Sweeping the floor.

This evening, Austin was helping me clean up after supper. He got the broom and was sweeping the floor in the dining room and kitchen. He did a really good job! He even did a good job of getting it in the dust pan. Then he dumped it in the trash can. I was standing nearby, and could tell that it did not all make it in the trash can. When Austin discovered this he thoughtfully said, "Maybe the ants will get that."

Let's just say--I HOPE NOT!!!

What year is it?...and Where are we?

Yesterday morning, I woke up in my house and the year was 2009. I loaded our breakfast dishes into the dish washer, and did a load of laundry with my washer and dryer. (I know it was Sunday, but sometimes you just have too!!)

Then we took a little trip and went to the Frontier Culture Museum. It was as if we entered a time machine and went back to the 1700's.

Here the boys are in front of a West African Farm house. This area is not finished yet, but is was still interesting to see. The doors on these houses are carved, and really beautiful!

Then, we went to the English Farm. On this farm, I learned that they give the farm to the oldest boy of the family. The younger boys would get money and trinket items.

They had geese on this farm.

The boys found a "bull." They have since learned that just because a cow has horns, does not mean that it is a bull.

We had to cross a bridge and found some ducklings in the water below.


Next, we went to the Irish Forge to see the Blacksmith.

He showed us the process they went through to make nails.

Austin is holding the nail he just made.

Here are the pigs that were outside the Irish farm. I learned a bit about pigs. I (being a city girl) did not realize that they had "potty corners." No wonder it smelled so much worse at the one corner than the rest! They are really smart little creatures.

Austin is showing us how bad is really smells.

This is the outside of the Irish Farm house.

And look what we found strutting around outside.


They had a weaving loom.


Adam took a "sit down" break on one of their wooden stools.


We spent the most time at the German farm. Which you can see here.

Austin sitting on the stairs at the back of the house. As the man was talking to us, Austin raised his hand and waited patiently for the man to listen to him. When he was finally able to talk he said, "You have a dead mouse by the steps." Not exactly what I expected! He found 3 additional dead mice in the barn. That was apparently an exciting part of the day! (in 1st grade Austin's class came here, the thing that struck him then, and the only part I heard about were....the chamber pots!! I'll never understand!!)

Our interpreter told us, in this culture the boys would continue to live at home and their wives would come to live with them and raise their families there. That could become a very full house, if there was a family with a lot of boys! This is a bit different compared to the English culture that we had just seen.

Our German interpreter played a song on the dulcimer. Mom knew the song.

Austin tried on their wooden carved shoes. They did not look comfortable to me!



Then we jumped forward to the 1820's. We went to and American Farm.

I have to say that it was an interesting day, and I learned a lot. But, I would not trade my meager kitchen for what they had. And I do enjoy the convenience of my appliances!

Eeeek.....bugs in the house

Actually, this bug is very cute. In fact, I think I even like---no, love him!

Adam was playing with this flashlight, and came up to me and said, "Mommy, look I'm a lightning bug."

What a cute little bug, I have!

I'm not THAT crazy!

Today was my day to weigh myself. I have been only trying to do this once a week, and in the morning (for obvious reasons!)

I was awake at 6, but took a little extra time to snuggle with Austin. He fell back to sleep, so I got up and decided to see my fate. I was barely able to get on the scale and he was staggering down the hallway. He asked, "Mommy, what are you doing??" So, I replied, "I'm weighing myself." He came back with, "IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT!!?"

Well, no, it is not the middle of the night. At 6 am it is officially morning, but still dark. I really am not THAT crazy!!

The 1st week of school

The first week of school seems to be off to a good start. Austin is enjoying 2nd grade. Today he told me his frog was moved from "nice job" to "fantastic." I'm not exactly sure what this was all about, but it had something to do with his journal and copying a lot of words. Way to go, Austin!!

The other night I asked Adam if he was good for his teacher. He said, "I don't know." So, I asked, "has your stick been moved?" He replied, "I don't know." Mike and I discussed this and decided that we should ask the teacher how things were going, in case there was a problem at school. So, I e-mailed him this morning, this afternoon I got this reply:

He is so very quiet at this point.

