Going to School

I was putting Madison to bed last night and we were having the usual bed time battle. This is how it went:

Mommy: Madison, Mommy has a conference call for school so you need to go to bed and stay in bed.
Madison: Are you getting on the bus, Mommy?
Mommy: No, my school is on the computer.
Madison: Mommy, you don't go to school on the 'puter, you have to go to school on the bus. ON THE BUS, MOMMY!

I guess I'll be getting on the bus from now on.

Overheard in Rochester

Have you ever seen the website "Overheard in *enter city name here*" I follow http://www.overheardinminneapolis.com/. People send in the funny things they overhear as they go about their day. It is some pretty funny stuff and makes me laugh every day.

Today, I will post my own version - overheard in Rochester. I almost laughed out loud in the middle of Kwik Trip this morning!

**Little boy to morbidly obese Mom whose arms are full of a dozen donuts, a gallon of chocolate milk, a big buddy of Coke and other sweets.
Boy: "Apples! Mamma, I want an apple!!!"
Mom: "No! You're getting donuts!"

Help me decide who overheard it:
Overheard by: Oh the Irony.
Overheard by: I guess I don't want a donut today.
Overheard by: An apple a day...will keep the gastric bypass surgeon away.

Orca Kids Swim School

I C A N S W I M

Instead of enrolling in our regular community ed swimming lessons, we put Madison in Orca Kids Swim School at the Rec Center. MAN! She learned so much more in these lessons! They were well worth the extra money. The program has 8 levels - I C A N S W I M. Madison skipped the I level and went directly into level C.

She just finished up this session of classes and has advanced to level A. Each time they move up a level, they get a button with the letter of the level that they just passed.

In level C, Madison learned how to put her face under water, kick, and float on her back. She was also starting to work on floating on her front, a technique typically taught in level A.

She could continue taking lessons throughout the summer, but we are usually so busy in the summer that we decided to hold off until fall. So, she is getting a little break from lessons and then will start up again in the fall.

Madison learned and improved so much over the 6 weeks of lessons. I'm so proud of how far she has come!

It's 5:00 Somewhere

Cam was fussy today. So fussy that our daycare provider was probably ready for a beer when I picked him up!

Mike was holding him and had just taken a cold beer from the fridge. It was sitting on the end table near the chair. Cameron couldn't stop looking at it. He just kept staring at that beer. I really like beer, so he could have some genetic pre-disposition for the stuff.

Or, he could just be teething. With the way he kept gumming on the side of the cold can, I'm guessing that's the case!

We took the above "promo" shot just for our friend Chad. His twin girls really like beer too. If teaching your kids to drink beer were a chapter in a parenting book, two things would happen. 1. The parenting book would say to teach your kids to drink good beer. 2. Chad would fail miserably at it.

Monster Truck Madness

Mike has had a nitro-fuel radio controlled truck for years. He has rarely used it because for every thirty minutes he spends driving it, he spends 3 hours (and even more money!) fixing it.

His office recently had a NASCAR themed Friday to help build employee morale. Everyone brought in their radio controlled cars and had races during a potluck lunch. (It's funny how many people actually have them!) The day must have lit the rc car fire in him again and he just treated himself to a new electric rc car.

He has been driving it around our driveway nearly every night since he got it. Madison has been pretty interested in it. Mostly, she likes to run and scream as Mike chases her down with the car. She also likes to watch him drive it over the jumps he has built with a few logs and an old piece of plywood. She started asking to drive the car tho - and it is much too expensive and goes much too fast to trust her at the controls. So, Mike had to buy her a car too.

Now they both stand in the driveway at night driving their RC cars. At first, Madison couldn't go forward and turn at the same time - it takes a little coordination to work the forward lever and the turning lever at the same time...but she is now getting the hang of it. Not only does she now know how to push the lever to make the car turn, but she also turns her arms. I'm sure that it helps it turn...somehow.

Check out these pipes!

The swift flush of death

If you follow me on Facebook, you know that Madison's fish died about a month ago. We didn't have the heart to tell her that her precious Cinderella had died, so we quickly replaced the fish. She was none the wiser.

Fast forward to today. This morning we received the sad news that Mike's parent's cat, Buddy, had to be put to sleep last night. He had unexpectedly gone into kidney failure and there was nothing they could do.

Then, we got home after work and discovered the fish had died again.

Hmmm...these things come in three's...I wonder what is next???

Madison asked why her fishy was floating upside down. So, we explained that her fishy got sick and died. That it went to fishy heaven, just like Old Grandma went to be with Jesus in Heaven. She knows its a pretty cool place, because she thinks Old Grandma is with Jesus and eating all the ice cream and cookies that she could ever want. That's a pretty good idea of Heaven, so we'll run with it!

Mike helped her scoop the fish up in the net and carry it to the bathroom. We had a little fishy funeral that ended with a ceremonious flush.

As we went back to the kitchen to clean up the dinner dishes, Madison asked why her fishy had died. We explained that God had decided the fishy's time was done and God needed her for something else now. We weren't sure how to explain something that we truly don't understand ourselves.

I decided it was probably time to tell her about her Grandparent's cat, Buddy.

So I said, "Madison, do you remember Grandpa's kitty? The one named Buddy?"

She said, "yea, he is mean to me."

I kind of laughed and said "That's the one!" I went on to say, "Madison, Grandpa's kitty got sick last night and he had to go to kitty Heaven. Grandpa is really sad about it."

She thought for a minute and then said:

Are you ready for it???

"Did Grandpa flush Buddy down the toilet too?"

Sibling Rivalry?

Not yet! Cameron is so lucky to have a big sister that loves him so much. If he is playing on the floor, she is usually right there with him. She likes to sing to him and make him giggle. She can make him laugh better than any of us can! Madison also asks to hold her baby brother just about every day. At bedtime, she has to give him just as many kisses and hugs as she gives Mommy and Daddy.

I hope their close relationship continues! Kisses and hugs are so much better than punching each other in the face!