Long time, no see

Poor Charlie.  

With Baby Chuck's arrival, he hasn't been starred in many posts.  

Here's a photo of him in his Christmas best: 

Can you believe he's 13 years old? He still looks like a puppy to me.

Yes Virginia letter

I recently got the chance to read that famous Christmas letter and response.  I enjoyed reading it so much that I posted it down below (with my favorite bits highlighted in green.)  Virginia's letter is just so sweet and the editor's response is so eloquent and touching.  Does anyone write like this anymore?


Virginia's letter:
DEAR EDITOR: I am 8 years old.
Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, "If you see it in THE SUN it's so." Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?

VIRGINIA O'HANLON.
115 WEST NINETY-FIFTH STREET.

Editor's response:

VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except [what] they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge. Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished. Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world. You may tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding. No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

When sharks attack

babies get eaten.

To see this hand knitted outfit and others, click here

Oh happy days

Here's hoping that Baby Chuck is finally emerging from his fussy period....

Dear Santa

Our town published some children's letters to Santa in the local newspaper.  Here are two that I found particularly humorous:

Dear Santa,

Thank you for coming to my house last year and thank you for the presents.  I am glad that you did.  I hope you and the reindeer liked the cookies and the carrots.  This year I decided to make you a present.  I will leave a box on the top of the roof.  It will be waiting for you on the top of the roof.  It might look like something that you can eat, but it is not.  Travel safe!  

Your friend, Gavin S.  Age: 7

Dear Santa,

Can I have John Deere tractors?  And a John Deere Gator?  I love John Deere.  My daddy is a farmer.  He has tractors.  And spreads poop on fields.  Did you know I'm going to be a farmer?  I want a Happy Napper like my Sissy, Isabelle.  I love to eat her Chapstick. 

Bryce Mason S.  Age:  3

Windy City

This past weekend we visited Chicago.

We had to bundle up because it was very cold.

But, we braved the weather and saw lots of things.

Nanna also brought me a new friend. 

Christmas guests

Hi everyone,

Sorry for the lack of posts.  We're currently entertaining some guests from Down Under.  I'll remind mom to post as soon as she can.

Love,
Baby Chuck

Your love keeps them warm

When Baby Chuck was born, the nurses put a blue and white knitted hat on him.  (Seen here.)  Every baby born at our hospital receives one of these hand knit lovelies.  They're all donated by a group of kind and talented elderly ladies. 

Last week we visited a craft fair and found ourselves drawn to a display of colorful knitted hats.  The elderly lady behind the display was particularly keen to talk to us when she saw Baby Chuck snoozing in his carrier.  After a couple minutes of chatting, we found out that she was one of the ladies who knitted the hats!  I was so pleased to meet her that I asked for her photograph. 

I love that blue and white hat.  I love that these women cared enough to make and donate hats.  And I'm so happy that we got a chance to meet her and say "thank you."

Tummy Times Comic- 5

(Click on image to enlarge)

To see previous comics, click here

My preeeeecious...

How funny is this t-shirt?

Don't you just love it when you find that lone onion ring amongst your french fries?

You can find this shirt here

Disappearing chocolate

What can I say?  We received this little guy as a gift and kept eying it all week.  Yesterday night we finally gave in.  At first it was just one bite, then another, then another, and then... poof, he was all gone.  Yum.  Who can resist a Chocolate mousse moose?

Oh zzzzzs, where art thou?

Lately Baby Chuck's been pretty fussy and not sleeping well.  The poor dear is suffering from some serious skin problems and allergic reactions.  So when he finally does sleep, I do a silent dance in my head.

Sleep, glorious sleep!

Can you spot sneaky Charlie in the background?

Gingerbread community

This weekend a bunch of gals and I created a gingerbread neighborhood:  

We built a hotel,

a church,

a door-less cottage, (*Note how the naughty neighborhood kids pushed over the snowman)

and a ski lodge.

Would you want to live here? 
Perhaps they would.

Surprise ties

This weekend hubby received a surprise gift from a friend:

Don't you just want to run your hands through these beauties?

