FROG VS TOAD

This afternoon I came home from a friends and had this conversation with the kids and one of their friends at the kitchen table:

Nick: Guess what, mom! I got a frog!
Liv: Yep. Ben did too. Brought him up to show me when I was in your bedroom.
Mom: Wow! Where are they now?
Nick: In my room.
Mom: ?!?
Colby (friend): Don't worry. They are protected. And covered.
Nick: Yep. In that one bowl, you know the one you spin salad in?
Mom: ?!?
Nick: Yeah, and we spinned him a couple a time. Could hardly see him when he was spinnin'.
Olivia: He's dead now......
Nick: No, he's not. Colby's the fly man.
Colby: Hey! I know just the man to get them from!
Nick: Who?
Colby: My dog! He has fleas.....

A few minutes later....

Ben: Can I take a bath with the frog? Please mom please?
Mom: Um, yeah. sure.....

The next few minutes were spent getting Ben's bath water and watching the frog frantically try to make him way out of the tub. He was flailing and slipping and flipping around, not what I would expect from a frog.....wait! Do toads like water? What is this thing? After it was clear that he was not at all comfortable in the water, I rescued him. He wasn't moving and for just a second, it was as if I was back in my lifeguard days trying to save a kid that couldn't swim. The little fella was belly up in my hand and not moving. I may or may not admit to just a few tiny chest compressions, hoping to give him one last shot at life....

Back he went into the salad shooter spinner. Still lifeless. But not for long! A couple minutes later, he hopped. Twice. The frog turned toad was going to make it! I convinced Ben that he didn't like water so out of the tub he sprang to be with his little friend. We decided it would be best for toad to be put outside rightthisveryminute and Ben agreed saying, "I will put him outside so he can be with his family."

Ben took the salad spinner out to the front porch and ever so gently let toad go. I can only imagine what he told his family when he found them.......

BACK TO SCHOOL, PART 2

Little Ben also started school this year. This was a really difficult decision for me, since he is only three and  totally my baby. A little background info:

 While we were in South Dakota, he did six months of Speech Therapy at the request of our Pediatrician. I didn't notice much improvement until right after we moved here and his language just exploded into tons of words and sentences. I have no idea if it was the therapy that did it or if he just decided to work at it. Who knows, but the kid was talking. So, fast forward to this spring and he was going through a bit of a "phase." Very irritable, hitting, screaming, and just so emotional and volitile. I didn't know what his deal was! I was talking to a friend about how tired of the "phase" I was and she mentioned her daughter was in speech with the early childhood program here. Then I got to thinking that maybe his language was "stalling out" and  not keeping up with him so he was acting out. My friend gave me the contact info to get him screened and all I could think of was "Yes, free preschool. Sign him up!" Once we started the testing, I felt so bad for wanting to send him off to school so early. I prayed really hard, asking Heavenly Father to help me know what was best for him, not me. We continued through a series of screenings and testings and he performed beautifully normal on all of them. Except the one with the Speech Therapist. He was in fine form that day, didn't care to interact with a stranger and when he did, chose to use words no one could understand. She evaluated him as being a bit delayed in conversational speech, meaning he does fine up to about four words and then after that, it all jumbles together. So forget trying to understand a story he is retelling or something similar. At the end of all the tests, a councelor added up all of his scores and then suddenly, got excited. She said, "Well, he was totally normal developmentally until we added in the speech evaluation. That put him just below the average line and he qualifies! So he is eligible to attend school here and you may either choose to have a therapist work with him while he is here or you can bring him in seperately and it's a four day program and he will ride the bus and, oh, it's just great!" I seriously was trying to take in everything she was saying and not start crying at the same time! Four days? Bus? WHAT?! I immediately wanted to say no to it all. And then. And then this peaceful, right, calming feeling came over me. I knew it was the spirit, reminding me of my prayer for him. This is what he needed. That is why it worked out the way it did. I took all the information home, talked to everyone I knew in education and out to get their opinions. I called the school and asked questions and cried while I listened to the answeres. I waited until the afternoon of the deadline to turn in his paperwork. I felt like I was shoving my baby bird out of the nest. But it also felt right.
That brings us to the first day of school for Ben. His teacher came to our house to visit and gave him a tag for his backpack. It would get him onto the "turtle bus". We went to open house to see the bus and the classroom. Wow, that school is A-mazing. Ben thought so, too. He was excited!

