A Rose for the Teacher...

The Special Roses!

Hanging Out with the Teach!

Watch Me Slide!

Say Cheese!

Just Me and My Teacher!

In our school district, the teachers visit each student at home one time during the school year.

We are on a year round schedule and my kid's have been out of school for three weeks for Fall Break. My kindergartner's teacher came to visit one afternoon last week during the break. 

Storytellin' Boy showed her all of his treasures on his dresser, they shared a snack of chocolate cake, they played Legos together, and she toured the backyard and watched him and his brothers and sisters play on the swings and slide.

The visit was a great success. All of my kids enjoyed meeting her. She brought a bag full of books and my son picked one about a baby penguin for his very own.

As she was about to leave, my son ran and took a long pink rose out of a vase on the table and gave it to her.  

"This is for you to remember our special visit," he told her.   

Awww...


Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Walking with Dinosaurs...

This year for Lil' Expert's birthday we decided to forego the large birthday party and instead he invited one friend to go to Phoenix and see the live show "Walking with Dinosaurs."

The show has been touring across the country and it is definitely worth the investment. Both of my boys loved it.  

During the show, my five year old was jumping up and down with excitement and the two older boys were completely enthralled with the large dinosaurs coming to life.   

Here is a little snippet of the T-Rex, a crowd favorite.

It was great timing because the next week my son's kindergarten class started a unit on dinosaurs. He was still excited about the live show and really participated well in the class discussions and assignments.    

The show is very educational and entertaining. It presented a lot of scientific facts about dinosaurs.  

I would definitely recommend it for kids and adults of all ages!

Wonder Twin Powers Activate...

My twin sister and I in 1972.

My mom and her twin brother in 1948.

My mom is in town visiting while the kids are on fall break from school. It is great to have her here. She has been helping me so much.  

My mom has a twin brother. She was first born and is older by three minutes. 

I know how important these three minutes are because I am also a twin.  I have an identical twin sister and I beat her into the world by two minutes.  I  reminded her throughout our childhood that I was the older sister. 

Anyway, we have a lot of twins running through our family. I always wanted to have twins, or at least maybe hoped that one of my siblings might have them. No such luck. I guess since my mom was a twin and then had twins, we were the generation to skip.

In honor of my mom, I salute the twin experience.  It was so fun and zany growing up and I can't really imagine life as a singleton without my partner in crime.  

Through the years, people have mixed us up, called us the wrong names and asked us funny questions about being twins. 

My favorite recurring question has got to be, "How do you tell yourselves apart?"  

My grandmother always told us not to look in the mirror at the same time because one of us might be disappointed.  We thought this was so funny and we would turn to each other when we were getting ready and brushing our hair and say, "Are you disappointed?"

My mom didn't know she was pregnant with twins and she kept telling the doctor that this baby has too many arms and legs, but the doctor assured her that what she was feeling was normal. When we were born, the story goes that the last thing my mom remembers hearing was the doctor saying, "Oh my god there is another one," before she passed out. That was our grand entry into the world, me two minutes ahead of my "younger sister!"

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

September Birthdays...

This was recorded for Cousin Katie, but we want to extend 

the sentiment to all of our September Family Birthdays!

Cousin Katie

Cousin Kelly

Cousin Chris

Uncle Ted

Aunt Linda

Grandma Anna

Lil' Expert 

Ruth

We wish you all a Happy Birthday!

We're not going to be the Jackson 5, Osmond Family, or Jonas Brothers...

But we sincerely extend best wishes from us to you!!

Note:  The howling child was having her foot stomped on by her brother during this fabulous birthday rendition.  Adds to the charm, don't you think? 

Reaching New Heights...

Big Girl!

Sisters!

I'm so Strong!

Triple the Trouble!

Lil' Red has learned to climb.  

She's climbing into the sink and onto the countertops.  

She's climbing up to the top bunk bed and up on the barstools.  

She's climbing the ladder of the play structure and sliding. 

