Kids Say the Darnedest Things!

This post could alternatively be titled "Patriotism" or "The "F" Word".  Speaking of the "f" word, I don't mean that "f" word I mean the other one, you know, fart, flatulence, fluffy, or what ever you call it at your house.

The other day as HT and I were out doing a few errands we drove past an american flag and he got all agitated and pointed and shouted, very annoyed, "Look dere's a flag!"

Me, trying to deflate the situation, said, "That's an american flag, isn't is lovely, waving in the wind?"

He just fumed.  Then we saw another and another, at the credit union, at the mall, at the fire station, and every time he saw one he got madder.

"Look dere's another one, WHY ARE DEY DOING DAT?!"

I tried to explain to him that they were flying the flag as a symbol of their patriotism, that they were proud to have the flag of our country at their place of business.

Finally I asked, "Why are you getting so upset?"

"Because, it FREAKS ME OUT!"

"Why is it freaking you out?"

"'Cuz, it makes me FART!"

Me, trying desperately to stifle my laughter,  "Really?"

Him, "All da time, it weally, weally does!"


Good to know.

I guess.

I can just picture him in Kindergarten learning the pledge of allegiance, with his little hand over his heart.  "I pledge allegiance to the flag (bpoot) of the United States of America . . . " or while singing the national anthem, "Oh, say can you see (bpoot) by the dawns early light . . . "  Poor boy will be laughed out of school, or sent to the principal's office.

Speaking of farts, Papa likes to blame the kids for his, do all men do this or is it just my husband?  I told him we had some really talented kids.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"They're ventriloquists." I said.

Blank stare.

"Yeah, if they can make their farts come out your hiney, that's talent!"

I'm just sayin'.

And We're Walking

Its official my baby is a toddler.  Boo hoo hoo.  At 10 1/2 months old he has started walking and he is very proud of himself.  He's too big for his infant car seat so we are going to put him in his brothers and get his brother a booster seat.  Even though he is walking his preferred method of transportation is still crawling . . . wait, I mean being carried around by his mother.  That would be me.  He is something of a mama's boy, and I'm okay with that, at least most of the time.

He takes great delight in his brothers antics.  I just love to hear him laugh.  HT likes to take all the cushions off the sofa and use it as a trampoline and EM thinks its great fun to be bounced around on it.  They have removed all of the tags so please don't tell the sofa police.  I gave up trying to get them to leave them alone months ago.

Bad Hair Day

A three year old,

plus a pair of scissors,

 equals a bad hair day.

'Nuff said.

Aunts and Uncles and Cousins . . . Oh My!

A few random thoughts and a few random pictures from last Saturday's family reunion.

The party starts as soon as the first guests arrive.  Days in advance.

Don't expect your 3 year to mind his manners.  Despite being told explicitly what you expected of him.

He told his cousin Katie she was "pissing" him off, which made every body laugh.  When I heard about it I was not amused and made him apologize.

"But, Mama, everybody waffed!"

I loved what she said to him when he apologized.  "Just because we laughed doesn't make it right and it really isn't a very polite thing to say."  Then she gave him a hug and he told her.  "I still wuv you."

Said niece posted a picture of said 3 year old on her facebook page and he told me very excitedly, "Mama, Mama, I'm on da internet!"

10 month olds have opinions too!

Late nights make for grumpy boys, and well, a grumpy Mama too.

Never leave valuables in plain site in your car.  The cost to replace the broken window was more than the stolen item.

If there is a puddle of water, the kids will swarm all over it like bees in a field of wildflowers, and be soaked within the first 10 minutes of the party.

Don't assume that your 30+ year old cousin who is married and has teenagers understands that the $20 per family that his parents paid, doesn't include him or his brother.  Wait . . . was he kidding about that?

There's nothing better than rolling down hills with new friends.

Volleyball is not for the weak of knees . . . or wrists . . . or back.

Some people really don't want their picture taken.

The minute you decide to gather everyone together for the group photo, it will start to rain and last only as long as it takes to take the picture.

Someone will always take their shirt off, (cough) Darren.

