Good excuse to not clean the kitchen...

 Molly grabbed the camera and took close to 100 shots.  The above is one of the less blurry shots.  Actually  John was pretty patient overall with his personal paparrazza (is that the singular form of paparrazzi?).  Though, this next picture spoke to me.  Probably because it is the end of a gray, rainy week and the sun finally came out today:

Aren't impressed?  Imagine how Molly got that shot.  Now are you impressed?

 I did not intend this to happen, but the order of these two pictures shows how we reinforce gender roles in our home.  Molly is doing the baking while the boys are learning how to take over the world...jokes on them.  Molly won that battle a long time go.  Hence the reason she has time to cook.  With Agnes.

Speaking of Risk, the boys played an entire game a couple of weeks ago.  Dom asked this past week if I wanted to play a quick game of Risk.  Does that even exist?  I've never played, and I don't really intend to.  But, when I told Dom they could play on Saturday when I was out running, he looked so disappointed, I may have to.  It won't be forever that the boys will let me take part in the games, let alone really want me to.

 A couple of weeks ago we all humored Eric in one of his attempts to take a day trip.  I think because we were all in a good mood and the sun was shining, it turned into a great day.  We packed a picnic lunch and headed to Port St. Joe which is the site of the Florida Constitutional Convention.  I know.  I could barely sleep the night before in anticipation :).  But, to sweeten the deal, there was a lighthouse.  It had 131 steps.  I was told this over and over and over again.  And in case I forgot, the kids even had stickers. 

 Can you see their smiling faces?  They were so excited and kept complimenting me on my petite figure.  At least I'm pretty sure that is what they meant as they yelled:  YOU ARE SOOOOO SMALL!  WE ARE BIGGER THAN YOU!!!

 Along the shore there was a short walking path. Eric and I had hoped it would be longer, but it ended quite abruptly in the parking lot of a restaurant.  However, the kids had a great time at the park that was nearby.  Dom and Will made a friend as they played pirates on the ship shaped playground.  John and Molly were pretty adorable as they swung with a beautiful view of the Gulf.  I'm not going to lie.  If I had a smart phone, I would have taken a picture and sent it to my sisters with the caption: Eat your hearts out!

 On the way home, we drove through Panama City Beach.  It was fun to see all of the touristy things and we stopped at their shopping area for frozen yogurt and a visit to our local Hofbrauhaus.  It turned into a really fun and laid back trip.  Everyone had a great attitude.  FYI:  Our now go to picnic is a loaf of french bread, butter, cheese, salami, boiled eggs, sweet peppers, clementines, chips, drinks, and M&Ms.  Quite easy to throw everything in the cooler and head out in less than 5 minutes.  Just don't forget a couple of knives.  I'd like to thank my genius sister, Katie, for this idea.  We've tweaked it a bit...and you can too.  I won't even slightly be irritated. 

 That evening we got home and quickly cleaned the house for the arrival of our friends, the Thompsons, from Ohio.  Oh, and to get ready for Presidents' Day.  Naturally.  Side story, just a few minutes ago the neighbors knocked on the door to see if the kids could come out and play.  Will informed them that they were reading.  Dom was reading "How to Eat Fried Worms" and Will was reading "The Presidents".  Just so you know, Will stayed in an extra 20 minutes.  I never asked him to read that.  He just found it engrossing.  And who wouldn't?  Don't answer that.

 Despite our cold temperatures, our climate was preferable to the Ohio climate our friends had escaped from and they elected to stay a few extra days.  Which meant they were here for my birthday and our trip to WonderWorks!  Unfortunately very few of my pictures from that trip turned out.  But, perhaps you can make out Astronaut Dom's great smile. 

 If you have been to a science museum, you have probably seen a room where music is playing and your silhouette is captured on the screen.  Molly and Dom both love these rooms.  We even threw John in there at the end.  He is the little guy in the center of the screen.  I'm pretty sure Dom was helping him...but, it could have been Will.  The kids also got to play basketball in a bouncy house (Dom was in heaven), play with big bubbles, work a Google Earth program (which Will was better than me at...not really saying much with that statement), and complete a ropes course.  And we had our new go to picnic lunch.  Pretty much the best day ever.

