DPP2016 Day 11 and Day 12 - Love Me Two Times or Lollipop.

Couldn't decide whether to choose to pick the song based on Day 11's photos or the fact that I am combining two days into one!   So, I picked two titles for the two day post.  :)

Day 11:
Today's photo was from the work of the day.  Someday when time erases some of the hard and the struggle and the crazy busy from my mind and I am left with all the best parts, I owe it to my current self to remind myself that it wasn't always rainbows and unicorns.  So I share with you my least favorite never ending chore.  The laundry.  I posted this to the photo project page last night and one of the girls called it Mount Washmore.  I will be using that phrase again, so perfect and so funny.  This is the laundry for the three youngest Hoffmans.  Only 3 of the 6 of us.   Big B had some choices that zapped the family of energy and so here he is putting energy back into the family.  Without complaint, I might add.  The kid really rose to the occasion and accepted his many jobs with a positive attitude.  I do not like it when my kids misbehave but when I can make a natural consequence of laundry.  Well, that my friends, is what I call win-win.

After a fun day at the bowling alley with their Daddy (who didn't take pictures!), while mom and sister were supporting the basketball team, the kids had come home with all too much candy.  I think they do this to us parents on purpose as a way to get us to spend more money to get more tickets so they can buy anything. . . .ANYTHING other than candy!  But alas, we always seem to fall in that sweet spot where we are just short for buying anything else.  Instead, gobs and gobs of candy comes home.  Candy that I wouldn't buy otherwise.  Like this lollipop. . . .

The look I get when he is SO over me taking his picture at every turn.  These were the last pictures I took of the day.  There are often posts that go by with no pictures of him but lately he has been in lots. I think that is because I am intentional in seeking him out.  He is more likely to disappear into his own world and play alone in his room.   He is also the most likely to have neighborhood friends over and be far too busy for his photo happy mama.  So if I am not intentional, he isn't captured.
 

It was another great weekend for Elizabeth's basketball team.  It is so hard for her to sit the bench and just watch.  But she is proud of her team and I am proud of her for wanting to be there to support them.  So far, her attitude about her broken arm has been unbelievable.  I think I would have pouted at least 10-20 times by this point.  And by "think", I mean I know.  

 Naps can be hard to find time for when you are the youngest.  So you improvise.

While K was napping, lil b got to help his Dad.  Rich spends every year on a holy quest to replace all dead light bulbs.  I love this little obsession of his because we have had our pre-lit tree now for years and it keeps truckin' along and looking great!   He has been known to offer a dime for each discovered light bulb that is out.  A motivation tool learned from his father in law. 

 My dad has been known to call the children to tell them there are dimes all over his yard and he needs someone to come pick them up.  When the children arrive, there are no dimes.  Only walnuts.  Walnuts for days.  It only took one time of getting paid for pick up that they will start picking up walnuts at every turn.  Now, I think he does a little pre-pick up before they come.  Many years ago, that first year, E worked all afternoon and wouldn't quit.  She took him for $150.  Plus she had an ipod touch she wanted to buy herself because we wouldn't buy it.  She got it.

 After K's nap, the light fixing, and the birthday party, it was time for some negotiations.  Little miss knows she holds all the cards here.  As you see from Brandon's expression, he is pulling out his extra sweet charm to try and extract something he is dying to have from that bag.  I think these are great opportunities for siblings to learn the art of negotiation.  I tend to only help them think it through when it looks like they might get swindled.  Not today though, K held her own.  She is one tough cookie.

The final story from Day 11 happened at the end of the day when we were cleaning up after the kids went to bed.  Our sweet pup has such a personality of his own.  One of the things he does that we find adorable and hilarious is he carries his blanket around.  This blanket began folded at the bottom of his kennel for padding when he sleeps.  Somehow, he untied all the knots and separated the two sides into two blankies.  Every night, I throw them into his kennel and he sleeps snuggled in like this.  And every morning, he brings them out.  One in the kitchen, one in the family room.  That way, both places he likes to lie down and rest have a blanket to snuggle.  If we put the blankets away in the middle of the day, he will wait until we turn our back, go and get the blankets and put them back where he had them.  One day, to mess with him, I kept putting them away.  He kept bringing them back out.  He won.   Of course, you can't really blame the guy.  This is what our family room looks like most of the time.  No matter how many times we fold and put away, they always come back out.  You will see Teddy's blanket in there too.

 Day 12

I didn't take too many pictures today.  I worked on a project from home today that kept my focus beyond typical working hours.  I did take time to take a lunch with my hubby and a good friend from my UNMC days.  Ryan and I marveled at the rate at which Rich consumed salsa today.  We ate at California Taco which is SOOOO good.  And their salsa is delicious and served in margarita machines.  As with most things involving a food he loves, Rich took it to a new level.   If you look closely, you can see the line from where the salsa was before Rich got to it.  No joke.  He barely sat down for the first 20 minutes we were there.  He just kept refilling his salsa.  It was hilarious.

Two times the salsa for a day with two times the posts.  :)

But look how happy he is.  :)  That was until the car ride home when he kept complaining about how full he was.

A couple shots from this evening:

Hard at work for homework time.   Lil b can hardly stand to stay quiet so Big B can concentrate.

The last tournament had "Champion" water bottles to give for the winners.   Yesterday's tournament had medals which they got at practice tonight.  She didn't mind the water bottle but her quote before this pic was, "You just can't beat a medal.  All that work sitting the bench and cheering has really paid off."  Ha!  Well, at least she knew her role in that!  Love her sense of humor.

I know that it bugs her that this tournament she didn't get to contribute to that win but I respect that she manages that disappointment with humor. 

 And now, it is time for this mama to get some sleep. . . .