been relaxing.
Been watching my boy turn into a dragon.
Been thinking been is a weird word.

And lately... I have been in CA.

The Dream

2011-02-28T16:13:00.002-06:00

The first dream Liam has ever told us about: "MOMMA! There, in the new church, there was a T-Rex stomping all around!"

I am pretty sure he was still in a sleep state when he told me this, which is why I am pretty positive this was a dream. He fell right back to sleep after letting me know about the T-Rex at church.

Cuddling

2011-02-24T20:26:00.003-06:00

L is a cuddle bug. He loves to sleep with us or have us sleep with him. Of course, we never sleep with him and he's only allowed in our bed after 6am. Now, when I say we never sleep with him, we don't, unless you count the first 5mins he goes to bed.

Here is how the nighttime cuddle session goes:
"Can you sleep with me for 5 mins?"
"ONLY 5 MINS! Pleeeeaaaaseeee."
"I will get you someone to cuddle with. Here is elephant for you."
He then tucks elephant or whoever into your arms
Then, while looking deep into your eyes and holding your head in his hands
"Close your eyes. Go to sleep."

Morning cuddle time:
"Momma, does the clock say I can come to bed?"
"I need you to give me a pillow. NO! I want the white pillow, not the brown pillow!"
"Thank you!"
"I will give you a kiss. Now give me a kiss. Thank you."
"I need the covers!"
"I don't WANT any covers!"
"I want a hug."
"Stop pushing me!" (this is usually where I swear I am not pushing him and he is pushing against me)
"Your hair is on my pillow!"
"Momma, Scout is pushing me!"
"Momma, does the clock say it's time to make waffles?"
"Momma, why is daddy still sleeping?" (this might be where I swear under my breath about his father's ability to sleep through the running commentary)

Me after each of these statements:
"Go to sleep."

Dragon Slaying

2011-02-12T21:23:00.003-06:00

Today we fought dragons (aka: Scout the dog)

And we won

Mario Kart

2011-02-11T21:16:00.005-06:00

While L and I were in SC a little Wii might have been played. And when I say a little, I mean a lot, and by a lot I mean it was a survival tactic.

L wasn't so much a fan of actually playing Wii himself, but he loved watching AK play.

P.S. AK might be a 5yr old tennis pro. She is also a dancing queen.

I, on the other hand, am not a dancing queen. Actually, I was probably more like a dancing court jester. I believe the Wii actually asked me if I was rhythmically challenged. YES! YES I AM. Thank you for pointing out the obvious Mr. Wii-you-are-programmed-to-mock-those-of-us-who-cannot-find-a-beat.

L asked to play our Wii the moment we got back to Nashville (thank goodness we do not own Wii dance). We pulled out Mario Kart since we thought he would love the wheel. Then he saw the race tracks with dragons. Thus L's two loves are brought together in a holy union thanks to the Nintendo geniuses.

He doesn't actually like to play too much, but he loves to watch us race (no really, I am not just saying that, he constantly asks us to race). I know it's just a phase so we oblige his newest obsession. Plus, he is a great cheerleader! Tonight I said I wasn't driving well and he said "Don't say that again, mommy! You are driving really good! You are NOT a crazy driver!" Awe... thanks bud, even though I ended up in 12th place you still think I won and that's all that matters.

Here he is playing for a little bit. Check out that concentration!

Little Burger

2011-02-07T21:30:00.006-06:00

L loves him some little burgers.

On a completely unrelated note: While visiting my family this weekend, L swore up and down he wasn't sleepy and did not need to have rest time. Once he finally agreed to lay down it took about 10secs for him to be living in dreamland.

(snoopy is a favorite plastic toy to cuddle with when at grandma and granddaddy's)

Rockin'

2011-02-01T14:33:00.002-06:00

I was out last night, perhaps watching The Bachelor with a friend. And perhaps I love that show. And perhaps those ladies are crazier than ever.. who even knew that was possible!

Pol was in charge of L's dinner. And... there was some musical entertainment for dinner:

Rocking Out from michelle buckingham on Vimeo.

Chili vs Beans

2011-01-31T12:35:00.004-06:00

I love Chili. I love it so much I would marry it, well, you know, if Pol was okay with sharing me. Here's what keeps me from marrying it. Beans. I do not love beans. It's a consistency thing. I don't like mushy things... especially beans... any kind. Well, I take that back, green beans are ok... but that's because they have a hardish shell.

We have said goodbye to canned beans and we only do dry beans now.. my lame attempt at a being a little bit healthier. Oddly, I do a bit better with these beans... don't ask me why... but trust me... the beans are different.

