Someday....

Someday, when my daughter wins the National Collegiate Debate Title, I will appreciate her tenacity.

Someday, when my daughter graduates first from her Ivy League law school, I will look back fondly on her ability to argue ANY POINT.

Someday, when my daughter is sworn in as a Supreme Court Justice, I will regale people with stories about how she questioned EVERYTHING.

Right now, it just makes my head hurt. Case in point...

A few days ago, while reading with Greyson, he informed me that when put together the U always pinches the O and makes him say "Owww." What a clever way, I thought, to remember the sound that OU makes in words. I thought I would try it with Quinn while we were reading and so last night when we came to the word 'out' I gave it a spin.

"OK, Quinn when the U follows the O it gives it a pinch and it says "owww" so lets sound out this word."

"Why did it pinch it?"

"Well, that really isn't important. Let's sound out this word."

"Does it pinch other letters?"

"No, just the O"

"Why doesn't it like the O?"

"Sweetie, I don't know. Let's continue reading."

"It's not nice to pinch."

"That is true. OK back to the book."

"Did it say it was sorry?"

"I am sure that it did. Now back to the book"

"Did the O do something bad to the U?"

"Sweetie, I really don't know."

"Then how do you know that the U pinched the O?"

"It just did."

"I don't like the U."

"OK, please let's just get back to the book."

(Sounded out the word out and continued on in the book and hit another OU blend)

"OK, the U pinched the O again...what sound does it make?"

"Again?"

"Yes, again."

"Why?"

"Sweetie, I didn't know the first time and I don't know now."

"Was it for the same reason?"

"Quinn, I don't know. PLEASE can we continue with the book."

"Did the U get in trouble?"

"OK forget about the U pinching the O. Just remember that the OU together says "Owww"

"Why did they say Owww? Did they get hurt?"


Someday..... Right???? Someday?????

Winter Fashions

With all the snow we have been getting (as I sit here typing another inch is falling to the ground) it is all about the snow boots in this house...

(and for those who can't see from the bottom to the top: pink boots, brown leggings, blue sweater dress with a white cardigan on top. Suri Cruise, you have competition for most stylin' preschooler)

One Smart Cookie

So let's face it....everyone thinks that their child is brilliant. I can't tell you how many times I have heard other mothers say "Well, it might just be me but when I look at Susie compared to her peers, she just seems ahead of them." But we all don't live in Lake Wobegon where all the children are above average, we just all have, understandably, a little partiality when it comes to our children.

I have always thought that Quinn was pretty darn smart and advanced for her age (at least intellectually) but I have always tried to temper myself by saying that all parents think that; I am just a proud mother. So when her teacher took me aside last week to talk about her educational future I was a little surprised.

As I have said before, Susan Gray is a wonderful hybrid of typically developing and special needs children. For the children with special needs, who after Susan Gray, will more than likely be entering the Metro Nashville Public School System, there is a continual parade of MNPSS teachers constantly evaluating the children to determine how to best serve them once they enter the school system. The typically developing children also benefit from these evaluations. A couple of weeks ago MNPSS teachers came into Quinn's class and after an afternoon with her pulled Ms. Tina aside and informed her that Quinn pretty much was ready for Kindergarten. Ms. Tina echoed their sentiments and told me that while she tried to teach her new things that Quinn was so far ahead of the rest of her class that she really didn't think that Quinn was getting a lot of benefit from the current curriculum. Perhaps, she said, you should consider sending her to Kindergarten next year (a year ahead of schedule).

Honestly, the thought hadn't even crossed our minds but we called the Admissions Office over at BGA (there are some wonderful benefits of being a current family) and they agreed to test her and see where she stacked up. So last week Quinn took her BGA entrance exam and did well, very well, scarily very well. Now her application is on the desk of BGA's Headmaster, since it would be an exception to their general policy relating to the age of the Kindergarten class. While we wait on his decision, I get to sit here and try to figure out what the right decision is for my little girl. Academically, it is a no-brainer. She clearly isn't being challenged in her current environment but academics is not the only thing to consider. She will be a full year, and sometimes more, younger than anyone else in her class. While this may not be a concern now it might be in the future. I was a 'late bloomer' and frankly when I did bloom the buds weren't very grand. How will she feel when everyone else in her class is developing and she is years behind? Is the stigma of pre-pubescence a la "Are You There God It Is Me Margaret" worth letting her waste another year in a class that isn't benefitting her academically?? Socially, will she be able to keep up with kids that have a year of maturity on her? So may questions, so few answers. As I have said before, the Mom manual is just ill-equipped to answer these sorts of questions.

Of course, Quinn is completely enamored with the idea of going to school with Greyson. While I know that she will get over it, I worry about what she will think if we have to tell her No. Will she think she isn't smart enough...which is completely untrue. Will she think she did badly on the exam....again as far from the truth as you can get. Sometimes being 'above average' isn't all it is cracked up to be.

If A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words....

Then my son is a picture (OK, that wasn't the wittiest of intros, but I digress)

Greyson's school participates in an A/R (Accelerated Reader) program. Every couple of days he brings home an 'A/R' book to read at home then he takes it to school and takes a small comprehension test on it. Along with helping him improve his reading and comprehension this nifty little A/R system also tracks how many words he has read. Word count is a big deal around BGA. For each 10,000 words read the kids get an award in front of the whole school. There is also an elite club called the 100,000 Word Club that get special privileges and recognition throughout the year.

