Christmas In July

MooMoo and GaGa met me and the kids at Toys R Us this morning.  GaGa played with the kids while M and I picked out "school toys" for Tooter.  a.k.a. "Toys that he will get to play with while Poodle is doing kindergarten'y stuff but ones that don't require Mommy's help in order to play with them".  You know - like Matchbox cars and Tub O' Dinosaurs and Mini Train Sets and that kind of thing.  The kid loaded UP.  The trick, from what I've been told, is that he only gets to play with said toys when school is happening, so that they don't get old-hat quite as fast.

The really cool thing about all this is that MooMoo is really pro-regular school.  It's not that she doesn't think HS is a good idea.  She sees its purpose and has seen some really great kids come out of the HS "system".  It's just that she has such a close relationship with the public schools in our area.  Both because we all attended them and because she's been writing a local newspaper column for......  oh, good grief, 20 years or so that deals specifically with all things related to our local school district.  So, she's on first name terms with so many teachers and coaches and administrators.  She knows the good quality people we have in our area and she appreciates what they could do for my kids.

But, in spite of that, she and my dad want to support our endeavor this year as much as possible and make sure that both kids are getting the time and attention they need.

Mom and Dad, it really means a lot that y'all did this - it means a lot in a lot of ways.  I'm so grateful.  Thank you so much for supporting us in this not-as-common path that we're taking this year.  You may not have taken the route that we're taking, but you only wish success for us.  Thank you!  I love you both!

Popsicles Abound

We eat quite a few popsicles around our joint - there are days were popsicle time happens twice.  I know, I know.  High fructose corn syrup abounds!  But it's so hot that most of it drips down on shirts and hands before it ever makes it to mouths.  Plus, with this cool popsicle mold thingy that SueSue got for the kids a couple of summers back, we can freeze up actual fruit juices which are still fun, but not quite so....  high fructose corn syruppy.


Anyway, last week, we had the pleasure of having baby Audrey at the house for a couple of days while Robert was feverishly working on a website launch.  She didn't seem to mind one little bit that we have plethora o' popsicles around here.  I mean, how cute is that little face?  This is one of her rare moments where she looks like both her dad and her mom.  Usually she picks a parent for the day.


To keep the whole Audrey-themed post going, here is one of the wee lass for the grandparents.  Since she has graduated to one nap a day, I'm able to put all the kids down for nap time at the same time.  Audrey felt pretty comfortable on the couch in the master bedroom.  (It's a low futon type couch - and I surrounded it with pillows to keep her safe.  No worries).
But when I saw her lying there, she just looked so big.  She's growing so fast, and it reminded me of how fleeting the time of childhood really is.  And not just "being little".  But the innocence and open-eyed wonderment that goes along with being a child.  Of course, when you're in the trenches and dealing with the inability to reason or the incessant whining of a two year old or the constant reminders to pick up shoes or etc., the childhood period can feel interminable.  But it takes one moment like this to put it in perspective, if only for a little while.


If I could only get to this place in my head when my own popsicle pirates are pushing all my parental buttons, I'd be perfectly set!    Pow!   (The sentence felt like it needed one more "p").

Verbal Update

Tooter is coming along with his speech.  He's still quite behind the average for children his age, but he is progressing slowly.  i.e. He may not be talking up to level, but he's moving in the right direction!

A couple of days ago, I was going from the kitchen towards the pantry and ran into a stool or a cabinet or something.  (I'm always doing that).  And then I let out a barrage of "ow ow ow ow's", which of course is necessary when one bangs one's toe.  Or shin.  I don't remember exactly what I did.  Tooter then came running out of the office room and said:
"Mommy, I sahee.  Ah ooo okay?"

No lie.  He said all of it at one time!!!  Jmk was there - he can attest to it.  Granted, I doubt anyone else would have been able to understand him.  But he said it!  And he had the most concerned look on his precious little face that made my owie disappear like magic.  It was a nice moment.

I guess he really will be talking before he goes to college.  ;-)

Our Math Is Here!

