Take That, 2007!

I finished my quilt! And with 45 minutes to spare.

Quintessential Maren-ness Giveaway - WINNER

Well, tomorrow is the launch of my brand new blog-look. Assuming we don't run into any technical difficulties. Which we will, because that always happens. But that's okay because I happen to share a bed with the Grand Master Computer King. (Bow down and cower in his presence!)

Anywho, the Grand Master Computer King also happens to be pretty good at coming up with blog names, so I'm going with the one he suggested. (Actually, it was more of a joke, but I took it and ran with it.) But since he didn't post the name, and since he never makes any posts to my blog, he doesn't win a prize.

So I'm giving a prize to the first runner-up: Ginger! Ginger suggested "Real Maren, Simple Madness", which played to my lurve of Real Simple Magazine as well as the craziness that is so often my life. Also, Madness sounds and looks a lot like Madsen. Coincidence? Yes.

Ginger is moving across town at the end of this week. I don't know about you, but I HATE moving. It's such a hassle. And two of the biggest hassles are: 1. unexpected expenses, and 2. trying to feed your family when your entire kitchen is packed up and your food budget has been eaten by unexpected expenses. So I'm offering Ginger two choices of prizes: 1. a Target gift card, or 2. a gift card to any restaurant of her choice. Ginger, just let me know which you would like and what address to send it to. (Also, let me know if you would like some babysitting on packing/or moving days. Nothing's more 'helpful' than a child on moving day, right?)

I also want to mention the close second runner-up: Christy! Christy suggested PlanIt Maren. I loved the name, but just couldn't get into the whole planet motif, which really would have been necessary to pull the name off. Also, kudos to Christy on her 1,000th blog post today. She really rocks, and was a big inspiration to me when I started blogging so many moons ago... in March. Anyways, check out her blog - it's really fun. Congratulations, Christy!

Procrastination: Try It Today! Or Tomorrow!

So I'm finishing off one of my 2007 New Year's goals: completing my quilt. It's my special 'mom' quilt, made of squares from her clothes that I took after she died. One side is the squares of fabric and the other side is navy blue fleece - super warm and cuddly.

I've been working on it for 3 1/2 years. Oh, don't look at me like that. I have an excuse - several, even. Good ones. In the first six months I made a quilt just like it for my brother, Kyle. A year later I made one for my other brother, Kevin. After that I moved, had a super-huge pregnancy (as anyone who saw me can attest), and then had said super-huge baby. Not exactly optimal quilt-making conditions.

So at the beginning of this year I made it my goal to finish my quilt. I've been working on it bit by bit over the year. Now all I have to do it snip all the loose threads and tie it. I have 26 hours. The only thing I have planned for tomorrow is help Lance get the Christmas lights off of the house, which has to be done because of the literal Arctic front moving in on Tuesday. And we don't have any plans for the evening, so I think I can do it.

No plans for tomorrow night! I know, the queen of planning with no plans New Year's Eve. Oh, the shame. We wanted to have someone come over and play games or on the Wii or something, but I never got around to calling anyone.

Hey, wanna come over tomorrow night and hang out? Or maybe tie a quilt?

Radioactive Kiddos

I took Josh to the pediatric orthopedist in Indie yesterday.

We started with x-rays. I swear, my family has been through so many x-rays lately we should be glowing. Actually, I guess it would be the boys who would glow, since I get to wear and oh-so-stylish (and heavy!) lead apron. I picture the them glowing something like this


only in little boy form, not kitty form. Although, with enough radiation you never know... (Kitties... kiddos... kitties... kiddos...)

Anywho, Josh was not too happy with the x-rays. As soon as I sat him on the table he got this crazed look in his eyes, as if he thought we were going to eat him. He grasped me with all his Joshie super-strength and whined and would not believe that nothing there would hurt him. To is credit he never did totally flip out, although I suspect he would have if we had done more than the five we needed!

