Happy Easter from The Thuringers!

Happy Second Birthday to James Wallace Thuringer!

James Wallace Thuringer celebrated the second anniversary of his birth with a pizza for dinner, presents following dinner, and an attempt at cake. I say attempt as he had absolutely no interest whatsoever. "All done!!!" repeated and some tears and running away. But he had no problem with us enjoying his cake, so we did. Just a super bummer I have no pictures of him and his cake. He enjoyed a couple of outfits, two books, and a remote control car and an art kit with a dry erase board and chalkboard that he wants to play with every day. All said, it was a moderate success. It's unbelievable how big our tiny little one is. Every day I wake up to the image of PJ holding James that Eileen took when he was days old. Now he is super independent and bold and fun and growing at lightning speed. It's crazy! So now we have a two year old. Will he be a "terrible two" child or do like most kids in my family seem to do and wait till they're three and really let us have it? Regardless, he is our little blessing and we are so thrilled that he is growing so well. If only everyone could experience a little James in their life, the world would be a better place.

Rapid Deterioration

The state of Baby Hops ear is a cause of great distress. Not for Ava, of course, but for me. For I do not know for certain the location of the alternate ear. But Ava, she likes it that way! Poor Baby Hop. Perhaps she needs some pain medication. Bunny Advil, perhaps?

Walking on a Cloud

PJ (and the show The Biggest Loser) has been inspiring me to go the gym and use some weights and put some miles on my legs. I went twice last week, and on Saturday when I came home I told PJ my feet hurt. He asked how long I had been wearing my shoes. I told him I got them when we lived at Kathy's house. Yikes. Even with my sporadic workouts, there were surely enough miles on them to warrant new shoes. PJ insisted. And he insisted I go to the runners shoe store. I had found it and mentioned it to him months ago and he went to get his running shoes there. He loved it. They put you in a regular pair of running shoes then put you on a treadmill where they videotape your feet while running to see if your ankles turn in, or out or are flat when the feet come down. So on a brisk yet sunny Saturday afternoon (yesterday as a matter of fact) I went out to Three Rivers Running Company. I waited for a little while (it was Busy!) and soon enough was assisted by a sweet young lady who listened to my story (am now walking, am working towards running, have a jogging stoller, not sure if I pronate or supinate, yadda yadda) and put me in a pair of "neutral" shoes and put me on the treadmill. I was not anxious to run, as the store had people in it, and I wasn't sure how long I was going to have to keep up any kind of pace) but it was pretty quick and I am sure no one was laughing at me. She played back the tape of my feet and sure enough it showed that when my feet come down, I tend to bend in a little bit, or pronate. So I would need shoes that would give me a little extra support on the inside of my foot to ensure that I would not collapse in accidentally when coming down. She brought out 5 pair of shoes. The first ones I tried on were incredibly comfortable. But something felt wrong- I didn't feel like I was wearing shoes!! The second pair were kind of comfy, but I was very aware of the shoe. Which now felt wrong compared to the first pair. The next ones the same, and the next just felt wrong. The last pair were much like the first. So I put on one of each and hopped back on the treadmill to see how they felt. By now the store had emptied out a bit, and I ran for a minute and hoped it would be obvious which shoes were "The Ones". But it wasn't. The last pair I felt more aware of the bottom of the shoe, that is to say they seemed firm and less flexible when stepping down. The first pair just felt so flexible they seemed an extension of my foot. I wasn't sure. I looked for guidance. One of the sales guys who had been helping the lady next to me (who narrowed it down to the exact. same. two. shoes!) said that if it were him, he would choose the ones that felt the best cushion. I was already leaning towards that first pair anyway, and what he said sealed the deal. (I had asked price already and they were only $5 difference!) So off I went with my new shoes and headed down to the Y. I could not wait to get them on the track! I worked out with some of the weight machines and moved over to the track. I did a few stretches, and got out there. It was amazing. Seriously! It was like butter. I went for a while (I wanted to get back home in reasonable time to let PJ have a chance to go as they are closed today for Easter) and wore them the rest of the afternoon. After he came back, we took the kids and dogs for a walk and a little while after I finally took them off. By the time I removed them, I was aware they were there, even though they were so incredibly comfortable. In the end I don't doubt that I made the right choice. The shoes themselves were a little more expensive than if I had gone to say Dick's or Sports Authority, but the fit and the feel are amazing and I would highly recommend the experience to anyone who walks a reasonable distance or works out. (I know there are running stores everywhere- in Phx and even in South Bend!) The above photo is the exact pair I brought home. Yummy!
We took the kids to church this morning (James' latest word is church!) and afterward went to the grocery. When we got home we hid the eggs and the kids found them. The kids (and hopefully PJ too) are down for a nap now and I will be going to start Ava's cake here shortly and the pizza dough a little later as we will celebrate this evening the 5th anniversary of her BIRTH!!! That's hard to wrap my head around, even when she is so tall and so big and so smart. How can she be 5? Will post party pics later- I know I have pics of James to post too.

