Saving Fish Richard

I guess it has been 4 or so weeks ago now, but non-fish Richard noticed that Fish Richard (the boys' goldfish) was swimming lethargically and had some white, pearl-like spots (three-dimensional) on his fins.  His situation did not improve and we commenced the Google searching.  We decided Fish Richard probably had Ich.  

After much research, we (non-fish Richard and I - mostly non-fish Richard) did a 100% tank clean out.  No websites recommend a 100% exchange of the fish's environment (too shocking), but we only loosely followed any direction we found on any of several websites.  Non-fish Richard rinsed all rocks and other decorative items and used a Magic Eraser to clean the tank's walls.  As a side note, those Magic Erasers are amazing.  I don't know what is in them, but they are...magic.  

Following the 100% exchange of water, we gave Fish Richard a quick (1 minute) salt bath.  This involves dissolving salt (in our case, Kosher salt) in water and then putting the fish in for a swim.  Research indicated this would either greatly improve Fish Richard's condition, or it would hasten his demise.  I doubt any of the websites would recommend a 100% environment cleaning AND a salt bath, but we are aggressive when we treat Ich.

Fish Richard showed marked improvement over the next few days (as the tank sat on the kitchen counter until Mother's Day).  On subsequent days we put the commercial Ich killer in the tank, and after a few days, the spots were gone.  Fish Richard was saved!

We vowed to do a 20% water replacement once a week, but...we have yet to actually do that.  Other things have consumed our attention instead.

Luke's "Home Run"

Luke FINALLY played a baseball game last week. He got a hit his first up to bat...he barely dinked it...it went more like where a bunted ball would go. This was unintentional, but it is actually pretty good for him because 1) the pitcher and catcher, at this age, are not prepared to deal with this type of hit and 2) Luke can RUN really quickly, so he can get on base before the pitcher/catcher can get it to 1st. In this case, the catcher tried to throw it to 1st anyway and over threw the ball, so Luke sped off to 2nd. The 1st baseman then tried to throw to 2nd and over threw him, so Luke sped to 3rd. The 2nd baseman tried to throw it back to the pitcher, the pitcher didn't catch it, so Luke sped home. He got a "home run" on overthrows. In his mind, he hit a home run! It was hilarious. His 2nd up to bat, he was walked (not on purpose - there are a LOT of walks with this age group). In fact, the top of the 3rd inning was sooooo long because our pitcher was walking everyone...the other team got 5 runs off of walks before we got 3 outs. We had 2 minutes of the 90 minutes left on the clock, so we had to start another inning. It was 8 - 7 (us) and we would have to get all 5 runs (once a team gets 5 runs in an inning, their up to bat it over) in order not to have to play the bottom of the inning...because the other team wouldn't be able to catch up. We scored 3 runs and there were 2 runners on base when Luke got up to bat. Again, he dinked it and this time he barely beat the ball to 1st, but he beat it. The other team was so focused on trying to get Luke out at 1st that the other 2 runners crossed the plate and the game was over. The team dumped the cooler on Luke's head and he was REALLY happy. On the way home, he said, this is one of the first times he has felt like "the man". Ha ha!

Ruth's Fortunate Find

Today, none of the children had school.  I turned off the alarm and figured I'd be up in time to go to the fitness studio for my 3x a week, 30-minute, mostly strength and conditioning workout (which I've been doing since mid-January)...and I woke up about 30 minutes before I had to leave.  Of course, I had been awakened at 12:30 and 4:30, so it isn't like I netted 10 hours of sleep (because I did get in bed at 9:30 the night before).

The workout was a good one.  I consider it good when it is tough, but I can do all of the things I'm being asked to do.  I do believe my arms will be quite sore tomorrow!

Once home, I showered, nursed Mary, got her down for a nap and prodded the children into cleaning up the playroom.  The plan was to go out to lunch and to a couple of toy stores so that Paul could spend some birthday money.  Ruth was greatly consumed by the thought of being in a toy store with no money to spend.  No amount of reminding her that it was Paul's birthday, this is Paul's trip, let's be happy for Paul would get her mind off of it.  She tried to empty her bank, she tried asking Paul to buy her something, and she was relentless. 

