Happy Birthday Luke!

We started the day by trying to squeeze in breakfast at the donut shop before school...Luke was late to school.  We brought Chick Fil A for lunch and ate on the playground with the birthday boy.  Richard is taking the afternoon snack to school at 3:30 and this evening we will have a slice of cake (I bought 2 slices at the grocery store this morning) and sing.  Despite all of this, Luke is a bit disappointed that no one is coming over.  He seems to have forgotten about the big blowout at the Children's Museum last weekend!


Nemo died this morning, so now all we have is Nemo 2, but I'm sure we will buy a replacement for Nemo.


That's all for now - I have to catch up on some work!

Nemo, Nemo B and Pirates

The cruelty of the church Halloween Carnival is that one of the "surprise" prizes for the fish bowl booth was...yes, you guessed it...goldfish.  We all went to the carnival and had lunch, but then Ruth and I had to come home so Ruth could nap.  When the boys came home, they had 2 goldfish with them.  Great.  Actually, not great.  We promptly had to go out and purchase a habitat for Nemo and Nemo B).  We got the tank set up and, miraculously, the fish lived...until this morning...once we returned from taking Paul to school, I found Nemo B on the bottom of the tank.  Such is the life cycle of a goldfish.  I can't begin to take the time to figure out the fish habitat...there seem to be too many variables.  I'm sure the boys will want to replace Nemo B, but I'm not so sure that Nemo is not about to succumb as well.  I'm sure Daddy, who is ever-optimistic, will plow through with no worries and we will do the best we can with these pets.


Our family celebrated the first non-family-only birthday party this on November 6th.  Luke wanted to have a Chuck E. Cheese party, but came around to seeing the fun to be had at a pirate-themed party at the Children's Museum.  He invited friends from his last-year school and his classmates from his this-year school.  All told, there were 24 children.  They spent an hour playing in the museum before coming upstairs to a pirate-decorated (part of what the Children's Museum provides) room to have cake and ice cream and to make a treasure map.  We supplied pirate-themed chocolate lollipops and patches (as well as cake, ice cream and drinks).  We had a great time and it appeared that all of the children had fun.  Luke came home with lots of gifts and we are letting him open (they are all unwrapped) one a day.  He writes the Thank You note for the previous day's gift before he opens the gift of the day.  He seems to enjoy this slow approach.  Of course, his birthday is still a few days away, but I believe he realizes he's gotten all that he's going to get!


Last night, Luke's Tiger Cub Den toured a fire station.  I don't believe I have ever toured a fire station and I enjoyed it quite a bit!  


Ruth took a tumble last week and we think she tore the little thing that connects the top lip to the top gum.  It bled like crazy and he poor upper lip swelled up so that she looked like Maggie Simpson.  It stayed swollen for a couple of days and she had some bruising up the side of her nose and into the corner of her eye.  None of her teeth are loose and she is almost all healed now.  


I think we are mostly recovered from the time change.  Sunday, the morning of Luke's birthday party and the first encounter with "falling back" - Ruth woke up at 5:00 am.  This made Sunday one LONG day!  

Where Did October Go?

The last week of October is here...which means November is just around the corner.  This past weekend we (Martha and Richard) decided that Luke could have a birthday party for his 7th birthday...you know the kind where he invites his friends.  I did not have a birthday party every year.  I don't think Richard ever had this kind of birthday party.  Clearly, we don't do this every year.  I guess we have just set the precedent that 7 is the year for your first birthday party...the kind where you invite your friends.  Originally, Luke was determined to have a party at Chuck E Cheese, but eventually he came to like the idea of a pirate-themed party at the Children's Museum.  So, I spent part of the weekend constructing invitations 1) to be e-mailed to family and last-year's classmates and 2) to be taken to school to give to this year's classmates.  Now we are just awaiting the RSVPs and turning our planning attention to the cake(s). 


We also spent some time thinking about this year's Halloween Costumes.  The boys have changed their minds about 6x each, so we had to settle them into a plan.  Paul wants to be Batman or a skeleton.  This is good - we have both of these costumes already - what a relief.  Luke finally decided to be a cowboy...he was persuaded by the lure of getting to buy new boots since the only boots we have (much-loved hand me down from Aunt Sharon) are too small.  We've picked them out and tried them on...now we have to buy them.


Tonight is the Cub Scout Pack Meeting.  Luke should be receiving his Tiger Cub Immediate Recognition Badge and his Bobcat Badge.  They are also having the Space Derby tonight.  Richard and Luke have been working on their rocket.  Richard says that he can't guarantee a win, but he can guarantee a spectacular-looking rocket.


Paul says an ambulance came to school yesterday.  All the children watched the ambulance - which supposedly  was there for a child not in Paul's class.  Paul says the child's "head was chopped off, but he didn't die".  Somehow, I think that might have made the paper, so I'm willing to bet that is not what happened.


Ruth has a cold and is cutting a tooth - her 7th.  Ah, she has 7 teeth and Luke is turning 7...what symmetry.  This week I have started giving her "lactose free" whole milk.  I don't think we imagined the change in her demeanor the last time we tried to introduce cow's milk.  The doctor says the fat is truly important and nudged that I really should get her to drink it...even if I have to add chocolate syrup to it.  I am ready to be finished with nursing.  So, the lactose free while milk is my attempt to get there.  So far, so good - although she doesn't drink much.  At least she isn't letting it drool out of her mouth as her refusal to swallow, so we are making progress.

Quick Update

Ruth had the "Dr. Visit from Hades" - although, I used a word much closer to cursing.  This was IT though - the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back (I guess I'm the camel).  We will be finding a new Dr. for the children.  Probably for the adults too.  The wait has grown longer and longer and longer.  The reception staff has grown more combative (in a passive-aggressive sort of way) and the paperwork they ask us to fill out has become ridiculous.  We *like* the Dr. (once we get to see him), but with this visit, he was even a negative.  First, Ruth and I arrived 15 minutes early, as requested (lest our appointment "might be cancelled") to fill out "Caring for your 12-month-old baby" paperwork.  I had to write Ruth's name and the date at the top of a page.  I also had to make a few check-marks to indicate she is walking, says a word or two, eats table food, etc.  It took all of 3 minutes to fill out, BUT - I don't want my appointment to be cancelled!  Then we wait...for 35 minutes past our appointment time...which totaled to 55 minutes after we had arrived.  FINALLY, we got called back to the exam room where we waited for another 20 minutes.  Never mind that Ruth had to be woken from her nap to come to this appointment.  Never mind that I'm trying to keep her from ingesting germs.  I was highly annoyed.  Other massively annoying events occurred, but I won't go into those.  I was actually so mad that I cried when we left...2 HOURS after we arrived.


At 13 months Ruth's stats are:
Weight 26 pounds 8 ounces (96th percentile)
Height 32 inches (98th percentile)
Head Circumference 18.5 inches (89th percentile)


Luke's school appears to have raised enough money to stay open through December, so there you go.

Oh, The Drama!

The past week has been a whirlwind of crazy.  We were ready for Richard's birthday and all was going well until I did a before-bed email check.  Sitting in my inbox was a message from the head of Luke's school.  We get e-mails from his school all the time, so no big deal.  This one was was titled "a change of plans" and began with a change to some plans that I didn't really affect me because I had no plans to be a part of the original plan. and then...the reason for the change of plans..."Unless additional funding is secured immediately, the school will close within a month."  WHAT?  This is a joke, right?  First, this is coming in an e-mail with such an unassuming title.  Second, this is coming in an e-mail.  Third, this school has been open for 40 years.  The quasi-explanation was just as puzzling.  Soooo...Richard and I stayed up talking and speculating until we could ring him the day of his birth.


