Monday, August 25, 2008

Pretty as a Picture


I'm posting this picture today because I can hardly believe it myself. It’s hard to believe that I did this to Banana’s hair this morning and there wasn’t a single tear. She usually makes quite a fuss about having her hair combed because it hurts. But today we weren’t in any kind of a hurry (yet) and I was able to take it nice and slow. Afterwards I made a big deal about how cute it looked, and an especially big deal that it didn’t hurt and she didn’t cry. We high-fived each other and decided we needed to take a picture. Hopefully she will remember all of that the next time we need to comb her hair.

Friday, August 22, 2008

Catching Up

It's taken me longer than I thought to get a handle on things, but I think I'm close. The kids and I spent five days at the country house. We spent lots of time swimming in the lake and playing on the beach. Dad came out to be with us for a few days as well. He took the kids fishing, and they caught a few big ones.


We also played games, went for rides on the rope swing, and did some reading. Miss M and I both finished our books in the first two days. We got a surprise visit from a katydid who joined the kids for breakfast one morning. He just crawled up onto the table and started drinking some milk that dripped off of C.B.’s spoon. He stayed there drinking for about 30 minutes. Did you know that katydid’s drank milk?



Aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents joined us over the weekend to celebrate four family birthdays. The kids were so happy to have someone other than me to play with.

Banana enjoys a birthday cupcake.


Mr. H and his baby cousin show off their big, round bellies.

The day after we came home from our country retreat was Sneak-A-Peek Sunday at the kids’ school. We were able to drop off supplies and meet teachers. Miss M’s classroom was packed with desks. This will be the first year that there won’t be 2 sessions of her grade level. Her teacher told me this is the biggest class he’s ever had. I wished her the best of luck. Big D’s class is a more reasonable size. His teacher is young and energetic, and I’m sure he will have a great year in First Grade. I was slightly worried about C.B. and his attitude toward starting full-day Kindergarten. Last year when we went to visit his preschool classroom he wouldn’t even go in the door, much less make eye contact with his teacher. Thankfully he was much more accepting about the starting of school than he was last year at this time. It helped that his Kindergarten teacher gave him a treat bag with a rubber bug and some candy inside.

That same afternoon we attended a picnic with the G.I.F.T. group. G.I.F.T. (Getting Interracial Families Together) is a social group for families of mixed race, whether by marriage, birth or adoption. The kids enjoyed meeting new friends and playing a lot of fun outdoor games.




The next day, Monday, was the first day of school. It wasn’t as hectic as I thought it would be, and everyone seemed excited about the big day. I wish I could say that every day goes that smoothly, but it was certainly a nice start to the school year.




School is going well so far, but I’m thinking the kids are going to be happy to enjoy a school-free weekend. Not that we’ll be lazy, though. Miss M is going to Girl Scout Camp this weekend, Big D has a soccer game, we have a church picnic Saturday evening and 2 birthday parties on Sunday. They might be ready to go back to school to get a break on Monday!

Monday, August 11, 2008

This Just In

We interrupt this highly neglected blog to inform you that the neglect will continue for at least another week. Getting the kids (and myself) ready for the school year to begin sort of consumed me this past week or so. I worked so hard to get ready because I planned one last summer escape for the kids and me before the first day of school next Monday. Tomorrow we leave for the "Country House" where we’ll spend five days with no television or computer. Gasp! Whatever shall we do? I think a stop at the Library before we head out is in order. Everyone could use a new book or two to bring along. Big D has been brushing up on his reading skills in preparation for the first grade. Games and puzzles are always a big part of any trip to the country for our family. C.B. especially enjoys putting puzzles together, and Miss M is quite good at Mexican Train Dominoes and Gin Rummy. The Banana will love the lake…if she can get over the fact that there are fish that live there. Last time we were there she mostly just played in the sand. Personally, I am picturing Mr. H napping at the beach while I watch the kids swim from my lounge chair strategically placed in the shallow water. We’ll see if that dream comes true or not.