Christmas is...

...ten days away.  Are you ready?

I can't believe Christmas is almost here.  I shouldn't be surprised or caught off guard.  Christmas has been THE topic of conversation in our house for months.  Back in October, I picked up a LEGO catalog in Toys 'R Us.  The second Jacob caught a glimpse of that little magazine, his eyes lit up.  He quickly thumbed through each page.  He spotted a page entitled, "Wish List."  He disappeared for a few seconds, but returned with a crayon and the writing began.  He wrote down the names of several LEGO sets along with item numbers.  When he had filled every available line, he began checking off the different sets throughout the book.  Over the next several weeks, he continued to check off LEGO sets.  Now, with Christmas just ten short days away, you'll find a little crayon-drawn check mark next to almost every single set in the catalog.  Oh, boy.

Jacob took this catalog with him to see Santa.  He hopped up on Santa's knee, opened up the magazine and began pointing to every LEGO set he wanted.  I didn't hear their conversation, but it was obvious, Jacob wasn't playing around.  He was serious.  Santa HAD to know that he NEEDS ALL those LEGOs.  I'll say it again...oh, boy.

Annabelle was clutching on for dear life.  She was not thrilled about sitting on Santa's knee.

Mrs. Claus told Jacob where he was on the naughty - nice meter.  He was right in the middle.  :)

Santa visit -- 2011

Heath told Jacob if he misbehaved, Santa wouldn't bring him anything but a lump of coal.  Jacob said that would be fine.  He would add it to his rock collection and take it to show and tell.

Three toy soldiers...

...and then there were four.

Frosty!

Lights!

 Annabelle, of course, wants to be like her brother.  She has also checked off all the items she would like Santa to bring her from the American Girl catalog. I wasn't aware that she had checked off anything in the magazine.  I picked it up and burst out laughing when I reached the Bitty Baby section.  She had made the faintest little crayon scribble marks beside every Bitty Baby accessory.  Too cute...but again...oh, boy.

Just your typical Christmas cookie baking outfit.

So, what is Christmas all about?  Santa?  New toys?  Lots of presents?  Fun Christmas movies? Lights?  Decorations?  Baking cookies?  Great music?  Parties?  Well, yes...and no.  Each of these things plays its own role in the season, but we know Christmas is about more...... 

I found advent coloring sheets online a while back.  Each sheet has a verse printed on the bottom -- part of the Christmas story.  These coloring sheets have become an important part of our day.  The kids have colored a sheet each day since December 1.  On Christmas eve, they will put them all together to create an advent book, which we will read together.  We've been listening to Christmas carols and reading books about Jesus' birth.  Each day we pray for God to give us opportunities to share His love.  We've talked about shepherds.  Angels.  Mary.  Joseph.  Bethlehem.  The star.  Wise men.  Jesus.  I think they're starting to get it.

A couple days ago, as Jacob and Annabelle colored their advent pages, I listened to their conversation:
Annabelle:  Jacob, Jesus is in your heart.
Jacob:  Yes, I know.  And Christmas is Jesus' birthday.
Annabelle.  Yeah...Jacob, do you know that Santa Claus is coming to town?

I had to laugh.

This evening, Jacob was sitting on the living room floor working on his mosaic puzzle.  He paused for a moment to look at our Christmas tree.  "Mommy," he asked.  "Why do we have ornaments with Santa and all kinds of other stuff on our Christmas tree when that isn't the real meaning of Christmas?"  Hmmm.  Good question.  I explained that they were just for fun.  "They're just...decorations," I said.

Leave it to kids to get you back on track.  They're pretty good at that.  Jacob's question made me realize how important it is to watch where I put my Christmas emphasis.  Even though I try to pound the real meaning of Christmas into their brains and hearts, I don't always live it out.  I get caught up in the gifts, the parties, the chaos, movies, the shopping, Santa.  And my kids recognize this.  The thing is, all those things are fun.  They are a part of the Christmas season.  And I see nothing wrong with them.  As long as my focus is always on Jesus.  The fact is, knowing I have a real reason to celebrate the season makes all the fun things even more fun.  The miracle of Christmas --  when God stepped down from Heaven in the form of a baby....our Savior...the Savior of the world.  Christmas is a time to rejoice...to praise...to celebrate! 

Ring, ring. Waaaaaaaaaaaaa!!

