WHO THROWS A SHOE!?!?

Well...apparently my son does...into a basketball goal on his way from the bathroom back to the classroom.

So, I ask the boy why he chose to do such a thing.

His response..."because they [the shoes] were loose."

As if that is a perfectly reasonable solution to loose shoes!

And "they" say women are hard to understand!?!

[And yes, this was definitely one of those "fighting to keep as straight face while you lecture on self-control and good judgment" times :]

Never a dull moment...

Make-Up Day or MAKEUP Day?

Gracie went back to school today, but had to leave early because she wasn't feeling well. As we were leaving, the Director mentioned that since they'd canceled school on Friday due to the ice, they are holding a make up day tomorrow.

Gracie: Mommy, can I go to Makeup Day tomorrow at school?

Me: No, I think you'd better stay home and rest up. You'll probably be ready to go back on Wednesday.

Gracie: OH MAAAAAAN! I LOVE MAKEUP!

[Mommy's light bulb comes on]

Me: Ohhhhh...no honey. A make up day isn't a day where you get to wear makeup to school. It is an extra day that you go to school because you missed another day before that.

Gracie: Oh. Ok. Well, Wednesday is Cowgirl Day....

Few Funny Things

That happened over the last week or so...

#1 - G got in trouble at school on Monday.  Apparently, she hijacked a little boys coloring sheet and started coloring it FOR him because he wasn't coloring it to her satisfaction. She maintains she was "helping" him.  What a little control freak...no idea where she gets THAT from! :)

Yes, we had a talk when she got home...but it was definitely one of those times I had to hold back the smile.

#2 - C is supposed to be memorizing the 10 commandments for school over the next two weeks.  He was given the option of memorizing a 10 commandments song and singing it for his teacher OR a list of the 10 Commandments and saying it for his teacher.  Monday, he said he wanted to sing the song.  Tuesday, he came home and said he'd changed his mind.  (I assumed this was because he didn't want to sing for his teacher...I was wrong :)   When I asked him why he changed his mind, he said "The song has more words.  The list has less words.  I'd rather do the list." Mr. Pragmatic. :)

#3 - Last week I found a copy of a R*bert F*rber July Flower print at Goodwill.  I was pretty excited because I'd seen them before and really like the vintage look.  It was $5.00 and snatched it up.  I showed it to J and he was so-so on it...said it looked old :)  But he agreed to hang it in our bedroom for me this weekend.  After he put two (one hole was too low for my liking...he's very patient with me) holes in our still freshly painted walls, I hung the picture up.  Here is the conversation that transpired:

Me:  [as I was hanging the picture] See,  isn't that pretty...Huh...J, what is that in the vase at the bottom of the picture.  Is that a drawing of naked men?  What are they doing???

J:  That's...HO NOW!  That's three dudes...SKETCHY!

Me:  [Taking the picture down and putting in the To Donate pile] I'll go steal another picture from somewhere else in the house to cover up those holes in the wall.

(I hadn't noticed previously but sort of hidden in the vase was a "bonus" picture...kinda looked like the style of Leonardo Da Vinci's David...not sure what that style is called)

Dads' Doughnut Day

Yesterday was Dads' Doughnut Day at C's school.

A few weeks back, each 1st Grader invited his/her dad to school for the morning and then worked to earn $3.00 to "treat" Dad to a doughnut and coffee.  Their teachers helped them write essays about Dad that they shared with the class and the dads. 

Here's C's...it might be my favorite of all his creations :)

The trip that he's referring to is one that we took over FOUR YEARS AGO! 

Not long after G was born J and I decided we wanted to do a little something special for C.  J took the day off and we went to a really neat county park about an hour from the house.  

It was a fun day! :)

Leaves Through The Years

One of the reasons we bought this house is because the yard is FULL of mature trees like this one...

Sooo it stands to reason that we spend a fair amount of time every year tending to leaves...lots and LOTS of leaves :)  Thankfully, it isn't all toil and drudgery.  C and G make it fun for all four of us :)

As I was looking at these pictures that J took on Saturday, I was reminded of  other pictures we'd over the years of this same Leaf-Raking Event :)

Some years were decidedly less joy filled (C at 10 months old)...

His grumpy disposition toward leaves didn't stick though (C at 20 months old)

Some were REALLY sweet :) (C at 32 months and G at 7 months)

Unfortunately, we don't have pictures to represent every year...it was still a fun little trip down memory lane none-the-less :)  These old pictures make me a little sentimental.  But then I remember one VERY important detail and am brought right back to an appreciation for today...the older they get the more they can actually HELP us with all these BLASTED leaves :)

Confession or Damage Control Strategy???

Funny conversation from supper last night:

Me:  [to J] End of Quarter Parent/Teacher Conferences for C's class are this week.  Mine is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.

C:  What are conferences?

J: [joking] That's when Mommy talks to your teacher and finds out how much trouble you've been getting into at school.

G: [quickly responds/interrupts] C doesn't EVA ("ever" in G speak...the girl has a KILLER accent :) get into trouble at school!

C:  WEEEEEELLLL G, I wouldn't exactly say THAT....

[J and I exchange glances across the table and try not to laugh]

Since last night, I keep coming back to two rather amusing thoughts...

#1 - I'm not sure if I should be proud for his honesty OR worried that he's preemptively setting the bar low in preparation for my conference...guess I'll find out Wednesday :)

#2 - When a Teacher's Pet and a Classroom Trouble Maker fall in love, get married, and have a baby I suppose it should not be a surprise that said baby would be a semi-troublemaker with a sensitive conscious...poor kid! :)

Halloween 2012

Introducing C as Snake Eyes from GI Joe and G as a Cowgirl.

G has been asking to be a Cowgirl ever since C was a Cowboy last year.  C's selection of Snake Eyes is a result of J, C, and G watching old GI Joe episodes on Netfl*x.  I think J was pleased to have an "old-school" character represented :)

They were both super excited about their costumes!  Between G wanting to "lasso" C and C jumping around like a Ninja, taking pictures was a bit of a challenge :)