Chess Weekend

Last weekend Parker competed in a chess tournament.  He enjoyed it.

Instead of a participation trophies, the tournament gave out notebooks to annotate your own games.  So Mimi and Parker had to try it out.  Parker wrote down the moves in his new note book and Mimi recorded the moves on a scrap sheet of paper on top of the Polgar book.

Yoda and I played a game on the side. 

Mimi won by checkmate on the 33rd move.  We planned on analyzing the game in Tarrasch using Rybka, but the kids let Mimi be in check for a few turns. The computers didn't like that.

ATTACK!

(If you don't know, a blaster / laser shooter / or any other comic gun has the sound *pew*)


As the children were playing....

Yoda:"You get out to *pew* the things!"
Parker:"Why?!"
Mimi:"NO!  I'll get out and *pew* the things!" 

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Parker is well on his way to earning his Webelos badges...

 He's pretty happy about it!

Shopping with Yoda

What Mimi wore, plus Parker

This day I wanted to document Parker's classic look, too.

*Hanna Andersson*
from Aunt Sonya

Sweets

For the school's International Dessert Night we made Welsh Cakes -- yummy.  

Yoda was crying about his breakfast.
"Too much!  Too much!" he yelled, he wanted the glass to have lots of milk and the bowl to have lots of cereal just like the picture on the box.  So silly.  I wouldn't give him tons because I knew he wouldn't eat it all, but I set up everything like the photo and that made him feel a little better.  The monster truck stood in for the berries...

Happy Valentine's Day

Jumping on the band-wagon with the Hey Girl Meme.  And loving it. 

Yoda Yells

After I brushed the snow off of the car, Yoda yelled:"Did you paint the car?!"

Talking about the radio, Yoda yelled:"Can you turn it off and talk to me about sleep?"

After stubbing his toe, Yoda yelled:"I got blood over the place!"

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I follow a blog where the woman occasionally shows what she wore to church or otherwise.  She has cute clothes, I do not, but Mimi does.  So occasionally I'm going to show off her super-cute clothes in this new segment called...
What Mimi wore to church

 *Tea*

from Nana

 We'll have to work on her shoe collection next :) 

Garage Door

We didn't expect this to happen this year, or during all the other mess that's happening in our lives (who doesn't have a messy life?), but the garage door broke, and it needed some attention.

Today the guys came to put up a new one.  And although it looks lovely, I would have loved to spend the garage door money differently....good thing we've been saving up since we moved into the house! 

OLD

NEW

OLD

NEW

Nothing like something new to showoff all the old things -- door frame, siding, lights, driveway...but the door looks great! 

3 Year Old Photos

I haven't done this in a while.

Here's Mimi at 3...

and Parker at 3...

and Yoda at today at 3. He wanted to look just like Parker...

(sorry for the food on his face!)

Sledding

It was a perfect sledding day.  Yoda was reluctant at first.  Then when it was time to leave he got really into it, so we stayed a while longer.  Mimi was like a Popsicle by the time we were on the way home.  Parker enjoys falling down in most of his activities.

(There's a video here in case you don't see it in Reader.)

Update on Yoda's Eye

Before...

Yoda waiting in his "yellow pajamas", with his new toy truck from the nurse, ready for his "hospital nap".  It was a little early and he had quite a case of bed-head. 

  He had to be put under, totally asleep so the surgeon could get the device in his tear duct and then blow up a small balloon to stretch out the duct so it won't just close up again.  (Hopefully) this is the last photo of his gooey eye.  This was a particularly bad day.
Bunny was invited by the nurses to stay for moral support :)

 After.
There was a little blood and he was wobbly for a while.  He was super angry about being woken up after the procedure. 

 The "CC" over his eye is the surgeon's mark so that no one can mistake which eye needs to be worked on.

 He insisted on the way home to see a train.  I think he was a little delirious.  So we stopped by the only trains we know about.  They are parked and behind fences at a railway museum close by.  But it did the trick.  He also got cool sunglasses from the nurse in case it was sunny. 

Since he had to be put under he couldn't eat anything until a full hour after the procedure was over, and was able to keep down a little juice and a popsicle.  He did much better about not eating then I expected.  (usually he eats an apple, cereal bar, and maybe a banana before Parker and Mimi wake up. 

Here he is today, all better and no more gooey eye!

Yoda's Eye

After 2.5 years of putting it off, we have a date set for Yoda's little eye surgery to clear his blocked tear duct.  He makes all the tears he needs, they just don't have anywhere to go.  Most babies grow out of this, Yoda didn't.  The tears just roll off his face or pool up in the corner of his eye.  It's not pretty most days.  So we're going for it.  So expect more on that soon...
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Other then that...

Yoda, while watching Football with Greg:"Dad?  Is this football smooshball?"   We didn't know he had been listening! 

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This week called for CUPCAKES! 

 Also this week we had a special treat: a Tim Tam Slam.  It's a treat from Australia that we got from our friends. 

Here's Parker demonstrating...  

1-take two bites out of a Tim Tam cookie

2-drink some warm Milo (a chocolate drink mixed with milk) from a mug

3-slam the melt-y cookie in your mouth

4-enjoy