A Proud Member of the Mom's Mini Van Brigade Once Again!!

So our van died. It's died before but this time it died for good. We said we would drive it into the ground and we did exactly that!!

In 2001, with a toddler and a brand new baby Maia, we reluctantly bought our 1st "family" vehicle. I'll admit it was hard for me to give up my cute little car. Man I LOVED that car. But, it was also really really exciting to be joining the BIG TIME moms who were all driving mini vans around town. Made me feel like a true, authentic mommy or something!! Like now I was a part of the inner circle of a secret club:)

For the most part the van was really good to us. It safely toted my babies to and from countless activities and survived an untold number of road trips. It rallied through not one, but two accidents!! It never even complained when my kids spilled Happy Meal sodas or lost millions of french fries down into it's seats:) It may have groaned a bit the umpteenth time that Andy dumped coffee all over the driver's seat though:)

The poor van (we should've named it) did start having problems in the last few years. The AC went out and then the heat followed suit. The exhaust system was starting to become a real problem. When Andy scored a brand new cr-v as a benefit to his job, he was nice enough to hand the keys over to me!! He wanted the kids and me to be in a reliable vehicle so he started using the van as a work car. I'll admit I was GIDDY inside at the thought of driving a cute little SUV!! Eight years after I was sooooo excited to be driving around town in a mom mobile...I was ecstatic to be ditching it:) I no longer wanted the status symbol that it brought with it. Kind of like how during my 1st pregnancy I was overly eager to start wearing maternity clothes, but by my 3rd pregnancy I was THA-RILLED that I didn't HAVE to wear maternity clothes until 7 months into the pregnancy.

So last week the transmission went out on the van:( And we had a BIG decision to make. Did we want to put a significant amount of money into a 1997 vehicle with over 180,000 miles on it or should we finally lay our poor, overworked van to rest? In the end we decided that the van was simply not worth putting any more money into. So we started car shopping!

Turns out that Andy and I had VERY different ideas of what we needed in a family vehicle. As much as I loved driving the cr-v, I knew that my family wasn't fitting very comfortably in it. The kids were smooshed in the backseat! And let's be honest here...they're only getting bigger!! Plus, we couldn't take their friends with us when we went somewhere fun. Not to mention our 2 very large dogs. Sometimes we would have to drive 2 vehicles to get everyone to and fro. Which is ridiculous. I KNEW we needed a 7 passenger vehicle. Andy, on the other hand, ONLY wanted to look at SUV's. Which, I honestly would've been thrilled with...but I knew there was NO WAY we could afford a 7 passenger SUV. Neither the payment or the gas!! When I pointed this fact out to Andy he decided that we would just buy a 5 seater SUV. Well, I wasn't going for that and I fought pretty hard for a van. Who woulda thought right? That me, who was so excited to be rid of my original mommobile, would be fighting so hard to buy a new one? Andy was standing his ground pretty firmly. Now,  I don't usually give Andy a hard time about things like this, but this time I was standing just firmly as he was!!

So who do you think won?!?! I guess I sorta gave it away in the title huh? But yep, I won. Thanks to Johnny, at Ricart's used car factory, I am now the proud owner of a *new to me* Kia Sedona!! Andy has insisted that he won't drive it...but we all know that he will:) In fact, he already has!! He drove it home from the car lot while I followed behind in the cr-v. Even he had to admit that it was so nice for the kids to be able to spread out a bit :) Speaking of the kids...they are in LOVE with our new van!! They have each staked their claim to their new seats!!

The kids were excited when I cut and added our little stick figure family to the back window. I'm pretty sure Andy is gonna HATE it:) It will officially make us "that" annoying family:) But I don't care...I think they're cute!! Except that butterfly that's bigger than my girl's head. That probably needs to go:)

So there ya have it. My kid's are only gonna be young for so long. I'll proudly drive an "uncool" minivan until they're all grown and gone:( And I'll be thankful every minute for the time I have with them. It's a privilege to be part of the Mom's Mini Van Brigade!!

Doesn't It Just Figure:)

Isaac plays the cello. Well...he sort of plays the cello!! I take him to the Middle School bus stop, super duper early in the morning,  twice a week, so he can take lessons. Then maybe a couple of times a month he picks up the cello we have here at home and practices. The. same. two. songs!!! That's right. We pay an exorbitant amount of money each month so our son could learn Baa Baa Black Sheep for an entire school year!! Did I mention how much we pay for the cello rental? It's a lot. Isaac obviously has very good taste--just like his mama--he picked the most expensive instrument that was being offered!!


