Valentines, etc.

We frost-a some-a cookies on Valentines. It's our tradition. I know. I know. Yours too. But ours is awesome because we are Shafers. From the looks of these pictures we either had no idea that our picture might be taken during cookie decorating, or we were just lounging around the house in our jammies.

Here is the ultimate cookie decorator, who always manages to make me blush with his sweet comments on my cookie. Yes, we decorate each others. As you can see, I have chosen to not only write a sweet nothing (Mom + Dad = Love), but also given him a slug-looking blob of frosting. That's because I know that true love is spoken in the language of frosting.

Wyatt was feeling particularly ambitious.

Calvin also understands the importance of lots of frosting and somber looks. Have you ever seen his brown eyes in person? They're incredible. Just in case you didn't know.

Ah, here she is, the goddess of afternoon slumber herself, the ever nappy yo' mama. My man knows about the frosting and never disappoints. That's why I married him.

F.U.N. With N.O.A.H

One of the best parts about Noah being a student still is the chance meetings we share at odd hours of the day. I have often thought how sad it will be when he is gone everyday from 8-5, and I don't have the luxury of catching the occasional "Boy Meets Grill" episode with him.

Yesterday we had the luxury of a rendezvous in the city sans kiddos. I met him up there during a big break in between classes.

IT. WAS. SO. C-C-C-C-O-L-D. So cold.

I even had to do that thing where I wrapped my scarf (thank you, Dad, for the scarf and hat without which I would have been frozen) around my face so that only my eyes were showing. You know that is cold.

We met at the Wicked theatre and tried our chances in the lottery for cheapie front row tickets.

No luck.

So we ran as fast as we could to the closest pizza place and ate calzones and drank soda.

I loved every single second. I felt like I was in a movie or something, sharing giggles with Noah and seeing all of those people bustling around us.

A lovely day.

"I Know You Would Never Do That Calvin" AND What I Found When I Came Home Tonight

Yes, Calvin, I do believe you. I really believe that you were not the one who wrote on the hardwood floors in green (your favorite color, BTW) magic marker. Thanks for putting your hands over it, so that I wouldn't be upset to find it. You'll have to help me think of some elaborate punishment for Wyatt. Not the current, still-learning-those-fine-motor-skills-Wyatt. I'm talking about the future, time-traveling Wyatt that went back in time and wrote your name on the floor. Don't worry. He'll get in trouble for it. BIG TIME.

AND

This

Is

What

I

Found

When

I

Came

Home

Tonight

Cute. Yes. Heart warming. Of course. But I can't help but laugh when I see these boys all piled up like that. It always happens when Noah is left to his own defenses in putting them to bed. I always imagine them holding him hostage and telling him, "You're going to let us sleep in your bed OR ELSE." And let's just be honest, if you were being held hostage by two coercive children, you might fold too. I wouldn't want to know what the OR ELSE would be. No way.

He's the best Dad.

Revealed to Me in New York City

Yes, Noah and I went to the city with some of our good friends tonight, and I learned a few things:

1. They call it "bitter cold" not because the wind is bitter, but because you feel so bitter after you have been out in it.

2. When I get really cold my nose makes TONS of snot. And what am I going to do about it? With those big gloves on I can't really take a swipe at it. And honestly that's gross. What do you do with no tissue and a runny nose and big, fat man gloves on? I just did this fake fix thing where I leaned my head way back, like maybe the snot would just migrate back up. No Dice. It just ran down a little. And I pretended that it didn't. And then I sniffled a lot. Yeah, yeah, gross. I know, but I wasn't about to take those gloves off for anything.

3. I married a gentleman. Even after trying to convince me to take a hat and gloves, he still took his off and gave them to me as he froze. Then he gave me the real cherry on top with the sweet looks and laughter at my recycled jokes. He even took a picture for me of the strange man/woman sitting beside me on the subway who had crafted his/her own jewelry out of paper money. {sigh} He melts me. I think i want to do something special for him for Valentine's Day. I'm thinking maybe even a second Man Pit. It's sort of like a vacation home. His second man pit might be somewhere such as under the couch. You catch my drift.

