D - & The Winner Is......

Chris Gee!!! Congrats on being the most convincing, deceitful story-teller we know. You were, however, among good company. Mike said he is worried for all of your spouses because you are all such quick, compelling liars! Seriously, you guys are good! I had so many great suggestions that I think I should find a way to post these as a resource to other needy parents.

In case you didn't read all of the comments, Chris' idea was to tell Noah that I had to take the bike back to the store. The reason this was such a persuasive argument for us is because Noah is plenty old enough to understand how cheap his father is. He knew I had gone to Walmart alone the night before, so I told him I bought the bike then. Then when I told dad about it, he said I had already purchased way too much for her (this part totally true) and the bike had to go back. Noah was horrified. He said, "But she would really love that!" I told him we would have to write Santa a letter and beg him to bring her one.

Now, Audrey, Gina, and all you others who think I'm horrible, PLEASE understand. I'm a good mother, really I am. Under normal circumstances I really am opposed to lying. I only make up these elaborate stories at special times like Easter, Christmas, loose teeth, April Fool's Day..............................

D - Help!!!

Calling all good liars............I have a Santa emergency!

I bought Katie's Santa gift last night (a new bike) and have it in the back of my van. Unfortunately, I didn't get it into a safe place last night, and Noah saw it today. Yikes! He was very excited and told me what a great gift I had for her, so I lied and said it wasn't for her. (We were having this whole conversation right in front of her, of course.) He kept pressing the issue, "Well, who's it for then?" I finally got him to quit asking questions by begging him and saying that at Christmas time we just have to have some secrets.

Anyhow, damage has been done. How am I supposed to still give this gift from Santa on Christmas morning without telling him the truth??? I need a good story quick! If any of you have a good lie or two up your sleeves, please let me know.

M - (a little) Backyard Bottle Rocket Mischief

A handful of bottle rockets and a tiny little rebellious streak. Those were our ingredients for a few minutes this evening. Being the generally law-abiding citizens that we are, we only shot off one bottle rocket over the pond - which makes for a nice BANG and slight echo down the creek.



It might at first appear in the picture below that I have a bottle rocket stuck in my eye. I can assure you that at no time, either before or after the fuse was lit, did I have a bottle rocket stuck in my eye. Had there been an actual bottle rocket in my eye, it might have ruined our fun for at least the rest of the evening. My young apprentice took this picture and I think he did a fine job considering it was pitch dark outside.

Technically bottle rockets are "illegal" in Oklahoma. What does "illegal" really mean in this sense? Is it like those yellow signs with a speed limit that are more just guides for good living than actual black-and-white rules? Mere suggestions, I think. For tonight, I believe the no-bottle-rocket rule is simply a good idea but in no way actually precludes the enjoyment of ye' old beloved pint-size pyro projectile. Besides, we shot this one over a relatively nice size body of water....where's the fire hazard in that, I ask? Play the video below for a first-hand review of the fun.



Turn up your sound to hear the crack of this tiny torpedo (and to hear Noah say "run dad run!"). This sentiment was likely based more out of concern for my safety than for any potential misdemeanor charge or incarceration.

All in all tonight was just some harmless fun amongst the boys. No harm done but certainly lots of fun! :-)

M - Children's Christmas Parade in Dallas

This year marks our third outing to the Neiman Marcas Adophus Children's Parade in Dallas. It's become a family tradition and each year I'm reminded why it's worth the effort. We have a great time and I might enjoy it as much as the kiddos. There are just a handful of activities that make me feel 'kid-like' again at Christmas time and going to a parade is one of them for me. When I was a kid we usually made it to the downtown Christmas parade in Ardmore and, in hindsight, boy did those floats pale in comparison to these.

The latest census bureau data show that there are approximately two giant Asian gentlemen living in the USA. One plays for the Houston Rockets and the other, apparently, attends children's parades in Dallas with his wife and daughter. I had initial concerns when Giganto appeared next to us but I thought "This is one huge dude. He is probably well-versed in ensuring his hunormousness does not interfere with those sub-7ft mortals around him." Giganto could have easily stood behind us or, perhaps...the hotel...and still enjoyed a full view of the parade. Nonetheless, Giganto lovingly blocked my view though much of the parade and this behemoth was so tall I couldn't even see the Comerica skyscraper across the street (perhaps a little exaggeration on that one). Here is a picture of Giganto next to my brother-in-law Brian.

Next is a picture of SANTA, the final float, the pinnacle of the parade, the...wait, you can't see Santa? Yeah, neither could I. But Giganto could.

I'm sure Giganto is a great fella, well-loved by all who know and look up to him.
SO, enough sarcasm, now on with the report!

Here is Katie enjoying some cotton candy. Click on the first picture to get a better view of my baby's beautiful blue eyes (and mouth!).