Well, Greyson made his first step to being one of the reading studs by getting to 1,000 words which for a Kindergartener is pretty impressive if I do say so myself! So congrats to my little reader! War and Peace cannot be far off.....

What's In A Vowel....

Today we got our monthly book from Dolly Parton's Imagination Library titled "Born Yesterday: The Diary of a Young Journalist." Quinn was so excited that she ran to tell Greyson.about the new book.

"Greyson, Greyson, we got a new book today "Diarrhea of a Young Journalist."

Ego Trip

This evening for bedtime, the kids and I were reading a book about penguins learning their habitats, mating. all that good stuff. We got to the part about how they survive in the cold and I stopped and did a little personal science lesson about blubber and we talked about all the different animals, walruses, polar bears, seals that have blubber to insulate them and keep them warm even in all that snow.

"That's why we can't stay out in the snow. We don't have lots of blubber." they both explained to me.

"But Mommy!" they both shouted very excitedly "You can stay outside in the snow!!" They then proceeded to grab my tummy and show me all my blubber. Hmmm....time to hit the gym??

Dare I Say....Diva?

My daughter has, shall we say, a flair for the dramatic. Everything in her life is a Greek tragedy. It is amazing she has survived thus far. A perfect example of the oppression my daughter faces on a daily basis....

This morning as we were getting ready for school, Greyson was looking for his belt and this brought up the subject of the dress code at BGA. Greyson kindly informed Quinn that when she went there, if she had belt loops, she had to wear a belt.

"But Mom I don't want to wear a belt!!"

"You need to wear one if you have belt loops, Greyson is right."

"But I don't want to!!"

"You have too" piped the peanut gallery (aka Greyson)

She then proceeded to begin her sniffles and marched into her room and returned with her pink belt.

"Fine, if I HAVE to wear a belt, I will wear this one."

"Quinn, while that is a beautiful belt. Belts at BGA need to be either black or brown."

The sniffles then turned into almost hyperventilated gasps.

"I can't wear my pink belt??"

"No dear, you have seen the uniforms...they are blue and yellow - BGA's colors."

"But I love pink!!"

"I understand that, and you can wear as much pink as you would like at home but at school you have to wear yellow and blue."

She then threw herself (literally) on the couch and the full sobs began.

"They can stop me from wearing pink at school but they can't force me to stop loving pink!!! I will always love pink!! They can't take that away from me!!!"

I foresee an Oscar in that girls future.....

Snow Day - A Different Perspective

The kids' big Christmas present this year was a new pair of cameras (Quinn's was pink of course). Last Christmas, Greyson got a kid camera and both kids wore it out this past year and so we upgraded them to real digital cameras. They were very eager to take some pictures of our newly fallen snow...


and so I present to you Snow Day through the eyes of a 4 and 5 year old.....

(Greyson)
(Greyson)

(Quinn)

(Quinn)

Snow Day: The Sequel

We don't get snow in Nashville. OK, technically we do actually get snow....but not SNOW. But last night we got SNOW. 4 inches of real packable, sleddable, not seeing the grass type of snow. The city shut down (well except for my husband who went to work) but the rest of us enjoyed an honest to God SNOW DAY!!

(Got to start them young on that manual labor thing)

Mmmmmmm - snow cream

And look at that...we have a puppy!! Believe it or not, that is Guinness acting like a 2 year old. The kids made snowballs and he jumped and caught them in his mouth, ran around the backyard...I don't think he has had this much exercise in years.

Yay Snow Day!!

Best Guests

An astute eye might have noticed that over the last couple of posts a third child has been appearing. No, we didn't have another and not tell anyone. Our friends Jamie and Page with their son Hudson made an appearance in Nashville for New Year's Eve.

So of course we had to show off our driving skills....


And teach him the finer points of hockey...


We even took him for his very first time on the ice (which of course I forgot my camera for).

After 100 takes this was the best group shot we could get....


Maybe next year.

Happy New Year

The Winter Classic

His second favorite hockey team

A reason to stay up late and watch TV

His Daddy's hockey jersey from when he was a kid

A Boy in Heaven

Really Big News

I suppose if you didn't know us and just happened upon this blog you would know a lot about me and the kids and probably assume there was a husband somewhere around - he occasionally is in the background of one or two photos and every once in awhile he gets a mention in the text. I can't imagine he is too upset about his supporting role here but today he is the star of the show. (Lucky him).

As long as I have known Raif he has dreamed big, really big. He never does anything halfway and never takes the easy way out. The way we eat, live and do almost everything screams a certain amount of vibrato. He has carried this into everything he has done....well almost everything. For years Raif has been itching to get out from under the thumb of 'the man.' He has always detested working for someone else...the thought of his hard work making someone else besides him money has never set well with him. I personally was never bothered with working for someone else. I enjoyed the comfort of that steady paycheck and someone else taking most of the risk (along with most of the reward).

But as everyone knows I am not Raif, which is probably why our marriage works so well, and as much as I tried to convince him that security was the bomb-diggity he of course didn't listen and last week Raif became 'The Man.' He bought 1/3 of the company he works for and is now an owner. I am immensely proud of him (and admittedly immensely nervous) as well. His actual work duties aren't changing just how he is compensated is.

So to my darling husband - "I love you and am very proud of you. Keep up the good work!! And no more complaining about your bosses."