i need something to blog about

Everything just seems so boring and un-blog-worthy around here these days. We are stir crazy and bored of winter and bored of it getting dark so early. We are bored of Scott being sick for a week and a half (poor guy). We are bored of watching TV and playing Wii (I use the term "we" liberally there). Bored of the daily grind.


So in search of something to do (and something to blog about) we ventured to the duck pond today. It's actually a pretty good time in the winter. For some reason it seems to be a congregating spot for ducks from all over, so it is rather overrun. Plus, it being freezing cold and all, not very many people go out to feed them, so they are extra hungry.

The end result is very aggressive birds who will snatch the bread right out of the hand of the almost-2-year-old that's feeding them. June kept yelling at them when they'd steal a big piece.

Oliver got really nervous when they'd come up close and kept reporting to me as if I should do something about it. I did -- I took pictures, kept giving June more bread, and laughed a little when they'd snip at her fingers.

Despite his protests, we had a good time and June perfected her quacking sound.

On another boring day earlier this week, we built a fort.


And what a mighty fine fort it was, if I do say so myself.

I got involved to make it strong and durable to withstand the almost-2-year-old and to mitigate the number of fights it caused (well that was the hope, anyway). Uncle Zack's favorite zip ties came in handy. The fort lived for about 3 days before Dad insisted he needed the couch back and we needed to sit on real chairs for dinner.

Apparently boredom also breeds pyromania.

Scott says it's genetic and to brace myself for all the things Brenden will burn over the next few years. I guess I should be grateful for now that it's limited to candles and small things in the snow. Needless to say this activity also makes Oliver very nervous, and he constantly reports to me what's going on and asks, "does Brenden need to be done with that now?" We did finally have to put a stop to it after using up the third butane lighter.

Of course there have been craft projects too.

This one was inspired by an episode of Fetch with Ruff Ruffman where the kids went to a shoe manufacturer and got to learn about and then try designing their own shoes. Oliver had me print out about 20 copies of this shoe sketch and has been coloring them in for days. And you probably can't tell from the picture, but the toe and heal are covered with fabric -- he tells me which color and where to put it and has me cut it out and glue it down for him.

Then you know that part of Curious George rides a bike where he's delivering newspapers and then stops by the pond and folds paper boats to float in the water? Yeah we did that today too. I helped a bit with the folding part, but it was all Oli's idea.


As a matter of record keeping...

June talks a lot these days. She says Mommy, Daddy, Oliver (Wah-wah), Yo Gabba Gabba (babababa), phone (pho), sauce (used for any sort of topping whether powder or liquid), bottle (ba), Christine (Tine), baby, nigh-nigh, pacifier (fie), what, hello, bye-bye, doggie (fa-fa), and lollypop (bap-bap). When she thinks she missed something good she'll say "wha wha wha wha wha?" until you fill her in. That can get annoying.

She is yet to come up with a repeatable word for Brenden and Rachel (please don't take this personally -- she really does love both of you!). She sings along with Yo Gabba Gabba on the parts where DJ Lance says "Yoooooooo" and "break it dooowwwwnnnn". She does funny faces to try to make people laugh. She loves daddy best during the day and mommy best at night (as in won't even look at dad or play with him or let him hold her for even a second). She plays with things in 30 second spurts - her dollhouse, tea set, babies, monster trucks, hotwheels cars, the doodlepad. She's a good climber and knows all about pushing chairs and stools around to get what she wants. She loves to play in the sink filling spoons and cups and pouring from one to the other. She has a major sweet-tooth and loves to use said chairs to sneak nestle quick straight from the container.

Thanks to all of you who are willing to indulge her constant desire to talk on the phone. I know it's boring and incomprehensible, but it really does make her so excited to have an actual person responding on the other end of the line. If anyone else out there is willing to take her calls, please let us know as we are probably wearing out our standbys.

As for New Years resolutions...
I've decided there are no more excuses and I have to buckle down and cook for my family. This week was pretty good -- 5 homemade meals, only one trip to Panda Express and one pizza order on date night. It's convenient that this resolution comes in the same year that I expressly decided not to exercise as much (you get to do that when you're pregnant, right?). Oh and about that - I'm feeling fine, thanks for asking. I'm blessed to not get sick when I'm pregnant. I've heard the heart beat and had an ultrasound to confirm there's really something in there and there's only one of them. Other than that it's been rather uneventful so far.

That's it for now. Time to put the kids to bed. Over-and-out. Adios. (Can you hear the boredom dripping from my very being?! I seriously need a project.)