Sobi

We have a new addition to the pet population in our family. Our neighbors didn't want their lizard anymore so we took it off their hands and he is now in our care. His name is Sobi. He is a Molly Uromastyx lizard. He is vegetarian and mostly likes lettuce so we don't have to mess with any crickets (mom says YAY!). He is full of personality so he is really fun to have around. He mostly hides under a rock but his head is usually sticking out looking around. If his head isn't sticking out, then his tail is. He is very active and moves around quite a bit. (Some pictures are red because only the red heat lamp was on when the kids were taking the pictures.)

Here we are setting up the cage. He came with almost everything he needs. We made a quick trip to Petsmart to buy a lamp and more sand.

Meet Sobi.

Here Sobi is getting ready to climb.

Then he scratches on the glass.

Then he climbs up.

Then he falls. This is him after he fell.

Then he hides under his favorite rock.

Here is a video of Sobi in action.

Talk

We had a momentous occasion at our house yesterday. Bob gave his first talk in Sacrament meeting. As many of you know, Calvin is petrified of getting up in front of people. His first assignment to talk in Primary caused him to throw up the morning of the talk. Every talk after that in Primary was not much better. So since he turned 12, we have tried to prepare him for this day but he was still really nervous. He avoided any throwing up, though. Mom gave a talk, too. So I was up on the stand to help give him support. (For the record, mom was just as nervous as Bob). He stumbled a little at the start, and avoided looking up at all but he did great! He mumbled a bit, but considering how hard it was for him, he did wonderful!

After church he did a ceremonial burning of the talk. Here are pictures of that.

R2's birthday

R2's birthday fell on a Wednesday this year so he had to go to school on his birthday. He told me the night before that he was going to be sick the next day and wouldn't be able to go to school. I explained that it would be much better if he went to school. So R2 went to school and waited until he got home to celebrate his birthday. Dad got home from work in time for R2 to get home from school and he just wouldn't wait any longer to open his presents. Lego's were a big part of his presents and he is learning to put them together by himself. His brother's were right there helping him, though.



It is fun to see them with their heads together working on something.
This was the thing that was most wanted. It is a lego bionicle and he was really excited to get it.

R2 wanted a snake cake and we had snakes (ramen noodles) for supper.

All in all it was a really fun day.

Gingerbread Houses

We had loads of fun doing gingerbread houses this year. Thanks Grandma for starting the tradition.

Bob's house was hit by archers.

Spike (our minimalist) took great care in everything that was put on.

R2 did a great job with designs this year. He stuffed his mouth with candy right before the picture. Notice his squirrel cheeks!

Our cousin and his mom had lots of fun with this house.

The youngest got to do a gingerbread boy.

Thanksgiving

Our Thanksgiving was shared with my brother's family at our house. We had lots of food and games and more food and more visiting and games then more food. My brother's family has a new boxer puppy that the kids had a lot of fun with. She was a very patient puppy. We ended the evening with a game of Apples to Apples and Whoonu. It was tons of fun. Here are pictures.

Just wondering...

I do not have a turn with this computer on the weekends so as soon as everyone leaves tomorrow, I will post pictures of Thanksgiving. But before that, everyone is in bed and I am watching our Christmas tree wondering if I am ready for a teenage boy. I have decided that I am not.

You have already seen the missing eyebrow episode. Well, yesterday he came to me with a twinkle in his eye and said "Mom, if something weird happens in the next little while, I had nothing to do with it."

So what am I supposed to do with that?

Apparently he and R2 were in the kitchen drawing and Bob allegedly did not suggest that R2 color his hand with a marker to look like a glove. When I found R2, he was trying to wash the gray marker off his whole hand.

This isn't finished yet.

Today we had tithing settlement. While we were getting ready to leave, Bob took R2 aside and told him that if he (R2) didn't pay his tithing to the bishop, he (the bishop) would get out his taser gun and shoot him (R2) with it. R2 came to me with wide eyes and a scared look on his face.

Please tell me. What do you do with a teenage boy? This can only get worse...

Never a dull moment...

Just a few days before I was planning to take pictures of the kids to put on the wall, Bob decided to pick his right eyebrow off. I'm not exactly sure on why he did this. I am chalking it up to him being a bored tween with too much time and too many ideas of what to do. I told him that he should have told me and I would have got the razor out so we could have done a good job of it. I debated on what to do with pictures and opted to pencil in the half missing eyebrow. That was an experience in itself ("hold still and don't squeeze your eye shut"). I thought you would all like to see the pictures of the missing eyebrow and the penciled-in one.

This is the missing eyebrow...

Here is the penciled-in one...