As Electives application week always is! Things have been rather chaotic around here this week, as I try to get everyone's classes logged, juggle scheduling issues with parent teachers and volunteers, and trying to make sure all 90+ kids have a workable, enjoyable schedule! The good part is that I will work hard the next week or so, compiling all the information, and getting registration packets together, and then I am DONE!! I will miss the 1st week of Electives, as Baby Girl is due to arrive Oct.5 and Electives start the 12th, but after that, I plan on just taking the kids and relaxing and fellowshipping! I always look forward to Electives, probably more than the kids, even!!!!
The application process was complicated by the destruction of our computer! I was working hard on Monday when the whole thing just shut down!! I checked everything I could think of, then leaned the CPU forward. Well, one of the LAST things you want to smell when your computer has stopped working is an electrical, burning smell!! The thing was dead! NOT good! Norman and I went and bought a new system Monday night, but still QUITE a drag, and I haven't even had a chance to load my picture software yet!!!
Today will be an assemble paperwork kind of day. Between Electives and newspaper collections, I have a LOT of computer stuff to do! It was WAY hot yesterday and is going to be warm today, too, so I don't have a problem staying in!! Sounds good to me!
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Sunday, August 19, 2007
If they are being too quiet....
they are up to something. We ALL know this. It is one of those facts of parenthood that becomes ingrained in your brain the first (or second or third!) time your first born manages to cut his bangs with Fiskar KidSafe scissors. Or coats his legs, stomach and arms with Desitin (note: water-repellent diaper rash cream is VERY difficult to get off, and is NOT a pleasant process for child OR parent.) You would THINK Norman and I would know this by now, being as we have 3 and three-quarters children. Alas, sometimes the desire for blissful sleep apparently overpowers the well-trained mind and causes one to delude oneself into thinking "I'm SURE he's just watching tv and relaxing on the couch."
I returned from my paper route and coffee this morning at 8:25am. When I opened the front door, I found the plastic top to Max's birthday cake container, sitting on the living room floor. Benjamin came running into the living room from the den, said nothing, and high-tailed it into his room. When I went to find him, he was standing on his bed, facing the corner. A SURE sign that he is up to something, as he usually doesn't put himself in time-out! I look into our room where Max and Norman are peacefully sleeping, one facing the correct direction, one with his head at the bottom of the bed - completely normal. I head slowly into the den, as Benjamin runs past me back into the den. I walk in and find.......
Apparently inspired by Max's birthday party yesterday, Benjamin decided to have his OWN party for himself - especially since he REALLY likes Max's toys!! What is NOT in the picture is the cake, the remains of which were eaten by the dog, and the water in the cups and pans which you can't really see.
I, of course, went to gently wake my dear husband to share our middle child's creativity with him. ("Hey, sleepyhead! Come see what a mess your son made while you were sleeping and I was out working!" Said TOTALLY in love, of course!) and got the camera. What can you truly do but laugh?!?! Benjamin is VERY proud of himself and even offered to share his cake-water with Norman and I. We politely declined. Oh, and Norman is washing the after-party dishes.
In other news, Max's second birthday was yesterday. We went to mom and Rich's for a fun party. The boys enjoyed opening presents. Max liked his cake, Benjamin apparently only likes the frosting, and Thomas, well, he had two helpings of cake and ice cream and would have had more, had I let him!! Here are a few pictures of our day!
Looking SO big!
The fellas!
The Gallaher Family - in party attire!
Benjamin "helping" Max open his gifts!
Happy Birthday Max! We love you SO much!!
I returned from my paper route and coffee this morning at 8:25am. When I opened the front door, I found the plastic top to Max's birthday cake container, sitting on the living room floor. Benjamin came running into the living room from the den, said nothing, and high-tailed it into his room. When I went to find him, he was standing on his bed, facing the corner. A SURE sign that he is up to something, as he usually doesn't put himself in time-out! I look into our room where Max and Norman are peacefully sleeping, one facing the correct direction, one with his head at the bottom of the bed - completely normal. I head slowly into the den, as Benjamin runs past me back into the den. I walk in and find.......
