Un-birthday

Boston's class celebrated his birthday today, since it is during the summer.  I brought in ice cream, and the class made him a birthday book with letters from all the students.  I love this idea! These are some of my favorites: "You dress well.  That means your handsome!"

And this one: "Intelligent means smart, tricky, (proboly crafty) etc."

Happy Un-Birthday Boston!

Southern Gentleman

Mesmerized by a "huge" ladybug crawling on his hand

Hudson is going through this funny little phase where he says many of his words with what I can only describe as a southern drawl. He turns many one-syllable words into two, like:

"Where are my pa-yants?" 

"I dropped my rhino on the flo-wor" 

"Mommy, scratch my ba-yack." 

"Can I watch a show on your be-yed?"

I think he just likes the way it sounds, because he pretty much does it in every sentence.  Usually the last word of the sentence.  I guess he's just getting in touch with his Southern roots.  

Peach Paint

Recently Boston and I were talking about Africa for some reason and how most people in Africa have black skin.  I didn't even know Cade was listening, but he chimed in:

"Mom, I think I know why people in Africa have black skin."

"Why?" I asked.

"I think it's because Heavenly Father ran out of peach paint."

I love this boy.

Cade-isms

I hope Cade doesn't hate me later for posting this, but I had to share a few things he has said lately that are so sweet/funny...

1. Last Sunday he came out of his Primary class with a bug made out of pipe cleaners.  On the way home he was telling me about how his primary teachers made it for him, and they used it for a game piece.  I remarked how nice that was and he said, "Yeah, Brother Lord is really good at making pipe cleaner bugs.  And Sister Lord is so nice...and also, I just like to stare at her all during class because she's so beautiful!"

He then demonstrated how he stares at her: with his eyes open really wide. He has never said anything like that about someone before, so of course I had to email his teacher and tell her! She said it made her day.

2. A few days ago Cade was talking to Manny about his birthday coming up.  She asked him what he is hoping to get for his birthday, and he said, "I want you to go to Hobby Lobby, and in the front of the store there's a fox (stuffed animal) and some angry birds. The fox is for me and the angry birds are for Boston.  He will LOVE them!"

Sometimes it's like Cade doesn't really think of himself as separate from Boston.  They just do everything together when Boston is home, and he didn't even think twice about including Boston in his birthday wish-list.

3. Along those same lines, the other night I was talking to the boys about what they want to be when they grow up.  Cade said, "When I'm a grown-up and Boston is still a kid..." {Boston interrupted, pointing out that this is not possible, but I could tell Cade had something to say so I let him finish } "When I'm a grown up and Boston is still a kid, I'm going to get a car, drive to In & Out, and bring some home to Boston because it's his favorite."

It was so sweet that his future plans revolve around Boston.  He truly can't imagine his life without Boston! Sometimes I think back to before Cade was born, when I worried a lot about how it would affect Boston having another baby.  It seemed a little "unfair" to be bringing a new baby home when he was too young to know what to expect or how his life was going to change.  Looking back now, of course that seems silly.  Cade was a gift to Boston and to all of us.

Having a large family, especially having children close in age, has its challenges.  But I also know that our kids will have sweet memories of their childhoods with their siblings as their closest friends.

Wish Lists

Recently Boston made a wish list for him and Cade. It's never too early to start planning for birthdays and Christmas, you know. He made their lists and taped it to our bedroom door for easy reference.

Then he said he was going to write down ideas for Jamie and me. We couldn't look since the gifts were for us!

Cleaning the boys room today I came across our list:

You can't put a price on hugs and kisses I guess!

July 15 (Pooped)

My conversation with Cade tonight:


(Talking about some show he had watched earlier) "Mom, Henry said he was pooped.  That's so gross."
"Oh, actually when you say you're 'pooped' it really means you're tired."
"No, when you say you're pooped it means you pooped your pants and you need to go to the bathroom."

"Well, in this case it just means you're tired; it doesn't mean you actually pooped.  Like right now, I could say I'm pooped."

"Yeah, cause you're really tired..."
"Exactly"
"...and you need to go to the bathroom."


I give up.

Yesterday @ 8:30pm: me, pooped.

