Cold season has started. For some reason, colds make my boys' lips dry out. I am addicted to lip balm year-round (I prefer Burt's Bees pomegranate lip balm) and I always have some with me. The boys only seem to need it during the fall and winter. I am not buying them anything fancy, since they tend to be rough on the stuff. Right now, they each have a tube they received at the Coopersville Christmas parade last year. It's a strange thing to get at a parade, but it saved me some money!
Sam, in particular, has been very fond of his chapstick. Only, he can't say it right. He calls it 'chipstack'. He (very loudly) asked for some 'chipstack' in church on Sunday. Brianna was sitting behind us and was highly amused by that.
Today, Sam discovered that he had not one, but TWO tubes of 'chipstack' in his dresser drawer. One was cherry flavored, one was unscented. He could hardly contain himself, he was so excited. He got out both and proceeded to carefully apply thick coats of both to his lips. I'm sure he will still be smooth and moisturized a week from now. At least he's not trying to eat the stuff.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Daddy's little helpers
Bill is always complaining that he takes on too many projects. He informed me earlier this summer that once he was done in the basement, he was going to scale back on his projects. Well, then he decided he wanted to expand the lawn in the front yard AND put in another zone of sprinklers before fall started. This is a pretty physically intense job (I know because I tried pulling up some sod and made hardly any progress). Bill removes a section of weeds/sod, smooths it out, then digs the trench for the sprinkler hose, buries that, and attaches sprinkler heads along the way.
Sam could not have been more thrilled about Bill's decision to put in more sprinklers. Sam has spent hours outside with Bill this week. Most of the time, he is just standing there watching Bill work. And talking endlessly. Sam loves to talk. He gets that from his dad. (Stop laughing. Bill really does talk more than I do!!)
Here are Nolan and Sam watching Bill work. Each of them are holding a sprinkler, waiting for the moment Daddy needs it:
Sam could not have been more thrilled about Bill's decision to put in more sprinklers. Sam has spent hours outside with Bill this week. Most of the time, he is just standing there watching Bill work. And talking endlessly. Sam loves to talk. He gets that from his dad. (Stop laughing. Bill really does talk more than I do!!)
Here are Nolan and Sam watching Bill work. Each of them are holding a sprinkler, waiting for the moment Daddy needs it:
The circus
Last week Saturday, Bill and I took all three boys to the Ringling Brothers Circus. The circus comes every fall (on the circus train!), but we had never gone to see it. I priced out tickets and was discouraged to see that it was going to run us about $100 to see the circus. So, I decided to put it off for another year.
The next day, I saw that WOOD TV was giving away tickets via their EightWest TV program. I signed up on Facebook to win tickets, and I won! What was really exciting was that they gave me a five-pack of tickets, so even Nolan got to come along.
We got in our seats about 30 seconds before the show started. I had so much fun just watching the boys' faces. TJ took in the performance like a typical kid. His favorite part was watching the guy get shot out of the cannon. Nolan had a look of puzzlement and awe on his face. He loved it, but couldn't quite understand what was happening. Sam was fascinated for about 10 minutes, then spent the rest of the time studying the spot lights, trying to figure out the contraptions in the ceiling, watching what the circus performers were doing in the dark and behind the scenes...basically he was looking everywhere he wasn't intended to. Typical.
Here's a few pictures from the show. It was great, and the best part was it was FREE!!
The next day, I saw that WOOD TV was giving away tickets via their EightWest TV program. I signed up on Facebook to win tickets, and I won! What was really exciting was that they gave me a five-pack of tickets, so even Nolan got to come along.
We got in our seats about 30 seconds before the show started. I had so much fun just watching the boys' faces. TJ took in the performance like a typical kid. His favorite part was watching the guy get shot out of the cannon. Nolan had a look of puzzlement and awe on his face. He loved it, but couldn't quite understand what was happening. Sam was fascinated for about 10 minutes, then spent the rest of the time studying the spot lights, trying to figure out the contraptions in the ceiling, watching what the circus performers were doing in the dark and behind the scenes...basically he was looking everywhere he wasn't intended to. Typical.
Here's a few pictures from the show. It was great, and the best part was it was FREE!!
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Cheerleaders
I used to worry that subcontractors who came to our house would be annoyed and frustrated by my overly curious and overly talkative boys. That has not been the case. The men thoroughly enjoy the boys for one reason: the boys are cheerleaders.
TJ takes every opportunity to creep downstairs and talk to whoever is down there: Dan, the drywall man, or Scot the painter. He is in awe of them and repeatedly tells them how nice everything looks or what a great job they are doing. Sam doesn't try to go downstairs, he just meets them as they come and go in the driveway. The other night, Scot was sitting in his truck (either eating or talking on the phone) and Sam was standing right next to the driver's door, talking Scot's ear off. I could hear Scot chuckling as Sam prattled on and on.
Later that evening, Scot headed up to the roof. Bill is NOT a fan of heights, and just couldn't bring himself to climb the roof to put the caulk and second coat of paint on the chimney. So (for a mere $30), Scot said he would do it. It was a pleasant evening, and I was outside with all 3 boys and one of the neighbor boys. As Scot climbed the ladder, all four boys stood in the front yard, watching breathlessly. The moment Scot put both feet on the roof, Sam yelled, "Good job, painter!" I could see Scot smiling. He then proceeded the climb the roof and disappeared from view. Four boys ran down the hill and around the side of the house to see what Scot was doing next. I could hear Sam cheering him on. I finally convinced Sam to call him Scot instead of 'Painter'.
The basement is now done, with the exception of the carpet for Bill's office. That will be installed the last week of September. Bill will spend the winter finishing the kitchenette and laying tile. Family room carpet won't come until the spring. My boys are going to be bored and lonely now that the workers are gone. But they love having the family room back and Bill and I are enjoying the peace and quiet upstairs.