Are you sure he is Austin's brother.

No problems at all. Rick

I guess things are going well. It made me laugh, "are you sure he is Austin's brother?" I guess Austin must have been a talker!

Snuggle time!

Austin is my boy that loves to snuggle in the morning, even if it's just for a few minutes. Today, I got up just a little earlier than usual to make pancakes for breakfast. When Austin came to the table, he had tears in his eyes. I asked what was bothering him. He said, "We didn't get to snuggle." With that, we promptly left the table to go snuggle for a few minutes. At the age of 8, I don't see this going on for many more years. If something that simple helps him to have a good day, I will make time to snuggle!

The first day of school 2009!

Today was the first day of school! Austin is in 2nd grade, Adam is in Kindergarten, Mike is teaching 4th grade, again, this year.

I was able to snap a picture before they left.

I was really surprised that I did not cry. Okay, I almost cried. As I watched them go down the driveway, I had tears welling up in my eyes. In order to avoid thinking about this all day, I planned several things that kept me busy. I went to the dentist, then met a friend for lunch, and we went to the book fair afterwards. I had a really nice day!

The boys came home, and all seemed to have a good day. Austin seemed excited that this year he can check out 2 library books. Adam said they did art today. His quote was, "we did some sewing, but it was not real sewing."

I figured today was a good day to get out the special plates and mugs. A good first day of school is as good a reason to celebrate as any!!

I have never been good at keeping track of height and weight on my boys. I decided to try to keep it up a bit better on the blog. Austin is 3'11" and about 55 lbs. Adam is 3' 7" and about
38 lbs. Lets see how they grow!

It made me laugh!

Today Adam brought this picture from Sunday School. I had to post it, because it made me laugh!!

My Boys Really Make Me Think!

Before having children, I would have never dreamed what kinds of questions they would ask (or how I would struggle to answer at times)

The other day, Austin was drawing a picture. When he finished he showed it to me. I said, "it looks like a DNA strand." Austin asked, "What's that?" So, I explained that DNA makes up who you are. It makes your hair whatever color it is, it makes your eyes their color...." Austin thought for a moment and asked, "can you live without DNA?" Well, honestly, I had never thought of that. I answered by saying, "well, I don't think so, because you have DNA when you are born and it makes you who you are, if you don't have it you are not alive."

Today for supper we had a sliced nectarine on the table. Adam was very happily eating the slices when he asked, "What is this called?" I said, "these are nectarines." He replied with, "It looks like a peach, it tastes like a peach, why is it not a peach?" Well, my dear child it is not a peach because it is a nectarine. I really did not know how to answer him!

My boys are really good at making me think outside my usual box, and stretching me so that I can give them proper answers. Now, I am off to look up nectarines in the World Book!

We met their teachers!

Today we had the opportunity to meet the boys teachers for the upcoming year.

Adam has Mr. Kline. We knew him because he had Austin 2 years ago. Mr. Kline does not look like the typical Kindergarten teacher, but he is a great teacher. I really appreciate his take on homework for Kindergartners. He says that the kids work all day long for him in school, when they get home they need to be kids! Thank You, Mr. Kline!! He, also, tries to keep the kids active and interested in what they are learning. I know when Austin was learning the vowel sounds, they made up dance moves with each vowels--hey, whatever works!!

We had a time for the parents to go listen to what the Principal had to say. The kids were able to stay in the classroom and play with the toys and eat a snack. It seemed like they had a very good time.

Adam has 1 friend from pre-school in his class. He is very excited that Coty will be with him in Mr. Kline's class.

Austin is in 2nd grade and he has Mrs. Say. I had not meet her before this week. She is very kind, and soft spoken. She had a scavenger hunt for the kids to do when we visited her room (in order for them to become more acquainted with the room). She seems to have a good plan to keep the kids organized with homework, and papers that need to come home. She was, also, explaining how she tries to gradually give them more responsibility. I am eager to see how Austin does in these areas.

