Shame, shame, Ike...

What happens when one friend says to another friend, "Umm...I think the RNC logo looks like roadkill..."?

Well, when that first friend (Woody) says that to the second friend (Ike, who likes Photoshop), this is what happens:



Wow, yeah... I see roadkill there, too...

Second Grade: No Sweat

Well, we've made it through the first week of second grade. Right now Jake is in the midst of his first three-day weekend, so he has two friends over. It feels a lot like summer still, but at least we know what to expect when school resumes on Tuesday.

Jake's first day was last Tuesday, the 26th. I was more than a little nervous about Jake riding the bus and changing buses at the magnet hub, so I overcompensated. I put an id tag on his shirt, in his pocket and in his book bag...You know, in case he forgot his name, his school, his blood type (just kidding), etc. It has been suggested that perhaps I should have tattooed it on his forehead...but I think that would be overdoing it...

We all trekked across the street to Jake's bus stop to wait for the bus together in the rain. Jake was ecstatic, knowing that he'd have several friends on the second bus (from the hub to school). I was...nervous. Have I mentioned that I was nervous? The bus driver was very nice and asked Jake to sit at the front of the bus when she found out he was a first-time rider. It was all very civil and mature...

...and I burst into tears as soon as she drove away. :(

Jake came home on the bus--still ecstatic. He loved second grade, said it was the best year yet (which he's said every year so far). He gets to be a "buddy" to a first grader and has the same teacher as last year.

Annie is now signed up for a gymnastics class for the school year--once a week on Tuesdays. We went to the first class last week (on Jake's first day), where the teachers pointed out again and again what a "natural climber" Annie is. Well, duh. She's also a natural flipper and a natural "I will jump where I want to and not where you tell me to on the trampoline"-er.

I took one picture before we walked out to the bus on Tuesday. The rain kept us from taking any outside. Well, that and how embarrassed Jake would have been. I've already been told, "Don't write notes on my napkin this year, Mom. I mean, you can if you really want to, but it was kinda embarrassing last year."

I'm embarrassing now and he's only seven??? God help me when he's in middle school...

The picture:



(See the tag on his shirt? And yes, those are binoculars Annie's wearing. I don't know why.)

Cub Scout Camp Pictures

As we say goodbye to summer vacation, I'm posting these two pictures of the first thing Jake and Ike did this summer. Ike was a camp counselor for Cub Scout Camp, and Jake participated. I talked about it a little back in June. Jake has since had a couple of playdates with one of the boys he met and just today we hung the pirate flag his den made in his room. It was one of the many highlights of a wonderful summer.

Trying not to cry...

Tomorrow Jake will be a second grader. Anyone remember this little boy??


Well, now he's going into second grade. He's riding the bus this year, so Annie and I will see him off at his bus stop first thing in the morning. Then we'll come home, stare at each other and be a little sad. Another year older...

Ike, captain of Den 10, aka, "Black Bart." (A pirate theme...which explains the bandana.)


Jake, enjoying every minute of it.

Jake dresses up

Thanks to Adrianne and Billy for the awesome (and scary) football mask, thanks to GTCC for the Indiana Jones hat.

Ok, Ike: I Give In.

Okay, okay. Make her stop. I now realize that Ike and Annie have some sort of agreement. Ike must be paying her to cause the chaos she is inflicting upon our house. I think it's to get me off the computer.

But really, Ike? I've found her on her dresser throwing things off this morning. She's pulled her changing pad off the changing table to do her "dymnastics." She's moved her bed to the center of her room. And now she's pulled all of the books off the bookcase she and Jake share.

I will get off the computer. For the rest of the day. But please, oh please, can you call her off long enough for me to shower???

Does a good mom call her son a smart-ass?

I don't mean to his face, of course. But what would you call this?

A few days ago, in a fit of frustration, I told Jake that every time I hear him say, "I'm bored," for the rest of the summer, he owes me a quarter. Being a boy who knows the value of a quarter (it's like a 24th of a new Bakugan toy), his eyes grew wide and he walked away. He quickly found something to do and has been pretty busy ever since.

Until just now. He came to me and said, "Mom, I have something to tell you." And he threw a DOLLAR on my lap.

He was THAT bored.

Perhaps we're ready for school to start after all...

Toddler Jokes

You know how 7-year-olds tell the worst jokes ever? (If you don't know, they do.) Well, guess what happens when a 2-year-old does everything her 7-year-old big brother does? She tells the part of the bad joke that she remembers...then she makes up the rest with what she knows of the world.

Joke 1 from Annie:
Knock knock.
Who's there?
Banana.
Banana who?
...eat it.

Joke 2 from Annie:
Knock knock.
Who's there?
Orange.
Orange who?
...eat it too.

Joke 3 from Annie:
Knock knock.
Who's there?
Me.
...Me who?
Ummm...eat me.

Quigley Olympics!

The 2008 Quigley Summer Olympics have begun! The host country is MamaLlama Land. Two countries are competing in all events: DoraLand and BakuganLand. Our Opening Ceremonies were Monday and we held our first events today.

Fencing. BakuganLand won the match, DoraLand won a medal for "fencing with one hand while holding a dinosaur in the other."


Pillowcase Racing. BakuganLand won first place in the race. DoraLand won a medal for "trying hard to keep her pillowcase up."


The winners, with their flags and their medals. DoraLand's representative athlete was ready for a nap...


More to come...I wonder if we could get coverage on NBC...

2-Year-Old Games: Belly Button, Diaper, Head

Annie has been standing in front of the bathroom mirror fo 10 minutes now. She has her shirt pulled up to her chin with one hand and with the other she is playing the "name these parts" game.

She pokes her belly and yells, "Belly button!!"

She pokes the top of her diaper and yells, "Diaper!!"

Then she hits herself on the head and yells, "Head!!"

Repeat. Repeat. Run through the house screaming. Go back to bathroom and repeat.

I don't know how well it translates to the Internet, but it's adorable.

The New Woman (at Age 2)

Ike started a new job on August 1, one that (gasp!) takes him away from home from 7am-5pm. It may seem ridiculous to most people that this has been so difficult for the kids and me, but really, he's mostly worked from home since Jake was 1.

So Annie is taking it in stride the best way she can. This morning she came to me with one of her bags (briefcase-sized...well, toddler briefcase-sized) and said, "I'm going to work now," then she looked panicked. "But I need my baby first! I have to take my baby to work!"

She walked down the hall back to her room, muttering, "I'm the daddy and the mommy, and I'm going to work."

It's okay, though. I'm not too worried about her. When I followed her to her room, she'd abandoned both briefcase and baby to put on her princess crown.

When in doubt? Be a princess.