4. New York Burger Company does make a good burger. Try the thousand island on it. You won't regret it. Seriously. I don't even like Thousand Island. To be honest I don't even know what Thousand Island is supposed to mean or even imply. A thousand delicious islands? A thousand years on an island? Thousands of islands? I don't know, but it sure was tasty.

Valentine's Gift Idea

I know those of you who are on the ball are already thinking of what to get those hubbies. I saw a great idea on this cool blog. You should check it out. I gave one to Noah about 6 years ago. It is a Man Pit.

Here's how you make it. Just designate an area of about 6 feet by 2 feet to him. That's it! No scissors, no glue, no glitter, no paper, no sewing. You might want to put a sign out since this is a gift. You know, something catchy like, "You are amazing! Have This!" or "Isn't this what you've always wanted?"

Then you just let him fill it up with whatever he wants. Noah likes to keep his extra clothes, crossword puzzles, and pens in his Man Pit. It is the one area where I don't clean. If he wants to he can, but he never has to. I even help him decorate his Pit by adding items of his that I find throughout the house.

Now run along and make a Man Pit. He'll love you for it.

Christmas - - - - a la Shafer

All on our own here in New York we have started a few Christmas Traditions. They have become a mixture of Cruze and Shafer traditions plus a little of our own imagination. We'll share a few with you. Santa came to our house a little early, before we went to Tennessee. It was a magical night.

New Jammies

Of Course. I think this is everybody's tradition, but it's a good one.

Of course. (Not pictured: Noah, his are green plaid)

Calvin is rocking the Lightening McQueen pj's.

Oh mama was Wyatt excited about these Thomas pajamas. He cries when I try to take them off.

Yo mama in Old Navy haute couture jammie pants.

Christmas Eve Feast

This tradition is 1 part Cruze, 1 part Shafer, and 1 part gluttony. Noah and I like to have the items we grew up with PLUS whatever is so delicious and fattening that you just think you might die if you don't get it.

Calvin had to have pumpkin pie.

Noah loves him some banana pudding.

I'll spare you the pictures of the hot wings, pigs in a blanket, and other various items. I imagine that you know what they look like. If you haven't seen hot wings, email me and I'll send you a pic.

Christmas Fort

I'm ashamed that I don't have pics of our super awesome su-wwwwweeeeeeet fort because it was so cool. My husband actually has a contracting license in Christmas Eve forts. It was the Taj Mahal of sheets. The boys loved it, and we all slept in it...........until 3 a.m. when Noah and I woke up the boys to unwrap presents. We're some impatient parents. I'll just leave it at that.

The Nativity

When I was growing up my Dad read the story of the Savior's birth each Christmas Eve. Noah's family acted out it out. We decided to retell it in our own words to the boys. When they are so little, it is hard to get them to understand the magnitude of that event. But I don't necessarily think that is even the point. I just wanted them to understand that it is an important day to remember Jesus Christ, that He was born, that He lived for us, and that He died for us. I love the story of the Nativity. I love to imagine what it would have been like to have been there and see the baby Jesus in the manger. What a beautiful thought!

Ssssshhhhhh!! They're asleep.

Noah built the boys a fort today.

We both laid down with them until they went to sleep.

And Noah fell asleep too.

I was the only survivor.

So, I snuck downstairs all the way to the basement to tell you that I love my guys.

They are all three asleep in a big pile like puppies. If you looked in, you would say, "Ahhhhhhhhh......"



P.S. I'm still lovin' that sandwich. Jonesing for it.

November Was All About Breaking Rules

Perusing through the November picture file led me to conclude that we Shafers threw caution to the wind and lived our lives to the fullest.

The boys jumped on the bed.

And in their Undies! {GASP}

Mommy was busted with blue fingernails.

The Christmas Tree was up by the second week of November.
I wore my dressiest scarf on laundry day for no good reason.
Wyatt watched TV as a burrito.

And Calvin licked his finger the entire time he made gingerbread men.

You might want to steer clear of the Shafers. We are bad news.

The Shafers Visit Lady Liberty

I'll make this short. I know that you have lots of blogs to surf. I know how Monday morning brings the promise of weekend posting. So, no stories, just witty quips under pictures. Enjoy.

