today.

Beckham does not appreciate the peanut component of Monster Munch. He will consume his entire portion of popcorn and leave me a little pile of peanuts.

Seneca believes the best thing about candy corn is using them to stick in her teeth to make fangs. She has a very spooky voice when she threatens to eat me.

I am not sure who invented candy corn, but he and I have very different palates. G.R.O.S.S.

I visited another preschool this week as I was contemplating throwing Bex in the mix and trying to work out what would be best for the two littles. I am not an educator by profession. Not even close, so I'm not sure where my expectations come from, but I am not easily satisfied. I would have never guessed that one of the biggest stressors in my life this year would be related to my children's education. It has kept me awake at night far more than any other issue. While it stresses me out sometimes, I am completely grateful that I do not have bigger things to worry about in my life right now. I know I'm blessed. I really do.

It's a little chilly outside in the mornings these days and my children insist on getting out there as soon as possible. I insist on shoes. They like to pretend I don't. Today I told Seneca and Beckham that they were welcome to play outside if they kept shoes on their feet. As they tried to sneak out the door, I added that if I saw them without something on their feet, the princess skirts would go up high and be gone today. That stopped them both in their tracks. Yes, they were both wearing princess skirts and shoes have not been an issue today.

A month after first beginning potty training, I can say that I don't even think about it anymore. He runs in there when he needs to do his thing and despite my best efforts in trying to get him to sit down, he stands on his little tippy-toes, reaches over the edge of the toilet and gets it in there. That's what dad and Cooper do, after all. There is no more potty laundry, no wet beds, and no more diapers... yipee!!

Cooper has been interested in the basketball court lately and is not satisfied when I say I can see him from the window. He wants his audience giving him full attention, outside next to the court.

I've been working on Halloween costumes this week and I will admit that I am one lucky woman that my children do not have high expectations. The admiration for all of you who make your own every year and have them looking fabulous has grown 100 fold. I must admit that I just don't care that much! What will be, will be and I am completely ok with it.

We have been out of butter all week. Butter! Of all things.

I've decided that running up and down the park lawn passing a soccer ball back and forth with Coop, trying to defend his goals and then helping little bodies across the monkey bars over and over and over constitutes a very admirable workout. I was sweaty! They were sweaty and we all slept well.

Dent has been super busy at work lately. He came home early enough to carve pumpkins with us last night but I'm afraid we'll pay for it for a while as we'll probably all be asleep before he arrives tonight. Late nights are a bummer, but I'll take them over unemployment any day.

wednesday ramblings

sometimes when I ask seneca to do something, she answers me, "yes, master" and salutes. I don't know where she got it, but it's hilarious.

beckham did awesome watermelon rolls off the diving board today at swim lessons.

coop had a great first day of school. he didn't so much appreciate the writing practice I had him do at home, but if he doesn't get it at school, he'll have to do it at home! school gets out right in the middle of nap time... gotta find a solution to that. there is a bus option, but I don't like that he would spend an extra half hour on the bus when I can just bring him right home.

we have termites. joy, joy, joy.

last week we got a new water heater. we have a new a/c fan. we need tile in the bathroom, I have three toilet devices in my bathroom currently and there has been talk of getting rid of the stinky family room carpet. I'm pretty sure there will be a project around here until I die. if only all these trees had money on them...

school has begun, which should mean fall, but it doesn't. I still sweated through 105 degrees during swimming today. I don't mind the heat, but it seems weird that school is in and it doesn't smell crisp outside.

my kids think it's fun to put on socks and skate around. cheap entertainment.

speaking of entertainment, this afternoon beckham was playing the piano and seneca was up on the ladder with her microphone, belting out something dramatic.

several have asked if I cried today as I sent my little boy to school. no. I kind of thought I would, but I've been crying pretty solid for the last two weeks about other school issues and I guess I didn't have any left today. he was fine, so I was fine. his school experience is a sensitive topic. I hold it together if I don't think much about it.

I'm pretty sure there were more articles of clothing, bedding and towels in my laundry room than in the rest of the house combined earlier this week. I literally had to step over piles to get to my broom closet. it was all sorely neglected. I'm pleased to say that this afternoon the floor is clear and the bins are empty. and it's almost all put away. that's major. you may be proud of me. denten will think there was a laundry miracle.

I'm in a dinner rut. Am I always in a dinner rut? I need to print off ashlee's cookbook, I think it holds answers for me.

a school boy

Dear Mrs. H,

You asked us to let you know a little about Cooper... I'm happy to introduce him to you!

Cooper has had a few years at a great preschool. He has enjoyed both the academic learning experiences as well as the social opportunities. He is reading and shows a fun sense of satisfaction when he figures out new words. He has been reading Bernstein Bears books to us lately and enjoys listening to the Magic Tree House books. He also reads his scriptures with us each night. He can be a little impatient with his writing when I think he’s being lazy and not giving me his best work. Cooper enjoys basic addition and subtraction but we haven’t gone much further than that with math.