Apparently inspired by Max's birthday party yesterday, Benjamin decided to have his OWN party for himself - especially since he REALLY likes Max's toys!! What is NOT in the picture is the cake, the remains of which were eaten by the dog, and the water in the cups and pans which you can't really see.I, of course, went to gently wake my dear husband to share our middle child's creativity with him. ("Hey, sleepyhead! Come see what a mess your son made while you were sleeping and I was out working!" Said TOTALLY in love, of course!) and got the camera. What can you truly do but laugh?!?! Benjamin is VERY proud of himself and even offered to share his cake-water with Norman and I. We politely declined. Oh, and Norman is washing the after-party dishes.
In other news, Max's second birthday was yesterday. We went to mom and Rich's for a fun party. The boys enjoyed opening presents. Max liked his cake, Benjamin apparently only likes the frosting, and Thomas, well, he had two helpings of cake and ice cream and would have had more, had I let him!! Here are a few pictures of our day!
Looking SO big!
The fellas!
The Gallaher Family - in party attire!
Benjamin "helping" Max open his gifts!
Happy Birthday Max! We love you SO much!!
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Whirlwind!
Wow, things here have hit high gear (as opposed to the relaxed, do-nothing style of our usual days!HA!) and I am keeping very busy, juggling a bunch of things right now! Not totally out of the ordinary, but somewhat challenging, nonetheless!
I am in the middle of working on Electives planning and preparation. I have the great privilege of serving as the Administrative Coordinator for our Homeschool Co-Op's Fall and Spring Electives classes. For 6 consecutive Fridays in the Fall and again in the Spring, we organize and teach classes for our kids, ages Pre-school through High School. To give you some idea of the size of this undertaking, last Spring, we had 41 participating families with a total of 106 children! It is a BIG project!! This year, I am helping pitch in with a few prep-type items, then will handle my job of getting class descriptions and applications out to our membership and getting an estimated 125 kids into the classes they want! NOT for the faint of heart, but doing this part allows me to just be able to enjoy Electives and not have to teach a class or two, which is good for the kids and for me :o)!
During Electives, Thomas will be taking a US Government class, Biology Labs class, and a US History class. He will also be helping to teach PE to some of the younger kids. Benjamin will also be taking classes this session, for the first time! He will be in a Bible Story and Drama class, and a Pre-School Basics class, a PE class, and have Supervised Playtime for an hour! It will be interesting to see how this goes, though I anticipate no problems - Benjamin does just fine in his MOPS Class and in his Sunday School class, which he has just started attending. Max will be in our fully staffed nursery, running wild with the other little fellas! I will miss the first week, but Baby and I plan on being there after that, nursing and relaxing as the kids enjoy their classes and their friends!
I am also lucky enough to be part of a team of incredible women in my Mothers of Preschoolers group. This group was a HUGE sanity-saver for me, especially right after I had Benjamin, and really didn't have any friends with little ones. These friends are there to laugh and cry with, to
go out with on Mom's Night Outs and to join at the park for playdates. I have loved the last couple of years being an attender, and now get to help make it all happen by being one of two Moppet coordinators - we help to implement the Moppets program, where the kids are so the moms can relax and enjoy! I am enjoying the opportunity to serve and look forward to a great year!!
All of Thomas' school books for the upcoming school year arrived yesterday - an in-depth Algebra and geometry class; British and American Literature; grammar and vocabulary intensives; Biology with labs; a 2 year World History survey curriculum that I am developing and creating; Spanish and Bible. It should keep him ( and I!) busy learning! We are going to be starting in the next week or so, to get a bit of a head start, since we will be losing some time when Baby arrives!! I have Thomas' schedule and class calendars all worked out, and will be creating his lesson plans over the next day or two, for at least the first 2 months. That will give us a little bit of breathing room!
Well, I am going to post this and run on to other things that await! Here are a couple of pictures of the boys this morning. Just call them the Beautiful People!
This is Benjamin's idea of High Fashion this morning - fleece stocking cap, play workshop goggles, Toy Story Pull-Up, and one froggy rainboot. With his Baby Doll, of course! True fashion icon, I tell you!
Max aspires to be a ball player. And a CUTE one, at that!!
ONE donut. I only gave him ONE sprinkle-covered donut!!!
Thomas' preferred sleeping space these days. Til 10:00 am, at least, if possible, thank you very much!
