If the shoe fits...

Nearly half a decade of consignment and yard sale shopping has resulted in this.

Over 50 pairs of little boys' shoes, ranging in size from too-tiny-to-walk to my-oldest-will-grow-into-them-soon.

And not one of them purchased for more than $2. Because that's my buying-used-shoes rule.

Is "bargain shopping" considered a superpower? Because I think it might be mine.

Not so tiny anymore

August 2013
5 years old

What happened to my tiny dancer?

August 2011
3 years old

Youngest in his class

Jacob made a moose today during our school time, and it was super exciting.

"Look at my moose," he announced, over and over and over again. "Time for school, moose!"

(See what he did there?)

This kid is going to love it when he's finally old enough for preschool at The Fisher Preparatory Academy for Excellence in Learning.

Until then, he's perfectly content crafting and scribbling alongside our phonics and math lessons, and probably tells people he's in first grade or pre-k if they ask.

Don't you dare tell him he's not in school yet.

Beach bums

We returned to our favorite beach this summer, joining some old friends for a third year and adding the fun of having Aunt Sarah and Uncle Ryan vacationing nearby.

To say they were a little excited leading up to our vacation is an understatement. By 7 a.m. the morning we were scheduled to leave, they were downstairs waiting not-so-patiently to get on the road.

This guy learned to walk, finally. And learning to walk on the uneven surface of an east coast beach means walking on any other surface renders him pretty much unstoppable.

This guy potty trained himself, because he spent every waking hour digging, splashing, and pestering the local wildlife in nothing but swim trunks for seven straight days. Guess there's something to be said for quitting cold turkey.

This guy helped his dad catch lots of baby sharks and a couple very large sting rays. Which, for such an avid shark lover, made this pretty much the greatest week of his life.

This girl learned to boogie board. And when I say learned, I mean mastered, because that's how she does things. She spent more time catching waves in one week than I think I have in my entire life. Next year she wants to learn to stand up on the waves, like the grown ups were doing. I am not ready for my first grader to take up surfing.

Daddy got stung by a jellyfish, more than once. Because when you're in the water from sun up to sundown with a daughter who is determined to master boogie boarding, there's about 100% probability you're going to bump into some tentacles. Thankfully, our eldest son has enough compassion to chase Daddy into the bathroom and offer to pee on his arm, after overhearing one of the surfers on the beach suggest that as the best remedy for jellyfish stings.

I got to relax, a little, and enjoyed watching my kids soak up all the joy that comes from spending a week in a giant sand box with unlimited treasures to dig up and time to explore.

And we're already counting down to next year.

A new creation

We began our history curriculum where history begins, with the creation of the world and all that is in it.

And we brought it home by trying to recreate history, by being creators ourselves. The kids learned pretty quickly just how difficult it is to create something completely original, something never before thought up.

The assignment was simple: imagine and design some brand new creature, one that doesn't already exist.

We ended up with a finless shark, a puppy with wings, and a snail with legs.

Abby called it a "walking snail" and insisted it wasn't like an ordinary snail at all. You be the judge.

"None of these things are brand new," I pointed out. "None of them are totally original. And you made all of them out of something. You didn't make any of your creatures out of nothing."

"But we can't do that, Mommy," Abby was careful to point out. "We're not God. Only God can do stuff like that, because He's God, and we're not."

I'd say that's a good place to start.

Solitary confinement

In her newest effort to keep Levi from interfering with her stuff, Abby has taken to creating "baby traps" around the house.

Since the sound of toys and furniture being dragged across the floor is commonplace around here, it usually takes me a while to figure out that a baby trap has been built.

The traps are carefully thought out, and organized in such a way as to ensure Levi will not only take the bait and go into one, but will stay confined for some period of time.

Typically, Abby's strategy involves getting Levi interested in one particular toy, wherever he happens to be at the moment. Next, she drags all the remaining baby toys (All of them. Every single one of them.) into the designated location for the trap.

Sealing off all but one point of exit, she proceeds to lure Levi into the trap, usually by taking his favorite blanky, and sometimes by making a trail of toys for him to follow. If both those efforts fail, she simply drags him by his armpits to where she wants him to land.

Then quickly, before he realizes he's being ensnared, she seals off that final potential escape route, and exits the trap by leaping over whatever piece of furniture is blocking the way.

I was tempted to ask her to stop when she explained her methodology to me, until I noticed that Levi is perfectly content with these arrangements, and, what's more, he's safe and confined and easy to keep track of inside his tiny prison.

I think she'll make an excellent mom one day.

Fearlessness

He acts as if it's no big deal.

As if two-year-olds are all the time going off diving boards by themselves while their nervous mommies stand watch on the total opposite side of the pool because the two year old insisted, "Go away over there, Mommy, so you can take my picture" when I stood too close.

Jacob's big brother and big sister do it all the time. Maybe it really is no big deal.

That's not going to stop this mom from keeping a careful eye. Whether he wants me to or not.

Big catch

I think we can officially call this Levi's first fish. After all, he was a critical part of the team that caught it.

Who's to say I wouldn't have been pulled in by this monster of a catfish had I not had a cute baby on my back to balance things out?

Creative problem solving

Abby really wanted to play with Levi, but he wasn't quite as committed to the idea and kept crawling off.

"Why don't you do something that will make him want to stay close to you?" I suggested, sensing her frustration.

Perhaps I should have been more specific about doing an activity that would keep him close by.

A baby leash was not what I had in mind.

"But now if he starts to crawl away," she explained, defending her solution, "I can just yank him back, like this."

Levi's going to be one tough kid when he grows up.

(Legal disclaimer: No toddlers were harmed in this incident. Levi was promptly released after the event had been properly documented.)

Learning styles

First grade is serious business. And in true Abby fashion, she's taking it pretty seriously.

For everybody else, school looks a little like this.

And this.

And occasionally this.

And this? This is P.E.