Last night Brynne FINALLY got to go to "her school" and meet her preschool teachers! She starts school next Tuesday and has been so excited she can't hardly contain herself! We were one of the first in the classroom and dead last to leave. And, she cried then! When we got there she said, "You and daddy go bye-bye and I stay with my teachers." She was annoyed that we were sticking around! Then she proceeded to do every puzzle and game with expertise. It was like she was saying, "Well, I'm done with this baby stuff, I'm now going to the next class!" Actually, she was having a blast! One of her teachers said, "Well, I see I'm going to have to get out some harder games for her." She was playing a matching game where you put the different animals on their habitat. She picked up, what we would call a mouse and said, "Where does the Chincilla go?" For those of you who don't watch Go, Diego, Go! .. that's a real animal. Rick and I just died laughing! She is every teacher's dream.
Kyndal had her first taste of procrastination at school. After school yesterday she said that she had a rough draft due today ... a 4 page report!! Of course she had been given that assignment several days ago. Luckily it was just a bibliography, and since she is her favorite topic it wasn't too hard for her. But it still took her all night. I'm just glad it wasn't a history report or something!
And, Dawson got a detention yesterday .. first day ever. Now, I'm not negating the fact that he deserved it! But, it was with a teacher who is very vocal about not tolerating any form of bullying. Dawson .. a bully .. funny! He said a girl had his pencil and wouldn't give it back. He jumped up and took her marker and she told the teacher. So, he got a detention. He was more than a little upset .. probably because he thought I was going to take his first born child. But, hey, you commit the crime you do the time. At least for this incident that's punishment enough for me. And, he actually went to the assistant principal after school to find out what he was supposed to do. Mr. Holderman told him he hadn't gotten a detention slip but would let him know if he did. How many kids would do that? Most would just hope everyone forgot.
Well, that's our exciting week! Kyndal and Dawson are going to the lake with Ron this weekend and the rest of us are just staying home. Of course we have tons of yardwork to do and I think I'm going to get my JBF stuff organized. With working for JBF now I'm afraid I might run out of time and not get my stuff marked.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Court of Honor
Last night was Dawson's first Boy Scout Court of Honor. Each of the patrols did a humorous skit (some more humorous than others) and then lined up to receive their badges, pins and ranks. Dawson received the first rank of Tenderfoot (which is really good considering he just started scouts at the beginning of this summer.) He received his Archery badge, Canoeing badge and Swimming Badge. He thought that he should have received his Reptiles and Amphibians badge, and maybe his Bicycling badge, so we are checking into those. He also received the 1st Year Hale pin (Hale is where they go to their week long summer camp), his Archery Hale pin and his Soaring to Eagle Hale pin. After they received their recognitions they showed a presentation of photos from the campouts and activities they have done in the last 6 months. It was really cool to see him caving and canoeing and repelling. We finished off the night with some ice cream from Freckles. We are very proud of Dawson for his seriousness towards Scouts. This Troop is awesome and we are so glad he is part of it.
Kyndal is dying today with her braces! She is in pain, but is impressed that her two front teeth are already appearing straight! She had pudding for breakfast, just so she could take some Ibuprofen, and doesn't know what she'll eat for lunch. I told her to try to find some mashed potatoes and jello.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Braces!!
On Friday I took Brynne and Eli to Putt and Jump to jump for 2 hours in the inflatables! It was really fun because it was just us and Ava and about 4 other kids the whole time. They had the run of the place! We stopped at McDonald's for lunch and then took Eli to school. Kyndal and Dawson both had birthday parties Friday night, so Rick, Eli, Brynne and I ran some errands and went to Chick-fil-A for dinner. They were exhausted so crashed early!
Here are a couple of pics I took of Dawson, that I mentioned in the last Post. He's not exactly "model" material .. doesn't take instruction very well (hmmm...where does he get that from???) .. but a couple turned out really great, I thought. That leaf is actually growing out of the tree, not his head! I wish I would have noticed that when I was taking the pictures.
Saturday morning, Brynne decided to help me by making her and Eli's beds. Thought you would enjoy these pics.
