Two parents in the game

Stephen has switched to a 9/80 work schedule which means in 9 days of work, he puts in 80 hours and he gets that 10th day off.  He was the last hold out in his department.  Anyway, this is a huge help and can be lots of fun too.  As we sat down to dinner at 6:30 tonight, all put together and organized he commented "we can actually do this when there are 2 of us, huh?".  Today we both exercised (and showered), canned 12 quarts of applesauce, got the blueberries made in to a berme, got Franklin down for 2 naps (a feat that's impossible when you are alone because you have to wake him sometime to get siblings from school), posted a blog post (now 2!) and made a balanced dinner by 6pm so I could take a plate to someone who needed it.  Amazing.  The kids will actually make it to bed by 8pm, the dishes will get done by 9 and we might watch a movie.  Or play a game.  Amazing.  I want a second wife.

Playing catch-up . . . again

Anecdote of the month:  At school, every Monday, each class announces a new "Star Citizen" for the week.   Odessa was selected as the first Star Citizen last year and this year and she has gotten to feeling like she is a bit of a Star Citizen expert.  Ada has the same teacher that Odessa had last year.  Last Monday on the way home from school:

Odessa:  Ada!  I was very upset to hear you were NOT Star Citizen AGAIN this week!  What is going ON??

Ada:  I don't know!

Odessa:  Are you doing your work?  Are you handing in your homework on time?  Are you talking too much?  Do you get put into time out?

Ada:  Yes, yes, no and no!

And the whole way home Odessa grilled her and gave her tips on how to improve her star citizen chances.  It was quite the riot.

Franklin spends much of his time pushing his trucks around the house.  Any trucks, tractors or cars- he absolutely is bananas for.  His current cuteness is saying an emphatic "YESSSSTTTTHHHH" to most things you ask him.  But you can ask him about some things "do you want some peas?" and get a "NOPE" or very vigorous shake of the head.  He's thrown a few word sentences out too "all gone, bread" and when asked for something, he can go in to another room and find it.

He loves playing pretty much any game with "sissies" which is what he calls Ada and Odessa

When I turned conference on, he ran to the TV, clapped is hands and sat down to watch- I was so surprised!  No idea why he was so excited.

Sitting on Sissy is one of the fun games

Our neighbor was so delighted that we cut down our holly tree, she volunteered her father's help.  He's a retired logger from Lewiston.  The berries and pointy leaves make an awful mess in both our yards.

The kids didn't love the chain saw

Timber!!

Sitting on another Sissy

Everyone but me got the flu.  It was the pits, but Franklin was quite the snuggle bug.  He's more snuggly than the girls were.  He also learned "hug" and will have times when he will run into a room and yell "hug!" and run and grab our legs until we pick him up.  Then he runs out, turns around and runs right back in "hug!" over and over.  I don't get much dinner made, but who cares?

I love our Fall colors

Franklin in his "baseball outfit" that was all hand me downs from different people.  He was so delighted to throw balls and run after them.  

The girls picked out the designs . . . and Mom and Dad did the rest.  Really, carving isn't for kids, is it?

Franklin LOVES "cay-cay" and he's had more than his fair share since he's the baby and so darn cute.  He can throw a mean tantrum too, I have to put a stop to the "cay-cay".

Last year they were fairies and they froze.  They decided on Halloween night last year that they were going to be the warmest costumes they could find, and they were.  We got these throughout the year at consignment store sales.  I think every kid has been the dalmation now.

Our house- last stop!

Oh, in ten years . . .

Any parent knows that you have thousands of moments each week when your kids fight or do something you wish they wouldn't and you sigh and wonder if you'll all make it through this child-rearing in one piece.  To help counter that, every once in a long while you have moments that make your heart melt.  My first heart melt moments were when Ada learned how to laugh at Odessa- the 2 of them giggling together were worth all the times 18 month old Odessa tried to smother newborn Ada with a blanket.
I already had a memorable moment yesterday when Odessa wanted Ada to pick out her outfit for the first day of school (can you just see it when they are 15 and 16 and screaming about who borrowed whose sweater?!).  There are many days Odessa lauds her age and 1st grader wisdom over her sister and tortures her with the fact that she has best friends at school.
Today I was blessed with another moment to counter those mean girl moments.  For the first 3 days of kindergarten, 2/3 of the kids go home each day and 1/3 stay for assessments so the teachers can see where everyone is at.  Ada got to stay today and we were talking about it at breakfast.
Odessa:  (to me) so Ada gets to go to lunch recess today?
Me: Yes
Odessa:  (excited) Ada, want to play with me at recess?

Me:  Happy sigh.  Moment recorded.

So fast . . .

