Scott's big dance performance

At the end of Scott's first year of preschool, he absolutely did not want to participate in the little show his class did at the end of the year. He sat on my lap watching the whole time. After year two of preschool, he reluctantly participated. It required quite a bit of bribery to get him to stand up with his class and sing. Remember 'So I Wanna be a Dog'? So when I found out the classes at his school would each learn a dance and perform for all the parents, I was pretty sure he would NOT be willing to do it. After all, he wouldn't get up in front of 16 parents, so I figured dancing in front of a few hundred people was a LONG shot. But the day before the big show, he was SO excited! Scott kept telling me how much he liked doing the dance and couldn't wait for us to see it. And here was the big dance! I was so proud...

This isn't the best video (I have a better on on my video camera), but look for Scott behind the kid on the far right.

Mustard, oatmeal and ice

When Cindy, Jeff and I were kids, at some point a conversation like this took place with my mom:

"Mom, there's nothing to eat in the house."

"Sure there is. You just aren't looking."

"OK. We have mustard, oatmeal and ice."

So ever since then, whenever the refrigerator gets especially bare, we will say, "We have TONS of food. There is mustard, oatmeal and ice."

We reached the point of mustard, oatmeal and ice this week. I was going to take a picture of my bare refrigerator, but the drawers and shelves were so dirty it would have been embarrassing. I had no bread, no vegetables, no fruit (not even in cans), no yogurt, and just a teeny bit of milk left.

So I finally went shopping last night. But as I was leaving I asked Holly (my wonderful sister-in-law who is staying with us for a little while) if she wanted me to pick up anything. And here was that conversation:

Holly: "Sure. I will make 7-layer bars if you can get coconut, chocolate and butterscotch chips, sweetened condensed milk, corn syrup, graham crackers and pecans."

Me: "Um, I think I have all of that stuff here at home."

So I have absolutely NO fruit or vegetables in the house, but I just happen to have every random ingredient for these fabulous cookies. What does that say about me?

Important lesson learned

Charlotte was SO excited to go to the Little Gym for her dance class. And with her newly discovered confidence and willingness to actually participate, I was talking it up too. She was all dressed from the moment she woke up in her leotard, tights and tap shoes.

Then Mommy thought... Wait. It is Presidents' Day. Oops! The Little Gym was closed. Charlotte was so disappointed (as was I). So how did I suggest that we make things better?

"Let's go shoe shopping at Target!"

It is amazing how a cheap pair of Tinkerbell flip-flops can turn things around! And Charlotte learned that shoe shopping can cure some of life's disappointments. It is as true for a 3-year-old as it is for a 35-year-old.

Love notes from Scott

It is so fun when kids start really get holidays! I think this is the first year Scott understood Valentine's Day. He was excited to give out his SWEET Phineas and Ferb valentines to his classmates:

He was thrilled to decorate this foam Valentine's mailbox. Can you guess what his current obsession is? If not, stay tuned for his birthday party happening in 2 weeks:

He was excited to open his mailbox this morning to find some candy and love notes from Mommy and Daddy. My note to him went something like this:

I love Scott because:
1) he is such a good big brother
2) he is so good at math, reading and Wii
3) he likes to cuddle with me and play with my hair.

I love you, Scott!
~Mommy

So this morning while I was in the shower -- completely on his own -- he made a valentine for Mommy and Daddy and taped in on the wall next to our bed:

If that wasn't cute enough, then he wrote lists for each of us with the reasons why he loves us. Made my day...


I needed this because while Scott was being cute, Charlotte was throwing a major tantrum and Trevor was in agony because of an ear infection. Oh, and Drew cleaned the SUPER messy kitchen tonight, which was a way better gift than flowers. Thanks!

Mac vs. PC: Should I convert?

Our PC has had a long, happy life. It is almost 8 years old and has been a fabulous computer. But we have maxed out the memory and disk space, so it is time to get a new computer. So the big question is, Mac or PC? Those of you who are Mac users, why did you convert? Are you happy with the switch? What features does the Mac offer that the PC doesn't have? Or those who are still in the PC camp, why have you stayed? Help me make up my mind!

It is finally here...

Scott has been anxiously awaiting the 100th day of kindergarten since we first read a book about it maybe 2 years ago... The BIG day finally arrived yesterday. I'll let him tell you about it:

The best part is that Scott is SO pumped about his 100 glasses! He literally wore them all day Friday, including to lunch with friends and the school BINGO night. He was especially excited to see his teacher that night and show her he was still wearing the glasses! We had a minor tragedy last night when Trevor grabbed them and ripped off part of the "1", but fortunately a little tape did the trick. I did have to talk him out of sleeping with them on, but we put them next to his bed, and they were back on first thing in the morning.

Lunch with Zach:

8am Saturday morning:

Trevor's baby curls

Wow. I'm so behind I don't even know where to begin! How about just a quick, easy post that doesn't require much writing...

I am so excited that Trevor's hair is growing out curly in back! It may not last, but I'll enjoy it while I can.