My three dudes on the ferry out to Ellis Island.
Same Boat. Attempt at a group photo. As you can see, I'm not even willing to put a sandwich down for a family photo. I love sandwiches.
The beautiful ceiling in the main building at Ellis Island.

Lady Liberty. She's so tall.

I heard she's a member of Oprah's book club. She's always reading something. I admire that in a statue.
You have to climb 156 stairs to get to the feet. I had only climbed three stairs and started to dread the remaining 153. I am so proud of Calvin. He climbed all 156 up and down without any help!! He loved it. Wyatt slept through the whole thing.
This is a picture of me removing toe jam from Lady Liberty's toes. This particular piece was giving me some trouble. I'm kidding. I would never call my child toe jam. Or would I?
More comedic genius at work as I train my son in the ways of humorous fake nose picking

This is what you get when you go to the Statue of Liberty on such a rainy day and wear your hood.
So cold. So wet. I think my exact words to Noah were, "Hurry and take a picture of this because I want to remember exactly how miserable this wet moment was." We don't look too miserable, huh? I have to say spending the day with those boys of mine is always pretty fun. Even if it's wet.

Su-weet Date Night

We had chocolate with the bald man. The One. Then Only. Max Brenner. I've never actually met the guy, but his chocolate monstrosity desserts are enough to make me weep. Tears of pure joy. Tonight Noah and I met my cousin Ryan in the city for a little dessertishness. We ordered the chocolate marshmallow crepe with gummy bears and ice cream on the side. It was amazing. Whenever you come and visit me, we must go there. The vat of chocolate so loving displayed on my sidebar and again below can be found in the lobby of Max Brenner. A vat of chocolate?! Yes, spinning around deliciousness with every rotation. They also serve chocolate pizza, chocolate soup, chocolate fondue - even chocolate to spread on your toast. It's a chocolate lover's dream. Ahhh.....chocolate.

"I Do Believe I'm Falling For Fall"

The crisp air, the long sleeves, the jackets, the pumpkins, the spices, the apples, the pretty leaves. Ahhh, fall is really here. I didn't think that I was ready, but when Calvin came home with a preschool info sheet about Autumn I surrendered. Fall, to me, means apple pie.

Take an afternoon and while your hubby is knee deep in work or school or wherever, make this pie for him. Make sure you give him enough time after dinner to be primed for dessert and then lay a big fat slice of this pie on him. Don't forget the scoop of ice cream. Ladies, this isn't about you. This is about making yo man smile. Here is my apple pie recipe. Do respect it, and do make it. Then sit back and watch the compliments, smiles, and affection heap at your feet.

Apple Pie

2/3 Cup of Sugar

1/4 Cup of Flour

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

Dash of salt

8 cups of thinly sliced and peeled apples (macintosh, gala, and golden delicious are great)

2 TBS. butter

2 pie crusts (Don't stress too much, just use the Pillsbury roll out kind. No one will never know.)

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Mix sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a large bowl. Stir in apples. Turn into a pastry-lined pie plate (glass will give you the most even browning). Cut butter into small pieces; sprinkle over apples. Cover with the top pastry that has slits cut in it; seal and flute the edges (you know, the crinkle sides of the pie). Cover the edge with a 2-3 inch strip of foil to preven excessive browning; remove foil during the last 15 minutes of baking.

Bake 40-50 minutes or until crust is golden brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in the crust. Cool on a wire rack for at least 2 hours.

I realized today how seldom I mention anything about Noah on the blog. I must say that he is the most interesting character in yo mamma's family. I don't post as much about him because he doesn't like any unnecessary attention drawn to himself. Anyways . . . . . . I want to showcase some of his artwork.

Calvin loves to mix all of the play dough into one big multi-conglomerate, corporation of dough, making the colors a little bit schmoopy. The other night he mixed 9 containers together and kneaded until it was the perfect shade of poo. The lump found it's way to Noah's talented, crafty hands, and he made this big mask-looking thing. I liked it. Not like it like let it harden and put it on a shelf, but I carried it around for a couple of minutes and took it's picture. And blogged it. I guess that is kind of like letting it harden and dry and putting it on a shelf - - - in the bloggosphere. So I guess I have memorialized it. Kind of.

