http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,459045,00.html
Ben e-mailed the link to me so he's okay. However, 17 families are not getting this reassurance.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Saturday, November 29, 2008
More pix from the castle
Unprompted Charlie decides that his sissy looks unadorned and requires embellishment...
Charlie readjusting the ribbon once more with feeling.
Grinning at Baby's 1st SK.
Speaking of Crab Family hair stylists, the Queen breaks out the brand new Wahl ($17.99) clipper set. Voila! It's the exact same hair-cut as all other crablets -- save LLGA -- sport.
Grandma serving as a baby gym...love that leg up in the air.
When bows go awry...
Blackmail photo...for use in, say, 20 years.
Little Pebbles.
Target had six for $2.99...I couldn't possibly resist.
Hitting a Milestone Wicket: Rolling Over (Front to Back)
Getting some altitude (between her chest/shoulders and the floor, that is).
Going after her "sputnik" toy.
I think I can!
She's a determined little engine.
I do my own stunts.
Ta-Daaa!
Friday, November 28, 2008
If it's Wednesday night, it must be a near-bloodbath...
Jack is officially on the Endangered Species list. Why? you ask. (Or, for those intimately familiar with the Castle goings-on, what specifically this time? is the query).
Patty Jenny Across the Street made lumpia for me to deep-fry and I did. I served up yet another in a dramatic world-record consecutive dinner menu with foccacia, gnocchi, salad, fancy-pants vegies, and something to appeal to the less-healthy: lumpia. Only God's most nearly perfect non-bakery item.
Lumpia is a Filipino version of the egg roll. Patty Jenny had stuffed it with yummy meat and minutely chopped carrots and other goodies. It may be this uncertain ingredient list that offended Jack's sense of order, sense of democracy, and sense of self-preservation.
Well, Jack decided to show his ass by refusing to eat. Jamie played peacemaker, trying to alter the inevitable course that invariably leads to:
WWF BATTLE OF WILLS:
Jack (the challenger)
VS
Mom (the belt-holder)
Yessiree, in front of my in-laws, I drew the line in the plentiful sand of the Castle (actually, I think it was focaccia crumbs since only adults seem to have mastered that very sophisticated motor skill of using a dustpan and broom).
I required him to eat a single bite of the most delicious lumpia ever. Fried with love by his very own mother.
He was a Drama King. He whined. He cried. He begged. He raged against the storm. He finally ate a microscopic bite with his teeth and then rolled his eyes to the back of his skull and super-slow-motion-audio gagged and yes...
Back it came. On himself.
Hell hath no fury like a woman deprived of another helping of lumpia. "That could have been enjoyed by me!" Likewise, hell hath no fury like a mother REALLY sick and tired of running the laundrymat.
I believe I then threatened to set the timer for 10 minutes per stretch to inform him of his many, many shortcomings. I figured I had enough for 3 hours of such seminar lessons (i.e., at least 18 mini-tirades). Starting first with one about how I didn't think Dad would want come home and see this type of behavior. Blah-blah-blah, something about me flying to meet him in DC (hello, Patty Kiki) with Lucy and have Grandparents K---a watch their collective sorry asses while I had a vacation. Really the kind of venomous diatribe that every daughter-in-law should plan to have with their spouse not home to run interference. A proud moment offset by my 2nd child's supreme assinine-ness.
Made him clean it up (having had enough behavior therapists over the last decade and knowing that over-correction is a reasonable, natural consequence for heinous acts against the Queen). Then...
For added gamesmanship worthy of Don King and his hair, I pulled out the three generations of Nintendo and a newer game card and showed my cards across the table.
I asked Grandpa Dan for a hammer for the added visual effect, but even a Marine grunt from Hue City thought that might be torturous.
Grandma Susan, however, was game to chime in on the every-10-minutes lecture circuit and I believe (since Jamie had already talked about the starving African children who drink dirty water and Jack offered to send his gnocchi air mail) she went on about how her son was sacrificing for us to buy this good food. (Trader Joe's would surely cease to exist without the Sand Crab's defense of freedom to import gnocchi!)
