Sailing into the Night

On Friday night the middle school held a talent show/fundraiser dinner.  The theme was "Sailing into the Night of Talent." There was a BBQ dinner, and a silent auction before the show began.  We bid on a few fun, things, - a week cabin rental at Lake Tahoe, a 4 day Mexican cruise, and a hot air balloon ride - but didn't end up winning any of them.  Oh well.

The show started off with some of the teachers performing a song and dance of "The Love Boat" to go along with the night's theme, which the kids got a kick out of.  The show was pretty impressive.  There were some pretty talented kids on that stage.  My favorite was the kid who played "Flight of the Bumblebee" on the Marimba flawlessly.  Nate did a good job with his "Spinning Song" on the piano, even though he got a case of stagefright.  Don't you just hate when that happens?  But he looked so sharp up their in his suit and pink tie.  Some sweet kids from church, Sierra and Naomi, also gave great performances.  There was even a kid who solved a rubic's cube.  That was fun to watch. What a fun evening!  But long.  We arrived at 5:30, and it wasn't over until 9:30!

At the Car Wash

Remember the post about the great bedroom clean-out?  Well, to work it off, we put them to work washing the Suburban.  They had a little too much fun, I think.  And had fun trying to snap a few pics while dodging the spraying water.

Our driveway is so steep it could be a waterslide!

I just realized Derek wasn't in any of these pictures.  That Derek is an expert at sneaking away from work.  I've got to do a better job at counting heads.

A Little Mending

This is Caleb's beloved blankie, or "Ahppy" as he lovingly called it, or at least what's left of it.  He literally loved it to death!  He carried it everywhere, and would stand by the washing machine and cry the whole time it was being washed.  We have a front load washer, and he would stand there and watch, and every time he would see his beloved Ahppy twirl past the window he would yelp in agony.  Poor little man.

(This was the only picture I could find.  It was one of my kid's pictures they took with a disposible camera.  See how well they take care of pictures? I can't believe that was the only picture I had of his blanket since he carried it with him 24/7!)

But that was years ago.  Now he is five, and can deal better.  Still, his devotion is pretty deep.

The other day Caleb brought me the tattered remnants of his beloved blankie.  "Can you fix it please?"

"Um, Honey, it is a kind of too late for that.  I don't think I can."

He was undeterred.  "Mom, It's easy.  Just get a whole bunch of blue and white paper, but only really soft paper like this," he rubs the blanket.  (By "soft paper" I'm pretty sure he meant fabric. ) "Then you cut it into little squares, sew it together, and...done!"

"Just like that, huh?"

"Yeah, easy." His tone was, "Duh, mom."

Oh my.  He sure loves that thing, but I think Ahppy might be a little past mending.

Nuts About You!

For an assignment, Alex had to draw a cartoon that would make his teacher laugh.  This is what he came up with.  It sure made me smile.

A conversation between Peanut Butter and Jelly:

PB:  Hey, Jelly, you're sweet.

J:  But you are chunky.

PB:  Are you still mad at me for being with Honey?

J: Yes, I jam.

PB:  I'm sorry.  I looked on the label and not at what's inside.  I'm nuts about you.

J:  I'm sweet on you too, P.B.

OK, so yah, he totally plagiarized some of it from "The Peanut Butter and Jelly Song," but I still thought it was cute.

It's My Party and I'll Cry if I Want To!

Most of us do it.  Our birthday rolls around, and we pretend that it isn't and that we are going to stay the same age just a bit longer.  Well, apparently Luke was in denial that he is turning three, and wishes he could be 2 just a little while longer.  He tried his hardest to prove to himself and all of us that he really was as 2 as ever.

Luke's Birthday was Sunday, so we took him out to Applebee's on Saturday night with Aunt Shirley and Uncle Mike, to celebrate his being a big boy, supposedly old enough to bring to a restaurant.  Maybe we were a bit too premature in that assumption.  Luke was feeling contrary, and it was rocky from start to finish.

At first he didn't want the plate of hot cheese sticks placed before him, then changed his mind and devoured them all.  Although they were supposed to be an appetizer for everyone, nobody even dared snatch one away from that kid.

He sure had fun with that stringy cheese.  Yum!  Wish I could have had one.

He had been asking for ice cream all night, and when it finally came he flat out rejected it.  I guess he didn't like the waiters' method of delivering his birthday treat in song.  He wouldn't even look at them!

Then he flat out refused to eat his ice cream.  Luke just sat... and pouted.  The ice cream just sat...and melted.  Good times.

The picture says it all.  It was his last few hours of being two and he was milking it for everything he could.

Then Sunday was his birthday, and we had a family party for Luke.

But Luke didn't get a nap and when the party started, he was fast asleep on the floor.

We had a good old time without him. Yummy Mexican dinner...

...and a pinata.

When Luke woke up he was in a FOUL mood!  Oh my.  Nothing would cheer him up.

Even pinata candy made him mad.

