The Falk Family Blog

Happy 100000th!

You might not think a 32nd birthday is as significant as, say, a 30th, or a 40th, because it doesn’t end in a zero, but if so, then you’re not thinking like a programmer. You see the old “base 10″ (“decimal”) numbering system might work well for humans who are used to it, but computers use “base 2″ a.k.a. “binary”. This makes 32, which in binary has a magnificent 5 zeros (100000), a very significant birthday if you happen to be a giant geek.

If you grew up with Warren, you might recognize the cake’s likeness to a very old computer made by Mattel, called an “Aquarius”. Warren remembers this computer (plus a “200 in 1 Electronic Project Lab” from radio shack) as marking the beginning of his inner geek. So this seemed an appropriately geeky cake for a geek’s 100000th. And it turned out pretty well.

Here are the boys, ages 111, 101, and 10, admiring their dad’s great antiquity. Also another cake can be seen below, which was both more tasty and also better suited to the more decimally oriented.

Dan, Kari, and their boys came over to celebrate. Dan, Warren, and the boys played some vintage Nintendo games with some nostalgic value.

Isaac and Owen enjoy the best part of any birthday party.

Alex and Kari.

One of Warren’s gifts was this miniature remote controlled helicopter which Warren can be seen here struggling to keep airborne.

MONDAY

JAN

4

11:23 pm

Welcome 2010!

Warren 31, Lynn 29, Ethan 7, Isaac 5, Lincoln 2

WEDNESDAY

DEC

- 2009 -

30

10:28 pm

Birthday Party

We had Lincoln’s 2nd birthday party at home. Dan and Kari’s family and the Mabry family joined us. Lincoln was happy to see Josie and his cousins! He ran to the door each time he heard someone come.

The birthday boy and his big brothers.

Party Time!

He loved his big boy bed! But seemed concerned the crib wasn’t there anymore. He went out into the hallway looking for it. I told him, “The crib is in the basement,” and asked if he wanted me to go get it. He said “yes.” I told him cribs are for babies and beds are for big boys. He seemed OK with that statement and even told several people at the party that cribs are for babies!

Yea! Presents!

He was a little afraid of the candles on his cake. When it came time to blow them out, he tried once or twice and then said, “Mommy do it.”

Annie and Ethan

Owen (sporting a very cute hair-do) and Josiah

Alex and Isaac

Josie and (silly!) Lincoln

He had such a great time! Even with all the commotion I was able to focus on Lincoln and enjoy him at his party.

We allowed Isaac to sleepover with Lincoln for his first night in the big boy bed. They stayed together until morning. So very sweet.

WEDNESDAY

DEC

- 2009 -

30

4:40 pm

Birthday Lunch at McDonald’s Play Place

Here, Lincoln is both saying the number 2 and showing 2 with his fingers.

He wanted “Monster” to have lunch at McDonald’s with him.

Lincoln seemed to understand that he was important on his birthday. He ate up all the special attention and was such a good boy all throughout the day. First thing in the morning I got his birthday picture done at Portrait Innovations. I’ll post them later. We then went home to get the rest of the family and headed to McDonald’s. He took a nap in Mommy’s and Daddy’s bed while we worked on finishing up his big boy bed surprise. Then, at 6:00 some friends (and family) came over to help us celebrate with a party fit for a 2-year-old little boy who loves cars and trucks!

WEDNESDAY

DEC

- 2009 -

30

4:26 pm

The Crib Comes Down

Just this week after 8 years of (pretty much) constant use the time came to take the baby crib down. I admit to shedding a few tears. It just seems strange there isn’t a need for it anymore.

We replaced it with a big boy bed for Lincoln. It was our gift to him on his 2nd birthday.

WEDNESDAY

DEC

- 2009 -

30

4:18 pm

Look Who’s 2!

Good morning to our favorite 2-year-old!

WEDNESDAY

DEC

- 2009 -

30

4:16 pm

Further Developing His Hidden Talent

Warren made a semi-truck cake for Lincoln’s 2nd birthday. It turned out great! Lincoln’s face lit up when he saw it the morning of his birthday. He wanted to eat it right then and there!

Keep on truckin’! Almost finished.

The masterpiece! Well done, Warren!

MONDAY

DEC

- 2009 -

28

8:54 pm

Christmas Morning!

Get comfortable…lots of pictures!

Lincoln was the first to wake up. At 6:15 I heard him open his bedroom door and run into the boys room. He climbed in bed with Ethan and I listened for a moment as they talked and cuddled. Soon, (we had to wake Daddy) we headed downstairs with three very anxious, bright-eyed, smiling boys! The stockings were opened first.

“Forget the pictures, Mom! Lets open the presents!”

Our tree-shaped cinnamon rolls were very tasty. They are a lot of work without a bread machine. Warren really likes them. The boys would probably like the Pillsbury cinnamon rolls just as much and it sure would be a lot easier! Hmmm…very tempting.