Well, it was bound to happen.  I missed a day of photo blogging. ("phlogging." no?) Yesterday I worked and came home exhausted.  Why did I think staying up until 12:30 and getting up at 5 would be doable? After a wonderful dinner and dessert prepared by Dad and my boys, I crawled to the couch and collapsed.  Once there, I slipped in and out of consciousness over the next few hours while everyone talked and played around me.  I vaguely remember my dad kept telling me, "you should just go to bed" but I was actually enjoying being near everyone!

In which I start out grouchy, then end happy.

Tonight I'm feeling a wee bit grouchy.  Let's just get this out of the way:

1. LOVE the primary kids, but sometimes the responsibilities that come with it are so overwhelming!

2. I am so tired lately.  And moody.  I'd like to blame it on the hormones.  I'm hoping it's just a phase and I'll feel better soon.

3. We have too much stuff.  I am tired of moving piles of stuff around, organizing stuff in the boys' room, finding new places to put the stuff.  I'm feeling a major purge coming on.  Mostly toys, but also our closets are in need of some serious attention (I know this makes Jamie nervous, but it is necessary!).

In a moment of woe-is-me tonight, I picked up my phone to check something and the camera app was pulled up (no doubt the boys were photographing some adventure they were on earlier tonight).  I started flipping through pictures and these recent ones brought a smile to my face.  They reminded me of a great quote by Elder Ballard that I love:

 "Recognize that the joy of motherhood comes in moments.  There will be hard times and frustrating times.  But amid the challenges, there are shining moments of joy and satisfaction."  

These shining moments of joy and satisfaction far outweigh my stresses, so I just need to focus more on them and accept the rest as part of the package deal!

This cracks me up...like I interrupted Hudson having a special moment sipping his tea!

Early morning pow-wow with the beast.

Don't you think he just needs some black socks and sandals, and is he not the cutest little old man tourist you've ever seen?

Caught this sweet mid-air shot of Boston.  Side note: doesn't it also look like some kind of jazzy dance move?

Boston's sweet note to his 4th grade reading buddy, Haley.

A note about this last picture:  I suggested to Boston a few days ago that we go to the store and pick up a little gift for him to give Haley, his reading buddy.  She has been his buddy all year.  The 4th graders come every Friday to Boston's class and they help the kindergartners practice their sight words, read their library books, etc.  A few weeks ago I was helping out in the classroom during this time and I got to see that Boston really lucked out.  Some of the 4th graders are more interested in goofing off with their friends than reading with their kinder buddies, but Haley is really sweet with Boston.  She was reading to him or listening to him read the whole time.

When I suggested he pick out a gift for her, he said, "Mom, I know the perfect thing.  A princess crown."  I thought it was cute, although I think she might be a little old for princess stuff.  But I decided to let him take the lead, since I wanted it to really be heart-felt.  Before we checked out he said, "Mom, I bet she's going to love this because she's a girl and girls love princess stuff."  We got her a tiara and wand, some glow-stick bracelets, and a bag of candy.  Tonight I packed it in a gift bag and asked him to write her a note to put with the gift.  

{Side note:  if the above is hard to decipher, just know all the a's and y's are backwards and it's easier to figure out!  He has done that with several of his letters throughout the year.  He'll go from writing them correctly to writing them backwards for a while.  His teacher tells me this is very common.  I usually help remind him as he writes, but he wrote this all on his own before I could give any input. I thought it was sweet, so I just left it.}

He wrote: "You are a princess Haley.  Thank you for being my reading buddy.  Love, Boston"

He tucked it proudly in the gift bag and is so excited to deliver it tomorrow.  Be still my little mama-heart!!

Catch up and Ramblings

First...Hooray for Blogger's new features...so many more options for customizing! I love the bigger photos and captions.

And now on to the post: A selection of iPhone pictures and random highlights from the last few weeks.

Boston and best friend Avaree at the Fort Worth Zoo

Last week I went on the kindergarten field trip to the Fort Worth Zoo. I absolutely love being so involved in Boston's classroom.  I know all the kids and they know me.  I am in the classroom at least once a week, and in May it will be much more than that.  Between field trips, Field Day, end of the year party, teacher appreciation week activities...it's a lot! It can be stressful sometimes, but it's worth it, and it's so rewarding.  I get smothered with hugs whenever I go, and I feel like I've made a difference in a small way.  Whether it's just giving a hug to the little boy who lost his dad a year ago and was having a very rough time with the anniversary this week, putting a bandaid on a scraped knee, or reading one-on-one with a child who doesn't get enough help at home, I know it's worth the sacrifice of my time or anything else I could be doing.

