aw crap

I just discovered that my favorite store, Anthropologie, sells kids clothes.

And so far I can only find them on the sale rack.

Double-trouble.

Good thing I'm not with child, or I'd really be coveting right now. As it is, I'm feeling a serious need to buy this and just hope like crazy I do have a girl eventually.

isn't it ironic

Yesterday I shamefully turned in my library book a week late, having supposed to have read it over Christmas. Yet I barely cracked the first page.

And today I'm twiddling my thumbs and feeling insanely bored, and therefore wishing I'd kept that silly book because my library doesn't charge any late fees.

It's kind of depressing in a silly sort of way.

Sigh.

wondering

In my recent internet travels I've come across something really interesting that's got me thinking. Someone's new years resolution is to not buy anything for 3 months. Like how everyone goes on a crash diet after eating way to much over the holidays, but this is a crash diet for spending way to much over the holidays. This sounds so amazing and I'm really pretty good about not spending too much money, but I don't know if I could do it. I mean, nothing new until April? But what if there's a really really amazing deal on something? I'm thinking it over today to see if I could commit to something similar, but I just wanted to get all of your feedback. Do you think you could do it? Do you even want to?

Banks is now officially sleeping in his big bed and has wet down the potty twice since we got it out last night. What is going on? I swear he's still a baby!

train gang and bunk beds to boot

new bunk beds from our favorite store (notice they are mini to avoid broken collar bones)

too busy playing to pause for a photo

Banks actually took a nap in his new big boy bed today! I hope he'll keep doing it because it's pretty cute that he can just get up and come find us when he's done sleeping. He's getting so big.

And Benson likes trains. And I just felt like taking pictures.

story time

A couple of days ago, Benson found a little piece of paper (which used to hold earrings, incidentally) and folded it in half and called it a book. Today he asked us to write some letters in it (which we did) and since then he has been "reading" chronicles of the giant yo-yo from said book. This evening's rendition went something like this:

"Once upon a time there was a giant yo-yo. One day he went to the town and he CRUSHED everything. Then he drank the water and the swans, ate the houses and the people, and then he was done but there was nothing left. Then a guy with a wand and some crazy circles on his clothes came a fixed all the houses. But then the giant yo-yo ate them again. But THEN his teeth started to fall out and then he fell over and he died. And then all the houses, and the people, and the swans, and the water, and the tables (giggle giggle giggle) and the whole town came back to life and everyone was happy. the end."

And then I read him a story out of one of the very neat old children's books Ben's mom gave us and it went something like this:

"There was once a rich ugly guy with a blue beard. He got married to this girl, even though she wasn't really sure because all of his other seven wives had disappeared. One day he said he was going to go on a trip and he gave her the key to a tiny, mysterious room and said if she went in it she would be punished. So she went in it and you know what was in there? ALL THE OTHER WIVES STRUNG UP AROUND THE ROOM AND A POOL OF BLOOD ON THE FLOOR. And then the husband found out and told her he was going to kill her in 15 minutes and he was about to do just that when her brothers burst through the door and killed him. The end."

Ooooooookay. Children's story? Mmmmmmmm-k. Yeah. Good thing I am a speed reader and therefore had already read that part to myself before I actually got there, but seriously, it was hard to make a story out of that once I had gotten that far.

And the moral of the story is:

Let Benson tell the stories from now on. Though they may be a little violent, they're not even close to the real violence found in children's stories. Yikes.

holiday highlights:

Spending time with the whole family

Making a very tall snowman

Banksy face planting in the snow

I swear Benson was happy hunting for a tree

Caramel souffles on Christmas Eve

Sledding!

Looking thoughtful while eating snow

not pictured (but equally loved):
Playing with the other Tracy family
Rubbing pregnant bellies
Christmas morning goodies (including my AWESOME new bag)
Grandma turning either 74, 75, or 76, which I can't remember even though she told me 100 times
Attempting to teach my children the difference between soft white snow, and snow tracked in on the bottom of shoes and which is okay to eat (not sure that they ever learned that one)