Christmas Cards

Just finished Christmas Cards for this year!  Yeah!  I opt for photo cards every year because it is easier and I like being able to show a bunch of photos.  I have all of our past cards hanging up on the bulletin board right here at the computer and it's fun to see how everyone has changed.  I ran quick through my iPhoto and was able to pull out the past pictures...

I couldn't find the actual card, but here's the image that I used for 2007.  Not the best picture but I was likely sleep deprived and had just returned to work and so clearly, my brain was no functioning well.

The 2007 picture/card is nowhere to be found.  In fact, I don't even have one up here on the bulletin board.  I tried scrolling through pictures of 2007 and quite frankly, I remember nothing of that year.  I did find pictures, that I almost posted, about how AWFUL I looked which most certainly equates to me feeling terrible.  Which, again, I attribute to sleep deprivation from Miss. Addison who spent her days sleeping and her nights awake all while mommy was working.  That and the 50 pounds that I gained (and hadn't lost) when I was pregnant with her.  So...Let's just forget about 2007...

2008.  Happy family!  Addison's first professional pictures of her life.  I skipped the whole Picture of the Month thing with her.

2009.  There we go....that's us.  Sleeping well and happy!

2010.  Which looks remarkable like 2009.  I like the collage style, what can I say?

"I only had to hear him once...

...and I was a fan." Spoken by Justin Bieber's newest fan...

posing after a soccer game

Will says this to me in the car a few days ago after we'd listened to Baby, Baby for the 10th time on repeat. It so sweet too because he tries to sing along without anyone seeing him, and we do.  I cheat and look in the side window mirror when Rob is driving and he adjusts the rearview mirror just so so that he can fake looking at cars behind him to catch a glance of Will belting out Baby, Baby.  Addi provides good back up (although she prefers Cee-Lo Green, Forget You instead).   And then, when Will is supposed to be going to sleep, he usually belts out a little tune thinking no one can hear him.

I'm a fan too little Will.  Who doesn't love listening to a 16 year old belt out love ballads for the world to hear?!

it's coming.....

I love shopping on Black Friday with my dad. Early morning alarm clocks, long lines, crowds...I love it all. I found this little list from this little blog that I thought was a good idea. Sometimes, I have so many things to grab, without a good list, and then I forget.  Go forth and shop my friends!

Chess club

On Saturday, at 8 in the morning, when we all should have been sleeping just a little while longer (especially after BUNCO birthday party bash 2010 for Lyndsey), my mom dropped Will & Addi off at home from a slumber party. After waking Rob up and moving him to the couch (BUNCO was a lot for FUN Bobby!) I packed Will up and took him up to school for his first Chess Tournament. He almost didn't attend this one because of that time when he almost got kicked out of Chess Club. I thought that maybe we should keep the kid with minor classroom issues away from large group activities requiring total self control. I was just trying to help everybody out! But then the chess club coach pulled me aside and told me that he thought it would help Will to compete. See...Will has this odd little idea that he knows everything. Shocker right? He is partly a Hawkins and 1/2 of me so I'm not sure where this comes from. But, he's convinced he's the best Chess player to step foot into Chess Club (or at least he did). So we decide to play in the tournament. Nothing like getting your ass handed to you by your opponents to provide a little humility.

First off, Chess people are odd. I'm just going to say it. They are serious like NBA players on Finals day. Serious. I saw tears on Saturday. Tears of sadness and regret pouring out of 10 year old's eyes. Even Will cried a tear by the end of the day. Chess is so predicatable and yet totally unpredicatable at the same. You start the same every time (white on right, king on his color-or is it queen). But then, you just don't know. That's the scary part. So the chess tournament is a 5 game tournament with an hour time block for each game. 5 hours total, no breaks for lunch unless you finish early and the potential for a game clock only if things are running long. Will's first game is against a 4th grader - one of only two girls at the tournament and I knew at the first move that Will was going to get his ass handed to him. She OWNED that chess board. Will tried to hang in there. He did exactly what the chess teacher told him...the first four moves he built the wall and then like lightning she tore it down. She had captured at least 7 pieces in so many moves and Will couldn't figure out what happened. I cringed at some of the moves he was making (although not loud enough for him to hear otherwise I would have been kicked out of the playing room). I think he got nervous...I was nervous...and then just couldn't think ahead. He calmed down eventually and the two battled it out for 20 minutes or so. He ended up losing but was able to capture 4 of her pieces.

Game 2 was a Bye for Will, an automatic win (his only win of the day). Game 3 was against a long time rival from chess club. When Will saw the pairings up on the board he threw his head back like 'oh. my. god." This kid is the shit at Chess and I think the two of them don't play often enough. It was Will's best game and they were paired pretty fairly. About 3/4 of the way through the opponent gobbled up his queen with the knight and it was all downhill. Once Will loses the queen, he thinks it's all over (I see this as his ultimate respect for women). Games 4 and 5 went alright. By game 5 he was a bit antsy and had a hard time concentrating. There was, however, trophies on the line so he tried. He really tried. But he lost. And I felt sad for him. He wanted to play so well. He knows how to play really well. It was just all so new to him. ANd the competition was really good. They even brought in private school kids and we all know they play chess at recess instead of public school kick ball.