Ben's classroom. I have no idea who that lady is.....Ben loves the little fort in the background!

A window seat just for little kids!

 The first day went relatively well. We read tried to read the Kissing Hand but I was bawling so hard I finally gave up. We sat outside waiting for that big yellow bus for what seemed like forever. Soon it came, and he jumped on, almost forgetting to kiss his mommy good-bye. He got buckled into his seat. I cried. The bus slowly pulled away and as his little hand was waving to me, I cried. Hard. Wow, the right things are so painful sometimes. I went inside and drank the soda I had purchased for this very moment. If all else fails, a good carbonated beverage usually does the trick.

Ben's ticket to ride....

I think this is the same pose Nick did on the first day of school....

waiting......

          

Seeing this bus pull away was one of the hardest moments of my mommy life...

He was sound asleep in his seat when the bus pulled up to the front of our house after school. My little boy whose backpack is nearly the same size as he is stumbled into my arms, sleepy but happy. He loved school! I have never been so relieved.

Sadly, the rest of the week didn't go so well. He was tired and wanted to have his standard "quiet time" after lunch when instead, we had to get ready to meet the bus. He cried. One day he told the bus driver over and over,"I want to stay HOME! I want to stay HOME!" as he boarded the bus. But everyday he would get off the bus and tell me how much he loved school. What to do? Then, on day three, I got a call that he was sick and I needed to pick him up. He was crying and sick when I got there and he told me he "hated school and would never never go there. Never." Agony. Do I pull him out after three days? I was so  tempted.....

Then something happened the following week. He asked me one morning if he could go to school. I told him it was his day off and he replied, "Dang it! I love that school. I really want to go there. Can I go there tomorrow?" I assured him that yes, he could go there tomorrow and now he can hardly wait to get ready for the bus each day. He loves school and his teacher and snack time and bike day and the library and everything! And...AND...the craziest thing is that since he has been in school, his temperment has changed. Totally and completely changed. In just two weeks, he is happy and loving and calm again. I can talk to him now, unlike in the spring time when he was just a mess. And he talks all the time, too. Constantly. I hear him trying to correct things in his speech that he and his therapist are working on and it is just awesome. I am so happy for him, that he is enjoying it so much and it is obviously helping him, too. Heavenly Father does work miracles and I am so grateful for that. I know He loves me and Ben, too, and that is really is the best thing for him. Here's to a great school year for you too, Buddy! Have fun!

FAVORITE

So we were shopping in Lowe's and my three little darlings struck this pose:

I don't even remember if they were happy shoppers on this particular day or not. But they look so sweet and so happy that this has become my all-time favorite photo!

BACK TO SCHOOL, PART 1

Oh, it's here again. The first day of school! The kids were up before their alarms today....I wonder if that will happen, say, tommorrow?? Both are excited and relieved like never before. Olivia's third grade teacher, whom she totally adored in everyway, has chosen not only to move up to Fourth grade this year but also requested to take her third grade class with her. Olivia is in H.E.A.V.E.N. and so ready to see all of her classmates again. Little Nick, my first grader, is also smiling because, at Meet the Teacher night two nights ago, he found out that the "really mean teacher" he thought he had really is someone else's teacher. He has a brand new, super sweet spunky teacher. A dream come true. The angels are singing....

Our morning routine went off without a hitch today, thanks to the new "Great Start" jar. It's just an old jar, newly decorated and stuffed with the kids' favorite sweets...Laffy Taffy, Airheads, and Starburst. For the child(ren) who can effortlessly complete their morning responsibilities, take care of their dog and be completely ready to go before 8:20am, a sweet treat can be chosen and nibbled on whenever they choose. So far, so good. Everyone is happy and on time and thanks to a little morning sugar, a bit sweeter than usual, too.

