First Day of Summer!!!!

Last week both boys finished school.  Luke had an awards ceremony on Friday morning and we're all unsurprised to learn he has been promoted to 3rd grade.  He also received (earned?):

• Excellence in Spanish
• Excellence in Reading Comprehension
• Excellence in Math
• Excellence in History
• Excellence in French
• Progress in Writing

All good.  This awards ceremony was for Pre k - 4th grade and, in the fashion predictable by this school, was not geared toward that age group at all.  We sang hymns. HYMNS.  It was like we were at church...and not the Youth Mass with guitars and drums and contemporary music praising God and singing about God's love for us.  Nope.  Hymns.  Bring forth the royal diadem and crown Him Lord of all.  Nothing bad about that, but could we get these kids a bit more enthusiastic by gearing something FOR them TOWARD them?  This was our last year at this school.  We gave it a try - Luke had fun and made some friends he really likes, but we're out. Unfortunately, we overheard one too many conversations between teachers who were not talking nicely about the kids...and we heard the teachers not talking nicely TO the kids many time as well.  The environment just isn't kind.  There are other reasons too, but why waste any time on the first day of summer thinking about the past?!

Paul's class had a swimming party that started right after Luke's awards ceremony ended - what luck!  The kids all swam and swam and swam.  Paul seems oblivious to the bittersweet feeling we adults are feeling about his being finished with Kindergarten and finished his school.  In stark contrast to Luke's school, Paul's school is an oasis of amazingness.  What a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful school with thoughtful and loving teachers and caring parents.  If we had not found this school, there would be a hole in our lives (and we wouldn't even know it). 

Yesterday, Luke and I took a walk and plotted out our plans for this week.  He helped me decide on the menus and the daily routine.  He agreed that spending a little time each day might help us keep the house clean...or, in his words, "get it back to how it was when we first bought it"?!  We decided that Summer Home School activities need to be in the early afternoon because various people have various morning activities during various weeks. We also thought we could have a weekly project.  For example, this week, we are going through the boys' art work from this year to decide which pieces we want to frame (and hang in our (M and R) bedroom.  We also need to go buy some photo books (with the sleeves you can stick stuff in from the top) so that I can keep a book with important things for each boy (report cards, First Communion certificates, class schedule for the year, etc.).  

Now, off to the grocery store before the Memorial Day crowd wakes up.

Yankees - Our Foray into Little League

Luke's Little League team is the Yankees.  Richard is a co-manager.  I made this be so because I told Richard that we could not send our son, who has never played a competitive sport and who has not been playing catch with anyone, to a Little League team without someone who loves him.  Richard appeased me and made me be the "Team Mom".  I have come to discover "Team Mom" = Little League Middle (Wo)Man.  I get e-mails that tell me to sell t-shirts, hats, decals, pictures, etc. to the parents on my team.  I have to collect the money and deliver it up the chain.  Someone tells me and I tell the parents on my team things like "raffle tickets are due Friday"...I leave out some parts of the messages that I get.  The messages that *I* get also tend to tell me that Little League runs on volunteers and, if you don't do your part, you are one sorry moocher of a parent.  Those sentiments don't endear me to do my part, so I suspect they wouldn't work with the other parents either.

Cast all of the "Little League Leadership" craziness aside - the Yankees is a fun group of parents.  Most of them pitch in and help out when needed.  One mom keeps the score book - which is good because none of the rest of us know how.  I do think that it looks interesting and one day, when the kids don't need my constant supervision, I think I'll try to keep a book at a game I attend.  Another mom takes lots of pictures and seems like she is going to share them with us. One dad will pitch in and be the 3rd base coach if one of our coaches can't attend.  Another dad helps the catcher get his catcher gear on and off.  We have a good time.

