Thanksgiving 2009

We left town after lunch on Wednesday. Luckily we got to my parents' house by around 3PM when my niece E was still there. Her dad was picking her up and spiriting her away for the whole weekend so we were glad to be able to see her for a couple of hours. Upon our arrival the boys all pulled out their Nintendo DS games while the girls played on the American Girl site on the computer.

DS#3 did his own thing. He had lots of toys to play with. He played in the play kitchen for a bit then played with a musical guitar. He even bobbed his head up and down like he was jamming to the music from the guitar! Of course he had lots of cars, trucks, and airplanes to play with too.

My niece A stayed the night so DD played and played until bedtime. They managed to make a whole "house" made out of many, many pieces of paper. My nephew N decided to go home. DS#2 volunteered to sleep with DS#3 in the back bedroom but by 9PM when they were all going to bed, DS#3 was so tired (from no nap) that he fell asleep almost immediately.

The next morning we headed to my sister C's house. She got up early to put the turkey in the oven. I remember a time when she didn't cook at all. She is so good with all manner of house stuff now that I want to be like her one day. ;) My mom brought lots of goodies also, so between the two of them, we were set.

The boys played video games and computer games for most of the day, but we did kick them outside for a bit. The weather was beautiful and I really enjoyed being out there watching them play soccer against each other. It was DS#1 versus DS#2 and my nephew N. At one point, N complained that DS#1 was so aggressive but then N started pulling on DS#1's arm. It was all in good fun. DS#1 needs the practice anyway because he has high school soccer team tryouts on Monday.

We had lots of good food to eat that we started eating at lunch and that we kept eating the whole day and into dinner. Mostly we had fun being together. Here was one funny incident where DS#3 was busy trying to poop. He was leaning over into the chair and DS#2 decided to try to help out his brother by making grunting sounds while next to DS#3. That was too funny not to take a picture!

Of course one of our Thanksgiving traditions is to take naps after the big meal. My family loves to take naps. I'm sure my dear sister will hate me for posting this, but she was positioned as if she were reading the newspaper but she was out cold like my Dad! Both of them had refused to go lie down in an actual bed. Another tradition is to watch football and my family seems to like to fall asleep in front of the TV so here we're combining traditions. :) I think DH was the only one on the sofas that didn't fall asleep. Of course, DS#3 didn't take a nap either.

My sister C was so prepared that she had bought this glitter card making kit. Her DD A and my DD loved playing with glitter. We had glitter everywhere, including our faces. DS#3 even got some on himself just by having a snack at the same table as the crafters!

We went back to my parents' house that evening but left the oldest kids there. Aunt C's house is a very fun place for them and they pretty much expect to stay overnight there every time we come for a visit. Almost all of them got up early this morning except for DS#1, of course. They got to my parents' house by lunch and we left by around 3:30PM. We're always sad when we leave but thankful that we have family close by. Thanks for a fun time Mom and Dad, M, and C!

A Day At The Zoo

Despite a family membership to the local zoo, I don't get to go to the zoo very much at all. In fact, I think today might only be the second time this year that I've gone to the zoo. Our neighbors and their two boys wanted to go to the zoo today and we decided to join them. It was a beautiful day and most of the animals were out. We came upon this brown bear and he looked like he was posing for us. The kids loved it, of course. DS#1 decided to stay home, mostly because he was still in bed when we left the house at almost 10AM.

DS#3 has been to the zoo a number of times with DH because it's a nice outdoor thing to do and he seems fascinated by every animal. I think this was the boa constrictor that he was pointing at, and he pointed out pretty much any animal he saw. He kept asking to be lifted up so he could get an closer look. Every sentence was preceded with a "Hey Mama!" or a "Hey Papa!" He talks quite a bit nowadays.

Although we brought the stroller, he walked quite a bit too. He took a good nap, woke up crying, then managed to fall asleep again on Papa's lap. DS#2 and DD seemed to enjoy the trip also, and they spent the rest of the day playing with the same neighbor boys.

Tomorrow we're planning on going to Houston for Thanksgiving. If I don't get to blog before then, I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving!