Bips

Nary a cuter word has been spoken*. You must hear it from the boy's mouth of course. Used in place of "zip"(he loves when I am cold and wear my sweatshirt as this bips gives him endless entertainment) or "chips" (which he cannot seem to get enough of!)
*Bayaya comes in a super close second.

Undefeated!

So last night, 5 minutes into the second half of the game (you remember, the one that began at 11 p.m.!), the '79 Lincolns were down 6-2. But then, they got their second wind and came back to tie ! PJ scored the 5th goal. So there you go. They should have a "bye" week (PJ says game- isn't it the same?) and then they're off to the playoffs. We will keep you posted on their continued success!

Scenes from our March 21st

Scenes from our day:
-Waking up with super good morning hair and no jam from a sandwich to help- au naturale.
-Ava reading a "lost" book while I get her brother up.
-Making blueberry pancakes which turned into regular pancakes after James started throwing his off of his plate in protest. Mental note: no blueberries for the boy!
-Sweeping after breakfast- kids were banished from the kitchen and Ava helped by sweeping the living room whilst I did the kitchen.
-Hard boiling eggs in anticipation of the Big Coloring Fest.

The kids are down now. Ava is watching her current fave movie for her quiet time, and James is working that thumb and good part of the way to Sleepytown. Wish there was a nap in my future, but alas, there is a ton of laundry and a kitchen to clean up. I'll have to substitute a cup of tea and hope it does the trick. Hope you all are well- Happy Easter!

Leaf Collection, or TRUCKS!

Immediately upon our return from dropping Ava off at school this morning, we found some men and machines very busy on West Drive. They were doing the leaf collection that the early snow kept them from doing last autumn. I was pleased for them that today is relatively nice, as we are expecting more snow tomorrow. (!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
We didn't even to into the house but went thru the side gate and out to the front to get a good view of the situation. The little blue tractor was hustling up and down the street- he had a device in the front that looked like a gate with a brush on the bottom- he was collecting and pushing the leaves to the end of the block. Then the scooper would come in, pick them up, and put them into the dumper. The street sweeper thingie collected the remaining leaves into the rear of his vehicle, which would also get put into the back of the dumper. They were very busy, which kept James and Steve very busy for a while, going from living room window to dining room window depending on where the action was, and constantly apprising me of the goings on. I would occasionally pop out to take a picture, and James would be waiting in case one of us missed something. Now the streets are cleanish, although we still have plenty of leaves in our yard. Once the spring has sprung and we go without snow for a while we will get out there and bag it. Probably will have to do the next door neighbors house too, unless we want to continue to deal with the leaves in her yard for the remainder of the summer. Boo hoo.
On a bright note, I confirmed with Mrs. Lundt that James is indeed in the 2 year old playdate class starting in the fall. We even got to meet his "teacher", Mrs. Ehle. She seems really nice. Upbeat and chipper. Has at least 3 kids from what I could gather. She's cute and fun, and James gave her the total poker face the whole time she was trying to charm him. She is probably scared. Mrs. Lundt asked if Steve was going to be attending, and I replied that would depend on if he would get charged tuition. Hahaha. Polite laughter ensued. I did find out that not THAT many kids are continuing from the preschool to the day school. A reasonable number though, if you consider that not that many kids in Ava's class are members. She mentioned a couple of kids who moved that will just finish out the year here then move to closer schools. (I know one little girl is in Ava's class in that situation). Also she mentioned something I hadn't considered, that some of the kids go to churchs with no preschool but they do have a dayschool. So there you go. I had forgotten about that- we narrowed down our selection to only ones with preschools, so that wasn't an issue for us as it is for other parents. Ava is quite excited about attending the Kindergarten, and I am hoping James becomes more excited about attending his "class" too. He didn't say a word the whole time-I explained that we were hoping the vocabulary explosion would happen any day now. Mrs. Ehle said she had quite a few who started out not saying but one or two words but by the end of the year they were chatty. I told her I was hoping him being around more speaking people his size might inspire him too.
So that's really all the news from Indiana. PJ's game is at 11 p.m. tonight. The only good thing about that is that it seems all the guys are too tired to fight if there's any trouble. Plus their goalie will be back this week, and he's a big fella, so that will help too. Right now they have not lost any games, and if they make it through tonight, they will have a "bye" week before playoffs. Hoping we can take the kids again to see Daddy play. It was fun last time. Go '79 Lincolns!!!

