"I" is for Insect, Igloo & Ice

Here are some pics from our preschool class last month when Kim taught on the short and long vowel sounds of "I".  The boys learned about insects and ice, as well as patience as they melted paper insect cut-outs that had been frozen in ice.

The next project they did doubled as an awesome snack.  After reading about igloos, Noah & Reid made their own igloos out of halved apples, which they coated with peanut butter and decorated with mini marshmallows.  The boys seemed to enjoy this project a little too much.  The main challenge with this one turned out to be redirecting the butter knives from their mouths to the apples.

 

A Birthday to Remember

It's pretty amusing how parenting changes from the first baby to subsequent babies.  Everyone said it would happen and it did.  It became especially obvious in how we celebrated Ronin's first birthday as compared to Reid's.  In case you weren't there for Reid's (most were!), it was no party.  It was an event.

Ronin's 1st Birthday (left)   Reid's 1st Birthday (below)

We now realize we've been going over the top with the birthday parties and made the decision to knock it down a notch.  Problem was, Ronin also has the whole Christmas birthday thing to contend with, so one notch became several.  We planned a very low-key, family only (mostly) thing at Super Franks.  While we felt like we were doing the right thing by putting birthday parties into perspective, we still wanted to be sure to make it special somehow and decided to do that with a seriously awesome cake.  

Here's a pic of the cake we decided to recreate out of the "Hello, Cupcake" cookbook:

But, apparently it wasn't such a safe assumption to substitute the vanilla cake mix for the much softer funfetti mix:

 

We almost tossed it, but decided at the last minute to bring it anyway and it turned out to be a hit among the guests, particularly the guest of honor!

Reid's impromptu birthday card for Ronin:

To June with Love, Ward

Kim & I channelled our inner Martha Stuart meets June Cleaver when we hosted our retro Christmas table for this year's Women's Christmas Dinner at our church.  It was Kim's vision and a lot of my kitchen, topped with Ronin's retro t.v. nightlight! 

Olive's B-Day

For Olive's second birthday (last Wednesday), we continued the family tradition of dinner at the Olive Garden.  There wasn't a table big enough to accommodate all 15 members of our family who came to remember her with us.  Even her grandma, grandpa & great grandma came from Southern California to be there.  We felt loved to say the least.  

I found these beautiful, seasonal olive wreaths made by the Lindsay Olive Company which we gave as early Christmas gifts to our family that evening.  As an added bonus, proceeds from the wreath sales benefited Meals on Wheels, a group that delivers meals to those in need.  They're supposed to dry beautifully.  Plus, they smell delicious!  

One of the waitresses asked my step-dad what our family was celebrating.  Her eyes began to well up as he shared Olive's story.  She was so touched that she asked us to email the manager with it to be included in their newsletter, which features different families and their different reasons for gathering at the Olive Garden.  Kinda cool, huh?

The Race

The Bandits' had a goal to just keep the car running to finish the race, and that they did!  With 227 laps, they placed 47th of 160 teams.

The Drivers:

My Photos from the Weekend:

Also, check out this fan video from the race weekend.  More pics and in-car videos can be found on the CBB's Facebook fan page.

The Bandits have made it into "Sears Pointless", March 6-7th at Sears Point in Sonoma.  Team/car theme?  Well, the hotdog montage from my photo slideshow must have been a premonition because the new theme is officially "The Nascar Mayer Wiener Mobile", inspired by our run-in with THE Oscar Mayer Wiener Mobile:

24 Hours of LeMons

In case you're wondering why we haven't had any posts on the progress on our backyard, it's because there hasn't been any!  My mistake.  I should have told Colby, "Sure!  I'm cool with you joining the Cannonball Bandits team for the 24 Hours of Lemons race -once the backyard is done!"  Oh, well...  Maybe this Summer.

So, what is The 24 Hours of LeMons?  I'll let the experts describe.  Excerpt  from the 24 Hours of LeMons site FAQ's:

WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?

A nationwide series of endurance races for cars that cost $500 or less.

COME AGAIN?

The 24 Hours of LeMons is restricted to cars that were purchased, fixed up, and track-prepped for total of $500 or less. At most venues, the racing consists of tech inspection and track testing on Friday; long-ass endurance-race sessions on Saturday and Sunday; and breaks for sleeping, eating, and Band-Aid application every night. At least once a year, we also hold a straight 24-hour endurance race. Count on plenty of noise, prizes, water fights, and questionably civilized fun before, during, and after the track sessions. Finally, assuming you're still standing, there's the gala awards ceremony which presents trophies, plaques, and winner's purses paid out in nickels.

