It's the little things in life ...

Hello family and friends, 

Today, well, today was my birthday. Yup, I am now 31 years old. Hard to believe how much has happened this year, but in reflecting on it I have a few things I'd like to share. Let's call it, "Things I Learned This Year." (Okay so the title is pretty weak, but it's summer vacation and my brain is exhausted!) 

Here goes ... 

* Falling in love is really fun! 

* Enjoy the love that grows between a blended family. Hearing the kids call each other brother and sister (and dropping the "step") is a wonderful feeling. Another awesome thing was when Gavin and Chloe recently decided to call me "Emy." 

* Working part-time doesn't mean that you have a lot of free time at home. 

* Working part-time is difficult. It's hard to tell the office, no.

* Keeping a family of five organized is daunting. 

* Take time to enjoy and LAUGH at the things the kids say. And for heaven's sake, write them down when it happens. Thinking things like, "Oh, that would be a great thing to blog about" doesn't work. You'll forget. 

* A few gems as of late ... 

From Chloe this morning, "Wow, you made it another year!" 

From Gavin last weekend, "Having three kids sure is a lot of work!" By the way, I replied that actually having three kids was A LOT of fun!

From Zack: "Mama, I just love you." This is something he says all the time ... seriously, sometimes 30-40 times a day, at least! 

* Listen to the jokes that Gavin makes up ... some of them are hilarious and others make no sense at all. It's fun, though, to watch the thought process at work. 

* Keep a back-up copy of your grades. You know, in case there is a processing error and, oh I don't know, one of your entire classes gets deleted from the system. 

* Stay positive. Thinking good thoughts leads to more good thoughts. It's hard to remember that sometimes, but I'm working on it. Certainly all the cuts to education have been testing my faith in positive thinking, for sure. 

* It's okay to cry. 

* It's also okay to take time for yourself. Ride the bike, take pilates, veg in front of the TV and watch a mindless, pointless show, whatever ... it's okay to be away from the kids and the family once in a while. 

* Living close to family is truly a blessing! 

* Take lots of pictures. 

* Learn to appreciate a few moments of peace and quiet. I have found that folding the laundry is one of my favorite tasks. Seriously, there's something pretty relaxing about making nice neat piles of clean clothes. (Putting the clothes away is an entirely different story, however ... ) 

* Write hand-written notes to friends and family. In a day of technology it's nice to see something other than a bill arrive in the mail.

* Go camping. 

* Give and receive lots of hugs and snuggles. Even if you're asked in the middle of preparing dinner or answering emails, or cleaning house, or any kind of inopportune time ... stop and snuggle EVERY time you're asked.

So, it's not a big list, but it's a start. There are, of course, a million other things I've learned this year ... but no reason to reflect on all of them ... some of them will stay in my heart. : ) 

Speaking of things that touch my heart ... wanted to share some recent pictures of our kids. They are beautiful! 

Much love, 

--M

Let the summer vacation begin!

Greetings friends and family! : ) 

The Ross household is happy to report that summer vacation is in full swing. With two teachers and three kids in the house, summer is definitely a big deal. 

The school has a really great summer program ... hikes, bike days, visits to the pool, movies, art & crafts, etc. However, we're on a budget and have decided that each week we're going to keep the kids out of care at least one of our days (it was a big disappointment to the kids since they love attending school so much) but we felt it was important. The other days we have the kids will be part-time care ... as Chuck says, there is no price on mental sanity! Plus, the kids can run some bugs out! 

Today we kept everyone home and I thought I'd share the day with you. In fact, after days like today I wonder how we ever had time to work before. :) 

5:50 a.m. Zack wakes up and does his usual, "Mama, mama!" He was sent back to bed since the rest of the house was still sleeping. We're trying to get him to stay in bed until 7 a.m., but he's a morning person and that is a really tough feat! 

6:20 a.m. "Mama, is it morning yet?" So much for 7 a.m. Zack is sent out to the living room to play quietly. 

6:40 a.m. "Mama, I played and now I have something to show you." 

"Zack, what do you want?" Asks a sleeping Mama.

"Well, I'd like you to make me breakfast." 

How am I supposed to sleep through that? : ) 

7 a.m. Chloe joins the morning crew, as does Daddy. Daddy starts breakfast. 

