Saying Sayonara

Today has been a day!  As mentioned in my previous post, we discovered last week that our 2006 Honda Odyssey was not much longer for this life.  Or at least not for this life with US.  Hahaha.  Rather than throwing more money at it -- this time it needed a new transmission -- we decided to just cut our losses and find something new.  Between last week and this week (amidst all the holiday jollity), we've spent hours and hours searching and researching the perfect replacement for the minivan.

 So long 2006!

 

ALSO, I know this is ridiculous -- but I'm really going to miss all of our bumper stickers documenting all the places we've been on our road trips!

 I even had Ethan try and help me carefully take all of them off the back of the old van to save and put on the NEW van.

 It was a bust, in case you were wondering.  :(  

Ethan assures me that we can probably find them all online somewhere and buy them for the new car, but I'm not holding my breath.  

Ethan also went all out and detailed the old one to help out as much as possible with the trade-in value.  ;)

So what did we go with, you ask?  Another Odyssey!  Hahahaha.  I know, I know.  My dream car would have been to get the Honda Pilot (it also has 8 seat belts), but I just couldn't justify the form over function in this case.  Since we actively need ALL 8 seat belts, the trunk space in the Pilot is so negligible it's almost nonexistent, and when I had Ethan test out the third row seats, the Pilot was MUCH more cramped than the Odyssey.  So, after much internal debate and struggle, I decided to be a responsible and logical adult and went with the option that would be best for the whole family all around.  :)

 Isn't she a beauty??? 😍

Ironically, the 2006 broke down on the side of the road not 10 minutes from where I was going to check out a dealership this morning, and I was stranded on the highway in the rain and cold for about 20 minutes before I was rescued.  The good news is that Scott was working at a different location today and was close enough to be able to come and pick me up (and then take me to check out those new cars which were now clearly a more pressing need.)  The great news is that while Scott was waiting for the tow truck and I was checking out the 2015's, our 2006 started right back up for him when he tried it about 20 minutes later.  After cancelling the tow, we headed home to pick up Isaac who had so graciously been rescued from abandonment at preschool this morning by my neighbor and friend who we have quite accurately nicknamed Barbie Godmother.  (Her name is Barb, and she's basically our fairy godmother.  Get it? Get it???  Hahaha.)

(Here's a picture she sent me of Isaac snuggled up watching a show at her house.  This kid is living his best life!  Hahahaha.)

Once the big kids were home from school, we left them in charge to go check out a few other options before deciding to go with the one we looked at first.  ;)  HOURS later (seriously -- it took so long to get everything finalized), we were the proud owners of a brand-new-to-us Honda Odyssey 2015!!!  Of course, by this time, sheer madness and chaos had arisen at home after being left to fend for themselves for so long and as we walked through the door we were met with just about everyone in a full-on red zone, melting down, crazy town mood, but at least I no longer have to worry about our car breaking down on the side of the road while driving around town.  ;)  After driving around in a total trash heap for so long, this upgrade feels like a true luxury and I am stoked.  And so are the kids.  It's been quite the day, but it's ending on such a high note, I can't complain. :)

Thanksgiving Hangover

I've never actually been hungover, but I can't possibly imagine that it would feel any worse than the past 24 hours have felt for me!  Womp womp.  I'm blaming it on the sugar crashing happening following the super consumption of treats and goodies and excess food over the past several days, combined with an almost total lack of water consumption on my part.  Yeah, I know.  That was not smart, that was not smart!  {Name that reference. Hahaha.}  Whatever the reason, I've had a splitting headache from the moment I woke up this morning and it's been rough.  Getting everyone back on schedule has taken a lot more out of me than I was mentally prepared for!  Haha.  However -- despite the less than ideal aftermath, I'd do Thanksgiving 2017 all over again in a heartbeat! 

 {This year's attempt to focus on gratitude resulted in this awesome looking turkey by the end of the month -- starting November 1st, each day all of us would write something we were thankful for on a feather and stick it up on the wall.  There are some pretty entertaining answers up there.  Hahaha.}

 Ethan finally got to get that boot off, the day before Thanksgiving break!

 (Some of my favorites -- "My invisible pen that's lost."  -- Jane, Stranger Things -- I'm sure you can guess who, Taylor Swift's New Album, and Panera/Wendy's.  Hahaha.)

