More Pictures From the Trip

I've got lots of pictures of the trip. I thought I'd spread them out, so here are a few more. We went to the Museum of Life and Science, which was amazingly huge! They seemed to have everything here. They had a park outside, an animal park, a butterfly pavilion, and then the indoor museum. The kids loved going and it took some real convincing that they were closing and we had to leave. I think they would have stayed there for at least another 2-3 hours! Here are some pictures....

Jay playing the cymbals.

A butterfly from the "Butterfly House."

Chicky Magoo 2 heaven! A giant display of blocks and building! Yeah!

Mr. Magoo trying his hand at building something.

Chicky Magoo 1 heaven! A giant display of maps and how to use them! Yeah!

Here we are looking at the back of a lemur. This is more just to show you I was there too! :)

This is one of the only pictures I got of Noah. They had a caboose that the kids could go on, and climb in the lofts.

Chicky Magoo 1 Gets The Day Off!

We just got word from Chicky Magoo 1's school that the Archbishop has canceled school for the day after the Super Bowl! GO COLTS!

We're Back!

We took a weekend trip to North Carolina to visit the Soffian's! Chicky Magoo 1 and I met Sheri and Jessi in California through the MOMS Club in 2001, and the girls have been inseparable ever since. They are about 2 weeks apart in age, and it has always amazed us just how similar they are! This was our first visit to North Carolina since they moved, and it was so pretty there! Everything was green and in bloom. We were outside for much of the time we were there, which was a nice change from all of the inside time we have had here in Indiana (being that it has been SO cold!)

Chicky Magoo and Jessi are really into wearing the same thing when they are together, so we took a picture of them in their matching pj's. Don't they look like they have been up late talking the night away! I don't think I want to know just how little sleep they each got while we were there! :) (It was worth it though)

Chicky Magoo 2 couldn't get enough of their dog Maggie. She just loved on her the whole time. Her favorite part was when the dog would wag her tail, and Chicky Magoo 2 would try to line herself up with it so she would get tickled. No- I'm not making this stuff up!

The first day we went to a really nice park. It reminded me of all of the times we spent together at parks in California. Chicky Magoo 1 and Jessi enjoyed climbing everywhere.Chicky Magoo 2 and Noah enjoyed the sand. We even ran into a Bears fan while we were there. He knew where Griffith was, and was very proud of that fact.

Note: I realized after taking all of my pictures that Noah is a hard guy to get a photo of! A typical guy, he would just give me these looks like "Do I have to" when I said Say Cheese! :)

HOLY COW!

That game last night was INTENSE! We were all yelling, and I felt like I needed some muscle relaxant after the game. It was so fun to watch the Colts finally do it! I'm sure there will be TONS of things going on in the next few weeks around here. I can't believe it, year after year we watch the Superbowl and only really care about the commercials. This time, I will actually care about not just one of the teams, but BOTH! How cool is this going to be?!!

Arrr!

I think we are raising a pirate! Chicky Magoo 2 has started saying things like "I need me milk." or "I want me shoes." Today she said "I need me beh-fast!" I'm not sure if she has been hanging around pirates or someone Scottish, but she just suddenly started saying this. Either way, it is amusing to hear!

Sea Otters- Yet Another Random Entry

I know this post is going to be random, but it is about as random as it was for me to learn this, and I thought it was worth sharing. Sea Otters, which many people find cute, are pretty interesting creatures. Here are some facts that I found pretty cool about them. (I know Hawkins, they are no wombats, but hey, they can't ALL be wombats)

I knew that sea otters used a rock or something they find like it to crack open their food and eat. What I didn't know is that they usually pick a favorite rock and carry it with them all of the time. The rock is used not only for cracking open their food, but it also helps them dive down and get their food, because of the weight. Then they use the rock to dislodge anything that they want to eat.

I also found that basically the male and female otters do nothing more than tolerate each others presence during mating season, otherwise they don't hang around each other at all.

Once the female gives birth, the male will basically kidnap the pup and demand a ransom. (food) They get 1/3 of their food this way! I don't know if you are picturing this, but a note that each letter has been cut out of a magazine comes to mind.

They can eat a number of things in the sea, but each otter usually will pick one or two things that they prefer and stick with those. (sounds a lot like me!)