7:30 a.m. We wake up Gavin to have breakfast. (French toast, btw)

8ish: Chuck departs for school. He has a big test, the CTEL on Saturday and has been spending quite a few hours studying. For whatever reason, it's important that Chuck, a PE teacher, have a good understanding of teaching vocabulary and reading skills to English Language Learners. 

9:20 a.m. We (the kids and myself) head to the school to pick Chuck up. 

9:30 a.m. Arrive at the Kuk Sool studio so Gavin can take a test for his blue stripe. Not shortly after we arrive, Gavin and Chloe's mom and her boyfriend arrive to watch the test. Not shortly after that a conversation about pictures of the kids starts and then she begins discussing her disappointment in the fact that she never put together a wedding album of her and Chuck. Um, what? Actually, I start looking for a shot of any sort of adult beverage. Nothing to be found, but the test starts so no more talking. Whew. 

9:45 -10:45 a.m. Gavin does an amazing job during his test. He has a talent for this martial arts stuff. It's fantastic! Chloe and Zack did a remarkable job of keeping busy while the test was going on. I drew Chloe's name in bubble letters for her to color. A little while later, we noticed that she had copied the bubble letters and rewritten her name! Bubble letters are tough and she did a great job! 

11 a.m. Drop off Chuck back at school to study for a little while longer. The kids and I head home to make lunch. Chloe chooses mac and cheese, Gavin has chicken nuggets and Zack opts for a quesadilla. 

12:15 p.m. Head back over to school. Chloe goes with Chuck so she can attend her first gymnastics class. I'm taking the boys to the library. 

12:30 p.m. Chloe's gymnastics class has started! Chuck send me a text message a little while later that this could be something Chloe is really interested in! It's good news because we've been trying to find something she might enjoy. 

1:00 p.m. We (the boys and I) head over to gymnastics to watch Chloe. The boys had a great time at the library ... especially when we found the Star Wars books! They each took a book into the gym, so they could read. We had a good time watching Chloe as well. This  will be a learning experience for her (there is a lot of self-directed time) but she seemed to enjoy running around and trying new things. 

1:45 p.m. Arrive for home. Have a snack ... everyone is hungry again. Chuck and I hadn't even had lunch yet, so we were VERY hungry as well. 

2:30 p.m. Chloe and I leave for an  appointment. 

4:00 p.m. Appointment over, Chloe and I stop by the mailbox, pick up pizza and FINALLY depart for home. We have a great time singing at the top of our lungs in the car. 

5 p.m. Dinner is served. Zack ends up in a timeout because he isn't listening about eating his vegetables. On the way out of his room he bonks his knee on a toy box and ends up with a purple bump on his knee. OUCH! Lots of crying, an ice pack, etc. Poor little guy. 

5:45 p.m. We sit down to watch "Journey to the Center of the Earth." It's a great family film. 

Very soon it will be time for bed. : ) 

Hope this finds everyone doing well. I have some pictures to post, but I'll have to do it another time. I need to go snuggle on the couch with my family. 

Much love,

--Emy

PS -- Emy (sounds like the television award "Emmy") is the name that Gavin and Chloe have chosen to start calling me. I LOVE IT! It feels a lot better than having them use my first name all the time! 

Las Vegas

Hi friends, 

The title of this blog may be a bit deceiving. While I have visited the city of Las Vegas several times (my sister used to live there!), this blog is instead about the TV show, "Las Vegas." 

It's a program that used to be on NBC on Friday nights and was pulled off the air on Feb. 15, 2008. I really got hooked while it was on. (I think it started in 2003.) But life got really crazy and I couldn't keep up with it. 

It turns out that TNT is showing two episodes each weekday morning in reruns. In October, I set the DVR to record and I was catching up on the program when time allowed. One night, Chuck started watching with me and soon it turned into one of our nightly rituals. It was an hour of quiet time for us to snuggle close on the couch. I really looked forward to that hour. It was a nice way to wind down. Mind you, this is not any kind of heavy program ... more just mindless TV with an interesting plot line. 