Yay! Okay. This post is going to make some say "WHAT?", it will make others say "I knew it!", and everyone else will likely be a combination of the two. We're homeschooling this year! As in honest-to-goodness Poodle is going to be in Kindergarten homeschooling. And as you can see, the arrival of our math curriculum is exciting for me. Granted, I'm a goofball Math major, but the idea of being able to watch her start to understand numbers and their relationships just gets me all giddy. Maybe you're wondering why we're homeschooling when Poodle isn't "supposed" to be in Kindergarten this year, because of her late birthday. Reasonable question. She turns five just weeks after the cut-off date to enter K5, but she really is ready to start Kindergarten. And she is a little sponge who, quite frankly, gets hyper when she gets bored. So..... after a LOT of prayer and talking with each other, Jmk and I decided to HS "for real" and get her school started. This doesn't mean that we will HS forever and ever, nor does it mean that we won't. It doesn't mean that our schools in this area are lacking, because they are good and filled with with quality teachers and administrators. It means that for this year, we are going to have Kindergarten at home. And if it goes well, we may just have First grade at home. And if that goes well...... you get the point. This is their education we're talking about. This is important, and what goes in to the children's heads is as critical as what goes into their hearts. So we take this very seriously and intend to evaluate our situation every year to make sure that they are getting the proper soul food and brain food.  

While homeschooling is growing in both acceptance and understanding, I think the biggest concern most people still have is covered by the umbrella term of "socialization". This means different things to different people, and trying to allay all concerns at once would take a post that is much longer than I have time to type or anyone else has time to read. But rest assured, Poodle will have plenty of friends and will have ample opportunity to experience "playground politics", albeit with the guidance of adults to facilitate when possible. We aren't going to become anti-regular school, because the kids may enter regular school when they're older. We don't know where the Lord will lead our educational journey. There are many good things that come with regular school, be it public, private, or church/religious. We are just choosing to go this HS route for now, and see where it leads us. It's a huge commitment as well as a change in lifestyle. But, with all the responsibility comes a freedom that I hope will prove to be edifying. Sort of like with our country. The more responsibility we take as citizens, the more freedom we will enjoy.  

For my HS friends out there, this is what we'll use this year for curriculum:  
Five In A Row for Language Arts, Social Studies, History, Art.  
Math-U-See for Spanish. (ha! kidding. It's really for Russian Civics).  
Apologia for Science, but I'm still trying to figure out how much "real" science is necessary at this age. Still trying to decide whether to begin with Astronomy or Botany or Zoology.  
Music is easy - music is everywhere! 

What I'm still trying to make a decision on is something to help me with Bible Study. I'm leaning towards Rod and Staff or Sonlight, and just need to make a decision. I need to narrow down my phonics choices. And I need to find one good idea book for crafts and fun things like that. This IS Kindergarten, and Coloring Inside The Lines and Gluing Buttons To Various Inanimate Objects are very important subjects. I, however, am not the crafty type, and will need some creative assistance. I'll channel Ashley Hemleben (a family friend who is one of those Kindergarten teachers that everyone wants their child to get as a teacher) as much as possible, but let's face it. I'll need help. Any and all advice and suggestions are welcome. I really just need to spend an afternoon at some book stores. 

We'll stay involved with our homeschool group(s) for field trips and fun times and will mostly make "school" a part of every day life. I'm trying to be as non-naive as possible about the challenge that it's going to be. The advice that I continue to hear over and over is  
1) Pray often and every day.  
2) Don't push too hard.  
3) Don't underestimate abilities.  

We'll get started officially just after Labor Day. But I suspect that we'll actually be getting started before summer is out. New things are fun, and this will all be very new to each of us! Your prayers are so very much appreciated, and if anyone has any questions or concerns, I'm here. And I'm ready to discuss! (And thank you so much to everyone who helped us in making this decision - your guidance, thoughts, prayers, and advice were all much appreciated!)

New Family Member

Custard and GiGi have a cute, cute, cute new cousin. My brother David just got a basset hound/beagle mix pup from the Humane Society in Birmingham. She is SO cute. This pic doesn't do her long ears justice, but they are they longest flippy-floppy things you've ever seen. And she's soooo long in the body. Sweet girl, too. Great with the kids!

