I have a lot of favorite Christmas songs, but “The 12 Days of Christmas” is not one of them. Sung normally, it gets rather redundant pretty quickly, and let’s face it—some of those gifts are pretty ridiculous. Thankfully, there are all sorts of amusing parodies out there, which make it bearable. I came across this version the other day... actually, I heard the very end of it on the radio, and was intrigued. I had no idea who was singing, but I could tell it was a live performance. And thanks to my mad YouTube search skillz, I was able to find it relatively easily. The group is called Straight, No Chaser, and they are a 12-man a cappella group from Indiana University. I’ve always loved a cappella groups, and these guys are really talented. Even if you despise “The 12 Days of Christmas,” give this a listen. I think you’ll like it. And if you don’t, then “Bah, humbug” to you, you Scrooge. (There’s even a tiny shout-out to Hanukkah in there.)
Speaking of songs, Ari has started requesting songs from us—not only at bedtime but also in the car and other random times. So I made a list of her most-requested songs. They are in no particular order, and the titles given are her titles for them, whether it’s the real title or not...
1. “ABCs” (The classic alphabet song. I think that’s a given for most kids her age. She knows all the letters, just not necessarily in the right order or all at once.)
2. “Baby Jesus” (She asked for this out of the blue one day, and we had no idea what she was talking about. The only song we could think of that had to do with baby Jesus was “Away in a Manger,” and Tony cleverly changed the lyrics from “the little Lord Jesus” to “the little baby Jesus.”)
3. “La Dee Doh” (This is a song Tony sings to her—I don’t know where he got it from, but Ari loves it. It’s “their” song.)
4. “Honey, Honey” (Yes, the ABBA song, from the “Mamma Mia!” soundtrack. This one is totally my fault, since I listen to the soundtrack in my car a lot. But Tony is an accomplice because he downloaded the version from the Broadway soundtrack onto his cell phone, specifically for her. She has him wrapped, let me tell you.)
5. “Mamma Mia” (Again, my fault. She sings the words “Mamma mia” with me, and note to self, I should get that on video, because it is made of cuteness.)
6. “Someday” (Known to the rest of the world as “The Way You Look Tonight.” I’ve been singing this song to her every night since the day she was born, and I love that she asks for it by name now. She seems to especially like the line, “And that laugh that wrinkles your nose” because I usually tap her nose as I sing it.)
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Car, cookies, and cake
Last night, I left work on time, all prepared to go on my merry little way, when I discovered my car wouldn’t start. I trudged back inside, feebly asking if anyone felt like helping me jump-start my car. My boss, without hesitation, leaped out of her seat. On our way out, she grabbed a guy from another department to give us a hand, since neither of us were sure exactly how to jump a car. (I know, I’m lame. But, I know now!) Despite our best efforts, there was no sign of life from my car, so I trudged inside, once again, to call AAA.
Well, it turned out our AAA membership had expired. I had to go through several operators to renew it before they could put in the service call for a tow... so it was a full hour after I’d officially “left” work before the order went in, and another full hour after that before the tow truck showed up. Tony met me at the shop and I got home by about 8 pm.
After putting Ari to bed, I ran to the grocery store, grabbed a batch of those Break-and-Bake cookies, and made chocolate chip cookies. Of course I ate a few, and so did Tony and Wayne, but my main reason for making them was to bring some into work for my boss and the guy who helped me try to jump my car. Yeh, I’m a suck-up--what’s your point? Seriously, though, I was honestly grateful for their help, and I felt bad that they stood out in the freezing cold weather to help me, for nothing.
I should also mention that my boss stayed as late as she could (she had to leave at 6:15 to pick up her daughters, otherwise I think she would have stayed until I left) because she felt bad leaving me alone. And when she finally, reluctantly, left, she told me to call her if I needed anything and she would drive me home if necessary. She’s crazy. But so sweet.
The stuff below was actually written a few days ago, but it fits with the theme of this entry...
One reason I love my job? Because I can have e-mail conversations like this with my boss...