The next day was a whirlwind to celebrate Richard's birthday at breakfast because - with the weekday schedule we have - breakfast is the best time for all of us to celebrate.  Then, everyone was off to school and the day settled out.  Except - there were various news reports about the fate of the school and these only caused more speculation.  We decided to make alternate plans in case the school does close, so we put down refundable money at the other school we had strongly considered.  Meanwhile, word came out that there would be an emergency meeting with the parents the next day.  We did have a nice hot dog picnic at Paul's school!


There have been a few meetings, many many many e-mails and apparently there is now enough money to stay open through December.  We paid our full tuition in June, so Luke is staying as long as his teacher is there and the school is open.  Many parents and the administration and board have hope that they can raise enough money to stay open all year, but I'm not as hopeful.  The only plan they seem to have to avoid this next year is to enroll more students.  Well, I'd say the press in the last week isn't doing them much good in way of recruiting.  Who wants to sign their child up and pay tuition to a school that is operating day-to-day?  We've only been with this school for 6 weeks, so we aren't really emotionally invested.  Richard, however, likes an interesting project, so he's staying more involved than I.


This week's drama:

I got a call from Paul's Head of School that he was fine, but has a bit of a black eye.  He didn't do anything wrong - another child hit him in the eye with a large sand box shovel.  She wanted one of us to come up and look at it.  Richard went up there and checked it out...and asked Paul if he wanted to come home.  Paul wanted to stay at school, so I went to pick him up later.  He says he was trying to help a boy who was having trouble and the boy hit him in the eye, but Paul thinks it was an accident.  He also says the boy had to "sit on the bench" and he didn't say he was sorry.  I'm not sure Paul knows what "accident" means, but it doesn't really matter.  It is swollen and bruised and...school pictures are next week, so there you go!

Cub Scouts Was Made for Luke

Luke has a personality that is perfect for Cub Scouts...he has really taken a shine to being a Tiger Scout.  Last week, he was kind of upset with me that I had not bought him his uniform yet.  Honestly, I've been putting it off because it is kind of expensive and I didn't really know how much of it is mandatory vs. "flair".  The shirt itself is  $22.99 - but, the "intention" is for you to buy it big enough for your Cub to wear until 4th grade...when there is a Khaki shirt instead of the navy blue shirt.  Luke is a bit particular about the fit of his clothes, so I knew he wasn't going to be to keen on the shirt being a bit big.  There is a neckerchief and a "slide" to buy and the neckerchief and slide are different for a Tiger than they are for a Wolf (and a Bear), so that is a purchase we get to make every year.  It isn't that I'm bitter about it - it is just that every day it seems like there is SOMEthing that costs money or has to be returned by some short deadline, etc.  These kids and "their" responsibilities have taken over our lives!


We did go buy what we could buy and Luke now has his shirt, belt, slide and cap.  They are getting a new shipment in this week, so we can get the neckerchief and the patches he needs.  The absence of the neckerchief has not slowed down Luke...he has his shirt on with his tie from his school dress uniform...then the Tiger Cub slide covering the knot of his tie.  He has been wearing this outfit around the house all weekend long.  Once we get the missing items, I get to sew these patches on his uniform...and at the rate he is plowing through the Tiger Cub Handbook, I'll be sewing patches on all the time.  I sat down with him yesterday and read through the handbook with him so that he knows what he's working toward and how he'll get there.  This is like giving him a to-do list and he wants to get it ALL done this weekend!  He has done what he needs to do to earn the Tiger Cub Immediate Recognition Award (know the motto, know the sign, and know the salute) and he is practically through the "Bobcat Trail"...to earn his Bobcat Badge.  He knows the promise, the handshake,  and the meaning of Webelos, but he needs to work on understanding the Law of the Pack and "The Bobcat Requirement" - which is going through "what if..." scenarios about his safety and protecting his privacy.  Luke is about to get slowed down though - to earn the Tiger Cub Badge, he has to wait for some activities to be done with his pack and his den.  He is a bit miffed with me because I won't sign his book the first time he demonstrates proficiency, I make him tell me again later in the day or after sleeping to ensure that he knows it.


Meanwhile, Paul and I have been having a wonderful time together.  He is soooo much more pleasant without Luke around all day.  Paul is much less frustrated and is much more compliant without the tears.  He tells me he loves me all the time and I think he is enjoying our time together.  He is genuinely very funny and creative.  I get a kick out of the things he says and the way he sees things.  There has not been one day that I have second-guessed my decision to leave my "big job".  Even when I'm thinking about how expensive the Cub Scout uniform is!

Normal Routine?

I think we just might be at the tail end of the week in which our "normal routine" emerged...normal for this semester anyway.  


This past weekend, we celebrated Ruth's birthday with a family party and I think I can safely say that I have heard of no illness following this gathering at our house.  Whew.  I was actually a little worried!  Saturday was a big fun day with lots of playing for the children and no nap for the boys.  They did fine, but were ready for sleeping when bedtime finally came.


This week, everyone has been to school everyday and Luke is finished with all of the make-up work he had to do for the 3 days he missed last week.  That took a while.  It isn't that Luke has homework (or much homework anyway), but he was having to make-up all the work they did AT school while he was out.  This was tedious and he didn't care for it too much.  I will report that he seems to have made a huge leap in his reading abilities, so this is a relief.  He (We) had his first Tiger Den meeting on Tuesday and he seems to be excited, so that is good.  To paint a picture - it is a room of 9 six-year-old boys.  You can imagine, I'm sure.


Paul is almost 3 school days into the rainbow unit with his class.  He wore Red on Monday and Orange on Wednesday.  As you might guess, he will wear Yellow tomorrow.  He seems to be enjoying school and we have had a few play dates at the park on Thursdays with some of his classmates.  He is enjoying going to Religious Education on Wednesday evenings...see how he starts everything a year earlier than Luke did?!  That is the way of the younger sibling, I suppose.


Ruth is just keeping busy at home and along for the ride as we cart her brothers to and fro!

Happy Birthday Ruth!

I seriously cannot believe it has been a year since Ruth was born.  This past year just flew by so quickly.  Some parts seemed slow - like Summer, but I can remember being in the hospital with Ruth like it was yesterday.  


We celebrated this morning because our Wednesday schedule doesn't have everyone back together until 6:30 pm and that is a little late for Ruth...she is thinking about going to bed by that time.  We sang Happy Birthday to Ruth with 1 lone candle lit on the perfectly-released bundt cake.  Then we all had a piece (Ruth seemed to like it..she gobbled it up quickly) while Luke and Paul took turns wrapping toys up in her blanket and giving her birthday presents.  


As a bit of record keeping - Ruth walks everywhere...and she's been walking for about 6-8 weeks now.  She eats finger foods and still nurses 3-4 times in a 24 hour period.  Her words are Momma, Dadda, and Hi.  She waves her hands and nods and shakes her head.  She is a busy girl...always into something.  If she gets something that she knows she's not supposed to have...like the TV remote...she'll take off "running away" until she runs out of places to go and then she'll turn around and hand it to you.  It is as if she knows the jig up.  Ruth is not the best night-time sleeper we've every had and I'd say there are 3 of the 7 nights in a week that she needs attention from one of us sometime in the night.  I guess I've gotten to the point where 4-6 hours of sleep in a row seems like a good night so far as MY sleeping is concerned!


