So that's the way it is, eh?

A conversation between Isaac and his parents:

Setting: Target parking lot

Isaac: It's my turn to ride in the front! (Meaning the middle seat in the van.)

Cherith: No Isaac it is Nathan's turn.

Isaac: It's mine!

Jesse: Isaac, you heard your mommy.

Isaac: Fine! Then I will go live somewhere else!

Jesse and/or Cherith: Well, ok, but who do you think will take you home? Should we ask someone in the parking lot?

Isaac (incredulously): NO! I will go live with Baba Nana. (Mom and Tom)

Jesse and/or Cherith: But how will you get there? It is awfully dark and a really long walk. Are you going to run all the way there? What if you get lost?

Isaac (with an eyeroll): You are going to drive me!

A conversation with Nathan:

Nathan: It is my turn to ride in the front!

Cherith: No Nathan, it is Isaac's turn.

Nathan: Fine! Then you better drive me to Baba Nana's so that I can live there!


Mom and Tom, you might want to check your doorstep frequently over the next few days. Does anyone know where I can acquire a REALLY LARGE basket with a lid?

Isaac's 6th Birthday Cont. (Yes I lied)

I said I would be back in a day or two, it has actually been 7. Esther says that I cannot keep using Oct count as an excuse, but seriously! Tracking down and keeping records of every login, assignment, e-mail, phone call, etc for 90 kids is NOT an easy task.

Fortunately, today is the very last day of the 2007 Oct count window. I have called each of my students, congratulated those with good progress reports, nagged those without, completed my record keeping, updated my grades, folded my laundry, cleaned my house and I now find myself with an hour to spare before my next meeting. GASP!

What better way to spend a spare hour and than to create a long overdue blog update?

Isaac's 6th birthday was great fun for all involved. We took our annual trek to the pumpkin patch on his actual birthday and acquired our pumpkin supply for the fall. We then took him out to dinner, ordered way too much junk food and opened presents.

On Sat we had his birthday party. We hired a reptile handler who we met this summer. He brought a mobile petting zoo complete with iguana, large and small turtles, snakes of all sizes and some other critters whose names I do not recall. A few faces, mostly amount the adults, rapidly drained of all color when he started pulling out snakes, but the kids had an absolute blast. As you can see from the slide show below, my mom, Jesse and a few of the other grown ups were even brave enough to get involved.

I am a tad concerned for my poor neighbor. The handler allowed the kids to carry the 10 foot Burmese Python back to his car at the end of the show. Just as they rounded the corner carrying said snake my poor, innocent neighbor was out checking her mail. A party guest thought it would be amusing to call out, "Look what the S family found under their deck!" I truly feared for the poor woman's consciousness as all of the blood drained from her face and a look of utter terror replaced the welcoming smile she had sported but a second before. I should probably do a welfare check today.

The day after his party we relaxed, cleaned up and enjoyed a FABULOUS dinner of leftover cake and ice cream. You absolutely must have cake and ice cream for dinner the day after a party, it is an S Family rule. Especially when it happens to be Nana's pumpkin spice cake that mommy (me) would possibly sacrifice a non-essential limb to taste. Below you will also find a video of Anna playing peek-a-boo whist covered with her fabulous dinner of cake and ice cream. I do not currently have a picture of Isaac's cake but I will post one as soon as one is sent to me. Nana made another of her darling pastry creations and I must document each and ever one.

Isaac had a wonderful birthday and we are all now enjoying some fabulous Autumn weather. Thanks to everyone who helped make his day so special.

Aunt Mary is coming to visit with Sammy this week and the boys are SO excited! It should be amusing as Anna and Sammy have not been together since Anna started walking or expressing ownership of her possessions. Sammy has been in TN and much used to the idea that all toys are HIS toys. We are gearing up for some baby battle royal.

Love to all! Have a safe trip Mary!

