Friday, May 28, 2010

Playing In The Rain

The kids wanted to play outside this afternoon. A little bit after they went out it started to rain. Imagine their surprise when I told them they could stay out and get as wet as they wanted. Watching kids laugh and run and yell, "You're it!" while getting rained on is fun. Laying on the ground and having it rain on your face while laughing with little girls is even funner.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Field Day

Isn't it great that those wonderful teachers spend the last day of school squeezing every bit of energy out of the kids? It makes the transition into summer so much more peaceful.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Getting Excited

I love that my kids get excited when they see a cool bird. It's a hobby that my husband has loved since he was a child. Bird watching kind of got pushed to the back burner for him for many years, but when he started pursuing this hobby again he quickly got me and the kids excited about it. There are days when we can't convince them to get out of bed to go look at birds, but most of the time they at least show interest. Today was a little different. I was driving them home from school when Hollee said, "Mommy, look at that bird!" I pulled over and pulled out the binoculars and we had a good look. Luckily we had the camera with us too so I was able to get a few shots of it. They weren't very good given the height he was sitting at, but we have them. We had NO clue what he could be so we drove two more blocks to home and grabbed the bird book. We turned around to go get a second look and got there just in time to see him in flight which is also good for identifying a bird. We looked through the book and I kept going back to the same bird, but was sure that nothing that exotic was here in Utah. We came home, did a little bit of research and yep, I was right, it's a Double-Crested Cormorant. The best part of all this? As I'm sitting here typing, Hollee is in her room reading up on the bird. And the others are chatting about it, holding the yard stick to see how big he was and generally just being excited. It's nice to get the kids interested in something besides all the usual stuff. It's even nicer when we get to do those things as a family, I just wish that Timm could have seen the bird. We'll go out tonight and check the area and hopefully have another sighting.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Kindergarten Teachers

Sometimes I feel so bad for Kindergarten teachers, they get these tiny little kids in their class. Kids that are little enough to still say "I love you" to a teacher, kids that are still little enough to cry when they get hurt and run to their teachers for hugs, kids that are little enough to still say they have a tummy ache. Then, after we give them these little kids and they teach them and care for them and fall in love with them, we not only take them away for the summer, but we make them have a ceremony. Being a teacher and sending the kids out the door with a "See you next year!" would be hard enough, but to have a whole graduation ceremony and have singing and speeches? I haven't been to one yet where the teacher didn't cry. Thanks to all the teachers, especially the ones who take time to form bonds with our kids!

Monday, May 24, 2010

Rewards

I walked a group of kids from the school to the theater this morning. It was one of the end of school reward days. 183 kids got to leave school and go watch Shrek 4. The school has also had a dance and a Lagoon day. All for the kids who have not received any detentions. Do you remember the time when you would be rewarded for good behavior? I don't mean all of these little blessings in disguise we get for being good people, I mean flat out rewards for being good. How fun would that be to get rewards for being nice? Like a certificate for not being late to anything for a whole month (we all know how hard it is to get the family ready and out the door on time), or a free ice cream for being the friend with the shoulder that gets cried on, or a round of applause for not losing your cool when the third cup of juice gets spilled at dinner. How cool would that be? Anyway, back to the real world. I am glad that these kids get recognized for good behavior. Too many times we overlook the good and focus on the bad. These kids need this recognition too, out of the five kids I walked over I think only one of them knew how to walk with her head up and I happen to know that this little girl had to work hard to get like that. These teenagers and preteens are at a point in their life when it feels like it's them against the world and they could use all the confidence boosters they can get. So go write somebody a note, take somebody to get some ice cream, or just give them a hug and tell them how good they are.
Here are my virtual hugs to the people who have been especially good to me lately.....
(((((((((((Timm)))))))))) ((((((((((Gabrielle)))))))))) ((((((((((Lorelei)))))))))) ((((((((((Jessica)))))))))) ((((((((((Alex)))))))))) ((((((((((Angie))))))))))
((((((((((Hollee)))))))))) ((((((((((Alison)))))))))) ((((((((((Eli))))))))))
((((((((((Andrew)))))))))) ((((((((((Jackson)))))))))) ((((((((((Darlene))))))))))
((((((((((Anybody who takes the time to read my blog, I love you!))))))))))

Friday, May 21, 2010

PUDDING!

