Clubhouse

Pete and Sam have regular meetings in the clubhouse. Here are some pictures of the clubhouse:

Here is the order of business for clubhouse meetings:

1. Entry (must have flashlight and know the password) - President (Pete) then Vice President (Sam)

2. Roll Call (all human members plus Webkinz - Littlekinz sit on top, Bigkinz on bottom)

3. Pledge of Allegiance

4. Star Spangled Banner

5. Discuss the importance of the meeting

6. New Business

7. Pledge of Allegiance

8. Close the Meeting

Rock, Paper, Scissors Plus

While enjoying dinner, Pete and Sam asked Dad if he would like to play some Rock, Paper, Scissors. Dad figured "sure, why not" and decided to go with trusty Rock. Meanwhile, Pete and Sam made some odd gestures that did not look familiar.

Pete: Ok - gun beats rock, and God beats gun.
Dad: Say what, now?
Pete: Sam beat you with gun, and I beat him with God. God beats everything.
Sam: Do you want to play again?
Dad: I guess so.

This time Dad tried gun, but apparently he lost to "rainbow", which lost to "mother nature".

Pete: Ready to try again?
Dad: No, my brain is starting to hurt.

Legos

Pete and Sam got into a bit of a Lego frenzy a few weeks ago. They wanted to build all the time for a few days.

Sam built the rocket he is holding in the photo. Pete also saw in the Lego magazine that they were having a contest to build Spongebob out of Legos. Here is what they built:

Not too shabby.

Band Aid

The other day Dad was minding his own business when Sam appeared with the following request:

Sam: I... NEED... A... FREAKIN.... BANDAID!

Dad: Sam, where did you learn that language?

Sam: FROM... MOMMY!

E. I. E. I. Oops

Pete appeared last week in the 2nd grade musical known as "E-I-E-I-Oops".

Here he is in his costume:

Just after the above picture was taken, Pete said "I look like an idiot" as our neighbor was walking by. To which Dad told the neighbor "don't worry, that's just one of his lines".

Of course, Mom volunteered for some set decoration, so that large cow and hay bale were in our living room for about 2 weeks. (Pete is the one with the hat and red suspenders)

Notable moments from the play:

1. Pete's hat fell off several times. Fortunately he had rehearsed several deft maneuvers for caching/restoring the hat with a modicum of disruption.

2. During the free-dance section in Act 3, Pete did a break dance.

We also have some video, which we will not be uploading because it does not meet the baseline uniqueness requirement of this blog.

Sal's Pizza

Pete had his first baseball practice on Sunday. It was pretty chilly, so Sam suggested that he go with Dad to Sal's Pizza for some pizza and root beer. Dad and Sam had some good conversation at Sal's.

Dad: Do you know how to spell Sal's?
Sam: Of course, it's S - A - L - catastrophe - S

[Later]
Sam: Sometimes I say Spanich instead of Spanish. It's because of the word "spinach".

Nice Day For a Hike

We had a nice geocache and hike on the W&OD Trail last weekend.

In the above picture, you may observe a horse water dish. Yes, Pete somehow managed to step into this dish. Fortunately, this was at the end of the hike.

New Shorts

Dad was trying on a new pair of cargo shorts last night.

Dad: "Sam, do you like my new shorts?"

Sam: "Why are they pants?"

Sam's Friends

Most of Sam's friends are older than Sam. This is because they are Pete's friends. Here is a picture with Brandon. We were out Geocaching after a Saturday sleepover. By the way, there is a geocache hidden in the picture.

Sam also went last weekend to a Laser Tag party for Pete's friend Nick. And last night to Pete's Cub Scout meeting. Despite several stern warnings to Sam for him to be quiet, of course during the cross-over ceremony he yelled out "Why is that guy's head so clean?". Sigh. At least we were in the back of the roon.

Cold Cache

On a cold Sunday afternoon a few weeks ago, we decided to do a quick geocache near the baseball field by Christian Fellowship church.

We ended up looking for 20-30 minutes for the cache, but couldn't find it. It was getting cold, so we started heading back to the car. Pete did not want to give up. He was the last one searching in the cold.

Sam wanted to go to the nearby playground, despite the snow on the ground. So he and Dad went there for a little while. Pete and Mom waited in the car. The snow on the ground is noteworthy. This is probably the first Winter since we moved to Virginia in 1999 that there has not been a single significant snowstorm. We just had 2-3 small storms, each with about 1-2 inches.

Notice the airplane in the background. The playground is about 3 miles from Dulles Airport.

Webkinz Family Portrait

A few weeks ago Pete and Sam did a Webkinz family portrait.

Bottom Row: Brownie, Sarah, Frogger, Antlers, Golden, Climby
Middle Row: Libre, Mike, Nacho, Whiskers, Burgle, Blizzard, Blackout, Blackie
Top Row: Nonamer, (Pete), (Sam), Pandy, Stripey, Pogo, Shadow, Bully
Not pictured: Clappers, Lover

Note, the seating order for the photo is not random and very complicated.

