Romo is a Turkey?

Will's homework assignment last week was to decorate a turkey. He chose to decorate it like Dallas Cowboys' Tony Romo -- a little bit of a surprise since he isn't really one to focus too much on football, but he really had fun creating it.

UPDATED: Will brought home the paragraph he wrote about the turkey. They were working on adjectives.

"Hi. My name is Tony Romo because I'm a football player. My feathers are fuzzy, white and gray. I own 19 tremendous feathers! I wear a big blue jersey and I am #9. My last name is Romo. My first name is Tony. When other good-looking turkeys see me they say "Hi, Tony." Soon I will be choped up for Thanksgiving dinner! Save me if you can!!!" 

Still keeping it together

Monday morning I made a list of everything going on in our family until Thanksgiving Day next week. The list was long:

• Psychologist appointment with Will, Allen, and me (still trying to figure out how to make school a positive experience)
• Hair cut for me
• Cub Scout meeting
• Dinner with my girlfriends (These keep me sane when our schedule is like this)
• MOPS meeting
• Preschool Thanksgiving feast
• Jon's allergy testing
• Jon's well-kid check-up
• Shopping for jeans for Ben and Jon (all 12 or 14 pair have ugly holes)
• Family Christmas card photo shoot
• Take little kids (and me) to the Kaisers'
• Ben's appointment with pediatric orthopedist in Dallas
• Will's Thanksgiving program at school (at the same time as Ben's appointment)
• Cub Scout pack meeting
• Surgery to remove my wisdom teeth
• Back to Kaiser's for Thanksgiving weekend

My list is exhaustING, but not exhaustIVE -- on my big list, I didn't include the normal activities like laundry, trips to the grocery store, picking up kids from school and lots more. Somehow, I am feeling the peace, though. Sunday, we did everything we could think of that would make life run more smoothly. We made lunches to two weeks, made a menu that included several meals from the freezer that have already been prepared, did all the laundry, decluttered the kitchen, and tried to just relax with a good book.

Earlier this week, I made a rare stop at the mall to pick up some jeans for Ben and Jon. I went in Old Navy and picked some out that I hoped would work. When I put them on the boys later, they were way too big. My only option was to take my kids to the mall and have them try them on. I hoped to do that Wednesday afternoon, but the kids were bouncing off the walls, and I wasn't going to attempt that on my own (yes -- I COULD do it, but it was likely I would get really frustrated.) Allen and I took all the kids to the mall last night. It is rare that I go to the mall, and even rarer that kids go with us. When we got there, Jon and Ben asked to see Santa. I explained that we were there for jeans and that Santa probably wasn't even there. Maddie and Jon tried convincing us that EVERY time we go to the mall, we see Santa because that's where he lives. Ben told them that Santa lived at the North Pole, and we continued to walk. Seconds after that conversation, who should appear? Santa spotted them and came to greet them. I might have snapped a picture of their joy, but two of them were in shorts and sandals and, even WITH Santa, it didn't feel Christmassy enough. That made their day, and now they are all back to believing that Santa lives there.

This morning, Maddie reminded me about the Thanksgiving program at the preschool. She was so excited that the moms and dads get to come listen to them sing, and I broke her heart when I told her I couldn't be there. As big tears ran down her face, her big brown eyes looked at me with confusion. I have always come to their programs and she raised her voice in protest, "Mama! All the moms HAVE to come hear us. You don't get to decide. You HAVE to come... Ms. Peggy said so." I tried rationally explaining that Jon had an appointment at the same time and that I would love to hear her sing, but after a few attempts, I realized I can't rationalize with a heart-broken five year old. I am so sorry I can't be there, maybe not so much for the songs, but for the confidence it gives my kids to see mom out in the pews beaming at them.

After the kids finished breakfast, I assembled the "fruit tray" I signed up to bring for the preschool Thanksgiving feast, and as the turkey took shape, excitement filled her face again. Jon understands he is hanging out with me all day as we go from one doctor to another. When Ben heard I wouldn't be at the show, he shrugged and went back to running through the house gobbling like a turkey. Now I have a moment to sit with my coffee before we are off and running for the day. I am grabbing peace and quiet every chance I can just trying to keep from getting overwhelmed. So far, so good....

