My hamper floweth over

I know this may sound a little bias, but I think Max is a bit of a genius. There are the more obvious physical abilities, he can walk, run, climb, and jump well enough to keep up with his siblings and open almost any door, drawer, or cabinet. He also can open lids, including twist lids like peanut butter and toothpaste. He loves to color and play with playdough, and is very good at puzzles. He loves to "play" Connect Four, he can stick the disks in the slots and knows how to pull the lever to make them all fall out.

Although he still doesn't talk much, he understand a ton. He can perform tricks like fetching a diaper and throwing the dirty one away, finding and bringing me his shoes, and wiping his mouth and highchair tray.

He has a book with real pictures of food, animals, and household items, and he can pick out most of them and make crude sounds for the animals, say "ni ni" to the baby in his crib, "shh" to the crying baby, and yell "BAAATTHHH" at the baby in the bathtub.

Last night I asked Lillian if she wanted to color, and Max ran to the art cabinet and brought back the crayons. Coincidence, you say? I asked him to get the playdough, and it was in my hand in a matter of seconds.

I promise I am not bragging, just leading up to ask for advice:

How do I get him to use his powers for good? Because as of yet this is the best he has thought to do with them:









You have to admit, covering a stick of butter with chocolate frosting? Pure genius!

You didn't expect that this would go unpunished, did you? I hope that Kelly has internet access at her exciting new job. By the way, Elena, my accomplice, says hi.

Be afraid, Leslie, the band pictures are coming, when you least expect it. Bwah ha ha (an evil laugh).

although there are some obvious differences, some good (hairstyles, fashion choices) it's obviously the same "girlfriends".

Some people attend summer camp, and some people are deeply effected by it, to the point where it becomes at some, unconscious or conscious level, a part of you.

Yes, that sounds sappy and I am sure you are afraid I am going to break into "friends are friends forever", I will spare you.

I am just very happy to be reunited with some of the most amazing girls (I refuse to use the word women) that I have ever met.

I am looking forward to doing it again soon in the future, hopefully with the 2 who were absent this time.

She obviously deserves one. She has to wear her little pink cast for 3 weeks. She is pretty excited about it being pink, that it doesn't cover her elbow, and that people can sign it. I am happy about it's size, it is much smaller than her splint which makes it much easier to dress her.

She is holding her get well cards that Miss Kim's class made her. I think they make it all worth it to her.

I have always tried to protect my children from, well, everything. I want them to have these happy, storybook lives. It doesn't always work. This month:

Lillian broke her arm (not on my watch, though :) She was playing on the school playground equipment during t-ball practice, and just fell on it the wrong way. At first, I wanted to cry every time I looked at her, now, I think that it just adds to her cuteness in a weird way. She will say, "Can somebody help me take my plate to the kitchen? I have a broken arm, you know." Or I will say, "Lillian, can you take your dirty clothes to the hamper?" And she will say "No, I have a broken arm, remember?" I will never forget. She will probably be able to use it as an excuse when she is 20.


Max was outside playing today while I was talking on the phone. I had to go to the bathroom, so I brought him inside, closed the door, and when I came out, I sat on the couch to talk to the girls for a minute, when MAX WALKS IN THE FRONT DOOR! I'm not sure how long he was out there, and he had a scratch on his face. The kids were right there in the living room, and no one remembered him going out. We have decided to always leave the door locked. It still sends a shiver down my spine.



On another note about protecting, we didn't have cable until a year ago. My children watched either PBS or videos. Now, we still try to limit T.V. but they really enjoy Disney Channel shows. I do not. I find them very shallow. The message seems to be more, "You can be my friend even though I am better than you and you are different" more than "we are all equal". They never touch on any real issues, and I realized neither do we. We don't watch the news while the kids are awake, and have always thought we were protecting them by not talking to them about the ugliness (wars, famine, hatred) of the world. I think I was very wrong in that.

Whether I like it or not, they will be bombarded with shallow "worldly" concerns. Even when we are watching Animal Planet or the Discovery channel, "you need to be thinner, prettier, drive better cars, wear better clothes" commercials sneak in. I think the less real world humanity concerns that people have, the more they obsess about superficial ones, and the more they think about other people, the less they think about what brand of jeans they are wearing.

So I stopped the remote on CNN the other day, and they were, of course, talking about Lebanon. There was footage of bombs exploding, and I explained that this was happening right now.

