More mischief

Zack provides endless entertainment to our family. Usually, it is a result of naughtiness and pranking. There was the situation with our car . There was the situation with the neighbor's dog. There was the story of the missing keys. There was the new gallon of milk. Zack given a moment alone. He is a very creative child.

Last week on Friday, Zack was ready for school rather early. He had his backpack on and kept telling me he was going to leave for the bus. I told him he needed to wait another five minutes to leave. I was upstairs helping Mylie with her hair (which is a lost cause anyway, so I don't know why I bother). I asked Zack if he would put Mylie's kindergarten snack into her backpack for me. He grumbled and complained and then disappeared down to do it.

Sunday night, Mylie says to me and Ben, "My teacher told me I can't bring melons for snack." I didn't pack her any melons, nor have I bought any recently. She corrected herself and said she meant lemons.

"Mrs. Harrison said LEMONS are not an appropriate kindergarten snack and I can't bring one in again," she explains.

Duh! Who would pack a lemon for a five year old? I was confused by all of this until I had a flashback to Friday morning asking Zack to help me out with Mylie's snack and his disgruntled attitude. Everything started to make sense.

When I asked Zack about the lemon, he tilted his head back and laughed like a maniac to himself. Then, realizing he may be in trouble, he says very seriously, "What? You told me to pack her a piece of fruit. A lemon IS a fruit."

I heard him chuckling to himself as he headed back downstairs.

Summer

This summer has been busy and action packed. Sort of.

So far, the oldest three have finished this season of swim team. They all did well. Zack even got a first and second place here and there. When all of the kids are in identical swimsuits, with wet hair and goggles, and sometimes swimcaps they all look the same. I have found myself cheering for my child only to realize my child was swimming in an entirely different lane than the child my eyes followed. However, one meet I was certain which child was mine, it was the child taking his mark with a blow pop still in his mouth. The volunteer next to him pulled it out right before he actually dove in. It got a lot of laughs, and it actually helped his time, because Zachary really zipped across the pool and then back to the volunteer holding his sucker.

We spent the week of the 4th of July at Rehoboth Beach in Delaware. We had a really great time with the Burton side of the family, swimming in the pool at the beach house, boogie boarding, watching fireworks and spending time together. Zack overcame his fear of the ocean and made me very nervous with how far out he would go from shore. When it was time to leave the ocean one day, he told me, "I had some MAJOR DANGEROUS fun!" I agree.

The day we were packing up to leave, Mylie started throwing up. She was fine by the actual drive, but it did extend our laundry duties before leaving. When we got home Ben, Zack, and Maddie all developed ear infections and Mylie's vomiting was actually the way she manifests strep throat, and she passed strep to me. It was a rough week of beach trip recovery, doctor appointments, cranky people, and antibiotics.

Zack's ear infection, it turned out, was caused by one of his ear tubes turning diagonally in his ears and getting stuck. Maddie and Zack had to visit the ENT to have their ears cleared. Zack's involved flushing to get the stuck tube out. Maddie's involved vacuuming out purple pencil lead. A color pencil broke in her ear months ago, and finally began causing a lot of pain. I have asked Maddie about how the pencil lead got in her ear, but her answer remains fishy. She claims she fell asleep while coloring and woke up with a broken pencil and lead in her ear. My guess is she was scratching her ear with the pencil and it broke. Fortunately, it is out now and they ran a hearing test and she hears fine.

As a side note, when I was googling pencil lead in ear canal there were many hits. There were even multiple Mommy Blogs with quotes like, "I can't believe this happened! My child is far too old to be doing these sorts of things. This was my same child who had to go to the doctor to get an eraser removed from his nostril!" Really, I kid you not, I read that on a blog. There were actually more than one involving pencil lead in an ear and a previous eraser/nostril experience. You may have forgotten, but Maddie also had to have an eraser extracted from her nostril in second grade. Please keep all school supplies away from my ten year old daughter! She also gave herself a VERY uneven haircut the last week of school because she was bored. WHY????????