The orthopedist was really nice and seemed to know what he was talking about. (When he could get a word in edgewise - Spencer had diarrhea of the mouth and would NOT STOP TALKING AT THE TOP OF HIS LUNGS AND AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE for the entire time the doctor was in the exam room. The attention moves away from him for one minute and sheesh!)

He said (the doctor, not Spencer - we just tuned him out as best we could) that Josh's x-rays looked fine. He could see why our pediatrician recommended him to get looked at, though, since Josh's problem is particularly pronounced. He asked if anyone in our family had flatfeet and I told him that Spencer does - big time.

The doctor went on to explain that this is fairly common in kids, and that it usually corrects itself by the time they're 5. If it doesn't correct itself, there's not much you can do about it, but it's not the end of the world because it's not a big medical problem. Sometimes there's some leg pain, but nothing severe. (And I thought Spencer was just trying to get attention when he complained about his legs hurting!)

So, nothing majorly wrong with Josh. (Physically, that is. Attitudinally is a whole other blog!!) We do have to go back in two months if he's not walking by then, but I highly doubt that will be the case.

I just wish we could have kept the x-rays to add to our ever-growing collection. In the meantime, perhaps I'll invest in one of the these for all the future radiation I'm bound to be exposed to!

Things I Know Are True

1. Babies who are getting their molars in are absolute terrors. (But you still feel sorry for them! A little.)
2. Doing some design work on the computer can be very therapeutic and relaxing.
3. A good cuddle with your child can help you forgive almost all offenses, big or small.
4. Blogging about a rather unpleasant experience soon after it happens can be very cathartic.
5. So can annihilating your son at Wii baseball after the above-mentioned experience. (11-0 in 3 innings, in case you're curious.)
   

The Magic of Christmas is Gone

6:45am
Spencer: Do you want to play Wii with me Mommy?
Me: No.
Spencer (whining): Why not?
Me: Because I was up with you at 4am and Josh at 6am, that's why.
Spencer: Eeeehhhaaaa! (His whining sound.)

7:00am, 7:04, 7:08, 7:12, ... 10:00am
Spencer: Do you want to play Wii with me, Mommy?
Me: Nope. Sorry.
Spencer (whining): Why not?
Me: Because I have to shower/clean up a mess I didn't make/change a diaper/clean the kitchen, get dressed/pay bills/make storage bags for the new toys, etc.

11:00am
I am finally able to take a shower.
Spencer: Do you want to play Wii with me, Mommy?
Me: Noooooooo
Spencer (whining): Why not?
Me (in my head): Because I am in the freakin' shower!
Me (out loud): Because I am in the shower, sweety.

11:04am
Still in the shower.
Spencer: Mommy?
Me (thinking I already know the question - and it's answer): No, Spencer, I am in the shower!
Spencer: I need to go potty.
Me: Oh. Okay, then go.

11:08am
Spencer (yelling): Mommy? The potty is broken.
Me (in my head): Dang it!!! We have the worst toilets ever! And why now, for the love of Pete, when I am in the shower?
Me (out loud): Shhh! Don't wake Joshie. Just leave the potty alone and I will fix it once I get dressed. Do not flush the potty.

*flush*

Me (in my head): !%#$^#$%!!!!!Q#$^&!!

*flush*

Spencer: Uh oh! The potty is really broken. Uh oh.
Me (rushing out of the shower, wrapping a towel around myself): Get out of the bathroom! NOW.

Spencer stands in the doorway of the bathroom, his pants still around his ankles.

Spencer: Uh oh, Mommy.

I look in. There is water all over the bathroom floor, and toilet doesn't look like it is stopping any time soon.

I rush to get the plunger out of my bathroom and try to get back in the kids bathroom, but Spencer is in the way and won't move.

Me (in my deepest, meanest, scariest imp of Hades voice): SPENCER, MOVE. NOOOOOWWWWW...

Spencer moves.

