4th Grade comes to a close

If there is one thing the kids school likes to do more than anything at the end of the year, it's party hardy.  I think the whole last two weeks were just a free-for-all.  Oh....except those hours and hours Gabe spent after school re-doing class work I thought he could have done better on had he put forth more effort the first time.  OUCH!  At least he got it done and his grades reflected the belated hard work put in.

Anyway....

We were able to enjoy many many fun activities with him.  Including but not exclusive to...

A recorder concert.  That's right...he is now a master at Beethoven on the recorder.

4th Grade Track and Field Day

400m run and the long jump
(other events not captured because of a dead battery)

and

Frog watching
(aka frog pestering)

Our old window well friend survived the winter and is still with us.

and we got a new friend..that ended up leaving us because he is NOT trapped in our window well and was sufficiently spooked by children pocking him with sticks (against strict orders not to).

 All in all a good end to a good year.

I can't count on both fingers and toes how many times this child exclaimed in pure amazement, "WOW!  I can't BELIEVE how FAST this school year has gone."  

To which I add, "or how slow the summer is going to creep by."  

THE END

 

School Daze...I mean days...2012

I used to wonder why I would always hear mothers exclaim in exasperation, "I can't WAIT for school to start." Then I became a mother.

Now I get it.

I'm always happy when summer comes around and more than thankful for a reprieve from "structure" and schedules. I usually carry this on through June and even most of the way through July. Then August hits and I am DYING to say "goodbye freedom" and "hello order".

This year was no exception.

 I must say, however, that having TWO kids in full time school made the commencement of this year even more exciting. (squeal)

I'd like to say we went all out. You know, school shopped until we dropped, made a fancy shmancy dinner to welcome in the school year, gorged our pantry with lots of sack lunch goodies, and even woke up early on the first day to create a culinary masterpiece of wholesome breakfast goodness to get the brain going.

But...we didn't.

Instead we dug through buckets of hand-me-down clothes and found some pants that were in "first day of school shape" (otherwise known as hole-less and stain-less), ordered a few shirts from Target.com (which haven't arrived yet)and pulled dinner together at the last minute with very little thought.  But...we DID go to Burger King for $.50 ice cream cones to "celebrate" the end of summer, I DID get up and make oatmeal for breakfast and I DID put a little extra something in their otherwise boring lunches....a string cheese.  Yeah...I'm the BEST mom. 

Don't be too jealous, though. I made up for my greatness rather quickly. 

Gabe spent most of the morning in tears because I INSISTED on doing a bit of painful "doctoring" that just "couldn't be put off a moment longer".  Yeah.....poor kid.  I should have waited.  Sigh....

I may not make "mom of the year" but the kids got out the door to school on time, with excitement in their eyes and smiles on their faces.  Yeay for school!

"Aw MOM...we're gonna be late."

Gabe- 4th Grade

Cael 1st Grade

 It kills me to know that I could have had three in school this year.  However, we decide to keep Isaac at home until next year (bummer). He didn't turn 5 until early August and my "mommy feelings" tell me he's just not ready yet.  Even bigger sigh...... For now he will stay at home and help me entertain Kian.

There are HUGE benefits in that.

Happy School days everyone.  Enjoy it while it lasts.
 

Shake, shake, shake....shake your booty

We used to dance a lot around here.  It doesn't happen nearly enough anymore.  But...for some reason, on this particular morning, we let down our hair, dusted off our rusty bones and shook, shook, shook our booty's.

Here are a few snippets of Kian, Gabe and Isaac as proof.

And yes....the old Reebok Step is STILL the favorite dance platform (see bottom video).

G-McBabe's joke of the day

"Hey Mom...wanna hear my newest joke?"

"Sure"

"Why did the exercise instructor wear a diaper?"  

(pause)

They were doing pull-ups.  Get it?"

I laughed...of course.  It was very clever and funny.

"That's a good one Gabe...very funny"

"Yeah, I can tell you liked it.  You actually 'real laughed'....instead of that fake laugh like 'ha ha ha'." 


