Kids keeping busy...

 On a day like this a plan needs to be formed...or really good pre-talk.

:-)

Owen woke up, got his hug, and I explained what happened.

No school today!

He's excited about the possibilities, but keeping him busy is sometimes a challenge.

Right now he is on the floor, under a mini-tramp, pushing it up, and yelling,

"MOM!  Look how strong I am!!!!!!!!!!"

 

 When Mom gets too busy doing her thing, 

Gabby likes to follow her around saying, "I want to hold you!"

Other times, she is able to find things to busy herself:

random toys, sit in a shoe box, play on  my cell phone-

playing "letters" or calling people then hanging up right away...

 When Owen gets busy, he is busy for hours though.

 He sits himself down in his "office," makes a big mess with papers,

and creates, draws, writes stories...

 This boy is in his own little world.  At times it is frustrating because he seems lost, he dawdles, he doesn't listen very well, he gets distracted...

But when he gets in that world of his,

with a pencil in hand...

 so many possibilities!

Things pinned (or stapled) to the wall,

papers strewn, cluttered "desk," and writing on the wall.

Literally.

This looks kind of like his daddy's office...

I'm not saying I am the most organized, but at least I have piles!

And, I know what is in every pile!

:-)

Another thing a day home means...

mess.

Maybe I can start translating "mess" for "fun!"

or life...sigh

February?

 This was last year...

 This is this year...

 Brown, "warm," sunshine...some days.

Those who fight together...can play together too!

:-)

 Smiles...

Games...

Looking for a bit of snow...

Owen and I managed to even have a "friendly" game of soccer 

where he did not yell once when I actually tried.  

He's got to learn that he can't always win, right?

More life lessons!  :-)

Never ending, hey?

I am humbled more and more because of the moms 

I've never given credit to before!

You know who you are!

Innocence

I've never heard of a parent who did not admire 

the peace and innocence of a sleeping child.

I stare at my kids' beauty in sleep...so amazed.

All the difficulties seem to fade...sometimes disappear.

God's grace...

 INNOCENCE

And then, inevitably, when they wake, the cycle again.

When my kids argue, I get tense.  I want to end it...NOW.

But today I let myself laugh.

This is what it sounded like:

"Stop talking to me!" Owen

"I'm not!" Gabby

"Yes you are!" O

"No!" G

"You just talked to me!" O

"No I didn't!" G

"You are still talking!" O

(Mom starts laughing)

"It's not funny!" O

Yes, it is...

"No!  It's not funny!" (kick on the back of my seat)

"Yeah.  It's funny." G

"NO! It is not!"  O

I giggled most of the way home then...however, if it were longer than 4 miles,

 I would have broken down.

TENDERNESS

Regardless of how stubborn that boy is, he is so tender.

I know very few people who who have such contradicting qualities.

For Valentine's Day, "someone" made us a card at Kindergarten.

I have a feeling "someone" was coached:

When I picked up Owen on Monday , I asked how his day was.

He said, "Sorta good."

What does that mean?  did something happen to not make it good?

Then he said, "whatever you do, don't look in my backpack!"

Ok...now I am worried.

When we got home, I tried to look at what he was hiding, but I couldn't find him.

I got a hold of his backpack and nothing unusual was there.

That night, after the kids had gone to bed, Roger found this:

It was on our clothes in our closet.

I guess we have a secret valentine!

The next morning I asked Owen about it.  He looked guilty.

He said, "It's not from me!"

I said, "those look like your question marks..."

:-)  

JOY...the kind that makes you break out in song...

again...

and again...

even if the words aren't right or it seems you can't find the end to the song.

Sweet Joy.

Sleepy heads...

 Sometimes the kids giggle for a bit before falling asleep.

A few times I found them snuggled together.

I learned awhile ago that if this happens,

I have to move Gabby to her own bed or she wakes up crying 

because Owen kicked her or pushed her off the bed.

 

 Owen lately has been calling himself a hedgehog and likes to bury himself beneath piles of blankets and stuffed animals.  Such a funny boy. Gabby, on the other hand, would rather to have nothing but her blankie close by.  She won't sleep with a doll, bear, toy...nuthin'.  She often wakes up with a cry and pushes the blankets off.  Funny girl.

Roger, my love, can sleep comfortably sitting, slouching, pillow or no pillow.  

He never complains of a crinked neck or sore back.  

How I wish I could feel that comfort!

We are trying to not watch TV every night so we've been reading a bit more.

I don't know how it really worked out for Rog.

I guess we've been getting more sleep too!  :-)

Another First...

 He'd been wiggling it for quite some time.

When he smiled, his tooth was in the wrong place.  

It was about to come out.

I took a closer look, and there were his big teeth!

The big teeth are already growing behind his baby ones!

Yep, it was time:

 First Lost Tooth!  Bottom left...can you see it?

He lost it at school.

He told me he lost it in class.

He told his dad he lost it when in the gym.

Who knows.

I think it was in the gym because he was sent to the nurse to get a tooth box.

They tied it around his neck, and when his teacher came to get the class,

he was able to tell her all about it.

 No new first for Gabby...just a funny girl.

Since it's not freezing and feels quite balmy for February,

she wanted the window down.

She quite insisted.  No complaints.

She just observed. Stared. Enjoyed the pleasant 34 degree breeze.

I smile.