Bon Voyage

Despite my good intentions to get a few posts that have been rattling around in my head on paper (er, cyberspace...) I have spent most of my week frantically finishing articles so we had extra spending money for our trip and just generally trying to meet my children's incessant, selfish need for water/food/attention, etc.
So, blogging went out the window, but when I get back I look forward to presenting a 2008 recap, as well as introducing you to a special friend named Raffi who has taken over our lives (not the singer. You'll see) I have been compiling a pictoral diary of all of his adventures with Samuel over the last t months or so. There, now that those two goals are down on paper, I have to stick to them. I know faithful Kate at least will keep me to my word!
In the meantime, I am off with the fam and the extended fam to sail the mexican riviera on my very first cruise (not my first time to mexico though. We went on our honeymoon and got grounded to our rooms by Tropical Storm Chantal.) There is nothing more romantic than virgin daquiris on the beach, while resort workers behind you frantically tape up windows and then run for the hills calling back over their shoulders that we may need to evacuate inland in the middle of the night and they will let us know...) By the next morning, the pier had washed away and we were starving after our "room-service" dinner of a tuna fish sandwich and a banana (no, we didn't pick it. They closed all the restaurants and left that at our door.) It still ended up being a good trip, but since we didn't get to leave the resort at all, we didn't get to see much of the country. Cross your fingers that this storm will at least be less stormy! See you when we are all tan and hopefully well rested!

Overheard

Sam was playing boxing on the Wii tonight and asked Jay "why are we stretching our arms to that bad guy?" (he was describing punching the guy on the screen.) I can't decide if it is a testament to our amazing parenting that our kid is not familiar with a punch, or if (and I can't believe I'm saying this) he needs to fight more with his brother.

Jay has begun to doubt whether or not Samuel is actually his child or a foundling. Any of you who knew J in high school will understand this.

another blurb

I realized that my posts of late have become short blurbs of funny samuel-isms but I actually have a thomas one for a change. He called for me after we put him to bed tonight and when i went in, he held up the transformer he had snuck to bed with him and plaintively asked "Why is this so freakin' hard?"

I have long suspected it, but when my two year old starts saying things like "freakin" I know exactly who he is copying. I guess it is time to start watching what I say. I already miss the more oblivious years. It's kind of amazing that while he hears and files away many things he is not supposed to say, he can't seem to hear me ask him to stop teasing Sam or eat his dinner.

I like how when Sam "cooks" in his new kitchen, he serves me my meals with a british accent and calls me "sir."

Crafting?

Our church held a party for the primary kids on Saturday to introduce them to their new teachers for the year. Sam came home a proudly displayed the orange tissue paper fish he had made and said he "had a blast." the next day at church I heard from at least three people about how while working on his fish, he enthusiatically piped up with "I'm crafting!!"

I plead ignorance people! I won't say that I am not crafty when I have the time and opportunity, but I don't call it that and certainly have not had any time to do it lately. Has he been "crafting" behind my back?

Untrimming the tree

Today I tried to generate some enthusiasm from Sam for helping me take apart the tree (yes it is still up all you self-righteous overachievers!) I said we would have to take all the ornaments off and pack them away. He looked thoughtfully at the tree and said in complete seriousness "I know!! How about we just knock the tree down and all the ornaments will come off that way!"

I can't fault him for his logic since that's what happened the other six times he and T knocked the tree over.


*UPDATE* We did not knock the tree over to remove the ornaments but Thomas helped me take them off and put them in the box. He was out of the room when I dismantled the tree and put it in the box and wandered in to find the empty space. He instantly burst into tears and asked "why did you take christmas away, mom!?" I felt like a real scrooge and promises of a "really cool" new holiday called valentines day coming up did not fool him at all.