Wednesday, February 29, 2012

From the Kids

Liam: "Mom, did you clean the toilet today?! It looks really good!" 

Finally, some appreciation for my never-ending housework! That's my favorite quote from Liam today. My favorite Max quote, however...

Maxwell: "My penis looks like a gun."

They are two very different children... :)

Visiting Auntie


Liam and I took a little trip to Milwaukee to visit Auntie Kimmy over the weekend.
Liam and his best buddy, Maggie, were in this position for most of our time there!


Maggie followed him around and insisted on sleeping right next to him! It was pretty cute. We had a great time with Auntie, visiting the children's museum, ordering pizza, watching Disney movies, and just hanging out. Miss you, Auntie! And Maggie!

Monday, February 27, 2012

Oscar Live Blog

You didn't think the Oscars could go by without a live blog, did you?! The broadcast was about 4 billion minutes long and I got tired towards the end, but I still think some good material was recorded.

It's time for the third installment of !@$# My Wife Says! Tonight, it's the Oscar edition. This should go well.

"I'm actively ignoring Stacey Kiebler."

"What's wrong with her lips? See, everything looks normal ...but...look at her lips!"

"Natalie Portman! I love her! Where's your baby?! What's her real last name? Goldenheimer? Chutzpah? I'll look it up. Hershlag, it's Hershlag."

"Brian (Grazer)! What happened to your hair?! He looks like Willy Wonka got electrocuted!"

"Am I the only one annoyed that Justin Bieber has his own fragrance? I mean, it doesn't even smell like him."

"Don't mess this up, Billy. Oh, look. They made his mini-microphone 'invisible' on the front of his shirt."

"This needs subtitles."

"How do you get the job of seat-filler? Do you have to have a really big butt? Or just be really good at sitting? I'm pretty good at sitting. Maybe you have to be a professional couch potato."

"Equus? Wasn't that the play where Harry Potter's schlong was hanging out?"

"I was so nervous when I saw Apollo 13 in the theaters."

"Don't drink before presenting, Cameron (Diaz)!"

"Brad should change his last name to Jolie-Pitt. I'm going to change my last name to Jolie-Pitt."

Jen: "Hey, look, it's Yo-Yo Ma!"
Aaron: "No, it's not. Just because a person is Asian and has a stringed instrument does not mean that they are Yo-Yo Ma."
Jen: "Is it weird that I used to think Yo-Yo Ma was a rapper?"

"What is with Bradley Cooper? He can sit down. He can be a professional seat-filler."

"Is how to pronounce 'Scorsese' still up in the air?"

"Is that Conan O'Brien? Is that Chris Kattan?" (no, it was neither)

"I think instead of 'Cirque de Soleil' it should be called 'Junk on Display'."

"She looks scary. Her cheekbone just cut me." (Angelina Jolie)

"What's wrong with flowing-sleeves drummer girl?"

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Dog Search Live-Blog

He's done it again! I've been very impatiently waiting for our fortunes to change enough that we can justify getting a family dog. Things are looking up! We're not quite there yet, but I'm a planner and must have everything in place for when it's time! I was searching online last night and Aaron posted every comment I made! I may have also had a few social drinks to de-stress...

Two things you must know:
1. Jen has her heart set on finding our family the perfect dog.
2. Jen has had several wine coolers and is now mad because she can't find the perfect dog.

What follows will be a collection of the priceless words that have been spoken thus far this evening.

"Oh, great. This shelter has 45,000 cats."

"All these dogs are ugly."

"This one is cute. Do you think it will grow up to be ugly?"

"My lips are getting tingly." (this was accompanied by a weird puckering, and repeated four or five times.)

Jen: "Did you find a dog yet?" Aaron: "I thought you were looking for a dog." Jen: "You're so helpful."

"Do you want to finance a dog?"

"I'm just going to take out an ad: 'Eleanor, where are you? Please call.'"

"This one's only $300! Damn it! It's on hold. Wait, here's another one!" (followed by literally a minute and a half of oooooing and ahhhhhing and "cute" repeated over and over.)

"This is what we're going to do. We're going to have a bake sale to raise puppy money. Then we'll sell some stuff...of yours..."

Again, you're welcome...


Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Guns for Kids



This is a photo from Christmas, but I still think it's cute. Liam got a gun from Uncle Scott to use when he is bigger! It's the gun Sarah and Alex used to use bunny blasting, and has quite a history! Liam will be a very conscientious hunter and I know he can't wait to get out in the woods like his grandpa and his dad! I also thought it was adorable that Uncle Scott thought to give this gun to him! He's a pretty sentimental guy even though he may not admit it! He definitely loves having nephews, but I know he loves his rugrat nieces as well (hey, he bought me a Cabbage Patch doll once)! Anyway, enjoy the cuteness!
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Monday, February 20, 2012

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Puppet Project



We made bunny finger puppets the other day and the boys had a great time with them! You could make pretty much any figure you want and just add two holes for fingers! Easy and fun!
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Monday, February 13, 2012

Live-blogging the Grammys

So, I tend to comment excessively on whatever show happens to be on tv. Ask anybody. Aaron decided to save some gems for posterity from last night's Grammy awards ceremony. I didn't realize he was doing it. Then I did. Then I didn't realize he'd started doing it again! Here's what he recorded:

All of my comments on this post will consist of Jen's comments about the Grammy awards.