Ring.  Ring.  Ring.  "Hello..."  "Waaaaaaaaaaaa!!"  "Aaaaaaaaaaaagh!!"  "Hold me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  "I want to talk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  'Who is it?????"  "Where's my Minnie Mouse????"  "Waaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!"  "Mommy, she stepped on my LEGOs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  "Mommy, he knocked me down!!!!!!!!!!"  "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!!!!"  "Waaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!"  "I waaaaaaaant a snack!!!!!!!!!!"  "I'm huuuuungry!!!!!!" 

If you've ever spoken with me on the phone, odds are, this is what you've heard -- crying, screaming, fighting, yelling, etc...  Please, don't judge.  The sounds of wailing children you hear in the background (or the foreground) are not my kids.  Whenever the phone rings, aliens come into my house, steal my little angels and replace them with these noisy creatures..  No...really.  I'm serious.

Ok, so that's not completely true.  That is to say, I can not effectively prove this theory since I have not actually seen any aliens.  But, what I do know is the telephone makes my kids crazy.  The second I pick up the phone and say "Hello," I might as well be firing the starting gun.  "Let the crying and fighting BEGIN!"  Perhaps the phone is a threat to them.  They know the person on the other end of that phone has my attention.  While I am on the phone, I can't give either child the attention he / she wants, so they act out in the best way they know how -- yell, fight, scream.  Sounds valid, I guess.

The thing is, their screaming and fighting does not give you an accurate picture of our day (usually).  Sure, we have bad days, but I promise, my kids don't act like that all day long. They dont yell...all the time.  We do have fun.  We play, draw, dance, sing, laugh, learn.  The kids even play together nicely sometimes.  Just this morning, they sat on the floor building with LEGOs together.  Jacob told Annabelle he was going to be a garbage man when he grows up.  Annabelle said she was going to be a real mommy.  Jacob told her she had to have another job besides being a mommy.  He gave her a list of choices and she chose firewoman.  Then they happily continued building.  See?  They don't fight all the time.  Only when I am on the phone.

I suspect my mother-in-law might question my parenting abilities.  If I were her, I certainly would.  I can't remember a time when she's called that my kids weren't crying or screaming about something.  I imagine each time she calls and hears a child throwing a fit, I drop down another level on the "good parent chart."  "Hmmm," she must think to herself.  "Annabelle's screaming again...what in the world is Paula doing to those kids?"  What?  Crying?  My kids?  Crying?  No, I don't hear a thing.  We're all happy here.  Happy, happy.  The noise must be on your end. 

All joking aside, my mother-in-law has been around my kids enough to know the type of behavior or misbehavior they are capable of.  Today, for example, it was time for Annabelle's nap, but since Annabelle had not put her toys away like I asked earlier, I made her clean her room first.  She grew more cranky with each passing minute, but, together, we cleaned her room.  While we were putting toys in the toybox, the phone rang.  I answered.  Annabelle erupted..in dramatic fashion.  I could barely hear the person on the other end of the line, but the caller ID told me it was Grandma.  I am hopeful that one day, she'll call and the kids will be laughing instead of crying. Laughing...or happily doing school work...like this....

or playing with dolls like this...

or singing like this...

Please excuse the nosepick at the end.  Actually, that wasn't my daughter.  My kids don't pick their noses.  It must have been an alien. 

Linus

Some time ago, my family joked that Jacob was like Linus.  You know, Charlie Brown's friend -- the one who never goes anywhere without his blue blanket.  In the comics and in the movies, Linus sucks his thumb and carries his precious blanket with him at all times.  That was Jacob -- sucking his thumb and holding onto the little baby blanket we all came to know by the name Mister Monkey's Cousin.  Jacob let go of the blanket earlier this year and he is now making strides towards kicking the thumb habit.  Evenso, Jacob is still much like Linus.  Last night, as I watched the opening scene of A Boy Named Charlie Brown, I could not stop laughing.  CLICK HERE and watch the first minute or so.  Listen to Linus' observations about the clouds.

Yep.  This is Jacob alright.  Almost everyday, Jacob bites his food into the shape of a state.  "Look!" he says.  "My cheese looks like Minnesota."  The other day, he carefully ripped his napkin into several pieces, each one a different state:  Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Washington, Missouri.  It was actually pretty incredible.  I shouldn't be surprised.  When Jacob was only a few months old, he drooled a bunny on Heath's shirt sleeve.  Anyone remember this?

Now that's talent.  

And with the information he's learning through Classical Conversations, I can totally see Jacob looking up into the clouds, giving me a "Linus" answer when I ask him what he sees.  The boy has an ever expanding wealth of knowledge along with a wild and very vivid imagination.  So Jacob is, indeed, like Linus...in more ways than one.  Who knew?

