Defeat

So as you know Truman had a birthday this week. And one of the gifts that he got was a little hand held Connect Four game. Hereafter referred to as DEVIL GAME. This little game seems innocent enough. I mean don't we all have fond memories of playing this game with friends or siblings? That is how I felt when I first picked it up. But don't let it's innocent looks fool you. It is a DEVIL GAME!!!
It is nearly impossible to defeat the computer in this game. And I mean, Come on! It's tiny, how smart can that computer be?! Well apparently way smarter than anyone in this family.
Maybe you feel superior to us in brain power. If you do, come on over and challenge the DEVIL GAME. If you can beat it in 4 out of 5 games. I will give you a prize and I will be greatly sur-prized.

TRU-MAIN-I-OUS......(sung to the tune of "Oh, Canada")

Truman, Trum, Trumainious, Trummels. The Trumanator, THOR, Tiny THOR, Tru, The child, The Boy. 

Sweet little baby-face monkey.

No matter what you call him he is our little man and he joined the family 7 years ago.

Truman 20-11 loves:

Soccer 

(Hoping that when they start to have an actual goalie on the team that it will be him.)

 Games 

(Any kind of game. Video games, board games, even good old fashioned paper- rock-scissors.)

Legos

(I am pretty sure that he will never out grow this. My husband never did.)
Old Disney Movies
(He loves other types of old movies like "The Wolfman" as well but he really loves "Bed knobs and Broomsticks", "Swiss Family Robinson", "The Parent Trap", etc.)
Science & Math
(Seriously baffled by this one. Not something he inherited from his parents.)

Magic

(He loves magicians and magic tricks. And the best part is that it is still TOTALLY real to him!)

Vanilla
(He likes it better than chocolate! Strange.)

 He has taken to breathing on his finger nails and then polishing them on his shirt when he thinks he has done something awesome. Can you picture the move I mean? Where does a child pick something like that up? I promise you that I have never in my life even thought about doing it and I am pretty sure Jack doesn't do it while I am not looking. TV, I guess, but still, it's hilarious.
Anyway, he is fun, crazy and sweet and of course we tolerate (love) him.

Punxsutawney

Who is ready for a road trip????

  

Ground hog's day is tomorrow, but the fun is already happening!

Groundhog Events

I am marginally sure that it would be worth the 4 and 1/2 hour drive into Pennsylvania. 

There will be men in top hats!

Not to mention a certain largish rodent (Are groundhogs rodents?  I don't think they are. What are they anyway?  And have I mentioned that I actually hate groundhogs?  Because I do.  I didn't always hate them. Just since last year when I discovered how much damage they can do to a garden and there is very little you can do to stop them. Unless, of course, you own a trap and a gun like my brother. Also they leave a stank behind after they reek havoc among your pea plants.  Still it would be fun to see a marmot?? rodent??? thing possibly see it's shadow. Right?!?).

I can't vouch for the presence of this guy in PA.

 But I will be "seeing" him via Netflix. 

Call me if you want to road trip or more realistically watch instantly via Netflix in my kitchen.

Blizzard 20-11

Oftentimes when I tell family and friends from areas west of here that our school is cancelled because of snow they laugh at us. And I used to laugh with them. People are kind of wimpy about the white flakes from the sky here.
However, after tonight I will not be so quick to judge.

The problem is not so much this stuff...

The problem is these people...

People just do not know how to drive in snow here. Also there are not enough snow plows and everyone is trying to get home at the same time. If someone was stuck, people behind them would try to go around, and then they would get stuck, and then someone would try to go around both cars, and they would get stuck, and so on until all 4 lanes are blocked, 2 of those lanes being blocked by cars going the wrong way. It was madness!!! I left the house at 7:15 pm to pick up Jack (and a few other people from church who were stranded) at the metro (there were no buses or taxis running and they didn't feel like sleeping there) we didn't get back until 9:30 pm. It usually takes me about 20 minutes to pick him up and get back.
Anyway it was an experience.
Good thing Truman put on every piece of outer wear he could find before we left the house.

The Art Class Show-Down

Boys vs. Girls

 

The Task: Build a Rube Goldberg style machine to pop a balloon...

 

The Results:

And...

The competition was fierce, but it was fun and both machines were great. In the end everyone got rewarded with a super fancy prize... CANDY.

Artsy-Fartsy

Are you looking for some fun/easy projects to help you through the wintry cold months? There are a few things we have been working on at our house that are both easy (because I'm lazy) and fun (because I am always looking for a good time).

 #1 How about some freezer-paper stencil shirts? 

I learned about this from Erin Huband and I am in love with this project. We have done it several times and the shirts always look great! These were some I made for my sister's family. The Lego man and bicycle man were, admittedly, a little too complicated. So my advice to you is to keep the stencil simple.

 

#2 Fake Stained Glass Window. I came up with this project for my home-school art class and it turned out to be really fun. It is really just decoupage on a clear piece of hard plastic. It can be as simple as the star or a little more complicated like my river scene. But Truman did one (not shone) and he liked it as well. Nothing is more fun then having really goopy fingers.

     

#3 Some Good Old Fashioned Paper Snow Flakes! Seriously, I love cutting these out and the exciting reveal of what you have created as you unfold the paper. I think this may be my best batch ever!

#4 Loosing A Tooth

Truman worked diligently on this project for many weeks. And he was so proud of himself when he finally accomplished it

J-J-J-January

Oh, Nelly. It's January again. I am not much of a fan of January. The cozy holiday feeling is gone and now it's just cold. It doesn't help that I have been sick with A cold all week. Other than a few birthdays (love to my sister-in-law Mandy, nephew Zac and little friend Sam!) January just feels like a month to endure not enjoy. In fact as I put the Christmas decorations away I went ahead and put up a few Valentines Day items to help me pass the time until February. Oh, February, you're much nicer than January, you don't expect me to make resolutions, you give me Trum's Birthday to celebrate and conversation hearts to eat.
Okay, seriously I am a little Debbie Downer today. I will cheer myself up by making a New Year Resolution to eat that last zinger in the cupboard.