Wordless Wednesday: Pizzas, prizes and pies night

Congrats, Henry, for selling enough Cub Scout popcorn to get to throw a pie in your leader's face!

Henry's acrostic poem

Happy
Exprt at math
Nice
Runs fast
Yung

Henry's creative writing assignment this week

The topic: Draw a picture of your family eating dinner. Then write a story about your family at dinnertime.

Henry's story:

I eat dinner with my family. On Tuesdays I only have 1 hour until I have to go to cub scouts. Most of the time (flip over to the other side) we have leftovers.

Mercifully, Mrs. F commented: Leftovers make a yummy second meal!

Me thinks I need to get back into the menu planning business...

Wordless Wednesday

A girl after her great-great-great grandpa's heart (he was "The Potato King of the Northwest")

Henry learned to ride a bike!

In true Henry style, he's now a pro at riding without training wheels. Last weekend we ran into his friend, Sam, who was buying a new bike at the store because he had learned to ride without training wheels (and the old one was too small).

This was very motivating for Henry, though we had one small problem...his bike had disappeared. Luckily Sam loaned us his old one. Monday he went up and down our block a few times with Daddy, but last night he rode from our house to campus, then at least six laps around the track. Stopping is the only thing that's minorly challenging, but he was doing well by the end of the evening.

WTG Henry!

Happy Birthday, Henry!

Today was Henry's 7th birthday and the first day of school! We had to run to the bus, but made it...



I brought snack for Henry's class--ice cream bars. I'm amazed at the difference between kindergarten and first grade--Henry came home with an assignment book; they have homework every day!

After school the kids took the bus to their "normal" destination. They had a mini-party for Henry there and played on the playground while I picked up our CSA veggies (yummy!). Then we went to Henry's requested dinner...the mouse house, Chuck E. Cheese! We met some friends there and had a pleasant time.




Happy Birthday, Henry! What a great boy you've become!

Party Planning

Henry's birthday is on Wednesday--the first day of school (what timing!) Since I was out of town this weekend (Hope and I went to Colorado for a conference), his party will be next weekend. He wants a military theme, and this is what I have so far:

Enroll into a division (Marines or Airforce)
Basic Training (push ups, jumping jacks)
Sargeant Says (Patrick will be the sargeant)
Hike to campus (one block away--we'll get another dad to help)
Capture the Flag game
Hike back to the "mess hall" for lunch, birthday cake and gifts
Make paper airplanes with special airplane paper
Land airplanes in enemy territory (a hula hoop)
Obstacle course
Water grenade fight

Food will be:
hot dogs and fixings
carrots
watermelon or grapes
birthday cake :) (9x13 with crushed graham crackers to be sand with clean army guys on top)

Is it ok to do two rounds of games? The party is from 10:30 to 1, so I'm figuring the first round of games will be 10:30-11:30, food from 11:30 to 12:15 and round two of games from then until the end.

I'm a little stumped on favors. I think this will be the last co-ed party; we're inviting 14. I think I'll make dog tags...other suggestions?

Six year old narcissism...

Me: Henry, do you know what day today is?
Henry: Saturday.
Me: Do you know what else today is?
Henry: No.
Me: It's my birthday!
Henry: Oh good! That means it's only 12 days until my birthday!

Update

Sorry I haven't posted much...guess I don't have much to say. We've been busy and having fun. My camera is in the diaper bag, which is at my sister-in-law's house, so no pics for a while...and I got a new laptop, so I'm still figuring everything out.

Hope is crawling all over the place, and pulling up on anything she can reach. She's sporting two tiny teeth on the bottom, and making lots of fun sounds--she's added raspberries, pppfffts, and fish lips to her ba-ba-ba-ma-ma-ma's. She has a re-check on her ear tubes (that she got three weeks ago) on Wednesday.

We've had a fun long weekend. Thursday evening we went hiking, and were stalked by four raccoons while we ate our picnic dinner. One of the water fountains shot the water at least six feet--Harmony held the button while Henry and some other boys tried to catch it with their mouths (and got thoroughly soaked). Henry also fell in a small stream, so he took off everything except his underwear for the ride home. No stopping for ice cream! Though we did stop at an Amish farm and get some green beans.