The Yankees started off losing a game to each of the other teams...we play everyone 3x.  Richard and the other manager say they could field a line-up that is more likely to win, but they are adamant that this is Jr. Minors and they will rotate the kids so they can learn to play various positions.  They aren't going to sit the same kids on the bench or stick the same kids in the outfield.  Of the first 5 loses, 3 could have gone either way, but the other 2 were wallopings.  Well, with good coaching and hard-working kids, the Yankees have been staging a comeback.  It started with beating the Pirates the 2nd time around.  Then, the Yankees cranked on the Rangers (the team that everyone says, "oh, you beat the Rangers - wow!" about) - I mean BEAT 15-1.  The only reason it was that close is that there is a 5 run per inning rule.  After that, the Yankees beat the Red Sox and then the Cardinals.  The Astros got rained out and that game is rescheduled for next week.  We started the 3rd round of games yesterday.  After 2 Yankees batters (Luke was one) got on base, there was lightening and the game was delayed 10 minutes...over and over again...until the coaches agreed to reschedule the game.  This morning, we played the Cardinals...and tied 9-9.  Luke had a cold bat today - after being so dependable for a hit in the previous games.  So, we have finished the match-ups with them...1 Loss, 1 Win, 1 Tie.  These next two weeks will be full of games and we hope to come back around and clean up!

Paul is playing tee ball and that is much less stressful!  Everyone bats every inning, no one is ever out, and everyone scores.  Next year, he'll be too old for tee ball and he'll be in Jr. Minors.  YIKES!  Luke will be too old for Jr. Minors and he'll be in Sr. Minors - with real boys pitching instead of the ever-predictable and consistent pitching machine. YIKES!

The semester "catch up"!

School Updates:

This is the last week of school for the boys.  Luke has a half-day on Thursday and an awards ceremony on Friday morning (with release when it is over).  Paul has a pool-party on Friday, so his last day "on campus" is Thursday.  Both boys will be at the same school come August (the 19th, to be exact).  Ruth is going to go to "school" on MWF from 8:30 - 11:30 come August (the 26th, to be exact).  This is a recent development - she won't be 3 until 2 weeks after the cut-off date, but the school  has an opening and they agreed to give it a  go.  This is somewhat helpful on a few fronts.  First, Ruth asks to go to school...she has been taking a brother there since she was born and she plays there all the time.  Second, the is no gap in our attendance at the school, so our family isn't facing the emotional impact of not going to this school at all next year.  Third, this allows us to not have a babysitter next year.  I can do my office hours while she is at school and R can be home while I teach class.  I think it will be much fun.

Music:

Both Paul and Ruth enrolled in Kindermusik this Spring.  Paul was in a class where we dropped him off.  He learned to play the glockenspiel - I think he learned 4 notes.  He really enjoyed it - he loves music - and will be going again next year.  Ruth was in a class that she and I attended together.  There was singing, dancing and instrument exploration.  She LOVED it - she would sing right along and really like participating, so...we are doing that again next year.  I think Luke felt a little left out - he is too old for the classes there.  He and Paul have both asked me if they can take piano lessons.  We'd love to have them do it, but I'm hesitant about trying to fit another thing in.  Which leads to...

Cub Scouts:

Luke is about to earn his Wolf badge after which he will be a Bear.  He enjoys Cub Scouts and I think he really enjoys earning things.  His den leader this year did a really good job and we appreciate all that he planned and did with the Scouts.  This summer, Luke is going to Day Camp (Richard is going to be a Walking Leader a couple of the days) and then Richard and Luke are going to overnight camp in July.  Last year he had a lot of fun, so I'd imagine this year will be no different.  Paul is looking forward to being a Tiger in the Fall and going to camp next summer.  He'd like to go this summer!