In other news, my new minivan got keyed. There has been a lot of mischevious crime in the area lately. Playgrounds have been sprayed with graffiti, teenagers burned down part a small section of the high school, there have been many reports of car break ins, etc. We had our garmin stolen from our car last fall.

Anyway, I first noticed the damage on Friday night. I was so angry! I showed Ben and he said he had noticed it on Tuesday when he was picking up the pizzas for Mylie's 5th birthday party (my baby is 5!!!). Ben called the police to report the damage. Two officers showed up at our house and Andrew went out with Ben to file the report. Andrew gave the officers some tips. Tip number one, try to find owl lovers, because the vandal had carved "MY HOO HOO" into our car. Tip number two, they should see if perhaps the message is in code. He recommended they go through the alphabet and try various combinations, because "maybe A=F and B=G, and so on..." The officers thanked him for his help and said they would be on the look out for any and all owl lovers.

Sunday was Ben's brother Sam's mission farewell. He will be serving in Argentina. Zack was quite wound up by the end of church and running around like a mad man. Mylie decided to join the wildness. We had four loud and cranky kids in the car on the ride home from church and I asked them to all start taking responsibility for their own actions. I am tired of hearing, "It's Zack's fault I hit him, because HE is annoying." I have instructed them to say, "I hit Zack." They can leave it at that. I want them to own up to the things they did and understand they are in control of their own actions, regardless of what is going on.

When we got home, I gathered the family together to continue the discussion on accountability and integrity. Zack came up to me and looked me in the eye and said, "I have something really bad to tell you... I am sorry, but I damaged your car." It didn't really make sense to me, when he said it, because I was sure some obnoxious teen had done the keying.

"You damaged my car? Wait a minute...you carved the words "MY HOO HOO" into my car?"

Zack looked surprised and said. "MY HOO HOO? I don't know what you are talking about! I didn't write "MY HOO HOO"! I wrote MWAHAAHAA. You know... the sound of revenge!"

"No, Zack, it says "MY HOO HOO" on my car," I told him.

"No, mom, every letter makes a sound and "O" says "ah", Zack replied, it is true, he learned this from the Leap Frog Talking Words Factory video we own. Apparently, his W can pass for a Y, when he's keying...

So, yes, Zack did carve the sound of revenge into my car. He and I had a fight on Tuesday and he was so angry that he yelled he hated me. I told him if he hated me so much he should leave and find a mom he could love. Fifteen minutes after storming out of the house he returned. I told him I was glad he came back, because I had missed him. I was on the phone with Brooke when Zack returned and he came in for a glass of water, then went out to the porch and brought in a stick. Then, from his pocket he pulled out an enormous glass shard to whittle the stick. He claimed to have found the three inch jagged glass shard out in the neighborhood and that it was good for carving things. I commented to Brooke that he must have a guardian angel, because I have no idea how he climbed up to get the cup for his water with the glass in his pocket without getting cut. It turns out this same glass shard was used to wreck the driver's side sliding door of my 2011 Toyota Sienna.

I was so proud of Zack's honesty. I would never have known he did the damage. I would never have GUESSED that he did the damage. He was very sad and very sorry and very scared. He said after he wrote it, he tried to wipe it away with his hand but it wouldn't come off and he knew he would be in trouble. He wanted to know if we were going to call the police back to come get him. He learned a lot about integrity, because admitting a wrong doing and knowing you will be in punished for it, especially when you know you could have gotten away with it demonstrates a lot of integrity and courage from a six year old boy.

I will try to update this post with summer pictures when I get a chance.

Asking questions is a good way to find things out

Mylie was very much enjoying her bowl of Lucky Charms cereal (primarily the marshmallows) and she got a very serious look on her face and said, "Lucky Charms is so delicious. Did Jesus make Lucky Charms cereal?"

I love that girl.

A picture-ful post

Mylie is a girlie girl. She loves pink, jewelery, purses, and she has an affinity for Minnie Mouse. She has at least nine different Minnie Mouse dolls and we seem to always have at least one with us everywhere we go. Unfortunately, Mylie's hair seems to be cursed so please excuse the fact that she looks a bit like a street urchin in this picture. She is very much enjoying the cake at Andrew's combing Blue and Gold Banquet/Pinewood Derby. This was the evening that she decided it was easier to tuck Minnie into her shirt than to carry her by hand.