Christmas 2009 Photo

I wanted to go ahead and get the Christmas photo done today, so I set the kids up outside in the back yard this morning. They were pretty cooperative for the most part. DS#2 is usually the most reluctant to get his photo taken but he doesn't usually end up disappointing me. I was surprised that DS#3 was so cooperative, almost too cooperative. I have quite a few "cheesy smile" photos, and a couple of photos where he is standing up very tall, so much so that he looks like he is trying to stretch his neck as much as possible. The best photo (with everyone looking) was the one where DD was arching her back so much that everyone that saw the picture remarked on her weird position. That bothered DH so much that he nixed that photo. So, we settled on this one. DS#3 isn't looking straight at the camera, but he looks happy. Notice the binoculars in DS#3's hands. That was the key for getting him to cooperate so well. ;)

I may be a little biased, but I look at this picture and think, "Wow! I have the most beautiful, photogenic children!" :)

Two Hours At A Theme Park

I love that we have season passes to our local theme parks. It's so convenient to visit or just a couple of hours. This morning started out dreary and gray with the temps in the upper 40s. It warmed up nicely to the 60s and sunny while we were at the park. There were hardly any people there when we arrived shortly after opening time. DD got to ride the above ride all by herself. DS#3 didn't want to ride, although DH and the other two boys all wanted to ride with him. That's okay--DD had a blast without them!

We started out in the "Wiggles World" area that was especially for the toddler/preschool age group. DS#3 nixed the above airplane ride for the "Big Red Car" ride. If you follow the "Wiggles" then you know what I'm talking about. Our next ride was the "Whirligig" where you ride on chairs suspended by chains. DD was very disappointed that she was just a little shy of the lower limit, 48 inches. I took this picture of her next to the sign about minimum height and DS#3 decided he wanted to be in the picture too.

We usually ride on the train ride that goes through the whole theme park but for some reason DS#3 didn't ask to go on it. I wasn't too keen on riding because the little bit of breeze that would have created would have been chilly, and I don't like to be cold. DD and DS#3 waved to the train's few passengers instead. That was just too cute.

Since DD was too short for the Whirligig ride mentioned above, we found another smaller version that she could ride. DS#3 wanted to ride too but he had to ride with an "adult". That meant DS#1 since he is adult-sized anyway and DH and I don't like the spinning rides. This isn't the greatest picture, but I love it because it shows DS#1 trying to look at the camera for me but it also shows how fascinated DS#3 was at the ride that he couldn't take his eyes off.

The kids love this ride called the "Wave Runner". It really doesn't have anything to do with water, but it does spin--a lot. DS#3 wanted to go with them but he was too short. Luckily he was satisfied with just watching. DD especially seems to love this ride. She never stops smiling once the ride starts moving. She rode a second time with just DS#1 and DH and I enjoyed watching the two of them. They were both smiling and enjoying each other and that always makes DH and me smile. :)

We really only stayed at the park for about two hours. We were enjoying the weather so much that we went to a local barbecue place called Rudy's and we ate outside. Everyone in our family is a big fan of ice cream and the kids had some for dessert. They gave huge helpings and three of those cups were only $5. They were big enough helpings that DD didn't even complain when she had to share her Rainbow Sherbet with DS#3. That boy can easily have his own ice cream serving nowadays. Like I said before, our family loves ice cream. :)

Done Shopping!

I got so much Christmas shopping done on Thursday that I was aching to finish up today. I had to get gifts for my niece E since her mother had not given me her list yet. ;) I also had to get another gift for my niece A and nephew N and Santa and stocking stuffer gifts for DS#1 and DS#2. I was originally going to go to Target to get gifts but I decided to go to a nearby locally owned toy store first. I love going there because they have toys that the major chains don't have plus they wrap the presents for you. I managed to finish out my list on my first stop. Woohoo! I have to admit that I purposely tried to find things there just so I wouldn't have to keep looking.

As I previously stated, my original intent had been to go to Target to get gifts. When I had announced at home earlier that I was going to be going to Target this morning, the younger three kids immediately volunteered to go with me because they just LOVE to go to Target. With my necessary shopping done, I just let the kids play. DS#3 immediately went to the Thomas the Tank Engine aisle. He found this "interactive" Thomas and spent the entire time pushing the button to make it sing and talk.

Even with it being so close to Christmas, DS#2 begged to buy a remote control car set (with two cars) at Target with his own money. Money just burns a hole in that boy's pocket, but I let him buy it, knowing that the toy would be well loved. He apparently played with it all afternoon (while I was napping with DS#3) so I'm glad that he's gotten a lot of use from it.