TJ takes every opportunity to creep downstairs and talk to whoever is down there: Dan, the drywall man, or Scot the painter. He is in awe of them and repeatedly tells them how nice everything looks or what a great job they are doing. Sam doesn't try to go downstairs, he just meets them as they come and go in the driveway. The other night, Scot was sitting in his truck (either eating or talking on the phone) and Sam was standing right next to the driver's door, talking Scot's ear off. I could hear Scot chuckling as Sam prattled on and on.
Later that evening, Scot headed up to the roof. Bill is NOT a fan of heights, and just couldn't bring himself to climb the roof to put the caulk and second coat of paint on the chimney. So (for a mere $30), Scot said he would do it. It was a pleasant evening, and I was outside with all 3 boys and one of the neighbor boys. As Scot climbed the ladder, all four boys stood in the front yard, watching breathlessly. The moment Scot put both feet on the roof, Sam yelled, "Good job, painter!" I could see Scot smiling. He then proceeded the climb the roof and disappeared from view. Four boys ran down the hill and around the side of the house to see what Scot was doing next. I could hear Sam cheering him on. I finally convinced Sam to call him Scot instead of 'Painter'.
The basement is now done, with the exception of the carpet for Bill's office. That will be installed the last week of September. Bill will spend the winter finishing the kitchenette and laying tile. Family room carpet won't come until the spring. My boys are going to be bored and lonely now that the workers are gone. But they love having the family room back and Bill and I are enjoying the peace and quiet upstairs.
He has a name
It took two full days, but Emily and Jeff finally settled on a name: Tobias Arthur Geiger. Tobias is Hebrew for "God is Good", which I love. Arthur was Emily's Dad's middle name, and is a wonderful way to honor a grandpa who passed away over 25 years ago.
I am anxious for pictures and wonder how long it will be before I get to meet Tobias. Steve says it's okay to call him Tag, but not Toby, so take note!
I am anxious for pictures and wonder how long it will be before I get to meet Tobias. Steve says it's okay to call him Tag, but not Toby, so take note!
Thursday, September 16, 2010
My new nephew
I have a new nephew. Emily and Jeff had a baby boy this morning, around 9:45 Oregon time. He weighed 7 pounds, 11 ounces and was 20 inches long. However, they are still debating between two names, so I cannot tell you what my new nephew's name is...yet.
I just received the following email from my father-in-law, and thought it was worth saving:
To my children,
No news on the what the Geiger child will be called. For now Cindy and I are referring to him as Number 6 or What's his Name. As a wise Grandma Geiger said : "You've know this child was coming for 9 months. What do you mean you haven't named him?" Or.....as Uncle Ryan said, "What the h... is up with that?
My thought is that they need to see his college transcripts first. By that time he will be known simply as Geiger...not all bad, very few people are famous enough to be known by one name...or he will be known only by 123-45-6789 or whatever Uncle Sam dishes out to him for a Social Security number. There was a rock group in the '60's called Question Mark and the Mysteriuns. The Mysteriuns would of course be his parents.
Whatever the name, it would be nice to know by Christmas so that your kids don't fight over the left over presents under the tree.
We will keep you informed as news becomes available. If a name does not appear, please be good uncles and aunts and apologize to the guy on our behalf at the reading of the will, since he would obviously be omitted for lack of a moniker.
Love,
Dad or Steve or whatever you call me.
I just received the following email from my father-in-law, and thought it was worth saving:
To my children,
No news on the what the Geiger child will be called. For now Cindy and I are referring to him as Number 6 or What's his Name. As a wise Grandma Geiger said : "You've know this child was coming for 9 months. What do you mean you haven't named him?" Or.....as Uncle Ryan said, "What the h... is up with that?
My thought is that they need to see his college transcripts first. By that time he will be known simply as Geiger...not all bad, very few people are famous enough to be known by one name...or he will be known only by 123-45-6789 or whatever Uncle Sam dishes out to him for a Social Security number. There was a rock group in the '60's called Question Mark and the Mysteriuns. The Mysteriuns would of course be his parents.
Whatever the name, it would be nice to know by Christmas so that your kids don't fight over the left over presents under the tree.
We will keep you informed as news becomes available. If a name does not appear, please be good uncles and aunts and apologize to the guy on our behalf at the reading of the will, since he would obviously be omitted for lack of a moniker.
Love,
Dad or Steve or whatever you call me.
Life according to TJ
Yesterday I picked TJ up from the bus (Wednesdays are the one and only day I get to do that). He climbed in the van and very seriously informed me that a girl cried the whole bus ride home. I asked what was wrong with her and TJ said, "Well, she got dumped. Do you know what dumped means?"
I told no, I didn't. He continues to look very serious and said, "Well, it means.........um.....see.....you know, I don't know what it means."
Good. You are only six. It's ridiculous that this is even a topic of conversation among elementary school kids.
Last week, I made enchiladas. TJ usually hates them, but this time, he inhaled his entire enchilada. But that is a tough word for him. Several times during the meal he said, "This is really good. What's it called again?" When his plate was clean he said, "Mom, can I have another chihuahua?" Bill and I both lost it.
I told no, I didn't. He continues to look very serious and said, "Well, it means.........um.....see.....you know, I don't know what it means."
Good. You are only six. It's ridiculous that this is even a topic of conversation among elementary school kids.
Last week, I made enchiladas. TJ usually hates them, but this time, he inhaled his entire enchilada. But that is a tough word for him. Several times during the meal he said, "This is really good. What's it called again?" When his plate was clean he said, "Mom, can I have another chihuahua?" Bill and I both lost it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