Uncle Peter

Oh, how I wish my Uncle Peter had a computer. Today, in fact, I just wish he read my blog (even if it wasn't on his own computer!)

Austin drew a lovely picture of him today. I just had to post it! I have this hanging on my parents refrigerator. I really hope it stays until October, when he comes to visit!!

If only I could scan a current picture of him...

Aunt Helen, what do you think, does it look like Uncle Peter??


and to prove it is a picture of him, Austin wrote his name on it.

I hope he takes this as a compliment!

how do YOU do laundry??

On any normal day, I would answer that question by saying the washing machine. Maybe doing some hand washing on some of the delicate items. However, today is not a normal day.

There were some clothes on the line, that got wet yesterday. The boys decided that needed to be washed. So, with their creative minds, they came up with the idea to fill the wheelbarrow with water and wash the clothes. They even snuck in the house and got soap (not sure how that happened). I only figured this out when Eamon came and got 4 stirring utensils out of the kitchen as I was fixing lunch (that was, of course, to work as the agitator to ensure that the clothes would get clean!) As they were working, they decided that the shirts they were wearing were also dirty. As I type this, I hear the water running. It must be time for the rinse cycle!


As for me, I will stick with my washing machine!!

Can you count the freckles?

Can you count the freckles on this precious face? No?? Really?? neither can I, but let me tell you a little story about them.

Today, I took my boys and Eamon and Shannon to Dairy Queen to redeem their blizzard coupons. Eamon and Shannon were talking about the freckles on their face. Adam did not want to be left out of the conversation, so he quickly added, "I have invisible freckles!" No wonder we cannot count them!

I never know what this boy is going to say!

What???

Okay, today I had to say this a couple of times!!

First of all, Austin got dressed for church, and wanted to be "handsome" with his new bow tie. the only problem is they are two totally different plaids! But, he wore this to church, none the less. I guess this is considered a type of expression. Right?? (I did, however, feel like putting a disclaimer on him saying that I did not put his outfit together. Although, I think that most people would recognize this.)

Then after church, we were trying to get lunch ready. Adam was wanting something to snack on. So, he asked if he could "have a few plus a few." Huh??.....what number is that exactly??

It is so interesting to see how they express themselves so very distinctively. They really do keep me on my toes!

The time is coming!

You may be asking, "Time for what??" Well, my answer would be, "time to start getting ready for school." I decided today was the day! About a month and a half ago I did my school shopping. I did it that early because I hate to fight for a box of crayons, or elbow my way for a package of pencils. I had all the supplies my boys needed for school, but no where really to store them until the time. So, they ended up where all things go that really don't have a home--my bedroom. Today I looked at the pile of supplies and decided that they needed to be sorted out and put in backpacks and find a new home other than my bedroom.

I took a picture of most of the supplies before we started our project. I did not realize at this time that there were 2 more bags and a resting towel still to be brought out.

Here are my boys ready to pack up their things and get ready for school. I think they are both ready!

Again??

The boys really did not lay around all day. It just looks that way.

They got hot, so they did some water play out on the driveway. When they were done, we told them they had to dry off some before coming in. Eamon said he wanted to "sunbathe" to dry off. The other boys followed his lead. How cute are they all laying on the lawn, drying off??

L to R: Shannon, Eamon, Austin, and at the far right is Adam (of course he has to lay differently. He always go to the beat of a different drummer!)

Aren't they cute??

Today, we decided to let the boys watch a movie. They have been together most of the week, and needed a bit of a change. So, after lunch, we were getting the movie ready and the boys decided to take cushions from chairs, pillows, a blanket to lay on, and a sheet on top. They created a nice mat to lay on. Isn't this a much cozier way to watch a movie, than being in a regular chair??

l to r: Austin, Eamon, Adam, Shannon

At least he's reading...right?