I am in the middle of working on Electives planning and preparation. I have the great privilege of serving as the Administrative Coordinator for our Homeschool Co-Op's Fall and Spring Electives classes. For 6 consecutive Fridays in the Fall and again in the Spring, we organize and teach classes for our kids, ages Pre-school through High School. To give you some idea of the size of this undertaking, last Spring, we had 41 participating families with a total of 106 children! It is a BIG project!! This year, I am helping pitch in with a few prep-type items, then will handle my job of getting class descriptions and applications out to our membership and getting an estimated 125 kids into the classes they want! NOT for the faint of heart, but doing this part allows me to just be able to enjoy Electives and not have to teach a class or two, which is good for the kids and for me :o)!
During Electives, Thomas will be taking a US Government class, Biology Labs class, and a US History class. He will also be helping to teach PE to some of the younger kids. Benjamin will also be taking classes this session, for the first time! He will be in a Bible Story and Drama class, and a Pre-School Basics class, a PE class, and have Supervised Playtime for an hour! It will be interesting to see how this goes, though I anticipate no problems - Benjamin does just fine in his MOPS Class and in his Sunday School class, which he has just started attending. Max will be in our fully staffed nursery, running wild with the other little fellas! I will miss the first week, but Baby and I plan on being there after that, nursing and relaxing as the kids enjoy their classes and their friends!
I am also lucky enough to be part of a team of incredible women in my Mothers of Preschoolers group. This group was a HUGE sanity-saver for me, especially right after I had Benjamin, and really didn't have any friends with little ones. These friends are there to laugh and cry with, to
go out with on Mom's Night Outs and to join at the park for playdates. I have loved the last couple of years being an attender, and now get to help make it all happen by being one of two Moppet coordinators - we help to implement the Moppets program, where the kids are so the moms can relax and enjoy! I am enjoying the opportunity to serve and look forward to a great year!!
All of Thomas' school books for the upcoming school year arrived yesterday - an in-depth Algebra and geometry class; British and American Literature; grammar and vocabulary intensives; Biology with labs; a 2 year World History survey curriculum that I am developing and creating; Spanish and Bible. It should keep him ( and I!) busy learning! We are going to be starting in the next week or so, to get a bit of a head start, since we will be losing some time when Baby arrives!! I have Thomas' schedule and class calendars all worked out, and will be creating his lesson plans over the next day or two, for at least the first 2 months. That will give us a little bit of breathing room!
Well, I am going to post this and run on to other things that await! Here are a couple of pictures of the boys this morning. Just call them the Beautiful People!
This is Benjamin's idea of High Fashion this morning - fleece stocking cap, play workshop goggles, Toy Story Pull-Up, and one froggy rainboot. With his Baby Doll, of course! True fashion icon, I tell you!
Max aspires to be a ball player. And a CUTE one, at that!!
ONE donut. I only gave him ONE sprinkle-covered donut!!!
Thomas' preferred sleeping space these days. Til 10:00 am, at least, if possible, thank you very much!
Saturday, August 11, 2007
I Think We Are Almost There!!
Having Benjamin potty-trained, that is!! I am so proud of him, and I am SO bolstered in my belief in letting your child determine when they will potty-train!
I will preface this entry by saying I really didn't potty-train Thomas. He was in daycare all day at 18 months and they did an amazing job of taking them every hour or so, and between that and M&M incentives and consistency at Grandma and Grandpa's, he really was so quick to be trained it wasn't a big deal.
Benjamin has been sitting on the pot and able to go on command since he was like 20 months old. I , however, after much research and chats online with board buddies, decided that me running him to the bathroom every hour or half hour or whatever, at 2 years old, was NOT him potty-training, that was ME being potty-trained. I have told whoever has cared to listen that he would train when he was ready, that I refuse to get in to a big tadoo about it, and that is that.
When he turned 3, I had a number of friends wondering when he would be trained. I actually have had a couple of heated debates with a board friend who was really pushing her daughter to train, was meeting a lot of resistance, was not really willing to step back and say that it really is NOT a big deal to be trained by X time, and that she will do what she needs to do when she is good and ready. Benjamin also really did go through a time when he did not want to try underwear or Pull-Ups and did not want to go on the potty. Fine, no problem. I quit asking.
Well, the last couple of weeks, he has woken up dry in the morning, so I would take him in and let him go (the child has an LARGE bladder, apparently!!) and then put Pull-Ups on, without really even discussing it. Last Sunday, he pooped in his diaper, took it off himself, and carried it very carefully without making a mess, into the bathroom to flush it! I took this as a not so subtle sign he was really fully ready! Since it has been so MISERABLY hot the last week, we have mostly just hung out here at the house, which has made it very easy to just let Benjamin (and Max, as he has to do whatever Benjamin does!) run around in Pull-Ups or underwear and by yesterday, he was staying dry ALL day, going in to the bathroom by himself, and wanting no help wiping ( we had to renegotiate THAT!). That easily! Boom!