After Target we headed to the nearby mall so we could eat lunch. I was just at the mall yesterday, but there's a Chick-Fil-A there and that's where the kids wanted to eat. After lunch and a stop at the Haagen-Dazs ice cream shop in the mall, we headed to the Lakeshore Learning Store for their weekly free crafts for kids. We haven't been able to go in a long time because of soccer. While DD and DS#2 were crafting, DS#3 kept busy playing with some of their toys.

He just loved their magnetic fishing set, although you can see that he doesn't exactly fish in the conventional way. :) He spent quite a bit of time there before playing in their kitchen area. I thought it was interesting that only girls were there but my rough and tumble DS#3 also seemed to love playing in the kitchen. After trying to bite their play food (bread) I managed to distract him into playing with this other play food that you can "slice" instead. Luckily, this is one toy that we already have at home, because he didn't want to leave after playing with it.

At this point, DS#2 and DD showed up with their turkey creations. At first DS#2 had been reluctant to do the craft, but the lady told him he could add extra eyes and make it an "alien" turkey and he was all over that idea! I had to laugh when she said that boys his age were into that sort of stuff and she is SO right! He used extra "hands" to decorate the back of his turkey (along with the extra eyes) and DD used lots of extra feathers. She even called her turkey an "alien" so once again she shows that she is an only girl amongst brothers.

By the time we got home it was already after 2PM. DS#3 and I took our naps then we went to church and then out to dinner at Chili's. DD likes to make this face where she smiles as wide as she can while opening her eyes as much as she can. I call it her "extreme" smile but I think she might call it her "scary" face. I have to admit that she does look a little scary and here she is showing her Papa how scary she can be. Of course she can't make this face without giggling.

We were supposed to be busy today with five soccer games. I guess we kept busy without soccer!

I am Thankful for Today

Recently, some people have been posting daily about something they're thankful for on their Facebook page. I'm going to take this opportunity to turn some of today's events into reasons to be thankful.

--Although I only got about three hours of broken sleep last night, I'm thankful that I at least got some sleep.

--Although I'm so exhausted from working last night that I spent the morning napping, I'm thankful that I had today off.

--Although it was rainy and dreary all day, I'm thankful for the good sleeping weather.

--Although DS#3 spent a lot of time in front of the TV today, I'm thankful that he was happy being indoors (since it was so wet outside).

--Although I didn't get to finish my Christmas shopping today because I was so tired and because my dear sister M hasn't yet sent me my niece's wish list, I'm thankful that I finished most of my Christmas shopping yesterday.

--Although it was super crowded at the mall today, I'm thankful that DH, DS#3, and I went there to have lunch and that we had ice cream at Haagen-Dazs.

--Although I found out that one of my favorite cosmetic brands (Prescriptives) will only be selling online by February 2010 and then only while supplies last, I'm thankful that I was able to buy some of their products today and that I still have time to buy some more before they're gone.

--Although DS#3 was napless this afternoon, I'm thankful that he was still very pleasant for me today.

--Although the soccer tournament was cancelled for this weekend because of the rain and will possibly be rescheduled for next weekend AND I had been looking forward to the end of soccer season, I'm thankful that we don't have to trek out in the mud to play soccer tomorrow. I'm also thankful that this means that we get to "sleep in" tomorrow (our first game would have been at 8AM).

--Although I barely saw DS#2 and DD today because they were at school when I got home from work and then they were playing with friends as soon as they got home from school, I was thankful for the chance to watch TV together as a family tonight.

--Although I had to drive DS#1 to and from the movie theatre tonight, I'm thankful that he is socializing with his friends instead of hiding out in his room texting his friends and playing on Facebook on his laptop.

--Although I got a little upset about the crowds and traffic I had to get through to drop off and pick up DS#1 from the movie theatre tonight, I'm thankful that he told me he appreciated the trouble I was going through and that he loved me, without any prompting from me.

A positive outlook is very important. I'm thankful that I have a positive outlook. :)

Best Weather

The weather has been just beautiful lately. It's in the 40s when I go to work and high 60s to 70s when I go home. It's been sunny with a nice breeze, too. This is the best time of year for weather around here. This is a picture of DD and DS#3 in the sand play area at a local restaurant. We went there for the first time last Saturday because there's an outdoor sitting area and we wanted to be able to enjoy the weather by sitting outside. Yes, these two are hams for the camera! :)

Hey Mama!

