Spring Break....

My kids are on spring break this week. Who in the world calls the 2nd week of March spring break??!! Well, lucky for me today was a rare 65 degrees outside. (I won't mention that it's supposed to snow again on Friday). We enjoyed the warmth by hitting "happy hour" at Sonic Drive-in for 1/2 off slushes and drank them at the park. Glorious. We stayed for 2 hours. Then we headed home to ride bikes in the neighborhood. I couldn't stop laughing at my children's antics when we arrived home. Landon was saying the funniest things. He grabbed a basketball and ran onto the driveway saying "I shoot it in the hoop! I shoot it in the hoop! Oh, no hoop. I shoot it in the sky?" He then threw it a foot in the air. He said, "Oh, I throw it on the roof?" Didn't make it any higher that time. He finally just laid it on the ground and said, "I just kick it then." And ran off kicking it like a soccer ball. Hilarious little boy. Probably funnier in person. Jack, of course, found his own sort of entertainment. At the park he'd gathered a rock collection and brought it home to our yard. He found a big rock and was calling it his "detector". He told me that if he held it in one place on the driveway and looked into it he could "detect" China people. I inquired as to how and he said it was because he could see all the way to the other side of the Earth with it. Duh. China people live on the other side of the Earth. He told me the hot magma was pretty tricky to see through, but he could do it anyway. Jack. What a character. Kennedy was wearing a new light pink sundress with brand new leggings to match. Her choice of play? Filling cups of water and dumping them into the dirt in the neighbors ditch to make mud pies. I was blessed with a girl that likes to dress girly and play like a boy. Ethan played various things---a little baseball, a short bike ride, a little Frisbee, a little soccer, and then claimed he was bored without a basketball hoop and went in early. The conversation I had with him later, however, is what sticks in my mind. We were tossing a soft-soccer ball back and forth to each other while sitting on opposite couches.
Ethan: Dad is way strong. He is way tougher than you.
Me: No way. I'm tough. I can make Dad cry.
Ethan: Making him cry emotionally doesn't count. I mean physically.
Me: Emotionally? Ethan, how do you even know the difference or what that even means.
Ethan: Mom, I have emotions too you know.
I'm a little worried that he's one day going to surpass me in knowledge and totally stump me with how to handle him. Maybe that's already happened.

Stood Up.....

Last night there was a free babysitting opportunity. Yep, I said free. Our local University has a Campus Christian Fellowship group that volunteers on a monthly basis to babysit the local children as a service. Of course, donations are always welcome. My kids love to attend these events because they get to run free in a large gymnasium, do some sort of craft, and have some sort of popcorn/candy snack while viewing a movie. I love these events because it means a free night out with Shawn. Well, except for last night. I'd been looking forward to this all week. I did keep in the back of my mind that he was on call and there was a possibility I would be solo, but I've done it before. Last night when it was 3:30 and he showed up at home I was ecstatic that we would be able to eat a dinner out on the town together. Until he mentioned the pinewood derby car sitting on the counter. And that Dr. Roof's wood shop would be at his disposal for him and Ethan to use that very evening. Obviously the pinewood derby is more important than a date with me. I conjured up a plan to drop the little boys off at the babysitting and take Kennedy to dinner with me and to do a little shopping. She thought it sounded fun. I was once again excited for an evening out. Until we pulled into the parking lot of the University. Kennedy said she decided she'd rather play in the gym because she "can go on a date with you anytime, right mom?". Not only was I stood up by my husband, but by my 6 year old as well. Pathetic. What did I do? The only thing I could do. Ordered take-out from the restaurant I was to dine in, took it home and watched a movie on the free showtime preview cable is offering this weekend. Not the night I had planned, but still enjoyable. Who would've thought that being stood up twice in one evening would still turn out to be nice.

Online Shopping.....

Jackson came running up the stairs jumping and speaking really fast.
Jack: I just ordered caprisuns on the computer!
Me: What?
Jack: I found caprisuns on the computer and I ordered them. They will be here soon.

15 minutes later Ethan came and told me that Jack was calling someone.
Me: Jack, who are you calling?
Jack: I'm calling Walmart because they aren't here yet with my order.
Me: Jack, Walmart doesn't deliver.
Jack: That is why I'm calling them. They need to bring them to our house.
Me: How about tomorrow we actually go to Walmart.
Jack: Will my order be ready when we get there? And then we just pay for it then?
Me: I'm sure it will be waiting on a shelf for you.

He's been bugging me all day long to get to Walmart before his order gets lost. The things I do for a child with imagination. I just hope he realizes I won't play along when he's 16 and the thing he "orders" on line is a vehicle.

