Silly Is As Silly Does

Mom, Look what I can do!

Silly is as Silly does....'nough said!

You're Growing!

Saturday evening, Ben and I were getting ready to go on a date. Sunday was his birthday, so I asked my Mom to come over and babysit the boys so we could go out to supper and enjoy a little alone time Saturday night. I had just put on my jeans, and I was mentioning that , uggggh!, they must have shrunk in the dryer, because they felt tight.

Evan very sincerely said, "Mom, your jeans didn't shrink....you're growing!"

Hmmmmm....it's a good thing I love that boy so much!

Our Pledge

The boys have been doing Bible class with Evan, so they are there when we doing our little opening for our school day. They have all been learning the pledge of allegiance to the flag and the pledge of allegiance to the Bible. Amazing how a little 3 year old can say all those big words and remember them all. Wish I could memorize things as easily as they do! They got a little intimidated with the camera on...when they're just repeating it around the house, it is word perfect.

The Other First Day of School

Today was another first. Evan and I had our first day at homeschool co-op. He has been so excited about this. It is an all day event, but for this first year, I chose to have him just take 2 classes. That way I could leave the younger boys with Nana, and not be stressed about taking them all, and trying to keep track of their 3 different class grades for 6 different sessions.

Evan's taking a Science class, and the second class is Math for 6 weeks, and then will be Spanish for 6 weeks, and the other 12 weeks topics are to be announced. I am a hall monitor for both sessions. It was so quiet in the halls. Next Friday I'll take a book....I haven't had the time to sit and read book in years. This might turn out to be a nice break for me! :-) I did get to sit and chat with another mom for a bit this morning, which was so nice. There were over 100 students there today (nursery through high school)...I was shocked...I expected more like 30 - 40. More home-educating families here in this little area than I thought there were. His teachers for the classes are very nice.

Evan had a great time. I'm thankful for this chance to provide him the opportunity for social interaction and to make some good friends. This morning he said, "I want to make friends with a girl...like Chloe." (his cousin....he misses her.) "I want to have a girl friend." He told me he made a friend today. I asked him what his name is. "I don't know." Well, next week, maybe he'll actually ask his friend what his name is. :-) I think Evan thought the best part was that he got to do something that the kids that go away to school get to do....wear a backpack! He didn't want to take it off! Of course, it is Lightning McQueen....nothing else would do. Thanks, Gramma B, he loves it! I asked Evan afterwards if he had a good time. He said, "This was the best day EVER!"

Love Yourself

Carter proud of himself after climbing the rock wall at Moreau Lake

Ok, sometimes, my need to be hugged or kissed doesn't necessarily coincide with when my husband's in a huggy, kissy kind of mood. I'm always in that kind of mood. He is not always in that kind of mood. After 12 years of marriage, we've got that pretty well figured out. There was a time when he actually told me to hug myself. Can't remember the circumstances, but he thought he was funny, and as you can imagine, I was NOT thrilled. I'm over it now, and occasionally since then, to be funny, he'll tell me to hug myself or kiss myself, (playfully of course....he knows not to say that seriously!). Actually in the last dozen years, Ben's become a much more affectionate person. I'm wearing him down..... oh I mean bringing out that side of him. :-) I'm assuming that Carter must have heard him say something like that at some point, or perhaps he really is just his father's son as I have asserted all along.

I was saying good night to Carter and Derek. I tucked them in and climbed in bed between them. A few months back they ditched their toddler beds and they share a full size bed now (which used to be our guest bed....now that we converted the basement to a classroom...we have no guest room. Now our guests get to sleep in a toddler boys' room with cars and trucks and motorcycles decorating it.) Anyhow...I did the usual....pretended to be a giant and said "Fe Fi Fo Fum. I love kisses...me gonna get some!" They pull their covers over their faces, and I pull them off and kiss their precious cheeks. Yes, it's a little strange, but they love it. In fact, as soon as I lay Owen's head on his pillow he says "Fo Fum!"