Aunt Esther will be so Proud

This morning after dressing my little sunshine in one of her oh-so-darling outfits, she sat on her changing table, pointed in the direction of her shoe collection and said, "Shu! Shu!"

"Very good Anna! Those are your shoes! Let's go and see your big brothers now."

I put her down on the floor expecting her to toddle excitedly out of the room the way she usually does in the morning. She loves to find her big brothers and give them the standard Anna good morning. This involves raising both hands over her head, pointing at her brothers and in a very gruff voice yelling, "BA! BA! BA!"

Instead she plopped down on the floor, lifted a foot in the air, looked at me expectantly, looked back at her shoes, looked at me expectantly, looked back at her shoes, etc.

I got the idea and picked out a pair of shoes.

With shoes now in their proper location, she happily toddled out of the room to find her big brothers.

THAT'S MY GIRL!!!

Lest you think this blog was created only as a location for me to discuss the oh-so-cute doings and sayings of my little sunshine, allow me to regale you with this darling tale of Isaac's thoughts on creationism.

Jesse decided to tell the boys the story of Adam and Eve. At the end of the story, Isaac asked Jesse what happened to the snake. While Jesse stumbled around for a toddler appropriate response, Isaac asked, "Did they just call animal control to take the snake away?"

Love to all!

PS Nathan is cute and says cute things too. ;)

Fall 2007

The S Family LOVES Autumn weather. Today is the first day during which you could really feel Fall in the air. The air was crisp, cool, clean, just a truly lovely day.

I am also rejoicing as today is the very first time that I have picked Anna up from the church nursery and been greeted by an actual smile. We have been trying desperately to acclimate her gently, staying with her, taking familiar toys, etc. The boys are LOVING their classes but Anna has been less than thrilled. We have thus far ended every service by picking up our sobbing, clinging little darling who then proceeds to punish us for the rest of the day. Frankly, as much as we enjoy attending church and as important as we know it is for us and for the boys, we have not been particularly disciplined with our attendance because it is so heartbreaking to pick Anna up in that condition every week.

But today she greeted me with a hug grin, outstretched arms and a darling little dance. My heart both melted and rejoiced at the sight of my baby girl in such a good mood following her time in the nursery. The first pic you see above is the impish little grin she gave me in the hallway after we left the nursery. Little stinker, she knows just how to push all my buttons.

You should also see a picture of Anna with her handsome daddy and a picture of her feeding Baby Alive. In case you are wondering, the boys rarely every hold still long enough for me to get decent photos of them. The lack of boy and abundance of Anna pictures on this blog is not intentional, just the way things are at the moment, photography-wise.

Anna is my little sunshine. She is in the midst of a language explosion and just loves her new found ability to verbally communicate her wants and needs.

Anna's Words
Iyaac (Isaac)
DADA!! (MUST be spoken as loudly and as gruffly as possible.)
Hap Bir (Happy Birthday)
Happy! (Said whenever she sees a camera.)
Uh oh (She gets TONS of use from this one.)
Nana (Banana or reference to my mom.)
Owie! (Also used quite frequently.)
Och (Watch)
Nah Nah (Night night)
Lo? (Hello?)
Beebee (Baby)
puhpee (Puppy)
Da doo (Thank You)
Uppy (Up please)
Opee (Open Please)

Below is a video of Anna playing ball with Nathan.


Nathan is our little athlete. He is busy, busy, busy all day long and I swear he has grown 6 inches in the last 2 weeks. Those big brown eyes and that darling boyish grin of his manage to melt our hearts each and every time he puts them to good use, which is often. Nathan knows good and well how to work over any unsuspecting soul he encounters. They should put a picture of him next to the definition of puppy dog eyes in the dictionary.

Our little guy is a CHATTER BOX. Oh my Holy Lord can that little boy of mine talk. Some of you may remember a time when we worried incessantly about the fact that by age 2 Nathan had acquired very little in the way of language skills. Esther worked with him for a little while and oh what a job she did. I am not sure if we should pay her double the going rate or ban her from further interaction with our young offspring.