Tonight I took some pictures and video of DS#3 looking through one of his "lift the flap" books. Every time he said something he would start his sentence off with "Hey Mama!" then proceeded to talk about what he was looking at. DH is very familiar with this pattern, but this is the first time I've noticed it. I just loved being able to sit and listen to him talk. I guess I don't spend enough time with DS#3. :(

I didn't get home today until close to 5PM. I had to stop off and get a prescription for antibiotics filled at the local pharmacy. One of my colleagues at work called in a prescription because he insisted that I start taking antibiotics for the productive cough I've had for a couple of weeks. When I got home I only saw DH and the other children for a few minutes before they took off for their school book fair and then straight to soccer practice. I stayed home with DS#1 and DS#3. DS#1 had some homework he wanted to finish, so he elected to miss soccer practice. That meant that I didn't have to leave the house and that also meant some quality time with DS#3. :)

Relaxing Dinner and a Movie

I was scheduled to work late today, but I got lucky and it wasn't busy, so I got out on time to pick up DS#1 from school. At home, DH had planned on quiche for dinner. We recently bought "GI Joe: Rise of the Cobra" so we decided to watch that during dinner. We don't have many nights like this where we don't have any activities planned. I guess it was so relaxing that DS#3 (who was napless) fell asleep within the first half hour or so of this very loud and action-packed movie. One minute he was sitting in my lap watching all the helicopters and planes, etc. The next minute I realized that his eyes were closed. Sleeping children are beautiful, aren't they?

Light at the End of the Season

The morning started out relaxed enough. DH made his usual Sunday morning run for donuts. I read the Sunday paper while watching DD and DS#3 playing with Play-Doh. DD made "planets" out of Play-Doh and wanted to keep them (and let them dry out), but I told her to put the Play-Doh away because that girl already lives with clutter all over her room and her desk in the office. DS#3 was just happy being able to touch the Play-Doh, since he doesn't often get that chance. He seemed particularly interested in the orange Play-Doh for some reason, and kept announcing to me how he had it in his hands, how he was playing with it, etc.

We then had a quick lunch so we could leave for DS#1's game (scheduled for 12:30PM) on the other side (south) of the city. Unfortunately, they lost 5-1 but I for one was relieved that this was their last game of the season. They don't have any more tournaments, although they do still have two weeks of soccer practice. DD and DS#2 have a tournament next weekend, which will probably mean at least three games apiece. Both are unfortunately playing at fields on opposite sides of the city, too. They also have two weeks of soccer practice in addition to the tournament. I can see that light at the end of the tunnel, though, and I'm anxious to reach it.

DS#3 was looking pretty relaxed during DS#1's game. He found this chocolate toosie pop in my purse that I'd actually been saving for him. He discovered lollipops on Halloween and now whenever we want to distract/bribe/reward him, lollipops always work. Some of the other parents noticed his relaxed position and couldn't help but comment on it. Of course I had to take a picture. :)

4v4 x 4

Today DD played in a 4v4 tournament (4 players on each team) this morning. Her team was basically split into two and each half played separately. The games were 20 minutes long with no halftime and they played four games. DD's team consists of girls in the U8 age group (meaning they are 7 and 8 year olds) and since they're the only U8 girls team, they played the U9 Girls teams (meaning girls that are 8 and 9 years old). DD played well. She was aggressive and she showed intensity. She also made some smart plays, although DH and I weren't sure if she did that on purpose or not. :)

I chose this as my photo of the day because not only does it show the size discrepancy between 7-8 year olds and 8-9 year olds, but it also shows how DD showed no fear in those matchups. DD is probably the youngest and smallest player on her team, but the girls on this particular team were all at least a head taller than her. That didn't stop her, though. Just look at her trying to get that ball away!

DH and I loved how DD really showed that she was learning a lot from her professional coach. Here she's about to take a goal kick and she is telling her team to position themselves down the line (the side of the field) instead of in the middle where she would have to kick the ball in front of the goal. She's learned that she shouldn't kick the ball down the middle or that would risk the other team getting the ball and scoring a goal. We thought it was hilarious that not only did she know this, but she was also instructing her teammates. :)

Finally Friday

This is the scene I walked in on when I got home from work. Fridays tend to be the days when DS#2 and DD have friends over after school. I love how in this picture, the kids are all so mesmerized by the Guitar Hero game, including DD and DS#3, who are only spectators. This scene was short-lived since we had to get ready for our soccer games tonight.