Today, Austin sat down and started reading a book. I didn't really look at what he was reading, but chuckled when I found out it was "Will they ever grow up. A book for the terrible 2's and beyond" or some similar title. When he finished that one, he went and got another book. I had to out right laugh that he had moved on to read "You know your a mid-life male when..." I really think he is reading beyond his years.

What a good daddy he will be...someday.

We do the same bed-time routine every night (unless there is something unforeseen that makes us late!). We read books, floss teeth, brush teeth, go potty, and read a short devotion, and pray. They the boys get into their beds. Austin gets in and is ready for lights out in a very short time. Adam, on the other hand, has 3 babies sleeping in his bed. He has to make sure that they are covered and the blanket is straight before he can settle down himself.

What a kind heart he has!

Short side note: The boys have just recently started sleeping in different beds. As opposed to this post.

What do you do with a spoon?

If you are like me, you would answer the above question with: eat, stir, use for serving, or any number of other options. However, I don't think I will ever think like my boys. They never cease to amaze me how they see things so much differently than I do.

Adam used his spoon to drum on an old metal barrel.

Austin used his spoon to dig a hole.

Mom, in case you wondered, this is what happened while you were at the dentist. And, yes, this is why your spoons are bent (and one even broke). The most important thing is the boys had fun, right! :)

Sunscreen

The other day it was really hot!! So, Mom and I were going to take the boys (mine and Carol's ) to the pool. I made sure to put sunscreen on their backs and shoulders, but these 3 boys did not want me to put it on their faces.

I just thought it was very cute that they all lined up along the couch looking in the mirror.

They must have done okay, nobody got burned!

l to r: Shannon, Eamon, Austin

The rings

Yesterday, we had a nice play date with some of Adam's friends from preschool. When Adam was in the 3 year old class, he had a friend named Lucy. Lucy has since moved away, but we still hear a lot about her. Adam is determined he is going to marry this girl.

A while ago, Adam found 2 rings while geo-caching. He said he was going to give one to Lucy. So, yesterday was the day! I had suggested that he give one ring to Lucy and the other ring to her sister, Lilly. He looked at me as serious as can be and said, "2 girls cannot get married!" At that point I understood that this was a little more in his mind that just the gift of a ring. He let her choose her ring, and he kept the other.

I captured the moment ! ...well, after really. They are putting the rings on here.

I do have to say that as far as girls are concerned, I am very pleased that Adam picked such a nice, sweet girl. However, I do hope he realizes that he has lots of time before he has to take this leap!!

How did he know that?

Adam never ceases to amaze me!! How did he know:

~A grasshopper has wings? He claimed they were used for flying, but in actuality they are able to jump 20 times their body length, not really fly. (I Had to look this up in the world book to be sure)

~the word monocle means one eye glass lens? He uses the word correctly and even said he was going to make one the other day!

~how to use the word gradually correctly in a sentence? I would have thought that a kid who has not been to Kindergarten yet would have said something like slowly, or something similar. But, Adam says gradually.

How did he know that?

What do you need for a laboratory?

First of all, you need a microscope (to look at things like hairs, eraser dust, and a thread), A bunch of little things, you know, this and that,

some other things, do-dads and thing-a-ma-jiggers,

a curious little boy or two,

And free reign to explore.

They pulled this stuff out today, and started to play "science." In one of their science kits, they had some powder to make a snack similar to Jell-O. As they were doing this, I was reading in the living room, and had to giggle to myself when I heard some of their comments. Austin said, "Let's make monster brains!" Later, I heard Adam say, "This is yummier than it looks!!" Then I heard "So sour it makes me shiver!"

It might be scary if they one day get into real science!!

When is your Birthday?

Yesterday, Adam came up to me with his hands behind his back. He asked me, "When is your birthday? Is it tomorrow?" I told him, my birthday was not until March, so we had about 7 more months. He got a sort of sad look and said, "I found this when we were geo-caching. I wanted to give it to you for your birthday.

It is a little box that has 4 (paper??) roses in it. I have not opened it yet, to see what they are made out of.

