Go Big

It was just me and the kids again tonight, so I figured there was no better way to pass the time than making fresh baked chocolate chip cookie sundaes....complete with Gummy Bears....

Wild Things

When your wife has to work and you find yourself shoe shopping with your kids at Stride Rite and playing with the train sets are Barnes and Noble...it's safe to say you are living life far, far, far from the edge....

Date Night

When you get invited to share dessert by a beautiful girl in her pearls, a shiny ring, earrings, and all the lip gloss she can handle, you dust off your suit, pull up a chair, and try your best to keep up...

Have Wheels

When you have a newly built sidewalk and wheels like this....

.... there's nothing stopping you from going to get treats like this....

Bonus

I am happy to announce that Amelia got another perfect score on her spelling test including all 5 bonus words (arrange, character, interest, popular, separate). Naturally, we reacted as if she had just cured cancer. I know many of you may think parents shouldn't make their kids feel like their accomplishments are bigger than they really are...however, I say I'd rather over-celebrate all accomplishments than under-celebrate any of them.

Accuracy is Overrated

When your daughter and your wife spend quality time together and draw a picture of you and include your bald spot in the hair...let's just say it doesn't feel good. 

Trustworthy?

This guy told me he was going to sleep,  put his head back, and started snoring...I'm just not sure I can trust him that he was actually resting...

Snoozin'

I wish I could take the kind of nap that does this to your hair....

Fall

It must be fall as Meggan has already started covering the house....and apparently my son, in mums...

Words

Amelia has decided to step up her game and attempt all 5 bonus words on her spelling test this week.  So, at 6 years old, she will be trying to spell arrange, popular, interest, separate, and character. I'm so proud of her for challenging herself (we let her pick the number of words she tries).  Also, considering I know several adults who spell separate "s-e-p-E-r-a-t-e" , I'm going to celebrate no matter how many she gets right or wrong.

Joy of Life

While I was putting Amelia to bed tonight we had a little talk that reminded me that perspective is everything...

Amelia: Why do I have to keep doing spelling tests?

Me: So you can better learn to write and read books.

Amelia: Why do I have to write? There are already lots of books.

Me: Well, you don't have to write books. You might want to write notes or letters and you definitely want to read books.

Amelia:  I can already read books.

Me: Yeah, but you want to be able to read really big books.

Amelia: Why?

Me: Well, because that's one of the best ways to learn things and learning new things is one of the great joys of life.

Amelia: (thinking for a second) Hmmm, I thought the great joy of life was riding on a carousel.

Me: Well, yeah, learning AND riding carousels.

Respond

How do you respond to your 6 year-old saying "I hate this family"? I'm not sure there's really any correct answer. I responded by telling her that was a shame because we love her with all our hearts...and then making her spend the rest of the night caring for herself so she could see how lucky she is to have a loving family. It broke her heart to the point of sobbing and praying, but she got the point.  Parenting isn't all pool parties and bike rides.

Should Have Seen That Coming

Well, maybe the real Halloween store wasn't a great idea after all. We normally go to more kid friendly venues. So, perhaps the 8 foot tall demon saying "I can smell death on you" wasn't the best thing for the kids.  I thought they had gotten over the fear until we found Everett bawling on the stairs in the middle of the night.  Then, about an hour later, Amelia came to our bed with nightmares about Halloween.  Lesson learned.

Halloween

We looked around at a few Halloween costumes today ....

... I think we may need to keep looking...

The Karate Kid

Amelia had her first karate class today. She then came home and practiced a few moves...including her yoga relaxation techniques....

Karate Kid

Amelia starts taking a karate class tomorrow. I'm hoping it will help her learn discipline, gain confidence, and increase her flexibility. I'm, however, also hoping it does not help her perfect her mortal kombat finishing move to destroy her little brother during their next argument. I guess only time will tell!

Like Flies

Amelia didn't lose her first tooth until many of her friends already looked like jack-o-lanterns.  However, once her first one came out, the rest are starting to drop like flies.  We're going to have to start cutting her food up for her pretty soon...

Friends

Today was one of those days where you get reminded of how lucky you are to have so many great people in your life. We picked up Everett from his sleepover, took Amelia to a play date with a friend from school, then picked her up so we could meet up with old friends for dinner and ice cream. Now, it is time to rest up so we can take Amelia to another play date tomorrow afternoon.

Sleepover

Everett was invited to his first ever sleepover tonight with his best buddy, Ford. To our surprise, he actually slept over.  To our even greater surprise, he slept over without whining or even asking to come home.  I couldn't be more proud of my little man. He's growing up so fast.

Speller

Good news, Amelia got 100% on her first spelling test! Not as good news, with words like "proactive", "search", and "written" this week, it isn't going to get any easier. On as side note, I just looked up a few websites to see what 1st graders should be spelling in week 2. That list has "to","is","man", and "in"....so, I'm not exactly sure how we jumped to proactive, but I think she's up to the challenge.

Testing, Testing, 1,2,3

Amelia has her first ever school test tomorrow. She's been a little worried since she isn't a big fan of testing, timed events, or things in which there's a chance she will fail. Also, with words like "approach" on her test, it is going to be a challenge for a 6 year-old.  Luckily, I know she'll do a great job...and if she doesn't, we'll probably still let her sleep inside the house.