perspicacious

nicholas.

he may be the little brother, but wow(!!), he is an amazing little guy!

the minute michael and mary jane met our nicholas, they were intrigued by his observant nature.  

michael and mary jane were right- he is perspicacious.  

here's the story...

i take nicholas to his destination in the morning, and josh and michael team up for the morning drop off.

yesterday morning, i was in a rush, as usual.  we hustled outside and hurried off to start the school day.  nicholas immediately noticed the fog.  it wasn't really a thick fog, but he knew something was different in the air.  

he said, "what is that, mommy?  it's all muddied up. (he describes LOTS of things as being "muddied up.") i turned off the radio right away, and told him all about the fog.  he didn't buy what i was saying, of course, but he was keenly aware of his environment- and that something was different.

we had a similar experience this morning, too.  michael and i were arguing about why he is not allowed to bring toys to kindergarten, and i was secretly stressed about three (!!) student meetings that i needed to attend this morning.  i had to be on time today! had to! once again, i was shoving nicholas out the door.  

today i didn't turn on the radio - at all- with nicholas in the car.  and, sure enough, he struck up another great conversation.  i was noticing how breathtaking the sky was this morning, when nicholas said, "mommy! it looks like the ocean!"  (he was talking about the sky!) the sky was really beautiful this morning and it DID look like the ocean.  lots and lots of waves...

when i dropped nicholas off, i was all choked up today??  i didn't want to let go of my short time with him this morning.  i wanted to stay with him- to hug him- and- to listen to more of his thoughts.  

he's a precious, precious little boy.  i am missing him these days.

Adorable.

Today was the first day of preschool for Mr. Nicholas!!

He was one of three in his class, and the two other children are girls.  One of the little girls, actually his long, lost best buddy from the waddler/toddler room, chased him around the playground all morning long.  (They love each other! And, she is adorable.  And, I really like her mom and dad.)  His teacher said that the numbers will pick up as the children from the waddler/toddler room age out. There are also other itty, bitties who come a couple times a week, so his class will grow a little bit Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  Since he's in the two year old group, there aren't many children who attend preschool three or four days a week.

I couldn't be happier, though!  Who cares about the small number or the gender. I think this age group is going to suit him much better this year, rather than being the VERY youngest in his class.

And, then, Michael had a few firsts today, too!

He missed the bus.  For some reason Josh and Michael were baffled.  : ) Michael was the very first child to arrive this morning- he had to sit all alone for a minute in the cafeteria.  But, Josh got to meet his teacher, which was a bonus!  She is wonderful, Michael couldn't be happier.

Today was the first day of "reading academy" for Michael, which is 120 minutes of uninterrupted Language Arts.  How awesome, right?  Prior to starting kindergarten, the entire kindergarten class is pre-tested and grouped according to the student's "reading readiness."  Some children who are already reading can move on to working with a first grade teacher, while other children who are working on letter recognition can work with another teacher.

Michael was sent home this evening with "homework." We were given a book, with forms, to document that we sat down and read the story together.  Josh read a sentence, and then Michael read the sentence.  It was adorable to listen to them working together this evening.

Michael did say this evening, "Mom?  Do we have reading academy tomorrow, too?"

I was honest, and said, "Yep.  You have it everyday from now until the end of the year."

He had kind of a sad look on his face, and when I asked him why he was disappointed he said, "It's just a lot of sitting, Mom."

(adorable.)

'tis the season

You know what Michael said to me on Friday night?

"Mom?  Can I play football?  Like. On a team, Mom?"

Help me.

My son wants to play FOOTBALL.

And.  If he does?

The other (itty, bitty baby) son will want to, as well.

Not my babies! All that yelling and tackling.  Uggh! :)

Josh said, "I'm not opposed to that.  We shouldn't rule it out for next year.  He can play flag football. He'll be fine, Kate."

But. . .

We all know that the K-H kids will not settle for pulling a flag off another child's waist.

Oh no. 


They are rough.  And, they want full contact.

