Serious Conversations

I had a very serious conversation with Jonathan today. It went something like this....

JC: "Mom, I know who I'm going to marry."
Me: "You do?" trying not to giggle about a six year old arranging his own marriage in first grade.
JC: "Yeah. Mary."
Me: "Really? How do you know?"
JC: "We talked about it. It is a secret, and only Andrew knows."
Me: "Oh, I see."
JC: "I hope I can trust him to keep our secret."
Me: "I bet you can. Why do you want to marry her."
JC: "Because we're both blonde and have light skin. We both like to wear jeans and color. We like each other a lot. She likes blue, green, red, and orange.....just like me. She also likes the movie Hellboy just like me. We like to play together."
Me: "Well, those sound like important things." trying again not to laugh, and also wishing that life was really that simple.
JC: "Yeah. We may start going on dates. I'm thinking about taking her to Disney World. She would really like that. I will need a LOT of money, though. When I get some, I'll take her."
Me: "That sounds like a great idea."

Jonathan is such a little man sometimes. He really thinks about things like this so seriously. He saw a commercial for The Bachelor once and told me he thought that was a really good way to pick a wife. He said, "That looks a lot easier than going to a lot of different countries (meaning states) to look for one."

We are SO in trouble when he gets older!!!!!! :-)

Good Clean Fun

The kids got a Horton Hears a Who game for Christmas from Tracy and his family. We had a great time playing the game and hunting for clovers. You put them around the house and then have to get them with the trunk before the time is up. We had a good time playing.

The kids love taking baths. They laugh and put suds all in their hair. Unfortunately, the bathroom this time got soaked - there was water everywhere!

Jonathan and Alyssa love playing with my little bear counters. I got them for Jonathan to use while doing math homework, but he uses them as an army also. He found out that he could take the child safety covers off the electrical outlets and use them as shields for his army of bears. Before I knew it, he had about 20 covers off the outlets and had them all on the bears ready to fight!

Two Fish and a Dog

Well, tonight we went and got two algae eaters for our fish tank - we got two because the tank is getting really nasty even though we've cleaned the water. The fish lady, as we called her, said our tank could handle two. When we dumped them in the tank, they immediately swam to the side of the "all you can eat feast" and dug in.

While we were at PetSmart we also got some things for Holly Berry. We got her a tag with her name and our number on it. We didn't put our address since the man at the store said, "If your dog is out, you're not usually home." Richard said he didn't want our address on it. It is a pretty gold bone tag, and Alyssa picked it out. We also bought her a bed, which she has already claimed as her own, a new toy, a harness, some flea/tick treatments, and a rawhide type bone.

We decided to try the harness first. Richard put it on her, and we thought we had it just the right fit. But, when he took her outside, she got away very quickly and took off running through the neighborhood (the picture of her in the yard shows her right before she got out of her harness). I got in the car and took off toward her........we eventually caught her and brought her back. The second attempt was much better, and she successfully walked down to the end of the street and back without any trouble.

When we gave her the bone (after the walk), she quickly grabbed it , ran to the back door with it, and demanded to be let outside. She ran all over the yard with it, put it down, and dared us to come get it. Richard tried to pick it up, but she grabbed it and continued running around. Since it was really late and very cold, Rich came inside and left her to have her fun. Very shortly, she had the bone hidden and was at the back door trying to get back in.

Pinewood Derby, Generation 2

Jonathan and I participated in the CubScout Pinewood Derby this weekend and it made me reminisce. Some of the greatest memories I have from childhood involve the the activities that Dad and I did together back in the early 80s. We both made matching pinewood derby cars and painted them candy-apple red.

First Car 1983

1985

I don't remember winning, but we sure had fun. It was special being able share a similar memory with my son. Jonathan and I both made green cars. His was a racing car and mine was in the style of an old classic boat-tail roadster. Jonathan came in second place in his den.