Down Under

Dear Mom and Dad,
I hope you enjoyed your trip. The kids were excited to get a postcard, and Allen and I were amazed that it was postmarked just four days before we actually got it -- just FOUR days to get from Australia to Texas. While you were gone for so long, I missed talking to you every few days. We've had enough crazy things come up that I wish I could've called, but they weren't a big enough deal to interrupt your trip.

A few interesting things have happened in our country over the last several weeks. I'm sure you have all the newspapers to read through, but, in case you don't see these, here's a few stories we might have discussed, in no particular order. The Texas Rangers lost the World Series in the seventh game to the St. Louis Cardinals. Lots of earthquakes hit Oklahoma, some even happened while tornadoes were in the vicinity -- if you see the signs that say "Welcome to Oklahoma: Home of the Quakenado," you'll at least know what that means. New England got lots of snow right before Halloween. Bank of America changed its mind and won't be charging for using the debit card. The Republican Party is quickly dwindling its list of potential presidential candidates; or rather, the candidates are clowns and politics are getting to be a bit depressing.

In family news, you can go back through all the stories on the blog for the details, but in the last month, here is what we've been doing: Jon went to the doctor to follow up from ER visit; she sent him to a specialist who said it is not asthma, but we will do allergy tests next week to see if that gives us any more answers; Ben and Jon have been to the dentist; Ben and Maddie have had their well-kid visits; we asked the doctor about Ben's arm and were sent to an orthopedist, his elbow has been displaced for several years, and now we have an appointment at Children's in Dallas with another specialist because it is not an easy fix; Ben, Maddie, and Jon turned five; we went camping as a family and enjoyed searching for fossils; after the campout, we went to a carnival at the school in Melissa; the next day, we had a birthday party for the little kids, but Ben was so sick, he didn't get to enjoy it; the day after that, Allen and I got really sick -- he worked through it, I slept through it; Maddie had an ear infection; Will is still hating school and we had a meeting with his teacher to make a plan to make it more enjoyable; the kids all had fun at Halloween; Will opened his Free Enterprise store with his GT class; we had a garage sale and the kids had a lemonade stand; and daily the kids surprised us with what they are learning and kept us giggling over all the funny things they say. There were so many times that our bits of drama made me say, "God, I can't handle any more." The next day, God added to it an proved I could. Through our craziness, there is still a ribbon of peace and we really are doing just fine. Since my Facebook updates are usually the funny quotes, here are many from the last month.

9/29 - Will's homework tonight: watch TV. And this is for his G/T class. Good thing he brought an explanation from the teacher or I'm not sure I would've believed it.


10/2 – “Mama, I'm sorry your head hurts so much. I know how to make you feel better... I'll stand right next to you and play my favorite harmonica!” - Jon

10/3 - I always dreamed of having an American Girl doll, and this year we decided NOT to get one for Maddie because she & her brothers are still too hard on toys for us to be willing to spend $100 on a doll. Both our dreams came true, but she won't know it till Christmas. We just won TWO of them-- Cecile and Marie-Grace -- from a Barnes & Noble drawing. It will be easier to let her play with them knowing we didn't spend a lot of money on them. I can't wait till Christmas to play with the new dolls with her.

10/3 – “Mama, where's the E? You said we were going to the Farmer's E! This is just the medicine shop” – Jon

10/6 - I was typing up a wish list of for the kids and asked the three 4YOs what they wanted. Maddie surprised me: "I want a pink camera and a telephone. Not a toy, a REAL telephone for talking on, but it would be nice if it had a button for taking real pictures, too. Don't forget to write 'real one' on the list, Mom."

10/6 – Today I took Jon to the doctor for a follow-up. Partly to see if he is getting better after the croup a few days ago that put him in the ER. Partly to figure out how to avoid the ER with similar episodes. The doctor put him on a different nebulizer steroid because his lungs are still congested and she is setting up an appointment with another doctor who specializes in breathing challenges with kids.

10/6 - Jon is one lucky kiddo. It turns out his Sunday school teacher is a manager at ChickFilA. When she heard that he had been sick and was with me while the others were on a field trip, she brought him icecream so his day would be better. I'm the lucky mama who got to spend the day with him

10/8 – “But, Mama, I DIDN'T punch Maddie!! I just put my fist out when she walked by, but SHE ran into my hand!” - Ben

10/9 – Allen headed out of town for a business conference for several nights.

