An assortment

My Valentine from Sean- YoDa One for Me

 So, obviously the first pic here is back from valentines, but it just made me so happy to see when I uploaded the pics from my camera, I  thought I'd post it.  Sweet kids.  And notice that the kids are STILL able to ride bikes to school...even in February.
A couple of weeks ago I peeked into the living room to see how Sean was doing at his guitar lesson.  I about burst out laughing when the first thing that I saw was Thomas, still as a board, laying in Sean's teacher's guitar case.  Apparantly they were paying him no mind.

Jump ahead to this past Saturday.  Grandma Eyre brought up a pack of these pictures to paint and the whole family was taken by them.  Who knew they were so easy to entertain?  Brandon even gave ME his completed masterpiece for an early birthday present (as well as some asparagus starts...woo-hoo!)

 We had birthday dinner observed on Sunday as we couldn't fit it onto the actual birthday (b/c of my upcoming travels!).  Brandon made the BEST Cheese Souffle ever. He covered the sides of the greased pan before cooking with real grated Parmesan so it got all toasted and crunchy and wonderful when mixed with the delicate souffle.  I'm thinking of instituting 'Souffle Sunday'.  Has a nice ring, doesn't it?  Of course Brandon would have to do the cooking... (what am I saying.  He always does the cooking on Sunday).

The blaze

My cake was a homemade strawberry cake with strawberry filling and, as you can see, had a strawberry  'flower' on top courtesy of Sean.  Apparently the kids decorated it all themselves.  They ran out at 32 candles but, lucky day, Catherine found a '4' candle in our decorating box and the math all worked out.  During Sacrament meeting earlier in the day, Rin was filling out the day's page in Nana's sacrament book.  It talked about family and said for her to draw a cake with the right number of candles for the person who had the next birthday in the family.
She just looked up at me and said, "WOAH.  That's a LOT of candles!"

And since I'm trying to continue with my Spanish studies....Buenas Noches

Bleh

Feeling down today as a mom.  Two experiences- both to do with hair.  First I'm  cutting Sean's hair,  and at one point I put the top layers up in an elastic because his hair is so thick.  Immediately he gives me a seething look, a 'Mom!  Stop it!', and he rips the elastic out (apparantly I'm embarrassing him... in front of Henry and Thomas I guess? Have to keep up appearances!).  Then, later, Rin is getting ready to go to a birthday party and I tell her I want to help with her hair 'cause it's a fun dress up time (fairy princess party).  I do a simple little twist with only a little bit of her hair leaving most of it down as she wanted.  She's glaring at me the entire time and when I finish, she keeps 'adjusting' it 'til it's pretty much falling out.   Don't know why I bother.

Maybe if I just shaved them all bald...

beware

warning message on our new mesh laundry bag:

Caution: Item under spring pressure, keep item away from children and face while opening.

Fortunately, although I didn't see this message 'til after the fact and handed the package to my 3 youngest  to open, my kids managed to not hurt themselves ...


Has a company really ever been sued over  laundry bag injury?  At least we're keeping the attorneys busy (they're people too!). :)

On a different note, we started Sean and Rin's science fair (or as our school calls it 'Da Vinci Fair') projects for FHE last night.  Rin's was making sugar crystals (rock candy) and putting different additives in to see if it makes a difference in the formations.  This seems about the most basic of experiments, but I managed to botch up the instructions and 10 hours later the pint jars were pretty much solid sugar crystals with the yarn trapped inside.  We will be trying again tomorrow after the jars soak.  Sean's is hydroponics...growing beans in various different liquids to see what produces fastest growth.  After Rin's fiasco I am keeping my fingers crossed that these beans actually sprout.  I'll report later. 

Child play

I just thought I'd share a few kid moments in the last week or two that I enjoyed enough to think to get the camera out.  Rin has a standing Thursday play date.  A week ago I was surprised to hear Catherine say, "Mom!  What food can we use for a picnic?"  I was about to mention how it was only 40 degrees outside and that they might want to rethink their plan, when I decided, you know, if it doesn't bother them, power to them.  So they filled a picnic basket (past birthday gift from Nana and Grandpa Clark) and headed out.  They were very content, even letting Thomas join them.  They followed drunch? linner? with a few rounds of croquet (which I appreciated even more

when they saw the need to pick up poo before hand and they were willing do to it in order to play).