Andrew LOVES Pokemon. He can tell you what region any Pokemon comes from, each of their stages of evolution, what their best attacks are, etc. He told us in the car the other day that he is a Pokemon Master. He also told us that if Pokemon ever become real on earth, he will be able to train any of them, because he is that good. He designed a Pokemon racer for the pinewood derby and won the award Most Decals.
Subdued excitement...

I recently hosted a bridal shower for my now sister-in-law Catalina. She married Ben's younger brother Will. Here are some shots of the spread:



Here are some shots of the present opening:

Catalina is from Chile. Ben and his brother John both served Chilean missions and are so excited to have someone to speak Chilean spanish with. Will served in Barcelona, Spain. He said the Spanish there is a bit different. Maybe it is like having an English conversation with someone from Ireland or Scotland, I don't know since I don't speak much Spanish.



These next two pictures were on my camera and I loved them so much that I had to put them on. They are clearly taken moments after I did something to ruin Zack's life. Maybe it was that I cruelly took him to Wendy's for a frosty? Who knows, but it is painfully clear that he is not happy with me. Oh well...


Will and Catalina's wedding day was beautiful, but quite windy. Zack looks like he is trying overly hard to be good (we told him he would get the DS game he has been asking for if he could control his behavior all day). Look at his hands.

My kids were very excited to see their Aunt Suzanne and Uncle Scott who flew in from Colorado for the wedding. They are very excited for Suzanne and Scott's first baby who will be arriving late August. This will be my kids very first cousin on the Burton side!
Zack is trying to kiss Andrew in this next picture. Andrew wasn't cool with the plan, but I forgot to put the picture in where Andrew is trying to get away.

Waiting patiently for the grand arrival of the married couple...

I should have bribed Maddie, apparently, as the next shot documents her going in for a slap to Andrew's face. For shame, and on the grounds of the temple... Grandfather Lee now has some proof of Maddie's antics. She pulls a good Eddie Haskell when he's around.
Sometimes beauty can only be recognized with the perfect pose... Clearly, Mylie hasn't found that pose yet...
We tried to get a family shot while waiting for the Bride and Groom to come out of the temple, but the wind, and the sun, and Mylie were not necessarily helping. Also, that is a fountain behind my head, I am not wearing some sort of white feathery hat...


Finally!!! The Bride and Groom make their appearance!!!

I love this next candid shot. I wish I knew what was going on in each of their minds (especially Zack's).
I love this next picture too. What a great father and son shot!
The men of the Burton side:



Truly my very favorite picture of all I captured that day. I REALLY want to know what was going on in Zack's mind in this shot. He reminds me of Martin Short in the movie Clifford, when his uncle tells him to try to just look like a normal boy and Clifford tries but can't. Click the picture to make it larger for its full effect.
Another interesting mix of creepiness from my boys. Zack's hands just look so unnatural this way.

Zack loves his Uncle Sam. He's missed him while he's been off at the Air Force Academy. Sam was Will's best man at the wedding. We're glad he was able to make it. Kent and Winnie got the surprise phone call from Will the night before the wedding from Sam saying he had fallen asleep at the airport and missed his flight. They got him on a new flight, but he didn't get in until around 2AM and flew into Baltimore (over an hour from the Burton's house).
Cute or creepy?
Catalina's godmother flew in from Chile for the wedding and is not a member of the church so she wasn't able to attend the temple ceremony. This picture is from the ring ceremony at the wedding luncheon. My boys were the ring bearers.

Again, the boys humor me...

It was a beautiful wedding. Zack earned his DS game.

Mother Nature is a trickster

Last week we enjoyed weather that hit into the low 70s. Even the upper 50s were seeming warm and welcome. We went to the park. We walked a long bridge over a small wildlife refuge. We followed the black billowing smoke to a house on fire (sad, I know, but fascinating too).

