NBC Studio Tour with Scouts

Another fun day with the Scouts.  I actually booked this tour in October, not really knowing how busy it might be, but it ended up not being to bad.  It was a neat tour that showed us the producing room, directing room, and then the on air studio.  We watched the mid-day news, and it was really interesting that the two anchors were the ONLY ones in the studio.  Cameras were positioned were they needed to be, and anchors were in the location where they were supposed to be, and there it was.  The whole show looks like it was completed with a meteorologist, anchor, producer and director.  I was just surprised at so few people actually there in the building.

Sam and Davis got to go behind the anchors desk, and Sam just jumped right up in that seat.  Maybe he will be a news anchor one day.  And with the Vulcan right behind the studio, we got another fun sharing of "big bottom" jokes.

December with the Junkin's

Another hodge podge of pictures that I didn't want to make into separate blogs, but basically these are the buildup of things our family was doing prior to Christmas.  We went to Diane's "elopement" reception.  Everyone was making a strong point that this was an "elopement" and not a wedding reception.  I really have no idea what the difference is other than one is in front of fewer people.  But anyway, great to see Diane and Kathryn and how old they are now is crazy.  One married...other in college...makes me feel old, and for some reason in a manner not like my own siblings being in similar places.  Hmmm...I will have to explore that in future inner monologues.

Christopher Popinkins (Our Holiday Elf) was with us again this december, rolling the dining room, hiding all over, hanging from random places, and as always bringing smiles to little faces.  The air vents are always popular during the winter months for breakfast.  I think our family are all just Florida folks stuck in this Northern Region of Alabama...I don't know how we made it in Cullman so long...snow, wind, ice.

We had our first Carolers at the house.  A group of the teenagers from church came over and sang some songs from the lyrics on their iphones (my how times have changed).  Magan helped the kids make some cookies and decorate them.  I was able to take the boys to see the new Hobbit movie (Seriously, can we just end this movie!  It is very good, but I like an ending to a movie...LOTR first round including a supercool fight scene with Aragorn and the big UrukHai, then the Battle of Helms Deep finished the second movie, and the final [although very very long] ending to the series.  But NO, not with the hobbit, we will tease you with a dragon, then tease you with a flight, then make you wait 3 years for the ending we all know will happen)

And our last picture is all 4 kids getting their handprints on Magan's christmas gift.

A few stories for this Christmas season:
1.  Belle loves My little Ponies, but her cute way of talking about them is calling them "Hello Ponies", obviously confusing them with the popular Kitty.
2.  Belle is also ALWAYS singing in our car, and if not singing, talking.  (Note to Colby, the Belle doll will NOT stop singing, it just keeps going and going)  But anyway, her words are not really good to the songs as she apparently has my ear for the lyrics...Instead of "a dazzling place I never knew" in "A whole new World" from Alladin, we hear "a Jasmine place never new".  And Jingle Bells has become "Oh what fun it is to ride, jump and sleigh, HEY".  And from Spongebob, we heard several times "Sintas coming tonight tonight, Sintas coming tonight".
3.  Our friend from church, Jeanette Gerald, watches the kids for us sometimes and told us this story of Davis who had skinned his toe the previous day.  She saw him and asked him if he wanted a bandaid on it, and he said that their were only girly ones in the cabinet (He was right, we only had "Hello Pony" ones that day).  She told him he could wear one of those girly ones, nobody would know under his socks and shoes.  He looked at her seriously and said "Oh yes they would, my friend Tyler knows things like that, and he would find out".  She laughed and brought us two boxes of "Camo" manly bandaids to church the next Wednesday for Davis.

Christmas at Granny's

After a fun Christmas morning at our house, we loaded up the kids and to Granny's house we went.  As usual, this was a fun event, and the house is getting more and more crowdeded with all these kids.  Wyatt and Ruby got to play together for awhile.  Luke was not feeling very well.  Colby was very impressed with his "butt bomb" in the picture behind John and Shay...or was it "bum flash"...I don't know what it was, but it funny enough to be included in this blog that will be kept for my children.

Plus Uncle Colby left me with two good stories that I will always remember from this dinner.  I will not tell the stories here as they are his and good ones, but a prompt for any to ask Colby the following:  1.  Does he know any Blacks in Cullman?  and 2.  Does he always bring his hoe to church?  I know from the fragments of food left in front of Magan after these stories that she also thought they were pretty funny.  

Also a little admission as I may have upset Aunt Katie...Holding babies that are...say 0-6 months is not something I really desire to do.  If needed, I am well up to the task, and have experience with this task.  But here lies the question I think not only I, but perhaps other men are often faced with..."Do you want to hold the baby"?  The key word in that question is want.  Women seem to want to do that, yet I...do not seem to want to do that.  I like the baby, I love the babies, I want to interact with the babies.  Babies do not interact at such young ages other than to poop and spit up.  So perhaps the question for me should be formed as a statement if needed..."Would you hold my baby so I can get a picture that appears that you loved my baby enough to want to hold the baby"?  Am I alone here?  

Ruby...if you are reading this, I really love you, but I need you to interact...today at the dentist, you were cooing at me...that is enough.  That made me happy, and I loved it.  That is sufficient, even tho I think the initial act of picking you up was because I felt you didn't want to be stuck in that seat when in fact you may have enjoyed being in that seat...I really don't know because at this point YOU CAN'T TALK.  So now I suppose you can talk and read this, and you can let me know if you would rather be put back into the seat. Or if you have a baby and want me to hold it one day, please see paragraph above for question to ask.  Trust me, your mom will LOVE to hold the baby.  Me...ehhhh...I will LOVE to watch your mom holding the baby.  

Other Christmas at Granny thoughts...I am horrible at Cornhole.   Sam can put those loom things together faster than what I would think is possible.  Put batteries in holiday ornaments for Dad before giving him his present next year.  Dear me, the food was great Granny.  Dave, the camera is not over there.  Melissa, funny faces are cute...on three year olds.  Sam, you found your smile, I like it!  MawMaw, you should try and look happier...don't think you could have...  Anybody else think the Mark Magan baby picture was weird?  OK, Alabama game is on, and a really pathetic game for Alabama, so my commentary was expanded a bit.  Merry Christmas.  

Christmas at our House

Santas coming tonight tonight.  Santa's coming tonight.  Belle was Doc McStuffins from her present at Nanny's tonight.  Cookies and Milk was ready.  Reindeer food out front, and then lights out.  Santa brought many fun surprises for the kids.  Belle got Cinderellas Castle.  Ruby got the Dwarfs Cottage for fisher Price people. Davis got a Guitar.  And Sam got a Desk Lamp.  Plus the boys got to share a new electric car track.  Santa then gave them another surprise via a letter held by Christopher Popinkins.  A new trampoline and pogo stick!  I just wish Santa could have put it together before he left. 

Sam and Davis also got everyone a present and each was nice and well thought out.  Belle (aka Doc McStuffins) quickly became Sophia the First when she received a new dress in one of her presents.  Ruby just sat and gooed.  She was very happy that morning, and making lots of smiles.  And the Trampoline was up two days later, and has already been put to good use.