On Saturday evening Kyndal had her "family group" from church over for a sleepover. We had 7, 13-year olds and their college leader, Ila. It actually was a really great night! They had snacks and did hair and makeup then made bandana tote bags. I let them walk in the neighborhood at 10 o'clock with flashlights, which is something I would never do, but I thought, "Hey, they're 13 year old girls!" Didn't we do that at least once when we were that age (and worse, I'm afraid!)? And at least they didn't want to do "the worse," nothing that involved destroying personal property anyway. They came back laughing hysterically, but settled right down to watch movies. It was a really great night, so much better than I thought it would be! I actually got some sleep! I think they finally shut down around 2 a.m. But they were all very respectful of me and Eli and Brynne and I was quite impressed!
On Sunday the girls all got up and went to church. When we got home we napped off and on for about 3 hours, then just lazed around all afternoon. We were tired from a fun night before!
One of Dawson's baby lizards died. So, that was a sad moment. At one point one of the other babies was laying next to it with his head laid on top of the dead one. Sad! I think we're going to let them go. We don't really know what they are or how to take care of them.
The big news happened this morning! KYNDAL GOT BRACES! Do you remember when we were teenagers, how mortified we were when we, or someone we knew, got braces? Remember Jan Brady?? Not today, though. Kids actually WANT braces! I haven't really figured out why. For Kyndal, I know she doesn't like having big horse teeth, so anything is better than the alternative. But it has actually become a day of celebration, and status, getting braces on your teeth! Weird!
Tonight is Dawson's first Honor Court for Boy Scouts. He will receive his first ranking and all of the badges he has earned so far. He is really looking forward to the recognition for his hard work!
Here are a couple of pics I took of Dawson, that I mentioned in the last Post. He's not exactly "model" material .. doesn't take instruction very well (hmmm...where does he get that from???) .. but a couple turned out really great, I thought. That leaf is actually growing out of the tree, not his head! I wish I would have noticed that when I was taking the pictures.
Saturday morning, Brynne decided to help me by making her and Eli's beds. Thought you would enjoy these pics.
On Saturday evening Kyndal had her "family group" from church over for a sleepover. We had 7, 13-year olds and their college leader, Ila. It actually was a really great night! They had snacks and did hair and makeup then made bandana tote bags. I let them walk in the neighborhood at 10 o'clock with flashlights, which is something I would never do, but I thought, "Hey, they're 13 year old girls!" Didn't we do that at least once when we were that age (and worse, I'm afraid!)? And at least they didn't want to do "the worse," nothing that involved destroying personal property anyway. They came back laughing hysterically, but settled right down to watch movies. It was a really great night, so much better than I thought it would be! I actually got some sleep! I think they finally shut down around 2 a.m. But they were all very respectful of me and Eli and Brynne and I was quite impressed!
On Sunday the girls all got up and went to church. When we got home we napped off and on for about 3 hours, then just lazed around all afternoon. We were tired from a fun night before!
One of Dawson's baby lizards died. So, that was a sad moment. At one point one of the other babies was laying next to it with his head laid on top of the dead one. Sad! I think we're going to let them go. We don't really know what they are or how to take care of them.
The big news happened this morning! KYNDAL GOT BRACES! Do you remember when we were teenagers, how mortified we were when we, or someone we knew, got braces? Remember Jan Brady?? Not today, though. Kids actually WANT braces! I haven't really figured out why. For Kyndal, I know she doesn't like having big horse teeth, so anything is better than the alternative. But it has actually become a day of celebration, and status, getting braces on your teeth! Weird!
Tonight is Dawson's first Honor Court for Boy Scouts. He will receive his first ranking and all of the badges he has earned so far. He is really looking forward to the recognition for his hard work!
Friday, August 22, 2008
Lizard Update
Well, our second green anole egg shriveled up and died. I just don't think we're cut out to be lizard parents! Dawson has a potential plan for the next egg, if there is one. We'll see.