So Andy is sick of paying for the cello. Isaac is still interested in it though. Andy thought that we could sway Isaac to give it up easily enough. You know, a little bribe here, a little bribe there and POOF the cello is gone. I wasn't exactly on board with this plan but Andy seemed pretty intent on following through with it.


So Isaac comes home last Thursday all excited about his great day at school. Let me tell you this never happens so I had to get down to the bottom of his giddiness right away!! Turns out his cello instructor pulled him aside and told him how fabulous he is. Turns out he's some sort of cello SUPERSTAR when it comes to Baa Baa Black Sheep. Okay...so she may not have exactly used the word superstar...BUT we know that's what she meant when she told him that his sight reading was very good and that his playing was coming along very nice. Clearly,  he is destined for cello greatness!! We're already searching out his future bandmates so he can form the next Apocalyptica!! Okay, not really. But you know!! We're keeping the darn cello:) Maybe next year he can learn Mary Had A Little Lamb! 

Lesson Thwarted!!

Asher was WAY more excited about the derby this year than Isaac was. The siblings in Isaac's pack are allowed to make their own car and race them in a fun run. Asher begged Andy to work on his car everyday. It's all he could think about for weeks. He decided on a Batmobile.

 He decorated it all by himself. Unfortunately, we didn't give it the time that we should have. It was far too heavy. We are really lucky that they let us race it at all. It wasn't sanded or laquered. We didn't even graphite the poor kid's wheels. This is Ash watching his car's heat. His car came in dead last each time it raced. Talk about a discouraged little boy:(

It's no wonder that his car came in dead last each time it raced. It was so slow that it never even had a chance!! Asher was quite devastated. I saw his lip quiver a few times.

Daddy did a good job consoling him. It was hard considering Asher is a boy who LOVES to win. We've actually had several conversations with him lately after he's had complete breakdowns because he lost a board game. I think Andy probably offered up a few apologies as well. Asher did have some tears at the trophy ceremony. He didn't throw a fit or get mad. He just quietly cried. Little tears silently rolling down his sweet face. He REALLY wanted a trophy. Andy pulled him aside and explained that we can't win everything all the time. That we don't ALWAYS recieve trophies. That there are always winners AND losers. That all we can do is our very best and that maybe next year we would be the best. Asher was feeling much better. I saw a little smile creep into his eyes.

And then a den leader approached us with what else than...A TROPHY! Just for Asher:) She told him he was a winner. His whole face lit up. Poor Andy though!! His whole lesson on being a good loser had gone down the drain with one mom's good intentions!! Maybe next year we'll actually deserve a trophy:)

Pinewood Derby Update

So the boys DID finish Isaac's car!! It was very last minute but they pulled it off. I should've figured that they would...Andy ALWAYS comes through in a pinch.

I think Andy did an awesome job on the urban camo paint. There is a Lego gun on top and there was supposed to be half of a Lego soldier sticking out of the top as well, but we had to yank him off. Isaac's car was just a smidge over the weight limit, so we had to ditch the soldier to put us at the proper race weight. They had promised to put the soldier back on for when the boys walked through the line of cars and judged best of show, but that didn't happen. Isaac was pretty disappointed, but I don't think the addition of the Lego man would have earned him any extra points. Lots of the boys worked really hard on their car and it SHOWED!! Our friend Taylor's car ended up winning best in show. It was designed like something from HALO. At least that's what I'm told...I don't actually have any experience or knowledge of HALO:) I do know that Tay's car looked AWESOME and that he totally deserved the win. Mac's wedge of cheese with a mouse on top car was pretty cool too!!

So Isaac's car did end up coming in first quite a few times. And for a boy that couldn't give two hoots about his car for an entire month, you know when he was actually supposed to be planning and working on it? I could see the excitement building on his face each time his car came down the track. I'm pretty sure he was calculating in his head where his car would place overall. I think he really really thought he was going to bring home a trophy. I knew better. Landon and Jose's cars were both really really fast. They were winning by a mile each time they raced. And they were BOTH Isaac's direct competition.

