Check this out!

I know . . . I haven't posted about Christmas yet. I'm on vacation, okay? I did find time to set up a new blog for my budding photographer of a daughter. Go see it!

Keep checking back, because it's likely to change a bit over the next few days. This is just our "get it up and going" start!

Day 2

I am determined to make this holiday vacation a fun and memorable one for my kids. Why? Not sure. I just am. I want them to remember that we stayed home, hung out, played all day, had fun. As an adult I have memories of certain times in my life, and it isn't always the big events, many times it's the little things that bring a feeling of nostalgia. So, today, when we awoke to more snow on the ground, I shot a little "Thank you" prayer up to the heavens. You see, this is "Day 2." Day 2 of what? Playing outside in the snow, of course!

I got them all bundled up for the second time, and out they went. To use their imaginations (and energy) to decorate the front yard. Yesterday they played outside for over an hour. It was a wonderful time of bonding for my two little ones. This is something that I crave for them, since they are a brother and sister, rather than two brothers or two sisters. I want them to enjoy each other's company, to be friends, to work together, rely on one another, and all that special 'sibling' stuff. And, most of the time, that's what happens. Until they are both exhausted, hungry and cold. Then they fight over what kind of arms the snowman should have! So, we ended the day yesterday with an armless snowman and the promise of tomorrow. And now it has come.

I couldn't resist this photo. I had bundled the children up and sent them outside, and when I came back to check on them, this is what I found.

Do you think he feels left out?

A Holiday "Not Me, Monday!"

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

It's Christmas vacation at the Kincaid home. So, today, I did not let my 7 year old sleep until NOON. No, you didn't read 12 pm - as in "lunchtime." Because I would never let a child so small develop poor, lazy sleep habits like that! I'm a much better mother than that. And, when she did finally get up, she did NOT find her mother and brother both still wearing their PJ's. We always get up early, eat a balanced breakfast, shower, dress and get ready for the day in an orderly and timely fashion. ALWAYS. Even when we are on Christmas break. If I was still in my PJ's, I most certainly wouldn't be contemplating whether or not to stay that way ALL day, just for the fun of it, because, hey, it's not often that we can play "lazy" ALL day!

Since it is Christmastime, we do have our home decorated (yes, we really DO). But if I noticed last week that half the lights on the tree had gone out, it most certainly would not have been driving me crazy. Because I don't let little things like a half-lit Christmas tree ruin my Christmas spirit. It hasn't been bothering me so much that I dug through the tree to find all the plugs, checked the fuses, and wiggled those little lights til my fingers hurt. And when I did, I wouldn't have found that we have not one, but two half-lit strings on our tree right now. Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle some more. And now, only one half-lit string! If I found that I only had one half lit string, and it was fairly close to the top, I wouldn't stretch and re-arrange the strings above and below it to fill in the unlit part. Nope, not me! And if I had done such a thing, I also wouldn't have done it only on the sides of the tree that you can see, ignoring the back completely.

See, you can't even tell, can you?

So, what have you NOT been doing this holiday season?

"Useless Things"

Is the title of a poem that Hayden wrote last night. I'm pretty sure it was an assignment, as he wrote it in his journal from school. The thing that amazed me was the ease with which his pencil moved across the page, words flowing out in perfect time and perfect rhyme. His teacher told me at parent-teacher conference time that he was an excellent writer. I'm beginning to see it more and more. And now, I will share:

Useless Things

A body without a head
a pencil without lead
a foot without toes
a face without a nose,

Pages without a book
a chess set without a rook
a no parking sign without no
a toenail without a toe,

This poem without lines
the denist without Dr. Hines
legos without studs
falling without thuds.

I believe it could keep going. But why? You get the point, right? I like it because it's clever. It's simple. And cute. And, I am totally in love with the author!

Elf'd

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Hayden's Christmas List - as promised

So, I'm going to go ahead and say it. Hayden's isn't nearly as cute as Mallory's. But, I promised I would post it, for those who are interested - you know who you are!

1. Mario Party 8 (Wii)
2. Lego Rockband Full Set (Wii)
3. Mario and Luigi's Bowser's Inside Story (DS)
4. New Super Mario Bros. (DS)
5. Super Paper Mario Bros. (DS and Wii)

Are you beginning to see a theme? Well, keep reading . . .

6. Mario Galaxy (Wii)
7. Mario and Sonic at the Winter Olympics (Wii)
8. Monopoly City
9. Lego Bricks & More Taj Mahal
10. Mario Kart (DS)
11. Super Mario 64 (DS)
12. Mario Party (DS)
13. Mario Super Sluggers (Wii)
14. Lego Bricks & More Town Plan
15. Bakugan Battle Brawlers New Vestroia
16. Maxus Helios
17. Dog-opoly
18. Monopoly NFL Edition
19. Make-Your-Own-Opoly
20. Purdueopoly
21. Anit-Monopoly
22. Nerf N Strike Raider Rapid Fire CS 35
23. Warriors Books
24. Nerf Lazer Tag Set
25. Air Hogs Switch Blad
26. Air Hogs Micro Terrain Titans
27. Air Hogs Zero Gravity Micro Pipeline

Whew! Now, mind you, there is only one thing on this list that we have bought so far. I'm a bit disappointed at the lack of variety on the list, to tell you the truth - Wii games, DS games, Monopoly games, Bakugan, Air Hogs and Legos. I think shopping for Mallory is going to be so much more fun . . .