Boss (in reply to my e-mail with pictures of Ari): When my girls were little, I spent hours and days and several rolls of film trying to get a good pic for our Christmas cards. It was so frustrating. What I wouldn't have done for a digital camera in those days! You moms have it SO much easier! ; )
Me: Oh, did you have to walk through 6 feet of snow, uphill both ways, to get that film developed too? ;)
Boss: Why yes, I did! And I walked backwards to keep the wind off my face, too.
Speaking of my job... I found this picture at Cake Wrecks, and while all the pictures are pretty funny, I found this one especially hilarious.
How much do you want to bet that “Arika” is spelled wrong, too? I consider it a small miracle that the word “this” is spelled correctly.
Well, it turned out our AAA membership had expired. I had to go through several operators to renew it before they could put in the service call for a tow... so it was a full hour after I’d officially “left” work before the order went in, and another full hour after that before the tow truck showed up. Tony met me at the shop and I got home by about 8 pm.
After putting Ari to bed, I ran to the grocery store, grabbed a batch of those Break-and-Bake cookies, and made chocolate chip cookies. Of course I ate a few, and so did Tony and Wayne, but my main reason for making them was to bring some into work for my boss and the guy who helped me try to jump my car. Yeh, I’m a suck-up--what’s your point? Seriously, though, I was honestly grateful for their help, and I felt bad that they stood out in the freezing cold weather to help me, for nothing.
I should also mention that my boss stayed as late as she could (she had to leave at 6:15 to pick up her daughters, otherwise I think she would have stayed until I left) because she felt bad leaving me alone. And when she finally, reluctantly, left, she told me to call her if I needed anything and she would drive me home if necessary. She’s crazy. But so sweet.
The stuff below was actually written a few days ago, but it fits with the theme of this entry...
One reason I love my job? Because I can have e-mail conversations like this with my boss...
Boss (in reply to my e-mail with pictures of Ari): When my girls were little, I spent hours and days and several rolls of film trying to get a good pic for our Christmas cards. It was so frustrating. What I wouldn't have done for a digital camera in those days! You moms have it SO much easier! ; )
Me: Oh, did you have to walk through 6 feet of snow, uphill both ways, to get that film developed too? ;)
Boss: Why yes, I did! And I walked backwards to keep the wind off my face, too.
Speaking of my job... I found this picture at Cake Wrecks, and while all the pictures are pretty funny, I found this one especially hilarious.
How much do you want to bet that “Arika” is spelled wrong, too? I consider it a small miracle that the word “this” is spelled correctly.
Monday, December 8, 2008
The First Noel, according to Ari
Not much to report from the weekend, so I’ll share some Ari stuff.
One of Ari’s early Christmas gifts was a Little People nativity set from my mom. I actually thought this was a stroke of genius on my part... Mom asked me for some suggestions on what Little People set to get for Ari, and when I saw the nativity set, I figured I could kill 2 birds with one stone. She could have a fun toy to play with, plus I could teach her the Christmas story. Everyone wins.
She was showing me all the animals, proudly naming them. Yet believe it or not, in this picture, she was saying, “Cheese.” I might need to remind her that “cheese” is usually accompanied by a smile, not a grimace.
I set the whole thing up for her, including sitting the angel on top of the stable. (Am I the only one who thinks it’s weird that the set includes all 3 wise men, but no shepherds? Especially since the shepherds were the first ones there, and the wise men technically weren’t there right at Jesus’ birth. But I digress...)
But Ari decided that a wise man should go on top instead. And actually, that’s pretty much been the extent of how she plays with this—she just rotates various characters in and out of that spot.
So I set the whole thing back up for her again... and then she decided to enhance the scene. Why, yes, didn’t you know that all the characters from Beauty and the Beast were there at the first Christmas?
