Resistance is Futile

The clone warriors that have moved into our house are armed and dangerous. They have weird electronic voices that are hard to understand, and they make lots of crazy demands. Their choice of weaponry is puzzling. Why would clone warriors from the future equip themselves with Tommy 20s? Could it be because you can load it up with 20 darts and fire rapidly? All I know is that these clone drones got exactly what they wanted for Christmas, and it was fun for Santa to see those frowns turn upside down when they finally found them behind the tree! Cruel Santa...tsk, tsk.

Too much Christmas makes Lucy fall asleep on floor.

Introducing Jacob Forbes the Professional Engineer

That's right, he did it. He is legit. All that hard work and sacrifice really paid off. On December 23, he received an email from the Texas Board of Engineers stating that he had successfully completed the test. YEAH!!!! This was quite a hurtle for him and we are so happy and proud of Jacob the P.E. (not to be confused with Putz with Ears).

North Pole Flyer

Every year the Austin Steam Train Association has a Christmas train, and these train rides are so popular that they sell out in August. This year I was on the ball and got us tickets before they sold out. Now since these tickets sell out 6 months in advance, I had some pretty high expectations for this train ride...think "Polar Express". They advertised that there would be hot chocolate, cookies, a story, caroling and a visit from Santa. The first hint that this may not be exactly what I pictured was when we saw families carrying blankets. We are having a cold snap in Texas, and it was 35 F when we got to the train depot. So Mel cajoles me into asking why they have blankets...you know the answer don't you? Because coach does not have heating. What?? Great. Strike one. So we get the hot chocolate, and it becomes immediately apparent that a better name for this beverage would be "stone cold chocolate water". Strike two. The carols were fun, but you could not hear the story. Strike three came when Santa visited the car and handed out, you guessed it, train whistles to all the children. I guess not all parents have a rule regarding the outdoor use of whistles, because at one point I think Mel threatened to "start shoving some whistles down children's throats." All in all, the kids had fun and that is what really counted; however, I can check this off of my list of things to do and move on. I think my toes are just now beginning to de-thaw! Merry Christmas everyone!

Lucy's Party

We had a little gathering to celebrate Lucy's birthday, and it was a great time! We felt so fortunate to have our friends and family come and help us celebrate such a big day for us. We had some cake, and despite not being the best eater Lucy managed to eat some! She received some really nice gifts, and one of them happened to be a James Avery charm bracelet with 3 charms! Never too early for the bling. It was really important to me & Jake to create some happy memories on her birthday, and we definitely succeeded!

Lucy Eleanor Forbes

This past year has had a lot of firsts for us, and we are so very grateful to be on the other side...happy and healthy. So here is a movie to commemorate Lucy's first year in the world.

Caughtcha Joon

Rhys Gabriel Forbes

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RED!

1st day

1st bday

2nd bday

3rd bday

4th bday

5th bday

Dang Cheerleaders

I tell you, it has been some week for conversation during our morning school commute. Pulling into the parking lot today, Rhys commented, "I hate when cheerleaders spray paint cars. It just makes people horrible drivers." He asked, "Isn't that vandalism, Mom?" I was stumped, until I saw a car that had the sale info painted on the windows. Then I remembered that our neighbor was on the football team and the cheerleaders would often write on his car!! :) He finished his thought by saying, "Those cheerleaders should find something better to do with their time." I wish that cheerleader vandalism was the cause of the bad driving that occurs in the parking lot, then we could do something about it. As it is, there is nothing to do but keep our heads down and smile when people cut us off. Aaahh...Winter Break!

NICU Nurses & Santa

So this morning we were driving to school and Ethan asks, "Santa did visit Lucy last year, right Mom?" At first I said, "No," but quickly changed my tune when I realized where this conversation was going. So I told him that Santa had brought Lucy a really warm blanket while she was in the NICU. The next thing I hear out of the backseat is, "Santa must have to time it perfectly to arrive when those nurses are not in the room." This stumped me for a minute, and then I explained to Ethan that the nurses can't leave the NICU babies alone because they are very sick and need constant care. You can guess the conclusion that he came to..."So, NICU nurses get to see Santa?" I thought about it, took a chance, and answered, "Yes, I think some of them do." Rhys, who was quiet up until this point quickly said, "So Lucy has seen Santa?" I assured him that Lucy was asleep most of the time in the NICU and did not see Santa. Ethan's final thought was, "Maybe I will be a NICU nurse, but I am glad that Lucy is home with us this year." Rhys quickly agreed. Driving home, I felt pretty lucky to have had such an awesome conversation with my kids. Out of nowhere, they can stop the world from spinning and pinpoint what is really important.

