Crumpled Home

A big couple of weekends… Mum took LR and her best friend to go and see the stage performance of Mamma Mia, RJ and Dad spent the day building projects and eating sushi, RJ catches a birthday party with his friend C., and Dad took RJ and LR off to the aquarium!

LR and I. are SUPER excited to be seeing the live performance of Mamma Mia!

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LR’s birthday rolled around and, despite appearances, we managed to keep it fairly simple (no giant parties, sleepovers, movie nights, etc.) LR loved every minute of it and is already making plans for next year!

After searching nearly ten bike shops in the area we finally found a bike cool enough for LR.

Happy Birthday LR! We’re so proud of you and all the things you’ve accomplished so far. It’s a bit sad seeing our little girl grow up, but it’s fantastic seeing you tackle new things every day with such determination.

Love Mum & Dad.

LR turns six today, and she's got of LOT of things planned.

(over breakfast)

Mum: (to Lorian) RJ and I need to go buy a birthday present for your friend.

LR: How about something from the horse shop?

Mum: Good idea!

RJ: How about something from the Indonesian Shop? They have lots of things and even horse stuff. It is expensive.

Mum: What do they have there?

RJ: Toy horses… and ones you can paint… You can even get food there! Like bagels, giant pretzels, juice… and almond dessert!

(For the record, we have never been to or even heard of an Indonesian shop, but it does sound pretty cool!)

Great grandpa Maury went in for surgery on Tuesday. He’s had a second angioplasty and a surprising number of stents put in. Not bad for his first heart related problems (at 97!)

Grandpa Maury is still looking great! Grandpa Maury tells us about his surgeon during lunch, on his 97th birthday.

Everything went fine, but they are keeping him under observation to make sure there are no complications. Mum had the kids draw pictures and went to visit him yesterday. He loved them!

And of course, the pictures that they drew:

LR's drawing depicts a scene of devastation around an erupting volcano, complete with ash clouds masking the sun, portending environmental disaster... and a kraken attacked a ship.

RJ tackles a classic theme... A kraken brutally attacks a pirate ship; its quivering maw and writhing mass of tentacles preparing to unleash a storm of destruction..

(5:30 am, the house is silent, in darkness; a pair of eyes pop open…)

RJ: Mom?

RJ: Excuse me, Mom?

Mom: Mrph.

RJ: Next year? For my birthday? Can I have a kraken piñata?

Mom: Mrph.

RJ: Please?

Mom: Mrph.

RJ: Please? Say yes.

Mom: Yes.

RJ: It has to have tentacles.

Mom: Uh huh.

RJ: And make sure it has suckers on it.

Mom: Sure thing.

(Puts pillow over her head and tries to pretend that RJ isn’t really up for the day.)

This morning, RJ was up at 5am. I managed to get him to leave us alone until 5:30am.

After starting on his breakfast, he looked up and said, “I’m not the baby of the family any more!”

You’re right mate. Happy birthday! Congratulations on four fantastic years.

Happy birthday mate!

PS: You need to stop listening to your sister quite so much. You haven’t been the baby of the family for a long time now.

Just four days before his actual birthday, RJ held his amazing pirate birthday party. He very specifically planned everything, from the location down to exactly what would be on the cake. Thanks to his meticulous plans (and a bit of assistance from his entourage), everything went according to plan. Major events were sword making, a treasure hunt, taking over a pirate ship, firing cannons and eating (an RJ favorite).

Toothpaste?! Bah! Real pirates use rum!

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Lots of great things happened in November, here’s the run down: Summer is slowly arriving with only one or two hot days here and there, RJ and Dad see some airplanes take off, RJ goes to some birthday parties, Mum catches LR at camp for a day, Dad and RJ hit the beach, someone got older, and LR’s year one class visits a wildlife preserve.

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Time for a quick icecream break on a hot summer day.

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