Oh, the Pain!

We had a good laugh this evening as David and Mark prepared to leave for their scheduled "date." We have these dates one kid per month and it is a very exciting time for them. However, for Peter anytime anyone is leaving it is a very exciting time and he really wants to go. The nickname go-go boy has been applied, my mom and dad will appreciate that! So David and Mark are putting on their shoes and Peter proceeds to put James' shoes on over the feet of his blanket sleeper pjs. Cute, oh yes, but once we informed him that he was not going he was staying here, he began to cry and tell us one of his five words, no, no, no, no, no! As David is handing a very sad and reluctant two year old to me, Anya, dear sweet innocent Anya, comforted Peter by saying, "You have to suffer with the rest of us." Apparently, staying home with Mom is not the most popular choice of activities! She is a charmer, especially when she applies her two favorite words to every situation because I am sure that everything really is hunormous and the middle of every sentence should include the transition alsoly. What would we do without the humor of family life?!

Musing about our day

So I'm sitting here at the computer with about 14 minutes until the last load of laundry is done for the day and really I have nothing else I can do in this time so I thought I would recap our day. It was pretty normal. We had school, now the kids can tell everyone what literate, illiterate and literature mean. And they now know how the leopard got his spots. Very important, I know. Let's see, Peter took off his diaper during naptime today, and well, at least the new carpet cleans easy :) James came downstairs tonight and told me he wanted to sleep with his shirt unbuttoned because he looked cool that way and "anyway" (his favorite word) he likes to look cool. um, yeah, he's only 4?! I heard Anya wrestling with the boys this evening and she yelled something like "just because I'm the only girl doesn't mean you can do that!" I don't really know what was going, I was feeding the baby at the time, but right after that I heard her cackling with joy so I figured they must have worked it out. Mark has finally passed through that awkward shark teeth issue. He actually had three front teeth for about the last month at least. The two front ones got loose sometime around the beginning of November, one got accidentally really loosened about Christmas time when it accidentally got his with the handle on the big red wagon (honest!) so that one came out quickly and the new one starting growing in. Then the one next to it started growing in, but the other baby tooth would not come out. Like Mark screamed at us a lot in the past two weeks "I don't like pain!!!!!" Finally after two months of anticipation and a really weird looking two rows of teeth, we got it out. yikes, what an ordeal. Little butterball boy, I mean Luke, does just fine when everything goes exactly the way he wants it to. however, I have noticed that if people don't move as quickly for feedings and diaper changings and all that, he can actually cry in such a way that people think someone just dropped a rock on his hand. No lack of drama there. It is amazing, he can scream to the point of his entire chubby body vibrating, but as soon as you pick him up it is like flipping a switch. crazy. Well, the dryer just buzzed and David fell asleep with Anya, so I guess I better go. Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite!

Moving Day

So we made it to Charlottesville, Virginia a few weeks ago. More specifically Lake Monticello which is in Palmyra which is near Charlottesville. Regardless, it's absolutely beautiful here with the Blue Ridge Mountains at our doorstep. Depending on the route I take to work, I pass Thomas Jefferson's home...The Monticello...on a regular basis. As I leave work each day, I look up to see Carter's Mountain which neighbors The Monticello. And there's a good spot during the drive where you can see most of the valley in which Charlottesville was built. But I don't want to talk this area up too much and set your expectations too high for when you come to visit us. But I highly recommend you visit.

Have you ever had a moving company move you? The amount of paper they put in each box is ridiculously safe! It's like a practical joke someone might do during a birthday or for a christmas present where a huge box is given to you but after sorting through all of the crushed paper you finally see something as small as a gift certificate at the bottom. So as you unpack boxes, there is what seems to be like an infinite amount of paper of which you must dispose.

Karen had a great idea.

She invited the kids to help...and for every paper they folded into tiny squares so we could pack as many as possible into garbage bags, they earned one minute of movie time. I've never seen Mark and Anya rush so quickly to work.

And when James saw their excitement he jumped right in.

They watched High School Musical several times that night!

In one of our future posts, we'll have to include a video of our children's performances!

Starbuck's

I never thought I would have any reason to enter a Starbuck's before. But I caved...and I see how so many millions have become addicted.

I suppose it all started with our most recent move. I offered to buy the mover's a drink and I used my money to purchase tea and coffee. I haven't figured out what degree of sinning that was. I wanted to keep the movers happy and I wasn't sure how I could refuse to get them a drink after I had offered. Later on, Mark told me how we don't allow coffee in our house. I didn't respond...I told him we could talk about it later.

So now I'm in management and I get to play the fun political/social games. I have to stay up to date on sports (not just college football) to carry on a social conversation. And living in central Virginia, golf and fishing are especially relevant.

Now I'm a social drinker as well. I carry a bottle of water (filled from the nearest drinking fountain...why do people spend so much money on bottled water?!?!) with me everywhere I go. And yes, I have had a Starbuck's cup in my hand...and I'm addicted. Someone introduced me to the Caramel Apple Cider. mmmmmm. It is a heavenly combination of sweet and tart. And I am addicted. I can't wait for the next one. I had no idea Starbuck's offered more than coffee. I've been so sheltered. But I'm not sure what level of sin I am committing now. I'm conflicted with a moral struggle of supporting a chain known for its coffee. So my question to you...should I sever the ties? Regardless of your answer, I do highly recommend the Caramel Apple Cider at Starbuck's.

Serenity is . . .

many, many things I know, but today it is the first three hours after returning from the Library. It was our first trip since we moved here to Virginia, and the kids were quite literally jumping up and down with excitement. However, once we got our books and got them home, we settled into that very familiar new books quiet. They all plopped down in the family room and thoroghly searched their new treasures. Occasionally one will call out "hey mom, i just finished . . " So yes, even though the books are checked out for three weeks, we will be back in one as usual. Good times. In the meantime, Mark found his solace in our own bookcases full of books and in the last week has devoured Charlotte's Web and Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle. He is currently in the middle of Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Magic and a Scooby Doo chapter book. Who knew that 8 entire chapters of full page writing could be written for a Scooby Doo plot!

I never thought I would blog

This is just an experiment. We'll see how long it lasts.