A little home maintenance...by the kids...

My kids are not plumbers, and they know this. So the other morning when the toilet overflowed they did the best they could to clean it up so that there wasn't water everywhere:

I definitely appreciate their effort at not destroying our house, and their attempt at getting this not-so-much-their-fault mess all cleaned up. But should I be offended by the note they left?

In case you can't read it, it says:

Daddy only

Daddy, the tolet overflowed twice. There is something worng. Can you fix it?

Love, Max

Did I mention that Daddy happened to be out of town when the boys so lovingly wrote this note? Obviously Daddy is the one in charge of overflowing toilets, so what did I do? Nothing. Absolutely nothing, that is, until Tom came home and I pointed out that they boys left him a note. Fortunately he arrived home later on that evening, so we didn't have a sopping mess and broken toilet for long. Love those kids...

The Election

Word clouds are cool. Hopefully this one will stay up for a bit as it's a really cool idea. I don't talk much about politics here - I could honestly go on forever about that as I'm a dyed in the wool policy wonk - but I'd like to keep this blog positive and steer clear of anything really controversial. Well, at least steer clear of those things that I consider controversial. Anyway, the Times has created a word cloud that represents what folks are feeling today. You can click on the supporters of either major party and see where they are at, and you can see the mix if you click on everyone. But what a cool idea to really get a sense of where people are the day after a major shift in our country's path has occurred. Here's the link, so enjoy.

And after you are done playing around with this, go take a peek at where my day after the election newspaper went to here.

I love this man

Not always sure why, but I do love him.

P.S. - He didn't actually put the horns up for this picture willingly. I had to beg to take his picture with them up - just like he had them five seconds earlier. And yes, they are football uprights. The boys made them at Home Depot Kids Workshop - pretty cool, huh?

My babies

This is what happens when you leave the baby toys out in a house full of big boys:

Then again, some things never change:

Election Day

So did you buy a donkey cookie or an elephant cookie today?

Seems there are quite a few of the elephants left around in the case. Time will tell...

Sneaky Kitty

And I was just saying the other day that I was surprised that Bunsen wasn't hanging out in the crib more...sneaky kitty...

Halloween 2008

Well, this one will go down as another fun one, uneventful, but fun. I guess you always want it to be uneventful, but that never makes for a good story. So, instead of a cool story about a grand adventure, I'll share a picture of some cute kids - mostly mine plus one good friend.

Red Power Ranger Sam, Obi Wan Ian, Candy Corn Sami, and Pikachu Max

The kids had a ball, complained the whole time about their legs hurting, and ended up with a gallon sized bag of candy. Lucy, behaving as a true 3 1/2 month old, slept through most of the evening, so no candy for her. Regardless, a truly successful Halloween any way you look at it.

49710d 6h 27m

This is my phone. I love my phone. I buy Skins for my phone because I love my phone so much. Actually I love the skins, the phone is getting on my nerves lately, but that's another story. I used to love my phone tons and tons, and generally love what it can do now, so I'll leave the rest for another time. I love that I can download stuff onto my phone and my phone does things. it plays games, plays music, and saves my confused, direction impaired butt from getting lost.

I have Google Maps on my phone, and I can't tell you how many time I have used it since I got it. But every once in a while Google Maps does me wrong. If you've ever used it online, you know that occassionally it sends you to a place that has closed or moved, which makes me always call ahead. Imagine my surprise though when I saw the message above.

We were driving a total of 26.7 miles more to our destination, which, according to Google Maps, normally takes 38 minutes on this particular route. But geeez - a traffic delay of 49,710 DAYS, 6 HOURS and 27 MINUTES? What on earth? I live right inside DC's infamous beltway. it is known for it's traffic jams and delays. Just today there was a one hour trip taking three hours due to simple traffic creep - you know - traffic creeping for no reason. But 136 YEARS? That's way over the top DC style, and hoenstly, a bit much for me.

Just so you know, our 26 mile trip actually took about 25 minutes - no traffic, no stoplights, and certainly no 49,710 day delay.