 For Valentine's Day, I gave Dom and Molly new underwear.  Not a big hit.  But, they needed them.  And I also threw in a chocolate bar for good measure.  Will, who did not need new underwear, received No Stress Chess.  A game the whole family loves.  I highly recommend it (and again, shout out to Katie for suggesting it).   I loved hearing Will ask Dom the other day if he wanted to play chess.  I don't even mind that Dom beat me yesterday...with a pawn.  That's how the game works.  Crazy, I know.

 Molly is now the proud owner of a pair of ruby slippers.  We've been teaching her to click her heels and say: There's No Place Like Home.  They are only slightly too big.  But, they are "SO BEAUTIFUL!"

 And finally, Eric has been selected to pin on Major.  This will happen at some point in the next 12 months.  We are all very proud of his accomplishments and glad that he enjoys his work.  Yesterday there was a pre-party for all of the Major and Colonel Selects.  We will let you know when he actually pins on so you can make plans for the real party!  Beach House Party!  With Party Supper!  Party Party Party!

One last thing to document.  Dom finished up his basketball season last week.  He was pretty incredible.  I lost track of his points during the game as John was on my lap and preferred to use the pen as a teething instrument as opposed to a writing utensil, but based on the fact that only a couple of other kids scored and his team had 26 points in his last game...we figure he had to have scored about 20 of them.   All of those hours in our driveway paid off big time.  But, don't worry, I can still beat him at knock out.  Sometimes without cheating.

Friday the 13th

 Eric's taken John with him for a haircut and the other three are playing outside with the neighbors.  As good of a time as any to catch up.  And if anyone is wondering why I'm not inspired by Molly in the above picture...I already took a nap today.  As to how the above picture occurred, a couple of weeks ago the kids and I took a walk to pick up milk.  John and Molly rode in the wagon with a blanket as it was a little chilly.  When we got back, Molly said she wanted to take a nap in the wagon.  I thought she meant a pretend nap.   She slept in there for at least 90 minutes...possibly longer.

 Super Bowl Sunday, we laid out quite the feast.  For just us.  Heck, we practice for this day all year as 'party supper' is a regular in our dinner rotation.  Dom loves wings and was particularly excited to get his plate filled.

 During the Super Bowl, probably to distract John, I started putting the laundry basket on my head.  No, it doesn't make sense...but it worked.  What I loved was that as soon as Dom came in, he immediately asked to do it himself.  Then the other two got in the act.  10 points for who can name the flag they are creating.  It was Will's idea.

 The kids all enjoy listening to me read.  I love that I will sit down on the couch and they snuggle in and request book after book after book.  Granted, I sometimes feel like I don't have time for this, but, in reality, I always do.  In Homeschool life, nothing is ever particularly pressing.  Poopy diapers are the big exception.   All of this reading has also paid off in that the kids will regularly sit down and look at/read books on their own.  Dom and Will have also started reading chapter books on their own.  The first of which (The Million Dollar Shot)  Dom didn't want to put down even to eat his lunch.  He has now completed three chapter books in the last 2 weeks.  He reads for 20 minutes at a time...and will often sit for quite a while longer.  Will has also finished his first chapter book:  "How to Eat Fried Worms".   He is now asking if he can help with dinner...

 Meanwhile, these other two do their best to keep everyone smiling and efficient in their work.  And, yes, we are still patching.

 For Christmas/Birthday, Molly received three months of dance lessons.  She loves them.  If you ask her about her dance class, her response will be:  "You mean 'ballerina class'?".  And then she will show you all of her moves.  If she doesn't know what you are talking about, she'll make it up.  This was demonstrated last Sunday when Eric asked her to show us position 1 - 10.  By the end, she looked at Eric and told him she'd actually only learned position 1 - 3. 

 The other day, I clearly did not get John his snacks quick enough.

 Last Friday, our science class and dinner did collide.  It was a happy coincidence that the boys' science experiment was making bread.  One loaf used warm water and rose in a warm spot.  The other used cold water and 'rose' in the refrigerator.  Both tasted fine, though Dom said he could taste a difference.  Lots of butter seemed to cover it up, though.  This bread is now referred to as "Chemistry" bread.

