First (and second) Day of School

So today was the first day of school for Lillie and the second for Joseph. They both seem to be liking their teachers and school in general. Somehow they both got put into classes with only a couple of people they already know. For Lillie this is not a big deal, she has already told me about some of the new friends that she made today. I was more sad than her when I found out that her 2 best friends were in another class together. But in true Lillie form she shrugged it off and headed to school with a smile on her face. Our biggest concern for Lillie was how she would handle being at school for the whole day. When I asked her about it she said "It wasn't that bad, you said all day, I was not there all day" apparently there was some miscommunication about the definition of all day. Anyway she loved it and is excited to go back tomorrow. Joseph although he his liking school has a slightly harder time making friends. He spends his lunch recess visiting with the recess aid who happens to be our neighbor. I hope that he will be comfortable enough to branch out and play with the other kids but I guess time will tell.

I am sure you are on pins and needles wondering what Van and I did with our first full day alone together. Well I did not stay home and clean like you are all thinking. We went with a friend to the Thanksgiving point gardens. It was a lot of fun. We even stopped at one of my favorite restaurants, Rumbi and had lunch on the way. Of course I took my camera but just as we were getting to the good stuff my battery died. I was pretty disappointed because there were a lot of opportunities for pictures. But I did get a few cute ones of Van and a couple fun ones of the gardens. Overall I think it was a good day for all of us.

I love the look on Van's face in this picture. He is looking so grown up these days.

Here is one of the only interesting pictures I got before my camera battery died.

This isn't Coldplay!

There are a lot of proud moments one experiences as a parent. Some of them you expect; firsts of all sorts, walking, talking, school and so forth. But there are a few that catch you off guard. A few that may mean nothing to anyone else but to you is amazing. Here is just one of those moments I experienced with Joseph the other day. I am loving the new Coldplay CD and have been listening to every chance I get, as a bonus Joseph also loves it. We were in the van when the CD ended and I thought it might be time for something different. So I put in the new Death cab for cutie CD (also awesome!) As soon as the first cord of the first song spilled from the speakers Joseph yelled "This isn't coldplay" in a very how dare you voice. It was a very proud moment, I swelled with, dare I say, pride. I love the fact that Joseph loves music and that we have a lot of the same tastes and can share that bond. It doesn't hurt that this shared love makes me "cooler than dad" according to Joseph.

We are music people in our home. We all love music, and there is a very eclectic mix of tastes and genres that one might hear at any moment in our home, but there is almost always music playing (even if it is in headphones). We all have some very strong opinions about music...we all try to appriciate and be accepting about each others music, we are not always successful however. Joseph also likes some music that I do not care for (his dad's influence) such as The beach boys and Neil Diamond. But this too is fun because it creates a chance to tease...although there have been some pretty heated musical discussions that have included Joseph and Lillie...we might care about all of this a bit too much.


Since I am bragging about Joseph's amazing ear for music I will tell you just a few more interesting Joseph music facts, he can name almost any classical composer by their songs, he can recognize and usually name any Police song before the singing starts and he loves the Beatles and can recognize and name most of their songs as well. He can also play the piano by ear.

Just as a footnote I am going to the Coldplay concert in November and can hardly wait, but Joseph doesn't know I am going...at least I have a few months to break it to him that he is not invited.

An ode to Mr.Destructo and his side kick Captain Mischeif

Who is this Mr. Destructo and and his side kick Captain Mischief? Well he is actually the same person as well as a visitor that is living in our home. We are not sure how long his stay will last, but he will not let his presence be over looked. He is very short and says only a few words. He mostly communicates in grunts, points and the occasional emotional outburst of screams. He gets into everything that is not locked and climbs on top of everything that is climbable. He rips paper and chews on anything he can fit in his mouth. He is messy when he eats and never cleans up after he is finished. He leaves a trail of match box cars wherever he goes. Why would we let such a visitor remain, well he also adorable. He is sweet and intelligent. He is a great snuggler (when he stops moving). He has the greatest laugh and the most interesting facial expressions, you can always tell just what he is thinking even though his words are few. And although his extended visit was a surprise he seems to have us all wrapped around is tiny destructo finger. When he is not going by his super hero name he is more commonly known as Van. And we wouldn't have him any other way. We love our Mr. Destructo!

You know you are getting old when...

Recently I have noticed a few things that are making me feel, well OLD. Here is my list of how you know you are getting old:

1. Although you are not a morning person you wake up early and can't get back into a real sleep even though you used to be able to sleep at any time, in anyplace with out any problems.

2. You go to Lagoon and all you can think about while you are on the rides is all the things that could go wrong. And once you get off the rides all you can think about is what new part of your body is sore.

3. Every time you talk to your kids you swear you hear your mother.

4. Your third kid gets away with way more than your first two ever did. And surprisingly the world didn't come crashing down around you.

5. You finally get to the point when having a clean house isn't the most important thing on your to-do-list. And you realize that a few toys on the ground doesn't make you a bad person or a bad mother...imagine that.

6. You let your husband go golfing without complaint...ok minimal complaint I'm not that old, I still have kids at home!

7. You can forgive yourself and others more easily.

8. You realize when you are being a brat or unfair and you try to fix it.

9. You try to give people the benefit of the doubt.

10. You recognize your blessings and know that you truly do have a wonderful life.