My mom and dad came over with David when he brought Babe over to meet us. Of course, we combined the visit with burgers on the grill. Any excuse to grill works for us!

Jmk is totally crushed out on this dog. I'm telling you - if he thought David wouldn't notice, he'd so steal her. We'd be a two dog house in a minute. I'm completely expecting him to show up with a basset one random day. He loved her!

Poodle is so funny about smaller dogs - I don't know if it's because they move faster around her or what, but she spent the first 15 minutes of Babe's visit up in my dad's arms. Granted, she felt comfortable enough to ham for the camera, so she wasn't too concerned. I just don't understand the smaller dog thing, because her SueSue has three smaller-than-Custard dogs (Corgis), and Poodle loves those cuties. She doesn't seem to have any problem with them. ::shrug:: Who knows!

But, Toot was all about running around with Custard and Babe. Let me tell you, that little girl had Cus's number from the get go. She definitely didn't check up for a minute with him. Of course, he's not exactly a big, scary dog to begin with. But by the end of the visit, he was following her around the yard, letting her call the shots. She had him whipped. It was pretty funny.

You did well David! She is a total cutie patootie, and I hope y'all have a lot of years together. Now, bring her back over this afternoon! :-)

Quotes from Poodle

Poodle:  Mommy, when is God going to bring me a boy to marry?

Me:  I don't know honey.  But you know you can't get married until........

Poodle:  Until I get out of college.

Me:  That's my girl.

We all went over to MooMoo's and played blueberry bandit this past week.  Put a couple more bags in the freezer.  Thank you!!!

Don't they remind you of grapes on a vine in a way?  It's pretty to me.  :-)

Winding Down Vacation

Sleeping in your own bed at night.                                                                

Zero Dollars.

Getting our favorite pizza from Pizza Hut.                                                   

Eleven Dollars.

Golf two Saturdays in a row.                                                         

Not sure, but not all that many Dollars.

Cleaning out and mulching the front beds and one of the palm tree beds.         

Seventy Dollars.

Going to the neighborhood pool at 9:00am.                                                 

Zero Dollars.

Putting puzzles together at the table at 4:30 pm.

Zero Dollars.

Only doing laundry that was absolutely-can't-wait-necessary.

Zero Dollars. 

Picking up boiled peanuts at the local farmer's market.                             

Seven Dollars.

Getting fixin's for homemade salsa at same farmer's market.                   

Ten Dollars.

Eating lunch and supper in the living room while watching movies.  All Week Long.     

Zero Dollars.

Playing in the rain.                                                                                           

Zero Dollars. 

Having an entire week with the whole family together, getting to be with my precious Jmk all week, falling more in love with my family, and being able to justify almost everything by saying "hey - we're on vacation!"......

PRICELESS!!!

The Old Man And The Sea

Jmk came up with that one when he first saw this picture. :-)
But I did think it was pretty funny.

My dad, a.k.a. GaGa, is the cutest Old Man on the sea or the Reservoir, and this picture proves it.













The mast of the Chaser. My brother's 21 ft Santana sailboat that he keeps at the Reservoir.


I love the way a mast looks when the main sail isn't up. (hoisted?)










This past Sunday, which was my brother David's birthday, Robert took him, my dad, and me out for a couple of hours on Sunday afternoon. My dear Jmk, the sweetest husband ever, kept the kids at home so I could enjoy myself without chasing the kids. Dad was sitting on the bow as we motored out into the main water, and he hoisted the jib sail.








The birthday boy hoisted the main sail. Robert, as skipper, was giving the orders, steering the boat, and etc.

I was..... um...... doing very important things. To the untrained eye, it probably looked like I was just sitting on deck watching my boys do all the work. But the important things that I was doing are just way too complicated to discuss here. You'll just have to use your imagination.













GaGa, Captain Robert, David. Hanging out, being groovy. I was on the bow, hanging out to one of the shrouds to take this picture. (Can you tell that I tried very hard to learn as much boat terminology as I could in those two hours?)

The Chaser's Main sail - it was nice to be sitting under it.

I think I'm going to have to have a birthday sail of my own next year! heehee!