A Tiger Tale

Once upon a time there was a little tiger...not just any tiger...a little Clemson tiger.  He was a happy little tiger -- one who enjoyed playing games and eating candy.  He had been talking about going to Trunk or Treat for quite some time.  He could not wait.

The little Clemson Tiger had a friend named Belle.  Belle was a beautiful, crazy princess.  She too, was very happy and she also enjoyed playing games and eating candy.  In fact, she enjoyed eating candy even more than her tiger friend. 

The tiger and the princess wandered from trunk to trunk, playing fun games and filling their bags with candy.  The tiger, being a bit prideful, never hesitated to point out that he had acquired more candy than the princess.  Belle didn't seem to mind.  She had plenty.  She was a sneaky little princess and I do believe she ate twice as much candy that night as the tiger.  The princess has an insatiable sweet tooth.

The tiger stopped at the face painting booth to get some tiger stripes. 

The princess asked for a heart.

They had tons of fun and didn't want the night to end.  But tigers and princesses need their sleep.  After playing all the games, a few more than once, the two friends headed home.  They couldn't wait to go through their candy bags.  You would expect the tiger to tear into his candy like a savage beast.  After all, isn't that what tigers do?  Well, you would be wrong.  He carefully sorted through the candy, choosing one piece to eat before getting ready for bed.  The princess, having already eaten half of hers before she even made it home, acted much more like a savage tiger than a dainty princess.  The tiger rationed his candy out.  The princess shoved it all into her mouth...at one time. 

The little Clemson tiger and Belle fell fast asleep soon after the sugar rush wore off (and after a thorough teeth cleaning) dreaming, no doubt, of their Trunk or Treat experiences and the candy they would get to eat in the days to come.  Sweet.

A few days later, the tiger and the princess emerged again.  They went to Chick-fil-A in their costumes, with one minor change -- Princess Belle became Princess Rapunzel.  Her choice.  :)

 {This picture makes me smile.  :) }

Music Lessons

I remember riding in the car with my parents as a teenager.  I begged to take control of the radio.  All I wanted was to listen to something other than oldies or the Christian station.  I wanted to be...cool.  Sometimes, I got my way.  Sometimes, I didn't.  When I did get to choose the radio station, I also had to endure speeches, mainly by my dad, which typically began with "Music isn't music anymore..." or "They just don't make music like they used to..." or "You call this music?"  "Yes, Daddy, this is music..." I would say.  Then a 15 minute debate ensued, my top 40 tunes being drowned out by our arguments. 

Yesterday, I was reminded of those car rides. While Heath was browsing itunes, he came across several Christmas albums in the new release category.  Among them was the latest from teen heartthrob, Justin Bieber.  Always curious to see "what the kids are listening to nowadays," I asked my husband to play a Bieber song.  His response?  "Paula, are you serious?"  He humored me and clicked "play."  As we listened to Drummer Boy, Heath made a speech, much like my dad, about how "this is not music."  It was almost as if listening to that song was causing him physical pain.  He went on and on about how horrible it was.  He was right.  It was terrible.  I was laughing hysterically, in part because the song was so ridiculous and in part because of Heath's reaction.  As Heath continued in his rant against this "music," Jacob spoke up.  He was staring at me with a half -horrified, half -serious look on his face.  "Plus," he said.  "I heard the word 'stupid' in that song TWO times!!"  "You did?" I replied.  "YES," was his answer.  Heath confirmed.  You see, "stupid" is one of the words we try not to use at our house.  To Jacob, that is the "s-word."  He stared up at me and said, "Mommy, why were you laughing at that song?"  Ouch.  That one stung a little.  I must confess, I never heard the words.  I wasn't really listening to the lyrics.  But, Jacob was.

I told him I was wrong for laughing and thanked him for calling me out on it.    You can be certain, I'll be more careful next time.  This is the very reason why the radio station in our car is tuned to XM's The Message 95% of the time.  Just flipping through the stations, it's possible to hear every bad word in the book, words much worse than "stupid."  Little ears soak up everything they hear and I have been made very aware of this fact many, many times.   

One thing I guess I can be happy about is the fact that Jacob did call me out.  That shows that even though I was in the wrong, I did something right. 

Thank you, God, for using this instance as a reminder that my children are always watching me.  Please help me to always set a good example.  I pray that you would grant my children the passion and the courage to forever stand up for what they believe in and for what is right.  Amen.