My, he's clever!  Guess I need to work on my "fake outs"....funny boy.
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"Here is some bad things I do not like about my mom"

Excerpt from G-McBabe's journal (written today--I know...I shouldn't be peeking):

Sunday
Here is some bad things I do not like about my mom.
1.  she makes me get off the computer right when the timer goes off
2.  you never know when she is going to yell.

Funny?....sort of.

For the "full story" and how it links to depression, come on over to my other blog...Methodical Musings of an Unbalanced Woman.

I'm just too lazy to type it up twice (or copy and paste it for that matter).
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L.I.C.E is a four letter word

I mean....literally....and figuratively, too.  At least it is in our house.

It's naughty....very, VERY naughty.  

Why?...because when you say it mommy get's all scared and anxious and starts hyperventilating.  And her head starts itching.....really bad.

At least that is what happened the day we found a little creepy, crawly, egg laying nasty in G-McBabe's hair about 18 months ago (just a few weeks after Mr. Golden Locks was born).

(see here)

 But let me tell you, things haven't changed a whole lot.

A few weeks after the start of school, we got the customary "lice" letter home one day.

You know, the "it's that time of year again when we typically see an increase in head lice" letter?

I hate that letter.

But....not more than I hate the "Nits (lice eggs) and/or lice have been found on a couple of students in the 3rd grade" letter.

That letter came home today.

For a few seconds I thought about falling apart.  (Breath, breath, breath).

Instead I just did a little scream inside......

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!

Why now?  I'm not medicated (at least not for a few more days).

How do you expect a "sister" to deal with something like this unmedicated, y'all?

SO....NOT....COOL!"

I looked at the paper....I looked at G-McBabe.....and then I said,

"You do realize we are going to have to do a head check today, right?

"Yeah.....(sigh)....I know."

Poor kid....he knows his mama all too well.  Let's face it....she can be a little psycho.

We FINALLY got to it tonight just before bed....

Luckily....so far, so good (all heads checked, all heads cleared).....and I didn't even panic, at least not more than once.....or twice.  :)

We ended the day with the "do not share hats or coats or scarfs talk"....the "stuff your coat inside your backpack talk" (what are they thinking making kids share cubbies?)...the "I know you love your friends but just don't get too close to them" talk.

Oh....and I prayed.....HARD!

I think we have it all covered.

Did I miss anything?


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"My mom is named Melanie" and a plug for popularity....oh, and school pictures too.

Roberto took G-McBabe and Little Red to their school open house the other day.  He came home with a tale of G-McBabe's "funny MOM poster" but I had forgotten all about it until G brought it home from school the other day.

I had a good laugh all over again.  See for yourselves....

 Here's what it says:

My mom is named Melanie.  She has dark red hair.  She has blue eyes.  Her favorite color is pink.  She likes orange!  She likes to jump on the trampoline and read novel's.  I love her because she makes me do only one page off homework. at a time.  She also is in the top mommy blogs.  (She likes blogging.)

Isn't that awesome.  And check out this portrait, up close and personal.

 Sweet.....I had no idea I was that good looking.

Anyhow.  I have to say a few things about this.

I DO have red hair and I DO have blue eyes.  Pink IS (one of) my favorite color(s)  but I ONLY wear orange because of Owen (and G-Mcbabe has his opinion of me wearing Orange too).  I do LOVE to jump on the trampoline (although I can't do it right now with the blasted SI joint injury), I DO love my novels and  I'm grateful, I only make him do one page of homework at a time (since he seems to love me so much for it).

But this is the part I REALLY want to focus on here.

"She is also in the top mommy blogs.  (she likes blogging.)"

I promise...I did not put him up to this.  In fact, I had no idea he knew about it.   But, I thought I would use it as a plug to get some votes.  :)

So here is my plug.  VOTE FOR ME ON TOP MOMMY BLOGS! I need you, my friends, to vote for me so that I can climb the charts.  :)  (I joined TMB to try and spread the word about depression/anxiety with my other blog MMUW (totally not a popularity thing) but with this blog I joined to just feel "cool".)