"They must be Jewish." (I don't know what this was in reference to!)

"Who is that? What is wrong with her?"

"Let's see if John Stamos is going to be there!" (in reference to the Beach Boys pending appearance.)

"Why are you posting all of my comments?" (crap, she caught me!)

"What is Lil Wayne?"

"Stevie Wonder! He's so cute!"

"Ok, Kate Beckinsale. You're British. You don't have to remind us." (said in an outrageous British accent)

"Why is Katy Perry in David Blaine's glass box?"

"Is it weird that I get LL Cool J confused with the Hangin' with Mr. Cooper guy?"

"How old IS Tony Bennett? 136?"

"THIS is how I like to watch the Grammys!" (said while hanging upside down off the couch)

"Is that the guy we saw at Treasure Island in Vegas?" (she was pointing at Joseph Simmons of Run DMC, but referring to Don King.)

"Is Lil' Wayne wearing pajamas? Is that what he does? How did we go from Tony Bennett to Lil' Wayne?"

You're welcome...

:)

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Hmmm

Max: "I don't have to eat pizza. Because I'm the best."

Saturday, February 11, 2012

When You Believe

Whitney Houston's music was a big part of my adolescence and The Greatest Love of All and The Bodyguard were some of the first CDs I ever bought. I'm sure my parents (and sisters) prayed for the day I'd stop belting out "I Will Always Love You" in my bedroom! She led a tragic life over the last decade and wasted an amazing talent, but it seemed as though she may have turned things around. I give Clive Davis so much credit for his dedication to her throughout her troubles, and wish that things had turned out differently for her.

But...she's gone.

The Prince of Egypt came out when I was a senior in high school. For my birthday my parents took my sisters and me to see it at the theater. "When You Believe" is a duet with Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston from the movie. My vocal jazz group also performed this song! It brings back good memories. And I still remember all the lyrics!!





Friday, February 10, 2012

Crafty



I'm addicted to Pinterest, which has turned out to be a great thing!




I've needed a little inspiration in my life, and I've gotten tons of DIY ideas so far.




I spent my morning making this wreath out of rolled curls of sheet music.




It's "Children of the Heavenly Father", which I bought 10 vintage copies of when I was pregnant with Max. I had intended to do something with them then, but that never happened. They were perfect for this project, though, and I love the result!
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Positive Reinforcement

Liam has had a "magnet board" for a year or two that we use to reward good behavior. It used to have quite a few categories for him to earn magnets in, but it took forever to fill the whole thing up. I found myself looking for something with a little faster turn-around on the reward. I decided to include Max in on this since he seems to need a little more positive reinforcement lately. He also understands the idea of the magnet board, so we divided it into two parts. Each boy has four spaces in which to earn a prize. Liam's spaces are: be kind to Max, read a book, make a project and clean your room. We wanted to make his categories an opportunity to exercise his creative side as well as teaching more responsibility. He has taken to it very well, and read 7 books in the last two days to earn his first prize! I'm proud of him.

Max's categories are: be kind to Liam, go potty, eat your food, and pick up your toys. His focus more on responsibility and things he needs to work on. He seems to understand it, but hasn't earned a prize just yet. Almost! But, I can see an improvement in his attitude already just two days after implementing it.

Prizes they can earn are small things (stickers, fruit snacks, mini coloring books, etc.), but they are very excited to have something to work towards.

"Praise your kids ten times more than you correct them." - Michelle Duggar

It's working for us!

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Cute

Liam: "Mommy, you're the cutest mom I ever had."

The Force is Strong with These Two...



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Friday, February 3, 2012

Oh, Liam!

Liam (while watching a preview for Indiana Jones): "Look, mom. It's 'Eaty on the Jones'!"
AHAHAHAHA. This kid is hilarious.

Bathtime!



This is what we call "Max's Action Figure Bathtime".
He will stay in the tub for literally an hour, if we let him, and set these guys up
and then knock them down. Repeat. It's pretty cute.

Max is also quite the storyteller lately, and tells us often about his school and his troublemaker friend "Chewbacca". Chewbacca doesn't listen to the teacher and constantly tries to sneak away to play baseball instead. I think "Chewbacca" might just be Max's alter ego...!
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Thursday, February 2, 2012

House Beautiful



This is my latest decorating project. Frames from Goodwill spray painted matte black (the little oval one is my favorite!) with generations of wedding pictures going back to our grandparents. Love it!
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Also Known As...

Mom: "Hey, what's your name?"
Max: "I'm Kevin Obi-wan."

Gotcha...!