Ripple Ripple Ripple

I had planned to make each of the kids a crocheted blanket for Christmas. I think I started working on Savannah's in early November.  I started getting worried when I wasn't even half way done by Thanksgiving.  I was carting this giant bag of yarn with me just about everywhere that I went.  I needed every spare moment to crochet.  And I was able to complete it.  About a week before Christmas. And it turned out fabulous!

I had to make Myles a fleece blanket in his school colors because there was no way to finish another crocheted blanket. Both kids are very happy with their gifts. 
Last weekend Savannah and I saw some ugly doll pillows.  I decided to make us some.

Pretty cute for ugly pillows.

New Years Bomb

Savannah spent the night at a friends house on new years eve.  When I picked her up the next day, she asked me when new years happens.  At midnight, I told her.
"Well, my friend's grandma said she let the little kids stay up for new  years until 11.  That's not new years."
"She probably meant they watched the New York new years on TV," I told her.
"So, is that what time the bomb drops?  At 11, not midnight?" she asked.
"The bomb?"
"Yes, mom.  The bomb.  Does it drop at 11 or 12?" she asked with great exasperation.
"Well, there is a time difference between here and New York City.  So, it's midnight there when it's 11 here." I explained.
"So, why don't they put the show on an hour later here, so that the bomb drops at midnight for everyone?"
"I guess it's because that show is done live," I told her and started to giggle. 
"WHAT?" she asked, giving me the look foretelling of the teenage attitude that is right around the corner.
"When the bomb drops in New York City at midnight there and 11 here, does the whole city blow up or just Times Square?"
She pondered that for a second. 
"Oh, I meant ball."
hee hee.

SQUEAKER! And the Post Christmas Trauma

For Christmas this year, Fillmore got what may be the very best Christmas present ever. A squeaker toy! He truly loves squeaker toys. With A Passion!! And he's got some incredible skills too.  Lucky for us, he is able to remove the plastic squeaker from nearly any squeaker toy in under an hour.  An hour is about the maximum amount of time a human can withstand the constant squeaking from these toys.  So, it works out perfectly. 

But, this year, something magical happened. Fillmore got a squeaker toy and seemed to be savoring the squeak. He laid out on the couch and just squeaked and squeaked. Strangely, thought, he didn't seem to be trying to destroy it like normal. Just SQUEAK! SQUEAK! SQUEAK!
Unfortunately for him, this was coupled with many other Christmas gifts being opened and assembled. So, in a fit of stress, I was forced to take the squeaker toy and put it up to maintain my sanity.
Fillmore was not pleased.
And to teach me a lesson, he chose to curl up and pout on a blanket I am currently crocheting. 

I felt sorry for him the next day and gave him his other squeaker toy.  (He got 2.)  And, due to the trauma he endured the previous day, he took that squeaker toy and tried to hide it from us.  He hid it behind the Christmas trees and then sat on the couch and keeping vigil over the toy.  After that spot became too risky, he went and retrieved his toy and tried putting it under some pillows and sat to watch it again.  But, as soon as someone sat on the couch, he had to find another safe hiding place. 
It was very funny to us, because he's never done this before.  It's always been procedure for him to rip open the toy, retrieve the squeaker, spread all stuffing from one end of the house to the other, and then play only with the little chewed up plastic squeaker. 
Day Three with this squeaker toy, and he was again trying to hide it under the tree.  I was able to grab my camera without drawing any attention from him and snapped a picture of him. 

As soon as the camera flashed, I was busted.

That afternoon, he finally ripped open the toy and got his squeaker out and I was not forced to put the squeaker toy up again.  (The first one hasn't been returned to him yet, though.  So, we still have another round of this to go.)  And, I'm still finding bits of stuffing around the house.

Christmas Concert

Tonight was Myles's middle school band concert.  I could definitely hear the improvement that comes with a few years practice.  They sounded very good.  I'll post a video of Myles's middle school band performing and then a second video of the entire middle and high school band performing together along with the middle and high school choir.  It was a pretty impressive finale!  (And I learned that Myles is first saxophone and the other saxophones are second!)





It was another night of my camera curse.  It never fails that if one of the kids has some special event happening, I either forget the camera, remember the camera but forget the sd card, forget to charge the camera battery, or bring a camera case with no camera in it.  And, to complicate matters, if I manage to remember all the necessary parts of the camera, I will invariably be put in a position where my photography skills are so lacking that the pictures turn out horribly and I miss most of the performance, trying to figure out the settings on my camera.  Myles's basketball season was plagued with all of these camera disasters.  Tonight, I remembered the camera, remembered the sd card, but forgot to check that the battery was charged.  (Of course.)  Luckily, I was able to take videos on my phone. 

I don't know who put the camera curse on me, but it's time for me to put an end to it.  I'll be making an appointment with a witch doctor after the holidays.  (Or maybe I should just read the camera manual or take a class.  But, I prefer the witch doctor solution.) 

Basketball

Tonight was Myles's last middle school basketball game (of the season, and ever).  It was a tough game, and they didn't win, but he was still great!
Here's a video of one of his nearly awesome moments.

And some pictures:

If he plays again next  year, it'll be high school basketball!  Yikes!

A Concert

Tonight Savannah had her first band concert.  It was a quick couple of  Christmas songs that the 5th grade band played, and she was spectacular.

(By the way, those squeaks you hear are not coming from her.)

It Snowed!

After enjoying a long stretch of mild weather, we were surprised with a big dump of snow.  The kids spent Thanksgiving playing outside and it was warm enough for them to go out without a jacket. 

We heard the forecast for up to 6 inches of snow and thought, "No way!  It's not going to snow that much."
And this is what we were dealing with on Saturday.

I guess we were wrong!