I am SO proud of him, and of me, for trusting my instincts, for NOT buying a bunch of unrealistic and artificially imposed guidelines and ideas, and knowing that we SO underestimate our children, and SO try to force them into unnatural and premature ideals that WE construct for them, when we really need to listen, and watch, and trust that they know what they need in so many ways. OK, I'm done with my lecture of the day!
Today and tomorrow will be another couple of busy days here at our house. I did papers this morning then headed to Wal-Mart ALONE for my 2 week grocery trip. It was SO nice - not too many people there at 7:30am, no little people grabbing for things I won't buy, and I got EVERYTHING on my list, plus a few extras, for $45 less than I had budgeted!! Happy day! Thomas has a basketball game at 12:45 th9is afternoon, then he and I are going to work on cleaning and organizing upstairs! Tomorrow's papers should not be bad, given the HUGE monster we delivered last weekend, and I don't work Applebee's tonight, so I will get a decent night's sleep - probably at LEAST 5 hours! True luxury!! WooHoo!!
I will preface this entry by saying I really didn't potty-train Thomas. He was in daycare all day at 18 months and they did an amazing job of taking them every hour or so, and between that and M&M incentives and consistency at Grandma and Grandpa's, he really was so quick to be trained it wasn't a big deal.
Benjamin has been sitting on the pot and able to go on command since he was like 20 months old. I , however, after much research and chats online with board buddies, decided that me running him to the bathroom every hour or half hour or whatever, at 2 years old, was NOT him potty-training, that was ME being potty-trained. I have told whoever has cared to listen that he would train when he was ready, that I refuse to get in to a big tadoo about it, and that is that.
When he turned 3, I had a number of friends wondering when he would be trained. I actually have had a couple of heated debates with a board friend who was really pushing her daughter to train, was meeting a lot of resistance, was not really willing to step back and say that it really is NOT a big deal to be trained by X time, and that she will do what she needs to do when she is good and ready. Benjamin also really did go through a time when he did not want to try underwear or Pull-Ups and did not want to go on the potty. Fine, no problem. I quit asking.
Well, the last couple of weeks, he has woken up dry in the morning, so I would take him in and let him go (the child has an LARGE bladder, apparently!!) and then put Pull-Ups on, without really even discussing it. Last Sunday, he pooped in his diaper, took it off himself, and carried it very carefully without making a mess, into the bathroom to flush it! I took this as a not so subtle sign he was really fully ready! Since it has been so MISERABLY hot the last week, we have mostly just hung out here at the house, which has made it very easy to just let Benjamin (and Max, as he has to do whatever Benjamin does!) run around in Pull-Ups or underwear and by yesterday, he was staying dry ALL day, going in to the bathroom by himself, and wanting no help wiping ( we had to renegotiate THAT!). That easily! Boom!
I am SO proud of him, and of me, for trusting my instincts, for NOT buying a bunch of unrealistic and artificially imposed guidelines and ideas, and knowing that we SO underestimate our children, and SO try to force them into unnatural and premature ideals that WE construct for them, when we really need to listen, and watch, and trust that they know what they need in so many ways. OK, I'm done with my lecture of the day!
Today and tomorrow will be another couple of busy days here at our house. I did papers this morning then headed to Wal-Mart ALONE for my 2 week grocery trip. It was SO nice - not too many people there at 7:30am, no little people grabbing for things I won't buy, and I got EVERYTHING on my list, plus a few extras, for $45 less than I had budgeted!! Happy day! Thomas has a basketball game at 12:45 th9is afternoon, then he and I are going to work on cleaning and organizing upstairs! Tomorrow's papers should not be bad, given the HUGE monster we delivered last weekend, and I don't work Applebee's tonight, so I will get a decent night's sleep - probably at LEAST 5 hours! True luxury!! WooHoo!!
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Some People Just MAKE Your Day!!
