About three and a half weeks ago, Mary was working on the computer. Caleb was playing with his toys and Joshua was exploring. All of the sudden, Mary hears Joshua laughing. Mary immediately thought of the stairs.
She ran there, but he wasn't playing on the stairs. She circled through the family and living rooms and he could not be found. Was he in the bathroom? No banging on the toilet. Now panic is beginning to set in. Is he under the futon? Then his laugh comes again. Where is he?
Mary runs up the stairs and Joshua is laughing in Grace and Caleb's room pulling down books. I guess Joshua can climb all the way up the stairs.
Grace and Caleb love to run errands. One of the stores they like to go to is Costco. Why do they like to go? Is it the toys? the food court? No, it is the boxes. Mary lets them pick out a box to bring home. Grace has one with handles where she stores art projects. Caleb has one he calls "Zoom, Zoom" and carries around cars in it.
Is it weird when your child has named his cardboard box?
Grace and I were talking in the kitchen a while back. Out of nowhere, Grace looked at me and said, "Dad, I need a laptop."
Flabbergasted, I asked, "Why?"
"I don't know. I just think I need my own computer."
I didn't know what to say, so I said the only thing that came to my mind. "Maybe you should talk to Grandpa Dale about that one."
Tuesday Mary watched The Biggest Loser while I made fudge.
It was a delicious irony.
And speaking of irony, have you heard Britney Spears' new song? If you haven't, you need to read the lyrics to "Piece of Me". It is either one of the most brutally honest self-appraisals or incredibly ironic. I can't decide which, but I cannot believe that song was ever recorded. Amazing.
Caleb got a small frog from a recent trip to Chuck E. Cheese. Grace and Caleb have built "Froggie" a little house complete with computer, tv, and bed. When Caleb first got the frog, he called it his "harmless frog".
Why harmless? And why would a 4-year decide it was important to point that out about a plastic frog?
You were waiting for some bumper stickers, weren't you? Here are some of the recent sightings:
- Pre lives
- Don't be fooled by my car, my treasure is in heaven
- Stop Continential Drift
- Warning: Dates in the calendar are closer than they appear
Not quite sure how to stop the continents from moving, but everyone needs a cause, right?
If you haven't purchased
Noel by Josh Groban, go buy it and give it as an early Christmas gift. It is worth it.
Here is the spread for dinner. We had our friend Bev over for dinner. (Grace and Caleb actually call her "our friend Bev". It is part title, part name.) Mary made a wonderful meal. 
Here are some pictures of the children at dinner. We had Andrew, Katherine, Alyssa, Joseph, and Timothy over for dinner as well. Alyssa and Joseph are in this picture with Grace and Caleb. 
Here is Joshua eating Thanksgiving dinner. 