Pumpkins!!

Pumpkins -- the quintessential items of fall decor.  They are fun to decorate with.  They are fun to carve.  They taste delicious in pies, cakes, doughnuts, cookies, muffins, scones, lattes, etc...  I realize it may sound silly, but their bright orange color just makes me happy.  What's not to love?  Pumpkins are great!

Given my affinity for pumpkins, naturally, a favorite activity for our family is to visit the pumpkin patch. 

Jacob chose his pumpkin fairly quickly.  He stepped off the hayride, ran out into the field, picked up a pumpkin, and he was done. 

Annabelle took her sweet time.  She walked all over the field searching for the perfect one.  "How about this one, Annabelle?" I said (several times).  "This one is just the right size for you."  Every time, I received the same answer:  "No."  Finally, much like an olympic weight-lifter, she grabbed a pumpkin that I'm sure weighed almost as much as she does and announced, "I found it!" 

The pumpkins are the highlight of the pumpkin patch as far as I am concerned, but the farm has a lot more to offer -- a hayride, farm animals to see and pet, a duck race, tricycle race, playground, a giant sandbox, and more.  We spent the entire day there.  It was a perfect, fun-filled, fall afternoon with friends.

 Let the duck race begin!

Hello, my name is Belle. It's my birthday and I am three years old.

The other day, Annabelle fell down and scraped her elbow.  Whenever she hurts herself, she immediately asks me to kiss it.  Then, after I kiss the boo-boo, she tells me it feels better.  Not this time.  I kissed her boo-boo just like I usually do, after which she said, crying, "That does NOT make it feel better!"  "What?!" I thought to myself.  "A kiss always makes everything better...no matter how tiny or big the scrape."  That's when I knew.  My baby is growing up.  **sniff, sniff**

Annabelle enjoys playing dress up -- especially when she's dressing up like a princess.  A couple weekends ago, she insisted on wearing a tiara into Target so she could look like her favorite princess -- Belle.  I let her.  While we walked across the parking lot to the entrance, she and I had the same conversation we always have before going into Target.  "Annabelle," I said.  "When we get inside the store, you HAVE to sit in a buggy."  At this point, Annabelle usually whines and says she doesn't want to ride.  This time, she didn't whine.  She didn't cry.  She didn't even scream.  She stopped walking, looked up at me, her tiara falling off her head, and announced, "Belle doesn't ride in buggies.  Belle is a big girl and she walks."  Well, okay then.  I obliged for a little while.  I knew Annabelle would never stay right with me.  Annabelle would run from one end of the store to the other, giggling with delight as I chased her, looking like a complete idiot.  But I wasn't dealing with Annabelle.  I was talking to Belle, the princess.  Belle did behave herself...for a short while.  I let her walk alongside me until she began to get into everything.  When I could see she was getting an itch to run, I decided it was time to take charge.  She threw a marvelous fit, but as she found out that evening, Belle can and does indeed ride in buggies. 

Weeks ago, I started asking her what kind of cake she wanted for her birthday.  Each time, she gave me the same answer:  "A Belle cake."  As much as I wanted her to choose something different, I knew she would love to have a Belle cake.  I went with it.  There was a time when I wasn't crazy about all the "princess stuff."  I never disliked it, I just wasn't a big fan.  How things change.  I have now, admittedly, embraced the whole princess scene in a huge way.  I can't decide whether this is a good or a bad thing.  In any case, Annabelle absolutely loved her princess birthday party.

Of course, she had to dress up like Belle for the party.

And she got just what she wanted -- a Belle birthday cake.

Then the fellow royalty arrived...

There were plenty of commoners in attendance as well, myself included -- grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends, etc...  We kept the princesses from getting too out of control.  As we all know, Belle can get pretty wild.  :)

The little princesses got crafty and decorated tiaras with princess stickers and made their own wands.

After storytime and a princess tea party consisting of heart-shaped strawberry and cream cheese sandwiches, grapes, cheese, Chex Mix, and carrots with ranch dressing (Those are all princess foods, right?  Right??), it was time for cake.

Then presents...

The princesses frolicked around the house for a while waving their wands and playing with the new toys.  Soon, it was time for each of them to go back to their castles.  Before they left, we tried to get a group shot.  After all, it isn't often that you find so many princesses in one room.  Most of the princesses, however, were not interested in this photo op.

