Come What May

Yesterday, while searching through my old music to find a song to practise on the piano, or keyboard, I came across some old songs of my sister's that got mixed up with mine.  Two of them came from the movie and musical Moulin Rouge, one of my very favorites of the more modern musicals.  This morning the first thing I did before I started my long list of chores was dig through my cds to find the soundtracks to all of the musicals that I have.   My first love are the old school musicals...Hello Dolly, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Singing in the Rain, but I do love the newer movie versions and broadway plays.  Today I listened to Moulin Rouge and Phantom of the Opera.  Whenever I have any housework to do I always put music on.  I find that the kids are more willing to play independently when there is music playing in the background.  My theory is that it helps fuel their imagination, but what do I know.  Even better, housework doesn't seem nearly as mundane when I can belt out a ballad with the music blaring.  There is nothing that I love more than a love song from a musical.  These are the ones that I listened to again and again today.

 

 

Sillies and Sledding

 I've been meaning to post these pictures from Christmas holidays for a long time but I was so frustrated with Blogger the last time that I tried that I had to take a bit of a hiatus to avoid launching our laptop across the room at the wall.  My parents got the kids a whole bunch of new dress up clothes for Christmas and they have been very entertaining playing princess and the knight, or princess and the pirate or princess and the fireman and the list goes on.  The knight costume that Walker has on is by far my favorite.

 

Santa brought Emma and Walker new sleds and that has been their favorite past time when the weather is warm enough.  The other day when Allan was out with them he got some great action shots.

 

 

 

They will run up and down this hill two dozen times without a single complaint.

 

 

 

I love the sheer joy on their faces in the top and bottom pictures.

 

 

While I was busy writing this post in the living room the kids were playing dress up and dancing so that I could watch them.  Lillian decided she needed in on the action and brought Allan this costume to put on her.

 

 

Baby Bumblebee

 

I love that you can see her little penguin feeties sticking out.

 

Dennis F. Larsen - Author

  My dad is a husband, father, grandpa, brother, optometrist and just recently added author to his resume.  Just days ago he began sale of his very first full length novel, With Cruel Intent.  We are so excited for him!!  Information on the book is here.

 

www.withcruelintent.com

 

Birthday Boy!!

 

 

 

 

Walker woke up to a heart attack on his door yesterday morning, our usual Birthday tradition.  We can't believe that our sweet baby boy is a big four year old now.  Unfortunately for him Tuesdays are my errand day so we had to spend the majority of his birthday making long shopping trips to Safeway and Costco.  To make up for it I treated him to a nutritional lunch at Costco...a hot dog as big as he is and an ice cream cone that he generously shared with his baby sister.

  

 

He decided it was a fair compromise. 

 

He requested waffles with whipped cream for his birthday dinner and Grandma and Grandpa joined us to celebrate. 

 

 

 

 

 On Sunday we had his big family party complete with a cake that he made all by himself with the help of his big sister.  I have tons of pictures from that fun evening but unfotunately blogger is being outrageously uncooperative and I have no patience left.  Hopefully later this week I'll be able to get the pictures up.

 

Here are the 4 things that I love most about my very own little Power Ranger.

 

1) He is sweet and sensitive.  Even though he can be rough and tumble, in that he is rough and generally has Lillian tumbling all over herself, he is generally gentle and thoughtful and careful with all of us...for the most part.

 

2) He is so imaginative.  I love to watch him play with his toys and costumes, whether with the girls or by himself, and see the different scenarios he comes up with.  My most favorite is when he sits at the table while I make dinner and I can hear his little voice behind me making gun noises and explosion sounds.

 

3)  His cute dimples.  His little smile melts my heart.

 

4)  The way he orders his breakfast at night after I have put him to bed.  Faithfully every night after I've turned the light off and left the room I hear him shout "MOM! Are you going to make me breakfast in the morning?  I want to have ..."  I love how predictable my funny boy is.

 

What a blessing our amazing little boy is.  He makes every day fun and exciting and worth while.

 

And speaking of birthdays.  Happy Birthday to the newest edition to the Shane and Susan Reay crew, Carter Justin!!

It was so fun to meet you today!!

 

Cords and Chords

 

As part of our Christmas gift my parents got us a half a cord of firewood.  The kids were so excited to see the big truck pull up and dump all of the wood on our driveway.  Then they got all of their winter gear on and went outside to help stack it.  We've already been enjoying a fire blazing in our fireplace the last two days.

 

 

I had to include this youtube video that Allan found the other day.  It's a group of young men in a stake in Utah singing "That's what makes you beautiful" by One Direction, a very popular boy's group apparently, for the young women in their stake.  It is so hilarious.  I couldn't help but think of how thrilled the girls from the stake would have been to watch it.