I have commented often on the exciting and glamorous job of Newspaper Delivery Person.(HA!) I will say that it suits my situation well right now, financially and time-wise, but it is a rather thankless and labor-intensive job! Christmas tips last year made a BIG impression, but for the most part, the only other time we hear from our customers is when they have a problem -"My paper was wet because I don't know how to turn my sprinkler system away from the driveway &/or sidewalk." or when they have a special request - "Could you please put my paper on the porch, with a pretty bow, pointed south, each morning before 4:00am? If it's not too much trouble, of course! (which it is!)"
Our Discover Richmond 5 part paper last Sunday weighed in at 8.5 pounds each. I loaded those papers into my transport cart, rolled and bagged each of them, loaded them into my van and delivered them to my customers, all before 7:15am. My Sunday route is 320 papers. I figure I lifted about 8160 pounds all told last weekend. Again, not a particularly cushy position, but it will (I hope!) pay off in tips later in the month and at Christmas. I was pleased to get done early and still be able to walk later Sunday afternoon, though I didn't get much accomplished that afternoon!
Well, this morning, I had finished delivering my regular route and was throwing some free sample papers in one of my subdivisions when a 40-45ish year old gentleman who was walking his 2 Bassett Hounds while holding a baby girl waved me down. I figured he was 1) going to ask if I had an "extra paper" he could have (FYI-we don't have "extra papers - I PAY for EVERY paper I throw, and then make my money from the people who pay me for them. I only get the papers I need! We get paid 10 cents per paper for throwing free sample papers, but usually have set addresses those are supposed to got to!) or 2) a customer who had a complaint about his delivery. When I stopped, he asked if I also delivered the Sunday Times Dispatch, and I told him yes. He told me his address, and as I was picking up my route book to note his request or complaint, he pulled out a money clip, and said "I don't know if you actually see the tips I add when I send in my payment, but I want you to know I appreciate what you do. Thank you." He handed me $20, said "Have a great day!" and headed back down the road. I was stunned, did manage to mutter "Thank you so much!" and drove on down the road with a smile on my face! After throwing 320 papers in 80 degree heat at 5:00am, it was so nice to be encouraged so!!
Not much too exciting going on in our world lately. It has been too hot to be outside, so errands get run quickly, then we come back home to hibernate in the AC some more.
My big accomplishments the past week or two have been working out Thomas' school schedule for this year, choosing all his curriculum and pricing it, and getting ready to order it today. I have been asked by a number of people if we are going to "really DO school" this year, as we pretty much unschooled last year. I have to be careful as to how I answer, so as not to sound defensive or put off. I, personally, prefer the unschooling approach we took last year. Thomas passed the 9th and 10th grade Standardized Test as required by Henrico County. The Virginia Code says "The parent who elects to provide home instruction shall provide the division superintendent by August 1 following the school year in which the child has received home instruction with evidence that the child has attained a composite score in or above the fourth stanine (23rd percentile) on ANY nationally normed standardized achievement test." 23rd percentile?!?! That is sad, in my opinion!! Such low standards! Thomas' overall achievement was 86th, and even in his lowest scoring subject, he scored in the 52nd percentile. All while actually "doing school" probably 30 days last year.
I have become more educated and am learning that SO much more education takes place in everyday life than in sitting at a desk, trying to factor polynomial equations. While I understand the value of the process of learning how to solve quadratic equations, I am much more imterested in Thomas being able to figure out 20% of a restaurant check, or how to grocery shop on a set budget while providing a balanced diet. THOSE are the kind of life skills and education that are sorely lacking in this day and age! Anyway, all that to say we will be a bit more schedule and book-oriented than we were last year, because I think Thomas does better with a bit more structure than we had last year, but we are NOT doing an iron-clad, sit at the desk, bore you to tears bookwork kind of schoolwork approach. We will just wait and see how it develops!
Well, I have done menus and my shopping list for the next 3 weeks, so the boys and I are headed off to Wal-Mart to do grocery shopping, then we will come home, do dishes and laundry, have lunch and (hopefully!) naps, then Thomas has a basketball game tonight at 7:45. Oh, and we need to squeeze in a trip to the library, and the dog needs a bath, and I have baby clothes to sort, and....it just goes on and on and on......
Our Discover Richmond 5 part paper last Sunday weighed in at 8.5 pounds each. I loaded those papers into my transport cart, rolled and bagged each of them, loaded them into my van and delivered them to my customers, all before 7:15am. My Sunday route is 320 papers. I figure I lifted about 8160 pounds all told last weekend. Again, not a particularly cushy position, but it will (I hope!) pay off in tips later in the month and at Christmas. I was pleased to get done early and still be able to walk later Sunday afternoon, though I didn't get much accomplished that afternoon!
