Cold Snap

We had a cold snap this week, and Montgomery found herself chilly when she wanted to go help Johngideon take out the recycling after church. I haven't yet pulled out all of the winter necessities, so finding hats, gloves, scarves and the like in our home is nearly impossible this time of year, for a 5-year-old...

...needless to say, Montgomery made do.

I think Johngideon found her rather amusing...or is that incredulous?

...but he was happy for the help so he mostly kept his opinions to himself.

Gommy didn't seem to care either way...she was busily oblivious...and warm.

Take Care. Much Love.

 

Coffee

Heard recently (and quite seriously) from the lips of Montgomery:

"Mommy, does coffee make people cough?"

Chuckling inwardly to myself, I thought,
"No, but it sure does make this person smile...just like your question, sweet baby girl."

Much Love. Take Care.

 

The Elders POP+

I love this photo of Job and Maia,

a POP (Post of Previosity) from April 1995,

when Job would have been about 21 months old and Maia almost 9 months.

It's one of my all-time favorites!

What I love is that it shows the natural inclinations, personalities

and sibling relationship of these two...even today.

Job tends to be focused on the activity of the moment, and the tools and items related to that activity, which for him in this picture is clearly the sippy cup, the drinking of the juice, and the wearing of the sunglasses. Maia tends to focus on the people of the activity of the moment and relating with them, and thus the items of the activity of the moment are kind of unimportant to her...she was simply wanting to "talk" to the nice mommy lady standing over her with the flashy-light-camera-thing.

Job has usually tended to exhibit a degree of reserve. Maia has usually -- well, almost always -- approached situations with a desire to dive right in. Job has tended to have his mouth closed much more often than it's open. Maia has tended to have her mouth open communicating something much more often than it's closed. Job tends to be methodical. Maia tends to be a bit freestyle.

Yet, with all of their differences, or maybe because of their differences, Job and Maia have always been very close siblings, and I think are even closer now than ever before. Perhaps they balance each other? Either way, as a mother, their special relationship has warmed my heart again and again over the years. And...the funny thing is that in recent years they seem to have started rubbing off on each other. Job is a whole lot more social these days and enjoys getting to know new people in new situations, and actively seeks out those opportunities. Maia is now contemplatively reserved in situations that warrant it, and has a greater appreciation for methods and procedures.

But I still sometimes manage to capture a few photos,

like this one from Job's graduation day,

that take me right back to April 1995...

...classic!

Much Love. Take Care.

Important Ability? Hmmm....

Heard recently from the lips of Johngideon:

"I know how to spell ALL the bad words!"

Dubious talent, no doubt, but better appreciated in context...(I think?)

Grandma Tee was visiting from New York for a few days, and Johngideon was sweet enough to keep me company while we ran an early morning errand with her. She and I were having a conversation in the front seat, when I heard Johngideon pipe up indignantly from the back, "I am not!"

Surprised by his outburst, Grandma Tee and I exchanged befuddled glances and I asked, "am not what, Johngideon?"

"What you said," he responded, "the 'B' word!"

Well, you know what "B" word immediately jumped to our minds, and not being a curser, I racked my brain to see what word I'd used in our front-seat conversation that could have sounded like the "B" word. At a loss, I asked Johngideon what the "B" word was.

"You know," he said, spelling with great emphasis, "B-A-S-T-A..."  Ohhhh, I thought, that "B" word. But knowing that's a word I never use, I looked at Grandma Tee in puzzlement. She reminded me that we had used the word "pastor" in our conversation, and I realized Johngideon thought we'd said his "the 'B' word."

Amused, I explained the misunderstanding to him, but thanked him for choosing to spell the "B" word rather than say it. Delighted by my compliment, he proudly declared these infamous words...

"I know how to spell ALL the bad words."

That really brought a smile to my face. Parentally appropriate? To tell you the truth, I'm still not quite sure.    :o)

Take Care. Much Love.

 

  

Gommy In Charge?

Today on the way to school, just after we dropped off Johngideon, Montgomery said to me:

"Mom, have I been a good listener this morning?"

(This is a pretty important Gommy-girl question because mornings are just not Montgomery's thing, and it can get pretty rough and rocky...pretty often. This morning, however, was rather fluid...at least for her!)

