I just realized it's Friday. Ack! So much went on this week, I'm having trouble keeping it all straight in my brain.
1. Rophone and I managed to steal away for lunch on Saturday. Then we went back home and picked up Edith to run errands with us. It was nice.
2. On Sunday we had my folks over and we taught them to make snowflakes, had some nummy corn chowder with chilies for dinner, and managed to play games for a bit. We had a good time and my parents were able to take home a bunch of snowflakes to put on their window. Edith said 'Grandpa' a few times again while they were here and gave some fantastic hugs. She really liked having company.
3. I got home from taking Pen to ballet on Tuesday to find Rophone helping the kids to clean the basement. Awesome. I'll totally take it (thanks, Honey).
4. Rophone got to help out with Bud's class Christmas party on Wednesday. Bud was so happy to have his dad there to help. Rophone had a great time, too.
5. Wednesday was early out for the kids and marked the beginning of Christmas break. I'm so glad to have time to do things as a family and to have a break from the morning routine. Especially that.
6. Thursday, Rophone, Edith, and I took Bud to see his back specialist. He says Bud's spine is doing pretty well and that the brace is doing what it's supposed to do. That's always nice to hear. If things continue on how they are, it looks like Bud might get to have the summer off from wearing a brace. He'd like that.
7. While we were in the 'big city' with Bud we took him to lunch (where Edith made her first boyfriend-- a sparkly-eyed gentleman who couldn't resist her smile) and just enjoyed spending time with him. We ran a few errands while we were out, too.
8. The best thing about Thursday, though, is that Rophone and I got to be together for the whole day and it was our 17th anniversary! It's not very often that we manage to spend so much of it together. We even managed to go to one of our favorite spots for dinner. Mmmm... gnocchi.
9. I am happy to be married to a man who loves me and still finds me fascinating and special after 17 years.
10. Rophone started off the day by vacuuming the living room and family room. Thanks for keeping us on track to have a clean house for Santa, Rophone!
11. I made some magnets with the kids today. They turned out super cute and it was fun to do something together.
12. I also made the traditional bran muffin batter today. I can't wait until Christmas morning to indulge. They are sooo good. Seriously.
13. For dinner tonight, I finally got around to making Rophone the minestrone soup he requested. He loved it. I really enjoy doing things to make my husband happy.
14. We went for a drive to look at Christmas lights. One of the houses had a lighted farting Santa on their lawn. The bent over Santa's index finger was extended and when the lights on his finger went out a green puff appeared behind his butt. It was so awesomely crude it made our night. I really wonder where they got it.
15. I got to spend the whole day with Rophone and the kids again today and Rophone doesn't have to go back to work until Tuesday. Wahoo!
Merry Christmas!
It's that time of year again. Yup. Time for my annual posting of the kids' Christmas wish lists. Ginger, Bud, and Big made their lists in early November and then added on a few things just last night. Pen was finally convinced to write hers up just a few days ago.
Okay, we'll start with Big's list. All I can say about his is, Bruder obsession much? For those of you who don't know what Bruder is, check it out and you'll see why he's a bit taken with the stuff.
Bud was very careful with his list not to seem overly greedy. Especially by asking for board games to share on number seven. Okay, maybe I'll concede that asking for '1,099 shirts/pants' for number eight is a little on the greedy side. Can you say clothes horse?
Ginger's list is incredibly long, but to be fair, it's just a bunch of art supplies listed individually. It's best to be specific, don't you know. Getting the wrong art supplies can be a big bummer when you have certain projects in mind. I think my favorite thing on Ginger's list is one of the items she added last night: 30. FRESH mozzarella cheese. Now we're talkin'.
Pen finally deigned to write up her list, letting us know that she really doesn't care if she gets anything or not. I think it's just Pen's way of protecting herself if she really doesn't get much. She knows money is tight and doesn't want to be disappointed. Bud, however, took her at her word and added a number 7 to her list after she stuck it to the fridge. What a helper.