But seriously, what was I thinking volunteering to chaperone the field trip? It was in the 90's, not a cloud in the sky, and I had to carry all the lunches and water bottles for them.  Oh, and they were told to bring two water bottles each so they'd have enough. And Avaree had a hat that she took off/put back on approximately every 5 minutes so I had to keep track of that too! It was exhausting, but of course fun.

Zoo Highlights: the male lion waking up from a nap and roaring the whole time we watched, seeing a baby chimpanzee, and the kids loved watching 2 gibbons playing chase--it seemed like they were flying through the air, swinging from rope to rope chasing each other.

Back scratching train...Boston drew the short straw!

Jamie likes to train the kids young to scratch his back.  The boys also like getting their backs scratched, so a back scratching train was the perfect solution!

My last night shift...caring for a very sick patient!

I am done with night shift! Hooray! I worked my last night shift last Friday, and I start day shift on Tuesday.  It is a change I'm nervously excited about.  I have worked nights now for 5 years, and at first it was clearly the best option for us.  I made more money, I was able to see the kiddos in the evening when I woke up, it worked for us.  But as time has gone on and I've started working less and less (part time after Cade was born and now just one day a week since Hudson was born) I've felt like days would be better.  Night shift is just physically hard for me.  Other people can function on no sleep, but not me.  I don't have the luxury of sleeping the day before a night shift like most people I work with.  And now that I'm just working one day a week, I sometimes don't sleep very much the day after a night shift either.  Especially being pregnant, it's just too hard.  (wah wah, I know... I'll stop complaining now.)

So I'm excited but nervous to go to day shift.  It's a whole different ball game during the day.  Different nurses to work with, and a lot more going on during the daylight hours!  Procedures, doctors rounding, families and visitors there, meals, therapy...I expect to be much busier.  But I am looking forward to it.  And the major bonus: I won't be so sleepy!

My last night shift was crazy busy, just because of how critically ill my patient was.  He was young and previously healthy but is now very very sick.  Because of his ARDS, he was on a specialty bed that rotates 360 degrees so he can be in a prone position (face down) to help his lungs.  (That little bit of him you can see in the picture is his back and one arm.) He was my only patient because he required so much care.  Half the battle was just managing the bed and all the tubes and monitors and machines and wires as the bed rotated (it slowly rocks side to side 30 degrees each way).  To prepare him to flip supine (face up) to do any kind of procedure is about a 15 minute process of placing pads, buckling straps and belts, and closing doors and latches.  Then you do what you need to do (x rays or EKGs or a bath or whatever) as fast as you can so he can get back to the prone position.  Crazy.  

The human body is such an amazing, complex creation.  It reaffirms my faith in a Supreme Creator every time I have such a critically ill patient. The microscopic chain of events that happens every time you get an infection...most times we never know about it, but unfortunately sometimes it keeps going and going and leads to catastrophic situations like these!

Cade (3 and 1/2) and Mom

Oh Cade, Cade, Cade.  My wonderfully sweet, funny, stubborn child.  Two funny/embarrassing Cade stories of late:

#1 We were at a lab getting some routine blood work done for Hudson (9 month Hemoglobin and Lead check) and had to wait in a crowded waiting room for about 30 minutes.  It was 95% old people; we were definitely the only ones there with young children.  I kept Cade occupied playing a game on my phone for a while, but that didn't last long.  Then out of the blue, he turned to me and said, clearly loud enough for everyone in the silent waiting room to hear, "Mom, only bad people drink coffee."  What?? I promise I never taught him that! So I said, "no, silly, people who drink coffee aren't bad.  We just don't drink coffee, but it doesn't mean you're bad if you do..." (meanwhile, I'm frantically trying to find a new game that might interest him on the phone...) But he wouldn't drop it.  "No, mom.  It's bad, bad, BAD to drink coffee.  Only bad people drink coffee."  I finally had to tell him, "Let's talk about that later"and luckily we were called back soon after that.