Half an hour later the mess is cleaned up and disinfected. I am finally able to get dressed in real clothes, after needing another quick shower.

Spencer: Do you want to play Wii with me Mommy?
Me: No.
Spencer (yelling at the top of his voice): Why not?!?!?!

Joshie (who has gone pro in the tantrum throwing arena lately and is thus a complete pill to be around) starts to cry from his room.

Me: Just... no...

Spencer senses the danger, and wisely backs away slowly.

Permanence

I'm still feelin' groovy, baby. I haven't found a permanent spot for the lava lamp yet, but the boys sure love having it on. Actually, the lava lamp will never have a permanent spot in the house. (Unless you count my closet shelf.) But it will make guest appearances at Halloween and possibly New Years.

And speaking of New Years, look at this neato 'People Feeder' that Laura and Donald Mueller gave our family. Isn't it fun? I think it's clever. Very Madsen-esque. And absolutely perfect for New Year's Eve board game marathons. It will become a permanent fixture in our New Year's Eves. (Which we need; we don't really have any New Year's Eve traditions. Is it wrong to start a tradition around a people feeder? Nah.)

Finally, look at these cute slippers I got today. I got them at Target for $6 and I love them! My feet are always cold in the winter, even with socks on. I need just a little something else to keep them toasty. (It's all those cold tile floors in our house!) They are definitely permanent!

It's Only A Matter Of Time

We have late walkers in our family. (And that's okay by me, because once kids start walking they also start running. All the time. Nonstop. And then they get into even more trouble!) Joshie is 15 months old and just about there. He is so proud of himself in this video!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

As you can see, his feet spread out a lot. Spencer's did the same thing, which is probably part of the reason why we have such late walkers. So we're off to a pediatric orthopedist on Friday in Indie. Spencer had to have special inserts for his shoes, and I'm hoping for the same thing for Josh. (Although getting them fit for Josh will be a NIGHTMARE for all involved!)

He's growing up so much. One other bad thing about kids walking? In my eyes they stop being babies and they start being toddlers. And I miss the babies.

A Groovy Christmas

Christmas morning started at a decent time for us - 7:45am. Lance and I are enjoying these types of hours while our kids are still young. (We know we'll probably be up much earlier in the years to come!)

Spencer rushed into my room, whispering at the top of his little voice.

Spencer: Mommy! Mommy! Santa Claus came and he brought me toys!
Me: What did he bring you?
Spencer: A train! He brought a train! And a toy. A red toy!
Me: What is the red toy?
Spencer: I don't know.
Me: Maybe it's for Joshie. Don't you think Santa brought something for Joshie?
Spencer: Oh, yes... but no.

As you know, Spencer did get a train. And the red toy was a Spiderman Sit-n-Spin for Josh. (Which Spencer was more than happy to demonstrate for Josh.)

Lance got a bunch of computer stuff, of course. And of course one of our hard drives died this morning. (Literally - you could actually hear it's death throes.) And of course a hard drive was not one his gifts. So now we have to buy a new one. Of course.

I also got him a fun (I think) necktie. It's a 'Power Tie'. Get it? It has the little power button symbol on it? I thought it was perfect for my perfect computer geek. I think it's clever; not a normal pattern on a tie, but doesn't have cartoons across the front, either. (I like more subtle ties.)

Joshie got some cute toys. My favorite was the bucket of cars my parents gave him.

But of course his favorite were the maracas Santa got at the Dollar Spot at Target!

Spencer also got a really cool stocking stuffer: these fun straws that you can put together. (A bit more than Santa usually spends on Stocking stuffers, but since the train was free he felt he could splurge!) Spencer LUVS them, and I am sure my counters will be constantly wet for the next month or so. (But now I have a surefire way to get him to drink his milk!)

