A conversation

Last night Lucy ralphed at 2 a.m. and had dry heaves again at 4 a.m. Annette went on a retreat this morning leaving me in charge of all 5 kids.

At the breakfast table, I was sitting with only Lucy while the other kids were upstairs making a pillow fort. I prepared 2 pieces of toast with butter and honey for Lucy to eat since her belly isn't 100% strong yet. She licked off the honey and didn't eat the toast. When pressed with the issue, she tried to change the subject.

Here's a dialogue of what happened next. 






Papa: Are you going to eat the toast?
Lucy: My blanket is pink!
P: Yes, your blanket is pink. Are you going to eat the toast?
L:   (Points to Papa's face) You have a beard!
P:  That's right. Where is your toast?
L:   (Points to plate) Right there.
P:  Are you going to eat it?
L: I have a bear.
P: And what do bear's eat?
L: Honey!
P: And do you have some honey?
L: Right there!
P: That's right. Are you going to eat your toast?
L: The birds eat birdseed.
P: Yes, they do. And Lucy eats toast.
L: I am happy!
P: Me too!
L: See my bear?
P: I do see your bear.
L:  I need water.
P: Eat your toast first.
L: (Tears well up in eyes)
P: Well played Lucy.

Guess who

Guess who stood in the corner for the first time?

Festival of Lights!

We had a great time at the Festival of Lights last night!  Hope you guys enjoyed it too!

'Twas the night before garbage pickup

'Twas the night before garbage pickup when we we returned from the bash

My lovely bride reminded me to, "Take out the trash."

Since Christmas had happened merely a day before,
there were many bags (and dirty diapers) waiting nearby the door.

The clock approached midnight as I collected our waste,

In my party clothes and fancy shoes I moved with great haste.

Finally after much laboring the project was complete
our rubbish sat in three cans waiting collection by the street.

We went to sleep confidently knowing Rumpke would obey
and pick up our scraps from the previous 7 days. 

I looked to see if they'd collected from the door,

and unfortunately things were the same as before.

Three cans still remained there occupying space

and a frown settled down on the front of my face.

I called the computer at Rumpke Trash & Recycling

and listened intently to their prompt little recording

The message told me they'd be by the next day.

They simply delayed because of the holiday.

My wife asked if they'd come by on Saturday side,
I told her that wouldn't happen in a voice with much pride.

I pulled the containers back as it looked rather bleak,

because I knew they'd be overflowing by early next week

That evening I went to sleep, dozed off in my bed

as visions of garbage monsters danced in my head

And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had been sleeping like bears in a long winter's nap.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.

When, what to my wondering eyes should I see,
But a Rumpke Truck. I thought, "Yipee!"

Away to the garage I flew like a flash,
Tossed on my pants and gathered the trash.

I ran down the driveway without even a cap
hoping I could beat this driver collecting crap.

Uncertain if he was recycling or plain old collection,

Grabbing the biggest can that I could was my decision.

As the last can was collected and placed at its station,

the driver pulled up without much tribulation.

It was hard to make out any details in the dark,

But he worked lively and quick like a small hot spark.

He said, "Mornin' buddy" in a voice that was sweet,

Then I realized I was wearing no shoes on my feet!

The cans were tossed into the truck as quick as a wink,

And it seemed he delighted in his job, I think.

As he drove off with my rubbish nearly out of sight,

I heard him exclaim, "Hey buddy!  Set it out at night!"

Playing with new toys

While the reds were taking a nap, Christopher and Clara took it upon themselves to interrogate Flynn Rider (http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/Flynn_Rider) about the missing crown.

Lucy dances too

Lucy got out on the dance floor with Molly (second from left) during their Christmas performance. Ask Adam if you want to see the video of this.

Night time reading

Annette reads to the kids from a Jack and Annie book before bedtime tonight.

Conversations and Observations

I walked into the house tonight and found myself thrown into a discussion about how important it is to wear underwear when leaving the house. My 8 year old son apparently thought underwear was optional in snow days.

Later in the evening, I had to discuss the merits of wearing your shirt on correctly instead of backwards with my 6 year old daughter.

There's much more content than these two examples, but I can't recall them now.

Adam

In the tent city

Adam and Lucy made some funny faces while in the living room Tent City last Saturday.

Tigger

T-I-DOUBLE GUH ER

Sleeping time

Sabrina passes out on the couch for a nap from time to time.

