Coming down for the Holiday High

New Years Eve might not have been as the crazy exciting as ones we have had in the past, but it was perfect for us after all the running around we did pre-Christmas.  Maybe we have turned over a new leaf, maybe we will we not be so over-scheduled this year - yeah, maybe not.

One of the highlights for the Children of New Years Day was the annual taking down of the Christmas tree.  Well that isn't really true.  They despise taking down the tree.  Not because they hold fond memories of Christmases past, or reflect upon the ornaments they got when they were younger.  They just dislike the actual JOB of taking down the tree.  Or any job, truth be told.  If you want to clear the room of a Wellons child, announce there is a job to do.  Suddenly you are ALONE.   

This year, my husband introduced the first annual "burning of the Christmas tree" tradition.  Yes, I hear you, people have been doing that for ages!  Well this was a first for him us as a family.  I grew up with a burn barrel in the yard and my nephews routinely went around my hometown and gathered discarded trees to torch.  My husband had to put his own spin on it.  He didn't even take the tree out of the stand - just lit it on fire.  They really are fire hazards.  That is the first genuine toothy smile we have seen out of Ben in AGES!  Next year I am going to tell him to remember his moment before getting his school picture taken. Can't hurt.

I will say this for Yuma, the sky certainly does like to put on a show!  We have great sunrises and sunsets.  I say it is from all the dirt in the air and it is actually pollution but man it sure is pretty!  On the rare occasion it rains we even get some pretty spectacular rainbows! 

The kids have been out of school for two weeks now.  Tensions are high. Science fair projects are due the day we return to school - in another week! True, we could have turned ours in before break, but who are we kidding here, we needed the extra time.  Of course, we haven't even LOOKED at the projects. It is crunch time!  Last year Science fair was a real slap in the face.  Jim vowed that this year we would do better.  I am still just squarely in the camp that I want a good grade, but mainly just want it to be OVER.  Jim and the kids are in it to win it.  

Science Fair Gods, please be kind

This is what happens when I go to a Spouse event and leave my husband to collect the kids from a friends house.  The scary part is they are soooo much better than me at applying makeup.  I remember experimenting with eye shadow in 7th grade.  Why do they even make yellow eye shadow?  I looked like I had healing bruises on my eyes.  I had pretty much abandoned the effort by 9th.  

We have a new installment in the ongoing saga of Oscar's hatred of Wesley. Jim was able to catch Oscar clearly baiting Wesley.  He claims that not only did Oscar eat a piece of Wesley's food he also drank from his bowl.  If you look closely you can see Wesley just outside the glass door.  Poor poor Wesley!

Back to Science Fair folks!  Both girls were forced invited to show their boards and be interviewed by the committee that picks the representatives for the school in the County competition.  Of the two, only Lucy loves me enough to not be selected to continue - Ha Ha Ha!  Lilly is super proud of taking first place in her division - Environmental Science and Lucy is the luckiest, because she is ensured a good grade and she is FINISHED.  Lilly still has work to do.  UGH!

Oh, and if I am not stretched to the limit as it is, this happened! To the tune of $400 of product for each girl.  We are drowning in girl scout cookies people.  

This is our first real experience with organized swimming so I am not really sure how this whole thing works.  We did a few meets last year that did not require us to travel but this year we have really embraced it!  Or at least I have.  The kids are lukewarm on the whole thing.  That is until I actually get them to practice or a meet, then it is "game on!"  We had another meet this month and they all did super well.  Ben and Lucy actually qualified for Regionals or Junior Olympics in multiple events! Lilly was only tenths of a second away from qualifying in the 50 Free and not that far off from the 100 Free time.  Sigh, I could not convince her to travel to try one last time to get the time she needed. ARGHH!  She is starting to become a teenager and not quite as easy to manipulate as she used to be.  Great.

One cool thing about this meet (other then it being in our town) is that the kids go down to the Colorado River afterwards and get in!  BRRR.  The meet is called the Polar Bear Plunge for a reason I guess!

The very next weekend Jim took the kids and Wesley out into the desert to camp with a few of his buddies and their children and dogs.  No Mommies! From the pictures, it appears that everyone had a BLAST!! ATV, QUADS and BB guns, what more could anyone want.  I know for a fact I had a good time!  Just me and Oscar hanging on the couch watching some bad TV.  It was HEAVEN!!  

Guess what Ben wants for his Birthday next month?

These two actually slept in that tiny tent!

TROUBLE!!

Earlier this fall we noticed that the trees on the side of the house started producing fruit.  Of course they were all green so we figured all three were lime trees.  Apparently that is not the case.  We have a lime, lemon and mandarin orange!  The kids decided to harvest them one afternoon.  Just our luck, the oranges were kind-of bitter, the lemons were funky but the limes are perfect! Perfect to cut up and put in my drink that is.

To wrap up this crazy month, Lilly got contact lenses!  WHAT?!  She took to them almost immediately!  I remember getting my first pair of hard contacts. The agony of putting them in and worse, getting them out and baking them every night.  Yuck!  I am super happy she is having an easy time with the transition and Daddy is really happy her "Roy Orbison" glasses are gone!