The Milktoast Memorial Magic Tournament

Residency Match Results

I feel that it is necessary to relay this momentous news in a completely straight-forward and business-like manner, in order to give it due consideration and respect and

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We're moving to Hawai'i!!!!!!!!

Yes, my friends... THIS is our soon-to-be day-to-day (well, mine at least. Derek'll probably have to work some days...)

here at Tripler Army Hospital...

(photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

FAQ to follow...

Happy Thanksgiving!

I found this post with the top four pictures while looking through unposted drafts. My vague recollection and recognition of Adam and Cindy's counter and Adam's shirt/watch/hand (man, I am GOOD) reminds me of Thanksgiving at their house, which was impossibly good, as we can all tell from these delicious food pictures!

So I located the following pictures (actual post date being Nov 2011 btw) which fill in the story a little more.

My amazing pumpkin pie... that hadn't quite set up completely... and got dumped in the car. Yes, I still scraped what could be salvaged back into the pan. We may or may not have eaten it right up.

The infamous Thanksgiving kids table

Cindy's lovely, very classy table settings at the adult table...

Proof that I was right about both location and shirt/watch/hand-ownership.

Along with delicious food, we spent the crisply cool day playing and did a fun family photo shoot, snapping pics of the kids, our fam and Adam and Cindy in turn.

Aren't these guys so cute?

We're not too bad-looking ourselves, if I may say so...

I will definitely say that it is hard NOT to smile when taking family pics with Derek. The whole thing just feels so silly you can't help laughing at yourself. Which is fantastic, because it makes for some great pics.

Love it. Especially my oldest, playing the part of the oldest- trying to keep baby Roman focused on the camera. Xandri's not too interested in it either, heh.

Betcha didn't know Roman's part chicken. That's right, the boy has a gizzard, helps him digest things. Keeps pebbles in there.

Everyone else just throws rocks. Because everyone knows what to do when they come upon a bunch of rocks next to a body of water.

Of course, Xandri doesn't waste time on throwing silly rocks. She clearly has deeper things to contemplate.

And the product of our photo shoot.... 

Merry Christmas!

Happy 1st Birthday Mister Roman!

Happy Birthday little man!

I adore this little boy. He's like a little toy for me. I love throwing him around and tickling him and teasing him and playing with him-- all the while hearing his sweet, happy little squealing giggle. I've so enjoyed having this guy. He's cuddly and busy and happy and serious and mischievous and silly and mine.

I can't stop looking at these pictures and wanting to cuddle him. Now, I'll warn you, I'm turning into The Mom Who Posts a Billion Pictures of Her Kid. But c'mon. It's his birthday post. Besides, the pictures tell the story.

This one starts out before the picture-- with a burning candle that was too irresistible...

He wasn't quite sure what to do with things. The girls were more than happy to help.

A boy with a ball and a puppy is a very happy boy indeed. These things keep him very well occupied.

What better birthday fun than locking your sister in the dryer?

I love you, my busy baby boy!

Happy 3rd Birthday Alexandwi Zickgwaf!

I'll admit, I still think this one's my baby. She's so cute and small and monkey-like and cuddly and sweet and feisty and just... Xandri (by the way, that's how she pronounces her name in the title-- she corrects me if I call her Alexandri-A). I love this little girl, she is seriously so fun.

She had a pretty great birthday-- Daddy took her out on a lunch date,

which wound up being pretty hilarious. She got all dressed up in her pretty dress with flowers over her ears and a brand new headband. What a girl. So he took her to Taco Bell and along with her meal she got a pink drink, of course (strawberry smoothie).

After lunch he took her to a local toy store and let her pick out a few fun presents. We're not sure if she didn't quite get what was going on or not, but she picked out a couple things and then just walked around the store looking at things. So Derek, thinking they were done, grabbed a basket to carry the few things they had while they meandered.

That's when the light went on. All the sudden, the store opened up to her and she started grabbing everything and putting it in the basket. When Derek protested, "No, sweetie, we can't get that", she responded,

"Yes, we can. See? It fits!"

Meanwhile, I was facing this:

This face says, "Why isn't it MY birthday?!"

So we talked about how to be nice and why it wouldn't be very much fun if she was grumpy and mean when Xandri got home and how bad that would make Xandri feel and how it would ruin the fun time she just had with Daddy. So Avril thought about that and we did a special lunch of our own (Ramen. Nice.) and when Daddy and Xandri got back, we got this:

(Note the new candy necklace that she very nonchalantly munched on all day long and the bag of pretty, shiny, smooth magic rocks she got at the toy store.)

We had a princess cake for her birthday cake, just like Avril's of course. I didn't take any pictures... it really wasn't blog-worthy, just one of those edible sticker things you put on the cake, but she loved it and that's what it's all about.

Now, be prepared because I'm about to wow you with a stroke of genius my lazy lack of planning brought about.

Now, speaking hypothetically, of course, let's pretend that you're a busy mom who didn't have time to wrap her child's presents. You had every intention, you had the supplies, you just didn't get around to it. But you want the gifts to be fun and a surprise... so now what? Frantically try and wrap them right before while your husband keeps the kids distracted?

Or....

Birthday Present Scavenger Hunt!

That's right, I oh-so-quickly hid her presents in various places around the house. It was pretty funny watching her look for them and guiding her to them. They were pretty obvious--- or so I thought. In any case, I think it was a LOT funner than wrapping and cleaning up and Avril had a blast, too. I will never again wrap my kids' birthday presents.

She also got some stickers at the store with Daddy. Two sheets of sparkly butterflies and fairies. What more could a girl ask for? And what could she possibly be expected to do with such a prize but adorn both arms with every single sticker there?

I LOVE the look on her face in this next one. Can you just hear her little intake of breath as all of her dreams come true before her very eyes? It's subtle, maybe I'm the only one who sees it since I'm her mom, but wow. To me, that look says it all.

Thanks to Grandmas for thinking of Avril as well on Xandri's birthday. Other people's birthdays are hard to handle sometimes...

Happy Birthday my big little girl! You bring so much love and life and joy to our lives!

Xandri's Haircut

My good friend Eleena cut Xandri's hair a little over a month ago, A-line like mine. I LOVE it. I think it's adorable and sassy on her and just fits her to a T.

Halloween Fun

Jack-o-lanterns were super fun this year. I love having a little family that does fun stuff together!

A few quick clarifications about the jack-o-lanterns: the kids' aren't monster pacmans, although I like that idea more than what they actually were-- big fish, little fish, littlest fish.

(Aside: I felt pretty creative with mine-- the stem looked like a ponytail, so I worked with it and made a cute little girl "jill"-o-lantern complete with black ribbon tied around her ponytail. End of Aside)

More clarification is needed here... I'm supposed to be a vampire, but my fangs were horrific to work with and I felt like Bobby Sue Ellen instead, so I went ahead and accepted the Morticia Addams label. Doesn't Avril make the cutest little witch? Xandri was Princess Aurora, absolutely adorable, and Roman's costume doubles as glow-in-the-dark jammies. I love it.

Our jack-o-lanterns in the twilight of their lives...