In the end I was right. Isaac did NOT bring home a trophy. Shhhh...don't tell him...but I was really glad he lost. In fact, I would've been really disappointed had he won anything on this day. He didn't WORK hard enough for it. He didn't WANT it bad enough when it counted. What would it have taught him if he had gone to that race and WON? It would have taught him that he can skate by and not put any work into a project but yet still get big rewards is what it would've taught him. That is NOT a lesson I want him to learn. I am thrilled that the boys who put so much time and effort into their cars took home the trophies!!

Andy was upset with himself for not putting in much effort this year. He didn't realize how much fun the derby was going to be. He was out of town for last year's race and missed all the excitement. Our only other derby experience was with our old troop, and if I'm being honest here, I would have to say that that particular derby stinks:(  You have to stand in a crowd of a million people--at the mall--there is very little chance that you will even see your car come down the track. Plus you only get one shot. If you don't win your first race there, then you are disqualified. That is what Andy was expecting I think. But that is most definitely NOT the way they do things here! I kept trying to explain to him how different it was--but I don't think he heard me. Oh well...lessons learned. 

Not only did we lose the race but we also lost Isaac's coat! Well not lost it exactly--it went home with somebody else though. Isaac tossed it up against a wall and it turns out that another kid did the exact same thing...in the exact same spot. And their coats were IDENTICAL. Except Isaac's coat was the next size up. So the coat left behind didn't fit him. I waited 2 days to see if his coat would turn up. It didn't. I ended up at Kohl's in search of a new Winter coat on Sunday night.  There were only a handful left!! I was super lucky to not only find one, but to also get it on clearance:) Wouldn't you know that the very next day, you know after Isaac had ALREADY worn the new coat, we got the old coat back!! Isn't that how it always works out?!?!?!



My kids are NOT perfect

I have noticed, through different online communities and some of my kid's classmates, that a lot of parents are striving for their kids to BE perfect. There are some parents that want their kids to be the BRIGHTEST and BEST at everything they ever try their hand at. Some parents are pushing their kids so far that they are losing out on the true magic of childhood. I am here to tell you...I am not one of those parents!


Take Isaac for example: While it's true that he is a math whiz and his reading comprehension skills ROCK the house--the truth of the matter is that he's NOT a pure genius at everything he tries. I know-- shocking right?!?! But it's true. His handwriting is barely legible. His last Social Studies test tells me that that isn't his forte. He couldn't ice skate to save his life!! He doesn't like to admit when he's wrong. He is demanding and a bit hard to please. He's stubborn as all get out!! He's a procrastinator. He is bossy when it comes to his brother and sister-thinking they should do and be and act exactly as he wants them to. He's very good at baseball, it's his passion!! But he isn't the best player on the field and he's certainly not going to grow up to play for the major leagues.  

Maia is AWESOME!! Everyone that meets her says it's true. She's sweet and empathetic and smart as a whip. What does that saying mean anyway, smart as a whip? Are whips smart? I may need to look into that further. But I digress, Maia isn't perfect either!! She is struggling a bit with her multiplication tables. Her teacher thinks she knows them, but I see her counting on her fingers (and sometimes toes) when she thinks no one is looking:) I know exactly what she is doing because...well...I do the same thing! She is also just a smidge impatient. Wanting what she wants RIGHT NOW! She could possibly also get that from me...shhhh, don't tell anyone:) She has ZERO coordination. She can't do a handstand or a cartwheel! She has fun trying though. The girl CAN'T sing. For realz. She can't:) She likes to sing though. She does it and she does it loud. But she'll NEVER get a golden ticket to Hollywood per American Idol.

Asher is a genius!!! Well according to Andy anyways. We haven't actually had him tested or anything important like that! He may actually just be average:) He is doing very well in Kindergarten so far though sooooo you never know!! I tend to side with my husband on all things important, so we're gonna just go with his opinion of genius here:) Asher is also a bit melodramatic. He can turn anything into a very very big deal. He doesn't have a lot of confidence in himself and he worries way way too much about what others think of him (sigh...not unlike someone else that I happen to be very familiar with). The truth is though that Asher is still so young. I have no idea where his talents really lie. I think I have a couple of really good ideas but things can change quickly at this age. I also have no real idea of where he will be not quite so talented. Only time will tell.  