Isaac enjoyed exploring with his new binoculars. While we were testing the binoculars out, Lincoln had some plans of his own…

Caught you red-handed!

I have been wanting a new blender for some time. Now I can make smoothies again! Thanks, Hun, for listening to all of my hints.

Little Critter books for our little critter.

Three rubber band guns…what have I done? (Turns out they don’t work that well and the boys are much more interested in the Nerf guns)

Lincoln needed Daddy’s help to open his gigantic gift!

Oh how fun!

I love this picture because Lincoln looks so small. :)

Ethan lost his pocket knife and was very happy to get a new one!

Here’s a picture of Lincoln’s “Are you sure this isn’t real?” face. Lincoln thinks spiders are fascinating, especially if they aren’t real. So when I saw this remote-controlled tarantula I thought it would be perfect for him. He was really excited when he first saw it – we gave him the remote and he pushed the button a couple times and the spider moved and he seemed to enjoy it from a distance… that is until he approached it, squatted down, and just as he stuck out his little hand to pet it, accidentally squished the remote between his leg and belly, which pushed the “go” button. You’d have thought it bared its fangs and hissed as fast as his hand snapped back and he darted away in reverse. He hasn’t played with it since…

Wait! I need a picture!

My Willow Tree family. Perfect for our family. :)

Ethan and Isaac agree that their Gogo’s Crazybones was the best present! Most people have never heard of these, they are just starting to catch on in the United States.

So tired after a long (fun!) day.

Here Ethan and Isaac are playing with their Gogos. Each of these is just a hard plastic character. They can trade them and play several different games with them – it’s a little like marbles with faces and feet. They have books that rate each one for its speed, bounce and balance of all eighty different gogo characters.

SUNDAY

DEC

- 2009 -

27

10:54 pm

5

Just a few more hours!

What a good feeling to be finished with all the preparations! My back hurt more at the end of Christmas Eve than it’s ever hurt before. I was on my feet in the kitchen for more than 12 hours! Not to mention all the other things that needed to be done in order to have a relaxing (lazy!) Christmas day. So much work, but so worth it to give the boys a memorable Christmas.

SUNDAY

DEC

- 2009 -

27

10:31 pm

Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve we allow the boys to each open one gift.

While watching “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer,” Lincoln became fascinated with the Abominable Snow Monster. He asked over and over, “where he go?” if he wasn’t in a particular scene. I happened to find this at CVS and knew I had to get it for Lincoln! It roars like a monster and then sings a nice Christmas song. Lincoln slept with it the first night and carries it all around. I think it’s at the top of his favorite Christmas gifts list! Don’t you just love finding the perfect gift?!

Isaac liked his micro remote-controlled car. But, I’m not so sure it’s still up and running.

Don’t be deceived…he may LOOK like he’s patiently waiting his turn to open a present. It’s tough being the oldest!

He opened his Nerf key chain, a gift from Isaac.

Twas’ the Night Before Christmas

SATURDAY

DEC

- 2009 -

26

5:48 pm

Christmas Time is Near!

Sunday before Christmas Day.

SATURDAY

DEC

- 2009 -

26

5:47 pm

Kindergarten Fun Day!

The Kindergarten classes at Isaac’s school went to the Beach Water Park for the afternoon. It was nice to have to whole place to ourselves!

They started the day off with singing Christmas carols to the parents. The lightly falling snow was a nice touch!

Such a big boy! He seemed to be more comfortable on his ice skates this time around.

It was nice to have some one on one time together. We enjoyed a toboggan ride down the huge slide, ice-skating, hot cocoa, petting the animals, chatting with friends, and a warm lunch.

SATURDAY

DEC

- 2009 -

26

5:45 pm

6

Snowman Update:

WEDNESDAY

DEC

- 2009 -

23

4:35 pm

Let it Snow-Man!

We were fortunate to get just enough snow for playing on a Saturday morning.

We only had baby carrots, but lots of bananas!

Lincoln enjoyed his hot cocoa from the warmth of the house as the snowman was being put together.

Watch out, Daddy!

Isaac and his “Ice-ball!”

Isaac gave Lincoln a little push down the hill on his very first sled ride.

I think he liked it!

Isaac’s turn.

Aren’t they angelic?

Monster Lincoln had fun running around trying to scare us.

WEDNESDAY

DEC

- 2009 -

23

4:18 pm

Winter Fun Night

We went to the Beach Water Park’s winter festivities.

Lincoln really enjoyed the animals. It was his highlight for sure, along with the pony ride.

I have a picture of Ethan with this same horse from two years ago.

This is Isaac’s very first time ice-skating and about my third time. He loved it and impressed us with his determination!

SATURDAY

DEC

- 2009 -

19

11:56 pm

Cozy Cousins

They were supposed to be going to sleep, but Owen and Lincoln kept chatting and laughing. The were told to stay on the bed. An hour and a half later, they were still there! At 10:15 I decided I had better put Lincoln in his own bed so he could get some sleep. He was so sad to leave his cousin! These two play great and were especially adorable this night.

