Harold & Maude

I don't know why, but this image makes me think of Harold & Maude, though, in fact, I think it is more like Ralph Kramden and Alice Gibson from The Honeymooners, or Archie and Edith Bunker. I think it must be due to Sophie's glasses & the prim, proper way she has both hands holding her purse on her lap or maybe the "Lord, take me know" look on Danes face. :)

I can just see her saying (nagging) "Turn left up here." "You're going too fast." "Must you always pass every other stroller on the road?!"

Well, since I am taking soooo long to get my musical post done

I am going to just post the fun part now so you can enjoy the craziness of our babes.

Sophie & Dane gittin' down to the funky sounds of Andre Williams doing "Don't Touch" on the album, Lookey-Dookey. We are playing on my turntable in the garage & they've taken it upon themselves to request we go down there & that music be played.

Dane always has to bop to his own little beat when he hears music, or even sometimes when he just hears his own "special" music in his head. You can tell his enthusiasm for the music in his dance.

Sophie loves it to & she gets into it, but takes a little more coaxing than her big/littler brother. Hence my goading her on a bit.

:)

New info about Uranus

OK. I love reading all the new science things happening & so my Google main page contains Discovery News, NASA Image of the Day, & my screen saver (when it's running) is an RSS feed about tech/science.

So, I ran across this one story & had to share because it's a rare-ish (once every 42 years) occurrence for anyone to see the Moons of Uranus passing - "Uranus moons seen overtaking each other for first time."

Or, should it be like going down the road & the car next to you passes with butts pressed to the window? - "Uranus moons seen overtaking each other for first time"

God, I love infantile potty humor.

For the real info - which really is interesting - Uranus moons seen overtaking each other for first time

No one claimed I ever act my age :P

Attack of the killer bee-ns: A Sophism

The other day while out in the backyard with the kids, a big, black bumblebee - one of those flying furry gumdrop-looking ones - comes buzzing around the roof of the house & all the kids start yelling at me/it. Dane & Miles are yelling "BEE!!!" - with Dane adding in BUZZ so that I know what it sounds like ;)

And then there is my little Sophie screaming "BEAN!!! BEAN!!!"


And, I tend to think she's the smart one ;)

What a liar...

One more item from a t-shirt. Totally appropriate, no?! :D


I need this shirt

Allll-right. I swear, last clothing related item.

How can you pass this up though?! One of the great classic SNL moments from Jeffrey's. Funny, I don't think we'll find anything for the kids at Jeffreys.

A couple of great lines...

"Comeon, Diesel's hip." "Yeah, a hip that needs to be replaced." (love this one as I wear the same Diesel belt that I have had for years :P

"I don't come to your work & knock the corndog out of your hand"

"Why don't you go back to Kansas & fry some baloney & adjust the cinder blocks your house sits on. NK?"

Double Entendre: 'düb-&l-än-'tänd(-r&); 'd&-b&l-än-'tänd(-r&)

Now, not to stay on this clothing thing too long lest I have to start contributing to Angela's "hemline" blog, but we just received the giant bag o' clothes we just ordered & as I was pulling them all out to wash, I came across a set of Sophie's new pajamas. This brings me back to the title of this little thought...

double entendre: a word or expression capable of two interpretations with one usually risqué

Click the image to get the full view of the shirt.


Now, is it just me? I can't be the only one that is finding "variations" for this.

What? Cat, kitty, feline, mouser, kit, kitten, tabby, tomcat. Why? what are you coming up with?

Bunch of naughty-minded people. For shaaame.

The "art" of brushing

We have been trying to get the babies to brush their teeth better & have been using Miles as the poster child for this activity...trying to get Sophie & Dane to watch his technique & learn some decent skills.

Dane took it upon himself to set up a little demo & I wanted to share.


Proper attire is of the utmost importance, & Dane prefers the freedom a diaper offers with the foot-warming comfort of a nice pair of socks. Your attire may vary, but maybe not ;)
Note the sort of busted look of having caught him before he was prepped for the event photography.