His latest obsession is magic tricks. He gathers a bunch of very specific items and begs, at all hours of the day and night, for one of us to sit and watch him do magic. I will have to take some video of his conjuring, it is utterly adorable.

I am in need of some serious parental advice regarding my sweet Isaac. I think he feels as if he is trapped between being a toddler and being a little boy and he is very frustrated by that feeling. We are very guilty of forgetting that he is now more little boy than toddler, but it is such an ingrained habit to treat him like a toddler.

This weekend we attended a birthday party for his 9 year old cousin. Many of his cousin's school friends attended and it was clear that Isaac felt out of place and intimidated. He so very much wanted to participate, but clearly did not feel confident enough to jump in with the older kids. I am not sure how to help him through this phase of life.

Unfortunately, I have little to no experience with little boys. I can interact with babies, toddlers, preteens and teenagers in my sleep. But the characteristics and needs of the 6 year to 10 year old set are not my area of expertise.

Isaac loves Kindergarten, he loves playing with his action figures, he loves helping me cook, he loves his puppy, he adores playing with his daddy and his little brother. He is the best big brother to his baby sister and would defend her to the death. Isaac is a darling little boy and we want him to grow up happy and well adjusted, but he seems so frequently unhappy and/or frustrated these days. What to do? I am interested and willing to hear advice from all confirmed experts, regardless of whether your expertise comes via degree or life experience.

There you have it, a Fall 2007 summary of the S Family offspring.

2 new recipes added, these are extended family favorites.

Love to all! Have a great week!

Kindergarten Flunkies!

Not Isaac, he is just brilliant. This title refers to Isaac's parents. Isaac's wonderful teacher called today and very gently reminded me that the assignment said to create an "I Can Read" can, NOT bag.

Lord Almighty, Isaac is doomed if I cannot follow directions as simple as those!*

We have a lot of grandparents and aunts who are eager to see what Isaac's typical school day looks like. I taped a bit of his time on the phone with his teacher today. The video is below.


Here is another brief slide show for your viewing pleasure. We did quite a bit of computer work today and ended the day with a little night school with daddy. I have not quite adjusted to balancing my job, school, house, boys, Anna, etc so we didn't finish school before the end of Anna's nap today. No worries there. Daddy is a great teacher and loves to be involved.

I must take a moment to address the moms who e-mailed me indicating that if stabbing themselves in the thumb will net them a day or two in bed, they will actively search out the sharpest knife in their house. Ladies, let me just clarify this issue. You will WANT to spend a few days in bed, but as a rule, an injured thumb does not garner much sympathy. You can read my husband's comments on the previous few posts if you need proof. If that is not enough evidence for you, please know that every time I discuss or show my injured thumb to my sister, ordinarily quite the sympathetic confidant, she recoils in horror and screeches, "Get your wonky thumb away from me!" While shopping this weekend, after SHE smashed the offending digit in a shoe box, I sought relief by resting my aching thumb on her nice cold soda bottle and she almost needed resuscitation she was so disgusted.

I don't recommend stabbing yourself in the thumb in order to attain a few days in bed.

Speaking of Esther, as mentioned in the previous post, she has preplanned the entertainment for my funeral. I cannot leave this earth without giving you, my loved ones, fair warning as to what you will encounter when you thoughtfully attend the service, planning to quietly pay your last respects, come to terms with my demise and leave with a sense of peace and dignity regarding my tragic, as I assume it will be, death.

Jesse was in need of some soothing music and the soundtrack to "Wicked" was just not cutting it. I popped in Simon and Garfunkel's greatest hits. What can possibly be more soothing than Scarborough Fair? As we drove dreamily to wherever it was we were going, Esther announced at the start of "Bridge Over Troubled Water" that for my funeral she planned to dress in a leotard and tights and dance interpretively whilst holding those lovely ribbons on sticks that you see the rhythmic gymnasts using.

