Friends.

They fight. They make up. But when you can tell they actually love each other...that is what it's all about.

Gathered in front of the tree. After looking at this picture, I think I might do a post on Tank's wardrobe choices, or lack thereof.

Goofing around to the music. Maybe a little "So you think you can dance?" in their future?

In the Disney film, The Emperor's New Groove, one of the lines is "A toast to the emperor!" When we have fancy beverages, we are often found toasting the emperor, whoever he is. This being Christmas time, they changed it to "A toast to Jesus!" One of those proud mommy moments.

Handsome.

This picture of Tank is so handsome, I had to post it. I can almost see what he's going to look like when he's grown up...

Princess Cutie Pops marks the fifth year of her reign!

On 24 December we pretend that it really isn't Chrismas eve and focus solely on our little red-head. A little after 10am five years ago, she entered our lives. And the whirlwind hasn't stopped since.

Having all four children's birthdays within six months (three within three months) we decided on birthday parties every other year, filling in the off-years would just be family and cake. Two kids on, two kids off. This year is Princess Cutie Pops' year for just the family/cake.

Her decision? Eggnog Cupcakes with Bourbon Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting. Considering the cupcakes call for bourbon and rum, the eggnog pastry cream calls for rum and the frosting calls for bourbon, I felt compelled to make a few adjustments. Using rum flavoring and vanilla, I turned these into a more kid-friendly dessert.

Princess Cutie Pops had this to say, "This means I like them: thumbs up. Thumbs up, Mom!"

What made five such a big year was that it was the official ungrounding of the Princess. About six months ago she and Tank laid waste with markers to a patch of carpet in the school room. In my fury, I forbade her and her cohort to touch markers until their fifth birthdays. Since then, she and her brother used each other as human canvases and I added another month.

On the evening of her birthday she asked if she could write with markers again. I reminded her of the second infraction and she hung her head and agreed, "Okay, Mommy." We told her she would have to wait for our decision until the next day. I had already relented, though, and in her stocking, unknown to her, was a package of washable markers.

Christmas morning. She pulled the markers out of her stocking and looked at us, confused and unsure how to feel. Daddy delivered the verdict, "You are old enough to use markers now, Princess."

You should have seen the look on her face. To borrow a line from I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas, "What joy and what surprise!" She was so happy. Don't you wish you could always reprieve your children without it spoiling them?

Here are a few more pictures from the event:

Our Christmas!

Before: Serene, peaceful, pristine...
After: Not as serene, surprisingly not as unpeaceful as you would think, and what is the opposite of pristine?It all went rather well. The kids were patient beyond all dreams. We didn't get to bed until almost three with pre-Christmas preparations and the kids let us sleep until 9am. Not too bad. They were up at seven or eight (I was delirious, I'm not sure of the time.) and I asked if we could wait until nine. They agreed. Princess Cutie Pops' birthday was the day before (our little Christmas Eve baby) and they played the game she had received. I don't know what else they did, but they didn't get into their stockings or the presents and at 9am sharp! they were at my side.

I have to admit the Christmas morning atmosphere was a bit exhilirating and the not-so-horrible six-hour sleep, surprisingly rejuvenating. I was ready to go. Popped the breakfast casserole into the oven, rallied the still-sleeping men and we were off.Princess Cutie Pops and her Chef set. Of all the kids, she was the most entertaining to watch open gifts. Every gift she opened would be met with a squeal of delight and a frenetic waving of her hands. She was soo excited for each one. As a parent, she made me feel the most appreciated.Tank was Mr. Independent. He had that big Cars truck set open and playing with it before we knew what had happened. This is the first year we didn't have to prompt him to open his gifts. Last year, he just didn't get it.Uncle Chris had received a PS3 game from our friend, Trenton, the night before and had played it all through the night. (Respect to the true gamer.) He had just laid down to go to bed when it was time to open presents. At least he was present in body, if not in mind.Dodge was pretty ecstatic over two specific gifts: Halo trading cards (budding gamer) and a rock polisher (budding geologist). Gaming and rocks. At age 8, those are his two loves.Although this picture isn't very good, it still caught that look of pure joy when Dug realized how much his wife really loved him. Yes, I got him Assassin's Creed for Christmas, knowing full well how many hours I will not see him unless I go to our TV room and watch him play. There was a bit of selfishness involved, though. That game looked super-sweet and I'm not ashamed to say that I might spend a few hours of my life playing it as well.Here's Scoochy unloading her stocking. This was her year for art supplies. She got a massive art set from us and her Grandma Teri gave her a paint-by-numbers set and velvety black box filled with pencils, glitter, gems, etc. Remember those posters covered in black fuzz except the parts where you were supposed to color? They still have them except now it's a step above. That coloring surface covers the little box from Grandma Teri and even lines the drawers. Every bit of that little art box is itself art. In those now famous words, "What will they think of next?" Here he is, the Trent-meister. Our buddy, Trenton is from Alaska, living in Portland and spent the holiday with us. The guy has a heart of platinum because all four of the kids practically hung off him the entire time and he wasn't cross about it. Not even once. And they can be rather overwhelming to the uninitiated.