In this photo, Dane has prepped himself (holding the toothbrush properly, not standing on the step waiting to topple off, & sucked in the barrel belly & flexing a bit!)


Make sure & get those back teeth too. You never know where those tasty treats are trying to hide. Especially cause Dad has a tendency to give them the dried fruits. Naughty! Bad for the teeth. Whereas, Mom is good & only gives them the cookies, cake, candy. Good Mom.

Whatever~ :P

I'm a walkin', yessiree.

I don't know how many others really take note of these kinds of things, but I think it is too funny when little kids start taking on adult traits (at least the good ones). Miles has been doing this off & on for a while now, but Sophie & Dane (though I am still trying to capture him doing it). It is putting hands in the pockets of their pants when walking. It's just weird to see. Makes them look like little people instead of babies/kids.

Anyway. look for yourselves...



Too cute.

And no, of course I am not biased.

Everyone tubs differently...

In our house, as I am sure many other families' homes, bathtime is quite an event. We choose to bathe all 3 at once usually & it can either be fun & entertaining, or rather a "chore" if you get my drift. Struggles, pushing, dupming of water on heads, etc. But for the sake of making our family look "perfect"...








Sorry, needed a moment to compose myself from that good laugh ;)

Anyway, I'll keep it to the more entertaining end of things.


There's the "Who can hoard the most toys" game



The "footsy" game (not so much a game, as something entertaining to do)


The "big hair" game.


and the ever-fun "faaht" game. I won't mention who is the reigning champ of this game! :P

But don't get me wrong, it's a child. Shoot. I could take lessons!

Ho, Ho, Gramma? A Miles gem retold by Angela

So, my mom has come down for a day or two every so often over the last few weeks & as most good grandparents do (ahem, can't help themselves), she has been packing gifts with her. Of course, like every good grandchild, Miles & Dane & Sophie have come to love her arrival for what it may bring. :)

So, before this most recent visit, Miles was talking with Angela & Gramma's visit was one of the topics. Out of the blue he mentioned that Gramma "always brings me presents!" Angela agreed. To which Miles added, "Who is she? Santa?!"

Gotta love kids :)

Learning to speak/understand. A Sophism

So, last night was bath night. The whole gang, Miles, Dane, & Sophie, all got in the tub post-massacre of their dinners. Towards the end, my back was turned, but I heard the unmistakable sound of bubbles being blown from between clenched cheeks. I whipped around to see who the guilty culprit was, but the moment had "blown" past too quickly.

Thinking it was Miles, as he has been forcing the point lately for his & others' entertainment, I asked laughingly aloud "Who's blowing bubbles in the tub?!"

Now, a quick aside to educate everyone on why what happened, happened... We have been practicing asking things like, "Who wants dinner?" or "Who wants to brush their teeth?" to help get Dane & Sophie into the action & become aware of questions. We usually get enthusiastic "Me!"s or "Yea!"s. This is a good & entertaining response for us, generally.

So, after my asking who was bubbling in the tub, both of Sophie's hands shoot up into the air with a loud & proud, "ME!"

Now, I know it was Miles, & he confirmed that, but you have to love her little spirit! :)

Why girls sit to go pee. Another Miles gem.

So, the other day Miles, after he firmly planted his booty on our toilet to take care of a little business while we were trying to get him to go down for a nap proclaimed that "Girls go pee pee from their booties!"

Angela & I, both standing there (why it takes 2 parents to help one kid go potty is beyond me), burst out laughing. We sort of explained that that was not so. But it is semi-futile at this age to really try & get him to grasp the complexity of a girl not having "external parts" to use.

Interesting deduction from his viewpoint though. Whereas, I have only know girls with potty mouths (ahem! Angela), ones that have diarhea of the mouth, & ones that just talk shit. :)

Man! That kid gets around!

First his sister. Now his puppy. At least we know Daisy is getting love in between being stepped on, driven over with toys, or basically mauled by the clan.





I wonder if it has something to do with having the name Dane...?