Yesterday morning when I went upstairs to get Kyndal and Dawson up for school, I looked in the cages and thought that Bandit was dead. I thought, "oh no, Dawson is going to be devastated and have to go to school after finding this out!" Bandit was just laying on his stomach, flat as can be, with his legs all behind him and was a funny color. I tapped the glass but he didn't move. I went in and woke up Dawson and told him and he jumped up and ran in there. He moved the mesh on top of the cage to reach in and touch him and he popped his eyes open. He was just sleeping! He's usually awake when I come upstairs, so it freaked me out! He looked that way again this morning so I guess he just sleeps like a log!!
You'll think this is weird, but Rick and I went to the pet store last night to buy crickets .. who would have ever thought!! While we were there we PURPOSELY went over to the lizard section and looked at them. Some really are cute when they are little! We even looked at things to put in their habitat! What is wrong with us?? Then we took a small detour over to the puppies and kittens .. always a mistake! There's this little male long-haired mini dachsund that I just love. Rick said, "Okay, if you and Kyndal get puppies then I get a new cat!" Good grief we may end up with about 20 pets!
Today is Dawson's picture day so I made him stand out in front of the house and let me take pictures of him. I'm too cheap to buy the school pictures! I just take them in their birthday month to Sears and buy the package for $9.99. Why have these pictures gotten so expensive? And when you have three kids ... I could spend $150 just on stupid school pictures!
This morning Eli, Brynne and I are meeting Deidra, Ava and Athena at Putt and Jump for some jumping fun. They will love it! Then tonight Kyndal and Dawson each have birthday parties to go to. So, the rest of us will just be hanging out, I guess! Fine with me! Rick bought Brynne and Eli each a child-size golf club so I am sure they'll just sit outside together and hit golf balls.
Yesterday morning when I went upstairs to get Kyndal and Dawson up for school, I looked in the cages and thought that Bandit was dead. I thought, "oh no, Dawson is going to be devastated and have to go to school after finding this out!" Bandit was just laying on his stomach, flat as can be, with his legs all behind him and was a funny color. I tapped the glass but he didn't move. I went in and woke up Dawson and told him and he jumped up and ran in there. He moved the mesh on top of the cage to reach in and touch him and he popped his eyes open. He was just sleeping! He's usually awake when I come upstairs, so it freaked me out! He looked that way again this morning so I guess he just sleeps like a log!!
You'll think this is weird, but Rick and I went to the pet store last night to buy crickets .. who would have ever thought!! While we were there we PURPOSELY went over to the lizard section and looked at them. Some really are cute when they are little! We even looked at things to put in their habitat! What is wrong with us?? Then we took a small detour over to the puppies and kittens .. always a mistake! There's this little male long-haired mini dachsund that I just love. Rick said, "Okay, if you and Kyndal get puppies then I get a new cat!" Good grief we may end up with about 20 pets!
Today is Dawson's picture day so I made him stand out in front of the house and let me take pictures of him. I'm too cheap to buy the school pictures! I just take them in their birthday month to Sears and buy the package for $9.99. Why have these pictures gotten so expensive? And when you have three kids ... I could spend $150 just on stupid school pictures!
This morning Eli, Brynne and I are meeting Deidra, Ava and Athena at Putt and Jump for some jumping fun. They will love it! Then tonight Kyndal and Dawson each have birthday parties to go to. So, the rest of us will just be hanging out, I guess! Fine with me! Rick bought Brynne and Eli each a child-size golf club so I am sure they'll just sit outside together and hit golf balls.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Bye bye bow!
Brynne had a traumatic event happen yesterday .. Lori Callery would feel the same emotions, I am sure !! :)
Kyndal was taking her potty at the youth building. She had on an adorable bright orange and fuscia outfit and her hairbow was a bright orange feathery thing with another fuscia and orange bow attached to it. It "was" quite a bow! When Kyndal lifted Brynne off the toilet, the bow fell out of her hair and into the toilet. The toilet was on auto flush and sucked it right up! Brynne started screaming, "My bow, my bow!!" Kyndal sat her on the sink counter and actually stuck her hand into the toilet to try to retrieve it! No luck! I was gone at the time and when I got back they met me at the car. Brynne was still upset. She kept saying, "I need a bow!" So, we ran to Primarily Kids to get her a new one .. actually cheaper than the gas money to drive home to get another one.
