I would like nothing better

Jack: "Smell my armpit."

Caid: "Yeah, Mom, smell mine too."

Let me get right on that.

Why did I even ask?

Me: "Why is there a banana on the dryer?"

Sarah: "Because Jack was shooting me with his banana gun."

Oh, of course!

Birthday Boy!

Today, Jack is 4. I just had to share a picture of the birthday boy and the cards that Gracie and Caid made for him...

Enjoying cupcake #1. Or rather, the icing of cupcake #1 since that's all the birthday boy eats.

Roses are red, violets are blue, Oreos are awesome, so are you. Dear Jack, Happy B-Day. I love u. I hope you have the best birthday ever. Luv, Gracie

Dear Jack, I hope you have the best birthday of all the three birthdays. So I hope you have the best birthday in the world!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mispronunciation part 3

Jack's favorite snack: "Copcorn with parmaron cheese."

Project Life

Wednesday, September 15 - Sarah read to Jack There's a Monster at the End of this Book. I love that one - could read it over and over and over. As a matter of fact, I have read it over and over and over.

Thursday, September 15 - Out with my best girls. I am so thankful for these women and the laughs we share. Even though we waited 45 minutes for poor Diane's drink, we had a blast - as usual. Pictured: Angela, Linda, Diane, Tammy, (front) Cindy, me, and Josie. Not pictured for some reason even though they were present: Nancy and Lori. Also not pictures: our very slow, new waiter. It was only his third night.

Friday, September 17 - South Boundary in the rain, taking Gracie home from gymnastics. 

Saturday, September 18 - I took Caid to the Chris August / Chris Sligh concert at Stevens Creek Church in Augusta. As we left, he held his signed CD like it was gold, "I never got an actual autograph before." His favorite songs: I Like Candy by August and Rock Stars Need Money by Sligh.

Sunday, September 19 - Jack found his Halloween costume from two years ago and ran around acting like a monkey for the evening. No different than usual, but this time he had the costume to go with the act.

Monday, September 20 - I'm posting this picture mainly so my mom can see that I cleaned my bedroom. We also rearranged, and on Monday Gracie mopped the floor and washed the windows for me. I can breathe in here now. Happy day!

Tuesday, September 21 - I took the kids to the Jonny Diaz concert in Augusta. Great concert. Gorgeous weather. Big fun.I believe Caid took this picture of Sarah and me.

Disclaimer: I don't have any pictures of Gracie from this week, but she wouldn't get in front of the camera. I'm putting this here because one day she might read this, and she will think I love all the other kids better than her. Just want her to know THAT'S NOT THE CASE! I love you all the same!

When in France...

Riding down Broad Street in the "big city" of Augusta (kids were amazed at the tall buildings - wow, we live in the sticks), Caid said, "This looks just like French."

Mispronunciation part 2

The Superman Blessing according to Jack
(sing to the tune of the Superman theme song)

Thanks you Guys
for giving us spoons!
Thank you Guys
for giving us spoons!
For daily bread
that we may be fed!
Thank Guys
for giving us spoons!

Kiss the cook!

Caid: "Mom, I think you're a great cook. You should work in a food factory. And Warren* too. Because y'all both make good stuff. Or should can own a restaurant. Or you should be a chef. Because you make everything good. Oh I know! You should work at Ryan's."

*my stepdad, who apparently is better at making chili than I am because he puts pepper in his - even though I put pepper in mine too

Counting, manipulation, and rationalization

Jack: "I want chips."

Danny: "No chips."

Jack: "Just a couple."

Danny: "Okay, two."

Jack: "No, three chips."

Danny: "No, a couple is two. Three is a few."

Jack: "Okay, a few chips."

Danny: "You don't need a plate for three chips."

Jack: "Yes, I do."

Me: "Jack, why do you need a plate for three chips?"

Jack: "Because I don't know why I do."

Smells

Sarah: "Jackie, you know what you smell like? You smell like ham!"

Caid on love

When I picked up Caid from school today, he had some news for me.