Baseball:

Paul is playing Tee Ball - his team is the Pirates.  Luke is playing Junior Minors - his team is the Yankees.  Richard is a co-manager for Luke's team and an assistant coach for Paul's.  So far, most of their games have been at the same time...so, we have had to split.  When Richard is with Paul's team, I've been with Luke's - and when I'm with Luke's, I've usually helped in the dugout (keeping these boys organized was a challenge - until we got the 5 gallon paint buckets!) and sometimes making a feeble attempt to keep the score book...all while watching after Ruth.  When Richard is with Luke's team, I can just watch Paul's game...in between Ruth's requests for a sno cone.  It has been fun, but it keeps us busy.  The League is not organized as well as it could be, but it is all volunteer, so I try not to complain too much.  Luke's team started out closely losing (they could have gone either way) the first 3 games...except 1 which they lost by a lot.  Then, they turned it on and have won 3 games in a row...including a 15-1 trouncing of the previously undefeated team that beat the Yankees so badly the first time.  Things are accelerating now and the Yankees have 7 games in 2 weeks.  The schedule got rearranged and accelerated to make room for the All Star teams to practice more. I have the impression that this whole season of play is just a "necessary thing to get out of the way" so that they can get to the  All-Star teams stuff.

This Summer:

Paul has 1 week of Summer Fun (mornings only) at his Kindergarten school and 1 week of Science Camp (mornings only).  He also has 1 week of baseball camp at the high school.  Then there is Vacation Bible School.  In August he has 2 weeks of swimming lessons.

Luke has 1 week of baseball camp, 1 week of Cub Scout Day Camp, Vacation Bible School, Cub Scout overnight camp and then 2 weeks of swimming lessons.

Ruth - is going to go with me to take them everywhere!

Ruth's Potty Training:

Richard potty trained Ruth yesterday morning.  He used the same method that he used with the boys.  She seems to take herself to the potty more times than I could ever remind her (sometimes she goes, sometimes she doesn't), so I'm not doing too much reminding.  She took a nap in underwear and woke up dry! She had one accident yesterday afternoon...it was evening actually - we were playing outside and when we came in, she grabbed herself and said, "I need to go pee pee" - so we told her to go and hurry. She had pee peed a bit in her underwear, but did quite a bit on the potty once she was there. So, I don't consider that a full-on accident.  Richard got her up to got potty at 11:30 pm - as he was going to bed. She called to us that she needed to go potty at 2:30 (she did and she went back to sleep) and then at 6:30, she woke up and called to us that she needed to go potty - and she did. So, she went the entire night with NO wet pants. She was in those quilted cotton training pants with a Goodnights mat on her bed. TERRIFIC! We'll see how today goes. I have that anxious and vigilant feeling. We do have to leave the house today, so that adds to the mix.

Ummm - Happy New Year!

Well, it has certainly been a while!  It is a sad day when your blog feels like a chore, but that is what happened to me.  Of course, I have the super-guilt of my blog being the "baby book" of my children...a decision I made when I felt like a true baby book was too much for my personality to do.

We had a great trip to my niece's wedding and up to Colorado with our travel trailer.  Luke started 2nd grade and Paul started Kindergarten.  Ruth hangs with me.  Fall 2012 was insanely busy for this "non-working" mom and I vowed that Spring 2013 would be a more leisurely pace.  So far...it has been.  I am teaching 2 fewer sections of class and Luke and Paul are no longer taking TaeKwonDo, so I have loads more time.  So much so that Ruth and Paul are both taking music classes 1x a week...a luxury for which I have previously thought I did not have time.

Richard is enjoying the autonomy and flexibility of his new job.  Things are really going pretty darn well!

Still Settling In

Our Thursday was a bit relaxed in the Summer Home School department.  I decided that Thursdays are a good morning for us to make it to daily Mass, so the children and I made it out the door by 8:05 and headed to church.  The school kids are having their last week of school this week, so there were a couple of classes there for one of their days to attend Mass.  It was nice to see the children taking on the various roles.  Luke was well-behaved, as he usually is, and Paul was spectacular.  Sure, there was the occasional whisper to me and an errant walking off the end of the kneeler, but all in all, he was great.  I have been noticing great improvement in his ability to sit somewhat still and pay some bit of attention, so this is good. Ruth was crazy, but what different could I really expect?!  All-in-all, it was good and I managed it all by myself!

