School Days

We miss Vanessa while she's at school. But we stay really busy, and before we know it, we go back to pick her up. Zane has taken to napping again. He says, "Mom, I ready to nap. When done napping, we go get De-Des."

This week, Vanessa was anxious to get a backpack of donated goods to school. We only had a quick second to attempt a picture. Go figure -- her eyes are closed. :-) Principal Groves was extremely grateful for the timing of the gift.

After we drop off Vanessa, Zane chooses one of three routes to walk home. We discover lots of things. Zane counts and names colors of cars, trucks and buses. We pet some and watch animals. We watch tree trimmers and roofers. We guess where firetrucks and police cars are headed. We watch mailpeople -- sure to greet the friendly and happy ones. We practice safety and push buttons to cross the street.

During the day, we leave messages for each other. We also run errands, attend various activities, practice skills, and play. We have interesting discussions at lunch. And Zane helps tackle projects with others, but mainly Vanessa, in mind. ;-)

Mommy: "Would you like something more than Miracle Whip on that bun, like cheese?"
Zane: "No. Bun and whip are good enough, thank you."
Note: When Mommy put turkey and lettuce on hers, Zane had to have some too. :-)

Avery Gators were blessed by more Box Tops and Campbell points. We decided to organize them in sets of 5s so we could count them quickly. :-)

Rereading

Zane enjoys retelling and rewriting the stories we read. Today I took the time to document a couple. (And yes, his VBS shirt is one of his favorites! If it's clean and he spots it, he's wearing it.)

"Thomas and Percy go home. Thomas and Percy in barn. Thomas go home. Percy says bye bye. Thomas and Percy sleepy."

"Big horse, big horse, big horse, and big horse. Small horse. Black horse. Brown horse. Horse two. Horse racing. I ride horse. Daddy, mommy and De-Des ride horse like me. Horse baby. Horse in dark."

Along for the Ride

Things don't always make sense, especially from the outside. But let's not forget all the great things God has done. And we're blessed to have each other along for the ride.

"Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act." ~Psalm 37:5

Slime Swap

We are swapping weekday slime monsters for more cracking slimy things. One slimy thing about the start of a new school year, these two have less time together. We'll miss the extra rowdy moments and extra moments of teamwork. We'll soon see if it is all it's cracked up to be. I know more one-on-one time with Zane will be. We've got some stuff to do, besides babysitting Skar. :-}

The night before the start of school, the kids slimed each other. :-) Have you seen these on TV? Well they are not worth the $10 each one regularly costs. But we bought two cans for a total of $5, by taking advantage of a 50% off sale and using a $5 coupon. The kids' excitement when we surprised them was definitely worth the $5 -- it was as if we bought them new cars. However, the activity lasted no more than 5 minutes. :-)

1st Day of 1st Grade

We told Vanessa that this year she would start to walk into the school by herself. I didn't mean on the first day, but as we got to the front door, she turned and said "Mom, I got this. I know what I'm doing."

She did. And she did well. Fortunately the windows to her classroom are at the front of the building, so I peered in to watch her walk into the classroom. She didn't notice me for a few moments. She gave Mr. Harris a drawing, put away her lunch box, said hi to her friends, hung up her book bag, walked straight to her seat and clipped on her name tag. She then noticed me at the window and waved . . . and blew kisses. :-)

She had a great day even though there was evidence of anxiety on her shirt. She came out excited to share that she focused on her lunch and ate it all, before going outside to recess. Her favorite part of the day was music class. Her least favorite part was the noise in the cafeteria.

On Your Mark

It's time to get set and go. 

Recently I caught the kids training for a race. They mixed it up with obstacles and changing the route to the finish line. As long as they're honest and loving, they're both winners.

 (Vanessa is working her face into a focused look.:-})

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." ~ Romans 12:2

Happy Birthday, Rachel!

Picnic in the Park

It was quite enjoyable to stop for a picnic in the Gallipolis City Park. Vanessa and Zane chose the perfect spot, away from the black walnut tree. :-)

Skar the Gecko

Vanessa got a lizard for her birthday. She named him Skar, which is different from what she originally picked out -- she was naming a girl gecko Flower or Cheetah. :-) Skar should double in length by the time he's fully grown. She helped to clean the lizard's habitat before picking him up. She picked out a skull tower for him to hide in and blue sand for his base. Mommy couldn't refuse the hammock. We'll chart feedings and temperatures. Daddy pulled it all together while even making a new top for an old aquarium. We look forward to sharing Skar with all of you!

Vanessa is hunting for the perfect tree limb to place in the aquarium for Skar to climb. She worries for him when we leave the house. She settles for holding him three times a day. She's certain he kisses her and I'm certain she's doing a careful and gentle job mothering him.

End-of-summer/B-Day Campout

A little bit of bug spray, Smores, plain ol' chocolate, popcorn, shadow puppets, Uno and more -- happy kids. Crashed by 10:30 and up by 5:15.

"Goodness"

Mommy: "Zane, you can't . . ."
Zane [one hand held up]: "I know. I know. I know. Calm down. I know."

*The pictures are not from the same moment as the quotes above. But the quotes have become common dialogue and seem to be a good fit for the pictures. Daddy got pictures of Zane's car accident while Mommy and Vanessa were gone. And the title has become a common comment by Zane, when things aren't going just right.

Take a Hike

In Accordance

Place. Check. Time. Check. Carrot Cake Pancakes. Cross out. Waffle. Check.

And I love how Zane looks like such a big boy!

ƸӜƷ Happy Birthday, Vanessa ƸӜƷ

It's been six years since she fluttered her way into our hearts.

A Willing Heart and Helpful Hands

Yes, he's like most 2-year-olds -- he experiments with objections and refusals to comply -- but most of the time he shows a very willing and gentle heart. He plays extra rough but trumps it with affection. He cuts pretty flowers to win smiles, hugs, and kisses.

And sometimes he gives us gentle reminders that it's merely the thought that counts.

A Piano

"Life is like a piano. What you get out of it depends on how you play it."
~Tom Lehrer