Revisionist History

Rex: You know that war that was in Hawaii?

Mom: At Pearl Harbor?

Rex: Yes, that one. And you know the deadliest shot?

Mom: In Hawaii?

Rex: Yah, the one that landed on the Arizona. I wish that it wasn't the Arizona.

Mom: What do you mean?

Rex: Like it could have been Iowa or Ohio or somewhere like that.

Mom: Hmm.

May 1-9

May 1


We had a fun day a the Franklin Institute,
a children's museum in Philly.

The last time we went, Leia was little.
Here she is in the same heart artery.
She is just as excited four years later.

Everyone had a great time.
Our favorite places are the electricity hall,
especially the light-up dance floor,
the hall of wings,
hall of trains
and the build it yourself moon landing vehicle.


May 2

It is warm outside!!!

Well, warm enough for the kids.

We finally got out the slipNslide that was
purchased on clearance ($3) last fall.

While the water is a little chilly,
and there is still a bit of a breeze,
the kids are happy to play with their new water toy.

Maybe when it warms up for real,
someone can show them how to really slide.



May 3

We accidentally left the garage door open overnight.
When we went out to the garage this morning,
we saw this nest on top of the garage door opener.

INSIDE THE GARAGE!!!

Thankfully the occupant was not home
(but may have been seen leaving the premises)
and there were no eggs yet
because those dried twigs and grasses
were woven into the light compartment,
dangerously close to the light bulbs.

Needless to say, our new houseguest was evicted.
And did not return.



May 4


In honor of Star Wars day, I give you the above photo and caption:

"Shut down all the garbage mashers on the Detention Level!"

May the 4th be with you.

And a Happy Han Solo to all!



May 5

Mommy got a solo vacation for Mother's Day.

She flew to visit her parents and sister,
also for Mother's Day.

Here is the tunnel between terminals in Detroit on a layover.

It is a spectacularly calming corridor.

All the arrangements were made
without alerting anyone in the destination city.

Mommy took the bus from the airport
and walked in to surprise grandpa at home.

Then grandma was surprised
when she got home from school.

Finally, Antie Lou was surprised
when a knock at her door revealed a surprise visitor.

Fun times were had by all.


May 6


This is our cousin Mac.
(names have been changed to protect the innocent)

It took him a few hours to warm up to the mystery visitor,
but then happily played while mommy and Auntie Lou
played a rousing game of Scene it?.


May 7


Mmmm. Sushi.

Haru poppers (as shown on the sign)
can't officially be classified as sushi,
but were the favorite plate(s) that mommy ate
while at lunch with Auntie Lou.

Jalapenos filled with crab meat,
then tempura fried, quartered
and topped with a delicious spicy sauce.

And sushi DOES taste better when served on a conveyor belt.


May 8

Working the bling bag.

Only at Walmart.



May 9

Happy Mother's Day!

You wouldn't have imagined that
seconds before this picture was taken,
bummies were being smacked and
threats were being made
that if they didn't get their jammies on and
teeth brushed their lives were going to end.

The amazing versatility of kids!

April 23-30

April 23


When we went to buy ceiling fans at the
local home improvement stores,
Belle wanted the fancy (expensive) flower fan
which does not fit our neutral decorating style.

Instead, we got the plain (less expensive) white kind and
used adhesive vinyl we already had to girlie it up a bit.

We did the same for Leia
(five colors of her own choosing)
and Rex (silver).

Now when they have a change of decor
(or the desire for a white fan)
we can make an inexpensive change.


April 24


Bird feeders were the project of the week at Lowes.

So, like good little store patrons,
we bought birdseed to go in them.

Unfortunately,
we only have two hooks on our deck
on which to hang a bird feeder.

Fortunately,
Rex can assimilate anything
into part of a LEGO scenario,
so everyone is happy.

Including the birds.

And the puppy.


April 25


Our plants have sprouted and grown nicely.

Now we have to wait until the appropriate time
to put them in the ground.

Some of these need to be replanted so they'll survive
(and not choke out the neighboring seedlings)
before the garden is ready.

Wish us luck keeping these guys alive inside for a few weeks.

Then keeping them from the bunnies.


April 26


Mmmm.

Daddy does a lot (ok, most) of the grocery shopping.

He is a great bargain hunter and
pairs up coupons and sales well.

When he goes to ShopRite
(our favorite store)

on his way home from work,
(usually Friday- cheese noodle night for the kids)

he picks up a tray of sushi
(in this case tuna rolls)

for dinner with oriental noodles.


April 27


Mommy has been tutoring a friend lately.
(who coincidentally has the EXACT same name)

Tonight she and her little sister
did a presentation about Irish step dancing
for the youth at church.

They are very accomplished,
having just returned from the
world championships in Ireland.

Belle and Leia were sooooo excited to
watch,
dance along and
beg for lessons
when it was all over.

