Lend me your ears.....

I few weeks back I got together with The Girls.  Aren came along for the fun and Biju took the other two boys out for ice cream.  They were supposed to go to a movie but I think there were some shenanigans involved and they lost that privilege.

Aren wants to show you his "punny pace" (funny face)

The waitress at PF Changs was willing to take a photo of the ladies all together.  Aren couldn't help but make another punny pace.  We missed Tonya and Elissa - someday all eight of us will be together again!!

This time he got Natalie involved and they made punny paces together!

After lunch we went to get some frozen yogurt.  Yum!  Too bad Aren left his crocheted minion hat behind and I had to go back to pick it up.  I was in a rush to get back home so Biju and I could go on a date.  We grabbed dinner (my first - and last - time at Red Lobster.  I'm just not a fan of seafood.) and then we fit in two movies while my sister stayed back with the boys.  It was a busy and fun-filled Saturday!

Going....going.....gone!

Most of you have noticed that Biju was growing his hair out.

 He kept it mostly tied back for work.

 

Side view, tied back, no glasses.....

 On the day he decided to cut it (10 months after his last hair cut), he decided to get rid of the beard, too.  First, though, he had a little fun. 

 Then he got rid of the mustache, too.

 I failed to get a photo like the rest after the haircut, but here is a shot of the two of us shortly afterwards at the movies on a date night. 

Snow Days!

Do you all remember the crazy snow we had a few weeks back?  The snow that caused the schools to cancel so much that when they finally did have classes the schools had to call parents to say YES there would in fact be school the next day? 

The boys loved their snow days!!  We had a few neighbor kids over to play - inside and out.  

The kids all gathered to watch The Tale of Despereaux - I had made everyone a cup of hot chocolate and then they cuddled up together for the movie.

Before the movie was over another set of neighbor kids came by asking to play.

I was really bad about taking Aren out to play.  As a kid I loved to play out in the snow but I'm just not that into it these days.  But with all the neighbor kids and brothers outside, how could I tell him he had to stay in??

Alex and Eli warming up inside with a game of Checkers.

Ah, yes, now I remember ..... I let Aren go outside because there were plenty of "big sisters" to keep an eye on him and I got to stay IN!

Lunchtime!!

I don't mind admiring the view from inside :)

Aren plunked himself down on the floor to watch as Daddy scooped the snow off the deck.

Another snow day, more inside fun.  Play dough and iPads!

Ajay snapped this picture of his creation - I think the far left is a soda and straw, then a burger, fries, and a hot dog on a bun w/ ketchup squirted on.

Time to play with cousins!  And who can resist dumping every Lego on the floor?  It makes for better construction, I'm sure.

Giving Gracie Mae some luvin's

Something doesn't seem right now.... Paige has her winter coat on, Ajay has his shirt off.  How odd.

Lexi reading some VeggieTales to Aren.  I've mentioned this before.....if you want to win Aren over, just read him a book!

Super Bowl Sunday

When Biju and I were dating I told him that we were a good match because neither of us watched or cared about football.

Over the years, the more he talked with his co-workers the more he gained an interest in the sport.  Oh, joy.  He started coming home talking about teams and every now and then our TV would get tuned to a game on Sunday.

He eventually started picking teams he liked/didn't like, quarterbacks he didn't care for for one reason or another and our Sunday afternoons became Football Time - like so many other households in America.

Well, great.

Since my Indian-born husband could learn the details of the sport I guessed I might as well figure out how it all worked, too.  I did cheer for football during my cheerleading days in high school but I never understood it.  I just followed along when the other girls started yelling.  First and Ten! Whoo!  (whatever that meant!)

Here's a 13/14 year old Kalinda at Cheer Camp in 1992

While watching games with Biju I asked him questions, he explained what he knew and suddenly football actually meant something....something other than a bunch of grown men wear spandex and running around after a ball I could never see. (Modern TV technology is immensely helpful these days, if it weren't for those yellow lines and other graphics I would have a hard time keeping up with everything.)

Football still means nothing to me unless I choose a team to root for.  Obviously, the Chiefs are high on my list.  Annnnd that's actually about the extent of my list.

A few years ago, our good friends, the Rouses, invited us to a couple of Super Bowl Parties.  Now that they've abandoned us  moved to Texas, we stay at home for "the big game."


The day my parents drove back home, after celebrating Alex's birthday, was Super Bowl Sunday.  We turned on the game.....and were severely disappointed.  We were hoping for a good game and all we saw was a cremation.  The game couldn't even hold my attention so I went up to the kitchen to fiddle around in there, only occasionally taking a peek at what was happening.

Biju stayed tuned in for the whole thing, though, and even had a bit of company to distract him watch with him.

Congrats to the Seahawks, though.  Too bad it wasn't a more well-rounded game.