Long Weekend

I had yesterday off because I was sick. Jonathan was a car rider since I wasn't there, and I went through the traffic line, just like everyone else, to get him. It's always a bit interesting and fun to pretend to be a regular mother and go through the line like all the other moms and dads. Jonathan likes it, too, I think. Anyway, I let Richard pick up Alyssa when he got off so Jonathan and I could have some time together. I asked Jonathan what he learned that day, and he said, "I learned two things." I thought, "Great! He actually is going to tell me something meaningful." Then he said he learned how to shoot a rubberband and a new rhyme. The rubberband shooting was a lesson he got from one of the intervention teachers who had pulled him out for benchmark testing. I asked him if it was his idea or hers, and he said it might have been both of their ideas at the same time (what a gentleman to not sell her out! - she was impressed when I teased her about it today). And, the rhyme was not a poem from class, but rather one of those childhood rhymes that we really shouldn't type here. So, you can imagine how my heart beamed with pride.........NOT! It is funny, however, to watch him just being a kid.

Well, my weekend started today around lunch time, and it has been great so far. We had a workday, but if you worked through lunch, you could leave at 1:00. So, that's what I did. I spent 5 hours today cleaning up the library and bookroom, dispersing materials, and reorganizing a ton of stuff. There were plenty of us to help, and the time went by very quickly.

Anyway, as soon as I got off, the kids and I went to see my mom and grandmother. She's finally home, so that's a blessing. We spent an hour and a half visiting and playing board games/puzzles. It was nice to see them both and see my grandmother in her own home again.

We have Monday off, so that is a blessing. I've got a long list of things around the house I want to do, and finally I've got more time to do them. Since I spent all last weekend resting from my cold, I have a TON of laundry to catch up on. I've done some this week, but there's a lot to do. So, LAUNDRY MARATHON! Woohoo! And, the boys have to sand and paint their pinewood derby cars. They have been working on them, but I think Richard is more excited than Jonathan at this point. Maybe after Jonathan experiences the race he'll be more excited about it next year.

Richard has to attend a funeral this weekend, though, and I guess I will stay home and watch the kids - they really shouldn't go. One of our substitutes passed away suddenly this last week. He's an older gentleman and a veteran. He had terminal cancer and was given only a few months to live. But, that's not what got him in the end. He was on his way to Richard's school to sub for the day, and he had a heart attack and died before he left home. It is very sad, but it might have been God's way of saving him from the suffering that was coming with the disease.

Holly

My mom is good friends with a lady who rescues pugs. She knows a trainer who comes to your house and trains not only the dog, but the family as well...........which is just what WE need. The kids are having a hard time understanding why we only feed Holly dog food, or why we don't let her sit and beg at the table, or many other things. So, we're going to email this guy and see if he can help us train her to do a few things, like walk on a leash without running off, stay in the house when the front door is opened, and not jump on visitors. We'll see how it goes. But, my mom is gifting us the cost of the trainer, so that's a plus! Go Nana! If Holly learns not to jump on her when she's over, she'll consider it money well spent! ;-)

More on JC.......

Well, I met with Jonathan's IEP committee yesterday to see how his progress in speech was going. He has mastered all his objectives in words and sentences, so now they are working on the phonemes /s/, /th/, and posterior consonants in conversation only with no more than 2 mistakes in a 5 minute conversation (I'm sure this means more to Mimi than anyone else, but thought you might want to know anyway). I'm so excited with his progress.

Alyssa is doing well, too, but this week has been hard on her. She's been a bit clingy in the mornings when it comes time to drop her off. It will be a hard decision about whether or not to send her to kindergarten this fall. She's still so little in some ways, but she's so bright. Pray that we make the right decision for her in the long run. She's got to be emotionally mature enough to handle the environment and other aspects of school, not just the curriculum. Decisions! Decisions!

Wow!

I have to brag for just a minute.............Jonathan's teacher stopped me today and said that he read a DRA Level 38 on his test today! That essentially means that he is reading at a Grade 3 Month 8 level! For first grade, that's pretty good! We were all very excited!

The Blessing of Time

I just LOVE the New Year! I love it because I feel like I get a fresh start in so many areas of my life. Sure, the goals from last year carry over, but there's something about the new year that makes the goals seem more doable. I feel similar about summer breaks, spring break, Thanksgiving, and sometimes just a four day weekend. What a blessing that God gives us chunks of time with definite ends and beginnings so that we feel that sense of renewal and energy. So, welcome to a new year full of possibilities and special times. Welcome to a year with challenges that will bring you closer to God if you let them. Welcome to a year of rejuvenation and rest. Welcome to 2009!