That leaves just me. And guess what? I was the photographer! We didn't get any pics of me. Sorry guys. (esp. you Deborah!)

Last but not least: the feast. We had pink Tom (our turkey, long story), honey ham, cranberry salad, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, red eye (ham) gravy, turkey gravy, cornbread and sausage stuffing, green bean casserole, but no rolls. They didn't rise for some reason. Well, that's not entirely accurate. They did rise, but it took them four hours to do so. We gave up on them. And for dessert, coconut cream pie and peanut butter pie. It was an amazing pile of food and we enjoyed ourselves immensely. After dinner, Uncle Chris did the dishes and I took a nap. The adrenaline rush was over and I went down hard. Unfortunately that meant that I wasn't the least bit sleepy until about 3am yesterday. Dang it! The cycle continues...

HRH Princess Cutie Pops chooses a cookie.

We finally made Princess Cutie Pops' cookies, Kellog's Chocolate Scotcheroos. Poor thing. She's been on me everyday, "When are we making my cookies, Mommy?" For whatever reason, hers was the last of the kids' choices. Lucky for me, they were a not-so-difficult take on Rice Krispy Treats. Not very Christmas-y but more special than the usual.

The Scotcheroos had one major difference compared to your standard Rice Krispy Treat. No marshmallows were harmed in the making of this bar cookie. The base was sugar, corn syrup and peanut butter. After adding the Rice Krispies, you spread melted chocolate and butterscotch chips over the top. Super simple recipe.

Warning: these babies are sweet. I gave the kids each a normal Rice Krispy Treat size (2"x2") and it was too much. They all said it was too sweet. Can you believe that? Too sweet for a kid? It's true. These are some sweet little treats. (I sure said "sweet" a lot in that paragraph, didn't I?)

Speaking of sweeties, isn't that little red head adorable? How can you look at that picture and not smile? Okay, sorry for falling headlong into "Mommy bragging." Continue doing what you were doing...

The Choice of Dodge

If I am in a mood of rich, decadent desire, this is now my "turn-to" cookie. Dodge chose Caramel Filled Chocolate Cookies for his Christmas cookie. Basically, it is chocolate cookie dough wrapped around a Rolo. When baked, the Rolo melts into a caramel filling for the cookie.

When asked how he would describe them, Dug said, "Oh my goodness! Those cookies are soooo good. They are one of the best cookies I've ever eaten!"

Grandma Teri called them, "Simply delicious!"

Here's Dodge's take on the process:
"It was fun to eat the cookies. They don't taste good. They taste delicious. My job was to peel the wrappers off the Rolo's, and I put the ingredients in for the cookie dough, Mommy put the Rolo's in the chocolate dough, I dipped them in sugar and put them on the pan. It was fun to make them. I want to make them again."

If you were to only add one more cookie to your baking arsenal, this is the recipe to add.

Scoochy's Cookies (say that three times fast)

In the grand cookie experiment, Scoochy chose Molasses Sugar Cookies. The only real difference between these and gingersnaps is intensity. These are a little milder. Mild in spicy-ness, big in flavor.

Her choice was one of the most understated, but might be one of my favorites. Tank's peanut butter cup cookies were delicious but you needed milk, as in it was almost sweet torture to have nothing to wash down the richness. These you can walk by and pop one in your mouth and just enjoy. Milk is good with them, but not necessary.