#2 We were at Jason's Deli having lunch with my parents.  Cade was sitting across from me with Mom and noticed a family who sat down behind me with a baby.  I heard him say, "look at that baby! He's so cute! Look at his eyes!"  but I didn't think much about it; he loves babies.  Then later the mom picked up the baby and put him over her shoulder so he was facing Cade again, and he started in with the comments, "Look, Mom! Look at that baby's eyes!"  When I saw the embarrassed look on my mom's face I realized something was going on.  About that time Cade said, "Mom! That baby has GOOGLY EYES! Look at his googly eyes!" and Mom whispered across the table to me "that baby behind you is cross-eyed." I about died.  I hushed Cade quickly and told him not to say that but I couldn't help it, it was funny.  I hope the mama behind me wasn't offended.  Cade wasn't making fun of the baby, just making a brutally honest observation!

Boston (almost 6) and Mom

I swear, I got spoiled having Boston first.  I feel like I'm always saying it, but seriously, he is so obedient and helpful.  I think obedience is one of his spiritual gifts.  Yesterday was a tough day at church.  Nothing horribly bad, just the perfect storm of little things--no AC in the Primary room so it was about 95 degrees in there, people complaining to me about things that aren't going perfectly smoothly, I taught the gospel instruction lesson and it was just meh--so by the end of my 5th hour at church I was definitely ready for some dinner and my pj's! I was packing up all my stuff in the primary room and I asked Boston to go get a wet paper towel from the bathroom and wash the chalk board for me.  His response was, "Ok, Mom, you do so many things for us, I want to do something nice for you."  SERIOUSLY?!  It just touched my heart and was exactly what I needed to hear right at that moment.

He helped me remember what I often forget, that Heavenly Father doesn't expect us to be perfect at everything.  Sometimes I get so overwhelmed with my various responsibilities at church, home, school, work (just like everyone else, I know I'm not doing any more than anyone else) and I feel like I'm not doing things well enough.  I'm not the best nurse at work; most of the people I work with have advanced certifications and seem to know the facts and policies and procedures that I don't always know.  I'm not the best housekeeper; at least some part of my house is pretty much in a constant state of chaos.  I'm not the best in my calling as Primary President; I wish my lessons could be better and I wish I could make Cubscouts run smoothly, and I wish I didn't get frustrated with people.

But this I know:  I am a good mom.  Not the best in the world, but the best mom for my kids and what they need right now.  I prioritize my family above everything else.  Spending time with them, being involved in what they're doing, teaching them secular and spiritual things, trying my hardest to make sure they understand who they are and where they came from and what that means...that is what matters to me.  And I can say that I am putting my best efforts into that everyday, so I have to be ok with not being the best at everything else.  

The Ultimate Threat

Birthday parties are kind of a big deal to my boys. They like to talk about where they'll have their birthday parties (Chuck E. Cheese! NRH2O!) and who all will be invited (pretty much everyone they know), what they want for their birthdays, etc. In reality we try to make their birthdays very special by just doing family parties or special outings with a few close friends. That may change as they get older, but for now it works.

Still..when Cade got upset this morning, he gave me the ultimate threat:

He wanted to sit in my lap while I was eating breakfast, I had Hudson yelling from his high chair because I wasn't shoveling the yogurt in his mouth fast enough, and I was trying to finish up an important online form for Boston's school. I had to tell him that he'd have to sit in his own chair until I had a free hand to hold him.

He reluctantly plopped down in his own chair next to me, but told me, "Mom, if you say no one more time, you are not invited to my birthday party."

I consider myself warned!

Sometimes

Sometimes I lock my keys in the car. Like today. I was leaving a play date with friends because Hudson was getting hungry and I forgot to grab a bottle. Thank goodness for roadside assistance!

Sometimes I eat frosting straight from the container. With my finger. (I find it's best not to waste time getting a spoon and risk talking myself out of doing it. Just go for it.)

Sometimes bathing at Mawmaw's house with her shower cap and glasses is way more fun than a regular old bath.

Sometimes I cut my own bangs. (And sometimes my bathroom is littered with little boys' toys!)