DH left with DS#1 for his 7PM soccer game at 5:30PM. His team won 5-1. DS#1 went to a pizza place with his teammates after the game. I left for DD's 7:30PM soccer game at 6:30PM with the other kids. Her team lost 8-0. We came straight home and got everyone bathed and dressed for bed. Tomorrow, DD has four 4v4 games, each game being only about 20 minutes long and without a halftime. What on earth would we do if we didn't have soccer games to go to? ;-)

Filler Post

This was another one of those boring routine days where I couldn't get motivated to take a picture of the day, so I'm posting this picture from Tuesday. The picture in my blog header above was also taken at around the same time. DS#3 was enjoying his daily dose of Dora the Explorer. DS#1 wanted to play his Playstation 3 game on the TV in the living room, so I put DS#3 in my bedroom. He seems to enjoy just draping himself over the footboard of my bed, and he was totally ignoring me as I snapped probably about 15-20 pictures (most of which I quickly deleted). Sometimes DH and I both like to just stare at his adorable little toddler face, trying to soak in what he looks like and acts like today, and knowing that moments like this will pass too soon.

He didn't take a nap today, so he ended up falling asleep in the van on the way to pick up his siblings from soccer practice. He stayed asleep even after being transferred from DH's van to my car. He did move around a bit, but he stayed asleep as I changed his poopy diaper and changed him into his night clothes then put him in bed. He's awfully cuddly when he's sleepy, and I wish I could have spent more time holding him, but I had to tend to his big sister. Yes, these moments will pass too soon...

Outdoor Lunch

What a beautiful day to be off of work! DH and I went to lunch at one of our favorite restaurants, Paesano's 1604. They have an outdoor dining area with a view of a small pond and waterfall. The hostess saw DS#3 and immediately got him a cup of fish food to feed the fish with. The fish in that pond are humongous, and I wondered if they were being overfed, especially after I saw how much food was in that cup and how quickly DS#3 was feeding them.

The whole point of the fish food was to keep DS#3 busy, and boy was he! This activity made the waiting time go much faster for all of us. He enjoyed feeding the fish, and DH and I had fun watching him feed the fish. He kept doing this weird (but adorable) little stance where he would lift one leg up. I was a little worried that he would lose his balance and fall in.

This sweet, adorable face almost made me forget what he put me through this morning. He wasn't finished watching Dora the Explorer when we had to leave to take DS#1 to school and he kept reminding me of how unhappy he was about this by crying for about 45 minutes straight while I was driving! He also cried during our shopping trip to Walmart because I wouldn't buy him the bus toy that he wanted. Imagine that!

Enough of the crying talk--I'm going to close this post with a picture of DH's favorite dessert at Paesano's 1604. They took this dessert off the menu a few months ago, but they still make it for their parties. DH asks for it every time we're there, and they always seem to have it. DS#3 enjoyed it too. He spurned my Amaretto Creme Brulee for this dessert. Oh well, that meant more for me! :)

Out of His Cave

I need to give some equal time to DS#1. He doesn't talk much and he spends much of his time in his room. After all, with his laptop, wireless internet, and cell phone, he has everything he wants in his room except maybe food (so we do see him foraging in the kitchen every so often). Recently DH and I told him that he needs to come out of his "cave" (i.e., his room) so that he can actually interact with his family. I had to document the moment by taking a picture. ;)

Poor DS#1! I am running out of ideas for pictures for my Project 365 this year, so I decided to focus on him for my photo of the day for today too. I pick him up from school almost every day after I get off of work. Most of the time I bring him some sort of snack, usually cookies that I buy from work and about once a week or so I buy him a Wendy's Frosty. Today I brought him some chocolate cake. I usually leave the doors locked until he comes up to the door. He gets in the car, I give him the snack, and he says "Thank you". He proceeds to quickly eat the snack, while texting, and during the rest of the trip home he reads or does homework, again while texting. Sometimes I'll ask him specific questions about his day. He tends to answer with a "yes", "no", or "I don't know", but sometimes I get lucky and he actually gets descriptive. I don't get to interact with him very much, so I appreciate this time when he's trapped in the car with me. :)