They watched in relative silence and then Pierce said "okay, change the channel" and Jordan said "no, I want to watch this" and Pierce said " but Jordan, I don't like this, this is REAL"

That had a huge impact on me. I want to find the line between having them be informed, caring, individuals who want to have an impact on the world and scaring them to death. Any ideas?

Actually, knowing Summer, she doesn't want him off her back :)
Anyway, I couldn't have said this better myself, and instead of plagiarism, I thought I'd link you to this great post

I found this website today. I immediately knew it needed to be passed along.

I've recently caught a few episodes of Super Nanny due to summer reruns, and I think she has it all wrong. I agree that children need order and structure in their lives, but I disagree with her way of developing that. Here are a few reasons why:

1. I don't think she stresses independence nearly enough. She seems to think to have order, you need to be participating with your children nearly all the time. Why can't it be "now is the time when you do arts and crafts and mommy cleans" or finding a task that your child can complete independently along side you, like folding towels while you fold the rest of the laundry, or cleaning the floors or counters with a sponge while you do the dishes? Children need to learn to play with other children and by themselves as much if not more than they need to learn to play with their parents.

2.I believe quality time needs to be equally enjoyable for both parents and children. If I don't enjoy playing Barbies with my daughter and never play Barbies with her, but do enjoy coloring with her, reading to her, playing board games and doing puzzles with her, and she enjoys these things as well, I don't think she will end up in therapy because mommy never played Barbies. However if I despise playing Barbies and try to mask that to spend time with my daughter, I think that time will never be as well spent as it would be doing something that we both enjoy.

3. The food thing kills me. I can't stand that she uses "positive reinforcement" to get children to eat. Feed them. Put well balanced meals in front of them. Encourage them to try new foods by trying them yourself. Understand that there are foods you yourself can't stand, and respect that for your children. All of my kids have favorite foods and foods they don't like, and we serve them all. If I make a vegetable that someone doesn't like, I respect that and know that tomorrow we will have one that they do. Also, I think there shouldn't be snacks after dinner, or right before. Obviously, there will be special occasions, but for the most part...bad idea.

4. These moms all need one thing.. REAL support. Not some T.V. crew and know-it-all nanny who comes in and gives support (and lots of criticism) for a few weeks. They need other mothers. People who are in the same place, dealing with the same issues, WHO ACTUALLY HAVE CHILDREN! There is nothing more lonely than being isolated with your children all day, every day. That doesn't mean you are a bad parent for not enjoying the company of your children, it makes you HUMAN. Plus, kids need time with other kids, and adults, for that matter. Play dates with other mothers and their chlldren is great for everyone.

Alright, enough for now. Basically I just feel that, when moms have a little of an identity for themselves, they enjoy everything, including their children, more. Plus, the kids benefit from seeing their parents as a whole, well rounded, person. Which is what we want them to be, right?

Mom to many out.

I got a little ambitious there with the whole "weekly" post idea. Besides, giving them a whole month makes it more special, right?








What can I say about Lillian? She oozes cuteness! She is even adorable when she is upset (note pouting picture) or when she is tattling. She will march over hands on hips, and say "Lily says she won't be my friend anymore, and that's not nice." in a very matter of fact yet very "I mean business" voice. She is loving, kind, and generous with everyone. She has an infectious smile and she embraces the world with open arms. I love watching her grow and seeing her experience new things, like jumping off the diving board at Dwight, completing the monkey bars at the Zoo, learning to write her name, and something new every day. I LOVE YOU LILLIAN!!!

You'll definitely want to get in on this one! For a limited time, Wal-Mart is giving away FREE pets with purchase! That's right, for each bunch of bananas that you buy, you get 30 FREE fruit flies! These little boogers make great pets, too! They are so loyal, it's almost impossible to get rid of them! And those 30 will soon turn to 100! What a deal! Thanks, Wal-Mart!!!!

Pierce dancing with Gianna, one of his MANY girlfiends (his two favorite right now are Grace and Anna, he calls them his "girls") Check out Anna in the background. CUTE!
Anna and Grace "helping" Lily. Who's that boy in the background?
Charlie girl, cute as always!
Annaliese and Lillian, notice the difference in their hair, TOTALLY unfair!

I found an undeveloped roll of film, and took it to be developed without much hope of anything interesting. I was pleasantly surprised to find pictures of Max's baby shower and Valentine's day 2005. I thought I would share, I thought they were fun. pregnant Ginny, and who's that with her?
my bee-u-ti-ful cake!
preggo Summer and Camille
Grace