The Pulley.....

Ethan is a really bright kid. It doesn't take much explaining for him to grasp a concept. He's really easy to teach things because of this. I do feel that he doesn't use his mind to it's full capacity sometimes because of TV or video games. (Probably my fault.) But, sometimes he comes home full of vigor and bright ideas. Especially this last week. One day I heard him saying he was going to make a pulley. I wasn't feeling too great that day, so I just let him go about his business. I heard the kitchen sink running for what seemed like eternity. Then he came to ask me if I could find the step ladder because he couldn't quite reach the top of the front door without it. After some investigation I discovered the pulley he was attempting to make involved a large bucket of water hanging by a rope connected to the front door. Whomever was the lucky one to open the door was doused with water. Needless to say his pulley system was aborted. Today he came home with another pulley idea. He assured me this one involved no water and nobody would get hurt in the process. I have to say I was impressed with what he came up with. Pretty genius if I do say so myself. He's convinced it's going to be very beneficial to his life. Not so sure about that, but it's fun to see his mind being used.

If you pull the two small handles the large handle raises the paper carrier. You can put stuff you don't want your brothers to reach on the paper carrier. Raise the small handles to lower the paper.

Another Year Passes.....

Shawn celebrated his birthday last week. The 27th to be exact. It wasn't too special of a day, being that he still had to work. But, he was able to be home by 2 so he could sneak in a coveted nap. I ordered Ruby Tuesday's for us for dinner (the kids got pizza), and we made him a cake. The number of candles required would have caused a fire, so I used only 3. Each candle represents 12 years. You do the math. Thank you Shawn for all you do for this family. You work so hard to provide for us. You do a great job. I know you often feel "stretched" because of all the things you feel responsible for, but I think you are awesome. I recognize that you are doing your best. The little things you do don't go unnoticed. We love you. Happy Birthday.

Chinese New Year......

Ethan is officially a cub scout. With scouting comes once a month pack meetings where the family is invited to participate in any awards given and usually a well thought out activity. In February we were able to attend the Blue & Gold banquet following the theme "Chinese New Year". The cub master is amazingly organized and detail oriented. Everyone brought a Chinese dish to share, and the scouts provided dessert, decorations, and chopsticks. My kids found the wooden sticks fascinating. Kennedy attempted to eat with them while Jackson used them as weapons.

After dinner we all helped clean up the tables and a large dragon head was brought into view. Someone had taken it upon themselves to paper mache a head and make a long tail using plastic and spray paint. Each child was given a long wooden stick to help hold up the tail. Chinese music playing in the background prompted the children to trail behind one another moving the dragon around the room. The kids were excited to be part of such a fun Chinese Tradition.

Shawn missed this one. He was on call. Due to the "full moon" effect he was at the hospital pretty late. Babies seem to come often when there is a full moon. Women giving birth often like epidurals. People also like to do crazy things that often end in some kind of problem only surgery can fix. I wish he could take the lunar cycle into consideration when he makes the call schedule. We miss him at activities like this. Especially since he is one of the den leaders.

Not Much In A Day......

A few weeks ago, and some days still, I make it a goal to accomplish at least one productive thing in a day. Sometimes I set my ambitions high, sometimes it's something as simple as "make dinner tonight". That's what the family gets when I'm trying to grow a human. It takes a lot out of me. Presidents Day turned out to be somewhat productive. Kennedy attended a soccer camp from 8-3. I was pleasantly surprised when she decided she wanted to attend. I think it was mainly due to her best friend showing interest, but whatever gets her moving.

The boys and I ate lunch at the Burger King play place and then headed home for a nap. Well, I took a nap. Not sure what the boys did, but all was well when I woke up. After we picked up Kennedy we decided to make cupcakes for a friends birthday. This is actually the first thing I'd made in over 3 weeks. Funny that it's cupcakes to get the mixer in motion. The kids were thrilled to have icing and batter in their vicinity.

The cupcakes just about wiped me out, but I somehow managed to turn this:

into this:

Unfortunately, the 1st picture represents more the norm around here. In fact, I have a similar pile on my bedroom floor as I type this. I'm considering banning all clothing from here on out. Laundry is ridiculous. I don't mind the actual process, it's the folding and putting away part I detest. What did I choose to accomplish today? I showered, got Jack to preschool, did laundry, vacuumed the basement, made dinner, and am about to go gather the little people for Family Home Evening. My well-being is obviously improving and I'm oh so glad. So is my family. Especially Shawn, I'm sure.