Tonight was our first parent teacher conference of the year.  The kids are in a French school, immersed in French all day long, so it’s been a bit of a mystery to us as to how they were doing.  For Kate we had no worries; she’s young, she’s in the most primary of classes the [...]

Will did not want to go to school today.
First, he tried the Peggy Ann McKay approach.  He dramatically explained his sudden illnesses and selflessly proclaimed that he “would feel REALLY BAD if he got anyone else sick.  REALLY FOR REAL.”  When I felt his head and tested his smile button (belly tickle spot), he was [...]

Maybe it’s a good thing I didn’t get a chance to make Will’s spider costume. Because Will may have been cool with the whole spider-thing, but Kate has absolutely no interest in her Little Miss Moffett bonnet. Will, on the other hand, was thrilled to pose with it.

Is that a seriously nice bonnet [...]

2008_10_10-katesingsfreirejacques (mp3)

This is very typical dinner conversation in our household.  Kate chatters on and on about something, Will sweetly pipes up and does exactly what we ask of Kate, Kate tries her best to do the same (sounding like she’s providing back-up for Ozzy Osbourne), and then forgets what she is doing and starts talking [...]

“Mommy, I love you sweeter than the sweetest bullfrog ever kissed.”

I am a very hated Mommy, so says my son, who has decided to declare all out war against me.

He’s been very difficult lately in general.  Argumentative, stubborn, lashing out.  Combined with his sleeping in until 7:30 most days and a complaint that his ear “was popping”, I was suspecting an ear infection or possibly [...]

While we were in Central Pennsylvania for my cousin’s wedding, Will went fishing for the first time.  On our first day there, my Uncle Corky brought him to a local creek (after their two-man fishing excursion, Will announced that, while the rest of us call him “Uncle Corky,” Will was going to call him “Uncle [...]

Will is on a roll, yammering on and on in the backseat about swimming in the “Nindianic Ocean,” (I’m told it’s in the Arctic), which is filled with whales that eat all people (”both boys AND girls”), has dangerous seals that bite, and also(!) many, MANY penguins.
Kate tries to periodically chime in with key words, [...]

Our children are good at many things.  But going to sleep at night is not one of them.
Well, maybe that isn’t quite true.  Somewhere around age 2, Will became an award-winning, champion sleeper.  Even now, he’s still pretty good about going to bed when told.  Yeah, he politics and rationalizes all the reasons why he [...]