Something with a ring to it.

Yep. It's time for the biannual phone shopping blitz. I feel like I'm in Vegas. Either I'm going to win big or my losses will set me back for a couple of years. The kids are wild with excitement, especially our oldest, because we're buying a third phone. He thinks it will be his, no matter how many times we explain it's a "general backup phone" for whoever needs it. He KNOWS he's the only one who will need it for at least a year. He sees it as his ticket to freedom.

He's almost eleven, and we have never been willing to leave him home alone. We used the "no home phone" as our excuse. Now it seems, our time for excuses is up. We're going to have to trust him a little more and let him grow up a little bit.

Last spring, when we had to have three kids at three different places we realized the time had come. One of us had to leave our phone with him at mathletics so the other one could call him from the car with sleeping toddlers and let him know where to find us afterwards. We found we didn't like having a parent sacrifice his/her phone when we were kid coordinating and on the move. The time for the third line has come.

Yet what kind of phone? The possibilities are endless. We think we have settled on a kid phone. It's made out of recycled materials, inexpensive to replace if it gets broken or lost, and does NOT have internet access or IM or a full sized keyboard for texting. We can wait on the data plans for another two years at least.

The adult phones are a much harder decision, and a much larger gamble. Those are the ones where we feel like we're playing cards at a casino. Do we stay in the game? Do we hold? Do we call? Are we going to bust? Guess we'll find out soon.

The changling has returned.

I'm not referring to the naked toddler who's running circles around the house yelling "Wow! Wow! Wow! Wubsy!" like he's being chased in a game of duck, duck, goose.
Nor am I referring to the Princess who's learning to read and write.

No, the "changling" is the almost eleven year old who at times acts like he's 2. How can the same kid who helps get his siblings breakfast in the morning without being asked throw a tearful tantrum at dinner because he doesn't like rice? How can the same kid who stays after school to paint chairs for a fundraiser be the same one who has to be told five times to take out the trash? (and then blames us for making it "so full.") How is it our fault when his DS gets taken away because he didn't do his homework after school? How can this kid then joke and smile and then say "sorry" about leaving his laundry on the floor, and then fix it without a fuss? Will the real pre-teen stand up.
I now understand where the phrase "tween" came from. Still young enough to play with hot wheels but old enough to want a cell phone. No matter what his age, at least I know what the first words when he gets home from school will be. "Mom, what's for snack?"

Chip Chip Hooray!

Today our third son is turning seven. Skittles for school in his backpack, he is off! He's grown so much in the last year. He has gone from having video taken of him rolling in the dirt at flag football to being part of the core of the offensive line, from not caring about his letters and numbers to doing his math homework first thing and eagerly reading to me each day, from a shoe size 13 to a size 3. He's a head taller and it is finally starting to rest on his shoulders. I wasn't sure this day would ever come.

He's still full of boundless enthusiasm and huge smiles. He's still very expressive about his views on the world. He's still a "busy" child...but he has learned some self control and tamed his wild edge a little.

Overall he's had a great year. Happy Birthday Buggie.

The week of almosts.

This has been a hard week for our oldest, and he has come through it with flying colors.
He ran for secretary of student council. He almost won....but didn't by ONE vote.
He had his first tackle football game last night. They went into overtime against one of the best teams in the league....and lost.
The Stuco defeat was no big deal to him. His teachers handed him an invitation to math club as soon as they knew he lost. He'd rather do Mathletics anyway...and he hates to write. I never did quite understand why he ran for secretary.
The football loss was a little harder to swallow, but as we pointed out, next week can be better. The kids returning to the team were VERY happy with how the game went. They lost their first game 36-0 last year. The improvement is amazing. He's part of the difference. He's doing just fine.
This morning he's playing video games. He's doing just fine.

Si Guy and the bathroom.

Si Guy's current fascination is with a pink, hello kitty electric toothbrush. He carries it everywhere. He uses it to clean doorways, brush his hair, give himself an electric brush back massage, occasionally he rubs certain parts with it on that makes me grateful he's a boy.

Really , he loves everything bathroom. Flushing toilets, running water in and over the sink, diving in the bathtub, dumping shampoo, all that is the in thing. Playing in the tub w/ empty plastic bottles and a rubber duck is sheer heaven.

