Anna's take on it all

Anna asked this morning what a democrat was.  We had a very general discussion about different views of government, that republicans and democrats can be friends and no one is a bad person just because they are democrat or republican.  No policy discussion, no personal opinions.  She asked if I was a democrat.  Just a brief, "No".  She sits a moment and says, "So, democrats want to play and republicans want to work, huh?" 

Measure of a day

"Sam, did you have a good time at Puggles?"

"Yeah.  I didn't even bite anybody!"

Watch out, Mia...

Anna has played soccer for a grand total of 9 weeks and has made marked improvements over the course of the season.  We started the season as parents watching our daughter sit in the corner of the field, unsure this whole "soccer thing".  Since week two it's been more Anna-esque.  She flits and flutters around the field.  She gets the concepts of the game, but she's not aggressive.  Until the last ten seconds of the last quarter of the last game of the season.  At that point, she gets control of the ball, takes it down the field without letting anyone take the ball from her, and scores a goal.  I guess she wanted to make a dramatic statement at the end of the game!

Samuel was a show-stopper, too.  Literally.  During one of the breaks in Anna's game Saumel took off dribbling the ball.  All the way down Anna's field, through the dead space, and into the next field where the U17 coeds were playing.  They had to stop the game because a two year old was dribbling his ball through their field.  I think they laughed.  I couldn't tell because I was laughing too hard as Chris brought him back.  Ahhh, memories!

McKenna is just McKenna.  I love that.  She named her new jaguar stuffed animal "Woofie" after the cat on Princess and the Pauper.  (Anna's is "Seraphina".)  The names they chose suit them well.  

Life is good.

From a different perspective

The way I see life is the way I see it.  Having children makes me see some things from a different view...and I like it.  My current favorite ways to see things differently are through Anna's reading. As a child, I loved to be read to.  I remember story time at the library--the old one in town.  I remember mom reading chapter books to us just as soon as I could sit still (and even when I couldn't).  It's even better, though, to be read to by Anna.  She finished Go, Dog, Go tonight after plowing through for the last two nights.  She was so proud of herself.  She was such a good thinker!  I love to see things differently in regard to being tucked into bed.  I remember loving bedtime as a kid.  Dad carried us up the stairs and tucked us in.  We heard stories about Ragde Namannik and about crazy young boys who carried lit candles through hay tunnels in the barn.  Now I see--I'm the lucky one as a parent.  Samuel still loves to be rocked.  He loves his bed and his bedtime.  He has no idea the joy that his bedtime is for me.  Puzzles and games are another thing that I thought I saw correctly for the last 30 years.  I didn't.  I didn't know the joy of doing them with my daughter.  McKenna is a puzzle girl.  Sometimes because I can't figure her out.  Usually it's because she just loves to put puzzles together.  

I wonder what I'll learn next...

Word of the Day

hannitize /han-eh-tize/ v 1: clean extremities using alcohol based cleanser, contraction of hand and sanitizer 2: the process by which Sean Hannity will potentially "fix" his offspring if child says, "dad, I'm a liberal"

Who knew that this word that my kids made up would be heard on national television?

Sam's Day

If Samuel had a "Top Ten Favorite Things" list, it would resemble...

1. Fire trucks

2. His white tiger

3. Mowing the grass

4. Pancakes

5. A bath by himself

6. Putting people in the dungeon (followed by a deep "ha, ha, ha")

7. Climbing and jumping and running and falling and wrestling

8. Snuggling after his nap

9. Playing with trains

10. Snacks

I did what I could to pull off a spectacular Saturday for our little man.  He got to eat breakfast--PANCAKES--at the firestation.  He got to CLIMB onto and JUMP off of a FIRE TRUCK.  We went to a cross country meet where he got to RUN a lot...maybe more than he really wanted to.  (That's the price you pay when you're born into a cross country family.  Sorry, dude.)  We went to Anna's soccer game where he got to have a SNACK and get dirty enough to have a BATH BY HIMSELF in the evening.  WHITE TIGER accompanied us on our outings, napped with Sam, and got to play outside.  While tiger watched, Samuel MOWED THE GRASS.  We PLAYED WITH TRAINS and SNUGGLED.  We played outside where I, the poor pitiful princess got PUT INTO THE DUNGEON by that handsome little king.  What more could a boy want?  An Alabama win?  Oh yeah...that happened too!  

Aside...

Samuel climbed onto the couch tonight when I told him it was time for bed.  He picked up a pencil and paper, looked crossly at them, and said to me out of the corner of his mouth, "I can't.  I have to concentrate."  (Then I had to draw him a picture of a fruit bar.  Mine wasn't identifiable.  Pops drew a much better one.)

Bad impression

Oops.  I totally stood up one of my professors today.  I was supposed to meet her after class but my mind was on other things.  Namely, fining a new (to me) yarn store where I could do some sisterly birthday shopping.  Sorry, Bek, you won't be benefiting from my blunder.