naomi defends against the dark forces of evil, i mean winter...

I didn't mean to let so much time slip by between blog posts, but it seems like the darkest of winter crazies has hit my family big time.

I know that I complain about Winter every year, and every year it seems unbelievably darker and wetter and sometimes even colder (remember Siberia? Oh wait, that was Seattle in June, which just felt like Winter, but wasn't actually) than any year in the history of anywhere. And maybe I'm still recovering from three weeks of being snowed in during Winter break.

But people, there is not enough coffee in the world to wake me up when the sun won't shine. I am truly a California girl at heart.

And so I've been slogging through these days, not fully awake, not fully tuned in, and slinging back mug after mug of coffee. (Note to self: Despite the fact that there isn't enough sun to fully wake up at any part of the day, you will still get that unfortunate caffeine edginess.)

And really, it's not just me.
The kids are waking up later and later, and coming home from school exhausted. They're also developing dark circles under their eyes (perhaps a sign of early onset rickets?) and they're unusually crabby and whiny.

If not rickets, maybe we're all just coming down off the holidays... In complete darkness.

We're going to have to find some ways to get through this season, considering we're only in January. One of my friends who grew up in Minnesota suggested framing one's face in tinfoil to ensure you get the brightest of any rays possible. I'm sure she was kidding, but um, don't laugh if you see me decked out in Reynold's Wrap.

At least we have Naomi to defend us...

SkyGuy meets Baby Luke...

On Saturday night, which is usually movie night in our house, Boaz and I finally saw Star Wars Episode III, Revenge of the Sith. The fact that it has taken us so long to see it is pretty much an embarrassment to Samuel, who lives and breathes everything Star Wars these days. And I have to say that not only did I totally get into the movie, but I also truly appreciated Sam's constant running commentary throughout the film. I mean, how can you argue with a story line that makes the delineation between good and evil so clear?

On Sunday, Samuel's Star Wars obsession met his cartooning obsession (as well as cousin obsessions, laptop and scanning things) and along with Boaz and Tali, they spent the day making these movies. (I, of course, spent most of the day removing Sharpies from Naomi's fists at various points of the day and then repeatedly lifting her from the stool she'd placed at the sink so that she could "do dishes" (or use dirty coffee mugs to dump water all over the floor).

Here is their first movie...

Here's SkyGuy Episode II...

Infinitely cooler than the way my brothers Danny, James, and I played with our Star Wars figures in James' Death Star Station (which I looked up and instantly found one on eBay for a mere "BuyItNow" sum of $2,795.00) where Trashy the Trash Compactor monster would always threaten to escape his foam trash pieces, but then ultimately become Luke and Leia's favorite pet.

And can you believe the Death Star Station, seriously the coolest Star Wars toy you could have besides the Millenium Falcon (which we always managed to call the Millenium Falcom) only originally retailed at $17.95? How could that be? It seemed priceless!

So here's one thing I don't understand about the first three episodes of Star Wars and all the marketing of Anakin Skywalker. Even though he's obviously strong and good looking, why do all the kids still love him and want his Lego figure first when they just know he's going to turn evil?

P.S. That sort of looks like Danny in that ad photo above, but it's not. We can pretend it is, though...