Evidence that I should not be watching Morning Joe with Ava

Me: : "Hey Ava, Barack Obama is going to be in Indianapolis tomorrow."
Ava: "I'm not that crazy about Barack Obama."
Me: "Who do you like then?"
Ava: "Hillary."*
Me: "How come?"
Ava: "She's a girl like me."
Oh if our young lass knew the thousands of women who will cast votes for that very reason. Most of them worked hard so women could be in a position such as Hillary Clinton is in now. But hopefully by the time our girl can cast her vote, that alone will not be anywhere near enough reason to elect someone to be the President of the United States.
I am so excited about this election, I have to say, that I have stopped looking into moving to Canada.
*Add exasperation on my part at even knowing that she knew who Hillary was!

Short and Sweet

Me: "Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah." (Describing the snack I am making for Ava's class for tomorrow.)
P.J. "Why don't you just buy something like a normal mom?"

On a totally unrelated note, congratulations to Alex Finter in the 2nd District Council race in Mesa, Arizona. We are enamored of your nephew Mr. Finter and wish you all the best. Please use your influence to keep Brendan out of trouble.
Sincerely,
The Thuringers in Fort Wayne

Cute Children and the Stuffed Animals They Love

Quick Fix

Last night while I was chopping broccoli for dinner, there was an unfortunate incident. Now before we go on, let's travel back in time to 2003, shortly before we brought Ava into this world. PJ had cut himself (I think he was at home and not work, and I know we were living in Mesa). He mentioned to me the cut and was proud to report that he had alleviated the need to go for stitches by using a little super glue. I became Un-superglued. Seriously? When, in all his years of medical school, (hahaha) did he learn that superglue was an acceptable substitute for stitches? I went on and on and I am sure he tuned me out after a short while (I would have) and we went on with our lives. And his cut healed. But this still taxed me. So much so, that at the baby shower I mentioned it. Debbie's friend Judy, a surgical nurse, looked at me and said, "Don't tell PJ, but superglue is not unlike what we use in the e.r. sometimes!" That's okay though, I said, because you guys are medical professionals! It makes sense for you to do it if necessary, and besides, you can determine if that will work or if stitches are necessary. Years later, I did tell PJ what Judy had said and we laughed and I got an "I told you so!" that I probably deserved. Now, fast forward to that broccoli. I am now taking the stalks and trimming off the outers and chopping and using the nice soft fleshy inner parts as not to feel like I am wasting. It's yummy, and most times I've done it the stalks have been pretty beefy. But not last night. I knew right as I was starting in on them that they were too narrow and probably not worth the effort for the food they would return. But onward I pressed, literally, right into my left index finger. I tried to keep it from him, but knowing it was deepish, I figured I'd better show it to "Dr." PJ. He at first said it wasn't so bad, but upon further inspection declared I might want to take it to Urgent Care for stitches. That I have never had before. That I should have probably had with the cut I gave myself that first Thanksgiving I made at Brendans house where there was a scar and I didn't have feeling in that exact area for a while. That scared me a bit. "Probably just one, maybe two stitches. But still, you might want to think about going." I looked up at him hopefully. "Do you think...maybe...?" I hemmed. I hawed. I finally had to ask. "Superglue?" His face lit right up. "Do we have some?" I opened the junk drawer and lo and behold there was a faint Hallelujah chorus as the tube was found. I held still while he tended to my wound. "How long till this baby is healed? " I asked. "Hours. Mere hours." he breathed. And in fact, although I wore kitchen gloves during clean up and tried to keep water off of it, it seems to have held! I am now wearing the Barbie band-aid that Ava retrieved for me immediately upon hearing of my booboo. I am a very stylish girl. Not only is he a rockstar of home improvement, he is also pretty handy for kitchen first aid!