After Mass, we went to Target for some necessities (mostly) and then stopped at the donut store for the promised snack.  Once home, it was snack time and it was thundering.  So, after snack, they played in the boys' room while I relaxed and watched a bit of tv!  The boys were greatly disappointed that we would not swim while it was thundering and the thunder and rain continued through lunch.  Richard came home for lunch and everyone ate and got ready for naps.

During naptime, I graded papers like a woman possessed.  I had taken a lighter day on Wednesday, so I had to make up for it on Thursday.  I still had 8 left to grade when Ruth called out for me to come and get her.  After snacks, it was more playing and then we did some reading.  Once Richard was home from work, the boys went swimming and then Richard took the kids out for dinner so I could finish my grading.  I hit a snag when one paper was seemed suspicious and I ran it through the plagiarism checker.  Suspicion confirmed - this requires me to go through about 10 different steps to inform the student and turn the matter over to the instructor.  I finished just as everyone was getting home and it was time to get everyone ready for bed.

Today, we got a bit of a later start because I needed to pay bills and get the laundry sorted.  It is nice not to have to do laundry so often so that Luke will have clean uniform shorts!  Luke took his 2nd spelling test this morning and worked on writing sentences about his baptism. Paul worked on writing his letters (his pencil grip and "confidence" is really improving) and then worked on his "Teach Me Kindergarten" app on the iPad.  Ruth might not be feeling well as she seems to just want to sit in her high chair and watch Caillou...this is odd for her to demand to do this and to sit there for so long.  We are about to clean up and vacuum the floor before we move onto swimming.

I'm looking forward to the weekend so I can re-group! 

Summer Home School 2012 Begins

We started Summer Home School 2012 on Memorial Day - that's right!  We are on Day 3 and we are settling into the routine.  I am exhausted!


Our day is scheduled to run like this:


8:50 - Morning Meeting (this includes an overview of the day, saying the Pledge of Allegiance, putting out the flag, sometimes a story (today was How Full is Your Bucket for kids), sometimes we do sharing).


9:00- 10:15 - Spelling, Grammar, and Religion (today, Luke had a spelling test, Paul worked on his letters on the iPad, Ruth made mischief and we discussed church manners...we ended with a field trip to tour our church.  We looked for the stories in the stained glass window, the candle by the tabernacle, the alter, etc.  The  children were all very well-behaved.)


10:15 - 11:00 Snack and Reading (today they had peanut-butter crackers and yogurt raisins and we read from Luke's reader...he reads a page to us and I read a page to us).


11:00 - 3:45 Play, lunch, nap/rest, snack (we generally get in our swimsuits and play outside - jump on the trampoline, ride bikes, etc. and then, when we get too hot, we jump in the pool.  Lunch time is around noon and nap/rest is from 1:00 - 3:00 or 3:30).


3:45 - 4:30 Math and Science (Paul is good with his numbers and adding...getting decent at subtracting, Luke is still doing some review work, yesterday we started our science lesson about simple machines...we learned about the inclined plane...Luke "already knows this" and Paul has been spotting inclined planes all over the place).


4:30 M and W it is time to leave for TaeKwonDo and other days we do a craft.


And that is the end of the day.  During nap/rest, I grade papers for one of my online classes.  Before Morning Meeting, I post to my other online classes and do something related to cleaning the house.  I find this pace a bit exhausting, but I think I'll get used to it and this is what I *want* to be doing.  I think the boys have plenty of play time built in.  We are flying through Luke's curriculum...for grammar we are on Week 4 already, for math and science we are into Week 3.  I don't know if I am not providing the instruction the curriculum intends or if it just supposes you will get very little done in a day?  I'm not too concerned, we're just going forward at a comfortable and challenging pace. 


