Wrestling

It is so hard to get a decent picture in a gym on a red mat!  But hey! I got to go to a meet tonight!  And we finally solved the unsolved mystery from last year.  Gus is a boy.  I saw him go into the Little Boys room tonight and I heard his dad call him Gus.  IJ did not have a chance to wrestle him tonight, but I did watch Gus get beat by another boy.

IJ and Shane won all of their matches tonight.  Shane's last match ended when his opponent bent his elbow the wrong direction after Shane did a reverse move.  IJ pinned his last opponent in 35 seconds.

Merry Monday Morning

Charlie is getting big!

Nothing is better than following up a fun weekend away with an early morning well child doctor's appointment.  Early as in leaving at 8:00 while everything is still completely frozen.  Yep, not my greatest idea.  The appointment lasted 1 1/2 hours...and it only took Daniel about fifteen minutes to demand that we leave and go home again.  And it wasn't even his appointment.  About 45 minutes in, he started crying, "It's MY turn! It's MY turn!"  I asked him if he really wanted a shot like his sisters and he said, "YES!"  The doctor asked if he was due for any and if she should pull up his chart.  I said, "Sure, why not? He asked for it! He totally deserves it!"  Daniel got two shots, Fiona got two shots, and Lula got three.  Fiona, our thespian monarch in training, bawled dramatically and refused to walk, dragging her leg behind her, and insisting the doctor shot her in her bone.  Daniel screamed so forcefully, his face turned a shade of red I've never seen before.  By the time Lula started crying, I started to feel myself slip away into that happy place in the back of my brain where nothing bothers me.  I still haven't recovered.

Lula is still bigger!

And just for fun, here are five indications your house is too cold:

• You have to break the ice on the bottle before you can feed the baby
• You can see your breath when you talk
• The dogs no longer bark at the UPS man because their jaws are frozen shut
• You can leave the chicken on the counter for three days and you still have to defrost it in the microwave
• Drooling babies form icicles on their chins 

Now I'm going back to my place by the fire to knit myself a shawl!

Rubies

I had the opportunity to spend my birthday weekend with my friends up north at our very own Above Rubies retreat.

There

I had a lovely weekend, had wonderful fellowship time, and was also able to squeeze a side trip in to see the older girls and my grandson.

Here

I had a great time, but I'm also happy to be home with my husband and children: Mission Accomplished!

Daniel Makes a Sandwich

First you take the bread...

Then you add the peanut butter... (don't let mom see you lick the knife!)

Add a little jelly...

...Don't forget to lick the spoon!

Stick the licked spoon back in the jar covered in slobber...

...and put more jelly on the sandwich.

Lick your hands a few times...

Stick the bread together...

And ENJOY!

The Beast

Once upon a time, in a faraway land, lived a young prince in a shining castle.  Although he had everything his heart desired, the prince was spoiled, selfish, and unkind.  But then, one winter's night, an old beggar woman came to the castle and offered him a single rose in return for shelter from the bitter cold.  Repulsed by her haggard appearance, the prince sneered at the gift and turned the old woman away, but she warned him not to be deceived by appearances, for beauty is found within...as a punishment, she transformed him into a hideous beast...If he could learn to love another and earn her love in return by his twenty-first year, then the spell would be broken.  As the years passed, he fell into despair and lost all hope, for who could ever learn to love a beast?*

Daniel is my beast.  He was just born this way.  He is time-intensive, high needs, energetic, stubborn, strong-willed, opinionated, and down-right sassy.  His favorite word is NO.  He won't do anything unless it is his idea.  He is very noisy and disruptive during our school day.  If he senses that something is going to happen, he suddenly becomes even louder and needier until he breaks down into a screaming crying mess.  Like today when I wanted to do a simple science demonstration (it could hardly be called an experiment), he started screaming that he needed to go outside and play.

Thank goodness Mark was able to take a quick break and take him for a walk down to the pond.  I was able to quickly finish the demonstration, get IJ and Shane writing up the results, and head out with Lula to relieve him.  I needed some fresh air...and some perspective too.

Daniel can also be so loving and funny.  He is a perfect companion when tootling around outside in a garden or when doing things in the kitchen.  He knows the letter H because he helps me close the dishwasher door and push "start."  The display shows 2H when he pushes right button.  He is happiest when his brothers shower him with coloring time or cars and trains time.  He is so blessed to have these older brothers (who play with him because they remember what it is like to have an older sibling play with them).

This boy is a constant lesson in patience...and the rest of the fruits of the spirit.  His beauty is found within, just like the Beast, and we in our little home need to be like Belle.  By loving him and being an example for him, he will eventually grow out of his beastly behavior and blossom into a handsome prince-hopefully by his 21st year!  So anytime I forget this lesson, I need to come back and read this post again...and again...and again!

*Paraphrased from Disney's Beauty and the Beast.  It was my favorite Disney princess movie until Princess and the Frog came out.  Now they are tied *smile*

Evie Dances

Evie started her dance class today as well!  She is so graceful and so strong.  People were amazed that today was her first day.  I'd like to take credit for her phenotype, but she doesn't resemble me in any way.

I just had a big goofy grin on my face for the whole class.  I can't wait for next Tuesday!

Fiona Dances

 These blurry pictures show that Fiona started dance class today!

She has been so excited.  This girl has been showing off her Nutcracker dance to anyone who will watch it.  Yesterday she created a jumping/kicking/stomping dance that looked like a four years old's interpretation of Irish dancing. 

When I showed her what real Irish dancing looked liked, she nearly swooned.  Not because of the jumping, etc, but because the DRESSES were so PRETTY and SPARKLY.  She couldn't even choose which one was her favorite. And the CURLS and the MAKEUP! Oh my, I think her little girl head was going to explode.

Fiona's dance class is a mixture of ballet, tap, and creative movement (aka acting like animals).  She LOVES the tap dancing!  The teacher told me Fiona did very well for her first day and she is a natural.  I know she is a natural performer (people say she gets it from me) and I can't wait to watch her in future classes.