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!