Learning to Weave

Waiting for the Tooth Fairy!

2010-09-21T20:45:00.003-06:00

Little Man lost his first tooth!!

When he smiles naturally, his top teeth cover his bottom teeth and you can't tell that one is missing. Sorry the picture is so horrible!

The tooth fairy has not come yet because Friday is his turn for show and tell, and he wants to take his tooth. I can't decide if that is creepy or sweet. What do you think?

Late night poems

2010-09-13T10:47:00.001-06:00

Long after she should have been asleep last night, Punkin brought me a poem she had been working on:

My mom is so great
I'll bake her a cake
She does all the chores
So I can play outdoors
I love my mom
so I wrote you this song.

Love,
Punkin

Aww.. *smile

Our summer of biking!

2010-09-10T05:00:00.000-06:00

One of the joys of living in Colorado!! Mountain biking!

My biggest little fan!

2010-09-08T05:00:00.000-06:00

One of the best parts of doing the triathlon was Punkin's support. She was my biggest fan.

She went with me to the event the day before where we picked up our packets and got marked with our numbers for the race. If you look very closely on her leg, you can see the black marker on her leg where the volunteers put my numbers on her leg and arm too.

And she asked me to help her paint her fingernails G-O M-O-M-M-Y G-O-!

2010 Tri For the Cure

2010-09-07T05:00:00.000-06:00

So, the craziest thing I did this summer was join almost 3,000 other women at Tri For the Cure.

This is the transition area for Waves 1-5. I was in Wave 12, so there were at least 2 other sections that looked exactly like this.

The swim area was beautiful, especially early in the morning before the race started. The swim portion was 1/2 of a mile. There were 5 of those big triangle buoys and we swam 3 sides of a rectangle around them.The bike portion was 11.2 miles. Here I am crossing the bike finish.

The run portion was a 5K. I struggle with the run portion so I was very glad to finish!!I received a medal for finishing!

I was so proud of my time. My official goal was 3 hours and I was really hoping to finish in 2 1/2. I ended up finishing in 1 hour, 55 minutes. I was very proud of myself, and amazed at the difference adrenaline and not liking being passed made! I finished the swim and bike faster than I ever dreamed, and did the fastest time possible for me on the run.

It was quite a high to finish and finish well. If you have ever thought about doing one, I say go for it! It was worth the effort. Even if I did gain 6 pounds while training - which was totally not fair.

My next fitness goal is to run a 5K without stopping in under 35 minutes before the end of the year. Hold me to it!!

New Soccer Season

2010-09-05T05:00:00.000-06:00

or, alternatively titled, Reason Number 1056 that I'm glad I married my husband.

Reason #1056: He remembers to take pictures.

This, on the other hand, is the ONLY picture I thought to take during Little Man's first soccer game of the season. Little Man is on the left in case you didn't recognize him without the green mohawk.

Go, Red Rockets!!!

First Day of School

2010-09-03T05:00:00.000-06:00

These pictures kinda says it all.

Punkin all dressed up in her uniform
with a nervous smile of anticipation:

Little Man during afternoon car pool:

New Haircut

2010-09-01T05:00:00.000-06:00

OR, How to age 2 years (in a good way) in 1 hour

Before:

After:

The Last Days of Summer

2010-08-30T21:31:00.000-06:00

Hi! Remember me? Wondering if I still remember how to blog? Me, too! Let's find out!

We had a great summer filled with days of sunshine, a camping trip, lots of trips to the pool, more weeding than usual in Colorado due to more rain than usual, and getting ready for Punkin's first day at "regular" school.

The week before school started we went to one of those cheesy family fun places and had a great day. We actually planned to go for Little Man's fourth birthday and it was rained out. We've been promising that "someday" we would go, and someday finally arrived. Two and a half years later, but who's counting??

The cheesy family fun place is all about race cars. For some reason this trip required a mohawk. A green mohawk. Seems it was inspired by a monster truck driver. I figured a cheesy family fun place that is all about race cars was a much better place to go sporting a green mohawk than say .... church, so Dad painted up the mohawk

and off we went.
The racecars were as fun as he dreamed they would be:

And girl child had a great time too. Love this face of pure joy.
And cooling off by squirting each other with water was big fun too.

The carefree days of childhood summers. The. best.

Smell Like a Salmon

2010-05-18T21:28:00.002-06:00

Punkin's favorite topic is the human body, so we have almost completely abandoned our curriculum and instead are finishing the school year doing some fun activities about the body.

Today's focus was the sense of smell and taste. We played a little game called "Smell like a Salmon". (The idea is from this book lest you think I'm this creative.) We put vanilla and garlic on cottonballs and then the kids closed their eyes and followed the trail of vanilla or garlic cotton balls. It was quite fun!

I wish I had video. Can you imagine the kids crawling around our family room, eyes closed, sniffing?

Next year is sure gonna be different!

14 years!

2010-03-16T10:07:00.004-06:00

This time of the morning, 14 years ago, I was hanging out with my best friend from high school, getting a massage and a manicure.

It was a beautiful day!

Simple Woman's Daybook

2010-03-09T15:40:00.003-07:00

FOR TODAY:

Outside my window... it is bright and sunny.

I am thinking... about a client last minute issues, and his return is due March 15.

I am thankful for... older children who can somewhat entertain themselves

From the learning rooms... we are learning the names of the 50 states. Wish I knew about this song when I was young!

From the kitchen... a quick tilipia recipe tonight! With cous cous and frozen veggies, it's a true 15 minute meal. Love it!

I am wearing... grey pants and a white shirt. (I'm still in my pjs at 3:45 in the afternoon - sheesh!)

I am creating... a plan for my garden.

I am going... to gymnastics (always a safe bet) and a children's ministry meeting tonight.

I am reading... Just finished Sense & Sensibility. Really enjoyed it! I was struck by a change in admirable character traits represented in the book. Hope to write a blog post about that soon - it's been thought-provoking for me.

I am hoping... Punkin does well on her testing the end of this month.

I am hearing... the 50 states song. The kids heard it while I was finding the link for the above item, and are now listening to it on the laptop.

Around the house... is not too bad!

One of my favorite things... is homeschooling. I'm going to miss it.

A few plans for the rest of the week: beginning planning the kid's birthday parties, last minute client emergencies for the S-corps that have returns due on March 15th, work, school, 2 birthday parties to attend on Saturday!

For more daybooks, check out the Simple Woman's Daybook site.

Olympic Lapbook

2010-03-08T08:27:00.002-07:00

We really enjoyed the Winter Olympics this year. Our favorite events were on too late for the kids to stay up, but we watched a lot online. Punkin's favorite was the figure skating, and she also really cheered for Lindsay Vonn who is from Colorado.

She made a lapbook using this ebook from A Journey Through Learning.

The cover:

The inside:

Folder 1 is about the history of the Greeks and the Olympics:
Folder 2 is about the traditions & symbols of the Olympics.
(There is a map under the Torch Relay of tracing the route.)

Folder 3 is where we tracked all the events and who won the gold medals.I'm glad we did this project. Punkin learned a lot and we had fun!

Family Picture

2010-03-02T06:00:00.002-07:00

I've written before about my favorite community event. It's in November, but I'm behind! Here is a family shot of us in our town square. (Little Man has glow in the dark teeth in his mouth.)

Simple Woman's Daybook

2010-03-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

FOR TODAY
(written Sunday afternoon)

Outside my window... it is bright and sunny.
I am thinking... about my daughter's friendships.
I am thankful for... Sundays.
From the learning rooms... we are finishing our Olympic lapbook and starting a new unit about space this week.
From the kitchen... I have a great Williams Sonoma cookbook from the library! Can't wait to try out a few more recipes!
I am wearing... jeans, a black and white top, long black sweater, no shoes.
I am creating... I finished (finally!) making an Alpaca fleece purse for Punkin.
I am going... to Awana with the kids.
I am reading... gardening books. Also "Lost, Late & Unprepared."
I am hoping... a nap is in the schedule today.
I am hearing... children playing.
Around the house... is still messy, but cleaner than yesterday morning!
One of my favorite things... is being caught up on the laundry!
A few plans for the rest of the week: work & school

For more daybooks, check out The Simple Woman's Daybook site.

Punkin's French Toast

2010-02-28T13:42:00.002-07:00

Punkin has been very interested in learning to cook recently. I have a Betty Crocker cookbook that I cooked from when I was young (best snickerdoodle recipe ever!). An updated version of the cookbook is still published, so we got that from the library for her.

She loves it!

Here is the yummy french toast she made completely by herself. All I did was supervise the stove top use a little bit.

Yum!

Do you have a favorite kids cookbook or recipe?

Getting Big

2010-02-27T06:53:00.000-07:00

Almost ready to leave for Friday school. Little Man counts down the days!

Tiny Talk

2010-02-23T07:09:00.004-07:00

Little Man bought a Hot Wheels forklift yesterday. He was SO excited when he opened it in the car and the forklift part actually moved up and down. He yelled, he showed his sister, he showed me.

We ran a couple of other errands, and on the way back to our house I hear him in the back seat:

"I'm so glad this moves up and down. I thought it did, but I wasn't sure. If it wouldn't have moved, my heart would have just been broken.

pause

Luckily, *little laugh, my heart is still fixed."

For more funny things kids say, check out Mary's site at Not Before 7.

Simple Woman's Daybook

2010-02-16T07:28:00.002-07:00

I saw this on Penless Writer's site and thought it would be a fun post today.

FOR TODAY

Outside my window... I see patches of snow and the early morning sun just coming over the rooftops.

I am thinking... that I overslept, I'm not ready for school today, and I probably should not be writing a blog post.

I am thankful for... my Little Man who still loves to snuggle in the mornings.

From the learning rooms... we are studying Ancient Greece and the Olympics.

From the kitchen... I need to go shopping!

I am wearing... my pjs!

I am creating... a blog post. That's the extent of it today!

I am going... on lots of errands today.

I am reading... "The Time Traveler's Wife. " I actually just finished it, but it is worth mentioning. I don't read a ton, but easily my favorite book I've read in the last year. Next is a book I saw recommended on a blog called "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society."