WHY am I tell you all of this?!? Because I sit here at my desk eating my leftover chili, and I am thinking about how when I take home my container Pol will make fun of how I only really eat half of my food because I leave so many beans. And he's right. I eat a lot of crackers and meat, with a few beans thrown in (the crackers help with the beans mushiness)

Harmonica Sessions: Part 2

2011-01-30T15:03:00.004-06:00

Harmonica Sessions: Part 2 from michelle buckingham on Vimeo.

In case you need help understanding 3 yr old dialect:
At the end of Part 1 he asks for a sip. Yes, that would be a sip of coffee.. his father's iced mocha. The addictions of the parents will be passed on to the children.

In Part 2 he is saying "this one is pretty cool.. right?" There might be another word or two in there... but that is the gist.

Harmonica Sessions: Part 1

2011-01-28T09:25:00.004-06:00

L discovered the harmonica. He also discovered he is awesome on it. Because of these discoveries I will be bringing you the "Harmonica Sessions" for the next few weeks. Enjoy!

Harmonica Sessions: part 1 from michelle buckingham on Vimeo.

Spike

2011-01-26T20:34:00.011-06:00

L loves his dinosaur/dragon, Spike. I think Spike is technically a dragon, but sometimes he's a dinosaur. If he wants Spike to be a dinosaur one day and a fire breathing dragon the next, I am completely okay with this considering I have no idea what are the differences between the two species anyway.

Why am I babbling on about this dino-dragon that has infiltrated every part of our lives? Simply to say...L loves him. He cuddles with him, he eats with him, he pees with him, he baths with him, they terrorize Scout and Mocha together, you know, real boy and dragon bonding things. Here's the thing, this dino-dragon is hard as a rock... literally, he is a hard-shelled plastic toy. He often makes L cry by konking him on the head, the hand, the toe, the mouth... really any and all body parts have been hit hard by old Spike. L endures the pain all in the name of love, only the love Andy from Toy Story could possibly understand.

L loves Spike so much he insists on hanging pictures of him all over the house. Lucky for us, Pol is quite the expert dragon artist. We have lots of pictures of fire-breathing dragons hanging in our living room now. L said the other day we needed to add people to the pictures. When I asked why he said, "Then the dragon can breath fire on them. Kill them. And eat them."

oh. ok. of course.

Here is a little glimpse into the dragons created during daddy and son art time.

My Liam

2011-01-24T09:11:00.004-06:00

This morning as we walked into school, L's little girlfriend ran up to him for her morning hug. He obliged. He used to just stand there stiff as a board while she tackled him. He has finally learned to give into her embrace.

She yelled "MY LIAM!"

Then I grabbed my son into my arms and said "You are not hers! You are MY LIAM!"

Thus begins the endless fight of a mother vs every female in the world for her son's affections.*

*of course it is not like that with MY mother-in-law.

PS. Reliable sources have told me that said girlfriend tells L what and when he can eat. If she can get him to try new veggies then she just might win my heart. I said MIGHT.

Go Fish

2011-01-20T12:13:00.003-06:00

Gamblers beware... L knows a little something about playing cards. And he's not so bad. As a matter of fact, he is so good his father is asking me to play at night in order to figure out the boy's secret.

I know you think I am joking.. I am not. Literally the other night around 9:30pm Pol looks at me and goes "Want to play cards?" It's not really all that odd of a request, but since we have never played cards. EVER. It was an odd question. Plus, I don't even know if we own a deck of cards, not counting L's Cars cards.

Here's the funniest part (I know you are thinking... could it really get funnier? It does). Pol follows up his questions with.. "You know, we could play Go Fish or Crazy Eight or War. Whatever." TOTALLY SERIOUS. I might have burst out laughing at him. No, it wasn't a might. I did. I burst out laughing.

You need to see the video below to totally understand the serious card playing that goes on in our household.

Go Fish from michelle buckingham on Vimeo.

Snot + Chocolate

2011-01-17T20:54:00.001-06:00

= yumminess

Heavy Metal Mater

2011-01-14T12:04:00.003-06:00

I know I have been posting a lot of videos lately... you are welcome. I don't think I have told you, but my parents got me a fancy schmancy new macbook for Christmas, so editing/posting videos has been a ton easier. You, my blogosphere friends, reap the benefits of the wonderful mac world that now sits in my lap.

All that to say... here is a riveting video of our musical son playing the guitar he got for Christmas. It's pretty darn cute. And I think his music influence is Heavy Metal Mater.