My Husband is a Home Improvement Rock Star

Shortly after our return from AZ, PJ asked if I noticed a smell to our water. I did not. I never do. But he was on the case. So, a few hours later he informed me that he had narrowed down the culprit to the hot water heater. He initially thought it was the softener, as he had added new salt- a different kind, but figured out it was only the hot water that smelled. I still had not smelled it. The next day while giving the kids a bath I actually smelled it. I called to tell him, and that night he went to Home Depot to look at water heaters. While there, he found a gentleman at the water heaters and mentioned the smell. The gentleman told him it was a pipe inside the water heater that had corroded, and if he fixed it soon there would be no need for a new water heater. In fact another gentleman in the aisle ( a plumber) seconded that emotion, and they told him he would need a certain sized socket (which they did not have) and he could open up the water heater, remove this pipe, and if it was corroded then he would know that was the problem. And if that was the problem, it would be the most expensive thing to fix with a water heater short of getting a new water heater. PJ informed me it was $22.00. Seriously. So after work the next day he purchased the socket he needed (actually a whole set-probably one of the only tools he doesn't have and will come in handy with bikes too!) and headed downstairs. First he shut off the water. Then he removed the pipe. YUCK! It was corroded all right. All the way through at each end! So in the new pipe went, and the water was turned back on, and all was right with the world. The smell went away right away! I told PJ he was probably one of a dozen people who even knew about this kind of thing and had the chutzpa to open it up and dig in. I am again quite grateful for my handy husband, and really glad to avert the need for a whole new water heater as my mil told me today they had to replace theirs and she told me the total it was scary. More than $22.00! So PJ wins the Rock Star of Home Improvement Award for February 2008. He's won several times in our nearly 7 years of marriage, and I am sure his streak will continue.

Snow Day

Ava's school called a Snow Day- in fact I think all schools did- so we were home Wednesday. We were going to go out in the morning but Ava's snow boots hadn't dried since the puddle splashing incident on Sunday. By the afternoon we knew it HAD to be accomplished, somehow-James was vexed at having to wait. "Out! Walk!" was a constant mantra around lunchtime (sounded more like "Ouch! Ock!"). After a quick conversation with PJ during a brief break in his Lead Training Extravaganza, he mentioned Ava's old snow boots. They would be quite snug, but it was worth a shot. She said they were doable, so out we went. Ava tried to show James how to make a snow angel, but he wasn't really interested. He wanted to go for a walk. We went the short way, and only ran into a little ice and a couple of really big puddles. We stayed outside to play till it was time to come in and make dinner. As with many other times we have been out the temperature has not been an issue- we didn't end up cold even tho it was in the low 30's. We are supposed to expect 3" tonight and another 3" perhaps tomorrow. So you may see even more snow pictures before the daffodils arrive. Boo hoo! Please note the little snow creature is Ava's snow bird.
Speaking of birds, I saw one in the bush outside our bedroom window that seemed red. It was small like most of the other birds that hung out in that bush, and I had thought they were sparrows. But I went straight away to the bird book and discovered that male house finches are red, and they are here year round. We had some bread that was heading south so we took it outside and broke it into pieces for the squirrels and birds. I noticed today when arriving home there were quite a few birds singing. Such a lovely, if false, harbinger of spring. I heard a call from one in particular I had not noticed before- sounded like "Tweeter!" but it was on a tree too far away to see. I'll have to refer back to the book. It's definitely not the finch- too big of a call. We'll have to keep an eye out for him. And make sure to leave them some more crumbs.
I'll have to remember to post about the pigeon hawk we have living in the neighborhood! Right now it's time to get the kids and go pick up the last of the winter csa, and since we'll be down there we'll pick up PJ too. Wish him luck on the Big Lead Test tomorrow!