Well, this morning, I had finished delivering my regular route and was throwing some free sample papers in one of my subdivisions when a 40-45ish year old gentleman who was walking his 2 Bassett Hounds while holding a baby girl waved me down. I figured he was 1) going to ask if I had an "extra paper" he could have (FYI-we don't have "extra papers - I PAY for EVERY paper I throw, and then make my money from the people who pay me for them. I only get the papers I need! We get paid 10 cents per paper for throwing free sample papers, but usually have set addresses those are supposed to got to!) or 2) a customer who had a complaint about his delivery. When I stopped, he asked if I also delivered the Sunday Times Dispatch, and I told him yes. He told me his address, and as I was picking up my route book to note his request or complaint, he pulled out a money clip, and said "I don't know if you actually see the tips I add when I send in my payment, but I want you to know I appreciate what you do. Thank you." He handed me $20, said "Have a great day!" and headed back down the road. I was stunned, did manage to mutter "Thank you so much!" and drove on down the road with a smile on my face! After throwing 320 papers in 80 degree heat at 5:00am, it was so nice to be encouraged so!!
Not much too exciting going on in our world lately. It has been too hot to be outside, so errands get run quickly, then we come back home to hibernate in the AC some more.
My big accomplishments the past week or two have been working out Thomas' school schedule for this year, choosing all his curriculum and pricing it, and getting ready to order it today. I have been asked by a number of people if we are going to "really DO school" this year, as we pretty much unschooled last year. I have to be careful as to how I answer, so as not to sound defensive or put off. I, personally, prefer the unschooling approach we took last year. Thomas passed the 9th and 10th grade Standardized Test as required by Henrico County. The Virginia Code says "The parent who elects to provide home instruction shall provide the division superintendent by August 1 following the school year in which the child has received home instruction with evidence that the child has attained a composite score in or above the fourth stanine (23rd percentile) on ANY nationally normed standardized achievement test." 23rd percentile?!?! That is sad, in my opinion!! Such low standards! Thomas' overall achievement was 86th, and even in his lowest scoring subject, he scored in the 52nd percentile. All while actually "doing school" probably 30 days last year.
I have become more educated and am learning that SO much more education takes place in everyday life than in sitting at a desk, trying to factor polynomial equations. While I understand the value of the process of learning how to solve quadratic equations, I am much more imterested in Thomas being able to figure out 20% of a restaurant check, or how to grocery shop on a set budget while providing a balanced diet. THOSE are the kind of life skills and education that are sorely lacking in this day and age! Anyway, all that to say we will be a bit more schedule and book-oriented than we were last year, because I think Thomas does better with a bit more structure than we had last year, but we are NOT doing an iron-clad, sit at the desk, bore you to tears bookwork kind of schoolwork approach. We will just wait and see how it develops!
Well, I have done menus and my shopping list for the next 3 weeks, so the boys and I are headed off to Wal-Mart to do grocery shopping, then we will come home, do dishes and laundry, have lunch and (hopefully!) naps, then Thomas has a basketball game tonight at 7:45. Oh, and we need to squeeze in a trip to the library, and the dog needs a bath, and I have baby clothes to sort, and....it just goes on and on and on......
Saturday, August 4, 2007
It IS Summer!
And VERY hot here in sunny VA. The last few days have had highs in the mid to upper 90's, so we have done a lot of indoor hanging out, and not much outdoors. Norman did take the boys to the McDonald's playland on Tuesday evening while I worked to let them burn off some energy, but mostly I am trying to entertain everyone here at home during the heat of the day, and head out and about later in the evening.
We have had a fun week. My MOPS meetings have been very good and I am excited about being part of a GREAT leadership team. I went to a "Baby Welcome" party for a friend on Thursday and had a wonderful time!
Last night we went to a Richmond Braves game (Thanks for the free tickets, Brian!!) and REALLY enjoyed it! Six other families we are friends with, all homeschoolers, were all there, too, for a total of 23 kids between the ages of 4 months and 14 years! The big kids had a great time trying (unsuccessfully!) to get "the wave" started, and we all enjoyed ourselves! It was Max's 1st game, and Benjamin hasn't been since he was like 6 months old, so it was fun for them, too. Benjamin was very focused on getting "some ball game snacks." and Max paid INTENSE attention to the game until about the 3rd inning, at which point Thomas and his buddies sitting behind us proved too great a distraction. That and the peanuts, which he and Benjamin LOVED, especially the "throwing the peanut shells on the ground under your seat" part.