So last week we were finally at the last episode ... this was not the season finale or anything ... NBC stopped the show mid-season. However, it was getting really good. In the final episode there were three weddings about to happen, one funeral and loads of question about who actually owned the Montecito (the hotel the entire show is based around). And what happens in the final episode? 

WE DON'T KNOW! Not only did NBC pull the plug mid season ... the final episode actually says, "To be continued." That's right. They left us hanging without any idea of what actually happened to anyone. 

*sigh* 

I know there are a lot of things going on in the world today, and I should probably be blogging about something so much more important. The truth is, Chuck and I were both really disappointed. I mean, "To be continued ..." on the final episode? Couldn't they have made just one more so we'd know what actually happened? 

Okay, rant over. : )

--M

Gavin

Gavin is so full of energy and questions and innate Star Wars knowledge that it can be truly dizzying at times! He can name the smallest of characters ... it's amazing how he picks up on the details! Here are some things to update you about: 

1. On March 18, Gavin turned 7! Holy cow! He received a bike from our family (gee, go figure!) and Chuck was able to get him a pretty cool Specialized bike. This one has brakes on the handle bars and gear shifts. We've been doing quite a bit of practicing so that he can make the adjustment. So far so good ... Chuck is looking forward to the warmer weather when we can take Gavin over to Empire Mine and onto some of the trails to try a little off-road riding. 

2. Gavin received his yellow belt in Kuk Sool. He's now working towards his blue stripe for his yellow belt and shouldn't have any problem earning it the next time testing comes around. I pick Gavin up on Thursdays right after school and take him to Kuk Sool. It's been fun watching him progress. Last week the instructor asked Gavin to do a kick he hadn't done before ... Gavin asked for some help and then nailed it. This wasn't just a kick ... there was jumping and spinning and a lot of other things happening at the same time. I was impressed ... so was the instructor! 

3. Right now Gavin is working on his first big project for school. He has to create a desert landscape in a shoebox. You remember those projects, right? The diorama? Anyway, we'll finish it up this week. I'll have pictures to share when it's finished. Truthfully, I think Gavin is eager to take it all apart so he can play with the fake bugs that will be inside. : ) 

4. Gavin loves to read! He reads the signs on the side of the road while we're driving, he reads DVD movie cases and he's even reading the intro to the Star Wars movies ... "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away ..." Well, we were really impressed about how well he was reading Episode VI and then the theme song came on in the car and he recited it for us. We asked him to read the intro the Episode IV and it turns out that he had memorized Episode VI and wasn't actually reading it at all! Sneaky, sneaky! 

5. Gavin loves to play. He plays with his Star Wars figures and builds things with Legos ... complete and original little ships. They are really cool! He's also loving his new bike. The last time we took everyone over to the school to ride bikes, I had the kids get together for some pictures before we left. It broke my heart when he asked, "Why do we have to take pictures? It just takes away from our playtime." Chuck and Gavin had a talk about it. I wrote in Gavin's calendar that night that I hope someday he appreciates why we take pictures and take time to create scrapbooks and photo albums.  : ) 

And now for some pictures ... (I will add more a little later ... these are the only ones I have on my laptop and there are more at home. At least you can get a bit of your Gavin fix for now!) 

This one makes me smile. Everybody in their jammies! 

Gavin checking out his Spiderman birthday cake !!

Just a goofy picture of Gavin! 

Sir Gavin! 
When Gavin walked in the door with his new yellow belt he got bombarded with congrats from his siblings. 

Chloe

Chloe is, well, Chloe. It's hard to find the right word to describe the Little Miss sometimes. She's beautiful and fun and funny, but she's definitely a girl who walks to the beat of her own drum. Some major notes about Chloe: 

1. She has learned to tie her shoes! It's been pretty fun to watch. She figured it out rather quickly, and I think (much to Gavin's dismay) she enjoys being able to do something that her big brother can't do, yet. She offered to help Gavin learn but he wouldn't have any of it. :) 

2. She is very close to being able to braid hair, as well. I don't mean that she's french braiding or anything, but being able to take a long chunk of my hair, divide it into three and braid is a pretty big accomplishment, I think. Chuck and I noticed that the fine motor skill type work ... tying shoes, braiding hair, etc is a true talent for her. In the interviews for the kindergarten round-up, the teachers were amazed that she could tie her own shoes! On top of that, her coloring is far superior to other kids her age. : ) 

3. Chloe continues to ask some of the funniest questions and make the most interesting statements. On Sunday I was chewing gum and Chloe mentioned that one time she swallowed a piece of gum. After a few minutes she asked, "If I swallow my gum can I blow a bubble out of my butt?" Fair question, actually, right!? 