Sea otters sleep at sea, but tie themselves up in kelp to keep from being swept away. They also tie up their young in kelp if they have to dive down for food.

If they are going to sleep during the day they put their paws over their eyes.

Disclaimer: I don't claim to know what I'm talking about...these are just the facts as I see them.

EVV in Da Hiz-ous

Mr. Magoo has come up with a theory over the years that somehow people from Evansville are secretly trying to take over the world. He thinks this I can name someone that plays that I either went to high school with, or is from Evansville in pretty much every major sport. Evansville will be on the national news a decent amount of time for a town of its size, and there are also famous people that are from "The Ville" as we like to call it. Because of all of this, Mr. Magoo feels that Evansville should have a sign. Kind of like a secret handshake so that other people from Evansville know that you know they are helping to take over the world. Since he is into aviation, he came up with the EVV sign, which is the Evansville airport code. My Dad, Uncle Magoo 1 and Mr. Magoo decided to practice and flash it up! What is even more obvious to Mr. Magoo is that only my Dad seems to be able to make this sign. The other two look like they are trying to come up with an answer to some sort of math problem!

This second picture is even more of an indication that his sign might only work for people from The Ville...Mr. Magoo looks completely confused, Uncle Magoo 1 is holding tight with his 3 fingers up, and my Dad has obviously given up on teaching them. ha ha

Cool Christmas Gift

Stacey and Eno sent this cool Christmas gift! Check it out...I got my own root beer! Sweet!
(I know, I'm no Vanna White with that smirk on my face!)

Here is me showing off the new brew! I don't know if you can see it, but it is the Ms. Magoo Root Beer, complete with my picture and a message on each one! Thumbs Up!

Ice?

This picture cracks me up. Auntie Margie was getting ice for a drink. When she was putting the ice back in the freezer she said her necklace felt heavier, but didn't know why. She looked down, and apparently the ice was frozen to the necklace. I told her it was a new trend, but I doubt that it will really be one that catches on!

More Christmas Updates

Here are some pictures from Christmas Day. Bucia and Papa always have a big party with lots of food, and there is usually Trivial Pursuit at the end of the evening. The kids make it most of the day, but by about 8 or 8:30, they are ready for bed! Chicky Magoo 1 and Chicky Magoo 2 both were really "into presents" this year. They kept saying "can we open more?"


Here are the girls with Annie and Haley. They love it that there are so many kids at the party now!

Silly Faces

Here are some "silly face" pictures from the holidays. All I can say is.....nice.

Christmas Eve

Every year we go to the Briscoe's on Christmas Eve and exchange gifts. This year Katie, Jack, Chicky Magoo 1 and Chicky Magoo 2 had fun together. If you somehow can't tell, it is naptime for 3/4 of them, and they are wired on sugar/sweets/Santa. We took about 50 pictures and this is the best one!

This series of pictures cracks me up. You can see the progression of "we don't want our picture taken!"

The older girls are trying to smile. Jack gives it a 1/2 smile. Chicky Magoo 2 saying "I don't want to smile"


Chicky Magoo 1- still smiling. Katie decides it is time to leave. Jack looking like he really can't believe he got talked into this. Chicky Magoo 2 refusing to smile.


Chicky Magoo 1 still trying to smile. Katie has been told to stay in the picture, but clearly is done with this activity. Jack wondering how he got talked into this. Chicky Magoo 2 showing how she will NOT smile!


Chicky Magoo 1 still smiling! Katie is leaving. Jack looking like "I told you this wouldn't work!" Chicky Magoo 2 now will NOT look at the camera, and showing that naptime has clearly passed!


Ahh- kids!

I've Been Drinking Again!

