Like uncle like niece.....

The past couple days Allyson has been sporting a grin that for some reason reminds me of the grin of her Uncle Wezzo (one of my older brothers).

A genteel translation of the vulgar parlance that comes readily to mind might be rendered 'Cowpie-masticating grin.'



What do you think about the startling resemblance--of the grins, anyway. Oh, the hair too.

Of course, the resemblance in the smile is accentuated and heightened by the mischievous sparkle in their respective eyes.

Also notice the sucker stick jauntily clenched between her teeth. Almost Churchill-esque in her demeanor!

Cows do WHAT????

Erin is busy(?) studying for a test on Friday. One of the test items is to name the 6 parts of the eye.

Cindy and Erin came up with some good mnemonic devices for her last test (she was the only one in the class to ace it), so taking the first letter from each of the parts of the eye Cindy tried to come up with something that would be easy to remember.

The letters were C, P, L, O, R, I.

Cindy never finished because Erin quickly came up with her own particular favorite.

Ahem!

'COWS PEE LARD OVER ROTTEN IGUANAS'

I don't imagine that she will forget this soon.

(The visual imagery may not soon be purged from our memory banks either!)

Who's afraid of the big bad wolf?

Part I
While Cindy was sacked out fighting the flu yesterday, I was downstairs with Allyson, where I watched 'The Sixth Sense' with Allyson (or at least occasionally watching it while playing with her).

That afternoon while driving back from the new hole that is our house (see below), I told the kids about it, and stressed how it was pretty scary for kids, etc.

Erin;s interest was piqued by the storyline, and she said she would like to see it. I quickly pointed out that it had bloody ghosts, etc., and that it would scare the pants off her, and that even their Mom wouldn't watch it (again).

Erin sagely commented, 'Yeah, but Mom's a scaredy-cat.'

Part II
As Erin and I were driving to Kohl's (see below), Erin began expressing her desire to get her ears pierced.

Being a loving parent, I attempted to divert her attention, saying 'That's a girl thing. You need to talk to your mom about that!'

That failed.

Trying tack #2, I told her to talk to Cindy about how much it hurt--the blood, the scabs, etc., etc.

Erin rejoindered, 'Yeah, but Mom's a wimp! She won't even ride the wicked rides [at Lagoon]!'

Dancin' Padders

While Erin and I were shopping (see the previous post), Cameron and Makenna got out the dusty old dancepads and quickly became sweaty messes.

Allyson also joined in the fun!

"Shopping Madness," or "The Torch has Passed"

This is a true case of mixed emotions--Cindy got a 30% discount coupon in the mail from Kohls for this week (a good thing), and is thus planning to use it repeatedly (bad thing).

But it was actually Erin and I who went to scope out the sales first.

Yes, Erin is in need of basketball-worthy shoes this year. After 2 hours and 2 stores, we ended up back at Kohl's and because the deal was so good ($20 after the discount), I bought me a similar pair too. (Actually, we put them on 'Hold' so Cindy could come buy them the next day.)

And no, they weren't "girls" or "womens" shoes.

I got a size 12 mens.

Erin got a size 13.

Also Mens size. (She could wear a 12 comfortably too, but she didn't like the color, and the 13's also fit well.)

Tangentially interesting fact: When I lived in Nango Japan, I won the award for the biggest feet in that town of 13,000.

NOTICE TO ANY LOCAL BLOG READERS: In a continuing effort to maintain my life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness, I would appreciate it if you could please refrain from making comments to Erin about her shoe size (at least within hearing distance of Cindy). I wanna live!

Commencement

Yesterday we got the call that they had started excavating at the new house site.

Cindy was down with the 24-hour flu and I was thus home taking care of Allyson, so the two of us drove out to scope it out.

The excavator guy was kind enough to offer to take a picture of us....



Right after school Allyson was still napping, so I took the other three kids out to see the completed hole in the ground.

Handstands galore....