 We had a beautiful day last Sunday.  We always have grand plans to go out and do something, but in the end, as long as we get to be outside, we really never have to leave home. 

 For Christmas, Dom received a 1000 piece puzzle.  Eric and I spent a few hours working on it while the kids played basketball and rode their bikes.  Guess what exciting plans we have for Valentine's Day?

 Dom had a slight injury, so we broke out the bacon band aids.  Oddly, Will soon also had an injury...Just kidding.

 We let John crawl around and play with blocks for a while, but soon, it was apparent that he was more intent on eating all of the acorns, leaves, and dirt in our yard.  He was actually quite content watching the big kids play while sitting in the wagon.  Especially if he could get one of them to always give him back his basketball.

 Our front yard is the hang out yard on the block.  If we are outside, we can expect anywhere from 2 - 6 kids to stop by and play. Somehow, this also means when these neighbors have friends over, they end up in our yard as well.  #socialization

 After sitting and watching his brothers play basketball for a couple of hours, John was ready to show off his skills.  You should see him dunk on the net in the bathtub.  Watch out!

One last story
As I said, Sunday was beautiful.  This did not stop the kids from requesting to play the Wii.  I told them they needed to ride 10 miles and then we would see.  We figured that down to the end of our block and back is about 1/3 mile.  Therefore, they needed to do this 30 times.  I left to do an errand, and upon my return they presented their tallies showing that they had done this route 31 times.  As they had been playing outside for several hours by this point, I figured I shouldn't go back on our deal by using the loophole of "we will see".   Next time, I'll make them ride 20 miles...

However, all of that riding reminded Dom how much he liked to be on the bike and they dug out the Tour de France jerseys from last summer and have ridden every day this week.  I walk back and forth with the wagon and enjoy listening to their commentary as they ride by.

Happy President's Day Weekend!

The Molly Badger

Molly is 4-years-old.  I forget this sometimes for various reasons, but then she makes observations and I realize how quick she is.  For example, yesterday Molly and I went to pay our rent.  The lady behind the desk has met Molly before and I'm pretty sure she remembered that Molly always has something entertaining to say.  Last time they had a discussion on the merits of Frozen versus Lego Movie.  This particular time, Molly informed her that we had 'Stuppums' in the car.   I let the lady know that his actual name is John, but they all call him this name...I think Will coined it...somehow, it fits.  Eric keeps pushing 'Jack', but even I will find myself thinking 'Stuppums' as I look at John.

At any rate, she asked Molly if she had a nickname.  I expected her to say 'Molly' or to not really know what a nickname was.  However, her reply came back:

"Yes, Saint Agnes"  (Though Molly pronounces it: 'Agnee')

I bursted out laughing and translated what my little girl had said and also said we had never referred to her as that.  But, then Molly surprised me when she added:

"Actually, my dad calls me 'Molly Badger'."

This is absolutely correct.

There is a youtube video of "The Honey Badger" which has quite a bit of explicit language, but is also pretty funny.  There are several shots of the honey badger going after prey while the narrator says the line:  "The Honey Badger just takes what it wants.  It doesn't care!" (insert inappropriate language a couple of times, and that is just about verbatim)  This was a viral video around the time Molly was born.  We probably had just recently watched it around Valentine's Day after Molly had turned one.  As Eric and I were sitting at the dinner table, we hear Molly getting into something.  I had left some candy boxes on the floor (silly me), and Molly had quietly crawled over and chewed the top off the box of some Reeses Pieces.  And she has been the Molly Badger ever since.  I have now learned to hide our candy stash a little better, as she still just goes for what she wants.  She doesn't care.

Birthday Month

Can I just say that it is amazing how much more energy I have with a full night's sleep?  It had been so long, that I believed my lack of energy was just normal.  Apparently not.  As that is the case, here is a new post!

Eric is an electrical engineer by profession, but he has the heart of a philosophy/history professor.  As such, he is constantly looking for historic sites for us to visit.  Most recently, he has been on a Civil War kick.  A friend sent him a book on Civil War sites in Florida, and there happened to be one in Pensacola.  On MLK Jr. Day, we loaded up the kids and headed to Fort Pickens.  Bonus, as it was a federal holiday, we got in for free.  The kids weren't thrilled to be taken away from their normal activities of playing with the neighbors all day, but once they saw all of the walls they could climb, maps to follow, and tunnels to explore, they got over it.  Plus, lunch at Sonic helped quite a bit.

