Hockey Player/Violinist?

Is that some kind of oxymoron?

Gavin started hockey about a month ago. He'd been asking to play for over a year, so I gave in to his persistent requests. The reason I was dragging my feet is because I wasn't ready to dive in to this new culture. From what I've heard, hockey can take over your life, not to mention your pocketbook. So far, I'm pleased to say it hasn't changed our life too much. And Gavin is really loving it. I'm having fun watching him play, too.

A Little Sibling Competition

The other night at bedtime, Lilah and Emma decided to have a contest to see who could keep their hand on their bed post the longest. When Mike went in to check on the girls, they were both sleeping. Lilah won the contest and was sleeping with one hand on the post of her bed.

Kids think of the most bazarro things.

Last night, I went to the liquor store with Emma and Gavin. Normally I wouldn't bring them with me, but I offered to bring a bottle of wine to a function tomorrow, which happens to be Sunday, and liquor stores aren't opened on Sundays. (Mike and Lilah are in Madison) Anyway...

As we were leaving, the clerk gave them suckers and all was good.

In the car on the way home, I said, "That was a nice surprise to get a sucker. I suppose you guys are going to want to "help" me at the liquor store whenever I go from now on."

Emma, "Why do they call it a liquor store? Because of the suckers and all the licking?"

Educational Programming Inspires Young Mathemetician

Gavin- If there are 168 hours in a week, how many hours until my birthday?
Me- Is that right? 168 hours in a week?
Gavin- Yes!
Me- Who told you that?
Gavin- SpongeBob

Emma did her own hair the other day...

First Day of School

First day of 3rd grade- she's getting so big.
First day of 1st grade, and first time being in a class without his caretaker. I was a little nervous for him at first. A couple of weeks before school started, he asked why he couldn't be in the same class with Emma. I told him that usually that's what the teachers decide is best for twins. His bottom lip started to quiver at the thought, and he said, "But, I'll miss her," and then he started to cry. He's managing just fine.
First day of first grade, and first time in class not being someone's caretaker.

This sounds like me when I was a kid

Mike - Your room is so messy. How can you stand it? (or something to that nature)
E- Why do you even come in here then?
Mike - If I didn't, you'd never be able to get through the mess to find your bed.
E- Yes we could. We could go like this... (Emma motions doing the breaststroke through the air, as if to swim through the clutter)

On another occasion...
Lilah asked:
Why do we have to make our bed? We're just going to sleep in it later anyway.

Inquiring mind wants to know

Guess who asked this question...

How much hours from a half of a day is tewnty-four hours?

I'm not sure I understand the question.

Kids say the darndest things

Emma and Gavin had a playdate at their friend Jonna's house yesterday. Whenever I drop the kids off at someone's house, I'm always a little nervous about what they might say in my absence. I try very hard to teach the kids good manners, but who knows what'll come out of their mouths at any given time, especially when I'm not around.

I felt compelled to warn Teresa (mom of Jonna) about how Gavin feels right at home wherever he goes. He says it how he sees it, without regard to social ettiquette. I asked her not to hold it against me if he said something off the wall, that normally might offend people. She laughed and told me about a boy who came to her house and commented on all the dust.

So I went on my merry way, and returned after a couple of hours. After few minutes of recapping the events that transpired during the playdate, Teresa shared with me a comment from Gavin:

He said, "Wow, your house sure is messy!"
I tried to fix the damage by saying:
"You should see our house. I'm surprised he would say that, since our house is much messier."
Gavin pipes in and adds:
"No it's not! (pointing) Look at that room, and look at that room! Their house is WAY messier than ours!"

Inquiring mind

(Backrub Converstion)

G-Why were Grandma and Grandpa 1 year old, 102 years ago?
Me-They weren't even born 102 years ago.
G-Well, how old are they then?
Me-Grandma is 59 and Grandpa is 62.
G-Well, why were they one year old 58 and 61 years ago?
Me-That's the way time works.
G (without even the slightest hesitation for transition to a new topic)- I want a wife when I grow up. And I want a wife who wants kids.
Me- That sounds good.
G- Will I have to kiss my wife?
Me-You will probably want to.
G- Why?

