Student of the Week

Because Isaac was student of the week at preschool this week, I got to come into his classroom this morning. I had so much fun and I think Isaac really enjoyed having his mama there too! He wanted me to read a story to his classmates, and he picked "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein, one of his favorites. Here are a few pictures of him doing his show and tell (he took a photo book today with some of his favorite pictures--mostly of him and grammy) and with his teacher, Mrs. Smith.
This morning as I was walking into his classroom, I got flashbacks of being a kid and having my mom come to my class for whatever reason. I can remember that always being such a treat and thinking she looked so pretty and being so glad she was there! Now, I am the mom...that is so weird to me! I still feel like I am 16 years old most of the time!
With Isaac having the option of doing kindergarten next year, I have been seriously contemplating what to do with him...there are so many questions-should I wait another year and do one more year of preschool (his birthday is in July)? Should I home school him? Should I enroll him in public school? I am really divided down the middle on the whole home school vs. public school debate. Does anyone have any insights for me? If so, I would appreciate you emailing me or leaving them in the comments.

Go to this site for a little Christmas cheer from the Buck family

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9637277485

(Be patient, it may take awhile to load...)

Here is what we have been up to lately:

*Baby has been sleeping SO poorly lately-up four or five times per night and up FOR THE DAY at 5:30am which is crazy! I finally wrestled him down and looked in his mouth this morning and low and behold, I think he is getting his first tooth! I am hoping it pops through soon so he gets some relief!

*Isaac is "Student of the Week" at preschool this week. He gets to take show and tell every school day this week, so its been this huge deal deciding what he should take! Friday we get to visit his classroom and he wants me to read a story to his class.

*We were visited by the lovely stomach flu bug last week. Isaac was sick a week ago today, and Dave got sick Thanksgiving night. Thankfully I have not gotten sick. I have never anticipated an illness so much in my entire life. With every little twinge my stomach makes I think, "here we go" but, so far, nothing! Yaaay!

*I decorated for Christmas this past weekend. I did way more than I did last year and kept wondering why I was going through all of the effort since I doubt anyone will see it but us. But, I guess I shouldn't make it look nice just so others will see it. Our little family is special enough! It was tough doing the decorating with both kids underfoot. I kept wishing for a grandma to magically sweep in and take them away for awhile! Then I kept remembering a family who just lost their only child-an eight year old boy-who drowned in the bath tub after suffering a seizure (his mom had just run downstairs to shut something off and when she came back she found him). My heart breaks into a million pieces for them. I kept reminding myself how lucky I was to be "inconvenienced" by an active four year old and a teething, grumpy baby.

*We (meaning Liz) are trying to get our Christmas shopping all done. I made the mistake of venturing out on Black Friday by myself with the kids. The line at Kohl's to check out actually went from the front of the store way to the back by the customer service area! What was I thinking? I think I am going to do WAY more online shopping this year.

*I hope you enjoy my Christmas slideshow. My mom was paranoid that everyone who sees the picture of Graham with the lights would think we had subjected him to near electrocution. Let me say that he only had access to the lights for the half a second it took me to snap the picture and Dave was standing nearby and was in charge of watching him like a hawk to make sure he wasn't heading toward his mouth with a fistful of lights. The things I do for cuteness!

Christmas 2007 Photo Shoot Slideshow

First Snow!

We had our first snow this morning! Isaac has been home sick and feeling a little bit squirrely, so he was wishing he could go outside and play in the new snow! Too bad mommy isn't as excited about the snow as Isaac! When I see the first snow, all I have are feelings of impending doom and thoughts of a long, cold winter. I hate winter!

Yesterday Isaac said, "Mommy, my tummy is tired. My legs are tired. All my parts are tired." Have you ever felt that way? I know I have!

Thankfully, the rest of us have not gotten sick so far...

We were invited to our neighbor's house for thanksgiving. Because they had the same bug Isaac did, thanksgiving at their house was called off. So, Dave and I are planning our own little (big) lunch with all of our favorite things. Even though we miss our family, we are looking forward to a day of eating and relaxing!

We hope everyone has a wonderful thanksgiving!

This is a picture of the boys we just had taken...Double click to enlarge.

This is a picture of the boys we just had taken...Double click to enlarge.