Where did summer go?  We had only about 2 1/2 months, but where did it go?  The girls have been counting down to school for a few weeks and playing school at home.  I usually have to be the teacher and was told to send them out to recess a lot.

This morning, Ada picked out her outfit- black jeans and neon t-shirt.  Odessa liked it so much, she asked Ada to pick out her outfit.  Ada told her the key was "dark and light colors together make an outfit glorious".  No joke.  She said "glorious".

Ada will go to half day kindergarten, which means I will be walking to school 3 times each day and Franklin will be squeezing in naps at random times.  It's going to be a rough year, and that's just a fact.

I am surprised I am one of those moms that doesn't want to send my kids off to school.  Life is easier without a schedule and demands on my time and being a mom to Franklin is 100X easier when the girls are here, even errands are easier with them along.  So, I want them home- mostly for selfish reasons.  I never figured on that one!

so cute!  Franklin absconded the lunches

Nervous and excited, their brother was whining and running circles around them- I think he sensed something was changing

Brag session

All mommy bloggers end up bragging about their kids.  Well, this post is solely dedicated to that purpose.  So if you aren't a grandparent or a tolerant family member, it's ok if you don't read on.  LOL

One day after kindergarten when she had pigtail buns and just looked so darn cute

When Odessa started kindergarten almost a year ago, we filled out a form and one question was what did I hope for her to get out of kindergarten and what did Odessa hope to get out of kindergarten?  I wrote that Odessa wanted very badly to learn how to read, I wanted her to make friends and learn how to navigate social situations (she hadn't been to any preschooling and her personality is a bit oblivious to social norms).  Well, it seemed silly that I was worried.  She quickly made lots of new friends, knew everyone in her class and was invited to 3 parties by the end of 3 months.  Her goals were also realized- she learned to read and tested in the 99th percentile for reading at mid-term and 93rd percentile for math.  After she talked about the tests, we found out she had finally left problems undone because she didn't want to stay in the computer lab anymore!  At the end of the year we encouraged her to take her time and finish all the questions.  She scored in the 99th percentile in both areas.  Her teacher (who once dissuaded us from having her tested for advanced programs) has since suggested that we do so and she will write the teacher evaluation.  At the end of the year assembly, Odessa was awarded the Seymour Kaplan Humanitarian nomination with a few of her fellow classmates.  All the kids in kindergarten nominate their classmates who are caring, sharing, and stand up for others.  We wanted to test both Odessa and Ada this year and if they both qualify for the same advanced programs, then they will attend another elementary school the following year.  My requirement is that they are both at the same school, it will be too difficult to have them going to different schools.  Odessa has always been super athletic and coordinated, we need to let that bloom by putting her in soccer this fall and t-ball in the spring.

Ada is so ready for kindergarten.  Although she will be attending only half days, (the school will not be paying for the full day program and neither will I!  Odessa got to attend full day because it was free.  Ada will just be taken out at half day every day, pretty crappy) she won't suffer from missing half the day.  She was always hovering nearby while Odessa did her homework and she has already started to read.  She knows her math skills much better than Odessa did at this point too- it seems any time Odessa learns something, Ada tries to catch up.  She is more artistic than athletic, and her sense of color and style has always been instinctual.

This is a drawing Ada came  up with- Flower Girl, a super hero that waters plants with her watering can and helps flowers to grow

Franklin- well, he's just nutso clever and picking up so many words and concepts, we can't believe it.  We always were told boys were slower, but when he's got 2 older sisters, I guess that's not the case.  He not only mimics all kinds of words, he repeats them later in context, constantly surprising us.  He knows when he's being naughty and tricky, he has certain facial expressions for both.  We were in a classroom yesterday when someone tapped on the door- Franklin ran over and tapped on the door back at the person.  Then he looked at me as if to say "why don't they knock back?" and repeated 2 more times.  He kills me.  He wants to dish his own food, eat just like mom and dad with metal fork and spoon and glass cup with milk.  Needless to say, he makes the biggest mess of our 3 kids at this age, but he's the most independent and demanding.  When we read scriptures at night, Odessa reads her own verses and Ada tries, then usually repeats after us to finish. I noticed Franklin seemed to be trying to copy.  So now I tell him it's his turn and to repeat after me.  I say a phrase and he mimics some jumbled phrases.  It's beyond cute.  He can also go and get something I tell him to get, or throw away.  Love him.

My kids are no prodigies or geniuses, but I'm happy they are on the right track and doing well so far!!
I will read this in 8 years when one of them is failing some subject or getting into trouble and just cry myself to sleep.  Ha ha.