How sweet that he thinks of me while out on a geo-caching trip.

games in the tub

Last night, it was time for the boys bath. They did not seem very eager to go take care of that task. I told them how when I was little and took baths with my sister, we would soap up each others backs, then draw letters or numbers, and if we really felt adventurous short words (Lana, do you remember this?) The person who is having their back drawn on then has to guess what is being written on their back. They got very excited about this and were in the tub in no time at all!

Not only is it a fun game, but a great way for them to wash each others backs!

Our Cafe

The other day, I was busy unpacking from one trip, washing clothes, and packing for another trip. Austin came up with a creative idea of how to entertain himself. He made a cafe for his dummies. He took a couch cushion for the table, and the dummies are propped on pillows. From the picture, you can see Willie and Howdy are holding "menus." This must be a pretty upscale cafe, since the waiter, Austin, is wearing a tie (he must have taken his handsome coat off.) I heard them say that some of the food options were: Hamburgers, Salads, and ice tea. Maybe I should head there for lunch today.

Dot Calm

I am reading the A-Z mysteries with Adam (however, we are not reading them in order). Awhile back, we read "The Lucky Lotto" In that book the "bad guy" was a clerk named Dot Calm (hope I'm not ruining the book for anyone!) Dot Calm must have made an impression on him! Since then, I have read several books. When asked who he thinks the "bad guy" is most of the time his answer is "Dot Calm." He did surprise me last night, we were finishing "The orange outlaw" He told me he thought it was "Dot Calm's mother." But, today as we were a few chapters into "the Unwilling Umpire." He said Dot did it again. (Honestly, she has only been mentioned in one book! She is really being blamed for a lot!)

So glad I did!

Yesterday, we stopped at my sisters house on the way home from Lana's. We needed to drop off my nephews guitar. I noticed when I walked in, that there was NO trace of them having been on a weekend trip. Carol had already been in the shower and was playing a game with Shannon. So, I thought, I can get everything put away as well. I was working at unpacking, trying to fix supper (with no groceries!), and Austin kept asking for me to play Apples to Apples with him. Finally, I said, "Okay, 1 game." Adam wanted to play too--All by himself! It was so good for me to see him be independent, and see him read some of the cards. When it was his turn to flip a green card, he turned it over and tried to sound out "fat." The best card I had in my hand was owl-which I thought was pretty good! Austin laid his card down and laughed and laughed. I couldn't figure out what was so funny, until Adam turned the cards over and read his-"my mom." Austin laughed even harder now! He has such a contagious laughter, I had to join in. He said he did it because he knew I would find it funny.

So glad I left all the unpacking, and the messy living room, and enjoyed a good laugh with my boys.

Our 2nd weekend away

This weekend we went to my sister and her husband's house (Matt and Lana). We had a really great weekend.

On Friday, we had a nice afternoon at their house. Carol, Lana, Mom and I got some really heated games of Blitz in! Then came the part that I was really looking forward to! After supper, we gave Mom and Dad their anniversary gift. We contacted family and friends and gave them an option to give us a memory or well wish, then we compiled all of them into a book. They were really surprised!

Mom and Dad opening the book.

Then we brought out the ice cream cake.

I think it turned out beautiful!

Then on Saturday we went to Smith Mountain Lake for the day. We did this last year, and had such a good time! So, we decided to do it again this year.

Adam loved the sand. He built some really neat things with Mike.

Austin was in the water most of the time.

We stopped for a picnic lunch. This is the original family -

Mom & Dad and us 3 girls.

Then it was back to the sand for Adam.

He wanted to be buried.

He got a lot of mileage out of this sand toy.

I had to steer him back to our spot-he was just going and going!

Thanks for bringing it Carol!

My boys!

Daddy carried the boys a bit on the way back to the car.

This is our group.

Tired, wet, and sun burnt!

We got home, fixed a nice meal, showered and changed clothes. Then we had a great evening of playing Apples to Apples Jr. with the kids (great for reading and vocabulary!) Then we played Squint after we put our boys to bed.

We had a great weekend! Thanks for having us Matt and Lana!