Pete and Sam also worked hard on labeling the Webkinz on a paper map of the photo:

I Think I Got Off Easy

We all went to "Reading Night" at Pete's school Friday night. This was our third year attending this event. Sam and Dad headed home early, and Pete stayed with Mom.

Pete and Mom were in a room where there was some discussion about Abraham Lincoln. Somehow Pete mentioned that he could name all of the presidents. The reader (Mr. Johnson) said "I'd be willing to put up a dollar to see that". So Pete rattled off the presidents in front of the assembled group.



After Pete thanked him for the dollar, Mr. Johnson said:

"With pleasure. I think I got off easy."

Read All About Me

Peg Stacker

Pete and Sam like playing with the Peg Stacker they got for Christmas. Note that inevitably the utility of any structure they create is tied to Webkinz.

Here is a Webkinz bunk bed:

Here is some sort of Webkinz tower:

Fix-It Shop

Pete and Sam's Computer and Auto Fix-It Shop will work as follows:

• When you walk in, a girl will ask you if you need repairs to your computer or your car.
• Pete will punch in all of your information.
• Pete will repair the computers.
• Sam will repair the cars. He promises that he will not get mad and damage your car. If he is having trouble fixing the car, he will ask for help.

Pete and Sam will go to lunch together. During lunch time, you can drop off an item for repair but it will not get worked on until after lunch.

Modern Art

After waking up, Sam likes to get dressed all by himself. This is the opposite of Pete, who will wear jammies all day if he is not given some incentive for getting dressed.

Sam is still at the age where any clothing he takes off inevitably becomes inside out. I took this picture after I noticed a few days in a row that his pajama pants end up in precisely the same glob on the floor. Somehow it struck me as a bit of modern art.

Crabs

Sam: Why do hermit crabs live in a shell?
Dad: To protect themselves
Sam: Do crabs get married?
Dad: No
Sam: Why not?
Dad: They don't have a white dress.

Weapons Escalation

Pete: Beware the wrath and fury of my Forearm Cannon!

Sam: Not so fast! I will slay you with my Fivearm Cannon.

Bowling (Finally)

After the day we couldn't go bowling, we did return the next day for another attempt. There was a waiting list for a lane. We were 12th on the list, which amounted to about a 70 minute wait. The challenge of the wait was exacerbated by the following rules we adopted for the wait:

• No candy
• No snacks
• No pizza
• One video game

We passed the time teaching Pete how to keep score, and playing the alphabet game.

Anyhow, we finally bowled. It also occurred to us that we always forget the camera when we go bowling. So these may be some of the only known pictures of Pete and Sam bowling:

Carrot Hole

Dad: Pete, are you ok?

Pete: Yeah, the problem is just that I swallowed a carrot whole.

Sam: What's a carrot hole?

Clean Room

Dad: Pete, now that we have your room cleaned up, I think it will be easier for you to keep it clean.

Pete: No, the mess grows faster than my hair.

Pancakes

Each week Dad makes pancakes on either Saturday or Sunday. Pete and Sam get chocolate chip pancakes in the following denominations:

1 large

2 medium

4 small

Note, the large pancake should be approximately the size of a human head:

By the way, if you spent some time with Pete and Sam since the new year, you would know that pancakes also play a climactic role in the video game "Crash of the Titans".

Change in Plans

We decided to go bowling on Saturday morning. But When we got there, they were filled up with a league. So it was time to find an alternate activity. We decided to go look at some model homes in the Leesburg area. Everyone had a fun time.

Puppet Show

One night last week, after finishing his dinner, Sam entertained everyone with a puppet show. In his never-ending quest to do one better, Pete then relieved Sam and performed the puppet show pictured below:


You may have observed that there is one puppeteer and four puppets. We will leave the rest to the reader's imagination.

Webkinz Tests

Since Pete is not challenged by his tests at school, dad decided to make up some Webkinz tests. So far he got 100% on two tests. You can click below if you want to try them. Warning: there are no answers. If you want the answers you will have to ask Pete.

Webkinz Test 1
Webkinz Test 2

If those are too hard, you can try this easier one that Sam took. (He also got 100%)

Have You Seen This Child?

An e-mail came in the other day from the volunteer coalition who sponsors the food drive where Pete volunteers. The e-mail said "can anyone identify this young volunteer?"

Sam's Favorite Store

Sam: I want to get some Power Rangers Turbo toys

Mom: They don't carry them in the stores

Pete: Yeah, you can only get them on ebay

Sam: I want to go to ebay!

Holiday Letter Correction

We mentioned in our holiday letter that Sam has viewed "The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl" 12 times.


Well, he got the 3-D version for Christmas:


So the new total is 15 (and counting).

Can't Spell Anagrams Without S-A-M

Sam and dad were searching for some hidden objects in a Highlights magazine. Dad helped Sam find a few of the items, which prompted Sam to say "thanks Dad, you're my best friend, and my best finder". It took dad a minute before it occurred to him that Sam had scrambled the letters in friend to get finder. I guess they start learning to play on words at a young age.

