cute Cute CUTE!

Over the holidays we had a Moore grandkids photoshoot photo-show-down while all five of them were together:

Hannah, Sam, and Josh

Avery and Carter Judd

All of 'em together. So much Cute-ness in one chair!

My daughter believes in magic and my son is from outer space

I hate packing. My favorite scene from The Sword in the Stone is when with swish of his wand and a charming magic song Merlina has packed up his entire house.

Hockety pockety wockety wack that's the way we have to pack. Higitus Figitus migitus mum pres-ti-dig-i-ton-i-um!

I was complaining about this chore to Hannah before we left on our Christmas trip to Memphis.
Sarah: I wish I could pack up like Merlin.  But I forgot the magic words.
Hannah: perplexed Um, maybe they're on the DVD case.  Returns with the movie.  Here you go.
Sarah:  Drat!  Not on here.  But it wouldn't matter anyway.  I lost my magic wand.
Hannah:  For real and honest and true?  You could do magic?
Sarah: evasive Weeeeell, I lost my wand anyway.  Didn't I, Richard?
Richard:  uh-huh.
This is where Hannah gets thoughtful for a while.  In retrospect, I think she decided I wasn't being "for real and honest and true" when I got Richard to collaberate.  He's always making stuff up.
Hannah:  Mom, I know some magic words.
Sarah: surprised she's playing along  Okay.  whisper in my ear.
Hannah: "Work together."  She straightens up.  I'll go pick out some clothes.
Sarah: stunned silence.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The day after a particularly gruesome I-can't-find-my-blanket episode Sam says to me, "Mom, I'm sorry, but I'm on the wrong planet."

And I couldn't really argue with that.

Eight years

Richard and I celebrated our eight anniversary yesterday.  It was an understated occasion, best illustrated by a conversation we had Sunday night on the way to the third (and final) Christmas Festival concert performance:

Sarah:  Hey, our anniversary is Monday.  That's tomorrow.
Richard: Aaaaaahhhhh...yes.  Yes it is.
Sarah: I didn't get you anything.
Richard:  Me either.
Sarah:  Happy Eight!
Richard: Love you.

I'd like to celebrate this occasion with a song.

Ahem.

(to the tune of The twelve days of Christmas)
(give it a try.  it really works)

After eight years of marriage, my true love gave to me:
Eight different jobs
Seven guitars
Six bookshelves
Five com-pu-ters
Four degrees
Three children
Two houses
And a Honda minivan.

Love you too, Richard.

Sweet ninja moves

the scene: Two ninjas, the aged master and the promising apprentice, furiously dueling in the misty mystic jungle. Suddenly the fight, which had been balanced on the edge of a blade, shifts in the youth's favor. With a triumphant gleam in his young ninja eyes, he presses forward as his weakened master backs into a tree. As he prepares the final strike, the master smiles mysteriously.
"Ah, young one, you never did learn..."
The ninja leaps up into the tree and grabs the blue gold-speckled egg of the warbling wooster finch, extracts the acidic yolk, and flings it into the youth's astonished eyes.
"to mind your surroundings."


Despite the amount of acrobatic karate, bathrobe sashes tied around the waist, and hi-yah exclamations; I am convinced that Sam would never actually make a good ninja.  This is because, as Hollywood has taught me, he does not "mind his surroundings"

Example #1
Sarah: Sam, it's time to go right now.  Get your socks and shoes on.
Sam:  running around frantically. I don't know where they are!!!!
Sarah: Sam.  I. Just. Gave. Them. To. You.  Where did you put them?
Sam: almost hysterical.  I don't know!!!!
Sarah:  sighs.  They are right here.  By the TV, where you were sitting when I gave them to you.  Put them on.

Example #2
Sarah:  While eating a bottle, Josh he has given a gold-medal sneeze and shot copious amounts of snot out his nose.  Sam!  Quick!  get me a diaper wipe, please!
Sam:  Okay! Okay! literally circling around the diaper wipe bucket, but somehow unable to see it.
Sarah:  Sam.  It's right there.  You're walking around it.
Sam:  Where?  begins to wander off, still searching for the elusive wipes.
Sarah:  Sam.  Stop walking.  Turn around.  Sam spins quickly.  Sarah takes a deep breath.  Sam.   Face the TV.  Now look down.
Sam: entranced by Dino Train.  What?  oh.  okay.  Hey!  the wipes!  Here you go mommy!!
Sarah: Thank you Sam.  Wipes Josh's nose, who has by now finished the bottle.

