Officially Nine.

Well, the long awaited birthday has occurred, and yes, he DID get Zelda: Spirit Tracks for the DS.  You probably already knew this, since the earth did not explode and all time come to a screeching halt - which was the probable outcome of  this child's celebration if he had to wait one more moment to have that present in his not-so-little-anymore hands.

Isaac, like his brother, chose IHOP for his birthday breakfast.  He is apparently too old for funny face pancakes now, and instead went with the very grown up sounding 2x2x2 breakfast, with all sorts of grown up food choices.  The wait staff sang him happy birthday and brought him ice cream with his breakfast, and proving how very much he has grown, he handled the attention with grace.

His birthday lunch with Ninnie was at Red Lobster, proving he IS my child.  That was my birthday choice for untold years when I was young.  He enjoyed it, and even got to crack some crab legs.

But the highlight was the million boy sleepover that happened that night.  That deserves it's very own post.

How do you like your cheese?

Just wondering.

Alyza tried hers on a small plate, which was unacceptable.  Then we tried it in a cereal bowl, which was unacceptable and apparently angering. 

Then we tried it in a small bowl, at her request, only to discover that the tiny pink lady believes that cheese in a bowl makes her SICK. and AGGRAVATED.

We discovered that all of this switching around, screaming, and flailing in the floor makes mommy SICK and AGGRAVATED, too. The solution was simple. 

No cheese for little girls until they take a nap.

How is homeschool going?

For those of you wondering, I thought I would post where we are in our homeschool year...

Isaac FINISHED all of his third grade work I had laid out for him for this school year before the holidays last year, so in most subjects he is way ahead of schedule (language arts, social studies, science, etc..) .  We did only a little work in math for the first half of the school year, so that is our focus for the spring semester.  Math, handwriting, and reading.  His reading level remains extremely high, in fact it is very difficult to find a word that stumps him.  In his bible reading he is beginning the period of the prophets.  He enjoyed learning about King David, but Solomon already has garnered more of his interest. I think David's failings and love for God are more interesting to adults, although his fight with Goliath is always a boy - winner. 

Overall, I am EXTREMELY pleased with Isaac's progress, and I am going to try to keep him 6 months or more ahead of schedule whenever possible.  A friend of our family had a really rough year or two in homeschooling with relatives hospitalized for extended periods of  time, deaths in their family, AND moving.  Their homeschool fell way behind, and they are making plans to get back on schedule.  Having watched how hard this was on the mom (the kids, family issues aside, enjoyed the break ), I want to try to keep us a little ahead so that in an emergency we can do whatever we need to without MOM STRESSING like a crazy woman.  So, we are beefing up in basics for early spring, and will start 4th grade early.  This will hopefully also help us ease into Trystan schooling at home, as well.

Trystan is doing GREAT in Kindergarten.  For last semester he had all A's , with one lonely B in handwriting.  He is indeed the class clown, and is a very advanced reader!  He is burning to be able to read the parts in his video games that Isaac can, and is so excited about reading.  He knows math facts way above his age range, because he hears Isaac talking about them.  He is a social butterfly, making friends everywhere he goes, and generally getting along with everyone he meets.

Alyza is craft obsessed.  She started the school year with a 2 glue stick a day habit, and while her tastes are now more varied, she is still a craft junkie.  Nothing gets her as excited as paint, pom poms, glitter, safety scissors or pipecleaners.  It is time to begin deciding whether or not to send her to preK next fall.  It would be so easy to occupy her with crafts while the boys do their table work next year, and she could participate in all our activites and read alouds.  Their is a preK curriculum I want to start with her this spring that I know she will enjoy.  The boys both needed preK to help them learn to sit still and listen to a teacher, but Alyza is so different.  I think it would be nice to have her with us, and all of us learning as a family, as opposed to her coming home at lunch  cranky, tired, and sure that boys have cooties.  Then perhaps we could take the money that we would spend on tuition, and let her take DANCE LESSONS. 

The boys have another rank graduation coming up in mid february.... so stay tuned for pictures. 

And now he is SIX...

Today is the funnyboy's birthday, sniff. sniff.

Before the sun came up, Daddy took him for his birthday breakfast at IHOP. When he came back he crawled into bed with me and told me he had a huge chocolate face for breakfast with whipped cream. Then he asked if he was too old to snuggle. NEVER.

I made him brownies all fancy with the powdered sugar sprinkled on top of the chocolate mountain we made out of them to send to his kindergarten class. We parked and the others waited while I walked him in with his treasure, and I started to cry when I kissed him bye!! He is so big, and I love the man he is in the making, but it is tough on a momma, too!

Ninnie will be picking him up from school for his birthday lunch. Have fun with that, Ninnie. I hear that he is going to ask to go to dales and get fried pickles. He is one of a kind.

Saturday night will be the million boy sleepover. Pray for us!

Boys grow Dirt

Trystan and I had an interesting conversation while debating the appropriate length of his fingernails. He likes them longer, but I don't like the grunge he accumulates under them.

"I don't know where the dirt COMES from, anyway!!" he grumbled. Clip, clip...

"Trystan, boys apparently GROW dirt," I tell him. He disagrees, and I counter with, "Yes, I think they do. I think 90% of the dirt in this world falls off of little boys while they are going about their business."

Trystan foils me with this one..

"No, Mom. Not me. God made everyone else in the world out of dirt.
Me, he made out of turkey."