I'm whacked, I know! And look what I have obviously created!!!
Kyndal was taking her potty at the youth building. She had on an adorable bright orange and fuscia outfit and her hairbow was a bright orange feathery thing with another fuscia and orange bow attached to it. It "was" quite a bow! When Kyndal lifted Brynne off the toilet, the bow fell out of her hair and into the toilet. The toilet was on auto flush and sucked it right up! Brynne started screaming, "My bow, my bow!!" Kyndal sat her on the sink counter and actually stuck her hand into the toilet to try to retrieve it! No luck! I was gone at the time and when I got back they met me at the car. Brynne was still upset. She kept saying, "I need a bow!" So, we ran to Primarily Kids to get her a new one .. actually cheaper than the gas money to drive home to get another one.
I'm whacked, I know! And look what I have obviously created!!!
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Clearing, Cheering and Child Rearing
As you know, our lot is a HUGE work-in-progress! There are at least 5 million rocks that need to be cleared, it needs to be graded, to have tree work done, grass seed spread, etc. It will take us so much time to get it done. But Rick works on it diligently every week. This weekend he started to tackle one of the future front garden areas. Brynne ran in wearing her rain "boops" and wanted her mittens to work (Rick had on his work gloves). I gave her and Eli each a pair of new snow gloves that hadn't been worn and out they went to clear the weeds, brush and rocks. Rick said they actually did help him.
That evening Kyndal had "Meet the Rams" night at the football field. It was basically just a chance to see the various football teams scrimmage and introduce the cheerleaders.
Monday with the twins went great! I figured if I was going to have the girls that we should do some kind of "preschool" to help us pass the time. My goal is just to take a letter a week, do a craft on Monday and a corresponding snack on Wednesday. I'm going to focus on the letters in all three girls' names. I'm letting Eli off the hook because he actually does have preschool everyday. So, mornings are just play time for him. But, three little girls have short attention spans, even when playing, so I thought this would help break up the day .. and provide something educational too. On Monday we traced and colored the letter "A" and made toilet paper roll alligators. Today we made green alligator rice krispie treats and used the rest of the rice krispie mixture to make an "A". Who knows if they get anything out of it .. it's still fun!
Eli's teacher brought him to the car a couple of days ago and said, "He is doing so good .. I just love him .. he is such a sweetheart!" I said, "Eli, are you a sweetheart?" He said, "I'm not a sweet heart, I'm a sweet diamond!" I thought that was funny. He had been learning shapes that day. But he really is doing so good at school. You know how affectionate he is. It takes him about 5 minutes to get in the door because he has to stop and hug every teacher he sees. Usually when I pick him up and ask him how his day was he says, "I cried one time." But yesterday he said, "I was a good boy." I don't doubt that for a second!
School for Kyndal and Dawson is still going good. So far there hasn't been any homework, so they're happy! And, it's been 75 degrees the last couple of days, so they've been happy to have some nice, cool down time after school and in the evenings. I'm still trying to adjust to our early morning schedule. Sleeping in all summer was nice, now we're up and moving by 6:15 a.m. Kyndal and Dawson have to catch the bus by 7:15.
That evening Kyndal had "Meet the Rams" night at the football field. It was basically just a chance to see the various football teams scrimmage and introduce the cheerleaders.
Monday with the twins went great! I figured if I was going to have the girls that we should do some kind of "preschool" to help us pass the time. My goal is just to take a letter a week, do a craft on Monday and a corresponding snack on Wednesday. I'm going to focus on the letters in all three girls' names. I'm letting Eli off the hook because he actually does have preschool everyday. So, mornings are just play time for him. But, three little girls have short attention spans, even when playing, so I thought this would help break up the day .. and provide something educational too. On Monday we traced and colored the letter "A" and made toilet paper roll alligators. Today we made green alligator rice krispie treats and used the rest of the rice krispie mixture to make an "A". Who knows if they get anything out of it .. it's still fun!
