Counterfeit Cards

I got a little color printer on Black Friday, because I haven't been able to print at home for ages. I was very proud of myself when over Christmas break, I finally got it to work and synced it wirelessly with not only my laptop but also my phone. And all the kids were home during my project!
Today Sam wanted to make a color copy, so I showed him how. He copied a playing card and I thought nothing of it, but I did tell him it was for single copies and that color ink was super expensive.
Later in the day, I found Vivian putting two cards into her backpack, that "Sam gave her." That's not uncommon, except usually she doesn't take them to school.
Then I overheard Sam asking her "where the cards were that he had made."
I put two and two together and confronted them. They had made fake trading cards, taking old, "worthless" cards, color copying the "valuable" cards, and gluing the copies on the front and back. They looked quite good.
Except they were going to take them to school and sell them.
So that operation got shut down. I might have told them it was illegal and people go to jail for things like that.
Sam did try to tell me he'd give me some of his profits for color ink and materials.
I am a little bit proud of their industriousness.

Lanie Not Sleeping

I found Lanie sitting straight up in bed last night when I went to the bathroom at 2:00 am, looking around, dazed.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"I am seeing that my blankets are very messy," she answered.
"It's time to sleep," I said.
"So, it's too messy around here," she told me.
"Good night Lanie," I told her.
"I think your room is not messy in your bed," she said.
"Yes, my room is messy. My bed is very messy."
"I'll just check," she told me.
Lanie 1 point, me 0.
Can't argue at 2:00am.

In the Cellar

I went down the cellar to do laundry and heard a distinct animal sound but couldn't locate the source. I sent the kids down to figure out what was going on, hoping it was a toy.
As they walked down the stairs I hear:

Sam: "If it's a cat, I call dibs!"
Vivian: "That's not fair! Fine. I get it if it's a squirrel, or a dog."
Sam: "I don't want a squirrel anyway. And Viv, it's totally not a dog."

When I went to check they were well prepared.

Forty-five minutes later they came up holding a small stuffed cat that Vivian had rescued from the rain earlier today. I had told her to put in downstairs to do through the wash. It had never made a noise before, but since it was rain soaked, apparently it set the batteries off.

Disco Party

When they get disco/band gifts, they use them.

Vivian's Room

This room may be the end of me. Constant stages of progression and transformation with most of the room being stored in her closet or siblings rooms, or sometimes the hall.

Today:

Sleeping

Lanie Christmas Dance

 

Lanie's very, very short Christmas dance today.

Sam's Buffalo Bills Shrines

Sam decked out his room to cheer on his favorite football team. They made the playoffs but just lost to the Patriots. (Sam and Chris went to the game despite below freezing temperatures).