2nd Week of January

How's that for a boring blog post title?  I know.  It's because I've used up all of my creativity for the week. Gretchen & I have been making up stories on the walks home from preschool.  I'm a super mean mom and force my kids to walk places.  She really hates it.  Maybe because it's 1.2 miles from our house. ( I just checked on google maps.  Thanks internet!  You always have the answers I need!)  Every day when she realizes that we're walking home AGAIN, she'll sit on the frozen ground and refuse to move.  So actually, I end up carrying her home for about half of it.  (It's a really good workout.)  It's fine.  Since it's so cold, she's like a snuggly hot water bottle.  But she's also a heavy hot water bottle.  So I make her walk a block, then I carry her a block.  And to keep her mind off the 1.2 mile walk, this week we made up stories.  I will share....

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Gretchen.  She loved playing with her toy cars.  But sometimes the cars were naughty.  One day, she took a break from playing to have a snack.  While she was eating some pirate booty, the cars drove all around the room.  When she came back, they were EVERYWHERE!  She was very frustrated with them.
"Naughty cars!"  she said.  "You stay where I put you!"
The cars said, "Beep beep, HONK HONK!  We go where we want!"

Gretchen said, "I'll show you!" and put them all in a box.

Gretchen went to watch a movie.  When it was over she came back to her room and discovered the cars were EVERYWHERE AGAIN!  They were all over the floor!  All over the walls!  One had even driven on the ceiling and got caught in the light!  She said, "Naughty cars!  You stay where I put you!"
The cars said, "Beep beep, HONK HONK!  We go where we want!"
Gretchen said, "I'll show you!" and got the vacuum cleaner and vacuumed them all up.

Gretchen's friend came over for a playdate.  They played in the backyard.  They built a big fort.
VROOOOOOOOOOOM
"What's that noise?" asked her friend.
VROOOOOOOOOOOM
"I don't know!" said Gretchen, "We'd better check it out..."
VROOOOOOOOOOOM
Inside, the vacuum cleaner was driving all over the house!  The cars had figured out how to drive the vacuum cleaner!
"Oh my goodness!" Gretchen exclaimed.
The cars said, "Beep beep, HONK HONK!  We go where we want!"

Gretchen realized that sometimes, you can't make cars do what you want them too.  So she said, "Ok cars, I won't try to tell you waht to do anymore."  The cars said, "Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!  Beep beep, HONK HONK!  We go where we want!"

(If only Gretchen could learn that lesson in real life.  Sometimes you just have to let go of the illusion of control....)

We also made up a story about "Fastee Seeds", which are seeds that you plant and they grow trees so fast you can see them get taller (it took her a while to explain what Fastee was.  She just kept saying, "Fastee, mom.  Fastee seeds.  They're Fastee." (Repeated about 50x with no other elaboration).  But I don't remember all of that story except that the girl hung a swing 300 feet up in the air and could see the whole world.

GIRL SCOUTS!!!!  ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

Remember how I was complaining about how Girl Scouts is too awesome to quit?  Yeah, this is what Ella did last Monday.  She got to stand on the floor during the national anthem for the Reno Bighorns game.  It was awesome.  We all got free tickets.  Actually, I think most everyone there had free tickets.  They were trying to fill the stadium since it was going to be on national television.  I don't' know why more people don't go to the basketball games, it was super fun.  Yes, you heard me.  I just said that watching the basketball game was SUPER FUN.  No, hell has not frozen over.  Even though it is 14°F outside.

AND IN LADYBUG NEWS....

I thought the radio station that we've been listening to 24/7 for the past weeks would enjoy hearing about Ella's Science Project so I sent them a facebook message.  And then when I stumbled into the kitchen the next morning to make Ella's lunch, they were TOTALLY TALKING ABOUT IT ON THE RADIO!!!  They said they were going to bring up her findings at their contract renewal.  They're good for ladybugs!  And then they played a Randy Newman ladybug song!  And then I realized that Ella was downstairs watching TV and missed the whole thing!  I quickly ran, yes RAN, down there to tell her & she said, "That is SO COOL!  It's ok that I missed it, I'm just excited they talked about my ladybugs on the RADIO!"

Gretchen & her friend did face painting with her new eye makeup kit.  

NO MORE PICTURES!!!!  How quickly things turn.

Gretchen was really upset with her nose this week.  "Mom, my nose is making me crazy, the snot keeps sliding out of it."  Cold and flu season is upon us.  At least my kids haven't had any fever-induced hallucinations of Batman yet, unlike our beloved friend C (who hopefully is on the mend.  Geesh.)  (Gretechen was jealous of the hallucination.  She wants to know why she hasn't had that happen to HER.  Because sometimes life isn't fair, sweetie.  That's why.)

Gretchen prepares for her pre-church shower.  Cleanliness is next to good.

Before I finished taking down all the Christmas decorations, I thought I'd take a picture of my favorite corner.   I was pretty proud of how the living room turned out.

ALL MY DECORATING SECRETS ARE NOW REVEALED!!!!!!!  

Ok, see you guys later!  I'm going to go watch some zombies try to eat people now.

xoxoxo