We'd escaped illness for so long...

...then this.

I got a cough about 3 weeks ago. It started as a cough with no nasal drainage whatsoever. Just as I thought that was getting better, I got a "runny nose" type cold on top of that. So after a lot of drainage and coughing, I noticed (about a week ago) that one of my ribs really hurt when I coughed or moved certain ways. Doug was tired of all the hacking (and complaining) and it has kept me from working out regularly the last several weeks and I was tired of complaining about my rib. So, Doug worked from home yesterday so I could go to the doctor.

The doctor was concerned about my rib, but was even more concerned when I told him I was wheezing. He listened to my lungs and made several exclamations about how awful they sounded and promptly sent me for an x-ray. The x-ray came back clear (both my ribs and my lungs), but the doctor said that there are 2 types of pneumonia that do not necessarily appear in x-rays and he imagines that this is what I have. It is not uncommon for people with broken or bruised ribs to breathe shallowly to avoid the pain. This is precisely what I've been doing, which has allowed my lower lungs to collapse and fill with fluid, which in turn makes it painful when I do take a deep breath.

So, I've been prescribed several medications to alleviate this bacterial pneumonia, which is not the contagious kind. I am feeling surprisingly well in spite of this, but will definitely make my rest a priority to speed the process. I've had pneumonia twice before and felt more like curling up to die, so I am quite surprised by this diagnosis.

The medications, particularly the inhaler are helping, so I'm on the right track again.

The Holidays are nearing...

I'm getting so excited about this holiday season. I can't wait. I really love fall and I've been decorating bit by bit. I've got plans whirling around my head for things I want to do. I've got a Thanksgiving garland hanging on our mantel already and harvest scented candles at the ready. I keep eyeballing the pumpkins appearing at various stores and can't resist buying fall clothes for the kids even though it's still 90 degrees out.

I've got a long list of recipes I want to bake with the kids (on free-days of course) and crafts I want to share with them. I'm preparing an Advent calendar that has been in the works since Mary was born, but I failed to complete before the start of Advent each year. I want this year to be super special. I'm plotting what shape my "bunny bread, " usually made at Easter will be for Christmas, as it won't be bunnies. I wish I could make it for Thanksgiving, but we'll be out of town and away from my mixer which is the only thing that makes homemade bread a possibility for me.

I like to put up my Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving, but it will have to be postponed due to travel and a birthday party this year, but by December 2nd, we'll be twinkling again. I finished a banner for Christmas too.

4 teeth!

After about a month of having only 3 teeth, Robert cut the second top tooth and he's so cute!

I'll try to get a picture of him showing them off. Man is it sharp!

Are you mocking me?

Yesterday Robert had a very verbal day. He copied everything we said. I don't think he was using words exactly, but he was copying the sounds. He copied Mary saying "bye bye", he said Ma Ma a lot, but I'm not convinced he was saying my name as much as he was just whining. I sqwaked when I realized I'd forgotten to make the kids' lunches before school and he sqwaked the same way. Later he said "go go" and "more."

Now the important thing is to convince Mary that she doesn't have to make her voice go super-sonic when she talks to him because he's been talking in squeals all day today.

I wonder if we're in for his 2nd word soon. His first being "nya nya" for hungry.

Today is picture day

It's picture day at school today. It's fall themed picture, so I sent the kids in fall clothes. Poor Mary is wearing tights and it's 91 degrees out! Well, she's adorable anyway so even if she's dripping sweat for her photo, they'll still turn out great.

Where did my autumn weather go??

The Letter Bucket and Snack Sack

Each week in Mary's class, they study a "letter of the week." As part of this, the Letter Bucket comes home on Thursday afternoon with one student, who is to return it on Tuesday full of things from home that start with next week's letter. Mary was lucky enough to be the first to bring the letter bucket home. We spent this weekend collecting things around our house that start with the letter N.

I got a kick out of watching Mary find things and say, "d, d, doll. Nope, that doesn't start with the letter N." I have to admit that finding ordinary objects that start with the letter N is harder than you'd think. In the end, we made it work.

So, here's how we filled her bucket:

Neck tie
Nose - from Mr Potato Head
Nestle Crunch
Needle
Noodles (Nine of them)
9 (a magnet)
Nail
Navy Blue
Noah and Noah's Ark
Nursery Rhymes
Nisey (a picture of my Mom, Mary's grandma)
Neighborhood
Napkin
Night light
Nut and Bolt (the school doesn't allow edible nuts of any kind, so we sent the hardware)
Newspaper
And once the pieces have all been removed....NOTHING!

I'm sure I've forgotten a few, but this was a very fun assignment! I can't wait to do this again with Mary in about 8 weeks (maybe after Christmas break). She jumped up and down with joy this morning as she told her teacher how she'd filled the bucket with things that start with the letter N!