Human Beans

During our road trip, the kiddos got a little wild and loud at times (understatement). At one point, Mike tried to prepare them for our expectations of behavior at a restaurant, and said something along the lines of...
"When we get to the restaurant, I want you guys to act like civilized human beings."
Emma was confused. With her head cocked and brows furrowed, she asked, "You mean like brown beans?"

More Montana Highlights

We had a really good time on our vacation. Even the drive to Glacier wasn't too bad. It's easy for me to say, since I didn't actually do much of the driving. We made plenty of stops along the way..

The Painted Canyon- located on the far West side of North Dakota

We stayed in Glendive, MT the first night. The hotel had an indoor pool. The kids had a blast.

We drove along a barren highway through Montana until we ended up in Lewistown, and stopped for lunch and a small diversion at the Lewistown Museum
Once we arrived at Glacier, we were amazed at the beautiful scenery. The mountainviews were a big highlight.

Logan Pass- Going to the Sun Road

Bowman Lake- Actually, all the Glacier Lakes were spectacular. I think I liked Two Medicine best.

For me, the best part of our vacation was just hanging out with each other without mundane distractions of everyday life, such as cleaning, mowing, painting... It was great being together, having fun together and relaxing.

Skipping rocks was a favorite passtime.All the hiking was fun- the kids might have a different opinion- there were a few days when hiking was not a highlight for them, but they did a pretty good job. We hiked over 25 miles in all. They loved the walking sticks uncle Ian whittled for them.






Whitewater rafting on the Flathead River- the kids would say this was the best part of the trip. Mike and I liked it, too!

Lilah loved horseback riding, even though her horse turned around and reared up- kicking the horse in front of him! I was scared watching, but Lilah hung on, and continued on the ride.This cabin in the middle of nowhere was really nice. We played a lot of games at night and completed a 500+ piece puzzle. The kids all learned to play solitaire- and became obsessed with it. Somehow Emma won almost every game.
We ate cookies at "The Merc" every day. They were so yummy. Polebridge is the nearest "town" to where we were staying (about 6 miles form the cabin). I use the term town loosely, because the town consisted of this building, and a really rustic restaurant. A lot of people stop here for the pastries before and after going into Glacier.
We had so much fun, we weren't even ready to come home after being gone for 2 weeks, although we did miss Duncan, and couldn't wait to see him. Gavin suggested that we have two houses, one in MN and one in MT. I thought that was a great idea, but we'd have to start saving now.

A Glacier Highlight

Our trip to Glacier National Park was nothing less than fantastic. I have many highlights to share, but one in particular is...

The kids became "Junior Rangers" during our trip. They had to complete at least 5 pages in a booklet in order to get their certificate, but they completed the entire booklet, so, not only did they become Junior Rangers- receiving a certificate and a Junior Ranger badge- but they also received a beautiful blue patch. As they were "sworn in" as Junior Rangers, they pledged to do this and that to protect the plants and animals in Glacier Park as well as all other areas of nature they will encounter throughout their lives. At the end of the swearing in, the ranger called the attention of everyone in the visitor center at the given moment to congratulate them on their accomplishment. At this time, all eyes were on the newest Junior Rangers of Glacier National Park, and they were given an applause that rocked the house. It was soooo cute- the kids had pride written all over their sweet little faces. I was all choked up. They were very serious about all this Junior Ranger business, so much so, that when Lilah caught a mom and her kids innocently feeding some ground squirrels, she walked up to them (on her own accord) and told them that it was against the rules to feed any wildlife at the national park.

Sweetness

We agreed to one fast food experience on our 2 week trip to MT, and it ended up being Dairy Queen, after riding in the car for 8 hours on our way home. It was supposed to be McDonalds, but Glendive MT doesn't have a McDonalds, so, we settled on DQ, with a treat at the end, of course. Gavin came very close to finishing his chocolate dip cone, all except the last few bites (only cone was left), and he dropped it on the ground. He was beside himself with grief, crying and carrying on.