But, the highlight of my week may have been when I was reading blogs and found someone recommending MyJobChart.com to help kids with chores and fun rewards. My kids have spent the weekend logging in to the site, discovering their chore lists and trying to get more points than their siblings. Nothing like a bit of healthy competition to finally get stuff done around here.

Mylie is also desperately wanting a new toy from the Disney store. She hasn't decided which one, but my guess is it will be something Minnie or Princess. As a result, her night time wanderings of the house and late night play is becoming a thing of the past. She gets a sticker for each night she stays in her bed without getting out. 21 stickers means a trip to the Disney Store. She hasn't missed a night yet and I am hoping a habit is forming here. We started the stay in bed sticker chart before we discovered MyJobChart.com, so we thought we better keep that one going as is since it is working.

Mylie's pictures are getting more elaborate and it is fun to see her express her little imagination through her art. She drew a very detailed Halloween picture for her friend Liam, and it involved a girl in a princess costume holding a trick or treat bag. The house was decorated for Halloween. There were bats in the window and Jack-o-lanterns on the porch. The moon had dark clouds pulling away from it. There was a ghost holding a colorful trick-or-treat bag on his way to the next house. He had on saddle oxfords. Up ahead of the ghost was a child in a dalmation costume. It was quite fantastic, I must say (and perhaps not just because I am her mother).

My kids had yesterday off for President's Day. Mylie has a goopy cold, if you know what I mean. So we pretty much just hung around the house and did chores, etc. Andrew completed five jigsaw puzzles. He and Zack played a few rounds of Jenga. Maddie made herself a tote bag out of a ceral box and a wallet out of an empty Almond Milk container. Did I mention we decided to pull the plug on cable? The kids can watch movies from our extensive VHS collection (the thrift store nearby sells 6 for $1 so we have almost every kids show on VHS ever), or watch shows on the computer. Their favorite site for shows lately is PBSkids.org and they really like the show Fetch. They have also renewed their love for our two pet guinea pigs, who have been getting much more attention lately.

My kids are home again from school today. That tricky little Mother Nature threw us a curve ball. She sent us gorgeous weather last week, and then she waited for a three day weekend to decide to send snow so that my kids could make their three day weekend a four day weekend. This really just keeps happening...

I hope we didn't burn out all our creativity yesterday!

Very brief catch up (of mostly shame)

Mylie has become a very good artist for a four-year-old. My favorite drawing of the week was a very detailed can of Diet Coke. The picture above was taken with my cell phone and is a bit dark, but it is a nice version of the most recent Diet Coke can design.

Mylie knows how to write a few words, but mainly she strings together letters like aweovffeoruahsoehtha and is frustrated when she asks me to read what she's written and I sound it out phonetically or explain that it doesn't say anything . She also had a melt down last week when she asked me to spell Mom and I told her she already knew how to spell it. It turns out she thought she was spelling Allie each time she wrote Mom and felt very betrayed.

On the first of February, Andrew had a hilarious verbalized thought process that went like this, "It is February now! Valentines Day is in February. February is the month of love. Black History month is February. February is the month of Black Love."

Recently, Mylie stripped down naked and ran through the house with a trail of toilet paper clenched in her butt cheeks and screaming, "I've grown a tail! I've grown a tail!"

Maddie lost her cell phone while riding bikes in the neighborhood. I received a call from a garbage man calling from her cell phone asking me to meet him at a local gas station to collect the phone. It was a special moment. I was glad to have the phone back and that the guy was honest. I just don't like meeting random men at gas stations.

Yesterday afternoon, I gave my kids three simple instructions that I thought would keep them out of trouble as they biked around the neighborhood. The first was to not throw anything (Andrew recently nearly caused a car accident by throwing a large branch into the road. It was a windy day and he hoped it would blow back to him like a boomerang. Even after being brought to my door by the woman who had nearly crashed, I found him throwing sticks into the street again on Monday...). Rule two was to stick together. Rule number three was not to chase after animals (the list goes on when it comes to animals, you may recall Andrew shouting for permission to "pet" someone's "wiener" as the person walked by with a dachsund. Also, remember when Zack was bitten by a chihuahua that was loose in the neighborhood, and later he admitted he had let the loose dog out of its backyard?). Shortly after they left, Zack returned to inform me that Andrew was throwing big chunks of snow into the road and at his siblings. Rule number one broken. Then I got a call from Maddie on her cell (most likely moments before it falls out of her pocket) to inform me that Andrew had vanished. Rule number two broken. When they find him, and I am not making this up, he was holding onto some dog's leash as it pulled him along the sidewalk on his scooter. Rule three broken. They all had to come inside.

