Monday, March 19, 2007

Sibling Love


Welcome to the new blog! Top billing today goes to Aunt Sara, who took this fah-boo picture of the kids when I ran away to get a pedicure (one of, uh, one this year). I've snapped literally hundreds of pictures of these guys, and in one 3 minute photo-op she gets full cooperation and total cute.

So why the new blog? Well, I wasn't planning for the blog to persist beyond our trip to China. And now that Wen Li has been with us so long, she is no longer "our adopted daughter from China", just our beloved younger child, and resident Toddler Extraordinaire. So the rather unwieldy title no longer fits, whereas the new one more accurately reflects our attempts to survive homeschooling, traveling, moving, and Hurricane Wen Li.

Saturday, March 17, 2007

March Madness

We spent Friday at the zoo (before it snowed again!) and Miles visited with one of his many rodent favorites, the mongooses. Mongeese. Whatever.
This is Wen Li saying get me off this creepy thing! Normally an adventurous sort, I think she was turned off by the gross caricature of what, we can only guess.
Miles and Wen Li ignoring the bag lunch I stayed up late packing, in favor of the crap candy that I bought before lunch. Rookie parent mistake, I know.
Wen Li was quite thrilled with her Flic -n- Lic, a lollipop that came out of a switchblade-type casing. Those wacky German candy manufacturers.
OK, there's a whole story that goes with this picture. A little background - I haven't been in favor with Miss Thing lately, probably because I spend a lot of time enforcing safety rules, withholding treats requested right before dinner, and conducting Thorough Nose Excavations.

So we enter the petting zoo, also known as the Crazed Hungry Obnoxious Small But Strong Goat lot. I had purchased some "pellets" from the vending machine, envisioning some sweet pictures of the kids feeding the goats, communing with nature, developing a powerful compassion for all living creatures, etc. (yeah, a lot to expect for sixty cents).

What actually transpires - and you know what's coming if you've ever been to one of these things - is a stampede. These guys were up on two legs, shoving me and fighting over these dry little pellet things. I was looking for Wen Li to make sure she's OK, when I feel her wrap around my leg. Normal, probably pretty scared at this point. But no, she's going to defend me from the hordes! She is shoving goats away with her other hand and yelling "NO! My Mama!" at the top of her lungs.

It was a tear-y moment for this mom.

Wednesday, February 28, 2007

When we weren't celebrating in February we....

were making paper airplanes. A lot of them, just like big brother does. Of course, his actually fly, but I'm working on it! See all my prototypes?

Of course Baba will share his cereal with you, cutie pie!Of course, when she notices the camera she has to pose and say "cheese", even if all the cereal squishes out between her teeth!
We all have our baggage in life - look how cute mine is!!!
It's always like this every day when we home school. No, really! I'm not kidding! OK, yes I am - this *never* happens!
Miles is posing in front of his project for Haiku/Torn paper art day. The blue is a cat sitting on a window ledge, and the red and black are birds. The haiku explains it better, but I can't remember how it goes anymore. Yes, it has been recycled already.

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Wen Li's Birthday

Blowing out the candles at her Very Elmo Birthday...













Laughing and dodging the (hmm, what are those blower thingies called?) blower thingie...













On her first try blowing, it shoots out of her mouth and across the table!













And for the rest of the party she blew on the blower thingie.

















A good time was had by all.

Sunday, February 18, 2007

Fasching Parade

Welcome to Fasching!
This is the local parade put on by the good people of Lupburg each year. It comes up the main road, then turns up to the church, and passes right by our driveway.


This little guy is in full costume. The kids dress up for lots of parties leading up to the parade day.

This is one of the kind ladies from our local bakery. She is dressed up for the "Luppywood" float.

Some street scenes...They decorate the entire parade route with these balloon strings. Very festive.



Here is the "number girl" from the Rocky Balboa-themed float. Other float themes not shown due to a dead camera battery include: Smurfs, Cannibals, and the tour de France (the bikers were dressed as French poets, with beret, blowsy poet shirt, and penciled-in mustaches).














Finally, some native Lupburgers hanging out on the roof of the Edeka, our tiny but very handy local grocery store. It wasn't too bad this year, but they wore short-sleeved Hawaaiin shirts last year too - when it was in the teens!

Friday, February 16, 2007

Miles' Birthday

Miles posing with his birthday gift pile...













Miles competing in the "no-hands" pretzel eating contest....













Miles with the Puss 'n Boots cake...













Everyone making t-shirts...














If you look closely you can see that Kevin is wearing reading glasses AND he has sunglasses on top of his hat. This is what happens when your parents wait to have children when they are older.

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Miscellaneous January Items

Just a mixed bag of pictures from the January files (which makes me sound all organized - ha!)
Wen Li is reading to her very dear friend, ELMO!. She always says his name like that, in caps with an exclamation point.
Miles at his first basketball game of the season. Thank goodnes *that* torture is finally over!

Miss Thing looking all innocent, like she's not going to climb that chair she just dragged into the kitchen and get something she's not supposed to have off the counter.
Miles is showing all you viewers at home his K'nex castle target for the catapult (lower left). This particular catapult flings pieces of plastic fruit from Wen Li's Slice-Your-Own fruit set. He's got that evil grin-thing going, hasn't he?
We've been doing some real life math problems in home school lately. Here's one: Markers + Toddler = This Photo. (Yes, her overalls are on backwards - otherwise she's chronically undressed.)

Monday, January 1, 2007

New Year's Eve

Miles with his arsenal before the fireworks begin...















This is in our backyard, on the water manhole...









Kev handing out sparklers...

Things that make you go hmmmm.....