Apr 19, 2013

7 Quick Takes Friday- Family update

I haven't been very good about updating this blog, so here are 7 things the kids have said or done lately that I don't want to forget.

1.  We got an Xbox with Kinect for Christmas. I had resisted any type of video gaming system for a long time, but we finally caved. We want to have a house where our children's friends want to hang out.   We limit how much time they get to use it. There is no computer or video games during the school week and limited time on weekends. One Saturday morning after a week of no video games, Ryan woke up and came out of his room.   I said "Good Morning" to him and he answered, "Xbox".  Oh boy, what have we done?

2.  The school hosts something called "All Pro Dads".  Once a month the Dads eat breakfast with the children before school and they listen to and watch a video presentation from a famous person about fatherhood.  This week the kids were told to discuss with the fathers what they hoped to be doing when they are 25 and what they hope to be able to do with their father before they reach 25.  Kayla said she wasn't going to date until she was in her 20's so she hoped her father would meet her dates and approve of them before she went out with them.  She's 10 now and we plan to hold her to that request.

3. William is playing coached pitched baseball this season.  He loves it. He seems to be naturally athletic, especially with sports that require hand-eye coordination.  He tried tennis for the first time a couple weeks ago and was actually hitting balls over the net using a backhanded swing. He is finally getting used to riding a bike without training wheels and said he can't wait until he can ride for miles and miles.

4. It was my birthday earlier this month.  I had to be somewhere that evening, but when I came home to eat dinner Ryan had put out our  "Celebrate" plate and made me a homemade card.  He not only signed his name to the card but his siblings as well.  He included some chocolate as a treat.  My son knows how to make his Momma happy!

5. Kayla and I had our first camping trip with American Heritage Girls.  I had never slept in a tent before so it was quite the adventure.  We spent the day as a family with the other families in the troop.  Nick helped us set up our tent and Ryan helped several other "new to camping" families set up their tents.  We had a lovely day.  Nick took the boys home after our evening bonfire.  We don't have a big enough tent for our entire family. The day was warm, but it got very cold at night.  Luckily Kayla and I had cots to sleep on, but  even with warm clothes and sleeping bags, it was so cold we barely slept.  There were also several Dad's camped out in tents around us so we also had the sound of snoring in surround sound stereo.  When I got up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom I thought about sleeping in our van, but I didn't want Kayla to feel abandoned in the tent.  I don't think I'll be tent sleeping again until I know the night temperatures will be warmer than 30's or 40's.

6.  William was learning about time in school so he decided to wear his wristwatch to school. It was a nice one given to him by his grandparents.  When I went to pick him up at school he looked very sad. He said one of his classmates wanted his watch so he traded William the watch for an eraser, and now he didn't want the eraser. He wanted his watch back.  An eraser!  I was a little annoyed.  I asked William what made him think it was O.K . to trade his watch.  He said, "I didn't want to, but he kept asking and asking so I finally said yes just so he would be quiet."  When we got home I called and e-mailed the Mom of the classmate.  William's watch was returned the next day.  Lesson learned.  I couldn't get angry because I was glad he learned this lesson in First Grade instead of later on.  Peer Pressure can be tough!

7.  O.K. our cat, Hobbes, isn't one of our children, but I want to remember something he did. Kayla sprained her ankle a couple weeks ago, and was feeling very low. Hobbes, who usually leaves her room after I tuck her in, stayed and snuggled up next to her in bed all nght. When I was bedridden from the pain of kidney stones in December he stayed by my side. When I was getting sick in the bathroom, it was Hobbes' cries that alerted my husband that something was wrong. He seems to have a sixth sense when one of us needs extra TLC. He may be 20 pounds, but he is a Gentle Giant.

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