I want one of THESE!

Do you think they make these spiders in minivan size?

Maybe a dragonfly would be better for me.

Flagbox

Ever wonder what to do with an old flag? Well, honestly, not me. I know from my way back days in Girl Scouts that you are supposed to do something, but I just never asked what it was. I remember vaguely that when it hits the ground you are supposed to burn it, but when it gets old? And in college burning a flag was a very bad thing - didn't someone (or many someones) get arrested for that? So what on earth are you supposed to do with your old flags?

Apparently you can take them to your local America Legion post and drop them in this little mailbox - guess it's a flagbox - thing. Some local governments take old unusable flags to properly dispose of them, but not all are equipped to do so. In case you are wondering, this box is over in Vienna, VA somewhere - just drive around and you'll find it. I did.

As for the burning, well, apparently that is considered "dignified." I wonder if it is like flushing your goldfish - something that is not very dignified at all made into something sacred. Standing over a toilet is not my idea of dignified, but it sure makes the little kids happy. Guess the flag burning is along those same lines. Not really dignified on first blush, but after a bit you see that the flag did it's duty and now you are putting it to rest.

There are flag resources out there like this one, so peek around the next time you have a flag - look for the Legion's flagbox, and when all else fails...well...we're back to that weird burning thing again.

The competition begins/continues/whatever

I have this adorable three month old nephew and we got his first smiling picture the other day (did I mention that he is adorable?). I also have this husband who is an identical twin and is always in competition with his brother - over silly things, if you ask me. So why am I talking about the nephew (belongs to the twin brother, by the way) and the hubby? And how is there even a competition in here between these two? Well, our daughter Lucy is three days older than my adorable nephew. It's not bad enough that HE (the twin brother) has four kids and now WE have four kids too, but apparently since our fourth is older than his fourth we win. Well, Tom wins, but he's a big dork about things like this so I'm not really sure what winning gets you other than bragging rights. But three days?? No real bragging rights there even for three days.

Until the smile picture showed up that is. You see Lucy has been smiling since at least the begnning of October, and apparently my adorable nephew just started. So OOOOOOHHHHH, we win. Huh. He's a boy, and we all know that boys are a bit slower developmentally than girls (Lucy has decided that she's ready to stand up even though she can't quite sit up yet) so the nephew's first smile coming after his female cousin's first smile isn't a big shock. So back to the victory and the competition. Honestly I just don't get it.

Little Bitty Jars

Probably not the actual smallest mustard in the world, but it certainly is the smallest jar of mustard that I've ever seen. Yes, I said jar - real glass. While out of town a few weeks ago I was attempting to eat something a little more healthy than fast food (now pick yourself up of the floor - I'm working on that and proud of what I accomplished that week and a half!). So, I was hitting Target, Giant, and Walmart for lunches and dinners. they have great prepared stuff as well as a good selection of fresh cooked foods. (Why can't we have nice stores like that here????) So I grabbed a fresh sandwich from Walmart and went hunting for some mustard in one of those little packets. After a brief (very brief but I missed them the day before) search I found these little guys. This is Dijon Mustard in it's own little bitty jar. There's enough in there for about two sandwiches (I am generous with the mustard as I'm hooked on it right now). Perfect size and you can't beat the prices - $.50. Yup, had to pay for it, but well worth seeing the teeny tiniest mustard I've ever seen.

And yes, I was a little bored while I was out of town - obviously the mustard was the highlight of that particular day. And no, I don't normally take pictures of my condiments, but hey, it was cute.

The difference between being bad and acting bad

Today Sam came home from school and told me that a little girl in his class was bad and she was sent to the office because of this. I paused to make sure that I heard him correctly as he's in kindergarten, and the thought of being sent to the office at that age always startles me. Anyway, sure enough this little girl was sent to the office because she was "bad."

