JP's B-Day Present

Today we had a bit of snow, a little sun, and then some more snow. We are in a winter weather advisory until 6:00 tomorrow AM. Nothing like fresh snow for the Monday morning commute.

After seeing all the fix-er-up git-r-done stuff that my little sis has been doing, we headed out to the home depot. We ended getting some can lights. JP has hated the ceiling fan in the living room since we moved in. It's a nice fan, but it's too big and in the wrong spot. We pulled the fan out and tunneled thru the ceiling for light number 2. I got some dimmers on clearance for $.01 each (!!!) that will go in next. Now we can sit anywhere on the sofa and read without having the glare of a supernova in the room.

Thanks to all the grandparents for our new lights.

Old Fart Band

Our neighbors had a guitar hero / rock band party this weekend in honor of our birthdays.

There were 10 adults playing all night. We didn't get home until 12:30. Every time we play, I have more and more respect for real musicians. I need to start practicing the songs before I invest in some leather pants. It's hard to be a cool rock star when you can't sing.

Government Day

Today I went with CP and his cub scout den on a grand tour of the Nebraska State Capital. His den leader arranged the tour with a friend that works there. Our first stop was to sit on the floor of the legislature and watch them debate and vote. We then went and met the local state senator. He has 5 kids and was excited to talk to the boys.

Next, we went on an official capital tour with an official tour guide. She discussed the building and its artwork. I was impressed with all the art deco lighting fixtures and woodwork. On the tour, we sat in the old senate chamber (NE is the only state to have a unicameral legislature - only one house, and no political party affiliation). We visited the supreme court and marveled at the intricately carved ceiling. The tour guide left us to explore the observation deck on the 14th floor by ourselves.

After lunch in the cafeteria, we met the rest of the executive branch.

We met the Attorney General. His son is in CP's class.

We also met the Lt. Governor and the Secretary of State.

The highlight of the day was meeting the Governor.

Each official spent 10-15 minutes talking to the boys about the importance of being good citizens.

Another Neighbor Gets Old

Another one of our neighbors turned 40. We threw a surprise 80's party for her. Unfortunately, some of her relatives that came knew about the party, but not the 80's thing. I'm not sure what they were thinking when they entered the house.

I grew a mullet for the occasion. Next time, I need to make sure that my eyebrows match the rest of my hair. We danced all night to 80's dance tunes. I hated those songs when I was younger, but they certainly are fun to dance & sing to.

January Model Building

We put together the USS Arizona that CP got for XMas. The old one has been stepped on, kicked, dropped, and taken several baths. We took our time with the new one and painted everything before assembly.

CP's den leader put together a pinewood derby building night. We had a heated workshop with everything we needed, including a band saw. CP roughed out his and GP's cars.

Hello 2009

JP put together a rockin' New Year's Eve party for the neighbors. In all, there were 15 of us, plus a whole housefull of kids. Everyone brought a snack - we had cuban sandwiches, Puerto Rican Egg Nog, delicious chocolate covered cake balls, meat balls, cheese, and a whole lot of finger food.

The highlight of the evening was dancing to the wii game, Raving Rabids TV Party. It has a mini game where you use the wiimote to mimic the dance moves of a stick figure. The concept is similar to guitar hero, but instead of notes, you do dance moves.

We also played a few hours of the new Guitar Hero World Tour. Everyone got to play their favorite part in the band. Someday we will have a competent nieghborhood band. Until then, we will all have to dream.

Our party went until 2:30. New Year's Day will be a long one, as GT's Gator Bowl party starts at 11:00, and JO's Penn State Party is after that.

Christmas 2008

The Grammas came for Christmas this year. We had a great time as usual with too many gifts, too much food, and some relaxing down time.

The boys got some snowboards and tried their hand at real snowboarding on the little bit of snow (and a lot of ice) we had. CP is a natural at it. I swear I watched his leg twist around two or three times every time he fell and his boot didn't come out of the binding.