Sometimes Hudson wakes up at 10 or 11pm wide-eyed and ready to party! So sometimes I just embrace it and enjoy the snuggling time.

Sometimes he likes eating real food! (Literally one day he wouldn't eat anything I offered, and the next he would.) Bananas, yogurt, applesauce, carrots, green beans, avocado, kiwi, crackers, ice cream (don't tell the pediatrician I fed him icecream)...you name it, he'll eat it.

(and sometimes I have fun photographing his funny faces while he's eating!)

Sometimes it's better just to not ask questions.

Sometimes wearing "magic reading glasses" makes doing homework waaaay more fun.
Sometimes we draw on the sliding glass door with dry erase markers. Actually, it has art work on it more often than it is clean! (This day Cade drew the pool--see the scribble??-- and I supplied the other details as he directed.)

Sometimes we eat hot dogs for dinner and then have a movie night complete with popcorn and soda.

Sometimes we lay out a blanket in the driveway and enjoy these mild winter days outside eating Frosty's rather than inside doing laundry or dishes.



Sometimes Boston prays, "Please bless Cade that he will stop talking during prayers..." and sometimes Cade interrupts by whispering to himself, "I do NOT talk during prayers..."

Sometimes I look forward to Wednesdays because I get to spend my mornings with some adorable kindergartners. (This week they celebrated being 100 days smarter!)
Sometimes it makes my heart happy to see my boy--who is "big" in many other ways--is not too big to wear a 100th-day-of-school hat in all its construction paper and 100 sticker glory.

Sometimes I smile watching Cade select the perfect birthday card that plays music and then break it down a little right in the middle of the aisle at Target. And I love that he wants to share his find with his best friend.

Sometimes I forget how important it is not to compare myself with others.

Sometimes I don't appreciate my husband enough for the incredible man he is.

Sometimes I can't wait to see the men my boys will become, and sometimes I wish they could stay little forever.

Sometimes I feel the immense burden of teaching my children to love and follow Jesus Christ, and protecting them from all the bad in this world. Then I feel peace, knowing we are not left alone in this journey. And I know I just have to do my best everyday to strengthen my own testimony and instill in my boys a love of God and a desire to serve Him.

And sometimes I just have to not think about that uncertain future, worrying about what choices they will make and where they will go in life.

I just thank Him for today, enjoy today.

Some Sunday Sentences

I am totally physically and mentally drained, as I usually am on Sunday nights.

Rather than tackle the pile of dishes, I crammed as much as I could into the dishwasher and left the rest for tomorrow. The toys scattered around the house will have to wait until tomorrow, too. Sometimes I prefer to just clear a path through the living room (so as not to step on a car or lego piece in the night on the way to Hudson's room) and leave the cleaning for another day.

So all I'm good for tonight is a bit of a catch-all post...some Sunday sentences.

Boston--

We celebrated Boston's half birthday today. Ever since we told him that his half birthday was January 22nd, he has been planning his party, giving me his "wish list" and going over the guest list. I reminded him several times that he wasn't having a friends party or getting presents, that a half birthday was just more of a special day than a big celebration, but he couldn't hold back his excitement. I did make a cake for dessert tonight and we let him blow out a candle. As I was dishing up the cake and calling everyone to the table for dessert, Boston commented, "well, this isn't quite what I had imagined." haha! Sorry Boss! He got over it, don't worry.

Boston continues to love school. Over the weekend, he counts down until he gets to go back to school. I love being in his classroom on Wednesdays. His New Years resolution was to learn to ice skate, apparently. I don't know where that came from, but I guess we should do that sometime this year!

Manny and Papa came to eat lunch with Boston at school last week!

Cade--

Oh my goodness, Cade. A few days ago he came to me with a crumb of something he found on the floor. He asked me, "mom, what's this? is it poop?" I replied, "I don't know what it is, but just go throw it away." On the way to the kitchen trash I heard, "mmm, it's not poop. it's yummy!" GOOD THING IT WASN'T POOP!

He is so lovable and has a sweet/funny stink-eye chipped-tooth grin that makes me smile every time. But he is a horrible sleeper. He puts up a fight at nearly every bed- or naptime. He wakes up at least once a night and wants to get in bed with us. He takes after his dad in his poor sleeping habits!