Tummy Times Comic- 4

(Click on image to make it larger.)

To see previous comics, click here

Sunny days and pop of color

Even though it's well and truly winter, the weather is still relatively mild and sunny.  Hooray!  We're going to drink in as much sunshine as we can.

**Update:  Can you believe it just snowed this morning?

 

Sunny days celebrated with sunny clothes

Calling all shoe people

 Kobi Levi's shoes make my Target Converses turn green with envy. 

Coffee, anyone?

Be careful not to slip on that banana peel!

Ma'am, please take off your weapons.  No boarding the plane with these babies. 

Wheeeeeee!  Wear these and you'll be the sexiest mama at the playground.

Four boys, four times the cuteness

I typically try to post one entry a day.  But I just couldn't wait to post this entry. 

Sadly, Baby Chuck won't be able to meet the other boys in our family this Christmas.  However, I'm hopeful that one day, all four little guys will meet and play together. 

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Let's catch up

Here's looking at you, kid

What would you do with a bunch of Styrofoam eyeballs?

Let's see what German artist Timm Schneider did. 

Seeing faces on inanimate objects always cracks me up (as evidenced by this post, this post, this post, and this post.)


First seen on Foodiggity
To see these photos (and more) visit Timm Schneider's website

Tummy Times Comic- 3

 (Just click on the image to enlarge it.)

To see previous comic strips, click here

Healing math

I was having a rough day yesterday and feeling quite glum. Thankfully, a friend called and cheered me up with some kind words and a math question. (She's studying to be a teacher.) I'm not sure why, but working on her math question cheered me right up.

Here's the question:

We know that
A pair of suspenders and a pair of socks cost 18 dollars.
A tie and a pair of socks cost 22 dollars.
A tie and a pair of cufflinks cost 25 dollars.
A shirt and a belt cost 37 dollars.
A pair of cufflinks and a shirt cost 33 dollars.
A belt and a pair of socks cost 17 dollars.

Given all this, how much does each item (pair of suspenders, pair of socks, shirt, tie, pair of cufflinks, and belt) cost?

Have fun!

Funny sounds

Funny sounds from Pink Stripey Socks on Vimeo.

Yes, Virginia, Santa Claus goes to school

This year 115 Santa Clauses attended a three-day workshop at Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School, located in Midland, Michigan. Here, they learned various skills like beard bleaching, sign-language, and the art of responding to children's requests.  Boy, I'd give anything to see a hundred Santas ho-ho-ho-ing with their "little round bellies" shaking like bowls "full of jelly."   

Interested in learning more?  You can find the original photos and article here at the New York Times

5 magical hours

Today's post is brought to you by the number 5.

Last night Baby Norris (and I) slept for 5 hours straight through the night.  Hooray!  Will this performance be repeated tonight?  We'll see....

From trash to art

I often find myself saving plastic containers with the intention of using them for some project later on.  Last week I was introduced to Eric Barclay's artwork (via Foodiggity) and now I'm starting to see containers in a new light.  (Images taken from Eric Barclay's blog.)

Tummy Times Comic-2

Here's my Thanksgiving comic strip: 

(Just click on the image to enlarge it.)

By the way- HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRACE!!!!

To see my first comic strip, click here

Happy Thanksgiving

Pre-Thanksgiving day jitters

Hubby and I couldn't travel back home this Thanksgiving*, so we're holding a small get-together here.  (Luckily, one of hubby's aunts lives nearby and is able to celebrate with us.)  It's my first year cooking a full Thanksgiving meal, so I'm definitely feeling nervous.  To lessen my load tomorrow I started preparing some items tonight.

 I successfully defrosted the turkey.  *Phew*

But my attempt at dessert didn't turn out quite so well.  

What went wrong?  Why does my cheesecake look CRAZY?

Hope you all have a wonderful time celebrating Thanksgiving with friends and family. 

    
*We miss everyone back home very very much.  Whenever you eat your turkey leg and sliver of dessert, please think of us. :)

Yummy sleeping arrangements

Do you love food?
Are you entertaining out-of-town guests?
Do your out-of-town guests love food?
(If you answered "yes" to all three questions, read on, dear reader, read on!)