I am hoping... that I get everything on my list done today.

I am hearing... the TV.

Around the house... is messy. Maybe tomorrow....

One of my favorite things... is the peaceful and quiet feeling of the house in the mornings when only one or two of us are awake.

A few plans for the rest of the week: I have no big plans. School & work!

Check out The Simple Woman's blog if you would like to read more day posts or join in!

Tiny Tales

2010-02-09T08:08:00.004-07:00

Punkin did something yesterday (I've already forgotten what) that scared Little Man and made him jump.

Punkin: I scared you half to death!
Little Man: Nuh-uh. A third.

******************

WeaverDad: How old is mommy now?
Little Man: 23
WeaverDad: Nope, 37.
Little Man: Oh. Not even close.

For more funny things kids say, check out Mary's site at Not Before 7.

Big changes ahead

2010-02-06T09:56:00.007-07:00

I've been formally homeschooling for almost 5 years now. Preschool, K, Grades 1-3. I can't believe it. In some ways it feels like I've been doing it for all of my life, and in some ways it feels like just a few weeks.

I've read every homeschooling book at my library – and it's a good library so there are a lot of them! I've learned a lot. But there is one thing the books do not tell you how to do – stop homeschooling. How do you quit?

Punkin has been accepted at an amazing local charter school. She will start 4^th grade in the fall. We obviously chose to pursue this path; and we have some valid reasons for thinking this may be the best path for her and our family. However, I have to admit that I didn't really think she would get a spot. There was a less than 1 percent chance, and admittance is determined by a lottery system, so the new students are determined purely by chance.

I'm scared. I'm scared about the things she will learn the hard way. I'm scared the teachers won't like her. I'm scared the other kids won't like her. I'm scared she won't like the other kids. I'm scared that she will be asked to be someone other than the free-spirited, creative girl that she is. I'm scared that what I have taught her will not be enough.

My dad was teasing me a little about going through the kindergarten mom anxiety with a 4^th grader. And I definitely am. But, it is not just letting her go for the day. It's also letting go of complete responsibility of her education. Honestly, I'm having a hard time.

However, the chance was so slim and I prayed so much, I do believe that God opened this door for her. It is the right one for all of us. As scared as I am, I'm also super excited for her. I'm excited about the things she will learn. I'm excited that she has the opportunity to continue her education in a great place. I'm excited about the new friends she will make. I'm excited to see how she will grow.

And, maybe, I'll have more time to blog. *wink

2009 Recap

2010-01-01T09:02:00.011-07:00

I've done this the last couple of years, and I really like it. It's nice to review the year, and again, I'm amazed how many highlights this hits.

Directions: Post the first sentence of your first blog post of each month. You can also add a favorite picture from each month.

This year, Musings of A Housewife is hosting a carnival, so I've linked up to her as well. Check it out!

JANUARY
Punkin playing Ode to Joy with her teacher (at her piano recital.)

All the cousins!

FEBRUARY
Highlights from our 2008 Christmas (just a little late!)

Little Man still draws these faces!

MARCH
Waiting for Dad..

APRIL
Tax Day is over.

MAY
Hi Everyone! This is Little Man. I've been taking lots of pictures with Mom's camera lately, and we thought it would be fun to show you around how I see the world.

JUNE
Almost done with homeschool for the year!

JULY
My in-laws are visiting now.

AUGUST
It's late. There is already no way that I'm getting up for my morning workout, so I might as well stay up a little later and blog.

SEPTEMBER
no posts! The horror! *wink

OCTOBER
Here's the thing about vacation - it's incredibly hard to come home.

NOVEMBER
I'm going through our pictures for the year to make a photo album for my Grandma (shh!).

DECEMBER
Because of the constant begging, anyone at our house would believe that we are LATE, Itellyou LATE getting the tree up, when, in fact, it is barely December.

2009

2009-12-24T10:57:00.002-07:00

Advent Stockings

2009-12-23T07:50:00.003-07:00

I've tried various Advent ideas with the kids since they were tiny. Typically, I have overestimated their attention span, or the amount of time I have to organize and execute things. For example, one year I thought we would do a craft every day. One year, a Christmas book a night.

Um, ... yeah. Great ideas!, but not realistic for a homeschooling mom with a business where December and January are the busiest months.

I think I've finally found an advent activity that works for us!

I found the advent countdown list at Danielle's Place a few years ago. (The link is here, and the advent countdown is toward the bottom of the page.) I thought it was fantastic - it has an object idea for each day. The objects are mostly simple things - a quarter, a little bag of goldfish, heart sticker, part of a map, etc.. Then, there is a bible passage about Jesus that relates to the object. The passages are short enough that Punkin can read them.

I saw little stockings at the craft store last year and thought they would be perfect for the objects from the list.

So, here's how they turned out:
Aren't they cute? There is one stocking for each day in December and the kids love to take them down and see what is inside.

Do you have an advent idea that works for your family?

Christmas Lights

2009-12-23T07:32:00.000-07:00

If the snow doesn't prevent it, we are going to look at Christmas lights tonight. I love seeing how everyone decorates!

I think WeaverDad does a fantastic job with our outside lights.

Can you see Santa in the helicopter? Since WeaverDad likes to fly remote control helicopters, we thought this decoration was particularly appropriate for us! The blades spin and Santa has a big bag of toys in the back.
Merry Christmas!!

You'd think by now...

2009-12-19T19:32:00.002-07:00

You'd think by now I would understand boys at least a little. As my Little Man gets older, I realize I understand them even less than I thought I did.

But he sure is fun.

And he sure loves his new mohawk:

O Christmas Tree

2009-12-02T20:55:00.004-07:00

Because of the constant begging, anyone at our house would believe that we are LATE, Itellyou LATE getting the tree up, when, in fact, it is barely December. However, today, we did get our tree up, lights on, and ornaments on - all in one day.

The tree:

The lights:
The ornaments:
Ta-da!! I was totally amazed.

Even MORE amazing, there was not one squabble while putting the ornaments up. I unpacked the box and the kids hung them on the tree. Little Man was quite disappointed when we finished. "Aren't there any more to hang up Mommy?" Quite honestly, it was idyllic.

I've decided 8 and 5 might be the perfect ages.

But, Mommmm!

2009-11-29T19:13:00.001-07:00

When I find myself getting annoyed with my kiddos, I try to remember how much I will miss "this" (whatever that may be at the moment) when they are grown and out of the house.

However, I seriously think I could go the entire rest of my life without hearing "But, Moommmm" ever again, and not miss it. Not even a tiny little bit.

Anyone with me?

Love this picture!

2009-11-28T13:53:00.001-07:00

I'm going through our pictures for the year to make a photo album for my Grandma (shh!). I found one I had not seen and I love it and had to post.

Here is my Punkin at the state meet this year:

Here's the thing...

2009-10-21T20:52:00.003-06:00

Here's the thing about vacation - it's incredibly hard to come home. We were gone for 18 days, we've been home for 3 weeks tomorrow. Between you and me, I'm still not terribly excited about being home.

Vacation was amazing! We have visited family, but we have not been on a pleasure vacation since Punkin was born. We went to DisneyWorld for 6 days, the beach for 2 full days and 2 half days, and saw our family on the trip as well. (Yes, I'm still trying to go through all the pictures and get a post or video together.)

I LOVED:

being with my family
lazing around at the beach
watching the kids have a great time
just having fun
not having to enforce choretimes or schooltime
not having to clean the house, or cook supper, or do my bookkeeping work, or plan school, or..., or..., or....
having time and permission to do nothing

I guess any fool, given a choice, would choose vacation over work if he could.

And there are some amazing things about being home:

a comfortable bed
a shower that actually has some water pressure. I LOVE that whenever we move, my husband always changes out the showerhead to one that is water efficient but somehow has sufficient water pressure to get the shampoo out of my hair. Hotels just never have that. Plus, as tall as I am, just getting my head underneath the water can be a challenge - but I digress. So, moving on.
Friends.

But, here's what I wonder:
1. How do I take the lessons learned from vacation and incorporate those into my life? By that I mean, I was reminded deeply by our vacation time- particularly the time at the beach - that I need to make the time to breathe deeply, soak up some fun time with my family that is only for fun, and have time and permission to do absolutely nothing now and again. How do I do that? Which "ball" is going to be on the ground and which one is okay that it is there?

2. Where did my contentment go? I don't want to do my work. Yes, I'm pouting and yes, I know I'm acting like a big baby. Knowing that doesn't seem to be making the attitude go away. *grin. Again, what sane person wouldn't choose the beach vacation over a to-do list?

But, I do have a question about contentment. Do you think God ever uses it to lead us?

In the Bible, Paul says that he has "learned to be content whatever the circumstances." I'm pretty sure there are other places that command us to be content.

Ok, I get that. God wants us to trust Him and not be so caught up in the here and now. I get that Paul is saying God has put me in this place at this time for a purpose, and he has learned to trust that God knows what He is doing.

But, I still wonder if discontent is really always a bad thing? Do you think God ever uses discontent as a way to lead us? Maybe we are not a "sinful" path in black & white terms, just not exactly where He needs us, so He causes us to feel a little discontent in our spirits so that we notice we're in the wrong place?

What do you think? Do you have trouble coming home from vacation? What do you think about contentment?

Also, I haven't read a good book lately. Any suggestions?

Disneyworld Tiny Talk!

2009-10-06T18:41:00.003-06:00

We went to Disneyworld! Had such a great time! It was a bit of a last minute decision, so between planning and going, I've been away from my blog for awhile.

I have much more to share about our Disney trip, but it will have to be in tidbits I think, until I can get the pictures organized. So here is the first tidbit:

Our last day was at Animal Kingdom. Just as we were exiting the park, they stopped us to allow a parade float to go by that had Mickey, Minnie and Pluto on it. Wasn't that an awesome way to end our days there?

As they went by, Little Man yells "Bye Mickey! Bye Minnie! Bye Pluto! ...

Bye truck!"

For more Tiny Talk, check out Mary's site at Not Before 7.

