Maestro Colby Performing.... Dino Stomp

Piano lessons have been very hit and miss, so Colby is essentially teaching himself.  This is what he spent the last several days learning on his own...
For your auditory pleasure...

Allergies under Control... For the Moment

Colby's allergies have been under control .  We've been really strict about his diet.  Know how I realized that his sinuses finally cleared up?  He was blowing a train whistle with his nose.  Mr. Mouth Breather hasn't been able to do THAT for awhile ;).

Maybe No One Will Notice....

Mad rush getting the boys out the door to school today, as we all overslept a bit.  I set out the boys' clothes, and then dealt with the crabby daughter.  It's the school bake sale today, and I told the boys that if they hurried really REALLY fast and didn't miss the bus, they could each have a quarter to take with them to school.  Quinn got ready and in his snowclothes in record time.  I'm just now picking things up from the morning rush, and noticed... behold, there on the floor.... the clothes I had set out for him.  Apparently, he is wearing the same outfit he wore to school yesterday.  The same outfit he slept in last night, because we got home from cub scouts too late, and he was too tired to put on PJ's. 

I have no credibility as a mother whatsoever.  WHAT that school must think of this family!!

125 Million Years, Down the Tubes

In Utah this past Thanksgiving, we went to a dinosaur museum, where Colby bought a sand-dollar fossil.  A 125 million year old fossil.  I went to school today and cleaned out Colby's desk, where I found the fossil in 5 pieces.  It survives 125 million years, facing all that nature can throw at it, and then lasts two months with my seven year old son.  Yeah.  That's about right.

Documented for Posterity

Some day, when my Colby is a famous pianist and composer, we will look back fondly on this, his first song.  It's titled "My Invention Song" (Or rather - showing his creative genius -  "My Invechon Son").  He says it's kind of a spooky-feeling song, because of all the flats and sharps.  I haven't checked the "I like it" box yet, but I do.  Like it.

Turning EVERYTHING into a dirty joke

The boys were giggling.  You know - the sniggering, mischieveous "doing something you're not supposed to" snicker. 

Mom: "What are you guys doing?"
Colby: "Peanut Butter!"
Mom: "What's so funny about that?"
Quinn: "Get it, Mom?  PeaNUT BUTTer?"
Colby: "hee hee hee hee"
Quinn: "Do you think whoever invented peanut butter knew that there were TWO privates in the name?"

Mom: "Good grief."

Time Machine Part 2

Colby: "Mom, remember the time machine we invented yesterday?"
Mom: "Yeah"
Colby: "Well, it's totally easy.  Einstein invented one."
Mom: "In THEORY.  We don't have the technology to build a real one."
Colby: "We did."
Quinn: "Mom, I totally know how to do it.  All you do is get the longest, strongest rope ever, and wrap it around the whole world.  Then, you pull on it, and make the world spin BACKWARDS.  Then time would go backwards, too!"

HMMMMM. Interesting theory!


Colby: "We've also invented the fountain of youth."
Mom: "Really?  Please share."
Quinn: "Upstairs we found something you wrote when you were EIGHTYSEVEN, but you're really not that old."
Mom: "What??? "
Colby just showed me what they were talking about... a poem I wrote my grandfather, in 1987, that I signed "Monica - 87". 

((smile))

"We're a Genius!"

Mom: "Boys, what are you doing up here?  Did you make your bed?"
Colby: "We're just building a time machine, Mom."
Quinn: "Yeah.  We're building a time machine."
Mom: "So, how did you figure out how to bend the space-time continuum?"
Quinn: "Easy!  We hook this old computer up to an alarm clock, turn the time back on the alarm clock, and then go to HP.com. VIOLA!"
Colby: "We're a genius!"
Mom: "MMMHMMM.  I'd really like you to make your bed."
Colby: "And here's the secret thing that makes it all work... these crystals."
Mom: "That's your rosary."
Quinn: "That's what makes it work."
Colby: "We didn't really invent the time machine, you know.  Albert Einstein did."
Mom: "I thought he just had a theory.  I don't think he ever built a time machine."
Colby: "Well, same thing."
Quinn: "You know what I'm going to do?  I'm going to go back to my birthday over and over and over and over and keep eating more and more and more birthday cake!"
Colby: "I'm going to go into the future when my bed is already made, so I don't have to do it!"
Mom: "You realize that in order for that to happen, you really ARE going to have to make your bed at some point, right?"
Quinn: "See mom, I have this ink cartridge, and I found a cord with a red, white and yellow end to plug into the tv, and the same colors go into the computer!  I remembered how to do that."
Mom: "You guys had better not blow up my tv."
Colby: "It's not going to blow up."
Quinn: "Well..... it might."

Mom goes downstairs.  A few minutes later, I hear the t.v. on. 
Mom: "Turn that TV off!  You're supposed to be making your bed!"
Q&C (breathless from running down the stairs): "We did it!  The tv didn't blow up, and we went back in time!"
Mom: "Uhhhh...."
Quinn: "We turned on the time machine, it buzzed, and Reagan was walking forward, but then she jumped back!"
Colby: "It was only a second, but we did it!"
Reagan: "Quinn did it!!!"
Q&C: "Let's go do it again!"
Mom: "I don't care how far back in time you go, as long as your bed gets made."

Any guesses on how long the bed-making is gonna take???

Piano Lessons

Pulling out of the driveway, in our frantic rush to get to piano lessons on time....

Mom (driving, and looking through the book bag simultaneously.... in a very safe manner):  "BOYS!  Your lesson book isn't in here!!  You can't go to piano lessons without your lesson book!"

Quinn: "Don't blame me, Mom.  I didn't touch that piano ALL WEEK!"

Great.  Money well spent.

Darn you, Home Alone 3

Parental Regret of the moment:  Allowing the boys to watch Home Alone 3.   It has led to a new obsession with protecting the house from burglars.  Via elaborate, Rube-Goldberg-type traps.... everywhere. 

Mom (calling upstairs): "Boys, is your room clean yet?  You've been up there for an hour."
Quinn: "Not yet, Mom!"
Mom: "You better not be making any traps!"
Quinn: "Mom, we're protecting the house from burglars.  That's a WHOLE lot more important than a clean room!"
Mom: "I'll take my chances.  Clean. Your. Room."

UGH.  Currently there is an electrical cord wrapped around the posts of the stairwell, hooked to a fan.  I'm a little afraid to go up thereand check things out further. 

And Rob wants them to watch "Dumb and Dumber".  Can you imagine the ramifications of THAT movie?!?!?!?!

Our Pianist

Colby has decided that he wants to grow up to be a concert pianist.  He spends literally HOURS a day, plunking away.   The boys' piano teacher has been sick these past three months, so Colby has taught himself to play every last song in his lesson book.  It's really cool to see him passionate about something!  Go Maestro, go!!!