Sunday, January 27, 2008

Sunday Summary

Emma's week of domesticity included cleaning: On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Emma wanted to invite the Daines over. During their stay, I began to walk up the stairs near where they were playing and heard someone say, "oh, no, Jessica's coming." Bad phrase to hear. I looked into the boys' room and the kids were seriously ankle deep in the remnants of my bean bag. You know, the little, static-clingy, spongy balls? They were everywhere. (I have to say...if they are going to make a mess, this is my kind of mess. With liquid messes, you know you'll be re-cleaning any "cleaning" they do. With those little balls, I knew their little fingers were perfect for a complete job. I didn't even get mad.) Once the vacuum cleaner bag got completely filled, they were on their hands and knees for the better part of an hour. I thought it was particularly amusing when Heather came to get them, and they complained, "but we didn't get to play, we had to clean the whole time!"

and cooking: she made us Blankets-in-a-Pig on Monday for dinner (which she, despite being the chef, refused to eat) and sewing: she made this quilt in an Activity Girls' Service Project on Saturday.



Gabe's week of parties started on Monday: a few days before MLK Jr. day, he approached me with the plan to go over to his friend Ryan's house on his day off from school. "We thought we could play the Wii and some games. You know, we thought it would be so we could celebrate Martin Luther King and stuff." Gabe had a dream.

On Friday night, he went over to the Rowell's for Tyler's birthday party. It was a sleepover and we are the mean parents who don't allow them, and so Gabe returned home at 11:00 pm and then went back for breakfast the next morning (he woke up at 6:00 to be sure not to miss any of the pancakes). I'm sure he had a great time, but dealing with him the next day...not so much of a party for his parents. That kid was ridiculously tired. Here he is with both Ryan and Tyler.

Jane had a week of child-care that started on Tuesday when she got the much-anticipated Bunker Bear from preschool this week. If Bunker had been a real child, CPS would have been called, as it got left at Pack Meeting, in the car on a -1 degree day and cross-dressed in girls' clothes. Jane sure enjoyed herself, though. She even suggested that she might be too sick to go to Preschool, so that she wouldn't have to return poor Bunker.

Seth's week of injuries included a climb up this:

because he wanted the exercise ball. Notice the cement floor below. Which he fell on, after apparently hanging for a few seconds by his fingers from the top shelf. (Jane witnessed, but didn't feel compelled to stop him...remember her previously mentioned poor parenting skills?). Later that afternoon, after repeated reminders to STAY DOWN, when Mom's back was turned, he fell from the counter top and garnered a huge "Goose Bump" (as Jane calls them).

Which might have contributed to this moment of insanity: Seth had ripped a page in a book. I admonished him to, obviously, "stop ripping pages." He ripped again. So he got sent to the Not-Listening chair. When it was time to get off, I told him to say sorry to me for not listening to my instructions. He said a very sorrowful sorry and then proceeded to left the bathroom, mumbling something about saying "sah-wy a papers". He headed to the place where the sad little page remnants were lying and, in a very repentant voice, proceeded to say TO THE PAPERS, "Sahwy a wipping you." Thoughtful kid.

Ryan and Jessica had a social week. With 3 lunches, 2 parties (one was DDR party, see below), a temple date, a book club, Pack Meeting, the cannery, being in charge of all carpools, and a basketball game...I wasn't surprised when on Friday night (when I didn't have anywhere to go) Jane said, "I love you, Mom, so I'm sorry you have to go to a meeting tonight." When I replied that I didn't have a meeting, Jane said, "That's weird." We are thankful for fun neighbors and friends, but are hoping for more calm this week!

17 comments:

Lauren in GA said...

That was a lovely update! Hearing how Seth said, "sahwy a wipping you" to the papers, was seriously so cute.
I guess Jane is still honing those parenting skills. Not to worry, there's still time.

Well, at least there was no hospital visit due to Gabe scaling things...And Emma... She's a domestic goddess..and still has the will power not to eat what she cooks :)

Lauren in GA said...

