Birthdays (belated)

I wanted to be sure and post about two important birthdays we celebrated in January. Claire turned two on January 7 and Grant turned nine on January 13. Grant graciously agreed to a joint birthday party, with separate cakes of course. We are grateful to our family who were able to celebrate with us!

With her recent owl infatuation, it was only fitting that Miss Claire had an owl cake. For her birthday she received some owl books, an owl stuffed animal, and a cute handmade owl card from Gramma along with some other fun girly presents. I think that Claire enjoys the clothes and hair bows just as much as her mommy does! She was sure to say 'thank you' as she opened each gift.

Grant requested a football cake. After completing his first season of tackle football this past fall, he can't wait to start practice again in August. With golf season just around the corner, he received a new set of clubs for his birthday.

Claire wore her new owl dress made by my friend, Juliana. She was all smiles. She is always the life of the party, whether there is a party or not. We love this little girl!

What a joy Grant and Claire are to their Daddy and me! We are so proud of Grant and the young man that he is becoming. He is a caring big brother, a hard worker, and a help at home. Happy birthday Claire and Grant!

Sermon on Spiders

This sermon of sorts is what I found on the back of our little entomologist's notes from church the other week. And yes, the front of the sheet was filled out with "real" notes as well.

Two Cute

We sure do love this girl! This photo was taken on her second birthday. January 7th just so happened to be sunny and warm and in the upper 60's in Richmond so we enjoyed a family picnic at Maymont Park. In this photo Claire is wearing her favorite shirt. She loves this shirt. She points at the owl and says, "Dowl! Who-o-o who-o-o!". Her daddy has been known to put this shirt back on over top of her pajamas just to calm all the crying that occurs when it is time to change clothes. Yes, this girl has an opinion about what she wears. She woke me up twice during the night recently crying and asking for a "diff-ren shirt." And no, I did not oblige her request. We are not doing wardrobe adjustments at 2 am!

Other than having strong opinions about her clothes and shoes, Claire is quite a happy little girl. She loves to tickle, play hide-and-seek, run, swing, wrestle, jump, and laugh. She is usually happy-go-lucky, not afraid to leave mom, willing to attempt almost anything and loves getting attention. She likes to play with dolls and stuffed animals and I am amazed at just how motherly she can act. She rocks her babies, whispers "shh-shh," pats their backs, and kisses them just like a sweet little mommy. Her favorite foods are mandarin oranges, yogurt, crackers and grilled chicken. Her favorite tv show is Clifford as she loves dogs. She loves to sing "Jesus Loves Me." She is still a little peanut, weighing in at 22.5 lbs (3rd-5th percentile) and 32.75 inches long (10th -25th percentile). Her brothers adore her and still call her Claire-E affectionately. Davis is sweet to his little sister with the exception of discovering that she is terrified to be shut in the laundry room (poor Claire may be forced to overcome her fear because of this discovery). We are all so grateful to have had this little lady in our lives for the past two years. We love you Claire!

A+

We didn't hand out report cards this past week at the Little Academy. However, the following conversations took place which assure me that my boys are learning.

At the breakfast table one morning, while discussing the strengths and weakness of various superheroes, one boy explained to his younger brother that IronMan has a significant weakness: he cannot go under water. He went on to explain how iron will rust when exposed to water and oxygen. Wow!

One boy told me that he had a hard time breathing at the top of the maze at Chick-fil-a. "Because," he said remembering our discussion from the prior week, "the air gets thinner the higher up you go and it is harder to breathe." A little bit of a stretch, but he did get the idea.

Just this morning we were pouring milk into our cereal bowls when one boy asked, "What weighs more, a gallon of milk or a gallon of water?" So, we talked about density (and for all of you science buffs out there, I did explain that a gallon is a measurement of volume and not mass) and that the density of milk is greater than that of water.

I do know one thing for sure, I am learning a lot!

Boy-isms

During our most recent round of kitchen-turned-barber-shop, a boy sat begrudgingly on the stool in front of me anticipating the dreaded chore. A loss of ten minutes of play time is such a terrible crime. In an effort to make the task a little more tolerable and to provide him with some style options, I asked if he would like the scissor cut he usually receives or a buzz cut this time. His response embodies the typical boy's perspective on style: "Which one is the fastest?"

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This past month I took a couple of children in to see the pediatrician for their annual check-ups. The doctor questioned one boy about all of the usual things: what his address is, how old he is, does he wear a helmet when riding his bike, and then in a whisper she asked if he has any trouble going to the bathroom.

"No," he said, red-faced.

His brother then blurted out loudly, "Yes he does! He has trouble with his aim!"

Christmas 2011

We certainly enjoyed a truly wonderful Christmas. The days surrounding Christmas were filled with good times with family and friends. We thank God for the many blessings of 2011 and that we can celebrate the gift of his Son at Christmas.

This year Brian and I made an effort to talk with our kids about the "why" of Christmas. God sent his Son to be born as a baby in a manger, yes, but we didn't want the Christmas story to end there. Because the "why" is really what Christmas is all about. Jesus had to be born, live a sinless life, die on the cross , and be resurrected so that we might be forgiven. He was born because we need a Savior. Jesus is the only way that we can be rescued from the penalty of our sins. What a wonderful gift! But just like any gift, it has to be accepted, "opened up," if you will. If we will admit our sinfulness, acknowledge Jesus as our Lord and ask for His forgiveness, the gift of eternal life is freely offered. This is the present I am most thankful for this Christmas. Thank you, Lord, for Jesus.

Oh Boys...

I love being a mom to four boys. Having boys in the house ensures that there is always something exciting, mischievous, daring, or downright dangerous going on. Having never been a boy myself, I am enjoying getting to know and understand the creature that is the boy.

As a mom of boys, every day is filled with new and exciting adventures.

Just yesterday I found myself aiding in the search for a lost tooth on our bone-colored shag carpet as a result of a friendly game of tackle football in the family room (no, this is not technically allowed in the house). Once we realized that what was thought to be a nose bleed was in fact a missing front tooth, the one-tooth-less boy was no longer upset about the injury but rather eager to find his missing tooth (it had been almost ready to come out on its own). We got out our magnifying glass, walked around in bare feet, and looked and looked, all to no avail. The victim of the incident was very upset about not having a tooth to put under his pillow. I tried to console him by telling him that he could write a note to the tooth fairy explaining the situation. He then looked at me and asked doubtfully, "How do you know?"

I had been stepping over this book that was on the floor in my closet for a couple of days when I stopped to take note of it. "The Dangerous Book for Boys" is a favorite in our household, full of the most wonderful all-boy activities. It was laying on the floor along with the evidence of some creation, or more likely, booby trap designed for another brother. Because what's more fun than being a boy except sharing the experience of boyhood with brothers.