After all this time I thought I was a quintessential soccer mom, you know?

Maybe he'll fall back in love with soccer this week.  Practice is twice a week now- HURRAY!  (I am being completely sincere!  I want these kids to be TIRED at the end of the day.)

He, honestly, is in love with football right now- he knows players that I have never even heard of. Like, Hightower?  He's on the Redskins, I guess?  I have watched PLAY, after PLAY, after PLAY this weekend from Thursday night's scrimmage.

Josh is in heaven.... : )

How much you wanna bet he'll have his own fantasy football team next year, too?

Impressive.

Guess who threw a tantrum in Target today???

Why, yes!

That would be my Nicholas - all sprawled out because I bought a friend of theirs a birthday present today. And, he couldn't have the present....

Which, led to REALLY loud screaming and crying!!

I let him take a moment on the floor and when he was ready to walk across the parking lot, he could get up.

Of course, we saw LOTS of familiar faces in Target. And I was slightly embarrassed. But, he made it across the parking lot without getting run over by a car. So. That's a plus, right?


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An earthquake, a hurricane, and our baby started kindergarten.

Wow!  It has been QUITE a week around these parts!

I didn't mention this in the last post, but Michael's first day of school was accompanied by an earthquake.   (Michael if you read this blog one day, I'm SO not even kidding!  There truly was an earthquake on your first day of school!)  According to Michael's (awesome) teacher, the  children were on their way back from PE and were actually in the cafeteria/multi purpose room when the earthquake happened.  His teacher noted in the newsletter that she really didn't think that any of children even noticed the tables shaking momentarily.  When I asked Michael if he felt the ground shake, he looked at me like I was crazy. Clearly, he wasn't rattled.

Nicholas was actually napping during the earthquake.  And, because his class sleeps on mats, all of the children were woken from their naps!  Naturally, his teachers had NO idea what was happening. I don't think anyone around here knew!  It was such a strange (and, absolutely beautiful) day.

Josh was in the lunch room of his office, and was in conversation with someone.  They felt the shake, and Josh just assumed it was some sort of machinery outside. Maybe like a jackhammer, or something.  Until the guy that he was talking to mentioned that EVERYTHING was shaking outside.  Then they knew something was up.

I was also in the middle of a conversation with two other colleagues, and just like Josh, I thought there was some sort of construction going on in our school. (There's always something going on in the weeks before school starting.) It did seem weird that all of our tables were shaking and that the ground shook, too. When everyone came out into the hallway talking about the "shaking," we all realized that something very strange had just happened.  Naturally, we were kicked out of school for the remainder of the day- and this was an hour before the end of the DAY BEFORE school starting.  (Crazy!)  I was not at all ready to leave for the day, but we did. The first day of school was completely fine, but I was really worried about getting everything together the night before.  

~~Days later...~~

Now Washington and the rest of the east coast is gearing up for Hurricane Irene!  It looks uncertain as to whether or not it will really affect us.  Most weather websites indicate that we have a slight chance of rain/wind. Who knows, though!  Rain would be nice. And much appreciated!

This sure has been a crazy week.

Finally!! THE first day!!

“But if you ask what is the good of education in general, the answer is easy: that education makes good men, and that good men act nobly.” — Plato

Finally- A post about THE first day of school for Michael B!

Just in case it is not obvious, the first day of school was a smashing success!  

Michael did not walk on the bus- HE RAN.  And, you know what?  He didn't even look back- we could barely get him to WAVE.  He was on a mission.  I was really reluctant about just tossing 'em on a bus.  What if he wasn't paying attention to his stop and they dropped him off at the high school? My friends at school assured me that they probably wouldn't let him get too far in the halls of the high school, but you just never know.  

The night before he seemed nervous about the transition from the bus to the school.  Josh and I then figured that there might be a few tears before he climbed the enormous bus steps.  

We were SO wrong.  As soon as Michael saw the bus round the corner of our street, he clasped his hands with joy and anticipation.  He said something like, "Here's my bus, YOU GUYS! Here it comes!!!"  