Guitar Boy from michelle buckingham on Vimeo.

The Angel

2011-01-11T21:38:00.003-06:00

Some kids decide to do angels in the snow. Some kids, well, our kid, decided to do a different kind of angel. Another awesome reason to have dogs.

Untitled from michelle buckingham on Vimeo.

Also...

2011-01-10T17:16:00.002-06:00

We did this...

and this...

Snow Day

2011-01-10T13:21:00.005-06:00

Here's what we are doing today...

Bouncy thing at the mall

2011-01-09T15:06:00.006-06:00

I need to start this post with letting you know I am only posting this against my better judgment. I might have lost a bet. Pol might have actually won a game of Frisbee golf last night.

HAHA.. that's just funny, I said Pol won a game of Frisbee golf. Man, even typing it makes me laugh. I am and will always be the reigning winner of some serious Wii sports resort. But a bet is a bet and even though I won, I am still uploading this video, like I said.. against my better judgment.

Now, what you are about to see is an extreme sport that I do not recommend you allowing your children to participate in. My sister obviously does not care about the welfare of her children, or she too would not allow them to get on this dangerous apparatus. You will take careful notice that my son safely has his two feet planted on the ground.

I chose to go on this death trap because I was not warned of how very high you are flung into the abyss. Once on trampoline I just knew one really good bounce and my head would shatter into a million pieces on the ceiling of the mall. I was saving myself as well as the Christmas shoppers of the Asheville mall by just barely going air born. Anna and Josh did not understand the danger they were in, as they were trying to touch the ceiling with their tongues.

As far as this video goes.. it really doesn't look like I am jumping at all.. but I am. I AM GOING VERY HIGH!

Untitled from michelle buckingham on Vimeo.

Year of the Train

2011-01-07T13:12:00.004-06:00

If you know anything about our son, and if you read this blog, then you know something about our son. Our boy is one of those boys that stands. in awe. and wonder. mouth-open. drooling. at trains.

I have no idea how long this crush will last, but for him it's a very real and very deep love. Polar Express was the theme of our entire December. We are slowly trying to ween him off of the need to watch the movie and listen to the soundtrack on repeat. It's like we are ripping a band-aid off slowly.

To extend the pain, I made a little video to remember how this Christmas the sweet baby Jesus was delivered via a big huge steam engine. I am positive L will want to watch this video one thousand and one times. I am also positive I will regret making him this video, but until regret sets in.. enjoy riding the rails with L.

Christmas 2010 train from michelle buckingham on Vimeo.

Thank you, God, for bedtime prayers:

2011-01-03T20:37:00.008-06:00

Me: Thank you, God, for hope.
Pol: Thank you, God, for Liam and his mommy.
L: Thank you, God, for my big huge steam engine.
Me: Thank you, God, for Scout and Mocha.
Pol: Thank you, God, for a warm house over our heads.
L: Thank you, God, for my big huge steam engine.
Me: Aren't you thankful to God for anything else?
L: Ummmm... Thank you, God, for train tracks.
And my gun.

Thank you, God, for little boys.

Butterbeer

2011-01-02T20:20:00.004-06:00

Sometimes you just need a Butterbeer.

The East Nashvillian:

2011-01-01T21:29:00.005-06:00

Whiskey drinking.
Theology loving.
Thrift store wearing.
Burly bearded hipster.

Only one of those descriptions actually fits Pol. Yet... perhaps he is a closet hipster.

Yes, yes, I think he just might be.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T19:25:00.002-06:00

Christmas Greetings from michelle buckingham on Vimeo.

Christmas Crafts

2010-12-21T23:15:00.005-06:00

L has been busy doing crafts. First he made a snowman with his daddy. Pol came up with this craft one afternoon and I came home to a wonderful new wall decoration! L got to measure, paint, and glue the buttons. He loved working with Pol down in his workshop and told me all about it when I got home. He did let me know that he was not allowed to use the saw, but he was allowed to use the nail gun.

His father and I will be talking about what tools are and what tools are not acceptable for a 3 yr old to handle. Nail gun will be on the not acceptable list.

So cute:

We met up with my family this past weekend for Christmas.. pictures coming soon in regards to the weekend as a whole. This particular blog will only focus on the craft time.. cookies. The pink frosting is for Anna's 5th birthday party. The kids did a great job decorating.. and my sister did a great job facilitating the crafty-ness and even better... allowing messy-ness (I was shocked too!) :-)

It's a simple fact we stay on track

2010-12-19T21:18:00.004-06:00

Though sometimes we digress
But that can only happen on the Polar Express