Pterodactyl

Tess is experimenting with loud, high-pitched, pterodactyl-like screams.  Sometimes this is when she’s upset, sometimes when she’s happy.  Sometimes she just seems to want to make noise…For some strange reason, this isn’t my favorite experiment.

Random sketches

I’ve got a whole bunch of things to blog about, but not a lot of time, so I thought I’d put a few things into one post.

Now that the weather has turned chilly, I’m feeling nostalgic for warm-weather days.  So I’m including some warm-weather pictures in this post.

Simeon, when asking for more food, says, “May I please have another load?”  Haha!  I really think this is funny, but I realize that it’s also far from polite, so I told him today that “another serving” is generally how we phrase that.  We’ll see if it sticks. 

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We got a new reel lawn mower.  Well, new to us – previously owned.  The kids all took turns helping me mow the lawn – except Tess, who was in the pack on my back.  However, this is ANOTHER good reason to use a reel mower:  Hannah will shortly be able to mow the lawn all by herself.  Naomi isn’t too far behind her, either. 

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Hannah and Naomi play piano now!  They’ve had three lessons.  They are, so far, highly motivated to practice.  This is good.  I hope it lasts.  We did have one meltdown about a song that I could tell wasn’t being played according to the music, but managed to get past it and on to playing the correct notes.  Their teacher is the pianist and organist at Blessed Sacrament, so they see her on Sundays, too.  I’ve found that the selection of a teacher is key for them – they’ll work really hard for people they like, and complain and whine and moan about things for people they don’t.  So far, it looks like we selected a good teacher for them.

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Tess signs up a storm these days.  In fact, she’s started doing two-sign combinations.  Her first one was “Baby Jesus.”  She signs “Tess Baby” when she sees herself in the mirror.   She also started saying, “Tee too,” when she signs “Thank you.”  The cuteness factor shoots through the roof. 

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I’ve lately found several dishes that our kids will ALL eat.  One is a beef vegetable soup that I made up.  Another is fish and corn chowder.  In fact, there are a few fish soups that they all like.  When I answer the question, “What’s for dinner?” with something that contains fish, they always are enthusiastic.  This seems strange to me, since I really didn’t like fish as a kid.  However, I don’t tell THEM that!

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Tess signs all of her siblings’ names, and asks for them when she wakes up in the morning and from her nap.  She will look at me and sign the name of the one she thinks is making any racket that she hears coming from another room, and she’s right almost every time. 

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Now it’s time for pumpkins and apples and warm pajamas! 

Proposed field trips

We had the in-town cousins with us for the day today, and as we were driving out to the apple orchard, we were privileged to hear this confidence, told to Naomi by her girl cousin:

A:  I’d like to see what the juvenile penitentiary is like. [Slight pause]  But I don’t want to do it the hard way – that would be to get arrested and have to go there.  [Pause for further reflection]  But if there were a field trip, I’d like to go.

I could just imagine myself sending out an email to the homeschool groups about that upcoming field trip…

Most unexpected comment

on Clean Our Rooms Day:  “Can we do this every week?!?”

Me:  Well…okay.

Them:  YAY!!!

This may or may not have had something to do with me letting them vacuum their own rooms. 

Win-win. 

I like to call this series

“Trailing clouds of tissue”

(Apologies to William Wordsworth…)

Someone, and I am not going to mention any names here, discovered the toilet paper while Mama was in the shower.

Simeon turned 4!

I’m way behind.  Not just here, but many, many places in my life.  Moving might have something to do with this.  But it also might just be that I don’t do enough around here.

So I didn’t get a post up on Sim’s birthday, but I want you to know:  He’s 4!  How on earth…?

Four years ago.

On his birthday.  This year, he wanted a dirt cake.  And he wanted gummy worms.  And he wanted to help.  That’s why he’s got the chocolate all over his face.

He also helped clean up before his birthday gathering.

It was a fairly small one – only three families.  It was tons of fun, though, and we were out on the deck and in the backyard until dark – as you can see.  Luckily we have spotlights out there!

Boy appropriate gifts!  A nerf gun!  Rules:  No shooting people.  No shooting in the house.  Time on the first day of ownership from wakeup until breaking both rules at once by shooting Dad in the house:  1.5 hours.  That’s pretty good!  Since then, he’s been much more careful.

Four!

Overheard

I just found this, and it’s from a long time ago – when we only had two kids – but it was funny, and I thought I’d share it.

Naomi, while paging through the guide to wild birds: “CHICKEN!”

Hannah: “That’s not a chicken, Mimi.”

N, turning the page: “CHICKEN!”

H: “That’s not a chicken, Mimi.”

N, turning another page: “CHICKEN!”

I have to admit, I’d be surprised if chickens were classified as wild birds. Even in Washington.