On the Market...

Our house is officially on the market! We signed the contract with the builder on Sunday and listed our house on Thursday. They should break ground on our new home in the next 2-3 weeks and it will be ready by late July or early August. Three out of four Galbraith's are extremely excited about the impending move. Can you guess from the picture which one is a bit bummed? Alex is not an advocate for change in any form or fashion. He thinks our current house "is just fine" and says "it's the only house I've ever known." I have to confess that I fully understand the latter sentiment. It's going to be hard to leave our little house. This is the home that we brought our babies home to and the very same home that afforded me the opportunity to stay home with those babies. There have been first steps and first words and first birthday parties. There has been potty training and stomach bugs...sleepless nights and snuggley mornings. We have remodeled EVERY room in this house and many more than once. We've added on a new room (we still call it the new room 7 years later!) and successfully filled every nook and cranny of it. The boys are bigger now and so are their friends. We're tripping over each other. It's time. We've put it off long enough. Perhaps, it's taken so long because I'm not so good at change either (we've been talking about it for at least three years). That being said, Alex and I are going to try to embrace Carter's philosophy which is something like "bring it." He is ready to go wherever the action is and embrace it to the fullest. That's what we are hoping to do in this new chapter of our lives.

Thinking Outside of the Box...

These are samples of Carter's artwork from school. The one on the left was supposed to be a "heart man" for Valentine's Day. Carter decided to turn him into a Jedi...I believe it's Anakin. Note that he did not cut the heart completely out. He cut across the top in order to create hair. The second one was supposed to be a gingerbread man. Apparently, gingerbread men do not "speak to him" the way Obi-Wan Kenobi does! I love that he drew the goatee!

Part of me thinks we need to pull the reigns back on this Star Wars obsession (if it's not about Star Wars, he will MAKE it about Star Wars...as in the above noted artwork!), then another part of me LOVES that he thinks outside of the box. I love seeing him be so creative.

There was a period of time during the early fall that he created Star Wars characters out of scraps of paper and masking tape. He called them his "Star Wars Origami." Pretty good, huh?

Breakfast with Tom

Crystal Hill Elementary won the Stuff the Sleigh contest in December. They were the school that collected the most toys for needy children in the metro area. To highlight their efforts, Today's THV did their morning broadcast, Breakfast with Tom, live from the Crystal Hill cafeteria. Both of the boys were chosen to attend the breakfast/broadcast which meant they had to be at the school at 5:30. This was way too early for me, so Russ gladly volunteered to make the trek. Carter was not too happy to be up so early, but he definitely rallied once he got there. Food speaks to him!

Posing with news anchors Tom Brannon and Allison Courtney.

Carter is smiling with a mouthful of pancakes!

This shot is a bit blurry, but was too funny to pass up. We took this off of our TV during the actual broadcast. Alex is in the red shirt to left. Carter's head is the appendage peeking out from behind Allison Courtney. He continued to randomly peek around and make crazy faces then return to eating for several minutes of the broadcast.

A blurry close-up. This kid cracks us up!

Scavenger Hunt

For the last several years, we have created a scavenger hunt for the boys to make finding their Valentine gifts a bit more exciting. Russ makes up silly little rhymes (I am amazed at how quickly he can come up with them!) and I type them into individual clues which we hide around the house and yard. Here is a sample of the 2011 event:

Clue #1: There is more than one clue but less than seven

Go to the place where the treats are bacon
Then you will see where the next clue is shakin'

(this was in Georgia's treat basket)

Clue #2: Find the next clue and you'll be a rockstar

You'll find it in the cleanest of our two cars

(This was Russ' car ONLY b/c he had just had it detailed!)

Clue #3: This clue is not crunchy

This clue is not chewy

But you'll find the next clue hiding with Stewie
(this was one of the sleeves of the DVD case)

Clue #4: You've come a long way and you aren't even miffed

Below where you slumber, you'll find your Valentine's gifts

(underneath their beds)

JACKPOT!



