Aren't our kids supposed to think we know everything?

Jell just asked Coop why the mirror was all messy after his shower. He responded, "You know how when water is really hot, there is smoke? When smoke gets on the mirror it makes it foggy like that." Pretty reasonable, albeit simple explanation, no? Jell burst out laughing. Coop said, "What, it is true." Jell stopped giggling just long enough to shake her head and say, "No, it is not true." "It is! Go ask Mommy!" "Mommy, is it true?" "Yes, Jell it is true." Laughter. "Nooooooo, it is not true." After going back and forth, it is, it's not, a few more times I asked how she thinks the mirror gets all foggy. She replied, "It's from the smoke. From the Indians. They had a fire." WHAT?! As if THIS is more believable. I stated that I had not seen any Indians but she had, and told Coop when he asked that they were in the bathroom while he was taking a shower. All righty then. I just might shower in my bathing suit tomorrow because apparently we have some local drive-by, bathroom fire-starting, mirror fogging, peeping Tom Indians. And you never know when they might strike next.

Happy 85th Great-Grandpa!

We believe my grandpa just turned 85! Actually, it could be more or less anywhere between 80 and 90, and they celebrate it on Nov 11th because nobody wrote down when he was born, just remembered that there were lots of bells ringing that day and there were always bells ringing on Veterans Day. His sisters actually thought the doctor brought him in his little black doctor bag. On top of that, his name is Frank although my mom found him on an early census as Irving (turns out that his middle name) although he was originally named Philip. Now that makes family history searches easy! Regardless, we love him and are super glad to be continuing to celebrate his birthdays!
Meri loves him too! When giving him a kiss though I think the girls are always a little iffy about the moustache.
Jell does too of course, but spends most of her time at Berne family affairs with none other than Uncle Adam. By the way, at big celebrations like this one, it's tradition for all of the familys to present poems or songs dedicated to the one we are celebrating. My grandma did indeed read a poem that ended, "To my friend and lover, now let's go home and jump under the cover!"
And hardly related, but growing up everyone said I looked just like my dad. What do you think now? Oh, and that wine isn't mine. It was my aunt's - I was drinking a rather odd dry lavendar soda for the night. That's what happens when the alcoholic menu is long enough to be a novel while the non-alcoholic selection only appears on the kids' meal.

Good News and More Good News

Good News #1: The show looks great! The open house was yesterday, and while nothing has sold yet, they've had lots of interest and the gallery people paid me some really nice compliments. If I can sell just one of the big paintings, I'll have broke even - so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that there's somebody out there not too scared of the bad economy to spend some on a lovely piece of art!
Good News #2: As some of you know I had surgery on my finger last week. Sadly it was on my right hand which really bites (you can see me holding it awkwardly in the picture) - I'm really sick of trying to use a fork with my uncoordinated left hand, and I haven't been able to do my hair in a week. Usually in that time I do it at least once or twice. They cut open my finger, went inside the bone and scraped out an enchondroma. I'm kind of an idiot cause I didn't think it was a big deal and thought I'd be back to normal in like 2 days, but lo and behold, my right hand is kind of important and scraping things out of bones is stinkin' painful!! It has hurt like the dickens, whatever that means, keeping me up to watch reruns at 3 AM and moan and groan lots, BUT this falls in the good news category because the nurse called with the results today and it's all good. No malignancy! Just blessed benignness! So yea! But it is hurting quite a bit to type - but the rest of the good news was that the doctor told me I wasn't allowed to wash dishes or change diapers for like a week! Now that's my kind of doctor's note!

Our little Goldfish

Jenelle has had a blast with her first ever swim class! It ended this week (meaning two fun trips down the big water slide) so I thought it was about time I got some pictures up. Tayson is in the class with her, and they are so fun to watch, and have seriously improved in the water. While we didn't "pass" the level (*to overly-concerned and loving family members who might be offended that their darling Jelly was flunked - it was nothing personal. None of the class passed), we are so much better at putting our faces into the water, splashing, kicking, laying back, etc. etc. I think she may even be able to float better than her mom--who can't float. Never has floated. Except for in the extremely salty Mediterranean Sea where solid rocks could float if they gave it a try. Ah well. Tons of fun though! We really owe the teacher - she was so good with the kids (even though she sure had her hands full) and really pushed them to try new things. And she gave them all back to us in one piece - after having only swallowed half of the swimming pool. So you know, Michael Phelps, as soon as we are comfortable putting our whole face underwater so we can graduate from Goldfish, here we come! Oh, oh, and next week, Meri gets to be a Starfish and join in the fun in a Parent/Baby class! Lovin that chlorine smell!