UPDATE: At the time of this posting (mid-Sept.) the "Great Start" jar had officially changed the tone of our mornings. Everybody busts bootie to get a sweet treat. Bribery is (almost) never a bad thing.....

After breakfast and a front yard photo shoot, we headed up the hill to school.

This little fella will be lonely without his big kids....

Neighborhood boys

Olivia escorted herself to class for the first time this year, telling me to "come say hi" after I had dropped off her brother. (Boo....) Thankfully Nick clung tightly to my hand, listened to my "Go get 'em, tiger momma loves you" speech and did everything possible not to let those huge hippo tears leave his eyes. We got to his classroom door and he shot off like a rocket, never looking back. Even his teacher said, "Say good-bye to mom!!!" I just let him go, knowing that him seeing hippo tears running down my cheeks was not going to make things any easier. We went to see Livi in her classroom, a.k.a party central. Those kids were bouncing off the walls, high-fiving each other and racing around like they owned the place. No first day jitters here. We snapped a couple pictures and headed out, sure to swing by Nick's classroom one last time on the way out. He was working diligently on something and seemed to be fine. I was so not fine....

Nick with Mrs. Linder

Saying good-bye to sissy
See, this is the day I love to hate. The first day of school means lots of things..... new outfits and backpacks, meet the teacher night, school supply shopping, hot lunch calendar, nervous kids that really do miss their mommy, early bedtimes, big appetites, no more daytime sibling harrassment, school fundraisers, and..... kids that are consistently getting bigger and growing up. (That last one is the toughy for me.) I love all the learning and experimenting and friendshipping and everything that they are doing, can't they just do it in a small body? One that I can cuddle and rock to sleep? I know that isn't reality and isn't the way life is supposed to be, blah, blah, blah. Thankfully, Olivia reminds me all the time that she wants to live "right by" me when she gets bigger and Nick has already confirmed, several times, that I will never make him move out. Ever.

Love you guys. Have a great year!!!

P.S. The kids had a great first day. Well, pretty great. It's always a long day. Nick came home and said, "A girl in my class started to cry today, Mom." I asked him why and he said, "Because she wanted to go home. I couldn't look at her. Or I would've started to cry!" I asked him how come and he said, "Because I wanted to go home, too!" So he missed me. (Heart melting....)

SURGERY

Early this morning, Ben checked into his sister's brain operation clinic. Olivia didn't waste anytime getting down to business. First, the health assessment.

Dr. Schmellow: are you allergic to marshmallows?
Ben: No. I allergic to cats, doctor.

Dr: How old are you?
Ben: I free.

Dr: What is your name?
Ben: Ben Armstrong Smith

Dr: What is your favorite animal, young sir?
Ben: a zebra

Dr: Okay, thank you. Just sign your name here and you may color until I am ready to go. (Trips over dog.) Oh, this is my trusty dog that I bring to work.

Ben: Okay, Dr. Smell-o.
Dr. It's Dr. Schmello, like marshmallow....

Being anesthetized....marshmallow style

Just as surgery was underway, a sleepy Nick emerged from his room and became the next patient. Here's his assessment:

Name: Nick Smith
Age: 6-1/2
Do you like marshmallows? LOOVE them!
Favorite animal: monkey....and a badger
Allergies: Pretty much hair

Soon and without complication, Nick was undergoing stomach surgery, for the second time in his life. According to Dr. Schmellow, he did very well and his recovery should be an easy one....

DOORS

My kids have a thing about leaving doors open. Doesn't really matter what kind of door, they just like it open. Garage door, front door, bedroom doors, bathroom door, fridge and cupboard doors. So I havean unconscious habit of following them around and closing such doors in order to 1) prevent injury and 2) stop the air conditioning from escaping out into the yard. This has been the way things have always been, really, and not much has been said. Until today. I got called out.

BEN: (Getting lemonade pitcher out of fridge. Naturally, leaves door open.)
ME: (Not thinking twice, I close the fridge door as I walk pass it.)
BEN: "MOM! Don't close it up! Don't close the fridge!
ME: "Why not? It's lettting cold air out, Ben."
BEN: "BECAUSE I GETTING LEMONADE, GENIUS....!!"
ME: (Smiling because my child thinks I am a genius...)

