Role models and creative recreation...

We took the boys to the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock.  There was an exhibit with little models of past presidents and other historical figures.  One display showed Abraham Lincoln sitting sedately in his theater chair.  John Wilkes Booth was shown creeping up behind him with a gun and a dagger.  Guess who Bryan wants to be when he grows up.  Awesome.

As in so many other things, Bryan decided to do fishing his own way:  bread for bait and whistle to charm the fish into coming to eat the bread.

More scenes from little rock...

Papa and Jacob playing cars


Gran and Rand


Chris and Aaron and their kids. People think Aaron is Chris' brother since they have the same hairdo.


Layla and Bryan


Gran and Jacob's sleepover


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Heart ball...

Pedicures for all the girls.



Chris and me



Mom and Dad



John dancing with Gran



Aaron and Angela



John and Karen



Dad singing the National Anthem.

I love this picture of my mom in her Heart Ball gown



Memorable...

Mom and Dad did a great job as hosts of the Heart Ball.

Dad sang beautifully.

Aaron made pens and a perfume atomizer for the silent auction.  They were, as usual, awesome.

My mom, grandmother and sisters-in-law looked fantabulous.

They called John "The Reverend" when he gave the invocation.

Right after that he threw a roll across the table to Chris while my dad wasn't looking.

I should be more suspicious of inexpensive heels. Ouch!

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Rocky horror southwest show...

We're in Little Rock visiting my parents.  I flew by myself.  With all 4 kids.  It was...horrific.  The three older boys were only occasionally midly annoying, but that morphs into unbelievably provoking when you're holding a screaming, thrashing baby.  The first flight was just difficult.  Rand didn't sleep, but he had his own seat, so we managed.  Then we had a three hour layover.  Rand still wouldn't sleep in the stroller.  Now I knew the first five minutes of the next flight would be ugly but figured he would pass out quickly.  Then I found out it was overbooked and I would be holding Rand while managing boys in two different rows.  The panic set in.  About an hour into the flight, I realized that screaming, thrashing Rand would not be sleeping on an airplane this day.  Somehow I managed to resist snatching the Jack Daniels the guy next to me was sipping.  We all survived.  Barely.  I really wanted to make it Chris' fault, but unfortunately remembered this was my idea.

Chris recounted the events an unnamed, snarky family member. 

Smarta$$:  You know it's really important in football that your linebackers have short memories.  That way when they see the huge guys they're facing, they can still say to themselves, "I can do it.  I can take him."  That's how Summer is with traveling with the boys.  Six months from now, she'll decide to take them to Johannesburg by herself.

Lifegiver pink...

I posted my "mommy rules" a few weeks ago here and someone asked if I would add some geared towards girls.  I asked a friend to write a guest post for me.  She has three talented, lovely and kind girls.  She does a wonderful job of being a mother and a person.  Basically, I want to be like her when I grow up.  Here are her girl additions...

• Read out loud as often as possible, especially at bedtime.
• When your daughter spends an hour dressing herself and fixing her hair, be amazed. In a good way.
• Remember that drama is part of the package.
• Chore lists can just as easily be made into scavenger hunts with a prize at the end.
• Listen, listen, listen. Girls have a lot to say and it's ALL important.
• Manicures, when done together, are an investment, not a waste of money.
• NEVER say, “there are other fish in the sea” when they are heartbroken.
• When they ask you to play dress-up, wear the tiara and be the Queen who gives the orders.
• Don't worry when all she eats for lunch is two strawberries.
• Admit when you're wrong.  Apologize sincerely.

Inconspicuous...

We live in a white picket fence kind of town in Virginia.  There are about a hundred kids for every grown up, so I rarely feel awkward with all my little people in tow.  However, this weekend...

1. I took the boys to the fabric store.  My blinds are broken and I need white tulle to repair them.  The boys were totally out of control - hiding in bolts of fabric, jumping out at Rand to make him laugh, shooting imaginary guns at the quilting class, ..., and I was shopping in the wedding fabric section.  I felt like everyone was staring at me thinking, "What poor fool is marrying that woman with the four hyper-active boys."
2. We went to a few open houses yesterday.  I thought the last house looked a little sad because there were no kids out playing, and the yards were very small.  We walked in and as I was corralling children and asking them to stop doing gymnastics in the empty bedrooms, I noticed the agent looking at me quizzically.  I thought, "Really, they didn't hurt anything - calm down."  Then he said, "You know this is a 55 and up community?"  Errr...

Football rules and ping pong ball cannons...

I love our history program (Story of the World). It's definitely written by a boy mom. Some of the lessons have parental warnings: Caution, parents, this section may be disturbing for some children. That's how I know it'll be enormously popular at my house. This week we learned that the Ottoman Turks attacked Constantinople with cannons in 1453. The lesson included instructions for making your own cannon out of ping pong balls, toilet paper tubes, paper clips, plastic wrap, tape and rubber bands.* It was a hit.

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"Mommy, I think we need a new rule. No kickoffs in the dining room."

*In the interest of honesty, I have to say that this is the kind of stuff I wish we did every week, but I don't get to it nearly that often.

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