Cub Scout Hike

Pete and Dad had a fun time on this year's Cub Scout Hike. Dad was the Hikemaster, and the scouts got to find two geocaches during the 2 mile hike. One of the geocaches was one that Pete had found before, and the other was down by the bank of the Potomac River.


Sam and Mom did not join on the hike this time. They were at a birthday party for Gianna, from Sam's pre-school class.

How is That Possible?

If you ever have the opportunity to watch Pete at a playground for 5 minutes, you will inevitably find yourself asking the following question: How has he survived this long?

(Followed by: Has that boy ever had a haircut?)

Food Chain

This is Pete's project he did a few months ago for class. He had to select an animal and habitat, so of course he selected the Bandicoot. Sam enjoys reciting the food chain, which begins "Lion eats man, man eats Bandicoot, ..."

Long Live Band-Aid

When you give Sam a Band-Aid, keep in mind that he will develop an emotional attachment to it, and it will not come off for some time. After many days, a combination of friction and erosion will hopefully lead to the demise of the Band-Aid. Of course, the irony is that the festering Band-Aid provides a greater health hazard than whatever it what supposed to heal.

Finding Things

Sam is not good at finding things. You can send him to the bathroom for a tissue, and the only two things in there are a big box of tissues and a little tube of ChapStick, and he'll come back 15 minutes later and tell you that there are no tissues in there any place. And by the way, his lips smell like ChapStick.

So giving him the camo Easter egg basket may not have been the best choice. It is a safe bet that shortly after this picture was taken, he placed the basket down to adjust his jacket, declared it lost, and returned home with no eggs.

Resemblance

I think we've all seen the pictures of people who look like their dogs.

Perhaps Sam can enter the contest for "people who look like the rocks that they decorated on a Cub Scout camping trip".

Some Improvement

Mom: "Pete, you did a good job earlier. I asked you to clear the table, and you did it without complaining."

Pete: "Yeah, I just complained inside my head."

Snowman Jammies

One day Sam inspected his snowman jammies and determined that he did not want to wear them.

Dad: Why don't you want to wear your snowman jammies?

Sam: It says size 3 on the tag. I am 4.

Dad: Ok, tomorrow I'll cross out 3 on the tag and change it to 4.

Sam: Ok, then I will wear them tomorrow.

Asteroid Fruit Slices

We had a fun family trip to the mall on Sunday.

Pete and Sam brought their wallets, in case they saw anything they might like to buy. (Translation: the boys brought their wallets to plead with Mom and Dad to let them spend all of their money on Webkinz).

We stopped at the sporting goods store to get a baseball bat for Pete. This is how they make youth baseball bats:

1. Make 50 identical bats
2. Paint them different colors
3. Arrange the bats with black ones on the left, and cool colors and logos as you move to the right
4. Apply price stickers to the bats from $20 to $100, moving left to right

We decided to go home and look for bats on ebay.

We stopped at the candy store on the way out. Pete showed Dad his various candy selections. Sam told Dad that he got four different flavors of "asteroid fruit slices". Dad found out later from Pete that it was actually "assorted fruit slices". But they should really change the name - Sam's name is better.

Sharing

Pete and Sam are watching our new Mr. Bean DVD, and "sharing" a blanket.

This picture was taken just after we traded our old entertainment center to Aunt Stacey for a treadmill, and got our new one from Craigslist.

I can't recall what the item is that Sam is holding. Most likely either a cigarette lighter or super glue.

Drinkucopia

Sam often accumulates various drinks throughout the day. So his place on the dinner table sometimes has 3 or 4 drinks.

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