This made me pause to listen closely to him. We have always been very clear that we make choices in our behavior and that we are personally responsible for those choices - good or bad. We have also made very clear that everyone has the same choices to make, and that everyone falters at times and make bad choices - kids and grown-ups alike. But the one thing that we hit on continually is the idea of choice. I'm not sure, especially after the conversation I had with Sam, that he know that there's a difference between someone making bad choices and someone being bad. I know, it's splitting hairs linguistically, but it is important for the kids to know that even if someone is acting out it doesn't make him or her a bad person. This little girl was not bad, she was behaving badly.

So, after explaining this to him in terms that he totally gets (You know, the other day when you lost electronic privileges? That was you making a bad choice. But you are not a bad person because of it.) - he got it (and so did Ian). Max knows the difference - he spits our exact verbiage back at us at times and grins like a fool when he does. And if they catch up doing something that we aren't supposed to do (ask Tom about how his plate spinning is going these days) they nail us every time about our bad choice. So, funny how it came up (and startling to know that the music teacher sent more than one kids out today for not participating) but nice to have that moment to teach this lesson. It's life in the making and I certainly like the way these kids are turning out.

Somniloquy

Sleep-talking is very common and is reported in 50% of young children, with most of them outgrowing it by puberty, although it may persist into adulthood (about 5% of adults are reported to talk in their sleep). It appears to run in families. - Wikipedia

I talk in my sleep - always have. It's not one of those things that you readily admit when you are younger, but as you get older you realize that it's better than, for instance, walking or eating in your sleep. I talk mostly when I'm partially aroused (no, not in THAT way...) when Tom gets into bed after I've been asleep for a while or when something wakes me slightly. Anyway, apparently it's genetic. (Boys, if you ever read this apologies - I'm telling your secrets - but remember - you aren't sleepwalking or sleep eating.)

Ian has been talking in his sleep for quite a while now. Most of the time he talks late late at night when he's in the midst of a not so nice dream. He definitely has interesting dreams - we hear bits and pieces but not really anything clear. Well, tonight I hear something I've never heard before. Max was having a conversation with someone and the two of them were apparently deciding where to go next. His half of the conversation was a - let's get down first then we can figure out what to do next - kind of thing. It was clear as day. So, I walked across the hall and popped my head in thinking that there would be two kids awake, and everyone was camped. Not faking it - camped out pick up their hand nothing happens asleep. So I quietly shut the door, turned around, and then it hit me. Max was talking in his sleep. So, sorry son - it's all my fault and you too are cursed.

The rest of the story

About a month ago I let you in on a little secret that we'd been keeping from you - but only for a whopping three months or so. We were starting our adoption journey. Back in June is when we actually started our Home Study, the first step in the process. The home study was completed in late August, and we went to work on our profile. That tool a lot longer than expected (you'd think that since I scrapbook that I could document our life - family, community, relationships, etc. easily, but no.) and when we finally got it finished up we submitted it along with the first round of paperwork to a second agency (someone else did our home study). That was shortly before I posted this post.

Well, about a week and a half after posting that first post we were notified that we were one of the final few choices for a birthmom with a little girl. We were beside ourselves - couldn't sleep, had trouble focusing, etc. Tom said that this is what the end of pregnancy was like for him - poor guy. Anyway, that situation was a no go - they lost touch with the birthmom and we were bummed, but we moved on. Two days after that was settled we get a call about a situation in another state - this time a boy - and we need to be ready to go the next day. Talk about no time for emotions - it was all business. The cat was off to the vet for boarding and the boys were off to the friend's house (also for boarding, but that's kinda weird to say). Well, this one too fell through, and we were emotionally exhausted. Two weeks into our journey and we had basically gone through two situations. Well, about four days after that we get a call on a Sunday about the first little girl - that the birthmom was meeting them on Friday and we needed to be ready to go then. Great! We had time, but we weren't going to get too wrapped up in this as we were still pretty wiped from the first two go rounds, and Friday was a full week away. So Monday afternoon rolls around and we were going about our business when I get a call from the agency saying that she moved her appointment up to the very next day, and that we needed to be ready to hit the road at about noon Tuesday. Talk about kicking it into high gear. We were in a little better shape as it was now about two and a half weeks since we started our wait, but still, nothing was a done deal.