With 2 grandparents and one loony mother itching to hold a fire sale of Nintendo products on eBay (having come to her financial senses before wielding a feel-good hammer), Jack slowly---oh so slowly and painfully--ingested the remaining lumpia. With catsup. Lots of catsup.
As he ate the last bit of filling that Grandpa Dan (recognizing the crazy-eye of the Queen when she commented on how much had been spilled in the name of forced consumption) had scooped up for Jack, yes he did, Jack said, "that wasn't so bad."
Next time we have BATTLE OF WILLS: THE REMATCH, I'm replacing catsup with Redi-Whip! Clearly, any of them will eat anything when there's enough non-dairy whipped topping involved.
Pumpkin Pie.
Charlie was all about the pie...who knew?
Grandma Susan had her hands full cutting small slices and not using the knife to exact justice!
Mayhem
J-Crabs
It's a dirty thankless job but someone has to nap.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
gobble gobble
Click on any photo to see an enlarged view.
No major holiday would be complete without some medical concern. Suffice it to say, the lowlight of my day was EASILY Tim yelling "You're an idiot, you're a dummy!" at the doctor in the ER. (No, Patty Grace, it wasn't Dr. S--- and for that I do give thanks). He's got either a sinus infection or pneumonia...no chest x-ray as the medicine should knock out either problem.
Baby's 1st Thanksgiving.
Grandma Susan did a masterful job in the kitchen, especially considering the turkeys underfoot who escaped the roasting pan!!
Action shot from safe distance
At least I can be counted on to set a mean table!
Tim, back from the ER and after dose one of antibiotic, looking WAY perkier.
Charlie was an absolute pain in the rear today, even bugging Grandpa and Grandma.
Everybody's hungry...
J-crabs under orders to keep their mouths zipped.
Chief Carver
The family, gathered to celebrate...with folded laundry as decoration.
The spread.
Charlie was almost a member of the Clean Plate Club. The miracles catsup can do!
Grandpa Dan immediately after dinner
Who's the bigger turkey?? Hmmm...such a tough call.
Poor Tim wolfed some supper and hit the sack.
Even LLGA was post-prandial.
Grandma Susan checking in with Uncle Daniel and Uncle Matt.
Lucy's bouncy seat replaced the platter in the center of the table.
Grandpa and grand-daughter.
Truthfully, our household is not conducive to football game viewing, but I am looking forward to tucking into some pumpkin pie in a bit. Bummer that Sand Crab wasn't able to call :(
No major holiday would be complete without some medical concern. Suffice it to say, the lowlight of my day was EASILY Tim yelling "You're an idiot, you're a dummy!" at the doctor in the ER. (No, Patty Grace, it wasn't Dr. S--- and for that I do give thanks). He's got either a sinus infection or pneumonia...no chest x-ray as the medicine should knock out either problem.
Baby's 1st Thanksgiving.
Grandma Susan did a masterful job in the kitchen, especially considering the turkeys underfoot who escaped the roasting pan!!
Action shot from safe distance
At least I can be counted on to set a mean table!
Tim, back from the ER and after dose one of antibiotic, looking WAY perkier.
Charlie was an absolute pain in the rear today, even bugging Grandpa and Grandma.
Everybody's hungry...
J-crabs under orders to keep their mouths zipped.
Chief Carver
The family, gathered to celebrate...with folded laundry as decoration.
The spread.
Charlie was almost a member of the Clean Plate Club. The miracles catsup can do!
Grandpa Dan immediately after dinner
Who's the bigger turkey?? Hmmm...such a tough call.
Poor Tim wolfed some supper and hit the sack.
Even LLGA was post-prandial.
Grandma Susan checking in with Uncle Daniel and Uncle Matt.
Lucy's bouncy seat replaced the platter in the center of the table.
Grandpa and grand-daughter.
Truthfully, our household is not conducive to football game viewing, but I am looking forward to tucking into some pumpkin pie in a bit. Bummer that Sand Crab wasn't able to call :(
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Turkey Week, the First Half.
