Joke's on Me

Monday morning we woke up to this...

I'm not even sure how much snow it was.  Three, four inches.  Hard to say, and truly, I don't pay too much attention.  Enough to fire up our "new" snowblower before 8am to clear the driveway.

It was a pretty normal morning.

Usually Drew wakes up on his own, but on occasion, I have to wake him.  Monday was one of those rare mornings, so I woke him up about 7:30.

He's usually pretty slow to start, and if I do have to wake him up, he laments that I let him sleep too late as there isn't any time to watch a TV show.

Monday was one of those mornings.

Awesome.

He was really dragging and pouty about no TV time, and I needed him to decide what he wanted for breakfast so that we could get him dressed and ready before we needed to head out for school.

He doesn't yet quite understand that if he'd get his poop in a group in the morning, get done what he needs to get done, he probably would have a few spare minutes to watch a bit of TV before we leave.

But alas.  He's 6.  Logic hasn't stretched that far.

Anyway.

A typical morning, it was, with the usual moans and groans of a slow moving child.

Out the door by 8:25 to head to school.

When I pull around the corner by the school, I see a grand total of two cars in the parking lot, and no one in sight.  No kids.  No parents.  No teachers.

Are you kidding me?!?

Apparently the kind of snow we received the night before warranted a snow day.  The thought of this never even cross my mind!  Where I come from, you have to be darn near trapped inside your home because the snow is covering the front door in order to have a snow day!

Needless to say, I felt quite silly.

And he...

 ...was quite thrilled.

{Later in the day he said to me, "This is what you do when I'm at school?"

"Sure is!" as I do laundry, pick up, make some phone calls, cook dinner, etc...

I don't think he was quite as thrilled anymore.}

:)

Six on the 26th

So it seems I cannot turn back time.  I cannot make this little man a little baby again.  I cannot stop him from growing up, growing older, growing into a little man.  

So, I guess, I will learn to embrace it.

Here he is.

He is six.

He is quite the boy, and we are so, so glad that he is ours.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DREW!

WE LOVE YOU!

{If anyone else is having any heartache over this kiddo growing up too fast, let's take a look back together...

Drew turns 1

Drew at 2

Drew is 3

Drew at 4

Drew turns 5 }

Our Playlist

I wouldn't consider myself especially knowledgeable about the current music scene.  I can't remember the last time I purchased an album...long enough that, no doubt, it was an actual, physical CD.  I am finding that as I gain experience as the mother of young children...I relish quiet.  So I rarely find myself turning on iTunes or cranking up the radio.

However.

We have always liked to dance with the boys.  Here.  In the privacy of our own home.  Because if you know me well enough, you'll know I'm not likely to take the dance floor in public.  I have this thing about looking like an idiot in front of other people - I try not to.

Dance parties are pretty routine around here, though.  They are a truly remarkable way to work out the wiggles, as well as the crabbies.  Seriously.  Who wouldn't be in a good mood after doing this???

In the past, we've rocked out as a family to the Imagination Movers.  They've been on {our} music scene for what seems like forever.  Then, for some strange and random reason, the boys all of the sudden discovered the musical stylings of Yo Gabba Gabba (a show they don't even watch), and it became the background music to our lives.

Well, let me just say, thank the good Lord above for VH1's top video countdown on Saturday mornings!  One more round of "All My Friends are Insects" or "Don't Bite Your Friends" was about gonna do me in.  Brad will usually have VH1 on sometime on Saturday mornings, and it was there the boys were introduced to many of the songs they now know by heart.  They are popular songs (obviously), catchy, quirky and, most important, danceable tunes that we all have come to blurt out at the top of our lungs just because it's fun.

And as I spoke of in my Christmas travels post...such music becomes downright necessary on road trips.

If you follow either Brad or myself on Facebook, you know that the boys' most favorite song (right now) is Taylor Swift's "We are Never Ever Getting Back Together."  I promise you that if you are neither a fan of her or this song, this little video just might put new favor towards her name. :)

{pardon the poor video quality...but the payoff is worth it in the end!}


2012-12-24 16.47.57 from Brad Vander Waal on Vimeo.


Pretty hard to resist smiling during that one, eh?  And boy, that Tigger can boogy!


And just to prove that the boys know more than just Taylor Swift...



2012-12-30 22.50.46 from Brad Vander Waal on Vimeo.

We do have a playlist explicity titled "Dance" (catchy, right?) and it currently includes...

(you'll notice a heavily VHI-influenced compilation)

We are Never Ever Getting Back Together (Tayor Swift)
Good Time (Owl City & Carly Rae Jepsen)
Home (Phillip Phillips)
Ho Hey (The Lumineers)
Some Nights (Fun)
Rock Party Anthem (LMFAO)
Move (MercyMe)
We are the Champions (Queen) (Brad threw a little old school in there.)
Call Me Maybe (Carly Rae Jepsen)


{**NOTE:  for those of you that are familiar with some of these artists and their tendency to be on the inappropriate side...rest assured we are protecting our children from that kind of nonsense!**}

Pretty fun, right?

Now y'all wanna come over and dance, dontcha?  You may.  So long as you're willing to join in on what would win us $10,000 on America's Funniest Home Videos.

Dance on!

Landmark Occasion

Today was the day I have been waiting for.

The day when every kid speaks these famous words for the first time.

I was in the boys' room when I heard this shouted from the breakfast table:

"MOM!  He's watching me!"

Oh yes.


We have arrived.

{And which one was tattling on the other???  I'll let you guess.}

Around Here

 Around here, we've been giving lots of "huggies" and "kissies."

 Around here, we've been doing a lot of learning.

 Around here, we've been playing a lot of games.  A lot. 

 Around here, they've been spending some quiet time together.  Reading, talking, connecting.

 Around here, Cars and Cars 2 are the movies of choice, and after a long hiatus, these are being playing with again.

 Around here, we are keeping our hands busy.  

Around here, we are enjoying pizza picnics on Saturday nights.

Around here, they are growing up way too quickly.

{How did THAT happen?!}

Heads Up

I just finished two additional posts to finish out 2012 here on the ol' blog.  Because I like order, and everything in its place, I backdated them, so unless you do a lot of scrolling, or follow me in a reader, you probably didn't see them (Mom and Dad, this is for you).

So, CLICK HERE to read about the boys' wish lists for Christmas.

And CLICK HERE to read about our Christmas celebrations with our families.

Happy reading!