The whole experience was shared with our friends down the street, which made everything so much easier.  Michael's buddy has been riding the bus, too.  They sit next to one another, which is just so precious.  I was thankful that they could look out for one another this week.  

The craziest thing, and I do mean craziest thing about our experience on Tuesday?  I didn't cry! Can you even believe it??  I'm still amazed, myself.  It was impossible to feel sad or let the tears fall because Michael was so ready and so excited to have the opportunity to go to school.  What an awesome feeling- to be so happy for your child, that it seemed unfair or silly to let the tears fall.  

Michael has completely embraced the entire school experience. He can't stand the idea of me picking him up in the afternoons because he wants to ride the bus.  

And, you know what??? He even BUYS lunch from the cafeteria.  (hallelujah! hallelujah! hallelujah!) I think school cafeteria's are THE BEST THING EV-ER!!! I mean, except for the whole pizza+french fries+chocolate milk, of course.  It does help out, though, especially since Josh is in "tax season" once again. : )   Yep. There is tax season in September AND October now.  (Hmmmph.)

Michael has shared snippets of his day throughout the week, I'm pretty sure he shares a story everyday about one of his "specials." Yesterday he painted. Today he had computer class.  They played/learned/practiced using the StarFall website, but they were only allowed to work on the letters. 

I hope he's listening to his teachers.  

I hope that he's being a good boy. 

And, I hope that the rest of the year is as wonderful as this week has been.  

Twas the night before kindergarten:

Not a creature was disorganized, not even a six year old.





Michael excitedly set his clothes out after his shower. He even tucked his little socks under his shoes so that Duncan won't steal them.

He did mention that he scared about going from the bus to the school, he's worried about who will be there to help him.

Geez. My stomach is killing me...

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He's ready.

The other night, I asked Josh, "Aren't you sad that Michael is going to kindergarten???  Can you believe it is time ALREADY???"  

His response?

  No!  I am not sad. He is SIX.  It's time for him to go to school, Kate.  

Uggh.  

Josh is right.  Michael is MORE than ready to start school.  Michael taught me all about how the medication evaporates from his eyes, as do his tears, after I gave him his expensive dose of pinkeye medication.  The kid needs to be educated- that's for sure.  

He starts on Tuesday, which is perfect because I will actually be able to see him get on the school bus because my school kids won't start until Wednesday.  It is really perfect- I'm so thankful that I can be around for the first day of school pictures for Michael B.  :) 

The fact that I have a very short amount of time, but that I actually more time than a normal school day,  has lent itself to much discussion around here.  

1.  Should I drive him to school so I can get a picture of him with his teacher??  

(That will never, ever be the routine, though.  I can't ever get him on the bus or to school in the mornings because my school starts at 7:30. It seems to me, since our children are so routine driven, that this choice might not be a good idea...)

2.  Dropping him off isn't a good idea in my mind also BECAUSE... then I won't get to see him hop on the school bus for the FIRST time, and wouldn't that be sad???

3.  But, I also brought up this idea, which I know a lot of mother's do... I could FOLLOW (??) the bus to his school and get a picture of him with his teacher, right??? How perfect would that be right???  

We are going to none of those options, though. :(

We are going to plop him on the bus, blow him a  kiss, wipe the tears coming from MY eyes, and encourage this little guy to be independent.  If I hover, I think I am teaching him to think there is some reason to worry- or stress. If we stick him on the bus, with happy faces, he'll be just fine.  

I honestly have a million and one questions- exactly WHO will get him off of the bus?  WHERE will he go first?  How long will he be there?  Is he going to be with his little friends?  Will he feel scared?  And, what about the bathroom?  What if he needs to go, but is afraid to ask?  And lunch... Is someone going to help him or should he be able to completely help himself (which I KNOW he can ...)?  What if he doesn't EAT?  Will someone let me know that?  

Oy Vey.  