Eli's teacher brought him to the car a couple of days ago and said, "He is doing so good .. I just love him .. he is such a sweetheart!" I said, "Eli, are you a sweetheart?" He said, "I'm not a sweet heart, I'm a sweet diamond!" I thought that was funny. He had been learning shapes that day. But he really is doing so good at school. You know how affectionate he is. It takes him about 5 minutes to get in the door because he has to stop and hug every teacher he sees. Usually when I pick him up and ask him how his day was he says, "I cried one time." But yesterday he said, "I was a good boy." I don't doubt that for a second!
School for Kyndal and Dawson is still going good. So far there hasn't been any homework, so they're happy! And, it's been 75 degrees the last couple of days, so they've been happy to have some nice, cool down time after school and in the evenings. I'm still trying to adjust to our early morning schedule. Sleeping in all summer was nice, now we're up and moving by 6:15 a.m. Kyndal and Dawson have to catch the bus by 7:15.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Like Mother, Like Daughter
When I was growing up, I would say we would have been considered lower middle class .. a blue collar family. (Weren't most of us in the 70's?) My dad worked as a plumber with my grandfather, making very little, and my mom had a home daycare so that she could stay home with us. She made $5 per day per child and I remember when she was afraid she wuld lost kids when she raised her rates to $6 per day per child. Can you even imagine??? We pay that per hour to a teenager now! In order to make ends meet my mom cared for a lot of kids. According to her state licensing she was allowed to keep a total of 10 kids, with 2 being under the age of 2, PLUS her own three kids, PLUS any relatives. At most times she had a total of 15 kids in our 1500 square foot house (if it was even that big). And she had a waiting list. She never had a day off, that I can remember, and we never went on vacations beyond a weekend because of her committment to the children.
When I was in college my mom needed to take one day off to get her wisdom teeth pulled. I skipped school that day and came home and took care of all of the kids. I remember vividly saying to my mom, after that day, that I would rather be on welfare than to do that every day. First of all, I have never aplogized to my mother, who sacrificed who knows what to stay home and care for us, for saying something so insensitive and rude. So, mom, I am sorry I degraded your line of work. Being a stay-at-home mom now, I know first-hand the value of that career and the undervaluing it receives from society. Thank you for putting your kids first in a day and age when it was not done by many.
As you grow older, most people will tell you that you become more and more like your mother. That, to me, is a compliment. I hope I look and feel half as good as my mom when I am her age. I have a law degree and always thought I would be a career woman. But my favorite job is being a wife and mother. And, starting today, I'm following in my mother's footsteps. Here any minute my twin (almost) 3 year old girls will be arriving. I will be caring for Brynne's friends, Morgan and Makenna, on Mondays and Wednesdays starting today. Three, 3-year old blonde girls ... oh my!! But I am really looking forward to it! It's amazing how my attitudes have changed now that I have my own kids.
Thank you, mom, for instilling a desire in me to be a good mom, not only to my own kids but to other's kids as well.
And speaking of babies, my baby brother, Tim is 29 years old today! I still think of him has being 3!! Seriously!! Happy Birthday Tim!!
When I was in college my mom needed to take one day off to get her wisdom teeth pulled. I skipped school that day and came home and took care of all of the kids. I remember vividly saying to my mom, after that day, that I would rather be on welfare than to do that every day. First of all, I have never aplogized to my mother, who sacrificed who knows what to stay home and care for us, for saying something so insensitive and rude. So, mom, I am sorry I degraded your line of work. Being a stay-at-home mom now, I know first-hand the value of that career and the undervaluing it receives from society. Thank you for putting your kids first in a day and age when it was not done by many.
As you grow older, most people will tell you that you become more and more like your mother. That, to me, is a compliment. I hope I look and feel half as good as my mom when I am her age. I have a law degree and always thought I would be a career woman. But my favorite job is being a wife and mother. And, starting today, I'm following in my mother's footsteps. Here any minute my twin (almost) 3 year old girls will be arriving. I will be caring for Brynne's friends, Morgan and Makenna, on Mondays and Wednesdays starting today. Three, 3-year old blonde girls ... oh my!! But I am really looking forward to it! It's amazing how my attitudes have changed now that I have my own kids.