Example #3
Sam:  wailing.  I can't find my blanket!
Sarah:  fixing dinner. It's behind the love seat.
Sam:  now wandering and wailing.  I- can't- find- my- blaaaanket!!
Sarah:  Sam.  Listen to me.  It is behind the love seat.  the little couch.  where your fort is.
Sam:  distressed to the point of hysterics I don't know!  where is my fort?!
Sarah:  stirring the corn to keep it from boiling over.  Behind the love seat.
Sam.  smiling blissfully Hey mommy!  I found my blanket!

I can't help it.  I still love this boy.  And bless his little lost heart, if he wants to be a ninja we'll find a way.

This is, for the untrained eye, the precursor to the highly difficult spin-kick-jump.

A. Maze. Ing.

Karen Bagley, bless her heart, is currently number ONE on my list of  'my most favorite people in the world ever'.  Not only did she watch all three of my kids for me while Richard was out of town so I could go grocery shopping, but tonight she brought by some hot chocolate as a Christmas gift.


And let me tell you.


Ahem:

I knew Land of Lakes made good hot chocolate, and to this day their mint has been my favorite.  But no more.  The cinnamon cocoa is delicious.  divine.  delectable. 

Do you remember that movie Chocolat with Johnny Depp?  The traveling Frenchwoman who scandalizes a provincial town by opening a chocolaterie and serving a mysterious hot cocoa, which changes the lives of anyone who drinks it-


Ladies, this is that hot chocolate.  If you get a visit from Karen, be prepared.

To believe or not to believe...

Sam, our little gospel humorist, went through a rather quick cycle of faith and disbelief in that backseat of the van today-

Sam: Mom, did you know?  Jesus lives in the sky and can see us.
Sarah, unruffled:  Mmm-hmmm.  that's right.
Sam: Oh!  Hey!  I can see Jesus in the sky!
Sarah, a little nonplussed:  Oh, wow Sam...
Sam: No, I just see his shadow.
Sam, a few seconds later:  No, I don't see anything.  I was just joking.  (laughs charmingly)

ThanksChristmas

Thanksgiving this year was fan-turkey-labulous.  My family drove in town and we had quite the spread- two turkeys (which was necessary, my brothers took a leg each.  Yes.  an entire leg.)  stuffing, sweet potato casserole and soufflé, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, potato salad, deviled eggs, strawberry pretzel salad.  Okay, so I did not intend on listing the entire menu, but oh how I love food.

Hannah and Sam think that Tim and Brian are just the coolest guys ever.  It was funny to watch Sam rough house with the big boys and Hannah try to boss them around (that's right, even though she's two decades younger she knows that they're really just someone's little brothers).  It was fun playing holiday host, it made me feel all grown up.

But Friday morning Thanksgiving is over!  And you know what that means- NOT shopping!  We stayed in and put up our Christmas tree, strung the lights, hung the ornaments, and drank egg nog.  It was a good family evening.

Josh liked the tree-
What's this?

Does it taste good?

Yech!

Let's go eat some people!

This one's for you, Julia-

Yes, I have read all the Twilight books, ah, more than once.  And yes, I have been to Forks, WA and even have the t-shirt to prove it.  And yes, I have seen the Twilight movie and am going to see New Moon monday with the girls.

(gee, put all together like that it does sound kinda..pathetic, huh?)

But wait.  This is going to make it all better.



Okay, ready? Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Because really, no one cares what Bella thinks.

Perspective

When I see these things laying around the house, I see a handful of rocks and leaves that belongs outside, an uneaten lunch, and a jumble of leaves by the computer.


But Sam sees an edible smiley face, an artistic opportunity, and another smiley face left for mom on the desk.

Sometimes, when I've got my eyes open, I realize just what a joy Sam is in our lives.

You made it!

Yeah!

Same old blog, great new location!

And the funnest (that is really a word) part is, every time you visit the banner will change, giving you a little more of someone else in the Moore family.

Have you read enough Moore puns yet?  No, wait, I've got more!