Well, he took a reprieve from his pity party to open his presents.  His new Diego  backpack did the trick.

We were really hoping we had made a breakthrough.

Next it was time for the cupcakes?  Who doesn't get happy over cupcakes?

Apparently, not Luke.  We sang the birthday song, but alas, no blowing out the candles.

N0 amount of convincing would help.

Once again, Luke sat...and frowned.  This time the candle sat...and burned down.

Good thing it was a chunky candle, because it burned for a long, long, long time.

Caleb finally had enough and took care of it.  Look at Luke's face.  Apparently he didn't approve.

Yay, problem solved.  Caleb is so proud of himself, but I don't think Luke is very appreciative of his putting and end to the pity party.

But the rest of us were.

Before cupcake.

During cupcake.

After cupcake.

Cupcakes have the same effect on me!

We should have started the party with the cupcakes, then we might have had a lot less drama.

Happy Birthday, Luke, or not Happy Birthday.  Whichever.  We love you either way.

Three, but forever two!

Check Out the View from Our Attic!

It is finally here! The creative blog that I have been hinting about is now online!  My pal Alysa and I have wanted to do this for some time, and are so excited to unveil "Out of the Attic."  So if you have liked any of the creativity, stamping, decorating, garage sale finds, crafting, parties, etc. that you have seen on my family blog, you will LOVE our new blog.  We have so many fun ideas we are digging up and can't wait to share them with you and all your friends.

For instance, if you want to see how I incorporated several of these pretty stone medallions ($5 each!) that I discovered at a garage sale into my home and hubby's office, click here.  The results are truly awesome!

If you want to see my St. Patty's cards and favors, along with a tutorial, click here.

If you want to see the pretty birthday gift and card I made for my dear friend Shari, click here.  Like the jar?  You should see the card and wrapping!  

Why are we doing this?  Click here to read our blurb about who we are and what we are doing with our new blog.

Please drop by Out of the Attic for a visit, and if you do, please leave us a comment telling us what you think, then, if you like it, invite a friend or two to check it out.   Thanks so much!

Luke Speak

(This is a post I started on Nov.5th, but never finished because Dylan got suddenly sick.  So now in honor of Luke's birthday, I am going to finally finish it and post it. )

All of my children have been late talkers, and all have had speech problems.  My friend Diana, who is a speech pathologist, would have a heyday with my kids.  Luke is actually my best talker of them all, which isn't saying much.  But when they do open their mouths, and you can understand them, it sure makes for cute!  Lukie has a vocabulary all his own, and I love every word he says.  So I wanted to make a written record of "Luke Speak" before that rare language is lost forever to history.

Yesssssss!  - When he is really excited about something that "s" sound lingers on his 'Yes" for a long time.  The more excited the longer the "s".

bup-a-low - By far, Luke's favorite word!  Any guesses what it means?  Buffalo.  Luke is madly obsessed with buffalo ever since our trip to Yellowstone this summer and a too-close encounter with a buffalo.  You'd be surprised at how often a buffalo can come up in conversation around here.  "Bup-a-low" this and "bup-a-low" that.  He will tell me whole drawn out sentences, and the only word I recognize is "bup-a-low".  Just driving down the street he will tell me that he sees buffalo.  If we lived in Wyoming, maybe.  He has a stuffed buffalo from our trip that he loves and has to have with him all the time, and when he ever sees a picture of a buffalo he gets really excited.

ruff - The sound a dog makes, obviously, but also the actual dog is called a "ruff."  Luke really likes ruffs, but not as much as bup-a-lows.

hee-haw - In the same vane as ruff, a hee-haw is a horse, of course.  Again less popular than both bup-a-lows and ruffs.

who-who - Luke's version of "Ho-ho", as is Santa's favorite line.  "Who-who" means Christmas and everything that has to do with Christmas.

who-who shree - Christmas tree.  See how that works?

Mum - Mom

Dat - Dad (he sounds very high brow, don't you think, addressing his parents as Mum and Dat?)

oh - go

Ahma - Grandma

haf - house

Alice - Alex

beep - bed

bobo - bubbles

baf - bath

So now, with a few simple words, you can understand whole sentences.

Me oh Ahma haf - I go to grandma's house.

Me oh Alice beep  - I go to Alex' bed.

Me oh bobo baf - I go take a bubble bath.

When you ask him "What's your name?" he used to answer "baby" for a long time.  But he realized that was silly.  Now when you ask him his name he answers "Me."  What else?  That makes much more sense.

Luke loves to sing.  His favorite song is "Old McDonald", and his favorite part is the "ee ii ee ii oooh" part, only when Old McDonald has a dog, he sings "ee ii ee ii ruff," and when he has a duck he sings "ee ii ee ii wack," etc.  Most of the time he is just walks around singing "ee ii ee ii huppo."  I'm not really sure what animal the farmer has on his farm that says huppo, or if the farmer has a hippopotamus on his farm, but he is constantly singing "ee ii ee ii huppo" everywhere he goes.