So...if you like me, even a little bit, please click on this banner today....and any other day you come here to visit (you can vote 1 time in a 24 hour period).  THANK YOU!

Oh...and here are our "first day of school" pictures.  Yeah...I'm that slow....

Here's G-McBabe's 3rd Grade self.... in all his glory

 This picture is a "hurry-mom-the-whistle-just-blew-the-sun-is-in-my-eyes-my-glasses-are falling-down-do-I-HAVE-to-smile?-look-at-my-snaggle-teeth" kinda pictures.  

That, and he's a goofball...we hardly EVER get a "normal" picture our of him.  Ha ha ha ha.....

and

Little Red aka

Mr. Kindergarten

This photo was shot by our sweet neighbor's sweet mom, who insisted I be in the photos as well.  Fortunately for me I have editing software and although I don't know how to do a lot of things, I DO know how to crop.  Ha ha ha....

Isn't he adorable, though?

So...don't forget to vote....one click per day.....and  also...don't forget to enter into the HAPPY 4TH BIRTHDAY TESTOSTERONE OVERLOAD GIVEAWAYS!
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Hiya...take that Sir Laughs A Lot....who's laughing now?

So I have a certain 5 year old (Little Red) that gets himself into a lot of trouble...A LOT OF TROUBLE...because he is so set on making other people laugh.

His excuse for everything..."well, but ________ was laughing."  As if that should excuse his behavior.

I have tried many approaches to cure this kind of thinking (you know, that it's okay to do anything as long as someone finds it funny)  I've tried:
The "just because it's funny doesn't mean it's right." approach.
The "I don't give a crap if he was laughing" approach.
The "you think that's funny...give me 50 burpies" approach.
The "oh, you still think it's funny?  give me 50 MORE burpies" approach.
and sometimes The "go to your room until your dad get's home...I don't want to see your face for a very long time" approach (which I used the other day when he scissored off some of Golden Locks's (16 month old) beautiful curls).

But...this one takes the cake.  Not only was it really effective..but it made ME laugh.  In fact, I'm still laughing.

Pure mommy genius.

A few weeks back we were having a particularly heinous day....the kids were giggley and obnoxious and I was a bit sleep deprived and not finding much humor in their antics.

Little Red was in the bathroom and needed me to come wipe him.  I walk into the bathroom not only to find G-McBabe (our eldest) in the bathroom with Little Red (a big no no in our house), but the ENTIRE new roll of toilet paper unrolled and in a heap on the floor.

I glared at Little Red with a blazing flame of fury in my eye...

"What?...What?....he says...and then "Well [G-McBabe] was laughing."

He and G-McBabe exchange their little smart "A" glances...you know, the ones kids use when they are being completely disrespectful and are really trying to tick you off?, and began to giggle.

Cleansing breath...cleansing breath...I told myself (I just saw the Hulk this week for the first time and feel like I may have found my kindred spirit... he he he)...and at long last I calmed.

The two boys were still giggling...which annoyed me to all get out...but I calmly replied.  "So...it's okay to do anything just because you think it's funny, huh?"

Giggle, giggle..."Yeah," they replied...giggle, giggle....along with more shifty glances and a bit of hand over mouth "I promise I'm trying to keep myself from laughing but cant quite control myself" gestures.

"Oh, okay," I said.

"So....G-McBabe...do you think it would be funny if I were to take Little Red's head and dip it into this toilet of poopy water (and believe you-me, Little Red had the runs and it was pretty poopy)?"

Again, more giggles and even a few loud bursts of uncontrolled laughter from both of them (probably because of the mention of "poop" and "toilet"...boys, seriously?), and finally G-McBabe answers, "Um....Yeah..." with a huge grin.

"Oh, Okay, .......well then," I say.

I think Little Red could sense something in mommy's mood had changed...he stopped laughing.

I quietly rolled back up the toilet paper and calmly wiped his bottom.  I, ever so gently, helped him off the toilet and waited for him to pull up his pants.  Meanwhile, G-McBabe is still giggling in the back ground (what, did they have too much sugar that day...i mean, REALLY?)