Petrie Park

Yesterday the weather was fall fabulous, so what does that mean? Picnic at the park!!! We have our own custom names for the parks in the Madison area that our kids have created- this helps when trying to decide where we're going.
Dublin Park- the Castle park
Palmer Park- Pizza Park (we met Richard for dinner, with Little Ceasar's)
Windsor Park- y'know, that New One

The Land before Time is not how Petrie Park got it's name.


No, Petrie park is where last year Sam learned for the first time that if boys have really got to go, the nearest potty may be as close as the nearest tree. I am not telling anyone which park or which tree.


We had a competition to see who could get the whale's tail to touch the ground, and Richard won. What a man.


Yes, he needs a haircut. But I still can't help but love the way it sticks up all over the crazy place.


Seriously, could this boy get any cuter? And his two little teeth? too much.

Treats. just lots of treats.

Everyone has posted cute pictures of their kids in adorable costumes trick-or-treating.

I do not.

I only have a picture of what Halloween does to my kids:


Ahhh, candy.

He did it!

Last Friday Richard successfully defended his dissertation. He has a few revisions to the text, but the professors on his committee all approved his research. So for all intents and purposes....

He is now DR RICHARD MOORE!

He had a great group of professors at the University of Memphis, especially Dr. Halford, who have helped him along the way. Thank-you!

Where the wild Things Are

I am almost hysterically excited about this movie. Hannah and Sam are ready to go with me, too!



Richard's more excited about this book adaptation, however. Hannah, not so much. Warning: Richard thinks this is funny.

When I was your age, Pluto was a planet

Hannah and I have a running line:

Me: Hannah, I love you.
Hannah: Well Mom, I love you all the way to Pluto.
Me: I love you all the way to Pluto and back
Hannah: I love you all the way to Pluto and back and back to Pluto again.
Me:I love you all the way to Pluto and back and back to Pluto and back again...

And this continues until we reach our destination, or the chicken nuggets are done cooking, or Josh does something distractingly cute.

So today from the backseat of the car Sam announces:

"Mom, I love all the way to Pluto. And I love you all the way to Micky Mouse. And I love you all the way to Minnie Mouse. And I love you all the way to Goofy. And I love you all the way to Daisy Duck"