10/10 - Jon is not going to stop playing for a breathing treatment. He is sword fighting with Will on the Wii while he sits on the kitchen counter with the neb. mask on his face.

10/10 - The morning glories are blooming beautifully! ... and they match the color of the cosmos.

10/12 - I've recently noticed my brain skips over everything "toddler" -- clothing styles and sizes, toy age groups, and even a "Teach your toddler to read" article. I guess it's about time my brain explains to my heart that my little Kids are growing up

10/12 - "My library book is dumb. It's called 'Poisoned water' and I wanted to read how to MAKE poison water.... it was really about oil spills so I'm taking it back." -Will

10/12 - Do I have to feel guilty about letting my kids watch tv on this rainy day? Cat in the Hat is teaching them about paramecium, diatoms, amoeba, and the thing-a-ma-jigger.

10/13 – Ben got a day out with Mama. He had a great visit at the dentist, we ran a few errands, and we read lots of books together.

10/13 - "You know, Mom... Since I'm already a science-man I've discovered ALL animals with tails are really tough. You know what I mean? Like our cats and dog -- they are REALLY tough because of their tails. I keep trying to break them, but they are tough like you." -Ben

10/14 - I find it funny that Will's teacher wrote "100% - Great Job!" at the top of his "Speling Test"

10/16 – It is odd to think that when I wake up tomorrow, I will have a house full of five-year-olds.

10/17 - Ben, Maddie, & Jon are FIVE and telling everyone they see today!!... and there were many times I wondered if we all would survive this long.

10/17 - Today, I took the trio for haircuts. Ben told his stylist, "you sure look pretty." she asked who he was talking about. "I'm talking about YOU." She blushed in surprise and commented how nice he was. He replied suavely, "Yeah... I like the girls. Now that I'm five I'll get a girlfriend." Everyone heard him. We all were tearing up as we tried to hide our laughter. … He keeps going for the older ones. The one today I would guess to be late 30s... He used a similar line on a lady at the dentist office waiting room. I'm guessing she may have had grandkids his age :)

10/18 - Choosing my battles. Thursday is picture day, so today, I'm letting Maddie choose her outfit completely. It almost makes me dizzy to see her wearing a fuscia top with striped sleeves and cupcakes on top "layer", a dark blue denim skirt with rhinestones, light blue socks with Little Mermaid print, sparkly silver Toms, and in her hair are a neon orange pony tail holder, a purple butterfly clip, and a yellow clip. She is SO proud!!

10/18 - It probably doesn't help that he has no symptoms now, but we are trying to figure out how to avoid the ER. Nearly two hours visiting with a doctor and we still don't have answers for what's been going on with Jon, but we are 99% sure we are ruling out asthma. Doc doesn't think he has allergies either, but a round of test are in the works to be sure.

10/19 - Blue school logo shirt, brown floral shorts, purple and pink Tinkerbell socks, sparkly silver Toms, vest with polka dots and leopard print on reverse, neon pink hair tie, neon green hair tie.

10/20 - Smiling! I just watched Jon help Ben into his "picture clothes." he buttoned Ben's shirt then shoved his hands in Ben's pants. Why? "He needs it tucked, mama."

10/20 - When I took the boys to get haircuts, Maddie was begging me to let her get hers cut, too. I reminded her that she kept telling me she wanted it long like Aunt Jenn's, but she told me, "today I want it short like yours. Tomorrow I'll start growing it long." I didn't argue.

10/20 - Maddie to Allen: "when you're done airing my [bike] tires, I need more air in my helmet."

10/20 - Daddy to Maddie: "I just TOLD you I'm leaving the wheels on. How many times do I have to say it till you believe me?!?" ... She balmy replied. "Four."

10/23 - Camping out, hunting fossils and rocks, fall carnival, and a family birthday party all in 2 days. The Kaisers are worn out and more than half are sick. We definitely overdid it, but at least now we have an idea of what "too much" means.

10/24 - All by himself at age 5!! The only thing I did was help straighten a long sticker and keep Ben from taking the pieces. No longer paying attention to the recommended ages on the box.

10/24 - Aiming for "underachiever." not only will my kids NOT have the best-decorated pumpkins, but we haven't even started decorating them, they are due tomorrow, and we aren't doing them before school. Homework for preschoolers stinks especially when there are three to have to complete.