The biggest challenge is for me to do all of this with a cheerful heart.  I admit that I get annoyed by the constant noise, talking in strange voices, backtalk, bickering, etc.  We (and I mean I as much as they) need to figure out how to be loving to one another...we love each other, but we aren't always loving.

Washington DC

KK, JoJo, CP and I took an unprecedented "happy birthday" trip to DC... 


Monday


After we picked Luke up from school, we headed KK's house - where I spent the night so as to ride with her to the airport the next morning.  After we arrived, we all went out to eat and everyone had a good time trying to tell KK all the things they want to tell someone who they don't see every day.  I'd say Richard and the kids left to drive home around 9:00 or so.  Then, KK and I ran to the store for strawberries - KK wanted them for breakfast.  Once home, we set about arranging last minute plans...we decided to hire a private shuttle to take us from the airport to our hotel in DC and we bought tickets to a Friday-evening performance.


Tuesday
KK made me an omelet and cappuccino for breakfast - nice! And then we headed to the airport. We met up with JoJo at the gate and were there in plenty of time not to feel rushed. We flew AirTran - I had never flow them before, but the tickets were $215 for round trip (with a plane change in Atlanta).  You have the option to choose your seat when you buy the ticket and another chance when you check-in.  Seats like the exit row (with more leg room) $20 more, but you don't really realize that right away. They also charge for checking bags (I do carry on whenever possible and since it was just me - no kids - it was possible).  The flights were event-less and it was so easy without having kids to shepherd around.  The exit row seats did provide terrific leg room, so worth the $20. As mentioned, we arranged for a private SUV to pick us up at the airport (for $20 per person - totally worth it) and the driver met us by baggage claim.  We stayed at The River Inn.  Once we checked in, we walked to Whole Foods to get provisions (which included breakfast food, wine, cheese) and then came back to get ready for our dinner reservation at The Rivers at Watergate (right by the Kennedy Center) - easy walking distance.  There were some MAJOR characters (who had been drinking for a while) to observe at this place.


Wednesday
We got on the Foggy Bottom metro (easy walk from the hotel) and headed to the Archives-Navy Memorial-Penn Quarter metro (where we discovered KK's metro card had demagnetized...likely due to the magnet closure on her purse) stop so we could get to the National Archives.  We got in quickly and saw the Declaration, Bill of Rights, and a copy of the Magna Carta.  After that, we headed to the National Gallery of Art.  We decided to "go in order" and saw enough "Madonna and Child" to last me a life-time.  We were just getting past the time period where all paintings were Madonna and Child (with a few St. Jeromes and John the Baptists and very few non-religious-inspired paintings) when our time ran out and we had to go eat lunch.  I had a terrific turkey and brie sandwich in the Cascade cafeteria!  YUM.  We had a 1:45 meet up for a tour of the Supreme Court that we needed to get to - we gave ourselves 1 hour.  We determine we need to get to the Capitol South metro stop, so we need to get back to Metro Center (where KK could exchange her metro card for a new one, but we didn't feel we had time for this at this moment...she just bought a new card) to change lines...we do this, no problem.  We figure out which direction we need to catch and wait on the platform...get on the train and once we get to the next stop, we figure out we are headed the wrong way.  I'm scratching my head because I *KNOW* we got on the train that the platform arrow pointed to and the list of stops under that arrow was correct.  We get off and try to figure out what happened.  A nice local asked where we were trying to go and we told him...he said, they are running a single line right now, so you have to watch the name on the train.  OHHHH - how were we to know this?  He says they've been announcing it.  I don't know if you've ever been on the DC metro, but the announcements often sound like Charlie Brown's teacher.   Ok, fine - things are delayed and CP is getting concerned because she arranged this tour with her congressman and she didn't want to be late.  FINALLY, the right train comes.  We relax.  Then, as we are riding, the train conductor says, "we will be skipping the next 3 stops..." of which our stop is one.  Great.  We hop off and start high-tailing it.  We are jogging and walking quickly - it started to seem hot out.  I keep telling CP, we'll make it...which is not my normal role in life - I'm usually the one stressing about being late, but without Richard there to play my foil, I assumed the opposite role. We see a cab drop someone off, so we hop in.  To jump to the end - we make it.  The tour was very interesting.  It wasn't a "tour" , but rather us sitting in the courtroom listening to a docent for 30 minutes...he was very informative!  After that, we went to the Library of Congress and caught the last docent-led tour of the Jefferson Building.  We had 5:30 reservations at Sonoma...near our next scheduled destination and we hung out there until we needed to head to Union Station for our Monuments by Moonlight tour.  I think most, if not all of us, were pretty tired and, while we wanted to take the tour, when the guide said we'd be finished around 10:30...we all inwardly (and outwardly) groaned a bit. I have been on this tour before, but it is always nice to see the sights! Our driving/guide seemed to have an endless amount of historical knowledge and was so kind as to drop us off at Metro Center so we didn't have to change lines to get back to our hotel. We didn't get to our hotel until 11:30 and we fell into bed...hoping our feet would recover overnight.