The point is is that I won't push Asher or Maia or Isaac to be anything other than who they are. They won't be great at all things...and I think that's okay!!  Isaac is NEVER going to be a skater. We have friends who are AWESOME skaters but Isaac just isn't.  Maia is never going to have a great singing voice. I'm not going to force her to take voice lessons so she can better herself in that area. I'm never going to make Asher play a sport or instrument if he doesn't want to. I will make him find SOMETHING that interests him but it'll be something that interests him...not something that interests me.

Don't get me wrong. I think extracurriculars are very very important. I think it's a fabulous idea to keep kids busy so that they don't get involved with the wrong crowd. I think it's my job to help my kids develop any natural talent that God has graced them with. I think it's insanely important to be actively involved in my kid's schoolwork. We go over Maia's multiplication tables every. single. night. But I'm not going to punish her for not being a math whiz either. I'm not going to put too much pressure on any of them to be something that they're not. I'm not going to drive them all over town making them take every lesson under the sun until they're so burnt out that they can't just be kids. I know that sounds ridiculous but I have SEEN it.  That is not the life I want for my kids.

I want my kids to come home from school and to play. I want them to set up Army men in the basement and act out battles. I want them to spend hour upon hour building Lego bases so that they can make stop motion shorts. I want Maia to imagine herself in a time period with her American Girl dolls. I want them to run in the sun and to climb trees. I want to hear them giggling as they jump on the trampoline. Of course I want to them to develop their talents. That's why we pay for piano lessons and baseball clinics!! That's why we study and read books with them every night. But I don't want them thinking that they have to PERFECT at everything they ever do. If we were ALL good at everything we EVER did then NO ONE would be UNIQUE. We'd all be like perfect little robots with NOTHING special to add to the World. Nope, I'll take my imperfect kids--because I think their imperfections make them PERFECTLY THEM :) And I love them JUST as they are!!

Start Your Engines!!!

It's Derby time again!!!!  

  

This is our car from last year. We worked extra hard on it. We planned for weeks. We cut it out and sanded it. Painted and lacquered it. We paid extra special attention to the weights and wheels. When Derby day came it was very exciting!! All the cars were lined up one by one. Each scout walked down the line and voted for their very favorite car. Then it was time for the main event!! Our car raced down the track at least 50 times. We yelled and jumped up and down when our car came in first. And it came in first quite a few times!! Enough times to win us 2nd fastest car in our den. See that trophy up there^^?? The other trophy is for people's choice. Out of all the cars there, and there were a lot, Isaac's was the favorite design. Pretty exciting stuff!! I took video and everything.

So now it's Derby time again. See that block of pinewood down there? Yep. That's our "car" this year!! Needs a lot of work right? I know!! I've been nagging my boys for a month to get to work on this thing. They have no design. No grand plans. So different from last year. When is the Derby you ask? This Saturday!!! Very first thing in the morning. Less than 48 hours. Not even enough time for the paint to dry!! I'm betting they can't pull this off. This chunk of Pinewood will remain just that...a chunk of wood. But alas, I am DONE nagging.

             I think they are going to regret their lack of motivation come Saturday. Do you think they can pull it off? We shall see I guess. I'll keep you updated :)

Lazy Weekend

We aren't doing too much around here this weekend. Just a lazy couple of days trying to stay warm! It is freezing outside.

Maia had an Upward Basketball game yesterday and that is seriously, the only thing we left the house for! Her game went well. They didn't win but each girl on the team is improving every week. I LOVE it because it is Christ centered. The kids earn stars for verse memorization:) And they...wait for it...PRAY before every game!! Plus, they make a really big deal out of all the players. The kids get to run through a tunnel of fans and have their names called out over the loudspeaker!! When you add in strobe lights and loud entrance music it definitely makes the kids feel like SUPERSTARS!!  Even the spectators get a devotional during halftime.

Today we went to church and came straight back home. Considering we've been cooped up here for the last 4 days, I am definitely feeling some cabin fever. We have kept ourselves busy baking and doing some crafts. I think I'll share some of that on my "MY Busy Hands" blog later today. It'll be my first post there. I used to have a scrapping blog but decided to expand it to all my craft and baking endeavors.

I think the rest of the afternoon will be spent with a good cup of coffee, the weekly grocery ads and a pile of cookbooks. I need to sit down and make a major grocery list/meal plan. Isaac is working on some stop motion film prep. Maia and Asher are telling me they're bored. I think I'm gonna dig out the paints for them!  We might head out to the library for a bit, and then this evening, Isaac and Maia will be going to 2:52 Kids at church. We lead an exciting life around here people!!