One of her more profound statements came during dinner the other night. She said, "Our old house is new again." What!? This was out of the clear blue. What does this mean? After asking some questions we discovered what she meant ... our old house is new to someone else. She pointed out that since we don't live there anymore someone else is "borrowing" the house and it would be their new house. 

4. Chloe and I are having a great time with braiding hair and trying to squeeze in as many braids as we possibly can. The last few days she's had nine small french braids ... each with a different color hair tie. This is one my favorite activities with her. It's some really  nice one-on-one time for us. 

And, now ... some pictures of Chloe ... : ) 

After Chloe's birthday (on Feb. 1) the family met at John's Incredible Pizza for a party. I never did share our pictures from the celebration. Here is Chloe sharing with us how old she is ... she's no doubt polishing off her serving of mac and cheese. 

And the birthday cake. Notice the red finger nails ... this was a big deal! We paint nails for special occasions and you only turn five once. 

This was one of the rides at John's pizza place. Chloe requested that I (why me!?) ride this with her. The individual car spun around as the whole ride went around. This after a full lunch. Gulp. Turns out that Chloe LOVED it! 

Playing with some of the new birthday toys. I think this Barbie head has been great fun for her. She's doing much better with the braiding and styling. Although, mostly I think she just wants to see how many clips she can get in her hair!

This was another birthday present. Nana and Papa (Chuck's parents) gave her some little dogs that can be painted and decorated. This first dog (there were 3 in the pack) turned out to be all yellow. She really enjoyed painting. :) 

This was our family Easter gathering at our house. The kids had a great time with the Easter egg hunt ... each one had 20 eggs to find. I think one of Chloe's eggs is still out there. Crazy Easter bunny ... :) 

This has quickly become one of my favorite pictures. It was a day for riding bikes at the school and some quick family pics on the playground. 

Chloe and her bike ... 

The preschool Easter egg hunt at school. This happened to be at the same time as Chuck's prep time so we both got to walk to upper campus and enjoy the festivities. 

The hats are so cute ... : )

Chloe and Zack have developed quite the little friendship. They are only nine months apart, so a lot of times they are an even playing field. Here, they are hanging out in our bedroom as Chuck is assembling (actually building) a desk for us. 

Chloe also enjoys playing with her big brother. I have no idea what was going on here, but Gavin has the swords and Chloe has the bubbles ... 

Zack took this picture ... you can tell because of the small finger in the top left hand corner. If you look closely, you can see Chuck making a silly face in the background ... nice, hunny. :)

And, so that is the update on Chloe. She has to get a cavity filled this week, which is a bummer. This summer she will be taking swim lessons and doing gymnastics. 

Zackary

Zackary is developing into quite a little guy. He is trying to figure out his sense of humor and will often make a joke or a statement and then ask, "Is that funny?" or "Should I not say things like that?" He's very conscious of what people think and how they react to him. 

Okay, so some major things about Zack ... 

1. He's eating more! Hooray! He's now eating corn each night with his dinner. We started with just one kernel, but we're now up to three or four spoonfuls of corn. It has been going so well that we're now working on peas. Currently, he eats one pea and then a full serving of corn. We're taking baby steps, but at least the fussing has subsided. Dinner has become a little easier. He's also more open to trying new things. He loves to have yogurt (with added vitamins!) in the morning with his scrambled eggs. One night he asked for pancakes, but then didn't want to eat them. Eventually, he tried them, liked them and then polished off the plate full. Still not big on sweets and such, but chocolate chips remain a favorite.  

2. Zack will be attending junior kindergarten in the fall. He'll be here full time for school (still working out some of the custody things) but I think it will be a great move for him. We have an IEP coming up soon for him and he continues to have two days of speech therapy at school and meets with an occupational therapist off campus once a week. 