Snoozing in the car!

We have enjoyed several mild winter days playing at the park and eating picnic lunches in the driveway.

Boston gives little bro a boost.

We found this little poodle in our front yard the other night with no collar (but a stylish sweater!) We brought him in for a little while until we figured out what to do with him. Cade kept calling him "Lily's son" or "the pup." I told him that it was not a puppy and not Lily's son, but a full-grown dog. When he tried to repeat to Boston what I had told him, he said it was a "whole ground dug" and started giggling! He cracked himself up. (We gave the dog to our neighbor who is a dog-lover and she found his owner a week later.)

Hudson--

7 months old this week...crazy! He rolls both directions now and is close to sitting alone. The seatbelt on his bouncy seat helps him sit up so he won't miss anything; he prefers sitting up to laying back these days.

He is still such a chill baby, compared to our other two. Although he doesn't sleep well at night either (we just don't make babies who sleep well.) He still thinks he needs to eat about every 4 hours at night.

He definitely has my brown eyes, and so far just has brownish peach fuzz. Doesn't want much to do with solid food. The only food he will eat is vanilla yogurt so far. He likes to munch on crackers or whatever you give him, but if he gets a piece in his mouth he gags. And if you try to put anything in his mouth he doesn't like, he spits/blows it out. Silly boy!

In other news...last week we took a spur-of-the-moment trip to Austin cause I needed a sister fix. Then we had an encore visit when she came up to Fort Worth Tuesday-Thursday. It was crazy (the usual) with all 6 kids together for so many days, but I love it.

Harper the Pirate. She mostly wore the patch in between her eyes, cyclops-style. Love her and her "crazy hair" (as she calls it).

Cow Tongues and Corn Mazes

The assignment was simple enough: chaperon a group of four 5-year-olds on a Kindergarten field trip to the pumpkin patch.

I met the school bus full of excited students at the pumpkin farm and gathered my group of kids, including Boston and three friends. First we climbed into the back of a crowded trailer for a hayride. This was the highlight of the outing for many of the kids, as it involved a stop near a fence where we were greeted by about 15 eager cows ready to be fed sandwich bread by the equally eager kindergarteners.

It was Pavlov's Dogs, bovine style.

As the tractor approached, the cows made their way to the fence and crowded together, each vying for the prime spot right in front of the kids gathering on the other side. There was mooing, grunting, and the amount of drool was staggering.

Each child was given two slices of white bread to feed to the cow of his choice. Some of them were timid, shying away from those long slobbery tongues reaching for their bread. Others giggled when they discovered the cows would lick their hands like puppies. (Meanwhile the moms were nervously scrambling to find bottles of hand sanitizer in our purses.)

After the hayride, the tractor dropped us off back at the play area, and after some free time, our next activity was the corn maze. That's when things started to go downhill.

See, I consider myself someone who has many strengths, but a sense of direction is not one of them. I get lost finding places I've been before. I have lived in my house for over four years and I still have a hard time telling people if we live north or south of I-3o, east or west of 820. My mind just doesn't work that way.

When it was my group's turn to enter the maze, we started out strong. After reviewing the rules (#1 no running, #2 don't pick the corn, #3 no smoking...pretty sure we can handle those), we set out. I had the kids take turns being the leader, since there was a choice of which path to take every ten steps and they each had different opinions on the best way to go. The first 15 minutes were pretty fun. Twists and turns, circles, dead ends, intersections, running into other groups, finding corn cobs on the ground, analyzing shoe prints in the dirt.

Then the excitement started to wear off and the whining started. "Mrs. Walker, I'm so tired; can you carry me?" asked one of the boys. No, I can't carry you, sorry. As you may have noticed I have a 13 pound infant strapped to my chest and I'm carrying all 4 of your coats. I was sweating through my own jacket thinking about how we were going to find the exit after passing the entrance at least three times. In hind sight, why didn't we just go out the entrance when we had a chance?

After about 20 minutes of wandering we stopped running into other groups and I knew we were the only ones left in the maze. I kept a good attitude as we walked (and walked and walk and walked) but I was starting to weigh my options: tell the kids to yell for help or send an SOS text to one of the other moms outside the maze. Three of the kids were still eagerly maneuvering each turn ("I know it's this way, I can tell for sure this time...") but my one little friend was less optimistic.