Scoochy always surprises me by her mature taste. For her birthday last year she wanted "Almond Cake," which was more of an almond shortbread. Delicious, but not what you consider kid's birthday material. Molasses Sugar Cookies are an understated cookie with a spicy flavor that finds it home during Christmas. Of course, Scoochy would want it. What says Christmas more than nutmeg and cinnamon?

Tank's Christmas Cookies

In a fit of insanity I let each of my four babes pick a Christmas Cookie recipe to bake. I've never been a big cookie maker in general, less so during Christmas time, but for some reason I had the urge this year. Yesterday we made Tank's choice: Peanut Butter Cup Cookies. Oh my goodness. If you like peanut butter cups, you'll love this one. Take a peanut butter cookie baked in a mini-muffin tin and squoosh a peanut butter cup in it immediately upon taking it out of the oven. Wait a few minutes for the cookie to firm up and the peanut butter cup to melt into a puddle of chocolatey-peanut buttery goo. Play a game in which you try to eat just one. Good luck!

Star Troopers...One night only!

The kids wrote and composed a song this morning. They gave me a ticket that said, "2," meaning "two seats only," (One for me and one for Daddy.) and told me to come upstairs for "the show." At the base of the stairs they had taped a paper ribbon across the doorway. I handed them my ticket and they cut the ribbon with scissors. (very dramatic!) On the landing was the poster stating, "Star Troopers." Once in their room I was seated on a pile of blankets. The room had been decorated with yellow stars and hung on the wall was the lyrics to their song. They then started the show. I was so impressed I opened an account with YouTube just so I could upload the video for you all.

Here are the lyrics in case you can't understand them:

Do re mi oooh
Double bass to you
Stars are bright
In the night
Bears are mean
In the night
We like you
In the night
So do you
So good luck
L-U-C-K
L-U-C-K
L-U-C-K
Goodbye!

For the record, I have no idea where they came up with the lyrics or their name. Credit goes to their imaginations!!

It's beginning to look a lot like...

Christmas! On the last day of the term, our Home School Co-op threw a Christmas Party! We had lunch, played games, iced cookies and exchanged presents.

We played a game called, Right Left Story. Despite its unimaginative name, it was a lot of fun. Every kid was handed a present. I read a Christmas story about the Right Family, where every time I said the words "right" or "left," they were to hand their present to the person on their right or left. It was a good thing there were five mothers to keep things going smoothly or else I think some kids would have ended up with five presents while others had none. It got a little confusing to say the least, but the kids loved it. When the story finished, the kids opened the present they ended up with. I highly recommend this game.

The other part of the party that my kids loved was the present exchange. What kid wouldn't? The week before, all the kids were assigned someone for gift-giving. We, as mothers, decided that we would have a book exchange. So we went out and found books for our specific people. It was a great way to learn about new books because most people gifted ones they already knew to be good. Tank got an especially cute one titled, Animals should definitely not wear clothing. Scoochy received James and the Giant Peach, and coincidently just finished reading it tonight! I'm so proud of her, she's becoming such a great reader. Dodge's friend gave him The Adventures of Tintin: The Blue Lotus. We had never seen the Tintin series before and Dodge just ate it up. He had the entire story read by the next day. I love it when we discover things like that right before Christmas! Princess Cutie Pops was the most difficult little sweetheart at The Book Bin. In trying to find a book for her friend, she would turn up her nose at everything offered to her. "I want a princess book for Bella!" We scoured that little store, searching for anything that might possibly look princess-y. Finally, in the "mini-books" section we found this cute little hardback named, Knights are Brave. It had two or three little stories about knights but there were princesses in them. We read it through and she finally agreed. Now here's the kicker, when she opened her present from Bella, she found a book called Princesses are Pretty. The is a book from the same series as the Knights are Brave book! Bella and Princess Cutie Pops were so excited. They had "matching" books. (When I saw Princess Cutie Pops' gift, I thought Bella might be upset that she got a "boy" book. You can imagine my relief when they just rejoiced in their camaraderie!)
Here's the whole group with their books. I love it that we came home with great books instead of toys. Toys typically last a season, but good books last a lifetime. I still enjoy reading well-written children's books. You gotta love a gift that lasts longer than the ride home...

Balved and Beautiful.