10/25 – Today I got another day with Jon, but this time he is healthy! He had a dentist appointment for a cleaning, and that went well. We also got all the grocery shopping done and had lunch with Allen. It was a fun day!

10/27 – Today was a day for me to spend with Maddie. It started with a trip to Target, then we had her well-kid check up and found out she has an ear infection. We didn’t run too many errands because we wanted to be sure to make it back to the preschool in time to enjoy the Halloween costume party.

10/27 - I'm going to bed now. The kids promised to kiss me goodnight when they get home from bike-riding. I'm hoping they'll wake me up in time to watch the Rangers play & win.

10/30 - Today -- Still have sickness in the house, Allen got called in to work, Jon got a bead stuck up his nose, Will "leaked" Sharpie on my antique table, Ben bit Jon, and somehow I'm still okay and haven't even yelled... yet.

10/30 - "Mama, my eyes hurt. Why do they keep closing?"... Because you are tired..."but I don't wanna be tired. Can you tell Daddy it's time to stop playing so we can go to bed?" - Ben

10/31 - One of Jon's favorite Halloween treats tonight? A wrapped prune!

11/1 - Last night a teen dressed as Batman came to the door and was trying to talk to my kids with a British? accent. Ben put him on the spot with the question of the day: "Why are you dressed like BATman and calling yourself 'BUTTman?' Do you realize that sounds ridiculous?!"

11/1 - Heading out to make Will smile... he loves when Mama brings sushi to school for lunch together.

11/3 – Today I spent the day with Ben. We went to WalMart, went to the bank, went to his well-kid check up, got a few x-rays of his elbow, and made it up to the school to see Will’s “store.”

11/4 - More xrays ... Two days in a row. This time we had to close the garage sale a bit early because our doctor called and insisted we get Ben to an orthopedic specialist immediately. I am thankful we could do so with very little stress; Allen was home and could help get Will from school and keep the others while I took Ben to the next doctor.

11/4 - Since our life is so dull....we completely missed that Ben's had a dislocated elbow... for a LONG time. Now to schedule the visit to Dallas Children's and will probably have to have it surgically corrected. I just THOUGHT I felt bad that I didn't know Maddie had an ear infection, but now I feel like a really bad mom. :(

11/5 – We finished up the garage sale today and the kids set up a lemonade stand. It was a great weekend to make about $500 selling our stuff.

11/6 – We discovered a neat trick I will try again next year -- put the kids to bed Sunday night and THEN change the clocks :) ... they went to bed at 6:30 thinking it was 7:30. I am glad to get an extra hour of quiet.

11/8 - Today, I got a call that mothers day out was cancelled because of a leak. I'm thankful to have a friend I could call to keep three kids for a while so I could have an uninterrupted meeting with Will's teacher.

11/10 - "Mama, we forgot to take show-and-tell today for the letter J. Don't worry, I got up and showed and telled all about my brother. When I was done, Ms. Judy told me to put Jon back in my backpack, hahaha, but I had the best J to show." -- and Maddie & Jon were SO proud of their quick thinking.

A Sunny Day On The Beach

We have enjoyed several weekends of different art styles, but Will chose a melted crayon project to turn in for the fair. I was a bit confused that the entries were due about two weeks after the fair, but I read the entire packet to discover, he really just had to get it turned in a year before the next fair. If you want to see his entry in person, go to the East Texas Fair in October 2012. I think it will be posted under the second grade art projects. He is quite proud of his painting and I wanted to get a picture of him with it just in case we don't get it back. The entry had to fit particular size guidelines and be mounted with a title on poster board of a specific size. He named his art "A Sunny Day On The Beach." I am so proud of my little artist ... and I'd sure like to visit that beach soon. 

Four Little Pumpkins Sitting on a Gate

I used to sing a pumpkin song to Will. I tried singing it to the kids the other day, but the loud clap startled them and they refuse to let me sing it now. I can't help but laugh that these kids are enjoying being scared by Halloween decor, but their mama clapping is just too much. Nonetheless, every time I see our decorated pumpkins, I at least hum the tune to myself. Ben, Maddie, and Jon decorated their pumpkins for school, and Will decorated one just because he wanted to. We still have a few more around here undecorated, so I may have to post more pictures this weekend ... I have a feeling those orange squashes will be boredom busters again.

Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate;

The first one said, "Oh my it's getting late."

