Happy Vacation 2009 - Part 2

Jamie and Josh taking a break from the waves and enjoying watching Isaac play in the sand.

Jamie's sister, Wendy, and her family live about 15 minutes from the beach. They packed a lunch, drinks, chairs, and lots and lots of sun screen for us and we spent about 6 hours out there. Poor Jamie. He was the only one to get sun burned. And, thanks to me, it was shaped like camouflage!

Maggie and Tannah enjoying the scenery.

This is pretty much where Maggie spent the entire day.
She would get up every once in awhile to move her chair so that the
water hit her feet just right.

Until a big wave would come and knock her around a little!

Jamie made her go out in the water for a little.
She's pretty much yelling at Jamie to take her out of the water.

Caleb and Michael enjoyed digging in the sand and collecting sand crabs. Yes, they kept all the ones they found. No, we didn't take any home with us. They were all gently put back at sea at the end of the day.

Here's proof that I got in! Wendy and I played in the waves. I went under water twice and declared that it was enough! Not a big fan of salt water. The picture of Jamie in the chair? That was my spot pretty much the entire time. I even feel asleep a couple of times. So relaxing!

Happy Vacation 2009 - Part 1

Our first leg of our vacation brought us to the Pittsburgh Zoo. Thanks to our Potter Park Zoo annual pass we got in free! The zoo is built on a hill. A very large hill. There was a section that had all these boardwalk type sidewalks that took you to different exhibits. I was thankful to find a regular crossing at this point and not have to go over the very scary bridge!

Michael took a picture of Jamie and I at the aquarium section of the zoo.

My kids (and I) were so thrilled to be able to walk among real live deer!
The kids enjoyed petting her.

We stayed at a hotel that evening and headed for Virginia Beach the following morning.

Attached

I knew that I was strongly attached to the internet for all of my communication and questions, but I had now idea how attached my son, Michael, is until this morning.

Michael is grounded from the computer and the tv for a few days*. He came into the bathroom as I was getting ready this morning and asked me if he could switch users on the desk computer so that he could check the weather.

I promptly reminded him that he's grounded from the computer. He responded "Oh. Well. Um... how am I suppose to check the weather?".

Last night he was getting set up to read for 20 minutes and went to the computer to set the timer. I quickly reminded him that he couldn't use the computer. I suggested using a clock... he went over to use the timer on the oven.

My my my... Michael is a tech geek!

* He had attempted to climb through our garage window the other day. No doubt to impress his new friend. He was told to never do that again. Yesterday... he did it. Again, no doubt to impress another bunch of friends. Thus the grounding from his 2 favorite pass times.

Cub Scout Day Camp

Today marks another 'first' for my little boy.

He's off to his first Cub Scout thing ever. We just signed him up to be a Scout at the end of the school year. He hasn't even been to a meeting yet. He's participating in a Day Camp where he'll be able to do all sorts of boyish things.

He was so excited this morning that he woke up at 6:00. He was so excited this morning that he was dressed in his uniform before I even got out of bed. He was so excited this morning that he had his shoes on and backpack ready 20 minutes before his ride was expected to arrive.

I'm excited for him. Actually, I think I'm more nervous.

I usually pride myself at how well we both adjust with separation. We've been doing it on a regular basis since he was very young. But, sometimes... it's hard to let go.

Cub Scouts is a big boy thing. He's going to learn how to shoot a bb gun this week. EEK! It's tough too that I've never been to the camp that he's going to. I can't even picture what he'll be doing. There's a lot of unknowns this morning. That's probably why it's tough.

I'm so thankful for Amy and her willingness to take him with a few other boys and excitement to have Michael involved. She was honestly thrilled to see him this morning and take him on this adventure.

A little side note...