She is most proud about sliding...

She loves sliding!

*More Silly Monkey Stories here!

*Wordless Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Mom

Remembering 9/11...

Seven years ago we were a small family of three.

We were looking forward to our son's first birthday which happened to fall on September 12, 2001. The day after the horrible terrorist attack on our country, but at the time we were unaware of what was to come. 

We were busy making plans for the happy occasion. His first little cake. Celebrating his first steps. Our family joined together to marvel at what a big boy our little baby had become.

On that crazy 9/11 day, I remember holding my small son close and watching T.V. along with the rest of the country. All thoughts of my son's birthday chased away by events that I could hardly understand, or comprehend.

Seven years later, our family has grown from three to six. We have four rambunctious kids and tomorrow our son will turn eight years old.  

Life is completely different than it was on that day, but the memory of it will be forever etched and entwined with the celebration of our son's birthday. A bittersweet occasion to remember the great losses individual families in this country have experienced and endured. A day also to celebrate and watch my first son grow up.   

Here are other stories from the past at Sincerely 'Fro Me to You

I've got all the moves!

Concentration!

Focus!

Today is Lil' Expert's first chess tournament of the year. An all day tournament at the Raddison hotel.  

He continues to enjoy being part of the team at his elementary school. His skills are improving as he gains confidence and maturity.   

We are so proud of you. Good luck today son!!

More positive stories to make you smile here!

More Pets?

A large furry friend.

Hello there, Mr Spider!

Did you come to play?

Yikes, he moves so quick!

Big eyes when he comes too close.

Will he crawl on me?

Tarantula, eek!

My little boys think he's cool!

Mommy's not so sure!

Of course, there's this guy.

Lives in our aquarium.

A big wolf spider.

What about this one?

Tarantula? Wolf spider?

I am not sure which!

I love Arizona living, except for the creepy crawlers that share our land. What's a mom to do? This is my buggy life. We found all three of these eight-legged friends in our yard this week!

I remember in graduate school, I had some little tiny bugs in my apartment in San Francisco from construction going on in the neighborhood. I called the owner several times and I was freaking out... If only I knew then what I know now, those bugs were nothing. All these spiders are probably some kind of bad karma due to me driving my landlord crazy!

I try not to analyze it too much, or think about what else might be out there...  

Haiku Friday! See more poems at A Mommy Story

More pictures PhotoStory Friday

Go ahead and click on the photos it you want a closer look at these new pets!

Are you going to put that on your Blob?

"Mom, Mom there's a tarantula in the yard. You've got to get a picture of it so you can put it on your blob."

"What?"

"It will be really cool to put it on your blob."

"You mean to put it on my blog."

"Yeah, yeah- that's what I said."

I'm glad my kids are taking an interest in my blob blog hobby.

Tarantula pictures coming soon...

 

Sonoita Rodeo Days

My Little Buckaroos!

A boy and his horse dog!

Ride em' Cowboy!

Lasso em' Lassie!

Way to ride!

Who's riding who?

Hold on now Pardner!

This weekend we attended the Sonoita Rodeo, a Labor Day tradition. The kids enjoyed the Jr. Rodeo and were amazed to see kindergartners through 3rd graders riding sheep, racing horses, and getting bucked of lil' steers and calves. 

My husband took these great shots of the days events. See more of his photography here.  

It was a fun weekend and nice to get out of the heat and to visit Sonoita.

One of our favorite places in Southern Arizona.  

More Silly Monkey stories here!

A Princess Tea...

Brown Eyed Gal went to her first birthday party last weekend "A Princess Tea." A little girl in the neighborhood was turning three. She enjoyed decorating her wand and princess hat with stickers and sequins. She had a cup of tea (sherbet punch) and she watched Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. A fun time was had by all the little princesses! 

Learning from Each Other

Labor day weekend and many children are going back to school next week.  My boys are in a year round school and they have been in session since the week after the Fourth of July.  It is amazing to see the changing dynamics of their relationship, now that they are both in school.