Thank you, mom, for instilling a desire in me to be a good mom, not only to my own kids but to other's kids as well.
And speaking of babies, my baby brother, Tim is 29 years old today! I still think of him has being 3!! Seriously!! Happy Birthday Tim!!
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Smooth
Oh, today was so much better! Both Kyndal and Dawson were up without any problems this morning and were on the buses on time. Eli was actually smiling when he got out of the car BY HIMSELF and walked into school BY HIMSELF! Brynne is quietly laying down for her rest time, without even a small gripe. Aaaaahhhhh!!!
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
First Day Follow-up
In case you were wondering if the day ended any better than it started for the boys .. YES IT DID!
When I asked Dawson how his day went, he said, "Great!" He said is was "almost fun."
Eli was happy as can be when I picked him up. He hugged his teacher and told her he would see her tomorrow. She said he settled down pretty quickly and had a great day.
Brynne survived without everybody. We sang some Hannah Montana and trashed her room with all of her toys. So, it was fine.
Kyndal had a great day, as she usually does. But, she was annoyed that she was changed from one of her classes to teacher's aide .. PE teacher's aide .. how humiliating for her! She's going to try to get out of that tomorrow.
Anyway, the first day ended up super for everybody. We'll see how tomorrow goes ...
When I asked Dawson how his day went, he said, "Great!" He said is was "almost fun."
Eli was happy as can be when I picked him up. He hugged his teacher and told her he would see her tomorrow. She said he settled down pretty quickly and had a great day.
Brynne survived without everybody. We sang some Hannah Montana and trashed her room with all of her toys. So, it was fine.
Kyndal had a great day, as she usually does. But, she was annoyed that she was changed from one of her classes to teacher's aide .. PE teacher's aide .. how humiliating for her! She's going to try to get out of that tomorrow.
Anyway, the first day ended up super for everybody. We'll see how tomorrow goes ...
The First Day Excitement, Jitters and Tears
Of course Kyndal was chomping at the bit to get to school .. couldn't wait! She's even pretty numb to the embarrassing photos. So, dropping her off went off without a hitch. Dawson, on the other hand, was a bit emotional all morning. I'm sure some of it had to do with his being tired, but he was just really nervous. He had tears at the youth breakfast and as soon as we dropped Kyndal off he started crying. I was really afraid he would cry at the school. He wasn't even this bad his first day of kindergarten! But, I just told him some embarrassing stories about me in junior high that made him laugh and he seemed to calm down. He wanted me to walk him into the school, so I did. They intercepted them right inside the door to take them to the gym for "rise and shine", so he walked on in without breaking down. I just walked out, quickly, so he didn't change his mind. And then I prayed for him all the way home. Sixth grade is just really different, but I know he is going to have a good year.
As I mentioned previously, my year is going to be C-R-A-Z-Y as far as a schedule is concerned. Last night I was actually confused about where I needed to be, when. So, I wrote down my schedule ... just for today. It took up a whole index card! I thought you might get a kick out of seeing it. Now, keep in mind, today included some extras with the breakfast, etc. But also keep in mind that this doesn't even include Brynne's preschool schedule that starts in September. I'm just going to have my Suburban painted yellow. Maybe I can pick up some extra money with my taxi service.
At 1:00 I took Eli to his first day at the 4-year old program. Don't let the picture deceive you .. it did not go well! As soon as he realized we weren't going the direction of his old school, he started to get upset. I thought it would better for him if I just dropped him off the first day instead of going in with him. I didn't want to start something. He said, "Are you going in wif me?" I told him no and handed his hand over to his teacher. Let's just say I could still hear him screaming, "Mommy!!" when we rounded the corner. Brynne said, "He wants his mommy." Oh, dear. I was very sad .. probably as sad as him! So, I didn't get a picture of him in front of his school. I plan to take some time when picking him up to take some more pictures. I'm hoping he is not still crying then.
When we got home I had Brynne get out her rest nap for school. She has to take a 30 minute rest at school, so I figured we could go ahead and start practicing. We'll see if she makes it a full 30 minutes before she comes to find me.
(P.S. It took 15 minutes .. better than I thought!!)
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