"Mrs. Walker, are we ever going to get out? Are we going to die in here?" he asked me, exasperated.

"No, we're not going to die in here. If we never find our way out, at least we have the corn to eat so we won't starve" I reminded him, only half-joking.

All four of them stopped in their tracks and looked at me with wide eyes. "We can't pick the corn. That's against the rules!" they stressed. How could I forget? Following the rules is like life or death to kindergarteners.

Luckily, not long after that, my silent prayers were answered and we rounded a corner and found a pumpkin patch employee standing in the path. I wanted to run and throw my arms around him, but I resisted. The kids were less inhibited. They ran to him and flooded him with questions. "Do you know the way out? Do you have a map? Can you rescue us? Did our bus leave yet?" He was a kind older man. He simply smiled at us and asked me, "Having a little trouble?" Then he turned and led us toward the exit. Trying to save face I replied, "Oh, you know...I let the kids lead the way so we've been going in circles..." In truth, I couldn't have found my way out of that corn maze if my life depended on it.

When we walked out we were greeted by Boston's teacher. I wanted to run out of that maze with my arms in the air yelling, "WE DID IT! WE MADE IT! SWEET FREEDOM!" but instead I just found a picnic bench to sit down on, unloaded everyone's jackets, watched the kids climb on hay bales and vintage tractors, and told the teacher our harrowing tale.

You win, Hall's Pumpkin Farm Corn Maze. You beat me. But we lived to tell about it. It was my first time ever attempting a corn maze, and I can promise you this: it will be my last.

Best Friends and Responsibility

I have started volunteering in Boston's class on Wednesday mornings, helping the children with writing. They have writing journals, where they color a picture and then I help them write the story that describes their pictures. I had a great time working with Boston and four other children this week. It's cute to see what their little minds come up with!

After writing, I did a few other things for the teacher and then stayed to eat lunch with Boston, although they eat at 10:45am, so it's more like brunch really! When parents come for lunch, we sit at a table in the middle of the cafeteria, and the child can choose a friend to eat with them. Boston picked his friend, Avaree.

It's funny...soon after starting school and becoming friends with Avaree, he was introduced to the concept of "boyfriend and girlfriend." Early on he told me Avaree was his girlfriend. But he meant it in the most literal sense of the word--a friend who's a girl. He'd never really had a close friend who was a girl. Now I think he realizes that a girlfriend is a little more than that. The other day he told me, "When Avaree said I'm her boyfriend, the other kids thought it was so funny and they laughed." So we've been talking about being friends with all kinds of people--boys and girls. But Boston is a very social little boy so I don't think he'll ever have a problem with that!

It was a hoot to listen to them at lunch together. They were talking about what they were going to play at recess (Toy Story) and about other kids in their class (who's nice and who's mean). Then Avaree asked me, "how old do you have to be to go on a date?" I told her you have to be 16 years old and she replied, "ok, I'm going to ask my mommy if I can go on a date with Boston when I'm 16." So then Boston told her his favorite place to go on dates was Chick-Fil-A, so they decided that's where they'd go!

During lunch, the counselor got on the mic and said she had some awards to hand out. She explained that each 6 weeks, as a school, they choose a virtue to focus on. The counselors and teachers have been talking to the kids about developing those virtues to build good character, and the first virtue was Responsibility. Each teacher was asked to choose a boy and a girl from their class who was a good example of what it means to be responsible. All the Kindergartners were in the cafeteria together so they announced the names from all four classes. Boston was chosen from his class! When they called his name he literally JUMPED out of his seat and made a beeline for the stage. Good thing no one was in his path, cause they would have gotten plowed down! He got a certificate, a pencil, and a dog-tag type necklace. It was like the stinking Olympic awards ceremony, the way they put the necklaces around their necks and had them pose for a picture on the stage with their certificates! I was so proud of him and happy I was there to see it!

Of course every mother thinks her children are awesome, and I was happy to see that his teacher recognizes those same good qualities in him that I see. It has also made me think a lot about how important it is to cultivate good character in children while they are still young and so humble and teachable. More than anything I could wish for my children, I do just hope and pray that they will be boys who love the Lord and have good strong characters.