When we went out to a nice dinner the 23rd of December everyone ordered wine, Jameson on the rocks, etc. When the waiter got to me, being the big drinker that I am, I ordered a Shirley Temple. Auntie Magoo 1 chimed in with a "Heavy on the Temple" at the end. When the waiter brought it back, he said "Here is your Shirley Temple, heavy on the Temple" It was DELICIOUS!
(I guess Temple is the Cherry flava)

Hidden Talents

Just when we though Uncle Magoo 2 was "just" a guitar player/accountant, he shows yet another skill...
Chicky Magoo 1 got an Etch a Sketch for Christmas. Uncle Magoo 2 started playing with it and suddenly we all realized that we had an Etch a Sketch pro amongst us. I don't know if you have ever tried to play with on of these things, but basically for me I can make boxes and a few crude pictures of very basic things. (circles, snowmen, etc.) I have never in fact seen anyone actually "draw" a picture that 1- took up the whole work area and 2- that you could tell what it is. This is a picture of the first one that he did. If you can't see what it is he drew a wine bottle and shadowing with a man serving the wine, complete with towel over the arm. This was just one of several pictures he drew. Someone drew a Christmas tree and house, so Uncle Magoo 2 took that and made a whole scene with several trees, a sidewalk and mailbox. I'm telling you, if anyone knows how this talent could make some money please send me an email!

You Know You've Been Married a While When...

My parents apparently knew what the other one wanted for Christmas this year.
Here they are opening up the same knives (like Rachel Ray has!).


Then they both got each other digital cameras.


I think this is a "yes, we have been married a while" hug...

Christmas Before Christmas

We decided to have Christmas with our family a few days early. The kids were excited to get gifts and get the holiday started. (okay, me too!) Here are a few pictures from our Christmas. I think you can tell from these pictures that the kids enjoyed their gifts from us. Chicky Magoo 1 got a telescope, which she has been asking for since about 2 years ago. She had one, but it turned out it wasn't really that great and she couldn't see much out of it. So we decided since she is so into outer space this would be a perfect time to upgrade. Chicky Magoo 2 got something called Gears! Gears! Gears! It is a table where you can put gears together and build something out of it. Just her style! They stayed up for a while to play with their new toys that night!

Oh- the picture on the right is Chicky Magoo 2 trying to figure out how a stethoscope works. She got a dog complete with vet equipment for Chicky Magoo 1, and just had to try it out!

Christmas Cookies

In the last few days at home we made time to make Christmas cookies! After school one day I got the girls together and we made some good chocolate chip cookies. Chicky Magoo 1 mixed the wet ingredients, and Chicky Magoo 2 did the dry ones. They were both very proud to be making the cookies together. There were a few spills and the floor was covered in flour, but we had fun!


After we had the cookie dough made up, I of course had to teach them the proper way to eat the dough. Don't worry for any of you who actually had these cookies, the pictures were staged. We didn't double dip! You just can't make chocolate chip cookies and not eat the dough! They don't bake right if you don't....ask Rachel Ray! I'm not making this up!

More Pictures

Here are a few more pictures from our visit to Bucia and Papa's. After making kolaczkis, they had friends from the lake over and we got to meet their Grandson. The girls were thrilled to be able to help "the baby." He was so cute, and we all got a kick out of him getting a kick out of Papa saying "boo." It was one of those baby belly laughs that you can't help but laugh along! After the kids were all in their pjs we decided to get a group photo of all of the proud grandparents!

The next day, while Chicky Magoo 2 was sleeping Chicky Magoo 1 said she wanted to go to the Dollar Store. This has become a tradition for her. Chicky Magoo 2 usually goes along too, but with everything that was going on it wasn't going to work. So while she took a nap, Papa took Chicky Magoo 1 to the store. This is what they decided they needed...Ears. I guess you never know what you'll find you need if it is only one dollar! They brought back a big load of stuff for Chicky Magoo 2 too. From purses to earrings and baby dolls, you name it and it was probably in that bag!

Back in the Swing...

We are all getting into the swing of things...well- except Chicky Magoo 1. It is 8:45 and she is still asleep. Next week will be a big wake-up call for her since she starts school at 8am. I'm glad she is getting her rest!

We moved the kids into the same room yesterday. Chicky Magoo 2 's room is now the upstairs playroom, and Chicky Magoo 1's is the "Big Kid Room." They were both excited to be able to sleep in the same room and talk to each other. I think it will be a good thing. I'll let you know next week once school starts if this was a wise idea.

The kids have now recovered from their stomach illness they got last week. We are getting back into the swing and looking forward to our trip to North Carolina this month!

Happy 2007!

I'll fill you in on our New Year's Eve later. Too tired....