Friday we went to Conner Prairie with some friends we met on the train. They have two girls, one Harmony's age and one Henry's age. When we got to Conner Prairie, I told Henry that next time we should bring his friends, Jacob and Aden...and about five minutes later, we ran into them! Henry hung out with them for the rest of the afternoon. We met back at the ice cream stand, and ran into some of Patrick's relatives--definitely a small world!

Saturday we celebrated Ava's (our niece) first birthday. She and Hope were very cute, checking each other out. It was also the first time cousin Emma and Harmony could really play together on their own--soo cute! Fireworks got rained out...

Sunday we homeschooled for church on generosity, ran some errands, and played at a friend's house, then celebrated Ruthie's birthday. How big you all are getting!

So that's the news from here. I'm taking the kids on the train to see my parents (20 hours on a train, anyone?), and I doubt I'll have internet access up there, so it'll be quiet around here for a while. Hope you're having a great summer (if anyone actually reads this...I'm writing more for myself and the kids' journals at this point...)

Nightmare on Elm Street

So I had my own personal nightmare on Elm Street on Monday.

Mondays are "run around" day. Henry has T ball practice from 5:30 to 6:30, Harmony has dance from 6 to 6:45, and Patrick has City Council at either 6 or 7, depending on the week (this week it was 7).

Patrick dropped off Henry, then Harmony. Once Hope woke up from her nap, we went to watch Henry's practice at the middle school field and pick him up.

I had been chatting with Patty, one of the other T-ball moms. Her son Dillan used to go to the same daycare as Henry and Harmony. We talked about kindergarten since her son would be starting this fall with Harmony. She was nervous, since they had planned for him to go to the Catholic school (which just announced its closing). We talked about a playdate for the boys sometime--Dillan had been asking to play with Henry.

It was 6:40, and practice didn't show any signs of wrapping up. Patty volunteered that Henry could come home from them--they lived just diagonally across the street, on the other side of the school, on the corner by the railroad tracks on the south side. Hesitantly I agreed--this was the second time she had offered. We knew the family from their interactions at preschool, and knew we had similar parenting values.

So I picked up Harmony, and discovered that I had forgotten about picture day (which would have been hard anyway, since we also picked up the costume for the first time). Got the insane schedule for recital week, and went to get Henry.

So we went to the other side of the school. There was one house on the south side of the tracks, and knocked on the door--no answer. Tried again--no answer. Walked around the house--there was a playset in the back yard, good sign, but no kids. Tried the back door. No answer.

Took several deep breaths, since I had both girls with me. We saw a nieghbor working on a car, and asked if there was a kid named Dillan that lived nearby. He said yes, and pointed to a tan house on the north side of the tracks. It didn't match the directions, but I didn't have a lot of options, so we tried that door. All that happened when we knocked is that we activated the large, scary dog in a crate.

By this time, Hope was screaming, and we were all sweaty. So we sat in the car with the air on, and Harmony and I prayed that we'd find Henry, and that he was safe. We drove around the block with the school in the middle, to see if they'd stayed late...not there either.

We parked and tried the first house again...still no answer. Knocked on several other doors on both sides. Several people knew that Dillan lived in the scary tan house, so we tried there again.

By now it was 7:45--we had been looking for 45 minutes. I didn't have my phone with me, so we went back to the house and got the phone. I called Henry's coach and got their phone number, and left a message for the preschool director, asking for their address. I tried calling, but the number was busy...several times.

We got back and started knocking on doors again. And as we were going to the scary tan house for the third time, Dillan's dad drove by, looking for us.

They lived a block over, on Water Street...not Elm, where we'd been looking. Henry was hot, sweaty and happy from playing with Dillan for an hour...I was hot, sweaty, and on the verge of tears.

That was the first and the last time my children will go on a playdate to a house I don't konw. And I will always get the cell phone numbers of the parents!

Thanks, Lord, that You knew where Henry was the whole time he was gone, and for protecting him.

The kids on Marriage...

Overheard in the car this afternoon:

Harmony: When Hope and I grow up, we're having babies. I'm having two girl babies.
Me: What about a boy?
Ha: Well, maybe one. Just like we have!
Henry: But first you have to be married.
Harmony: You have to get married first--you're older.
Henry: I don't know about that...maybe I'll marry God instead.

(I guess Henry wasn't ready by the Jedi Knight argument Ruthie made...)