In other news, Luke is home one more day as the doctor confirmed my suspicion...strep throat.  We filled the antibiotic prescription and Luke is almost 24 hours into taking it.  Tomorrow he can return to school and come home, yet again, with make-up work to complete over the weekend.  Poor kid...he's had a rough couple of weeks. Oh and he came back from his visit to the farm with...poison ivy rash.  


Paul seems to be fine!  He is at school this morning...I sent him with a container full of cubes of Ruth's birthday cake...there is no way we will finish an entire bundt cake, so this is a good way to help get it all eaten.

The Word of the Day is: Illness

Saturday, September 3, 2011 - seemed like such a nice day.  We had the Js over for a swim and cookout.  There was much fun and happiness and all appeared to have a nice time.  I was proud of myself for dividing the menu and assigning various items to various people.  All came through with super-good items.  The next day was nice as well.  We went to church and got various things done around the house.  Then, at 7:30ish - Paul threw up.  At dinner, he hadn't eaten much and he said his tummy hurt, but I didn't pay much attention.  I even thought his throwing up was a one time fluke...


Until he threw up again and again and again.  And then, around 11:00 - Luke started throwing up.  And then, around 12:30 - Ruth started throwing up.  Sunday night was horrible.  Richard and I were up with sick children ALL.NIGHT.LONG.  They boys were made to sleep on their bedroom floor with individual buckets next to their heads.  I help Ruth in the rocking chair (with towels draped everywhere over everything) and caught her vomit in a towel every 90 minutes or so.  Thankfully, she was very docile in between.  Richard ran the washing machine all night long as every sheet and towel we own was put into play.


Come Monday morning, the children were finished throwing up, but the other end was a problem.  Oh, and the boys had low-grade fever...they lounged around all day.  Richard and I felt grossed out by the entire house and did a major scrub down which included renting a carpet steamer.  Then, at 9:00 that night - Richard and I had our turns.  I threw up every hour from 9:00 - 4:00 and Richard has less of a problem.  Thank the Lord we weren't ALL sick at the same time...I don't know what we would have done. 


It seems that 11 of the 15 of us had some manifestation of this super-bug.  We have done much noodling on the cause.  We have concluded that we don't think it was food poisoning, BUT that the virus did get ON the food or in the pool and that is how it spread to so many people.  The food seems more likely than the pool.  I think it was Norovirus, but I don't really know.  At any rate, I CLEANED out the fridge - scrubbed down and threw away all food (including condiments) from that night.  The house has been scrubbed and the pool has been cleaned and the chemicals are still in balance.  


Luke missed 2 days of school and had some make-up work to do.  Richard missed 3 days of work.  I had to give one of my classes a walk...I just couldn't teach 3 hours after finishing vomiting!  It was several days of tender tummies, but we all seemed to be back to normal over the weekend.


Then...Sunday night, Luke came into our room and was burning up.  He is on day 2 of fever and sore throat.  We are going to the dr. this afternoon...over 2 days of solid fever and sore throat is suspicious.  I actually hope it is strep because antibiotics will kick it.  He is now on day 2 of missing school THIS week.  The teaching is going to think he is a sicky, but - the truth is that he has been our least sick child!  Poor kid though...he's had a tough couple of weeks!


Now, I need to make "The 1st Birthday Bundt Cake" for our little Ruthie as tomorrow is her 1st Birthday - can you believe THAT?  I can't believe how quickly this year has flown by!

First Day(s) of First Grade

It's official - we have a First Grader.  Thursday was the first day of school, but it was only half a day...Friday was the first FULL day of school.  Let's recap:

First, Richard and I were exhausted most of the week...mostly due to Ruth turning into a pill so far as the sleeping goes.  She was waking up multiple times (and I mean multiple) throughout the night and she was rather inconsolable.  Then, they daytime sleeping started going haywire too.  This was not good.  Not. Good.  Plus, with the beginning of the school year comes meetings (mine greatly reduced and none mandatory since I've ceased to teach at "the big school" and only teach at "the little (I don't think they like to be called this) school") and trainings for Richard to conduct.  We were running on fumes, but the adrenaline of Luke's first day of school kept us going.


Thursday morning was an abrupt change for us...we had grown used to our leisurely mornings and now...BAM - Luke has to be at school by 7:45.  This particular morning included a parent orientation, so Natalie arrived at 7:30 to babysit Ruth and Paul and Richard, Luke and I headed to school.  We took Luke, dressed in his "daily dress" uniform (blue polo shirt with school logo and khaki shorts), and his box of school supplies to his classroom and found his desk.  He is in the center of the second row.  Richard I think this is an ideal location and Luke is very smart to have his teacher assign this seat to him ;-) We said our goodbyes and then we headed to the gym for our orienting.  The Head of School is very funny (she does a lot of speaking her "internal editing") and the orientation was informational.  For example, we found out that Luke is in Gabriel House (every student is in one of four "houses" that are groups for when they need to compete or assign something...) and that Gabriel House was to bring dessert to the pool party THAT EVENING.  Richard had to leave after the meeting, but I stayed around to attend Chapel with the kids.  Thursday was "practice Chapel" as everyone was oriented to the way Chapel would run, the order of things, what things mean, etc.  The First Grade arrived early, so they filed out and practiced coming in again.  Seems they need practice walking in a line and remaining quiet and orderly.  I will add that I saw them walking in line and Luke was doing fine (what a relief)...he is #6 when it is time to line up, but back at the end...around 10 or so - that is where it all falls apart.  After Chapel, the day was over.  Luke informed me of what I already knew - we needed to bring dessert to the pool party.  He wanted me to make cupcakes and cookies.  I sighed (internally) and said I'd make one or the other and he chose cupcakes.  So, we stopped at the grocery store to buy what we needed.  I figure, this is one the reasons I quit my job...to be able to do Mom things...so making cupcakes is what I did...even though I was tired in the core of my being.  


We came home, ate lunch, got down for naps and I started baking cupcakes.  Of course, Ruth woke up and I wanted to get her down for more nap, but I had cupcakes in the oven, so I could only do so much.  She got a short nap, but those cupcakes got done!  After naps, while cupcakes cooled, we ran to Target to buy a black belt for Luke...this is required if the shirt is tucked in - and on full-dress days, the shirt has to be tucked in...and Friday was a full-dress day.  We got home and I decorated cupcakes...and they looked good!  I frosted them (chocolate cupcakes) with chocolate frosting and then dipped the tops in mini-chocolate chips or mini Heath bits.  Richard got home and we left for the pool party.  It was fun, but we stayed too late.  The cupcakes went quickly (which makes me proud) and the boys were so busy swimming they didn't get around to eating until most of the "good" food was gone.  This made these tired boys upset.  Ruth was melting down. I was exhausted. Richard was exhausted.  AUGH!  We finally got home and got everyone to bed.  Bree came over to run through her presentation one last time and then Richard had to stay up to do some work.  Oh and Ruth woke up about a zillion times that night.