Frosty makes his way down the street.

Next comes mine and Noah's favorite float...THE GRINCH!

Curious George, Bob the Builder, and some big jolly penguins

Overall I'd say we had a great time once again. We watched the parade from in front of the now apparently defunct Dallas Grand Hotel. It was a great spot, really, and had it started to rain we could have easily ducked under cover. This picture was taken just after the parade ended.

The parade lasted over an hour, had too many floats, bands and balloons to count and apparently had 350,000 in attendance with 118 million viewing it on over 300 channels in 159 markets. Could I put any more stats in one sentence? Next year we'll try even a little harder to get there even a little earlier and get even a little closer to the curb and have even a little more fun. If you feel like going let us know...we'd love to have a whole crew there together. I highly recommend the parade as consideration for one of your new family traditions.

Here are some pics from 2005 if you are interested. Enjoy!

D - My 6 year old Teenager

This morning for breakfast Noah ate a cereal bar, a bowl of dry cereal and 3 hard-boiled eggs. I thought this kind of eating didn't happen until we hit the teenage years! I'd better get myself back to work so we can afford this.

M - Bumper sticker that made me laugh out loud

Playing off the 1980's anti-drug campaign, "Talk to your kids about drugs...before it's too late", the bumper sticker stated:


"Talk to your kids about Hillary.....before it's '08."

D - Belated Birthday Portraits

Slacker mom that I am, I finally took the kids today for their birthday pics. At least I got it done in the same year as their birthdays, right? Anyhow, they turned out great. Unfortunately, I don't actually know as many people as I purchased pictures for. Those Portrait Innovations people are running a pretty good racket over there. So, I guess if you're a blog stalker whom I have never met and would like a picture of my children, just let me know! And for all of you who DO know us, here's a preview of your Christmas presents. I spent so much today that I can't afford to buy you anything else!

M - Launched Green Tomatoes

At the end of the tomato growing season we had a TON of green tomatoes that were part of the freeze this weekend. Not wishing them to go to waste, we were compelled to find an inedible productive use for them. What might one do with over 200 green tomatoes? LAUNCH THEM!

We started with a lowly arm-powered launch. Noah could fairly consistently get them over the fence and I could occasionally get them to the pond. With an ever-present desire to upgrade driven by healthy levels of testosterone, the boys bought a sling-shot at Bass Pro yesterday.
In first round of ammo-harvesting, we only gathered small tomatoes that would fit in the ammo-pouch of the slingshot.
Noah sampled a few rounds in the process:


Here are some shots of Noah firing off his first few rounds. We decided to freeze the tomatoes so they'd be rock hard and not tend to squish in the slingshot. Be sure to click on the pictures for a larger view to fully appreciate the look on Noah's face.

Dad gets in on the action:

Still not shooting far enough? ABSOLUTELY NOT! It was clearly time to raise the stakes so we went to Academy and bought a water balloon launcher.



And a couple of movies for your tomato launch viewing pleasure:

M - Backyard Barber

I've been cutting my own hair for about 10 years now and figure I've saved about $1250 in direct costs as a result (I seldom go more than three weeks without a cut). When my haircuts went to $8 (gasp!) with a military discount at Pro-Cuts, I decided to try out the barber shop on the base at Tinker. This worked pretty will until I no longer had a valid military ID. When I saw that 'normal people' haircuts were over $10 (back then) I couldn't believe it! There was only one obvious frugal choice...do it myself, of course. Now that I can skillfully cut my own hair and that cut NEVER varies, I figured I'd save even more money by taking care of Noah's hair. This venture hasn't been quite as successful as my own but we are learning. Mostly I'm just not very fast and that doesn't really help the whole process. The little booger gets too impatient. I also haven't quite figured out how to deal my son's curvy noggin'. Nonetheless, I get a little better each time. Plus it saves mom's time to not have to take him in. Since I only know how to cut one hairstyle, and that style is not particularly girl-friendly, mom says I need to stay away from Katie's cute little blonde mop. Anybody else out there choppin' at home?

M - Leaf Play

Piling in the leaves is a usual Bosley-boy tradition which we gladly expanded this year to include our little lady friend Katie. At first she wasn't entirely sure if the dust and debris were really worth it but she eventually bought in to the whole concept and had a GREAT time. Enjoy the pics as we did the day!! You can click on each picture for a larger view.

