Sam decides school assembly is "unfair"

Before Samantha even got in the Expedition after school today, she asks, "Where's Nash?"  I told her he was already in the Expedition.  As she's climbing into the truck she says, "Nash.  I am SO sorry you didn't get a certificate at the assembly today.  You totally deserve to get one.  I think your teacher should have picked you to get one."  I was completely baffled by what she was talking about.  Come to find out, the kids had an assembly at school today that was a Student of the Month sort of assembly.  Apparently certificates were given to students for things from "Best Cursive Handwriting" to "Reading" and "Math".  Not sure what the basis was for the awards or how students were chosen.  My daughter however, felt the outcome was, all in all, unfair.  After her statement about how unfair it was that her brother didn't get a certificate I hear, "I can't believe my teacher didn't choose me to get a certificate!  I'm an outstanding reader!"  I had to smile at that comment.  I told my kids, "Just because you didn't get a certificate this time doesn't mean you should quit trying to do your best."  Hopefully they will come to understand that life isn't about certificates, it's about learning simply for the joy of learning.  But, once again, I'm their mother (who also happens to be a teacher) so what the heck do I know?

Caleb & Bob

Ever since Brookelyn was born, Caleb has been adamant that Brookelyn's name was Bob.  Not Brookelyn, not Brooke, and certainly not Brookie.  We joked before she was born that her name would be Bob.  After she was born and she sounded like the snorting pug nose dog that my dad had (whose name was Bob), Travis started calling her Bob.  Thus, Caleb became convinced his sister's name was in fact, Bob.

Today Caleb took a poster to preschool to celebrate him for his birthday (he's a July birthday so we take it when we get it).  It was designed to look like a beehive and the very bottom hive said, "Something I can really "buzz" about is..."  Well, when I was working on filling this poster out, he was very into whatever it was he was doing and wouldn't give me the time of day.  So, I filled it out for him.  On this bottom piece of the hive, I wrote "I am a very good helper with my baby sister."

Today at Preschool when he was sharing his poster, his teacher (who we are friends with and know quite well), asks Caleb, "Caleb.  What is your baby sister's name?"  Knowing full well that his answer would be Bob.  To her surprise (and mine) he looked at her and said, "Um.  I can't remember."  What?!  So she asks him, "Caleb! What do you call Brookelyn?"  He looks at his teacher and smiles and says, "Oh yea!  Bob!"

What a kid!  I can't believe he said he couldn't remember his little sister's name!  I have been telling myself that he was probably trying to remember Brookelyn, not Bob.  But, who knows?!

Picture Challenge Day 18 & 19

Brookelyn's reign of terror has officially begun:

She gets so stinking excited these days & just huffs & puffs & grins from ear to ear.  I was trying to catch the grin so some of my pictures are a bit blurry.

Did I mention sister bounces when she gets excited?

She loves her puffs.  I got her some of the freeze dried bananas & strawberries the other day.  She actually got most of them in her mouth rather than on the floor.  She was funny because she picked out the banana ones & left the strawberry ones!

This is her "Who?  Me?" face.

I love her big cheesy grin.  Notice the raised eye brow?  She is going to be a mischief lovin' girl!

I love these cheeks!  I could kiss them all day long!

I only got one picture today.  I ended up going to the dentist, taking the dog to the groomer, stopping at JoAnn's fabric (shocked gasp I know) and then running kids to piano.  However, I did manage to finish this baby present finally tonight!  It is fleece & ragged.  I thought the puppies were super cute.  I thought about stitching it in red and I think I would have liked it even more if I had done that.  I've been making them kind of big for a baby blanket, but I figure that way they can be used a lot longer!  This one is for Caleb's preschool teacher.

Picture Challenge Day 17

Samantha always wants to go ice skating for her birthday.  The last three or four years it has become tradition.  Well, this year we broke tradition.  Mostly by accident mind you.  We got to the ice rink at 3 to find out they close on Sundays at 330.  We then attempted to go to the Fun Park to roller skate.  They aren't open on Sundays.  So, we ended up at Logan Lanes for a bowling game.  Everyone but Brooke bowled.  I haven't been bowling since high school.  I went on a double date & the ball decided to go behind me.  Mortified me & I haven't been back since!  Until today....

Sam did good but her score wasn't too hot.  She came in last!

I did take two pictures of Nash, but the other one was blurry so I deleted it.  I was surprised at how good he did.  He didn't throw the ball down anyone else's lane!  And, he would even run up to the black line and then throw his bowling ball!

Caleb was fun to watch.  He just wanted to grab whatever ball he wanted and throw it down the lane.  Travis helped him every time it was his turn.  Good thing too because he had to stop the ball from jumping the gutter and going into the next lane over more than once!

Brooke was just happy to be along for the ride!  She sat in her car seat the whole time.  We took the stroller with us for the ice rink & when we opened it up we found her favorite baby doll - Jemima!  She was thrilled to have her along today!

Picture Challenge Day 16

Friday night after everyone left, Sam got to have her cousin Jade sleep over.  She was soo excited.  They've been dying to have a sleepover for quite some time.  Nash got to have his cousin Kash sleep over too (no pix of those two unfortunately).  The girls finally crashed just before midnight - even though I sent them to bed at 10:30!

Yesterday Caleb took a nap.  I love it when he does.  I just don't love it so much when he falls asleep with a half eaten go-gurt on the couch next to him (I cleaned that up before I took the picture).  He still really needs naps, but won't lay down and take one.  They have to come by accident these days.  I'm really missing the days where I could tell him it was nap time and he'd do it!

Last night Sam danced for a Primary Children's Hospital fundraiser at the Logan Rec Center.  I was surprised at how many people were there because it wasn't advertised at all.  I think the only people that came though were the parents of dancers.  This is her ballet dance for the year.

Waiting for their turn.

Ready.  Position.

All the pictures I took of them actually dancing turned out fuzzy.  I thought Sam was on the far left for this dance so I sat on that side.  Turns out, she was on the far right (where I was originally going to sit & then changed my mind!).