Like Caleb used to have, Luke has his own theme song - his own tune that he made up and sings all the time.  It goes "Uh, uh, u-uh", with that last "uh" going up in pitch, like the Superman/Superhero "Dun, dun , du-duh" sound effect when ever the super hero arrives.  You know the sound.  Funny thing is, Caleb's tune used to be remarkably similar to the Darth Vader tune that plays whenever he show up on the scene.  Hmm.

And even though Luke has a limited vocabulary, he still speaks in full sentences.  He just replaces words he doesn't know with "uh", so a full sentence might sound like this: "Uh uh uh uh big ruff, uh uh uh uh haf."  Something about a big dog and a house. Or "Uh uh uh uh me uh uh uh uh ahma uh uh."  Something about him and Grandma.  He tries so hard...

 

...well, that was 4 months ago, and a lot has changed since then.  He talks much better now, which makes like a lot easier for all of us.  But he still hangs on to a lot of his original Luke Speak, and has added some new words.

seesaw - No.  Not the thing on the playground.  It means pizza.

shu shu shrain - choo choo train

Naynay - Nathan

Eric - Derek

Aaron - Dylan

Arab - Caleb

Abu Abas - No, not a Taliban leader.  It mean Sponge Bob Square Pants, obviously.

ooh ooh aah aah - Like ruff and hee-haw, it is the animal that makes that sound.  Yes, a monkey.  

mo - more

ma - milk

bees - please

  mo ma  bees - a phrase he uses often.  More milk please.

de-bop - lollipop

see-da - corn dog

yous - yours

mup - cup  

Yous see my mup? - Have you seen my cup?

happy - heart.  This is my all-time favorite!  He calls hearts "happy."  Isn't that cute?  So the heart shaped lollipop I gave him for Valentines was a "happy de-bop"

But now when you ask him his name, he says "Lu", so at least he is getting the concept, right?

While all my other kids had a hard time finishing the ending sounds of words, Luke often skips the beginning sounds of words.  So a car is "ar".  So if you can't understand him you have to think of all the words that rhyme with the word he used.  "Ar" ...let's see, bar, jar, far, car.  Oh, car.

My very favorite phrase is when he, out of the blue, grabs my chin with his little hand, looks me in the eyes, smiles, and says "Me like you!" then puckers up and give me a big juicy one right on the lips.  I guess he means he really likes me!  I better start worrying when he tells me one day that he likes girls, if that is how he shows you he likes you. 

What joy that little chatterbox brings into our lives, whether we can understand him or not.

(My spellchecker is going to have a fit over this post!)  

Happy Birthday Luca, Mio Bambino Bello!

My beautiful baby boy, Luke, turns 3 today.  I am having a hard time with this one.  My baby is not a baby anymore.  I have had babies for so long, that it seems so strange to be done with this phase.

And oh, how much I have enjoyed this baby!  Luke was the perfect last baby.  He loves to cuddle and snuggle.  Still does, thankfully.  And lets me hold him when I need my baby fix.

One of my pet names for Luke is Luca, the Italian form of Luke.  We took Luke to Italy with us when he was 4 months old, the absolutely PERFECT age to travel with a baby.  He didn't crawl yet, and was happy to just be carried/ strolled everywhere.  And Italians LOVE babies.  His chubby cheeks opened a lot of doors for us there, in fact.  It was fun to have him with us.  Little old ladies would scurry across busy streets just to take a peek at him.  Even men stopped us on a regular basis to see the bambino.  In their broken English they would always ask me his name.  I would tell them "Luke".  "Luck?"  They looked confused.  "Luca," I would correct.  "Oh Luca!  Luca!  Bambino bello, bello!" they would always declare.  Apparently they like that name there is Italy, like nothing could please them more than a big chunky blue-eyed baby named Luca.

Here is Luca sitting on top of a cornice on an ancient column at the Roman forum.  Isn't it amazing how you can just touch and sit on something that is thousands of years old like its no big thing?  (Don't worry. I was hiding behind the column holding him up.)

Luca is also the name of a new favorite early Renaissance Tuscan artist I discovered on a visit to the Bargello in Florence, Luca della Robbia.  He is famous for his blue and white glazed terra cotta sculptures of Madonnas and babies.  Unlike so many Renaissance and pre-Renaissance artists whose babies look strange, like miniature adults, della Robbia's babies are yummy and chubby-wonderful.  I fell in love with this "Madonna and the Apple" there at the Bargello.  Don't you just wanted to SQUEEZE those baby thighs?  My Luca had thighs like that.

Not anymore. 

But he is quite an artist himself, and sometimes he is also the artwork!  I think he has his mother's love of color.  What do you think?

Here are a few more pictures I took of Luke, with red marker lips, and Caleb:

Maybe Luke is no longer a baby anymore, but he will always be mio bambino bello!