Belle also begged for one of the
"beautiful sparkly dresses"
(they're totally covered with crystals)

and wanted to go to the
"fancy dress store"
(they'd cost $800 easily)

right away.
(these girls' mom makes their dresses)

We'll be looking into it after our summer adventures.


April 28


Grandma and Grand-daddy-daddy arrived last night!

And playtime has begun.

They brought a new game with them called
Bananagrams.

It is like Scrabble without the board.

Rex always makes a 3x3 square filled with words.

What a great game!


April 29


With the arrival of Grand-Daddy-Daddy
began the assembly of the afore-mentioned swing set.

We were delayed by rain and blistering winds,
but in one morning we assembled
all but the tower of the structure.

Did anyone but me notice the color scheme?


April 30


Sorry about the quality of this picture.
Flash off and moving people don't mix well.

Tonight we had a talent show at church.

Mommy was invited to participate in two acts.

First, she played a worm
(with her arms)
who fell in love with its tail end
while a humorous poem was read.
(opening act, to be precise)

Then she performed a
synchronized swimming act
with two friends.
(mommy is in the middle)
(wearing a shower cap and pink goggles)

April 15-22

April 15


This is Rex at the bus stop.

We got him a new coat
(a long time ago for very cheap)
and he finally fits into it.

Now that we look at it, we realize that it looks like a
medical personnel Star Trek uniform.

When he heard that he was even more excited about the coat.

Yes, friends,
we are raising yet another generation of
Star Trek fans.


April 16


I cannot, for the life of me, get this picture to
import with the correct orientation!

But here are the girls in their alien antennae.

They walked in while mommy was folding clothes and
insisted that they needed to be aliens for the day.

They brought headbands and
paper with the shapes they wanted,
along with scissors and glue.

These girls are the next generation of crafters.


April 17


We had waffles for dinner today.

Pink waffles.

With green syrup.

The girls requested pink for the waffles
before Rex came in, who requested green.

Unfortunately, the WHOLE BATCH
was already colored PINK.

They would have turned puke color if we tried to get green.

So we had green syrup instead.

YUMMY! YUMMY!!


April 18


The kids were invited to a birthday party
at a gymnastics place.

They had a great time!

The favorite activity was the LOOOOONG rope swing.

Rex had a hard time taking turns
because he loved it so much.

When it was time to go, Belle was sad because she
"didn't do everything yet!"


April 19


We're a little late, but today was
picture day
for the big four-year-old.

In Belle's own words:

"I am the modelest."

Yes, sweetheart, you are.


April 20


The end of an era.

An entertainment center has been living in our garage since August.

Daddy bought it sometime in high school
(maybe 10th grade)
and it has been a beloved piece of furniture,
taking a place of honor in each home.
(five states in two countries)

Right up until it didn't fit in the elevator
to get into our apartment in Brazil.

It lived in the garage then, too.

Then it was replaced.

We've put it out on the curb with a FREE sign on it,
but it didn't seem to want to leave our possession.

So mom meticulously disassembled it.
And put it out on the curb for garbage day.

We will miss you good, old entertainment center.

We have no more use for you in our house,
but you will always have a place in our hearts.


April 21


The same garbage day saw these fan boxes.

Due to rising temperatures
and the lack of overhead lighting,
we had an electrician come in to
run wiring and install ceiling fans in our most used rooms.

The boy asked "Daddy? Why are there workers here
when mom can do everything?"

The response: "Easy. Because the workers are faster."

Then there's Belle following the workers around:
"Hi! My name is Belle.
I like to talk. I talk all the time...."


April 22


Leia is posing next to the newly stained boards
of the yet-to-be-assembled swingset.

While the other two were oblivious of
the three big boxes in our garage,
she started looking at pictures and reading words.

She figured it out and spilled the beans to her siblings.

They are all so excited.

Assembly starts next week when
Grandma and Grand-daddy-daddy arrive.

April 7-14

April 7


Spring has sprung at home while we were away.
These are the blooms that are on the trees lining our streets.
Belle was so excited to see the popcorn trees!


April 8


Mommy loves having the sun shine
into the kitchen window in the morning.

And after a few weeks of miserable rainy gloomyness
the sun has come out again.

There's nothing like bright happy sun
to get us up and going in the morning.


April 9


The camera was hijacked by one of the kids.

Most of the pictures are all blurry.

This shot of multigrain cheerios is so artistic.


April 10


We planted seeds for the garden today.

Rex picked sunflowers, pumpkins and cantelolpe.
He also planted some apple seeds.

Leia picked green beans, watermelon and peas.

Belle helped with artichoke, tomato and squash.

Mommy also planted zucchini and herbs.

We'll see how the garden grows.
Hopefully this time is more successful.


April 11


Since we had conference on Easter Sunday,
the kids got all dolled up in their Easter clothes today.