Asaro Thanksgiving Holiday

Every Thanksgiving, the Kincaid family is one of the many hundreds of thousands of families that hits the road to be with family. This year was no different (except that we left earlier in the day, making our trip much quicker!)

As part of our Thanksgiving celebration, we go shopping on Black Friday, then celebrate Christmas the next day. We started it several years ago when we were having trouble coordinating our schedules for the holiday, and it has been a tradition ever since.

The kids enjoy spending the day together, and the ladies enjoy shopping all day long. Alayna got some Legos (girly ones) and a chef's hat and apron for playing make believe. Mallory and Chloe both got Bendaroos! Mallory also got a Connect 4 x 4 game. Chloe got a new sweater. Hayden got and new hoodie and some books from his favorite series, Warriors. The kids also got to go shopping with Gramma and Grampa Asaro. Hayden had a little trouble deciding, but eventually settled on the new Super Mario Brothers game. He couldn't wait to get home and play it. The Waffle was happy to oblige. Mallory bought some crafty things, including Pixos, and also a butterfly necklace. She put the rest of her money in her shopping jar!

All in all, it was a good trip. Enjoy the slideshow!

"You'll shoot your eye out!"

Have you ever gotten the feeling, as a mother, that you are over-protective? I have. Have you ever gotten the very opposite feeling that maybe you aren't quite protective enough? I have. Ever wonder where exactly the line between the two is? Yep, me too.

You may have read this earlier post about Hayden being a good marksman. At that time, he was shooting a BB gun toward a practie target at scout camp. He has since moved from BB guns to the real thing. Yes, you read correctly - the real thing! We recently visited Grampa Asaro in Michigan, who willingly took Hayden and the Waffle to a shooting range where they shot a .22!

Here is Grampa showing Hayden how to load the gun with ammo.

(Note the hearing and eye protection. Safety first!)

A little one-on-one practice.

He brought home some shells as a souvenier.
I hope they keep the memory alive!

Slumber Party = Making Memories

Many years ago, we met some people who became dear friends to us. A saying that we often come back to, after having spent time together, is "Making memories together." Since we met, we've gotten married, changed jobs, moved to a new town, and had children.

Mallory and I recently had the opportunity to "make memories" with them again. A few weeks ago on a Friday noght, we drove to Indy to have a slumber party.

Mallory enjoyed reading to Titus.

And playing with Vanessa.

The girls sat up on the new bunk bed to watch a movie . . .

. . . on the wall!

The next morning we didn't have much time to play, but the girls managed to make the most of what time they had. They planned a wedding ceremony and acted it out for us! Too cute!

I am certainly looking forward to making many, many more memories with these dear friends of ours!

All she wants for Christmas . . .

On Monday night we started decorating the house for Christmas. Boxes of decorations littered the living room floor, the fireplace was burning bright and Christmas music played in the background. It was perfect. Well, except for the fact that I was sweating to death, Hayden was trying to play the Wii and I kept walking in front of him, and the disorganized, cluttered mess was making my OCD flare up! In the midst of all the hubbub, Mallory wanted to give us her Christmas list. For fear of losing it, the Waffle told her to go up and put it on my pillow.

Later that night, as we got ready for bed, I heard the Waffle rolling with laughter. Why? Because he hit the sack a few minutes before me and was reading Mallory's list, pictured above.

Since I know you probably can't read the list very well, I will translate it for you below, spelling errors in tact, explanations when necessary.

Christmas List
1. A pen that can be erased
2. High heels (new shoes)
3. Coloring book (LPS - Littlest Pet Shop)
4. A sister (baby)
5. New beret's (you know, for your hair)
6. A new cat (friend for Sage)
7. Cute Kitty cat (suff animals)
8. Cute Kitty sunglasses
9. Journail (cat journail)
10. Cat scarf
11. Long Hair
12. A wach (cat wach - to tell time)
13. A new build-a-bear workshop (cat)
14. Ear ring's (cat)
15. Peszle's (cat) ("Puzzles" for those struggling with the translation)
16. Makeup
17. Dress (cat's)
18. Toy's (cat's)
19. Kitty boot's
20. Littlest Pet Ship toys
21. New color croyn's
22. More books
23. A doll
24. A new cover for my bed (cat's)
25. Cat pant's
26. Gum
27. Clous for cat's (cat) (Also known as "clothes")

Yes. We are aware that she is obsessed with cats. Do you think it's time to look for a counselor? I am a bit concerned about #4. Curious where she thinks those come from??? And #11 - does she mean a wig? Better check on that with her, I guess. Other than that, I think if it has a cat on it, I'm covered.

Check back later for more updates. And Hayden's Christmas list - not quite as funny, though.