I Hate Spelling

I hate spelling. I hated studying when I was a kid and I hate studying it with my kids. I've never liked it and I never will. I suspect Davis knows how much I hate spelling because he is slightly perverse when it come to practicing his words.

Me: Okay, spell Cat
Davis: C...A...T
Me: Mat
Davis: M..A...T
Me: Hat
Davis: H..T..E
Me: What? HTE? What? Hat! Spell hat.
Davis: D..C..E
Me: Davis, there is a pattern here. All these words end with the 'at' sound, what two letters make the 'at' sound?
Davis: A..T
Me: Right, so spell hat
Davis: H..T..E
Me: Nevermind.

I'm Not Sure That's Better

Chase was very upset when he came home from school today. When I asked him why he was so sad he said:

I have a problem with the president's wife. It just that she wants kids to be healthy and stuff and, well, she's just trying to make the nation a better nation. The problem is that she doesn't think I should be playing on the computer so much and that's my talent!  What am I supposed to do mom?  I only have the one talent!

Life as Usual

Saturday was Mommy 'n Maddie day. Wait, now that she's thirteen it's probably Mom 'n Maddie day. Anyway, we were starting our fun packed day waiting for a movie when I received the following text from Michael:

Cat vomited, ate it, Chase went to clean it, he puked, I cleaned his puke while he cleaned cat puke. I have pictures. 

He really did too. He really took pictures of the both the Chase's and the cat's vomit (don't worry I'll spare you).

Sunday the poor kitten was still sick. It was obvious something was wrong so Monday we took Anyoung to the vet. During the visit Anyoung peed on me. It turns out that Anyoung has a urinary trackt infection so unfortunately he has a hard time holding his pee, fortunately it wasn't very much pee (another side effect from the infection). Don't get me wrong though--I was less than thrilled.

After that the boys...yes I had ALL three boys with me--three boys who practically died from the giggles and covered their eyes when the vet took the cat's temperature rectally...anyway the boys and I went to pick Madison up from great grandma's house on the way home.

Not sure how long we would be we decided to bring Anyoung into great grandma's with us (he was still in his kitty carrier of course). What we did not know is that great grandma was dog sitting. A very cute dog who got just a little bit too excited about the kids and the cat and decided to pee on grandma's couch. Of course I got to clean that up too.

When we got home I sent Michael an email giving him a run down of the goings on and told him that I'd had a "fun urine filled day" to which he responded, "sounds like life as usual." Yep. Pretty much...pretty much.

We May Need to Take Humor Classes

Chase (reading a Popsicle stick): "Why did the laces never win the race?" ... "Because all they could do was tie."
(Davis laughs uncontrollably)
Kai (not laughing): "I don't get it."
Davis: "Because... well you know that red ribbon? I guess some people call  them laces, that red ribbon you cross when you win a race? Well, when you cross the finish line you take the ribbon with you so really you and the lace just tie. No one ever really wins! It's always a TIE! Get it?"
Kai: "No. Not really."
Davis: "Well then I can't explain it to you."

I Still Don't Know What He Didn't Do...

Me: "Davis, come here!"
Davis: "I didn't do it."
M: "Didn't do what?"
D: "I mean...I didn't start it."
M: "Didn't start what?"
D: "Whatever you're upset about."
M: "I'm not upset about anything. I just want you to eat breakfast."
D: "See, I told you I didn't do anything!"

I Guess We're Cat People Now

Chase is adorable and that's a problem for Michael and me because, well, it makes it really hard to say "no" to him. Sometime last year he decided he was getting a cat. He didn't really even ask for one he just kept saying things like, "I'm really going to love it when we get my cat." or "I'm going to name my cat Rock. But only if its really solid." Well after a year of this kind of talk we finally broke down and told him he could have a cat. How could we not?

Chase checking on Millie

As it turned out we had a neighbor, Karolyn, who had a cat that was expecting kittens and she promised Chase he could have pick of the litter. Chase insisted on visiting Millie (the mamma cat) as often as possible. He said, "I just want to make sure she's eating right and stuff." So we checked on Millie at least once a week and sent Karolyn frequent texts to keep track of Millie's progress.