Friday morning, Luke got dressed in his oxford shirt, tie, khaki shorts, black belt, and black shoes...we crammed breakfast down while I packed Luke's snacks in preparation for his first full day.  Richard dropped him off on his way to a day-long training and I tried to get Ruth down for a nap while Paul played with whatever he wanted because "the boss" wasn't home to be bossy. Ruth was not her usual pleasant self and did not nap well.  So, after her nap, we piled in the car to go to the library to check out 2 books on baby sleep...she was about to meet the sheriff of sleep.  On the way home, (it was lunch break time at Richard's training) we stopped on campus to see Daddy then home for lunch and naps.  I folded laundry for the blink of an eye that Ruth napped.  I have to insert here that, with Luke gone, Paul did not cry once during the day...no yelling, no crying, no frustration.  But, I was definitely missing Luke.  The day seemed very long.  I was excited to go pick him up!  He seemed to have a good day, but getting information out of him was like milking a turnip.  I finally found out that they drew a robot in art class and they are supposed to collect "supplies" (trash) to bring to school to make a robot.  (Luke is standing here right now (he's supposed to be in bed - informing us that he has told Paul to be quite 111 times and that Paul will not be quiet...) They had PE class, but all they did was "learn the rules".  I asked, "learn the rules to what?"  The answer, "PE".  They did "2nd grade math", but "no reading".  Eventually, I gave up. 


That evening, Richard took the boys to play kick ball with his students and I started the "Ruth WILL sleep better" routine.  We haven't had as much of a bedtime routine with her as we did with the boys...she really has been "along for the ride".  She did NOT sleep better.  She was the worst she's been.  And this was just getting to sleep...we hadn't even hit 9:00 yet.  I just broke down in tears.  I was exhausted, she wasn't happy, Luke was in first grade all day - I was emotionally drained and feeling very depressed.  Finally, Richard came home and took over...and we both started to conclude that perhaps Ruth was not doing well with the cow's milk I had started to give her.  She hadn't had much as she just didn't seem to care for it much, but that day - she had actually drank about 3/4 a cup.  She seemed in pain and was belching a bit.  Once she was asleep - she sleep well enough for us to get several good hours in a row.  Today - her naps were back to normal.  So, I've decided that I'll just keep nursing her for a while longer...it won't be inconvenient since I'm no longer away from the house for long chunks of time.


This week holds Paul's Open House and first day of Pre-School!  Oh, and my first week of class at "the little school".

In Bed by 9:00

That is our goal - "our" being me and Richard.  Ruth has been having troubles the past couple of nights and last night was a doozy.  We are exhausted.  You should feel honored that I am updating this before heading to bed!


These are the last few days of summer.  Luke starts school on Thursday.  It is only a half-day.  Friday will be the first LONG day.  LONG.  He is supposed to be in the gym by 7:45 and the teacher will come get the students a little before 8:00.  School is out at 4:15.  This is just crazy-long.  The length of day was a con when we were evaluating this school, but we really like this teacher, so that pro won out.  Meanwhile, Luke isn't really bringing it up himself, but whenever the topic of 1st grade comes up, he gets adamant that he will not get out of bed on the first day until I call his teacher to tell her he's not coming.  He was excited when his uniforms came in the mail.  He was excited to get his school supplies.  He was excited to go to the Open House - but not that interested in his desk or his classroom.  When I ask him why he doesn't want to go, he tells me he just wants to stay home with me.  He thinks he'll be gone too long during the day.  I reminded him that he liked Kindergarten and always wanted to stay for Lunch Bunch - and he says, "yes, but you wouldn't let me - you told me you wanted to spend time with me too" - he's good - very good at the manipulation!...very strategic in his words. He would actually get kind of teary about it.


I recall that, starting about the 2nd week of Kindergarten, Luke was getting more and more clingy and unwilling to let us leave the K classroom at morning drop off.  So, we had to start saying goodbye on the playground and have him walk in by himself.  After a couple of weeks of that (and there were some tears) he got into the groove and we could walk him to the classroom again.  Generally, Luke would MUCH rather play than learn.  He learns quite a bit, but I don't think he's too into "sit at your desk"/"do this worksheet".  He isn't a "pleaser" so pleasing the teacher will not be motivational for him.  If he sees a worksheet of 30 problems all adding 0 to a number...he will be the first to tell you that he already knows that any number + 0 is the number, so there is no point in his doing 30 problems.  He doesn't say it snooty or bratty, just matter-of-fact.  I think he is fully aware that 1st grade is going to be a long day of work and he'd just rather not do it.  He's told us many times that he doesn't want to get any older and that he wants to live with us for his whole life.  Paul will say, "but what about when you get married and become a dad?" - Luke says if his wife doesn't want to live with us, he won't marry her.  And, I can't really blame him!  His life is pretty darn good!  I know he'll adjust.  I don't think he's anxious about starting school...I think he just doesn't want to go - he knows it isn't going to be stuff that he likes to do...!


Over the weekend, we made some progress.  As I described to Luke what he was to wear (his new uniform clothes) on the first and second days of class, he decided that he'd go this first week and then he'd stay home.  Then, we had to buy some new shoes (black dress shoes) for his full-dress uniform (which includes a tie) and he likes these shoes so much that he informed me he'd go ahead and go to all of 1st grade and then stay home after this year.


Jennifer even taught him how to tie his shoes this morning - this is terrific because he does have to change into athletic shoes (I'll have you know, I first typed "tennis shoes", and while I might call them that, it doesn't seem right to type that because I really don't think he will be playing tennis.  Then, I typed "sneakers", but that made me think of the Robert Redford movie - which was good, but..) for PE.


Paul isn't concerned about school - he's neither excited nor anxious...he's just Paul.  He spent most of today in his jeans, Luke's belt, a cowboy hat and a sheriff's badge...being Woody from Toy Story.  I was Jessie (I even put my hair in 2 braids to play along), Ruth was Bulls-eye (Woody's horse) and, when Richard was home - he was Buzz.  It really is pretty cute to hear him say, "Hey Howdy Hey, are those cowboy burgers we're having for dinner?" and the like...in his "cowboy accent".  Of course, right now, he's keeping Luke awake in there as they are supposed to be going to sleep.  I have a feeling they'll be conking out pretty quickly once they get exhausted from school. 


And - it is now 9:15, so goodnight!

Serenity Now!

Play this video.  

Replay it over and over and over and over...because it is only 18 seconds.


This is what it sounded like for all but about 2 hours  in our house today.  There was about an hour of silence during a nap in the morning and about a 45 minutes during a nap in the afternoon.  I'll throw in 15 more minutes of non-loud "talking" collected here and there throughout the day.

Getting Ready for Back to School

We are on the downhill slide toward the end of summer and the beginning of school - and we are excited,  but not wanting things to move any more quickly!


We spent July just making it.  I taught my last classes at The Big School and let my boss know that I would not be accepting a contract for the Fall.  Richard and I thought about this a lot, did a lot of number crunching and lots a of praying and decided that our quality of life would improve greatly if I became more of a stay-at-home mom.  I say "more of" because I'm still teaching a couple of classes for The Community College and I have a few online gigs, so I'm not going to always be home!  But, I'll be home for the bulk of the day and I can take children to and from school, volunteer at school, cook dinner, keep us in clean clothes, play with the children and just generally enjoy life!  I'm rather relieved and have been happy with the decision so far.  We'll see how I feel as we adjust to our new budget!