More AZ Blogging to Come- For Now Just a Few Catch Up Things

I wish I could share a picture with you. Imagine James' crib bumpers. You remember how he sleeps in his crib, right? This is an old photo which gives you an idea. Now imagine that one of the straps on the bumper by his head is off, and so the one side droops slightly. (I knew when I put it on it could potentially be an issue, but really??!?). So now imagine it's a little after 9 p.m. and the boy just will not go to sleep. In fact he has become increasingly agitated, so finally poor PJ heads upstairs to find out what's the matter. He finds James perplexed and horrified at the state of his bumper pad! PJ promptly switches it so the non-looped side is on the opposite side of his crib and he promptly settles down to a good nights rest. PJ came down, and before he even said it I knew what was the problem. PJ said he thought James was upset that he might have crammed his head into the corner and gotten crib bars instead of bumper. But you and I both know that boy likes things "just so" and the fact that the bumper was not properly attached was the disturbing point. Regardless, he has been sleeping well (ish-we have more teeth coming in) since. Except yesterday, when he didn't nap at all!!! So we bundled up and headed out for some snow time.

That's All for Tonight Folks

It's 9:30, and I am tired. It's 16* wind chill outside, and there is a combination of snow/freezing rain coming down. This may impede Ava's field trip tomorrow, but if there's a delay or snow day (we are looking at 4-6") they will merely postpone till next week. I am going to go downstairs and try to finish my book about Raymond Chandler and his wife Cissy living in nearly 3 dozen places in L.A. I am at the part where he teaches himself to write by reading pulp novels. It's quite interesting- that he took something that had very little credibility and turned for himself into something not only credible but much admired. I have to get through that because on deck I have the Free Lunch book about the reason regular folks are paying so much (hint: huuuuge tax breaks given to corporations-No!!!), the Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters and I know there are some recipes in there that have to come to fruition, and lastly My Lobotomy (which came to my knowledge by the Phoenix Public Library newsletter received by Didi while on vacation) which chronicles the challenges of a young rebellious boy whose parents don't care to deal with so they let a doctor perform an icepick lobotomy, then rid themselves of him altogether after that doesn't work out quite so well. He founders, becomes quite depressed, and drinks quite heavily, and while coming back from rock bottom decides to find out more about his past, and the lobotomy, and even reconciles briefly with his father. I know, I know, why do I need to read it you ask after that synopsis. Really? You have to ask? It's all in the details. Besides, it is TUESDAY and you know I need to go find out how my main man Mr. Obama is faring in Ohio and Texas. It's my understanding they have called him for Vermont. Not sure about Rhode Island. MSNBC says that McCain has clinched the republican delegates needed and Mr. Huckabee and Mr. Norris will be conceding shortly. That is no big surprise! So off to Chris Matthews and maybe the Weather Channel. Will post more VERY soon. Especially if tomorrow is a snow day!

Organ Stop Pizza!