The morning of April 24th Karolyn sent me a text saying Millie was having her kittens so I checked Chase out of school so he could watch. Most cats, understandably, don't really like people to be around when they are giving birth but Millie doesn't care one bit. She'll even let you hold the babies right after they are born. It was a pretty awesome experience and Chase loved every minute of it.

Chase watching Millie give birth

Bringing our kittens home

After they were born Chase insisted on visiting them every day. He spent a lot of time getting to know each kitten as he tried to decide which he wanted to take home. 

He was having a hard time deciding between two of them. Fortunately for him, Michael and I are suckers... and our friends kept telling us that two kittens are better than one. We fell for it and told Chase he could keep them both. He chose the smallest kitten (he was the runt) and named him Miryang (which Grandpa told him is Korean for smudge) and he chose a striped kitten which he named Anyoung (Korean for Hello) because it was the only other Korean word he knew. 5 weeks later we took Miryang and Anyoung home.

I have to say, these kittens are pretty darn cute and we quite like them. I think Michael even likes them, though you may never get him to admit it.

Top: Miryang
Bottom: Anyoung

Summer So Far

I knew this summer was going to be good when I picked Kai up on the last day of school and he asked, "Mom, I have stuff left over from class and I want to bring it all home, but my teacher said I have to ask your permission first. So can I run back in and get the rest of my stuff?"  How I didn't realize that question was vague and loaded is beyond me. It was begging for follow up, but I was in a hurry so I told him to go get it and hustle his little butt back to the car. It turns out the "rest of his stuff" was a small food container (the kind you buy potato salad in at the deli counter) with a Darkling beetle inside.

Kai's New Pet

He named his beetle Tunnel because he likes to dig tunnels, obviously.  As disgusted by the idea as I was, I have to admit he's really not a bad pet. For starters, he'll only live for about 3 months (short term pets are good pets). We rarely even see him because he spends the majority of the day hiding under the oats and soil in his small Tupperware box. Really the only draw back to the beetle is trying to explain why you have a box containing  dirt, oats, and an apple slice on your shelf.

However, I do have one word of caution to those of you who are now thinking about ordering one of these little babies (you can get them at Amazon.com btw). If you were to say...leave town for a week and leave your beetle in grandma and grandpa's care. Make sure they tell the house keeper to leave the weird dirt and oat filled box on the counter alone.  Otherwise grandma and grandpa may spent the better part of an afternoon trying to figure out where she "put it away." Though I have to think that day and a half Tunnel spent in my parents dark pantry were probably some of the best days of his short little life.

Rain Clouds

click to view larger image

This morning's rain not only cooled things off a little, it left some amazing clouds. Madison didn't have school today so I dragged her outside to take pictures of the rain clouds with me. I showed her how to use the tripod and all the filters she bought me for Christmas. I also talked to her about aperture and f-stops. Then I saw a somewhat familiar glazed-over look in her eyes. It took me back to when I was young and my dad dragged me into the kitchen to try to teach me about cooking. I didn't learn much. I suspect she didn't either.

First Week of Summer 2013

Today was Madison's last day of school. Tomorrow is Davis' last day.  Chase and Kai have a few hours on Thursday--just enough time for a party (but don't tell Chase, if he hears the p-word he won't go).

Aside from a trip to Oregon to visit Michael's family we don't many summer plans.  Madison and Kai will be taking a couple of classes over the summer and Chase will be helping me keep an eye on the garden. Other than that we are hoping for some lazy summer days hopefully involving bike rides, family movies, and maybe even the occasional hike.

The Usual

This morning Davis asked if I would make him a sandwich for breakfast. When I asked him what kind of sandwich he said, "You know...the usual." So I made him a peanut butter sandwich because this is what he eats multiple times a day every day. At which point he said, "What is that?! Peanut butter is NOT my usual! My usual is ham, salami, swiss, mayo and horseradish. Ohhhh, this is the worstest day ever!"

Davis' "worstest day ever" face

A Walk Around The Block

Michael and I took a walk around the block tonight so I could play with bracketing and HDR photography. I am officially IN LOVE. Mike's not half bad either.

Click on the collage to see a larger version

A Boy and His Violin

Because I wasn't able to get a good shot of the boy at his orchestra concert last year I decided to get pictures of him before we left this time.