As if EVERY week in the castle isn't Turkey-ful!
Grandpa Dan -- not to suggest he is batting for the fowl team -- arrived on Sunday to the delight of the Crab Family not to mention Grandma Susan.
Of course, as luck would have it, the castle surroundings looked especially third-rate since I awoke to discover cables had dropped into our backyard. NICE! 
Sunday evening: Solidifying their position as Le Must on any San Diego Vacationing Tour, Patty Grace and her husband graced us with their company as we partook of appetizers, vino and witty conversation. I was the sole person to hail from Yankee-land, btw.
Yesterday, Grandpa Dan accompanied the J-crabs to a Boy Scout Rock-Climbing Merit Badge event...5 hours of rock wall antics with some pizza/soda thrown in. Grandma Susan, Lucy and I tackled the pantry. (Who knew what astonishing artifacts lay beneath the crowded facade?)
Patty Kiki will be pleased to know that many items on the Exterior Improvement Campaign have been completed per her request. Grandpa has asked for directions to the Home Depot (TM) so it looks like more may be accomplished.
I have personally shopped for Thanksgiving Day dinner fixings...we will be having a Turkey breast (pray that it thaws in time), homemade mashed potatoes, Trader Joe's cornbread stuffing, Trader Joe's gravy (for Jamie, who solemnly wrote on Ben's Thanksgiving card of his fears that without the Sand Crab, there would be no "good gravy"), TWO packages of dinner rolls (to satiate Tim, the human carbohydrate converter, frozen cheesy broccoli medley, and a Von's special baked-in-store pumpkin pie with extra-special Redi-Whip (TM). Don't forget two cans (one whole-berry and one gel) of cranberry sauce that I expect only the grandparents to touch.
-------------------------------
But now the Story behind the Story: The Sand Crab Married a True Flake and She's Making Sure that the Sand Crab's Parents Know It.
Monday night: A flurry of activity ensued to race Jack to his Boy Scout Troop meeting (after a flurry of dinner-making activity on my part). Jamie rode along to try to act as a Human Pacifier to the Hysterically-Shrieking Lucy (who'd engaged in a Projectile Spit-Up Moment hours prior to Mrs. Crab's Wild Drive). Alas, the church was dark and ours was the only idiot-transport in the lot. Mark one down in Mrs. Crab's Error Column.
Tuesday morning: Another whirlwind (nay, cyclone) of pre-departure nagging/loading/medicating in order to race Jack and Jamie to the Boy Scout "Solid Rock Gym" outing. We squealed up at 9:51 a.m., 9 minutes ahead of what-I-thought was the scheduled start time. In an iconic deja-vu, the parking lot again was empty. In fact, the closed sign was visible. That'll teach me to attend those blasted Troop parent meetings...just confuses me more. I called Grandma Susan, who good-naturedly endured my weak directions on accessing my e-mail in-box. Turns out we were supposed to meet at 10:30 a.m. and start climbing at 11 a.m. Make another scratch in the ol' Error Column for the Queen.
Not helping my mood was my second son's sudden revelation about the time and other details of this event. After we were early. After he saw the Closed sign. After Grandma was already mid-email salvage. He was darn lucky that Grandpa was there or the colorful native tongue of his mother would have been flying.
At this point, I -- like a genius -- espoused to my father-in-law a little-held, nuanced world view. Ready? In my humble opinion, it is less flaky to be WHERE you are supposed to be either TOO EARLY or PRESENT WHEN THERE IS NO EVENT while it is more flaky to be LATE or ABSENT from an ACTUAL EVENT. He looked puzzled or perhaps puzzlement is but a generous interpretation of a countenance that might more aptly be described as "How fast can I escape this sport utility vehicle under the command of a certifiably-crazy woman whom my son chose to wed?"