Without any prompting, Emma said, "Gavin, you can share mine if you want."

If that's not a selfless act of love, I don't know what one is.

Middle of Nowhere

We're going on a family road trip to Montana (Glacier National Park). We'll be be staying at a cabin outside a town called Polebridge for a week of the vacation. We've been referring to it as being in "the middle of nowhere," because of the remote location. I've come to realize that Gavin thinks that "The Middle of Nowhere" is actually the name of a place. He's asked questions like...

How long does it take to get to the middle of nowhere?
Where is the middle of nowhere, anyway?
Is the middle of nowhere in Canada?
What's the middle of nowhere like?

Cabin Highlights

We started going to Agency Bay on Leech Lake in 1993, and have gone every year since, except the year Mike and I got married. We have such a great time during this week every year. I love this vacation for many reasons, but one of the main reasons is that I get to spend time with both sides of our family.

The very best thing for me with the cabin experience is being around the kids and watching their enthusiasm and utter excitement about EVERYTHING they do during the week...

Tubing...

Fishing on the pontoon

Kissing Fish...

Fishing off the dock...
Cabin Olympics...Who won anyway? I believe the ladder golf competition will have to continue in 2009, but what about bags and polish horseshoe?...
Hanging out on the beach...

General hanging out with cousins...

Observing the metamorphosis of dragonflies...

Talent Show...

Scavenger Hunt...

4th of July Parade in Walker (thank you Mike!)...

Doing Sparklers...

Watching fireworks from the boat in Walker Bay...

Watching a movie in the lodge and getting a sucker stuck in Daisy's tail (tiny little dog belonging to the owners)...

Lilah learned to ski, but since I was in the water helping her, and Mike was driving the boat, we have no photographic documentation of the event.

I'm totally disappointed in myself, because I forgot to take the annual picture of Lilah in the blue chair. I've been doing this since she was just 1 month old the first year. My mom even gave me a reminder, and I still forgot.

(2007 annual photo of Lilah-in-the-blue-chair)

As always, our week at the cabin proved to be relaxing and full of fun. We're already looking forward to next year.

A clip from the talent show-(listen for the plankton)

Sibling Competition

Emma is very coordinated. She can run circles around Gavin. That's not to say he's not coordinated. To the contrary. He rides his bike like a pro, and can skateboard pretty well. It's just that Emma is a really fast runner.

Last night, around 9:15 (the time is an important factor when understanding Gavin's ability, or lack there of, to think rationally), the kids and neighbor kids were running races along the sidewalk. Emma kept winning every race. It was almost painful to watch Gavin. His little face was so determined, and he put forth all his might, to no avail. He was starting to get upset (understatement), so I mouthed the words "LET HIM WIN" to Emma. She looked at me like I was a crazy woman. "What?" she said, thinking she didn't understand me correctly, for, why in the world would she do something so absurd as to throw a race? So she came up to me and asked what I said. "Let him win, just once," I answered. "Why? That wouldn't be fair. And, plus, you always tell us to do our best," was her response. (She had a point, and yes, I'm babying Gavin too much, but, his incessant crying was really getting to me, and I knew it would stop if he just won a race. Once in a while, life doesn't have to teach us a lesson, we just need things to go our way) "He's very tired and upset, and it would make him feel good to win, just once." She didn't answer and just went off to race. She ran along right beside her brother in a haphazard, doo-dee-doo kind of lollygag, so everyone (except for Gavin, who, of course was giving it his all) could see how she wasn't really trying, all the while, glancing in my direction to make sure I was watching. It turned out to be a tie at the finish. She looked at me and smiled. This was her best attempt at letting someone else win. Gavin was satisfied with the result.

Catching up

The following outing took place on May 2. I'm a little behind...

We've been trying to have special outings with just one of us and one kid- kind of like a date night.