So, the next day rolls around, we get the call that we have a daughter, and we head up north to go pick her up. Turns out that she is 11 weeks old, beautiful, smiles a lot, and is as delighted to see us as we are her! We spend the next few days hanging out with her in one place, then Tom heads back to VA to coach three soccer games over that weekend, and everyone here in VA gets sick. Toms' folks were here, and even Tom caught the bug, so thank goodness they were. So, Lucy and I drive a bit south towards VA, never leaving the state that we were in, and spend the next week or so hanging out in a small town (at least there was a Target and a Walmart!) getting to know each other. Wouldn't have traded that time for anything. I would loved to have had Tom come back up, but after hearing the war stories about the nasty viral thing that they were sharing here I wanted no visitors whatsoever.

Then we get the call that all the paperwork had made it's way through all the states that it needed to, and we were allowed to come home. So, 11 days after we left home with three kiddos, I return with our fourth. The boys are falling over themselves trying to help her, feed her, and play with her to the point that we had to talk about what overstimulation was. Poor girl wanted to see everything that they were doing and just wore herself out! We have settled into a much better routine, the boys get their time and Lucy gets her naps, and all is well in our house once again. Even the cat has taken a shining to her - he loves to sit on her lap too.

So it was a short but wild ride emotionally. We started this whole thing back in June, and here it is October and we have another child in our home. We were thinking this would take months or even a year and had prepared not only ourselves but also the boys for the long wait. Who knew that three short weeks after we started that we would be meeting our daughter. Wild...simply wild.

Lucy

The boys entertaining their sisterMax feeding Lucy

Ewww...public bathrooms

Ever wonder when it was safe to let your kiddos venture into a public restroom by themselves? Well, the answer is pretty much never. But then reality sets in and you realize that your three boys aren't so interested in seeing all those women peeing (cause they are old enough to really look now), and that maybe it is really time. Then a funny thing happens. Almost every man that walks out of the aforementioned public restroom gives you an update:

"They were playing in the water so I told them to finish up."
"They are almost done."
"Are those your three? They are washing their hands."
and my favorite:
"They are still in there."

So, aside from the fact that it is bathroom in a semi clean state, and who knows who actually is hanging out in there, and who knows what they are touching or not touching, seems that half of the world is looking out for my three boys...in the public restrooms.

Take On Me...yes, really.

Tom's Dad shared this with us and I thought that it was so clever that I really needed to share it with you. Seriously - this man is magnificent:

And this is why I completely disappeared for two weeks

Her name is Lucy and she's magnificent:

When you get a minute say "Hello" - she might even smile at you! More details soon, I promise.

Ian loves me...sort of.

Ian loves me enough to draw me a picture where I'm having fun and diving into a pool...into 6 feet of water (see the depth marking on the side of the pool? Nice.). Huh. Good thing he's only 5 and doesn't get that whole thing about needing 20 feet of water to dive into safely. Guess he does love me after all!

Meet Shelly

The boys went to Build A Bear and built a turtle for the baby whenever he or she arrives. They named the turtle Shelly. (We won't discuss the fact that I didn't make the connection between the turtle's name and the thing that it lives in until days later.) A few days later Sam drew a picture of Shelly for me. I thought it was a porcupine fish, but he kindly explained that it looked nothing like a porcupine fish and exactly like Shelly. I dunno - you decide:

Shelly

Porcupine Fish

Ceiling Art

Yes, those are foam bath letters - stuck to the ceiling over the shower. I guess the boys think they are decorative elements. They went up a few weeks ago now, and still today there are three stuck up there. I don't even want to venture a theory as to why or how they are still attached to the bathroom ceiling. It was only a short while ago that these same letters and numbers were use for Bath Math by Max. But now it seems that they have been converted into some sort of water bomb. Ahhh...boys. Gotta love their creativity though - the numbers and letters tuck to the bathroom ceiling will turn into tissues (or whatever else they get their grubby hands on) stuck tot he classroom ceiling in school. One can only hope that they have the good sense to toss them up above someone else's desk.

