Nine Years in a Flash!

WHOA! It is amazing how quickly our little girl has gone from this wide eyed baby girl,

To this:

Increasingly wide-eyed energetic nine-year old young lady.

Gotta love birthdays, especially where Big Sister is concerned. She picks out her party themes and colors months in advance, draws sketches of her cake design, and plans out almost every detail. She seriously could have a future in party planning. Oh, the lists she can create! This year, she chose turquoise and lime green as her "theme colors" and decided a party of 10 would join her at the local roller skating rink to commemorate her 9th Birthday!

Birthday Card created by a Little Dude

Flowers chosen by Little Dudes - Vibrant like Big Sister

Cake collaboration - Hubby makes a fabulous roller skate

Making her wish...hoping it comes true!

Now, as if a BIG birthday bash was not enough. Big Sister insisted on attending the school's Decades Dance. I promised her we would attend the event for an hour before joining Hubby and the Little Dudes at a local restaurant to have her "Birthday" dinner. Here she is dancing to the all-time favorite 70's tune, "YMCA."

It was definitely a busy but MEMORABLE birthday. She told me just today, she has already decided on her color scheme for next year!

Useless Knowledge

Big Sister is always enligtening the family with trivia facts. Her usual source is Dan Yaccarino's "Go, Go America", a book of unique oddities, kooky state contests, and ludicrous laws on the books for our 50 states.

Well, I was recently at the library and came across another gem of a book in the childrens section entitled "Chickens May Not Cross the Road: and Other Crazy (But True) Laws " by Kathy Linz. I brought the book home, shared it with the kids, and just had to include these ridiculous laws on the blog. Definitely usless trivia but comical.

**Trout fishing is against the law if you are sitting on a Giraffes back. (Idaho State Law) ??? Did not know Giraffes were common in Idaho.

**Donkeys are not allowed to sleep in bathtubs. (Brooklyn, NY) Trying to imagine the percentaage of pet "donkeys" currently residng in Brooklyn these days.

**No one may drive while asleep. (Memphis, TN) Sounds like sound advice!

**A pickle is not to be sold unless it bounces. (Connecticut State law) I have never bounced a pickle...thinking something I will try real soon.

**Chicken may not cross the road. (Quitman, GA) No need to ask why then!

**You may not swim on dry land (Santa Ana, CA) Seems a difficult task at best.

**Riding an ugly horse is illegal .(Wilbur, Washington) Who or what determines whether the horse is ugly or not? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, right?

**All traffic must come to a STOP if there is a bird on the Highway. (Utah State Code) Utterly ridiculous in the Washington DC Metro area!

**It is forbidden to fish for whales. (Oklahoma State Law) One must have to go far in Oklahoma for whale fishing.

A Beautiful Sight

More often than not lately, I have witnessed this in my living room. A Little Dude heading into what has been dubbed as "The Thinking Room" to curl up with a book. Both are rabid fans of the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" series. We have been visiting the library looking for the next "cool" series and as they have about exhausted themselves of Greg Heffley and friends.

Love the smirk

Nothing like a good book!

Threepeat

After a two year hiatus, Hubby dusted off his handy dandy Dremel tool and helped the Little Dudes make masterpieces out of a tiny block of wood. These blocks of wood have been the subject of many discussions and grandiose design ideas. Ever since Big Sister participated in a Powderpuff Derby in May 2008 and January 2009, the Little Dudes have dreamt of the day they would be old enough to join Cub Scouts and participate in the Pinewood Derby. Well, that day presented itself this past Saturday.

Little Dude M's sketches

Little Dude B's sketch and specific instructions

Ready to Race

Evenly matched and awarded

Team Moloko Racing = Success

Do We Have To?

"Why can't the boys be shepherds and the girls be angels?" asked the Little Dudes.

I too, had wondered about the assignment of costumes for the Epiphany Concert the kids were having at school. The principal decided that students in Grades K-2 would be angels and students in grades 3-5 would be shepherds. Specific costumes guidelines came home prior to the Christmas break. Angels were to have halos, wings, and white shirts "glittered up." This was not appealing to me, as I had to scour through Target and Michaels to come up the required materials. The Moloko Dudes were livid at the thought of being shiny and glittery. Big Sister took wearing shepherd garb in stride and enjoyed taunting her brothers at their misfortune.

I spent the better part of the holidays explaining to the Little Dudes that sometimes in life we just have to do things whether we like it or not. Definitely a teachable moment. I could tell they were coming to terms with the inevitable when Little Dude M asked "Can angels wear Old Spice?" Little Dude B then asked if he could cover his light saber in foil and walk on stage as St. Michael the Archangel? Sadly, no additional props for angels were permitted.

As I was stitching the garland to the shirt and foiling the wings, I had a vision, but just could pin down what I was seeing. The Little Dudes returned from a Scout meeting and were not happy with the see of silver and sheen. Hubby summed it up when he walked into the kitchen and said "Holy Liberace!"


An agreement was struck, they would wear the costumes but I was not permitted to bring a camera to the Concert. I could take a photo of the ensemble, but they would not be captured on film wearing such creations.


and for the grand finale...

Liberace Angel

Happy New Year

New Jersey, California, New Jersey, California, Indiana, Japan, Virginia, and Pennsylvania is where the Molokos have rung in the past 13 New Years. Some celebrated with family, some with friends, and others just the five of us. It is amzing how quickly the years have come and gone.

Here's to 2011...

and perhaps an EAGLES trip to the Superbowl?