Last week started off with the not so awesome news that our van needs a new transmission.  Boo.  With just a couple of days until our departure to the Carolinas for the holidays, we were naturally concerned about the odds of us making it all the way there and back safely.  Our solution?  A rental!  And to make things even MORE fun -- as well as to experiment a bit for research's sake -- we decided to take two cars down to see how feasible a mode of transportation that might be for future road trips.  And you know what??  It was the bomb!  Hahahaha.

We split the cars down gender lines, and Scott and I each had our road trip roommates with us for the ride.  Scott drove with the girls in his car, and Ethan was SUPER excited to ride in the rental car with me and the other boys.  {The Apple CarPlay feature was a big draw for my technology boy.}  In all seriousness, the 8 hour drive couldn't have gone better.  Any and all problems we typically have when crammed together in one car for road trips (cough Ethan cough cough) were solved by splitting us up. 

We left last Wednesday morning and arrived at Sarah's at the end of the day.  What followed next were a few days of awesomeness.  :)  With Laura and her little family living fairly close to Sarah, and Amy and Freddie flying in for the festivities, it was ALMOST a full sibling reunion!  {We missed you Emily and Jacob!}  It was SO fun for my kids to see their little cousins, and nothing says fun like hanging with family.

 Best tablecloth ever!

Games were played, a music video was attempted, crafts were done, family pictures were taken, and a feast was consumed before our week was up.  It was a blast.  Sarah and Andrew were so gracious to host ALL of our crew while we were there.  The highlight of the trip for me was being able to see my kids interact with their cousins and fall into such an easy rhythm and bond even though we don't get to see them very often.  The trio of toddlers (Isaac, Annabelle, and Everett) were beyond adorable, and it was so fun to see everyone running around and playing.  Hanging with my siblings reminded me once again that family is the best.

 Doing DoDo's hair.  Hahaha.

 While the Thanksgiving prep was going on inside, Ethan was helping to haul out the holly with Andrew.  :)

 Here we are prepping for our family photo positions.  The kids were super thrilled as you can see.  Hahaha.

 Sneak Peak -- here's the winning combo!

 Family game of "Celebrity."

 (picking teams)

 
We were sad to pack up and head out Saturday morning, but the rental car needed to go back and the kids were getting antsy to set up our OWN Christmas decorations after helping to deck the halls at Sarah's.  Haha.  They wasted no time upon our arrival home to start hauling the boxes up from the basement and pulling everything out.  Thanksgiving seemed to go by in a flash, but at least we have another holiday to look forward to.  Let's just hope it won't result in another holiday hangover for me.  Hahahahaha. :)

And we're home sweet home!

Summer Reading the Second Season

Summer has officially been over for a while, but I'm just now realizing that I never did an ending recap of what all the kids read this summer for our Summer Reading Challenge.  Unfortunately, the above picture of the crumpled up reading poster, casually and carelessly tossed aside, perfectly encapsulates the enthusiasm with which everyone tackled this summer's challenge.  Womp womp.  Hahaha.  I don't know what the deal was, but it was like pulling teeth to get anyone to do their reading and in the end, a LOT of their book choices this year were lame at best and super below their abilities at worst.  They tell me it's because they liked last year's categories better, but this year's weren't all THAT different, and I even let them each pick one themselves!  I think the bigger culprit was that our summer was slightly shortened this year thanks to the the start of school being moved up about a week or so, and with our road trip taking up time in the middle once again, they just kind of lost steam.  {For those who had steam in the first place.}

Nevertheless, I forced them all to sit down with me this evening and tell me their books once again along with a brief synopsis of what they loved, what they hated, and what they'd recommend.  Here are those results...