Mary finally woke up (after a 90 minute nap) and we met Daddy at Chic-Fil-A for lunch.  After CFA, we stopped at the pet store for a new water bottle and some hay for Fluffy Bunny...and some filters for the fish tank.  On our way out of the pet store, Ruth spotted a $5 bill in the middle of a row of 3 empty parking spaces! There were no nearby cars and no one was around, so no one to ask if it is his/her money.  You have never seen a happier girl...now she could buy something at the toy store!  She was so proud.  Luke had a hard time being happy for her as he wished he had seen it first.

At the toy store, Ruth bought Play-Doh...she LOVES Play-doh and we pretty much only have dried out 7 year old containers (which need to be thrown away).  Paul bought a Spirograph.  I'm very excited about this.  He also bought a Star Wars Lego set because, apparently, we cannot have enough Legos.  Luke did buy some Pokemon cards, so everyone has something about which to be excited.  We stopped at another toy store (this one locally owned) so Paul could spend his $10.00 birthday credit there.  He bought a Star Wars Thumb Doodles book.  It is pretty cute and interesting...and fits his artistic sensibilities. I bought some books for Summer Home School because the kids only have 4 more weeks of school.  Before we know it, we'll be into the Summer Home School routine of learning, playing, swimming, resting and trying not to squabble.

We got home and everyone when to their respective rooms for reading and/or naps.  Now they are up and Paul is building his new Lego, Ruth is playing with her Play-doh and Luke is playing on his Kindle...Mary is still napping.  Soon, I will make spaghetti (with frozen meatballs) for dinner and we will eat before we head out to Paul's baseball game.

PSIA

Here is a recap of the PSIA contest (Private School Interscholastic Association).  This is our first year to participate in an academic competition, so we had no idea what to expect.  Paul entered Art Memory…it is for 4^th and 5^th, but students can participate up to 2 years above their grade level.  Luke entered Number Sense, Math, and Maps, Charts and Graphs.  We spent several weeks studying and taking practice tests.  Bree helped Luke with Number Sense by holding a tutoring session with him.  I worked a TON with Paul…helping him learn the 40 works of art and helping him learn to spell the titles and artists correctly.

We got up at 6:00 to leave for our destination as Luke's first event (Number Sense) was at 8:30. Number Sense is all mental math - the student must use a blue ink pen and cannot work out any problems...it must all be done in the head and the student can write only the answer. Any cross out of an answer = wrong; any skipped question = wrong. Wrong answers count -2; correct answers count +5. These directions are different from all of the other events, so part of the task is to know the directions! There is also strategy involved with skipping questions. We aren't to the strategy part yet. Approx. 3 hours after the event, parents (and students) come in to verify the scoring (which is done by 3 independent people) and then results are determined for awards. Luke scored 120 - which we had no idea how that compares to other kids, but that was the higher than he had scored on any practice tests. Oh - the test only lasts 10 minutes. He did 24 problems in 10 minutes. Turns out, that was good enough for 5th place! I was totally shocked and knew that Luke would consider this venture a success since he won a medal.

In the in-between time, imagine a cafeteria FULL of people with almost-constant announcements over a microphone. Schools have tables and the kids from our school pretty much played cards or parallel-played on their electronic devices. One mother brought the supplies to make necklaces...so the kids had fun playing with each other.