Workboxes

2009-08-28T07:33:00.000-06:00

Have you heard of Sue Patrick's workbox system?

One of the ladies on my Weaver email loop mentioned them, and I was intrigued. After reading Ms. Patrick's book - honestly, I was nervous about the extra time it might take, but I also thought it would work well for our family.

I used it with just Punkin for the last few weeks of last year, and have been using it for the first 3 weeks of school with both of them, and it works really well for us.

The basic idea is that you organize the work into boxes.

Because Weaver is multi-level, I have 3 colors of labels - one for her, one for him, and one for both of them.

And then, I arrange their schedule strips for each of them each day.

The pink one is for Punkin. The blue one is for Little Man.

I love the schedule strip. It helps my highly-visual Punkin stay focused, and to refocus her all I have to say is "What's next on your schedule strip?" She does really well seeing what comes next, and knowing how much she has left.

My favorite part is a very subtle shift of the responsibility for finishing her schoolwork - it's now hers. And she has taken ownership of that. I definitely still help her with most of the boxes, but I'm helping her complete her work instead of her doing what I need her to do. It is a subtle difference in how it looks, but I love it.

It is more work. No doubt about it. But it is worth it because I'm so much more focused on them and relaxed during our school time. Actually, it probably isn't more work - it's just that I do more of it ahead of time instead of on the fly during our day. And because Little Man is taking my attention when she is working independently now, there is not as much "prepare on the fly" time in our school day anyway.

'Course this is still Little Man's favorite thing to do:

Gotta love that boy and his cars!

Front yard visitor

2009-08-27T07:55:00.004-06:00

We have a snake that lives in our front yard. Punkin is working on a speech about him, so we were in the front yard yesterday trying to get a picture of him. We never did find the snake, but look at what we did find:

Choo-choo!

2009-08-20T22:03:00.004-06:00

This is our 3rd week back at school, and we are deep in a long history unit going through U.S. History from Washington to Lincoln.

We are currently studying Thomas Jefferson's presidency, and one of the topics was the invention of the steam locomotive in 1804. I wanted to build a little steam engine, but it just wasn't possible to do by myself. My mechanical ability is pretty laughable.

But, I can do crafts! And I found this really cool printable at the Family Fun website, and we made these steam engines today.

Aren't they cute?? (yeah... I'm a girl. *wink)

My Big Girl

2009-08-19T17:19:00.002-06:00

I'm so proud of my Punkin.

I have 2 extra kiddos here today and my daughter has been so helpful. She is cheerful, kind to the little ones, not whining about things "not being fair." And right now, she is giving the littlest one a mohawk.

I love that girl!

When it's really late...

2009-08-18T23:46:00.002-06:00

It's late. There is already no way that I'm getting up for my morning workout, so I might as well stay up a little later and blog.

'Cause I miss blogging. There just never seems to be enough time to write out what I'm thinking.

So, here's my list of what's been going on lately. I'm hopeful that if I can "catch up", maybe I'll get back in the habit of posting every other day or so. Check back soon!

1. We've started school. We started a big history unit and have already learned about George Washington and John Adams.

Did you know that the White House has a dentist office?

2. I've decided to run a 5K. I'm on Week 3 of my training, and I'm really excited about how it is going. And even more excited that it looks like I might actually be able to do it.

3. Little Man is reading! He is doing so well with his Bob books. He is enjoying school, and begs to do his math workbook.

4. Punkin is doing 3rd grade work, and I've been amazed at her this year already. Her attention span is much longer and she is caring about the quality of her work, which makes teaching her so much easier.

5. The kids are full on in the bickering stage. They still get along remarkably well, but Little Man's answer to every perceived offense is to scream at the top of his lungs. Punkin responds by trying to outscream him. It makes me want to leave the building.

6. WeaverDad's job is... uncertain these days. The company is unsure whether they will find or be able to procure the funds for the next phase. One day it is on, one day it is off. We are not really worried about this job going away - having been through 2 layoffs, we are not unprepared. He even has a couple of good possibilities to pursue. But the not knowing is a little unsettling. I'd appreciate your prayers that we will continue to be secure in the knowledge that we are engraved on God's hand and He will not be unconcerned with little ole us.

7. I'm starting a new bible study in the fall. I've been going to one associated with our church, but I'm the only homeschool mom and now that Punkin is 8, she is starting to feel like there is no one her age there and she feels lonely. So, I'm changing to a Community Bible Study that will have a class for both of the kids. I've heard that there are a quite a few homeschoolers there and that the classes are amazing. I'm excited for Punkin and Little Man! The topic this fall is Revelation - just a little light intro to the group. Um... yeah. I'm a little nervous and also excited to study the book of the bible that I probably know the least about.

7. I think I'm going to start a "God-sighting" topic on my blog. At VBS this year, the leaders talked about "God-sightings" as times when you knew God was working things out in your life. I tend to be a control freak and have trouble just letting things work out on their own.

I've been doing Beth Moore's Esther study, and she talks a lot about how Esther just did the next thing, and she really had no idea how things would turn out. God asks us to do the next thing, and trust Him to see the big picture and watch out for that. We don't have to make it all work out, we just need to do the next thing. Freeing!! And incredibily hard for me.

Lately, I have intentionally tried to let some things go, and I've been blown away by the result. They have been relatively trivial; in fact, extremely trivial by most standards, but still made me feel so ... cared for, I guess is the right phrase. And I don't want to forget them.

Here's an example:
WeaverDad was traveling recently and I decided to take the kids to a local art festival. It was a perfect day for it - the weather was beautiful, we had nothing on our schedule, and the kiddos were well rested. I wanted to take some cash with me, but I don't have cash. Ever. I usually raid the husband's pockets on the rare occasions I need some. But, as I mentioned, he was out of town.

So, I raided the kids' allowance money stash. Which is money, but it's all in ones. So, I grabbed a wad of ones and was concerned about how this was going to work. Typically, at these types of events, I don't want to carry a purse around, but I'm wondering how I'm going to carry a wad of ones in my pocket without becoming a pickpocket magnet. I started to stress about it, and tear the house apart looking for any spare forgotten birthday money. But, that would take time and I had already stalled the kids for a couple of hours doing "just one more thing."

So, I took a deep breath, told myself it would all work out, and went with my big ole wad of ones.

It was already lunch time so we stopped at McDonalds.
Just as it was time for us to place our order, the guy yells to his manager "I need ones!"

Well, guess who just happened to have a wad of them?? So we traded, and it worked out great for everyone -me, the kids, the guy, the manager, and the people behind us in line who didn't have to wait for the manager to exchange the money.

Have you had any "God-sightings" lately?

7 Quick Takes

2009-07-24T07:36:00.005-06:00

1. My in-laws are visiting now. My mother-in-law has altitude sickness in the past, but is doing well on this trip. I'm so thankful, and I'm sure she is too.

2. My parents came a couple of weeks ago. We went to Rocky Mountain National Park one day and did a short hike around Bear Lake. It was beautiful, and the kids had fun playing with the camera:
3. Both kiddos took swim lessons this summer. Punkin can now stay in the deep end for our entire visits, and Little Man can swim across the pool. This makes my presence in the water mostly optional - I'm enjoying that!

4. Swimming wears kids out. I love that!

5. In fact, just sleep anywhere! (yes, this is our coffee table.)

6. Punkin had her gymnastics banquet recently. She received the "most improved" award.

7. Only one more week and we start back homeschoool! *sigh

7 Quick Takes

2009-06-12T06:18:00.007-06:00

1. Purchasing clothing for an 8-year old who is as tall as an average 12-year old, wants to look like she is 16, loves sequins, glitter and all things sleeveless is hard. *sigh 'Cause sometimes a girl needs to have clothes appropriate for the park.

2. Who knew that Walm*art would be my hero in dressing my daughter? In the past, I have felt that the Walm*art clothing selection was highly limited due to my desire to not have my child dressed exclusively in Dis*ney advertising. However, yesterday I found several basic, cute, modest T-shirts perfect for going to the park. Score! On sale for $3 each. Double score!

3. The next time I watch the Olympics and the athletes say they want to thank their parents - man, can I just say I have a new appreciate for that comment! It can be a ton of work to have your kiddo doing this type of sport. And we are so far away from the Olympic level! Punkin's state meet is this weekend, and her gym is hosting. I will be at the gym for at least 12 hours on Saturday, and I have spent 18 hours working on the signs that go on the clip of the scoring contraption. There are 457 gymnasts registered for this event, so there were a lot of signs to make.

On a positive note, there were 5 of us working on the signs, and I might have to take back every ugly thing I have ever said about "committees". Every mom came to the meetings, was helpful, and cared that the signs were done properly. I don't think I've ever been on a committee with all "20% people" before. It was ... fantastic. I mean, if I'm going to spend my time working on it, it was nice that it was organized and done correctly.

4. Today is our last day of school!!! I'm going to have a 3rd grader and kindergartener next year - yikes!

5. My Little Man is amazing. This week, he has been to long committee meetings, hours of shopping, quiet through some of the year-end tests, and he has been so, so well-behaved. I think I owe that boy a huge bowl of ice cream.

6. Little Man has been obsessed with the concept of an "attic" this week. The kids watched a TV show where the kids played hide-n-seek in the attic, and then he wanted to know if we had an attic.

As an aside, I grew up in the South, where all the houses had attics. Most you get in by pulling down a set of collapsible stairs and you climb right up. In Colorado, the roofs are reinforced to support the weight of the snow, so attics are not the prime storage space they are in the South. We do have an attic, but it does not have a floor so the access point is just a hole in the ceiling, we don't store things there and we don't go up there.

So, here's a summary of our conversations this week:

Little Man: Do we have an attic?
Me: Yep.
LM: How do you get to it?
Me: In our closet.
LM runs off.

A few minutes later:
LM: I can't find the door.
Me: It's in the ceiling.
LM: The ceiling? Really?
LM runs off.

A few minutes later:
LM: I can't reach it.
Me: Yeah, you'll have to wait on Dad for that.

