we heart tj's

The one thing we miss about being in the city? Trader Joe's. Well, we miss friends too. So, it's Trader Joe's and friends that we miss the most. No wait, wrong order. Friends and Trader Joe's. And being close to church. So, friends, Trader Joe's, church. Oh, and we miss Gorditos. And Vivace. OK. Friends, Trader Joe's, church, Gorditos and Vivace. Funny how 60% of those things involve food. ANYWAY, the following unauthorized commercial sums it up nicely (with a shout out to our favorite Gail for finding it!).

squeaky zekey

Zeke's nickname is Squeaks because he usually expresses his displeasure with sort of a squeaky whine. We were trying to get him giggling on tape tonight but as soon as the camera came out he decided he had had enough.

more snow!

We had more snow yesterday...not a lot but enough to drag the sled to Annie's school for a few runs down the hill.

on second thought

The only thing I really have a fever for is more cowbell...

12 birds of christmas

And now we'd like to present Annie and her fellow 1st graders singing the 12 Birds of Christmas at her school's holiday program. Technically, it was her post-holiday holiday program since she had 2 snow days in December and they had to postpone it until last week. Annie is sitting in the front row in the short sleeve white shirt. I'll pay $100 to anyone who can actually figure out what they are singing.



(Just kidding about the $100, Jason.)

baby babble

We'd just like to warn you that this is oozing in cuteness as well as boringness and is intended for the viewing delight of grandparents, aunts and uncles.

wishing you a groovy christmas

Jonah wanted to know if we could get costumes like this and actually do the dance.

this is how zeke rolls

Zeke rolled over 4 times tonight - and he's only 3 weeks old! His big brother did everything early, culminating in walking at 9 months so we were hoping this one would take things a bit slower. Well, I guess we can still hold out hope that he'll be a little more even tempered.

blast from the past

Annie's class has some dance time everyday, one of her favorite parts of school. She came home today asking if we could get the song "Everybody Dance Now" because, as she said, "It is so cool!" I wasn't sure if it was really the song I thought it was until she started singing it for us. She got even more excited when Joel told her he that knew that song from high school. I wonder if he pulled out some of his old dance moves tonight....

how to open a pinata

jonah the moth warrior

Jonah has an immense fear of any sort of insect or small flying creature. Bees, flies, moths, spiders - all cause great fright. "Mommy! Mommy! A bee! Get it! Get it!" Annie, surprisingly, has become the defender of bugs and crawly things. I distinctly remember when her friend Nova told her not to squish a daddy long legs because it was a "living creature." I think she has actually taken this to heart and keeps telling Jonah why bugs are good. Jonah, of course, hears none of this as he is clinging to us in terror.

He spotted a moth in the house tonight and hysteria ensued. We tried convincing him that he was bigger than the moth and it couldn't hurt him but he would have none of it. He kept asking Annie to throw a pillow at it to which she replied, "But Jonah, moths are good!" So, we told him that if the moth got close to him then he could shoo it away with his hand. Evidently, "close" meant across the room on the ceiling, because as soon as he saw it again he started waving his arms madly yelling, "There it is! Shoo away! Shoo away!" He then got out his sword and stalked it around the house. We tried to get it on video, but this is the best we wound up with:

four elves

In case you really want to watch us in all our dancing glory, you can watch the full screen version here. You can also make your own.

scary mary

Annie loves Mary Poppins. I may never see her in the same way again!

"just like mike"

We've been trying to get this one on video for the past 3 months. Ever since VBS last summer, when Pastor Mike led worship, Jonah has been marching around the house with his guitar singing My God is So Big. Then he'll stop and say, "I sing just like Pastor Mike." So, Mike, this one is for you. Our kids adore you (the fact that our 2-year old imitates you speaks volumes). We think you're pretty great, too. Our whole family is going to miss you.


Mike met Jonah in the hospital when he was 1 day old.

the mom song

Someone sent this to me tonight. It's by a comedian named Anita Renfroe. Too funny. The phrase "it must be your father's DNA" has been heard more than once around our house.

when jonah is outnumbered

Jonah was playing with Annie and Soren today...

yes, we've let him watch it

Joel loves Star Wars. I love Star Wars. Somehow, the kids liked Star Wars before they had even seen it. Jonah is partial to the original. Annie likes the Ewoks. We don't have a TV and the kids are only allowed to watch the occasional kid flick on one of our laptops, but somehow Star Wars has sneaked its way in.