SATURDAY

DEC

- 2009 -

19

11:49 pm

Handsome Guys

Pockets, Mommy.

SATURDAY

DEC

- 2009 -

19

11:31 pm

Homemade Ornaments

Kari and I made these cinnamon ornaments. After they finished drying I let the boys decorate them with glitter glue. Ethan and Isaac each made one for their teacher. They turned out cute and smell so good! We had a small amount of dough left and instead of rolling it for one more cut-out I decided to see if I could get Lincoln’s hand print. If you are interested, here is the recipe:
2/3 C. of Cinnamon
1 C. applesauce
1/3 C. of glue
Mix it all together and let it sit for 30 minutes. Roll and cut into whatever shapes you like.
It takes a long time for them to dry out. It was about two days or so if I remember correctly.

Oh, and don’t forget to poke the hole at the top for the ribbon while they are still wet.

SATURDAY

DEC

- 2009 -

19

11:20 pm

7

Holiday baking (and sampling!)

Cut-outs are always fun with the boys. They look forward to it each year and despite the mess, I do too!

Here is some of the sampling I was talking about…

Ethan is getting very good at decorating!

What a mess! But, worth it, I guess.

They taste even better than they look! :) Really, I keep them in the freezer and eat one (sometimes two!) before bed every night!

again more sampling…

Lincoln helped me make the oreo truffles.

I woke up at 5:00 AM to make fresh chocolate chip cookies for Warren to take to work. (Major “wife points” for me!)

Cookie trays that I made for a couple of families.

What a relief to be finished with so much of my baking! Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy baking, but I like to space it out a bit more!

SATURDAY

DEC

- 2009 -

19

11:02 pm

Ethan’s Christmas Concert

What I will remember most from this night is how Ethan kept looking at us and smiling so big during the concert. He didn’t have a solo or a speaking part, but said he would like to next year. He looked so handsome and did a great job.

SATURDAY

DEC

- 2009 -

19

3:03 pm

Happy Boy

SATURDAY

DEC

- 2009 -

19

2:58 pm

To: Isaac – From: Ethan

SATURDAY

DEC

- 2009 -

19

2:54 pm

Aunt Lisa’s Visit!

Cuddling with Aunt Lisa during movie night.

Aunt Lisa gave each of the boys a webkinz stuffed animal.

Bring on the popcorn!

SATURDAY

DEC

- 2009 -

19

11:28 am

Festive Christmas Photos

The winning picture for our Christmas card!

Mickey enjoyed the warmth of the fireplace, but wasn’t too thrilled with the Santa hat.

Annual photo with Santa! Lincoln was very nervous when Mommy placed him on Santa’s lap and walked away. Fearing Santa was his new babysitter, he cried. Once Warren reassured him that Mommy wasn’t going anywhere, he calmed down. But, his worried expression never left his face! When Santa asked what the boys wanted for Christmas, Ethan and Isaac both said “A Nerf gun.” Lincoln said, “nuff gun.”

Ethan and Isaac are hilarious this year when they talk about Santa! They say things like, “There’s no way Santa can be real.” or “Santa is just a ordinary man, he doesn’t have flying reindeer.” or “Mom, IS Santa really real? Because I don’t think so.” They seem to want to believe in the magic of Santa, but they both know better and aren’t fooled by it.

SATURDAY

DEC

- 2009 -

19

11:19 am

Cul-De-Sac Progressive Chirstmas Dinner

Our 2nd annual neighborhood Christmas dinner was a success. We decided on a progressive dinner so we could see different houses decorated for the Christmas season. Our house was the dessert stop.

We had a huge variety of dessert. This is a picture of the cookies I made. We also had a pumpkin roll, brownies, hot pumpkin bars, and a few more things I can’t remember!

The kids wrote letters to Santa for the Make a Wish Foundation.

The gift exchange was the highlight for sure! Ethan was happy with his new football, Isaac got a spy watch (and told us the time about every 5 minutes for the rest of the night!) and Lincoln got a set of cars with lights and sounds. The adults had a separate gift exchange and played a game where you could choose to steal a gift from someone. Warren ended up with a $20.00 gift card to Target (which he gave to me! woohoo!) And I got a throw blanket that matches my living room and a back massage pillow. Not too bad!

Oh look, proof that they love each other!

Little Lincoln!

SATURDAY

DEC

- 2009 -

19

10:36 am

1

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Decorating the Christmas Tree

Ethan and Isaac were so cute decorating the tree this year. Ethan clumped all of the “Ethan” ornaments into one big blob. Several branches had more than one ornament and some had none. And the boys stood back and looked so proud!

TUESDAY

DEC

- 2009 -

15

10:07 pm

1

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One little, two little, three little indians!

TUESDAY

DEC

- 2009 -

15

10:06 pm

5