Friday, December 31, 2010
Christmas
The big Christmas present this year was the bunk bed surprise. In addition to this we tried to keep additional treasures to a minimum since we have such generous grandparents and aunts and uncles. There were books (of course), new games, exploring equipment, and legos. We got some great new books this year including the amazing Usborne Encyclopedia of World History - we do love books but what do you do with 20-30 new books when all your bookcases were already bursting - there may be a trip to Ikea in our future for more bookcases. Forbidden Island was a hit for Mr. 5 and Mr. 7. They even spent a morning this week designing their own sunken island and then exploring it. Mr. 5 got binoculars and a compass for the trip. For Mr. 7's love of game-making, we found blank cards and plastic sleeves so he can make his own cards for games and then have all the backs the same with the plastic sleeves. We still have hundreds of index cards but this will make for a more polished finish product. All and all, everyone seemed pleased with their presents and there's been some great building and pretending this week.
A plague on the gingerbread house
Mr. 5 really wanted to make a gingerbread house so I found a recipe on the internet a few days before Christmas and told him we could do one step each night to make the house before Christmas Day (when he wanted to eat it - I think that may have been his sole motivation). It was an utter and total disaster start to finish.
Day 1: We of course do not have all the ingredients including molasses (which we borrowed from our lovely neighbors) and ginger (which I tried to make by crushing dried whole ginger). The dough was okay but didn't seem quite the right consistency - refrigerate overnight the recipe said. Okay, that will fix it I'm sure.
Day 2: No, actually dough much worse than before. It is dry and crumbly and impossible to roll out. So I got a bowl of water and tried to rehydrate the dough little by little which made it sticky and messy. We had misplaced the template Daddy had made the night before so we tried to just wing it which was again less than successful. All the while, Mr. 1 was desparately trying to help. By the end we had some pieces that we hoped would work.
Day 3: The final straw came when we tried to assemble our house. The first batch of Royal Icing was too thin so I made a second batch that was thicker but just wouldn't hold the house up. After 4 or 5 collapses, we tried buttressing with legos and this seemed to work. We even added a few decorations with plans to finish up later. The boys went outside for some sledding and when we came back in the house was a pile of rubble and I was done.
I told the boys they could each eat a piece and I unceremoniously dumped the rest in the trash. Next year I think I'll try a kit...
Day 1: We of course do not have all the ingredients including molasses (which we borrowed from our lovely neighbors) and ginger (which I tried to make by crushing dried whole ginger). The dough was okay but didn't seem quite the right consistency - refrigerate overnight the recipe said. Okay, that will fix it I'm sure.
Day 2: No, actually dough much worse than before. It is dry and crumbly and impossible to roll out. So I got a bowl of water and tried to rehydrate the dough little by little which made it sticky and messy. We had misplaced the template Daddy had made the night before so we tried to just wing it which was again less than successful. All the while, Mr. 1 was desparately trying to help. By the end we had some pieces that we hoped would work.
Day 3: The final straw came when we tried to assemble our house. The first batch of Royal Icing was too thin so I made a second batch that was thicker but just wouldn't hold the house up. After 4 or 5 collapses, we tried buttressing with legos and this seemed to work. We even added a few decorations with plans to finish up later. The boys went outside for some sledding and when we came back in the house was a pile of rubble and I was done.
I told the boys they could each eat a piece and I unceremoniously dumped the rest in the trash. Next year I think I'll try a kit...
Christmas surprise
This Christmas I came up with the insane idea to surprise the kids by replacing their old bunk beds and crib with 2 new sets of bunk beds complete with tents, new reading lights, and new covers. Of course, the kids sleep in these beds so the only way to pull it off was to wait until the kids were asleep on Christmas Eve, move them downstairs, take apart the old furniture, assemble the new, and then move the kids back up. So simple right?
Not so simple but a great surprise. Luckily Nana and Papa arrived Christmas Eve after church and were willing to humor us in our insanity. Thanks to them we were able to move the kids back up at a reasonable 3am rather than just pulling an all-nighter which is what would of happened if we had been on our own.
When we carried Mr. 5 upstairs he woke up enough to look around as he was put in his new top bunk - "I think I know what the surprise is," he told us. The other 2 slept through the transfer.
Mr. 7 was up at 6:04am (we had specified the night before that no one was to be awake before 6am) and thought it was a pretty good surprise and Mr. 5 was super excited but the best reaction was Mr. 1. Up until that night he had been in a crib and had never really had any space to call his own. He spent the morning opening a present and then carrying it to his bed to look at, read, or play with. He LOVES his bed. And other than one rough night where we had to put Mr. 1 back to bed many many times including fetching him down from the top bunk, he's gone to bed happily and stayed there.
BEFORE
AFTER
Not so simple but a great surprise. Luckily Nana and Papa arrived Christmas Eve after church and were willing to humor us in our insanity. Thanks to them we were able to move the kids back up at a reasonable 3am rather than just pulling an all-nighter which is what would of happened if we had been on our own.
When we carried Mr. 5 upstairs he woke up enough to look around as he was put in his new top bunk - "I think I know what the surprise is," he told us. The other 2 slept through the transfer.