Gonna be a looooong week.  ; ) 

Thank goodness he started a year late.

Interesting week

I'm trying SO hard to have a good attitude about this week, I really am.

It's been an interesting one, for sure.

Michael DID, in fact, have pink eye.  So, we were scrambling and yelling at one another this morning around 6:30 about who was going to stay home and who absolutely COULD NOT stay home the most. (Makes you feel like you're an awesome parent when you go through that fight/discussion/whatever you want to call it.) 

I ended up being the one who went to work, while Josh stayed home and took Michael to Urgent Care.  Of course, the pediatrician is out of town this week, taking a vacation.  

Tomorrow is more of the same.  IEP meeting at **7:00 am** (good grief that 's early), boys need to be at daycare at 6:30 because the computers were so slow that I couldn't print off what I needed before I left school this evening.  (I wasn't willing to shut down/turn on/log on the computer a fifth time. )

How many more days til the next break?!?  I'm trying to remember that the first few weeks are the worst ones- until the kids come back and everything is in order.  And if things continue in this nature, I'm going to lose my mind OR be incredibly SKINNY OR cry every single night. Because feeling like this is not fun or easy. : (

What are the odds?

Michael woke up this morning with a messed up looking eye this morning.  A gnat was stuck in his eye on Monday afternoon, and his eye has been irritated ever since.  But! The daycare really thought he had pink eye, so they wanted us to pick him up.  We would have, but I didn't receive the message until really, really late in the day.  Mother of the year- (right here) just in case you were wondering. (My phone only works in a few places in the school- AND- I have no idea where those places are, unfortunately.) The students know, though...

His eye looked a lot better as the day went on, so I really think he either has an allergy or he scratched it while trying to get the gnat out on Monday. Or, maybe it really is pink eye- who knows?  Michael's pediatrician is outta town right now, so that complicates things further.

The fun for Michael didn't stop there, though.  

Sometime during the afternoon, he was stung by a bee. (First bee sting ever!) He didn't even cry - just whimpered a little bit.  The teachers were awesome and took special care of our big boy.  :(  Gave him the obligatory ice pack and filled out the incident report. He felt very special.  

But! The fun still didn't stop for Michael there, either!  (Can you believe this?)

Josh and the kids were playing some sort of ball game while I was packing lunches for tomorrow, when I heard a blood curttling scream.  At first I thought it was a laugh, but they came rushing and screaming and crying into the house- clearly, I misjudged the situation. This time Michael was stung by a WASP.  (Second been sting ever!)

Everyone was all worked up- Josh was worried, Michael was in pain, and Nicholas was traumatized by the worrying, the pain, the crying.  

What a fun way to end the night!  My poor baby.  One bee sting on each leg- in one day.  

Sheesh.  

Hope tomorrow is less exciting....

Marathon number ???

Tricia came in for a visit this weekend.  (That's my first grown up friend.) She lived directly across the street from us when we were first married.  Tricia and Matt had their first baby just a few months after we were married.  I remember looking (sneaking glances) through our living room window on the day they brought Paul home from the hospital.  For a long time, she was one of my very best friends.  

Regrettably, it has been a few years since we have been in touch. On random occasions, we'll call one another.  It isn't nearly enough, though.  And even though we hardly ever see one another, I know she's there and I am so thankful for her friendship.  

We ran together two days in a row last weekend, which was such a treat.  (I love running with Tricia...) And, a couple of us decided that we should meet up in PA and run the Philly marathon.  It sounded like a good idea, until I got up SUPER early to run before school on Monday. But, the banter has continued throughout the week, and here I am ... registered for marathon number EIGHT!  

I miss Tricia already and can't wait to have a girl's weekend in November, even if running a marathon is involved. And, now I feel like I fit in once again at school- everyone is training for SOMETHING.  (We've got a lot of runners...)

Hilarious.

"mom, why don't we just have 2 kids? That way, when Nicholas and I are wrestling, no one else will come in and bother us, Mom."