I'm pretty uptight when it comes to guns. When Michael was born I really tried hard to not have any type of weapons in the house. I'm not really good at explaining myself, Jamie's better at that. But, I just don't feel comfortable with the idea of 'playing' violence. It seems like that could callous a person. I've heard all the arguments... and honestly, I'm easily persuaded so I can go either way.

So, yes, we do have toy weapons in our home and playing Star Wars and riding horses and shooting guns is a normal day in this house. I still cringe.

Because of all this, I talk to Michael quite a bit about violence and especially guns. Real guns. We haven't let him shoot a real gun. I sorta wanted to wait until he was like 12. I think Jamie said 8. My dad was ready to teach him when he was 4.

Michael noticed on the camp pamphlet that they were going to use the bb gun range. I can't tell you how many times he's asked me if it's ok*. I keep having to reassure him that in this situation it is ok. He's going to be trained by people who know what they're doing. It's a safe environment. Heck, if my husband or dad or father-in-law aren't going to teach him his first time, I think I'd like the Boy Scouts to show him!

Wow, this post turned out longer than I anticipated. I'll try to post pictures of his adventures. Oh wait. I'm not going to be there. Not sure if I'll get any of all these boyish firsts. *sniff*

*Yea! I think I instilled something into my son and he's understanding my authority and wanting to do the right thing! Thank you Lord!

My Moment of Spontaneity

With the facebook world swirling around I'm not sure who all reads this anymore. Heck, I forget that I even have a blog. I only go to this site to check on my favorite blogs. The authors of those are all on facebook as well. So, there's not much activity going on. But, I know that my mom is a faithful reader and I don't like to disappoint her :)

As you know, I'm not the most spontaneous person. As the kids and I were driving home from taking Jamie lunch today we stumbled upon a sign. A very large sign. One that not only children notice, but adults as well.

THE ART OF DR. SEUSS

Naturally... er, unnaturally... we stopped to check it out.

And to our surprise we had a wonderful time! It was a very nice art gallery that was hosting an exhibit of Dr. Seuss 'stuff'. The owner? was extremely friendly and welcomed us in.


See... it's a REAL art gallery! Lots and lots of breakable stuff that costs lots and lots of money.







You can even buy the prints. They're actually reproductions. I'm not sure if the sculptures are for sale or not. Did you know that he made sculptures of his creatures? I was impressed. They were really fun to see.




All the books that they had on displayed were available to read. They even showed a documentary about Ted. It was pretty interesting. Someday I'd like to sit down and watch the whole thing.

Oh, and the best part of the visit? As we were leaving the owner said to me "You're kids are so well behaved". I looked around me assuming she couldn't possibly be talking to me about my children. But, she went on to tell me that with some people she just cringes because of how the children are touching all of the sculptures and just running around the gallery. I'm so proud of how well my kids behaved!

Piano Lessons

This is Michael with his piano teacher Emily.

Michael just started piano lessons. And, truly, he's amazing! As always, that kid is excelling. After the fist lesson Emily said that Michael caught on quicker than most of her other first time students and that they covered more material than most. He was playing songs after just 15 minutes. so amazing. So, here's a picture to document it all so that when VH1 does a 'Behind the Music' on Michael when he's old and famous we can whip this out :)

Christmas Gifts for 2008

So, I got this great digital camera from my husband for Christmas. I. Love. It. It takes really good pictures. I keep it in my purse all the time. Did I mention that I love it? This is probably the first picture I took with it. Michael and Jamie are reading a book that my mother and father-in-law bought Michael. If you have boys you must get this book!! It's called 'The Dangerous Book for Boys'.

Not sure if you all remember or know of our Christmas gift giving tradition for our family. Here's a little recap. We give gifts to each other that fit into three categories. God Provides - He takes care of even our simplest needs. Growth - God desires a growing relationship with us. Good Gifts - God blesses us even when we don't deserve it or expect it. We don't necessarily limit the amount of gits to 3, but we do buy for each other in those categories.

