bits and pieces

I while ago Emily got it into her head that she wanted to organize a play of the Star-bellied Sneetches. I don't know how she talks me into these things, but we did invite some friends over to do sort of a crazy rendition of the story.
This picture is of the day before, as the kids were hard at work painting the set.

 

Meanwhile, I was working on dinner between requests for more paint and entreaties for help with this problem or that.

This little guy (who you can glimpse under that painters' table) likes to keep me company while I cook. He has claimed ownership of all of the glass mixing bowls.

He likes to pull them out, pass them around, stack and re-stack.

Believe it or not, Jacob is not always so helpful in the kitchen. He loves to climb onto Elinor's chair and wreak whatever havoc he can manage. 

Yeah, I did let him play in that milk for a while because he was just so darn happy!

Caleb also helps out in the kitchen. I just had to snap this picture of his flour-covered, little boy hands working so hard to knead that dough.

So, back to the Sneetches...
 Joseph was narrator. Here the play is in full swing. It was somewhat chaotic. I'm not sure it quite scratched Emily's itch for a full-scale dramatic production.
I thought it was fun though.

The sharp looking dude in the bow-tie is playing Dr. Sylvester McMonkey McBean. He did a fine job.

 Taking their final bow:

Cast picture:

And here are all of those crazy kids chilling in front of a movie. It is so much fun to have a family nearby with kids so close in age to ours! We love these guys!

And this is Elinor. She is completely insane. And she can also do the splits for some reason.

Happy Birthday, Emily!

Whew! It's been a long break from blogging, but I am back in the game!
Today was Miss Emily's birthday. I can't even believe that Joseph and I are now the proud parents of a six-year-old! Where did the time go?
We had a relatively low-key day. Emily is such a sweetheart and really enjoyed the simple pleasures of being the girl of the day.

Caleb might have been more interested in Emily's presents than she was.

Posing with her new nightgown.

Putting together her new Lego set (while wearing the new nightgown). Caleb seems somewhat aghast about something.

Emily has been such a great kid to have in our family. She works hard to keep things running the way she knows they should at home. She looks out for Jacob. She reads to her younger siblings. She absorbs information like a sponge. She is such a good example to all of us. I'm so proud of this little (growing!) girl.

The other side of things

Amanda drove to Utah with the rest of the family, but then left immediately for Japan.  She was sorely missed.  This is sort of how it went.

Your mother might give you soda, Jacob, but things are going to change when I'm in charge.

Now sit still and listen.  I put together a powerpoint presentation about Daddy's rules.

Jacob!  Pay attention!
Emily, this is serious.  
Elinor, come back here right now!

The weather in Utah is drier than we're accustomed to.  Your skin will dry out a bit.  And when we go out hiking, if you get lost, just hug a tree and stay there.

 Dad!  I think I'm lost.

 I got lost too.

 I just like to hug things!

 You kids think you're funny, huh.  I want you to sit on this rock and think about showing some respect!

 I can show you respect from this rock too, Daddy.  I'll show you respect by climbing All the rocks!

 Obviously we need to do some serious psychological re-training to get you kids where you need to be.  I've heard that high blood-sugar levels can make you more susceptible to suggestion.  These neon cupcakes we made should do the trick.  I'm pretty sure they're made with all-natural ingredients.

 ...

...
 Hmm... maybe we'll try going up into the canyon again.

Here's some fish food.  Throw a little bit into the pond at a time.

No! A little bit.  A LITTLE bit.

You guys can climb around a little bit.  Caleb, I want you to be...

...um... careful.

I guess I should have seen that coming.  Jacob wasn't surprised either.

 Okay kids.  Mama's coming home soon.  I want you to look nice so that she thinks, knows I've taken good care of you.

You were a little rough at first, Dad, but we all got into the swing of things.

When Mama gets home, I'll put my best foot forward.

Tokyo will touch your heart.

So, this one time I went to Japan to meet my grandmother and man, was it the trip of a lifetime!
My little Japanese mother decided that it was high time we five (my siblings and I) experienced some of her culture and arranged for three trips out to Japan. My brother went first late last year, two sisters went in the spring, and earlier this month it was me and Steph's turn! I cannot believe all the stuff we got to see and experience. It was amazing.

Here you have a random assortment of pictures from equally random events throughout the trip.

This was the very first picture we took upon landing in Tokyo. Isn't everything so cute in Japan? A pink welcome sign with pictures arranged in a heart? Awww.

First meal in Japan! An okonomiyaki (Japanese pancake) place my mom used to go to with her friends in high school. It was super yummy but it was also at like 2am Austin time so it sort of weirded my body out.