So, 2 days later, WeaverDad and Little Man are finally home at the same time before 9:00 pm, and Dad lifts him up so he can see in the very dark attic. It made his week.
LM: ...... and Dad says, that we can't walk in there, or we would CRASH THROUGH THE CEILING!

He makes me giggle.

7. I love these two.

Esther

2009-06-07T21:20:00.005-06:00

I'm doing a Beth Moore bible study this summer with a new group of women. My "normal" bible study takes a break in the summer, and one of my newer friends from church invited me. It is a very eclectic group of women - which I love. I don't know everyone yet, but I think the age range is teen all the way to age 60. Some of us have kids, some have grandkids, some are married with no kids, and some are not married. Since I have been doing a morning bible study, it has been awhile since I have been part of such a diverse group. I think it is going to be awesome.

And I'm excited about the study also. I'm in a very peaceful season of life. It seems odd to say that because I feel like I am in constant motion from sun-up to sun-down. But, there is very little drama in my own life right now. A peace from any major crisis.

I'd be lying if I didn't say that doesn't fill me with a little fear for the future, but I am trying to breathe deeply and completely immerse myself in this present peace. Most major crises are out of my control anyway, so why mess up my peaceful time with fear? I'm assuming God has urged me toward this study to strengthen my faith that no matter what the future brings, He will not let me go.

See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;
your walls are ever before me. Isaiah 49:16

Isaiah is specifically talking about Israel in this verse, although I believe it represents the people of God which now includes us. This whole chapter is really encouraging reading. Check it out!

I'm looking forward to studying Esther. What are you studying right now?

7 Quick Takes

2009-06-05T07:35:00.009-06:00

1. Almost done with homeschool for the year! Our last day is next Friday, and all of us are ready for a 6 week summer break!

2. I broke my camera - on my birthday! (sob!) I dropped it at Walmart, and it refuses to come on. WeaverDad found the same camera on ebay for a bargain, so I just ordered another one. It works well for me and I have all the accessories. Hopefully, it will arrive soon!

We ran into some friends at Walmart that day, and Little Man took the last picture:

3. Our Vacation Bible School is going to be at night this year. I have mixed feelings about it. Has anyone done a night one? Like it? Hate it?

4. Punkin has 2 more gymnastics competitions this year. Yay!! She is still doing well and steadily improving. Here she is after one a few weeks ago:

5. Little Man had his last soccer game last Saturday. He scored 6 goals!!

And of course had snack:

And got a trophy:

6. It has been raining a lot here lately. On trash day, I went out to add one more thing to the bin, and found that the trash can was stopping all the worms in the water run-off. Look at all of them! I scooped them out and put them with the flowers and in the garden.

7. It's been several weeks, but Punkin had Field Day with her enrichment program. Field Day is so much fun - it's nice to actually have conversations with the other moms and to learn the names of her classmates.

Punkin ran a relay:

Ran a three-legged race:

Did the sack hop:

Played tug-of-war

While Little Man did this. For the entire morning.
Thank goodness I thought to bring his bike at the last minute. I think that was a God thing!
We had a fun day!

Tiny Talk

2009-05-05T06:22:00.000-06:00

WeaverDad: Wow! There is a lot of construction here. Why do you think they are building so much stuff?

Little Man: Cause - The world's not done yet.

For more Tiny Talk, head over to Mary's at Not Before 7!

Little Man's Eyes

2009-05-03T07:16:00.007-06:00

Hi Everyone! This is Little Man. I've been taking lots of pictures with Mom's camera lately, and we thought it would be fun to show you around how I see the world. Maybe slightly fuzzier in some cases than I actually see it, but you'll get the idea.

So, let me introduce you to the people of my house. First, there's me. These are my favorite boots for stomping around in the snow.

This is my sister.

This is my dad:

And Mom said all the pictures of her were too horrible to post,
but she sure stares at this thing alot:

And my dad is allergic to pet hair, so this is our dog:

This is the inside of our house: (Hi Punkin!)

And this is the outside of our house:And now, for the most important part. My cars! Here are some of my favorites:

The yellow van:

The green truck:

The black sports car:

The police car:

They are so awesome! Want to see them again?

Thanks for touring my world with me. Have some candy and come back soon!

Tiny Talk

2009-04-28T08:41:00.001-06:00

A few weeks ago, we had an "adventure day." We went geocaching, and afterwords, Punkin wanted to go to a Chinese buffet restaurant - "just like at GrandNan and Grandpa's house." So, we found a Chinese buffet in our GPS and off we went.

We pulled up to the restaurant and Punkin was beside herself with excitement. She read the sign - "Look, Little Man! Super Chinese Buffet! (pronounced buff-it)"
Little Man: "What's a buff-it?"
Punkin: "It's the same thing as a buf-fay."

While eating, she pronounced that the meal was "a scrumptious, affectionary delight."

A little boy talked to the kids at the ice cream machine and told them that the vanilla & chocolate mixed together was the best. When my kids actually got their ice cream, he left his table of all adults and came over and to chat and see what kind they had gotten. Punkin introduced herself, and then asked him how old he was. He said he was 6.
Little Man got very excited. He told the boy, "I'm almost 6. I just have to be five, and then I'll be six."

And, lastly, WeaverDad has a standing joke with fortune cookies. He opens them and then "reads" his fortune slip and says "Help! Help! I'm trapped in Chinese fortune cookie factory."
The kids laughed, so WeaverDad asked them why that was funny. (He was trying to see if they understood his joke.) Punkin says, "Because you pretended that someone was trapped and they wrote a note because they couldn't get out."
Little Man added "and they didn't have a phone."

I love how practical my little people think sometimes. It's hilarious!

For more Tiny Talk, head over to Mary's at Not Before 7!

Punkin Birthday Fun

2009-04-27T07:05:00.004-06:00

My oldest baby is 8. EIGHT! I say this every year, but how does this keep happening?? This has been a huge year of emotional growth for her, and the last couple of months especially. Every day she takes me by surprise how mature she is becoming. I'm so proud of her.

We kept it low-key this year for a birthday celebration - she just had a sleepover with Neighbor Girl. Here are some highlights:

Heading out for some fun:

Punkin's favorite place to eat is at the mall. So, we went, we ate, we bought a boatload of candy at the candy store in lieu of a cake, and we went to Claire's.

We came home and they painted their nails:

Neighbor Girl gave matching P.J.s as a birthday gift. So, here they are in their TinkerBell jammies with their Webkins:

They set up their sleeping bags, and watched a couple of movies. After a gymnastics meet and all the girl-ly fun, I was exhausted and fell sleep before they did, but I think they had a great time.

Sunday, Punkin and I went to tea.

Happy Birthday!!!

7 Quick Takes

2009-04-24T09:28:00.000-06:00

(Ok, so I didn't quite get this finished on Friday! Oops!.... )

1. Despite the blizzard at the end of last week, the weather this week has been gorgeous. I'm sunburned and happy.

2. We are taking a planned break from school this week and next week. I was ready. The kids were ready. We are enjoying some real, live free time. One day, we had friends over and played in the bounce house:

even though there was a little snow left:

3. One of our neighbors is moving and had a yard sale this week. We got Punkin a great bike for super cheap!

4. WeaverDad turned 42 this week - Happy Birthday Hubby!!

5. WeaverDad had a work party this week, and I got to attend. With adults! And no kids! Wow! What a concept! It was super fun!

6. I think I've mentioned before that I have hypothyroidism. I had a check-up recently and she lowered my dose. As just a little background, since the doctors missed the diagnosis for several years (despite having the bloodwork done at least 4 times in college), and the fact that I had 18 months of horror after I quit nursing Little Man, I don't have a ton of faith in just the one number that the doctors love to rely on.

I'm not thrilled with the idea of taking a lower dose. I would really like to have a fun summer with my kids without them hearing, "Mom's just not up for that today" every other minute.

But, since I can't get a prescription for the dose I've been taking without the doctor, I guess I have to try what she says. I really hate that. 'Cause I've had this diagnosis long enough that I really think I could just about adjust my dose based solely on how I feel. If I could get access to the blood test and medicine without her, I totally would just manage it myself.

So, does that make me arrogant? Cheap? Or smart?

7. I've been praying for this little guy this week. (Edited on Monday to add: Looks like there is a possibility he will get to go home soon!)

First Gymnastics Competition

2009-04-19T20:58:00.003-06:00

We didn't expect Punkin to compete today, but she decided she wanted to and she was able to compete on 3 events. Because I thought she wasn't competing today, I only had my point & shoot camera with a video feature so the quality isn't great, but you'll get the idea.

We're so proud of you baby!!

The Biggest Snowman Ever

2009-04-18T20:39:00.001-06:00

... at least at our house.

Snow Day

2009-04-18T07:13:00.002-06:00

Do you think Little Man will have his soccer game today? *wink

Out our back door:

Out our front door:

7 Quick Takes

2009-04-16T21:23:00.007-06:00

1. Tax Day is over. And I am extremely glad. I love my bookkeeping work, but I'm glad for it to slow down just a little bit! How I wish that meant that all of my client's 2008 work was finished. But, alas, some of them know how easy extensions are to get.

2. Little Man turned 5. He is very proud, and had a great birthday.

He got some money & gift cards:
And a cowboy outfit: (Is he not the cutest thing ever?)

And a scooter:

He spent some of his birthday money to buy the scooter. This is the day after he got it, in the garage. I was just a little too late with my camera to get a picture of him washing it with paper towels. I repeat, is he not the cutest thing ever?

(Yes, he is a little miffed with me here. I insisted on taking his picture when he would rather have been riding his scooter.)

3. We went to downtown Denver this week to a rally at the Capitol. I'm so glad we went. It was wonderful to be with others who feel as we do, it was wonderful to participate a little bit in the process, and it felt really good to DO something (even if ultimately useless) instead of sitting home complaining to each other.
4. Here's my biggest laugh this week:

We rode the light rail to the rally. It was a first for our kiddos. Punkin read the rules posted on the train, one of which is "no gambling." She asked what gambling was. WeaverDad told her it was playing cards or other games where everyone puts in some money and whoever wins takes the money. He told her it was risky and a "stupid game."