My second grader loves to quiz his Kindergartner brother as we drive around in the car. 

"What's 2+2?" "What's 4+4?"

"4" and "8"

"Right... What's 20+20?" "What's 40+40?"  

He goes through all the addition facts coaching his brother about how to add by tens.

The other day I noticed them sitting together at the kitchen table and my older son was doing alphabetizing of his spelling words and he was showing his brother how you look to the second letter if two words start with the same letter- (like acrobat, applause).

He seems to love to be in the expert teaching mode... and then the tables turned.

I had put them to bed and my older son called to me.

"Mom, my brother learned something at school and I don't know if it's true or not."

His kindergartner brother had learned in a book that a baby fish is called a fry. 

"Let's look it up," I said.  

We found a table on the internet that listed all the animal names and what their babies are called. We found out that a fish is called a fry, or a fingerling.

My kindergartner was beaming because he had taught his older brother a fact that he didn't know.

The next morning at the breakfast table, my second grader was practicing his spelling words and he was having a little trouble getting "appreciate" right.  

His kindergartner brother piped up, "You just need to stretch it out A-P-P-R-E-C-I-A-T-E."    

"Take the attitude of a student, never too big to ask questions, never know too much to learn something new"  Og Mandino

Photo Story Friday here.

This Mom's Grassroots Campaign!

It's Haiku Friday!

Presidential Year

Vote for me, I'll set you free!

Mama Mania

Having a big extended family with diverse political views, I usually try to stay quiet about my own leanings... but with four kids, the price of gas, and mortgages tanking everywhere, war, candidates bashing one another... What's a mom to do? 

I decided to take action.

Vote for me if you want the voice of a real mom struggling with today's challenging family issues. 

Storytellin' Mama Election 2008!!!

Key issues:

-Starbucks vouchers

-Naps for moms

-Redistribution household labor

-More spa days

It's WFMW over at Rocks in My Dryer. (Post originally published on Wednesday 8/27)

What works for me is to take a political breather and joke a little about the intensity of an election year.  I realize it's no joking matter and that things will be heating up soon enough.

Tip of the hat to the Wine Commonsewer for the fun presidential link.

I'm republishing for Haiku Friday to get a little more fun out of this post!

  

Disclaimer: This is not a job I am remotely qualified for, or would ever want! I admire any person who would sacrifice and give their best effort to serve this country in such an amazing and huge capacity! 

Best Legs in a Kilt Contest...

My husband hamming it up!

My husband's co-worker and friend!

Showing a little leg!

Fancy moves!

And the winner is... this guy!!

My husband wins 2nd place!

A motley crew!

The bagpipes, of course!

2nd place and 1st place winners!!

My husband continues to embrace his Scottish and Irish heritage. Our local Irish store, Flanagan's Celtic Corner had a "Best Legs in a Kilt" contest Saturday night. My husband, the second place winner received a $25 gift certificate for the store and enjoyed the fun and company of some other displaced cronies! 

*Photos courtesy of Tony Graber.

*More Ruby Red pictures go here!

*More Silly monkey stories here!  

A Moment of Quiet...

Last night was movie night at our kid's elementary school and my husband decided to take the boys. Both my girls were asleep by 7:45 PM. The dogs were lazy and sleeping.

The T.V. was turned off. There were no blaring video games. The phone did not ring.

The house was completely quiet. I realize how much I miss the quiet.

My life is mostly on sound overload. Our main room is tiled and sound reverberates off the tile. Children laughing and crying. Our beagle baying. 

The television, the radio, the Wii game system and the computer competing to fill the room with sound. 

I usually catch my quiet moments in the bathroom, but this is not guaranteed as a child may bust in at any time, or sometimes driving in the car when one child or another has fallen asleep in between drop offs and pick ups.

I can hardly remember a moment recently when it has been quiet in the house.  