WILL MY TEAM GET ACCEPTED?

Maybe. Maybe not. We usually get more applications than each racetrack can handle, so we have to pick and choose. Boring applications like "We are four guys who love to race, and we have done (blah blah blah) driving before" don't give us too much to work with: You might get in, and you might not. Applications like "Choose us, because we'll wear beaver costumes in the paddock and our car is entirely coated in birch bark" give you much better odds. 

IS MY CAR GONNA GET HELLA MUNCHED UP?

Oh, almost definitely. LeMons is a non-contact event, but it's a crowded track with a whole lot of really hard driving. And even if your car survives out on the course, halfway through the race one entry will be chosen by popular ballot for immediate crushing. Could be yours. Heck, it probably WILL be yours. Be prepared.

IS THIS, LIKE, REAL RACING?

Yeah, it's real racing. That said, between the thick scrum of crapcans in front of you and our aversion to long, flat-out straightaways, you're not going to set any speed records. It's kinda like a loud, hot, noisy version of driving to work. For a really, really long time. Without actually getting anywhere. And it's a lot harder to drink coffee through the helmet. Oh, and, you know, it's more dangerous.

ARE THERE PRIZES?

Oh, lordy yes. Over the course of the year we'll be recognizing wins for marque, nationality, all-girls teams, etc., and awarding the Harold Stassen Memorial Sticktuitiveness Trophy, the Albert Gore Jr. Carbon-Neutral Cup, and other such venerable honors. At each race, the Winner on Distance gets $1500; the winner of the Index of Effluency receives $1000; and the People's Choice socks away $500. Warning: We love to pay prizes in nickels.

Their theme being based on the 1981 movie, "Cannonball Run" the Bandits have been accepted into their first race on November 20-22 in Willows, CA.  They've been hard-pressed designing their team and car, endless tune-ups & outfitting the gem with all the required safety gear, and of course growing Burt Reynolds-esque 'staches.

 

The Car: '87 Toyota Corolla FX16

 

In addition to driving, Colby's main responsibility is the car's design.  

Below: The makes its debut at the Bandits' fund-raiser BBQ/Auction benefiting Doctor's Giving Back.

More to come!  In the meantime, you can stay up to date with the Bandits by becoming a fan on theirFacebook fan page.

What's Left

I've been doing the homemade baby food thing for Ronin as I did for Reid, only I've ditched the Magic Bullet this time around for my much larger Cuisinart blender.  I thought that after they came out of the oven, these pears looked good enough to... take a picture of.  =)

Homemade baby food really is a pain compared to buying the ready-made jars, but the benefits far outweigh the hassle.  As much as I'd like to imagine myself as a cross between Bettie Page and Betty Crocker, I really lack in the cooking department.  I only do it because it makes me feel like a good wife and mom.  So when I make baby food, I make it in bulk.  Lately though, I've been getting a bit out of hand with quantities and have had to get creative with leftover puree after I've already filled all of my ice cube trays.  This last time around I used leftover sweet potato puree to mix in our oatmeal with applesauce and brown sugar as well as to make some sweet potato pancakes.  The beauty in it is that Reid doesn't even know he's eating vegetables!

Halloween Flashback

2006

Billy Goat Reid:

2007

Ninja Reid (minus mask):

Us as a geisha & samurai:

2008

Colby as Old Obi Wan, Reid as mini Darth Vader, Me as Senator Padme, and Ronin as Luke & Leia

 

2009

Had I have known Ronin's K-9's would come in well before his front teeth, I would have dressed him as a little vampire bat...

...But I didn't.  And besides, Reid had already decided Ronin would be Bulls-eye, the pony from Toy Story 2, to compliment his own costume as Buzz Lightyear.

First trick-or-treat house....  Me: "Come back, Reid!!  We don't go in the houses!!"  

So, what do you do?  Get the picture, right?

 

 

After a long night:

Colby and I attended a church event earlier in the month, dressed as our pastor and his wife... in their actual clothes.  Their kids helped me get them without their knowing.  

 

On halloween night, after trick-or-treating with the kids, we threw together last-minute costumes for a party with a trip to the thrift store, clothes from our closets and some gore from the Spirit Store.  I didn't realize how gory our retro-movie zombie costumes were until I saw these pictures, and I apologize for that, but I thought readers might enjoy the juxtaposition to the other "costumes" as I did.