It was a lovely day, and we hope to return.  With plenty of snacks and  maybe with bikes.  Plus, Will saw something in the museum he really wants to show me.  I cannot wait!

Other than that mega road trip (about 70 miles away), we've been just hanging out at the house.  It is amazing how quickly the day goes by when there are 4 kids around.  I have realized that it is all I'm able to do just to keep up on laundry, meals, keeping the house a little tidy, and homeschool activities.  Nevermind actually getting other projects completed.  Those are for the weekend...and even then, they don't get done.  But, John is a grand little helper.

Though speaking of other activities, Dom is playing basketball for the next few weeks.  He is awesome (though I might be a little biased).  He plays quite a bit in our driveway, and I think it definitely shows in his games.  He has made a couple of amazing shots that you hear a collective 'Wow' from the rest of the parents.   Plus, he is pretty good at rebounding and stealing...and fouling.  We'll keep working on that.  He has a nice coach, but I'm pretty sure he is ultimately learning most of his skills from Bill Self via video conferencing.  Which is to say, watching as much KU basketball as we will allow.

Our Saturdays lately have followed the same pattern.  The morning is spent relaxing, or catching up on science, history, or religion.  We go to watch Dom play his game, and then return with Chick-Fil-A and watch KU play their game.  The rest of the afternoon is spent reading or playing outside.

I think I've written this before, but Will and Dom have both read 'The Action Bible' from cover to cover.  One evening, I had just won at cribbage and Eric and I were just talking over some things (strategy, good sportsmanship,..the usual) when we hear the kids' door open.  It was pretty late, so we thought perhaps something was wrong.  It was just Will coming out to return the Bible to the bookshelf.  But, when he saw us still up, he excitedly came and showed us all he had read.  Apparently, that Bible is quite the page turner!

And speaking of reading, Molly and I have embarked on a simple kindergarten curriculum with a book: Read and Learn with the Classics.  There are several fairy tales and nursery rhymes with activities.  She loves it and I enjoy getting to spend time with her that doesn't involve maternal correction.  I think our relationship is much better because of it.  And since she is only just 4, we don't do it every day...just when the time is right.  Which is generally when John is down for a morning nap.  Molly is a very clever girl, and I love to hear her observations.  I need to keep a notebook of things she says.  I use to have a much better memory...I wonder what happened to it?

See?  Look how happy we are together:

I have enjoyed this book so much (which I found at a used book store), that I have tried to find the others in the series.  Apparently, the series was discontinued with this name, but there is another that includes a CD.  I guess I'll probably go ahead and get that...but, if any of my faithful readers happen to see the 1st or 2nd grade levels...let me know!

Being in Florida, it is easy to forget that the rest of the country is experiencing cold and snow...but, we do empathize.  It gets pretty cold in our Florida Room.  But, the kids adapt pretty well.  Dom would like me to add that they placed the chair in these positions in order to have makeshift beds.  (I don't get it, either)

Some stories that do not have pictures.  I am training for a half-marathon with Katie.  The kids are all very supportive of this.  Particularly when they get to see how many steps I've walked due to the fitbit.  The other day, Molly discovered my iPod shuffle and put the earbuds in her ears.  She came and found me and excitedly told me that she looked like a mom.  I really enjoyed seeing her eyes light up when I actually turned on the music and she ran off doing a little jig.

And the other story is about Dominic.  The other night as we sat watching the second half of the Super Bowl.  I asked Dom to go get me a second soda.  I have cut way back on my soda consumption, and hold myself to one if I do consume...but, this was a special event.  My firstborn refused my request.  He informed me that soda was not healthy, and if I wanted one, I should get it myself.....words I have used often with him.  I absolutely knew he was right.  I also knew that I would probably not even finish the soda if I got one.  But, I did ask him a few more times.  Each time he refused with the same irrefutable logic.  Finally, I thanked him for not being an enabler and said I would have a cup of water.  His response:  Can you get me one, too?

Man, I love these kids.