I got lots of neat gifts. I am especially impressed that Lance got a platter that I wanted from KitchenArt. (All I had to do was send him an email telling him what I wanted, attached a photo of it, and made sure that he had the address of the store. :) ((He also got me a really cute apron from Etsy.com, and I love it. But not enough to go take a picture of it right now. Maybe tomorrow.)) Spencer gave me a new whisk, which I desperately needed. And Josh? Well, Lance claims that Josh desperately wanted to get me one of these:

Yes, that is a lava lamp. Groovy. Or something. Every year Lance gets me some random, off-the-wall gift, and this was it. Only now he's blaming our baby for it. (Shame shame!) Oh well, I will take a picture of it once I find its permanent home. (Any ideas? Let me know! I'm thinking it might become a new Halloween decoration!) ((BTW, last year I got a chocolate fountain. Unfortunately, it didn't work, so I returned it and got a new toaster oven. That I love. The lava lamp works.))

But the big Christmas gift this year came from Lance's Mom and Dad: a Wii!

I think Lance was more excited about it than Spencer, since he had known about it for two months! We've already had several melt-downs and tantrums over it, so you know Spencer is in lurrve. But that's a good thing, because I am already establishing the fact that playing with the Wii is a privilege, not a right. I think Spencer is already catching on; the tantrums ended more quickly than normal!

And I will admit - the Wii is fun. Lance and I played for an hour tonight. I totally kicked his trash at baseball. (Aren't you proud of me, Dad?) We won't talk about bowling...

So all in all, a very merry Christmas at the Madsen home!

T'was The Night Before Christmas

T'was the night before Christmas

And the Madsen fam'ly
Gobbled down a big feast
Made by Maren - yummy!


After dinner they opened
One present each
The gifts were all jammies -
Joshie's had feet.


And then it was time
For a family tradition
Just one good group picture -
Maren's greatest ambition!


And then we took pictures
Of our two little boys
And we played and we wrestled
And made lots of noise.


Then on to the books
Daddy started to read
Mommy's favorite? The Red Ranger Came Calling
By the great Berkely Breathed.


The hour was late
It was nigh time for bed
But first Spence had to make sure
That the reindeer were fed.


Then a quick Christmas snack
And a letter to Santa that read
"You can play with my computer
But not too long, 'cause mom said."


It was way past bed time
"We're not tired!" the boys lied
We told them "Too bad"
And of course Joshie cried.


Despite the excitement
And all of the treats
The boys went to bed
Without fuss - what a feat!

Santa came to our home
At ten o'clock that night
And left presents for all
What a magical sight!


(Sincerest and most humble apologies to Clement Clarke Moore!)

Spencer's Christmas Carol

Just a little something to melt the hearts of the grandparents.

Merry Christmas!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Nuttin' For Christmas

My Grandma Roper, who lives in UT, has a big family dinner every year on Christmas Eve. I loved these as a little girl! I got play with my cousins and eat lots of yummy food and Grandma would make all of us little girls matching nightgowns. (There's too many cousins for that now.) But the absolute best part of the evening was that Santa Claus would come and give us each a gift.

Yes, you read me right - Santa Claus.

Apparently Grandma and Santa went way back; they were good enough friends that he would take time out of is busy Christmas Eve schedule and visit us. Not only that, but he also brought a gift for everyone. It. Was. AWESOME.

Well, Santa and Grandma must have had a falling out, because he doesn't visit anymore. Grandma has replaced his visit with a big Roper family talent show. This year my family (Dad, Susie, Kyle & Kevin) are singing "Nuttin' For Christmas", with their own words. It's going to be really funny. I felt left out, so I decided to write a verse to represent the Indiana Ropers (Madsens). Well, really it's all about Josh and Spence, but that's only because they have such perfect parents that it would be next to impossible to write a verse about Lance and I getting nuttin' for Christmas! (Why are you laughing?)

Threw a block at Spencer's head
Somebody snitched on me
Pinched Joshie's face 'til it was red
Somebody snitched on me
Used mom's skirt to wipe my nose
Threw my church toys - cleared six rows!
Smooshed my crackers with my toes
Somebody snitched on me!