So, I replied, "Yes, Montgomery, you were a veerrry good listener this morning."

Two minutes or so later, Gommy piped up again, "Well, since I been a good listener, can I be in charge of the house?"

Chuckling to myself, I gently responded, "Well, no, Gommy, Daddy is in charge of the house."

To which she immediately replied (with matter-of-fact casual cool), "Well, I want to make a different choice."

And what she clearly meant was a different choice of who is in charge! Hahahahaha.

Just thinking of a "Gommy-in-charge" house gives me great comical pause!

...and then makes me more than a little afraid!    ;o)


Take care. Much love.

Homophones...Such Funny Funnies

One night Josiah asked for help with a language arts school assignment ...homophones.

Once he explained what they were, and gave a few samples to get the mind juices moving, we just went to town homophoning...and I mean for hours...while I cooked dinner...while he did his math homework...while I got the littles ready for bed (and I must confess...for days afterwards!). We laughed uproariously and quite uncontrollably as we racked our brains thinking of more and more and more. We tried them out on all household members...they came from all corners of the house wanting to know just what was sooooo funny. Then they either joined in, also laughing hysterically, or walked away shaking their heads at just how ridiculously silly we were getting!

Maybe its just us -- no, maybe its just me (because I have always loved words so much...voracious childhood reader...journalism major in college here), but they tickle us so. I'm grinning just thinking about them right now. Earlier today I was laughing out loud in my car as I remember several of them.

So, just what are homophones? Here are a few...(by the way...feel free to share any you come up with as well). They absolutely delight me and Josiah! Matter of fact, if you try these out in your house or on your friends, they are guaranteed to be contagious......well, maybe at least to one other person...and of course, that would be the one with the best sense of humor!  ;o)

Here we go...

1)  What do you call a naked forest animal?

2)  What do you call a man who exchanges basements for money?

3)  What to you call an untrustworthy feline?

4) What does a vegetarian do when she's fallen off the wagon?

Another giggly (and blurrrryyy) photo to keep the answers at bay for a moment...

Answers:

1)  A bare bear!

2) A cellar seller!

3) A lyin' lion!

4) Meet meat!

Hahahahahahahahahhaha...hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha...whoooo hooooooo (catching my breath) hahahahahahahahahahaha...hahahahahahahahahahahaha!

I just love homophones...but not as much as I love Josiah! Thanks for the laughs Josie!

Much Love. Take Care.

Gommy's Discovery

Montgomery discovered earphones this week.

She was delighted, concentrating hard on this new kind of listening...

...and she danced around...

...and insisted on choosing her own music for more dancing...



...again...

...and again.

It's funny how the simplest things we see as so ordinary delight the youngest among us. I enjoyed her discovery with her, and basked for awhile in her delight (and eventual silliness!).

This evening, on her way out the door to Coldstone Creamery with Job and Maia (a rare and special treat for her to hang out with just the oldest two by herself), Gommy did something else new...she copied me. Every move I made, every gesture, every facial expression, she mimicked to a "T." It was so funny, and Maia and Job couldn't stop laughing. She was so observant, copying things I didn't even realized I was doing. Gommy definitely has a flair for the dramatic...she was really good! I wished I'd been able to get her on video...but decided instead to just enjoy the moment.

Much love. Take care.

See, I Told You So...

Gommy came home from school on Thursday bubbling with delight at the silly thought of an upcoming Pajama Day at school her teachers had told the class about. She thought it was a crazy silly funny idea and was thrilled at the wonder-filled thought of wearing pajamas to school. She said it was "tomorrow" and described in great detail her favorite "four princesses" nightgown -- as if I didn't know which one it was :o) -- that she was planning to wear.

Later at home I looked through her entire book bag and found no mention of a pajama day, so I just assumed the teachers were preparing the children for something coming up in the future. I explained this to Gommy, but she still thought it was "tomorrow."

On Friday morning I dressed Gommy in regular clothes, even though she again said it was Pajama Day. I asked Craig to check in with Miss Sophie when he dropped her off, to get the date for the Pajama Day, still believing it would be some future time. Well, as I was dropping off the boys at their schools, Craig rang my cell phone to let me know that, indeed, today was Pajama Day!