Andrew recently showed up in the kitchen with a big bald spot in the middle of his head and a chunk out of his bangs. In his words, "It just feels really good to rub a clump of hair on your arm. It is kind of like rubbing your arm with a paint brush."

Each afternoon I coax Andrew through hours of homework. He needs to get a drink, then use the bathroom, then find a pencil, then sharpen his pencil, then stretch for a minute, then his pencil breaks and he needs to resharpen it, then he's thirsty again, then he can't remember where he put his worksheet. Once he finally sat down last night and did his assignment, it only took him 4 minutes. Forty-four frustrating moments of my life lost to one four minute assignment. Adding to this special joy of last night's homework was Zack cartwheeling (his primary mode of mobility these days) towards us to let us know what level he is on in Donkey Kong Country and can we please all join him in the basement to see. When we politely refused, he stormed downstairs to blast the music through the house (at decibels I didn't know possible) so that we can at least "hear the music from that level" so we know he isn't lying. Mylie was plunking away at the piano with one hand, and covering one of her ears with her other hand complaining of the noise in the house. Maddie was shouting from the top of the stairs for Zack to please turn down his music and for Mylie to stop playing the piano. Of course, her version is more like "If I can hear that Wii from my room and you are in the basement, I am going to break your game so you can never play it again and who ever is playing the piano is going to die!"

There is beauty all around when there's love at home...

Togetherness Time

We have been spending a lot of togetherness time lately. The weekend that stretched into Martin Luther King Day was followed up by an ice day which canceled school. The following day, Wednesday, the nurse at the elementary school called me to let me know that Andrew was in the clinic with a fever of 103.3. I took him to the pediatrician who ran some tests and the seasonal flu test came back positive. She sent me off with prescriptions of Tamiflu for all of the children and instructions to keep Andrew home from school until Monday. Thursday Mylie started running a fever, then Friday Zack's fever began. I got sick somewhere late Thursday early Friday. Ben had a flu shot at work and was spared. I think that Maddie had it before Andrew, since she claimed to not feel well and slept much of the school holiday and the ice storm day.

We had stake conference this weekend, but since we still had a slew of sick kids, only Ben went.

Monday my three big kids went back to school, but I had to pick Andrew up at 12:30 for a dentist appointment. He does not enjoy the dentist. This visit involved a filling, sealants, and a tooth being extracted. Zack and Mylie were also with me at this appointment and it was a bit chaotic at moments.

Tuesday was a teacher work day, so the kids had school off again. Today is Wednesday and school has been cancelled due to the weather. We are supposed to get between 5 and ten inches of snow in the next several hours. There is an extremely high possibility that my kids won't be back to school until next Monday.

We have played many, many rounds of Old Maid, Uno, Set, and Sorry Revenge over the past few days. We have read stories, watched movies, played with blocks, built forts, and worked with Andrew on his pinewood derby car for scouts.

I have devised a new chore routine on Saturdays. I call it "100 jobs." Each child has to keep helping until they have finished 100 jobs. Of course, there are never really that many jobs, but it keeps everyone working until everything is done. The first person to 100 gets to go choose a movie at a nearby Redbox and pick out a treat. Yes, I bribe.

I hope my kids have happy memories of our togetherness time. I have had to try really hard not to immediately make them clean up their forts, but that is my immediate inclination when I enter a room full of blankets and pillows and moved furniture.

Brooke reminded me recently of a conversation she overheard my kids having while she and I were on the phone one day. Zack was doing something that was upsetting to Mylie. Mylie told him if he didn't stop she was going to "spank his face." How lady like of her to threaten violence...