We had haircut day at our house a couple days ago. Gave Dodge the usual, the girls both needed the "growing hair out" trim, and then it was Tank's turn.

"I want to be balved like Uncle Chris."

'Balved' is 'bald', mispronounced, and has become a part of our family's lexicon. You know, like 'poinked'.

Uncle Chris, my brother, shaves his head. Both boys and one girl (Princess Cutie Pops) have now asked for the "Uncle Chris Special." (We only obliged the boys though, much to Princess Cutie Pops' dismay.) In general, we are very lax about hair here. Dug and Dodge have both had blue and we've chopped the girls' into very cute, very short styles. Our philosophy is, "It'll always grow back." So with that in mind, when Tank asked to be balved, I heartily agreed. A few minutes later and this was the result:
Tank and his inspiration. Uncle Chris is very excited about posing for the picture, as indicated by the uprolled eyes.

What's your vantage point?

Whenever Dug or I are doing anything on the computer, Tank will inevitably climb up behind us on the chair. It is his favorite spot probably because it gives him the best view possible while keeping himself out of the way of his siblings. They are all vying for the two spots on either side of the computer chair. Tank decided to take advantage of his small stature, which for his part was a very wise move. Now, without further ado, for your viewing pleasure, a series entitled, "Boy In Perch."

one more gone...

The picture alone would be enough for you to know what's recently occurred. But for the sake of those who can't figure it out, I'll be blunt. Scoochy lost one of her two front teeth! She's pretty excited. All except that the tooth fairy hasn't visited in four days! At first I told her it was because it is very cold outside and the tooth fairy has very delicate wings. The next night she didn't come by either. I thought maybe as she flew by she didn't recognize the paper towel as anything but garbage. So Scoochy wrote a note explaining that her tooth was inside. Now the next two nights we don't really have an explanation. Maybe since Mommy and Daddy are up so late, the tooth fairy is too scared to come in. I'm pretty sure that tonight's the night though. I have it on good authority that no matter what, that fairy will be here. I even set an alarm so I could go and make sure that all was well and ready for her to come. She better, because I don't think I could handle one more morning of Scoochy's disappointment.

A Story by Tank, as told to Tricia.

Once upon a time there was a big wolf jumping in the water and it didn't die. It float. And the wolf was poinking people. And him flied and flied and him didn't fall. And him the wolf poinked the computer. He hit the computer with a growly voice. He chopped and made food. And him eat his food and him get candy. And him tummy full. And him jumped out of the window and him got on the counter and tried to get his phone number. And him go to Applebee's. And him got drums. He punched and his pillow got broken. He said, "Gawbookuh!" And him freaked out. The End

(note from Tricia: "poink" in our family is a hybridization of the words "poke" and "point". For example, a porcupine is covered with poinkies or "be careful with that pencil, you almost poinked me.")

If only we all were so honest...

Sometimes my kids can totally surprise me. Well, actually they totally surprise me with messes, destruction and inappropriate comments and questions all the time. Let me rephrase.

Sometimes my kids act in such sweet and/or responsible ways that I am completely amazed. (Much better and more accurate) Last night it was Scoochy.

Dug and I were on our respective computers doing computery things when Scoochy came down the stairs in a heap of tears. She's a very sensitive one, prone to overreact, and I have to be careful not to trivialize how she responds to situations. I wasn't careful last night. As she walked up to me I immediately sent her to her dad. (I'll be honest, I didn't want to deal with her.) After some hard to understand sentences, (You know how it is when you're crying. Your voice is a few octaves higher and there are irregular breathing gasps sprinkled throughout.) Dug asked what she thought should happen, Scoochy responded with more tear-filled, unintelligible words. I was over at the dining room table hearing just enough to pique my curiosity and paying just enough attention to not know what was going on. Dug called me over.

Dug: Scoochy has something she wants to tell you.

Scoochy: Mommy, I've been lying about something for a very long time.

Me: What is it, sweetie?

Scoochy: I've been stealing lots of candy for a long time.

Me: Where from? (Thoughts of under-floorboard hoards filled with hundreds of candy bars, the work of months of shoplifting, fill my mind. Should we return them? throw them away? eat them? My mind is reeling as I look at my little criminal. Is this how it's going to be now? Dug and I nervously looking at each other whenever a police siren passes?)