Michael got socks for 'God Provides'. Pretty sure he's gotten socks every year! Maggie was actually tougher to buy in this category. I got her a comb and a brush. Jamie bought me long johns. I bought Jamie a lunch box. I know, it was a stetch for that category. But, I figured God provides food for us daily and one of my goals this year is to try to make him lunch more regularly.

We bought Michael some Christian comic books for his 'Growth'. Maggie got the Playmobile Nativity Set. I bought Jamie a music CD. And Jamie got me a subscription to a magazine called Just Between Us.

We were pretty conservative with the 'Good Gifts' category. Michael got a Star Wars ship and a baseball hat (pictured above). Maggie got a little Polly Pocket set. I bought Jamie a tool belt and season one of "How I Met Your Mother". Oh, and I got my camera. YeeeHaaa!! The kids also got various great gifts in their stockings. Toothbrushes, tooth paste, snow globe, key chain, ... Oh, and tons and tons of wonderful things from grandparents and aunts and uncles!

Student of the Week

Michael is the Student of the Week at school... this week :)

His responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Leading the line every where the class goes, opening the door for guests, going to the office for things... huh, it really sounds like he just does the dirty work for the teacher. I suppose there are a few good things about it.

Everyday he gets to bring in a favorite toy to show the class. He gets to bring in a special snack for the class on Friday. And, they have a special bulletin board that the child can decorate how ever they want. Of course, I interpreted that to mean that I would decorate it! So, I printed off a few old pictures of Michael and stuck them up there. Also, an old book that he liked when he was a baby and a new one that he likes now. Also, a few toys that he liked. It turned out kinds cute. I'm glad we did it.

Oo, Ah, Dance in Smarty Pants

I've got a smart 2nd grader living in my house. Oh, yes I do!

Michael's teacher called me today. He scored very well on the math assessment test last week. So high in fact the he is going to the 3rd grade class for his math. I guess he's the only 2nd grader doing that. And, that's saying a lot because there's about 75 of them.

Also... yes there's more smartness.... He got 100% on his spelling pre-test and has moved up to the super speller list. It's another list of words that are a bit more difficult. We practiced those words today and he already knows how to spell every single one. I wonder if there's a super duper spelling list.

Yup, he's an amazing kid. I'm so proud!

Tar

As I was grabbing the clothes out of the dryer today I noticed that a pair of underwear was stuck to the inside. I pried it off and found a blob of black goo.

Apparently Michael had stuffed a piece of road tar in his pocket and thus proceeded to place his dirty clothes in the clothes basket. Yea for him for getting that down.

So, I doused the dryer with veggie oil and the stuff came right off. I was happy about that.

I've got a weak stomach

Michael just came down the stairs and said, "Hey Mom, I know this is going to gross you out and I'm sorry about that.... (he paused long enough for me to brace myself)... but I just lost another tooth!"

Teeth loss grosses me out. I'm even having a hard time writing this without gagging.

So, the moment I hoped would never happen to my children has come. Michael has a huge gap. He has lost his two front top teeth. Yuck. It makes kids talk goofy and look goofy.

Great Week!

Michael has had a great week at school! I've been very impressed with his teacher. I was able to volunteer in the classroom on Monday and saw her skills first hand. She is very... strict isn't really the word I want to use... scheduled, consistent, structured. It's a perfect fit for Michael. He hasn't been singled out with behavior issues. The whole class has missed parts of recess and things like that, but he hasn't had to be punished for poor behavior. Praise God!

Maggie and I have had a fun filled week. Our church has teamed up with another local church for a play group. A group of ladies at this other church have been planning outings with their young children for years. It was so nice of them to allow our church to tag along. The best part? My two favorite friends are in the group, which means Maggie's favorite pals are too. So fun!

Aug. 30, 2001

Michael will be 7 years old tomorrow... It brings tears to my eyes. Not sure exactly what feeling is causing that reaction. I think I just feel like I treat him so old that I'm missing out on the young things.