Cooper doesn’t know any other children in Kindergarten at I (school) but is eager for friends. He can be quiet and shy until he warms up, but he’s a lot of fun after that.

He is a registered member of the Navajo tribe. You’d never know from his blond hair! His great-grandmother still raises sheep on the reservation. Cooper enjoys getting together with his Bitsilly cousins every year for a reunion.

Cooper loves to play soccer and swim. He likes to ride his bike, snow ski and tried water skiing for the first time this summer. He has a competitive streak and likes to push himself to succeed.

He loves to play games. UNO and ‘go fish’ are regulars at our house.

Cooper is the big brother in our home. He has two younger siblings- Seneca is three and Beckham is two. He is a patient and kind brother. Cooper has a sweet spirit, I hope you will get a chance to know him and that you both will enjoy this year together.

Good luck, Cooper!! We love you like crazy!!

swimming, tractors, reading

seneca started learning breathing to the side today in swimming. it's kind of hilarious to watch her little body turn to lay on her side and then continue swimming. she laughed all the way through the lesson being super silly.

beckham thinks he can do anything his siblings can do. if seneca can do a knee-dive, then he can too! this will prove to be a great thing if his siblings give him good things to exemplify.

we cleaned out cooper's clothes today removing all the too-small stuff and organizing new school stuff. he's got enough everyday clothes but is seriously lacking in pajamas and sunday clothes. he sleeps in jammie pants with holes in the knees or that are way too short. his sleep shorts look like they belong on beckham! his sunday shirts are getting too small and he wants more tie variety.

the tractors were pulled out this morning. and then the barn needed to be put together. and then all of the farm fencing. and then we needed animals and farmers... my family room looks like a ranch but at least everyone is getting along. uncle ben would be proud.

cooper built an eagle's nest. he used every possible blanket and pillow and is planning to spend quiet time in his nest with his library books. sounds good to me.

this afternoon we get to meet Coop's teacher and have him see his new school. we're both excited to get this party started!

I am reading Keeping Faith and I like it, but I'm not getting through it as fast as I would like. Every time I go to read I can't keep my eyes open for very long. I have been so tired- this week has got to bring better sleep than last.

two dates.

I had two dates today. The first was with Seneca to get her hair cut. She found the scissors again this week and wasn't nearly as gentle as the first time. We tried to keep some length and just taper it back, taking about two inches off the back, but it still doesn't look good. We need to make it shorter. But she was great about getting it cut... didn't move a muscle.

The second was with Cooper. We went school shopping. I debated going without him thinking he wouldn't really care what I got, but decided it would be fun to do it together. Seems the kid has his own opinions and they vary greatly from mine sometimes. Some of the stuff we came home with would not have been purchased had I gone on my own. Especially his backpack. We talked about avoiding the skull and crossbones motif, but in the end it was his very favorite. My opinions are being overturned on several issues around here lately, seems they are not as important as I thought they were. I found it hard to buy jeans and long-sleeve shirts when it's still 100 degrees outside, but there were very few summer clothes left to choose from. We got a few things simply because they were on sale, but they won't be worn for a few months still. We did agree on a cool pair of shoes, avoiding anything that lights up. Thank heavens. Cooper is proving to continue his long and lean trend. He is easily a size 6 in pants, some I would have preferred even a little longer, but they drown him around the waist. Thank goodness for adjustable waists, belts and slim fit.

We talked a little about what school will be like next week and what he can expect. This has been hard for me because he is not going to be having the experience at school that I was hoping he would, but I want to be genuinely excited for him and for this adventure. It was fun to spend the day with him, to talk about what kinds of things he'd like to take for lunch and what his days will be like. There is going to be more expected of him at home in regards to learning time and homework due to what might be lacking at school. I feel somewhat inadequate to give him what he needs, but I have access to great resources and he has a great desire to do well and keep learning.

I have many thoughts on my oldest child starting school. We talked today about when he was born, how small he was, what he wore. I told him I was sad he was getting so big and that I wish he would listen to me and quit growing. He told me to be patient, that I would get another baby and it was ok that he was getting bigger. Somehow the discussion incorporated the idea of adoption so we spent some time talking about what that means. I love that he doesn't see his sister as different. He likes the idea of another baby coming to our family that way someday and said that because he was big, he could be very helpful with a new baby. He is caught between two worlds right now, sometimes seeming so innocent and sheltered and sometimes talking about such wise things I wonder where it came from. I am not looking forward to the exposure to certain new things that will inevitable meet him at school. We have enjoyed a blind eye to pop culture and media characters that I'm afraid will no longer be secret. I'm trusting that he will keep his focus where it should be and his sweet little spirit as he navigates this new world. He said he would be patient with me as I have never been a mom to a kindergartner before. He said we could learn how to do it together. I like that.

We finished the day by going to dinner tonight to use gift certificates the kids got from the library this summer for their reading program. I love my kids.