Brand New Roller Skates

So Big Red is going to be 6 on Wednesday. Aunt Lisa gave him his present early and Rhys is rocking the "old skool" roller skates! Here is a pic, and I am going to try and upload a movie.

Kid quote...

Today I told Ethan to take his jacket just to cover his bases. He then responded, "Just like a hitchhiker, we should always be prepared." Whaa?

"The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" by Barbara Robinson

We read this book every year. It cracks me up, and lets face it I married into the Herdman clan. I love reading it to the boys, but more than that I love reading it for myself. The book describes the story of the birth of Jesus in a way that chokes me up every time I read it. It really drives home the meaning of Christmas. If you have not read this book, you need to go get it (cue "Reading Rainbow" music). It will change the way you and your family look at the Nativity. You will probably want to add ham.

Family Picture Gone Wrong

This is not the photo you will be receiving with your Christmas card...

The Nutcracker

I love "The Nutcracker". I am not joking. Once during a trip to Dallas, the radio stopped working so I hummed the ENTIRE musical program for Jacob. Needless to say, he was impressed with my skills, and my lips were numb for an hour. I have often blamed my parents for enrolling me in karate and blatantly ignoring my potential for ballet (except for that balance thing); I could have been a Claire, or at least a Bon Bon. I don't know when this obsession started, but it has always been my desire to attend this magical ballet with my children. We took them for the 1st time last year, and this year they were counting down the days until the show. I love sharing this with them, and I hope that it is not a tradition that they outgrow too fast. Aaahh, to be the Snow Queen. One can dream.

Christmas Tree Huntin'

I have a problem, well many to be honest, but the one that I am referring to has to do with finding the perfect Christmas tree (this also applies to pumpkins). I have made Jake hold up countless trees, visit numerous tree stands, and tromp over miles of tree farms searching for "the tree". In Oregon it got downright nasty...the weather was not always hospitable to our endeavor, but finding a tree on a farm and cutting it down holds so much appeal. I guess this is the first time that the boys paid attention to the process, because after 5 minutes they were pointing at any tree yelling, "Mom, I think this is the one." Jake, knowing better, followed me around and patiently waited until I found it. And I did. And it was fun!

Time is an amazing thing

Ethan had a class project about family history. One of the questions had the student reflect on what life was like for the oldest member of the family when they were 7. We did some math and figured out that Opa is the oldest member of our family, coming in at 62. Ethan's first thought was, "I wonder what color his covered wagon was?". He thought about it and then said, "I bet Opa learned to drive in one of those cars with the tire on the back...a Model T.". With thoughts like these, we immediately called Opa to get his take on the whole thing. He laughed and asked us if we had put Ethan up to it. Then Opa set the record straight on a few things. You bet we had to come home and look up Roy Rogers! In retrospect, it is so cool that Ethan thinks that humans could make so much progress in such a short period of time. Who didn't think we would be driving flying cars by now? Kid logic is AWESOME!!!

It's A Beaut, Clark

Jake really outdid himself this year!! Check it out...

SKI TRIP

We packed the kids up and flew up to Winterpark, Colorado to hang out with the Sundquist Family. Ethan & Rhys went to ski school on the first day, moved on to the Bunny Hill and then conquered the mountain! They were AWESOME!!! Ethan boarded and Rhys skied and Lucy stayed warm. It was a great Thanksgiving and we are so sad that it flew by so fast.

Aunties...

Aunt Melnay & Aunt Lido came for a visit last night. We had a fabulous time with them. It was a quick trip, but if we waited for the perfect time we would be old. You really have to take the precious time that you can get and run with it. We did that last night, and it was great. Life is made of all the little moments, and those snatches of time are really what make life sweet. Love you sisters.

(LL: Lido & Ludee)

Go Titans!