In a feeble effort to pull the next 39-minutes out of, er, the rocks (groan), I motored over to the MCRD Starbucks, to fetch coffee, latte, steamers, and hot chocolates and proceeded to drive back to the gym. All it takes is one split-second of distraction as one encounters a pothole and there I am with hot chocolate down my lime-green top, sealing my image as not only a flake but a ragamuffin.
Tuesday night: Another festive, family-style dinner planned and executed largely by the Crab Queen. Tim's bus time (home from CCC Kids) rolled around and past. 5:56 p.m. and the STARVING Crab Queen answers the call saying the bus didn't show/come get yer kid. Ergo, another flurry of activity, loading Jack to entertain the Traveling Baby to race into rush hour traffic. Always ready to multi-task, I blue-tooth harangued the lonely bus dispatch fellow, who sounded appropriately pitiful. (Bus driver tried to pick up at Tim's school -- vice his rec program and then called dispatch to contact us, but failed to give him the numbers listed on the manifest and instead he called the school, where Tim wasn't and who told them Tim wasn't there naturally). Argh!
Wednesday: So far, no Queenly gaffes aside from another Unfortunate Episode with a salted caramel hot chocolate and a light-spricot top.
---------------------------------
But, courtesy of said flake, there's a cute baby girl with a curly rooster-comb hair-do:
Cock-a-doodle-dooo
Check out how she braces her foot on the swing's bar. So clever!
Grandma Susan is pleased to see some propensity for curl in her grandbaby
Grandpa plays "goo-goo" with Miss Lucy
Little thumb-sucker
LLGA models her Adorable Baby Legs from Patty Ann
Look at those hamhocks!
Northwestern purple becomes her.
-------------------------
Oh, and Jamie is now down SIX (6) teeth...the Tooth Fairy managed to deliver a buck for one of them. Jamie put his latest loss in a plastic sandwich bag with a note:
Sure, wait for Dad to deploy and turn all deciduous on me!! (Although he claims to look like a "sand tiger shark").
--------------------------
Charlie has begun to notice Lucy -- either as a competitor or a wee being of moderate intrigue (now that she gurgles, gargles, and goos.
--------------------------
Jack, Lucy, and Jack's headgear.
Grandpa Dan -- not to suggest he is batting for the fowl team -- arrived on Sunday to the delight of the Crab Family not to mention Grandma Susan.
Of course, as luck would have it, the castle surroundings looked especially third-rate since I awoke to discover cables had dropped into our backyard. NICE! 
Sunday evening: Solidifying their position as Le Must on any San Diego Vacationing Tour, Patty Grace and her husband graced us with their company as we partook of appetizers, vino and witty conversation. I was the sole person to hail from Yankee-land, btw.
Yesterday, Grandpa Dan accompanied the J-crabs to a Boy Scout Rock-Climbing Merit Badge event...5 hours of rock wall antics with some pizza/soda thrown in. Grandma Susan, Lucy and I tackled the pantry. (Who knew what astonishing artifacts lay beneath the crowded facade?)
Patty Kiki will be pleased to know that many items on the Exterior Improvement Campaign have been completed per her request. Grandpa has asked for directions to the Home Depot (TM) so it looks like more may be accomplished.
I have personally shopped for Thanksgiving Day dinner fixings...we will be having a Turkey breast (pray that it thaws in time), homemade mashed potatoes, Trader Joe's cornbread stuffing, Trader Joe's gravy (for Jamie, who solemnly wrote on Ben's Thanksgiving card of his fears that without the Sand Crab, there would be no "good gravy"), TWO packages of dinner rolls (to satiate Tim, the human carbohydrate converter, frozen cheesy broccoli medley, and a Von's special baked-in-store pumpkin pie with extra-special Redi-Whip (TM). Don't forget two cans (one whole-berry and one gel) of cranberry sauce that I expect only the grandparents to touch.
-------------------------------
But now the Story behind the Story: The Sand Crab Married a True Flake and She's Making Sure that the Sand Crab's Parents Know It.
