Lost Ela Treasures (2015 and 2016)

The Mayor discovered a bunch of amazing photos taken by Ela on the family digital SLR camera going back to 2015 and 2016, so with apologies for the tardiness, here they are.

LEGO cars

The hobbitlings have been inspired to launch their own automotive company.

Seimi's contribution to the product line is this crazy means of transportation.

Ela developed this also crazy contraption (her main contribution to the company was the official sign)

Boookie developed a new concept car to rival Lamborghini

Working scissor doors

With the roof removed, you can see the exquisite interior detailing

In the back, the heart of this supercar is a powerful V-12 engine

This is the view that you are most likely to see as this masterpiece of automotive engineering speeds past you.

Boookie showcases his master builder skills!

LEGO creations

Some recent LEGO creations reflecting recent hobbitling interests. First is one of the many custom vehicles Boookie has made recently.

Boookie's military base, complete with custom artillery pieces and buildings.

After watching Moana twice this week, Seimi is enjoying making his versions of the Kakamora pirate ships. 

Here's Ela's beautiful model of Moana's outrigger canoe, complete with details like a storage hatch and a working sail and lines. 

Boookie made Ant Man and Ela made Wasp Girl, then they both made tiny versions of each. 

Grown-Up Pursuits

Here's Eejee modeling max effort weightlifting work with his K-Nex barbell

In the past few weeks the residents of Michael Delving have discovered Top Gear Top 40 on Amazon, which is a great introduction to Top Gear because most of the more grown-up-themes and language have been edited out.

Driving on the freeway has become a very different experience as the hobbitlings have started noticing and looking for cars. In the past two days, there have been confirmed sightings of 5 Porsche 911s, 3 Corvettes, 3 Chargers, 5 Challengers, in addition to many unconfirmed sightings of Bugatti Veyrons and one confirmed sighting by Seimi of a minivan with a curved windshield exactly like a Lamborghini. As Boookie said, I'll never take my eyes off the freeway again. I never knew the roads were such a place of speed and beauty!

Part of learning about cool cars is to learn what is not cool. As we were driving behind a Scion xB, Boookie asked, What kind of car is that? The Mayor told him the brief history of Scion (specialty brand created by Toyota to appeal to younger buyers, who went on to outgrow the brand, which is now defunct). Boookie summarized, So the Scion xB is basically a forsaken boxcar.

Playtime

Yesterday afternoon, the Mayor put Eejee down for a nap and all was quiet for about 2 hours, after which, Eejee came trotting out looking refreshed as if he'd just woken up. Except - he was wearing Ela's hat and shades, providing some indication that something was amiss. Turns out he had spent two hours silently ransacking Ela's side of the room and playing with her stuff. ::sigh::

Ela is a gracious and kind older sister and here she is letting Eejee play alongside her, mere hours after she had to clean up a disaster in her room.

Here's Eejee furiously sawing at the playdough with a butter knife. He helpfully grabbed a pair of sharp scissors out of the drawer to help speed the process along but the Mayor fortunately intercepted him before he had caused any damage. ::sigh::

Ela figured out how to make a teapot out of playdough that actually pours! 

Here's Seimi serving bread to go along with Ela's tea.

Baby bird

Riddles in the Dark

Tonight after dinner, Eejee politely asked a puzzling question:

"Please. May. I. Have. Golk?" 

He kept repeating the riddle, getting more and more frustrated as the Mayor and Hobbit Wife tried to figure out what "golk" meant. Finally the Mayor clued in.

"A box without hinges, key, or lid,
Yet golden treasure inside is hid."

Eggses it is!

End of 2016

Christmas morning started with the Mayor firing up the coffee, furnace and virtual fireplace.

Stockings before church.

Eejee's first year getting to play with the Scalextric slot cars.

Quick snack after church and then it was time for presents!

 Eejee was overjoyed to get his very own Flaf-light.

Seimi was overjoyed to get a whole bunch of Risk soldiers.

Ela was overjoyed to get a Maddie Hatter hat including her very own dormouse to live in the hat.



Boookie was overjoyed to get a slingshot that included indoor and outdoor ammunition.

The Hobbit Wife was overjoyed at a printed book version of this blog.

The Mayor was overjoyed to get a very ugly Christmas sweater.

Eejee's theme was "No Nos." He got his very own sweep, flaf-light, and wadder boddle so he doesn't have to get in trouble taking ones that don't belong to him.

Seimi's theme was "Game Pieces and Monsters."

Here's Seimi playing his new-and-improved version of Risk

Ela's theme was "Ever After High," specifically the character of Madeline Hatter.

Here's Ela posing with her complete Maddie Hatter ensemble.

Boookie's theme was "Redwall," specifically otters and badgers.

The sons of thunder racing their new motorcycles on the track. 

The Hobbit Wife pulled out all the stops and assembled fabulous Harry Potter-themed present boxes for each of the hobbitlings. Each member of the household got a knitted sweater (ornament-sized) in their house color, and here is the house tally (the reader will have to guess who went with each house, although there are a couple answers in the pictures below):

• Slytherin House (2)
• Griffindor House (1)
• Hufflepuff House (2)
• Ravenclaw House (1)

Eejee reveling in the best feature of our Michael Delving Christmas celebrations - two days of an open table. He loved running up to grab cookies, cheese, crackers and bread when he felt like it (as did we all). On Christmas Day we got to host GranDma and Apu and on Boxing Day, Grammy and Grampz came up to celebrate.

The annual stuffed animal Christmas party was held down in the Bunker on Boxing Day.

The Aftermath, Part the Seimi.

The Aftermath, Part the Eejee. He's actually not asleep, just throwing a fantastic new style of fit where he goes motionless and pretends to be asleep.