Your Choice
Ethan -- Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs (it was one of his assigned summer reading books for school)
Grace -- The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
Sophie -- Yours Truly by Heather Vogel Frederick
Jane -- The Littlest Pilgrim by Brandi Dougherty
Alex -- The Adventures of Captain Underpants: The First Epic Novel by Dav Pilkey

Fantasy/Dystopia
Ethan --
Grace -- Legend by Marie Lu
Sophie -- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Jane -- Sideways Stories From Wayside School by Louis Sacchar
Alex -- Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking Toilet by Dav Pilkey

Realistic Fiction
Ethan --
Grace -- Rules (one of her assigned summer reading books for school)
Sophie -- Absolutely Truly by Heather Vogel Frederick
Jane -- The Critter Club: Ellie the Flower Girl by Callie Barkley and Tracy Bishop
Alex -- Curious George and the Snowy Day by H. A. Rey

Graphic Novel
Ethan --
Grace -- Awkward by Svetlana Chmekova
Sophie -- Diary of a Tokyo Teen: A Japanese-American Girl Travels to the Land of Trendy Fashion, High-Tech Toilets and Maid Cafes by Christine Mari Inzer
Jane -- Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew by Carolyn Keene and Macky Pamintuan
Alex -- Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew by Carolyn Keene and Macky Pamintuan

Caldecott Award Winner
Ethan -- The Princess and the Pea by Rachel Isadora
Grace -- The Princess and the Pea by Rachel Isadora
Sophie -- Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes
Jane -- The Princess and the Pea by Rachel Isadora
Alex -- Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes

A Classic
Ethan -- Lord of the Flies by William Golding (another school summer reading assignment)
Grace -- The Boy on the Wooden Box by Leon Leyson and Marilyn J. Harran (school assignment)
Sophie -- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (an abridged version that I can't remember)
Jane -- Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective by Donald J. Sobol
Alex -- Curious George and the Birthday Surprise by H. A. Rey

500+ Pages
Ethan --
Grace -- Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick
Sophie -- Anne of Green Gables + some of Anne of Avonlea by L. M. Montgomery
Jane -- Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick
Alex --

Over 100 Years Old
Ethan --
Grace -- The Tale of Peter Rabbit (Little Golden Book) by Beatrix Potter and Cyndy Szekeres
Sophie --The Tale of Peter Rabbit (Little Golden Book) by Beatrix Potter and Cyndy Szekeres
Jane -- The Tale of Peter Rabbit (Little Golden Book) by Beatrix Potter and Cyndy Szekeres
Alex -- The Tale of Peter Rabbit (Little Golden Book) by Beatrix Potter and Cyndy Szekeres

New Book, Old Author (*meaning a new book from an author that they've already read something by)
Ethan --
Grace -- Mother Daughter Book Camp by Heather Vogel Frederick
Sophie --  Mother Daughter Book Camp by Heather Vogel Frederick
Jane -- The Critter Club: Amy's Very Merry Christmas by Callie Barkley and Marsha Ritti
Alex -- Captain Underpants Third Epic Novel by Dav Pilkey

Mom's Choice 
Ethan -- When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
Grace -- I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter
Sophie -- Star Girl by Jerry Spinelli
Jane -- Please Write in This Book by Mary Amato and Eric Brace
Alex -- Captain Underpants #11 by Dav Pilkey

Book of Poetry
Ethan -- Everything On It by Shel Silverstein
Grace -- Everything On It by Shel Silverstein
Sophie -- Everything On It by Shel Silverstein
Jane -- Everything On It by Shel Silverstein
Alex -- 

Biography or Memoir
Ethan -- The Duel: The Parallel Lives of Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr by Judith St. George
Grace -- The Maddie Diaries: A Memoir by Maddie Ziegler
Sophie -- The Maddie Diaries: A Memoir by Maddie Ziegler
Jane -- Who Is Dolly Parton? by True Kelley and Who HQ
Alex -- Alexander Hamilton: American Hero (Rookie Biographies) by K. C. Kelley

And now for the good stuff -- favorites, least favorites and recommendations:

Ethan -- While Lord of the Flies was a seminal reading experience for him, and he really did enjoy it, his favorite of the summer was When You Reach Me.  Which was MY recommendation, so obviously I'm thrilled.  Hahaha.  He'd also recommend it to others, which warms the cockles of my heart.  His least favorite book was The Princess and the Pea, and no wonder -- it's a little kids' book and he only picked it because it was short, we had it on hand, and it checked off the box of Caldecott winner. 

Grace -- "Let's just say I hated them all."  Oh Grace.  When pressed, she remembered that she DID actually like The Lost Hero (which technically was a re-read that I allowed only because she's very persuasive) and she'd recommend either that one or Legend.  Her LEAST favorite, however, was the one I suggested she read: I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You.  Boo!