Ethical Dilemma

By now I'm sure that everyone has heard about the shootings at Fort Hood last Thursday, November 5th. The day after the shootings, they started posting guards at the hospital entrances to check IDs. They used to do this when I first started working there 7 1/2 years ago, but they stopped a couple or so years ago. Today, they started checking bags. My co-workers and I speculated that this was due to the fact that last Friday, they transferred the shooter to the hospital where I work. His presence has created a lot of talk. Some express disappointment that he lived, but others say that his living means he has not become a martyr. Some of us talk about how we hope that he won't have to come to the operating room so we would have to treat him.

One of the guys I work with (CH) was on call yesterday and was called to treat the shooter. CH went to medical school with the shooter and at the time thought he had been a normal guy. The recent events certainly put a strain on their meeting again. Of course CH treated him with the same professionalism that he would with any patient. I'm sure that everyone I work with would be able to put their feelings aside if called upon to treat this individual, but all of us are still hoping we won't have to deal with him at all. Until then, we'll be lining up to get our bags checked.

Final Mud Games

DS#2's team was scheduled to play the two last games of their season today. Next weekend, playoffs start, so all of the games had to be played by today. Unfortunately, it rained today, quite a bit in some areas. They still had to play their games. DS#1 had a game scheduled today, but those fields were closed and his season lasts a little longer. This meant that DS#2's team played in some very muddy conditions.

This is a close-up of DS#2's shoes after his second game. Luckily he was prepared and had his crocs in the car to change into. DH also came prepared with some wet wipes so DS#2 could clean off his legs. He even changed socks in between games. Unfortunately, DS#2's team lost both games. Overall, they played better at the end of the season than when they first started, so the scores aren't reflective of their improvement. We're looking forward to the Spring season.

I also took this picture of DS#3 this morning. With all of the retail stores gearing up for the holiday season, there are lots of catalogs around our house, especially toy catalogs. DS#3 seems to like looking at some of them, especially the ones with pictures of train toys. Here is is pointing to a picture of "Percy" the train from the Thomas the Tank Engine series. Isn't he just adorable? :)

Gotta Love Picture People

After a morning soccer game and lunch at home, we went to The Picture People to get our annual family photo. I was worried about DS#3 because our appointment was at 1PM and that's usually his nap time. I can't tell you how pleased I was when I saw this picture! Even the little man is smiling, and he's smiling NORMALLY, not his cheesy smile! This version is the one we're going to hang on the wall. I got a vertical or portrait version of the same picture to save in a scrapbook page and to give to family.

Isn't this another fantastic picture? I was a bit skeptical at first when the photographer told DS#1 to lay down on his stomach and then DS#2 to lay down on his stomach next to his brother, and so on. I tried to get DS#3 to lay down on his stomach too, but he wouldn't get off of all fours. Despite that I think this turned out fantastic because little man is smiling here, too. I also got a few of these to give to family.

DS#1's birthday was last month, but we've been so crazy busy with soccer and Halloween on the weekends that we didn't have time to get his "birthday" pictures taken. DS#2 and DD's versions can be found HERE and DS#3's version can be found HERE. DS#1 was such a good sport! He looked a bit uncomfortable during his "photo shoot" but he did everything I asked. DS#2 and I were throwing out scenarios to watch him react. DS#2 would say things like, "We finished all of the cinnamon rolls and we didn't leave any for you." I even asked DS#1 to take out his phone like he was texting and he did that. I decided in the end that I could get a photo of him texting any time. ;)

The whole photo session, selecting the photos, and getting them took a couple of hours. During one of the waits, we decided to go to the Marble Slab Creamery next door to reward the kids for their good report cards. With Halloween and five soccer games last weekend we weren't able to do this earlier. At first I was going to make DD share her ice cream with DS#3, but DH and I decided that she shouldn't have to share her reward. Besides, after getting his own ice cream yesterday, DS#3 didn't want to share plus he didn't want DD's chocolate ice cream, he wanted the "orange ice cream" he saw in the freezer case. He can be so much like his big sister sometimes. I still remember when she picked her ice cream based on color, except that color happened to be pink! Oh, and by the way, that "orange ice cream" was mango-flavored ice cream. :)

Another Salon Invasion

I decided that the boys needed their hair cut again, and DD needed a trim, so once again my family descended upon the hair salon that I've been going to for the past seven years or so. You can read about the last time we were all there on THIS blog entry.