You'll appreciate this next shot even more when you reallize how often Rin and Thomas DON'T play well together.  I mean, they try, and it usually last a few minutes, but invariably Rin's easily bruised heart (and body) and Thomas' energy collide and tears follow.  This day, however, they were best friends.  I suppose we're not breaking any child labor laws when they choose to do the labor?  They did generously take turns pulling the other about in the wagon.  We've had that wagon forever and I'm shocked the plastic

 wheels are still intact.  Knock on wood.

 Rin has never liked me touching her hair, but last Thursday when she went to Ana's, she saw her 'hair kit' and they spent their whole 2 hours together gussying up assorted dolls as well as each other.  She promptly came home  and made a 'kit' of her own.  When Mimi came on Friday they did each other up like twins and were, obviously, overjoyed with the results.

 This evening Sean said he had a project for us all to do.  He had laid out construction paper, scissors and glue and asked us each to make an animal completely out of hearts and then he and Thomas would judge them.  Here they are hard are work marking down their ratings.  I thought it was so sweet how Thomas followed right behind Sean, copying his every move.

The results.  Hard to see.  Milla made a buffed up bunny, me an alligator with overlapping heart scales (I won just because part of the score was based on how many hearts you used and mine came in at 36), Rin's was a sweet white wolf (which was darling but camouflages so effectively with the white paper that you can't see it), and Papa made the puppy dog.  Who wouldn't love that face?

It just went out all of the sudden....

was Sean's answer to our question of why the internet was dead when we returned from our date tonight.  Luckily our local provider has live help until 10 on Friday nights so Brandon picked up the phone to call.  ALSO dead.  Seeing as our phone and internet provider are one and the same, Brandon picked up his cell phone and was waiting for an answer when I decided to check behind the couch where the phone plugs in and I find ...a bunch of frayed wires.  This is definitely the work of an active 5 year old who likes to climb behind said couch.  After restripping the wires 3 times (much finer wires than electrical ones, the little buggers...kept breaking), I finally got all 4 wires reattached, reencased in the little plastic box (that is supposed to protect them from afore mentioned 5 yr olds) and I am now able to write this blog to you.  What would we do without the internet?? 

I'm just happy to report I can now list 'phone technician' to my expanding resume of home repair.

I like to look for rainbows

Was driving home  from Central Elementary after helping Sean's class prepare for their 'Medievil Fair' this morning.  The air was misty with a light rain.  I turned north and looking up ahead was a rainbow; the full arc.  One end came right down and seemed to overlay the path I was driving.  It was beautiful and led me all of the way home.   Now the clouds are breaking and the sun is peering through making for a lovely March morn.   Expecting  one of Catherine's leprechaun friends to appear at any moment.  Except it's January!  What is going on!  Best winter in La Grande yet.

The fifth grade always does a Medieval fair.  Sean's made his viking ship, has been working on his Fishmonger costume (his profession of choice) and speech and gets to share it all today.  We made bread trenchers this morning and I left in the midst of their jousting competition in the gym.  I was the only one not in costume...  Lots of fun.

Sean isn't much for pictures of himself, but here is his ship

Tricky Triangle

So on Saturday I was rummaging through the game drawer and came across a tricky triangle.  You know that wooden game that has a bunch of depressions for marbles.  One depression is left empty and you jump the marbles, trying to get down to just one?  Well I did it several times and the best I could get was 3 left.  Rin was playing with me and got down to 2.  So I decided to go ask Milla to try it as she is pretty good at figuring things out.
'Hey Milla...see if you can figure this out.'  She makes one attempt and then asks what the game is called. 'Tricky Triangle', I tell her.  Two seconds later she has youtube pulled up on her kindle.  'Here you go mom- this is how it's done'.  And she plays me the video.  Done and done.
A new generation.   I guess with all the information out there now, ability to research and sort information may be a more important skill for the future than actually figuring some things out on your own.   No need to reinvent the wheel.   But then again, figuring it out on my own is more satisfying.  And just more fun.