Joshie's Blackout

Yesterday afternoon I had the following conversation with Josh:

Josh: How do I make the basement darker?

Me: Turn off the lights.

Josh:  Merrffghh! (That's the sound he makes when he's annoyed.) I mean, how do I make the window dark?  How do I stop the light from coming in?

Me: Why?

Josh: Because the Halloween lights.

(We put some Halloween lights up the other day.  The kids like running around in the basement with just those lights on.  Spoooooky!)

Me: Um, well, no. There aren't any curtains for the basement windows.

Josh: Why not?

Me: Because it's the basement.  And because we've been in this house for 3 years and I still don't have anything on the dang kitchen window, let alone the basement.

Josh: What?

Me: Nevermind.  No, there's no curtains.

Josh: What about my blanket?

Me: No.  It won't work - there's nothing to hang it up on.

Josh: Can you help me?  Pllleeeeaaaase?

Me: I'm sorry, no.  I'm right in the middle of making dinner.  See?  Maybe later?

Josh: Merrffghh.

Josh goes downstairs and I figure that's the end of it.  Lance comes home, goes downstairs, and comes back up.

Lance: Um, were you helping Josh with something downstairs?

Maren: What?  Oh - did he try to hang a blanket up?

Lance: This is better.  It's pretty impressive.

Maren: What'd he do?

Lance: It's better experienced in person.

So I went downstairs.

Lance was right.

Josh is awesome.  I'm impressed with his neat stacking skills and ingenuity.  Get that boy on a game of Tetris.

Tess's Preferred Spot In The Kitchen

In the way and under foot.

(And cute. )

2013 Piano Recital

Our wonderful piano teacher, Sheri Easton, decided to have her annual recital in October instead of December this year.  (This was met with much rejoicing. The holidays are soooo busy.)

Taking four children to a piano recital they don't want to be at is pretty fun.  And by fun I mean the opposite of fun.  I mean nightmarish.  BUT, we are a family and we support each other and that means going to Spencer's recitals.

As we waited for the recital to start we distracted Tess with the camera.  Two years old and she already knows all about selfies.

Josh was just there for the refreshments at the end.  I'm pretty sure he would sit through a three hour recital if it meant he could have treats at the end.  (Fortunately this recital only lasted 45 total - and that included 20+ minutes of eating treats and chatting with friends.)

Cole saw everyone else taking pictures by the piano and had to get in on that action.  Cole's an interesting child.  Well, that's an understatement.  But truly, I think he has some great musical potential.  Since he was really young he's always liked playing on the piano, only his playing didn't really sound like the banging of a typical little kid.  He actually has rhythm and I've caught him mimicking some of Spencer's songs. Once I even thought it was Spencer, much to Spencer's offence.  Oops.  Oh well, we have a ways until he starts lessons in the 2nd grade!  (I'm not willing to start my kids sooner than that - I think it would be a constant battle to practice and go to lessons.)

You can tell how excited he was to be there.  All he wanted to do was be at home, playing computer games!  Too bad.

Despite the look on his face, he was quite pleased to get a flower.  Come to think of it... I haven't seen that flower since Friday night.  Oh boy... I bet it's decomposing somewhere in his bedroom.

Sister Easton's piano students.

And now, for your viewing pleasure, I present Spencer's piano pieces.  The first was called "Clap Hands", to which Tess danced around the living room whenever Spencer practiced.



The second piece is called "Wind in the Willows".  When he was practicing he would sometimes stumble or is fingers would play faster than he wanted and he would get SOOOO frustrated.  In fact, he acted just like Don Music, that puppet they used to have on Sesame Street who would bang his head on the piano in frustration.  No kidding - I saw Spencer actually bang his head on the piano. It was all I could do not to laugh at his drama.

Full Cookie Jar = A Moment's Peace

Maybe now my family will stop opening the cookie jar and whining when they see it's empty. (Seriously.  Every male in this household did this every day for weeks. )

Finally, some peace!  Well, at least for a day or two until the cookies are all eaten.

Obstacle Course

On any given evening in our back yard you are likely to find an homemade obstacle course, complete with boys who are more than willing to show you everything you have to do to get through the course.  (Note: one does not just simply walk through a Madsen obstacle course.  You must ride scooters and shoot guns and balance on things that one should not be balancing on.)

You might also find half-dressed little girls who have happily escaped from the kitchen.  (Although now that the weather is cooler you are probably less likely to find half-dressed little girls.  Well, at least not for more than a few seconds.)

Freezin' at the Pumpkin Patch

On Thursday my friend Deidra set up a little field trip to Throckmorton Farms for a group of us.  Throckmorton Farms is a Purdue Research farm.  They grow all sorts of things and when they're done researching them they let you come and pick what  you want.  It's a pretty sweet deal.

It was a stormy-ish morning, but didn't seem that bad, so after Tess and I dropped Cole off at preschool we headed out to the farm.  At the last minute I decided to grab my old gardening shoes just in case.  Wish I had grabbed more than that - I was woefully unprepared. It turned out to be much colder, much wetter, and much muddier than I imagined it would be!

Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on who you are), I wasn't the only mom who was unprepared.  So at least Tess and I weren't alone in our chilliness.  As we got onto the trailer we were going to ride I noticed I was the only mom without a bag of some sort.  I guess that's what happens when you're out and about with your youngest of four.  I'm really regretting it now.

Not that anything bad happened!  I just wish we had had some bags for all the free produce we were offered.  Oh well.  Tess loved riding on the trailer, despite the rain and wind.  It made me realize how rarely I get time with just her to do fun things like this - we usually run errands or do housework while Cole is at preschool.  I really need to think of more fun things to do with just her.

Tess was pretty excited to pick her first pumpkin!

Then she got muddy.  And more muddy.  And then she was tired of holding her pumpkin and only wanted to hold the umbrella.  So I picked a few more pumpkins and got good and muddy.  We got to pick a few gorgeous apples as well, but since I didn't have a bag I didn't get too many.  Too bad.

Tess and I cuddled and shivered all the way back - it's rare she lets me hold her for any length of time, so I enjoyed it while I could!

The farm was pretty neat. Lots of different trees and other produce. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't been so cold and wet.  Oh well - next year.  Now - time to think of some other mommy/daughter activities for Tess and I this winter!

First Lost Tooth!

After weeks of  precariously dangling in his mouth,  Josh's first tooth finally fell out last night!  I'm bummed that I want home for the event because I heard he was VERY excited.

However, I got to see his excitement at 6:30 this morning when he woke up in a  a whirl about the $3 the tooth fairy left him.  Then I got to hear Cole complain - loudly and quite  rudely - about how Josh woke him up early.  (No one would listen to me complain about Josh interrupted my scripture study.   Just sayin'...)  Then I got to hear Spencer complain about how he only got $2 for his first tooth.   (And then no one would listen to my explanation about inflation.   Just sayin'...)

Anywho, despite the wild outbreak of complaining and impromptu economics lectures, it was an exciting morning.

P.S. The tooth fairy told me she was feeling extra generous since this tooth took so long to come out because Josh was so nervous about it.   The next teeth won't be nearly so lucrative.