Monday night: A flurry of activity ensued to race Jack to his Boy Scout Troop meeting (after a flurry of dinner-making activity on my part). Jamie rode along to try to act as a Human Pacifier to the Hysterically-Shrieking Lucy (who'd engaged in a Projectile Spit-Up Moment hours prior to Mrs. Crab's Wild Drive). Alas, the church was dark and ours was the only idiot-transport in the lot. Mark one down in Mrs. Crab's Error Column.
Tuesday morning: Another whirlwind (nay, cyclone) of pre-departure nagging/loading/medicating in order to race Jack and Jamie to the Boy Scout "Solid Rock Gym" outing. We squealed up at 9:51 a.m., 9 minutes ahead of what-I-thought was the scheduled start time. In an iconic deja-vu, the parking lot again was empty. In fact, the closed sign was visible. That'll teach me to attend those blasted Troop parent meetings...just confuses me more. I called Grandma Susan, who good-naturedly endured my weak directions on accessing my e-mail in-box. Turns out we were supposed to meet at 10:30 a.m. and start climbing at 11 a.m. Make another scratch in the ol' Error Column for the Queen.
Not helping my mood was my second son's sudden revelation about the time and other details of this event. After we were early. After he saw the Closed sign. After Grandma was already mid-email salvage. He was darn lucky that Grandpa was there or the colorful native tongue of his mother would have been flying.
At this point, I -- like a genius -- espoused to my father-in-law a little-held, nuanced world view. Ready? In my humble opinion, it is less flaky to be WHERE you are supposed to be either TOO EARLY or PRESENT WHEN THERE IS NO EVENT while it is more flaky to be LATE or ABSENT from an ACTUAL EVENT. He looked puzzled or perhaps puzzlement is but a generous interpretation of a countenance that might more aptly be described as "How fast can I escape this sport utility vehicle under the command of a certifiably-crazy woman whom my son chose to wed?"
In a feeble effort to pull the next 39-minutes out of, er, the rocks (groan), I motored over to the MCRD Starbucks, to fetch coffee, latte, steamers, and hot chocolates and proceeded to drive back to the gym. All it takes is one split-second of distraction as one encounters a pothole and there I am with hot chocolate down my lime-green top, sealing my image as not only a flake but a ragamuffin.
Tuesday night: Another festive, family-style dinner planned and executed largely by the Crab Queen. Tim's bus time (home from CCC Kids) rolled around and past. 5:56 p.m. and the STARVING Crab Queen answers the call saying the bus didn't show/come get yer kid. Ergo, another flurry of activity, loading Jack to entertain the Traveling Baby to race into rush hour traffic. Always ready to multi-task, I blue-tooth harangued the lonely bus dispatch fellow, who sounded appropriately pitiful. (Bus driver tried to pick up at Tim's school -- vice his rec program and then called dispatch to contact us, but failed to give him the numbers listed on the manifest and instead he called the school, where Tim wasn't and who told them Tim wasn't there naturally). Argh!
Wednesday: So far, no Queenly gaffes aside from another Unfortunate Episode with a salted caramel hot chocolate and a light-spricot top.
---------------------------------
But, courtesy of said flake, there's a cute baby girl with a curly rooster-comb hair-do:
Cock-a-doodle-dooo
Check out how she braces her foot on the swing's bar. So clever!
Grandma Susan is pleased to see some propensity for curl in her grandbaby
Grandpa plays "goo-goo" with Miss Lucy
Little thumb-sucker
LLGA models her Adorable Baby Legs from Patty Ann
Look at those hamhocks!
Northwestern purple becomes her.
-------------------------
Oh, and Jamie is now down SIX (6) teeth...the Tooth Fairy managed to deliver a buck for one of them. Jamie put his latest loss in a plastic sandwich bag with a note:
Sure, wait for Dad to deploy and turn all deciduous on me!! (Although he claims to look like a "sand tiger shark").
--------------------------
Charlie has begun to notice Lucy -- either as a competitor or a wee being of moderate intrigue (now that she gurgles, gargles, and goos.
--------------------------
Jack, Lucy, and Jack's headgear.
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