And lastly, a quick video. I forget when I took this, but it was definitely before Thanksgiving, so it’s a few weeks old. I was trying to get her to show off some of her latest skills, but Ivan proved to be a huge distraction. They are cute together, though, aren’t they? (And disregard our ugly comforter... the dogs kind of killed our old one and we got a super-cheapo one, figuring the dogs will probably eventually destroy this one as well.)
Ariana 11-08-1 from Sariana on Vimeo.
One of Ari’s early Christmas gifts was a Little People nativity set from my mom. I actually thought this was a stroke of genius on my part... Mom asked me for some suggestions on what Little People set to get for Ari, and when I saw the nativity set, I figured I could kill 2 birds with one stone. She could have a fun toy to play with, plus I could teach her the Christmas story. Everyone wins.
She was showing me all the animals, proudly naming them. Yet believe it or not, in this picture, she was saying, “Cheese.” I might need to remind her that “cheese” is usually accompanied by a smile, not a grimace.
I set the whole thing up for her, including sitting the angel on top of the stable. (Am I the only one who thinks it’s weird that the set includes all 3 wise men, but no shepherds? Especially since the shepherds were the first ones there, and the wise men technically weren’t there right at Jesus’ birth. But I digress...)
But Ari decided that a wise man should go on top instead. And actually, that’s pretty much been the extent of how she plays with this—she just rotates various characters in and out of that spot.
So I set the whole thing back up for her again... and then she decided to enhance the scene. Why, yes, didn’t you know that all the characters from Beauty and the Beast were there at the first Christmas?
And lastly, a quick video. I forget when I took this, but it was definitely before Thanksgiving, so it’s a few weeks old. I was trying to get her to show off some of her latest skills, but Ivan proved to be a huge distraction. They are cute together, though, aren’t they? (And disregard our ugly comforter... the dogs kind of killed our old one and we got a super-cheapo one, figuring the dogs will probably eventually destroy this one as well.)
Ariana 11-08-1 from Sariana on Vimeo.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Thanksgiving pics, the thrilling conclusion
I dug out all my Christmas CDs last night and basked in the sweet sounds of Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby on my long drive to work today. Now, it officially feels like the Christmas season to me.
So, are you all tired of Thanksgiving pictures yet? No? Good. Me neither.
My sister and Josh.
Ha, just kidding--that's not Josh, it's a gift bag. Anyway, that was our Christmas present to them, and I brilliantly reused a gift bag that Ari got a birthday gift in. What? It's a Christmas Monster. Well, he's got some red and green. Moving on...
I decided I needed a bow in my hair. Someone told me I looked like a bunny. I hope they didn't mean Playboy bunny...
Me and my favorite sister, trying to smile like normal people... (Mary: good job. Me: FAIL.)
Take 2. (Me: Super-FAIL.)
Tony and Steve made a valiant effort to teach Ari and Lyvi how to play Wii Boxing. Lyvi kind of got the hang of it, but Ari, not so much. So the boys took over.
This picture is begging for a witty caption. Something like, "Hmm, maybe I shouldn't have thrown her quite so hard." (Relax, they were just wrestling.)
No, I have no idea what was so funny. I bet they don't remember either.
One last picture of me and my sister. Notice that I don't have to bend down very far to hug her.
Love that little profile. And those curls. Aw, heck... I love all of her.
A totally candid shot, honest. (Really, I was going for a candid shot, and Steve looked up and made a goofy face. So I yelled at him for ruining it, and they assumed this oh-so-casual pose so I could retake it.)
Ari wanted to hold baby Micah, so Grampa helped.
And that, my friends, is almost all the pictures. I just have a few of Ari at home from a few days ago, but I will save those for another entry, and another day.
So, are you all tired of Thanksgiving pictures yet? No? Good. Me neither.
My sister and Josh.
Ha, just kidding--that's not Josh, it's a gift bag. Anyway, that was our Christmas present to them, and I brilliantly reused a gift bag that Ari got a birthday gift in. What? It's a Christmas Monster. Well, he's got some red and green. Moving on...
I decided I needed a bow in my hair. Someone told me I looked like a bunny. I hope they didn't mean Playboy bunny...
