Art

About this time every year, our local library displays art made by the students of  area schools.

One day, a few weeks ago, I got an email from our art teacher asking if I could help her.  I didn't really understand what she needed help with but I agreed.  As it turned out she needed help get the art mounted so that the pieces could be on display at the library.  

I was working and getting a good bit done.  Then, she gave me some "stuffed animals" to mount from a sewing unit they did.  I looked at this one that was to be mounted and knew right away that it was Austin's.  

 

The project was to have 3 parts of your childhood and put them into one stuffed creature.  Austin's creature is a small dog, whose body is a video game controller.  On the ear of the dog it has a blue canary (from a song he likes).

I thought it would be great to get a picture of  him with his creation at the library, but he didn't agree.  I think he did a great job!

12th tooth

The evening of December 25, I was working on dinner.  They boys were relaxing in the living room.  I glanced up and Adam was gone.  Okay, I'm sure he is fine.  I continued to work on dinner.  I heard Mike talking to Adam, but I didn't really hear what he said.  After awhile I looked up again, Adam was on the couch with a bunch of something...(toilet paper, maybe?) in his mouth.  I said, "Oh my, what happened?"  As it turned out, he pulled a loose tooth.  Did I know he had a loose tooth?  Probably not. 

I made sure I had a dollar in my wallet.  The boys have known for a long time that the tooth fairy is not real.  They know that I am the tooth fairy.  However, it is something fun we do.  I asked where he put his tooth (because the tooth fairy does not like to go into a dark bedroom and not know where the tooth is-we don't put it under the pillow.  I always have feared that I would wake the boys reaching under their pillows.)  He told me he put it on his desk.  We went on with our evening.

I ended up going to bed before Adam that night, that happens sometimes on Christmas break (the boys enjoy the flexibility of staying up later and not having to get up early for school.  I enjoy the time I get for extra sleep.)  Honestly, I forgot about the tooth.  I woke up for some reason around 3am.  I laid in bed and thought, "I was making sure I had a dollar earlier this evening....why was that?"  I laid there and thought about it until I remembered the tooth.  I got up grabbed the dollar and went into Adam's room to do my tooth fairy duties.

Adam never mentions anything one way or another about the dollar, but I feel sure that if I had forgotten he would have been disappointed.   Losing a tooth is a great milestone for a child.  I'm glad I woke up and realized what I had forgotten earlier that evening.

Adam

I have had a list of things I wanted to post about for a few weeks, but haven't gotten to it.  So, I decided to throw them all together and make a post.

The 6th graders at the boys school were fortunate to go to a wonderful hand bells Christmas concert, shortly before Christmas break.  They told the kids to wear something nice, they didn't have to wear a suit, but something nice. I helped lay out some clothes the night before.  I nice button down shirt and a pair of jeans.  He decided that he needed to hear his dress shoes, and a tie!  Not a clip on like in his closet, but one of Mike's ties.  Luckily, Mike had one that matched and he was home to tie it for Adam.  I had to take a picture.  It's not often that my boy goes to school looking so dressed up.

One of the advantages of working at my boys school is that I get to hear little tidbits about their day that I might not otherwise hear.

One day I was eating lunch, one of Adam's teachers happened to come into the room I was eating in.  She said, "I have to tell you about your son."  I could tell from her face that it was a good story.  Apparently, she had a activity for the kids to do where they were to follow a template.  If they followed it correctly they should have ended up with a snowflake.  She had the templates on the board, but not an example of the snowflake.  Adam took it upon himself to do a sample of each snowflake and put it on the board with the template.  His teacher laughed and said, "He keeps me straight."  That does sound just like something Adam would do.

The first evening we were on Christmas break, I was able to get out a puzzle.  Adam helped me with that.  It was the first time he really showed interest in puzzles.  It was something fun for us to do together.  He took the perfect picture of the puzzle to show what it looked like.  Those are his sweet toes in the picture.  I have since started another puzzle, maybe he will help me with that one too.

School Pictures

When Austin started Kindergarten, school picture time came around and I ordered a pack of pictures.  I thought that is hat good parents did.  He brought his pictures home, they were the worst pictures I had EVER seen!  The photographer had not had him take his coat off.  The coat was falling off his shoulders.  He looked very disheveled. He looked like a deer in the headlights, and he was not smiling.  AWFUL!  It took me a few years to figure it out, but I finally thought, "I can take better pictures than they can (and they are cheaper!)"

I started to do just that!  I take my boys pictures instead of ordering them.  This year I thought I would get them done in a certain time frame, but that just did not happen.  Then it was going to get cold.  I didn't want coats in the pictures!  (flashback to Austin's Kindergarten picture!)  One Sunday afternoon, I said, "Boys, today is the day!"  It was a bit chilly, but we made it work.

 Adam did wear a coat in his picture, but his is not falling off his shoulder, and he is smiling. 

Austin decided he would be fine as is, but he was a little on the cold side.

The are the pictures we have on our walls.  I am pleased with them, and the fine young men in the pictures too. ;)

History Project

Adam has been learning about the different Indian tribes that were in the U.S. long ago.  They had a project to do for class.  They were to create a diorama depicting one the tribes.  

Adam and his good friend, Jonathan, created the Lakota tribe.

If you ask me, I think they did a great job, it looks so much like the Great Plains, and the Lakota tribe.

Adam looks proud of his project and I was one proud Mom.  Good job, Adam!

Cass

Several years ago, Carol suggested that I take my boys to Cass WV to ride the train. Some how time slipped away and we never got there.  Now that Lana has little ones, we decided to take a family trip there and enjoy the train ride together.

The first thing I noticed was...

 I could not miss a photo opportunity with a boy and sign that has his name!

Found an old caboose and got a picture of the boys.  (That made this mom happy!)

It was a little chillier there than it was here.  So we bundled up as much as we could and got on the train.  Glen was my snuggle heater for the ride. 

Mike and my guys were there too.  Austin doesn't look overly happy, but I think he enjoyed the ride.

Adam decided to come over to me and snuggle as well.  I love that he still feels free to do that.

 This is the front of the train we were on.

 I tried to get as much of the train as possible.

On the way home we stopped at an overlook on the top of the mountain.  I was able  to get a beautiful picture of the mountains.

 A rare shot of Mike and me.

Then me and the boys (it was a little windy that day!  Check out my hair!)

We may not have gone when the boys were in their train phase, but we all still have a wonderful day.  So glad we finally made it to Cass.

11th Tooth

Awhile ago, Adam came to me and said, "Mom, I have a loose tooth."  I checked and sure enough his tooth was loose, but certainly not going to fall out that night. 

A few nights later I checked the tooth again.  It was looser, but still nothing to worry about.  As I watched Adam, I could tell he was worried about something.  He finally told me, he was worried about his tooth falling out at night as he slept. 

Somehow, I don't think that thought ever crossed my mind when I was a child.  It amazes me how my boys think of things that have really never entered my mind!

The evening of September 10, Adam was really working on his tooth!  As we were doing our nightly read aloud (each night the boys do silent reading and we read a book together and discuss it)  Adam suddenly appeared a bit calmer.  When I got to a good stopping place I looked, and sure enough, the tooth was out and he no longer had fears of losing it at night.