"Careful for the dangerous jellybeans!" A Miles gem

So, Miles has this book, "Polar Bears Don't Swim in the Jungle." It helps kids discern what things aren't in the right situation; like, "One of these things is not like the other" from Sesame Street, except the thing is is the wrong setting. Giraffe's on the ice, Polar Bears in the jungle, etc.



Anyway, so Miles, as I sure most people we know have, has watched & learned many underwater things from Finding Nemo. One such tidbit is the fact that jellyfish can be dangerous & sting you. In the book is a jellyfish in some situation & Miles, displaying his great knowledge, tells Angela that you have to be careful because jellyBEANS are dangerous. Of course we were rolling over that one. But Miles has remembered it correctly ever since. :)

And no, it wasn't because we had such agood laugh that he remembered it...he's just smart like that!

:P

God help us...

Well, for the past several months we've been trying to decide what vehicle we were going to have to give up & what we were going to have to buy to replace it. After much denial, we realized that we were not going to get to be the cute little Euro-style family we think we are in our little faux Euro-trash heads. Instead, we are the little Euro-style family driving a super-sized, all-American, road-hogging, gas-guzzling, family truckster, also know as a Chevrolet Tahoe LTZ. It is exactly like the picture...same color, same wheels, same small car crushed underneath the front tires.



Poor Alex volunteered to ride with me & Miles around the Bay to get the best deal, & I mean, around the whole Bay. The last place we thought we would try, while I was driving him back to SF, & it is sitting on the showroom floor, just the way I want it, & they gave me the price I asked for. Jeeeez louise!

V8. Seats 7. 5 outlets. DVD entertainment system. Leather all over. Heated seats, but also in the 2nd row! On & on. I won't even mention the price...

Watch out for that tank behind you, it could be us!

Welcome to our nightmare. :P

Another gem from the Miles vault.

The other day while Gramma Dyann (GD) was in town for the holidays, Miles had to go pee & GD offered up some assistance, or at least company. Well, somewhere mid-stream, Miles proclaims, "I smell copcorn!" (his version of popcorn).

One day we'll have to teach him about how some foods also add a fragrance to one's pee. Wait till he tries asparagus!

Archaeology: Sophie's Dig for the Truth (or "Looking for love in all the wrong places."

Lately, Sophie's been showing a deep interest in researching the rare, "yellow Brontosaurus." She first caught wind of it one day speaking with Dane. Dane has hesitantly agreed to assist her with her quest.

One evening while bathing after a hard day of searching, Dane found what appeared to be the "yellow Brontosaurus." He took it to Sophie for her to examine & determine if it truly was what she was looking for.

Seen below, Sophie, sits among some of her other finds while checking the "specimen" for authenticity. Sophie is very hands-on in her research & likes to perform all "studies" by her own hand to ensure the most trustworthy results.



Seen here, Sophie gives a very upclose examination to the "foot" of the Brontosaurus.


Since these photos were taken, there has been a falling-out between the two, & Dane has taken his yellow Brontosaurus & has gone his own way, preferring to do his own research on it. Sophie still tries to get a bit of time in with it while Dane has it in the tub for cleaning, but Dane is very close-fisted with his find.

I've heard of "Kissing Cousins"...

So, Dane & Sophie have been very cute with their abikity to kiss when you ask them to. Normally it's, "Can you go give Daisy a kiss?" Or, "Can you blow a kiss?" Or something to that effect. Super cute stuff 'cause they usually they get excited & go over & give nice, gentle kisses which, of course, totally throws Daisy for a loop since she expects them to come barrelling at her! The other night though, while everyone was destroying (a.k.a playing), Angela & I asked them to give each other a kiss so they would be nice & gentle with each other. Well, how cute are they?!

Aaawwwwww.
Isn't that sweet?!

Well, needless to say, we (well, I think it was just me) had to ask them to do it again because the cuteness factor was too great. Got to snap off a couple of more cute ones of them with the Christmas lights in the background, but click on the image to see what I really found out...



Eewwwww! And my Uncle John thought my cousin Heather & I should be kept apart?!

Well, stay tuned for the next sibling discovery. :P