One of Didi's suggestions was Organ Stop Pizza- who could say no? It is a landmark. We decided to go on Sunday to avoid dealing with the 60. Also we were told that it opened at 4 p.m. (!?) and filled pretty quickly. So we got the caravan rolling and ended up arriving at about 4:35 p.m. local time. First thing I noticed was the gazillions of cars in the parking lot. Next thing I noticed was that a large percentage of said cars had out of state (country?!) license plates. Duuuh. I had forgotten about the whole snowbird thing! Next thing I noticed were the septuagenarians being dropped off at the front. We made our way inside and that place was PACKED! We are talking capacity. It was amazing that we were able to find 2 tables together and be able to have proximity to one another. The organ was huge and beautiful. The gentleman playing was really earning his keep and getting a good workout while he was at it. A lot of showtunes, only one or two that I recognized but I bet there were quite a few songs in Didi's repertoire. The food was decent, although for some reason James shunned pizza for the very first time in is entire life, which we attributed to the fact that he had not slept but for about an hour and a half and spent a large part of his day in the car. Eventually, he mellowed out. We figured out much later that he probably wanted to eat his pizza whole. After we got home and made pizza PJ started to cut it up and James was shouting "All done!!!" at him, so we gave him a piece whole and he loved it. But on vacation in a room full of AARP members that is swooning with the sounds of the organ it's not conducive to me figuring out any of that. After the pizza and the awesome show (which included a Mary Poppins tune much to Ava's delight and the Notre Dame fight song) we decided to head back to Didi and Papa's for a little bit as it would probably be the last we would see of Jim and Julie and their crew. Ava was stoked because she was really enjoying playing with Cambria. If only she played so nicely with her brother...

Family Dinner

The night after our initial arrival, the fam gathered at Didi and Papas for dinner. The shot of the guys I think was actually taken after Organ Stop Pizza, but looks nice in this little collection. It was awesome to see everyone, and thank you all for gathering and letting us get to visit with you!

Papa Wears the Boy OUT!

One day we ran over to Gram and Gramps' house, just Didi, PJ, me and Ava and left Papa and James to fend for themselves. They had such a grand old time that the little munki passed out from exhaustion. Some days I wish Papa were here to help with that energy!

Ava's Photo Skillz

One day while the little bird was supposed to be resting, she decided it would be much more fun to poke around with Mom's camera and take a shot of her surroundings. Here's the evidence.

A Week has passed and I am tired

Actually, I am tired after recounting with PJ at dinner tonight all the things we did on our trip. The day we arrived PJ hit the driving range. The next day the fellas golfed and that night the family came for dinner. Then on Friday I met Jason for lunch and then we saw Brendan for dinner. Saturday was Tucson then Artis and Elaine came for dinner. Sunday was church, then out to Maricopa to visit the Gleash family (and back again later that night because we. left. Steve. there!!!) and went to Organ Stop Pizza for dinner. Monday I met Kath for a while before the fellas went back out for their second round of golf (where PJ shot a 78!!!!!), and then met Brendan and Kath for a nightcap and another round of Big Game Hunter (Kath's first time out!). Tuesday was a big zoo day and Wednesday we left super bright and early. Is everyone else exhausted? Goodness!
I have just finished sorting through the 152 photos left after my first purge. I purged more (mostly zoo animals and a couple of focus issues) but promise to post soon the fruits of our camera. In the meantime, I leave you with a sneak peak of the cuteness to come!
(yes I know the picture isn't right, it was one with focus issues and the kids were all so cute I couldn't bear to delete so I gave it a little pop art effect).
Also up soon is a list from Vocabularypallooza- James' exploding wordiness! It's pretty awesome, and the ones I will note are not the repeaters (where he repeats me then doesn't repeat it again). My favorite one now is "rock" which is first request when I come into his room in the morning or after stories at night. I would rock him till the cows came home. If only they made a chair like we have in Ava's room that rocked. Now then I could rock with him all night long...

Home

We are home. The trip was so great. It almost felt strange to call Fort Wayne home when we returned. But home is where the heart is, home is where you hang your apron, and as it turns out home is where you nurture sick chickens and find snow on the ground and 20* temperatures. It is nice to be home nonetheless. There will be AZ Blogging, and photos galore. I have gone through and narrowed the plethora down to 152. But there are a few zoo pics in there too, so will end up with fewer. First I have to organize, name and edit. So keep your pants on people! Did I mention sick chickens? Also it's been a 2 day Laundrypalooza around here. Speaking of which, I have to go before Daddy's pants wrinkle. I broke up with the iron a while ago and I don't want to have to go crawling back to him.
p.s. for those of you who know we are on the fence about one more chicken the latest is that we are not preggers. My friend L says that if you are not actively preventing pregnancy then you are trying, so I guess there is the possibility of a big family yet. Keep good thoughts for the kids well being in your hearts and we'll be in touch...