3. Zack has decided to try gymnastics this summer. He'll also do swim lessons, so he'll be busy! 

4. In the next couple of weeks we'll be taking Zack camping for the very first time. Chuck has a bike race, Gavin and Chloe aren't with us, but it should be quite an experience. The last time Zack stayed with my parents, they made a bird house. Zack took the glue and pieces of nature and started gluing things together. My parent's house now has little knicknacks like a stick glued to a rock, a pine cone on a rock, and the best part is the large pieces of kindling that were all glued together! 

And now for some pictures (sorry they're out of order) ... 

Playing in our room while the desk was being built ... love that smile! 

Sorry it's sideways ... he thought he'd try the scooter. I love that he's still wearing the apron from helping Chuck build our new desk. Zack hasn't been too keen on riding his bike, but seemed to really enjoy the scooter. 

Zack rotates between so many things ... Thomas, Dora, Little Einsteins, etc . Here he's dressed in all his Bob stuff and helping Chuck build. What fun! Zack had all his tools and kept asking for things he could hammer. :) 

Chloe took this picture while we were celebrating Gavin's birthday party at our house. Love it! 

Zack trying out some of the chalk from his Easter basket. I love that say, "Cheese!" includes closing the eyes. 
A play date at the school and always time for family pics. 
Zack's climbing skills have improved! 
The Easter egg hunt at school ... I love the ear that's drooped down ... 

Helping Papa plant a tree in their backyard. 

Riding the carousel while we were celebrating Chloe's birthday at John's pizza. 

Another one of Zack's favorites ... playing outside. 

And there's the story on Zack. 

Quick catch up!

Hi friends, 

I have been such a slacker. It's true. 

Life has overwhelmed my extra time. It's not a bad thing ... it's just a reality that I'm tired at the end of the day and it's difficult to sit down and be creative. However, there are so many times throughout the day that I think, "Wow, that's a blog-worthy moment!" And then it passes and I never get a chance to share it here. I have been working on calendars for each of the kids. Each night I've been jotting down a few things that went on for the day and then at the end of the month I add pictures. They've become pretty cool, if I do say so myself ... and it's already fun to go back and read about the previous months. (I've been doing this since January). It will be a hoot to read these when the kids are older! 

And so, although life remains crazy, I'm going to work on updating this more. It's the best way to share our news and the kid's moments. Give me a little while though ... I'm going to break up the updates and discuss each of the kids individually and their latest news instead of trying to do one major monster post. We'll see how it goes. 

I hope this finds everyone doing well. We've certainly been busy, but it's a good busy. I wouldn't trade it for the world! The school year is coming to an end and that's a good thing. Chuck and I are ready to wrap up this year and start focusing on other things ... like the kids and warmer weather. Hello!? It's May. 

Thanks for being patient! 

Much love, 

--M

Greetings from the sick house

Hi friends, 

As we are emerging from a very crazy and busy weekend, I wanted to post and let you know that, yes, we are still alive. :) 

On Friday I joined my school and 50 students/parents on a ski trip to Northstar. I tried snowboarding for the first time ever and really enjoyed it! I'm already looking forward to my next opportunity. I was out of the house really early ... about 5:50 and Chuck was in charge of getting everyone out of the house and to school before his 7:30 meeting. (He made it to his classroom eight minutes early! Nicely done, babe!) He was also in charge of picking everyone up from school and since I didn't get home until 6:45 he also fed everyone dinner. This include a first-time feat of Zack eating BOTH corn and mac and cheese for dinner with no tears!! YAHOO! It was so nice to walk in and find things in full swing. Actually, I'm thinking of leaving more often ... the dishes were done and the laundry was in progress! :) 

Saturday morning started at 4:30 a.m. with Zack throwing up. Poor little guy. He kept at it until about 11:30 a.m. when he was finally able to keep water down and joined us for pizza that night for dinner. My sister and her husband were here for dinner, too. About a half hour after we finished eating Chloe hit a wall. A serious wall. She was sick and we all knew it. About three hours later she started throwing up and the 12-hour stomach flu was on to child #2. It's not until tonight that Chloe is actually feeling better. 