Gavin and Mike went to the Twins game for their special day together. The girls had been asking forever to go to Club Libby Lu, where they could get their hair all done-up and have make-up put on, just like a star- all glittery and glamorous. This turned out to be a good opportunity for the occasion, since it was just me and the girls. The girls were so cute, dressing in their formal attire (not such a noteworthy detail considering Emma wears black velvet to go fishing).

Here's the result of the event:

Oh, yes, I forgot to mention the head set and microphone that came with the style.

Backrub Conversation

Every night, we do backrubs with the kids. During this time, one of us lays with a kid, rubs their back, and plays a guessing game.

related information- I worked out at the club earlier this evening.

Me- I'm sorry if I stink.
G- That's o.k., mommy. You don't really stink that bad.
Me- (laughing)
G- Why are you laughing.
Me- Because you're funny.
G- Well, actually mommy, you do stink.

New lyrics- by Emma

"Should all the plankton be forgot, keep your eye on the grand old flag!"

Chatterbox

A conversation at the end of backrubs and a guessing game...

G- Can you think of one more animal?
Me- No, I'm tired.
G-Are you tired of talking?
Me-Yes. Aren't you?
G- Never.

Profanity continued

G-Why can't I say the "D-B" word
Me-I don't know what word that is.
G- You know, the "dad-b" word
Me- I don't know what you're talking about. You can just tell me.
G- Dad Blame-It

Emma

We were listening to music this morning during breakfast. We were admiring a violin solo in one of the songs when Emma pointed out that...

"It must be a grown-up and not a kid playing, that 'uhcuz there aren't any squeaks."

Profanity continued

A conversation with Gavin:

G- Mommy, can I say the "b" word?
Me- What word is that?
G- The b-o-t word.
Me- I don't know what that word is.
G- Oh, I mean the b-u-t word.
Me- No, you shouldn't really say it (especially at school if you're trying to make kids laugh) if you're referring to your bottom.
G- But, I didn't say that word. I said "buttcrack."

Life Can Be So Unfair

Yesterday, the kids had a "Walk-n-roll-n-run-if-you-wanna-thon" at their school. We all did the 3 mile walk, and everything worked out just fine. More fun and games started at the conclusion of the running/walking/rolling. The kids participated in a tricycle race. Gavin stumbled in the middle of the race because his tricycle wouldn't turn in the right direction. He was very upset at the end, and was crying and yelling because, in his words:

-My trike cheated. It wouldn't let me turn.

Right after he said this, Emma asked him what was wrong. "Why are you crying, Gavin?" she asked empathetically.

To this, he replied, "I never win races!"
And the sobbing continued for a few minutes.

Profanity

These crazy kids keep telling on each other for using vulgar language. Last night we had a conversation regarding a bad word that Gavin may or may not have used. It went something like this:

L-Mommy, Gavin said the "s" word today.
Me-Gavin, is that true?
G-No.
L-Yes you did, Gavin.
Me- Didn't you tell on Emma yesterday for using the "s" word? (word in reference here is stupid)
G-I didn't say it.
L-You said the "s-w-" word.

Gavin got really quiet and looked down, seeming totally guilty and ashamed, almost ready to cry. All the while, I was a little confused. I was searching my brain for what the word could possibly be, and could not for the life of me figure it out.

Me- I have no idea what word you're talking about.
L-It starts with s-w
Me-I'm still not following you.
L (whispers as she spells)- s-w-a-r-e
Me- What? He said the word "swear?"
L- yes, like, "I swear.."
Me- That's not really a bad word. Also, it's s-w-e-a-r. But, just to clarify, if you know a word is a bad word, don't use it. If you think it's a bad word, don't use it. If you're not sure whether or not it's a bad word, don't use it.

This morning, Emma was talking to Mike.

E-Daddy, Jonna says the "f" word at school. And so does Jaylon.
Mike- Really.
E- Yeah. It starts with an "f" and ends with "art"

Still innocent

I overheard this from the basement:

E- Gavin, did you fart.
G-No. I'm telling on you for saying the "f" word!