Little Red finishes and, before he could even blink twice, I snatched him around the waist, tipped him upside down and lowered his head within mere inches of the water line...poop and all.


The giggling and laughter turned into pandemonium....

I hear, "MMMMOOOOMMMMM!  MMMMOOOOOMMMM!  AHHH AHHH AHHHH AHHHH!  HELP!  HELP!  HELP!  from Little Red....screaming....crying....the works.......PUT ME DOWN PUT ME DOWN ......PUT ME DOWN!!!!!

and simultaneously from G-McBabe, "MMMMOOOOMMMM!  MMMMOOOOOMMMMMM!  IT'S NOT FUNNY!  IT'S NOT FUNNY!  MMMMOOOOMMMMM!  IT'S NOT FUNNY IT'S NOT FUNNY IT'S NOT FUNNY IT'S NOT FUNNY!!!!!!PUT HIM DOWN...IT'S NOT FUNNY...IT'S NOT FUNNY....ETC."

After a few seconds (but what I'm sure seemed like HOURS to both of them), I calmly put Little Red's feet back on the floor and reply, "Oh...that wasn't funny to you?"

(pant pant pant)  "No," they replied.

"Oh...cuz I thought it was funny,"  I said smiling.

They both stared at me like I was crazy.

I let that thought sink in while I washed my hands.

"So...maybe it's NOT okay to do things just because we think it's funny, right?"

"Yeah"...they mumbled as I walked out the door.

And that was that.

I will say that the lesson learned was quite effective for a few days.  Any time I had problems, I would kindly remind them of the toilet incident and they would shape up rather quickly.

I had forgotten about it for a time....shame on me....it's good ammo.  One that I will be using rather often, I am quite sure.

Hey, a mama's gotta do what she's gotta do to teach her children the lessons of life.

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It's a wonder I have a self esteem at all...

So I haven't been feeling at my tippy top best lately (read other blog post here) and with comments like these, I'm not sure that's bound to get better any time soon.

I showered today (which is no small feat for me) and put on my NEW favorite "OWENGE...the color of a warrior" shirt (What am I talking about? read here).

I'm sitting on the couch, G-McBabe (8) walks by and says, "Wow Mom.  You don't really look good in orange, do you? 

Um....RUDE!  (even if he does have a point..I am a red head after all)

About an hour later I'm sitting at the kitchen table playing a game with Mini Rob (4) and he says, "Mom...you stink."

Double RUDE!  And I totally showered today. Apparently for no reason.

(Although, the more I think about it, maybe I have spent far too much time around my children unbathed.  They don't know a good smelling mama when they've got one.)

HONESTLY!

Kids...gotta love the blunt little buggers.

I mean, who needs a self esteem anyway?

Just don't expect to see me out of the house anytime soon.  Blotchy red eyes don't really go with orange shirts either  (sniff, sniff)
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G-McBabe's Baptism---July 9, 2011

I thought it was about time I started documenting our summer vacation.  It just seems like such a daunting task.  I hate digital cameras for that reason.  You just end up taking too many pictures.

Anyhow...I thought i would start with the highlight of our trip.  G-McBabe's Baptism.
G-McBabe was baptized (by his father) and confirmed (by his Grandpa G) a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on July 9, 2011.  It was a really exciting day not only because it was his baptism but his birthday as well.  He was surrounded by tons of family who love him and support him.  We are so proud of our G-McBabe for making such an amazing decision.  It just get's better from here.

Here are a few pics from the event....starting with my FAVORITE!

Typical G-McBabe--Mr. Silly Kung Fu guy

On the more serious side

Priesthood Holders

L to R: Uncle Andrew, Uncle David, Uncle Josh, Grandpa H

Daddy, G-McBabe, Grandpa G, Uncle Chad, Uncle Mario

The 4 Robert's

Robert L. (grandpa), Robert B. (dad), Robert O. (grandpa)

Robert G. (self)

 Our crazy little clan of Testosterone (and me)

Just the three of us

 Smoochy, Smoochy

(he looks terribly excited, yes?)