Today (one hour shorter than I would have liked given the previous 24 hours) included a trip to Davis for me and Zack, a short field trip (running errands) for Gavin and Chuck, and as Chloe was constantly informing us ... throwing up seven times. To her credit she did an AMAZING job of finding a bucket or the bathroom in time. Well, except for the last time when it she sat up on the couch and just let it rip across the carpet. Nice. Had there been video cameras set up, the video would have been hilarious to replay. A little less hilarious was the clean-up, but well ... I won't go any further. 

I hope this doesn't coming off sounding like a complaint. It's certainly not. It's sad to see the kids sick and so willing to lay quietly on the couch. Chloe is generally such a vivacious and busy child, but each time she asked me to just sit next to her it warmed my heart. 

And so, at 9:26 I am officially ready to pass out. 

Much love,

--M

A little late ...

Hi friends, 

I realize I have taken about a month to post ... my apologies. It looks like my last post was on January 25, exactly one month from today. (Which by the way also marks seven months since our wedding!) It's been a rough few weeks around the Ross house as Chloe spent last week home with the flu. Poor kid. It's so sad when they're sick. Zack had a cough that progressed into an infection in his lungs and now he's on antibiotics. 

Anyway, here are some pictures from the last month. I think they are a little out of order, but at least there are pictures! 

Hope this finds everyone doing well. 

Much love,

--M

We'll start with one of Zack's favorite activities ... homework! About once a month he gets an assignment to bring home. He has to read (or have a parent read to him) from a kid's magazine and then draw a picture of what he read about. No matter what the story, the picture ALWAYS has red, lots of red in it. :) 

This was snapped on one of the days when I was working in Zack's class. Love this picture! 

Zack is seen here eating some chocolate chips. That's a big deal ... why? It means he tried something new. Since this was about a month ago I can't remember what he tried ... but it's a big deal. Zack doesn't like trying new things! 

We cut Chloe's hair! Here is an after shot ... took off about 5 inches and now it's just below her shoulders. She really likes it. The day we had it cut she kept walking into the bathroom, looking at the mirror and telling us her hair was still cut. It was super cute! 

This was the last picture I took of her long hair. I sure do miss the long braids, but the short hair still goes into braids. I loved the big pink bow in her hair on this day. :) 

The main reason I feel so bad about not posting sooner: Chloe turned FIVE on February 1! We had a small party at the house with just the five of us and then had a family celebration the next weekend.

Another birthday picture, this one while she was opening presents. 

Chloe opens her new princess desk set ... to accompany her new desk that we got her. Actually, it's a desk that I refinished. The stamps were the favorite part of this set. 

And here's the desk! 

Gavin was awarded student of the month! Nice job, dude! :) 

Another picture of Zack playing around at school. He was putting polka dots on the letter P.

Sometimes it's nice to have a quiet morning around the house. Gavin loves to play with his Star Wars action figures. 
Here, Zack and Chloe take turns wearing the baby in the back pack. Playing house is a big thing around our house. There is always a mom, dad and baby. 

Our weekend

I'm not exactly sure there is an adjective in the English language that could appropriately describe how the weekend went. 

It was fabulous to have everyone home ... something the kids pointed out a number of times. (By the way, there is a growing awareness of the five of us being together or not together ... the kids are meshing as a family and sincerely miss one another when they are with their other parent.) At the same time, with the rain and being cooped up inside for long periods of time, the kids were a little on the wacky side as well. It got to the point on Saturday night where we started to think that they are professionals at doing just enough to drive us absolutely nuts! 

Perfect example ... Chuck and I were sitting on the couch talking. Zack was sitting to my left and Chloe was sitting on Chuck's right. Zack had a piece of construction paper (read: a treasure map he had just finished drawing) and was rolling it up. It was a thick piece of paper and it was loud and he must have rolled it about 15 times. It got to the point where I couldn't even hear Chuck talking to me, so I asked Zack to stop. About the time we got a little silence, Chloe began slurping water out of her cup ... and noise was back! I understand that noise happens with three kids, but it was hilarious how well they did in tag-teaming us! Just about the time we'd get one settled down, another one was there with a different tactic! 