Paul's Art Memory was at 10:00. His group got called to the "outdoor gym" where there was a person holding a sign for his test (there were several tests scheduled for the same time). A parent could accompany the student that far, but then the students were led into the room of the school where they would test...parents were not allowed there. While in line, Paul started crying. I asked him why and he was nervous...he guessed. I hugged him close and told him to take some deep breaths and we said a prayer. He seemed to calm down a bit. When he was finished, he said he'd tried to answer all of the multiple choice questions. I didn't react outwardly, but inwardly, I groaned. With this test, if you get the question right +5, leave it blank is no penalty; answer incorrectly is -2, so I figured this would be a big drain on his score...we didn't focus on the art elements and art history because that is too advanced and too much information for him. He recounted several of the paintings he had to identify for the art recognition part. Approx. 3 hours later, I went in to verify the scoring (not every parent does this). He scored 55 on the multiple choice...he actually answered several correctly, but the deductions cost him. When I looked at the sheet with his handwriting of the 15 artists and paintings he had to identify, I just smiled so big...to see his little handwriting and imagine him sitting in the desk and doing all of that work just made me so happy. He scored 120 (out of a possible 150) on this part. He got points for EVERY painting because he knew the artist and title. He got +5 for spelling 9 of the 15 artists correctly and +5 for spelling 6 of the painting titles correctly. He got +3 for everything else because he identified it correctly, but had spelling mistakes. His overall score was 175. Again, I had no idea how that compared to other kids. When he won 5th place, I almost cried. This is an event for 4th and 5th graders and my little 7 year old boy did 5th best. I am so proud of him and this provides the memory I need for him when he FREAKS out about a task...we can talk about how he was so freaked he cried before the test, but in the end, he did well...AND, there was no consequence for not doing well, so it was nothing to get freaked about!

At 12:30, Luke had maps/charts/graphs. When he finished, he told us he thought he did well and that he only skipped 4 questions. This test is 50 questions and 30 minutes. Half the questions are about graphs and charts on the test itself. There are some questions that are more critical thinking about the information that may or may not be directly represented on the graph/chart. The other half of the questions are atlas questions and students can (and should) use this specific atlas (which I had to order from the company...online...because it is sold NOWHERE else) to find answers. The specific atlas is necessary because the questions might ask about a graph or map that is only in this atlas...the key is knowing the atlas well enough to know where to find the information quickly. When we (Luke came with me) went to verify, Luke has scored 205 out of 250! This is about 50 points higher than he has scored on any practice test we took at home. I was fairly confident that he'd medal, but I was a bit worried he'd place 1st or 2nd and we'd have to go to another town for the state competition next month! I was relieved he came in 3rd...he, of course, wants to go to state next year!

At 1:30, Luke had his last test - Math. There were 3 boys from his grade taking the test. He came out and said he didn't do well - it was difficult and he left 20 blank. He didn't think we needed to hang around for the verification or the awards because he didn't think he'd done well. All of these verifications and awards happen SOOO long after the event itself (because multiple people are scoring) that we were still there when they called for math verification, so Luke and I went. Luke was right - 65 out of a possible 200 (40 questions). The test was difficult... much more of the 5th grade math (this s a 4th/5th event) than any of our practice tests. His friend had scored 70 and we all thought this was going to be just a good experience. As I was leaving, I saw a 43 and an 18 on other people's tests, so I thought, "well, maybe this isn't as bad as I thought". It would depend if they awarded 4th and 5th grade separately. So...we hung around for the awards. They do a good job of making you think they are just about to 1) verify or 2) award, so just stick around... In the end, they awarded 4th and 5th grade separately and Luke won 4th place and his friend won 3rd.

I am VERY proud of these boys. They placed in each event entered. They worked hard (Paul harder than Luke) and their hard work paid off. I am also impressed with myself! Richard was supportive, but I really did everything to help the boys prepare. Clearly, I rock.

Current State of Affairs

Let's see if I can commit to reviving this blog!

Mary is sleeping terribly, but I am able to look back at my blog and see that Ruth slept terribly at this age.  Knowing that, I can relax about it and realize that I will live...and that one day, she'll probably sleep better again.

Even though we have a jam-packed weekend I am feeling like things are settling down a bit.  That is probably because I have one week of school left myself...and, in that week, I am just administering exams...my teaching work is done!  