Cade Gets Creative

The latest crazy thing an offspring of mine has done...it's inevitable to accumulate funny stories like these when you have small children...

Cade came into my bathroom while I was showering one day last week and asked if he could brush his teeth. I told him sure, but he'd have to just use water since I was showering and couldn't do the toothpaste (loading the brush with toothpaste is a task I'm not willing to let my children attempt just yet. I have enough to clean around here as it is). I finished my shower, stepped out, and headed for my closet. As I passed by the door to the commode, I glanced over just in time to see Cade dip his toothbrush IN THE TOILET BOWL, give it a good swirly swirl, and start scrubbing his little pearly whites. It took a few seconds for it to set in what exactly he was doing before I shrieked, "STOP! CADE, THAT'S YUCKY--DON'T PUT THAT IN YOUR MOUTH!" and yanked the brush out of his hand. He was so stunned and frightened by my reaction he started crying.

I felt bad for scaring him, but for heaven's sake, child, what happened to pulling a chair up to the sink?!

Sweet like chicken nuggets

On the way home from school Boston was telling me that they learned about blueberries today.

"What do blueberries taste like, Mom?" he asked me. (He won't eat them because he thinks he doesn't like them.) "Mrs. Tallon said we are going to taste them next week. We are going to have blueberry pancakes and I am DEFINITELY going to eat them." (I have told him so many times that they are sweet and good but he didn't believe me.) "But what do they taste like?"

So I thought about it for a second and started to say, "They're really yummy. They taste like--"

"--like chicken nuggets?" he interrupted.

And now you have gotten a glimpse into how my children view food. Blueberries: not interested in trying. Chicken nuggets: gold standard.

Don't judge please.

Cade, Just for Fun

Just felt like writing about my second born today...no particular reason.

I am enjoying spending more one-on-one time with him while big brother is in school. He misses Boston, though. I was laying down with him for his nap yesterday and he said, "mommy, I don't want to Bossy stay to school." Translation: I don't want Bossy to stay at school. I said, "do you miss him when he's at school?" And he replied, "yeah, I just want Bossy to play wif me at home." I think it will take a while for him to adjust to having Boston gone all day. The funny thing is, the last three days as soon as Boston gets in the car after school they start fighting! They argue about little things, someone touches the other's carseat (heaven forbid!), and yesterday it even came to blows. They usually play so well together! I think they just need some time to settle into the new routine.

Having his very talkative older brother gone during the day gives me the chance to hear more of what's on Cade's mind. He is very independent when he plays and has a great imagination. He speaks very well, but has a few words that he still says in his own sweet way. I thought I'd write down a few things he says...

*efenant=elephant

*gorlilla=gorilla

*flim-flops=flip flops

*he says "huh" a lot at the end of his sentences, like "that's a big truck, huh?" "hudson's a cute baby, huh?"

*he pronounces most words with the "th" sound with an "f" instead (wif, fings, fank-you, teef)

*he usually puts up a little fight at naptime and bedtime, even if he is dead tired. As soon as it's time to go to bed, he starts saying "I can't sleep."

*He always calls Boston "Bossy". None of the rest of us call him that, just Cade.

*He copies things he's heard Boston say. Boston repeats lines from commercials he sees while watching his cartoons. (For example, Boston once saw me trying to thread a needle to sew something and he said, "Mom, you know what you need? The EZ Threader. You just hold the needle like this...and loop the thread like this in one easy motion...it's so easy you could do it with your eyes closed!") This morning the boys both got up early so they watched a show before school. Cade came out and said, "Mom, command strips come off cleanly wif-out any damage, huh?" He had a big grin on his face, like he knew he was being funny!

He has slipped seamlessly into the role of big brother to Hudson. He likes to try to make Hudson smile. I have to watch closely, though. He likes to share his blankets and stuffed animals with his baby brother (aka pile them on top of him until all I can see sticking out of the bottom of the pile is two little feet!)

Cade makes us all smile. He is so loving and likes to be a big helper. But that child can turn on the whining like nobody's business. It wouldn't be the same around here without him!