Talkin Smack!

I have to admit I'm a bit of a control freak. And I really relished the days when Sophie and Briggs were little and almost anything that they saw or heard had to get through Tyler and I first. I knew that when they started school that would change and I tried to be prepared. It was hard to let go, but they are great and it hasn't been too bad. What HAS been hard though is that I was not prepared for my 3 year old to pick the things up that the kids heard at school or key phrases that the new neighbor kids - and parents - casually throw around. So today as I was strapping Sawyer in his carseat I asked Porter, "Are you getting your seatbelt buckled?" To which he raised one eyebrow, swallowed the bite of pretzel he was chewing and replied, "Does it look like it?" His face turned a little concerned when he saw my shock and he looked even more unsure in the stunned silence that followed. Of course I hid the smile that I couldn't help as I said, "We'll you better get on that," and climbed in the car.

I also heard him laughing and playfully calling Sawyer a 'bumwa' the other day. Fortunately it sounded quite innocent and really was because I was pretty sure that he was actually using a phrase favored by our second grade neighbor - since I've heard it used by him myself several times. - which involves switching the 'm' for a 't' and adding a 'd' to the end of the word. Thanks be that Porter heard it wrong! I thought that term had stayed in the 80's!

First Day of School

We had some mixed feelings about the first day of school this morning. Some excitement of course. Some anxiety. Some disappointment. Some sadness. Some relief that it was finally here! Briggs was up and dressed at 6:30 a.m. Obviously the excited one! He got into the first grade German Immersion program this year and can't wait to make new friends. Sophie was a good sport. She was disappointed that she didn't get into the German Immersion class this year and was more on the nervous side. Her German Immersion class had stayed together - teacher and all - for first and second grade so third grade is a whole new experience. Porter was pretty sad to have the kids leave of course. It's going to be hard for him to get used to not having them around. And I thought I was all relief - quiet, clean house again! - until we got almost home from dropping them off and as we turned onto our street Porter yelled, "Mom! We forgot the kids!" I found my eyes tearing up a bit as I explained, once again, that they were staying at school and would come home on the bus later. I really think a 5-6 hour day total would be perfect. Time to get some things done, but I do like having my kids around. It's really just the swarm of neighborhood kids coming in and out all summer that I can do without!

Tooth Invasion

The poor thing got all four teeth within a week! He was really pretty good about it though. I didn't even know they were coming! Our kids usually don't get teeth until around the year mark - Porter was 14 months - so I wasn't expecting any so soon let alone four at once! Fortunately he is really good about not biting when he nurses, but everything else is fair game as far as he's concerned. He especially likes to bite my jaw, arms, and my neck near my collarbone! He's like a little vampire baby!

Bare Foot Walk

My mom will vouch for me when I say that I've always been a big fan of mud! And I'm always game for any chance to walk/play in it! So when we heard about the Barfoos Pad...we had to go. It is about a mile walk over all kinds of different terrain (mud, moss, grass, rocks, bricks, etc.) I was actually disappointed that there wasn't MORE mud though and being a connoisseur of sorts - it wasn't really the quality of mud I prefer, but the kids loved it! All but Porter that is. He wasn't particularly thrilled at being dragged through thigh high slop and freaked when his shorts got dirty! Whose kid is this?

The second half of the walk was through different obstacle course type things.

Expanding Hobbies

For the past year or two, I have been making bows for Sophie. As I've previously mentioned - I love dressing up my little girl! It's become quite an investment though as I've acquired ribbon in nearly every color imaginable, so when a friend suggested that I make some to sell I thought, why not? And ever since I have been cursing her name because now I've added a whole new realm to my hobby by entering the world of retail. The bows I made that first time all sold and I had orders for more. So now I'm doing some of that, but trying to keep it small scale for now. There is a season for everything and my season for adding things to my to-do list really didn't come with my fourth child. I do really enjoy making bows though! So I do it here and there and just have fun with it and I'm actually glad my friend put a little pressure on me. And if anyone needs a bow, let me know! I love making them for friends and family!

My Beloved New Dishes!

I had several people tell me that they wanted to see the dishes...so here they are! They are called Veitri Incanto and they're so cute and fun, but very classy! Easily dressed up or down. You can see that the dishes in the picture are all different patterns which is what I went with. You can choose a style and have everything the same, but there were too many fun styles, so I bought some of everything!