Me and my favorite sister, trying to smile like normal people... (Mary: good job. Me: FAIL.)
Take 2. (Me: Super-FAIL.)
Tony and Steve made a valiant effort to teach Ari and Lyvi how to play Wii Boxing. Lyvi kind of got the hang of it, but Ari, not so much. So the boys took over.
This picture is begging for a witty caption. Something like, "Hmm, maybe I shouldn't have thrown her quite so hard." (Relax, they were just wrestling.)
No, I have no idea what was so funny. I bet they don't remember either.
One last picture of me and my sister. Notice that I don't have to bend down very far to hug her.
Love that little profile. And those curls. Aw, heck... I love all of her.
A totally candid shot, honest. (Really, I was going for a candid shot, and Steve looked up and made a goofy face. So I yelled at him for ruining it, and they assumed this oh-so-casual pose so I could retake it.)
Ari wanted to hold baby Micah, so Grampa helped.
And that, my friends, is almost all the pictures. I just have a few of Ari at home from a few days ago, but I will save those for another entry, and another day.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Thanksgiving pics to the 4th power
OK, on we go with more pictures from Thanksgiving Day.
Here's my mom with Micah.
One of the girls' gifts that day was a set of princess jewelry and a hat. Here, Ari's showing off her bling (though to me, it looks more like she's got brass knuckles).
And here she is with the hat, being a goofball. (2 seconds after I took this photo, she purposely waved her hands around so that all the rings went flying. She doesn't quite "get" dress-up yet...)
My dad and Matthew (love this picture)... So far, he's the only grandkid who shows proof of my dad's genes... all the rest are blond, light-eyed kids.
Me and my brother Steve. We both got the really light eyes in the family.
Tony with Micah...
Dave, Jess and Micah... nice family shot.
Josh looking sad because no one's paying attention to him...
Present time! As I said before, all the out-of-town sibs and their families got to open their Christmas gifts, but since Ari and Lyvi had mostly the same stuff, Ari got to open a ton of stuff too. She really seemed to "get it" this year, too--Christmas is going to be so much fun.
I know I'm biased and all, but seriously... that is one gorgeous little girl, right?
Thanking Grampa...
Showing off another gift...
And another...
My kid is weird.
Ari loving on Matthew... (I have so many photos of her snuggling with, kissing, or touching her 2 baby cousins... she just adored them both.)
'Twas a long day for the little ones...
All right, I think I've only got one more entry worth of pictures... a few more from Thanksgiving Day and then some other random shots. So we'll get to those tomorrow or so...
Here's my mom with Micah.
One of the girls' gifts that day was a set of princess jewelry and a hat. Here, Ari's showing off her bling (though to me, it looks more like she's got brass knuckles).
And here she is with the hat, being a goofball. (2 seconds after I took this photo, she purposely waved her hands around so that all the rings went flying. She doesn't quite "get" dress-up yet...)
My dad and Matthew (love this picture)... So far, he's the only grandkid who shows proof of my dad's genes... all the rest are blond, light-eyed kids.
Me and my brother Steve. We both got the really light eyes in the family.
Tony with Micah...
Dave, Jess and Micah... nice family shot.
Josh looking sad because no one's paying attention to him...
Present time! As I said before, all the out-of-town sibs and their families got to open their Christmas gifts, but since Ari and Lyvi had mostly the same stuff, Ari got to open a ton of stuff too. She really seemed to "get it" this year, too--Christmas is going to be so much fun.
I know I'm biased and all, but seriously... that is one gorgeous little girl, right?
Thanking Grampa...
Showing off another gift...
And another...
My kid is weird.
Ari loving on Matthew... (I have so many photos of her snuggling with, kissing, or touching her 2 baby cousins... she just adored them both.)
'Twas a long day for the little ones...
All right, I think I've only got one more entry worth of pictures... a few more from Thanksgiving Day and then some other random shots. So we'll get to those tomorrow or so...
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