Out of Town

Wednesday we are on our way to Phx. It is in the mid to high 70's there. And the kids have no clothes! So I am off tonight to the consignment shop first then Steve and Barry's and maybe Old Navy for a couple of things to keep us going thru the week. Wish us a Bon Voyage and we'll see you back here in a week or so for some pictures- Debbie has a full schedule planned with super fun things like the ZOO! And the Train Park! (I had forgotten about that and it was across the street from my office of one hundred years!) and Organ Stop Pizza~ sure to be the highlight for a certain little bird who was having a hard time this afternoon wrapping her head around the organ. inside.the.restaurant!!!!!

When it is not so good to have a handy Daddy

Or, Heard at the lunch table this afternoon:
"Mom, I do not have scurvy and I am not a pirate. And besides, we don't even have a plank. And don't even think about asking Dad to make one!"

Snow Indeed

There was about 45 minutes of bundling up (that is only a SLIGHT exaggeration!) that included about 20 minutes of trying to get/keep Master J's mittens on. We marched out back and played with Fred, and then decided to go for a little walk to assess the situation. We marched down the street to the secret sidewalk where it got ICY (James had already eaten it a couple of times and Miss Ava had "ice skated" in front of the house 2 doors down) and turned back to return to Fred who was wimpering and whining loudly at our disappearance. While we were gone he managed to scare a squirrel up the chimney who seemed to be hanging on for dear life. Not sure what took him so long to go up to the roof but he got there eventually. Also in the meantime a scratch appeared on our Ava's face where he had jumped on her in his excitement to finally have someone to play with. It's not too bad. I put some Windex on it. (Can you spot the movie?) Anyway, reshoveled a bit and salted the rear sidewalk, took some tupperware out to use to build something, and Ava got the dumptruck and garden trowel out of the garage and got to work. She also helped me sweep the walk with the broom that is her size. James had been working with the one we keep indoors earlier in the day. We were out for a little over and hour, and James and I came in first. His mittens were not staying on, at least not with his little thumb in the thumbholder, and he was having a hard time without that opposable digit. I put my gloves on him (no fingers of course) but he would not have that either. So Ava opted to come in. She played on for about another 15 minutes by herself, then got tired and/or hungry and so came in for the half hour disrobing/hanging/footwear on rack process that occurs when a group comes in from playing in the snow. It was pretty fun. It wasn't really that cold-just about 30* I think- and the only bummer was the mitten thing for J. Not much to be done about that though, it's a rough time for a little one to have to wear mittens. It will improve with age. "They" have backed off the original extra 4-8" for today and now are at maybe another inch or two tonight. I have a haircut booked for the morning and I don't care if I have to cross country ski down there I will go because I am beginning to resemble Carrot Top! I am still undecided about whether to let it grow or cut it back into the style of the Christmas card. I asked PJ, and he said to let it grow, which made me want to cut it. Geez! Have you seen that phone commercial where the girl asks her boyfriend several times out of two choices which one he likes, and when he answers her she picks the other one? That is me! Just hope I end up with a cut I like as I am taking it to the Valley of the Sun in a couple of short weeks.
Am off to continue the laundry adventure and make some bread. Ava helped herself to some apple juice this morning which equals a sticky floor that needs to be addressed as well. A woman's work...

Snow

Four inches last night and they are saying another 4-8" today. Poor PJ was a total champion shoveling and snowthrowing during the sleet and freezing rain that came after last night's snow and before the new snow this morning. He took the car today and said the roads were worked. All schools (almost) were canceled, and a couple of community things like the FW Museum of Art.
We are having upstairs playtime right now, gathering laundry and blogging, and James is brushing my hair. It's quite sweet, even if I will end up really bushy!
More for today includes playing in the snow (the kids hope, mom is not so sure), laundry, putting Ava's camera software and photos on the computer so it can be ready for the trip, and basement playtime. That usually occurs when Sesame Street is on. Which is soon. So that is all from us for now.