It was a lovely party, fit for a three year old princess.  I think all the girls enjoyed themselves and they all looked precious in their princesss dresses. 

You may be wondering where Jacob was since he isn't in any of these pictures.  I figured he would have more fun hanging out with a friend than hanging out with a bunch of princesses, so he went to our neighbor's house and had "boys club" with two other boys.  He had a great time playing with garbage trucks and LEGOs while Annabelle and her friends played with baby dolls and princess wands.  It worked out well.  And don't worry, we saved some cake for Jacob.  :)

Jacob sang Happy Birthday to his sister the next morning, on her actual birthday.  And he made this card for her, all by himself.  He told me he wanted to make a birthday card for Annabelle, so I gave him a piece of paper and he found a red marker.  Isn't it the cutest thing that he drew a picture of Belle?  So sweet! 

Princess Party -- Behind the Scenes.........

Finding princess party decorations is easy.  I knew that would be a simple task.  Disney princesses are everywhere.  I knew I could find everything I needed and more at the local party supply store.  But, if you've never planned a party at the end of October, here's a tip:  Never go to a party store the weekend before Halloween.  I got to the entrance of the party store and couldn't even walk in because there was such a crowd of people.  There was a security guard at the door and the check-out line wound around to the back of the store.  Yikes.  Thank goodness I was by myself.  Had the kids been with me, I would have turned around and walked right back to my car without even trying to enter the store.  Besides the large crowd, the spooky Halloween decor at the entrance would have given them nightmares.  I think next year I'll start planning Annabelle's party at least a month...or two...in advance.

The cake:  It was another 3 AM night.  No matter what time I start the cake baking process, I always end up going to bed at 3 AM the night before the party.  Things are never as easy as they seem.  Thanks again to Erika for helping out this year!  Heath also got in on the action, if you can believe that!  He helped lay the fondant over the cake.  First up was the smaller top tier.  It didn't go so well.  Heath and I carefully placed the fondant over the cake and...it looked awful.  We ended up with a lot of excess fondant that we weren't sure what to do with.  I was about ready to call the princess cake a total failure.  Then, we laid the yellow fondant over the bottom tier.  It turned out MUCH better.  With a few properly placed yellow polka dots, I decided the top tier didn't look so bad.  Thank goodness.  I REALLY didn't want to have to make a whole new cake.  When it was all said and done, the cake turned out much better than I thought it would.  I was pleased and more importantly, Annabelle was thrilled.  Even with the minor (and sometimes, major) mishaps, I love baking and decorating these birthday cakes.  :)  It's so much fun!

So, Annabelle, you are now three years old (even though you still tell people you are two).  The past three years have flown by.  Just yesterday, you were a teeny tiny baby and now you are a little princess...with a wild streak.  :)  And I love you for that.  You make every day exciting and new and I thank God for allowing me to be your mommy.  Happy Birthday!!  I love you!! 

October

I love the month of October for several reasons.

• pumpkins
• pumpkin patch
• birthdays
• birthday parties
• birthday parties for princesses
• cake
• cooler weather (at least for a few days)
• football
• Krispy Kreme pumpkin spice doughnuts
• Pumpkin spice lattes
• Trunk or Treat
• the colors of fall

I'm sure I could think of more, but these are the big ones.  I could devote an entire blog post to each one...but I won't.  Let's get real.  I can hardly find the time to write about the important things anymore.  That being said, I better get started while I have a free minute or two!

Simply put, October is a fun month.  It begins with my birthday and ends with Annabelle's.  I love all things pumpkin, so God couldn't have chosen a better month for me to be born.  Is there a better way to celebrate a birthday than with pumpkin spice doughnuts?  I think not.  Except this year, I had to wait a while.  When we drove to Krispy Kreme to get them, they were out.  Can you believe that?  I checked Publix every week.  Nothing.  FINALLY, Friday afternoon, I sent Heath to the store to pick up a few things and he came back with my long-awaited pumpkin spice doughnuts.  For that, he earned the husband of the year award.  I LOVE those doughnuts...and my husband.  :) 

My other October indulgence is the Starbucks pumpkin spice latte.  Mmmmmm.  So good.  But, I can't drink as many as I used to.  I seem to have developed a sensitivity to caffeine.  When I drink a lot of it (i.e. a Starbucks latte, mocha, etc...) I start to feel jittery and light-headed.  Weird.  This doesn't make me happy.  But, as pathetic as this may be, I can't NOT have a pumpkin spice latte.  So, I'm willing to feel light-headed and jittery...at least one time.  It's THAT good.