I think I could fill a book with Isaac stories. Daily he provides me with material! I try to be "fair and balanced" with stories on each of my boys, but Isaac is a hard act to follow these days. All that being said, I do have to say that it is SO nice to have a baby to love and kiss on about a million times per day (and there is no resistance! He just sits there!). He is so lovable and sweet! He is showing us a little more of his personality each day. Some of his current "faves" are watching Isaac do ANYTHING (no one ever told me about this particular perk of having two kids...one can entertain the other for fairly long periods of time which allows mama to get something done!), his toes (can you imagine being able to comfortably reach down, grab a foot and chew on your toe for awhile?), his stuffed elmo doll and baby einstein DVD's. Oh, and just LOOK at those thighs! Aren't they the cutest things you have ever seen? (Double click on the picture to view them in all of their chubby splendor.)

A Day in the Life (and Death) of Isaac's Bear

This morning I was busy with the laundry, not paying any attention to Isaac who was happily playing away. Suddenly he excitedly came running up to me saying, "Mommy! Mommy! I shot the bear and it's dead! It's dead!" I had no idea what he was talking about, but wanting to appease him so I could get back to my laundry, I went over to the place his bear was laying on the floor. There he was, with those little ends for kid's pencils lodged in his fur...one between his eyes, and two more in his body. Then Isaac proceeded to ask me if I wanted any of the meat, and whether or not we should bury him. Oh my. Should I be concerned?

Well, a few moments later, his bear had been resurrected and he was teaching him how to play on the internet. I guess the moment of silence will not be necessary.

All that and a Bag of Chips

Today we happened to be out and about at Target over the lunch hour, so Isaac, the baby and I stopped there for lunch (one of our favorite places for a quick bite together). I decided that Isaac and I could share a bag of chips and made the mistake of handing them over to him. Little did I know that with a bag of chips comes great power. He spent the entire lunch time doling out the pathetic tiny chips from the bottom of the bag to me and then he would proceed to giggle in this nasty little way. I was completely at his mercy. When he finally did put a bigger chip on my plate, he giggled again and immediately snatched it out of my possession.
The whole scene reminded me of another story from when Isaac was about two. At our old house, there was a very slanted driveway that went directly out into the street. I was always afraid Isaac would ride his trike on the decline and pick up speed and find himself in the street. So, I found a line in the cement and told Isaac he could never go past that line. Immediately after I told him this, he wheeled his little trike over to the line and slowly rolled his wheel until it was touching the very edge of the line. Then, he then sat there on his trike and just looked at me. Talk about kids pushing the limits!

Scrapbooking!

I went to an all day crop on Saturday with some friends. Here are a few of the pages I did. Because I am swimming in a sea of photos right now, I am into simple and clean layouts. If you click on the pictures, you can see them a little better.

It was SO fun to get away for a day and gab with girlfriends! It was also the longest period of time Dave had ever been alone with the baby (and both kids together) and he did great! I think I should go away more often! :)

Some Thoughts on Motherhood

It is official. I have become one of those mothers. You know the kind. Maybe you used to be one of those mothers. Or, maybe you had one of those mothers. Maybe you even are one of those mothers right now too.
They were the kind of mothers I would look at in all of my self-inflated college "coolness" about 10 or 12 years ago and roll my eyes. There they were in the grocery store, or in their mini-van, or at the park. "What do they do all day?" I would secretly think to myself. Buzzing around town in my frenzied state, I would become irritated if a mother in her "mommy-mobile" had the audacity to drive under the speed limit in front of me when I had somewhere very important to go.
I was smack-dab in the middle of the grocery store this morning with my two kids, and all of these thoughts came back to me. There I was, with Graham strapped to me in a snugli, drool dripping from his mouth and down my arm (leaving a huge wet spot on my sleeve) and Isaac in my cart. I was paging through my coupon organizer and wearing the customary "mom uniform" (sweats and tennis shoes). And as I noticed the glances of those around me, it occurred to me that I have been completely consumed by this incredible task of motherhood.
I remember feeling accomplished if I received a great compliment from others on my work with clients. Those same feelings of accomplishment would follow me confidently into my staff meetings, looking what I felt was pretty polished, to discuss things I felt pretty knowledgeable about. Now, my feelings of accomplishment come from using twelve dollar's worth of coupons at the grocery store, pulling through the day without baby puke somewhere on my person, and hearing Isaac say, "you look pretty mama" when I have just rolled out of bed in the morning. The successes are less clear and less frequent. What keeps me going are those nano-second glimpses I get of my children that tell me they are going to be OK. Not only OK, but uniquely suited for infinite plans God has for their lives.
So, I am alright with this. I may not be perfectly polished, but I have a four year old that thinks I am pretty. I may not always be confident, but I have a Heavenly Father that has armed me with his Word and the privilege of having two beautiful boys that have hailed me as the Queen of their world (and one big boy too!). I may not be accomplished, but my heart is filled to overflowing when Graham looks up at me and smiles that smile that is just for his mama. And I can honestly say, I love my life as one of those mothers.