Consider yourself warned.

*She was kidding people, she is utterly delightful and has a GREAT sense of humor. We could not ask for a better teacher. Please don't feel the need to flood me with e-mail telling me what an unreasonable teacher we have been stuck with.

The First Day of School

Anna received her first pedicure, courtesy of Aunt Esther. Cute toes, aren't they? Of course, her daddy feels this particular shade of red is a tad too sophisticated for the average 16 month old, but he made an exception this one time.

Issac officially began kindergarten today. For those of you wondering, yes I AM certifiably insane as yes I do work a full time job from home and yes Isaac will be attending school from home as well and yes I do have 2 additional children. Jesse and I have about 398,763 reasons for this choice which we are very willing to share with anyone interested. Please don't approach us with the intent of criticizing or trying to talk us out of this because we aren't going to listen. We are getting old and cranky that way.

Isaac is doing kindergarten and I have set Nathan up with a loose preschool curriculum as well. Anna must also participate in learning time, she LOVED the story I read today. You will find a slide show with first day of school pictures below.

Now for a helpful public service announcement.

WHY THUMBS ARE IMPORTANT
You may or may not recall from reading
this post that I, an International Baccalaureate trained educator, stabbed myself in the thumb while trying to remove a security tag that was not removed by a clerk who was clearly NOT International Baccalaureate trained. My thumb is still very swollen and hurts like I cannot even describe but I seem to have escaped without any significant infection. Score one cyber cookie for that! Because I like to be of help to the humans when I can, I have compiled a helpful list of things that you can do without the use of your thumb. You might want to keep this handy for future reference.

Things that you can do without the use of your thumb:

1. Nothing.
2. Not a damn thing. Everything, and I do mean EVERYTHING, requires the use of this digit. Without it you might as well give up and get back in bed.

I hope you found that helpful.

I hope everyone had a pleasant Monday! Oh yes, in reference to the second comment following
this post, PLEASE feel free to laugh at anything I write that makes you want to laugh. Odds are I found it amusing as well, hence my meandering narratives that make you want to laugh. If I have not blogged about it, I probably don't think it is funny yet and have therefor opted not to write about it in a manner that will make others laugh.

For example, until this very moment you have read nothing here regarding the fact that 2 very evil felines used my brand new living room couches, yes plural, as a litter box and the so called warranty that we purchased with these kinds of events in mind has not yet been honored. You have not read about it because I don't find it even remotely amusing. In fact I am still hopping mad about it and it happened, I think 3 or so months ago. That warranty company has until Wed of this week to deliver new cushion covers to my front door or they can anticipate a phone call that will qualify as something far more threatening than irate. See, not funny at all.

Go right ahead and laugh your little hearts out and rest assured that I am probably laughing with you.

PS. You will want to come back tomorrow as Esther let me in on the fact that she has preplanned my funeral, I assume in anticipation of my demise. I love you all too much not to give you fair warning.

Night all!

He was supposed to be sleeping...

...but this is what he did instead. We found this lovely block tower when we checked on him at 11:10 pm. Perhaps he will become an architect?

Isaac appears to have been bitten/stung by a rogue insect or arachnid. Yes I MUST make the distinction, I am a science teacher for pete's sake! We have no idea what or where, but the other picture should demonstrate the severity of his reaction to the bite. We had it checked out at our ped and have called Children's Hospital for additional advice this evening as it has continued to spread. You can see where we have been marking it to track how fast and how much it has spread. Poor Isaac, he has unfortunately inherited his mother's sensitive skin.

Jesse is busily researching all manner of spider that may have bitten our beloved eldest child. He actually has one in quarantine at this very moment. As we are all familiar with how Jesse feels about spiders, I think we can safely assume that he won't sleep well until he is convinced the house is biting spider free. Can anyone recommend a good exterminator?