January 14, 2012

Haircuts and TV Shows

The boys are speaking geek to each other as they attempt to save a virtual world from virtual zombies. Caleb has his pirate hat on and is playing some sort of crash-the-cars game on his castle. And me? I'm organizing photos from this last year and wiping clean the memory card on my camera. It's ready for a fresh start.
It's been a week, friends. Oy.
A week of meetings, emails, and forgetting things.
A week of that time of the month, and hitting my head on the couch while playing the part of a zombie for Caleb to chase. A day-long headache resulted. Not fun.
Caleb and I took yesterday off and had some fun Mommy & Me time. We needed it. We got his haircut (first time professionally done). We went out to lunch. Then we went looking for whirlpools at Deception Pass. We like exploring. Off-roading on game trails. Forging our own path. We're getting quite good at it, too. But that's a subject for another post.
This morning I took these to show off the new do:


He's very happy with his hair. He tells everybody "See my haircut? We go Super Cuts, and lady cut my hair!" :) He was so good in the barber's chair. Sat perfectly still. All gentlemanly and sweet.
About melted my heart. Then I watched as the last vestiges of blonde hair fell away under those clippers, and my eyes about melted too. I'm gonna miss those blonde locks.

*snnniiiiifffff*

Last weekend we had another first. We obtained (and hauled over the fence) our first swingset!
Caleb is in love. So am I. It's perfect for our yard, and it was free. Woot! All the Neuhauser men showed up to help us haul it. A real family effort, which was mightily appreciated.

And here's a bonus picture. It has nothing to do with this post in particular, but I found it when downloading photos this morning, and I thought I'd share. He's so darn cute. If I do say so myself. :)
~~~
I was told this week that I get too involved in TV shows. I don't know what prompted Hubby to tell me this. I only subjected him to a thirty minute rant about how Once Upon a Time should not have killed so-and-so, and how I wasn't sure I was going to keep watching because I was so upset at the loss of this character. I mean, how could they??? It was only the seventh episode!
Yeah, ok. I guess I'm involved.
I took his advice to heart, though, and haven't given up on the show. Yet. But they better get Snow White and Prince Charming back together or else I might just go postal.
If you haven't heard of Once Upon a Time, it's a pretty fun show from ABC. Fairy tale characters find themselves living in our world with no memory of who they are. They are under a curse, after all. A curse that takes away happy endings. Only one person can break the curse, but of course, she doesn't know who she is.
Dun-dun-duuuuuuuun!
Ok, /end TV show plug now.
Emotionally invested much? Nope. Not me.
So how was your week, friends? Anything exciting? Any firsts? Are you mad at any TV shows? Air your opinions here! :)

January 3, 2012

Daniel as you've never seen him before

This is Daniel.
The Daniel from the bible.
As in, Daniel and the Lions' Den.
Yes, I realize he looks a little futuristic for a bible character. He actually comes from a moon rover toy and is supposed to wear a space helmet. But don't tell Caleb, ok? He's accepted the fact that this is Daniel, regardless of whatever time travel might be involved.
Our little adventure with Mary and Joseph went so well during December that I figured, why not do some other bible stories throughout the year? Hands-on style for the concrete learners among us?
So here is Daniel with King Darius. Inside Darius's castle.
Please don't ask me what King D is wearing. He was the best "king-looking" figure I could find. And no, he's not part of the moon rover set.
Today we read Daniel 6:4, which says that Daniel worked for King Darius and did a good job. The King liked him very much and planned to set him over the entire kingdom
We also read Dan. 6:10b, which says that Daniel prayed three times a day to his God, as was his custom. So for the duration of this little bible lesson, Caleb and I are praying three times a day, too.
  
This was the best "praying" position I could manage. These little guys don't bend at the knees. "Sit" and "Stand" are pretty much what they do. In space helmets.
Tomorrow, we learn about the satraps who didn't like Daniel very much.
{Daniel doesn't know it yet, but he's about to have a very bad week in the Neuhauser house.}
Hey, I didn't write the story. I'm just reenacting it. :-D

January 1, 2012

Happy New Year (with no resolutions attached!)

Happy 2012, everyone! I hope you all enjoyed this first day of a new year. It passed quietly for us. I think the single most exciting thing we did today was go for a hike.

Quiet isn't bad, though. We just ended a very merry {and very busy} Christmas week, and come Tuesday, all the crazy busy-ness of our regular life resumes its tumbleweed course. I'm already making to-do lists of phone calls, emails, and errands. But that can wait. For just a little while longer, I can pretend nothing else in the world exists but me, my fuzzy pajamas, and back-to-back episodes of Cake Boss.

I have made no resolutions thus far. I'm not big on New Year's resolutions. After years of not being able to keep them, I rather gave up on the idea. But make no mistake. I have hopes, dreams, and plans aplenty for 2012.

Fueled no doubt by two things that happen every year at this time:

1. The overwhelming urge to clean out closets and organize the house and,
2. An undeniable craving to plan summer trips for our family.

Like clockwork, every January and February, you can find me in odd nooks and crannies, cleaning, oragazining, throwing out, or giving away stuff. If I'm not doing that, I'm on the computer researching trips to Mount St. Helens or Orcas Island, booking cabins and camp grounds, writing out itineraries.

I don't know why these urges strike when they do. But I don't question them anymore, and I certainly don't fight them. And today, right on schedule, they both showed up with a vengence.

Caleb's room received the brunt of my organizing mania today. Not only did I clean, but I went through all his toys too. New ones from this Christmas. Old ones from last Christmas. Whole bunch of junk he's collected in between. Some toys went into rotation up in the closet. Others went into bags for the thrift store. Took about an hour and a half, but like an itch that's finally scratched, I felt utterly relieved when it was done.

What did I do next? Laid down on Caleb's bed, in his perfectly clean, organized room, and dreamed up family vacations. Duh. It is January 1st, after all. I told you. I can't fight the urge.

I found myself dreaming today of a vacation to that southern sunny land I used to call home. The practical part of me says it's preposterous to hope for such a thing. How could we ever afford it? But then, a girl can wish, can't she?

There are other wishes I'm holding near to my heart for 2012. But like plans, I'm trying to hold them loosely. 2011 taught me that plans change {dreams, too}. And you have to be willing to change with them, or else be left behind in a heap of regret. Roll with the punches, ya know? I think that'll be my new motto for 2012.

Well, it is nearly January 2nd now and I really ought to be in bed. We're getting up ridiculously early tomorrow to watch the Rose Parade at my in-laws. Maybe the football game, too, if we're lucky. Happy New Year, everyone! Blessings to you all at this time of beginnings and fresh starts. :)