Max is 4 years old!

Our little feller turned 4 years old today!  Birthdays past have barely registered with him, but this year was different.  He contemplated what time of birthday "cake" he wanted, the flavor it would be, and the colors.  He was more vocal about what he wanted for his birthday!

Max continued to play an active role in executing his birthday cupcakes.

On the morning of his birthday, we let him open the presents that Tita Grace, Tito Derrick, Brandon and Lauren gave him.  It was after dropping off Simone at school that he and I returned home to decorate his birthday.  This day was also a sad one for Max because it was the last day that his preschool teacher Miss Jessica would be teaching his Sports and Arts classes.  He claimed it was the worst birthday he had ever had, but the celebrations that continued in the evening lifted his spirits.

Although Max picked out the strawberry cake mix, he was more into the color than the taste and refused to eat it after devouring the frosting.  You can see in the picture below which one Max ate.

Simone's Latest Drawings

This past weekend was one filled with lots of drawings.  I wrote already about Max's debut into the anthropomorphous theme.  Now I'm here to write about Simone's latest series: TV/Movie Posters.  It started with innocent question, "What is your favorite show, Mommy?"  I told her it was The Walking Dead, not thinking that she was about to interpret in any fashion.  Here's what she came up with ...

  

I think she drew her "zombie" from this image she saw on my computer.  I had assured her that the creepy woman in the back wasn't really a zombie.  She just hadn't bathed in a long time.  It's true! 

Here is "Alaska: The Last Frontier."

"It is cold"   "Yeah"

  

"The Kilcher family from the Alaskan show"

"New Girl"  

  

The lines in the girl's speak bubble are a representation of the character's blabbering.

This last example also illustrates that when I think Simone is just playing her games, she is also paying attention to the melodramatic Chinese films I seem to be addicted to lately.  The movie is about a man who sacrifices a lot to save the remaining heir to the throne after a military dictator slaughters the entire royal family.  When the boy grows up and finds out that his father is not his real father, there are outbursts which make me tear up.   Simone remembers this scene that made her mommy cry.

"You are not my father."  "You are my son"

Max's First People Drawings

Max had started complaining that the only thing he knew how to draw was a racetrack, the result of drawing circles upon circles.  Simone and I tried to help him out by showing him how people are drawn.  The first picture shows a collaboration among us.  Max drew the head of Super Diaper Baby, one of his favorite books lately.  He felt frustrated so I showed him how to do the body and diaper.  Then Simone added color.

This gave Max courage to start drawing other figures!  Here is his first human drawn all by himself.  I think it's as happy as he is!

Then he started thinking of his other favorite cartoons and tried to draw "Quack" the duck.  Can you guess which one he is based on Max's drawing?

  

Max redid Quack and accentuated his feathers.  

He has really taken to drawing now.  So much so that he gets really irate when I tell him he has to go to bed and has to stop drawing.  

Simone, the Bus-itect

Simone has her own ideas as to what the bus should look like and what it needs.  Her first swish of the pencil yielded this:

"I want the bus to look like this. From Simone, to Daddy"

Upon further consideration, Simone quickly sketched the importance of including certain furniture:

"Timeout Chair"

No Shower Cap, No Problem

After my hair mishap yesterday, I became quite grossed out with the dry, brittle nature of my hair and remembered that I had a deep conditioning ointment from July - when I first thought that my brittle hair needed help.

To my horror I realized I needed a shower cap to contain the conditioner for 45 - 60 minutes.  But that didn't deter me from moisturizing my hair.  I found an alternative and my hair looks a little more healthy.

A plastic bag and rubber band make a suitable shower cap!  My hair turned out really soft with a bit of sheen.  I have more leftover so I think I might do it again really soon - and with my DIY shower cap!

Simone, the Fashion Designer

Simone saw a need for more pockets in her jacket and set out to provide it for herself.  While working outside, she approached me and showed her own DIY project.

The picture above is actually after she made modifications to her project.  She first put simple pockets in using cardstock and tape.  Then she remembered that she had seen people with covers on their pockets and did the same with the same materials.

I'm so proud of my resourceful girl!

Filipino Fro

I put my hair in tight curlers last night and woke up to a Filipino afro.  No wonder Simone cried when I did this to her for Halloween. 