Oh, we're gettin' nuttin' for Christmas!
Mommy and Daddy are mad
We're gettin' nuttin' for Christmas
'Cause we ain't been nuttin' but bad!

Okay, the boys haven't been that bad. But it should be pointed out that all of the transgressions mentioned above were taken from real life. In the last month. Repeatedly.

Hmmm... perhaps Santa will be skipping this house this year, too.

Christmas Eve Dinner Menu

*Correction: I left out two beaten eggs in the Marshmallow Rolls recipe. That could have been disastrous! Many thanks to grandma for catching my error. Now... time to start cooking!

Growing up, we never had Christmas Day dinner in my family - we had Christmas Eve dinner. I for one think it's great - who wants to stay up late getting ready for Santa, get up early with the kiddos, spend a long morning opening and putting together new toys, and then spend all afternoon cooking a big meal that most people in your family (a.k.a. your kids and husband) won't want to eat because they've been eating candy and junk all day? (Answer: no one.)

So I've kept this tradition alive, and I have Christmas Eve dinner all planned. Here's my menu:

Fresh Herb Pork Loin Roast
Marshmallow Rolls
Maren's Famous Stuffing
Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Tossed Salad
Gingersnap-Pear Cheesecake

Mmmmm...

I started on the cheesecake tonight, since it needs to refrigerate for a while. Here are a few shots.


Not exactly thrilling pictures, but what do you expect? It's cheesecake. I got the recipe out of Real Simple last year and have been waiting for a reason to make it. (If it tastes as good as it smells, it's gonna be great!)

The pork loin is pretty simple: rub with oil and spices, roast in 500 degree oven for 10 minutes and then 250 degrees until it reaches 150 degrees. Simple and yummy.

Okay, Maren's Famous Stuffing is a self-proclaimed title. But I happen to lurrve it. I worked on the recipe for quite a while to get it just right. I toyed with the idea of keeping the recipe secret, but then decided that a girl only needs one really good secret recipe to keep her friends around. That, and I'm pretty sure I gave the recipe to Ginger last year after her husband, Loren, ate half of it at Thanksgiving dinner.

Loren the stuffing eater.
(I'm not teasing you, Loren! I took it as a compliment! Okay, maybe I'm teasing a little.)

((My other secret recipe? The donuts I make for our annual Halloween donut party. Actually, not so secret, since my dad and grandma both have the recipe. But only my dad knows the new secret ingredient that puts them over the top, and I'd bet he's be willing to keep it secret for me!))

Anywho, here for all the world to see is my super-fantastic stuffing recipe:

1# white bread, cubed and slightly dried
4-8 Tbl butter (only the real deal in this recipe) (read: no margarine!)
2 c chopped onion
1 c chopped celery
1# sliced mushrooms
1 c pine nuts, slightly toasted
1/2 c fresh parsley, minced
1 tsp fresh sage, minced
1 tsp fresh thyme, minced
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cloves
1 c chicken stock (fresh is best!)

1. Heat butter in a large skillet over med-hi heat until foam subsides.
2. Add onions and celery and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients (except stock); stir in bread cubes and toss until well combined.
4. Stir in chicken stock until the stuffing is moist but not packed.
5. Bake at 350 until heated through, 30-40 minutes.

I can't wait - I didn't make it for Thanksgiving so I've had a hankerin' for it ever since.

The last recipe you might be interested in is for the Marshmallow Rolls. So yummy. They're nice and sweet, and I think Spencer will get a big kick out of them. (I'm sure he will be in the kitchen 'helping' tomorrow!) This is my Grandma's recipe.