Her response: "Unless you win."

Well, yeah.

5. We've had some gymnastics saga around here the last 2 weeks. The shortest version I can come up with is that Punkin has been going to the gym 4 hours a week for over a year, and last week she was there for over 10, and this week for 7. They don't feel she is quite ready for the first competition (and Punkin agrees), but they are going to let her get dressed and be with the team anyway. I LOVE her new coaches. I hope to post a picture of her with her team leo & "meet hair." She sure looks like a little gymnast all fixed up!

She's tired, but I'm exhausted! Will someone please explain that to me?

6. I love that this is becoming a very common sight at our house:

7. Little Man is playing soccer. And he LOVES it.

And for those of you who remember this post, you might appreciate this year not only did I somehow manage to go to the wrong place for the first practice, I confused another parent and took them down with me. *evil laugh.

*sigh

Interesting quote

2009-03-29T07:48:00.000-06:00

"The central conservative truth is that it is culture, not politics, that determines the success of a society," Daniel Patrick Moynihan famously observed. "The central liberal truth is that politics can change a culture and save it from itself."

From this article.

Another link

2009-03-23T15:19:00.002-06:00

So, I'm quickly becoming a huge fan of Conversion Diary.

While I don't agree with everything she writes, I find her writing so fascinating & thought-provoking. And that she often puts into words what I might have said had I her writing talent and evident ability to either never sleep or "process" while taking care of children.

Anyway, I love the analogy she uses in this post.

The Lady & The Hero

2009-03-18T08:00:00.000-06:00

Punkin is planning to do some gymnastics competitions this spring, and she has to fix her hair a certain way that involves sponge rollers. She has been experimenting with the rollers and loves dressing up with her curly hair.

Her hero loves to show off his muscles. I would tell you that the hero frequently wears his PowerRanger suit to Walmart and even church but, of course, I would never allow that. Nope. Not me. *wink

Waiting for Dad

2009-03-17T15:13:00.001-06:00

by watching Pink Panther in the van:

Link

2009-02-26T19:50:00.002-07:00

One of the most powerful blog posts I've read in awhile can be found here. It's about living what you believe. Beautifully.

Little Man's guide to drawing

2009-02-19T12:16:00.002-07:00

Little Man's Guide to How to draw a face:

Step 1: Ask your mom or dad if they have a CD you can trace. And a piece of paper you can have. And a pencil too.

Step 2: Trace the outside of the CD.

Step 3: Trace the little hole in the middle of the CD for 2 eyes and a nose.

Step 4: Draw a smile.

Step 5: Draw a few lines for hair.

Step 6: Add a beard.

Step 7: Repeat often. I like to draw 10 to 15 every day.

Oh, my my.

2009-02-12T16:15:00.002-07:00

One of my close friends has a sick little guy today. We went to her house to drop something off, and Punkin wanted to take it to the door.

Me: No, one of the boys is sick.

Punkin: What's wrong with him?

Me: He's got a fever and he doesn't feel good, so he is laying on the couch and letting his big brother hug on him.

Punkin: Oh. Well, can I go see him just laying on the couch?

Me: No.

Punkin: Why?

Me: Because I don't want you to get sick.

Punkin (matter of factly): But then I would be calm.

Should I laugh or cry?

First Pregnancy

2009-02-06T07:00:00.000-07:00

I saw this on Short Stop's blog, and it looked like fun so I thought I would play along! Here's a little about my experience when becoming a Mom.

1. Was your pregnancy planned? Yes. God's plans and our plans don't always match, so we had been planning for awhile.

2. Were you married at the time? Yes.

3. What were your reactions? Disbelief. Excitement. Fear.

4. Was abortion an option for you? No way.

5. How old were you? 28.

6. How did you find out you were pregnant? Pregnancy tests. Or possibly several, but that would be silly, so of course I didn't do that.

7. Who did you tell first? Well, honestly, I told a lady at work because my husband wanted to wait to tell our families, and I just couldn't stand another second of not telling. It was not my best moment. But, we did tell my parents before everyone else with a big phone call on 3 way.

8. Did you want to find out the sex? No. But my husband did. So he did, and I didn't. We had two rules to make that work. He couldn't tease me about it, and he couldn't tell anyone. Not even his mother. And yes, he can actually keep a secret.

9. What was your due date? May 1st, 2001. She was born April 26th.

10. Did you have morning sickness? Some. The smell of coffee was not enjoyable at all. And I was so tired. We had just moved to Colorado. I've read since then that "they" advise to not get pregnant in the first 3 months if you move from sea level to high altitude, because your body is making extra blood for the altitude, and extra blood for the pregnancy. I remember being so tired at work that I would have to concentrate on sitting up in my chair and staying awake.

11. What did you crave? Applesauce and cheese. As in dipping the cheese into the applesauce. I have no idea why I did that in the first place. And I definitely don't eat it that way now - it's just weird.

12. What irritated you? About being pregnant? Heartburn. Jumpy legs when I would try to sleep.

13. What was the sex of your first child? A girl.

14. Did you wish you had the opposite sex of what you were getting? No.

15. How many pounds did you gain throughout the pregnancy? 35 lbs. This was taken on April 14th - 12 days to go!:

16. Did you have a baby shower? Yes, at work and at church.

17. Were they a surprise? No.

18. Did you have any complications during your pregnancy? No.

19. Where did you give birth? In a hospital.

20. How many hours were you in labor? 30. 12 of it was what I would call intense labor. The first part I talked on the phone with my best friend from college for awhile.

21. Who drove you to the hospital? My husband. We went twice. Once I was only 2 cm, so they sent me home. The second time I vividly remember saying on the way, "I can't believe anyone does this again. Ever. Drugs, no drugs. Don't care. Not doing this again."

22. Who watched you give birth? I have the mental impression of being surrounded by people. But the only ones I remember are my husband, my midwife, and a high school student who was doing some kind of career day thing. They asked me at the last minute if she could watch and by then, I was past the point of caring and said yes. She was standing back against the wall, but directly in my line of vision, so I remember her. I didn't think to ask to meet her until much later, and by then she was gone.

23. Was it natural or c-section? Natural

24. Did you take medication to ease the pain? No. I'm a drug-free birth crazy lady. It was a great choice for me.

25. How much did your child weigh? 8lbs 11 oz. She was 22 1/2 inches long.

28. When was your child actually born? 8:46am?

30. What did you name him/her? Why, Punkin of course! :) Ok, not really. Since, I don't use their names, I'll tell you a little about how we chose. Our last name is very common, so we wanted a first name that you didn't hear every day, but you could still find on a pencil at Walmart. We found a name we both love the way it sounds. Her middle name sounds great with it, and is also my best friend from college's name.

31. How old is your first born today? I'm not sure how - but she is 7!

Our Thinks

2009-02-05T06:44:00.002-07:00

Out of the blue yesterday, Little Man asked me, "Does God even know our thinks?"

What I learned this week

2009-02-03T07:46:00.003-07:00

Musings of a Housewife is hosting a new carnival. It sounds like fun, so I thought I would play along today. Go here to play along too.

What I learned this week:
1. I really like having deep spiritual conversations. I knew I liked to have these conversations in person, but having them via email is just as fun. It adds some energy to my step.

2. I cannot work 60 hours in one month and keep up with the housework. *sigh. Be back in a second - I need to go start a load of laundry.

3. I love Wii Outdoor Challenge.

4. My Punkin has had one of those weeks where she seems older. I don't like it. Well, I like it - I just don't like it. I understand that makes no sense, but I also know you moms get what I mean.

5. It's really fun to go to lunch with a friend without kids. I did this this week for the first time since Punkin was born. I should do this more often.

Christmas

2009-02-01T08:18:00.005-07:00

Here's to better late than never!

Highlights from our 2008 Christmas

Making stockings for the Denver Rescue Mission:

Making Sand Art brownie jars for the neighbors:

Santa came!!

The kids on Christmas morning:

Gifts for each other:
Uh-oh! Got a paper cut!
One bandaid later - it's all better!
Dad moment:
See, when I say we don't need any more presents, I'm completely serious.

Putting a toy together with Dad:

Playing with her new toy:

On my mind

2009-01-30T07:58:00.003-07:00

I've debated posting about this for 2 reasons.

One, the main point of my blog is for our families to see pictures of the kids and know what we are up to.

Two, the stimulus bill and Obama's ideals are not surprising. He may have been vague with some details and a lot of practicality of how we are going to pay for things while he was campaigning, but he was crystal clear about his ideals. And people voted for him anyway. So, it must be what the people want. I don't understand, but that is part of the beauty of the United States -we don't all have to agree.

However, my heart is just sinking at what I perceive to be foolish decisions. And friends who can't find work, and "solutions" that I believe will only lead to more of that.

And I'm not posting often because I am finding it hard to be light and carefree. So, today I decided to post what I'm thinking about.

We are finally reaping the "rewards" of making unwise choices, as a country feeling like we deserve more than we can afford, and a general lack of personal responsibility. And, my heart aches for those who did not personally live this way who are being caught up in the consequences. And I am not naive enough to think that my family is immune. We have been through 2 layoffs during our marriage, once for about a year, so I know how hard it can be.

But, I believe with all of my heart that any stimulus package, and especially this stimulus package, is not the solution. I didn't think Bush's "package" was the answer, and I don't think this one is either. I fully understand the desire to save us, and man, do I wish that I thought that this would do it. But I just don't think this is the path we should be taking. As Dr. Phil says, "You don't solve money problems with money." All this does is postpone the inevitable and take our children and grandchildren down with us. We have a debt problem and we are attempting to solve it with more debt. To me, it feels like continuing to gamble on the horses to solve the problem of gambling too much on the horses. We are praying for that "big win" that rarely comes.

A friend of ours posted about the stimulus package, and I think he says it well. I hope you will go read it here.

Cousins

2009-01-21T15:21:00.001-07:00

I was going through some pictures to send to Gram, and found this one of all the cousins. Missing you guys today!