When it came time to trophies, Rob said Will cried just a bit. He so badly wanted a trophy. But, like the chess teacher put, "this isn't kindergarten soccer.' nope. guess not. I was proud of Will though. He was one of two first graders who played. He hung in there as long as he could and never gave up on a single game. He learned a few moves and mostly learned that he has a lot to learn which is ome times the best lesson ever. Just like me, sometimes a does of humility is just what us Hawkins people need.

A list of things that I don't want to forget about, but that I still haven't put words to

Here is a list of things that I want to remember...

1.  Addison opera singing answers to us.  Up until about 2 weeks ago, Addison would respond to any question like an opera singer.  She'd even go so far as to raise her arms up higher and higher and she finished her sentence.  WE never got video so I hope this comes back.

2.  Will almost getting kicked out of Chess club.  Not a proud moment for mommy.  I have a feeling that this will not be the first time this happens to Will.  Story to follow.... Let's just say that Will is definitely Rob's son. And if this means nothing to you, just know that Rob's favorite statement on a weekend night is 'They think I'm FUNNNY!!!" 

3.  Leaves.  We have so. many. leaves.  We waited until the second to the last leaf pick up and raked like mad today for 3.5 straight hours.  My arm is aching so bad.  Before bed Will told me that I should rest my arm for just a little bit because it sounded like I worked it to hard.  Yes I did Will.  I worked it WAY to hard.  Yard work is for crazy people!  I usually don't mind it, but when it is cold and wet and your gloves have holes strategically placed right at the fingertips...well it's not as much fun then.  

4.  Two nights ago when Rob and I sat down to watch a movie...Rob could not get the remote for the DVD player to work.  It was like that Modern Family episode where Phil couldn't figure out where the chirping fire alarm was at.  Rob just kept scratching his head and trying the same button over and over and over and over.  What is it with men and persistent.  Two tries..that's all an electronic device gets from and then it's over.  I'm on to the next thing.  Rob took 20 minutes to get the damn thing fixed.  I fell asleep and then had to WAKE back up to watch the movie.  Damn DVD player.  ps. Rob wants to be Phil Dumpfy.  

5.  Rob loves True Blood.  I can not comment anymore on this other than he loves and it is funny.  He asked me last night which vampire series I liked best.  It's important to understand that I have read the Twilight series twice and both times Rob goes crazy without how much time it consumes.....Now we have to watch True Blood anytime a new NetFlix package arrives

6.  Tonight, in the bath, Addison was giving herself a pep talk for seeing Santa.  She is consumed by the "ho-ho-ho man" and scared to death to sit on his lap.  She did it once when she was 4 months old and screamed.  It was tragic and I'm going to guess she never does it again in her life.  Who knows though...her pep talk sounded pretty good.  

7.  Laundry never ends.  Enough said. 

 

 Right now Addison's most commonly spoken phrase is 'My brain says..."  Rob thinks she's gone off the deep end.  I think she's getting in touch with her inner spirit.  Whatever the case, it's FUNNY.  She'll say things like "My brain told me to go potty Mommy, so I went."  Or last week, after deciding that she would not wear her costume to daycare, she tells me "my brain told me I should have brought my costume but I told it I would be ok" when I picked her up.  Huh?!  

So far, her brain is a boy most of the time (she refers to it as a 'him') and a few times it's a girl (it's also in her stomach some times...whatev!)  And in case you are concerned for this more little girl with possible multiple personalities, don't be.  She's learning about her body at daycare and they've been talking about brains.  I'm guessing it was explained to Addi that 'our brain tells us what to do."  My literal daughter has just taken the literal meaning to the extreme!  

Good Night!  My brain is telling me to go to sleep and enjoy this extra hour tonight!

Happy Halloween

Quite frankly, I could have written Halloween off this year.  We never quite got in the spirit around here until it was too late.  Will was sorely disappointed that we didn't have our annual party, or that we didn't attend the Fall Festival.  But, on the bright side, we made it to the Pumpkin Patch and we actually carved pumpkins.  Plus, we all made it out the door in costume (mostly - except for me) and everyone had a great time. 

 This was our 'party' crew.  The cousins came over for a little pre-funk of pizza and apple juice.

 And here the are pondering life.  Actually...I told them to look up at the clouds like they were thinking.  I think they all can follow directions perfectly!

 Our little family.  I finally got my fireman! 

and the pumpkins....a cat, darth vader, frankentstein, and Addi's little on that she loves so much that she hugs.  Shortly after this picture I discovered that these beauties were infested with fruit flies.  Yuck!  THey've already been tossed.   In exchange for a bug free front porch, I promised Will that we would start Christmas early this year.  There may just be a few decorations sprinkling the house by the weekend...you never know.