The Week in Kids

It's been a long time since I have posted The Week in Kids.  But, it is summer and I have more time.  And, it is summer and we are crazy busy.

This week...

Tante Tricia (my sister) came to visit.

She brought ice cream.

And, baby Lucas.

What?  They won't let me have any ice cream.  What else am I supposed to do?

Also this week...

...the boys had their first ever swim lessons.  They are in the Seahorse class, which is only one step above the Starfish class.  As Sam pointed out, "Starfish can't swim."  Neither can you baby.

Also this week...

...we went to the Jelly Belly Factory (more on that to come) and ate jelly beans until our teeth rotted out of our heads.

Also this week...

There are movies on the ceiling at this dentist.  They don't make his teeth any stronger.

...Sam had to go to the dentist (again), only to confirm that his teeth have, in fact, rotted out of his head.  He has cavities in fourteen of his twenty teeth.  We're talking root canals and caps and stuff, under general anesthesia.  This is not happy news.

Also this week...

...I gave Cate a tub of water and some plastic dishes, so she could "do dishes" just like Mommy.  She promptly took off all her clothes and jumped in.  Uh...she never learned that from me.

Also the week...

...Cate got a new swim suit.  Which she insisted on trying on.  Immediately.

And, posing in.

Okay, what is this about?  Supermodel pout, working the tutu swimsuit over pajamas look.

Also this week...

...we returned Tante Tricia's visit with one of our own.  Uncle Jim gave lawn mower rides.  (And, launched rockets, but more on that later, too.)

See you next week!!! (maybe)

Work Clothes

When you are a big boy, you get to make your own fashion decisions.

This is Sam in his Easter clothes.  Work clothes, he calls them.  And, why wouldn't he?  His daddy wears clothes like this to work.

"Look at me.  I am so handsome," he said, when trying them on for the first time.  Then he insisted on wearing them to school.  And, the park.  And, everywhere we went, all day.

Did I mention that he wore them with cowboy boots?

His sister was not impressed.  (But she insists on buttoning her cardigan all the way down, so she may not be a good judge.)  Everyone else couldn't help but be charmed.  He is charming.

Have a fashionable weekend!  

Come back next week to find out what is going on here.

The Week in Kids

This week...

Started out freezing cold, then it rained, and today it was sunny and warm.  So sunny and warm that we have mosquitoes.  Like albatrosses.

We also have three small children who, at the first sight of sunshine, burst out the back door into the yard.

Sword fight any one?

The real veterans of the backyard crusades know to carry ones weapon in the back of the shirt for easy access.

The littlest crusader learns quickly.

She learns that swords can make searching for artifacts in the (nasty, been-sitting-out-in-the-rain-getting-used-as-a-cat-toilet-all-winter) sandbox a little awkward..

She learns that swords make some routes impassible.

And, she learns that if she is not nice to her fellow crusaders, or her momma, her weapon will be taken away and put on top of the refrigerator.

Also this week...

We finished our second week of homeschooling.  So far, there have been no tears, no drama, no tantrums.  And, Jonah has behaved pretty well, too.

Also, in the last two weeks, we have eaten take-out Chinese, McDonald's, Taco Bell, Chick-fil-a, and pizza.  Twice.  (Some of that was lunch.  I have cooked.)  But, we will work the kinks out of that too.  It just takes planning. 

Also this week...

Not much else has happened.  At least not that I can remember.  Kindergarten is about all my brain can handle at this point.

See you next week!!!

The Week in Kids

This week...
(Or sometime in the not too distant past.)

Upon seeing this picture, Sam said, "He has to take off his beard and put on a mouth for dinner."  Perceptive kid.

Also this week...

...was Christmas.

Really, it is mostly a blur.

Also this week...

Cate wore pajamas under her party dress.

Who among us has not wanted to do that?

Also this week...

No Bible sits on the shelf collecting dust in this house.

Also this week...

We made our homeschooling decision final, when these arrived.

Seventy-six pound of kindergarten curriculum in eight boxes.  (The small white one was already ours.)  How can we back out now?

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!!!

See you next week, and year!

The Week in Kids and Christmas

This week...

We had company.  My friend brought her four boys by, while she went to take a micro-biology exam.  No problem.  Six boys between the ages of three and nine, and one two-year-old little girl was still my biggest challenge.

I put Cate down for a nap at one, but she refused to sleep.  When the boys arrived around two, she was still awake.  I decided not to fight it.  The boys went straight outside to play, and I went in to get Cate up.  When I got there, she was stark naked.  No clothes, no diaper, no nothing.  That  "no diaper" thing can be a problem, so I rushed into her room to survey any, er, damage and, luckily, found none.  Meanwhile, Cate bolted.  I found her pressed against the sliding glass door in all her glory.

"Cate," I called to her.  "What are you doing?"

She looked back over her should at me, gestured at the back yard through the door, and said, breathless, "Boys!!"

Then she squealed and did a little dance.

Here she is with (not my) Samuel, one of the boys who came for a visit.  He's three.  I warned his parents.

"I think wearing clothes is over rated.  My mother insisted I wear this dumb hoodie, but I showed her.  I'm only wearing half of it.  What do you think?"

"Mother, do you mind?  That flash is killing the mood."

Also this week...

The boys playing that day.  I think this is what they call Leaf Tag.

My Samuel, who, when finding out that there was another one present, started referring to himself as "The Real Sam."

Also this week...

