Oh, Allergies

Eczema.

In a humid climate.

Chicago is going to be a bear.

Right let comparison with lotion. Told him I cannot come in after he showers and apply the lotion for him any more.  He makes a face like this might be the worst suggestion ever, and I agree. 

 

We also just gave him Claritin for the first time.  I fussed at him two days ago about how he needs to sleep more at night (I also cannot lay in bed with him and make him do this any more...) because his eyes looked like a zombies with huge red bulges.  A day ago he says, why do my eyes keep watering?  Oh, yeah, we should probably think about allergies here.

Showoff

Huh?

Nicholas: "I am the chocolate ice cream Ninja!"

 

I have not a clue what this means, but it cracks me up.

Old with grace

"Mommy!  Your grey streak is getting bigger!"

 

"What?!  I have a grey streak?!!!  take a picture and prove it to me...."

 

You should see what it would look like if I didn't color the rest....

Arrow Of Light Ceremony

Our boys + fire in a church.

But we didn't burn it down!

 

 

And so there was some re-cloaking ceremony.

Which is apparently very serious.

 

And now they sit with their new pack, all Boy Scouts now.

Watchdog

Watching

 

Stalking

Dear Grandma

She found the hook rug the other day.

 

Now, instead of being a third finished, she's two thirds finished. 

 

So when she gives this to you as a Christmas present in 2017, she'll have likely just finished it...

 

 

That Flooring Project

Sometime around 10:00 pm on Saturday evening, I started to loose faith in our ability as a flooring crew.

 

And I ordered a rug to just put over that space...

 

But, it turns out that they did such a good job, I didn't keep the rug in that spot.

 

Well Done gang.

Movie Marathon

We had two days and four Hunger Games Movies to watch--we loaded up on all sorts of healthy things.

 

And we watched.

 

And then we would break and tear grout out of the floor.

 

And then we would watch.

Four movies, four house tasks.

Well played gang.

 

Dessert

Plain banana pudding

After Southern banana pudding with all the things went over very unsuccessfully.

 

Nicholas.

Well, he took the liberty of eating the remainder of the roasted cauliflower with his fingers as his dessert. 

Naptime

Perfection.

 

When I made the dog go to bed while we watched a movie the other night because he was not so relaxed, Alida pulled up a picture of him on her tablet, made a mock of his body with a blanket and snuggled in with her fake dog.  Not the same, but still pretty cute.

Sunrise Here

Makes me think about the 5:00 am wake ups with four in diapers not so many years ago, where the windows were still black, but no one ever watched the sun rise because they were cleaning, diapering, feeding, crying (all of us).

 

Now, me with coffee on the front porch, others still sleeping.

Solitude returns from time-to-time.

Yet Again

Pinewood Derby day is an all day affair.

Ben, shoved his wheels on his car and we took off early that day.

 

And in usual Pinewood Derby fashion, Ben places at the top after entirely disregarding the process of preparation for the races.  The amount of time that these parents and kids put into these cars boggles the mind; that Ben is here after we could barely get him to paint his car--perfect.

Care

Oh, we found a tick.

 

We'll just push you over here, so we can get that out.

 

 

Well, maybe we'll just push and pull you over.

 

 

 

Maybe it is a lost cause.

 

 

Maybe we'll just go at it this way.

 

I love the tenacity of a 9-year-old. 

 

Nicholas

 

Winning first place in the Elmore County Farmer's Federation art contest.

 

Conversations with Nicholas:

Him: "Hey mom, do you ever look around and notice all of the waste in our world?"

 

Me: "Sure.  It's all over the place, and it is pretty sad when you think about other places in the world that don't have everything we do."

 

Him: "Yeah, like when the Special Forces Units go to break down a door, why do they need those huge barrels that they use?  The could really just use their feet and save some money on those battering rams."

 

Me: "Yes Nick, exactly what I was thinking."

Quite the Contrary

You are not crabby in the morning, Elaine.

You are sweet and quiet and helpful.

Some mornings you are goofy and crack me up.

Some mornings you are industrious and make your own lunch, pretty well I might add.

Some mornings, you snuggle in with me on the couch while we wake up.

Some mornings, you spend the whole time looking for the right outfit.

It is a rare morning that I find you crabby.

Cub Scouts No More

Congratulations to the whole crew, who had to be wrangled to the wall for a picture.

Onward to Boy Scouts. 

Well done boys.

 



They started in 2012 in Texas, moved to the group in Montgomery, and found their friends for three years in Wetumpka.  It's been fun and full of adventure, camping, service, and learning. 

Spring Cleaning

Some people vacuum their cars, the Stubers use the blower to get in all the nooks.

That's how we roll.