And finally some Halloween pics

I know, I'm a bit late ... but since this is currently my only form of scrapbooking, I'm doing it anyway. (*best viewed in firefox, totally messed up otherwise because I don't get computers)

























The girls crouching down for a better look at the games. I love that they crouch, although Meri started it and is the one that does it all the time - as if she needs to get closer to the ground.
And after figuring out the rules ... and how to bend them to their advantage, they gave the game a try.
















































You know how sometimes you say, "Everybody make a silly face" and then you're the only one (or two) that does it?









And in case you couldn't tell from any of the other photos, Meri's costume was hilarious because the backside was about as wide as she is tall. Has anybody seen a fat giraffe before? Well here's our very own ... in timeout.










And in an effort to make a good-luck charm and to make my husband smile when he got home from a late night of school, this was the pumpkin I carved (much to Jenelle's disappointment. She was so confused and just kept asking where the jack-o-lantern's face was). Having created such a good-luck charm, I would like to claim credit for the stinking ridiculous result of the overtime game the other night, but I think that might a bit too delusional. In case you were unlucky enough to miss the game, check out this highlight here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psIxlKyjQeg. And even if you're not any kind of basketball or Blazers fan, 8 points were scored in 1.8 seconds. It's worth watching.

Funny day

I really do still promise pics are coming - I'll try to download them later tonight. But in the meantime, Jenelle was really on one for saying/doing funny things today and I had to record them while I still remembered. Here they are, straight from the mouth of my 3 year-old wit:

Mom: Should we make some muffins?
Jell: Yes, but please with no blue babies in them.
Translation: blue babies = blueberries

Dad: Jenelle, why are you not sleeping?
Jell: Because everybody is on my pillow.
Dad: What? (looks and discovers about a dozen stuffed animals and babies all lined up, and properly tucked in ... on her pillow, leaving Jenelle only enough room to sit up at the foot of her bed)

Jell: (randomly I might add) Mom, I want to go to the car wash!
Mom: Oh not right now honey, it cost too much money to go to the car wash.
Jell: (with a sigh) And we don't have any money ... What Meri? (Meri had not said anything) Meri thinks we DO have money. (Was this supposed to convince me that we really should go??)

Jell: (in the car she was pointing out the colors of everything to Meri and trying to get Meri to repeat after her) Mom, what color is Baby Carla's toes and knees and legs (If Baby Carla was real, she would be Caucasian)?
Mom: Well, they're kinda a peach color.
Jell: No mom. She is Carla, not Peach.
Mom: Okay then, they're a flesh color.
Jell: Mom. What color is Baby Carla? (apparently flesh was NOT an acceptable answer)
Mom: Well she's white.
Jell: No mom. Meri's shoes are white. This (pointing at Baby Carla's plastic skin) is not white.
Mom: Hmm ... you're right. What color are those leaves?

(And this wasn't technically today but we were talking all about Christmas fun)
Jell: Except for I don't want to see Snowa.
Us: What? Who?
Jell: Snowa. (laugh) I don't really know his name.
Us: (finally putting it together) Oh, you mean Santa.
Jell: Yeah, Santa.
Us: You know Santa brings you toys.
Jell: (thinking about it for awhile) I like Santa bringing me toys.

Meri's first haircut

I'll come back to Halloween later, but first I had to add these cuties of Meri's first haircut! Wahoo! That means she had enough hair to cut (mostly off the back. No worries, the mullet is now under control). Thanks Kristy!
This is what I get when I say, "Say cheese Meri!"

As with the tiger face she sat there, without complaining, for the whole thing. It did help that she had a super cool watersquirter, which she used on me and the door. It also helps that we kept telling her she was pretty (notice the matching pink nails as well).
It is really funny to me how vain little girls are. Ever since the haircut, she has been constantly brushing her pretty hair, and anytime the word "hair " is mentioned she comes running over rubbing her head, to which you are required to comment, "Yes, pretty hair Meri," before she can move on. How did looks get so important so fast??