scuba Santa

After 'rescuing" the car from the repair shop this morning (see the end of the post for that story), we headed off to the aquarium to see scuba Santa.

Bug loves the aquarium, he likes the sharks best. he does not like the turtles and he really doe snot like my favorites, the mantas. But there is something for everyone.


Bug decided that Mickey (meme) needed to come to the aquarium today- he has not played with meme for about 6 months now. Meme, apparently, had a great time at the aquarium.

REEEEEACCCCHHHHHHH

Meme is 12 inches tall or 1 foot.

This picture would say that Mam is 6 feet tall- but actually it is the angel, she is about 5 feet 8 inches.

Bug is 3.5 feet now- which means he has grown another inch and is 42 inches tall. This growth has come since summer, which explains why his pants form last year did not fit. it also explains why he is complaining about his legs hurting. I think he is actually growing now because he was 41 inches tall about 3 weeks ago.

Santa's reindeer (statues) were hidden around the aquarium. Bug had a good time looking for them and posing with them or near them.

this one was in one of the tunnels. The diver was cleaning the tank.

We had to visit the frog bog.

and play the frogger game

Santa- he had just finished talking to the audience. We could have stood in a short line to get a picture with Santa but Bug said no 3 times. As soon as we walked out of the door of the theater, he insistent that he wanted his picture with Santa. TOO LATE. This is such a normal thing, he says the opposite of what he really wants or later wants. But this momma now asks multiple times to make sure I have not misheard his choice and then he has to live with his choice. So no picture with Santa.

Manta swimming in front of Santa

Love it

Turtle with Santa. the elf is there is keep the turtle from biting Santa's air hose or from biting Santa. Apparently the turtles like to biting things just to see what they are.

reindeer in the alligator bayou

finding the fish on the screen so I can tell him what it is and then we can look for it in the huge tank. Bug let me know that he had a fish tank when he was older. Yes, you read the right- Bug loves to tell me what he will have when he gets older, he just has his sentence syntax a little mixed up.

The first reindeer we found- see Meme's foot?

We are expecting 1-2 inches of snow tomorrow. So I think Bug and I are going to stay hoe most of day. But we will be playing outside in the snow while I try to shovel the driveway.

Love and hugs,

Deb


The car story:

last night after picking up Bug, we were driving home, when the car started to "miss" as it shifted into the next gear or as it shifted down. About 2 miles from home, the check engine light came on. So rather than turning left off the highway at our exit, I turned right and took the straight to the repair shop.

One of the shop guys drove us home and this morning, I called the shop first thing to find out what was going on. Apparently the car was misfiring on a cylinder and needed new spark plugs and spark plug wires. The repair took about 2 hours. We picked up the car at 11;30 and headed down to the aquarium.

The mind of a toddler- don't try to figure it out

No pictures today, just some thoughts from Bug.

On the way home yesterday, he says from the backseat "Momma, do you know what I want for Christmas?" I told him I had no idea. His response:

" A Tiger, a real one momma, not a toy one".

I think by the time we got home, I had convinced him that a tiger was better off in the zoo.


He was talking to my dad on the phone last, inviting him to the aquarium with us on Friday.

B: "pap, they have sharks there, but you don't have to be afraid. They have big, big glass to keep the sharks safe."


And finally tonight, while having dinner with Jason.

B: "after kindergarten, i am going to high school. Momma, I am going to ride the high school bus. Momma, I will have to walk to high school, it is far, far away." "Momma, I want to go to school, cause then I can be on stage and play the DRUM- the BIG, BIG DRUM".


There have been lots of statements like these from Bug lately, he is surely growing up and becoming quite the little boy.


That's all for tonight.
Love and hugs,
Deb

A visit to the dentist

Today was our semi-annual teeth cleaning appointment. Of course, made 6 months ago so not coordinated with my vacation days.
In any case, Ms Patty declared our teeth excellent!!!! She did mention that Bug will need a spacer(?) because he has a slight under bite (that means his top teeth are behind his bottom teeth when he smiles or closes his jaw). Interestingly, so did I. In any case, if it is corrected before his adult teeth come in then it might lessen the chances for braces or decrease some time in braces. she told me to start saving my money. one thing that shocked me today as we were at the dentist office, Bug voluntarily talked to Ms. Patty. And not only that, he talked to her about Popi. I have never heard him tell anyone outside our family about Popi voluntarily. Maybe he told Ms. Patty because she has family in Guatemala too, maybe he told her because he knows that Ms. Patty talks to Mam and Pap, maybe he was comfortable, who knows. All I know is that I was shocked and so much so that I missed the rest of what Bug was saying to Ms. Patty.

Bug let Ms. Patty clean some of his teeth, I did the first part. He was quite unsure about the dentist checking his teeth afterward, most because he was worried the pointy tool would hurt. But the dentist only used the mirror to check Bug's teeth. There is hope that next time we go, Bug might actually sit in the dentist chair by himself.

As we left today, Bug told me that he likes Ms. Patty and he quietly added "the dentist too". Too cute- I guess Ms. Patty rates because she lets him be her assistant as she cleans my teeth. He does the water - filling the cup. She also lets him choose the flavor of the teeth cleaning stuff. We choose orange today- which strangely enough is colored blue.

Bug and I are finally feeling better. Bug has had the cough/sinus drainage/crud for 3 weeks and I have had it for 2 weeks. Hopefully we are over it. I think taking 2 weekends to basically do nothing- no running, no outings, really helped us heal our bodies.

