tasty numbers

The kids are starting a new lunch system at school in which they each have their own number they have to punch in every time they buy lunch.

Me: What if you forget your number?

Laurelin: I already memorized it, they gave it to us on a piece of paper.

Xander: I already memorized mine too, then I ATE it!

Me:....you really ate the piece of paper your number was on?

Xander: YEAH!

I guess that's one way to make sure noone steals your number...

Funny kid sayings lately and a few pics

Xander: If you lived on the peak of a mountain you would be one of the few people who didn’t have to worry about door to door salesmen.

Mamma: How much do you weigh now, Isaac?

Isaac: About 84 lbs.

Mamma: Really? You weigh more than half of my weight!

Gwen: Migrate?!?! Why does Isaac have to migrate??

Saturday we helped clean the church building. While we were cleaning the boys bathroom the kids were discussing how urinals worked and why boys could use them but girls couldn’t:

Laurelin: Well, girls can’t pee standing up, you know.

Xander: They can’t!?!

Gwen (somewhat indignantly): Well, we don’t have those sticky out things!

pics:

Xander having a snowball fight with Rus, one of Isaac's recent drawings, and three of the kids in their Halloween costumes, somehow we missed getting a picture of Isaac in his : (

We decided to have a fall festival, and as part of it, we decorated the window with leaf/crayon/waxed paper art. See if you can guess who did which ones.

We decided to have a fall festival, and as part of it, we decorated the window with leaf/crayon/waxed paper art. See if you can guess who did which ones.

Coolest picture of Xander ever! Thanks Cody!

Cody caught this shot of Xander at Katalina's birthday party yesterday! It is replete with Xanderness. Xanderosity?

The World According to Xander

Those who have a basic familiarity with behavior psychology can skip to the next paragraph. In the terminology of this discipline, an "extinction burst" is the name for the phenomenon that often occurs when a previously reinforced behavior ceases to be reinforced. The frequency and intensity of the behavior increase just before the behavior ceases, or is extinguished. (A classic example is when you put money in a vending machine and your soda doesn't come out. Before walking away in disgust and frustration, --extinction--you are likely to engage in an extinction burst: you push the button several more times, jiggle the change return, perhaps even slap, kick, or try to shake the machine.)

In our area, we had a few days of beautiful, mild spring weather, and then suddenly winter seemed to come back with a vengeance, with several days of nearly constant snowfall. Yesterday, referring to this phenomenon, commented yesterday, "Winter is having an extinction burst." It looks like some of that training he's done with his pet rat has also colored his perception of the rest of the world.

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The Lost Sheep according to Gwen

I don't know if they had a lesson on the Parable of the Lost Sheep recently in her church class, or if this just came straight out of her funny mind. Either way it cracked me up.

Gwen: I made up a funny story

Once there was a lot of sheep, and each day it neighed, I mean baaed, and each day one sheep runned off.

Mamma: Uh Oh Where’d it go?

Gwen: You don’t know

Mamma: I don’t know?

Gwen: You don’t want to know

After the sheep runs off one of the horses neighs. And after the horses neigh the chickens cluck. And after the chickens cluck, the crows beat at the scarecrow. And after the crows beat at the scarecrow the farmer goes “Yahoo!” And then the farmer said, “What’s all that noise going off? I’ve had enough of that noise! I wonder why they always do that and why my sheep always get lost!” And one day when he had only one sheep left he goed looking for the other ones, and meanwhile while he goed looking for the other ones, his one last sheep got lost, and it took him 15 years to find his other sheep. And when he got back he found his only one sheep ws gone, and he put lots and lots of cowbells on his other sheep so they wouldn’t get lost while he was looking for his one sheep. And it took him 2 days to find his other sheep. And one night he heard the same things, but except at night. But of course, that was another story.

Louisiana Wetlands Tour

Some highlights from the wetlands tour Rus took, including alligators and other wildlife.

Isaac's watercolor dragon

Isaac came home from school with a great grin on his face, exclaiming "I get to draw a DRAGON for homework!" He drew and painted it with watercolors. He'll turn it in tomorrow, and after he gets it back, we're planning on framing it. We made a short video of him displaying and describing it:

Laurelin's Springfest 2011 dance

Here is Laurelin's solo from Springfest. She really was the darling of the festival if you'll permit a very proud Mamma to say so. Not a few people came up to her during the rest of the festival to tell her she did a good job. I like how my friend, Kitty (who is the announcer you hear in the video), put it "She was in control of the stage"

Kelly and Rus' drum and dance performance

We hope you enjoy it, even if the sound came out less than optimal...

Tiger Eyes Dance Company

Xander's got a brand new Bounce

Check it out:

Gwen's fifth birthday party video and new baby rats

Viktoriya

Most if not all of you know that my friend and dance teacher, Viktoriya was in a horrible car accident almost 2 years ago. It's been a long battle for her and difficult for all of us to watch her lay her trapped in her body. Friday Jan 14th she passed away. The funeral was the 21st (same day as Gwen's birthday). We all love her very much and cry for those of us who are left behind, but are glad that her battle is over. I've felt very close to her this week and could feel her celebrating being free again. I'm putting a few of her videos here to remember her, and here is the link to her obituary

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/deseretnews/obituary.aspx?n=viktoriya-pulley&pid=147899353

Bellydance short film

Our friend, Karen Paglio, is a film student at SLCC. She's also my bellydance student. For one of her classes in Fall semester she was supposed to make a short film, and she decided to do a mini documentary on the positive impact bellydance has in women's lives. She interviewed myself, Rus, Laurelin, Gwen (both of whom I have to say were dang cute in it), Odessa of Desert Gypsy Dance Company (who is an absolutely wonderful human being and I love her dearly) and several of Odessa's students. The film was aired on SLCC's campus TV show "Insight", and is now available on Vimeo to watch online. Karen did a wonderful job putting everything together and we're so happy we could be a part of it. Enjoy!

Insight News - November 9, 2010 from SLCC Voices on Vimeo.