H

H has had a big couple of weeks. She started first grade, she turned 6 and she lost her second tooth.

Last week she came home with a work sheet they had done in class. It was about subtraction. It had some big words on it: minuend, subtrahend and difference. (Bonus points to anyone who can tell me what those actually are.) My first thought was, "Well, that's gonna come in handy." I mean, I can't tell you how many times those words come up in my daily conversation. I think I might have used those words (with the exception of difference) exactly once in my entire life...and that was when I was telling N about H's paper. Oh well. She loves school and I am very thankful.

H turned the BIG 6 last week. I've been asking her what cake she wanted for a while now and it seemed to change every time I asked. As her birthday got closer she decided on a Care Bear cake. Let me tell you, I've made one of those before and my hand was in a lovely cramped position for a week afterward. I was not looking forward to it.

Enter Tiffin's birthday cake. She let her kids decorate her birthday cake. When H saw it she told me she wanted one just like it. And she wanted to frost it. So, I made her a Care Bear cake and some frosting and let her loose on the cake. Here's the finished product.

She calls it Rainbow Bear. We also went to Chuck E. Cheese's for her birthday. The kids had a great time. H loved all of her presents and had a great birthday.

Okay, so the picture is kind of gross, but I wanted to get the full effect. H lost her first tooth at the beginning of August. Last week I asked If I could see if her new tooth was coming in yet. When I looked I discovered that not only was it coming in, but the tooth next to it was coming in behind the baby tooth that was still there. Luckily, the baby tooth was loose so I told her we had to work hard to get it out asap or she was going to the dentist to have it pulled. A couple of nights ago, N was wiggling it, heard a little pop and saw her tooth just flapping around. So he did what any good father would do and pulled it out. Now we're just praying that her permanent tooth moves where it should be all on it's own.

Dear Diary

H has a diary. It is really just a composition book I bought thinking she needed it for school. Anyway, she has started writing all of her "secrets" in it. I'm pretty sure they have something to do with Zander, but I haven't read it.

The other day she asked N if he wanted to see what was in her diary. He said yes and she said okay. So she opened it up to show him.

But...

She opened it up to blank pages and then shut it and said, "TRICKED YA!"

Overheard

The kids were playing wii and it was H's turn to bowl. As she started she tripped and yelled, "M!" So, K says, "What did you trip with?" and H answers, "M's help."

M

This is M's new way to smile for pictures.

The other day I had run downstairs to get something and K followed me down. After a minute he yells, "Mom! M is going down the stairs like a HUMAN!" Apparently, M tried walking down the stairs instead of his usual slide-on-the-belly technique.

First Day of First Grade

Today was H's first day of First Grade. She was so excited. She says she had a great day.

Isn't It Great When Your Kids Play Together?

R's Newest Trick

Yep, she is climbing! Well, more accurately, standing. She climbs up to the couch, my shoulder, pillows, the walls of her pack 'n' play, and pretty much anything else that will sit still long enough for her to stand. I'll admit it is kind of amusing watching her try to balance and stand up leaning on the big balls we have. Luckily she doesn't seem to mind when she falls over (which is often).

Now, if we could just teach her to crawl.

Sunday

Yesterday we got in the van after church and H said, "I know why they call today Sunday." I asked why and she said, "Because it is so hot!"

It's Finally Out

H finally lost one of her 2 loose teeth.

She was on the computer playing her new favorite game, Spider Solitaire, and she tried twisting her tooth. She got very excited and said she thought it moved. Then she told us she tasted something like blood in her mouth. I asked to see how much her tooth moved and it was barely hanging on. She went to show her dad and he pulled it out.

She is beside herself with excitement.

I Have A Problem...

Just ask my husband.

I can't step foot in target or walmart lately without buying at least one box of crayons. I mean, heck, they're a quarter for crying out loud. (This statement is not entirely true. I did, in fact, go to target yesterday and did not buy crayons--or anything crayola for that matter. Granted, I didn't dare go near that dreaded school supply zone at all.)

This picture doesn't include the pack of colored pencils or crayons that are in the kids church stuff.

So, here's a little conversation between me and N today.

Set up: We were at walmart getting his glasses fixed and getting the kids their mcdonalds fix.

Me: I really want to go buy some markers.

N: How many boxes do you already have?

Me: None. (Which is technically true. The washable ones I bought earlier this week are for H for school.)

N: How much are they?

Me: $2 a box, but I want to get 2 boxes.

N: I only have $2 cash. Sorry, not enough for 2, but you can get one. (He hands me the $2 and a quarter for tax.)

Me: Woo-hoo! I'll be right back. (Yes, I left him in McDonalds with all four kids so I could go buy markers.)

So, I get to the school supplies and see that I can get one box of 8 washables for $2 OR I can get 2 boxes of 10 non-washables for $1 each. And they are different colors! I pick those up and start toward the registers. Then, I see them. They are calling me. Practically jumping into my hands. The crayons. Suddenly, I remember that I have a quarter in my wallet so I grab a box of those, too. I get back to McDonalds and N sees the bag.

N: Did you already have some money?

Me: No.

N: How do you have more than one box in there?

I explain to him the bargain shopping that I did, but I left out the part about the crayons (seriously, I already had 8 boxes at home, he didn't need to know about one more, right?).

Walking out to the van I am realizing how heavy Miss R is becoming and I comment that I am strong. N asks if the markers are weighing me down.

I say: Yeah. Those and the box of crayons I bought.