Happy New Year

Pete decided to celebrate the New Year this year by staying up until midnight. Above he is reading in his new reading chair, which is a $10 chair from a yard sale plus an Eagles blanket. No one knows exactly what he did to celebrate the New Year, since everyone else was asleep.

Sam Showdown

The winner is: Sam in a landslide

Trouble

Sam was happy that he finally got to play "Trouble" on Christmas.

Sam bought Trouble as a gift for mom back in November. The next day, mom asked Sam if he would like to play a game. He said yes, he would like to play Trouble. Mom said that they don't have Trouble. Sam said "Yes we do. I bought it yesterday!"

Gingerbread House

"We're having fun building this Gingerbread House"

"I can't believe I just ate the whole Gingerbread House"

Holiday Books

Mom continued one of our holiday traditions this year. She wraps about 30 Christmas books in late November, and we unwrap and read one book each night through Christmas Eve. One thing this does is help give everyone a good idea how close (or how far) it is to Christmas.

Merry Christmas

Mini-Vacation!

Since we didn't do any family vacations during 2007, we decided to do a surprise 1-day mini-vacation on Saturday.

Friday: Dad took vacation from work, and we all went to Pete's holiday party in his classroom at school. Then we drove to Harrisonburg, VA, went swimming at the Holiday Inn, and watched Surf's Up. There was a lot of shuffling in the beds - it's not entirely clear who ended up sleeping with whom.

Saturday: We drove through James Madison University. The plan was to walk around with Pete and see if he likes the school but he said he "only wants to go to Penn State", and did not want to walk around the campus. Then we spent the day at the Harrisonburg Children's Museum, walked to BK for lunch and I-Cats (stopping for a geocache along the way), and drove home.

Sunday: Discovered that Pete has strep throat.

Snow Trampo

About two weeks ago, there was the following rare combination of events:
- 3 inches of snow on the ground
- Mom out for the evening with a friend

Dad gathered Pete and Sam, and very seriously stated: "Guys, we have an opportunity to do something here that does not come along very often. But it's going to be painful, and scary, so don't agree to do it unless you are sure you have the required courage and bravery."

Well, dad was going to have them guess for a while and then finally reveal the activity. However, this became unnecessary when Sam immediately yelled out "Snow Trampo!"

So everyone headed off to the snow-covered trampoline in the bitter cold and darkness, wearing a shirt, pants, and socks. Dad and Sam were completely unable to stand on the slick surface, with a big bowl in the middle where the snow had accumulated. Pete, however, managed to stand/jump/etc with no difficulty - it was reminiscent of those bugs who walk on water, or penguins who effortlessly run around all day on sheets of ice.

After about 5 minutes, Sam had enough. This was the end of Snow Trampo. Until next time?

First Cousins

After the family photo at Nana/Poppy's house in Virginia Beach (see yesterday's post), we managed to get Pete and Sam to sit another 30 seconds for a photo with cousins Ashleigh and Sarah.


Cousins Shayna and Skyler have moved from Pennsylvania to Florida. Hopefully we will get to see them again sometime soon.

Welcome Holiday Card Visitors

We recently send out our annual holiday cards, with the address of this blog listed at the bottom, so welcome to all of our holiday card visitors.

As you probably have surmised over the years, we don't clean up well for the standard holiday card "photo of kids only, nicely dressed and seated in front of a Christmas tree".

But for the sake of this requirement, below is an attempt at the "Happy Family" photo:


It doesn't meet all of the requirements, but still closer to normal than the disturbing cards we sent out last year!

Another Day, Another Party

Below are some pictures from Sam's birthday party at Celebration pre-school.

If you add up all of his parties, it seems that Sam is now officially older that Mom and Dad.

Winter Is Here

We got just enough snow last week for some after-school sledding. Pete and Sam headed over to the hill right behind the house.

Pete Will Be a Lawyer (Part III)

Dad (to Mom): Does Wegman's have our paperwork for leaving Pete and Sam in the play area?

Pete: What paperwork are you talking about?

Dad: If you want to leave a child in the play area at Wegman's, you have to sign a form indicating that Wegman's is not responsible if anything happens to the child.

Pete: Why would anyone sign a contract like that?

Sam's New Guitar

Here is Sam playing with the new electric guitar he got for his birthday from Nana and Poppy.


Maybe we will have to post another guitar video of Sam on YouTube. His last guitar video currently has been viewed over 55,000 times.

Sam's Birthday Party - The "After Party"

Sam wanted to invite some of his older friends to his birthday party. We decided to invite them to come at the end of the party and play afterwards. Note, at this age "play" apparently means "fight":

Sam's Birthday Party - Opening Presents

Can there be anything less interesting than a blog post about a 4-year-old opening birthday presents? Perhaps not. For something more intriguing, you may want to click here to see a discussion we raised on Yahoo!Answers about the importance of opening presents at parties.

The Lincoln Logs shown below were fun, because they were from Sam's friend Bill and the two characters in the set are Sam and Bill. The protagonist is "Sheriff Sam", and the anti-hero is "Bad Billy".



We also let each guest sit with Sam while he opened his or her present.