2 c milk
1/2 c butter
1/2 c sugar
1/2 tsp salt

1. Heat and cool

5 tsp yeast
1/2 c warm water

2. Dissolve yeast in water; let grow

5 1/2 c flour
Big marshmallows (not the mini kind)

3. Combine wet ingredients and add 3 c flour
4. Beat well and add 2 1/2 c flour
5. Let raise once or twice (1-2 hours)
6. Put some melted butter in a small dish; put some sugar in another
7. Roll dough into 1/2" thickness; cut into 3" circles
8. Stick a marshmallow in the middle of circle and pull dough up around it; punch at bottom
9. Dip top in butter and then sugar
10. Place in a greased muffin tin and raise one hour
11. Bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes

I'm so excited for tomorrow! Because of course eating isn't the only thing we do. Pictures and such tomorrow!

Primary Proverbs

After a 2 week hiatus, it was business as usual today at church. A few of my favorites:

• "This is Billy. He's 10 - and he's my uncle!" (It was true - he really was his uncle.)
• While giving a prayer - "And please bless that we'll get lots of fun toys to play with on Christmas morning..."
• "I could either tickle him or hurt him. I think I'll hurt him."
• Upon discovering that we were singing another song that he didn't know - "Uh-oh. I think I've hit another dead end."
  

What's In a Name?

Thanks to all who have submitted name ideas. I actually really like one that my hubby recommended. But don't give up! You still have until 12/30 to submit more names, and I am only 85% sold on the one Lance came up with.

Speaking of names and Lance, this evening the phrase "stale monkey cake" came up. Kudos to Lance for realizing what an awesome name that would be for a rock band. (I'm picturing a British Invasion band of some sort.)

Is there anything this man can't do?

Joshiepult

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Oh Yes, We Have No Snowblowers!

So Lance and I decided to go check out snowblowers this afternoon; perhaps even buy if we found one we liked.

No dice.

There wasn't a single snowblower to be had. We went to Home Depot, Lowe's, and Sears. I guess that's not a ton of places, but they are the three most likely stores where we would buy a snowblower.

It's a snowblower drought.

Okay, I lied. They had electric and $800 snowblowers at Sears. But electric is not worth buying and $800 is definitely not what we want to spend.

Anyway, this now means that we will get another big dump of snow some time soon. That's because if we bought a snowblower it wouldn't have snowed substantially again for the entire winter. (See? Buying a snowblower would have been an act of service, not laziness.) Oh well - guess we'll just have to wait until after Christmas.

On the upside, Spencer mastered an excellent chicken call on the way home. B'Gock!!!! He's very advanced for a four year old when it comes to chicken sounds. It makes a mother proud.

Quintessential Maren-ness Giveaway!!

So I'm finally getting some free time to redo the look of my blog. I've never really been in love with it, but I've never had the spare time/inclination/ambition to change it. Also, I've never really liked the title and figured why change the look if I still have the title I don't like.

But now I want a change; it's just the dang title that's holding me back.

I've wracked my brain for quite a while about it, but it's like I have a perpetual brain freeze and can't think of anything good.

Perpetual Brain Freeze would be an awesome name for a punk rock band. Am I right?

So I'm asking for your help. Requesting. Okay, begging. Help me out here! I just can't think of a title that I like, a title that would represent the feel of my blog, a title that would capture my quintessential Maren-ness.

Quintessential Maren-ness be an awesome name for a song for the above-mentioned punk rock band. Right?

So post any ideas you have. It doesn't matter how lame or weird or cheesy or whatever they are. It can be a phrase or just a random word you've always liked or that you think describes my blog. No idea is a bad idea. Post as many as you like. Post if I know you well or not at all. Post under your name or anonymously. Just please post!

I may or may not use your exact idea, but who knows - what you post might give me the creative kick in the pants I need to come up with something.

And if your post delivers that needed and deserved kick, I will send you a super-awesome-perfect-for-you prize that I have not come up with yet but will once I figure something out. I'm sure it will be great.

So there's your homework for this holiday season. Go.

