Turned the Corner

Got to love Christmas Break. The lazy mornings, jammies until lunchtime, and endless hours of playing with the new toys. Well, within the past few days, I have had to be careful...I am never quite sure what is lurking beyond the corner.

Little Dude B is well equipped.

Little Dude M is equally matched

Christmas Joy!

A peek into the Moloko's Christmas...

An ORANGE Miami Dolphin Hat make Little Dude M happy.

Many duels to come...

Big Sister's excitement

LEGOS!

Whoo Hoo...The #1 Wish List Present

Euphoria=American Girl Gift Card

Thumbs up from the B Man

Christmas 2009 was FABULOUS!

Blizzard Fun

We were pummeled with a tremendous snow storm this past weekend. Friday afternoon, I found myself in a horrendous line at the grocery store buying essentials and baking items. After picking up the munchkins from school we made a mad search all over town (four stores) in search of "snow boots." We lucked out in that two of the three Moloko siblings ended up with boots. Little Dude B...still on the hunt.

Never in our wildest imagination did I think we were truly going to get 20 inches of white powder. Well, the weather man actually got it right this time...22 inches on our deck! It was a good 24 hours of continual snowflakes. The whole clan headed outside for some sledding.

Our improvised sled...BIG mixing tub from Home Depot

Moloko Ladies

Moloko Men

B Man

M Man

Big Sister

Crazy Straws to the Rescue

It is a daily struggle to get the Little Dudes to finish their milk. After numerous reminders to "finish their milk" the other night, Little Dude M ran to the drawer and pulled out two crazy straws. Little Dude B proposes a race to the finish. Just as I was turning the camera on, I hear them both chant "Mark, Set, Go!"

Funny thing is, I am not sure as to how the crazy straws actually arrived in the Moloko household. I certainly would never buy such a "cool" item as they are a bear to wash, so, that leads me to believe that they were a treat from a birthday party.

Checking out his competition

And the winner is.............

Little Dude M's victory dance

Something tells me that there will be many milk racing competitions to come.

Follow your Nose

They say cats always land on their feet. I wish Little Dude B had some feline landing skills. Poor guy, he always manages to take the brunt of his falls on his nose. This week as he was waiting for me to pull up in the "car pool line" to pick him up from school, he took a bit of a tumble. A classmate was playing around with him, grabbed him, and swung him around. He lost his balance and now has the outline of Sweden on his nose. He was escorted to the car by a teacher, with a scraped face and bloody mouth, and lots of tears. He was most indignant about the lack of an apology. Evidently, the classmate headed to her car after he fell and had no idea he was injured.

With a bit of bruising on the gum line and his two permanent teeth coming in, I was concerned. So, before returning to the comfort of home, I whisked him off to the Dentist. With x-rays taken and a trip to the treasure box, he was sent on his way with a "thumbs up!"

Upon returning to school the next morning, he received more attention than I think he expected. Big Sister kept telling everyone he got in a fight with the sidewalk and won. My favorite question was "Did you have chocolate ice-cream for breakfast?" He was most pleased with the young lady's apology. B man told me that "It is a good thing she is so pretty." I guess that made it easier to forgive her?

With several days of healing behind him, he actually thinks he looks pretty tough now. He said he feels like a "Wounded Marine." I have to chuckle though, he is very diligent in making sure that Hydrogen Peroxide and Neosporin are applied generously. Mr. Vanity does not want a scar.

Here is his first "nose" injury...just days before turning 2! He fell off the jungle gym.

Outta Place

On a recent hike through Prince William Forest Park with the munchkins, I took the photo below. I can honestly say, this is indeed the first time I have ever noted a fire hydrant in the midst of trees, leaves, creeks, and trails. Perhaps a precautionary measure for a forest fire? It just looked a bit out of place.

Museums a Plenty

This past month has been one of intrigue, fascination, and admiration. Science, Religion and Politics have been discussion topics at the dinner table as three very iconic individuals have made an impression on the munchkins. Ben Franklin, Pope John Paul II, and Thomas Jefferson. We have had the opportunity to visit the Franklin Science Institute in Philadelphia, the John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington, DC and Thomas Jefferson's Monticello home, in Charlottesville, VA.

Little Man B is a HUGE fan of Ben Franklin and his Institute. This is our second visit and he wanted a picture with this famous BEN! The statue is called "The Franklin" which sits just inside the entrance.

We went to the Institute to view the traveling exhibit entitled "BODY WORLDS." BODY WORLDS is a one of a kind exhibit. It involves human specimens who have been preserved by a process of Plastination invented by Dr. Gunter von Hagens. Several family members who had recently seen the exhibit thought it would be worth the time and money to share with the munchkins. It was an absolutely amazing exhibit and so educational for everyone. It just makes one realize how intricate and fragile the human body is constructed.

Eager for a family activity on a dreary Saturday, we headed up to the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington, DC. We thoroughly enjoyed the collection of Papal items, gifts received from all over the world, and his life story depicted throughout the Center. It is a wonderful tribute to a truly amazing man. The boys really liked the replica of the Swiss Guard in the display case. They both thought the uniform was cool!

I had the pleasure of joining Big Sister on her field trip to Monticello. Here she is with Thomas Jefferson. Not sure whose hands are on his shoulders...one of those mischievous male classmates perhaps? Walking the grounds of Monticello, hearing personal anecdotes of Jefferson as a private citizen, and learning about his many interests gave me a greater appreciation for our 3rd President.

The house that Jefferson built

Big Sister sitting in a Jefferson chair