Seriously, he was at Goofy before I realized- he thinks Pluto is a dog.


~~~

There haven't been many pictures lately. That's because we keep our pictures on our desktop, named HAL. We recently tried to install Ubuntu on it, and the conflicting Windows/Linux commands have made him a bit crazy. Don't worry. He'll make it.

But we do want to get a new computer in 2010, just so we can name her SAL.

And to anyone who understands why that is funny, well, it's okay to be a geek.

Does it make you a bad parent when...

You turn to your husband at 10:45 Sunday night and ask-
"Richard, did we have dinner tonight?"

and he replies:
"huh.

no.

...and neither did our kids."

And you realize that you sent your son to bed earlier complaining about being hungry (which he does every night), and you told him sorry, it's was too late, and now it's bed time. And you are suddenly even more grateful to the Horrocks for showing up with cookies after bedtime, because that's all your kids got to eat tonight.

What inspired friends!

Perspective

I am humbled. True, I did brag/complain about Josh and his 9lbs 13oz birth weight, but that's nothing compared to this kid:

"An Indonesian woman has given birth to an 8.7-kilogramme (19.2-pound) baby boy, the heaviest newborn ever recorded in the country, a doctor said. The baby boy is pictured here next to a baby of average size at a hospital in Medan, North Sumatra."

This momma deserves a trophy. And Josh is suddenly such a cute little thing.

from the mouths of babes

With the addition of a third child seat to our minivan, Hannah and Sam have been banished to the back bench seat. The reason being two-fold: Josh's seat has to be easily accessible from the side door, but if one of the child seats was next to Josh, battle lines would be drawn for a daily fight. Second, with both of the talking children in the far back, Sarah and I might enjoy conversation with fewer interruptions (in theory, at least).

This has led to Hannah and Sam conversing more directly with each other in the car. This morning as we drove to church, I heard them begin to discuss the merits and flaws of a certain coloring book that had been placed in the church bag. Hannah succinctly expressed her opinion of said coloring book.

"I hate that book."

Sam, remembering a recent scolding, shot back with:

"Hannah, don't say 'hate'!"

Realizing his lack of power over his sister, he found the need to cite a higher authority. I expected a 'Daddy said' or even better 'Mommy said,' but no, he went straight for the ace of spades:

"Or Jesus will kill you."

Sam had recently become obsessed with Jesus. This is a good thing, I think. At a recent family gathering, aunts and grandparents asked him repeatedly to rattle off his list of Jesus facts, some learned, some invented. Giggles would always follow Sam's new bits of doctrine. That was cute, but I felt the need to intervene now:

"Sam, that's not true, Jesus will not kill you."

And realizing the need for clarity:

"or Hannah"

But still wanting the previous lesson to stick:

"But saying 'hate' is still bad, just not quite that bad."

Hopefully the threat of a punishment other than death will be sufficient to shape behavior.

Edit: For more Gospel According to Sam, visit Julia's blog (Richard's sister)

underwear is fun to wear

Sam got new underwear, so everyone had to try them on, of course. We have pictures of certain grandparents wearing "funny hats" too, but we felt that the pictures were too incriminating for the web. These people are, after all, still gainfully employed at present. By some parental magic these pictures may make their way into high school year books....

60 Percent

Josh went in for his two month checkup last Friday and there was the usual drama: anxiety, shots, then tears from both mom and baby. Little boy went from an impressive 9 1/2 lbs at birth to a mind-boggling 14 1/2 lbs. That's a 60% increase in just two months! I didn't even grow that much the whole 9 months I was pregnant! No wonder all the kid wants to do is eat and lay around. Okay, that's basically all he can do, but still...



I think he's got to be big just to survive all of the lovin' he gets from his big sister and brother.

Millenium Odyssey

Last weekend my hunk of a husband fixed the hyperdrive on the van. That is to say, he put rainex on the windshield. So now I'm looking forward to rainy days, because when I get going fast enough it looks like this:



Thank you, Han Richard.

Caution: You are about to look at a lot of pictures

We just (okay, not just)

revise

We recently, as in two weeks ago, got back from a glorious vacation in the state of Washington where this babe (Richard's sister Julia):



Married this hunk of a man (her now husband Sloan Rehder):



The wedding was wonderful; cupcakes and candy, archways and flowers, family and friends. But that is not what I got on the computer to share today.

The Olympic Peninsula is the most beautiful place on earth. I had a hunch I would like it there, and so convinced Richard that we needed to go early and look around. I'm glad we did, because we were able to play in the beach at Port Angeles, and don't let Sam fool you, that water was cold.



We drove through Forks on the way to the rain forest, but didn't see any vampires. (It was rather sunny out.) The Hoh Rain forest was the most vibrant place I have ever been. It was crowded with life, and absolutely beautiful. We walked through a mixture of old and new growth, where moss clung to trees and ferns covered the ground...



saw an immense spruce tree...



pause by the Hoh River...



and climb up some really big roots.



We went to Hurricane Ridge, and we were so far up we could see a (very far away) glacier in one direction and all the way to the Puget sound in another. The mountains are beautiful...