Punkin's Piano Recital

2009-01-11T16:53:00.002-07:00

Playing Ode to Joy with her teacher on December 13, 2008.

2008

2008-12-31T19:38:00.005-07:00

I did this fun post last year, and I enjoyed it and was surprised how many highlights the first sentence and one picture hits, so here it is again.

The directions are:

Post the first sentence of your first blog post of each month. You can also add a favorite picture from each month.

January
Happy New Year! Ok, so we're a week into it, but I feel like I can finally say it.

Little Man enjoying his Christmas present:

February
I finally feel better. Still tired, but better. Thanks for all your sweet comments! (This is actually a post about Back to School after a short break.)

Waiting to go into the Monster Truck Rally:

March
We are doing a unit on Native Americans, and having a great time.

Watching Pocahontas on our Native American night:

April
Why I'm not a public school mom.

In the elevator at the Nature & Science Museum:

May
My Punkin is now 7. And my only comment is How Did This Happen?

Geocaching fun:

June
Overheard while Punkin and Little Man were playing family: (Wondering now?)

Hot cocoa on our camping trip:

July
For the 4th of July, we went to Bandimere Speedway for the "Family Fun Day" and JetCar National Race.

Punkin and I enjoying a meal out:

August
I've been neglecting my blog lately. As many of you have stated on your blog, time feels scarce, and it is easy for priorities to get out of whack.

Little Man mastering the two-wheeler:

September
We've been studying the tabernacle in our bible lessons this month.

The kids at my brother's wedding:

October
Seriously, people, I feel like an idiot. How hard can it be? (On Learning to be a soccer mom.)

Punkin and I at the Gymnastics Extravaganza:

November
I have a new pet peeve.

December
Little Man loved playing soccer this fall. Loved it!

Goofy picture at his soccer party:2008 has been a great year for us. If it has not been for you, may 2009 be the best year yet!

Happy New Year!

2008-12-30T21:29:00.009-07:00

Happy New Year from our family to yours!

I didn't quite get the Christmas Letter out this year, so I opted for a New Year's letter instead. Costco even sells photo card options with Happy New Year!

Here is our family's top ten things we are grateful for at the end of 2008 (with names changed):

1. WeaverMom's brother, The Architect, got married in September! To a beautiful lady named The Spanish Teacher. The picture of us is on the front of the church steps on their wedding day.

2. WeaverDad’s job stability. He is on a software rebuild team for a major collection industry company, enjoys most of his co-workers, and it is not too far from home. Especially in times like these, we could not ask for anything more.

3. The love for bike-riding. Little Man mastered the “two-wheeler” this summer and Punkin loves to ride over “whoop-dee-dos”. We’ve been on some fun family bike rides!

4. The continued privilege of homeschooling. Punkin is in 2nd grade and is beginning to read books to herself for fun. Little Man is 4 and is starting to join us – he loves doing dot-to-dots and his math workbook.

5. Little Man's love of cars. When he grows up, he is planning to be “a race car guy, and a motorcycle driver and a monster truck driver.” (Last year, his list included “a monster truck guy with lotsa, lotsa FIRE!”, so Mom is happy that the fire is no longer part of the list.)

6. Punkin's love of gymnastics. She loves it, and her favorite event is uneven bars.

7. No stitches needed! Prior to 2008, the kids have had 30 stitches or staples between them. So far, in 2008, no accidents have required an ER visit!

8. Little Man’s first soccer season. The boy loves it. For pictures of him playing, you can check out WeaverMom’s blog. http://weavermomof2.blogspot.com

9. WeaverMom's bookkeeping business is growing and she now has over 20 clients and a fantastic employee.

10. The Wii. Sure, it’s not a life necessity by any stretch, but we love it and have had some fun family times playing! Punkin and Little Man especially enjoy racing each other on MarioKart.

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.

Psalm 46:1-3

Soccer Party

2008-12-02T20:44:00.002-07:00

Little Man loved playing soccer this fall. Loved it!

Here are some snapshots of his end of season party:

The cake:
The goofy-ness:
The trophy:

I must be getting old

2008-11-30T18:42:00.002-07:00

I have a new pet peeve.

More than one background noise.

Is it just me? It seems everywhere we go there is a TV and the radio playing - at the same time. And at restaurants, there is also all the background noise of the other customers. Even if I can physically hear, I can't even concentrate on the conversation at my table because my brain just processes noise.

Does this mean I'm getting hopelessly old? *wink

Gymnastics Extravaganza

2008-10-19T16:38:00.003-06:00

Punkin loves gymnastics. Loves it! Says she is going to be an Olympian. Those of you who remember that I'm 6 feet tall and my hubby is 6'2" will understand why she adds that she is going to be the tallest women's gymnastic champion ever.

She loved watching the Olympics, and knew most of the team. She, of course, loves Nastia Lukin and Shawn Johnson. When she heard at her gym that they were coming to town with the Tour of Gymnastics Superstars, she was beside herself with excitement.

Because we got the tickets through her gym, we were invited to go early for a special pre-event Q&A with Shawn Johnson and Paul Hamm. They talked for a little bit and then took questions from the audience. The questions were great - what is your worst event? What do you eat? Have you ever wanted to quit? I was especially impressed with Shawn Johnson just because she is so young. She was very poised, and obviously driven and passionate about gymnastics, but she also came across as very "normal."

Here are Punkin and Neighbor Girl waiting for it to start:Shawn Johnson taking pictures with some people who were out on the floor:

Getting ready to begin:

Here we are:

My pictures of the event were horrible since I was not allowed to use my flash, but I wish some had turned out. The rhythmic gymnasts and the men did some stunts where they hung onto fabric or rings and flew through the air. It was amazing.

In case you are considering going when it comes to your area, I have a few additional comments. It was much louder than I anticipated and we wished for earplugs. One of the musical acts was... tedious to sit through to be honest. If gymnastics is the reason you would like to go, the 2nd half was much better than the 1st. I was also a bit taken aback at the sexiness of the program. I'm not sure how to describe this. When I watch gymnastics on TV, it seems athletic to me, even though they are wearing the little outfits. At this show, the mood of the costumes and some of the routines was different, and since she idolizes these girls so much, I was a touch uncomfortable with my 7 year old watching at times.

But, I am still really glad that we went. We had a great time!

National Day of Remembrance

2008-10-15T13:52:00.002-06:00

October 15th is the National Day of Remembrance for pregnancy and infant loss. This includes all babies who have died because of miscarriage, stillbirth, SIDS, or any other infant death.

If this includes you and you have ever felt alone, you must visit Angie's site here. The comments section is for you.

British!

2008-10-13T16:03:00.000-06:00

We are studying the American Revolution right now. We talked about "taxation without representation." I was trying to get her to understand that the colonists felt it was unfair that they were required to follow rules when they had no say in what the rules were. I may have asked her to think about how she might feel if one of us asked her to follow a rule she didn't have a say in and thought was unfair, and that maybe the colonists felt a similar way.

WeaverDad was recently setting a new rule with the kids. Punkin was not thrilled with this rule, and was angry with him. She turned to him and said,

"British!"

I think she got it.

For more funny things kids say, check out Mary's site at Not Before 7.

Learning to be a soccer mom

2008-10-01T15:30:00.003-06:00

Seriously, people, I feel like an idiot. How hard can it be?

Well, turns out - it can be amusing. And make me feel like I'm back at DisneyWorld where I managed to lose 3 or 4 apartment keys in 6 weeks. Oh, my lands.

So, here are my "soccer-mom" tips in case you aren't there yet - maybe at least the amusingness won't be directed at you.

1. Be sure you know where you are going. Because if you think about it, the games won't always be at the same field because then you would only be playing one other team. And that might get boring.

2. If you miss the first practice, you will have very little idea what is going on. But, you will also miss the snack sign up list, and it might be full by the 2nd practice, so you will not have to bring a snack. One. less. thing. to. forget. Could be a good thing. I'm just saying.

3. Do not assume that if you child does not have a game, there will still be practice. Cause there might not be. But, if you paid attention to number 1, you are safe. Because you would know that there is no practice because you would realize that you have no idea where you are going.

4. Do NOT wait until 1/2 hour before it is time to leave to find the uniform and shinguards. Because they might be in the washer. Wet. Which makes wearing the uniform and shinguards uncomfortable for your kid.

5. Once again, let me repeat - be sure that you know where you are going. Even if you have to take your older child to her activity first. Otherwise, you will have to call a friend and ask her to please look up on the internet where you are supposed to be in 15 minutes. It is ALWAYS a good idea to know where you are going.

6. Be sure you get a coach that will call and remind you about picture day. Because otherwise you might forget and your child will not be in the official uniform like all the other kids whose mom's are much better at being a soccer mom. (Thanks, Coach, for the phone call.)

7. Do not, I repeat, do not repeatedly mention how excited you are for your kid to be in their first soccer game. You run the risk of the kid missing their first goal and crying for the REST of the 40 minute game because he is not very good at soccer. Even if he is only 4, and no one expected him to be a soccer star. Even if he IS pretty good at soccer. Even if Dad is there. Even if Dad repeatedly talks up being a team player and having fun. The rest of the game, people. You were warned.

8. Number 4 bears repeating. Otherwise, you might do it 2 weeks IN A ROW.

Hooray!

2008-09-30T14:01:00.002-06:00

We got great news today!

The specialist sees no evidence of an abscess or a crack in her tooth. We will go back in a few weeks to have x-rays done again to make sure, but today's appointment was very, very positive. I am breathing a huge sigh of relief!

We will still need to take the next steps about getting the chipped part repaired, but I am so grateful she does not need a root canal at this point!!

Thank you for praying for her and for me. :)

Well... phooey.

2008-09-29T20:39:00.002-06:00

So, phooey is not really what I'm thinking, but I'm trying to keep it Godly over here in my corner of cyber-space, so let's pretend, shall we?

The dentist is sending us to a specialist.