Ruth is one happy girl.  I'm afraid to type it because I don't want any changes, but she is pretty much happy 95% of the time.  She is walking.  Yes.  Walking.  She took her first steps at about 10 months (she is 11 months now) and, while she doesn't walk everywhere, she starts out walking - makes it about 5-10 steps...sometimes that gets her where she wanted to be...other times she crawls the rest of the way.  This is a good 2 months earlier than either of the boys.  She takes 2 naps a day.  The first nap is about 2 hours after she wakes for the morning.  The second nap is about 3 hours after she wakes from the first nap.  Bed time is about 4 hours after she wakes from her afternoon nap.  So, she's on the good 'ol 2-3-4 sleep schedule.  Perhaps this is why she is so happy - she rarely gets to the point of exhaustion.  She does still wake up 1x at night and I feed her.  I know she probably doesn't need it, but I don't feel a need to stop her.  It is nice, quiet, alone-time and that time is very rare in our house!


Paul keeps us laughing.  He is truly very funny.  A lot of times he is just flat out silly, but he also just has funny observations.  He is easily distracted and I kind of worry about this.  I realize he is 4, so I'm not worried about it too much!  His teacher came for her home visit this morning - she came 2 years ago to see Luke, so she's been here before.  I think Paul is ready to go back to school, but he does seem content to play trains, color, sing, and just generally play.  At his back-to-school well-visit he measured  43 and 3/4 inches tall and weighed 49 pounds.


Luke is busy figuring out how things work and trying to manipulate us all into doing what he wants!  During our Summer Home School (which took a vacation in July and has morphed into some workbook work and reading) Luke amazed me at his math abilities.  He is a whiz with counting money now and he is beginning to be able to carry numbers when he adds.  His reading is coming along, but he doesn't LONG to read.  We go to the library every 10 days or so and he does enjoy finding books to check out.  This week, we checked out and Encyclopedia Brown book and I'm interested to see if they are too advanced for Luke or if he'll be able to solve any of the cases.  We finally collected all of the school supplies he needs for 1st grade and he has an Open House next week.  At his back-to-school well-visit he measured 49 and 3/4 inches tall and weighed 58 pounds.  I'll have to look back, but I think he's weighed around 58 pounds for 2 years now!

Vacation Bible School

Last week was a break from our Summer Home School as the boys attended Vacation Bible School from 9:00 - Noon.  Things have come a long way since I last attended Vacation Bible School..for one thing, it was majorly themed.  PandaMania - God is Wild about You!  There were t-shirts, posters, a music CD, team-building games, crafts, Bible stories, etc.  It was a fun-filled morning and the boys looked forward to going every day.  We have been playing the music CD non-stop in the car and everyone sings along...Ruth claps and smiles.  


We'd get in the car around 8:40 and head to drop of the boys, then Ruth would fall asleep in the car on the way home.  She'd wake up when we'd pull in the driveway, but I was always able to get her back to sleep for her morning nap.  Then, I'd have about an hour and a half of alone-time at home!  This was much treasured.  I folded laundry while I watched whatever *I* wanted to watch on TV.  Around 11:30, Ruth and I would head to work to do the trade-off with Richard.  I have class from Noon - 3:00, so Richard dropped me off and then went to pick up the boys and get them home for lunch.  At 12:45, Jessica (or her sister, Natalie) came over to babysit until I got home at 3:15.  Jessica and Natalie were also volunteering at VBS, so that was an extra-treat for the boys.


Wednesday night, Richard had a school board meeting and then he did some observations, so he left around 6:45 and didn't get home until after 9:00.  Thursday night, he did some more observations and didn't get home  until after 9:00 as well.


Friday, we had the added fun of a birthday party for one of Luke's Kindergarten classmates, so after VBS, we headed to the pool party.  It was nice to see people we haven't seen in a couple of months!  


This coming week we will be back to Summer Home School.  I picked up a couple of $1 workbooks at Target... Luke is going to work on the United States and Paul is going to work on math.  This will be my last full week of summer school!

Week in Review

Well, this week was a bit on the crazy side.  Luke was sick, I had to go back to work, and Ruth had a dr. appointment...oh, and we tried to keep up with the Summer Home School!


Let's see...Monday.  I think Monday was "normal" (what does this really mean?).  Richard wasn't feeling well, so he stayed home from work.  We had our Morning Meeting (which Richard attended), Luke worked on his money workbook and Paul worked on his pre-school workbook.  Once Ruth woke up from her nap, the kids and I went to the grocery store.  Then, the boys swam while I unloaded groceries and made lunch.  The rest of the day included naps and more swimming.


Tuesday, we had morning meeting, the boys worked on their work books and then Luke read us part of a Fancy Nancy book.  He isn't too thrilled about the Fancy Nancy book, but Paul wanted to check it out and it is on Luke's reading level, so...Luke is reading us Fancy Nancy.  I read some of Ramona and her Mother then we went swimming and had lunch.


Wednesday, Ruth had an 8:30 well-visit appointment, so the kids and I loaded up and made it there...on time.  The receptionist asked me if all information is the same and then told me I have to fill out an information sheet anyway - "we have to do them every six months now".  WHAT?  I just told you it is all the same and now I have to fill out a paper...2x a year?  This is ridiculous.  One of the sheets is a vaccination registry sheet.  I think Richard filled this out last visit because The Parents of Ruth got a letter welcoming us to the vaccination registry program, but you can opt out by visiting this website.  I visited the website and opted out.  But, here is this piece of paper.  While I'm filling out the information form (with one hand while I balance a baby with the other...all the while shushing the boys), I hear another lady express outrage about having to fill out this form 2x a year.  Apparently, she has lived at the same address for 19 years and worked for the same employer for 30 years.  Hey lady, I agree!  Why would they even want this much paper?  When I had in my clipboard, I tell the receptionist that I don't want to participate in the vaccination registry and hand her the blank form.  Of course, she tells me that they form HAS to be filled out every time there is a vaccination.  I tell her that I opted out of the program and if I can opt out, I'd prefer not to opt-in...since I'll just be opting out.  She tells me that The State REQUIRES the form.  I tell her (as politely as possible) that I'm sure she does think that The State REQUIRES the form, but The State obviously doesn't think it REQUIRES the form because I can OPT OUT!  She says she'll have to ask someone.  Great - please do so.  And....turns out I don't have to fill out the form.  So, here she is telling me it is REQUIRED...and she is just plain wrong.  It really bugs me for people to say things with such certainty when such certainty is unwarranted.  Then, we have to wait in the tiny 8x10 room - 3 kids and me - for 35 minutes before the dr. comes in.  And this is for the 8:30 appointment!  How can he be this behind already?  Needless to say, I was started to come a bit unglued.


Ruth's 9 Month Stats:


Weight: 23 pounds 14 ounces
Length: 31 inches
Head Circumference: 18 1/2 inches


Just so you know:


Paul's 9 Month Stats...
Weight - 25 pounds 10 ounces

Length - 30 1/2 inches

Head Circumference - 19 inches


Luke's 9 Month Stats...


Weight: 21 pounds 3 ½ ounces


It appears that Luke might not have had a well-visit at 9 months, but I did find his weight.


How is it possible that our little girl is just as large as her brother were (if not larger)?


