Thursday, March 26, 2009

Tonsil Free Tree Climbing

The night before the tonsils came out, Molly & Tom joined us for a "Tonsils Going Away" party. Mommy baked the cup-cake-cake and daddy lead us in a rousing chorus of "Happy Death Day, dear tonsils, Happy Death Day, to you."

Iris has always been able to put together an outfit. Nothing quite like matching flower skirt with bare legs, Christmas socks, winter jacket, and heart t-shirt (not shown). Rock out girl. Iris also declared today her intention to become an "Elephant Rider" when she grows up, because "elephants move really fast, with their big feet, clomp, clomp, clomp!"


Two days post surgery, and Bella was back to playing in the backyard, climbing trees, fighting with her sister, etc. A girl can't let one little surgery get 'er down.



Little Tree

Big Tree

Friday, March 6, 2009

Inspired by Mud Bath, Child Proposes Solution to Worldwide Economic Crisis

By Chip Chipheardt
Today local child philosopher and master economist, Isabella S., at home from school with a stomach ache which disappeared after watching just one episode of Sponge Bob Squarepants, felt herself inspired by a prolonged romp in "mud city" to propose a solution to the global economic crisis.
The children have been overhearing details about the financial gloom and doom from their still luckily employed, but nevertheless nervous parents. Ever since potty talk was banned from the evening conversation, the most similar topic seems to be how to survive the difficult economic times. Family dinner dialog has been dominated by questions such as "Will everyone in the entire country soon be jobless?" and "Maybe money as we know it will no longer exist?" and "Maybe we'd better grow our own backyard vegetable garden and learn to can?"
The dialog between sisters and resulting revolutionary idea are presented here unedited:
-Iris (knee deep in mud): Daddy will be aggravated at us.
-Bella (digging a mud hole in the front yard, in reference to "mud city"): Even their food is made out of mud. How do they even eat food? (Tastes mud). Eww! They can't eat mud!!!
-Iris (legs covered in mud): Look at my legs! I made prints for dad in the driveway. Now he will know what we did.
-Bella: Someone is in charge of this whole city and they made us all brown.
-Iris (wiping her face): Even we have brown boogers!
-Crazy Mother: Bella! Go snap your sister's dress back up. You can't be out here in your underwear.
-Bella: Oh, oh, oh, we're all melting!!!
-Iris: I'm melting.
-Bella (revelation out of the blue? continuing a conversation she's having in her head?): We've all melted down. If the whole world runs out of money. . . . we'll just live in space.
-Crazy Mother: You are a genius.
-Bella: I know. Now let's dry off this mud.

Photos from the event:

Get out of the neighbor's mud. Let's make our own.




Look, ma, mud gloves.



Let's make mud huts.



Abandoned to the idea of living in space.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Thank Goodness The Daddy is Home!


Todd in Osaka, Japan














Osaka Castle

















Bella was the winner of a round of musical chairs at the annual spaghetti dinner hosted by the town fire station. Her prize - a cake topped with bugs made by our friends Libby & Jenny.















The daddy is home at last and we are sooooooooo glad to be back to NORMAL.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Daddy in Japan

YerTheBestDaddy has arrived safely in Japan. Where in Japan, I can't exactly remember because right now it is 1:03am in the morning in WI and I should be asleep, but just stayed up watching an on demand movie. Best get meself to bed. The girls will be out of school again tomorrow due to WI cold

Todd sent along several photos from a factory tour in Vietnam. He is getting a real education in the factory industry across southeast Asia.

Bed time until Sponge Bob rises again at 6:30am, 'lo just five short hours from now.


Holding Steady at -8

Schools closed too cold and here we sit
watching diffused light cross cloud painting ceiling
piled in a jumble of stuffed animals old & new
three girls entwined & warm
with nothing much to do.

Photo by Wild Iris

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Sick & Home Again

We've been home with a sick Bella for another 1.5 days. Thank goodness that I have an understanding employer and it's a new year so I have sick time. Monday night Bella started to have a mild allergic reaction to her antibiotic. We skipped the antibiotic on Tuesday morning and I sent her off to school, but just missing one dose sent her back into a sick tailspin and she was home by noon. She is taking new medicine now and back on the mend, but still felt sick this morning. It's been a pretty decent day here at home. Bella's felt better and better, da mama got the house clean, laundry done, checkbook balanced, etc. The girls have been playing with dollies all afternoon together without fighting or arguing. And tomorrow is Thursday already. Just two more days of work, then a fun Saturday (going to see a movie, then to the annual firehouse spagetti dinner) and then daddy will be home on Sunday. Yeah!

Here is a pic of Bella and Iris playing with the internet site "Star Dolls" last night. Basically this is an electronic version of playing paper dolls, except that one can dress celebrities and/or create their own "star" and buy virtual clothes, etc. Our babysitter Jenna showed Bella the site last weekend and she' s been obsessed with it ever since then. She especially likes an activity that lets her design fabric patterns and clothes. I think we might have a graphic designer on our hands here:
Goofy Ruthie has enjoyed staying home by default for all these days. She sure does have fun at home:

Aunt Ali called this afternoon and asked the girls to be flower girls in her wedding. Of course they both accepted (after asking exactly what a flower girl does) and now they are incorporating wedding play into their dolly imagination game. Aunt Ali and Uncle Matt are looking at a place this weekend for a possible Sept-Oct wedding in the mountains of Vermont. We are very excited about the possibility and will share more with their permission once confirmed!

Thanks to those of you who have passed along advice relative to Bella's recent friend difficulties. I appreciate hearing from all of you, thank you for visiting the site, and encourage you to post comments! That's what a blog is for and we love to share.

Monday, January 12, 2009

Vietnam

Vietnam
Todd has traveled from China to Vietnam. In the interest of not racking up huge communication bills, we've not been talking overly much. His impressions of Vietnam so far seem to include lots of motor bikes, crazy electric lines (see photo attached), and a renewed appreciation for the circumstances in which we live now. We are lucky, lucky ducks. (I hear what you are saying, Uncle Phil, and "Quack Quack" back at ya from the luckiest duck of them all.)