I KNOW - it doesn't look that bad. But, evidentially it's possible that the impact did some damage to the blood vessels close to the root of the tooth, and he sees what may be the very beginning of an abscess. So, we are off tomorrow to go see a dentist that specializes in root canals, because root canals are tricky on 7 yr old front teeth. Learn something new everyday around here. The doctor tomorrow will confirm or deny that an abscess is beginning, and either do a root canal or not based on that.

Please pray the root canal won't be necessary.

The dentist today also said that the tooth is "shakier" in her mouth than it should be and it is possible that the tooth is cracked. It was not obvious on the x-ray, but there was a spot he was concerned about. He said, "If the tooth is cracked, I don't know what you do."

Isn't that comforting.

Again, the specialist tomorrow should be able to tell us more. And, I'm sure you know what I'm hoping for.

Add to this, being the all-knowing SuperMom that I am (HA!) - today on the way to the dentist, I promised my very nervous kid that I would not let anyone pull her tooth. Oh, I hope I am able to keep that promise. I did not realize that I was making a hasty promise - I really thought we go in today and they would repair that little bit of chipped tooth and off we would go.

The mom in me is surprisingly shaken by this turn of events. I know in my mind that I am grateful that it is not her neck that was broken - because it was a nasty wreck. I know I should be grateful to live in a time where so many options are available, and where there is such a thing as a root canal specialist. (Did anyone want to be that when they grew up? Can you imagine someone asking you what you do at a Christmas party? That has to be worse than admitting you are an IRS agent.) And I know there are so much worse things that befall many children.

But, in my heart, I just don't want my 7 year old to have a root canal. Or lose her permanent tooth before she has had it a full year. I just don't.

The Sidewalk Meets the Tooth --

2008-09-27T16:14:00.005-06:00

And the sidewalk wins! One permanent front tooth chipped at the bottom:

And the chin, and the shoulder, elbow, wrist & knuckles didn't fare too well either.

There is a big hill at our neighborhood park. Punkin loves to careen down the hill on her bike, over a bridge and up a little hill to the main part of the park. After doing this 60 or 70 times over the past month, this week she careened down the big hill and across the bridge beautifully, but on the little uphill, a cat-tail lying on the sidewalk caused her bike to stop - but she did not. She sailed over the handlebars and into the sidewalk. Thankfully, she had her helmet on and down on her forehead low enough that the helmet protected her nose and the rest of her face.

I'm not thrilled about the chipped tooth since it is one of her permanent ones. However, as bad as the wreck was, I'm extremely grateful that the tooth is the only thing that is broken.

We go to the dentist Monday to find out what the next step is. I don't think it looks too bad, actually. But, the enamel is gone on the bottom which will need to fixed somehow since it is causing her some pain - especially when she drinks something cold.

My friends, this is a good reminder that my annoying over-protectiveness about the helmet being on and being 2 finger widths from her eyebrows paid off.

'Course the other option might be to not let her careen down big hills. Hmm.

First Soccer Game

2008-09-22T22:28:00.003-06:00

Little Man has been begging to play soccer for awhile now, and he is finally old enough to be on the team that does not require a Saturday commitment. He is having a lot of fun!

Their first game was this past week, and I have to admit it was less like herding cats than I anticipated. The point is to learn the game. They play 4 on 4, go in and out as they please as long as only 4 players are on the field at a time, the boundaries are not strictly enforced, and they don't keep score. I think it's perfect for 4 year olds.

Don't misunderstand - it was like herding cats. But, at least the "cats" understood that the point was to get the ball in the goal. Which goal was somewhat of a mystery to some ...

Little Man had a hard first game - seems I might have talked up the first soccer game a little much. *sigh* Oops - when will Mom learn?? But, toward the end of the game, he finally got in there and played some, and he even made the last goal of the game. Whoo-hoo!

He's number 3.

Way to go, Little Man!

The Wedding

2008-09-16T21:06:00.003-06:00

The wedding was beautiful! Here is the happy couple:

And the happy kiddos:Would you believe that my Little Man wore his suit for the entire reception too. He loves his "manly suit." (He thought of that name, not me!)

A Commonplace Life

2008-09-14T05:03:00.003-06:00

A commonplace life, we say and we sigh,
But why do we sigh as we say?
The commonplace sun in the commonplace sky
Makes up the commonplace day

The moon and the stars are commonplace things
And the flower that blooms and the bird that sings;
But dark were the world and sad our lot,
If the flowers failed and the sun shone not.

And God who studies each separate soul
Out of commonplace lives makes His beautiful whole.

- F.W. Boreham

That's my boy!

2008-09-12T20:16:00.000-06:00

In his cozy hideaway:

2008-09-09T07:00:00.002-06:00

I lifted this from Knightly Chats awhile back. Hope you enjoy! Let me know if you do it!

1. Do you like blue cheese? sometimes. There is a salad at Outback Steakhouse with blue cheese in it that I crave.

2.. Have you ever smoked? yes. Oh, those crazy days with The Mouse.

3.. Do you own a gun ? my husband does

4. What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic? none (I don't drink soda - how weird am I?)

5. Do you get nervous before dr. appts ? Sometimes

6. What do you think of hot dogs? I have to not think about it too hard. I rarely serve them to the kids, so they think they are a very special treat.

7. Favorite Christmas song? Silent Night

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? milk or orange juice

9. Can you do push ups? one or two.

10. What do you order at Starbucks? White hot chocolate.

11. What’s your favorite piece of jewelry? my engagement ring

12. Favorite hobby? Blogging

13. How do you eat your eggs? Scrambled

14. What is the most daring thing you have ever done? Scuba diving.

15. What’s one trait that you hate about yourself? Inability to gracefully accept criticism.

16. Middle name? Wouldn't you like to know? *wink*

17. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment. 1-I should go to bed. 2-Maybe soon. 3-Sleep sounds lovely.

18. Name 3 things you bought yesterday? nothing

19. Three drinks you regularly drink? milk, water, um... that's about it.

20. Current worry right now? Getting ready for our trip to see family and see my brother get married!

21. Current hate right now? Not what my blog is about, and I might be getting myself in trouble. But to be honest, I hate the fact that, judging from the amount of press and close poll results at the moment, people in America are actually planning to vote for a presidential candidate because the man can give a great speech. No one seems to care if he can actually run a country and not get us killed or make us broke. The idea that he could be our next president literally gives me chills.

22. Favorite place to be? The ocean.

23. How did you bring in the New Years? Um... I've forgotten. So most likely sleeping.

24. Where would you like to go? Italy. Australia. China. Ireland.

25. Name three people who will complete this. Skip.

26. Do you own slippers? No

27. What shirt are you wearing? A Java t-shirt my husband gave me.

28. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? No.

29. Can you whistle? Sort of but not really.

30. Favorite color? Black. Hey, it's slimming. :)

31. Would you be a pirate? I don't think so. I don't think I'm mean enough, and stealing is not my thing. The exploring part sounds fun though.

32. What songs do you sing in the shower? I don't sing in the shower. It's my only peace and quiet and I try hard to keep it that way.

33. Favorite girl’s name? Punkins.

34. Favorite boy’s name? Little Mans.

35. What’s in your pocket right now? no pockets. I've got my jammies on!

36. Last thing that made you laugh? Playing Trouble with Little Man, and his little dance when he sends me home.

37. Best bed sheets as a child? The only ones I remember were Hollie Hobbie.

38. Worst injury you’ve ever had? A broken collar bone from a car accident. I have a metal plate with 5 screws. Want to feel the screw tops?

39. Do you love where you live? Yes.

40. How many TV’s do you have? 2

41. Who is your loudest friend? I'm not sure...

42. How many dogs do you have? None. My hubby is allergic.

43. What are you thrilled about right now? My brother got married!

44. Do you have a crush on someone? Seriously, who has the time?

45. What is your favorite book? Oh, wow! I don't think I could possibly pick just one. My favorite that I have read in the last 3 months is Breathe by Keri Kent.

46. What is your favorite candy? chocolate

47. Favorite Sports Team? Does Michael Phelps count?

48. What song do you want played at your funeral? Amazing Love

49. What were you doing 12 AM last night? sleeping

50. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up this morning? What time is it? Are we late?

Consider yourself tagged if you want to be.

Have a Happy Day!

Puritans

2008-09-07T07:00:00.000-06:00

In our study of the Puritans who settled Boston, we talked about how much they valued education. Punkin made this cardboard hornbook:Wonder what the Puritans would think of computers?

My brother and his soon-to-be-wife

2008-09-05T07:00:00.000-06:00

My brother's wedding is very soon, and they have a very interesting "how we met" story. I love it, so I thought I would share today in honor of their special day.

First, some background. His soon-to-be-wife, (let's call her The Spanish Teacher, since she is, in fact, a Spanish teacher) was a bit of a not-unpleasant surprise to her mother. Her mom was 46 years old when she found that she was expecting, and The Spanish Teacher's closest sibling was 19 (I think) when she was born. So, her mom and my grandmother are almost the same age - only a year apart, in fact.

My parents changed churches a few years ago, and made friends with another couple. This foursome would frequently go to church, and then go out to eat. Turns out the wife of this couple is The Spanish Teacher's sister. They would talk about their families. And they began to realize how much The Spanish Teacher and my brother (let's call him The Architect - I'll let you wonder why) have in common. They lived in the same town. They enjoy art. They enjoy music. They sing in their church choir. And several other similarities.

Now, my mom is not the "meddling" type. But, she finally called The Architect and asked him to take The Spanish Teacher for coffee. Anything after that was completely up to him.

So he did.

And the rest, as they say, is history in the making.

I love that my brother was set up on a blind date by his parents, and they are getting married. It just makes me giggle.

And, may I add, they could not have picked a better woman for my brother. They are just perfect together.

It's a bug!

2008-09-03T07:00:00.001-06:00

One of my favorites was in our yard recently:

Tabernacle

2008-09-01T07:00:00.000-06:00

We've been studying the tabernacle in our bible lessons this month. We used Activity 219 on this page to make our own. Punkin did most of the work herself! I helped mostly with instructions on how to put it together and where to place the items.

