We ate fried grasshoppers the other day. Our friend went to Uganda to teach and he brought some back. They weren't that bad, but they smelled really bad, kind of like people who haven't washed their hair in a while. (This is not meant to offend anyone who hasn't washed their hair in a while, I just meant it smelled kind of like the oils that we get in our hair, yes i get it too). They tasted kind of like pumpkin seeds and they were pretty good once I got up enough nerve to try them.

Yesterday was Christmas Eve. It was a pretty normal day until the end when we watched Finding Nemo and ate 2 bags of chips and drank a whole 2L bottle of pop and also ate 1\2 a package of cookies. Then we brought mattresses down and slept in front of the christmas tree. It was very hard to get to sleep because the christmas tree lights were so bright, and i woke up several times in the night, finally waking up for good around 7:30. Mom had said the night befor that we weren't allowed to wake up 'til 8:00 but I don't think it was a problem because we usually wake up around 5:00 on Christmas day. Then we ate Clementines for breakfast before we opened our stockings. I got various items of candy, and a pair of gloves and a thing of floss. Then we opened our presents. I got 3 cds: The Monsters Inc. Soundtrack; The monsters inc. favorites (they were part of the same gift); and All that you can't leave behind by U2. I also got a pack of gum from dan and a beautiful glass jar and also a card from sarah. The rest of the day has been used up preparing the meal for tonight. I have to go but i might write more later

Merry Christmas! I Added pictures: Follow this link to get them. For future reference you can click on the link at the right side of this page.

Ok - Deep Sea Chicken! As some of you may know, Matt has decided he would open a restaurant called "Deep Sea Chicken". The kids came up from Deep Sea Chicken advertizing HQ with the following badge for Matthew to wear:

Deep Sea Chicken Employee
Matthew, Founder, Manager

As word has got out, we have been starting to receive resumes for positions at this fine establishment. Click here to read this one from Melanie Wallace. After Matt read Melanie's resume he decided to hire her. If you are looking for a good job hurry up and get those resumes in!

When Wally (a doctor we know who spent the last 3 months in Uganda) came over to tell us and the kids about his trip, he brought with him some grasshopper which we fried up and ate. Click here to see the sign Katelyn made for the Deep Sea Chicken Menu!

Christmas morning was very exciting around here. We captured a few good quotes while the kids were opening presents and goofing around:

While Matt and Sam were fighting with their new (nerf) swords, Dan said, "Hey Matt! Decapitate me! But not too hard."

Also Dan, "It's a good thing the kids didn't watch the Shackleton movie. They showed a decapitation of a guys toes." Can toes be decapitated?

And finally, this one from Sarah, "Dad! Matthew is putting his sword on my whoopie cushion so I can't fart properly!"

The Christmas craft extravaganza has started at our house. Yesterday we made a "Grinch" gingerbread house. The kids were ticked off at Sammy when he took a bite out of the chimney. I suggested we slap the chimney on the roof anyway - fashioning icing to look like snow to cover the sin. Unfortunately by the time I suggested this Sammy had eaten the entire chimney. To avoid an uncertain fate for Sammy I suggested we return some books to the library, leaving the other kids to finish the gingerbread house in peace. When I returned they had written "POO" in large letters on the roof - I'm afraid POO is way too popular a word around our house! Today we made Christmas trees by melting chocolate chips & then using paintbrushes to paint them on ice cream cones and then decorating. Eating the cones and chocolate before, during and after the decorating was half the fun. Tomorrow the plan is to make "super sandwiches" which is just a sandwich using 3 pieces of bread. Our kids have found this to be sought-after gourmet food ever since their uncle Kevin introduced them to it this summer.

Sarah came to me as she was heading off to bed tonight. She was concerned that she might contract scurvy. I thought this was because she had been watching "The Endurance" which is the story of Shackelton failed attempt (though miraculous)to be the first to cross the Antarctic continent in 1914. He and his men endured almost two years on an ice field before reaching civilization again. I comforted Sarah and told her she was much more likely to get cancer than scurvy which cheered her up (just kidding, I did the reassuring dad thing and explained that it was impossible for her to get scurvy because we eat a lot of vitamin C in fruit and stuff). She was still concerned because she felt that she had not been eating enough fruit lately - so I had to elaborate on "stuff".

When I watched "The Endurance" myself I was surprised that there was no mention of scurvy at all. This implicates either Katelyn or Dan (I'll bet it was Dan). Guess I'll find out tomorrow who is freaking Sarah out.

Hello this is Dan,
Nobody has blogged recently so I am going to write a blog. Today was a fun day. A man named Wally came over for brunch. We had eggs, upside-down apple pancakes, baked potatos and toast. Also Wally brought a treat from Uganda;Fried Grasshoppers!!! Do you want to hear it again? FRIED GRASSHOPPERS!!!!!!!!!! F-R-I-E-D G-R-A-S-S-H-O-P-P-E-R-S!!!!. They tasted like pumpkin seeds and they were quite delicious!! We also looked at some pictures of Wally when he went to Uganda. After he left we put up the ginger-bread house and it looked quite good when it is done.

Today we went to a new park. After we were done playing we went back into the van and started home. Near home Sammy asked Katelyn: "Katenan me go fraw pond, tim tortons, subway?" while batting his eyes like he always does when he wants something. Now I bet you are wondering what he really said. This is what he would of said if he could talk better: "Katelyn can we go to the frog pond, Tim Hortons and Subway?" He went home crying because he didn't get his wish

Goodbye!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Marsha sent Sarah over to our neighbour's home to ask if she had a seam ripper. Matthew asked if he could go with her and we decided to let him. Before Sarah left she stopped at the door and said, "what was it again that I was supposed to ask for?" We reminded her and as she left I wondered what message our neighbour would actually get. A few minutes later, Matt and Sarah returned without a seam ripper. Apparently what happened was that Sarah let Matt do the talking. He asked Jill if he could borrow her "steam rikker". Jill couldn't figure out what he was saying. We sent Katelyn over and she carried out the task handily!

Hello this is Dan,
Dad changed our bedroom last night so that Me, Sarah, Matthew and Sam are in Mom's old room, and Mom and Dad are in Sarah's old room. My old room is now Dad's office. Dad got a desk from future shop and a mobile mouse and keyboard for his computer, a phone, and other kinds of office stuff. I am trying really hard to keep our new room clean but I am having no luck. I am still trying though. I have to do a report on Venomous Snakes of Africa and I am going to the library today...

Goodbye!!!!!!!!!

This is Matt the rat. I was shovelling down a huge snowpile. The kids shovelled a whole bunch of snow off the driveway and then made a big pile of it. I shovelled the pile that the kids made so I can make a wall. I will use the wall so that we can be safe from enemies. I am going to make the wall huge so that the enemy can't see me. If the enemy attacks my wall I am going to run away from him. If he is a robber I'll call the police. You best call the police when someone tries to attack you.

Here it is, our first december blog. The christmas season frenzy has started, and we are all hoping for some snow, but halifax hasn't got any so far, only in other towns. I saw a pickup truck today full of snow so maybe that means that we'll get some snow soon. I went to the bead pod today (which is the only bead store in halifax, thus making it very expensive because it has no competition) but i had fun and i am going to make a necklace out of the beads i bought. I have my christmas concert on december the tenth and i am not really looking foward to it, I might make a mistake. We made peanut butter cookies today. we also added chocolate chips and they were really good. then i came down here and here i am. now i have to go do some work