Keep it in your pantry

The boys are in Hero Headquarters VBS this week, and we took a little trip to the grocery to lend a helping hand to their food pantry. They did a great job picking non-perishables. They are talking about heroes in the Bible that aren't as well-known this week, stressing that we can all make a difference and don't have to be superstars to do good.

Lyle Lovett

Teach Your Children Well

The boys' coaches are life-long ball players and have been working on skills...here they are showing the kids how to properly throw a ball.
(and no, Harry did not get hit while returning to the field in this pic)

After the game, J, H and Zach practiced with their dads....Jack thinks maybe he'd like to be a catcher!

CS&N

I hears some idioM ask if someone's inside

Can you tell what they are studying in class?
And at home, it's been all about the idioms. I got this poster ages ago - it's pretty dark, but I dig trying to figure out all the pix.

Jack actually sat down and started looking at it a few days ago, and recently found a favorite:He completely digs this carrot eating itself and will tell anyone who asks that 'it probably was a person, but he ate carrots so he turned into one....get it, you are what you eat.'

So, I've always thought Tedd Arnold's Parts looked good. The other day, I found Even More Parts at the library, and they both LOVE it. I've now put the others in the series on hold, and Jack insists on taking it to a friend's house for a playdate next week because it's just SO FUNNY!
He's pointing to his favorite ;-)

And demonstrating "I love my head"

It's a great intro into idioms involving body parts, and we can't wait to dig into the rest of the series.

Barenaked Ladies' Tonite Is The Nite I Fell Asleep At The Wheel

Teach Your Children Well

These days are filled with tasks, big and small, to get our new house ready to be our home. The boys have been real troopers and are learning lots - this seems to be a great time to move, btw.

Daddy, Jack and Harry loaded up with supplies
Harry checking out the garage and all the new technology

Sometimes they sleep on the job ;-)

Harry has been our go-to tester of lites and all electronics

Harry taking a break today - he made a map of the circulatory system in one of his favorite books

Plumbing 101

What a trusting soul - he doesn't know what it feels like if Daddy misses ;-)

CSN's Teach Your Children

the eye's a jewel

So, I've had a run of luck, both good and bad recently, finding 4-leaf clovers, losing my keys not once but twice in a couple of weaks, having a wonderful family and lots of fun, the diamond popping out of my earring as I cleaned it the other nite....luckily, I found it quickly and bagged everything up to take to our jeweler for a repair. And this is one of the many reasons he's OUR jeweler:

Thanx, Mr. Jeff, for taking the time and teaching them the basics!

Grateful Dead's Mercy Of A Fool

Define This

The last week has been full of defining moments, and these are a few that I can remember:

10/2 true, darling, free

Jack: "freedom means you're not catched"

10/6 Jack: "Mommy, why does the eagle fly in the night in England?" WHAT?!

10/7 business

10/9 most

Stereomud

full of curves, lessons learned at every bend

A few of the lessons we learned yesterday:

H: Today we learned about pencils
J: (too many things to type)
Me: you can really zip thru the grocery alone, but it sure isn't as fun ;-)

Hearing another mom singing to her two cuties was a little reminder of how lucky I am; AND she knew the rest of a song I've always sung to them ....I only got thru the first verse and instead of 'standing outside' we always sang "I'd stand outside with my mouth open wide"

If All the Raindrops
(Version 2)

Written By: Unknown
Copyright Unknown


If all the raindrops
Were lemondrops and gumdrops
Oh, what a rain that would be!
Standing outside, with my mouth open wide
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
If all the raindrops
Were lemondrops and gumdrops
Oh, what a rain that would be!

If all the snowflakes
Were candy bars and milkshakes
Oh, what a snow that would be!
Standing outside, with my mouth open wide
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
If all the snowflakes
Were candy bars and milkshakes
Oh, what a snow that would be!

If all the sunbeams
Were bubblegum and ice cream
Oh, what a sun that would be!
Standing outside, with my mouth open wide
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
If all the sunbeams
Were bubblegum and ice cream
Oh, what a sun that would be!

September 2008 Harry: Oh, suresure! Jack: I'm so excited to be going to preschool!

Guitar Man...and boy!

Jack wanted to learn how to play the guitar this morning, and I thought these pix captured the lesson pretty well :wub:

You Can't Always Get What You Want...

...but if you try sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need!

This is one of those songs we sing with them, they're even ok about the truth behind it most of the time. Saturday, Jack was singing along and re-wrote the lyrics at the last minute.....

' you get what you DON'T WANT!'

I probably shouldn't have laughed, but it was so true and so pitiful in his sweet little voice.

*****

And back to movie dialogue, lessons, etc.

I can't believe how much of an impact a scene from Nim's Island has had on them. She climbs up the side of a volcano and gets a pretty serious scrape on the way down - it's stuck with them in the 'if she didn't cry and was a brave girl, I can be a brave boy' sort of way. Yay for vicarious lessons!

'Lean back!' from Toy Story throws them into hysterics just about any time....who knows?!?

Happy Week!

Bank of Bad Habits

Who knows if we are setting the stage for caffeine addiction or great careers as barristas, but one of their favorite activities these days is "making Daddy's coffee" .....

First, it's out with the old....

...then in with the new water....
...and the fresh beans to grind....

...then "O-N spells on!"

We keep telling Harry that a watched pot never boils (or drips) but he likes to watch how it works!

06/07/08 Harry: This is my favorite, EVER! Jack: I already chose, so this time I'll let Harry choose.

Schoolboy Heart

Sometimes I wonder if they are gonna be 'schooled' out by the time preschool gets here ;-)

These aren't the greatest pix, but they do show a bit of the schoolin' they've been giving me these last few weeks. I was working in the yard the other day and got invited to "come to school with us, Mommy!" Harry was the teacher, and Jack and I sat on these little seat boxes we have on our deck while Harry taught us the alphabet and counting and a few new spelling words. I felt very smart, and very proud :wub:

Jack writing on the same desk I used to learn to write when I was about his age - thanx for keeping it, Mom!

They got all packed up for school the other day - backpacks and various computer-y things

They love to tell me"You have to be quiet and listen to the teacher." Let's just hope it sticks ;-)

Feets Don't Fail Me Now

It's all about the body at our house these days -

"My tummy says"....it's hungry...I'm tired....I have to go to the bathroom....it's time to make a new friend....etc.

They are full of rashes and scratches and bruises and such. They are full of questions about organs and bones and such. They always say "Maybe Dr. F or Dr. D can help me" It's sweet that they love their docs so well; who knows, maybe med school is in the future!

Jack saw an episode of a show called Franny's Feet last week; it is a cute little show - her grandfather is a shoemaker/fixer and she tries on different types of shoes which lead to all sorts of adventures. Now he loves to say "Your feet can take you anywhere" which is a pretty good message!

Shower The People You Love With Love

I'd just like to say YAY for showers! The boys have started taking them and I'm loving it, and them, too ;-) They have really been pretty good this week during our trip....of course, as I'm typing this there seems to be a whine-fest brewing, but hey you gotta celebrate the good whenever you can, right?

We found this sweet book at the library the other day, so I thought I'd recommend it to anyone with an imaginative little boy (or 2). This little bear bumps his knee one morning and can't find a doctor, so he becomes one! It's sweet and even has a few lesson opportunities about not saying impolite things ;-) And who can beat this advice: "Take two cookies," he said. "You'll feel better in the morning." Happy imagining, everyone.

Author: Andrea Beaty

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's
Pub. Date: April 2008
ISBN-13: 9781416928201