and Hannah reminded me of, well, me on the trail...



and saw plenty of deer, who were apparently very accustomed to having people around.



Lake Cresent, with its sparkling blue water...



was the most beautiful sight I have ever seen. I absolutely cannot adequately describe how perfect it was. Josh liked being held by Dad, but did NOT like the cold water...



Last we went to Rialto Beach, which was no Florida beach. It was misty, even at noon, and had huge driftwood logs, smooth rocks instead of sand, and haystack islands...



The waves were gargantuan (most were bigger than Richard. He had just gotten pummeled here) and loud and cold cold COLD...



But Sam had a blast.



When can we go back?!!!

Harry Potter and the...

Most of you know my husband, and many of you think of him as the mild mannered, soft spoken man he appears to be in public. This is not so. Not at all. When Richard comes home from work, our dull, rather mundane routine sparkles with new witticisms, which he will repeat until he gets a genuine laugh.

So to celebrate the release of the new Harry Potter movie, here's some of our favorites: (these are best read quickly out loud, between fits of giggles. Maybe you should drink some milk, so it can spew out your nose..)

Harry Potter and the Horse Header's Phone (Sorcerer's Stone)
Harry Potter and the Stranger at Recess (Chamber of Secrets)
Harry Potter and the Whsitlin' Turd of Pakistan (Prisoner of Askaban)
Harry Potter and the Goblins on Fire (Goblet of Fire)
Harry Potter and the Odor of the Beatnik (Order of the Phoenix)
Harry Potter and the Bloody Half of a Prince (Half-Blooded Prince)
Harry Potter and the Lefty Waldos (Deathly Hallows)

I actually habitually refer to book four as the Goblins on Fire, some of these jokes have been going on for so long.

Has it really been three weeks?!

Richard has rewritten the lyrics to Shattered Dreams by Johnny Hates Jazz to describe the color and consistency of Josh's poo and so has taken to wandering through the house humming:
You're givin' me (givin' me)
nothing but cottage cheese (cottage cheese)
mixed all up with broccoli (broccoli)
served up in your paaaaaaaants...

Anatomy according to Sam

Sam is recovering from a pretty bad sunburn, and so his skin has started to peel off. When he noticed this, apparently he had this conversation with Zannah (Grandma):

Sam: Ohno, my skin is coming off!
Zannah: Oh, don't worry Sam, it's okay.
Sam: No it's not! because if my skin comes off then my insides will fall out!

And how can you argue with logic like that?

And now, Introducing....

Just keeping the blog updated, ya'll. So it's been a week and everything is going smoothly. Joshua continues to be one of the sweetest babies I have ever seen, Richard is (absolutely) the most wonderful husband and father in the world, and my recovery is progressing well.
Josh is like a mix between a newborn and a one month old baby,probably because of his weight. He still has all the quirky newborn mannerisms- like mystery smiles, bizarre hand gestures, staring into space, and my personal favorite: "what do I do with this huge noggin?" But he also eats plenty, sleeps better than we expected, and has the most patient, calm disposition that I have ever seen.
Richard deserves a gold star. He's been staying up with Josh at night so I can get plenty of rest, he comes home early from work just to check on us, and he's never once lost patience with me, even though I'm a bit of a mess right now. He's one truly great man.
I'm recovering better than I expected, but it's slow going for sure. It's frustrating to be home and be unable to do the many things I am accustomed to, and I have to keep reminding myself that a c-section is a major surgery. Sometimes I feel like I went through this:


But mostly I feel more like I was attacked by these two:


So don't ask me how I'm doing unless you really want to know! love you all, thanks for your prayers and support-

a little more Moore to go around

Hello cyberspace. This is Richard at the microphone. Usually my wife shapes clever little blog posts, but with an urgent need for baby pics fast, my ham-handed blogification will have to suffice. Joshua David Moore was borne at 12:27 PM on June 16, 2009. He weighed in at a whopping 9 lbs 13 oz, though he's surely broken 10 lbs by now (investment hint: buy enfamil stock, sales are heading up!). He's healthy and beautiful (who says "we just had an ugly kid"?). The extra weight may make him sturdy enough to survive the often lethal play techniques that Hannah and Sam continue to develop. Sarah is in a lot of pain, but she is recovering well. We hope to have her home Thursday or Friday evening.

David and Goliath

Months ago we decided on naming our cute, adorable little baby boy Joshua David. But after my doctor's visit Friday, we're thinking of renaming him Joshua Goliath. Because the kid is estimated to weigh a whopping 9 pounds 8 ounces. (probably more, the doctor confesses, these estimates tend to run low)

How a little girl like me made a behemoth like that is beyond my understanding. But it sure explains why I have been feeling so ridiculously tired and hurt-y (a hannah phrase). Oh, and why my belly is so huge it has it's own orbit. Why I got stopped in Wal-mart by a lady who wanted to know when my twins were due.

Tuesday is the day. Wish me luck.

Slip and Slosh

Saturday was a summery and sunny day, so we slip and slid. They had a blast, so much so that later, at seven, after dinner, and bathtime, and storytime, Sam wanted to go out and play again. Nice try kid.

(I tried getting some motion blur with Hannah's slide...but it ended up being just mostly blur.)

The sliding was fun, but it was more fun to splash in the pool at the end.


Medusa Hair, anyone?