I mean Seth scaling things, sorry! :) Gabe was too busy with parties to scale things :)

Lisa-Marie said...

You do baby talk the very best and it is so cute!

E-mail me (that sounds like a conversation heart these days!) and we'll talk about carpooling plans. That would be lots o fun if we could work it out. lisamariejensen@gmail.com

Yeah, read that and weep blogapalooza girls...Jessica and I might carpool. (Boy, that sounded hostile!)

Penny said...

I love your summaries. You did have an eventful week. And I think that is probably the worst picture of Tyler ever. I know that is rude, but it's true.

And DDR was a Blast! I am so inviting myself over sometime to play!

shauna said...

Your summary was great.

We are the no sleepover parents too. We let them go late, but I never thought of taking them for the breakfast. Nice idea.

I love your look of total concentration on ddr. Fun.

Audry said...

I think I've said this before But I LOVE DDR. Trent and I play it a lot.

Laurie said...

Great summary. Our week included two trips to the ER. Coming soon to my blog--only because Jacob's accident wasn't resolved at the ER and we have to schedule more. How's that for a cliffhanger? Also, I don't think I'd be a sleepover parent either, although nobody's asked our kids yet. A couple times they've gone to the grandparents.

Tiffany said...

Wow - what a busy week! I'm glad to hear you don't allow sleep-overs. I'm trying to hold to it too(although it really hasn't been challenged much) and it's good to hear someone else is on the same page.

And I'm laughing about the "Whether to Sweater". I gave Josh nice sweaters every year in high school for Christmas and he hates them! Mostly because he is always sweating. He tells me he's just not a sweater guy. I'd love to see him in a nice sweater but we'd have to move to Alaska.

Bridget said...

Ouch. From my experience cement floors are not very forgiving.

Margaret said...

Sounds like fun! Love the descriptions...love that it's not your average journal. It's a journal with pizazz! Probably comes partly from having 4 kids...I can relate!

Jake said...

I love hearing that we are not the only ones with the no sleepover rule.

Brigitta said...

Sounds like a fun week. I love the comment about the CPS and Bunker bear. We have a problem with Carson's baby lion. He has been sleeping around a lot lately. (Carson leaves him at different peoples house and then baby lion has a sleepover) And then of course when Carson goes to bed he is looking for his lion. I told Carson I wasn't sure he is ready to be a father yet, so we really need to keep lion at home. No more sleeping around for that lion.

Paige said...

LM- carpool to where? Jessica, great themes for each of your kids. You are my Sunday Summary hero. I need to do mine today, of course a day late and a dollar short.

Hey, we don't do sleepovers either, except with family. I thought I was the only one. More evidence that you are my mother hero too. Am I scaring you that I'm in love with you?

Elizabeth Caldwell said...

I feel like I have "bad mom" stamped on my forehead as I ask... "Why no sleepovers?"

Hollyween said...

You know you have to pick ME up if you guys are carpooling!!!!!!!! I'm right on the way.

Your week sounds busy busy! Why are kids always so obsessed with the exercise ball? Levi is and so is EVERY kid that comes here.
Where did your post go about each child having a "song"? I saw it on reader and then it dissapeared but thought the video of Seth singing and you helping him was the cutest thing EVER! And I clicked on ALL the links and listened to the songs... Just so ya know!

Tammy said...

What a busy family, how do you keep up with so many people in one house?? I have a few questions? When do you allow sleepovers, I think you should let them go so you will have 1 less body in the house that night....more attention to the other kids for a night. Second, is Seth becoming more resilient from all of the tumbles? the younger kids are ususally tougher right?? Third of all, I love how cute you guys are on your Dance, Dance Revolution mats.........too cute

Tammy said...

Why don't mormons allow sleep overs? Its clearly a theme with all of you and I am confused by it....be honest and fill me in. I am sooo confused as I read all of the comments?