Saturday was a glorious end to another Titan's soccer season. The boys have come so far and have learned so much. They actually pass the ball now! They don't win much, but they are learning to play together as a team, and in my experience that is much harder for humans to do. Coach Jacob and Coach Rob did a great job with these kids, and in the last game the boys really showed off what they had learned. We even had a few goals! It was a great ending to the season.

Halloween!

Halloween costumes were a tough decision this year. They finally decided on characters from our favorite cartoon programs (these are not the most popular programs): Prince Zuko from "Avatar, the Last Airbender", and Blooregard Q. Kazoo from "Fosters Home for Imaginary Friends". They soon discovered that most people did not know who they were; in fact, Ethan was confused all night for Cookie Monster. I tried to explain that if people do not know who you are then that proves it is a cool costume. The idea that being different is cool, is a hard concept for a 2nd grader, but I think he got it....especially after he saw so many Star Wars characters. We had a great night and it was fun. I think they looked great. On a side note, the skeleton had a cardiologist appointment and he loved that the costume had a heart right on it. Hope everyone had an awesome Halloween!

Blooregard Q. Kazoo

Kindergarten Nursery Rhythm Parade

Starring Old King Cole...

A little Flashback...

Getting Ready...

Tomorrow is the big day and we are almost ready. Not only do we have Halloween, but Rhys will also be participating in the Kindergarten Nursery Rhythm Parade. Don't worry, I will take lots of pictures to share!
On a side note, I have to admit that I made these Halloween shirts. They are the first thing that I have ever successfully, key word, made from a magazine. Pretty cool, huh? And could Lucy have posed any better? I think not.

It was bound to happen...

I just wasn't ready for it. Today Lucy had an appointment to get her blood drawn. We were sitting in the lab, and another patient came in and got her blood drawn first. On her way out, she asked me if Lucy had Down Syndrome and I said, "Yes". She then said, "I have never been this close to one of those." Folks, I was dumbfounded and my brain went blank. I answered, "Well, she is cute." The woman then proceeded to ask me about health problems and I downplayed Lucy's problems, and said that she had no more health problems than my other kids. Then she asked me, "Are your other kids normal?" I would like to interject here and assure you that there is no way on God's green earth that I could make this up. I looked right at her and answered, "Well, Lucy is normal, but no my other children do not have Down Syndrome." She then asked me how old I was when I had Lucy. I told her and then she brought up the fact that Palin having a child with DS helps put the spotlight on people with disabilities, which is a good point, but at this point I was reeling and done with the conversation. I wished her a good day and then sat back and prepared myself for Lucy's blood draw.
Ever since I had Lucy, I have been waiting for this to happen, and I just wasn't ready when it really did happen. I tried to be positive, because I feel like Lucy is an ambassador for Down Syndrome. Everyone we meet can go away with a different idea of what a person with DS is really like. But I have to tell you it was hard. Back in the car I gave myself 30 seconds to feel sorry for myself and then I looked at Lucy and said, "I am not going to feel sorry for us, there is nothing to feel sorry for." I know you are asking if this woman was older, and I have to tell you that in my book she was not that old and she should have known better. The hard thing is that she was actually trying to be nice. People really feel compelled to tell me the most asinine things. (Just be watching for the post about my red complexion, and you will understand!) I still don't know if I should laugh or cry about the whole thing, but I guess I should just chalk it up to a learning experience that will help me the next time someone approaches us. For all of you that love Lucy, thank you because you make it easier to face down people like this woman.

Lets Dance...

While I was in San Diego, my men attended the Windermere Fall Ball. The Fall Ball was 2 different dances in 1: a 50's sock hop and an 80's bop. Jacob was nice enough to DJ the 80's dance. It was so much fun making the set list. My friends reported that Jake played awesome songs and everyone had a good time. An elementary student, on a cell phone, was overheard saying, "I am at the dance and it is actually FUN!" I don't think that there is any better compliment. A friend shared a few pictures of the boys and I thought I would pass them on. It was easy to dress Rhys (or Blaine for you "Pretty in Pink" fans) as a prep and Ethan was destined to be a greaser. It is hard to look at these pictures, because they are such a testament to how fast time flies by. Guess we just have to make everyday count. And judging by these pictures, the boys had a great time!