Scoochy: From the candy bowl. (I let out a sigh, releasing the stress only a parent whose child has been acquitted could understand.) Do you remember Dodge's gummy worms? The ones that Tank got in trouble for eating? I ate them. I snuck into the candy bowl and ate lots of candy. I just need to tell you. I don't want to lie anymore.

Dug: I asked her what she thinks should happen now. What do you think, Scoochy?

Scoochy: No more sweets or dessert until Christmas. (Ouch.)

Me: Wow! That's a punishment. (I was just about to suggest a lighter sentence when Dug spoke up.)

Dug: Okay, no sweets or desserts until Christmas. (Dads...without them our kids would be wussies.)

Then, Dug and I helped Scoochy ask God for forgiveness and strength to do the right thing in the future. Can you believe it? Her little heart couldn't take it anymore. She had to come clean. When our kids respond to their guilt in such a contrite and humble manner, it amazes me. It becomes one of those moments where they become the teachers and, if we are wise and let ourselves, we become the students.

Scoochy can read really well now. She just walked in a few minutes ago and started reading what I had typed. At first she didn't want me to share this story with you. But when I told her that people would think highly of her for being honest and making the right choice, she gave me permission. I don't think it would be so easy for me to lay out my mistakes for all to see, even if it did end with a good final decision. Ahhh...chalk one more up for children.

Beware the curious Tank

I was going to the bathroom today when Tank walked in. (What mother gets to pee by herself anyway?) He looked at me and pointed to my stomach, which just happens to have a wee bit of flab left over from my pregnancy with him and sitting on a toilet is such an advantageous position.

Tank: What's that Mommy?
Me: That's my tummy, Tank. (pppbbbbttt...you can hear my ego deflating.)
Tank: No, Mommy, what's that? (pointing to my tummy roll, yet again.)
Me: It's my stomach. (ssssssssss...ego deflation is now complete.)
Tank: Oh. (He walks up to me, lifts the back of my shirt and stares intensely at my back.) Where's your horn?

What?! My horn?! Who or what does he think I am? Dug was in his office which just happens to be right next to the bathroom. He overheard the whole thing and by that time was at the door laughing and trying to escort Tank out of my reach. Wise move on Daddy's part.

Later, I was talking to Tank and trying get him to explain what he meant, but by that time he had forgotten the whole episode. Argh! Three year olds. Tell them they can have candy when they get home and the mind is a steel trap. But have them recall a conversation from five minutes ago...nada.

Oh well, maybe it's best I don't know...best for Tank, that is.

Scoochy and her cats

i have a little cat and a momcat. the babycat has brown spots. the momycat is wite. i like my cats. my cats are 3 and 25 and make shuer your age is not 200. the end

Words from Princess Cutie Pops (as dictated to Tricia)

I got lots of candy at Halloween. I wonder how you are doing, Nana. I wonder how you're doing, Poppa. I like my pegasus. It's a purple pegasus. It's a stuffed animal. It looks like a normal pegasus. I like it. I got it for my birthday. Andrea gave it to me. I like to play with my pegasus. I make her real-life by playing with it.

I like Pancake. I got her from Alaska. She's a doll. She has a face that's as round as a pancake. I like playing with my doll, Pancake. I have a ducky. I named my ducky, Josh. My ducky's white with an orange beak and orange legs. And I have a pig. It has a heart and it has rainbow colors on it. I have a heart on my pig. I named it Piggy.

And I have a kangaroo. I love my kangaroo so much. I got my kangaroo from Aunt Bev.

All aboard! To the Home Depot! *toot, toot*

We went to Home Depot tonight. We're starting work on fixing the bathroom. Hooray! As we were driving into the parking lot, the kids asked us why we were there. We explained that we wanted to look at bathtubs and sinks. Scoochy chimed in.

Scoochy: Dad, I was watching TV today.
Dad: What did you watch?
Scoochy: Well, it's a good thing we're coming here, because at Home Depot, they have everything you need.

Folks, that's why marketing firms get paid the big bucks.

Clean up on aisle seven!

I hadn't been grocery shopping in over two weeks and, considering that I usually go every week, I had an enormous list. After getting up late, proctoring homeschool, eating lunch and finishing the shopping list, we got going at the bright and early time of 2:45pm. Perfect timing on my part: just long enough after lunch that everyone is hungry and at that magical hour of the day that even though no one is a nap-taker, we're all on the downward side of the energy mountain.

