Bragging - hey, it's my blog

So when I walk into my son's bedroom last week and find this.......

there is no good way to get him to wake up.  He has really been tired since being sick.  He falls asleep in the late afternoon for about an hour then DOES NOT want to go bed at his regular bedtime.  It is a vicious cycle.  Not wanting this to happen, I picked him up and rocked and talked and patted and shook (gently) trying to get him awake.  

This is how David found us about thirty minutes later when he got home from work.  So how does David wake a sleeping boy?

HEY GRANT, WANT TO GO TO CHUCK E. CHEESE'S FOR DINNER?

It was like Lazarus rising from the dead.  He sat straight up and said "Yeah and play the games!!  Let's go, Dad!"

And with that, he headed downstairs to get his shoes.

Guess where we ate dinner that Friday evening?

Yes, that's right.....we at with Chuck E. Cheese.  Grant was thrilled as were the other three.  David was about fifty dollars poorer when we got home, but he DID figure out how to wake Grant.  I'm guessing he'll rethink making comments like that to a sleeping child next time.

I have taken the kids to Chuck E. Cheese's to eat, but I always go first thing in the morning.  They open at nine o'clock and will serve pizza at nine o'clock if you want it.  YUCK!  We get there when it opens and have the place to ourselves.  By the time others show up at ten thirty or so mine are ready to take a break and eat.  We eat and leave by eleven thirty....long before it gets crowded.

Eating there on a Friday evening was a little different.  It was busy.  My kids don't know how to "stay with mom".  They just run amok in there.  Several times during the evening we had to take a time out to go look for Grant who was off having a blast totally unaware that his presence was needed elsewhere.

While we were there, Grant said he needed to go potty.  I got up to take him.  By the time I got close to the restroom doors, he had gotten ahead of me and disappeared completely.  I stood there wondering for a minute what to do. 

Finally I found a manager and asked him to check the men's restroom.  Sure enough there was a little boy in there fitting Grant's description.  The manager stood at the door explaining to men trying to enter that a mom was in there with her son.  I calmly got him dressed and back out the door thanking the manager as I ducked past him.  Not the MOST embarrassing thing that's happened to me, but not one of my favorite memories of parenting either. 

Meet William Tecumseh Sherman

and his friend Sojourner Truth.

These two characters (created by John and Emily) came to visit last week.  They were working on the speeches for a play they are putting on at school.  Their American history class has done some interesting projects.  I'll reserve judgement as to how much content they've actually studied, but the finished projects are impressive.  They've both memorized quite lengthy speeches.  They know their facts too.  I thought the puppets turned out great, but hey, I'm a bit biased.

More John news.....he got the word on Tuesday that he did make all-county band again this year.  He was so excited.  I'm not sure where those two get their musical gene, but they sure got it from someone!




John had baseball tryouts today (with snow on the ground).  They go to an indoor baseball place.  He'll know next week what team he's playing on this year.  I cannot believe it is that time of year again already.

Grace just got promoted in her gymnastics class.  The semester finishes next week.  I had already signed her up for the next semester that goes from March through the end of May.  After I signed her up, her teacher pulled me aside and suggested I put Grace in a different class that is not open.  It is by invitation only.  She said even though Grace is technically too young for the class, she's more than ready.  Therefore, I switched her to the advanced class.  I told her she gets to start a new class learning different things in a couple weeks.  She was pretty nonplussed by the whole thing. 

I think I have two musicians and one gymnast on my hands so far.  It will be interesting to see what direction the interests of the fourth child take....I'm thinking sumo wrestling??!

Definitely a rough and tumble kind of kid....but fun.

Call them Vincent........Van Gogh, that is.

My crew came home from school last Friday wanting to do an experiment.  It involved milk, dish soap, and toothpicks so I figures I didn't have a lot to invest in it.

The experiment studies the effect of a degreasing agent like Dawn dish washing soap on the surface tension of a fatty substance like milk.

See that?  Dawn DOES take grease out of the way!!!

Plus there's just a tiny bit of fun involved in playing with the colors after the scientific stuff is out of the way. 

Pretty, isn't it?

I think I see a similarity to the modern artistic style of Van Gogh.

Do you think I have any artists on my hands?

Anyone want to buy an early work by one of them???

Mystery Package

 There was a very LARGE strange package in our living room the other day.

 Grant decided to investigate....  

And inside the package they found.....

SURPRISE!!!......

MEG

Now WHO would have covered up the dog cage????

I wonder.......

Possibly with a little bit of help from a certain sister!

Rednecks and Royalty

Grant has been somewhere......

with his dad.................

They went to the farm machinery show a couple weekends ago.  He LOVES his tractors.  David said the show was full of men in blue jeans, boots and bill caps.  Just his kind of place.....redneck paradise.

I think the popcorn was a bigger hit than the tractors.

Right after the picture was taken, he dumped the popcorn on the floor (butter and all) and drove his four wheel drive trucks through it like he was offroading.  No pictures.  I was too busy trying to rescue my carpet!!  Little stinker!!

Bedtime routine.....

with a little friendly elbowing.

 

The castle made an appearance here today.  This belongs to John.  I finally found the instructions and put it together for him today.  He's only been waiting a few months a couple weeks for me to get it done.  The little ones went wild over it today. 

Bonus......an hour spent constructing a castle equals about two hours of kids playing happily so I can get things done.   I like that kind of math.

Monkeys in church

Poor Grant was unhappy the other day about something or other.  I do not remember what the issue was. 

Here he is winding up for a full blown three year old fit.

Throwing himself down and sobbing......never mind the ground is snow covered.

WOW! That kid can throw a fit.

Is this Grace's version of a four year old fit on the driveway?

Nah, she's body surfing on John's skateboard!

Do you like Grant's monkey pajamas?

The nursery workers at church did Sunday.  This is what he wore to church after throwing a three year old fit.  I had him dressed and ready to go.  He started throwing such a fit that I finally put his dirty PJ top back on him just so I could get out the door.

Don't think for a moment my first born kids would have gotten away with such ugly behavior.  They're wearing me down though.  I'm getting weak. 

Some days the victory just doesn't seem worth the battle.  Sunday was one of those days.

Good-bye Snow

Pictures of the snow from last week.

This is the ruler on the table poking out of the snow.  After the last snow fell, the ruler had disappeared.  I am not sure how much we got in the last snowfall, but obviously had a total more than twelve.

Grace and Grant had enough snow they sledded right in our yard by the garage.  Tiny hill, but enough for their fun.

Grant learned that push cars do NOT work well in the snow.

Neither do four wheelers that are not truly four wheel drive.  He tried every car/truck he owns in the snow trying to find one that would

Grace's snowman that she named, of course, Grace.                                                           

Sunday was so warm and pretty in comparison.  The snow finally started melting.  Kids (not mine) were actually out in short and t shirts.  Mine just enjoyed playing outdoors for a change without a coat.