Posing with their loot!

Growing up...

Alex is finishing up his last year at Crystal Hill Magnet. Fifth grade is the end of the line. Russ and I were working on his ad to be featured in the back of the yearbook. I was sorting through old pictures and taking a stroll down memory lane. I marveled at how skinny I used to be, how our house had been updated, how Russ had more hair...and how my baby boy had turned into a tweenager. I know we are supposed to celebrate our kids growing and becoming more independent and I do...really, I do. But at the same time, it is KILLING ME! I miss that sweet little baby that changed our life in every conceivable way...all for the better. I miss morning strolls around Lake Willastein and the days of goldfish and cheerios. I miss him going to school with me. I miss his pleas to watch "Melmo" just one more time. It all goes so unbelievably fast. I can remember my parents saying this and rolling my eyes. Childhood can seem like an eternity when you are going through it, but as a parent it goes at lightening speed...and it feels like it's gaining momentum. He's ten...eight more years and I'll be helping him with college applications. Give me strength!

So, after arranging all the pictures into an acceptable layout, we had to think of "what to say." How do you put everything that's filling your heart into one short phrase? We threw out a number of options. My personal favorite was "watching you grow up so quickly makes me want to throw up in my mouth." That definitely captured the trademark Galbraith family sarcasm and the churning in my stomach. However, we were afraid the sentiment would get lost in translation. In the end we simply decided to go with "we are proud of you." And, we are. It's not humanly possible to be more proud of a child than we are of you, Alex. You have been our greatest blessing (one of the two) and we are the lucky ones that get to be your parents. Watch out Maumelle Middle School...Alex Galbraith is coming your way!

We all scream for snow cream...and games!

We made our first ever batch of snow cream! A big shout out to Michelle Jacuzzi for getting me the recipe and reminding me to be prepared with the ingredients BEFORE the snow hit! We put two large mixing bowls on the deck to catch the snow. We put them out around 8:30 a.m. and they were totally full by 11:00 a.m. It was really coming down! The boys helped me mix them all up then we put them back in the freezer for a few hours. Including Uncle Chris, the finished product got 4 out of 5 stars. Carter ate his for the sheer novelty of it, but didn't really care for the taste. Crazy boy!

FYI: RISK IS THE NEW GALBRAITH FAMILY OBSESSION!

For two consecutive nights, we played board games. We got Risk for Christmas and we can't get enough of it. We will leave the board out for days and keep a marathon game running...the only type of marathon getting run in this house! Anywho, Chris was a Risk novice, but we soon had him hooked. He lost his stronghold on South America early in the game, but he was a good sport.

The second night Carter wanted to bring out Headbanz. It was a much quicker option...we were more crunched for time because we had to watch American Idol! The funniest moment came when Alex was asking me questions about HIS card. He said, "Am I a fruit?" My response, "Yes." Then he said, "Am I an apple? Oh wait, I can't be an apple. You're an apple!" Thus giving away my card and propelling me to sweet victory!

Snowmaggedon...

The highly anticipated "snowmaggedon" arrived as predicted on February 9, 2011. We received 6 inches (more in the drifts!) which was more than enough to shut the town down. There was actually a report of someone skiing behind a truck on the boulevard! School was called off the day before (no snow was on the ground but the chances were 100%) so excitement was running high! To top it all off, Uncle Chris was in Little Rock to take an insurance class. Needless to say, his class was canceled and he was snowed in with us for 3 days. The boys were in heaven! We had two days of excellent sledding and many games of football in the snow. There are no pictures of the games because I was too frozen to venture up to the park for a photo op!

Posing with Uncle Chris before "hitting the slopes." We almost

didn't let him in the picture with that LSU hat...really?

Alex doing one of many runs.


Carter doing "his favorite part." He consistently
complained about carrying it "back up the hill!"


Mom and Carter sledding down our cul-de-sac. We went straight throught the stop sign and hit the embankment! A little scary and a lot of fun!

