Stunt driving

Sofia shows the broken front end of the car.  Marcelo seems quite delighted by the exciting event that just occured .... probably because he's a boy.  Peter doesn't understand why we need to take a picture of this.

Just when I thought you knew better than to drive your toy push car down the stairs, your boy brain decides you need to test out this scenario for yourself. God forbid you just take my word for it, that this is NOT a good idea. I am, after all, just a woman. So apparently you creeped up to the edge and of course eventually the car's front wheels succumbed to the edge. As the car starts to go down, you decide to bail off the side of the car which results in a tumbling cycle involving you and the car all the way down the stairs. I did try to save you but of course I was useless running behind you. As I saw you emerge from the wreckage, I cringed in expectation of the damage, broken bones, nose bleed, gashes to the head, bloody teeth hanging out. But there was nothing. You climbed up to my lap and cried with fear but that was it. It's a good thing kids really are made of plastic!

You didn't stop on this landing, you fell all the way to the bottom.

I fought the law, and ...

Maybe this new anarchy t-shirt was not such a good idea --Kiri.

Peter! I told you to stop messing with the lemon tree. Don't face-butt the ceramic pot anymore. OK!

Christmas '11

This year, I thought you might really get into the whole tearing of wrapping paper and mimic the frenzy that your siblings were sure to infect you with as they opened their presents.  Instead, you were pretty ho-hum about the whole thing.  Didn't care too much for the approved destruction of paper like most toddlers do. Didn't buy much into the hype of it all.  Sorry we failed to impress you this year with our Christmas gift display. But I know one thing was a winner, the bag of popcorn Santa left in your stocking to fill up that long darn un-fillable thing!

Ok, sooooo what am I supposed to be like all excited about here? 

Yes, I think this will do.  It seems to fit.  I would put it on for real, but I still haven't figured out this whole what arm goes in what hole thing. It's kind of complicated. Whatever. 

 

Yes, Ok. Very good.  It's a book.

Yeah, yeah. I like it.  Not bad.

Just a minute.  Let me reach over here and get some popcorn. Excuse me.

That's interesting, yeah.  But god this popcorn is good.

Ice skating

Yes, that's right.  Ice skating.

No, this was NOT my idea.

I could also entitle this --Righting all the wrongs of my parents when they didn't let me ski on a family skiing trip even though I was eight!  ... whether you like it or not.

But this wasn't my idea.

Not sure how Ray thought this would work out.  (He probably wasn't really thinking how it would work out). Even Sofia thinks there's something odd about this situation. But basically, you did NOT enjoy watching everyone else skate.  And, you did NOT enjoy being put into skates either.  It's a miracle Ray came out of this with his manhood still intact.  But don't you look so adorable in those little skates!

Camera shy

Not only do I neglect to take pictures of you, but when I do, you certainly do not cooperate. You don't look at the camera. You walk away. You stay but look down at the ground. You whine. Really anything to get out of having your picture taken as if you even know what that is.

Today, there was a brief five minute reprieve from the constant overcast and gray skies, so we ran out to see if we could just snap a few cuties in the still-freezing cold weather. You barely obliged, but only if you could mess with Daddy's face.

Washing up

I like to wash the dishes one at a time in the sink instead of dunking all of them in the dirty water together.  The same goes for the kids.  But when you're in a REALLY big hurry and the kids REALLY can't go to bed without a bath, you just do what you have to.  And then, of course, they end up having way too much fun.

Table manners

You don't get out much. Not like the other ones did. So we generally don't get too excited about going out to a restaurant with you on the seldom occasion this might happen. Today, after numerous fun-filled activities for the kids in Salt Lake, we just needed to splurge at Rodizio Grill even if we had the whole caravan with us.

This is how much you enjoyed it.

And done.