Thursday


We had a leisurely morning and left at 10:00 to go to the Hillwood Museum.  My mom's best friend from high school is a docent there and she mailed us some passes to use!  We had to walk about 1 mile from the nearest metro stop (Van Ness), but the neighborhood seemed nice.  We did an audio tour of the gardens (AMAZING) and then had lunch at the cafe.  They currently have an exhibit about the 1812 French invasion of Russia so the chef prepared a Russian menu and a French Menu.  CP ordered Russian and I ordered French.  KK and JoJo ordered off the regular menu.  After lunch, we did a docent-led tour of the house.  Everyone loved it and said they would likely never have visited this museum otherwise - I think it made us feel like we were doing some "off-the-beaten path" tourist things.  I bought some 1/2 off Russian-themed magnets for Richard...and I wound up with a demagnetized Metro card. We all got a good laugh out of that.  We got back to the hotel and had our wine and cheese and got ready for the symphony at the Kennedy Center.  We ate dinner at the hotel restaurant (I had the most DELICIOUS scallops).  The symphony was nice and it was fun to be at the Kennedy Center.  After the symphony, we had snacks and played hearts in our (mine and CP's) room.  I also calculated how much money we would need for all of our Friday destinations so that I could replace my now-defunct metro card with the exact fare I needed for the rest of our trip.  


Friday
We had a 9:45 tour of The Capitol (also arranged by CP through her congressman).  We had an intern (she is about to graduate from college) give us a private tour.  She is very green - gave some "opinion" in her touring and really didn't know her stuff too well.  I kept telling myself that this is a good experience for her, but I think we all thought she could do a better job.  To paraphrase CP, I wish we could have locked her in a closet and headed out on our own.  The tour ended with the intern giving us passes to the House and Senate galleries to view the happenings.  The Senate was not meeting, but we got to observe the floor of the House. I do think you can only get those passes from a congress person, so that was worth it!  We heard a congressman from Montana discussing something about nuclear disarmament and another congressman requesting the Bronze Star for someone who Bob Gates had determined (through a forensic investigation) should not have one after all...those present voted to award it. I think we heard one other issue, but I can't remember what it was. After that tour, JoJo went to have lunch with a high school friend and KK, CP and I went to the Museum of American History and split up.  I had to do my souvenir shopping because I could not go home empty-handed and KK and CP went on their own ventures.  At this point - hoards of kids on their "trip to DC" (with matching T-shirts) were flooding every place we visited.  CP and I had to leave by 2:15 to get back to Foggy Bottom so we could walk to the Four Season in Georgetown to meet up with JoJo for our Food Tour of Georgetown and KK was headed on her solo adventure to the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.  She was also planning to exchange her metro card, so I gave her mine and we both doubted we'd get a refund, but rather a replacement card...which we really didn't need at this point. Our food tour was a 3 hour walking tour of Georgetown punctuated by stops at 4 local restaurants to taste food and drink. I can't remember the names of the restaurants, but at the first, we sampled 3 kinds of ravioli (pesto, mushroom and pumpkin).  At the 2nd we had a flat bread with caramelized figs, parmesan, and basil (I think) and some tasty lemonade with mint.  At the 3rd we had trout and mashed potatoes (an odd combination, I think, but it was tasty).  Finally, we stopped at a coffee and pastry shop and had coffee, a "bee sting" (shortbread cookie with a honey-almond topping) and an "OMG S'more".  CP, JoJo and I were also treated to a "loitering" magician who seems to wait until the little seating area fills up and then he launches into his act. The tour was VERY interesting and tasty.  On our way back to the metro via dropping CP off at our hotel (she decided she was too tired to go on the next venture) JoJo convinced us it was ok to stop at the Four Seasons to use the bathroom - just act like we're staying there.   While CP and I were in the bathroom, JoJo had our only "celebrity siting"... George Stephanopoulos and his wife and kids.   Following that, we had to book it back to Foggy Bottom to head to Federal Triangle so we could see the Capitol Steps performance - KK was waiting for us when we got there.  I laughed so hard my cheeks hurt.  After that, we headed back to our hotel and tried to finish the snacks we could finish.