I love you Benny!

DIVA

This is what we found in Olivia's room tonight on our way to bed......

ELF ON MY SHELF

This is Ben's new favorite spot to sit. It's a  half wall right in between the kitchen and family room and when he is up there, he doesn't miss a thing. It does take some wall-scaling and furniture wrestling to get him up there, but I love the way his little body fits on that skinny little ledge so I just let him climb.... 

GARDEN

Our garden turned out just shy of a disaster this year. Half of it went straight to seed, the other half was either eaten by animals or prematurely rotten. It was pretty sad, after all the planning and work that went into it. But we were also gone for six weeks so what did we expect, really?! We managed to get a few cucumbers, green peppers and about six carrots. The boys were thrilled that they had big carrots to play Bugs Bunny. It was a good learning experience and next year will be better! Chris is already making plans....

SUNFLOWER

At the end of school last year, Nick brought home a tiny sunflower seed planted in soil in a foam cup. He was pretty excited to get it in the ground right away and see what it would do. That baby grew like crazy all summer long. I swear, we could stand next to it and watch it grow! By the time we got home from South Dakota, it was getting ready to seed, which meant it was time to say good-bye. Check out the pictures we took of it before Chris and Nick chopped it down with an axe....

This leaf was bigger than Nick's entire torso...

This is a trunk, not a stem......

STAR FIGHTER

Ben got into my desk drawer this afternoon and found these little metallic stickers. He dolled himself up-and us too- and was all ready to go nine rounds as a "Star Fighter!" I wouldn't mess with you for anything, buddy!

SD ROAD TRIP

The kids and I left KC at 5:45am this morning, destined for the Black Hills of South Dakota. The trip actually went really well and all three of them were little angels. The Mcdonalds lunch was probably the highlight of the trip so they are pretty easy!  I had to stop once to take a little rest and they were very content to watch a movie in the back. I entertained myself the rest of the time by listening to what they were saying...here are some of my favorites:

8:00 (Ben)- "Are we there yet?" (Um, no. This is an 11 hour drive and we've only been in the car for two hours and 15 minutes, dear....)
8:01 (Nick) "I am staaaaaarving!"
10:00 (Nick)- "Can we have lunch now?"
10:30 (Ben)- "Mom, you should unbuckle me. I going to barf."
11:45 (Olivia, just as we crossed into South Dakota)- Mom, it's already feeling like home, Mom. Can we drive by our old house while we are there? Maybe the morons that live there actually cut the grass this year....."

Other trip statistics:

Number of cheeseburgers consumed during lunch: 9.5
Number of times I thought "I hate these Wall Drug Signs" while crossing the SD plains: 17
Number of Looney Tunes episodes watched by the kids: 11
Number of times Ben unbuckled himself and said "Look Mom!": 31
Number of times Ben asked "Is this Grandma's house?": 14
Time we arrived on Ireland Place: 5:53pm
Anticipated date of Departure: Never

We loved every minute of our time in Rapid City. On our way into town, Olivia told me that the "second" she graduates from highschool, she is moving back to Rapid City. And she is not going to marry anyone who doesn't like the idea of living in South Dakota. I think she may be more in love than Chris and I.....!

We had a great time with my parents, just hanging out and doing some toursity stuff with them. The highlights were the Buffalo Safari in Custer State Park and Old McDonald's Farm.....

Nick could have touched these big boys, had he wanted to...

Smiley boys in the jeep

The breeze kept us cool and a little wind blown...

Part of the park's buffalo herd

"Oh, mom, it's baby Charlie! Can we keep him???"

This kid loves goats...

Any anything with wings...

Liv feeding a baby calf
The kids loved being back in Grandma and Grandpa's yard, chasing wildlife, playing basketball and swimming in the hot tub! They also spent time with some of our old neighborhood kids while I visited friends, shopped with my mom and  went on a couple of lunch dates! It was great! By the time we were ready to head home, we were all exhausted. This is pretty much all the kids did on the way home:

Thanks for the fun trip, South Dakota loved ones! See you again soon! XOXO