Yesterday (Saturday), Luke and Paul both had a baseball game at 9:00 am.  Mary, Ruth and I split time between the two. They were at the same complex of 3 fields, but, of course, on different fields.  Paul has been having a terrible time with hitting.  Mostly, it is that he has quite a bit of anxiety about it. I don't know if this anxiety stems from 3 years ago when he got hit (on the finger...jammed his nail up into his finger) by a ball pitched from the pitching machine, or from having a crowd of people watching, or from feeling like he might let his team down, or from the fact that he is just generally anxiety prone.  I don't try to dig too deeply because I don't want to give him ideas of things about which to be anxious.  I did read an article (linked on Facebook) about how to handle anxiety with kids, so based on that article, I explained anxiety to Paul.  I told him there is a part of his brain that tells his body how to act when it senses danger.  It tells his body to rush the blood away from his arms and legs and to his heart and central organs.  It tells his breathing to get faster.  It basically tells him to prepare to fight or run away.  This is useful and important when there really is a danger...like a snarling dog in his path.  This part of his brain seems to not be very good at knowing when there is a true danger...it overreacts and gets his body ready when there isn't really anything dangerous happening.  When he took the art test for PSIA - his body got all crazy, but there was nothing that could hurt him when taking that test.  At baseball, there isn't really anything dangerous enough to get worked up about, but his brain still does it.  I asked him to name this part of his brain - just a name, so that we could talk about it and he could talk to it.  He, of course, decided on Anakin (Skywalker, I'm sure)...fine, his brain, he can choose.  I told him that when he gets anxious and it isn't really a dangerous situation, he should tell Anakin that he doesn't need him right now and to relax so he'll be ready for a real emergency.  This seemed to help Paul.  In fact, he hit the ball 2 of the 3 times he was at bat!  We'll see if he can continue to be relieved by telling Anakin to sit down.

Luke's team played MUCH better.  The previous game was excruciating to watch.  His team got 2 hits the entire game.  Luke only got up to bat 1x and he struck out.  It was an hour and a half of non-excitement. Saturday's game was much better as many of the kids hit the ball well.  Luke got on base each of his at bats.  The other team had its in-field fielding down, so if the ball was stopped in the in-field, they could field it well and have a good throw to 1st base.  Many of our runners were not running full on to 1st...they were watching their ball...so they got out at 1st.  Not Luke though - he is pretty fast AND he puts his head down and runs full speed.  He beat the throw to first even though he hit it to the in-field (one at bat - the other he smacked it past 2nd base).

In the afternoon, we had a birthday party for Paul.  13 kids came...it was at the Museum of Natural History...space theme.  I think everyone had fun.  Richard and I were exhausted and poor Mary hasn't had a proper nap in days...she's having to nap on the go. We went out for hamburgers and watched the Astros hit homer after homer off of Seattle's pitcher.  I don't know how the game ended, but the Astros were up 9-3 when we left the restaurant. 

Today we have the Parish festival (we are working at the Putt Putt booth) and then a Cinco de Mayo party to attend.  No children have school tomorrow, so that will be a nice break!

Mary's 6 Month Stats

At 6 months, Mary's stats are:
Weight 17 pounds 4 ounces
Length 27 1/4 inches
Weight for length percentile 25th - 50th


For comparison, at 6 months - 
Ruth:
Weight 19 pounds 15.5 ounces
Length 28 inches
Weight for length percentile 50th - 75th

Paul:
Weight 20 pounds 7.5 ounces
Length 28 1/2 inches
Weight for length percentile 25th - 50th


Luke:
Weight 17 pounds 15.5 ounces
Length 26 3/4 inches
Weight for length percentile 50th - 75th

Catching Up

It has been so long since I have posted on this blog that the editing features are all different now!

Luke finished 3rd grade, Paul finished 1st grade and Ruth finished her Beginner's class.  Ruth will be in Beginner's again next school year because we actually started her before she was technically the correct age to start.  We aren't interested in starting Kindergarten early, so somewhere in between, she'd need to repeat.  This seems like a good year to repeat...she doesn't recognize letters or numbers and can't write her name, so really "school" is a place where she gets to play with other children, paint, dress up, learn about things like transportation, seasons, etc.  This summer, however, our Summer Home School goal for Ruth is to improve her fine motor skills...pencil grip, writing, etc. AND teach her to write her name.  We'll see how that goes.

Luke and Paul are working on math, problem-solving, reading comprehension and grammar this summer.  

Admittedly, I'm pushing Paul a little hard on the math with this Tenmark website I was turned on to. I do think it is good as he is having to confront problems where he has to think about what to do rather than just solve a bunch of problems he's already learned how to solve. Sometimes, on that website, the end question is "what is a number sentence that shows what you would do to solve the problem" and not what is the answer. The answer is a choice, but so are several number sentences. Paul often misses the question because he didn't read what was wanted...he just assumed solving the problem is what he needed to do. I'm happy about this because he needs to read the actual question! 