The Asian Squat

It wasn't until college that I realized that there are people in the world who have a hard time squatting.   And I hadn't seen the awkward white person squat until I met Michael.  He had thought I was a weirdo for squatting while playing video games.  "It's comfortable," I defended.  I asked to see his squat and it was as if there was an invisible chair blocking him from bringing his butt closer to the ground than 12".  Of course, when I did mine, all he saw was what he thought was a double-jointed gumby.

Compare:

Our hybrid kids have the ability to squat all the way to the ground.  Check out Max:

I want to say that the kids luckily have this ability, but I'm sure that to those who can't squat for long periods of time, it looks unnatural and weird.  But I do think it's lucky because they have the option to sit like this when they want to. 

Bus - Something Lost, Something Gained

This past weekend, Max was a little bewildered when he walked around the bus.

Here's a hint from picture of the bus taken 17 months prior

We took the bench chairs out!  There was one spare that I took apart.  Right before I set to tear out the 2 other ones, Michael had an idea.  Let's make them into a sofa!  The picture below was just a prop on cement block.  To make use of it as a sofa, I asked Michael if he could take out the arm rests in the middle.  His answer is always, "OF COURSE!"

First I took out the cushions and set them aside.

Then Michael lopped off the armrests with a portable grinder.

Next Michael welded a center leg to which both chairs would bolt.

Then Michael set it up in the bus (without bolting it to the floor yet) and tested it out.

We have to do other things like enclose the air conditioner tubes that are behind the sofa and take off the paint on the very smattered cushion on the end.  After this is done, we can connect it to the floor and have a grand ole time!  We'll be putting storage bins underneath and I'll make a cushion to put in the gap between the two parts where the armrests used to connect to the frame.   The kids came in and tested out the sofa too!

This sofa is a temporary solution.  When we have a better idea of where we'll be stationed next year, we'll either keep the sofa in for a couple of years or buy a captains chair (for Max) which will swivel and recline!

Max's Lego Cafe

Max was crying one morning that he needed help with his Legos.  I asked him what was the problem and he said, "I can't put my cupcake on the table!"  After diffusing the situation, I looked at his creation as a whole and beheld a mini masterpiece.  Two bros sharing a sweet treat.

The Kids Are Not Asleep

After I read to the kids at night, I let them turn on their personal lights and read in bed.  It helps me fall asleep and it usually helps them.  Tonight however I heard too much noise for them to be just reading.  I went to their bedroom to see what they were really doing!

Bus - Galley Cabinets

Our last set of overhead cabinets took about 4 days to erect.

Michael test fits the back support of the cabinets

With scrap and virgin metal, Michael welded together
a brackety thingy doodad.

Bracket, test-fitted and primered with self-etching spray paint.

After the bottom plate and shelf dried, we propped up
the whole works within the bus.

After putting up the bottom assembly, I realized that there will be little room for my head when I try to wash dishes or cook.  Why didn't I think of it?!?!?  I didn't feel too bad that we had to bring the assembly down because we found out that it was a little too wide (a whopping 3/8"!) and was imposing on the pantry and affecting the sliding mechanism.  So we brought it down and cut it here and there to make it a better, usuable fit.

Do you see the jog inward in the back?

Michael did a lot more welding and most of it was able to be fabricated outside the bus in the wide expanse of our driveway and garage.  But to attach the vertical piece you see on the left side of the picture, Michael had to weld within the bus.  We had to roll out the tool tower and insert the welder tubes through the window.

After it was constructed, Michael showed me just how strong the welded brackets were by hanging from the shelf.

After that, Michael constructed the facade and I the dividers (not shown) between the compartments.

The bus is coming along, but we still have so much to do!

Happy New Year!

In Christmases past, I had let the kids decorate a gingerbread house which they would eat on Christmas morning.  Last year, I saw a sale on a Rice Krispie Treat train and bought it for Christmas 2013.  Well, I got incredibly busy that day that I completely forgot about it!  So for New Year's Eve, I set up the train to decorate.

My New Year's resolution should be to slow down and read instructions twice - nay, thrice! - so I don't make mistakes like this abomination:

I had put the heat on too high and the marshmellows burned and were too gooey to mix in the krispies.  Luckily I had extra marshmellows and tried again - this time reading the instructions and following them precisely.

"What took so long, Mommy?"

Here is a video of the kids decorating the trains:

Simone almost made it to midnight but fell asleep at around 10:50pm.  I fell asleep with her and woke up one hour later unaware that I would finally be awake for a New Year's countdown!  It's been a while, I think, since I've welcomed the new year.  The next day, the kids ate a nutritious breakfast and then feasted on their treats.

The Aftermath: