A Little of This and That

Sam got a box from Grammy today. He was so excited! He's been waiting for this one!

Sariah has been teaching herself to make balloon animals. She took this on all by herself. She hopes to have one made for every guest at her and Sam's Christmas party tomorrow evening. How this little girl thinks she isn't smart is completely beyond me.

Madeline at the library. She was so happy to sit like Mommy and read a book at the table. When Mommy went to help Sariah find a book, Madeline about came unglued and dragged Mommy back by her pant legs, lol.

Because how else would you eat refried beans and queso? With a crayon. Obviously.

Maverick

Caleb is in the midst of basketball season, number 5. And you wonder why we are never at home....

Tumbler

Sariah recently completed a tumbling class at the Y. It was sort of a love-hate relationship. She didn't want to go, but once she got there, it was fun. She loved her teachers and her friends.

And Purely for Love of Cuteness...

Happy Birthday, Caleb!

How quickly time flies--wait!  I said that last year, too.  I'm not really all that creative in expressing how one day you're holding a tiny, sleeping little baby, and the next you are trying to figure out what happened to that little one.  I really love last year's birthday post (not that I've done any others for the rest of my kids; yes, I have mother guilt over this).

My oldest baby boy turned 9, and had a party to celebrate.  I think fun was had by all.

This last picture was the part where Caleb's friend Tanner told him to blow out the candles ... before we had sung the birthday song or Caleb had made a wish.  Sounds like boys, right?

What We've Been Up To, Part 5

And have I mentioned that for enrichment in the fall, Hannah took some basketweaving classes?  Strange for enrichment, but true.  The thing is, though, that she's fantastically good at it.  Her baskets are sturdy and gorgeous.  I begged for a long time, and so for Christmas she made me a basket.  What a good daughter she is!

I tried to talk her into the pink basket because I liked the bright color, but alas, it was not to be, and so I will settle for the brown one, which though not brightly colored, is bright and beautiful in a prominent spot on my bathroom counter.  I smile to think of Hannah every time I see it!

Thanks also to Hannah for the pics.  She did a much better job than I would have.

What We've Been Up To, Part 3

Way back in February, Rex was a tree in the first grade production of The Three Billy Goats Gruff.  He had a much easier and less memorable line than the beleaguered little boy before him who spoke of one of the goats "cwossing the wickety, wackety bwidge."  Nevertheless, Rex was appropriately cast since the trees were quite smart-mouthed throughout the play, and he played his part with gusto.  My friend Danielle pointed out on facebook that I can add "tree hugger" to my mother repertoire.  LOL!

A Better Day

I had a rough morning today. My 10 year old daughter who ought to know better threw a 45 minute tantrum that involved screaming, shouting, punching one of her brothers, and trying to headbutt her pregnant mother's belly. I was about ready to pull my hair out, and probably hers, too.

But I finally got her and her friend (the elementary school Monday morning orchestra crew) and the boys off to school. And then I got the middle school orchestra brigade delivered.

When I got home I found this note on my desk written in bright red Sharpie (oh, my son knows the ways to my heart). It made my whole entire day.

For one thing, this a huge amount of progress for my son, who sometimes expresses his stress and frustration (which he probably had a lot of this morning) in ways not that much different than his sister did.

For another thing, I'm pretty sure he wrote this while he was checking his email. We set up his email a week or two ago so that he can work on some of his literacy/reading comprehension skills by emailing friends and family. He really loves to get email. And again, for him to ask for email instead of crying about it, this is real progress.

And for the last thing, this was just what I needed this morning. What a lucky mom I am!

The Rant

I just need a few minutes here to vent. And all my ventees are unavailable, so now I'll inflict it on the public at large.

So, all of these years that my kids have been in school, we've never lost a coat, jacket, or sweatshirt. Sure, they might have been temporarily located in the lost and found, but ultimately, the involved child and I had words, and the article of clothing was retrieved and returned home.

But now, now Rex is in school. What does that mean? you might ask. Well, first, Rex is completely oblivious to temperature changes until they are extreme. This is not his fault; I truly believe that it has to do with his sensory integration issues...his nerve system is just wired somewhat differently than the rest of ours, and he either doesn't register things the way the rest of us would, or he over-registers them (I don't know which is worse). And second, Rex has a sometimes-amusing, sometimes-exasperating superfaith in his own knowledge that he clearly knows more than his mom or dad.

How this translates is thus: basically, when Mom or his teacher at school tells him that the weather is chilly enough for a sweatshirt, he first argues that he doesn't need one; second agrees to take it just to end the conversation (a normal kid tactic, I'd say); but it's the 3rd step in this process that's the kicker...third, he loses the offending article of clothing.

So, this morning when the wind chill is down in the 30s for the first time this fall, he has no sweatshirts or jackets to take to school for his field trip to a local "farm." They're going to be out-of-doors all day. Now, as a parenting-with-love-and-logic kind of parent, I'd say he could just go on the field trip without, and suffer the consequences, darn it, if he completely "forgets" every day to go to the lost and found and locate his clothing (which, btw, even if he went, he wouldn't find anything even if it were staring him in the face). However, I do have my pride as a mother...especially when it comes to being the mother of 5, which means that lots of times people are judging you and the "fact" that you allegedly don't take as good of care as the last kiddos as you did the first, which means that you don't love them as well (please don't try to deny this; perhaps I'm a very judgmental person; but really, how do you think I know people are thinking things like this?). I do have my pride as a mother, you know. Oh, I said that already.

So, I sent Rex off to school this morning with one of Caleb's sweatshirts, and the dire threat that if he lost this sweatshirt, he would have to pay Caleb $20 for it. Poor kid, he had a complete breakdown, because currently he only has $1. So, then I told him that he would have to work for Caleb by being his slave until the sweatshirt was paid for, theoretically of course.

Gee, I must wonder at this point, how this is going to come back to me when I next talk to his teacher.

Ok, done venting now. Thanks! :)