My birthday fell on a Wednesday this year.  When the kids and I arrived home from church, Heath had birthday cakes (yes, TWO cakes) on the table, party decor hung around the kitchen, and a birthday present waiting on me.  Sweet.  Now that I think about it, I guess he's actually earned two husband of the year awards.  :) 

A perfect little party.

While I can't say I was exactly thrilled about turning another year older, I can truly say that the "growing older" fact really didn't bother me this year. I feel blessed.  Blessed to celebrate another birthday, and blessed to celebrate it with such a loving family.

Biskini and Frinkles

I catch her with her eyes closed about 90% of the time. 

My kids love biskini.  I love biskini.  My husband will even eat biskini.  We had it for dinner a couple nights ago -- roasted, with parmesan cheese.  Yum.  Do you like biskini?  What?  You've never heard of biskini?  It's a vegetable (Well, it's really a fruit, but it's a vegetable at our house).  You know...green...part of the squash family...looks similar to a cucumber.  What?  Zucchini?  Oh, wait...you're right.  It is zucchini, not...biskini.  But don't tell Annabelle.

Annabelle and I sat crouched in front of the oven, checking on the zucchini when she exclaimed, "Yook at the biskini!!!!!"  My kids make me laugh on an hourly basis.  This was one of those times.  I don't know why her mispronunciation of zucchini hit me so funny, but I was immediately thrown into an uncontrollable fit of laughter.  Annabelle laughed too, not because she thought she was funny, but because I was funny.  Maybe I laughed because she was so excited about the zucchini.  Maybe it was because she said "biskini" in all seriousness. Maybe it was just that "biskini" is a funny word.  I don't know. What I do know is, this green vegetable will be referred to as biskini for the foreseeable future, simply because it makes me laugh.

And the word fun continued at the dinner table, this time with Jacob.  Just as he finished his dinner, Jacob announced, "Hey, I have two frinkles!"  Heath and I looked at each other.  Frinkles?  What in the world?  "You have two frinkles?" I asked.  Jacob quickly replied, "Yes, here and here!" He pointed to a spot on his arm and another on his leg. "Frinkles!"  I suddenly got it.  "Oh, you mean freckles!" I said.  Heath and I both started laughing.  Jacob just looked at us very matter-of-factly and responded, "Yes, freckles...see?"  He was still pointing them out.  I like it when Jacob messes up a word now and then.  He's so smart.  When I hear a "frinkle" I am reminded that he is only five and he is still little.  :)

Last night on the way home from church, I was awed by the beautiful full moon.  Jacob and Annabelle liked it too.  Annabelle has always been fascinated by the moon.  I asked Jacob if he knew what caused the moon to be so bright.  "I don't know," he quickly answered.  "The moon doesn't shine like the sun," I said.  "The sun's rays reflect off the moon and make it appear to be shining."  Jacob interrupted me to say, "Oh I know that,"  Then he continued.  "...and when there is a lunar eclipse, the earth blocks the sun's rays and makes the moon look red."  This from the kid who, two nights before, said he had frinkles.  I was astonished.  "That's right, Jacob," was all I could say.  He must have read about that in a book because I don't remember ever talking about lunar eclipses with him. 

And then, again, he reminds me that he's only five....

The sticker on his head came from a banana peel.  It says, "Place sticker on forehead.  Smile."  And that's exactly what Jacob did.  He follows instructions so well.  :)  What am I talking about?  Yeah...if I'd have found that sticker on my banana, it would have been on my forehead.  Goofiness runs in the family.

Right under the moon, we noticed a particularly bright star.  Thanks to the Google Sky app on Heath's phone, we discovered that it wasn't a star at all.  It was Jupiter.  When we walked inside, Annabelle begged to go back outside to "see da pwanet."  Heath took her out again.  Like I said, she's always been fascinated with the moon...and the stars...and now, apparently, the planets.  She woke up somewhere between 4:30 and 5:00 AM, stumbled down the hall and over to my side of the bed.  "We can go outside to see the pwanet!" she whispered.  As I walked her back to bed, she talked in a high whisper about Jupiter and how Daddy took a picture of it with his phone (he didn't -- he was using Google Sky) and how she wanted to go outside and see that pwanet again.  I tucked her back in bed, told her we couldn't see it anymore, and kissed her forehead.  Amazingly, she seemed ok with that.  But, three hours later, when she woke up for the second time, the first thing she said was, "I want to go see the pwanet!"