The birthday boy again. I hardly ever get pictures of David, because he really hates being in front of a camera. But I got lucky and got a few of him on this trip!










The boys folded up the jib sail quite nicely. I got to help fold up the main sail. And, I also got to help with the jib sail while we were on the water. I was on the port side, Dad was on starboard. I had NO idea what I was doing, but everyone was really patient.







Ahhhh - the weary sailors, home from sea.

Okay. The not-all-that-tired sailors home from a couple of hours on the reservoir. Man, I had a good time. There is something about the physical aspects of sailing a ship that intrigue me as well as motivate me. And, I just like the feel of it all. Granted, we weren't in "real" water, nor were we in terribly daunting winds. But I can see how addicting this activity could be. There is always something to learn and perfect. I still think Robert needs to sail to the Keys and go diving and fishing. I'll be your first mate! :-)

VACAY!

We're on vacation this week!!!!

Jmk made a last-minute-type decision about mid-week last week. He was taking this week off from work!

Now, that's totally fine with me. Because with gas prices the way they are, this is going to be a great vacation. No, we're not actually going anywhere. BUT, we're going to relax the rules for a week. We're not going to worry about chores and stuff. We're going to go to the zoo if we feel like it. Or, we're not. We're going to go pay waaaaay too much for ice cream at the ice cream shop. Jmk is going to play some golf if he feels like it. I went sailing with my brothers and my dad yesterday afternoon.

I'm going to blog a lot or not at all. We're going to go to the pool or play in the sprinklers or hose down the dog. We're going to have nacho night a LOT and we're going to eat popcorn at 9:30 in the morning. (no lie - the kids are watching Hermie and Friends Christmas movie right this minute while eating popcorn).

We're going to do all the fun things that "being on vacation" lets one do, but we get to sleep in our own beds, we don't have a road trip to deal with, and we don't have to pay for gas or a hotel room. We're going to take pictures (Robert, if you won't kill me, I'm going to keep your camera kidnapped for just one more week, then I'll give it back. I promise!) and we're going to have picnics on the porch. We're going to go to the water park or we're not. We're going to take naps in the afternoon and we're going to get some yard work done. We're going to have fun and we're not going waste this wonderful week of having Daddy home all the time!!! :-)

Maybe we will do stuff and maybe we won't. There are almost no rules - we're on vacation!!!

Thank you MooMoo! Bock Bock!

You know, if they don't bring back those Cadbury creme egg commercials, there's going to be a whole generation of folks who have no idea what "Tank you Eastah Bunny! Bock Bock!" means. But I digress.


This huge bowl of yummy blueberries came from MooMoo and GaGa's bushes on their side yard. And this was the bowl that I picked. The one that MooMoo picked for us while I was picking berries was even bigger than that one. We have a freezer full of blueberries, and there are still berries ripening on the bushes as I type! YUM-MO!!!

This is the quintessential organic blueberry. Yum, yum, yum. Poodle did a great job picking berries this year. And Toot finally got the hang of it before we had to leave. Although he did pick a few... ahem... not so ripe berries in the process. :-) But they were cute about the picking process, and didn't even seem to mind the buzzing bumblebees on the bushes near us. It was a very productive hour on Thursday morning.

Thank you again M&G!!!

Sharing pics

A few pics to share.... sort of to make up for the lack of my having my camera on Mother's Day!










Toot seems to be either in a serious discussion regarding the growth patterns of bermuda grass or he really just wants to get down and go play.










I thought this was a cool shot - Jmk took it with Robert's camera. To me this represents one of the neat things about the growth process. Watching them learn how to do things like swing themselves.










My love bugs. :-)

God or Adam?

First, we would appreciate your prayers for our poor, pitiful, sniffly house. No one is desperately sick. But in the past two weeks, we've dealt with two different cold viruses and Poodle has also had a fever virus. It's ridiculous. Every one of us missed church last Sunday. Blugh. I'm sick of us all being sick.

Anyway, yesterday, I learned something I didn't know. Well, at least something I didn't remember. We were watching this Children's Bible DVD thingy yesterday, and it was discussing how God brought the animals to Adam for him to name them all. And I mentioned to Poodle that this is why a giraffe is a giraffe and why a zebra is a zebra, etc. Then, the DVD talked about Eve and how she came to be and then it moved on.

