Is it Really December?

I actually have to ask.  And not just because time is flying by so fast that I can't keep up with the changing months. But also because today looks like this outside:

    Yes, those are shorts and t-shirts they are wearing

    The G-man can hardly believe it either. 

And, as you might expect from St. Louis weather, it's supposed to snow tomorrow!  So naturally it's appropriate that I was serenaded by a couple of cute Christmas carolers this morning. 

 

It was a rousing rendition of "Jingle Bells" on a sunny December day.  I guess it's a good thing they weren't singing "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas".

 

Because it's not :-)

Reading Lessons

 

The G-man read his first book today.

We're homeschoolers, you know, so we start 'em early around here :-)

This must be an interesting story. He usually has such a short attention span. 

Yes, that is a Halloween sleeper. Don't judge. It's warm and it fits him perfectly!

That was a good book!

Now big brother tells him what it's really all about.

Next up for the G-man.......

Piano lessons!!

Pleasant Surprises

I have to admit...I am a "glass is half empty" kind of person.  When I set out into the world with my children, I rarely set out with the notion that anyone will be happy to see us coming.  I usually expect people around us to be bothered by our presence. By our noise.  By the sheer amount of space we take up!  So last week when we attended a play at the history museum (it was FREE for homeschoolers!) I was pleasantly surprised by the young man at the museum desk who said, " We are so glad you are here!" as he handed me my six tickets. I realized how infrequently I actually hear that. It brought a smile to my face.

About a month ago I took the kids to the zoo.  Banana and Big D had free lunch coupons for their birthdays so we decided to go the the restaurant there, which we never do. I quickly remembered why we never do it as I waited in a long line to order.  There were no tables available.  We had to watch for one to open up and then I sent the kids over to sit there while I continued waiting in line.  The G-man decided he was starving while we waited, so I ended up nursing him in line - while standing up and pushing a stroller. He was still nursing as I ordered and even when the food appeared.  I wondered how I was going to manage getting the food and drinks, the baby, and the stroller over to the table?  The stroller actually came in handy with its cup holders.  The Banana was my hero when she came over and asked if I needed help.  Did I ever!  By this time I was sweating.  We made it over to the table only to find out that we needed a bigger table for all of us and our lunches. We had to move in order to find two empty tables to push together.  Finally, we sat down together to eat.  I was still sweating when we were cleaning up, and was completely taken aback by the woman who stopped me and said, "Whatever you are doing with those kids is amazing. They are the most well-behaved children I have ever seen."  I went back to the table and shared that lovely thought with the kids, all the while tears were streaming down my face. 

Another instance of my pessimism being blown out of the water occurred when I had something I needed to bring to Miss M at her school.  I was lamenting the fact that I had to bring five children into the school office with me just to drop off a tote bag.  I was sure we would cause a ruckus and maybe even distract a classroom or two while school was in session.  So imagine my surprise when the school secretary met us with a huge smile and joked with the kids a bit before we even got the chance to tell her why we were there!  When Miss M got home that evening she told me that the secretary told her she had a beautiful family.  She said they were quiet and well-behaved; better than some of the two-kid families that have been in the school.  My glass was half full. Fuller even. 

Maybe these events will help me to reverse my thinking when I take the kids places.  I really should bring them along proudly, knowing that they are more likely to brighten a person's day than they are to ruin it. I mean, honestly...how could this face not brighten your day?

Is There a Doctor in the House?

The G-man played the patient today. Mr. H and Banana were the doctors. 

They discussed their diagnosis...

...while the patient waited patiently. And cheerfully!

Further examination was required.

Medication was prescribed. 

And the patient was all better. 

The G-man is lucky he has such highly trained medical personnel in his immediate family. Their advice to you? Take 2 Skittles and call them in the morning. 

The Day After

I have always worried about the amount of candy my kids collect and consume on Halloween. I usually try to limit the amount of candy they can have - "You can have two pieces after lunch, and two pieces after dinner". It's not a lot of fun being the candy master, and it only makes the candy stash last even longer.  But it's what I do because too much candy is bad, right?  Well, with that in mind, imagine how I felt when I came downstairs the day after Halloween and saw this....

The good thing is that they were quietly sorting and trading their candy with one another. Some of them were even making a small pile for their dad and me!  And, yes, there were plenty of empty wrappers on the floor also. The candy feast had begun.  

We had the marvelous idea to make cookies using Halloween candy. We chopped up Reese's, Milky Ways, and Three Musketeers.  We emptied fun sized packages of M&M's into the batter, too. They were delicious!

Everyone contributed to the cookies if they wanted to enjoy them. This helped reduce some of the stash. We're thinking it should become a day-after-Halloween tradition. Our only improvement for next year is that we would use MORE candy!   

