Planets and spaceships and rovers, oh my!

We took advantage of a free admission day at the Planetarium downtown last week, seeing as Sam is recently obsessed with everything planet and space-related. Here are a few pictures.

I thought we had covered this.

Setting: Me in my office, checking email. Children in other room.

[Enter grinning children.]

Sam: How's my hair look?

Me: Why?

Sam: Because I cut it.

Me: Why did you do that?

Sam: So it would look shorter.

Me: Where did you cut it?

Sam: All over - see?

(Thankfully, all over was just along his neck line, which needed a trim anyway.)

(But then I turn to Sadie.)

Me: Did you cut your hair, too?

Sadie: Yep!

Me: Where?

Sadie (pointing to large chunk of shorter hair on the side): Right here!

Me: Never do that again. Remember, scissors are for paper. Not for hair.

Sam: Oh yeah - we forgot that. Are you angry?

Something appears to have gone awry in Bethlehem

I walked by our nativity the other day and found this.

Apparently, Jesus and his parents escaped amidst the trouble, one wiseman somehow got lodged in the roof, and everyone else fell off the cliff.

The next day, someone had returned it to this state.


You'll notice baby Jesus almost made it back into the manger.

Santa? At my house?

For people who don't do the Santa Claus part of Christmas, how was this outfit in one of our kids' closets?

Our little elves

No more than 5 minutes after we walked in the door from driving back from NJ after Thanksgiving, my little elves wanted to help put up the Christmas tree.

Even though it looks like Sam is about to attack his little sister, I promise no one was injured in the assembly of the tree.


The kiddos inspecting my work.


Proof that Joe put some ornaments on - not a usual happening...


He has to get it in just the right place.


Sam got the honor of putting the star on top. (Note to my parents: He declared the pink and turquoise one "not like a star.")


All done!

A few outtakes

from the photo shoot at Uncle Matt's...

My sweet night owl

Sam has developed a little habit lately of wanting to stay up late.

And the problem is that he is quite capable of doing so.

Some nights he happily looks at books, supposedly in bed, without a peep.

Other nights we hear constant chatter from his room, often requiring some sort of response from one of us.

He seems to know that on nights that I have a lot of work to do writing a book, if he just keeps up the questions I will eventually let him come lay on the bed in the office so I don't have to deal with leaving the computer to respond.

I always start out telling him he is only getting to come into the office because I have a lot of work to do and he has to be quiet or I will make him go back into his room.

Alone.

With all the lights out.

And the door shut.

Then he asks me some random question.

Out of habit, I reply.

Then he asks me something else.

Before I know it, we are having an entire conversation and I have, once again, failed to deliver on my threats.

Because I just can't do that to him.

(And I don't want to deal with the hysterics that would ensue if I did. Remember - I have a lot of work to do!)

We go back and forth for a while, each time I tell him that this time he really has to be quiet.

Then he starts up again.

I get annoyed.

Repeat.

Repeat.

Repeat.

But then he says, "Mama, I just have one more question. What would you like for Christmas?"

or

"Mom - good job getting a page done!" when he sees me mark off that I have just finished a page.

Then I smile.

Go over and give him another kiss and hug.

And tell him, "I love you, Sam. But this time, you have to be quiet!"

Eventually, he gives in to sleep.

(Tonight at 10 pm he finally said, "Mom, I think I'm going to take a little nap.")