Once we got home from the dr., Luke was really not feeling too well and he was becoming quite a grump.  We did a little home schooling and then I had to get ready for...work.  I had to work in the afternoon, so Jessica (the summer babysitter) came over.  Luckily, the bulk of her time with the kids was spent during nap time because Luke only got more and more grumpy.


Today, I had to work in the morning, but Jessica held Summer Home School in my stead.  She apparently held Morning Meeting "wrong", but really - it was just different.  Luke, while feeling better has gotten into the habit of being grumpy, so we are having to work on this.  Paul is beginning to pick up on this attitude as well...so we REALLY have to get on this!  


Oh - I forgot to say that we took the boys to see Cars 2 over the weekend.  They were so excited to go to the movies!!!  Unfortunately, the movie was disappointing.  They really didn't understand what was going on...the plot was waaay too complex and there was a lot of shooting at cars and disabling cars.  It was just not that great (in our opinion).  But, the bright spot is that, on that very same day, Ruth said her first non-Mamamama or Dadadada word...."bye bye".  And, she has said it in the correct context since.  Exciting!  I also think she is saying "eat", but I'm not as positive about that one!


We are looking forward to a LONG weekend!

Colors, Party, Road Trip...

Wednesday, our teaching lesson focused on colors...and once again, we did a little experiment.  We put out 3 tall glasses and filled each with water - then we dyed the water in 1 glass red, another glass blue and the third glass yellow.  As we did this, we discussed primary colors.  Then, we predicted what colors we would get when we mixed 2 of the primary colors together.  Luke, who took a couple of art lessons earlier this summer, already knew this, so we gave Paul a chance to think about it.  He didn't take long to decide he didn't know.  So, we went to mixing.  After we made orange, green and purple, we figured out how we would color a color wheel so that the appropriate secondary color were in between the primary colors that mixed to create it.  This was not difficult for Luke, but I must say that Paul did an excellent job coloring his color wheel.  Since they had their color wheel's colored "correctly", we could finish our conversation by discussing complementary colors.  As a bonus, I showed Luke how to color black over his color wheel and then use a toothpick to draw designs...revealing the colors underneath the black.  He like this, but had trouble getting the black nice and thick over all of his color below...so, I helped.  It is funny because every time I color something they both tell me what a good job I did with my coloring!

Thursday, we just did a little book work because we had a big day ahead of us.  I dug out an old pre-school workbook we bought for Luke (he did very little of it) and decided it would be a better speed for Paul.  So, Paul got to work identifying which black and white pictures would be a certain color and tracing color words. Luke worked on his money workbook.  The book is for 1st - 2nd grade and, as you would suspect, has lots of adding of money.  It became necessary to teach him how to carry, so I did and he caught on very quickly.  He really has few problems with the adding...he can easily count by 5s and 10s, but he doesn't count by 25s so much, so whenever he has to add multiple quarters together he struggles a bit.  But, he is doing really well with it and it impresses me.  I feel confident that I was not doing this kind of adding when I was 6...but, I don't really remember!


The boys were excited because they had a lunch-time birthday party at Chuck E Cheese!!!!  It was actually rather fun...our Chuck E is rather clean and at 11:00 on a Thursday during the summer - the party kids were the only kids there.  I got to catch up with many of the mom's of Luke's classmates...some of whom I likely won't have much occasion to see again (since the kids are going to different schools) and others I will see again because they also have a younger sibling and will still be trekking up to school next year.  


After the party, it was home for naps before headed to an out-of-town dinner with Johanna, Chrissy and Katherine.  Everyone napped well and we got to Johanna's house with no problems.  I thought the kids all played rather well together and Ruth seemed pleasantly happy to roam around the house and keep out of trouble!  Dinner was a great time - many laughs - as I knew there would be.  We got into the car about an hour and a half past Ruth's bed time, so she conked out before we turned the corner.  The boys stayed up a little longer, but they also conked out before long.  Of course, once we got home, Ruth got her 2nd wind - and it was a strong one.  She was generally fussy and fitful all night long.  This continued into her morning nap today.  But - she is currently 2 hours into her afternoon nap, so perhaps she is working herself back into her sunny disposition!

Tuesday, June 21st

Tuesday was BIG day at our house.

First - Luke lost his first tooth!  It has been lose for a while and he actually pulled it out himself - I think he kind of surprised himself.  So, we took time to document this event!

 

He decided that he wants to keep his teeth, so he did not put it under his pillow.  He says that he is going to save all of his teeth and once he's lost them all, he'll put them under his pillow and collect one lump sum. Where in the world he gets these ideas - I don't know!  Well, I do know where he gets the "I'm keeping my teeth" - that is ALL Richard's side of the family ;-)

We got started with our Morning Meeting around 9:00.  Luke requested that we have Sharing, so we did.  He, or course, shared his tooth.  Paul shared the drum that his cousin Matt brought him from Africa.  We read the headlines and noted a 40% chance of rain.  Then we put up the flag and I got the boys started on their computer work while I put Ruth down for a nap.

Tuesday's teaching lesson was about pitch...music pitch.  We demonstrated "high" and "low" and then I sang a song and when my pitch was high - they put their hands in the air and when it was low, they put their hands down low.  Luke caught on quickly, but Paul (who is much more musically inclined) was a bit slow on the uptake.  This is mostly due to his NOT PAYING ATTENTION.  I could NOT be a teacher of young children - I have little patience for the distractions and Paul was being particularly distracting during this lesson.

We followed this little lesson with an experiment.  We filled 3 glasses with 3 levels of water and we colored the water green so we could see it.  We predicted which glass would have the highest pitch when we dinged it with a metal spoon and which would have the lowest - and then we tested our hypothesis.  Then, the boys colored 9 images of a glass with the various levels of water (3 for each level), cut the glasses out and then arranged them in whatever order they chose...to make a song.  Then, they played their song - rearranged - and played again.  Paul thought this was fun AFTER he paid attention long enough to learn how to "read" his arrangement.  We ended the lesson by writing words that had to do with our experiment...this served as their handwriting practice.  I found this really cool website that allows me to make my our handwriting printables, so now I can customize our handwriting practice!

Teacher In-Service

Today was a holiday for the kids at the Summer Home School.  The teacher had to go to the grocery store and make it to a meeting this morning, so the children had the day off.  Plus, the teacher had a busy weekend and did not have a chance to design quality instruction.  The children seemed happy to accompany the teacher to the grocery store (where they talked her into purchasing some M&M cookies from the bakery) and to watch The Incredibles and play with trains.  The teacher has also managed to fold the laundry and plans to vacuum the floor before the afternoon is over.