My Obsession

Well, what else was I supposed to do when FSU and Texas were playing at the same time? MISS A GAME? Dare not. My darling husband hooked me up (literally) with a poor man's picture in picture. He even plugged the cable in a room away and ran a long, long cable out of my office, down the hall, and across the living room. I love that he feeds my obsession! And yes, Texas beat Rice, but FSU lost in a terrible, terrible game to Wake Forest.

WAAAAAAAAH!

You remember those great 19870's Tupperware colors? You know, the lovely oranges and greens: Well, I happen to LOVE my green Tupperware with the burpable lid. It came from Tom's family somewhere as a passed down piece of plasticware, but it was our popcorn bowl, our grape bowl, and our big bowl for anything that needed a big bowl. But apparently when you drop a 30 year old bowl on the ground it breaks - even if it is plastic.
WAAAAAAAH!!!! All I have left is my burpable lid. WAAAAAAAHHHH!

Max's Soccer Game #83

I've honestly lost track. Max has been playing soccer almost year round since he was four years old. when we moved to Virginia he started playing indoor soccer too, so who knows how many games he has under his belt. Regardless, he played his second game of the current season and his team really showed up for the game. They won their first game after only one practice, and half the team doesn't know each other. Seems that the magical one game and two practices did the trick - they were a scoring machine - all of them.



The other cool thing is that Tom is once again coaching Max's team. His focus has always been on teaching the kids a love of the game, as well as teaching them the basic skills. It's nice to see that the kids are having fun AND winning. Good reinforcement for both the kids and the parents! This season they are refereed, the score is kept, and they are ranked. After the third game we will all have rankings and will play a bracket type tourney at the end of the season. Weird to think that we'll add the competitive part in this go round as we've never had that in the past (well, except for the one coach who told the 5 year olds that they LOST by a score of 12 to 3, and that they'll do better next week - terrible, TERRIBLE way to teach them a love of the game). Anyway, Tom has struck a nice balance between encouraging and acknowledging the win and getting back to the idea of the love of the game and the skills. Good job man, good job.

First Soccer Game

Ian and Sam, like their older brother Max, are soccer monsters. They both played in their first real soccer game this past weekend and both did a FANTASTIC job! Ian was a defensive predator, and Sam was a scoring machine. They have picked up on the game and are taking everything they know about soccer and are leaving it on the field. It was great fun to watch their team play - all the kids seemed to really enjoy themselves too!

Ian taking control of the ball!

Sam cruising down the field scoring his second goal!

Dang Deer

THESE two are the culprits:

And this is what they are doing:

Dang deer.

A Teachable Moment

You never know when one of these come along, but low and behold here's one now:

Bad mommy.

We have no milk, and no bread, it's 11:58pm, and the boys have a need for lunches at school tomorrow. I tried to remember today to get milk and bread, but no, it just didn't happen. It's not like I really did anything else, but apparently I'm easily distracted. I can't even imagine what my children will eat for lunch tomorrow. The milk we can do without for a small bit. The bread, well, two eat sandwiches and we really don't have anything else for them to eat aside from cold Mac N Cheese or cold chicken nuggets (that's the preference of the third kiddo). So we'll see how it all falls out in the morning. Am I going to be running to the store in the morning, or will the boys figure out something else to take in their lunches? Am I the bad mommy tomorrow, or will I swoop in and somehow save the day? Cross your fingers that we all work something out, but I'm sure we will.

Maybe I can get myself a milk man..and bread man...hmmm...

Soccer Game #1 - Max!

We have three boys playing soccer this year, and Max's team is now keeping score. Tom is actually coaching both teams for the boys this year - they were short on U-6 coaches and my kind hubby offered himself up. It's actually pretty cool that he gets to work with all three - he's a great coach and really instills a love of the game in the kids.