Well, Carter (our moody child) decided last night he doesn't like kisses (oh ya? too bad, I say!). I don't know what particular issue had him in a rotten mood, but instead of returning my kisses and big hugs and I love you's, he told me he didn't love me. What? Now, though it hurts to ever hear your child say that, I know from experience that it isn't true. Usually it's to get a reaction, or because their spirit is encumbered by the disease of a rotten attitude, usually inflicted by not getting their own way, or perhaps just because they are 3 and one never knows what a 3 year old is going to say. I told him how unkind that was, that he should never say that to anyone, especially his momma, and how hurt that made me feel. He said "I guess you're gonna have to love yourself." Ok, it's not cute or appropriate to be unloving to people, so I had to hide the smile that wanted to bloom on my face. I immediately knew which set of genes this boy is operating on!

Well, good news, after I scolded him for being so rude and told him I was going to go straight to bed and cry myself to sleep, and was heading out the door, his face lit up with a sweet smile, and he said, "Momma, I want to give you a kiss and a big hug." (He likes to play with my emotions...something I'm going to have to train out of him before he gets married someday!) And then as he was wrapped up in my arms, he said the most beautiful words any mother can ever hear......"I love you!" Good, I said, now I don't have to go cry myself to sleep! I love you too, my boy. Sweet Dreams.

O-B-E-D-I-E-N-C-E

I'm so proud of my little Sunday School class. There are 5 kids, 3 of whom are my own (the boys of course)....ages 6, 5, 4, and two 3 year olds.

Today, they did something new. They recited their memory verse and sang their song from last quarter for our church family.

They did really well! And I believe it was absolutley beautiful music to the ears of God.

Our last quarter was on how God helps us. One of the units was God helps us to obey.

Jeremiah 26:13 "Obey the voice of the LORD."

"Obedience is the very best way to show that you believe,

Doing exactly what the Lord commands, doing it happily.

Action is the key, do it immediately,

Joy you will receive.

Obedience is the very best way to show that you believe.

O-B-E-D-I-E-N-C-E

Obedience is the very best way to show that you believe."

I sang that song when I was a little girl...today I got to watch 3 of my children sing it in church.

We can learn alot from children. Almost all of them were excited to do this (one was a tad shy), they didn't worry about whether their singing voice was good enough, or if they sang on tune, or if they remembered how to spell obedience, or if they looked cute enough. I didn't have to coerce them. Children lack the inhibitions and "what will other people think of me" kind of concerns that we adults seem to get hung up on. They simply sing for Jesus.

I love how Derek was moving through the whole song. He gets that from his momma. In fact, my family after I got married, purposely fast forwarded through our very long wedding ceremony on video, because I was moving the whole time, and apparently it looked pretty funny in fast forward. :-)

It's Not Easy

Kids say the funniest things:

Tonight at supper Derek was taking a really long time to finish his stuffed shells. He was told he couldn't have any of the ice cream Nana brought if he didn't finish his meal. Then he tells us he thinks he needs to puke. Daddy totally not believing him said "no, you don't... keep eating". Next thing we know, he does the act. I'll try to spare you the gorey details, but all I can say is I am so thankful for these Baby Bjorn bibs! http://www.babybjorn.com/en/American/products/Kitchen/BABYBJORN-Soft-Bib/ . (If you have a baby or toddler, one of the best products I can recommend is these. They have saved us many extra loads of laundry and from having piles of stained ruined clothes. Only wish I'd found them when Evan was little. Got mine from Target.com)

After Daddy cleaned him up, he got upset because he wanted the ice cream, but we explained that he couldn't have any ice cream since he was sick. Owen didn't want his, Derek assured us that he was fine, and so he ate his brother's. His face lit up with a smile. Then the story came out.

As he's enjoying polishing off his scoop of mint chocolate chip, Derek says "I tried to puke."

Me: "You tried to puke?"

Derek: "Yes."

Me: "You made yourself puke so that you wouldn't have to finish your supper?"

Derek: "Yep."

Pause.....he takes another spoonful of ice cream and says matter of factly, "It's not easy."

I couldn't say anything more...I was laughing too hard. Oh these kids. How will I ever raise gentlemen?!

The little faker.

Nana took this picture yesterday on their first day of Nana's Preschool. Derek is really good at putting this puzzle together. If only he could put away a meal as fast as he puts a 25 piece puzzle together.