Saturday - we spent the day travelling home.  Uneventful - which is just how I want transit to be! The only even occurred when KK's car wouldn't start.  We almost got JoJo to give us a ride home (we were packed in her van), but "luckily" KK forgot her purse in her car and had to run back up to get it.  She decided to give it one more try and it started!  I'm sure this was a relief to her as she was about to have to spend the next day arranging to have it towed, etc.


The kids and Richard all seemed to get along fine except Ruth is being rather "large and in charge" and is not going down to bed with her usual ease.  


This is the last week of school, so we are about to slide right into summer!

Ruth's 19 Month Stats

At her 19 month dr. appointment (which her Daddy took her to while I took the boys to the grocery store), Ruth's stats were...


Weight 32 lbs. 2 oz.
Length 35.5 inches
Head Circumference 19.25 inches


This is what I've been reduced to - I take the time to update stats!  Paul will be 5 in 2 weeks.  WHAT?  How is this possible?

Ruth's 15 Month Stats

It was really at 16 months, but...


Weight: 30 pounds, 2 ounces (> 97th percentile)
Length: 34 inches  (> 97th percentile) 
Head Circumference: 19.25 inches (at 97th percentile)


Weight for length percentile 95th-97th


Predicted Height at 21 - 5' 9" (obviously, time will tell).


One day, I may take the time to WRITE again!

Pinewood Derby Prep

Everyone is back in their normal activities - school, work, cub scouts, religious education...and we are working into the Spring 2012 version of our routine.  


This Saturday is the Pinewood Derby, so this week has included a lot of discussing the car and a bit of working on the car.  *I* would have started working on the car much earlier, but Richard assures me he has this under control and I shouldn't worry about it.  No doubt, there will be a car to race, but time will tell how late into Friday night that car will still be in production.


Paul has another shiner - this time from falling onto the concrete at school.  I showed up to pick him up and the teacher seamlessly handed me the accident report to sign.  I have a feeling we'll have at least a couple more of these to sign before his time at this school comes to an end.

Happy New Year

Quite a few things have happened since Luke's Birthday - here is a re-cap:


Thanksgiving 2011 - The usual Jos and NoJos were here plus a few guests.  Paul's teacher (and Luke's former teacher), Mrs. S, joined us for our Thanksgiving feast.  Bree's brother joined us for the feast and the game.  Rebekah's friend - I can't remember her name now - joined us for the feast.  The Jos won, if we count the "safety".  If we don't count it, we tied.  The game was eventful and I think there was at least one injury (Ross) - perhaps more?!  I had my best game...we scored on a play of my design "The Martha" and I caught some passes.  Did I score?