This was some artwork in an alleyway in Tokyo. Look at all the bikes!

Me and Steph with our grandma. Isn't she so cute? It makes me feel good about becoming an old person one day because I've got some of her genes in me. 

Me and Steph in front of the Dogo Onsen (bathhouse). Steph recognized it and did some research to figure out that this is the one in Spirited Away! Everything is so similar, right down to the senior citizen stampede to get into the baths first. Poor Steph almost didn't get in for all the cute old Japanese people elbowing her out of the way.

I slurped noodles with the best of them in a tiny alleyway shop in Tokyo. Actually, I was super slow. Three people came and went in that seat next to me before I was done. Those darn chopsticks! I'll figure them out one day.

Here I am, looking like the nerdy tourist that I was. This giant sandal was at the Thunder Gate at Senso-ji (an ancient Buddhist temple) in Tokyo.

Even the manhole covers are cuter in Japan.

Steph was muttering something about symmetry when we took this picture.

We visited the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden...

and tried to recreate Seurat's Sunday Afternoon. We did a pretty good job, right?

This is me next to a couple of tuna at the Tsukiji fish market, which also happens to be the largest fish market IN THE WORLD. Yeah, no big deal. Steph's vegan so I wasn't sure how she would handle it, but I'm pretty sure she mentioned a couple of times that working in that fish market would be an awesome job.

We spent a night in a ryokan (a very traditional Japanese inn), and that was really one of my favorite things that we did. The hotel staff goes through every night and sets up these foutons for all the guests, but during the day it's just a very sparsely furnished room with tatami mats and a low table and chairs. Plus that little shelf/stage thing for flowers and decorations that Steph thought was for entertainment and tried to dance on like a Geisha... Mum was pretty appalled. I about died laughing.

I think I'll post more about Japan - I hate how disorganized this was. But I really don't want this blog to become like one of those slideshows that one of your relatives makes you watch of all their travels. This trip was really so much fun and so different from anything here that I'm going to be thinking about it for a long time.

Little things

I feel so overwhelmed with things to post today that I am going to take it easy.
Here is about all that I can handle right now:

First: Yesterday morning was our first morning home after a long trip. Joseph left for work, I put Elinor and Jacob in the bathtub, and two minutes later Caleb fell and split his head open. Again. Remember this picture from when Caleb was almost two?

Yeah... the new cut is about an inch above the old one. (Awww. Baby Caleb is so cute!) I was so lucky that my awesome friend Reianna was out on the playground and willing to come in and patch him up with a few steri-strips.

Next. This morning I really wanted to go walking with said awesome friend Reianna.  I went to pull out the double stroller, only to find a mud wasp nest on it! I was so creeped out and Joseph was already at school. I ran inside to research whether or not there were live adult wasps inside, and then took a hammer and smashed that thing right off the stroller. Guess how gross wasps are: they lay their eggs inside the nest, add a few paralyzed insects for the larvae to snack on, and seal it off. So Emily and I got to examine some super gross fat white grubs and a bunch of slowly wiggling spiders this morning. Excuse me while I go puke.

And also. Yesterday I pulled out some shorts I had just gotten for Caleb. He saw the pockets and instantly proclaimed them adventure shorts. I asked if he could still wear them so I could see if they fit and he said, "Yeah, I guess we can go on an adventure today." So we did.

It was awesome. I kept feeling like we were on an expotition to the East Pole.
Love those kids.

And one more thing. A while ago, like back in May sometime, Emily came to me with this picture:

I know! I didn't even know I was such an awesome mother that my kids would know about van Gogh and his Starry Night, but here's proof! (okay, so maybe kindergarten had something to do with it, but still.) This one got the frame treatment. Emily was so proud.

And just one last thing. Joseph's current official title is "Robot Handler" on the set of a movie being filmed here in Austin! It has been highly stressful and uncomfortable for him (no ac in a giant barn in Austin in the middle of June? No thanks.), but that's kind of a cool title to have on your resume, right? Kind of like a lion tamer but more techy.

Alright. More to come, but that's it for now. Adventures every day for us!

My Favorite Baby

I was talking to my mom today and she mentioned that she hasn't seen Jacob lately. He's changed a lot. He is currently at that age where you want to pick him up and squeeze him tight and never let go. He is cuddly and mischievous and very, very mobile. So, although we've had a lot going on, here is a post devoted solely to my little Jacobo.

I love that his cowlick swoops all his front hair to the side. It looks like we totally take care of him.

And... here's Professor Emily, just because.

 More on graduation later.