Fizzy, Foamy Science

Thanks to Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa for sending Allen the Fizzy, Foamy Science kit! It's safe to say that our little lab rat loved it. (A lazy little lab rat. You may notice that he's been wearing the same pajamas for days...)

The reactions mainly involved mixing an acid (citric acid) and a base (baking soda) for fizzy, foamy fun. One cool, volcanic experiment involved red dye tablets and vegetable oil. It was like making our own lava lamp!

We also grew some "yeastie beasties" in a plastic bag and watched them expel carbon dioxide.

For more pictures of our scientist at work, click here.

Steve vs. van: Merry Christmas from Travelers Insurance

Well, it only took a year and three months, plus, but we've finally settled with the insurance company of the guy who hit Steve with his candy van.

So I guess this will be the last entry tagged "Steve vs. van"! Thanks to Mike Sweney, esq., and his staff for getting the whole thing done fairly. At least, we think we were taken care of fairly! We've never done this before!

Steve and his shoulder are getting along fine this year, and so are he and his bike. So grateful this didn't turn out to be nearly as bad as it could have been.

Christmas dreams come true

Ho-ho-ho and Merry-Merry from the Crabbe Trap!

A beautiful Christmas morning after a day full of snow on Christmas Eve. Even Allen was good enough to wait until 8 to bust out of his room and see what Santa brought. Emilyn asked to be woken up early, too, so she could join in on the fun, even though sleeping in is one of her favorite activities!

Well, Santa delivered precisely what Allen had asked for: Giant plush microbes E. coli and the flu. Boris the talking tyrannosaurus. And his friend Ned the brachiosaurus. Boris and Ned have sweet technology that allows them to sense and talk to each other. Coooool! But, oh, those microbes... Allen is in love.

Steve is showing off his Elvis jumpsuit/boot stocking, which lights up and plays "Blue Christmas." Emilyn was happy with all her gift cards, Wii games, a book she was dying to read, new clothes and a snazzy pair of purple earrings.

Thanks to everyone who sent gifts. All are appreciated and are being enjoyed!

I'm dreaming of a . . .

... Well, you know!

And we got a doozy. A full day of snow on Christmas Eve. Steve said it started to snow just as his last plane of the holiday season pulled away. Picture-perfect! And since we had no place to go, as the song says, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Even Allen suited up for a walk through the silent night -- and didn't even spoil it by whining about the cold. (Although he did have sore feet after once around the block.)

More snow for the turkey made for another delicious holiday meal. The rest of the evening went toward making cookies for Santa -- and the inaugural Crabbe family hand-sculpted gingerbread! (Weird, but so tasty when paired with Steve's homemade icing-that-wasn't!) Perhaps we ought to invest in some cookie cutters...


Anyway, eating so much kept Mommy up for much of the night, but I cannot report a firsthand Santa sighting. It's safe to say, though, that the snow and home and hearth made it a very happy holiday for the Crabbe Trap. Hope yours was just as full of joy!

Emilyn's athletic exploits

Allen got a cold that made the rounds and hit Emilyn last, right about the time she was supposed to have two big basketball games. She sat out the first one but felt well enough to try to play the second one, this one at Lindbergh High School in South County.

Allen and I got there just as the game was ending, but Grandma managed to capture a couple of nice action shots, one from warm-ups and one from the game.

Emilyn was tired and sick and worn out, but she did a great job trying. She really does get better every time she takes the court. And I hear she just missed making a basket in this game. Aww! Better luck next time, kiddo.

Emilyn's musical interlude

It was a big week for Emilyn, musically.

On Tuesday, she and the Crescendo Singers performed with the other choirs. Their highlight was a jazzy rendition of "Put a Little Love in Your Heart." Great job! They almost outdid "Car Wash."

On Wednesday, an ice storm cut short the all-school orchestra show. This meant that Daddy got hosed out of hearing "Greensleeves." Bummer!

But the holiday favorites that we did get to hear were really awesome and put us in a great Christmas mood. Grandma and Mommy and Daddy agreed that the Pearl River High School orchestra recitals were never this good! Great job singing and playing, kiddo. You really are a musical star!

Getting a jump on Christmas

Man, I really treasure my vacation in December.

I always try to take a week off just before Christmas, to help offset the extra hours that Steve is working, trying to get all the packages to the good girls and boys.

But really, it's my one chance to get the house exactly the way I want it -- and concentrate on getting everything ready for the holiday.

This year, the first few days of my vacation involved a little more resting and lounging than usual, but the cleaning blitz eventually did occur. All the toys were put away -- to make way for Santa's new ones -- and the Nativity scene and tree went up, followed by the bells, Christmas cards and stockings.

And Allen is, of course, just at the right age to love everything about the holiday. A great run-up to Christmas all around.

Some photos from Emilyn's camp

Emilyn's teachers just got around to sharing some shots from the Explorers' outdoor school in September. You could scroll through hundreds of pictures of kids you don't know... Or you could be grateful that I've done the work for you! heeheehee

These are the best two, but you can see the others that feature Emilyn and the great things she saw, by clicking here.

Boo-been pancakes !

Allen's Sunday-morning wish? Granted! That's because he has the best daddy in the universe.

Hmmm... They were much greener before they were browned. Anyway, whatever the color, they were darn tasty.