Caid: "I'm not sure I should tell you this."

Me: "You can tell me anything, Caid."

Caid: "There's someone in my class who has a crush on me."

Me: "Oh. What does it mean to have a crush?"

Caid: "It means you're in love."

Me: "Well, do you have a crush on her too?"

Caid: "Not really. She kind of creeps me out."

Crisis averted. I am not ready for kindergarten romance!

Just in case

Jack: "I need a whole pack (of tissues) in case if I cry."

Project Life

I'm not doing so hot at remembering to take pictures every single day. Five out of seven this week.

Wednesday, September 8 -  Jackie playing peek-a-boo. I got him coming out of the covers.

Friday, September 10 - Friday night lights at our house. I attempted to get sky pictures, but my camera is not powerful enough. It was a gorgeous clear night with brilliant stars and a sliver of a moon.

Saturday, September 11 - Caid felt left out because I didn't take him to Aiken's Makin', so I suggested he and I take a walk. He allowed Jack to come too, but not his sisters. I caught him being very sweet to his little brother - helping him climb the "mountains." (If you know where we live, you know why "mountains" is in quotation marks.

Sunday, September 12 - Another walk. This time I took all the kids. It is precious to me when they actually act like they love each other. The walk ended with Caid attempting to ride on Sarah's back. She bent down for him to get up, and he ended up pole-vaulting over her back and face-planting in the sand. Blood. Screams. Tears. I threw him on my back and ran the rest of the way home (thank God for Couch to 5K training). 

Tuesday, September 14 - Two days after the above-mentioned face plant, and Caid's face looks so much better. Three pretty yucky scabs, but all the other red is gone. I skinned my knee three weeks ago, and he is definitely healing way faster than I did. I guess because his skin is younger than mine?

Caid's Question(s) of the Day

"Mom, how did God borned himself?"

and later...

"Mom, how did God borned the very first teacher?"

Quiet Time... yeah right!

Four kids invaded my space - loudly - today while I was trying to have a few moments of quiet. (Reading a good book called Meet Me at the Well, by the way.)

Me: "Hey, y'all... I'm kind of trying to be quiet here."

Sarah: "You can keep being quiet, Mom. We'll just make noise around you."

Gee thanks... that's exactly what I was looking for.

On invisible friends

Bracky is Jack's invisible friend. Usually she's a girl. She has blue hair and red eyes and is 3 1/2 feet tall. Bracky lives in a pineapple. She takes naps in Gracie's bed and tells Jack to do things we've told him not to do. She spits on the computer screen when she sneezes and sings funny songs. Today we learned she also has allergies...

Jack: "Bracky is allergic to eggs and people."

Me: "Really?"

Jack: "Yep."

Me: "What happens if Jack gets near people?"

Jack: "She will DISPLODE!"

Me: "Oh my! Well, what happens if she eats eggs?"

Jack: "She will get a rash and turn into a alien."

What's in a name?

Caid: "I don't want to be called Caid any more because actually Caid is not even really a real name. I've never even hear it before. And actually I don't feel comfortable being called Caid. I just want to be called Daniel."

Thank God for small favors

Caid (coming out of the bathroom): "Yes, Mom, I flushed it because you do NOT want to see what was in there."

One of life's hard lessons

Danny: "Sorry, Caid but the world does not revolve around you."

Caid: "What?!"

Danny: "Everything in the world cannot be what you want."

Caid: "WHAT?!!"

Project Life Tuesday

Apparently I forgot to take my camera out of the bag on Wednesday. And now I have no idea what I did that day. That's why pictures are important.

My MIL, Jewell visited us for a few days. The kids so look forward to her visits, and so do the grownups. Unfortunately, I was so tired, we couldn't stay up late and play cards.  Next time!

Jack's a little OCD. This is one of his "clubs" that he sets up around the house. He places each item in his club very precisely, and he knows if someone moves it. I had to dismantle this one in order that we could eat dinner, but it showed up later on a different surface.

