A Few of Our Favorite Things

Since Owen can write now, he crafted his own 10 (!?) item list for Santa. For posterity, it read:

1. Kong Zoo (Um, yeah. It's the phonetic spelling of the fighting hamsters. Real hamsters would be cheaper and more entertaining.)
2. iFon (even more hilarious! an iPhone)
3. ubrlu (his own umbrella...so he can be P. Diddy's umbrella man?)
4. Toy Store 3 (almost there...Scripps Spelling Bee, here we come)
5. Nija trtls (heroes in a half shell...turtle power!)
6. DS (what? is there something wrong with the used GameBoy your grandma scored for you this summer? Ingrate.)
7. Baklgan (the devil toys that have come into our house thanks to an "innocent" McDonald's happy meal...HA! Bakugan. No thanks)
8. Mreo Wii Game (happy to oblige! Mario rocks)
9. PSP (again...what are you trying to tell me about your GameBoy?)
10. Olr cok (an alarm clock. Your wish to wake up to the world's most annoying sound has been granted. Now, how is it that you and June can sleep through the buzzing but if I dare to step into the kitchen with the pipedream of enjoying a hot cup of coffee from start to finish, you hop out of bed like rabbits?)

Now the list didn't matter in the end because his answer to every adult's prying inquiry ("What are you asking Santa to bring you for Christmas?") was "a Pillowpet". Seriously. I hope the offspring of the Pillowpet and Snuggie inventors marry and have children. I can't wait to see what thing I'm convinced to buy next. Oh wait, it's a Kung Zhu.

Santa had a good time trying to follow the list and still have fun surprises. The robot grabber was a hit. I'd show you a picture, but the camera keeps getting grabbed out of my hand. And ignore the price on the link. A Wal-mart $5 special!

We know some folks who do product review blogs for side income. We earn no income from the following endorsements, but I can pretend...

What else do the Arnold kids love?

Books...oh, wait. That's the instruction manual from Super Mario Galaxy 2. Still, books. And June loves her new cat shirt from Aunt Nini. She's worn it 2 out of 5 days and it was in the dirty clothes for 3 of them.

Books in Sushi's chair with a snuggly cousin too.

Boba Fett the Bounty Hunter Helmet. Thanks to Lee and Nini (Stephanie's nickname), guests may now choose between Boba Fett and Darth Vader helmets when they light saber battle in our home. Thank you. Really, thank you.




Ah, wish #3. Thank you Santa! Good thing we don't believe in the open an umbrella inside and get bad luck because if we did, 2011 is NOT our year.










Now, what I REALLY love!
Not those little buns (though the Christmas Eve pjs were SO cute), but June's new kitchen hutch.

This was a Craigslist find from October, and it is my new favorite purchase from a stranger's home. ;)

Now, if you had $35 to spend, what would you have chosen? Kung Zhus or this beauty?



Sometimes Christmas shopping is a no brainer!

What was your favorite present?

Christmas at Sushi and Opa's

This marks my 31st Christmas Eve spent with my family.

Gordon and my dad, already in their Christmas jammies.
Owen, writing his note to Santa.

Owen and mom making homemade ice cream.
June flipping the switch.


When to open presents? I love reading about when and how everyone does it. As for us, we always open one present on Christmas Eve, and it's always pajamas. It wasn't until I was in the 8th grade that I picked up on the pattern. A little slow.

Then Christmas morning we open up all the rest, and Santa does NOT wrap gifts at our house. How about at yours?

Stage Mom

When our church said they were looking for young ones to participate in the elementary school musical, Mr. Owen's ears perked up. So, after much deliberation, we took the plunge and dove into the world of children's productions.

Aah, his father's son...


Thankfully, Miss Patty has this gig near-perfected and the organized practices were only once a week for one hour after church. The rest of the practice fell on our shoulders. How so? Miss Patty gave all the kids a recorded CD of the music and a DVD of the dances to practice at home...and in the car...and at the park...and anywhere else the songs popped into Owen's head.

Ready to go...He even wrote invitations to all his teachers at school and invited his best friend from preschool, Trinity.
That's Owen and Trinity runnin' wild after the performance and sugar cookie reception. I did say Miss Patty has it near perfected. Sugar cookies at 7:30 pm on a school night? Well, it was the holidays.

By the time the performance rolled around, you could tell which kids in the audience were younger siblings because they were the ones singing along and doing the hand motions in the pews. Even June sways in the car to the 3 songs Owen performed in the musical.

His part? A cowboy.
The kids retold the story of Jesus' birth from the perspective of toys at a store. The cowboys acted like the shepherds, and in the end, the kids and toys realized that the greatest gift anyone could receive at Christmas was the gift of love that God gave us through his son Jesus.