Poodle turns to me and says "but who gave Eve her name?".

Hmmm. I looked at Poodle. Who named Eve, I wondered. God or Adam? Hmmm. I looked at the t.v. as though it would magically give me the answer. Amazingly, it didn't. Huh. I looked at Poodle again and admitted that I wasn't sure. Honestly, I felt sort of dumb at that point. So, I got out my Bible.

Do you know?

Genesis 3:20:
And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.

I'm glad I looked it up. My first answer would have been wrong.

Have you loved your sibling today?

I guess they're covered. :-)

The boots, btw, are constant with him. They're Poodle's boots, but Toot likes to wear them. We guess it's because he can get them on and off easily all by himself. ::shrug:: You'd think I'd get myself to a store and buy the boy some boots so he wouldn't walk around in pink ones.

It's on the list!

44 Years

Mom and Dad - may your life together only be sweeter as each day passes. And may your love for each other grow bigger than you thought possible.

Happy Anniversary!!!

Pics with Robert's camera

Isn't this cool? Robert actually took this one (I don't have those kinds of skills) - and all that "blurriness" was not photoshopped in. He manipulated his camera to do that. In a very low light situation to boot. He's good!










Hey, Phillip! :-) We're training him early.











Now, I did fiddle with this and the next picture a bit. Obviously, the sepia tones aren't from the camera. Although, Mr. D1 might do that for all I know.










He's just a dude. What can I tell ya.

A Father's Love

Grateful hat tip to Patty Sartor for this beautiful link.

Go see the video.

It's an extraordinary portrayal of a father's love for his son. And no matter the devotion you see in this video, our Heavenly Father loves us infinitely more than that. Which is incomprehensible to me who is infinitely unworthy of that love.

And, just be aware that you will probably need a tissue or two.

Where the pictures are.

My dear brother has let me borrow his very cool Nikon D1, and I have been so impressed with what it does and can do. Even in the hands of a total novice. It really makes me want to save my dollars to get a "real" camera one of these days. (Granted, it will take awhile to afford something like that, but like my dad says, nothing of any value ever comes easy). Anyway, most of the recent pics of the kids are on Robert's camera. I have gotten a card reader so as to retrieve said pictures, but haven't gotten around to getting them off of the camera and on to the computer.

We're having Singing School at church this week (for non-PB's, think VBS but for all ages and with the concentration focused on learning more about shaped note singing). So, that along with the crud that I got from the kids has me tired and yucky. And not wanting to do anything after the kids go to bed. Thus, the pictures remain.

This picture, btw, was one that Poodle took of me while I was taking pictures of her. Did I mention how cool this camera was? A camera like this can't replace the wonderful convenience of a purse-sized point and shoot digital camera. But for some wow-look-at-that-flower kinds of photos, it's awfully nice to have a tech-wise brother with some really groovy toys.

The Sickies

What is it about fast food play yards? Don't get me wrong - I like Chick-fil-A. The company, the founder, and the food. The place is as clean as can be expected, and the employees are nice. But for at least 50% of the times we go, the kids come back with a virus of some sort. We had a play date for lunch last Friday. By Sunday night, Poodle was running fever. Tooter's fever started last night.

I mean, it's just a mild cold. Not a big deal, and they aren't feeling that bad. But until the fever is good and gone, I don't want to take them anywhere. Nor do I want them getting outside and getting overheated. Blugh. The thing is, CFA (and play!) takes great pains to try to prevent this type of thing by putting sanitizing wipes right at the door to the play area. But most folks don't see them or remember to wipe their hands down. (I'm guilty of that myself!)

Yeah - I have no real point here. Just thought I'd share my whining with you. I know you're SO glad of it. ;-)

Overheard one Sunday morning

Scene: Poodle is at the table drawing a picture to give to one of her friends at church.

Mom: What are you drawing honey?
Poodle: A picture for Abigail.
Mom: I see - and what is that a picture of?
Poodle: I don't know yet.
Mom: Ah. So it's a work in progress, huh?
Poodle: No, it's a picture.