Why oh Why?

Now it's my turn to ask "why?" Why is it that when I need to vacuum the stairs, the boys suddenly get up off of the couch and do acrobatics on the banister and/or the stairs that I'm trying to clean? When I question them on this phenomena, they say that they are trying to keep out of the way of the vacuum! This blows my mind! They WERE out of the way of the vacuum when they were on the couch to begin with! Or, why is it that they come out of hiding the split second I get or make a phone call? They could be completely consumed by the Game Cube or TV, but as soon as I'm talking to someone on the phone, they are right there next to me "needing" something. It's like they have some radar sense. I can hide-out in my bathroom, but then the notes start getting slipped under the door! I can't say that this happens ALL of the time, but it's definitely not a rarity. And, why is it that the boys complain of hunger during the hour leading up to dinner, only to pick at their food during dinner ... even if it's something they like? Am I missing something here? Then, as soon as dinner is cleared, they want a snack. I'm guessing I'm not alone here. Just some questions stirring around in my head. Yes, the wheels are usually turning ....

Another Science Lesson

I went into J's classroom today to present another science lesson. I really enjoy being the Science Docent for his class. Today, one girl asked me how I know all of this science stuff. I wish I could have told her that I'm just so smart, but I had to tell her that I went to school and that science was one of my favorite subjects. We continued talking about solids, but this time focused on very small objects -- which can sometimes behave like a liquid (rice, cornmeal, beans). Half of the class was back with me, taking turns with a partner, basically playing with the small solids, using funnels, containers, etc.. We rotated them through each bin. The other half of the class glued various beans on a paper to make designs. Then, we all switched. It was loud, but it was fun. The kids LOVED being able to get their hands into the beans, rice, & cornmeal. They were learning through play. I love how J gives me lots of hugs while I'm there in his class. I sneaked him a starburst candy. He liked that. J's classmates are so kind to me when I come, and I feel very welcome there.

I'm a Sunbeam

I took this picture after church -- T was glazed and ready to take a nap

T with his friend, "Rett"

Today marked a milestone for T. He is a Sunbeam in Primary. He kept asking to go to nursery through most of Sacrament Meeting. He was a little confused about coming right into the primary room. What made matters more frustrating for me is that not only am I in there, so is Dad, one of his brothers, AND one of his preschool teachers, whom he just absolutely adores!! He kept working the crowd, trying to go between me, his preschool teacher & Dad. Uggh! I will be saying lots of prayers for his Sunbeam teacher .. so that she has buckets and buckets of patience. She's already so calming and patient, and I'm so happy she's his teacher. I know he'll adjust and do better as time goes on. It's hard to believe that we don't have a child in nursery! It was cute seeing him with his friends, sitting on the small chairs in the front row. At one time, T was lying on the floor, resting his head in his hands, with his elbows in the air. I was a little embarrassed, but he was still, and he was quiet. Okay, I'll take that.

What a storm!!

The canvas roof to our play structure was shredded. Also, you can see the fence to the left about ready to fall (which it did -- taking out the apple tree)


The side fence couldn't take any more wind.

We are experiencing a fierce storm, one with winds going @ 60mph+. Our poor lemon tree is struggling, and two of our fences are down for the count. It was quite a sight this morning! There are 3 panels down from the side fence, and 3 panels down on the other side, facing the street. Since our house is on a corner, we're taking the brunt of the wind because there's not another house there shielding some of the wind. Our pear tree is a goner. G put on some shoes and checked out the damage to our fences. Our boys are so sad about the trampoline breaking. It took a beating in the wind. It sure got a lot of use in the last year. Anyway, it reminded me of some friends of ours who, during a severe storm in their area, had their neighbor's trampoline land on their car! Glad THAT didn't happen! I promptly cancelled T's dentist appointment. It would have required us to drive in this vicious storm about 25 minutes each way. No way. I didn't have pay a cancellation fee because they figured that the weather is a factor no one can control. I would have paid it anyway because I was in no way risking our safety. So, I guess this is another day @ home. I'll dig out the hot cocoa again. G said that he knows what the next few days hold for him: trips to Lowe's and fixing the fences. Oh, and probably taking the trampoline to the dump. Darn!