NOAH, AGE 3

Boston Anniversay and Birthday

i hate to enter into the female realm of blogging but i have to acknowledge how great katie is. she went to great efforts to arrange my birthday/anniversary present, a trip to boston to catch a ball-game at the fenway park. i have been a lifelong fan of the sox but i had never been to fenway. the trip was great. the morning of the first day, we ate in manhattan at max brenner's chocolate bar then rode a "MegaBus" to boston for only a few bucks each. that evening after checking in at our fancy hotel, the boston park plaza, we walked to fenway park.

to finally be able to walk in the stadium and see the green monster and the playing field after all these years of waiting was exhilarating. katie made one of my dreams come true. it was a great game with a lot of highlights including back to back homeruns from jd drew and manny ramirez, a grand slam from kevin youkilis and 7 innings of two hit ball by tim wakefield. the red sox blew out the orioles 12 to 1. we got a few souvenirs from the park but my favorite was some dirt from the field that we reached over the wall to grab. after i grabbed the dirt, i couldnt think of the best way to transport it back to the hotel. luckily, katie knew how to make a leak proof carrying container out of a piece of paper she tore out of a discarded magazine that she found. problem solved.


i would like to thank everyone that helped with the trip including my folks for watching calvin and wyatt (they love their grandparents so much and are still sad that you had to leave), katies parents for setting us up with some souvenir cash and my pal josh for helping katie get the tickets. most of all i want to thank katie for being so perfect. i love to be around you. you are the hottest thing that i have ever seen. thanks for asking me to ask you to marry me. these six years have been amazing.

An Appointment With Dr. Shafer

Noah has recently started seeing patients, and lucky for me, I got a cleaning from him. I have to say that it was the best cleaning I have ever had, and it sure didn't hurt to look at his handsome face the entire time. He was trying to hurry at the end so that we could make our dinner reservations. So with his speedy brushing, an excess of toothpaste, and my own inclination to giggling all going on at once, we both started laughing, and I managed to get toothpaste on my eyelashes. Ever the professional, he helped me wipe it off, and then took me out to eat. What a guy.

Contagious Laughter

Dad Hall of Fame

Here are a few Dads that inspire me daily

Noah (Dad of my Children) - This man is good with kids. He has just the right touch for every situation. It brings me great joy to listen to him comfort Calvin after a bad dream, or gently quiet Wyatt when he is sad. I haven't met another man so in love with his children, so willing to give them his time, so good at being their Dad. I'm so grateful for the boys he has given me. I hope that he knows that his boys love him sooo, sooooo, soooooooo much. Really, truly.

Dad (Dad of my Heart) - In case you didn't know, I love him a lot. I love his passion, generosity, and happiness. I strive to be like him, and I thank him for giving me life and the wonderful upbringing that I had. Six kids instead of fancy cars, big houses, or whatever else one might want wasn't lost on me! Dad, you will always be the best Dad I ever had.

Shaf (Dad of My Honey) Our relationship has grown since we first met. It is always nice to have another Dad figure to love and befriend. He showed Noah all of the tricks of the trade, including Daddy Magic. Charming in his quirkiness, he is a favorite around our home. Thanks to him for loving my kids so dearly. PIPAW!

Scott (Half of the Twin Dads and pictured on the far right) As a brother, one could not ask for more, and as a Dad what lucky kids he has. He is a man with an endless amount of energy, humor, and wisdom. He is a teacher, but a fun one. He has the kind of kids that you look at and say, "They are good kids." What a guy. (Conan, Other Half of the Twin Dads and pictured on the left) If you have never met this man, that's a shame. He is inspiring in his everyday life. He is sincerely kind and loving to everyone, his family most of all. His family is dear to me. He spends a lot of time thinking and meditating about them, and he deserves the blessings that his five kids do and will bring.

Eldon (Dad of Kekoa and Leilee) Sorry about the tiny pic. Blame it on my less than stellar bloggin' skills. He is the epitome of patience. Truly if you could bottle it, you would be wealthy. He has such a genuine appreciation of his children that is very endearing. They are so lucky to have someone who is so attentive. He is a treasure to his family.

Best. Saturday. Ever.

I'll let my pics do the talking. I simply don't have words for how much I enjoyed being with my husband and kids at the beach on the Jersey Shore today.