The silly news- I was quilting last night and quilted my finger- yep sewed right through my finger- broke the sewing needle on sewing machine in the process. Since I am trying to get T's quilt done to send off to NY, I will be running to the quilt store at lunch tomorrow to pick up a new needle.

Well, that is the news for today. I likely will not be posting until Friday- I enjoyed being off line yesterday- I managed to read 2 books (start to finish) and work on some quilting. I think I might have to take some more "disconnected" days/weekends- but we'll see. I missed knowing what was going on with everyone.

Love and hugs,

Deb

More baking

I took every Friday in December off as vacation days. I do end up working for about an hour each Friday- just checking emails and making sure that there are no emergencies for my team. but after that hour, I am free for the day.


Today, Mam came over in the morning and we baked Mam's favorite Christmas cookies. I remember Mam telling me a few years ago, that it is not Christmas for her until she makes these cookies. It brings back memories of her childhood and working with her mother to bake cookies. Mam's mom has been gone over 10 years now and I don't think the sadness ever goes away for my mom. Mam and bug cutting the butter for the cookies.

Filling the cookie press

trying to press out the cookies. Bug and I decided that we were better decoraters and we let Mam finish up the pressing of the cookies.

Very intently adding the cinnamon balls to the cookies

Happy with the cookies. See all the containers of sprinkles- Bug used most of them on the cookies. My boy loves his sprinkles

And raw cookie dough!!!!!

Momma's hand. I was working on a second type of cookie here. I will point out that substituting whipped butter for shortening was not the best choice, but it worked.

See- this is the cookie sheet with the ton of sprinkles surrounding the cookie.

Mam's cookies are done.

These are my candy cane cookies. By using the whipped butter- the dough was almost unworkable due to being so soft. So the cookies are HUGE. But yummy.

Bug put the sugar and crushed candy cane on the cookies. see- he likes the poured on effect.

Caught in the act.


Thursday night, we went to the library. Bug decided to read to me while we were in the kids section. It was his attempt at preventing me from going into the adult section of the library. That would be the grown up books versus he kids books. he hates walking with me in the rest of the library.

We are finally feeling better. Bug and I no longer have sore throats or ear aches, though, we still have sinus pressure and drainage. Our coughs are mostly gone too. so I think we are finally getting better after being sick for 2 weeks. Neither of us had fevers or any other symptoms, so it was hard to justify a visit to the doctor's office.

I think another weekend of relaxing we will be all better and ready for the holiday. We have 2 Christmas parties coming in a week- so I want us both to be feeling better.

Love and hugs,

Deb

Band concert- and SNOW

We had snow on Monday morning- yuck. but I guess we were overdue as it is December now. This was taken at lunch time when the snow was pretty much melted on the streets and was only left on the back porch area. Have I eve mentioned that I really don't like snow???

We headed out with Mam and Pap to see Jason in his band concert. Since his school is both a junior and senior high (meaning grades 7-12), this concert was the 7th grade orchestra, the 8th grade orchestra, the senior high orchestra, some orchestra groups (2 violins, chamber group), 7th grade band, 8th grade band, percussion ensemble, and symphonic ensemble. Jason was in the last group.

he is somewhere in the back row.

We always sit 3 rows from the back in the balcony- it is the easiest row to get out of (trust me) and there is no one directly in front of us. Thus the pictures from far away.

Bug was letting me know he was tired of my stealth pictures- I was holding the camera down by my side and then I would bring it up.

I was trying to get him watching the concert- but the camera distracted him.

I almost got him here just watching the concert and tapping his feet to the music. during the percussion ensemble - he was tapping out the drum pattern/beats perfectly.

The gang- Pap, Mam, my spot, Bug, Auntie Lulu, Uncle Darrell and Darrell's mom.

The gang with me.

Bug enjoyed the concert, I enjoyed the concert- it was a good night.

Love and hugs,

Deb

Happy St. Nicholas Day

We got home from church and Bug found out that St. Nick had come last night. Some hard candies (to sooth Bug's throat)

Then Bug decided to raid my stocking. For some reason, this year, he really wants my stocking.

Finding some peppermint sticks

And the race car and Movie that St. Nick brought.

And then Bug played some guitar music for me- Feliz Navidad (on his guitar ornament from last year).

We are going to have another calm day at home- we visited urgent care and we do have bronchitis. Thankfully, no other infections and Bug is almost over his episode.

Off to watch the local football team destroy their hopes for the season- I knew better to get excited.

Love to you,

Deb

Lease Navida (Feliz Navidad in Bug speak)

We saw Santa last night. Bug is moving closer- maybe next year he will sit on Santa's lap with me next to him. Remember, last year it was Santa, Me and then Bug, at least this year he is touching Santa. He refused to talk to Santa, but accepted a candy cane. We had a shoot out at the Bass Pros shop- Bug pretended to be the bad guy. These pop guns were fun. My parents tried to convenience me to buy them, but Bug is getting quite alot for Christmas so no need to add to the toy stash at our house.

he had fun shoot with Pap in the laser shooting gallery.

But they spent the most time racing cars. But really like these.

Our trees are up now, one ornament was dropped and broke, 2 are being repaired and Bug is happy to have his trains, motos and tractors to play with. He made a play for my nativity scene- I had to remind him that he just got his own.

Well, we are off to rest and have dinner with Mam and Pap.

Love and hugs,

Deb