Here's the cast of toys. Lots of cowboys, cowgirls, Bo Peeps, and aliens to be had at this store! The aliens as the wise men ("Take us to your leader!") were a hoot!



Owen got to be on the first row which was great for his safety and difficult for his focus!



Owen and his posse.


Owen was fascinated by Miss Glamour on the left. Those 5th grade girls!


He found me during dress rehearsal. June found Owen during the performance and yelled "OWEEE! OWEEE!" more times than the family in front of us appreciated, I'm sure.

The opening number! Yep, that's more than 200 elementary school kids. God bless Miss Patty and her crew!


Happy as a clam!

It was a blast to see Owen enjoy himself in a new environment, and it was great to share the night with friends and family!

That's How He Rolls

I think the last time I posted about bowling was the summer we moved to Fresno (check out how much Owen has grown), but we love to bowl as a family.

Thanks to a great Groupon, Michael and I treated the extended Arnold family to an afternoon of bowling over Thankgiving break.

Cool breeze Owen wanted to wear his shades.

The comeback walk...



We had 10 adults and 7 children rockin' the Brunswick Lanes, and it was great! It was so much fun that we convinced my side of the family to do the same for our Christmas get together (where we had 8 adults and 7 kids). We added prizes to that shin-dig, and I'm proud to say that Owen won for High Score: Kids/Bumpers. He bowled a 99!!!!!

So, who says Wii bowling is a waste of time?!

Also, here's a shout out to my uncle Art for his clutch performance, beating me in the last frame with a strike for High Score: Adults. Kudos to you, sir!

Auntie Again!

On November 10, 2010 I became an aunt again. Michael's siblings all have children, and this year, my brother announced to the family that he and his wife Stephanie were also expecting a child. Stephanie asked me to attend the birth, and I was elated to do it. So elated in fact that I received my first speeding ticket EVER on my way to the hospital to meet up with them. Actually, I was so distracted by the corn dog I was chowing down on the way that I didn't notice the speed limit. I think the mustard still on my lip might have offended the officer, and thus, I am on probation in the city of North Richland Hills. :( Back to the important part of this story:

GORDON HALL MCNEESE

Stephanie keeps us updated on all things Gordon, including his birth story on her blog, so I'll let her tell about that wonderful evening. Plus, she has way more pictures than me of that sweet baby. When I'm around him, my hands are full of him, not a camera!

As for me, here are 3 Great Things About Being an Aunt Again

*It makes you appreciate how big your own "babies" are. Seriously, when did June become 38 inches tall?


*At a birth, you get to scream out of joy, not effort! I was so honored and overjoyed to be a witness at Gordon's birth. You'd have to ask Stephanie about my future as a birthing coach, but I love being able to help Lee and Stephanie in whatever way they needed me then, now, and in the future.

*You appreciate your sibling in new ways. Lee is an amazing husband to Steph, and if you know them, you've seen it yourself. Still, to see him love and support her in the ways that she needs, both as a wife and as a mother, is so affirming of the man he is. He'll never be my "little brother" now that I've seen him as a father!

Overall, this experience has reminded me that, although my parents never had another girl, in Stephanie, I have a sister. I love her, the wife she is to Lee, and the mother she is to Gordon.

Join me in praying for them to bask in the richest blessings God is pouring out on their family!

While the Cat's Away...

...the June-bug plays.

Game of peek-a-boo in Owen's boots.

One Day, My Wife Will...

Before I tell silly stories about Owen, let me brag for a moment. Here are some pictures of Mr. Kindergarten in his school's library.
Owen was picked to "teach the teachers" at their recent faculty meeting. The topic was goal setting, and he was asked to share his reading and writing goals and what he was going to do to meet his goals. It was precious to see him read from his writing journal and talk about his plans to use more lowercase letters in his stories. Big goals for a big guy, I tell you!

Owen reading to June; June inspecting the soles of her shoes.


He did a great job! And then there are mornings like yesterday:

(For those still waiting around for the end of the title post, here we are.)

Yesterday Owen had all Wii privileges taken away, not to be restored until he allowed a personal hygiene ritual to take place. He screamed, yelled, fussed, pouted, and finally de-escalated until he said he was willing to be bored for the rest of his life. Then, he started to smile. Thinking he might be ready to talk, I asked, "What are you thinking about?"

His reply: "Well, one day I will get married. And my wife will buy me a Wii. So, I don't need to cut my toenails."

Me: "Um, it might be difficult to find a wife when you have dragon nails, O. Most girls don't like that."

Mr. Dragon Nails: "Well, I will just wear socks or be lonely."

So, for all my friends who would like to arrange their daughter to be married to Owen, ask yourself this before you consider the match: does she like year-round socks and Super Mario Brothers?