Wednesday, May 9, 2012

of course I've heard of cows...really??

Today was dance dress rehearsal. The boys, the girl and I headed to town for her to give a go at her dance under the big bright lights of the arena.
While we're driving it's not uncommon for Nadine and Ryan to get into debates. Debates as in how to pronounce Deere... But today we were discussing the name of our school as we left.
Nadine: We go to Valhalla Community School
Ryan: No no that's not it. It's Valhalla Calamity School!
Nadine: No Ryan it's community!!
Ryan: It's not community it's calamity.
volume rises and exchange becomes less congenial.
Me: Guys lets just drop it.

We got to the dance recital and Ryan was thrilled. He thought the performance was great, and he thought it was wonderful.
Ryan: Oh mom I wish backhoes could dance.
Me: Backhoes can't. Boys could but there's no dances for backhoes.
Ryan: Oh that's too bad

After the rehearsal we went to the grocery store. We're a bit of a spectacle at the best of times at the grocery store. For some reason my daughter doesn't think I'm able to hear, thereby she yells every single thing at me. All thoughts, all inquiries are at top volume while she clings to the side of the cart.
Ryan backhoes his way through the grocery store. One loader bucket on the cart (per the rule) and his backhoe bucket digging a trench in front of us while we go.
Today, Braeden's post was in the cart's kid seat. New to today was the backup horn sound he made each time I backed up and as we moved forward through the isles there was wild arm waving while he yelled...
Braeden: Look out! Mom coming!! Coming through!! LOOK OUT!!!

hmmm oh the faith he has in my ability to navigate a cart

Thou shalt not take your children's commentary personally!

On the way home we drove past a fairly common site in our area. That being a pasture full of cows.
Nadine: Mom look a flock of cows
Me: A herd of cows
Nadine: Well of course I've heard of cows
Me: No that's what a group of cows is called
Nadine: That's ridiculous.
Me: It really is...

It's like living in a kids joke book.

Monday, May 7, 2012

Revisiting blogging

It's been a really long time since I've posted on here it seems. Every time I post something on my blog I think, 'I'm going to be better about posting more often' but the long story short is, I'm not. But here I am now and as most of  you know about me...well you get what you get when you get it.

I think I may have been blessed with the 3 most fabulous kids on the planet. They're really truly the bomb. They have really grown and changed a lot in the last few months and it's really noticeable to me how they're getting older. It almost tugs at my nearly absent mushy gene, but mostly I just think it's really humorous and fascinating! just fascinating!!

Nadine's wrapping up her first year of ballet this week. Recital performances of absolute cuteness are this week. It's been a strange year having her off at school all week. I'm so so so looking forward to summer holidays!
She was showing her brothers and I a bit about dance this week. Then her Ryan decided to get in on it.
Ryan: Hey look Nadine I can dance too *insert some sort of clompy clog dancing type thumping about here*
Nadine: Ryan that's not how you do it! You do it like this *insert ballet moves here* Can you do this Ryan?
Ryan: No, I can do this *back to clog dancing*
Nadine: Ryan that's NOT dancing. That's, that's...well I don't know what that is but it's NOT dancing.

She's always willing to lend her brothers a helping hand in the learning department.
Ryan was reading the DEERE on the side of his excavator as though it said "Dearie". Honest mistake really when you're 5. I'm just thoroughly impressed about how much he can read but Nadine thought we should now learn the concept of a silent E.

Ryan: Look here Nadine my excavator is named Dearie
Nadine: No Ryan it' just Deer like an animal deer. Not Dearie
Ryan: No Nadine is says Deeeeearrriiiiieeeeeee
Nadine: It's a silent E Ryan
Ryan: hahaha no no no no it's not silent, it's right there! DEEEEAAARRRRIIEEEEEE
Me: thanks for trying to help him read it Nadine, it's all good though.
Nadine: (mutters) well it IS deer.


Ryan's love of equipment and construction is as part of his life as ever. He's taught Braeden how to pretend to be a loader, a backhoe, and any other machine Braeden is willing to try his hydraulics at.
At Playschool Ryan's class had a magician come to their class for a party. Part of his shtick was to make balloon animals for the kids. I heard about this third hand but the paraphrased version goes something like this
Magician: what kind of animal would you like me to make you?
Ryan: I want a backhoe
Magician: can you pick an animal?
Ryan: I'd like a backhoe
after everyone else had chosen an animal Ryan chooses a cat.
magician makes a cat
Ryan is confused by it's lack of a dozer blade...
Ryan gave the balloon "cat" to Braeden after the party...

Oh Ryan

Ryan LOVES playschool. I'm not sure he's going to be OK with it being over at the end of the month. Good thing he's building some kind of highway overpass in our side yard with his equipment so he can be distracted from missing playschool and his "best teacher"
Ryan: Hey mom check out how I make my A's for my name at school *insert wild arm motion that resembles an A here*
Me: that's fantastic, did your teacher help you with that?
Ryan: No, I mean yes she likes to help me so I let her.
Me: Aw that's sweet of you.

Braeden is evolving into quite a little dude. He's very 2 now. Very 2. But in a strangely good natured kind of way. Maybe it's my mellowed 3rd child approach to parenting but he's really pretty easy to have around.
He's become a big fan of playing "goof ball" aka golf over at Grandpa Lobergs, and he's actually pretty good at connecting with the ball. He works very hard to keep up with his older siblings. He's still not for a moment daunted by his lack of size.

I have about a zillion plans for the yard this year. We accomplished one the other day when we built on to the chicken run of our yard. More to keep the dogs out than the chickens in but they're thrilled with the extra space.
The kids really like to go into the pen and herd the chickens. Chicken herding is harder than it sounds, or at least it can be. As we put the fence up (well Tim put the fence up and I stood by with awe and moral support) I repeatedly asked the kids to stop harassing the chickens. Be with the chickens, enjoy the chickens but stop scaring the crap out of the chickens.
Repeatedly we had that conversation.
Moments later
Nadine: Mom Ryan's scaring the chickens
Me: Ya, I give up
Ryan: Oh no mom don't give up!
Me: sigh.

Me and my camera continue to see what we can see.
I haven't photo bombed you all for a long time. So.... :)