First Big Snow of the 2008-2009 Winter

Well, I guess it is going to be a white Christmas. The forecast called for 6-10 inches of snow on Sunday but by Monday they had amended that to 8-14 inches. On Tuesday school was cancelled (group "Hooray" from the kids) and the adults were left to snowblow/shovel their collective ways out of their homes. Here are some shots of just how much snow 8-14 inches looks like.

The railing of the porch outside our bedroom.

Accumulated snow on the deck.

One of our trees. (That lump is our sandbox)

One very happy little girl.

Being Evil is Exhausting

I was working on the computer one afternoon after a particularly busy day and I heard what I thought was a snore. It couldn't be a snore though, it was 4pm, and the kids were playing in the den. Right??? I looked around me but there was nobody in sight. Then I heard it again. Definitely a snore. Hmmm. I looked under the table and laughed out loud.



He couldn't even be bothered to lay down on the floor. Just bent over a chair.

All of that evil planning takes a lot out of a guy.

6 Years Old

Our little girl is six! We are so happy to have made it to this milestone, with so many good memories along the way.

We had a great dinner of spaghetti and meatballs, Catherine's favorite, and all of the relatives came over for cake and ice cream. Here are some of the birthday highlights...

Ah yes, the Wall E dvd.

A fold out fairy book.

Good times with Aena and Quinn, Catherine's two bestest friends. (Catherine is so sweet, she told Quinn that she could blow out the candles on the cake.)

The three layer cake. Normal cakes have two layers but Liam decided to eat one of the layers from the first cake and mom had to make an entirely new cake so there were three layers. Thanks Liam.

"15 Lbs. in a Peck"

Brooke took Catherine, Liam and I to visit grandma and grandpa. For my own sanity I didn't tell the kids we were going until the last minute because as it was Catherine kept asking "When do I get to see grandma Bonnie?" until I was ready to gouge out my eyes. When we arrived, we were able to surprise grandma and grandpa (they only knew that Brooke was coming), and then we all went to bed, because it was after 10pm.

In the morning grandma made us all her famous "breakfast for 30" and it was great!!!! Catherine and Liam loved the pancakes, especially catching them.

After breakfast Jenny came to help grandma clean the stove. Grandma had a fire in the oven the day before and used a fire extinguisher to put out the flames. It was a big mess. I removed the oven door and took it apart in an effort to try and clean the glass window. Sadly, nothing could be done and the window is still clouded over. But at least the oven still works.

We had a nice visit with Tom, Jenny and their kids. We hope that our bodies have not been chemically altered from eating the pizza contaminated with fire extinguisher residue. (Note: I kept calling Caleb Gavin because they look so much alike!! It is uncanny.)

After lunch Tom and Jenny left and Brooke and I took the kids out to a school play area so they could get some exercise. It was very cold so we did not play there long, but the kids seemed to like getting out for a while and we hoped it would give grandma and grandpa a short break from the cyclone that is Liam. When we returned to the house we found that grandma had put out a spread for us, complete with margaritas. Cheers!!

Here was grandma's idea for keeping Liam manageable... just kidding.

Aunt Sue and Uncle Fred came over to share dinner with us. It was quite the collaborative effort. Aunt Sue read the directions to me and I tried to execute them, and grandma buzzed around getting the side dishes ready. I got to try grandma's neat meat thermometer but I didn't use it right and the meat was undercooked. We had to put it back in the oven for another 1/2 hour or so. We got to have some lively conversations while it cooked and finally it was done and we could eat. It was worth the wait! Pork tenderloin with peppercorn sauce, yum. After dinner we all helped clean up and Uncle Fred washed the dishes!!! (Don, take notes)

After Aunt Sue and Uncle Fred left, we got the kids in their jammies and put them to bed. Then it was quiet enough for the adults to hunker down with some coffee and talk. We learned some interesting things about growing up Lauerman. Grandma regaled us with stories about grandpa's youth (I don't know how much is actual, and how much is contrived, but they were amazing stories and Brooke and I ate them up!) While we talked I gave grandma a pedicure! Her toenails are now a beautiful red color and she is ready for anything. Well, almost anything.

We got up the next day and tried to help grandma get a few of the household tasks taken care of before we left. Brooke vacuumed and I fixed a hook in the bedroom closet. I also counted out their weekly medication and tried to organize it - what a job!! (Hard to believe you need so many pills for just two people. Those things better be working for all the trouble they are worth.) After a couple rides around the room on grandpa's Jazzy we were ready for our photos. We tried to include kids and dog but things weren't going too well and we opted for whatever we could get.

With Liam and Mika



Without Liam and Mika (hm, maybe we should have left them home; well, not Mika)

The ride home was very quiet. The kids and dog had had enough. I think we were all ready to return home to the comfort of familiarity...

Thank you to G & G for putting us up (and putting up with us) for the weekend and to Brooke for getting us down to IN and back safely. Thanks as well to Mika for enduring all of the kids' antics.

FYI: There are 15lbs. of potatoes in a peck. Grandpa will never forget because he had to bag them at his parents' store.