Pen was able to cross the calculator off of her list and Ginger the mechanical pencils because we managed to pick those up already. How sad is it that such necessities make it on a Christmas list? Santa's sleigh shouldn't be weighed down by such things, so we took care of it. What generous parents we are.
I hope the kids manage to get at least one thing off of their lists. It will make them happy. I can't wait to see what Santa brings!
Pen and Ginger were so excited when they found out I was having a girl. Why? This, folks, is the reason:
What girl wouldn't want a real-life baby doll to dress up? Well, aside from a tomboy like me, that is. But for girly-girls? Pure heaven. The addition of Edith has definitely tipped the scale toward girly around here. I've even caught myself feeling crafty. And some of the crafts I find myself wanting to make are even kind of cutesy. Ack! It's not my fault, I swear. It's the estrogen.
The squeals of delight and excitement coming from all 3 of them as they played together (yes, even Edith) were so astoundingly high, I'm surprised we didn't have all the neighborhood dogs gathering on our front porch. It was so cute the way Edith would kick her legs with excitement when they whisked her off to don a new outfit. She laughed delightedly at our reactions to how she looked and practically hyperventilated herself to looniness as they took her to the mirror so she could see herself.
I only took pictures of the second outfit out of the 3 they dressed Edith in, but they were all cute. This was Edith's favorite, though, I think.
All three girls can't wait for Christmas break so they can play dress-up again. Edith has nooo idea what she's in for. Have fun, girls!
Only one more friday before Christmas. How did that happen??
1. We had a great and productive Saturday afternoon. The girls and I went to a bridal shower (a first for the girls) while the boys shopped for presents for their sisters. After the shower we got more errands taken care of as a family. It was a lot of fun to be out and about together, although too many other people had the same idea.
2. Also on Saturday, Edith finally started to crawl. Up until then, she would crawl one or two little shuffles before flopping onto her stomach. She's a bit cautious, that girl. We're happy she finally got over her trepidation and went for it.
3. Ginger started off the basketball season on Monday with her first practice. She has been so excited to play this year. Rophone took the boys along to watch and shoot baskets on the other side of the gym. They all had a good time. Being active seems to make everyone happy.
4. My sister (a better seamstress than I) whipped out Edith's stocking this week and it's super cute. Now we're ready for Santa!
5. I got a chance to see both Bud and Ginger perform in their Christmas programs this week. I was impressed with the choreography the first graders performed along with their songs, and loved that the fifth graders signed their first song as they sang. It made it a little difficult to get in-focus pictures in the low light, but it sure was fun to watch. I think I could pretty much watch my kids sing all day long.
6. Pen was selected to represent her school at the state level in an English competition. She is one of 5 students from her school that will compete. Way to go, Pen!
7. My brother was in town for business the other day, so we spent a few hours together one morning and he took us to lunch. It was great to see him. And I'm glad he could stick around for a bit so Big didn't have to skip school to be able to see him.
8. After having my plans be thwarted for several days, I was finally able to get some laundry done today. I know this doesn't seem like something to be included on a favorites list, necessarily, but I only have 4 pairs of socks that haven't been claimed by my daughters. My cold feet will be so glad to be dressed again tomorrow.
9. I have a fantastic husband who works very hard for our family. I love him.
10. Big is in bed. My mind really needed the rest.
Looks like another busy weekend is ahead. I'm pretty sure that's my life now, what with 5 kids and all. I better go gear up for it.
Those of you who know me or follow my blog are aware that Big is very rarely himself. As I posted previously, he has quite a few different characters he pretends to be. By quite a few, I mean close to 30. And that doesn't even include the animals. We have a rule that he can't be anyone other than himself at school and church so he doesn't confuse the teachers and other kids in his class. If he were just one other character and stuck with it, maybe I'd let him, but he switches often and it can be a bit confusing keeping track of it all.