This time wasn't nearly so "fun-filled". DS#1 read his book while DS#2 got his hair cut and then DS#2 read HIS book when DS#1 got HIS hair cut. Luckily I brought a toy catalog for DD to look at to help her with her Christmas list, and that kept HER occupied. DS#3 found a small board book in his backpack that he had gotten free in a Chick-Fil-A meal. I read that to him a number of times. The rest of the time he was doing things like in this picture above, or sitting quietly eating a lollipop.

I took this picture of DS#1 because I was watching him get his hair washed when I realized how curly his hair was. This is a bad, overblown picture, but I think you can still see his curls. He doesn't usually wear his hair combed back like this, so the curls are more obvious than usual. His hair used to be stick straight like mine, but it became curly when he started hitting puberty. This makes me wonder what will happen to the other boys' hair since their hair is stick-straight now, but this also makes me wonder what will happen to DD's hair since hers actually has some curl now. I really hope her hair stays curly.

Although my boys are always trying to get away with longer and longer hair nowadays, DD has been all about short hair for a few months now. This week, however, she said that she was tired of short hair and she wanted to grow her hair again. This really took DH and I by surprise. We like that she can "do" her own hair (by putting on a headband) but I have to admit that I do miss playing with her long hair. We'll see if she sticks with this. Either way, I'm confidant that she will look pretty no matter what. :)

Letting Go

DH and I have always tried to be very involved parents. We like to go to all of the kids' "events", even when it creates some hardship for us. Luckily, we've been able to do this, with DH "staying at home" and with me having regular and often flexible hours with this current job. Occasionally we've relied on family to come to town and babysit the younger kid(s) when I have to work while DH shuttles the other kids to their activities by himself.

Occasionally in the last year or so we've realized that we need to give up some of our "responsibility". Sometimes we have to ask family to come visit so they can look after one or more kids when I have to work so that DH can more freely shuttle the other kids to their activities. A few times we've asked friends of ours to take a child with them until we could pick them up. We've realized that we can't be everywhere with them, so sometimes we have to ask for help from other parents. Never before has their regular participation in something relied on another parent--until today.

DS#2 wanted to join this "Media Club" that meets after school on Thursdays until 4PM. The teacher heading up the club is his Gifted and Talented (GT) teacher and he just adores her. After school on Thursdays, DH already takes DD to her piano lesson at 4PM. I don't get home until 4:30PM, shortly before he gets back home with DD. DS#2 has to be picked up on time or he's out of the club. Since one of his good friends is also in the club and he lives in our neighborhood, today his mother picked up DS#2 and took him to their house until I could pick him up. Everything went well, of course, but DH and I just have to take deep breaths and "let go" a little.

Exhibit A and B

I usually let DH post these types of things because he was actually there, but I didn't take any other photos today, so I'm using one of his photos for my photo of the day. I loved this photo he took of the floor in front of our staircase. DS#3's shoes were already in place when DH noticed that there were crayon marks on the floor. He called me to tell me about it, and while he was telling me on the phone about how he was thinking of taking a picture, he automatically started cleaning up the crayon with a rag. Luckily, he left a little bit of crayon so he could take this picture for "Exhibit A". ;)

He also found "Exhibit B" on the built-in file cabinets in the office. Of course, we have no idea when DS#3 made these marks, so it's a little late to be disciplining him. DH did tell him again not to draw on the house or furniture, but who knows he'll actually do as he is asked.

Activities for the Sick

How do you decide what activities a sick or formerly sick child can participate in? DH and I discussed the answer to this today. DS#2 stayed home from school again because of what happened last night. Tonight is soccer practice night, so the question became whether or not he could go to soccer practice. I thought that if he felt okay and wanted to go, he should go to soccer practice. He felt well enough to play outside this afternoon and he even asked if a friend could come over. However, he already got it into his head that he wasn't going to soccer practice. With DS#2, once he gets an idea into his head, it's there to stay, so he stayed home.

When I got home, DH told me that I should go upstairs and take this picture in DS#2's room. Apparently he was feeling well enough to take some free NFL stickers that we got in the mail and do this with it. The top panel says, "NFL Teams I..." The other sections say, respectively, "Am A Fan Of", "Don't Dislike or Like", "Don't Like", and "HATE". Of all our children, he is the only one that is interested in sports in general. This was a great way to see it.

