If You Are Jack

Jack got a cheapie, cheapie digital camera for Christmas, and we've just uploaded his pictures from Christmas to the computer. Pretty funny/blurry/and sometimes just odd, really. Anyway, this is what Christmas morning looks like... if you are Jack.

Jack, himself

The biscuits we had for breakfast

His sister and his Grammie

His Mom

His presents, of course

Himself, again

His Dad

His smoothie? Really, Jack?

Aaaand we're just not sure about this one, honestly.

We Wish You a Merry Christmas and a Happyyyy Birrrrthdaaaay!

Merry Christmas from us. As you can see, Santa did honor the number one item on Jack's list. The Santa suit was a big hit.

Happy Birthday today to Jack. A whopping six years! Oh my goodness. Some day he'll be a fourth grader, and that is just amazing. For his birthday, the poor little guy woke up with the flu. We'll have to postpone the cake eating, I believe.

Happy holidays to you all.

Those Crazy Hoodenpyles, Always Elfing Themselves!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

On Hitting a Deer

Here's the end of the story first: Everyone is okay. The car is damaged. The deer is dead. How very Tarantino of you, Whitney.

Last Thursday morning on the way to work, I hit a deer with the car.

Actually, if you get the story from Jack, he would say that the deer waited on the side of the road until our car came along and then decided to jump right in front of the car. Upon telling the story this way, he'll then ask you over and over WHY the deer did that. I have not encouraged the "deer suicide" theory, but he's apparently sticking by it rather than the "it was running through the field and didn't look both ways for road traffic" theory that I've gently suggested.

Anyway, deer come in twos (at least). And when you narrowly miss the first, you might as well squint your eyes and brace for the second.

How very, very sad. Leave it to the Hoodenpyle boys to take the edge off of the dreadful parts of this story though...

Jack immediately wondered aloud, "Will God give that deer's family another deer so that they won't be so sad?" And then cue Jim. He came along with his truck only a few minutes behind me, observing that someone had promptly picked up the deer from the middle of the road. "Maybe you just gave a hungry family their Christmas dinner. Let's think of it that way."

Thank you, boys.

Happy "Surprise Your Friends By Taking Their Picture At Random Moments" Day

9:48: "Surprise Your Friends By Taking Their Picture At Random Moments" Day is born in Whitney's mind. Ashley concurs... It's a good idea! Danavee agrees that it must become an annual tradition. So.... here we go.

11:57: "Surprise Your Friends By Taking.... " Day is dang harder than one might think. Mental note... next time I make up a holiday involving stealthiness at the expense of my colleagues, I will NOT shout it from the mountaintops.

12:07 I would not make a good spy.

1:24: I have quite a collection now. It's going well. I believe I am winning this game. Why am I whispering?

"Whitney, why did you just take my picture?!"

"Whitney! WHAT are you doing?!"

I'm cackling. Can you hear me cackling?! Let's show some additional pieces from my collection...

"Noooooo!"

This is Danavee's chair. This picture would've been more pertinent to the game if she had been sitting in it. I don't know where she is. She is not here.

Espionage is difficult work. Sometimes you must hide in the nearest poinsettia plant.

Hiding in a resource room is also good for surprise hallway popping out.

But I am no longer satisfied with surprise pictures. Let's do a movie!

Classicly Whitney-botched. I did not account for Ashley needing to go to the bathroom. Poor spying skills. Poor spying skills.

I Woke Up Annoyed

Last night, I was the passenger in my car. Jim was driving. It was slightly icy, and we came to an intersection. As we came to a rest at the red light, a car with a load of what I thought were college aged boys came sliding toward us from the lefthand, cross street. They were showboating and sliding... whooping and hollering the whole way. Even as their front end came sliding into our left side fender, they thought it was great fun!

I was MAD. It was me who then leaned out of the car and gave them a piece of my mind for being so irresponsible. I believe I was even shaking my fist in the air. And then I paused and looked more closely at the passenger seat. Brad Pitt flashed me his very Brad Pitt-like grin through the windshield. And he was smacking his gum while grinning... you know, the way that he does. Anyway, upon realizing that he was the Brad, I settled down and got back into my car.

As the two cars drove away from each other, the scenario suddenly turned into a paparazzi style Brad Pitt chase. Jim and I followed Brad and his irresponsible entourage at high speeds with our now damaged vehicle. We weaved and dodged. Jim would speed around Brad's vehicle, and I would lean out the window, holding out my camera, clicking away. When I later checked my images, Brad and his crew were making silly faces in every single, blasted shot.

Dangit, Dream-Brad! Grow up, would you?

"Santa Doesn't Have a Mailbox!"

Jack insists that Santa couldn't possibly have a mailbox. He wrote a list just because we wanted him to, but he thinks it's much more efficient to simply squint his eyes shut and announce to the air around him, "I wish I had a _____. I wish I had a ____."
He always does this aloud for his sister too when he feels that SHE must want something from Santa. And I think that's pretty cute.

On Jack's list:

1. a Santa suit with a fake beard (he's a strange child)
2. dominoes
3. checkers
4. roller skates (the kind with 4 wheels, NOT "all in a row" wheels)
5. a remote control Wall-E toy

On Emma's list:

1. books