I guess he was too busy to tattle, because he never came upstairs.

Later the same evening, Gavin informed me of this...

G-Mommy, Emma said the "s" word today.
E- No I didn't!
G- Yes you did!
Me- What word are you referring to?
G- I can't say it. But, it's the "s-t" word.
Me- What?
G- (Gavin comes up to me, cups his hand around my ear and whispers) STUPID

Kissing Up

The kids stayed up past their bedtime tonight, so they were deprived of the nightly backrub. Emma tried to convince daddy to give her the backrub...

Emma-please!?!
Daddy- No
Emma- Pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty please!?!?!?!
Daddy-No
Emma- You look very handsome, Daddy.

God works in mysterious ways

Gavin asks a lot of questions about God.

Not too long ago, I was unloading bags of groceries from the car. One of the handles of a bag broke as I was carrying it into the house. The contents spilled all over the sidewalk. I was obviously frustrated with the situation.

Gavin asked:
Did God make that happen?

A preview of teenage years to come

Recently, I've noticed a certain 3 children challenging my authority and opinions along with many of the decisions I make.

The other day, I was getting a snack ready and the kids were playing outside. The door was open, so I could hear what they were doing in the backyard. And, boy, could I ever hear them. They were playing some sort of game, pretending they were hurt. With all the screaming, I was worried about what the neighbors might think. I went outside and said:

Hey, you guys, stop all the screaming. The whole neighborhood can hear you.

Gavin responded- How do you know?

Hello! What do you mean, how do I know. I'm your mother. I know everything.

Lilah responds to requests she doesn't like with..."Why can't I just..."

Example:

Me- You can go outside after you clean up your room.
L- Why can't I just clean it after I go outside?

Gavin adds a "but Mommy,..." when things aren't corresponding to his wishes.
Example:
It's time for bed. Get your pj's on.

But Mommy, why can't I have just one more book?

Emma is pretty cooperative most of the time. Sometimes, though, when things don't go her way, she stars in her own drama show. She'll go to her room and throw herself on the bed and sob into her pillow. I've actually caught her peeking up around her pillow to see if anyone is watching. When she realizes this behavior doesn't get the results she's looking for, she moves on to something else.

Interpreting the world

A conversation on our way to music class- (Gavin noticed a man smoking while sitting on a bench)

G-Mommy, why is that man smoking?
Me- I don't know, but it's bad for him.
E- You should only smoke if it's really cold outside.
Me- Well, you should never smoke. It's bad for you, and it doesn't have anything to do with warming a person up.
G-Why did God even invent smoking?
E- Why did God invent fire?
Me- Well, fire is good for many reasons.
G- The sun is made of fire and gases. How does the sun stay up in the sky anyway?
E- I know! It stays up there with a giant string.

Inquiring mind

G- Mommy, when you're dead, do you feel anything?
Me- I don't know. I've never been dead.
G- When you're dead can you tell me that?
Me- I don't think I'll be able to, since I'll be dead.
G- Ok, then, when I'm dead I'll know.

Bedtime Rituals

Every night, as part of our bedtime ritual, we play a game called- "I'm thinking of a ______." With Gavin, it's always an animal. It used to be o.k. to just say something like:
-I'm thinking of an animal. It's gray, with big ears, and has a long trunk.

Now, he likes more of a challenge. I usually start off by saying, "I'm thinking of an animal. It's a mammal..." Then I usually describe the attributes of a mammal. Last night, I reminded him that mammals have fur or hair, the babies drink milk from their mothers, they're warm blooded, and the babies are born alive. He was confused by the last part, then I said they are born as live babies, not eggs. Then I said,
"You know Gavin, you are a mammal."
He responded, "I know that. So, then you are an amphibian?"

Inquiring mind

During books before bed, upon the turning of a page, Gavin randomly asked this of Emma:

Hey, Emma. Do you still got that hole in your private?