Here's the ark of the covenant, the things that were placed inside it, and the curtain that divided the Holy Tent from the Holy of Holies. I had to take them out of the Holy Tent to get a good picture. (As an aside, it is one of my favorite parts of Scripture that in the Old Testament God lives with His people in the Holy of Holies. But, when Jesus dies, there is a violent earthquake, the sky becomes dark, and the curtain rips completely open from top to bottom. I love the symbolism - that because of Jesus there is no longer a curtain needed between us and God, no longer a Holy of Holies place needed because Jesus now lives in our hearts. I just love it. )

Here is the outer room of the Holy Tent:

The whole Tabernacle:This project was definitely one of my favorite things that we have been able to do!

The Ant Hill

2008-08-30T07:00:00.001-06:00

My Punkin loves to draw. So, one of the things that I want to incorporate into our homeschool is a nature journal. (If you want to know more about nature journaling, there is a great post about it here.)

Our first nature walk was a success. We have a path that goes behind our home, and we walk it frequently. We took her journal, the kids hopped on their bikes, and away we went. Punkin found an anthill right away that she liked.

Here is a picture of the anthill:
And here is her drawing:

I love the little ants she included!

Tornado sighting excitement

2008-08-28T07:00:00.001-06:00

The kids and I were on a bike ride around the trail that goes behind our home, when one of my neighbors yells, "Hey, WeaverMom, see the tornado?!"

See the what?? It wasn't even stormy!

But, there it was:
We were far enough way that we were able to watch it for awhile. It was fascinating! I wasn't sure if we should be outside watching it to see if it came toward us, or if we should be inside hiding. The kids and I did come inside and go to the basement for about 10 minutes when it passed the closest to us. But, it went another direction, and no one was injured there, thankfully.

I never thought I would see a tornado!

Neighborhood Sign

2008-08-26T20:49:00.002-06:00

On a sign in our neighborhood:

In July:
"The intersection of Main and Cross Street will be closed until the end of July. Please use alternate route."

In August:
"The intersection of Main and Cross Street will be closed until the end of August. Please use alternate route."

Today:
"The intersection of Main and Cross Street will be closed until further notice. Please use alternate route."

For some reason, this cracked me up. I appreciate the honesty - somehow to me it says, "you know, we have no idea when we will be able to finish working on this road. Stop asking."

The Height of Vanity... or I Got a Haircut

2008-08-24T21:40:00.004-06:00

But, hey, I resolved every other day for a month, and this is what is on my mind. *grin*

Before:

(I guess I could have at least brushed it.)

After:

Not all my grays are covered, but I think it's a great improvement! Don't you love it when you love your haircut??

More Summer Fun!

2008-08-22T07:14:00.002-06:00

The neighborhood bike posse:

Back to School

2008-08-19T20:12:00.002-06:00

Punkin working hard on her math:While Little Man makes our snacks (with a little taste test, of course):Aren't they cute?

It was a good day!

Small Town Joys

2008-08-18T07:00:00.000-06:00

At the top of the list of small town joys are county parades. Punkin and Little Man wanted to march in this year's parade with their gymnastics class. Aren't they having fun?

(Please forgive my poor editing - I didn't want to post the name of their gymnastics place, and I still have a lot to learn about Phot*osh*op.)

I wasn't comfortable with Little Man walking without me (he is the youngest in his class by over a year), so I walked with them.
It was a beautiful summer day. The kids had a wonderful time!

I feel pretty, oh, so pretty

2008-08-17T19:51:00.004-06:00

For those of you viewing in a reader, hop on over and check out my new look. I'm so happy to have found something I like!

Notice what's missing?

2008-08-17T07:02:00.001-06:00

Do you see what's missing?

Here's another hint: Daddy had to help.

Yep. You guessed it! No more training wheels! WeaverDad took the training wheels off and away he went. On his 10th day without the training wheels, he was doing little wheelies. Every day, it takes him less than 10 minutes upon waking to say, "Can we go outside and ride bikes?"

So proud of himself!

Now if he could get up to 40 pounds so he can be out of the 5 point car seat and into a booster, he would feel that his big boy transition is complete. He's got 4 pounds to go, and weighs himself almost daily. Gotta love that sweet, crazy kid! :)

Going to the chaaa- pel...

2008-08-15T23:03:00.002-06:00

'Cause my brother's getting maaarr-ied.

And the kiddos get to be in the ceremony. Here's a picture from our "make sure it all fits and we have everything we need" time today.
She's only 7, ya'll!! Doesn't she look like such a big girl??

A new goal & getting back in the rhythm of school

2008-08-14T21:58:00.004-06:00

I've been neglecting my blog lately. As many of you have stated on your blog, time feels scarce, and it is easy for priorities to get out of whack.

However, part of the joy of the blog for me is the journaling aspect of it. I love going back and seeing what we were up to a year ago, a month ago. And since scrapbooking is totally out of the question for me at this stage of life, blogging works for me.

SO, I have made a personal resolution to do the best I can to post every other day for the next month - even if it is only one sentence. Gotta get back in the habit - Hold me to it, ladies. (smile)

We started back to school on August 4th. I'd forgotten how much I enjoy it. I've been doing a lot of deep thinking (amazing, I know!) over the summer months about whether I should continue homeschooling Punkin, whether Weaver is still the best fit for our family, what is God calling me to, how to carve out some healthy time for my soul to be renewed and refreshed. I've been doing a lot of reading about simplicity and simple living - but that is a post for another day.

It's good to be back to school. I love seeing the kids' faces as they get things. Punkin's progress over the summer in reading has been amazing, and her love for learning is more obvious than it has ever been. For example, today school consisted of a quick summary and some reading from Exodus 21-23. That's the laws God gave Moses after the 10 Commandments. The point of today's lesson was that there were a lot of laws, God cares about the choices we make, and the Israelites said they would obey. Then we did a little U.S. History and talked about the geography of the U.S. a little bit. I thought it was pretty boring day, actually. No experiments or activities - just us talking. A lot.

I was pleasantly surprised when during our nightly "high-low" game, she said school today was her favorite thing. And she had friends over this afternoon, so it wasn't that the rest of the day was even more boring. :)

We started back volunteering today. (We set the tables at the Senior Center for their noon meal. We did this one day a week last year, but this year we will be doing that once a month.) We took the month of July off, so it has been awhile since we were there. It was good to see friends, and I had forgotten how much I enjoy it. I enjoy being around older people. One of the men has especially captured my heart. He lost his wife in January - she had severe dementia and had not been able to remember him for awhile. He is almost completely blind. But, he has a very warm personality, and despite his vision, he can play the piano beautifully. I haven't asked him yet, but he plays well enough that I imagine it was how he made his living at one time. One of the ladies is especially fond of Little Man, and as a mom, I really enjoy her gushing over him. Punkin is a huge help, and is doing more and more without having to be asked. I love seeing that, and I think it makes her feel like such a big girl.

I still can't believe I have a 2nd grader.

Tiny Talk

2008-08-05T07:16:00.002-06:00

We have a tree in our backyard that has a broken branch on it, and the leaves on that branch are dead. I was looking out the window during supper the other night, and we had this conversation.

Me: That tree branch is starting to bother me.
WeaverDad: So, why don't you do something about it?

Little Man: (very excitedly) I know what you can do! Just don't look at it!

For more funny things kids say, check out Mary's site at Not Before 7.

Tiny Talk

2008-07-29T19:58:00.004-06:00

My kiddos are still in the "knock, knock" phase. Their favorite one goes like this:

Knock, knock.
Who's there?
Interrupting cow.
Interru..
MOO!

There are lots of variations, such as:
Knock, knock.
Who's there?
Interrupting donkey.
Interru..
Hee-Haw!

My favorite is one Punkin made up:
Knock, knock.
Who's there?
Interrupting nose.
Interru..
Ah-Choo!

******************************************
Does this dinner conversation have a familiar ring to it?

Little Man: I'm eating my chicken.
WeaverDad: It's not chicken, it's fish.
Little Man: (pause) You mean this swimmed in the water? (Complete with hand motions of a fish swimming.)
Punkin: Well, it did swimmed, but now it's dead.

I really wish writing could do the dead comment justice. It was so matter-of-fact, it just cracked us up.

And, by the way, why isn't it swimmed?

For more funny things kids say, check out Mary's site at Not Before 7.

Quote

2008-07-21T20:30:00.003-06:00

I came across this quote and really like it:

Our main business is not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand.

Thomas Carlyle

4th of July

2008-07-06T07:25:00.005-06:00

For the 4th of July, we went to Bandimere Speedway for the "Family Fun Day" and JetCar National Race. (More Little Man heaven. :) )There were other race cars as well, and booths with a pie-eating contest, a watermelon contest, a magic show, lots of food, jumpy castles and other family events.

We had a fun day!

Here are WeaverDad and the kids. (Little Man calls this style of cars with the thing on the hood "engine cars". )Here we all are with the only female driver of a Jet Car. She and her husband both race. Her car is called the "Her-icane".

Here are the kids in her husband's car:

Punkin got to be an assistant in a magic show! This and the fireworks

were the highlight of her 4th of July.

Here are two of the jet cars in action:

Drag car race. Can you tell how far you can see? Way in the background -
that's Denver. We could see at least 6 firework shows from here!

Blue Mesa Camping Trip

2008-06-20T22:10:00.002-06:00

Who taught you to drive?

2008-06-19T17:18:00.004-06:00

More Little Man fun:

LM: I could drive mamma.
Me: (thinking - you're four!! I thought I had a few years!) Uh, huh. You could steer, but you have to learn a lot of rules to be able to drive on the road. And you have to be a lot older.
LM: Who taught you to drive?
Me: My mom and dad.
LM: GrandNan and Grandpa?
Me: Yep.

LM: Who taught GrandNan how to drive?
Me: I guess her mom, Mudger. (don't even ask me to explain where that name came from!)

LM: Who taught Mudger to drive?
Me: I don't know - should we call her?
LM: Yes.

So, I call my grandma on the phone and she informs me that her uncle taught her to drive. So, I hang up and tell Little Man.

(long pause)
LM: Who taught her uncle to drive?

*sigh* *giggle*