What the bumblebee???

While I was taking Easter pictures of adorable kids on Easter, this happened...
Not this.

This...

A closer look to figure out what the heck that was:

If there was a contest for Mom who captures the best photo of a bumblebee flying RIGHT SMACK IN FRONT of her kid's face, I would WIN!!!!

Carpe Diem!

It's been a while since I've posted anything, but I couldn't resist posting these pictures. Perfect for a Monday morning, no?

We are having some puppy issues. Truthfully, we are having ALL of the puppy issues. Chewing being one of them. We're working on it, and quite frankly, it is teaching the kids how to take better care of their toys (and thus, the house).

Sometimes (a lot of times) there have been toy casualties. Yesterday GI Joe took a bad hit, and Jack started screaming "He's dead! The man who kills animals is dead! Cassie killed him and he was miiiiiiiine!" This is what we found:

Poor GI Joe was missing his right arm and both feet. More tragic because it was a gift to Jack from Amanda. She picked him out of the treasure box at school just for him, and told Jack he was a hunter (the man who kills animals).

But a few minutes later, the kids went outside and I found the man who kills animals exactly like this:

Jack had put him in the window, facing the backyard so he could watch the kids play. I don't know if the fist in the air was intentional, but it was a pretty good Toy Story moment.

Naughty or Nice?

When the kids visited Santa this year, their requests were:

Elizabeth: Dinosaur fish
Amanda: Fish tank
Jack: Golf balls

And it looks like this year they all made it on the nice list.

Behold, the amazing (and kind of creepy) dinosaur fish. They haven't hatched in this picture, all of the brown specks floating on the top are hundreds of fish eggs. Out of the hundreds of eggs, only 2-3 will actually survive to become grown ups. And those 2-3 lucky fish get to spend their 20-90 day life span right here in this tank! Super cool, right?

Now, this next gift proves that Santa is very good at his job. He realized that Amanda's request of "fish tank" wasn't so much an actual request. The sweet little girl was frozen with Santaphobia and muttered out the first thing that popped into her head. Since Elizabeth went first, Amanda quickly followed with "fish tank" and that was that. Santa can't NOT listen to the one and only one request. So he brought her something special, just for her - a jellyfish tank!

Jack asked for golf balls. But Spongebob golf balls? Santa is amazing!

And what did Sully ask for? I don't know for sure, but I'd say he is pretty pleased. Introducing Cassie, our favorite Christmas gift of all. She is 100% flopsy puppy and she came with a bonus - our mole problem is officially solved!

Sully Meets Santa

Sully kind of froze, he didn't know what to ask for, but he won Santa's heart and now we have this adorable picture that will cheer me up whenever I need a good laugh.

I'll Eat You Up, I Love You So

Poor kid. Sick, chapped, grumpy.

This morning he was banished from the girls' room because he used a straw to flick orange juice onto Elizabeth. Before Elizabeth screamed, Jack was up from his chair and frantically trying to gather his "things" in a tupperware bowl. At first I thought he was trying to prepare for time out, but he was already one step ahead of me. He was trying to beat exile.

By the time I even said "time out" he had reached the bottom of stairs. Elizabeth yelled "I'm outta here!" and Amanda replied "me too!" and they both ran for the stairs. As the girls passed him on the stairs, Jack yelled "I'm coming wiiiiiiiiith youuuuuuuuuu!" but he had already started to cry. He sat on the stairs and waited for me (and time out) with the tupperware bowl on his lap.

He tried again after time out. Knocking, then banging, then begging, then tattling. "Mommy! The sisters won't let me in!"After another time out warning, he was quiet. And then..."MOMMY!" So I replied from downstairs, "It's not Mommy, it's a Monster."

Quiet. Then the pitter patter of feet, but I couldn't tell if it was to or from the stairs. Then...

"Monster?"

"Yes?"

"Monster, the sisters won't let me in."

UGH. But he was curious, so he came down and played with the Monster for a bit. Then he went back upstairs and knocked on the girls' door. And the door opened.

"Password?"

"Um...Elizabeth?"

Then I heard him gasp, the door close, and then...quiet.

Good Ninja

5 Things To Do In An Empty Amphitheatre

1. Roll, run or tumble your way to the stage.

2. If your pants fall down and your bum is hanging out from running down the hill (Jack), pull your pants up! Blue comedy is too easy, you've gotta work for the laugh kid!

3. Dance, stomp, run, scream, sing, laugh - AMPLIFY!

4. Take a bow.
5. Hike your way back up the hill while basking in the applause (of your parents).