Always thinking, Michael b...


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Day one:

No one cried. (that includes both Josh and me)

We were sorta on time. (sorta...)

I got in a good run by myself before everyone else got up this morning. It was actually kinda fast! (kiiiinda...)

Dinner is ready in the crock pot- yep day 1 and I'm already resorting to crock pot dinners! (nice... and, don't judge, ok?!?)

We're tired. The boys are filthy; but I'm pretty sure we're happy.

The day did leave me feeling nervous about lots of various things, but this is typical for me. I think it's mid September when my stomach stops hurting on a daily basis and I get used to the fact that, yes, I am going to school everyday. ;)

Now. Back to waitin' on Comcast!



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Fair week:

Oh, yes.

Just in case anyone was wondering, the k-h's DID go to the GRAND opening of the fair this evening! We even watched a little bit of the beauty pageant, which always feels.. Awkward.

Was I REALLY a participant all those years ago?? I think I was a completely different person back then...


The first stop, after the pageant, was the pig barn. (only slightly smelly today...) I think there were only a few pigs checked in this evening. (I do there was one, though, Grandfather Michael's shoes had the proof this evening!! :-)


After checking out the pigs, we headed over to see the bunny barn. (Our children have NO idea that some of those bunnies are actually for sale...) They enjoyed sticking their fingers in the cages and whatnot- Josh handled that very well!









And, the weirdest thing happened as we were leaving the bunny barn- I ran into my very, very BEST childhood friend, Selena!! We haven't seen one another since high school GRADUATION. That's been awhile, just in case you were sure how long we have been out of high school. (14 years!!!) It is a very surreal experience to see someone - and your best childhood friend, at that- after 14 years. She is completely different from how I remember her- she could throw one WHALE of a tantrum as a little kid. And now she's the epitome of calm. Bet she does yoga everyday. :-) I could use a little yoga myself...




During this fabulous reunion, I lost my family. They found Nicholas's best buddy, Tucker, in the barns somewhere. Mary Jane commented that he looks like Dennis the Menace- and I think she's right! He's cute as a button and is so much fun! We all love Tucker! Those overalls are just too stinking cute. Aren't they??


After all of the meandering around the fair preparations, we headed home for an ice cream party! My Michael decided he wanted to serve the ice cream family style.


It was a great idea, but the grownups were a little grossed out by the thought of sharing a large bowl of ice cream with two little kids. (can you blame us???) so we all dished out our own bowl and Michael was so happy. He likes to take care of us, which is an endearing quality.


What a beautiful night ... Thank you, Michael and Mary Jane.

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Packing up.

Well.

Tomorrow's move in day- the daycare bags are packed and I have started to brush off the lunch boxes.

Returning teachers go back tomorrow, so the lazy, carefree, summer days are coming to an end for the K-H family.

And, really, I'm ok with that. I love this time of year, the air smells different. Sounds strange, but it really does-it's cross country/ apple season/ fair week/ new school year/ marathon training air.

We have an exciting week and weekend that lie before us, I just hope my baby Nicholas handles the return to school without too many tears tomorrow morning. I feel a little sick thinking about the drop off that tomorrow will bring, but I know our boys will be happy. (I know they will.) AND! They might even be TIRED tomorrow night?!?


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A first for the k-h brothers:

This evening we went to a wedding kick off party for Laura and James! It was out in the country, we even passed a few pigs on our walk to the house. The boys ran and ran and ran, and Michael flirted a little bit with his new favorite lady, Joy. (She is a beautiful, happy, young teacher and he can't get enough of her ... or her brother. Her brother will be michael's pe teacher this year.)

As we were walking back to the car, we stumbled upon a little toad. The boys have never seen one up close and personal, so I picked up the cute toad for the boys to see. Josh decided to take a few pictures:













Tonight took me back to my childhood- we used to have a toad who would visit us every summer. (same spot and everything!!) He was a BIG toad and would pee all over us when we held him... Maybe we were squeezing him too tightly?! And, the pigs, of course brought me back to my happy childhood in the country.

