Attention St. Nick!

Dear Santa,

We've been very good this year, and we have prepared for the holiday season with all due diligence.
We boys have been doing a million headstands each to make our little brother laugh.

We have been trying to hold Cutie's hand in the car when he is sad.

 We have been spinning around and around and around and around in our office chair for no good reason.

 Wyatt has been the Christmas Music D.J., spinning everyone's favorites many times a day.  (To Note: Cyrus likes 'Angels We Have Heard On High', Calvin likes 'Jingle Bell Rock', Wyatt likes 'Little Drummer Boy' and only the Jackson 5 version, Daddy likes 'Winter Wonderland' by Phantom Planet, and Mommy must agree with Calvin that 'Jingle Bell Rock' is the cat's meow.)

 We've been dancing all over the place to our music, including on the new couch.

 Mommy has been running so much that her toenail turned black and the podiatrist pulled it off.  

 AND, last but not least, we have all been enthusiastically shopping at Target for Christmas goodies.  

Okay, not totally last but not least.  Daddy has been seeing patients and even getting punched in the arm by a nervous one.  But sadly, we don't have a picture of that.  

So, you see, dear Santy Clause, we deserve some good stuff.  Please don't forget our house this year.  We even have a chimney and fireplace for you to come down.  

Much Love, 

The Shafers

Katie, Where Have You Been?

Do you remember that post right after Cyrus was born when I said that it wasn't so bad.  What's another one?  Well, the blog will bear witness that having three kids has changed by speed.  We are still getting the hang of all of us, and Cyrus is a year old, too!!! Wowzu.  I've got to get on my game again.  It may take a bit longer because I feel like I spend all day following Cyrus around cleaning up his 1 year old messes.  Do you know those kinds of messes?  They usually involve any item that is in a cabinet and about eye level with a 2 foot tall kid.  Pots and pans strewn all over the kitchen floor.  Hair brushes and hair spray lingering in the hallway.  And don't forget the mile long length of toilet paper that snakes around the house.  If he weren't so cute, I might get frustrated.  I'm lying.  He is cute, and I still get frustrated.  

So, we have been doing what we do.  School, park, clean, shop, Christmas.  You know, the usual.  Here are some pics of recent events.

We've been taking super close up pics of my strangely angular face and extra-wide nostrils. Yes, my nostrils.  They are big.  It's a fact of life.  

 When Cyrus was in the hospital they had this awesome kids play area.  We found our good buddies Alvin (don't confuse with Calvin), Simon, and Theodore.  Calvin (not Alvin) and Wyatt were so thrilled, and they had a hard time being able to tell if they were real or not.  

 I've recently developed a passion for thrift store shopping.  Wyatt and Cyrus are my thrifty sidekicks, and they frequently benefit from our outings.  For example, Wyatt found not one, but two blue wiener dogs for $1 at Savers.  

 And lastly, the park.  I really thought when we moved away from NYC that we would quit going to the park because we would have a yard.  However, I've found that a tiny strip of dirt and gravel in the back of your house does not a backyard make.  So, we often go to the park.  It is fun, but we all miss Calvin because we usually go while he is at school.  

 Oh, and have you seen my nostrils?  Here they are again in case you missed them.  

It's Good To Be A Brother

I can hardly stand that adorable look they are giving each other. It's so sweet it gives me a toothache.