Relaxin'

Just hanging out...relaxing....just you and your dog.....

laying around....just doin' nothing....

then your sister comes dive bombing in and messes everything up!

100th Day of School

Today marks the 100th day of school!  So for school today, Jayden counted out 100 colored noodles that I strung together on a necklace.  Then I also cut out 100 circles, punched holes in them, and strung them together in groups of 10 in order to make a paper circle cape!  Jayden was originally going to put 1 sticker on each circle so that he also had 100 stickers, but decided at the last minute it wasn't going to be a cape, it was to be another necklace.  So here you go!

Then for his snack, he counted out 100 goldfish to put in a a baggie.

I guess at school today he is going to be doing a whole bunch of "100" based projects.  Can't wait to see what he comes home with!

The Pirate and the Pirate Princess

I had a couple of pirates running around the house saving me from bad guys yesterday.  Eventually they followed the bad guys outside and, according to the pirate, engage in some fierce battles. 

At first, the pirate was rescuing the princess, but the way things go with princesses in this house is they get tired of being rescued and starting helping in the fight.  And so the princess became the pirate princess.

 

Using those taekwondo moves...

Walking victoriously out of a battle, which happened to be in the garden, where I found them stomping bad guys who were living underneath my strawberry plants.....Oy

The Haircut

Royal's been asking for a haircut for a few weeks now, and since he made the news last night I decided I might as well help keep him from looking like a shaggy dog.  It's just too bad that I give such a crappy haircut. 

Jayden has been growing his hair out for the sole purpose of being able to put it in a pony tail like Anakin Skywalker, kinda like this :

And he pretty much had it.  However, Royal asked him if he wanted to get a haircut today with him or leave his hair long.  Jayden said he wanted his hair long, but trimmed up a little.  I said, "Well if you want that you're gonna have to go to someone to have it done, because I only give one type of crappy hair cut, and that's short."  So, after deliberating for awhile, he decided he wanted his hair short because he was afraid somebody might start calling him a girl and that would hurt his feelings.  (sad....) 

So, I took before and after pictures because I personally love his long shaggy hair and I take pictures of just about everything and that's just the kind of mom I am.

Everybody wanted in on the before picture, especially Willow, which is ironic because it seems like she is forgetting how to smile normally on cue...

The before and after with a short, crappy hair cut.  Oh Grandma Norma....where are you?????

Lesson Learned (again)

Once again.....

Don't leave a 3 year old unattended in a room with a bottle of lotion.

Luckily, I caught her before it turned into this!

Gettin' Ready

We are starting to get ready for our ski trip to Colorado next month!  I'm starting to pull out my snow gear - skis and snowboards that haven't been used for almost 5 years.....eek! - and taking an inventory of what we have and what we are going to need for the kids.  Jayden is getting really excited to learn how to ski, we even took him to a ski rental place today to let him try on some boots so he has an idea of what they feel like on his feet.  I'm also really glad he's taken to wearing my helmet, because this mama isn't letting him up on the mountain without his noggin' protected!  :)

Music Man

Jaydo-boy has had a bit of a love of music pretty much his entire life.  Before he could even talk, he would hum himself to sleep at night, then it progressed into singing himself to sleep at night, and it has now become him singing throughout his whole day.  Singing about something his toys are doing, or something he is doing, or something he wants me to do for him.  I put a radio in his room a couple of years ago and he goes in there to listen and sing "Jesus music".  So when he had lots of different instruments on his Christmas list this year, I wasn't too surprised.  Among other things, he asked for a guitar, not just any guitar, an electric guitar.  "You know mom, the kind that has an on and off switch, and has a speaker, and is LOUD"  So, that's what we got him.  Thankfully, it's not that loud.  :)

 

Jayden turns on Pandora and picks a station for him to strum and sing along with.  So far, it's still been Christmas music.  He told me that he wants Christmas music because "everyday can be Jesus' birthday, right?"

 

Have I mentioned how much I hate public school?  If not, well, I do.  Jayden, my constant singer, came home from school this week and told me his music teacher told him he can't sing.  I have to admit, my initial reaction was the turn the car around and let that teacher have a piece of my mind, but instead I chose to build Jayden up and tell him how much I love his singing, and if he loves to sing to keep doing it, and even if someone tells him he can't do something, that doesn't mean he has to stop trying, and if he wants to get better at something he has to practice and that we can always find a way for him to get better if that's what he wants.  Now, Jayden may not have the best voice, he may be a bit tone deaf on most of the songs he sings, but is it really necessary to tell a 5 year old he can't sing?  In front of his entire class?  He's 5 for goodness sake.  Whats the point in killin' a dream so early?  And now Jayden will have "I can't sing" repeating over and over in his head, on the track that is his life.  Ugh, I hate school.  I was in 7th grade when my choir director asked me to stop singing and play the piano to accompany the choir instead.  And it most likely had nothing to do with me not being able to sing - I can carry a tune, but I don't have the most beautiful singing voice.  It most likely had everything to do with I was a pretty good piano player and that my piano skills far exceeded my singing skills, and it's pretty darn convenient to have someone in class who can plunk out the parts for you and have the choir practice with the actual accompaniment.  And while I was built up in my piano confidence, I have always been a bit self conscious of my singing since then.  I've never sang in another choir (until this past Christmas), and who knows, maybe it has something to do with the fact that I had "I can't sing well" running in my head over and over since I was 12.

Nothing stops us at home though.  We have music on all the time and sing and dance as much as we want, as off key and off beat as we want too.  :)