It was not really a conscious decision on my part, but the kids have, so far, had unlimited access to their candy. And, so far, no one has gotten a tummy ache or even experienced the legendary "sugar high" that parents are so often warned about.  Maybe the lesson I am learning is to let go of some of that control I think I need to have over things. It's a lot less stressful not to have to tell them how much candy they are allowed to eat. And it's more peaceful, too. 

Now...if I could just transfer that lesson onto other areas of my life.  

It was a dark and stormy night....

No, seriously.  It rained all day on Halloween, scaring children everywhere that there would be no trick-or-treating to be done.  Fortunately for them, the rain let up just after dark. The costumes and makeup went on, and the kids went out.

They were dressed as........

A goblin.

The bride of Frankenstein.

Captain Jack Sparrow.

And see if you can guess this one.....

Did you guess it?  He's a ceiling fan.  Get it? A fan of ceilings. I know. It's pretty lame.  Don't worry....we gave him plenty of trouble about his lack of effort this year.  We should expect great things from him next Halloween. Or else he'll decide he's too old to get dressed up. I guess we'll see!

Update:  Miss M went to a costume party dressed as her cousin.  And he dressed up as her!

 

 

More Milestones

From the Merriam-Webster dictionary...

ad·o·les·cence 

Pronunciation: \ˌa-də-ˈle-s^ən(t)s\

Function: noun

Date: 15th century

1 : the state or process of growing up. 

Big D turned twelve today. TWELVE!  It sounds so grown up. So ready for new opportunities and responsibilities. So...so...OLD.  And so soon! Where did the time go?



As I said yesterday, I am often reluctant for these naturally occurring milestones to come along, but this one seems really big to me.



You'd think I'd be okay with this, since I already have a teenager. But for some reason my little boy turning twelve is hard to swallow. I mean, just look at this...



He's still got that great smile, which I love. And while he is no longer a fan of hugs, and he doesn't sit on my lap anymore, he's still got a big heart and a whole lot of love for his family. He has no problem teasing his brothers or sisters, but if anyone else gives them any trouble, you can bet Big D will stand up for his siblings. And, if you judge by his tough exterior, you may not guess that he's so incredibly good with little ones.





Not just with our G-man, but his other siblings, little cousins, and friends as well. I can't even count the number of times people have told me how sweet or how helpful Big D was with their kiddos.



He is a great help to me at home, even with changing diapers! So maybe I shouldn't lament his adolescence so much. There are definitely some positive things that come with growing up. And I am so proud of the young man he has become.

Happy Birthday, Big D!

It's happening...

When you become a parent, things start happening more quickly than you ever thought they would. And definitely more quickly than you would like.  It seems like as soon as your baby becomes a toddler it's time for Kindergarten already, and suddenly you have a teenager in your house!

We've experienced a couple of major milestones at the Reddy Zoo this week.  First, the G-man started eating baby cereal! While I had tons of fun taking pictures of him eating breakfast this morning, it hardly seems possible that he's old enough for cereal already.

He's not exactly sure what to think of this mushy stuff.

And he would much rather just grab the spoon himself.

But he's getting the hang of it.

And, of course, he had a large audience cheering him on.  The other kids always make him smile.

And if that wasn't enough of a shocker for a mama, Miss M got her driver's license!!!!  Yes, I know that Miss M's news is slightly bigger than her baby brother's first bite of cereal, but unfortunately I didn't think to document the event with even a single picture.  She probably would have killed me for posting it here anyway :-)

As reluctant as I am for milestones such as these to occur, it really will be nice having another driver in the house.  Especially one so willing to run to the grocery store for that forgotten ingredient, or to drop off a sibling at soccer practice.  Now, if only a reliable third car (preferably a cute little crossover in a fun shade of red or blue) would just show up in our driveway.  Then we'd be all set.

Birthday Girl

Believe it or not, Banana turns eight today. She's been looking forward to it for quite some time now. "Eight is great!" has become her motto. 

Banana is such a good big sister to G-man and super-sweet with Mr. H. She is my extra set of hands most days; not to mention the only other female in our male-dominated homeschool. 

She often laughs at inappropriate times (like when someone trips and falls), but her laughter is so infectious that the whole family tends to join in, including the person who fell. 

She and Big D share a birthday celebration, as their special days are only a week apart. They enjoyed a beautiful day at the park with 18 of their cousins this past weekend. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BANANA!!

Will it Work?

I miss posting to this blog. It was such a great way to journal what was happening in our family and share with family and friends. It was more than I could keep up with when we started our adventures in homeschooling. But what a wonderful way to document our adventures!

So I'd like to give this another try. I found an app for my phone that's supposed to make posting a breeze. This is my test post. Will it work?  I guess we'll see how it goes.....

 

Here is a picture of our youngest. He's four months old and just as happy as a baby could be. We'll call him G-man here, since we have changed the names to protect the innocent. The rest of the Zoo just loves him. They can't wait to hold him, push him in the stroller, even pick out his clothes!  He is a joy and a blessing to our family. Haven't met him yet?  Give us a call and see when he's available.