Breakfast time

Early morning chow time

Giggle

Giggle (v) used without object

1) to laugh 

2) an event at St. Tim's Preschool similar to craft making marathon 

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Kids in Cruisers

Looking back over the collection of photos on my phone, I discovered an interesting trend. I have photos of at least 3 of my kids in the front seat of police cruisers. Who knew?

Oktoberfest!

Here we are at St. Tim's Oktoberfest!

Happy Birthday Mama!

Happy Birthday Annette!

Ants in the backpack

Clara's science experiment.

Sisters

Molly is brushing Lucy's hair with the new brush.

Pool time with Todd and Heather

We went down to swim in the pool with Todd and Heather this past Sunday. Swimming with them for several hours followed by pizza poolside made for a perfect way to spend an afternoon.

Lucy's Lunch time

 A photo of Lucy eating her delicious lunch. 

Gatlinburg Pottery

This is a shot from the pottery shop we visited a few weeks ago when we visited Gatlinburg.

Construction Workers?

We went to the Public Works cookout today celebrating National Public Works week. Each kid took a turn in the equipment.

Spring Trip 2013

A photo from the Howard Family Spring Trip 2013

Link

http://nky.cincinnati.com/article/AB/20130426/NEWS0103/304260058/NKY-s-economic-growth-shows-no-signs-slowing

Another photo from Bob's Farm on Friday

On Friday we had a picnic at Bob's Farm.  The reason we went to Bob's was so that I (Adam) could get in a little bit of turkey scouting.  After seeing this photo, I can't help but think it looks like I'm walking into the woods with a bunch of hobbits in tow. 

New Glasses

Christopher and I both got new glasses recently. I think my choice of eye ware was influenced by his choice of style.

Family Photo!

Gambrel Photography of Walton snapped this shot of us from the Benton Farm Spring Day on March 23, 2013.

Getting ready

 Annette is getting Clara ready for her first soccer practice. This should be interesting.

Clara and her dancing

We think Clara has a distinct resemblance in her dancing to Elaine on Seinfeld. Agree?

Sickness

This blog post is intended to remind us of our blessings whenever we're healthy again.

Valentines Day Cards

Clara writes her name while Annette writes out the name of the student receiving the valentine. Comprise at its purest form.

Puzzle anyone?

An 1,100 piece puzzle is going to take a long time in this household.

Clara's Club

Apparently Christopher and Clara have decided to have a 'big kid' corner in the basement. This is the scene I found when I went downstairs tonight to put them to bed. Today was Clara's 6th birthday.

Lunch Dates

I had a funeral visitation today at St. Paul's so I decided to drop in on my kids for lunch. Since I didn't have any cash, Clara offered to buy. It made me wonder what life is going to look like whenever she buys my lunch again sometime in the distant future. 

After a little bit of floor time in Kindergarten recess, I caught up with Christopher. He was just going through the lunch line at the time. 

Books

It seems that not everyone is intently listening to the book Annette is reading.

Marshmallow House

Clara and her marshmallow house she made earlier this week.

Dufflepud Chicken

 Tonight we're having dinner with the Dufflepuds - another meal brought to us by the Narnia Cookbook

Lucy at the library

Lucy likes her books. Here she is as 14 months just relaxing at the library.

Largest dessert

It's good to be the Papa...

Coooold

I call this image 'Adaptation.'

Helping hands

Lucy is receiving some hand washing instructions from her big brother and sister.

Sisters

Today after coming home, I was greeted by a pink tutu and a katana.

A visit with Babo

Last week I was in downtown Florence and found myself with some extra time so I dropped in on Babo (Grandma).  We had a nice visit and I was glad she recognized me with the beard on my face.  We talked about many of our usual topics such as the number of children I have, the price for catholic schools and then back to the number of children I have.  It was a very nice visit and I enjoy spending time with her. -- Adam

Picking out a Christmas Tree

It was about 60 degrees today and slightly damp when we picked out our Christmas Tree.  We first went to three stores to get colored lights, then went down to Covington to see Sarah finish her first 5K.  After a lunch at McDonald's in Burlington, we arrived at the Boone County Farmer's Market to get a Christmas tree from Kinman Farms. 

 

We had a nice time picking it out and an even better time decorating later.  When everything was said and done, we concluded the evening with hot chocolate and candy canes before watching a few Year in Review videos.  Good times...

Santa Claus in Burlington

Tonight we went to Burlington to visit with Santa Claus. We've been going for at least 4 years. Santa was indoors this year due to the rain, but we still had a nice time.
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Dr. Sabrina

We have noticed that Sabrina has a certain knack for animals. Here she is using a stethoscope to give Stella a quick checkup before leaving Thanksgiving dinner.

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