It's been cute though too ... after going to the school yesterday (mainly to let the kids run wild in the gym ... a big plus of having a dad who teaches PE!) we got all the kids in the house. The rule is that shoes have to be removed once we get in. Zack needed help getting his shoes off and his ever-helpful big sister was attempting assistance. Actually, Zack had on lace-up tennis shoes, so Chloe was doing more of pulling really hard on Zack's foot. As I walked over Chloe looked at me and said, "Can you hold him down so I can pull harder?" Gosh, thanks, honey, but I'll take it from here. :) 

Our toy pickup at night has turned into a bit of a flop. We set the timer for seven minutes and the kids have that long to get things put away. Anything that is left out when the timer goes off, gets taken away. The toys can be earned back the next night if pick-up goes better. Friday and Saturday nights saw some of the best philosophical discussions happen during this toy pick-up. Seriously, Chuck and I stood in amazement as they completely disregarded the timer and sat around and talked. Needless to say, all of them lost some pretty major toys both nights. It was weird behavior. Generally, they do a much better job. 

This morning on the way to church, I started laughing out loud. All three kids were talking at one time ... each to themselves about nothing in particular. There was nothing left to do but laugh as noise overwhelmed the confines of the car. :) 

At the same time, I wouldn't trade any of this for the world. There is something so wonderful about the noise the kids create in the house ... and it's most noticeable when no one is here and the house is quiet. 

Moving on ... we've had a few big things in the last week or so ... 

1. Gavin is the star student in his class this week. We just finished working on his poster that will hang on the wall. Some facts for you: 

* Gavin is 6 1/2 years old. 

* His favorite animal is a sabertooth.

* His favorite color is red.

* His favorite things to do are ride his bike and do Kuk Sool. 

* If he had one wish, he would wish for a pool. 

* The movies are his favorite place to go. 

* When he grows up he'd like to be a police officer. 

2. We bought a scale ... and the kids have loved weighing in. The stats: 

Chloe: 56 pounds

Gavin: 46 pounds

Zack: 36 pounds

No joke ... that's actually how much they each weighed! 

3. Zack continues to struggle with food. We've been trying to ask him to try one new thing each week. Nothing crazy ... this week was a piece of pasta. One small piece of pasta ... and he refused three nights in a row. *sigh* The reward is chocolate chips and yet he passes each time. I never thought a child of mine would refuse chocolate! 

Anyway, I think that about sums things up. Our next big events will be birthdays ... Chloe on February 1 and Gavin on March 18. Chloe turns 5 and Gavin turns 7. HOLY COW! :) 

Hoping this finds you all well. 

Much love,

--M

A rainy day

Hello friends, 

After a couple weeks of fabulous weather we now find ourselves in the middle of more January-like weather. It's rainy and foggy. It's the kind of weather that makes you want to curl up with a good book, a warm blanket and a cup of hot chocolate. It's the kind of weather that makes you want to stay snuggled up in bed with a massive heap of cozy covers on top of you. 

And then you come back to reality. It's 6 a.m. and a munchkin is in the room excitedly sharing that it's 6 a.m. and it's time to get up. And then another muchkin joins in the excited discussion. After gently telling the muchkins to find something quiet to play with for a few minutes ... the third munchkin joins the crew and, well, he's hungry for cereal. Go ahead, try to hit the snooze button on the muchkins, but there just isn't one to be found. Darn. It's Saturday morning at 6 a.m. and so the day begins ... *sigh* 

:) 

We started the morning with a Kuk Sool class for Gavin and Chuck this morning. Chloe, Zack and I joined the expedition and sat and watched (and played with stickers, of course) while the class went on.  We've had a quick snack, enjoyed a showing of Star Wars. Lunch (grilled cheese sandwiches) will follow, quiet time and then we'll head over to the school gym for some running around. 

I hope this finds all of you enjoying your weekend. I have pictures to post and more stories to share, but I will post it all as soon as I get a minute. 

Much love, 

--M

Here's a quarter ...

Hi friends, 

Allow me a moment to share you with my latest, "I feel old" moment. 

The scene: It's Friday afternoon around lunch time and the yearbook club is meeting. It's a great group of kids (yearbook is a club where students miss their lunch break on Fridays to put together the book ... so you can imagine the group of kids who would be attracted to that. Awesome group!) 