As soon as the boys were off, I raced home to grab the favored nightgown, and princess "night" socks (so called because Gommy only wears them when she puts on princess nightgowns), and Gommy's favorite bedroom slippers (given to her by her best school pal Isabella at Christmas). I flew to Gommy's school and checked in at the office, where they called Gommy from her classroom. Holding hands with her pajama-wearing pre-K hall traveling buddy, she lit up when she saw me at the end of the hall, and came running for a big hug. We watched her pajama-ed friend get back to Miss Sophie's class and then headed for the women's rest room to get Gommy changed. When we were inside, I showed Gommy the items I'd brought and said "Gommy, it was Pajama Day today after all."

Gommy looked up at me, put her hands on her hips and said something she's never said before -- and with attitude!..."SEE, I TOLD You So!"

(...afternoon reenactment by trained actress above ;-) ...)

And of course, as I signed out of the school in the office, the secretary handed me the flyer I somehow had missed from Gommy's book bag the day before...

Take care. Much love.

Funny Glasses & a Funny Prank!

 

Gommy came home from school one day in December with the funniest glasses from the awesome and wonderful Miss Sophie, Pre-Kindergarten teacher extraordinaire! Miss Sophie has the soul of a true old-school teacher in a 30-something body...she believes in strict discipline and lots of learning routine, but is full of joyful energy for Pre-K dance time and crafts, and doles out daily treats. Most of them are sugary sweets for the little sweeties, but many of them are very creative, like these glasses. Gommy thought they were so much fun, and so did everyone else when they all got home for the day. No one could resist taking a turn, while the rest of us laughed uproariously. (Mind you, this was very much a standing still party, because the lenses on these glasses are opaque, rendering the wearer sightless...but giddy with delight at the spectacle (pun intended :o)  he or she becomes.

Gommy loves her Miss Sophie something wonderful, and so do we all. So even when she and the Mommy have our conversations about the value -- or lack thereof -- of homework for the pre-K child (I'm of the possibly misguided but very heartfelt opinion that there is plenty of time for homework during her next 13 years of schooling), I always walk away with a smile on my face knowing that Gommy is in great hands for this very special and wonder-filled year of her educational life.

Thanks Miss Sophie!

On another day in late December, I wandered to the front of the house and found Gommy keeping watch by the downstairs bathroom door, looking a bit uncharacteristically guilty. It wasn't too long before I saw the door knob wiggling and then Craig pulling the curtain aside from the inside of the bathroom, trying to figure out why he couldn't get out!

The back story here is that Craig installed this very nice french door for us just before we moved into our house. However, the door remained unpainted for another year or so, and finally sometime early this past fall, Craig took the door off the hinges, painted it (yeah!!) and put it back up. Satisfied that he had checked another item off his "honey-do" list, he went on with his day. A few hours later we realized he had put the doorknob back on the door in reverse, so instead of the locking mechanism being inside the bathroom, its on the outside of the door instead...not much fun for a Mommy trying to escape a four-year-old for a little piece of quiet sometimes! Craig has been fixing it "soon" for a good three months now.

Back to the day in late December when Gommy must have really been feeling her silly Wheaties, and decided to lock the bathroom door while Craig was inside...and then she waited outside the door to really experience the full effect of her prank! I think she must have lost part of her nerve while waiting, because there was no delighted anticipatory bouncing going on while she waited, but it sure was delightfully funny to me! And to Craig too! It took him a minute to figure out what had happened, and somehow I think his "fixing it soon" might really now be sooner rather than later.

Thanks Gommy!

Can't tell...is this a look of triumph on her face?  

By the way, gotta love the "yellow sparkly princess dress" she had to have for Christmas...and the pink Princess Tiana socks I had to have for her!

Much Love. Take Care.

Once upon a recent Sunday evening...

The children were all hard at work, diligently attending to their lessons...

from the youngest...

...to the oldest...

...to the almost oldest...

Hmm...I wonder...maybe his work is all completed?

...and his too? Hmm...

Somehow he doesn't look concerned...that smile must mean the homework is done!

 

Note the fist? Sharing a couch can be tricky business!

Much love. Take care.