All in time for fair week, how perfect is that? I actually said to Josh this evening, "doesn't this just make you want to live in the country??" He actually agreed...

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Finishing touches

Over the past few weeks we have been trying really hard to complete little projects around the house. (And, I do mean little.) They are the kind of projects that require a free hour from parenting/ yelling at the kids. For instance, we hung up curtain rods on the bathroom doors, which made me so happy! I've been wanting to do that for months! And then yesterday- when my brother was over, I coaxed him into hanging up this itty, bitty hook on the screen porch door. That door has been broken for a longer time period than it has worked. The knob is awful and when my brother mentioned that maybe *he* could fix the knob, I said, "NOPE!! It does NOT work and the builder has tried. I just want the hook- that's IT!" I was so, so excited to clean off the porch yesterday and get rid of all those yucky cobwebs. (sorry, spiders..)

Josh and I have more on our list today ... Back to school nesting - you gotta love it!


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The missing piece:

I found it. In the van this morning, so the new Leggo castle is complete! The boys have played with Leggo's all afternoon, peacefully, I might add.


Nicholas and I spent the morning together, visiting some special friends in the country. Michael went to my Mom's school to help her with a few things. I think they both appreciated the break from one another- but they also really missed each other, too. Throughout the day, Michael asked my Mom over and over, "what do you think Nicholas is doing right now, Nina?!?"


Don't ya like Nicholas's lipstick? (he was eating cherries!! :) Our Internet is completely out, so I'm going to have to use my phone to post updates til Monday. Comcast is gonna hook us up with a decent connection. We hope, anyway. So there will be lots of errors in my writing and only phone pictures- BUMMER.

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Cramming.

Oh boy.

I feel like I am cramming for some sort of test over here. Instead of a test, though, the boys and I have been cramming in all sorts of things that I have wanted to do over the summer.

This morning I had a quick meeting at school, it actually was kind of longer than a normal meeting of that nature, really. The boys were in good hands with their Mango, so all was fine.

After the meeting, we got ourselves all ready for an afternoon of shopping! My brother is getting married really, really soon- festivities start this weekend! So, we went to Trader Joe's to get wine for the wedding and rehearsal dinner. I was very, very impressed with the sales clerk. He was a HUGE help to my mom and Laura, he even talked me into trying a new bottle or two. While they did the wine shopping, the boys and I shooed for back to school snacks- boo hoo. I mean, YAY?!? (I'm really not sure how I am supposed to feel about going back to school on Monday, honestly.)

After Trader Joe's, we hit up Tyson's! Always a fun afternoon for a country mouse, like myself. Josh was afraid that the serial butt stabber was going to get us- seriously he sent me a message to watch my butt and the boys' butts as we shopped today.

I bought some leggo's for the kids, and naturally, Michael has already lost the door to the new jail cell. Hopefully it'll turn up somewhere tomorrow morning. I had an awesome time window shopping, it is almost near impossible to shop for myself with the boys. In fact, Nicholas lifted a pair of sunglasses from the Loft, without me knowing it! And- u nearly walked out of old navy with a pile of clothes thrown into the stroller by Nicholas!!

I felt guilty about passing them off to my mom so that i could get some new back to school things, even though I knew she would watch them long enough for me to try on a new dress at Banana. One day I'll learn to relinquish control of our children, right?

It was a busy, busy day: but a GOOD one. Tomorrow is more of the same! We are cramming it in...





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loo-RAY.

The boys and I took a field trip today- we even packed a picnic lunch, as a matter of fact.

We ventured out to Luray Caverns- all by ourselves!

When our tour guide mentioned that we were 97 feet below the earth, I kind of had a mini panic attack, to be honest.  I am very claustrophobic, so to be down in this cave, with two little kids: I felt a little trapped.  And when she mentioned we were going further down, I felt a little bit sick in my belly.

We made it, though!

The cave/caverns did not collapse!