My Birthday - I had a wonderful day and my family surprised me with great gifts.  Luke bought me some slippers, Ruth gave me some Christmas socks, Paul gave me flashlight/nightlights and Richard gave me a Kindle Touch.  All terrific gifts!  Much of this day was consumed with planning...


Trip to Pennsylvania - Richard's 100 year-old (almost 101) grandmother died and we made a quickly planned trip to her funeral in Philadelphia.  We flew into Dulles, rented a mini-van and drove (through INSANE DC traffic) up.  We stayed with Richard's Aunt S and Uncle D and had a really nice visit.  One day, we went to the Please Touch Museum  and the kids had a terrific time.  It is a really great children's museum - I was amazed.  One day we spent with family at the funeral service and lunch that followed.  It was a very nice service and I think everyone enjoyed spending time together.  On another day we spent time at Richard's cousin's house...the kids all played and, once again, we had a nice visit.  If you ask Luke and Paul, it might be a tough choice, but I know one of their favorite things was seeing and operating the train layouts that both of Richard's uncles have in their respective basements!  The day before we came home, we drove to NJ and took the ferry over to NYC. We stopped in Grand Central Station, walked by some store windows all decorated for Christmas, went to the Top of the Rock and met up with my high school friend M and her family (who drove in from Connecticut) for dinner.  After dinner, we all headed over to the madness that is Rockefeller Plaza so we could see the tree.  It was fun, but overwhelming - with soooo many people.  Once we caught the bus back to the ferry and got on the road back to PA, the kids fell asleep instantly.


Christmas - We came home from our trip to realize we were easily a week behind being ready for Christmas!  I had to finish up the semester, Luke and Paul had their last week of school and Richard had 2 more weeks of work.  We had put up the tree before we left, but the rest of the decorating needed to be done and the shopping and baking too.  Time marched on and we plugged away...and, of course, we got it all done and had a great Christmas.   We went to church on Christmas Eve and then to our traditional Christmas Eve dinner at On the Boarder.  Once home, the kids opened their new pajamas, we read The Polar Express and Twas the Night Before Christmas, put out cookies for Santa and headed to bed.  Christmas morning was an exciting time...Paul wanted to help everyone open their gifts!  Paul was happy to get VeggieTales DVDs, a Bob hat and shirt, and Thomas toys.  Luke was excited to get the Lego Garage and various other things.  His "Star Wars Laptop" arrived after Christmas, but he was excited once again when it arrived. Later on Christmas morning, Richard's family and MawMaw came over and we visited, played, had lunch, did another round of exchanging gifts and generally continued the Christmas celebration.  The next day, we headed up to visit my brother and his family...which included visiting, playing, eating many fine meals and exchanging gifts.  We stayed for 2 nights and then headed back to be home for the foreseeable future!


New Year's Eve - We spent the late afternoon at Target letting the kids spend their gift cards from their Aunts and Uncles.  We got home, got Ruth her dinner and to bed and then we stayed up with the boys.  We watched a Thomas movie and played a new game that Aunt M, Uncle B and Cousin E gave the kids.  It is a fun game, but we didn't get to finish it because we did not budget enough time...we had to get ready to watch the ball drop!  Champaint (as Paul calls it - which was Martinellis Sparkling Cider), party hats, noise makers, confetti poppers, ticker tape - all needed to welcome in 2012.  The neighbors behind us had sparklers, so we went out and watched them for a few minutes - then it was off to bed.


January 1 was a lazy day.


Richard went back to work today, Luke goes back to school tomorrow, Paul goes back next week...so things are returning to the "normal" routine.  Ruth is adding words to her vocabulary and still mostly takes 2 naps a day.  I have to give her credit...she has had a major jolt to her routine more often than not since Thanksgiving and she has pretty much rolled with it!


Let 2012 be a great year!

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!