Dinosaur No More

In the summer of 2008, after landing back into the Continental United States after 6 years away, Hubby selected a basic standard cell phone for my use. I was pretty impressed as it had a camera and a few cool gadgets. It was certainly an upgrade to the phone I previously owned (circa 1999) and the one I owned in Japan.

I was not fully aware what a "smart phone" was or the capabilities a handheld gadget could possess two years ago. Well, this past weekend it was time on our contract to upgrade our phone. So, for a mere $10 a month, a data plan was added and I now have a pretty snazzy cellphone. The touch screen, text capability, and alpha numeric keyboard are such a luxury. I actually feel as if I have joined the 21st century...a dinosaur no more!

Gotta love being able to bookmark your favorite website on your phone.

Technology Rocks!

Quote of the Summer

"If I do not get to go there, I will have diarrhea!"

Hmm, how does one respond to such a statement? Wish I could say I kept my composure, but, I just laughed so hard that tears were streaming down my face. What a threat!

The place in question?

Subliminal reminder? Taped to the Little Dude's bed

My 40th Birthday

Big Sister's artwork greeted me as I entered the kitchen this morning. I was really impressed with the feminine color scheme. Usually, the "Over the Hill" paraphernalia is depicted in black and grey colors. I really like the pink bow in the top corner.

I have to admit, I enjoy celebrating the birthday's of others rather than my own. Being the center of attention and having a day scheduled to my wants seems rather indulgent. Hubby and the munchkins did an excellent job of making "my" day special with all of their preparations and personal touches.

Big Sister asked me what kind of themed cookie cake I wanted for my birthday. Without hesitation, I stated I wanted a cake wreck. This term, "cake wreck" was coined by a married couple who have a blog in which they feature cakes that are damaged, have misspelled words, adorned with unidentifiable frosting creations, and are just simply a mess. If you are in the mood for a hearty laugh , check out the following website http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/.

Big Sister and the Little Dudes decorated my cookie cake without any adult supervision or assistance and created a wonderful wreck...I am so proud!

My personal cake wreck

My favorite wreckerators

It was a wonderful Birthday!

Semi Aquatic Mammal

A platypus to me is a peculiar mammal. It is an odd looking creature and not overly abundant in North America. Somehow this has become the mammal of choice amongst the Moloko siblings, especially Big Sister.

No doubt in my mind that this fascination was fostered by Hubby's introduction to the New Year's Platypus. You see, the New Year's Platypus arrives on New Year's Eve and distributes York Peppermint Patties and hides them in the children's bedrooms as they sleep. He leaves exactly the amount of patties representative of the child's age. The Moloko munchkins love this holiday and Big Sister swears she actually saw the platypus last December. Because she did. Really.

Big Sister is quite knowledgeable on the subject of this semi-aquatic mammal. She has written many stories in which the main character is a platypus. The Little Dudes have followed Big Sister in her obsession and Little Dude B makes an incredible noise that uncannily is reminiscent of a platypus. If having a platypus for a pet was possible, the munchkins would reach Nirvana. In the interim, they have managed to settle for the Webkinz versions.

Penelope, Pete and Perry

Gotta love pastel platypuses

Ninja Platypus?

This is the latest platypus to join the collection. It was a gift from some old neighbors of ours in Okinawa. They were traveling on mainland Japan, saw this colorful character, remembered the kids fascination, and purchased it for them. Who would have ever thought to put a platypus in ninja wear?

The TV show "Phineas and Ferb" is a favorite cartoon around this house. Namely due in part to the character "Perry the Platypus." He has validated the appeal of a platypus.

It was decided we needed a family mascot, yep you guessed it, a platypus!

Zerxes

Zerxes. This is the name Hubby gave the frog I found lounging under the lawn mower. Poor guy was trying to avoid the sweltering temps plaguing Northern Virginia. I quickly gathered the munchkins and Big Sister decided that Hubby was the guy to catch Zerxes and put him in our handy dandy plastic reptile habitat.

Zerxes was none to pleased to be contained, but, I figured we would let him go a couple of hours later. Big Sister and I gathered some grass, dirt, and filled the habitat with water. I placed him on our deck and partially shaded his new home with a tarp. I came back inside and busied myself with chores. After lunch, I had Big Sister go outside and check on Zerxes, he was motionless, not the active guy we placed inside just hours earlier. It seems, I had inadvertently "fried" our four legged friend.

Yep, I am now a frog murderer. I felt wretched, I really LIKE frogs, as a matter of fact, they adorn my checks. I was extremely proud when the munchkins came and asked if we could "dissect" Zerxes. I hesitated and quickly looked to Hubby, his lack of a negative response had the kids so excited. Hubby gathered the appropriate tools, I googled "frog dissection," and we had three eager students.

Teaching Little Dude B the art of dissection
Definitely a unique smell!

Little Dude B was all about retrieving the heart and labeling! The miscellaneous pieces about the plate were the contents found in Zerxes stomach. Seems he liked crickets, grasshoppers, and flies.

Gotta love teachable moments!

Uniform of the Day

POOL...that 4 letter word uttered almost daily around here. It has been a scorcher of a summer in which lots of sunscreen has been applied and pool time logged. The Little Dudes decided to pose for me one afternoon prior to our departure. They had both removed their rash guard shirts and immediately the laughter ensued.

Quite the tans on these two...

Little Dude M's fierce lookLittle Dude B working the camera

Justice for Whom?

Shopping, not high on the list of activities for the Little Dudes. If it involves a toy department, namely one with Legos sold, I can coerce them into errands. Unfortunately last week, they had to venture into unfriendly male territory and they were less than thrilled.

Big Sister was invited to a birthday party of a classmate, known to be fond of the store *JUSTICE.* So, on our quest for the perfect gift, I promised her I would stop by this "pre-teen" haven. Upon entering the store, Big Sister was quickly sucked into this girly vortex and immediately began flitting about. The Little Dudes hung close to me and started commenting when they saw a shirt that said "GIRLS RULE" and "GIRLS ARE #1." They quickly asked "What is wrong with boys?" and "Is there a store for just dudes?" Not being a huge fan of this store -too teeny bopper for me, I had to agree with their outrage.

Luckily, I had my camera on hand to document the Little Dudes discontent.

Hurry Up Big Sister!

You have got to be kidding me!