One would think, with such an interest in the supplies for self cleaning, he would like to be clean. Alas, no. He is still a boy. Approach him with a bucket and a shampoo brush and he heads for the hills. Actually succeed in giving him a bath? Hey, there's chocolate syrup in the fridge and markers in the art cabinet. This cleanliness thing can be fixed.

At least he's gotten to the point where he doesn't like bodily function products as fashion anymore. He'll tell us when he needs a pull up changed, or take it off himself. He likes having his nose wiped when it's running like the Falls. So that's progress I guess. Nobody goes to college with chocolate syrup face painting. I think we'll be okay.

Zoo of a weekend

Labor Day weekend was a whirl of activity in our household. Friday night football practice. Saturday cleaning day. Sunday, my birthday! Woohoo. The kids choir at church sang and we went to the zoo. I love the new red pandas, and enjoyed tiger in a log. The high point for the kids were snake feedings, petting sheep, and playing in the tree in the discovery barn. A good time was had by all, for the most part.
Sometimes I think the "D" in Princess D should stand for "Diva."
"I don't WANT to go to Australia. IIII want to go to the discovery barn NOW."
"Don't you want to see the kangaroos?"
"NO!"
"Fine, you can just ride in the wagon."
Off we go down the trail to Australia, with a pouty princess covering her eyes in the wagon.
She got over that as soon as we found the play area.
Then we proceeded towards the kangaroos.
"Look mom! Kangaroos! Aren't they cute?"
"Mom, we need to go IN THERE!" (In there was to see the tree kangaroos.)

Then we were off to pet the sheep, far and away her favorite activity of the day, and all of this was in, Australia. Leaving the sheep (and snakes, the boys favorite. real mice and all.)......
"That was the best."
"So you're glad you came to Australia."
"Yea-ah. Thanks mommy." (Big preschool hug.)
"Guess where we're going now?"
"Where?"
"THe discovery barn."
"Yayayayayay!"
Sometimes you can have your cake and eat it too.

What's different about having a girl in kindergarten

It isn't the maturity factor, nor the enthusiam level. Our oldest is quite mature for his age, and any child can come bounding home with a "Mom! I need you now!" kind of message.

No, what's different about a girl is how many words she uses.

Our boys would come home and say, "Mom! We had the hearing test today, and I passed!"
Great honey.

Princess D comes home yesterday. "Guess what? We had our ears checked today. We had to wear these big headphones, and every time we heard a peep we had to raise our hands. Sometimes it was a loud peep. Then it would be a teeny-tiny peep! And we got our eyes checked too...."
"And how did you do?"
"Everything's a-o-k, but you wouldn't believe how many peeps there were." And so she would tell the peep story to every person she could take captive for the rest of the day.

Todays theme is handwashing. They went to the library for a special presentation on it. And one of the girls in full day likes her ever though she's just half day...and it's soooo important to wash your hands. The librarian needed two volunteers, but she didn't want to volunteer, so she she didn't raise her hand.......and here's her sign she made to remind her to wash her hands. She put fingernails on it just like her real hands. Do I like it? Of course I do. Oh, and tomorrow is her REAL library day, with new books and everything.

Such is the drama of a kindergarten queen.

This is one of those amazing moments when all three of our youngest are playing nicely and sharing. They are cooking in the kitchen in the girls room. Princess D is in charge, of course, and Si Guy is just overjoyed to be included. I'll doublecheck later to make sure there aren't real ingredients in there. In the past, there has been water in the sink and a dash of cinnamon about everywhere.

It's amazing to think we may be getting past the baby phase for good. For many years it seemed like we'd live in the la-la land of baby magic and diapers forever.

Yet Si can use the potty, and often does at home for #1, especially if naked...It's just,well, he's not often naked because he has zero interest in #2 landing in the toilet yet. He's not even 2 1/2, so I'm not worried. The fact he pees in the toilet means my time in "baby-land" is about to end. My youngest boy is growing up so fast, using words, putting on clothes, following simple directions. And I 'm a good 20 years away from grandchildren. Guess I'll have to borrow my friends babies in between.