Not to be Left Out

Pooh is still being Pooh. Here she is at her Dumplings class, singing the 2 Tigers Song and doing art work.

Questions on a Little Man's Mind

1. Back in the olden days, when you were about 16 Mom, do you remember when they invented the light bulb? (Blame that one on Dad for saying back in his day, you had to go to bed at sunset because there was no light bulb. My next task is to introduce him to inventors, most importantly Edison.)

2. When was the very first battle, ever? (Which war?)

3. Were there people in the early Permian world? There wasn't that much land. (You'll have to look that one up)

4. How far did people have to dig to find dinosaur bones? How did they know they belonged to dinosaurs?

5. Did the Germans help the British or the Americans in the Revolutionary War? (He now knows the answer because he looked it up) Why did they say the shot was heard around the world when it really wasn't that loud? What is a figure of speech? Why do they use those? (for a boy who thinks literally, it can be very confusing)

6. Why was Maine once part of Massachusetts?

This is just a sampling. The questions start the minute he wakes up and do not stop until he goes to sleep. These are just the ones I remember from last night as he was trying to go to sleep.

It's Almost Time

For what you ask? The summer hair cuts! I feel one more 'winter' haircut and THEN, the summer shave down. Why do you ask would I do that to my babies? Let's face it, I'm lazy. I don't want to have to 'fix hair' every morning before going out. My motto is, "you can have your hair the way you want when you are willing and able to fix it yourself". Simple. Is that all? No, members of the jury, there is more. I submit to you the following evidence.

Exhibit A: The Single Swoosh Cowlick (notice the video of him 'fixing' his hair)



Exhibit B: The Double Swirl Cowlick (He wants hair gel so he can make it stick up more. He likes his cowlicks!)

Exhibit C: Permanent Cap Hair (hoping this one eventually rectifies itself)

So you see, members of the jury, there is more to it than simple laziness on my part. There is not enough mommy spit to 'fix' the above mentioned issues. Nor do these babies see their hair as 'issues'. So why drive me crazy over such stuff. Yes, I know, I'm already crazy but why go any farther. That is why I shave my babies heads.

Yes I Can

A video worth watching!

What To Do on a 75 Degree Day

Play Outside!

Yes, Pooh is wearing a jacket.
She also has 3 pony tails and a Christmas barrette in her hair.

It's Coming!!!!

S-P-R-I-N-G!!!!!!

From snow on Sunday to 75+ degrees this weekend. You can't stop the flowers from blooming and the trees from budding. I LOVE this time of year.

We did have some damage from the snow. It weighted some of the bushes down so far they haven't rebounded (yet). This one split.

Hubba Wha!

What the heck am I doing? I joined Facebook (Why, because I didn't want to be left out. I'm like that you know) I have no idea what I"m doing. Anyone want to give me an idea what you do after you 'login'?

The Snowy Day

They predicted less than 1 inch of slushy accumulation. They got the 'slushy' part right!

It was a very pretty snow coming down with really large flakes.


Three of the four kids loved it. Turner, however, was quite freaked out by it. Cold, wet, slush was not for him.


The temps were never below freezing while it was snowing. I suspect, had they been, we'd have had 5+ inches of accumulation. In the end, we had enough to make the kids happy. That was plenty! Many thanks to our neighbor for finding his 20 year old sled his daughter used to use. The kids loved it.

The Big Day

The Warm-Up

The Test
Notice how those toes are pulled back!!!!
And the concentration!

The Payoff!


Some of the pics are dark and blurry but hey, I figure it's good we got them at all with all the other stuff going on. (namely, Ansley, Sawyer, and Turner)

A Funny Thing Happened

So, we're at the mall. Just Ansley, Sawyer, Turner and Me. We were at the food court and I was in line to order my kids junk food at Wendy's. Chicken-Chinch Fries to be exact. There was a woman with 2 girls in line in front of us. They were African American. One of the little girls, I'd guess she was about 6'ish, was staring a hole through my kids. Now, at the time, I'm trying to figure out who she was looking at. Let's face it, Brangelina has nothing on me, except maybe volume and security. (and tattoos and paparazzi) We are a curiosity. Finally, she turns to her mother and says, "Why does that lady have a black boy?" I didn't hear the answer but the little girl didn't look our way or say anything else again.

I will say, it didn't phase my children. They just stared right back at her. It is always strange when you notice that people have a reaction to you or your family. Basically, I just go through life in my own little world and don't pay much attention to what other people are doing. This time I noticed. You have to just smile, especially when it involves kids. Their curiosity will always get the best of them!

Things we Did This Past Week

Watched a Hail Storm!

Dined at Mickey D's!

Started a FEW Projects Around the House!

Videos

The first is of Ansley and Luyushu "Leading" the 2 Tigers song in Dumplings.
2 Tigers
Two Tigers
Runny Fast
One is missing an eye
One has no tail
Very strange



Second, is the finger pointing game. Who has poo-poo pants?



For the record, Turner had 'stinky' pants.