More typical G-McBabe

(this is generally the reaction we get when it's picture time.  He really was on his BEST behavior most of the time.)

that's why we love him so much.

My first baby is growing up WAY TOO FAST!

I can't believe he is 8.

 We love you!

Love,
Mom



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Bedtime funnies

While I'm putting the kids to bed tonight Mini Rob (3) says to me,

"Mom"  "Mom"  "When I eight, I be a grownup like [G-McBabe] (almost 8).....then I play Kung Fu Panda."

He was so excited.

I chose not to burst his bubble by A.  informing him that when he is 8 years old he will not yet be a "grown up"  or B.  that I hope when he IS finally "grown up" he will truly have better things to do with his time than play video games  (Now if only I could convince his father of this....who, by the way, is sitting, at this precise moment, playing his XBOX 360 behind me...ahem).

and then there was G-McBabe...

"Mom...can you come snuggle with me?"...upon observing my "I've had a long day, I just want to sit down and relax and nothing else" look, he adds "for just like one or two minutes."

Then...he give me the "please...it's not too much to ask after all the hell you have put me through over the last few years" look.

Touché.

He's got me there.

  

To reward him for his ingenious tactics, I obliged.

Yeah...I'm that nice.
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Picking noses and picking battles...

Motherhood is often about picking noses and picking battles.

The kids pick their noses (and eat it) and I pick the battles.

Outdoor play time...for my boys...is a MUST.  I will fight it to the death (figuratively, of course).

It is my experience that little monkeys quickly become giant 40ft prehistoric apes that climb up the Empire States Building (or my walls)  when they have been confined to the indoors for an extended period of time.

G-McBabe and I have often skirmished over his dislike of the outdoors and anything associated with it.

He would rather sit inside and read a book (as soon as his video/computer game time is up, of course).

Now, I'm all for reading.  I highly encourage reading.  With G-McBabe, I am in now way worried about his literary well being.

I am, however, worried about his lack of movement and vitamin D absorption.

Some days the battle rages on for what seams like eternity...and some days it's over without incident.

We wave our white flags and form a treaty of sorts.

A few minutes later I look out the window and see this...

Fine by me.

At least he had to walk to get out there.

A calm settles over the household.

Peace reins again.

Our little girl....

Doesn't he make the most beautiful girl?  Thanks for the elastics Lessa.

 I had 2 people at Costco today (within minutes of each other) mention something about my "little girl."  Come to think of it, someone mentioned it on Sunday as well.  Maybe it's time to cut off the curls.  But...I just can't.  I don't think I'm ready. 

Mr. Golden Locks LOVES the camera...and G-McBabe LOVES Mr. Golden Locks.

They are so funny together.

Notice something missing (other than the other two boys)?  Yep, that's right.  G-McBabe lost his two front teeth.  It's so cute.  I love it.

Tasty Tidbits to savor....

Just thought I would share a few tasty tidbits of humor from the "G-McBabe Hall of Fame." He cracks me up. These first few were inserts from a little book they made this week on the 100th day of school.

"In 100 years I will be 107 years old and I will be poor and very old.

"With 100 pennies I could buy a hubba ouch! pack of gum (Hubba Bubba Ouch!). (and he does spend 100 pennies on this particular gum quite often. Not like me as a child. I was deprived. I used to get mine from the road. Just pick out the rocks and sprinkle a bit of garden hose water on it.....VIOLA! like new!)

***MY PARTICULAR FAVORITE***

 

If I had 100 bucks I would give them to nobody ha ha ha! These last two are from his daily "responsibility card" (a sort of day to day report on their behavior in class/work habits/etc)

He writes: "Hoorray who who" (you know, as is "whoot whoot...raise the roof!") ***And again....a particular favorite***

"Boom Bang Fire Power" (from Night at the Museum 2)

I will never know what goes on in his head. It must be hilarious sometimes though. Makes for good entertainment for the rest of us. :) I just love this kid!