Fish Killers

We've had fish as pets for the past couple of years. Mike got the tank and fish once when I was out of town. I wasn't all that keen on the idea of having fish- what with the responsibilities involved- remembering to feed the fish, assigning the task of who would feed the fish, remembering whose turn it was to do the feeding, watching over the kids so as not to let them feed the fish too much or too little, and finally the daunting task of cleaning the tank. This just seemed like more than I could handle, so Mike said he would be the caretaker of such duties.

When Mike and the kids first brought the fish home, the poor creatures kept dying. Mike kept going back to the pet store to get more, and would return with three new fish that would perish within about 3 days. After repeating this a couple of times, I went to do the duty of replenishing our pets and asked the pet experts what we were doing wrong. Why did our fish keep dying? It turned out that we were buying feeder fish- the kind that are destined to be eaten by animals such as turtles and snakes. The kind that aren't supposed to be kept as pets. The kind that are not expected to live in our tank for more than a week.

When Mike first started cleaning the tank (this task is done about 3 times per year), the fish would inevitbly die. They are so sensitive to water temperatures and chemicals within the water. Over the past year or more though, we have- I should say Mike has- learned to clean the tank and keep the fish alive in the process. Up until this last tank cleaning...

Last weekend, I went out of town with the kids while our floors were being refinished. The tank was filthy, and this was a perfect opportunity to clean it, since we had to move it out of Gavin's room anyway. In one of our phone conversations, Mike informed me that the fish didn't make it. I was particularly concerned about how Gavin was going to react to this unfortunate event. We talked about what we were going to do. Should Mike buy more fish before the kids got home so the death would go unnoticed, or should we inform the kids and go get new fish together, or should we just take a break from being owners of pet fish for a while. We never really came to a decision, so when the kids and I got home, there was the empty fish tank sitting on the island.

The empty tank didn't go unnoticed for long. Gavin was too busy playing on the computer, but both Lilah and Emma inquired over the whereabouts of the fish. When I broke the news to her, Lilah asked when we were going to get new fish. Before stopping to think and process the idea that popped into my head, I blurted out- "Maybe we should get something easier to take care of, like a hermit crab, or something."

My concern about how Gavin would react comes into play here.

About 30 minutes later, Gavin came to me and said:

G- Can we go to the store to get hermit crabs today? Did you know that hermit crabs are my new 5th favorite animal?
Me- What's your favorite animal?
G-Everybody knows that. It's an elephant.
Me- So what's your second?
G- A snake.
Me- And third?
G- Hmm. I forgot that one.
Me- And fourth?
G (thinking hard)- I forgot that one too. But 5th is definitely a hermit crab. Can we go to get one today?
Me- No, not today.

The kids keep asking when we're going to get hermit crabs. My response so far has been:
-When you can be responsible for putting all your toys away and keep them in thier place (unless, of course you're playing with them), then we'll talk.

Toying with modesty concerning her body

Yesterday, I was folding clothes while Emma and Gavin were taking a bath together. I heard Emma yelling at Gavin- "GAVIN, STOP IT!!!!" So, I walked into the bathroom to see what the problem was. Emma had gotten out of the tub to use the toilet and pulled the shower curtain closed while she was out of the tub. She was yelling at Gavin because he was trying to open the shower curtain, and she didn't want him to see her naked- this occurred after she had already bathed naked with him, and was about to get back in the tub without any clothes on.

Conversation with Gavin

I think Gavin is a pretty smart kid, but sometimes common sense eludes him. For instance...

Gavin tried to have a conversation with 4 week old cousin Ben.

G- Ben, do you want to go outside and play?
Aunt Bri- I don't think he can.
G- Why, did he forget his snowpants?

Easter

Here are some photos recapping Easter weekend.

Duncan was totally thrilled with the hunt for Easter baskets.

The kids had a blast playing in the snow.

Emma is pictured here sitting in her snow chair, with her feet propped up on the snow ottoman, watching tv on the snow television.

They had fun building giant snow people- with the help of daddy and Uncle Joe.