Genius

A brilliant little philosopher, who wears tons of pink sparkly eyeshadow with her tank top and swimsuit bottoms every day once said:

"Mom, you are smaller than dad because I only wake you up at night, not him, so you don't get to sleep and grow as much as him."

This one's for the boys...

For the male readers of our blog...all 6 of you (hum.....Chad, Papa, Grandpa Nelson, Tyler, Ryan, Bob), Todd would like to share his most recent home improvement project, the front door (Tim Taylor would be proud!)



The "before" door -



And, the "after door"

Teachable moments

Thank you to:

The neighbor girl who threatened to kill Maddie. You provided me with an opportunity to
a) tell my girls they do not have to allow anyone to speak to them that way
b) praise her big sister for telling you "that is against the law, and oh no you won't!"
c) demonstrate to them how to be assertive when you came back over to play and I sent you home
d) show my girls that their sisters will always be here for them and show them how blessed they are to have each other.

AND....
The boy who asked Rylee to be his girlfriend. When she told you no, and you ran around the school telling all the 2nd graders that Rylee was your girlfriend, you provided me with the opportunity to talk to Rylee about a) what it means to have a boyfriend, and that she can only have "boys that are friends" until she is much older and b) how boys should respect you.

You two superstars provided me with some wonderful conversations with my children tonight. Thank you.

A Pre-schooler, Pre-K'r, and 2nd grader

Here is a story problem for you:

There are 3 children; a 2 year old, a 4 year old, and a 7 year old. All start school at 8:30. The 3 kids go to 2 schools, 8 miles apart. The 1st child gets out at 11:45, the 2nd gets out any time after 1:00, and the 3rd gets out at 3:15. Kids 2 and 3 need to take their lunches. Kids 1 and 2 will need to take snacks for the entire class every few weeks. What time does the train leave the station?

The morning started with a breakfast of champions. Yes, I took a picture of toaster waffles. Here's why: When I called the girls "breakfast is ready," Kennedie ran to the garage door yelling "ok, give me my bag" (meaning a sandwhich bag full of random food she could eat in the car....um...you think we rush around much?!?!)

Two very happy "morning people" girls, ready for school!!!

One "not so happy in the morning" girl, who had just finished yelling at everyone...something about us being too loud and too happy, her having no clothes, and her hair not looking right. We love you, Rylee....but prefer being around you after about 9am :)

Three sisters praying for each other. Maddie "Jesus, help Rylee be nice, cuz she's not." Rylee, "Jesus, help Kenzie not pee her pants at school." Kenzie "Jesus, it's Madison, amen."

And the big Preschool and Pre-K'rs heading into school. Kenzie walked into class, blew us a kiss and said bye. On the way to school, I told Maddie that I needed her to be a big girl and walk into class with no fussing so she wouldn't worry her little sister. She told me "no, I will cry and hold on to you." I then told her that it makes mommy really sad when she does that. She said "yes, I know, but I'm going to cry and hold on to you." A girl of her word, as we turned to walk out of the room, she tackled Todd's legs and turned on the water works "no, don't leave me." The teacher peeled her off and took her to class, where she did great, and didn't want to leave, and would like to stay until 5 next time....geez (I think she gets her dramatic flare from her father).

Rylee started 2nd grade last week (before our new camera came), and is doing great. Within 5 minutes of walking her to the playground the first day, 5 boys started chasing her. I wanted to threaten them, but refrained. I cried, yes...she did 2 years of preschool, 1 year pre-k, 1 year kindergarden, 1 year 1st grade, now 2nd grade, and I cried on the first day. again.

Putting summer "behind" us...

Bottoms up Summer! We've had a great one! Now off to school we go...Rylee starts tomorrow, and the little girls start on the 17th.
No pressure to any teachers out there but, you will be our kiddos heros for 9 months....make it good!

Another Fallen Hero

We stood outside today in the 110 degree weather, with 3 whiny children, to honor you. When your procession started, with the helicopters overhead, and hundreds of your brothers on motorcycles and in squad cars, our kids were quite. They waved to your friends, knowing that they were so sad to bury you, and hoping to make them smile. The firefighters stood behind us, in their suits, hands across their chests. I can't begin to understand your widow's sorrow, as she raises your two boys with only your memory. Please know you received a hero's goodbye today. Know that we were honored to wave and salute your family and friends as they celebrated your life. And know that we are grateful to you for your devotion to a difficult job.

Grandma Swain

I can't believe tommorow will be 9 years since my Grandma passed away. Norma Lola Swain, such a beautiful person. My kids never got to meet her, but they each have a piece of her; Rylee has her long, slender body, Madison has her blue eye, and Kennedie has her middle name (and stubborness!).

Some things about Grandma...She love, love, loved Todd. We used to take her to church every week. On the way home, she would inevitably go into insulin shock. I would get in the back of the van, prop her head back, and squeeze gel into her mouth (while Todd watched from the front of the van). I would have drool all over me, and be a sweaty mess by the time she came around. She would then come out of it, and tell us "good thing you were here to handle that Todd, thank you so much, can you imagine if it was just me and Melissa?" So silly...

I remember she always described people by what they were. For example, every time we saw Lewis, the janitor at her assisted living apartment, she would say "Melissa, my granddaughter, this is Lewis, the homosexual janitor." Or her neighbors down the street, "Melissa, my granddaughter, these are my neighbors, they are drug dealers."

She was a stunning woman, inside and out...as was her twin, "Aunt Nai." Can you imagine what the young men thought when they saw these two walking down the street?