Tonight, while tucking him in to bed, he started giggling and said, "Remember when I was a baby and they kicked me out of the nursery at the hospital because I was crying so much and woke up all the other babies?"

It cracked me up! Little did I know then that I would have a very boisterous boy. He gets in trouble all the time for the volume of his voice.

Later I remembered holding him when the nurse brought him back to us. He snuggled right up to me and fell soundly asleep on my chest... that memory makes me cry :)

A New Year

I met Michael's new teacher last night. I think I really like her. It's hard to tell with just a quick howdy-do. I've heard a lot of great things about her. And, after speaking to his kindergarten para-pro I believe she will be a perfect fit for my boy.

So, I'm praying that we have a better year than the last. Remember how Michael's 1st grade teacher left at Christmas break and a new teacher came in? She wasn't from his school nor was she a part of the charter schools. It was a horrible year.

Michael doesn't start school until next week so I'm hoping to take him in this week to meet her. Oh, and drop off his supplies. Man, they need so much!

Up And Running Again

We got our new computer! Actually, I think we've had the same keyboard for about 10 years now but when you open the casing of the cpu it's all shiny and new... and running great! Jamie just orders the inner parts online and puts it all together himself. I know! He's amazing, right? He could be making millions if he continued his education in computers instead of switching to the ministry. But then we would have never met and I wouldn't be sharing all the wonderful snidbits of our fabulous life with you all :)

Tonight we had a little b-day party for Michael. His birthday is actually the 30th. He's been waiting for The Clone Wars movie to open so he and a few friends went and saw it with the dads. They came home all fired up. There were light sabors flying for about an hour afterwards. Apparently they loved it!

I'm Bored

I'm a little bit bored right now. My parents took Maggie and Michael to The Village for the day. My brother is sleeping. And, I found out that my honey came home early from the UP and is home already. I wish I could be home with him. But, I'm so thankful that my parents enjoy my children and want to spend the day with them.

I'll probably head out and do a little shopping. I hate driving in this area and I also tend to refuse to shop anywhere on Saturdays. I'm a bit of a crowd coward. But, the thought of going alone sounds pleasant. Maybe I'll wait and see if my brother will take me :)

I'm such a dork!

A really quick update... I'll try to post some pics soon.

Michael had a blast at camp. He wore the same underwear and t-shirt that I sent him in. Apparently I "hid" all of his clean clothes in his suitcase. He came back with some new funny songs and some inside jokes. I think he grew up while he was gone those 2.5 days.

Michael was so surprised when he came home and saw his room. It's really not that drastic looking, except it's really really clean. I repainted the walls a light cream color. It's fresh and new. He loved the light saber's on the wall. And the bed is really fun.

Ok, here's the dorky part... I sent Michael to camp with a disposable camera. We took it to Walgreen's to have the pictures developed.

Clerk: Would you like these back today or tomorrow?

Me: Is there a price difference?

Clerk: No.

Me: Ok, I'll pick them up later today.

Clerk: Would you like single or double prints?

Me: Well, it's my sons camera. I'm not sure how many turned out so I don't know off hand how many copies I'll want. If I order single prints now can I somehow get another set later if they look good?

Oh. My. Goodness. My father will be hanging his head in shame. Have I really gone that digital that I've forgotten about negatives?

A First for Everything

Tomorrow Michael goes to camp for the first time. It's about an hour away. Two nights and three days. With kids his age. No one that we know, yet. We do know the dean. That's comforting to me :)

I'm excited for him. But worried too! All the normal mom stuff. Will he take a shower? Will he remember to brush his teeth and change his underwear? Will he make friends? Will he have fun? Will he fall in the lake and drown?

I know he'll have fun. I've been blessed with one of those rare kids who loves trying new things. He'll go into a room of strangers and not think anything different. He's not scared to ask for help. He's not scared to talk to adults. He's pretty out spoken and out going. I keep comparing it to Vacation Bible School. With sleeping added in.