Turning into "one of those bloggers"

Yep, I have done it.  I have become so many things I thought (or swore) I wouldn't.  The latest on the list is that I am "that blogger" that no longer blogs.  No, I didn't get bored with it, I just got too busy.  So no one knows much of what we've been up to lately, I am hoping to remedy that soon.  And although I started a blog draft about 2 of my dearest friends and their moves, I didn't finish it to my liking and never posted it.  Basically, 2 of my best friends from High School in Boise moved further away from me.  One lived in Ft Collins and I hadn't seen her for years (until our recent trip there in May), but now she is living even further away in Minnesota and the chances of meeting are even more slim.  She had a huge impact on me in my teenage years, encouraging the more cultural side of me to flourish- she is my travel buddy and I wish we could visit more countries together.  She is my genius friend, I am her Mormon mommy friend.  We always find things in common despite being so different.  I am grateful to her for always working at staying in touch.  The other friend lived here in Seattle- her family was a huge plus to us considering taking a job in Seattle.  Family away from family.  Home away from home.  She showed me the ropes in Seattle and hidden spots that have become my favorites too.  She is my kindred spirit and bosom buddy and yes, we watched a lot of Anne of Greene Gables growing up.  When we get together, people assume we are tipsy because we laugh so much at the slightest things.  Her husband isn't quite convinced we don't imbibe on our girl's nights out.  We just get each other's sense of humor and can make anything into a joke. Now she is far away in North Carolina and I feel a little hollow inside when I think of it.

So HERE is a web album of the things we have been doing lately- it's easier than posting a ton of pictures.  It includes my first quilting experiences, Father's Day, horseback riding lessons, Odessa's Book Club and a few pictures from the Hunt family reunion we just got back from.  What the pictures don't show is how fast Franklin is growing and learning new things.  He walks- almost runs, everywhere.  He can say or mimic words, animal sounds and do signs for others. Hi, bye, Daddy, doggy, Mommy, truck, please, thank you, yes (yaaaaahhh), chicken, "neigh!!", moo, baaaaahhhhh, "hisssss" (the girls both have stuffed snakes), ruff-ruff, more, thirsty, eat, drink, wait, again, berry, "I Stink", book, shoe, ball, fish, "ribbit", "roar", "burp", "brrrrrr!" (the trumpet of an elephant), bell, bite and bike (those 2 sound very similar!).  He has surprised us with how fast he has learned to communicate- we assumed he would be slower than the girls.  He is wickedly smart and mischievous.  He insists on eating like a big kid- he ate his first bowl of cheerios today with milk and a spoon- all by himself.  He won't drink milk from a sippy cup, last night I realized he wants it out of a glass like the rest of us, so he finally drank his first cup of milk.  He "folds" his hands and waits during prayer.  He has stopped eating crayons and trying to draw with them instead.  He is super active and wants to be outside, playing in the dirt, picking and eating all the raspberries (no matter how unripe) and chasing the balls around the yard.  That doesn't work so well with my schedule . . .  He is going to break a hole in our screen door trying to get outside.  We finally drained the broken hot tub and drilled holes in the bottom so it won't fill again with rain water.  Hopefully we can turn it into a sand box before school starts.  Imagine the time he would spend digging in it!  One day Stephen picked a good sized bowl of raspberries and put them on the table.  Franklin threw a fit because he couldn't follow Dad back outside, but then got quiet.  I went to look for him and found him stuffing the last raspberry in his mouth.  He had managed to get the bowl off the table and stuff every berry in his mouth in about 60 seconds.

He loves going without clothes and loves being read to - he will bring me books all day

I have no pictures of the girl's swim lessons.  Odessa tackled the skills in her class in Odessa-like fashion, becoming one of the best in her class and relishing the praise of her instructors.  Ada approached swim lessons in Ada-like fashion, finding it much more fulfilling to splash around, play games with her classmates and generally not learn much.  She is pretty good at keeping herself safe in the water which is the important part.  She had a crush on one of Odessa's instructors- she "liked his hair, the way he talked, everything about him!".  This comment was always followed by a giggle and sigh that she wasn't in his class.  Yes, I am alarmed my 5 yr old has a crush on a college boy.

We are looking forward to another month of chillin' and maybe a couple day trips, but mostly we just spend weekends trying to keep up with the yard.  I miss Idaho and was sad to drive in to the city after being in the mountains the last 5 days, but the carpet of green on the drive into Western Washington was a stark contrast to the dry yellow and brown of nearly everything in Idaho.

I like summers here.

Tooth Fairy Follow Up

Thankfully, the Tooth Fairy remembered Ada the next night and she in turn left another note for her.
"I frgf (forgive) you.  I wus upset with you but now I frgf you.  I frgf you."
Whew.