HT has decided that his cousin Anna is his new girlfriend.  He also loved playing with Darren, because he would play with him, and at 19 is his nearest cousin in age.

I am grateful for my family and the connection we have and I hope that despite the miles that separate us we will always find the time to share a laugh, a smile and sometimes a good cry.

"Do good".

Food, Fun and Fabulousness - Faber Family Reunion

On Saturday we had a family reunion on my dad's side of the family.  We have a large family, just in case you were wondering my grandparents had 10 kids and they had 41 kids and they had  . . .

and they had . . .

oh, who am I kidding I have no idea how many kids their kids had except among my own siblings or how many kids their kid's kids are now having.  So including spouses that's a lot of people.  And I am not going to tax "zee little gray cells" trying to figure it out.

So we wore name tags!

We haven't had an organized family reunion in probably 10 years or more, most reunions have happened by default at the occasion of either a wedding or a funeral.  So it was fun to get together and actually have a chance to get reacquainted and visit a little bit.

 The Faber family clan.  At least those of us who came.  I would guess that we were missing about half.

 "Those kids don't know what they're doing we should go teach them how to play!"

 "How was that?"

 "You call that a serve?!"

 "I just wish they wouldn't hit it out of bounds."

 The kids had so much fun rolling down the hill.  These are my cousins twin girls.  So does any one know . . . does that make them my second cousins or my first cousin once removed or is it twice removed or would that be their kids if they had any.  I can't figure it out and it makes my brain hurt trying!

 My little one, tuckered out.

Logan, "Do I know you?"         Warren, "Wait . . what?"

 My brother Phil, pontificating, he's good at that.

 Uncle Paul's family.

 Uncle Stanley's daughter Heidi and her family.

 Uncle Randy, Aunt Annadelle, Uncle Paul and Uncle Dorian.

 Uncle Randy's son Travis and his family.

 Aunt Annadelle and her family.

 Uncle Dorian and his family

 My sibling and their families.

 My two kids and my nieces and nephews.

My brother Phil and his family.

 My brother Al and sister-in-law Connie.

Two of my Uncle Clinton's kids and their family.

 My brother hired a blue grass band to entertain us and they were fabulous.

Aww.  Me, hubs and our two boys.

All the photos are courtesy of Dr. Dave Boettger, a friend of the family who very generously agreed to come and take pictures of our unruly mob.  Thanks Dr. Dave.

Grown-up Play Date

Remember last week when I was saying that I felt trapped and needed a play date?

No?

Okay maybe I was whining.

But that's not the point.

The point is my good friend Krista e-mailed me and said that she too could use a grown-up play date so we made plans and last night we treated ourselves to a pedicure, a little shopping and a scoop of Ben & Jerry's.  It was delightful and just what I needed.

Thanks Krista.

We all need to get out now and again to maintain our sanity and to put things back in balance.  Sometimes we get so overwhelmed with doing for our loved ones that we forget to do for ourselves.  

So give yourself a break and schedule some you time.

Six Things

Last night Auntie very generously offered to sit with the kids while Charmings Papa took me out to dinner to a very expensive and very elegant steakhouse called Flemings Steakhouse. The service was a bit slow relaxed but it was nice to have a quiet dinner without the company of our little munchkins.  I had the salmon nicoise salad and it was wonderful.  Papa had the rib-eye and it was very tender and very flavorful.  We could have never afforded to go there but we received a gift certificate for our anniversary.  Thanks Auntie for the night out.

After dinner we walked over to The Devereaux House, where we had our reception.  It is the oldest mansion in the city and has been used for many things since it has been out of family hands.  They say that it is haunted, but if it is the ghosts were happy to celebrate rather than haunt on our special day.

In honor of celebrating our sixth anniversary I thought I would list six things I love about my husband.

 1.  I love that he is very generous and a big tipper.

 2.  I love that he cleans the bathrooms and will even scrub the toilets.

 3.  He is very tender hearted.

 4.  He is a hard worker.

 5.  He's ticklish.

 6.  He knows my faults and limitations and loves me in spite of them.

I love you honey.