I'm also excited for him to go because I think I'm going to surprise him by re-doing his bedroom. See, his room is another room of our house that just hasn't ever been finished. His walls are half painted waiting for a chair rail to go up. Well, I've changed my mind about the chair rail and I'm just going to paint the walls cream.

I found an awesome metal framed head and footboard bed painted red at a garage sale a few weeks ago. I paid $5 for it. I was going to repaint it, but I think I'll keep it. Apparently Michael loves red. Awhile back I bought him a comforter set that has stars and planets on it. I'm going to shoot for a Star Wars theme... on the cheap side. With just a few red accents like the bed and drawer pulls.

I'm hoping to pick up a cheap Star Wars poster and frame that for him. And maybe buy some cheap light sabors to hang on his wall. Other than that, that's all I'm doing. The painting will be the only labor that I'll have to do. Oh, and all the moving of furniture that goes along with that.

So, even though the living room isn't completely done being decorated I'm moving on to the next room. But, I promise I'll finish the living room!

Last Day of School

Michael is officially done with the 1st grade! We are all so excited!

He had to go to school today, but only for a short ceremony. They give out rewards after each marking period and hold the last ceremony on the last day of school. After the ceremony we were free to take him home for the day.

Michael finished out the year strong. He received mostly all 4's on his report card and one 3. (4 being the highest). That was in the Moral Focus area. You know, the being polite, not interrupting, being a helper category. Definitely not his strongest area. But, he's still the smartest little guy you'll ever meet.

After 'school' we walked to the grocery store. Yes, the kids and I walked the 1.5 mile round trip to the store. It's something I'd like to do more often. Then we took lunch out to Jamie at his office. I looked at two chubby chairs that a guy wants to give us. Love them! And now the kids are playing outside with the hose.

I'm really looking forward to this break from school.

Maggie's 3

Maggie turned 3 years old today. Sorry, I don't have a picture of her from today. I'll be honest with you, it's been a rough few days. This just seems to be a huge mile stone. She is totally not a baby anymore. She's independent, joyful, thankful, and sometimes a crazy little monster. I keep crying. We're 'done' having kids. So that may be part of it too.

It's been fun? to talk about the day she was born. The whole labor and delivery was rather quick. A total of 2.5 hours. Seriously, you can't get any better than that. But, it was after she was born that there were some problems. She was extremely lethargic. The doctor's weren't sure what was up. They thought she could have a blood infection so they put her on an IV. That in itself was sad to see on our little one. Then, they thought she could have some other sort of infection so they attempted to do a lumbar tap... twice. They never did get enough fluid from that test.

Praise the Lord, the next morning she was actually opening her eyes and looking around. The doctor came in that morning and said that she was originally planning on doing a cat scan on her, but after seeing her progress decided it wasn't needed. That day she began eating normal and acting normal. The doctor concluded that it must have been the drug that I was given during labor that caused that reaction. Looking back on it, if I would have known that after 30 minutes of receiving the drug she would have been born, I would have turned it down. No one thought it would happen so quickly.

Maggie is a really healthy little girl now. I forget how bad she was that day three years ago. It make me so much more thankful for her when I'm reminded of those first few days.

Tonight I asked Michael what he remembered about her birthday. Mostly because I couldn't remember where he was exactly. I remember he spent that night at my in-laws house. But, Michael remembers my parents bringing him to the hospital to meet Maggie for the first time. He said he was sick and had to wear a mask and he hated wearing it. I dug up some pictures from that day. Sure enough, he had on a mask. He was 3.5 when she was born. I'm so glad he remembers so much of that.

Funny thing, both Maggie and Michael are sort of sick today. Michael is still fighting a cold. Not bad really. Just a little cough. Maggie has an eye thing going on with her cold. February must be our sick month.

* I removed the pictures. Sorry :)