Aren't they all so handsome?


April 12


Farmer Bill came back today!

Looks like we'll have corn in the backyard again this year.


April 13


At Lonestar (kids eat free Tuesday, of course)
mommy's water always comes with a
lemon that she doesn't want.

This week Rex asked for a lemon with his lemonade.

He is growing up so fast.

April 14


Some of our bulbs finally bloomed.

And they are SOOOO TALL!

Belle is next to them to show their height.

And her cuteness.

April 1-6

April 1


Spending the week together as cousins was hectic at times,
but more than once a day the kids were found
gathered around books,
with olders reading to youngers.


April 2


Only in the motor city...


April 3


After a tearful argument,
a hug between youngest cousins
makes everything better.
(getting the camera out didn't hurt, either)


April 4


The best toys are what's left when
everything is out of the box.

Here are the boys thinking outside of the bathtub box.


April 5


The Easter Bunny visited us a day late,
but it was no less fun.

The scavenger hunt was a big hit.

The favorite hiding spot was this one on the back deck.
The coloring of the egg and hose couldn't have been better.

It took the kids a good five minutes to find this egg.


April 6


The drive home was very comfortable for the kids.

Belle took a nap while the big kids watched movies.

Guess the long lost pictures competition

So, a while ago (like last June) we found
roll of film in a 35mm camera and

posted a competition
(an afterthought at the bottom of the post)

to see who could guess
what was on those pictures?!?

Here are a few of the guesses...

Blogger likefireworks said...
I'm gonna guess that they are from when Rex was a baby -
maybe his first Christmas or around there.

Blogger Terri_B said...
Pregnant with Rex. Living in PA... Big Belly shots???

Blogger Rena said...
knowing you, i am guessing they are of
Rex sitting on the potty while potty training.

Blogger The Blaine gang said...
I'll say the year is 2000
and the subject is a vacation.

Now that I have at least two more readers,
I'd like to give them the opportunity to
chime in and guess before I post the results
(yes, I finally developed the film, too much effort).

Oh, and the award will still be
uniquely suited to the winner's winning personality!

Good luck!

Mar 24-31

March 24


Our cornfield has new residents.

The geese are gone and the blackbirds are back.

IN FORCE.


March 25


The good weather got Rex and Cody out in the backyard exploring and playing.


March 26


We got a new waffle iron.

To Belle it is a bunch of hearts.

To Leia, it is a flower.

To Rex it is a clover.

To mom it is pure heaven smothered in
peanut butter and homemade maple syrup.

Now we just need grandpa to come
make us some with his secret recipe.


March 27


The family bike ride last week showed everyone
that the tiny tricycle just can't keep up.

So daddy took Belle to pick out a
brand new big girl bike
with (pink!) training wheels.

At least we know that it will always match her outfit!


March 28


Band Hero.

Nuff said.


March 29


Check out the curls on this one.

And her hair isn't even wet.

The humidity is coming back and so are Belle's beautiful curls.


March 30


While getting ready for our spring break roadtrip,
Rex lined up his chosen LEGO guys
so we could be sure and bring back all the parts he packed.

It is so much fun to listen to him explain all the guys
and how they "make sense" with the
proper weapon, helmet or other accessory.


March 31


This mountainside prompted some discussion about
the random green trees among all the "dead" trees.

It is not noticeable in the pictures,
but there are little red buds at the tips
of the branches of almost all these trees.

Bring on Spring!

Mar 17-23

March 17


These pictures are devoted to fun friends.

In the top picture we have Belle
(the glowing one in the middle)
and her tumbling class taking advantage
of the warm weather to play parachute outside.

And below is a group of friends
celebrating mom's favorite's birthday at Red Robin.

We LOVE fun friends!


March 18


This overexposed picture is the only picture from today.

Its serves to show you what we were doing all day.

We are sure loving this warmer weather!


March 19


After three runs across the backyard,
Rex took to the sidewalk on his bike
WITHOUT TRAINING WHEELS!!!

He's had the bike for two years,
but in Brazil we only went riding 3 or 4 times.

All it took was a little encouragement, a wrench
(and a rude neighborhood kid)
for him to gain the confidence to balance on two wheels.

Now if we can just get him to keep his helmet on...


March 20


Mom spent ALL DAY scrapbooking at the community center.
That's 12 hours of mad capped scrappin' fun.

She got a lot done in the midst of this mess.
We're sure this will turn into an almost monthly thing.


March 21


Spring has sprung in our backyard.

These beautiful striped purple flowers are
the first of the season to break through.

We can't wait for more of our bulbs to pop up.


March 22


The rain came back,
but that doesn't keep Belle from having fun outside.

Here she is coming back from getting the mail
during a break in the rain.


March 23


Amber FINALLY got her hair cut today.

She looks so tiny.

And not so homeless.