Sophie -- Couldn't narrow it down to just ONE favorite of the summer, so instead, here are the ones she loved: Yours Truly, The Hunger Games, Absolutely Truly, Anne of Green Gables, Mother Daughter Book Camp, Star Girl, and The Maddie Diaries.  She didn't like Diary of a Tokyo Teen all the much, but she'd totally recommend Absolutely Truly and Yours Truly, The Hunger Games, Mother Daughter Book Camp (and really the whole series), and Star Girl.  

Jane -- Loved Please Write in This Book and would recommend that one along with The Critter Club series, Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, and Encyclopedia Brown.  Her least favorite book was Who is Dolly Parton?, which she did say was interesting, she just didn't like it.  Hahahaha.

Alex -- LOVED the Captain Underpants series (obviously) and would recommend it to everyone.  He would also recommend Curious George and that's about it.  Haha.  Lover Boy was the first to drop out of the summer reading program and didn't give a hoot.  I have to say, I wasn't super surprised.  Hahaha.  Maybe NEXT summer he'll feel a little spark.  ;)  (His least favorite book, in case you were wondering, was Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew.)

And there you have it!  Summer Reading 2017 is OFFICIALLY in the books.  :)

Isaac Turns Two!

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a 2-year-old!  And what a 2-year-old he is.  Hahahaha.  Last Friday was the sugar bear's 2nd birthday and we went as all out as we possibly could in the 20 minutes we had available that evening to make some magic happen for him.  :)

How adorable is this little birthday hat they gave him at school today??

Up first was the cake.  Obvis.  Haha.  And since Dumplin' Buns has been obsessed with Monsters, Inc and Monsters University for the last couple of weeks, I decided to go with a super simple monster cake for our little monster lover.  I do have to say that it was quite gratifying to see him pointing excitedly to the finished product and exclaiming his version of "Mike Wasowski" over and over again while looking at it.  Singing and blowing out the candles was also an exciting event, and was SO fun, in fact, that we let him do it 2 or 3 times just for good measure.  Hahaha.  That kid! 

Once the singing and candles were over, it was on to the presents, and I'm not sure who was more excited about the gifts -- Isaac or the kids who picked them out.  Like seriously.  As soon as everything was unwrapped, there were fights over the cat piano keyboard he got, lots of clamoring for his giant lego-type blocks, and more interest in the fridge-magnet-alphabet-thing than you would even imagine.  Not to mention, I don't think Isaac even got a chance to color in his Paw Patrol Color Wonder set before Grace, Jane, and Alex had filled it all in.  Hahaha.  I guess that means everything was a hit?  ;)

 He was so excited when he opened this -- every time we go to Target, I let him hold this toy and play with it while we're shopping to keep him quiet and happy.  :)

The only thing I didn't get around to capturing on his birthday day were some actual pictures with the "real" camera.  Doh!  We got started too late and it was too dark outside and I decided I'd just have to do his birthday photo shoot some other time.  {Spoiler alert -- that some other time is coming SOON.  As in next week during Thanksgiving break.  I've informed ALL of the kids that they will be getting their birthday pictures taken as well.  Because no -- I haven't taken ANY birthday photos so far this year and we've now gone through all 6 birthdays.  Also?  We WILL be getting a family photo taken next week as well.  Mwahahahaha!}

The fun and excitement continued throughout the weekend, as we finally moved Alex and Isaac into the same room, which meant taking down the crib {which he climbs out of every day and night anyway} and dismantling the guest bed so that there was room for both Alex and Isaac and their stuff.  Alex is ecstatic about the new arrangement (poor little lamb has been roomless for the last couple of months and was sick of being in the girls' room) and can't wait to go to the store to pick out "decorations" for the room.  Hahaha.  I'm pretty sure he just wants to make it as boy-ish as possible after sharing a room with sisters for the last 2 years of his life.  Isaac, meanwhile, is just as ecstatic about being in a room with Alex and has done mostly pretty well with the transition to having a roommate.  Of course, the trick is that they have to fall asleep at separate times or else neither one will ever fall asleep.  The cutest thing, though, is that I've caught Isaac snuggled up asleep in Alex's bed with him a few different times.  I think he likes having a buddy.  :)

And that is that!  Happy birthday to our littlest Top Dog!!!  :)