William was honored this week too, by being the one to bring snack. Today he served grapes and string cheese, which his friends gobbled up quickly. It's amazing what pride comes from serving others. I wonder if he was as favored as the boy who brought rice crispie treats, but I doubt William would have noticed even if his friends had rejected his snack. He was just proud to be there with his contribution. He had the grapes out of the Snack Sack and in his teacher's hands before he even made it past the door frame.

It's such a joy to witness their exuberance at these seemingly little things.

Well, it's official...

Our children know more Spanish than us. Last night we asked the kids about their school and we asked them what Spanish words they heard and which ones they said. We had a hard time undertanding with their mouths full of spaghetti, but when we finally drew it out of them, it became clear that they learned "what's your name?" and "My name is ____" Now, I can't even say it, but their accents are actually very good! I can't believe it.

I've never been one to prove our social ills by pointing to European countries that seem to have things figured out, but I will say that one thing I know for sure about the European education systems is that they really do put an emphasis on languages. I won't try to paint the picture of their greener grass because there are many reasons why I would not want to be a citizen of another country, but I do wish a stronger emphasis had been placed on learning foreign tongues when I had a lot more free time.

I'm happy for Mary and William, who seem to be picking up these things quickly and easily and I'll be looking for ways to include languages in their studies.

Welcome, welcome, Autumn Weather!

I love FALL! It's my favorite season and I'm always so disappointed that it is so short-lived here in Texas. I hope the coolness we feel today sticks around a while.

And now, a couple poems as a little tribute to my favorite time of year...


I am a leaf. See how I sway.
Here on my branch I am safe, for today.
A part of the whole, waving about,
I’d like to be noticed but never stand out.

Supple and springy I’ve summered up here,
The weather my playmate, and misty or clear
The view from my branch is a beautiful thing.
Breezes are tunes and sometimes I sing;

It sounds like a whisper but listen, it’s me,
Adding my voice to the song of the tree.
Golden as glory, I bud and I blaze -
Dancing like fire in mercurial ways.

I lived high above you. Did you notice at all?
I am a leaf. See now I fall.

Poem by Ian G.

How silently they tumble down
And come to rest upon the ground
To lay a carpet, rich and rare,
Beneath the trees without a care,
Content to sleep, their work well done,
Colors gleaming in the sun.
At other times, they wildly fly
Until they nearly reach the sky.
Twisting, turning through the air
Till all the trees stand stark and bare.
Exhausted, drop to earth below
To wait, like children, for the snow.

By Elsie Brady

Pizza is a powerful motivator.

Tonight we ordred Pizza for dinner (I love free-days) and Robert sat munching his usual, non-greasy, non-tomato, non-cheesy food. As I enjoyed my piece, he whined and grunted and whined some more indicating that he wanted what I had. Now, I've gotten a lot more lax with #3 than I ever was with Mary and William, but pizza is still on my list of no-nos for a baby. He really started throwing a fit over this pizza when suddenly, for the first time, he put his tiny hands together in the sign for "more." I was obliged at this point to dig a soft piece of sauce-free crust from the center from my slice and present it to him. I'm really becoming a softy in my old age, but how do you refuse a little sign language??

As promised...

Pictures of Mary's horse room. Unfortunately, not much progress has been made since these pictures were taken 3 weeks ago.

I do have the letters finished for her wall, but don't really know where I want to hang them. I'm contemplating hanging them above the work-in-progress curio to display her friends, family and favorite things. The two pieces do coordinate nicely, but I don't want to hang all the hand-made interest in one area of the room.

I've contacted a photographer with a site on smugmug for permission to print some of his photos of dressage horses. I just need to decide on frames and size before printing them.

Casey sent me a link to a beautiful mirror that would look great in there, which leads me to think of the little dressing table I found that was so adorable.

I found an english saddle at a tack outlet online for only $35, but hesitated and it was gone 2 days later. So, I'm really kicking myself over that.

However, here are the finished bits of Mary's room...

The paint and ribbon



The bedding (underneath are pink sheets with horses and a set of pink and brown polka dot sheets too)



The letters, though not hung in her room




I'm really motivated to get my projects finsihed, but keep running into obstacles, mainly time related. However, some day it will be done!

Ah, boys.

Today William is wearing underwear for practice and is therefore not wearing pants (why do all that laundry?), so after lunch when his hands were grimy and I asked him to go wash, he said,

"Mom, will you get my pants on so I can wipe this yucky stuff off my hands on my pants?"

If the flies on the wall could talk...

...they'd undoubtedly say things like:

"It's just good manners to wear pants outside."

"Please don't ride your cousin."

"Don't lick the wall/floor/toilet."

"Robert, what's that in your mouth?"

"I can't understand you because you're whining/your mouth is full/you're talking too silly."

"Your exactly right, William, we don't eat poop."

I know they hear it often enough.

A "classy" birthday...

Now, I love birthday parties. I like to plan them, I like to attend them and I like to watch the kids there. Having said that...