End of our walk. Left to right - Caid, Sarah, Gracie, me, Jack.

The consummate host and master griller, Frank, at our YaWaY day-before-Labor-Day cookout.

Danny took this photo to make a point. Yes, it is true... I overstuff the trash can. Sue me.

Tuesday - I could have taken some great photos of some amazing women having way too much fun at my Premier Jewelry party... if I had remembered my camera.

The husband

Danny: "Should I be upset or glad that I haven't been mentioned in your blog?"

Me: "You should be glad. Very, very glad."

Duh part 2

Swimming in the lake...

Gracie: "Mom, what if a snake comes up and bites us?"

Me: "Then it will hurt."

Duh!

Gracie (putting something in the oven): "Mom, what if I burn my hand?"

Me: "It will hurt."

What was I supposed to say?

How we'll fund Sarah's college education...

Sarah gave me a great idea today. The kids were arguing over how high I should turn up the radio. Caid wanted it louder. Gracie wanted it softer. Jack wanted it off. She asked why each seat couldn't have a switch for it's own speaker. Brilliant! Maybe really expensive cars already have this invention, but I haven't seen it (since I drive a 2006 Caravan with 98,900 miles on it), so I told her, “That's a great idea, you should patent that. Then you will be a millionaire!”

Her reply: “Yeah, that's even better than my idea for canned bread.”

Why I might be schizophrenic...

I went for a walk with the kids tonight. It was so much fun. We walked about a mile and a half, and they managed to remain fight-free and whine-free for pretty much the entire way. Even when Sarah accidentally knocked Caid in the head, he didn't tear into her.

But it occurred to me that it is pretty amazing that I am capable of carrying out any coherent thought. The conversation went something like this...

Me: "It's the first star. Make a wish."

Gracie: "I can't tell you my wish because it won't come true."

Sarah: "That's actually Venus."

Caid: "Why are those lights on in there?"

Sarah: "What's the name of that song about being scared?"

Jack: "Maybe it's Christmas."

Caid: "Here's a stick."

Gracie: "Well, I'll tell you my wish because I don't think it's going to come true anyway."

Sarah: "Do you think Rachel is still here?"

Jack: "I think it's Christmas."

Gracie: "Do you want to hear my wish?"

Me: "If you want to tell me your wish, you can."

Caid: "Jack, it's not Christmas."

Sarah: "Do you think Rachel's brother is here?"

Gracie: "I wished that when we get home Dad will have us 50 pounds of cake."

Me: "Well, now it definitely won't come true."

Sarah: "I used to sing the song in preschool. Something going bump in the night."

Me: "That was a prayer, not a song. Against ghoulies and ghosties and long legged beasties, and things that go bump in the night, dear Lord deliver me."

Gracie: "Is Rachel's brother Harry Potter?"

Sarah: "No, that's not it. It's something about not being afraid."

Gracie: "About the bear hunt?"

Jack: "When is it going to be Christmas?"

Me: "December Jack. We have four months to go."

Caid: "When we get home I call computer."

Me: "When y'all get home you need to take showers and baths."

Sarah: "No, not about the bear."

Jack: "I want a pillow pet for Christmas."

Me: "Going on a bear hunt... but I'm not afraid.... I've got my gun..."

Gracie: "There's not gun. It's 'I've got my pack of crackers and my water.'"

Me: "What good is a pack of crackers going to do you on a bear hunt?"

Sarah: "There's not a bear."

Me: "Oh I remember...." And then we all broke out into song.

No wonder they didn't fight. It's like they were all in their own worlds! But what a wonderful time it was. We all came home giggling.

Such a sweet moment when they're all loving each other

We saw bats, so they all decided to be vampires.

Proud of my girl!

When I got home from work and the grocery store, Gracie met me at the car, "Mommy, Mommy, I have the best news!! I can't wait to tell you!! But you're going to need to come in and put your stuff down because you're going to want to hug me when you hear this!!!!"

(She was right... she was accepted into the gifted and talented program. I did have to put my stuff down to hug her.)