For Max's team this year they are playing U-8. It's competitive - they really do keep score now. The first game went swimmingly - considering that the kids only had one practice due to a rain out, and we have two kids that haven't ever really played before. They all kind of got it, and that was neat to see. Max not only scored a goal or two, but he played well and had fun. Can't ask for more than that!

Max working his magic!

(The big guy in yellow is the Ref, not a giant 8 year old, and no, Max

doesn't have a "tail" - it's the glasses holder hanging down in back!)

Go BOYS!

Stunning touchdown passes, premature celebration (resulting in dropped balls but eventual touchdowns), record breaking plays, crazy fumbles, penalties, rushing touchdowns, incredible number of first half points, and my beloved Dallas Cowboys playing the last Monday night game at Texas Stadium. As D.D. Lewis said years ago, “Texas Stadium has a hole in the roof so God can watch his favorite team." And to top it all off, a 41-37 win over Philadelphia. Someone must be smiling.

Finally time

It's finally time to spill the beans and share our big news. We are in the process of adopting a child! We have completed our home study and are in the process of waiting. We are working with an agency and they are sending out our profile to expectant moms and dads here in the US, but basically at this point we wait. In the meantime we're getting our home ready for another kiddo. We have an extra room in our house, and it will become the baby's room - complete with baby gear and cute critters all around. We are slowly collecting that baby gear - the big things - as friends and family give the items up. We are all thrilled beyond belief - Ian wants a sister, Max offered up his room to share, and Sam is making big brother plans already. Tom and I are very excited about the prospect of raising another great little kid and are ready to get going! So, keep on eye on us here - one day soon we'll be a family of SIX!

Not cool. Not cool at all.

The boys and I were in the cars a few days back and we were having a conversation about the cars around us as we do quite often. The boys are into counting Jeeps, VW Bugs, and Mini Coopers. In the midst of the car counting Max dropped the big Momma bomb on me. I said something about how cool it would be to drive one particular car (can't remember which car it is now, but it was some sort of fast, sexy looking convertible), when Max said ina matter of fact voice "Moms think that minivans are cool."

Yeah. Right. Minivans are cool.

Poor kid. didn't even see me coming at him as I flew over the two rows of seats and grabbed and shook some sense into him. (Not really - I was driving at the time.) After sucking back in all the air that rushed out of my body I explained that most moms would rather be driving that sexy looking convertible, that luxury car, or that big truck (well, that's my vote) than this minivan. And dear child, minivans are not cool -in anyone's book.

Sigh...there's still work to be done.

Back to school - but not in the traditional way

Why on earth would you want to ever go back to high school, and at 33 years old even???!!! This woman did. Yikes. Just yikes.

Individualy. Wrapped. Prunes.

Now I've seen it all - what's next though - individually wrapped raisins? I saw these a few days ago at the store, and honestly, I wasn't terribly surprised. I mean, after seeing individually wrapped potatos you aren't surprise by much in the grocery store aisle. So go grab that ONE prune that you want to have. Who eats just one prune?

9/11/01

Our country changed that day, and while the kids are too young to remember (the little boys weren't even a twinkle in our eyes at that point), it is still important that they understand. So each year we do something to thank the folks who risk their lives on a daily basis to protect us. This year, like last, we took cookies to the fire station (NO - I didn't make them myself - that would be cruel). It's a little thing, but it shows them that we care, and that we really do appreciate what they do for us. And the best part - the boys get it.

So thank you local firefighters. and thank you to all the others that make life safer for all of us.

This one's cute!

Thanks to The Lady Bug for sharing this one! That said, my profile probably sounds like it fits you too - but go get your own! It's fun!

Your result for The Perception Personality Image Test...

