Jimmy in the Newspaper!

Another post, previously lost in the vaults, this one from the year James was in first grade.

A few days ago, we had a storm blow in to town. It lasted about 40 minutes and it was pretty intense. At the time Jimmy usually gets home from school it started raining hard. I thought I'd be a good mom and pick him up at the bus stop in the van. The wind kept the door from closing properly the first time, so I thought "It's a good thing I'm going to get Jimmy. I don't want Jimmy out in this weather." By the time I was at the van, I was soaked to the skin. I waited at the bus stop (in the van) for about 20 minutes and then turned around to come home. When I got home, I got an automated phone call saying that they kept the kids at school in a tornado drill and would be releasing them when the storm was over. (This was an hour after dismissal)  Information that would have been helpful sooner, don't you think?   So here's how Jimmy and his classmates spent the extra hour at the school, as photographed for a local paper. 

I can no longer tell you which one was James.  Sorry!

Questions

This post was originally written several years ago- better late than never, right?

Sometimes parents get asked hard questions like:

What if the gospel is just made up, like fairy tales? (Jimmy)

I'm glad he asked Daddy that one.

Sometimes they get asked easy ones like:

Why are overalls called overalls? (Amelia)

A heated discussion ensued because they do not really go "over all"- they don't cover your head. Jonny (who was in on the discussion) decided they should be called pants-eralls instead.

Sometimes they get asked weird ones like:

(let me preface this by saying he was on his potty seat that makes music everytime he wets)

Can I borrow your urine for me to put in the potty seat? (Jonny)

4 in 6

Originally written in 2008 and then forgotten about, I thought this musing deserved to be posted after all. 

I was at the doctor's office, for Amelia's cast removal today. She wasn't psychologically ready for it to come off and it turned into an ordeal. Her arm has healed properly. She is just scared for her arm to get hurt again, so she currently has a splint on that we'll take off when she's ready. 

The physician's assistant mentioned that he is the oldest of 4 boys. "4 boys in 6 years," he said as he told me some story. I really don't remember the rest because I was busy thinking: Who in their right mind would have 4 kids in 6 years?! Oh yeah- me.

a good laugh before bed

So here I am at the computer, trying to figure out logistics for various activites this week when I hear lots of yelling from the boy's bedroom.  Amelia is joining them for a sleepover tonight.  I open the door and what do I see?  James, Amelia, and Jonny huddled around a card table they dragged in, playing "Dilbert's Corporate Shuffle"  (It's exactly like Scum, if you ever played that.)  James is wearing a large neck tie.  Amelia is wearing a small neck tie.  Jonny is wearing the Nathaniel Bacon suit I made James for his famous Virginian report this year.  And he is hopping mad.

Question answered

I always wondered why Simon didn't like playground swings.  Sure he would ask to sit on them, but he never lasted more than a minute.  In my mind I wondered if it was fear of heights, motion sickness, or something else.  Tuesday I got my answer.  I went to pick him up from preschool and he was riding a tire swing.  When he got off, he was so dizzy he couldn't walk.  It was kind of silly, kind of sad.  On the way home, he said he needed to throw up, so I pulled over and got him out.  The next time it happened there was no shoulder to pull out.  So he vomitted all over himself and the car. So sad:(
Now I know he takes after his mama.  Swings make me sick too.
The next day, I was driving Mia to a dentist appointment at 7:30 am.  The other kids were eatting alphabits in little baggies.  I said "Sorry for the vomit smell, everyone"  Mia said "Oh- it's okay.  The cheerios smell covers it up."  That's fine for most folks.  But for me, I hate that "cheerios smell."   So now the real question boils down to this: would I rather have a cheerios smell mini van or a vomit smells mini van?  Neither.  That is what Glade Scented Oils are for.

Nice Socks

I wish I had a picture to go with this.  Simon ended up wearing his one piece footie pajamas with his tennis shoes this morning- we were in a hurry to drop off the big kids at school. (I kept them up too late last night so I let them sleep in a little and dropped them off at the last morning bell.)  As he was getting in the van, Simon stopped, stood up straight and said "HEY! my socks go all the way up to my shoulders!"  I never would have thought of that!

Where's My Egg?

We dedicated some time to decorating hard boiled eggs for Easter last month.  Everyone was excited for the project and we quickly got down to business.  Each kid grabbed and egg and chose a color to dip it in- we got a neon kit this year (for future reference: DON'T forget to stir the solutions, as directed.  You'll get funny looking eggs.)  Eggs slid into cups, and then Rachel cried out "Hey- where's my egg?"  I explainned that we put them in the cups to make them pretty, but she wasn't buying it.  Every minute or two she would ask in an increasingly grumpy voice "Where's my egg?"  Finally, I just gave her a plain one to hold.  She quickly scarfed it down.  Apparently, she thought she had signed up for snack time, not an art project.