I sat on the couch and enjoyed the moment of quiet. I drank a cup of tea alone in the quiet.

I read a magazine and a book I had started a while ago with no interruptions. No stops and starts. 

A blissful night to be remembered full of moments of quiet.

And then the moment was over...

The gang arrived home, the boys full of stories about the movie and the friends they had met.

The dogs decided to wrestle and growl in celebration.  

My husband began to practice his Piping Chanter (he's learning to play the bagpipes).

The quiet transitioned into a noisy night full of the many sounds of this lovely family.

Also to be remembered.

For more stories that make you smile go here.

The Buggy Love continues...

Today Storytellin' Boy found a new bug we had never seen before.

Conversation as follows:

"Mom, Look at this bug I found. Isn't he cute? I think he's just a baby."

"You better be careful about picking up new bugs, it might bite you."

"This one doesn't bite, and I know what kind of bug he is."

"Really, what kind?"

"He's a Tickle Hopper.  When he walks on you it tickles, but when he hops it doesn't.  He's called a Tickle Hopper. Isn't he adorable?"

"Yeah, adorable."

"Do you know what Tickle Hoppers eat?"

"No, I don't"

"They eat giggles.  Someone giggles and the bug breathes in the giggle and then his tummy is full. Can we keep him?"

Why not. Last week it was two Praying Mantis, some Flying Green beetles, and about a bizillion caterpillars. I guess we could add one little Tickle Hopper to the mix! 

More photo stories here!

My Bug Loving Boys...

My Bug Loving boys

Butterfly, Caterpillar

Praying Mantis too!

Backyard Wonderland

Imagination Alive

A Bug Catching Dream!

Storytellin' Boy and Lil' Expert have been spending every spare minute out in the backyard catching a variety of bugs in their large butterfly catcher.  They have collected five or six caterpillars, a giant praying mantis, and a variety of beautiful moths and butterflies.  We keep them for a few hours and then we release them back to the yard. 

The above book they received for Christmas last year, Take Along Guide Caterpillars, Bugs and Butterflies by Mel Boring.  Both boys have been pouring over it to identify the critters we've found in our yard.  It has great illustrations and a lot of fun facts about different insects. For each bug the book identifies what the insect looks like, where to find it, and what it eats.

A couple of days ago, Storytellin' Boy found a butterfly that was beautiful and perfectly intact, but no longer alive. He found it in the parking lot of his sister's preschool.  

He brought it in the car and he said, "Aw... Poor little thing.  I'm going to take him home and put him in a butterfly graveyard." 

He placed the butterfly carefully on a napkin.  He questioned me about what had happened to the "poor little guy." He continued to talk about the colors of the butterfly wings, they were a vibrant blue and black.   He wondered if the butterfly's family might be missing him.  I believe he may have even shed a few tears in the back of the car for this little butterfly. 

It sounds a little dramatic, it's all part of nature and the life cycle after all, but it was moving to see my son's respect and care for nature and his sensitive side. He decided to keep the little black and blue butterfly and placed it on his dresser where he keeps his most important treasures.

A long time ago, William Wordsworth captured the mood of my kids chasing bugs and butterflies:

Oh! pleasant, pleasant were the days,
The time, when, in our childish plays,
My sister Emmeline and I
Together chased the butterfly!
A very hunter did I rush
Upon the prey--with leaps and springs
I followed on from brake to bush;
But she, God love her, feared to brush
The dust from off its wings.

By William Wordsworth, 1801

It's Haiku Friday!  More poems here and here!!

Sitting Pretty!

These red hand chairs were part of the decor of our modern hotel!

A great friend and a kid-free weekend in Palm Springs!

Thank you so much to my husband and his mother for watching the kids.  I felt so refreshed, relaxed and ready to tackle the world after my weekend away. It's been over a week and I'm still feeling good. I hope to make taking a break with a friend a yearly tradition!!

For more red pictures go to Ruby Tuesday!