New visitor!

Amy Windes is visiting this week, and Jason joins tomorrow. It was so nice to have someone who knows me, and knows me well, all day. I was really comfortable in a way I haven't been in a long time. We went to breakfast and the outlet mall. Then I took her to Popcorn Girl. Sorry, no explanation, you have to see it for yourself!

Kate let Amy do her hair tonight too. Amy is much more efficient than I am!

Tonight, basketball.

Sleep deprived: not just for new parents anymore

This picture contains only half of the people that were in my bed last night.

Super Sunday

We've had quite a party weekend! Mary and Clarence (aka Grandma and Granddad/pa) are visiting, and we really showed them off this weekend. Yesterday was basketball, then a movie. Girls saw "Joyful noise" and boys saw "Red Tails". Then we went to BWW to watch the KU/MU game with the alumni group. It was a great game, even if it didn't end our way.

Today we started kids choir at church. Both Sam and Kate had a good time and want to try out for solo parts! Then left church early with Kate for a birthday party at Pump It Up, another of those inside inflatable places, this time uptown. She had so much fun but was SO sweaty!

Tonight we went to the Solomon's house to watch the Super Bowl and ate some delicious food. Their house is so put together for the short time they've been in, and with a baby on top of that! We all had a nice time and I got to meet some more church friends.

I'm worn out! I'm looking forward to working tomorrow to get a break!

Exploding kids

This is what the kids do when they are "helping" at church setup. It's also the reason that Sam has decided that he MUST have a iPhone or an iPod touch with a camera, so he can create movies just like Omar. So cool.

Parenthood. Seriously. Too seriously??

My sweet Sam is doing so well in school. He has this easy, laid-back personality that is easy to love. Apparently he does not get this trait from me.

The new school has a lot of homework. Usually at least 30 minutes a night, plus spelling and reading. Add piano and other life activities, and I guess it becomes a very good thing that we have 6 hours between school and bedtime.

Sam does very well with this, as long as he sticks to a pretty set schedule. I try to make studying a little fun or at least break it up a bit. For example, when we practice spelling words, I try to have fun using them in a sentence. Tonight the word was "running." so, like any good parent, I used this opportunity to teach him his first bad pick up line: "Are you tired? Cause you've been running through my mind all night.". Hilarious. He laughed and said, "I don't think that would really work, right?" Right.

So, when I give him the next word, he said, "What's the bad pick up line for that one, Mom?" Of course it was like hopping or bobbing, and I had to admit that he had stumped me. We laughed for a minute and then I shifted into mom-speak:
"I don't know one for everything, Sam, so you'll just have to write the word so we can get this done. "

[cue the whammy sounder here]

Sam's face gets all sad and he gets hurt. He says something about how he's just a bad kid. Of course, I said , "No way! You're a great kid!" and told him he's doing great at school and that we're proud of him. I also confessed that he doesn't shift moods as quickly as i do and that I'll work on being more deliberate.

I just hate that he thinks that. We talked about how my job as a mom is to teach him, which means that sometimes I have to correct him at home so he doesn't make the same mistakes later--just like spelling. But that just because I correct things doesn't mean that I don't love him or that he's anything less than a great kid. He's the best, but even he best makes mistakes from time to time.

Does that sound like saying "suck it up"? I tried to be nice about it, but as I think about it, that's really what it was, right? Ugh. Parenting is hard.