Dinner Conversations

Isabel: "I don't want to eat this. Can I just go hungry instead?"
Me: "by all means, go hungry"

Me: "Sammy did you enjoy the cookies I made and packed in your lunch?"
Sammy: "ooh yes, they were delicious as pie. I've never eaten pie but I've been told it's delicious."

ugh, the slacker tis I

Man, I've been telling myself lately, you need to blog, you need to blog, but when I have the time I have no energy and when I have the energy.....well, I never have the energy!  With the two older kids out of school I feel as if I spend all my time trying to keep them all from killing each other which only leaves me ready to strangle someone too!  Motherhood is all about endurance!  So here are some highlights, some good points that I really do want to document, if for no other reason then the fact that one day it may be important that I had this written down.
Sam made Student of the Month in May at his school.  It was kinda a big deal to  me simply b/c he hadn't gotten it any other time in three years of school and I knew he had been working so hard to do well.  His teacher wrote of how he always uses his manners and always tells everyone (and I do mean everyone) to "have a nice day!"  So we got a sitter for the little ones and Daddy and I went to school for a "Student of the Month" breakfast with Sam.  It was just fun to have some time to celebrate him.

The very next week we celebrated Isabel's graduation from kindergarten!  She was great at singing Surfin' USA and jumping on her surfboard on the stage.  My dad and I both cried when they announced her name.  I can't believe she's such a big girl now!  I'm really having a hard time watching the kids get older and letting them go be big kids!  At the talent show, someone gave me flowers for helping plan it and on the way home Isabel said that no one had ever given her flowers so we got her flowers for graduation.  She was excited.  She also would only let me take a picture of her with her teacher if Zeke was in the picture too.  It didn't take too much convincing to get Mrs. Frey to hold Zeke (she likes babies).

And lastly I'll throw in a picture of Sammy on the first day of Cub Scout Day Camp.  He was so nervous the first day b/c he didn't know what to expect but he's had three days of camp now and I think he's enjoying it.  Yesterday he brought home a target on a plate and said that each day they get a chance to shoot the BB gun at the target.  If you actually hit the target then you get to bring the plate home.  He was excited about that!  He has also asked that we practiced BB shooting and archery this summer.  He's got the fever now :)

it's all about perspective

I cut my hair about three weeks ago....I mean CUT.  I went from long hair almost to my mid-back to short, "pixie" cut.  I've always wanted to do it.  Since college!  But I've always talked myself out of it.  Worried about how it would look, how long it would take to grow out, and oh those horrible "growing my hair out-in between haircuts" (those are never pretty).  But after a rough month in April, my perspective changed.  "It's only hair."  "It will always grow out again."  I kinda realized in the grand scheme of life that it truly is only hair and it will grow out again.  But what came afterwards was a bit more than I expected.
To Isabel, my haircut makes me a boy.  "You look like a boy b/c your hair is short."  From Isabel's wise 6 year old PERSPECTIVE, my haircut is just like a boy's so it must make me a boy.  She cannot understand why a mom, her mom, would have this haircut.
To my dad who has only ever really known my cousin Joy to have a pixie cut, "You look just like Joy Loree."  My dad is used to his daughters having long hair.  He's used to me always having at least chin-length hair and to see such a pixie cut, his only PERSPECTIVE is that it reminds him of my cousin Joy.
To a man from church, he responded honestly "I really don't like women with short hair but it looks alright.  I think I'll get used to it."  For him, women with short hair don't necessarily work for him.  But he recognizes that it looks okay on me and he'll give it his best shot to approve b/c he likes me and wants me to be happy.
So what's the big deal?  It's just a haircut BUT it's kinda taught me a bit about perspective.  I don't necessarily think it is a bad thing to stick with what you know.  But sometimes stepping outside of the norm, going against your norm brings about pleasant surprises.  It also helps to look at others from THEIR perspective.  Instead of finding offense or judging instantly, try to look at the other person's perspective and you might realize that she isn't really a boy, she just rocks a cool new 'do!