So, off we go to Winco. As you come in to the huge store, you are lead to your right, through the "Aisle of Wonders." Seasonal items at amazing discounts flank you at both sides. If you continue straight ahead, right before you hit the far wall of the produce section you can see the little Odwalla refrigerator. On occasion, if we are hungry or I'm just a little tired or both as we were today, we stop and pick a treat from the delicious assortment of nourishing beverages. Today we had a unanimous decision of Blueberry. (From experience: If any group of children votes unanimously on any given choice, do not ask any other questions. And do not, under any circumstances, ask "Are you sure?") I said, "Okay. Blueberry B Monster it is."

If an Odwalla beverage is purchased, we have a rule that you must begin drinking it immediately. So, I unscrewed the lid, took a drink (another rule: Mom goes first.) and then gave everyone a turn. Every so often throughout the store someone will say, "I'm thirsty." That is the signal for an Odwalla break.

We were walking westward down aisle seven. We call that the "Soup & Beans" aisle. I had stopped to grab a can of pintos when Princess Cutie Pops whined, "I'm hungry." That is a secondary signal for an Odwalla break. I handed Princess Cutie Pops the bottle, noticing that it was almost empty. "Don't drink too much, sweetie, it's almost gone." She started drinking. After what I thought was long enough, I took it and gave the bottle to Scoochy. She took a small drink then held it out to Tank. For some reason I turned at that moment to grab the aforementioned beans. Why I turned then, I'm not sure. But turn I did. I casually grabbed the beans and as I looked around back at Tank, he brought the bottle to his lips and lifted it completely vertical. The last of the Blueberry B Monster poured down his cheeks, onto his sweatshirt and dripped onto the floor. I had one can of pinto beans in each hand and it happend so fast that even if my hands were empty I'm still not sure I could have prevented the mess.

I put the cans into the cart and knelt down beside Tank, unsure what to do next. A woman who looked like she understood said, "Too bad you don't have a camera." (Had she read my post?) But I did have one. Since I've started blogging, I keep my brother's camera in my purse. (We're currently without one since I broke ours. Who knew Canon didn't make cameras strong enough to handle three falls onto concrete?) So I took a couple pictures then collected my thoughts. I sent Dodge to find an employee with a turquoise apron on and tell them what happened. While he was gone I licked, yes you read that right, licked Tank's face and hands clean of the B Monster. What else could I do? I didn't have any napkins or tissues or anything. My only fear was that someone would think he had puked and see me cleaning him like a mother cat. Luckily, I was done before the employee got there. The mess on the floor was really nothing. He ended up using paper towels to clean it. (If only I had been patient!)

Dodge was really sad that he didn't get any more B Monster. I told him he could suck it off his brother's sweatshirt, but he didn't consider that an option. "Well," I told him, "That's your loss." I turned, grabbed the cart and we kept shopping as if nothing had happened. Because, when you live with us, it really is nothing.

Chopstick Masters

Saturday evening the fam and our friend Trenton went to Mio Sushi on Hawthorne in Portland. Dug and I have decided not to be the kind of parents that only do the fun stuff when our kids aren't around. We had the kids in Portland, sushi was calling, we answered! Since we make it at home at least once a month, it wasn't that different for the kids, anyway. We have chopsticks at home that we use almost everytime we eat anything Asian so the kids have had a bit of practice. Mio Sushi makes "starter" chopsticks for the kids with rubberbands and scraps of paper. They loved it.

Dodge, throwing down a piece of that Terriyaki chicken. Don't you love those bento boxes the kids meals came in? The meal was huge. Rice, salad, chicken and two california rolls. Luckily, we bought only two for the four to share.

Tank didn't want to mess with no "baby" chopsticks. He wanted to eat like a man. So he ripped off the rubberband and pretty much stuffed his face with his hands.

Last, we have Scoochy. She's delicately eating some chicken. Don't let her demeanor fool you though. That little bowl of soy sauce in the middle has wasabi in it. Yep, she's our spice child.

Princess Cutie Pops somehow was missed in every picture. Still not sure how that happened. But, it all evens out. She got her own post yesterday.