Guilty
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Mom: Joseph, did you open these marshmallows?
Joseph: No. Maria did it.
Mom: How did you do it?
Joseph: With a pencil.
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Joseph
“Let Them Eat Cake!”
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Sunday night after supper, the slowest eater of the family (Joseph) was eating his dessert: a tasty red velvet cake. I was minding my own business cleaning the kitchen countertops. Landon asked me if I had given Joseph some food for the fish, and I replied that I hadn’t. I turn around and look at Joseph, and he’s leaning over the fish, dropping something in the bowl.
“What on earth are you doing Joseph?” I yell, running over to him and preventing him from dropping anything else.
“I was giving them their cake,” Joseph answered innocently.
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P.S. The fish wasn’t harmed, he spit out the cake at the bottom of his tank. : )
St. Valentine’s Day Candy
J+M+J
After eating almost every piece out of his small, heart shaped box of chocolate, Joseph put the candy up high, declaring his intentions to “save the rest for tomorrow,” and ran downstairs to play video games. Not five minutes later, he was upstairs again, begging for “Just one more piece!” before he really put the rest away.
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Another One for the Sleepyhead Collection
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Christmas Photos-Part Two
J+M+J
Alexander adds to his pile.
Maria’s much wanted bean-bag.
My scarf.
John Paul, Alexander, and Joseph all got Leapster learning game machines. They’ve been a big hit.
Landon and his ‘camera fund’. He’s also wearing a Saint Patrick medal if you look closely.
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The Nativity Scene
We got out a light-up, outdoor nativity scene today, and the youngest boys were thrilled, especially Joseph. When I first pulled Mary out of the box, his eyes grew wide, and he knew that there was more to it than just that. He shouted, “Where’s God?” and began to run through the house wildly, not stopping till I had shown him the Baby Jesus.
He inspected all of the figures carefully
Plugging in the statues
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The Picture Definition of: Really Tired
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Halloween
J+M+J
Sadly, this year there was no All Saint’s Eve party so we decided on Oct. 30 that we would be going trick or treating. For lack of ideas, the boys immediately decided that they would be exactly what they were last year. So, I set The Illustrated Book of World History on the kitchen table and asked Alexander if he wanted to be King Tutankhamun. “Is that a mummy?” he asked, very concerned.
“No, no, of course not,” I answered.
“But he got to be one when he died,” John Paul (who talks too much) put in.
Alexander’s eyes grew wide. “Uh-Uh, I’m not being him,” he firmly announced.
I questioned him about several more historical characters, including Caesar, a viking, a king, and Sitting Bull. He didn’t want any of them. So, I handed him the book and said, “You look through it, I have to go clean the kitchen countertops.” Not five minutes later, he told me he had found something, a Roman Centurion. I though it was a great choice, and began to form a plan in my head as to how to do it.
I wasn’t able to work on it until the afternoon of Halloween, and Alex pestered me every five minutes until then. Finally, I collected materials I thought I would use: a red tunic from past All Saint’s Eve parties, a red turtle neck, a red cape, and cardboard. I put the turtleneck and tunic on him, and then went to look for some string in the All Saint’s Eve box. Instead, I found some shiny grey fabric left over from Maria’s Joan of Arc costume. I knew this would be a perfect substitute for the cardboard. I cut it to the right size, made a head hole, and put it on him. Alex began to ask when I was going to be done making the costume, even after he had been so excited to make it. I told him to give me five more minutes, and put a belt around his waist, a sword in his hand , and a helmet on his head. Voila!
Joseph decided to be Robin Hood, and his costume was easier. Here he is with Johnathan, who made his own costume:
I wasn’t planning on dressing up this year, but after making Alex’s costume, I decided I had to because I couldn’t stand watching the other kids in their costumes for the kids who came trick or treating to the door. With the bed-sheet tunic I used for Shakespeare camp, a piece of brown fabric, one of Mom’s shirts and an hour’s work on the sewing machine, I had a costume! (And I was so glad I did, because it turned out some of my friends were trick or treating in the neighborhood and they invited me along!)
I am dressed as Éowyn from the Lord of The Rings books, which I read this summer before watching the movies.
Maria put together her own princess costume.
This is Landon in his own homemade Darth Vader costume.
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Accidental Nap
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Joseph and I were pretending to take a nap for a game, and Joseph actually fell asleep!
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From Joseph’s Bed at Nap-Time
The boys are having a hard time adjusting to the colder weather. Mom: “Do you want me to get you a shirt? You are going to be cold.”
Joseph: “No, I want to sleep in my belly.”
Pictures From the Apple Orchard
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Kid Talk
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Maria-“What happened to the crib? The mattress is higher.”
John- “It has an adjustable waist!”
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Joseph- (singing to no particular tune) “What’s your name? What’s your name? What’s your name?”
Sarah- “What are you doing, Joseph?”
Joseph- “I’m singing ‘what’s your name?'”
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Can You be Any More Tired Than This?
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How to Scare Your Big Sister
J+M+J
Bring in a doll all wrapped up in Daniel's blanket. Your big sister will probably think you are carrying the real baby, and she will shout, run over to you, and grab the doll. Then after she has the doll, she will laugh at herself for thinking a doll was the real baby. This game is a lot of fun!