With Thanksgiving just a couple of days away, I'll bet many of us are scrambling to figure out sleeping accommodations for out-of-town guests.  Hubby and I are firm believers in the Aerobed, but if you're not interested in taking the traditional route (i.e., spare bedroom, blowup mattress, or small closet), take a moment to consider this option:  The Slice of Pizza Sleeping bag.

*Drool* *Snore*  Doesn't this look delicious and comfortable?

While sleeping in this baby your guests are guaranteed to have sweet savory dreams.

Click here to see these photos or purchase this gustatory masterpiece or others (like the Baked Potato Bean Bag Chair)
First spotted on Foodiggity
 

 

Letter to hubby

Hubby went out of town and will be back tomorrow.  Baby Chuck missed him so much that he wrote him a letter:

************************************************************************

Dear Daddy,

I miss you.  Do you like my new Harry Potter scar?  Mommy, Charlie, and I had a good day today.  I kicked Charlie, took lots of naps with mom, and made lots of dirty diapers.  I can't wait till you come home.

Love, Baby Chuck

Tummy Times Comic- 1

Hanging out with Baby Chuck every day provides some humorous inspiration.  

(Sorry the image is so small.  Just click on it to read the details.) 

Twinkie-tastic Thanksgiving

When I think of Twinkies, I think of childhood.  Soft, sweet, slightly oily, and spongy, this oblong yellow cake has long been a staple in school lunchboxes and vending machines.  But, it should no longer be categorized as a mere childish snack because it's reaching adult tastes as well.  Take a peek at the official Hostess Twinkies Cookbook and you'll see how Twinkies can be incorporated into Thanksgiving Day menus.

Yes, you read that correctly.  Twinkies for Thanksgiving.  Close your gaping mouth and read on.

You can use the yellow cake portion to create stuffing.  Then, what to do with the white cream?  Don't toss it out!  Instead, use it to create a sweet glaze for turkey meat.  Mmmm.  If you're interested in reading the complete recipe, you can find it here from the Huffington Post. 

First read at Edible Crafts blog
image taken from here

Hi everyone

It's me, Baby Chuck.

Mom's been kind of tired lately, so I'm helping out with today's post.  Guess what's new?  I've outgrown my newborn 0-3 months clothes and now I'm wearing my 3-6 months clothes.  Mom says that I'm getting to be a big boy.  She even put me in some big boy pants today.

Uh oh.  I gotta go.  Mom's waking up and I have to sneak back into my crib before she notices I'm gone.  Bye!    

I don't like a cappella...

I love it.

What can I say? I have a big ol' soft spot in my heart for a cappella music.  Maybe that's why I love watching NBC's The Sing-Off?  I love hearing the group's clever arrangements, the talented singer's blending their voices, and the range of sounds that humans can make.

Lazy Sunday

What a lovely, lazy Sunday,

when breakfast is eaten for lunch,

and a long-awaited nap helps the afternoon to 

slip right by 

What do 288,000 jelly beans look like?

After watching this video I couldn't stop smiling (and salivating.)
Who knew you could be so creative with jelly beans?

Special thanks to Alice for sending me this video!

Sticker to soap

Don't you just hate those stickers on fruit?  

You either try to to peel them off and they stick to your fingers or you completely forget that they're there and then you wind up with gross paper in your mouth.  Luckily, Amron Experimental came up with a clever solution.  They created a label that turns into soap when washed and rubbed.  How clever is that?!?  Poof!  Goodbye unwanted wax, pesticides, and bacteria! 

Information and photo first spotted on the Edible Crafts blog and originated from Amron Experimental

Baby Manny meets Baby Chuck

If you've been following this blog, then you already know that hubby's sister gave birth around the same time that I did.  (To see those posts, click here and here.) Last weekend Baby Chuck and Baby Manny** chatted online.  I'd like to imagine that their conversation went something like this:

Or, perhaps their conversation went something like this:

Tee hee hee.  We look forward to Skyping everyone again soon. 


** Henceforth his pseudonym will be Manny Pacquiao.