About a dozen of Big's other 'selves' are girls. These days it is most often a girl that he portrays. He's on another attempt to grow his hair out, too. In the past, his attempts have always been thwarted by the annoyance of his bangs in his eyes. This time around he has taken to wearing headbands to try to keep them out of his way while they grow. He used to want his hair long so he can look like the long-haired drummers he loves and pretends to be, but after this conversation we had the other day, I'd say there is now another reason:
Big: "When my hair gets long, I want to dress up like a girl on days I'm not in school."
Me: "You do?"
Big: "Yes. Just on days I'm not in school or at church. When my hair gets long."
Me: "How come?"
Big: "I just do. It's what I want to do."
Me: "Okay. But we don't really have any girl clothes your size."
Big: "Well, we could buy some."
Me: "We don't really have money for you to have two wardrobes, but we will see what we can do with what we already have around here."
Big: "Okay. Thanks, Mom."
I guess he was unable to wait for his hair to grow out. For about half of the day yesterday he wore a skirt of Ginger's over his jeans with the waistband rolled so it would stay up. We tried a few different hairdos, attempting to find one he liked, but I can tell he's frustrated with the in between stage his hair is in right now (I've been there, it's tough). When he asked me how he looked I told him he looks nice. I'm not sure he believed me, though. It seems really important to Big that he looks good as a girl, but I think he can tell it's a bit of a stretch.
I know a lot of moms who might not agree with how I'm handling things. I mean, I've lost count of all the 'well-meaning' mothers out there who have felt the need to let me know I should make Bud get his hair cut. They think I'm sending him the wrong message by letting him have his hair long. I can only imagine what kind of message they think I'm sending Big by letting him grow his hair long and wear a skirt. I suppose they expect me to lay down the law or something. Their law, I guess. Or what they perceive society's law to be.
Am I encouraging Big? No. Am I pushing him in any one direction? No. I try not to. I don't think Big wearing skirts needs to be fueled by me, and neither do I think Big not wearing skirts needs to be fueled (or demanded) by me. He'll figure it out on his own, and I think it's important that I give him the space to do so. No assumptions need to be made. No panic needs to swell in regards to who or what Big is or isn't. He's four. I mean, he spent the remainder of the day being a professional basketball player and a tiger. Do I worry about wether Big feels like he's really a tiger inside?
It's like I posted a few weeks ago-- I wanted to be a boy for a little while when I was a kid. After a bit, I realized that I am quite happily a girl and I found my way into being a fortunate married mother of five. So, if Big wants to experiment with being a girl, I'll let him, because I understand. I think I'm just the mom Big needs because I'll let him find his own way. He was meant to be mine and I love him. Even in a skirt.
1. We went to my parents' house for dinner on Saturday. While we were there, Edith said 'Grandpa'. More than once, even. It was super cute, and I think it made said grandpa feel good.
2. It has been a great week for Ginger-- she had a shoot-around to kick off the basketball season, was Kelly Clarkson for the 5th grade wax museum, and sang with her school choir tonight. It's been fun to watch her and to see how much she enjoys it all.
3. I am finding a lot of fun craft ideas-- I can't wait to get started.
It was mostly a Ginger week, and now I've got to go snuggle a sick baby who can't sleep.
I had a frustrating, but oh so funny conversation with Big today as he was playing with some toy horses.
Big: "What's a male horse called?"
Me: "A stallion."
Big: "Okay. The astallion runs after the mare..."
Me: "No. It's not 'astallion', I'm saying that it's a (pause) stallion. There's a space between 'a' and 'stallion'. It's not one word."
Big: "Oh, okay. The a (pause) stallion runs after the mare..."
Me: "No, no. I'm just saying it's AY stallion. The male horse is AY stallion!"
Big: "The aystallion runs after the mare..."
Me: "Oh, my gosh! A male horse is the stallion, Big. You're saying it wrong."
Big: "I am? It's thestallion?"
Me: "Aaaagh! Stallion. Stallion!!! Stallion is what we call a male horse! Not 'astallion' or 'aystallion' or 'thestallion'! Just STALLION!
Big: "Justallion?"
Seriously. My brain hurts.