And, Nicholas didn't fall in...  Boy, did he scare me as he was leaning on those NOT VERY STRONG guardrails.

Michael now has a BLACK tooth from that basketball fall a few weeks ago.  Everyday I ask him if that tooth is lose and everyday he says, "NO, Mooooom!!!"  I just want to yank it out, it looks like we don't take care of him.  :( My running friends (there were 4 of us last Sunday) all had a story to tell about one of their children having a black tooth.  They also told me that an emergency visit to the dentist was not necessary...  So, I went ahead and cancelled the emergency visit that I had scheduled yesterday morning.  He goes to his annual appointment on September 4, so I should know more about this tooth that is DRIVING ME CRAZY then.  (Some days I really think I should have been a dentist, I have a very weird obsession with teeth and dental hygiene. )

 I have NO idea what got into Michael today, but he REALLY wanted me to take his picture!  OVER and OVER???  I think partly he was super proud of his fishing/exploring outfit.  : ) One of my close friends, Janie, has passed along some AWESOME hand me downs.  She recently gave him a fishing hat, which he wears ALL the time.  He is dying to get down to the "town run" to do some fishing... The simple pleasures of a 6 year old, you know?

It was a fun day... Beautiful drive, the mountains were incredible and so were the caverns. I'd really like to go back in the fall with my sweetheart and the boys.

We would have spent more time there today.  When they saw a sprinkler (a teeny one) watering the lawn, they began to beg to take off their clothes and run around in the water.  I put my foot down with that request, thus prompting me to put everyone in the van before they began shedding clothes ...

You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast:

But you're gonna miss this...

You're gonna want this back

You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast...

These are some good times

So take a good look around

You may not know it now....

But you're gonna miss this.

Our cleaning lady (my angel and one of the many reasons I want to continue working...) came today to help us out.  It does seem silly for her to come over the summer because there is no reason for me to not clean my own house over the summer!! ( I know that!!)  We do provide some of her income, though,  and it gives us time on the weekends and throughout the week to enjoy one another. ( More than if I were scouring the house...) It works out for everyone!  And, Josh doesn't question her coming one bit, he looks forward to it, I think.

The boys and I needed to get out of the house, though, to make Lisa's job a bit easier.  So, I packed up some food for lunch and we headed to Grandma's house; but she wasn't home!  Grandma likes getting out now that she can again- that's definitely a good thing.  We changed routes and then headed over to my mom and dad's house to spend the afternoon with my mom, Daniel, Patty, Betsy.  (They are having some work done on their house right now.)  

And...

It was an awesome afternoon!  I bought some blank pieces of canvas and paints last week at Michael's.  After lunch the boys and I sat down and did art projects. And, they turned out great!  I used masking tape to create a peace sign for Michael B (he's all about peace signs right now...), so he did a painting for over his bed.  We also painted a heart and letters for the word "PLAY," which we are going to put in the play room.  It was so much fun that I can't wait to do some more!  I absolutely love the heart and I have thought about lots of different places to display that particular painting.  (It isn't as dark as it looks in the photograph.)

The boys also got to make a shell lamp for both of their bedrooms.  The lamps are from the Pottery Outlet in Williamsburg (NOT to be confused with the Pottery BARN!) and the shells are a collection from Emerald Isle, NC . If you've ever been to the Pottery Outlet in the 'Burg, you know exactly why it should not be confused with Pottery Barn... As soon as we got home this afternoon, the boys could not wait to plug in their brand, new lamps!

I love days just like these... ordinary ones.  Days when painting a little piece of canvas is more than enough fun.  And, I love days spent with my family.  And, I love BLT's, which is what we had for lunch.  (YUM.)

The fun continues tonight, too... We are going to Granddad and Mango's for dessert- YIPPPEEE!!! 

Now I want to finish reading The Girl Who Played With Fire by Steig Larson- it's awesome-- better than the first, I think...  YAY!!!! for READING while the kids are NAPPING!!!!!