Catching snowflakes....or trying to meditate?


The snowflakes frozen to Alex's eyelashes!

Smarter than the Average Bear...

The end of the second nine weeks was January 14, 2011. Both of my baby boys received all A honor roll and Carter received the top reader award. I am so incredibly proud of both of them! Alex really struggled with keeping up with assignments (organization is a skill we need to work a bit harder on!) and actually having to study this 9 weeks. The material is getting harder and he is finding that he actually has to WORK at it. Everything has always been so easy for him. I am so proud of him for pulling it out in the end! The last week before grades were due was a bit stressful. We checked Ed Line more than I thought humanly possible! Yay, Galbraith boys! You make your mom and dad so proud!

Carter on stage with his buddy Parker Gambrell.

Alex on stage after receiving his award.

Taking the money shot at home. After school we went to
the Dreamy Spoon to celebrate!

Clueless...

Carter has been having grave difficulties with his pants lately. He is absolutely CLUELESS as to how it is happening. Let me preface with the fact that most of his pants are hand-me-downs. They have survived an entire year (or more) of Alex wearing them and most are received in pristine condition. Carter, however, manages to get stains and rips with absolutely no inkling as to their origins. It's like little fairies swarm him and zap him with stains...and use their little scissors to cut holes in the knees! Please observe the myriad of stains obtained in a single day! Note the multiple colors! I ask if the reddish-orange stain was spaghetti sauce. Did he sit in it at lunch? He acted like I was crazy and replied, "No, Mom. Remember I took my lunch today. I had a bologna sandwich." That is definitely NOT bologna on his pants!

This is exhibit number two...massive hole. I would understand if this was from a day at school or roughhousing with the neighborhood kids. But noooooo....he managed to get this AT CHURCH. Yes, at church. He sat in a pew with us for the first 20 minutes then he moved upstairs to children's church where he again sat for a lesson...no scissors were involved. Again, he gives us a cute little smirk and says, "I know! Crazy, right?" Clueless, indeed!

SNOW DAY 2011

We got about 4-1/2 inches of snow on Sunday, January 9th. This is a blizzard by central Arkansas standards! The boys were ecstatic...and truth be told, so were their mom and dad. You never get too old for a good snow! We made them wait until the ground was "sufficiently" covered then we ventured out to sled in the dark. Who could wait for morning? They had each gotten a new sled for Christmas and were anxious to try their luck. The black sled was a huge success...the blue disc, not so much.

The next day was a whirlwind of activity: traipsing in and out, warming with hot chocolate, layering and heading back out! It is such a blessing to have "big boys" that can dress and undress themselves! When they were little, I can remember being exhausted before I ever got myself dressed! They teamed up with their friends from up the street (Jax and Abby Coleman) and went sledding for hours on end! Russ and I ventured out for a few photo ops, but we didn't quite possess their endurance for the elements...or their energy to run up and down the hills!

NOLA Bound

Russ has a business contact that works for Allstate in Louisiana. Her name is Lorrie Brouse, but at the casa de Galbraith, she is known simply as ROCKSTAR! She hooked us up with tickets to the Allstate Sugar Bowl...in the Allstate suite, no less! We started out with two tickets, but soon had our hands on four. We were going to make it a fabulous Galbraith family road trip until Carter got wind of this idea. Football and Carter Galbraith are a disastrous combo. We keep hoping he will come around and love the game, but that day is yet to be seen. He wanted no part in a 9 hour car trip that ended in a Razorback football game. So, I gracefully accepted a staycation with Carter at 55 Ophelia Drive and let Russ and Alex have a "guys trip" with John and Jordan Dale.
They spent a couple of days in NOLA and toured the WWII museum and Bourbon Street (as the mom of the 10 year old boy, I don't want to know the details!). They got to meet Jerry Jones and pig out on quite a feast in the suite. While the Hogs winning would have made for a perfect memory, getting to attend a BCS Bowl Game in high style will certainly suffice!