As long as I was up there in his room, I decided to take this picture. As you can see, there is a basin on the floor left over from last night. Luckily, he didn't have to use it, but unfortunately, we didn't give it to him in time to catch some of the earlier emesis. Notice also the music taped on the top bunk. That is his guitar music. I really need to get him a music stand or show him how to prop that up on his desk. Lastly, notice the clothes on the little sofa and the unmade bed. Now THAT happens ALL the time! With one picture I have insight into DS#2's day and I didn't even have to chase him around with my camera! :)

First Report Cards

With all of the Halloween excitement, I didn't get a chance to brag about how well my children did on their first report cards of the year. I know you can't really see the individual numbers on this picture, but they are spectacularly high. :)

Here are the particulars for the grandparents:

DS#1--100 in Pre-AP Algebra 2, 95 in Electronic Media, 95 in Survey of Design Tech, 100 in Soccer/Study Hall, 97 in Pre-AP World History, 97 in Pre-AP English, 93 in Pre-AP Physics, and 100 in Spanish I. Physics was also marked with a comment indicating that "Achievement is Outstanding" despite that being his lowest grade. Not to downplay DS#1's achievement, but DH and I wondered how everyone in the class was doing if DS#1's "93" was considered "outstanding". By the way, "Pre-AP" is short for "Pre-Advanced Placement", which prepare him for the "AP" classes where he can take a test to get college credit. I received 18 hours of college credit this way, so my standards are high. ;)

DS#2--100 in Reading, 98 in Language Arts, 98 in Math, 95 in Science, 96 in Social Studies, with the rest of his categories being "E" for "excellent" except for "Handwriting" which was "Satisfactory". Three of his main classes were also marked "Achievement is Outstanding".

DD--98 in Reading, 99 in Language Arts, 95 in Math, 99 in Science, and 94 in Social Studies with the rest of her categories being "E" for "excellent" including "Handwriting". She has pretty nice handwriting for a seven-year-old when she actually takes the time to do her work neatly.

On another more serious note, when he got his report card, DS#2 made a comment that he had perfect attendance. Unfortunately that ended today. He has some sort of stomach bug. He has been able to drink water, but every time he tries to eat solid food (even toast), it comes back up. He had an almost normal dinner and had gone to bed but he ended up throwing that up too. DH had to clean the wall and carpet in DS#2's room just a few minutes ago. I hope he's better tomorrow. Poor baby!

I've got to end this post with a few cute things. Aren't these the cutest little boy clothes?

Cool Like Daddy Tee

Preppy Penguin

Sorry for the disjointed post! :)

Non-stop Soccer

With three soccer games yesterday plus Halloween we're all exhausted at our house, but today was not a day of rest. This afternoon, DS#1 had another soccer game (which they won--yay!) at 3PM. DS#2 had a makeup soccer practice from 3-4:30PM, and DD had a makeup soccer practice from 5-6:30PM. These extra soccer practices are because there were so many practices rained out. They're trying to give parents their money's worth.

This is DS#3 and DD during DS#2's soccer practice. I let them roam around the car. They even sat in each other's car seats for a while. I brought them snacks and juice. Later I took them to Target where I bought even more candy because it was 50% off. I also went by McDonald's to get them cheeseburgers so DD could eat before practice.

Although the temperature was in the low to mid 70s, the sun was very bright and made it seem warmer. DS#3 wanted to eat chips, so I decided it would be better for for my car for him to eat that outside. I wanted to protect him from the sun that was pointed directly at us, so I opened the car door and used that as a shield. Unfortunately, he alternated eating the chips with playing in the dirt despite my repeated requests for him to finish eating before playing.

DH and DS#1 got to the practice fields after his game around the time DD was starting practice. I took the three boys and went by Dairy Queen on the way home to get them something for dinner. My boys are so spoiled! DS#1 ate their "Flame Kickin' Hungr-Buster" (or some other similar name that I can't remember right now) and DS#2 wondered if it would actually "bust" his brother's ever-present "hunger". Both boys got shakes. Like I said--my boys are spoiled!

DS#3 was very cranky today, but describing that would take another whole post and I've bored all of you enough for today. :)