One of my students, Mikey, is downloading about 250 pictures to my computer. Sydney is standing next to Mikey and I'm sitting at my computer watching the photos. Sydney pulls a quarter out of her pocket and makes a statement like, "Wow, here's a quarter ..." Sydney has a great sense of humor so I follow up her statement with "... call someone who cares!" I was joking, of course and then I started laughing. It wasn't long before I realized no one else was laughing. 

It had nothing to do with the fact that the statement wasn't funny (although I suppose that was the case, t00) Instead, I got blank stares from both Mikey and Sydney. Why? THEY HAD NO IDEA WHAT THE PHRASE MEANT! In fact, they'd never used a pay phone before. In a world with cell phones, why would anyone need a pay phone? 

I had to take a step back and laugh again ... not at a joke, but at the way things have changed. I can remember the 8-track tapes my parents played when I was a kid, the VHS and BETA tapes that were available at the video store and the first VCR we owned that (gasp!) had a remote control. (The remote had to plug into the VCR and the cord was rather short, but still ...) My high school students have probably never seen at 8-track, heard of BETA or lived in a world without a remote. Heck, even our kids (at 6, 4 and 4) ask to hear the iPod or to send an email or a text message! 

I know I'm not old and I know that everyone has stories like this to share, but the quarter story certainly made me take a step back. 

Happy Monday. :) 

--M 

Little long cheese

Do you find the title of this blog intriguing? The truth is, little long cheese is sweeping our house. Zack has a knack for making up words to explain things. He sometimes has a hard time with the actual word, so he makes up something else to describe it. 

Little long cheese has become the word for shredded cheese. Yes, that's the right ... the boy who won't eat much has fallen in love with shredded cheese and asks for it with every meal. Gavin and Chloe caught on quickly and now everybody is asking for little long cheese with their meals. It's just too cute. 

Other cute phrases uttered this week ... 

Gavin likes to take off his pajama top when he gets in bed. 

"It's appropriate for big boys."

Chloe was talking about the distance between our house and her school ... 

"It's far, far away near our house."

After watching Madagascar 2 and the near sacrafice of Melman in a volcano, Zack continues to tell me, "Mama, I won't throw you in a volcano." 

Well, thank goodness for that! 

Much love, 

--M

Our first Christmas

What an amazing day Christmas was! The following pictures should help tell the story of the day's events ... Santa was very good to us all. :) 

Here's hoping your holidays were just as happy. 

Much love,

--M

The Christmas tree and stockings after Santa stopped by. By the way, I think the stockings were one of my favorites this year. We all sat on the floor and unwrapped our stocking gifts together. It was a lot of fun! 

Here you can see the circle of stockings on the floor. The box you see Gavin holding was something new we're trying. Here's how it works ... each kid has a box and any toys that are kept in the box can't be touched by the other kids ... unless you ask permission first. Gavin jumped on the idea ... especially after he unwrapped his new Star Wars action figures. Zack and Chloe, on the other hand, really don't get the idea at all. Neither one of them can consistently remember to put their new toys in the box. Whatever. :) 

Zack's big gift from Santa was a Craftsman workbench. He was so excited ... and safe. Here you can see him trying on the safety goggles. :) 

Santa brought Gavin the original Star Wars trilogy. He was VERY happy about this and we've enjoyed the movies several times. All the kids have been walking about saying, "Luke, I am your father ..." Hahaha! 

Playing with the new toys ... do you see the big car in the background? That was Gavin's big gift from Santa. It's huge. :) He's been having a lot of fun ... actually, Daddy has been enjoying it just as much! Turns out the car goes through the snow quite nicely! 

Speaking of snow ... we had some pretty good snow falling on Christmas day! It changed our plans a little. Without four-wheel drive, my parents couldn't make it to our house ... so we packed up the family and headed to their house. My sister and her husband and Chuck's parents joined us as well. It was the perfect mid-day gathering! 

Nana (something Zack calls Amanda) and Chloe had some snuggle time on the couch! 

And poor Zack ... suffering from a cold ... crashed in the middle of the gathering. Poor little guy slept from more than an hour. 

And meanwhile, the big boys ... played with their new remote control helicopters. 

And at the end of the day, Daddy got the chance to play Barbie with his daughter. Now, that's cute!