The second one said, "There are witches in the air."

The third one said, "But I don't care."

The fourth one said, "I'm ready for some fun!"

The fifth one said, "Let's run and run and run."

"Wooooooo" went the wind,

And out went the lights. (CLAP!)
And the five little pumpkins rolled out of sight.

Garage Sale and Lemonade Stand

We just got to check another box on our lifetime bucket list -- a garage sale! We have never had one, and with all the work that went into it, I remember why. It actually went quite well. I wasn't as prepared as I hoped (thanks in part to the flu making its rounds, Allen being called out to work, and a few other things we couldn't avoid.) BUT, once I decided to be okay with not being completely ready, things went smoothly. Usually we have piles and boxes of things filling our garage and when we get tired of them, I take kids' clothes and toys to friends or family with younger children, we take extra books to the library, and we take all the rest to Goodwill. As we started the mountain of things to purge, we realized that we had enough for a sale and the kids were old enough to participate. We decided to participate on the Citywide garage sale weekend, and overall, it went really well. Allen took Friday off to help with the sale and kids, then we had all four kids helping us on Saturday.

The kids played in the yard most of the time, but on Saturday they got to have their first Lemonade Stand. They have been asking us for a while to have one, but we didn't agree to it until Will could confidently count money. This was his first opportunity, and Will enjoyed having his own money-making business. For the few hours that he had a sale, the little kids didn't help too much. I think Ben stayed near Will and helped pass out napkins, but Maddie and Jon were playing on the porch. Will made signs and set up his station. I made the lemonade and explained to him $5 was too high to charge for a tiny cup of lemonade but that's about all I was involved. In the end, he chose to charge 25-cents a cup, and he sold enough cups to make $10.25. After he counted his money, he and I figured out how much he owed me for buying the cups and lemonade mix. He proudly pushed me a pile of quarters totalling $3.50, then asked how much he should pay Ben for being a good employee. He is quite proud of earning his $6.75 "with a REAL job."

Overall, it was a great weekend. The weather could not have been prettier for us to sit outside for hours on end. The kids collected all the acorns in the yard. We got our garage cleared out. AND people paid us to help us clear it!! I couldn't believe that people were willing to pay for some of it -- we sold tons of toddler clothes, three mini potties, a car seat and cover, a bunch of stuffed animals and Happy Meal toys, lots of kids books, games, and movies. After the sale, we loaded up the van with all the extra stuff and took it to Goodwill. I still have a few small boxes in the garage to take to the YMCA, library, and to send to some friends and family. The kids learned some lessons about getting rid of stuff. Our original plan was to decide ahead of time as a family how we would use our garage sale money, but we didn't get that far... yet. Will we do it again? Maybe... but only on the citywide weekend again because there was so much traffic just looking for the sales.

Ben's Accident?

Several months ago, Allen and I were getting more and more frustrated that Ben kept spilling food from his plate when he cleared the table. Eventually, Allen sat down and demonstrated how Ben needed to hold his plate -- put both palms up, put the plate on the palms, hold the plate with the thumbs. When Allen finished explaining it, he helped Ben turn his hands the right way, and he was surprised to discover that our super-flexible son could not turn his left hand so that his palm was up. Turned as far as it would go, it was still off by 90-degrees. The only way Ben's left palm could face upward is if he was laying down on his side. We thought it was interesting, but we didn't think it was a huge deal. It didn't hurt him, he didn't complain, and we both thought it was just an oddity to discuss with the doctor when we visited next.

Yesterday, Ben had his well-kid check-up and I pointed out to our doctor that we found it strange that he didn't seem to have a normal range of motion in his left arm. I asked if we should be concerned about it. She frowned and turned his arms up and down and bent them and straightened them and compared them from every which angle. She found it even more curious that he wasn't bothered at all by it, but she took some x-rays to see what might be going on. Before we left the office, she told me that the pictures looked odd, but she needed to talk to a radiologist about it and get back to me.

Just before lunch today, the nurse called us and left a message to call them back as soon as possible. I called right back and they told us they thought he had a dislocated radius and we needed to see an orthopedic specialist today. We closed the garage sale a bit early and I took Ben to the next doctor. The nurse asked what happened. My answer: "I don't know." Then she asked when it happened. Again, "I don't know." How long has he been complaining? "He hasn't." As we waiting for the next step, he laid down, propped his chin on his left hand, and watched Phineas and Ferb.