Take a Look at This Post

HERE.

It speaks to me. I don't know anyone who's traveled (or in my case, seen pics and heard stories) to Ethiopia that doesn't have this itch. The itch that says, we haven't done enough. We need to do more. ( I think that happens anytime you see a need. It's just the need seems so great in Ethiopia) The answer is not easy. Do we give more money? Hard to do these days. Offer our time? In what capacity? Tell everyone we know? Well, we do love to talk. No option we come up with seems like enough. There's always more that needs to be done.

Take a look at the pictures of Kolfe. Believe it or not, much has been done to that orphanage. As you can see, much needs to be done. This is the orphanage where the older boys stay. They are the lucky ones. They have a place to stay. They have an opportunity to get an education. They don't have much hope of being adopted so they will have to learn to become men without a father to teach them. Thus, the itch becomes more intense as these men/boys will not be able to stay at Kolfe indefinitely and will have to make their way this world. Please read the post above, it's very well written and the pictures speak volumes.

Traveling T21 Afghan

I've added another button. I've offered to 'host' the traveling Trisomy 21 (that's Down Syndrome) Afghan. You can read all the details by clicking on the button on the right. Here is a bit of what the person is doing:

The handmade blanket is going to ship out to families who have a family member with Down Syndrome. The family member can be of any age, from birth through the senior years. The family can also be located anywhere on the globe.

The afghan will travel from one family to another, along with a journal.

Each family, upon receiving the afghan, takes a picture of their little one with it and we post it on a "T21 Travelling Afghan" page. After having the afghan for bit, the family writes a note in the journal and sends it off to the next family,who's address I will email to them.

Sounds like fun!!!!

Last Basketball Game

Today was the last basketball game of this season. Judson had a wonderful time playing and learning. He definitely learned how to better play defense. His offense is better in that he can make a shot now. They had a nice pizza party after the game. Everyone got a trophy. They even gave me a nice plaque with the team picture and a nice hooded sweatshirt with the league logo on it and a $50 REI gift card. (How did they know we were in the market for a nice Day backpack?)Now off to the next activity. (wouldn't want my home schooled kids to be anti-social) Hopefully, Judson will take swimming lessons. He's a bit worried about them this year as they require jumping off into the deep end. So, right now, he says he's not going to take them. He also tests for his belt in his martial arts class at the end of the month. He is so excited and so far hasn't said anything about being nervous. Of course, we don't want to put that idea in his head so we haven't asked. He keeps saying he'll be a higher rank than Daddy. That's a pretty big deal!

There's a league for Sawyer to play t-ball but he needs to be 1 year older. So, I"m saving that til next year. Trying to find him private swim lessons. That's what he REALLY wants to do. Ansley may start martial arts next month but only as a 'place holder' until she can start dance lessons in the fall. Little T, well he's just happy to be going where ever anyone else goes. And that's the story from our little family. We're making Valentine's Cupcakes right now and Dad is taking us all out for Valentine's Dinner tonight. Happy Valentines!

Happy Pics!

Why a picture of shoes? Because both Judson AND Ansley learned to tie their shoes this week. Mental note: Do NOT try to teach them both the same thing at the same time.
Click on the picture to make it larger. Dad, once you click on the picture, slide the bar at the bottom over so you can see all the pictures.

Happy and Sad Today

A Feel Good Video
Click HERE!

A Very Sad Post by Meredith (About 2 little girls in the Ukraine)
Click HERE! And Shelley writes from her heart HERE. And Charissa writes HERE.
She is also giving away a camera HERE. These women are moved by the death of 2 little orphan girls. They are trying to make a difference in the lives of children who have no one to speak for them. Take a look at each of the blogs. Maybe you can help but you won't know unless you look!

Love It!

You cannot help but smile when these 2 are around!

Don't you just love this warm weather in February! It's just right to be outside without a jacket.The boys all got their monthly haircuts this weekend. (For Sawyer, it's every other month because it's such a pain to cut his hair) Makes it hard for Sawyer to do his James Dean hand swish through the hair to make sure his cowlick is standing straight up.

Snow, Snow, Snow

2 tickets to play in man-made snow : $30
1 lost Elmer Fudd Hat (Randy's): Not sure, it was a gift
1 pair of long johns: $5
The LOOK on their faces:

Before

(Pooh did not go)

AfterPRICELESS!!!!!

Another Prayer Request

I know many of you remember Emma. (Her button is still to the right of this blog) Make sure you go over and check out how well she is doing 6 months after surgery!

Now, there is another little girl in the same situation as Emma. Mattea just came home to her forever family. She has lived with AV Canal diagnosis her whole life, without treatment. Now at the age of 7, her chances are bleak. She has pulmonary hypertension and her lungs have been compromised. She is going through the same tests as little Miss Emma did. (And by the way, Mr. Sawyer did) She will most likely have a similar prognosis. Her family needs your prayers/good wishes/positive thoughts/whatever it is that you can send. So check out her blog by clicking HERE.

Thanks.