Rest of the Week in Review

Wednesday, we started our school day with our morning meeting, a review of the age-appropriate newspaper headlines and putting out the flag. Our teaching lesson was "following directions", so after we discussed this (briefly), we played Simon Says. Paul is not too good at this game - especially since I do the motion regardless of if I say "Simon Says" or not.  This throws him off.  Luke has trouble coming up with things when he is Simon - I decided to end the game when Luke said, "Go buy a tractor".  They did enjoy coloring a picture using the colors I directed them to use on the specific parts of the picture.  Not great for creativity, but good for following directions.  I also gave them a blank paper and instructed them to draw a house then a driveway then a tree, etc.  It was interesting to watch both of them as they tackled drawing something "free form".  In fact, Paul quickly proclaimed, "I can't do it" and then watched to see what Luke would draw - then he'd attempt to copy that.  I do think I'm pushing him kind of hard for a 4 year old.  We finished our school day a bit early and saved free play for the end because Jonathan was coming over to spend a few hours with us.  Apparently, he napped well that morning and he didn't arrive until almost noon.  Richard was home for lunch so he took the boys swimming while I watched the babies and made lunch.  Um - 2 babies is not as easy as 1 baby...especially when the 2 babies are each interested in whatever the other baby has and they aren't old enough to be gentle with one another!  And, when one baby (Ruth) decides she'll deal with the situation by demanding to have a nap, well...that is difficult because you can't leave the other baby unattended.   How in the world do mothers of multiples do this?!?!  Luckily, Richard was home, so I could go put Ruth down for a nap and he tended to all the boys...and while I was putting Ruth down, Jonathan's mom came to pick him up.  This means it was possible that I could enjoy a Trifect Afternooon - all 3 children napping at the same time.  This lasted for about 20 minutes as Ruth to a 45 minute nap and, try as I might (and I *really* tried), she would not go back to sleep.  This meant she'd likely be ready for bed around 6 and I just wasn't going to give into that...so we went out to dinner to keep her occupied.


She did not sleep well Wednesday night - and, as it turns out, neither did the boys.  All of this became evident as we had a horrendous morning.  The boys were not particularly polite nor did they follow directions well.  This resulted in a delay of school while the boys spent a good, long, time in separate rooms doing nothing.  Paul has a rather low frustration tolerance (at least compared to Luke and the adults in this house) and his reaction to frustration is sometime yelling, but most of the time - crying.  This gets very annoying...the crying over things that are sooo not worth crying about.  I totally get why my father would sometimes say, "If you don't stop crying, I'm going to give you something to cry about."...frustration...and I don't think the tolerance was low - I think he was maxed out...I know I was.  The problem is - these boys aren't *really* to an age of understanding most of these things, but I find myself trying to explain *why* they are getting this reaction from me...and then as I pause in my explanation, Paul will undoubtedly say something like, "Momma, did you know my train has a number 4 on it?" - Um - were you listening AT ALL? - clearly not.  There was much crying - we were all tired, so we took a break from one another.  We did go to library story hour - which is NOT an hour...as Luke was sure to inform me.  He likes to tell me when I am imprecise.  The boys did act fine at the library - of course, I had sternly told them that there would be trouble if they didn't.  After the library, it was home for lunch and naps.


Friday was a much better day.  We did follow our schedule and we learned about money.  Luke knows most of this, but we did a review and then I had Luke add various coins together to determine how much money he had.  I also taught him how to add two digit numbers, but made sure that no carrying was necessary.  I think he can do that, but I'm going to wait until next week to introduce that concept.  So, he can add: 23+42+31, for example.  We ended the morning with a swim in the pool before lunch and then naps for all.  I even read for pleasure.  This is something I just don't feel like I have the luxury to do anymore...and that makes me sad. I always feel like there is something I should be doing - folding laundry, unloading the dishwasher, cleaning the bathroom, sleeping...and reading a book is just too decadent.


This weekend, I need to devise the week's lesson plans.  Thankfully, Jennifer gave me some great websites to look into, so that will help!  I think I'm pushing Paul too hard, so I need to find some activities that are more on his level.

Flag Day

Today started off like any other day here - the boys are up and ready to get going by 7:00 while Richard and I try to steal a few more minutes of sleep.  Eventually, everyone is up and getting ready for the day...I'm making breakfast and coffee and Richard is getting ready for work and dressing Ruth.  We were ready for Summer Home School by 8:30.


Once again, we started the day with our morning meeting.  The headlines revealed baseball victory and a high of 100 degrees.  Our teaching lesson was over the US Flag.  Luke really knew all the answers - how many stars and why, how many stripes and why - and they both kept singing parts of The National Anthem.  They repeated the Pledge of Allegiance after me and we put the flag up.  The schedule was a bit different today as I needed to nurse Ruth before our "field trip" to the grocery store, so the boys had free play while I did that.  Paul was rather disappointed to learn that our field trip was to the grocery store, but I told him I had some things in mind to make it interesting...


...And, I did try to be educational and interesting.  On the way, we reviewed manners and talked about the manners-situations the store might provide.  Things went well for about 10 minutes and then I just had to get the shopping done so that we could get home and get Ruth a nap before everything went to haywire.


We got home, unloaded the groceries, put the cold things away, got the boys started on their computer time and then I put Ruth down for a nap...about an hour later than normal.  Then we worked on writing - today was months of the year - followed by coloring a US Flag (and a Texas flag!).  Ruth was still sleeping, so I watched the boys swim out the kitchen window while I unloaded the dishwasher and got lunch ready.


Since Ruth got a late nap, she didn't nap at the same time as the boys this afternoon - so this has been a long day...and it wasn't the best of Summer Home School days.  But, tomorrow should be normal - no "field trips"!

Summer Home School

Today was our first day of Summer Home School and, as the children are napping, I will recap a day that has gone really well so far!


The boys got up at their usual time - 7:00ish.  Luke was up earlier; Paul was up later.  They had their breakfast, played a bit, got dressed, made beds, brushed teeth, etc.  Around 8:40 we sat down for our "morning meeting".  The boys greeted each other, we looked at the newspaper headlines and noted the progress of several sports teams.  We also discussed the weather forecast.  We reviewed the plan for the morning and then started our "teaching lesson" for today - Manners.  (and boy can they use this lesson)


We discussed what manners are, what some examples of manners are and why we think manners are important. We concluded that manners are about acting in a way that 1) considers how the other person feels and 2) keep us all from being bossy and demanding at the same time.  This was sufficient, so we moved on to doing some seated work at the dining room table.  This was good because Ruth needed her breakfast at this point! With my help (reading some words Luke didn't know and helping Paul learn to write an X) the boys decided which behaviors listed on a sheet show good manners and which don't.  Examples are: "saying YUCK! to the food at the dinner table" (which Paul does) and "covering your mouth when you cough" (which Paul does)...among your traditional "please/thank you" examples.  After completing and discussing this, we learned how to shake hands appropriately and then the boys colored a picture of two children behaving nicely on a bus...this prompted us to discuss why it is important to behave well in the car.  Luke has really taken to coloring, so this activity was met with favor.


After our "teaching lesson" it was time for "centers", but I don't really have centers set up, so we did "free play".  Luke asked if we have an art center, but as I stated, we do not, so I guess this weekend I need to work on setting up some centers.  After about 10 minutes, Ruth crawled to me and cried to be picked up...this means she is ready for a nap, so I got her down for a nap while the boys enjoyed their free play.  


It took about 10 minutes to put Ruth down and when I returned it was computer time.  They both use the Starfall.com website, but Paul is learning his letters and Luke is doing the early fluency reading.  They did this for about 15 minutes while I unloaded the dishwasher and prepared their snack.  While we ate our snacks, I read them a chapter from Ramona the Brave and then it was time for writing practice.  They both wrote 10 words about weather - Luke wrote them free hand and Paul traced them.  Luke's handwriting looked really good and Paul actually got a lot closer to holding his pencil the correct way!