Our church hosted a Ladies Christmas Tea.  I was so excited that I even did my hair.  This is quite a procedure, which requires that Hubband supervise the children.  So, while I was drying, then straightening, and then re-curling my hair.  Hubband "watched" the kids, by reading the news on his iPod, back in the bedroom with me.

Meanwhile, Samuel had climbed over the gate into the kitchen (We know he can do this.  The gates aren't up for him.), liberated a pumpkin pie from the refrigerator, and passed it over the gate to his sister.  When I found them, they had removed it from it's tin, and it was sitting directly on the living room floor.  All but the large chucks they had torn from it, and were then eating, with both hands.

"Okay, I can breach the kitchen gates, here.  Once I am in possession of the target, I will pass it to you, over the gate, here.  We will rendezvous, here.  Wait for me.  Then we will make the split, 60/40 like we agreed.  Do you want me to go over it again?"

If this had been on my watch, so to speak, I would have taken pictures.  But, being the shrew that I am, I was too eager to point the finger of blame at my dear husband.  Guilty as accused, he broke the whole thing up before I could get a single shot.  Poorly played by all parties.  Except maybe the children, who got a few good bites of pumpkin pie.

Also this week...

Jonah found some old pictures of himself.  When Cate saw them, she insisted on keeping one.  She's been sleeping with it.  Everybody now...Awww.  (There are not pictures of this either, because only a woman who did not want to sleep for one whole night would take a flash photo of a sleeping baby.)

Also this week...

Sam (singing): On top of Spaghetti, all covered with cheese.  I lost my poor meatball when somebody sneezed.

Me:  Ahhhhh Choooo!  (I play to the role of the sneeze.)

Jonah:  Don't sing that song.  It makes me sad that someone would lose their meatball like that.  And we never even know what happened to it.

And in other Jonah/music news...he has been learning new songs at Sunday school.  Like this one, which he sings loud and proud.

I'm in the Lord's Army

(to the tune of The Old Grey Mare)

[The REAL words]

I may never march in the infantry
Ride in the cavalry
Shoot the artillery
I may never fly o'er the enemy
But I'm in the Lord's army!
Yes Sir!

[As sung by Jonah]
I may never march in the even tree
Ride in the calorie
Shoot the ability
I may never fly our anemone
But I'm in the Lord's army!

Also this week...

Sam made a wreath.

Our Advent Chain got shorter.

The Nativity Scene went up.

And my heart swelled a little, as it has every year since I became a mother, at the sight of the baby Jesus, held tight in Mary's arms.

See you next week...

The Week in...

This is usually where The Week in Kids post goes.  But, there has been other stuff this week too.  And the kids have kept me so busy, I forgot to pay attention and take notes for you all.  So, we are going to lump all of this week's news in together.  Consider it a bloggy austerity measure.

I will start with the kids though.

This week in kids...

Jonah and Cate made up a new game.  It is called "ride."  Cate says, "Ride, ride."  Jonah sits on the couch.  Cate climbs on his back.  Jonah stands up.  And away they go.

If you think this can only end badly, you would be wrong more often than not.  As a mother, I was apprehensive at first, but they seemed to be having such a good time together (together is big), that I decided to stand back, and watch closely.  The picture is actually one of their very first attempts.  Jonah is much better at it now, with practice.  He reaches around and holds her up well, and she hangs on without strangling him.  The biggest problem is when Sam wants to play his new game called "push."

Also this week in kids...

Cate met her inner mommy.  If you don't recognize this set up, it is a changing pad, a diaper, and wipes.  Oh, and a "baby."

First, the wipes.

Then, the diaper.

Then, the little mommy shows off her dry and happy baby.

"Who you callin' happy?"

Also, this week in Christmas...

The kids really, really wanted to decorate for Christmas.  I could have gotten out all of the decorations and put them up.  But, then they would have been bored.  Instead.  We have done one thing every day.

First, we made a paper chain, for counting off the days until Christmas.  A fancier name is an Advent Calendar, but we aren't fancy.  You can sort of see it along the top of the stockings in one of the following pictures.

Next, I put up the tree with lights.  The next day, came the ornaments.  And, threats of severe harm, up to, and including death, to any child who dare touch said ornaments.

Then the stockings.  Aren't they lovely?  That is a happy mantel.

One day, I cut out stars and had the boys each decorate one with glitter.  I then glued them together so that they would fit nicely on top of the tree.  This is Jonah's side.

At some point, the talking Homer-Santa was put out.  I'm sorry the picture is so bad, but honestly, the best part about the talking Homer-Santa, is the talking.

He moves up and down, grunts a little, as he is stuck in the chimney,  and says things like, "Oh, great!  The one night I don't have a pocket full of bacon grease."

We also made ginger bread cookies, of which no evidence remains.  Funny that.

Next week, I will put out my beautiful nativity scene.  My mother in law gave me the first pieces, and my mother gave me a few more pieces later.  I love it.  But I need to prepare a place for it, as it break, threats of harm and death aside.

Also, this week in Betsy...

Betsy, my bloggy friend, from My Five Men, was kind (of awesome) enough to send me some of her famous(ly delicious) cookies.  They were chocolate with chocolate and did I mention the chocolate.  A half dozen of the most scrumptious cookies, arrived in a tidy box, with packing poopies and everything.  The cookies themselves were separated by hand cut doilies and wrapped in cellophane, with a hand tied bow.  The whole thing sounds lovely, doesn't it?  All I have left is the note.  (Don't judge me.)

Well, that is all for now.  I will try to take better notes next week.  Darn my kids, they are growing up so fast, they haven't done anything clever all week.  They just don't care that I have a blog to write.

See you next week!