Jack woke up yesterday after coming home from the dentist. He walked over to the fridge and managed to get there with out falling over (he was very wobbly from the anesthesia). He opened the fridge, looked inside and said, "Aw! No pudding?" Luckily we had anticipated this and Timm was at the store picking some up at that very moment.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Nurses

Sure the doctors and dentists are important, but it was the nurses that made my boy feel so comfortable today. Although, I do have to say that the anesthesiologist was super nice to him and made him smile a few times.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Being A Mom And Not A Dad

Sometimes, when I am the one who gets puked on and I am the one who has to go to 6 doctors appointments in 2 weeks and I am the one who has to go to the school 3-4 times a day, I have to remind myself that Mom's get extra perks too. They believe my stories and look to me for confirmation of Daddy's stories. They make sure I don't have to do any chores on my birthday. They grab stories to read when going to bed, and can't go to sleep with Daddy telling the stories, Mommy has to read the last one. They come to me when upset or hurt. They know that only Magic Mommy kisses can make the pain go away. I can get puked on once in a while.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Lilacs

Right now, every morning when I step outside, I am assaulted by the most wonderful scent in the whole world..... LILACS. They will be even better today with the rain. I would give up every other season of the year (even though I would miss the snow and the hot enough to swim all day days) if I could smell lilacs all year. I think it's about time to send my husband out in the middle of the night to pick me some lilacs so my room will smell like them. He has to sneak out at night since we don't actually have our own, and yes, he does this for me.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Warm Days

The kids played outside for hours yesterday. They didn't want to come in either. Also, I noticed that when kids are outside the whole neighborhood notices. Just one group of kids is out, then a few kids across the street come out, then the neighbor kid comes and plays with my kids, then finally you hear laughter all down the street. It's like once they hear somebody outside they can no longer resist.

Friday, May 14, 2010

Kids On Parade

The Kindergarteners all in their cars walking over to the fire station was priceless. The best part? When they were crossing the street and a police man stopped at the light and the first cardboard car to cross was a police car. The police man was just grinning from ear to ear.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Cardboard Cars

We have been making a car out of a cardboard box for Andrew. All the Kindergarteners will be "driving" around the school tomorrow. This is not the first cardboard car I have made and I think they are just getting better and better. You know how I know? The kids keep getting more and more excited about their cars. Am I the only one who sometimes wishes they had bigger boxes so I could play in them too?

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Couch Cuddles

Everyone likes to curl up on the couch and get in some good snuggly time right? You know what's even better? When you look over and see your "I'm too cool for hugs" 8 year old boy sit next to his dad and snuggle in. He casually throws his arm around his dad, waits for his dad to do the same, and lays his head down and starts watching tv like this is nothing unusual. I was grinning so much I had to leave the room incase he saw me and got embarrassed. I for sure did not want to ruin the moment.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Confidence In The Good Guys

Jack: Daddy, do good guys die?
Daddy: Sometimes.
Jack's eyes go huge and his face is filled with disappointment.
Daddy (stumbling over his words): Oh, no, no, good guys don't die.
Jack (smiling and walking out of the room): Porter! Daddy says good guys don't die!

Monday, May 10, 2010

Moms

I love being one. I love having one.

Friday, May 7, 2010

Friday?

I forgot it was Friday today. My husband no longer works on Fridays and sure the kids went to school, but it was a half day. After we picked them up we went to the grocery store and ran a few other errands. By the time we came home I was surprised when I saw them getting out of the car with their back packs. By the time summer hits I'll have to start calling Friday Saturday #1.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

New Books

I have a pile of new books just waiting for me. Instead of wanting to read something and standing in front of the book shelves for 15 minutes trying to decide which book I would like to read again, I can just reach over and grab my little pile and decide which one will fit my mood. I love having books waiting for me. Each one is like a little vacation already planned out and marked on the calendar.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Wrapping Paper

Why is it that people have started using gift bags instead of wrapping paper? You get more mileage out of it right? WRONG! You buy a gift bag, put one present in it and give it away. Sure, the person you gave it to is grateful you didn't write on the tag and uses it for someone else. then they use it, and then the next person uses it, until it's too wrinkly to use, but unless one of those people give it back to you, you only use it once. With wrapping paper you get a whole roll. That's 20 square feet, baby! You can wrap 3 really big gifts or 103 really small gifts!

Then there is the issue of the peeker. All that stands between the peeker and their present in a gift bag is a piece of tissue paper and that's no fun. With wrapping paper that box just sits their mocking the peeker. They have designed wrapping paper so that if you lift that tape, the color of the paper is coming with it, leaving a little telling white square. Sure you can see the shape of the package, or shake it a bit, but that's why false packaging was invented.

Now we get to the BEST part of wrapping paper. RIPPING IT! Come on, you know it's not just the kids that like to do it. Every body likes to tear into that package. Don't worry about saving the paper, we have 20 square feet. What is more satisfying than ripping open that paper that has been sitting there all day enticing you with those pretty, colorful polka dots? Not much, that's what.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

ABC

I love ABC Mandarin.

Monday, May 3, 2010

Trains

I love going to the Union Station. We had a birthday party there on Saturday for my now 4 year old. It was pretty fun. He wasn't the only birthday boy there either. There was another little boy who was also named Jack having a party there. It was just great seeing how many different types of people love trains. From the two birthday boys, to the little old lady in the gift shop. There were a bunch of old men from a train club having a little swap meet there, or as the old lady said, selling their junk to each other. The kids ran around playing on the old trains and watching the model trains, while the dads stopped at the boring displays and read the same things that have been on the walls all the other times they have been there. Trains seem to be a bridge between the generation gaps. The old guys would just smile as the little guys ran past. It was a great way to spend a Saturday.