The doctor came in and asked all the same questions. I felt even worse explaining my cluelessness a second time. He explained how a nurse-maid's elbow often happens -- a child runs off and a parent grabs and arm and pulls.... a sibling or parent tries lifting a child by the hands... did any of these scenarios jog my memory? All I could vaguely remember is that someone fell off Will's bed long ago and was crying about a sore arm after big-brother tried getting him back on the bed. I couldn't even be sure it was Ben that had fallen, as it may have been Jon. Either way, that was a LONG time ago. Whatever day that happened, there were just a few tears, but no more complaining. Neither Allen nor I can say we've ever heard Ben complain about his arm for more than a few minutes over various owies, so we were baffled when they explained the injury.

They took about a dozen different x-rays of different angles of both elbows and concluded that he has had a dislocated radius for several years. YEARS?!? Ben still climbs trees, crosses the monkey bars, stands on his hands, wrestles with his brothers, gives huge hugs, and uses his arm without any indication of there being a problem or any pain. Both Allen and I are feeling like we missed something big, but going back over it, I don't know how we could have known. Had we known when the injury happened, our doctor could have quickly popped the bone back into place. The way it is now, the specialist here is sending us on to Children's Medical Center in Dallas to consult with a pediatric orthopedic surgeon. He explained that they will need to do a CT scan to see exactly what is going on, but that surgery will likely be the only way to correct it. Now, we are in the hurry-up-and-wait mode for our next appointment.

Since I was already feeling like a negligent parent, I was ready to drop dead at a few of the conversations people had with Ben at the doctor yesterday --

Ben: Why are you using that kind of thermometer? That isn't like Mama's.
Nurse: Mama's is probably better, isn't it?
Ben: Yup.
Nurse: Mamas always have the best things. You probably like all of the things Mama has.
Ben: Everything but the paddle.

Radiologist: Did you eat your Fruity Pebbles today?
Ben: Nope. I had to eat in the garage.
(...because he slept late and we were working the garage sale, but he didn't explain that part.)

Radiologist: Ben, you sure have great hair. Did you get that from Mama or Daddy?
Ben: No. God gave it to me.
Radiologist: Why didn't God give me any hair?
Ben: He did.
Radiologist: Really?
Ben: Yeah. You just wear it on your mustache. If you want it on your head, you'll need scissors and glue.

Free Enterprise

This year, Will is in the GT class at school. The class meets once a week, and it really seems to be the only thing Will enjoys about school. The kids have been studying free enterprise. This is an excerpt from the GT newsletter explaining the unit:

The children have been introduced to the world of Free Enterprise by becoming entrepreneurs themselves. During this course of study the children will be involved in creating a plan to run a place of business whether it be a manufacturer, retailer or providing a service. They will be given the opportunity to become a sole proprietor, a partnership or a cooperation. The children will be guided through the process of becoming an entrepreneur by learning how to obtain a loan, track expenses, purchase raw materials, find the best location for their business and how to advertise for their particular product or service. To conclude the study, the children will open their business for consumers to purchase these goods using actual money. The profit made from each business will then be donated to a local charity that each class has designated.

A few months ago, Will come home with an assignment to work with his family to brain storm ideas for his business. It was interesting, as the parent, to try to balance the ideas I had with the encouragement for him to come up with his own thoughts. In the end, he and another boy decided to make gaming posters and sell them (all the students manufactured and sold products.) The name of their business is Game Galaxy, Will's role is the entrepreneur and his buddy Luke is the business manager. Today, the businesses were all open for sales and the parents were invited to attend the Grand Openings. Allen stopped by, took some pictures, and bought a Game Galaxy Hint -- a sealed envelope with a clue inside of how to get more points in a Wii game. Though I was cutting it close and almost didn't make it because Ben's well-kid check up lasted a bit longer than planned, Ben and I did get to go. Will was excited to see us, and I was glad to get a chance to see this project he has been talking about.

Next week, the kids wrap up the unit by filling out their cash flow sheets and figuring out if they can pay off their business loans (for the poster supplies, advertising expenses, and rent of the space, table, and chairs.) I am amazed at the details they are exploring as second-graders!