Erin and Makenna took tumbling classes with friends at the YMCA throughout October, and even a month before that and continuing to the present day they spend every idle second doing handstand after handstand after handstand.

We are very pleased by the girls' progress--by the end of the month they were doing 'back bends' (where you lean backwards until your hands touch the floor behind you).

And Cameron, realizing that it is a competition of sorts and that he is behind the curve, has even joined the daily fray.



And,as a parent, it goes without saying how irritating it has now become.
Imagine this going on every second they have a little space--in the frontroom, in the kitchen, in the hallways.
Further imagine that they are doing this within a second after you tell them to hustle their little booties to get their homework done--or eat dinner, clean up, take a bath, put on pajamas, get ready for family prayers, get ready for school, etc., etc., etc.

And worst of all, it is rubbing off on Allyson!



She's not scoring perfect 10's on her somersaults...,yet.

Day at the Columbus Zoo II

We went in early October--the weather was fine and the kids were out of schools, so we all went to the Columbus Zoo, and a merry time was had by all. Allyson loved to get down and run free. I would imagine that the tigers and leopards would have looked upon this little frolicking morsel with keen interest—if only they had bothered to wake up.

Somewhat sadly, the kids enjoyed playing on the various statues around the zoo as much as viewing the monster snake, the elephants, and the other live attractions.

A day at the Columbus Zoo I

A picture says it all....



...but answer these questions three, and the wiser you will be.

1. Who do you think was the instigator?
2. Who do you think was the instigatee?
3. Who do you think was the disinterested bystander?

Losing a stalwart family friend....

Although well over a month has now passed, we still keenly feel the loss of what was a fixture in our homes since we got married. However, we have now dealt with the grief and feel comfortable about sharing our loss.

Let me begin with an appropriate poetic eulogy.

Kindling and particle-board,
Formed into a hutch,
You were missing your top,
But were too proud to blush.

Purchased a block away from Cindy's parents' home at a yard sale in 1995, the bottom half of a hutch accompanied us to Tennessee and Ohio. Being overly sentimental, we lovingly referred to it as 'Ten-Dollar Thing' (as in, 'Hey Cindy, where's the dutch oven cookbook?' 'Look in the Ten-Dollar Thing!) It was the receptacle of choice for cookbooks, platters, and tablecloths.
However, we put it out to pasture (specifically, the front curb with a big 'FREE' sign) in September during the great decluttering that preceded putting our house up for sale. It was accompanied on the curb by 'Rickety Old Chair' and 'Cheap Particle-Board Shelving.'

Sadly, after two days no one had hauled it away to a new life, and we assume that it is now finally resting in piece[s] somewhere in the Montgomery County landfill.

Always prone to maudlin sentimentality, you can see Cindy spending a few final moments with it. (If you look closely, you can even see it waving a door at the camera. Strike that--that was the door with the bad hinges that I had to hammer back straight every year or so.)



Oh 'Ten-Dollar Thing,' may you never be replaced by '$3000 Amish Thing.'

Now that would really make me cry!

Wishful thinking

On Halloween night we joined Denna's (my sister) family at the airport to welcome home their son Josh from his 2-year mission.

In the great Bowcut tradition, as Josh came into view down the airport security hallway Cindy began yahoo-ing and cheering at the top of her lungs. The rest of us were a bit more stoic.

Anyway, as we were going towards the baggage pickup area, Denna was talking to Erin and said something to the effect of 'Just think. In 10 or so years you could be coming to see Cameron off on his mission.'

Erin immediately--actually instantaneously and simultaneously--got this shining ray of hope in her eyes, smiled hugely, raised her hands and crossed both of her fingers, and began a little dance.

I guess she'd miss having the little feller away for two years.

NOT!

Basic math

(2 hours of trick-or-treating + 1 trunk-or-treat event) x 4 kids = Approx. 22 pounds (10 kg) of candy (not counting what they have already eaten).



Cindy did the only sensible thing and took half of the kids' booty for other purposes (gingerbread houses, etc). Heck, the kids had so much they didn't even mind!