In Case You're Just Tuning In

I got all my Christmas cards out last week. (Go me!) They included my annual "Madsen Family Top 10 List". I think a list is much more reader-friendly than the traditional full page, text-filled family letters. (Am I the only one who's intimidated by those?) Besides, who would want to know all of the nitty-gritty details of my oh-so-enthralling life? (Which is what it would take to fill a whole sheet of paper for our family letter!)

Wait - what's blogging for again? Ignore that last question.

This year I added pictures for the first time. The lists were a half page, front and back. I like the way they turned out, although I think the layout/design will be tweaked some next year. (Much like my blog - keep an eye out!) What do you think?

So, in case you haven't had your fill of the Madsens for this year (and who has, really?), I present The Madsen Family's Top 10 Events of 2007. Enjoy!

*Blogger is being stupid. I have spent the last 30 minutes trying to figure out why the front page is a weird like that. The original .jpg is fine, but whenever I upload it, it looks like all of the pictures were taken during some freaky new atomic age. No, we didn't have any new atomic age events this year. (But fingers crossed for next year - it might make for a more interesting letter!)

Pig Noses and Terrifying Red Suits...

or, just another trip to the Children's Museum!

We spent the afternoon with Misty, Ashton, and Dominic at the Children's Museum in Indie. Have you ever been? If not, GO! It is muy funito; quite literally the best children's museum in the US. And it's not just fun for the kids. I am always entertained, and as you know it takes quite a bit to entertain me. (Hey look! A blue car!)

Anyone who's been to the museum knows that it's not exactly in the best part of town. Not exactly le ghetto, but not somewhere I'd walk around at night. With Lance. Or a gun. (Sorry Lance. And gun.) Whatever, you know what I mean; not a place where you would imagine a children's museum to be. (I imagine a green field dotted with poppies and a magical yellow brick road leading up to the front door. No wait, that's Oz. Not Indie.) ((Sheesh! No more diet Pepsi for me tonight!)) So we were driving through this questionable neighborhood, when out of the blue Spencer calls from the back seat "Mommy! This city is sooo beautiful!" I didn't know quite what to say. What do you say to something as random and horribly incorrect as that?

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder?" No.
"Well, compared to Indiana countryside in the winter, you are absolutely right." Again, no.
"WRONG!!" Niet.
I can't remember what I said. Something to the effect of "Uh huuuuhhh... hey look, a blue car!"

Anywho, back to the point of this post.

And the point of this post, in case you were wondering (and I'd be concerned if you weren't at this point) is that of course I took lots of pictures today. Because what's a day in the Madsen household without a few pictures? (My kids are going to have complexes and wonder what's wrong with themselves once they move away from home because then they won't have someone snapping pictures of them every 15 seconds. Perhaps I have a problem... hi, my name is Maren and I'm a photo-holic...)

Okay, I'll work on my 12 steps. You enjoy these grandparent-pleasing photos and (I think) sometimes witty captions.

Spencer the paleontologist. ("Mommy, you look so beautiful!")

Joshie in the hot seat. (It's funny because he's sitting on a pot belly stove. Hot seat... stove... oh, never mind.)

The boys love playing with the toy trains at the museum - because the trains we have at home just aren't as fun to throw and fight over.

I wonder how many kids' noses had been against that same glass during the course of the week? Gross.

Waiting to go down the Yuletide Slide. (It's actually really fun!)

Santa Claus is a literal terror to a 15 month old momma's boy (a.k.a. Josh). Santa took it like the pro he is.

Without any encouragement or hinting from me, Spencer told Santa that he wanted a train. Score!!!

Ice fishing with a pole is for wimps!

I'm not sure why Spencer and Josh look like they're hiding from velociraptors... everyone knows those are downstairs. It's the lions you have to worry about on the merry-go-round!

Nothing witty to say... just a picture of two very cute babies!

I took this picture right before Josh dumped a boatload of water all over himself. No, really, he picked up a toy boat and dumped water all over himself with it.

Water table in the winter... perfect combination!