Odds and Ends

B taking out the trike for a test spin -- can you say "blackmail"?

T with one our our marble towers

On New Year's Day, the boys went outside to try their new bikes. B still has to grow into his a little bit, but he's determined to ride it. They rode around our block a few times. I had to distract T while they took off so he wouldn't follow. He told me that he wants Christmas tomorrow so that he can get a new bike, too! He's riding B's old bike, which J rode as well, and it fits him perfectly. No need for a new bike there ... yet. Later, Dad took the 3 older boys out to the wetlands on their bikes. I took T around a few blocks for our own CLOSER adventure. As soon as I walked in the door, the phone rang. I needed to go pick up J. He had a wipe out. Apparently, his pedal was loose, and when he stepped down on it as he was riding, it came off, tumbling J to the ground. His hands were pretty scraped up.

With the weather so cold and threatening rain, we've kind of been homebodies. Once it started to rain today, the boys asked for hot chocolate. We were warm and cozy inside, sipping hot chocolate, as we watched the rain outside.

I think we may just wear out our Wii. The boys LOVE it, and I like how it gets them moving, for the most part. They do like their new Lego Star Wars game, which doesn't require them to move around like tennis or boxing does. But, that's okay. We're on vacation. It's keeping them busy and they are getting a long pretty well (yes, I know ... miracles DO happen!)

I think I've built and rebuilt a dozen marble towers with T. There is something mesmerizing about watching marbles slide down many ramps and spin through things. We've had many discussions about colors and shapes, so I guess it's been educational, too. (I'm patting myself on the back right now! Ha) . He likes to put all 12 marbles down the chute, so when I ask for a marble, he'll reluctantly give me 1, maybe 2 if I'm lucky.

What is it about the New Year that makes me want to clean out cupboards and organize closets? I guess it's trying to find a place for things like Christmas gifts. Our house definitely needs a good purge. I guess I'll tackle 1 thing at a time. Sometimes, when my boys are all asking me to do something at the same time, I'll joke back and say, "Guys, I can only do 5,000 things at once, not 5,001! C'mon!" Yes, this usually gets a funny look on their face. So worth it.

Happy New Year

It's kind of hard to tell perspective in this photo, but this is our Wii projected onto our living room wall, and it is about 10 to 12 feet wide. Talk about the Wii "experience"!

B & Dad enjoying a Wii moment

Just gettin' started

Yum! Do you want a cookie to go with those sprinkles??

B was so happy to FINALLY make and EAT sugar cookies


Do I really get to do this?? Past bedtime, too??!

I cannot believe that another year has come and gone. Unbelievable. Although we have some "grouchy Guses" this morning, last night was really fun. We rang in the new year at home, just the 6 of us. Still have a few 'cooties' floating around ... Anyway, after dinner Dad hooked up the Wii to run through our projector so that it was HUGE on our living room wall. We played several rounds of bowling, baseball, & tennis. J is sure a force to be reckoned with when it comes to bowling -- and he makes it look so easy! B helped Mom roll out some sugar cookie dough while the others were finishing a round of baseball. B has been hounding me for WEEKS, probably MONTHS to make sugar cookies. I know these are his favorite, but they sure can be a lot of work. I cheated by using the Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix -- Easy!! Then, everyone came in and frosted their own cookies. It was kind of strange to be doing this at 10PM?? Then, we settled in for a movie. We watched the "Bad News Bears" (with our Clear-Play, of course) and remarked how much movies have changed in the past 30 years. What was cutting-edge comedy etc. back in the day didn't really connect with us (especially our boys) now. It was mildily entertaining though. Then we had about 10 minutes until Midnight. We gathered around the TV to watch the NY Times Square ball drop. We could not believe how many commercials there were right up until THE moment! Annoying. Right after the count down, we put the boys to bed. I was surprised that T was still awake. He did sleep in past 7 this morning, but woke up right before 8. Darn!