Missing in action.....

Cindy called me at work yesterday.
She was in a dither because she couldn't find her purse.
As we talked through where she had been the night before (a sultry, even passionate shopping trip to WalMart--sultry because she was pretty heated at 9:30 PM, and passionate because she kept muttering 'Stupid cupcake paper cups! with great emotion).
The other end of the phone suddenly got quiet.
'Oh,' I ventured, 'Did you find it? Where was it.'
'I don't want to tell you.'
But she did, and at my urging she even took a picture 'for the blog.'
She probably thought I wouldn't write about it.

And yes, it is camouflaged pretty well.

And even Cameron couldn't find it.



And yes, it is at least 3 feet from where it was supposed to be.


And yes, I'd better stop before I really get into trouble!

Due to popular demand......

Here is 'Pirate Daddy' and a close-up of Ally and Erin.

Daylight Savings Trick-or-Treating in Ohio

We started at six, and by 7:15 it was finally getting dark.
But the weather was fine, and a fun time was had by all.
Erin: Rock star
Makenna: Fairy princess
Cameron: Explorer
Allyson: The Great Pumpkin (Made by Cindy while we lived in TN, it has now been used by all 4 kids)
Cindy: Indian maiden (Erin's homemade costume from 2 years ago)
Louis: A pirate (Erin's costume from last year)

Sometimes it makes me nervous

Allyson is sure a gregarious sweetie. She loves to say 'Bye-bye' to everyone as she leaves or they leave, and even tries to give kisses to complete strangers (like the furnace repair man). Even tonight as we went trick-or-treating she was gaily waving and saying 'Bye-bye.'

However, she does need to work on her pronunciation, because her pronunciation is much closer to 'Die-die' than 'Bye-bye.' It is especially ominous-sounding when she truncates it down to a simple 'Die!'

I especially get nervous when she says this to the more elderly types, all-the-while sporting a huge smile and waving amiably at them.

For the time being we will assume it is just a phase and not a preference.

Out with the old (we hope) and in with the new!

Our home of 9 years is now up for sale.



And here is the future site of our new home.
(Including all the trees in the background and another 20 feet or so.)

Gutted and Filleted....

First comes the gutting....



And then comes the filleting results....




And of course we brined and roasted some of the seeds.

Good eatin'!

18 months and counting....

Allyson hit 18 months yesterday, so I thought it would be appropriate to list all of her many accomplishments.

However, Cindy preferred that I do so in the negative rather than the positive.

1. She has said 'Dad-die' for 6 stinkin' months, but has not yet said 'MaMa.'
2. She can make the sounds of a pig, a horse, and cow, and a cat, but cannot get around to saying 'MaMa' yet.
3. She can clearly enunciate the name of the girl up the street who often comes to play at our house (Josie), but nary an 'M' word crosses her cute little mouth.
4. She can say 'Fishie,' but cannot find it in her heart to refer to the mother who gave her birth by being cut open in a roomful of people.
5. She can do somersaults, but can't wax poetic about her darling mother.
6. She loves to wave and say bye-bye and give kisses and hugs, but Cindy might as well be invisible.
7. She can say 'cheese' and loves to eat it, but any little girl that can't call her mommy by name is just a little curd!
8. The other day, it sounded like she called Cindy 'Cindy,' and Cindy was too ecstatic to try to correct her ill manners.



Did I mention she says 'Dad-die' a lot?

Gender Confusion....

For dinner tonight Cindy made some chicken enchiladas, and, surprisingly, all the kids gobbled it up!

Even Makenna--our finicky eater (we should refer to her as 'Morris'?)--gushed about how good it was, exclaiming, 'This enchilada is so GOOD! If it wore a dress I would marry it!'

We were gratified to learn shortly thereafter that she was quoting a boy on some Disney Channel show.

Having learned a valuable lesson, she mentally regrouped and then exclaimed, 'If it wore a bowtie I would marry it!'