We weren't really sure how getting his port would affect his ability to play the violin. He did have to make a few adjustments on how he holds it, but it looks good to me!  However, I know very little about the violin so my approval probably doesn't mean much...

The Mark of a Gentleman

Yesterday as all the kids were piling into the car Madison was having trouble opening the door because her arms were full of books and homework papers.

One by one each of the boys pushed by her and hopped in the car.

"Wow." I said, "I have three boys and not a single one of you is a gentleman. One of you needs to open that door for your sister." To which Chase replied, "Mom. I have a WHOLE collection of bow ties. I'm pretty sure that qualifies me as a gentleman."

Kid History

Because Kai is one of the regulars at hospital he was asked to come to a little meet and greet with the Kid History Foundation.  Of course Kai was thrilled to meet the people responsible for the Kid History Videos as well as Michael (another regular who helped ease Kai's anxiety about getting a port). 

He had a great time and even got to be in a Thank You video the foundation made. If you haven't watched any of the Kid History videos you should, Kai's favorite is Episode 3 and, of course, you should check out their foundation too. http://www.kidhistoryfoundation.org/

The Big Day

Chase was baptized on Saturday. He was pretty nervous about the whole thing and wasn't sure he was even going to do it. But he bravely took his dad's hand walked into the font and faced his fears. We were all very proud of him.

And then, of course, we celebrated the best way we know how...with food and family.

Chase is 8

Today Chase turned 8. He wore his new black cowboy shirt (thanks Grandpa and Grandma Malmgren) and his newly polished black cowboy boots. Davis looked at him and said, "Too bad you don't have black pants because then your whole body would match." Chase thought for a second before replying, "Yeah, but I'm not really into goth."

I'd tell you more but I have to go make a tank cake.

I Had No Idea

Chase: "What's for school lunch today?"
Me: "Spaghetti."
Chase: "American or Chinese?"
Me: "I don't think there is such a thing as Chinese Spaghetti."
Chase: "Hmm... It must be American then..."



Apparently I was wrong.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/30-minute-meals/chinese-spaghetti-and-meatballs-recipe/index.html

The Next Big Saying

Davis: "Stop tickling me! You're giving me an office."
Me: "What?"
Davis: "I SAID stop it because your giving me an office!"
Me: "I heard you I just don't understand you."
Davis: "Because you're making me work at not being mad at you. Work? Get it? I need an office to work! Oh my gosh. Mom. Keep up."

5 Years Later

5 years ago I told Madison she had to throw away her favorite pair of shoes because they had holes in them.  This is how she reacted:

Madison in December 2007

So imagine my joy when nary a tear was shed last week when I told her to throw away another favorite pair of shoes for the same reason.

Madison February 2013

We've come a long way baby!

Do you love the fact that she still does her hair the same way?

A Few Things Davis Said to My Mom

Yesterday was “infusion day,” so Kai and I were chilling at the hospital while Davis spent some quality time with Grandma Jan.

When I first dropped Davis off, my mom was doing her hair. She had just put styling gel in when my Dad told her he was leaving, so she went into the other room to check on the Dave. When he saw her he said, "Grandma, your hair looks crazy."

My mom: "I know. I was just getting ready to dry and curl it."
Davis: "No. I mean it looks really crazy! It looks crazier than clown's hair. In fact, I think clowns could quit buying wigs and just do whatever you did to your hair to theirs."

Later, an ad for an electric power chair came on the TV and asked, "Have you fallen in the last 3 months?" Davis said "Well I have fallen. But I am not getting one of those".

And then for the trifecta... Davis drew a picture of my mom all tied up in a dungeon and unable to move. My mom said, "Davis, don't draw me in a sad place, put me in a happy place!" Davis exasperatedly said, "But grandma, I put a smile on your face."

Grandma in a Dungeon by Davis

Science Fair 2013

The science fair is today. Well technically for Kai's class it was yesterday but yesterday he was home sick with the stomach flu. This is the second time he's had to miss the science fair because he was sick. Unfortunately immune system disorders and winter don't get along. 

Yesterday Michael set his board up and left a little note by his research packet explaining that he was sick. We figured that way he was still sort of participating and it wasn't all for naught. He was still disappointed that he was going to miss the science fair again so we were thrilled when they said he could come today and compete with the other 5th and 6th grade classes. 

Knock 'em dead buddy.