Will has been having behavior issues with his regular teacher, but his GT teacher she said that the self-paced, challenging class is a great fit for Will and she hasn't had any problems with him. After such a tough week, it was very encouraging to hear that -- especially since he does love her class.

The Little Princess

As I've been preparing for our garage sale, I came a VHS that we are selling because we don't have a VCR anymore. This was one of my favorite movies, but it has been ages since I've seen it.

When I was curling Maddie's hair for Halloween, I kept telling her she reminded me of The Little Princess Shirley Temple. Since she had NO idea who or what Shirley Temple was, I got to show her some pictures. Later, Will asked the same thing, and when I showed him pictures of Shirley Temple, even he agreed that Maddie looked a bit like her.

When Maddie saw her head of curls, her eyes got big, a smile spread across her face and she exclaimed, "Mama, I am adorable!" I asked her if she knew what "adorable" meant and she replied, "That means I am super cute. Look at me. See how cute and adorable I am?" So, now we get to figure out how to teach the right balance of confidence and humility...

All Dressed Up!

It seems like EVERY year since we've been in Texas (aka - every year we've done trick or treating), I start the school year with the best intentions. About two months later, everyone gets sick, and I end up burned out and overwhelmed by all the activities in which we participate. After a whole month of sicknesses, I'm worn out. Just like the other years, I am not ready to deal with Halloween till we start dressing up and walking out the door. Just like the other years, we had a blast.

This year, Maddie asked to be Fancy Nancy. Though she got to wear her costume on her birthday, to her birthday party, and to the school party, on the "real Halloween" I curled her hair like the book character, wrapped a feather boa around her neck, put on the necklaces and bracelets, and, since it was Halloween, she even got a touch of lip gloss and mascara. She was adorable and easily passed as her favorite book character. This year I made her costume because I couldn't find a cute one that we liked. Though I did enjoy making it and trying all the new techniques (lots of different flower-styles, a headband, and a tutu) I think paying for a pre-made costume is probably less expensive. I did create the costume to last -- well, the tutu should hold up well in the dress-up box, and the flowers will detach from the shirt so I can make them into hair clips. Since I wanted the colors to match the Dr. Seuss birthday party, I don't regret making it, but I will definitely rethink it next time I consider playing fashion designer. On a similar note, you can't beat the fun of playing designer when the costume is the fun and wild Fancy Nancy.

All three boys insisted on being Star Wars characters. Several years ago, Will was Darth Vader. Since we still had most of that costume, I was hoping one of the little ones would ask to be Darth. Thankfully, that is what Jon requested. We had to roll the sleeves and legs a bit, but he sure made a cute scary Darth Vader.

Ben asked to be Luke Skywalker. I was thrilled to find a Luke costume at the consignment sale for just a few dollars. He was really excited to see that I had gotten each of the boys a light sabre, too. If you don't have Star Wars-loving boys, you may not realize that as SOON as you put one of these swords in a boy's hand, he will NOT HOLD STILL!! No matter how he is dressed, he becomes a constant blur of motion. When I added the camera to the mix, I got lots of motion, but luckily, there were lots of neat poses, too. This seemed, to me, like the perfect Luke Skywalker picture. When neighbors asked about the kids' costumes, we all got to chuckle when Ben would say, "I'm Luke Skywalker," then Jon would follow with, "I am Darth Vader and I am his dad."

Will went through plenty of costume catalogs until he finally decided to be Boba Fett. I am told he is the bounty hunter who was after Han Solo, but I don't know for sure. Boba Fett is a bad guy, that's the part I understood, and though he usually has some sort of gun, I knew I wouldn't get away with getting two boys sabres and not the third, so Boba's costume isn't completely correct, but we're pretending it is. Also, since he is a evil guy, the boy in the costume refused to smile for a picture -- because "Boba would never smile, Mama!"

Allen and I haven't dressed up for Halloween since we were in college. Boring? Maybe... but this year, just as I was getting ready to start taking pictures, Allen disappeared. Though he went into our closet planning one costume, a few questions from the kids quickly changed his plan. He emerged as a perfect Evil Dr. Heinz Doofenschmirtz (the antagonist in the kids' favorite cartoon, Phineas and Ferb.)

The kids were excited to start trick-or-treating, and we all had a great time visiting the neighbors as we made our way through the evening. We came home just as it got really dark, and Allen and I let them eat way too much candy, and take breaks by passing out candy to the other kids.