HBDC - The Inventor

Humanity, Background, Detail, and Color

You perceive the world with particular attention to humanity. You focus on the hidden treasures of life (the background) and how that is affected by the details of life. You are also particularly drawn towards the colors around you. Because of the value you place on humanity, you tend to seek out other people and get energized by being around others. You like to ponder ideas and imagine the many possibilities of your life without worrying about the details or specifics. You are highly focused on specific goals or tasks and find meaning in life by pursuing those goals. You are a down-to-earth person who enjoys going with the flow.

The Perception Personality Types:

Take The Perception Personality Image Test at HelloQuizzy

The Telly Button

Betcha didn't know that Ian had a telly button:

Meet our little friend

He's currently hidden among the pumpkin vines.

Now cross your fingers that those darn deer don't see it!

Fifth Tooth

What happens when you lose your fifth tooth? Well, it sits on the hutch for three days until you FINALLY remember to put it under your pillow so that he tooth fairy even has a faint clue that you've lost the tooth. Then, the tooth fairy brings you a shiny dollar coin! Max is well on his way to that full rack of adult teeth now. He's once again the grinny guy with the big space in his mouth!

OOOO! Politics!

Gotta love when folks get together to rah-rah their parties and drum up support for their candidates. I just can't get enough of all of this, and even my kids have gotten involved: Lookie Who is Running For Office

Our Season's First Visitor

No, it isn't the lovely holiday season that spans the new year. And it isn't the warm summer season where friends come to visit. It's Hurricane Season, and for the first time since living in the DC area we have one headed right towards us:

We used to live in Florida and survived much larger more direct hits, and several not so direct hits. But since we've been here there haven't been any hurricanes that have headed this way. Hanna, in a slightly drunken path, is heading here day after tomorrow:

And while Hanna looks like a big storm, it's really this one that makes me nervous:

Ike is a scary looking, well formed storm. Who knows what he'll look like next week, but cross your fingers for just about everyone that he takes a wicked right turn and heads back out to sea. Those poor folks in Haiti and the Caribbean have had enough this year and there are still 80+ days to go. I'm not so concerned about the DC / Virginia / Maryland area, but about the folks who have lived through two storms. The ones who lost everything, some including family, and who are looking down the barrel of a loaded gun. Can't imagine how tough that must be. So keep your eyes on Mr. Ike and hope that he has the good sense to give up before he hits land.

First Day of School: 2008 Edition

Like last year, Max wasn't very forthcoming about his first day of school. But he's in third grade now, with the same teachers from last year (dual age immersion program) so it was all old hat to him and we weren't expecting much info.

Max

Ian and Sam however, started Kindergarten this year, so we were hoping for more info about the first day of school. They were both very excited that morning - slightly more obnoxious than normal, but all set to start school:

Ian

Sam

We threw them on the bus with Max and sent them on their way.

And what did we learn from these three jokers about their first day?

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Well, after a bit of teeth pulling we learned that they had recess...ummm...they ate lunch...OH yeah - they rode the bus to school (but we already knew that because we put them ON the bus that morning)...and well, that's pretty much it.

All three seemed to have had a pretty good day, and after gymnastics class for the little boys, all three were pretty much done. So, I'll chalk this up in the win column for the Phipps family. Not going to complain about three basically happy kids, exhausted from their first day, and full of little to no information.

And yes, like Max's first grade year I'm reporting a bit late in the game, so I can say that the second day of school was full of just a little more information. Pointed questions always help, along with the requisite note from the teacher! Seems that at least one of our kiddos actually did stuff on the first day of school. The rest, well, they're happy so no complaining here!

How to make a newly minted 8 year old happy

It's a simple formula - take a cool present, toss in some wrapping paper and some tape (might need some scissors too), and you are set. Here's our stab at the recipe:

Believe

So this last day before the end of summer when all the kiddos go rushing back to school, take a peek at this video:

And remember, believe.

These are good:

No, I mean REALLY good. Try some - you'll thank me. We can't get enough of these in our house - we tear through the big huge cartons. Watch out though - they are highly addictive. Must be laced with something - other than cheese that is.