I have taught him how to borrow...which is a bit advanced for coming out of first grade. He can do that with no problem now (with double-digit numbers). Some of the work is really having him do algebra...instead of 10+20 = ?, it'll ask 10 + ? = 30...AND it asks it in a word problem like: "Gina has 30 marbles. She had 10 and then Mary gave her some. How many marbles did Mary give to Gina?" So...he has to figure out that he first has write out the number sentence and then actually figure out what the ? represents. So...I went ahead and taught him how to get the ? by itself. Yep, I taught him to do: ? + 10 -10 = 30 - 10; ?= 30-10. Then he can do 30 - 10. At this point, I'm just trying to get him to be able to decipher the correct number sentence from the word problem and then I keep helping him with the algebra part. Once he can reliably get the number sentence correct, I'll wean him off my help with the algebra. The problem today was that he might get the number sentence correct ? + 10 = 30, but, in the answer choices, it would be 30 = 10 + ?...so we had to discuss that:

? +10=30
10+?=30
30=10+?
30=?+10

are all ways to write the same thing.

I'm not really concerned with him be able to DO this kind of math reliably...by himself. He'll be fine in school with his 10+2 = 12; 12-4=8 problems. I just want him to practice confronting problems where there is more thought that he has to do. He has got to get comfortable thinking and not freaking out if it isn't instantly obvious what he's supposed to do. 

Richard is creative with thinking of manipulatives to help Paul "see" the concept. Getting out pennies so he can see, "if we have 20 pennies to start, but in the end we have 14, how many did we have to take away to get 14?" - because, like I said - these are all word problems that he has to figure out what the actual math is. Richard also came up with getting out the scale (balancing scale) to show Paul that = means both sides are the same. We haven't done that yet, but I think that is a good idea.

Luke is so the opposite of Paul (thus far) so far as problem solving is concerned...he is  not phased by word problems or new concepts. He was working in a book that had a chart that showed "cooking" conversions: 8 oz = 1 cup; 2 cups = 1 pint; 2 pints = 1 quart, etc. Then he had all of these questions that went something like "Suzy had 2 gallons of cider, her recipe called for 3 quarts. How many cups of cider did she have left over". He just went about doing it...Paul would have looked at it and said, "I don't know what to do". Now, I realize Luke is older than Paul, but given a similar thing...a chart with a bit of math to do...at his level of ability...he would have not tried to do it without me there "pushing" him. He just doesn't get jazzed by the challenge...and Luke does (which is how I am too).  This is my goal for Paul...to get him more comfortable with problem-solving.

My summer goal for Luke is to just keep challenging him and to keep him "balanced".  He like math and problem-solving, so he'll readily do that.  We need to balance that with reading...which is doing readily right now.  While he hasn't formally learned division in school, he caught on (without help from me) that,  for example, 27/9 is asking "what times 9 = 27?" and he goes from there.  He did encounter a problem that was "bigger" than the multiplication tables he know...something like 72/4, so I showed him how to do "long division"...with no remainder, so we are upping the learning when he gets stuck.

After lunch, everyone goes to their room...Paul read 1-2 chapters of whatever book he's reading (Right now, he's reading Henry and the Clubhouse) and then he usually falls asleep.  Luke can just read (I don't encourage him to close his eyes anymore)...right now, he's reading the 4th Harry Potter book.  Ruth has to nap!  She is currently "reading" Max's Birthday Cake...she will make up stories based on the pictures. 

Baseball is over - Luke's team came in 2nd in his division (kid pitch) and Paul's team was way out of any rankings anyone would want to talk about!  Luke has improved quite a bit...gotten some good hits in and really hustles.  He usually plays right field and does a good job backing up 1st and 2nd base.  Paul had a peak of being able to hit (from the pitching machine), but seems to have lost that.  He hits just fine at home, but during the last few games, he seems to have lost his head and had some crazy swings.  He usually plays right field and his throwing has gotten MUCH better, but still needs to improve.  We think next season he'll show a lot of progress.

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!