I also had the special distinction of getting tagged by a popped foul ball! One had just come up our way, and I turned for a moment to give the boys some water and the next one got me in the upper right arm. Luckily, my friend's husband Mark was somehow able, while holding his 20 month old nephew, to grab the glove his son sitting next to him was not wearing, and lean over to get the glove on my arm to help make the hit MUCH less than it might have been ! Thanks, Mark!! I was HIGHLY embarrassed to have been caught off guard, but glad it got me and not the kids. The worst part was that the guy sitting a few seats over (NOT part of our sweet group of friends!) took the ball that BOUNCED OFF MY BODY and kept it!! Turkey!! Oh well, we did have a great time!!
I am posting a few recent pictures, then I must run and get ready for Applebees. Papers in the morning will be our annual 5 part Discover Richmond issue, so I will be VERY busy from about 2:30am-7:30am, then church, then I plan on relaxing! We'll see how THAT plan works out!!
How this can POSSIBLY be a comfortable way, to sleep, I don't know!!
SO sweet! Brothers reading together!
"Hey, what are you reading?"
Resting together in the den, on Pampers box beds, constructed by Daddy! Oh, and this lasted about, um, 3 minutes, maybe 5!
If your older brother asks you if you want a mask made of stickers, "Yes! Lots of them!" is NOT the correct answer!! 
Monkey see, monkey do!
Thomas taking a foul shot after getting knocked down while sinking a 2 pointer!
Lest you think this one is ALWAYS sweet and good - evidence he can throw a fit and scream and cry with the BEST of them!!
We have had a fun week. My MOPS meetings have been very good and I am excited about being part of a GREAT leadership team. I went to a "Baby Welcome" party for a friend on Thursday and had a wonderful time!
Last night we went to a Richmond Braves game (Thanks for the free tickets, Brian!!) and REALLY enjoyed it! Six other families we are friends with, all homeschoolers, were all there, too, for a total of 23 kids between the ages of 4 months and 14 years! The big kids had a great time trying (unsuccessfully!) to get "the wave" started, and we all enjoyed ourselves! It was Max's 1st game, and Benjamin hasn't been since he was like 6 months old, so it was fun for them, too. Benjamin was very focused on getting "some ball game snacks." and Max paid INTENSE attention to the game until about the 3rd inning, at which point Thomas and his buddies sitting behind us proved too great a distraction. That and the peanuts, which he and Benjamin LOVED, especially the "throwing the peanut shells on the ground under your seat" part.
I also had the special distinction of getting tagged by a popped foul ball! One had just come up our way, and I turned for a moment to give the boys some water and the next one got me in the upper right arm. Luckily, my friend's husband Mark was somehow able, while holding his 20 month old nephew, to grab the glove his son sitting next to him was not wearing, and lean over to get the glove on my arm to help make the hit MUCH less than it might have been ! Thanks, Mark!! I was HIGHLY embarrassed to have been caught off guard, but glad it got me and not the kids. The worst part was that the guy sitting a few seats over (NOT part of our sweet group of friends!) took the ball that BOUNCED OFF MY BODY and kept it!! Turkey!! Oh well, we did have a great time!!
I am posting a few recent pictures, then I must run and get ready for Applebees. Papers in the morning will be our annual 5 part Discover Richmond issue, so I will be VERY busy from about 2:30am-7:30am, then church, then I plan on relaxing! We'll see how THAT plan works out!!
How this can POSSIBLY be a comfortable way, to sleep, I don't know!!
SO sweet! Brothers reading together!
"Hey, what are you reading?"
Resting together in the den, on Pampers box beds, constructed by Daddy! Oh, and this lasted about, um, 3 minutes, maybe 5!
If your older brother asks you if you want a mask made of stickers, "Yes! Lots of them!" is NOT the correct answer!! 
Monkey see, monkey do!
Thomas taking a foul shot after getting knocked down while sinking a 2 pointer!
Lest you think this one is ALWAYS sweet and good - evidence he can throw a fit and scream and cry with the BEST of them!!
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