Travel Fun

What's more fun than a barrel of monkeys? Try four hours in a car with two kids and a dog.

On Friday night Brooke picked up Catherine, Liam and I and we headed for great grandma and grandpa's house. After loading the carseats into the back of Brooke's car we let Mika climb in and we were off. Poor Mika. She is used to having the whole back seat to herself. Unfortunately she was displaced by the carseats and Brooke was hoping that she would resign herself to lying on the floor. Mika would have none of that and tried to fit on the small scrap of back seat remaining between the carseats. It was a tight fit and she didn't care for it at all. She kept turning around, confused about where all of the roominess she was used to had gone. She tried sitting in Catherine's lap, which Catherine thought was funny, and then she would stick her butt in Liam's face, which Liam did not think was funny. Then there was the introduction of "confusion smell". Mika emitted one of the worst smells I have ever come into contact with, and then we all shared in her misery. ("Mika is that you? You stink!" - Catherine) Brooke and I continued to try and coax her onto the floor where there was a lot more room but she just wasn't catching on. I told Brooke that she should climb into the space so that Mika would be able to watch her and know where to go. Brooke was thinking she might have to do just that. Finally Mika got the hint, or just decided that it was way too tight between the kids, and made her way to the floor. She fell into a sound sleep. All that moving around and confusion wore her out.

I have to say that it went a lot better than I thought it would. Good girl, Mika. Good dog.



A worn out Mika



Still worn out



Showing her good side

You Can Only Hope to Contain Him

Last week I got up from my desk and went upstairs to get a drink and see how everyone was doing. When I turned the corner into the dining room, I was greeted by this:



Jane was raking in the front yard and needed to keep Liam in the den, and she wasn't messing around.

Ironically, later this same day he charged at one of the windows in the front room with his fists out and smashed it. Miraculously, as with the other window he smashed, he was unhurt.

Wedding Well Wishes from Catherine!

(Ignore the off-camera coach whispering)

Do I Hear the Baron?

This Halloween we all dressed up as four of the characters from The Adventures of Baron Munchausen. Jane spent weeks sewing almost all the pieces of clothing that we wore, and all were impressed. Catherine and Liam's costumes were beautiful and they looked VERY cute in them. Unfortunately Liam wasn't too pleased with the oversized ears, but we were just happy he wore the rest of his costume.

Here's a picture of the gang:
Clockwise from upper left is Don as Adolphus, who can hit a bull's eye from miles away (with his blunderbuss); Jane as the Baron Karl Friedrich Hieronymus von Munchausen; Catherine as Berthold, who would be running with super-human speed if it weren't for the leg irons; and Liam as the dwarf Gustavus, with super-sensitive ears and lungs.

Here some real-to-reel comparisons:

Here's some pics from the Herald Times-Reporter website:

A Well Executed Plan

It is too quiet... something must be afoot...



Aha...



An open box of ice cream sandwiches!!! The plot thickens...



Yeah, I think I see something there...



And Bingo! The thief enjoying his spoils. Another successful plan enacted.



Final score: Liam - 1, Mom - 0 (Time: 8:15am, this is going to be a great day)

MyChew - My favorite new candy and commercial

Aena gave Don and the kids some candy that she got from Korea. It is a-w-e-s-o-m-e!!! It tastes really good (made from fruit juice) and is kind of like gum but eventually dissolves. Don compares it to Starburst, but I think it is much better. Now the only problem is... how the heck do I get MORE!?!?!?!?

PUB KOREA MYCHEW 2
Uploaded by pierrot77

The Salvage of Don's Sanity

After several days of working pretty continuously (day and night) at his job I was able to extract Don from his basement office to enjoy a gorgeous fall afternoon with Liam and I. We took Liam to Lower Cato Falls park and walked around and played at the playground. Liam thought it was "Awesome". The colors of the trees are probably not being justly portrayed in the photos but it was glorious. The crunching beneath our feet was well appreciated by all. Liam was intent upon swimming in the river but we nixed the idea and had him pose on a really big rock instead. He thought that was a good tradeoff. Enjoy our pics!

Jane's 33rd Year Celebration

Ah yes, I am the big 33! To help me celebrate were the Vaters, Seilers, and Maurers. Thanks to all for the wonderful gifts and the warm well wishes. Thanks to all those who phoned or sent cards or both (we won't mention the forgetters, you know who you are!!!). Hopefully we will be able to share many more of these special days together.

Old Windows No More

On Saturday, Oct. 4th mom and dad came over to help install the new front windows Don and I bought. You may need a reminder of why we bought them.

Liam thought that since he broke it he ought to help fix things. He got out his tool belt and his drill so he could work side by side with daddy. Note that he needs to be right in there.



And......After! They still need to be stained but what a difference. Special thanks to Dad for his help, and mom for letting dad help.



Now we can really spy on the neighbors. Doris style. (For those that are unaware, Doris is our cantankerous neighbor who has a frighteningly accurate knowledge of all that goes on in the neighborhood)