Mr. 7 was up at 6:04am (we had specified the night before that no one was to be awake before 6am) and thought it was a pretty good surprise and Mr. 5 was super excited but the best reaction was Mr. 1. Up until that night he had been in a crib and had never really had any space to call his own. He spent the morning opening a present and then carrying it to his bed to look at, read, or play with. He LOVES his bed. And other than one rough night where we had to put Mr. 1 back to bed many many times including fetching him down from the top bunk, he's gone to bed happily and stayed there.
BEFORE
AFTER
Monday, December 20, 2010
First snow
Tonight I walked home through the first snow - a magical time that I try to remember when we're shoveling snow in March and April. When I walked through the door Mr. 5 asked if he could go out in it after dinner. Given that I'd just spent the last 15 minutes thinking how magical it was, I agreed even though it was already late and there were carpets to steamclean (see early post on the necessity of the quarantine). So after dinner I found snow pants and boots for everyone (giving Mr. 1 time to dump the entire container of fish flakes in the tank) and we suited up and headed out. Mr. 1 was very happy to be carried around in it but not too keen on walking in it. And he really was unsure what to do when it would not come off of his mitten. He kept showing me his mitten and saying "oh no mitten". I think they'll be sledding and tromping in the morning for the boys. As for me, I have a journal club to give and consults to see so I'll have to savor the magical walk to work in the morning.
Decorating the tree
Everyone helped and the bottom half of the tree was beautiful (we helped the top half after bedtime).
The machine
Mr. 7 has been loving his new science teacher and science lab. They've been studying simple machines and mechanical advantage, and their semester-end project was to build a machine based on one or more simple machines, and explain its function.
Mr. 7 was clear on the design: a pulley attached to a weighted end of a lever. What was less clear was what it could be used for. After several brainstorming sessions, he decided it was a kitchen scale: one hangs the water pitcher in the sink, and fills it until the counterweight (the blue-taped batteries or pink weights below) minus the water weight in the pitcher balances out your food (below, a 1 pound can of beans). His classroom presentation was a success.
Mr. 7's Dad has been wanting a kitchen scale for a while. We'll have to see how Mom will feel about the scale becoming a permanent fixture.
Honorable mention goes to the Google Cambridge office, who cheerfully debated over e-mail whether iridium or osmium would be a more cost-efficient counterweight while Dad was boringly buying cheap handweights at the sporting goods store.
Mr. 7 was clear on the design: a pulley attached to a weighted end of a lever. What was less clear was what it could be used for. After several brainstorming sessions, he decided it was a kitchen scale: one hangs the water pitcher in the sink, and fills it until the counterweight (the blue-taped batteries or pink weights below) minus the water weight in the pitcher balances out your food (below, a 1 pound can of beans). His classroom presentation was a success.
Mr. 7's Dad has been wanting a kitchen scale for a while. We'll have to see how Mom will feel about the scale becoming a permanent fixture.
Honorable mention goes to the Google Cambridge office, who cheerfully debated over e-mail whether iridium or osmium would be a more cost-efficient counterweight while Dad was boringly buying cheap handweights at the sporting goods store.
The Toddler
Somehow I'd forgotten exactly what it's like to live with a toddler. One who feels so strongly that their way is the only right way. One who will build a ramp with all the blankets and pillows to get what he wants (or push the nearest chair or stool into position). One who will feed the fish the entire container of flakes. One who must take 2 blankets and a lion (and often a monkey) even though he only has two hands. One who says "peas" when he is asking nicely. One who will give you the biggest hugs when you walk in the door and the biggest grins when you figure out what those words he's saying mean. This is toddlertime in our house with all its ups and down and we love him!
Friday, December 17, 2010
Quarantine
Last night Mr. 7 and I were not feeling so well. We snuggled downstairs with some movies hoping that our stomachs would feel better. Instead it just got worse from there and Mr. 5 joined us a few hours later. The sickness continued throughout the night and this morning we decided it necessary to quarantine the house even though Mr. 1 was feeling well. The award goes to the Dad who cleaned up countless times, changed sheets, bought gingerale, and generally helped us survive the worst of it. We're all feeling better the last few hours (Mr. 5 wants to have a pajama Christmas party since he missed his party at school but I can't say I'm feeling up to a party) but I think it's going to be an early bedtime tonight. And tomorrow we need to figure out where to rent a carpet cleaner.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Too busy
This time of year I'm always torn between all the wonderful things to do and enjoy and just wanting to curl up at home and never leave the house. I had great hopes that this year - our first post-residency Christmas - would be different but alas fellowship has its own challenges and having two elementary school kids does not make for a quiet time. And I just can't resist Christmas concerts and special surprises and advent calendar tasks and all the other fun that goes with this time. Maybe next year will be quieter...
I think my goal for the Christmas letter is Valentines Day this year.
I think my goal for the Christmas letter is Valentines Day this year.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Getting to know our cousins
The boys loved getting to know Baby L - he's a pretty easy going guy which is important with this motley crew. Ms. A is still not sure what to do with all these boys around!
Playing games
We never pass up an opportunity to share our love of Dominion, play a game of chess, or to learn new games.
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