Boating and being Brave!

Theo and Blessing are brave. They have been exposed to all sorts of new things in the last 5 months, but they are always game for the next adventure.

This week it was boating with the Garnetts. You would think that after getting thrown off this tube that they would have had enough, but both were ready to keep on riding.

Blessing practically strangled Ben she was hanging on to him so hard when they were thrown off. Kyle had to jump out and calm her down and help her back in the boat. But she calmed right down and was ready to go again.

These two are really brave!

Out of Patience

That is where I am right now - just outside of patience and headed for crazy! B woke up on one this morning. She is negative, argumentative, smart mouthed, rude, inconsiderate, and just an all around pain in the neck!

I have tried several times to reason with her, but she just seems to be getting worse with every passing hour. It isn't all directed at me either. Everyone in the house has gotten a taste of her attitude.

It isn't even 1:00 pm and the day is already seeming horribly long . . .

A Deeper Conversation

Blessing is so far a purely instinctual creature. She doesn't self examine or reflect on things at all. Last night, she had little break through and I was thankful to have a real conversation with her about something that was on her mind outside of food and what toy/item of clothing that she thinks she needs.
Blessing: Mom, sometimes I get mad and I am freaking out and I say something that will make you mad.
Me: That's okay sweetheart. We all say things sometimes that we don't mean.
Blessing: I don't really mean it. I am just freaking out.
Me: What did you say.
Blessing: I don't want to tell you (but obviously she did)
Me: Is it like when you say "I hate you?"
Blessing: I don't hate you.
Me: I know, but sometimes you say that when you are mad.
Blessing: I know. Sometimes I say I want to go . . . (she fades out)
Me: You want to go back to Liberia?
Blessing: (Nods with wide eyes and looks a little frightened) But I don't want to go back.
Me: I know honey.
Blessing: I was just freaking out
Me: It's okay

Bikes and bike parks

One of the biggest smiles I have ever seen on Theo's face was the one he wore riding up to school on his new bike. I had promised him a bike as soon as the weather got better and I must say buying that child a bike has been a really good investment if you measure the pay off in use and enjoyment.

Last week he discovered our local bike park with all of its jumps and hills and tracks. He came back at noon after a couple of hours with a big gash in his arm. I asked him if he had had fun before he got hurt. He told me he had gotten the gash when he first got there, but just stayed because they were having fun.

Right after lunch he was back out there with his friends. He came home later with more injuries, but the next day headed back, this time with Ben and Zach and some of Zach' s friends too.

Fat Wedding Day (giggle giggle)

Last night I was waiting for everyone to get home from baseball practice and B and I were watching "Say Yes to the Dress." A mindless half an hour of watching 2 or 3 brides to be try and find the perfect dress at Klienfeld's.

This particular episode was focused on plus size brides.

B is eating lunch right now and she just asked me if we can watch "Fat Wedding Day." I am pretty sure that is what she is talking about. She makes me laugh.

A Carnival and a Parade

Last weekend we celebrated our city festival called Pony Express Days, because we live on the old Pony Express route. Four houses up from us was a parade and at the other end of our street is a huge park that held an enormous Carnival and vendor fair for three days. It was nothing like anything T&B had ever seen. You can tell by their faces that they had a good time.

When we were down at the carnival with the little kids, the big kids would roam around with their friends. We ran into our neighbor one day, who had just seen Theo. He described him like this: "He was just standing in the middle of all the activity and gazing up at one of the rides. He was smiling and just shaking is head like he couldn't believe everything he was seeing."

I love these magical firsts!!!

An Egg Drop

There is a certain novelty to a US education that I don't think we that grow up here appreciate. Blessing's 2nd grade egg drop contest was a big deal to here that seemed to amuse her to no end. Her design: She wanted lots of cotton. We wrapped the egg in cotton batting, put it in a small zip lock, wrapped the ziploc in more cotton and put it in a large zip loc and then wrapped it again and put the whole fluffy mass in a small cardboard box. The result: a mass of yellow yolk dyed cotton in the middle. However, she was still smiling at the end.