Bo is home!

Bo is REALLY home. Although he has been working (yes back unloading semis full of tires... it is so good for those biceps), and we haven't seen a lot of him, here is the proof. Oh, and if you check out the empty refrigerator (no, I am not taking a photo of the refrigerator) you will see yet another convincing piece of evidence.

All I Want for Christmas is...

Hannah: A PUPPY and that is all. Oh, maybe a new iPod and a new computer.
Max: Are you going to send this to Santa? I'll tell you, I want 12 bags of marbles and I want a lego Indiana Jones set and my own invention kit and I want a pet puppy, I mean a pet turtle. I have one more thing to add, the clone wars helmet that you can copy into another friend's helmet and a clone blaster like I saw on TV. And, to have my teeth that I have been missing for a really long time, like 8 years!
Maggie: OK (deep breath) Puppy. A flower, I mean Cheetah scooter. Well, make-up and an ice cream shop from you. Remember on the magazine?
Bo: (We may never know.)
Caiti: (Let me guess for her... a car?)
Dad: (I know, he wants he family to be healthy and happy!)
Mom: The van to keep running until Bo gets home from his mission, p-l-e-a-s-e???? (Caiti, I don't care if it is old AND green!!!!)

Maggie Needs a Make-Over!

Here is evidence that school uniforms do not allow for enough practice for children at coordinating colors, patterns and seasons. This one might be hard to beat! Maggie didn't have school today. I left for work very early. She was on her own (well, Matt was home, like I said, on her own) and this is what she came up with for a play day with Zarley!

Just another day...

Maggie is missing her first tooth! Hooray! This one is an EXTRA hooray because it has been infected on and off since March. She had the routine cavity care, three prescriptions of antibiotic, kid-sized root canal, and finally, Dr. Miller gave her the good ole fashion treatment for a toothache...pulled it right out!!! She is thrilled and I am thrilled about the possibility of a little girl who will sleep all night. Last night was the first night in I-don't-know-how-long! When Dr. Miller handed her the tooth in the "special glass box", she said she was going to put it under her pillow for the tooth fairy. I said that we should leave the tooth fairy a note to take that tooth and throw it away since it has been so much trouble. "No, I am going to keep this forever!!!"

Math Attack

I woke up this morning to "2,4,6,8,10,12,14,16,18,20,2,4,6,8,10,12,14,16,18,20,2,4,6,8,10,12,14,16,20..." Maggie was in bed snuggled right between Matt and I, counting right into my ear. What are relief... she can finally count by two's to twenty at 5 years old. I didn't think she was ever going to get it right! HA HA!!! Do kindergartners usually count by two's and fives and tens before Christmas???

Hannah... Banana... Fee-Fie-Foe-Fanna.... Hannah!!!!

This is Hannah. She is the very much the middle child. She is my only one with dark hair. She is the only one with curly hair. She is very smart. She is very motherly (that is a euphemism for bossy).

What is the most important thing in the world to you?
Hannah: My clothes and my stuffed animals, oh, and my bed.
Are you serious??? What about in the universe?
Hannah: Sorry, the History of Paul Revere.
(Yes, I was hoping for something a bit more sentimental.)
Who do you admire the most of all the people you know?
Hannah: Carlye Webb
(What is this thing my kids have for Carlye Webb. GEEEEEEZZZZ! I've got to get another friend that they don't like more than they like me!)
Why do you admire Carlye?
Hannah: She is an awesome person. When I ask her if I can go over to her house and practice my piano after school, she says, "Oh man yahhhh you can!"
What things are the same about you and your mom?
Hannah: Our hair color. We both like to read this awesome book The Penderwicks. Oh ya! We like to ride bikes. Our bikes are cruisers. Your bike is blue and mine is pink. Both of them have flowers on them.
What things are the same about you and your dad?
Hannah: We both have natural curly hair. We both are crazy about riding bikes. We both love to watch Psych.
What subjects in school are your favorite?
Hannah: My favorite subject is a math test.
What are you really good at doing?
Hannah: Umm, I am really good at writing poems, stories, reports and taking math tests.
What is the best part about being a member of the Reier Circus?
Hannah: I have my own computer.
Tell me about your Grandma Reier.
Hannah: She is awesome because she lets us help put up the Christmas tree. She gives us good-bye treats when we leave her house.
Tell me about your Grandma Buchanan.
Hannah: She is awesome because she invites Santa for Christmas. She gives us our very own stockings. She invites all of our cousins.
I love my friends and family.

More of Max

Max is just the funniest kid. I made this deal with him on Saturday. We have a friend, Ben, who was turning thirty and having a birthday party. I needed a great gag gift for Ben and Matt reminded me that Ben loves to watch "Dexter" (If you haven't ever seen Dexter, this won't make any sense, but keep reading anyway...). So, Max has/had this horrible knife that only a grandmother would ever buy for him (Grandma Reier of course, only she will tell you he made the purchase... yah, yah, yah :)). When you turn it up and down, blood drips across the blade. Yah, I know, bad grand-parenting (so glad I am blameless in this situation). So, the deal was that he would trade the knife to me in exchange for a new cap gun (yes, yes it is a gazillion times more appropriate than a "Dexter" knife! It is!!!!) So, I took him with me to buy the gun, get pizza for dinner, and dog food for Chewie's dinner. I secretly hoped that the dollar store would have a gun so I wouldn't be forced to Walmart. Listed below are the funny things he said to me tonight:

Me: Max, if we go tomorrow night to get your gun, we will be back in time to watch "Chuck".
Max: (Silence as he goes to his room. Five minutes later...) Mom, I have at least 101 Mondays left until I die.
Me: I think you'll have a few more Mondays than that. Why are you worried about how many Mondays you have left until you die?
Max: I'll get to see "Chuck" again and we can just watch it online anyway.

Max: Mom, why are we going to the dollar store, they won't have the gun. I already located it at Walmart with Dad on Saturday.
Me: Max, let's just check (hoping for either a cap gun or something else that would captivate his interest and distract him from the Walmart mission).
Max: Really Mom, what is the difference, the dollar store over there or a couple of blocks down the road to Walmart?


Me: Hey Max, look at these tree-toppers. We need one. They will go perfect with our Christmas tree ornaments.
Max: Yeah, and since I am a blue kinda guy, I think you should buy the blue one.
Me: I don't think blue will be stunning on our green Christmas tree. Let's get this red one.
Max: Ok, you are right. You don't really see blue for a Christmas color much any more.


(We are waiting for pizza at Little Caesars.)
Max: Mom, don't you think Pizza Pizza Guy should be in his Christmas pose?
(I asked him what a Pizza Pizza pose would look like. He modeled it for me. Very funny. I asked him to draw Pizza Pizza Guy in a Christmas pose. Keep checking! We'll have a copyrighted print of Pizza Pizza Guy in his Christmas pose up soon!)

Max: What does vaporize mean? (We found a gun that is motorized and blows bubbles... better than the cap gun because he can play with it in the house... and it is called a Bubble Vaporizer.)
Me: Well, it means to turn something solid into a gas like water vapor.
Max: Oh ya, I know about that. Soldiers at the Pearl Gates in heaven need that to keep the demons out.