The Holidays

Even though the holidays have come and gone, I am still so behind on our blogging.  So, you will just have to endure a stroll down the not-so-long-ago memory lane.  Our Thanksgiving was so nice.  We decided that even though we were all by ourselves, we weren't going to skimp on any of the good food.  So we made all the dishes that everybody loves.  Calvin requested turkey (convenient, no?) Wyatt requested spaghetti (not too far off of the beaten path), and Cyrus requested a nap (and believe me, he got it). I decided to try and dress up the table with a tablecloth, place mats, and two drinking glasses a piece.  And it was a success!  The boys looked at the table like, "Has our mom lost her mind?  What is all this stuff?"  We also got everyone a little place sitting card (Super Mario Brothers Wii trading cards), and it was so popular that no one wanted to eat their dinner.  Oh well, you win some.  You lose some.

 Here I am after I had cooked the meal, looking just like I had spent three days cooking. Hair never lies.  It was so sweet.  Calvin looked at the table and then asked Noah to take our picture together holding hands.  I almost cried it was so sweet of him.  Wyatt, on the other hand, couldn't care less.  

 Most of you know how much Noah loves Christmas.  So, as soon as the turkey had been digested  Noah ran us to Wal-Mart for Christmas lights.  He dutifully stapled them to the house, and I dare say we had the best house in da 'hood.  And yes, he staples in his pj's.  I actually respect that.

 We decorated the tree.  a.k.a the boys hung the ornaments in one spot at the bottom just within Cyrus' reach, and I rearranged them the next day.  In fact, I was so sick of those paper ornaments that I had made a few years ago, that we trashed them and picked up some new ones from Target.  (And as a side note:  I cringe to think about what my life would be like without Target).

 We listened to Christmas music and danced nearly everyday, all day.  Before school, after school, before bed, when someone started crying, during dinner, while cooking, while staring off into space and sitting on the couch.  Yes, by the end we were so sick of the same songs that we all were glad to wait another year to hear them again.  Here you can see Calvin dancing to some little ditties.  

Christmas Eve jammies.  A tradition that we share with, I think, the entire world.  And in the background you will see our poor dead Christmas tree.  He shed more needles than I knew possible and clogged up my vacuum.  I am still smelling evergreen when I run it.  

 Unwrapping, unwrapping, Wyatt in his underwear, Cyrus strolling around with a cracker.  

 Ahhh, the Christmas fort.  Noah is one great fort maker.  He inherited it from his Dad.  Shafers make forts.  It's just what they do.  Too bad nobody slept in it though. They were too busy barfing.  Yes, barfing.  Nothing says "Merry Christmas" quite like the flu.  

Despite any intestinal issues, we have to admit that our Christmas was awesome.  

Mess Makers Anonymous

Hello.  My name is Cyrus, and I'm a compulsive mess maker.  I have been making messes for about 2 months now, and I can't seem to stop.  I love to pull out every pot and pan in my Mom's kitchen, scatter every one's shoes to places that they will never find them, and throw away important family objects (including two remote controls, shoes, food, and valuable electronics). I try hard to reach things on the kitchen table using only my tippy toes.  I have pulled down several bowls of cereal right on my own face, which always makes me cry.  If I can't find a mess to make anywhere, I'll try to shred any paper that I can get my meaty fingers on.  I have a problem.  My favorite mess to make is to pull all of the dirty clothes out of the laundry basket and scatter them all over the house.  I DON'T RESPECT CLEANLINESS, AND I NEVER WILL!  Good thing our family has this guy:

Sucker.

Look Who's Comfy!

Immediately after we walk through the door after church on Sundays, these two hoodlums get down to their undies, sit on that half-wall, and say (yes, you guessed it), "Look who's comfy!" in a very sing-song voice.  Then they fall backwards on the couch behind them.  You wouldn't guess Wyatt is so comfy with that scowl on his face, but he really is.  It's actually more of a self-satisfied-I-can-climb-and-perch-on-this-wall look. 

It gets us every time.  And, "Look who's comfy!"  has become the taunt that everyone in the family says when they are the first to get into relaxed attire.  

Brag Blog

Well, it's true.  I've actually accomplished a couple of things recently.  Chiefly, I ran a half-marathon. Whew!  And I was tired.  Truth be told, I was just running and managed to find myself behind a doughnut truck, and so I just ran after it until it stopped.  Can you believe I ran 13.1 miles for a doughnut?  

Yes, I am the nervous one standing with my hands clasped at the starting line.  

The BEST PART.  Yes, THE BEST PART was seeing my guys at the finish line.  They were cheering for me, and it made me feel so good.  I love 'em.  (Please excuse the hot mess picture.)

I also found these free end tables on Craigslist and liked their bones, so I went to work and sanded, painted, and stained them.  

And now I love them.  

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.