By this point it was 11:00 and time for outside time.  Ruth was not awake yet, so they went out and rode bikes and played while I checked e-mail and did other computer work.  Once Ruth woke up (about 15 minutes later), outside time included swimming and we all got in the pool.  Swimming took us to lunch time and Richard came home to join us.  After lunch, all the kids went down for a nap and I watched a bit of mindless television and did some work on the computer...and here we are!  Ruth is awake now and I expect Luke will emerge any minute as he knows he can come out at 3:30.


The day has gone really well (of course, Luke and Paul have not *always* used their manners today, but it is a work in progress) and have not flown by nor dragged on...just the right length for an enjoyable summer day at home together.  It took me about 2 hours yesterday to plan out 5 days of morning instructional activities, but that doesn't seem too bad.

Confessions

We still swaddle Ruth.  There, I said it.


Actually, I don't think it is that big of a deal.  She gets out of it and doesn't seem to have a fit doing so.  What is probably worse is that we still rock her to sleep.  This is the reason for the swaddle.  She just wrestles around and sits up and smiles and plays if we try to 1) put her in her crib awake and/or 2) rock her... but when we swaddle her, she closes her little eyes and falls asleep while we rock.  I don't think we've minded so far because, truthfully, whoever is doing the rocking is in a nice, quite, white-noised room and sitting in a comfy rocking chair. The alternative is being out in the house with 2 boys who talk talk talk talk talk.  In other words, it is a relaxing break to rock the swaddled-Ruth to sleep.


But, we think it is time to get her to be able to fall asleep without our help.  We suppose.  If she weren't waking 2x in the night and needing our assistance, we probably wouldn't care, but she is, so we do.  I think we've decided to start the Ferber tomorrow.  As I recall, it all takes fewer than 3 days.  It does make me sad to think about not rocking little Ruth anymore.  Hmm - maybe I'll rethink this...she's only a baby for such a short time.

The Taxi

We are home again and into the routine of this week.  This week, the boys are going to Summer Fun at their school...so, we are out of the house by 8:45 to get them there by 9:00.  Ruth and I have time to get home, get Ruth her morning nap, and do a little something around the house before it is time to go pick them up at noon.  Then, it is lunch and afternoon naps, except...


On Wednesday, Ruth and I had to go to the grocery store after we dropped off the boys.  We had next-to-nothing in the house.  I remarked to Richard that there is a lot of food in our house that, if we were home, I'd eat even if I hadn't touched it in a week, but being out of town for a week - all the food seems old and too iffy.  By the time we got home from the store, Ruth was kind of past her prime nap time, but I got her down by 11:00.  This was likely to conflict with needing to pick up the boys, so I called Richard and he came home, got the car with the car seats and went to pick up the boys.  Ruth slept until 1:00, so that was a good call.  The boys only got a 1 hour nap because we had to take Luke to his art lesson at 3:00.  Ruth, Paul, and I ran over the the Catholic church to sign up for Vacation Bible School and then home for about 45 minutes before heading back out to pick up Luke. He is taking 2 art lessons from the Head Mistress of the school...Friday is the last lesson and it culminates with an art show.  Luke has been rather tight-lipped about the art lesson...I think the art show is supposed to be a surprise!  At any rate, this was a lot of driving around - I was exhausted and Ruth didn't get a good afternoon nap.  She has been demanding our attention a bit more at night, so we are contemplating if something needs to be done about this.


Richard is musing over the kitchen remodel and trying to bring the pool back from pond-ville.  He has almost succeeded and I think tomorrow the water will be clear again.  Yesterday, in an attempt to water the hanging plants, he scared the 2 baby doves out of the next their momma had built in one of our plants.  The birds didn't appear to be quite ready to fly the nest as 1 sat on the ground as the momma sat next to it.  As Richard approached, the momma started acting like it had a broken wing...to be bait for the predator, but Richard caught the baby bird with a blanket and put it back in the nest.  He did the same with the other baby and later that night momma was with them.  There is always some adventure with wildlife at our house!

Saturday, June 4th

Today has been a bittersweet day.  I admit that I am ready to be home and "get the summer started".  We have "big" plans this summer...a routine for me and the kids to get into, projects to get done around the house, keeping the house neat and clean, etc.  And, believe it or not, I'm looking forward to those things.  Plus, since I know we are leaving, I have emotionally left this place...hey, it is what I do...it is how I cope!  It probably didn't help that Ruth had a CRAZY night last night.  She was wide awake from 11:30 - 2:30.  Richard bore the brunt of that, but at 2:30, when I went ahead and nursed her (she's practically 9 months old, she does not need to nurse in the night (but, I don't tend to cut them off until closer to a year) AND she certainly doesn't need to do it so early in the night) she did not conk out...which I was sure she would do.  She did go to sleep around 3:00 and then slept until close to 9:00.  Great - except the boys get up at 7:00 and this totally throws off the napping schedule...on a day that we have a lot of "lasts" to get done.  You know, "last time to go to down to the beach", "last time to swim in the pool", "last chance to go to the lighthouse"...lasts.  I am ready to get home to the rocking chair...where at least if Ruth needs our help, we can give it from a comfy chair that she is accustomed to.  


It also didn't help that Luke announced that he was ready to be home and that he wasn't really all that interested in going to the beach today.  So, basically, we were all kind of bummed out.  It also didn't help that Saturday is the day that most of these rental houses turn.  Most rent from Saturday to Saturday.  We needed Sunday to Sunday this year, so we're glad this house would allow that, but we watched people pack up (which we know we have that chore ahead of us) and new people arrive...all excited that they are just starting their beach vacation!  


The boys did make it down to the beach around noon.  They met up with their Tennessee friends and ended up having a good time after-all.  The Tennessee friends gave them 9 sand dollars and lots of snacks.  Ruth took a nap from about noon to 1:30, so she woke up about the time the boys came home for lunch.  The boys were napping by 2:00 and Richard and I piddled around on the computers while Ruth played.


At 3:30, we woke the boys up so we could go to the lighthouse and then get ice cream from Scallop Cove.  The lighthouse was closed by the time we got there, but we didn't plan to go up in it anyway.  Instead, we put Ruth in the backpack carrier on Richard's back and we walked on the desolate lighthouse beach and collected some great shells.  The boys were pills.  They were tired and really only wanted the ice cream.  Plus, per usual, Richard was taking lots of pictures and they had grown tired of it.  Finally, we finished our walk and headed to get our ice cream.  Ruth fell asleep on the way.  


After ice cream, we came back to the house to clean up a bit before we walked over to Mass at the place where they have Catholic Mass on Saturdays at 6:00.  There were 17 of us and the AC wasn't working.  With no singing and no AC, Mass lasted 30 minutes.  Luke thought this was the best church he's ever been to...he even told this to the Priest as we were leaving.  Then, we headed to the beach to pick up our stuff.  It had become out habit to take stuff in the morning and then retrieve it in the evening instead of lugging it back and forth more than once a day.  Around 7:00 we warmed up all the leftovers knowing that we would never be able to eat them all, but wanting to give it a try so as not to have to throw away food.  After dinner, I put Ruth to bed and started the laundry and the packing while Richard took the boys for one last swim in the pool.  Once the boys were ready for bed, I read a chapter of Ramona the Brave to them and then sent them to Richard who tucked them in.  Here I sit, waiting for the first load to be dry so I can pack those clothes and put the second load in the dryer before heading to bed.  We are praying for a good night's sleep tonight.