M - Centennial Celebration at Cattlemen's

We celebrated the Oklahoma Centennial in part by heading on over to Cattlemen's Restaurant for a right tasty dinner with some of the family. It was BUSY but I really love going there. It opened in 1910, juast a few years after statehood. It's one of the few 'authentic' (whatever that means) cafes you can still find around town. The story of how the restaurant was lost and won around a deck of cards is a great piece of history. Here's an excerpt from the menu:

In 1945, Cattlemen's was owned by Hank Fry, a gambler of sorts. In a smoke-filled room at the old Biltmore Hotel in downtown Oklahoma City, Fry was running out of luck and money in dice game attended by a local rancher, Mr. Gene Wade. Fry put up Cattlemen's as the pot if Wade could roll a 'hard six,' otherwise known as two 3s. Wade put up his life savings, which was a sizable amount of money. With one roll of the dice, Gene Wade was in the restaurant business. The '33' brand on the wall of Cattlemen's Hereford Room became a well-known symbol of Wade's good fortune.


Here is a picture of Noah enjoying a tasty deep-fried sampling of lamb fries, not to be confused with Rocky Mountain Oysters. Sprinkle a little lemon on them, maybe some extra salt, and it's hard to beat as a treat! For even better lamb fries head on down to Giacomo's Restaurant in McAlester. Be prepared for high prices, though! There's a little note at the bottom that says, "Financing Available"!

M - Thanksgiving Fire (the good kind)

The trusty ol' wireless thermometer now reads 26 degrees outside our kitchen window. It's down from 28 degrees which it read at 0500hrs this morning over two hours ago. The sun will hit it in a few minutes and give a false reading for about an hour until it's in the shade again created by the cover over our patio.

It seems to me that 26 degrees easily justifies putting the fireplace into action. Noah begged me to wake him up when it was time but the little booger really needs to get a full night's rest. We always go to bed later when family is visiting.

For me, a real fireplace is the only way to go. Today's fire is particularly crackly and all the more enjoyable as a result. I've been playing with fire my whole life. It's not a camping trip unless there is fire and perhaps, if all goes well, a small degree of danger. On the hottest summer night of camping, a campfire must rise from the dirt if only out of nostalgic obligation. On the coldest night, the fire is no longer just for fun. It's an absolute necessity. Waking up in a cold tent leaves a person longing for someone else to get up first and get the fire started.

EVERY time I build a fire, whether at my house or at a campsite, I am reminded of the central role of our old Ashley Stove at the house where I spent most of my childhood. The only sources of heat were electric blankets, electric space heaters, and most importantly, the fireplace. Thus, cutting wood took on a whole new level of importance. It was a necessity. It's not possible to count the number of trips to the back of our pasture, or any number of family members' pastures, to cut wood on a Saturday morning. We'd cut and haul wood all day long until my great-grandmother determined we had 'enough'. She was generally in charge of 'kindling' and would stoop over and pick up enough to fill boxes and boxes with small little branches to ease the fire starting process. My mom and I were usually the chainsaw operators with my mom doing most of that work. Sometimes we'd be accompanied by one or two of my uncles.

We knew just which low branches gave the best 'horsey' rides and which trees had the best grape vines for swinging. I know now that those times of collective family work shaped me as much as any vacation or free time wandering the pasture. There sure were plenty of times when I DID NOT want to go. It was almost always cold and windy, it seems, and playing carried a much greater appeal.

That's enough nostalgia for one morning. The fire is working great and I'd say right now the living room is a little TOO warm. But, it smells just right and sounds just right and it kind of reminds me of the 'old days'.

Are there any other fireplace purists out there or is it 'natural gas and firelogs' only for your household?

D - Boys vs. Girls

One of the things that I enjoy the most about having one boy and one girl is watching how different they are by nature. Today (like so many others) both kids were playing monster trucks. While Noah takes the trucks and builds ramps and tries to launch the trucks over other trucks, Katie plays with them like they are dolls. Her trucks go by their names and get in trouble. They hurt each others feelings, get spankings and go to time-out. I assure you, NOBODY taught this behavior. Isn't it wonderful the way God designs us?

D - Nephew #2

Sorry for the delay in reporting, but I've been busy and tired. Mary went into labor at about 4 pm on Thursday, so I went to the hospital at 9:30 that night thinking the baby would be there any time. I was WRONG! So after about 1 hour of sleep that whole night, I finally got to see my 2nd nephew at 12:03 pm on Friday (That's not entirely true, it was more like 1:30 or so by the time I saw him, but I'm not complaining.). And by saying my 2nd nephew, I mean ALL of him....all 9 lbs, 6 oz and 21 inches of him. I've never seen such a full face on a newborn (Not even on Noah who is proud that he still has Joel beat by 1 oz)!

It has been so much fun to hold Joel and love on him. I nicknamed him "Joely Poly" a long time ago and told Mary that I really hoped he would be fat to live up to that name - boy, did she ever deliver! Having nieces and nephews is so much fun, and much easier than having more children of my own. Now I really can't wait to go to TX to hold Nephew #1!!!