Wordless Wednesday--toothless grins

The older brother

It's hard to be the older brother...Henry had a tough time this week, both on Harmony's birthday and today at her party. We did things to accomodate him, like inviting some boys to the party (post coming after I load pics!) and spending some undivided time with him. But he was still more whiny than usual, and had a melt down both days.

It reminded me of the parable of the prodigal's son. When you think about it from the older brother's view point, it is totally unfair--why is HE getting the party? I'm the one who has been loyal, who is here day in and day out, and yet I don't get rewarded.

Some days the Christian life feels that way...doing the work day in, day out, without seeing the rewards.

I love the dad's response: 'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'

EVERYTHING I have is yours. I love that God promises the faithful everything!

I also evision the loving arm around the older son, a grace-full, loving answer. That vision helped me be gracefull with Henry (or at least attempt to be), even though he didn't have the reason to be offended, like the other older brother.

Lord, help Henry respond gracefully when others get attention or accolades, whether they deserve them or not.

Saying no

On Sunday afternoon, Henry and I were working/playing in the yard. He asked if we could have a squirt gun fight and I said no--it's not summer yet.

Henry wanted to play light sabers, so we invited the neighbor boys (who were also outside) over to play. They were looking for a third light saber, and ventured into the back yard.

After a while, I got suspicious--usually their duels (or tri-els) range all over the yard, and I hadn't seen them in a while. So I went looking.

What I found was a soaked Henry and friends, Super Soakers in hand.

Uh oh...time for the neighbors to go home.

Henry was quick to point a finger at the oldest boy, saying it was his idea. My response was, "But you knew the rules. It's important that when someone asks you to do something that you know is wrong to stand up to them. Say no and tell them why."

I think that's easy advice to give, and hard to live by. Saying no has never has been my forte, so I hope I can teach my children well.

Lord, give us courage to stand up and say no when we know something is wrong. Help us to teach our children both your rules and the ability to stand up for what they believe in.

Wordless Wednesday--

Hope at 2 months:

Proof that my children will be/are nerds...

On our way to Kokomo yesterday, we drove through a fairly large Christmas light display. As we approached, Henry's comment was, "Mom, they have both the conifers and non-conifer trees decorated!" Guess I better teach him the word "deciduous"...

Friday funny--Henry's dilemma

On Mondays, Henry does a "weekend report"--a picture with invented spelling description of the weekend's highlight. He had a hard time deciding whether he should write about seeing the principal at Walmart, going to Chuck E. Cheese with grandma, or his baby sister, Hope, arriving. Hope won, but it was a tough decision!

Henry school funnies

Papers have started coming home. Some are the typical "paint the fruit to match the color word" and writing letters and numbers, but some are more creative...especially Henry's.

The one that came home on Monday was "The Weekend Report", where Henry was to draw/write about what he did that weekend. It had a light saber, a gun sighter, and something else totally unrelated to what we did over the weekend--I guess it was what he wished we'd done.

Last night's doozy was "draw something that starts with this letter" for A, B, C, and D. For A, he drew an alligator (and started writing the word--he got as far as Alli). B was a bow (surprise, surprise, C was a crocodile, and D was just a big black scribbly circle. I asked him what it was, and he said...destruction!

He's definitely a boy...

Henry's first day of school

It went great! He was up and out of bed (instead of the usual request to snuggle for a while) as soon as his alarm went off. He ate breakfast, got dressed, and brushed his teeth without any stalling--I think that's the fastest he's ever gotten ready in the morning! We all went to the bus stop to see him off--it was 15 minutes late, but better late than early.

School itself went well--he got a "good behavior" stamp on his hand, but all he could tell us about was the bus rides, lunch, and recess :) His teacher (and the principal) called to talk about moving him to the "readers" (A&E) class, and after talking with his originally assigned teacher, we're going to try it for the rest of the week. So it should all work out!

Top Ten signs Henry is a boy to the core

10. He owns four light sabers...and likes to carry them all at once.
9. He is happiest doing anything physical outside.
8. He likes to go fast and do stunts on his his scooter.
7. Transformers decorate his walls, and regularly drive by our house.
6. His volume settings are loud, louder, and loudest.
5. Perpetual motion.
4. Give him a ball and he's happy for an hour.
3. Computer games are a great occupation too.
2. He's got a chocolate box full of cicada shells
1. He's learned how to make farting noises with his armpit.

(at least he doesn't pee on the trees outside, like one little boy did at school last week!)

Happy Birthday, Henry!