Malcolm (at last) !!!!

Sledding

Christmas Day

New-ish Pictures!!!

Christmas Eve - 2010

The boys have been begging to "go to the snow" for weeks now. It's always been hard to make that particular trip. We generally end up spending at least two hours in the car and making the trip with at least 15,000 of our best friends. This is one of the biggest down sides of living in California and especially in Sacramento. Everyone is trying to go to the same places at the same time and Sacramento happens to be approximately 2 hours from anywhere you'd want to be. We are also woefully prepared for foul weather. Sacramento is very mild and we do not require mittens, snow pants, boots, wool socks, hats, long underwear, ect.... on a daily, sometimes not even yearly, basis. So we don't make it to the snow very often.

While in Oregon we were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to go to Mt. Hood. The weather was perfect, it was Tuesday (love going places mid-week), the boys were in a good mood, and, thanks to a trip to Fred Meyer, we were completely outfitted for our expedition. So we - five boys and three adults - packed up Erik's Dads car and set off. We had a great sledding hill all to ourselves and enjoyed our "snow time" immensely. Both Aiden and Sean have been sledding before but it was Gavin's first time. Not that you could tell. Seriously, that child has NO sense of self-preservation.


K

Epiphany! Or not...

It occured to me late last night, at 2 am to be exact, that I'm not cut out for this homeschooling thing. This must be the case because who doesn't do their best thinking when they ought to be asleep? It's the best time for clearest thought. The only better times are when drinking and/or your freshman year in college. I know, right?

Anyway, I feel now that I am too easy on my kids. I ignore things that a real teacher wouldn't - like spelling ant instead of Aunt. Or writing the number 8 as two circles rather than a real figure eight. Or saying things like soaking and work constructor. Or speaking in the third person. Sometimes I ignore these things because they are awfully cute and reminds me that they are still little kids. I figure they'll grow out of it soon enough and then it will be just a memory. Sometimes I'm afraid that "fixing" every mistake, insisting on perfection, will make them hate learning. Sometimes I'm just glad they are doing what I have laid out for them. And then, sometimes, I'm just lazy.

I just don't know if this is good enough for them.


K

Fresh From the Back Seat

We have a mini-van and the bigger boys sit in the very back. It is hard to hear them without turning down the radio which can be a good thing - when they are fighting - or a bad thing - when they are telling me I've forgotten to buckle Malcolm. This, to my knowlege, has only happened once. I do on occasion overhear some pretty fabulous things from time to time that warrent turning down the music and paying attention...

Playing war with plastic "army guys":

Sean: It's winter so it's cold. My guys are freezing.
Aiden: I'm the Union so I'm attacking on Christmas Eve. I'll try not to shoot down Santa.
Sean: Will Santa come to my army?
Aiden: Yes, Santa comes to everyone unless I shoot him down.
Sean: Was Santa really around in the Civil War?
Aiden: Santa's pretty old I think. Like from the 1980's.
Sean: Did he fight? Mommy did Santa fight in the Civil War?


And another day:

Aiden: Mom, what does oppression mean?

Now keep in mind that it's morning and I am mostly unprepared for this kind of question.

Me: It when some people tell other people what they can and can't do and the people don't like it.

Silence.

I am just starting to rephrase my pro-noun heavy "definition" when almost simultaneously comes:

Aiden: Like slaves?
Sean: Like you with us?

Kate