Heard on the monitor this morning upon waking up

"Mommy, Daddy! All done! Up! Up!"

Fun in the basement

It is currently 11* outside, -1* wind chill, and so we spent some time in the basement. On the agenda was a little Sesame Street, going down the slide, running the school bus down the slide, throwing Steve while standing at the top of the slide, fighting over the slide, and finally hibernation for Ava while Steve played some tunes on the piano.

Board Mee Mee

Mee mee scheduled for 9 a.m., Friday January 25, 2008. Present were James Wallace, Ava Pauline, me, Mrs. Butterworth, and the Duck. (James also says duck now!). We were waiting for the Chairman, Steve to arrive, and we ate pancakes while we waited. Steve never arrived, so we decided to postpone the meeting and just stick with pancakes.

Mothers Little Helper(s)

Today at Chez Thuringer we are doing a little laundry. James is very enamored of the washing machine, which causes Ava to get very upset that she isn't helping. (She never was interested until James was, of course.) I have tried putting James in charge of the washer and Ava in charge of the dryer (she can reach the "on" button) but that is not good enough for our girl. James doesn't care that she stops and pitches a fit that he is putting all the clothes from the basket into the washer, he just pushes on, and with each article of clothing, identifies the owner. My pajamas, "Mommy!", P.J.'s t-shirt, "Dada!" but with his own stuff he won't say "James" or "mine!". He enjoys all the buttons and knobs on the washer and is getting to the point where he lets me tell him what to push and I let him do it. He has a blast. Ava puts the soap in (she can reach) and I have her help me sort socks. It takes a while longer to do the laundry but turns it into fun for the whole family!

Still Life of Citrus Bounty

Or "We Will Not Get Scurvy", or "Look, now we can make yummy lemon bars and watch Daddy turn orange from eating so many tangelos!"

Watching Clifford the Big Red Dog in the Basement

And of course, having schnacksh!

Thinking about the economy

So this afternoon listening to NPR, they were discussing the tax rebate that is part of the stimulus package. That the idea is for people to get a little extra cash in their pocket from their Uncle Sam, to go and spend how they would like. Thinking about this made me a little perplexed. Why stop there? Why are you going to send me a check and make me think "Woohoo I have money for a new flat screen t.v.!" when we (Americans) are having such a hard time making ends meet that we are relying on credit! People have such a hard time that they are deeper in debt than ever. And I am not even addressing those working minimum wage, or 2 part time jobs with no benefits, and there are plenty (way too many) families like that out there. I am talking about families who have one working adult making a pretty good wage, and that live maybe not frugally but there's not much spending that is not necessary. New tires, new garage door. Medical. Dental. It's insane. My first thought was that if we received a check it would go straight to the credit card. Wouldn't getting out of debt be a better way to stimulate the economy?

Yesterday's Weather Report 7:30 a.m.

According to our friends at the weather channel yesterday at 7:30 a.m., the temperature was 6*, and the wind chill was -6*. After briefly worrying about P.J. freezing on his way to the bus, I was transported when they reported it would be 60* in Lisbon. Snapping out of it we bundled up in hats and mittens and coats and drove our little bird to school.
This morning there was more snow on the ground, and it was still flurrying. The roads that were well traveled were not the snow/ice mess that the side streets are, but instead a mess of slush. A little slippery. But by the time we picked up Miss Ava, the sun was shining and the slush was melted and working on those side streets a bit. I hope it stays clean and not too wet as we are in for a doozy of -15* wind chill tomorrow. I think we may stay in.

New Words (ones I can comprehend, anyway)

Part of the trouble with the boy, I think, is his frustration in trying to communicate. Every day is getting easier for him, and we even have a few new words. He knows Doggie, and I think tries to say Fred. Not sure on that one though. He squeezes Steve and says in his deepest voice, "Uddoo" (cuddle!). And yesterday, upon waking and requesting Dada several times, was appeased when I was told he would call us after his meeting. "Meemee?" he asked. The response was the same, and we went back and forth on this all morning till he got to talk to Dada.

From where did this ethereal creature appear?