Mary's class will all have birthdays between September 1st and December 31st. One boy's birthday was celebrated on the first day of school with blue cupcakes. Today, an invitation to another boy's birthday party was sent home in her folder. It's clear the entire class is invited. I'm torn. I want this little boy to enjoy his birthday party. But, I'm doubly torn because his birthday is at McDonalds. Mary and William don't yet know this place exists. While I suppose I could leave them with the impression that McDonalds is just another one of those places for birthday parties, I'm not really interested in opening that flood gate.

We don't really know this boy or his family and that may be precisely why he invited the whole class...to get to know his new classmates. However, if this becomes the trend - whole class parties - I don't think we'll be able to keep it up between now and the Holidays.

I don't want to sound rude or ungrateful for the invitation. I do feel a bit odd about going to a complete stranger's birthday party and I'm not able to linger in the hallway chatting with the other moms because I have 2 more children with me. Mary is in a class of 5 boys and 2 girls, so it's likely that some of the other boys wouldn't invite her on that principle, but I'm imagining weekend after weekend of parties! I need other's opinions to help me set my head straight in this area.

Oh wise, wise friends...your opinions please.

A tough assignment

William was assigned his first homework on Tuesday. The assignment was to bring 4-5 pictures of things he likes. Presumably to use in class one day soon. He chose: cowboys, pizza, hugs, Monsters Inc., and batman. Originally, he'd chosen "toys" and "books", but when we asked for more specifics, he traded those for Batman and Monsters Inc. instead. Mary couldn't resist completing this assignment too, so she chose: pizza, a horse bed, Cinderella, her friends, and baby dolls.

And so, off he went to school today with a baggie full of pictures of the things he holds most dear.

Tuesday, The First Day of School

As promised, Mary and William arrived at school on Tuesday morning eagerly anticipating their day. We were ready and arrived early (unheard of!) and waited for the doors to open. It was quite a juggling act to have all 3 children plus first-day supplies and a camera. I did what I could to catch their bubbly faces in front of the school. William was (presumably) too excited to look my direction, but I managed to nab a quick one of both of them while we waited. I dropped Mary off first and snapped a blurry picture of her with her teacher, but I couldn't hold the teacher there too long with all those kids in her room waiting for her. So, without retaking the photo, it was off to Willam's class juggling more things than I could handle. I snapped a quick picture with Ms. Jeannine too, but William again, wouldn't look my direction. However, both Mary and William settled in quickly with a puzzle at their seats and waved goodbye briefly before turning their focus from me for the next few hours - a few symbolic hours. That short time made their whole future flash before my eyes...Mary will start Kindergarten and then she'll be an awkward teenager, followed by a high school graduation and COLLEGE!! Where has the time gone?

I picked them up and was pleased to see that they were both still enjoying the time without me and relived that they are still age 2 and 3. I asked them about their day, but the details were sketchy until last night, when Daddy came home. Little tidbits spilled out (like Mary leaving her nap mat at the school with the teacher) and I could tell they had really enjoyed their time, even if it was without me.

After we rested for the afternoon, I took the kids out front for a little post-first-day photo shoot. Here are the gems I got...

Mary in a happy, playful mood.


Giggling together...


A hug...


William posing for some sort of fashion magazine...


All in all...a good day.

Eleanor's Magnificient Paris Party

Today was Eleanor's 4th birthday party, which was planned and executed perfectly with a Parisian theme. Mary and William had a great time. Both were issued a passport and itinerary at the beginning of the "trip." First they visited the Eiffel Tower and pinned the flag at the top and then took their picture there. Next was shopping at La Pâtisserie (cookies and chocolate), then a trip through the Louvre in search of the Mona Lisa. A visit to the Cinéma to see pictures of the Héberts' in Paris and then an exciting game of musical chairs. It was a tough competition, but Mary held in to the last round...heh heh. Snacks in the Café (Croissants, quiche, fromage, fruit and cake) were accompanied by real accordian music played by Mr. Mack. Another round of musical chairs and a lot of dancing and then a long flight home...all the way across the street.

We had a wonderful time with the Héberts, as usual, and enjoyed celebrating with Eleanor on her beautiful day.

Eleanor's gallery.

William's NEW class

I got another call from the kids' school today, this time from the director. She was very cheerful and said that she wasn't sure why William had been put in the 2s class and that birthdays through December belong in the young 3s. That was different from what I'd been told yesterday, but it is all sorted out now. They have room for him in the young 3s and will notify his new teacher about his arrival so she will be ready for him on Tuesday. His teacher's name is Ms. Jennine and his new room will have bumble bees. It's time to start talking up the bees, which will be a hard sell after the jungle room. I'm sure he'll adapt nicely, though. His new room only has 8 students and one teacher (as opposed to 12:2 before). He'll thrive in that atmosphere.

I'm so pleased to have him placed where it's most appropriate for him and I'm glad I called instead of worrying about sounding like a bragging mother. He's gonna be great!!