inquistive Isabel

So today, Isabel was allowed to take her lunch to school.  B/c school is only half-day the kindergarteners usually eat lunch at home but they were practicing for first grade next year.  She was extremely excited and watched me pack her lunch to make sure it was what she would eat.  Then when I asked her to get socks and shoes on, she said "oh well, I'll wear Ariel socks b/c they match my lunchbox."  She then proceeded to ask me to put her hair in a ponytail but said "only use the Ariel hairband so it will match my lunchbox too!"
Also, as we were driving to school, she was having a very serious discussion with Kalen in the back and said "Mom, isn't it true that no bad guys live in the United States."  I replied "unfortunately, bad guys do live in the U.S. but that's why we have police officers to catch the bad guys."  Isabel: "yes, police officers like Papaw and Uncle Joe except Papaw isn't a police officer anymore so he doesn't protect us anymore."  Me: "Well, Papaw still protects us in his own way."
She was thinking ALOT today!

like a nightlight.....

Before bed tonight, Sam says to me:
"Mom, do you know why it's good to read the scriptures before bed each night?"
Me: "no, why?"
Sam: "b/c the scriptures are like a nightlight when you are scared of the dark...they aren't too bright or too low but just perfect to help me be less afraid."

Also, when Daddy asked Sam who is favorite prophet was:
"Samuel!  There are two of them-the one who was a kid and answered 'Here I Am!' (it's from a children's song) and Samuel the Lamanite, who got arrows and rocks thrown at him!"

My Sam never ceases to amaze me!

Sam the Scout

When we started to prepare Sammy for Cub Scouts, I told him that if he got his Eagle Scout like Daddy and Uncle Joe, I would buy him a rifle of his choice.  The other day as we were reading through his Scout book I was a little overwhelmed.  I told him "Sam, when you get your Eagle and your new rifle, I think I should get a new rifle too for helping you."  He replied "that's fine with me Mom but you have to get your dad's permission first."  I love that he's listened to what we've been teaching him about gun safety.

all things Sam

So this past Saturday, May 4, marked Sam's eighth birthday!  And it seems as though this week as pretty much been all things Sam!  In our church, eight years old is usually when a child gets baptized and boys start Cub Scouts so this is a BIG birthday for my little guy.
On Friday night we celebrated his birthday with his grandparents.  Both Grandpa and Grandma Eber and Papaw and Mamaw May came for a dinner of Sam's favorites: kielbasa, french fries and applesauce, followed by brownies with strawberries and cool whip :)

On Saturday (his actual birthday) he had a party with friends at the Vandalia Rec Center.  They got to swim for 2 hours and then had pizza and cake in the party room.  Of course, with 10 eight yr old boys anything can happen and sure enough, as the boys were getting out of the pool one of the boys fell and hit his head.  It is the VRC's policy to call the squad on all head injuries so poor Jason had to meet with paramedics before he was cleared.  As his mom got there and said they would leave, he asked if they could stay for pizza.  So they did.  Sammy had a great time and even Kalen threw a fit when it was time to get out of the pool.  I made his cake (Angry Birds Star Wars).

 And of course, after all the craziness of the weekend, tonight he started Cub Scouts.  He was so excited to go.  For his first night, they learned about planting and seeds.  He brought home a small pot filled with three kinds of herbs and sunflower seeds.  He was so happy.  As I put him in bed, I said "I'm glad you had fun buddy."  He replied "oh yeah Mom!  It was great.  You should try to join Girl Scouts!"

At eight years old, Sam is in the second grade.  He still wants to be a scientist when he grows up so he can "make potions".  He still does swimming and said that when he is an adult, he will teach me how to swim (b/c I really don't know how).  He loves to sing and wants to take drum lessons.  He grew 2 and 3/4 inches since last year.  He jumped from a size 7 in August to a size 10 in February!  He is a great big brother.  He has discovered the reading bug and does great with that. 
I love him sooooo much.  I can't get over how my 10 pound baby is now a growing boy.