Doggone Slacker

I have been called a blog slacker, so I'm attempting to correct the situation. The problem is that while things have been very busy lately, nothing has been particularly newsworthy. Things have been simply sailing along.

A few notes of interest: Sailor had her gymnastics class last night, and they finally worked on the bars and hand rings. Finally, it was Sailor's time to shine. She can't do a cartwheel, but that kid is a monkey on the bars. Her teacher watched her for a little while, then she called Sailor up to the front of the class and used her as the example of what the other girls should be doing. I was very proud of her.

Jack doesn't really have the busy schedule that Sailor has, but he has started taking Gymboree classes. They basically run wild in the toddler-sized gym, and they have a teacher who leads the kids and their moms in different lessons (big and small, loud and quiet, etc.). Jack is mostly interested in the balls scattered around the room. He runs from ball to ball shouting, "A BALL! A BALL!" He doesn't really like to participate in the lessons, but he enjoys watching the other kids while he does his own thing.

I hope to remember my camera one of these days, and I will post some photos of their respective classes. I also hope to remedy my slackness on the blog. As long as I have Watson to send me vicious e-mails about it, I think I have a shot!

She was this American Girl...

Sailor took her Christmas money and her mother to the new American Girl Boutique and Bistro at North Point Mall in Alpharetta Saturday. We did a little shopping and had desserts at the bistro (where the new and fabulous Julie had her own little chair and menu). It was very cool, and I found myself wishing I was a little girl again.

Stalker Mommy...

I was wedged between the kitchen table and the wall, taking these pictures with my big zoom lens through the bars on the handrail that leads downstairs. I felt like a member of the paparazzi stalking a pop star.

Sailor and Jack were sharing one of those sweet moments that does a great deal to lessen my anxiety over whether they will be really close because of their age differences. Apparently, Saturday morning cartoons and raisin toast can bridge any gap. :)

Yes sir, she IS a superstar!

The cookie cake pretty much says it all, but I still want to shout it from the rooftops... Sailor made straight A's on her report card! Woo hoo!

Nature girl... and boy

Honestly, having been born to people who almost always prefer an indoor, air-conditioned room with cable TV and a comfy place to park our buns, the incredible, bone-deep love Sailor and Jack have for the outdoors is amazing.

Sailor has invented a new super hero. She goes by Nature Girl, and she is a defender of all things flora and fauna. She is currently the lead role in the musical being rehearsed and performed (you guessed it!) outside every afternoon. I mentioned this musical in a previous post. I'm assuming you can also guess out who will be playing Nature Girl. From what I can glean from overheard rehearsals, the neighbor kids will be playing both villian and chorus roles. That's assuming she can whip them into shape before the production date. You would not believe the lack of professionalism she has to deal with.

Jack has only recently discovered the wonders of "outside." But it didn't take long for it to become a full-fledged obsession. If anyone dares go outside without him, he will fall to his knees with his face in his little hands and wail. This evening, I took him with me on a quick run out to the car to grab a bag, and the moment he realized that what we were doing was no more than a point A to point B sort of thing, he promptly fell apart. I swear I saw him over in the corner trying to rent his garments.

I guess it's time for Watson and me to work on becoming outdoorsy types. Maybe we can get an extra long, weatherproof cable for the TV...

You go, girl!

We were eating at a pizza restaurant, and we had a very chatty waitress. Really annoyingly chatty, but Watson and I were giving each other meaningful looks and trying to rise above.

As we were leaving, our waitress had a hissy fit over Jack and all his glorious cuteness, and she complimented Sailor on being an obviously great big sister. She then gave Sailor a good once-over, and she said, "Good LORD! You have some HUGE feet!"

I stood watching, ready to mouth off at this ninny server if Sailor showed any signs of having hurt feelings, but guess what she did? Guess what my brave, beautiful, clever, big-footed girl did? She looked right at the woman and said, "The better to run with, my dear."

Oh, how I love that kid!

Day one

Trying something new today! My goal is to keep up this blog as a sort glimpse into the life of our family, and most specifically the kids.

I will most certainly not write every day (It's just not my way), and some days may be light- so be warned!

Today was a blissfully non-busy day. We didn't have a single thing to do, and it was glorious! I spent the day trying to catch up on laundry (who knew 4 people could generate more dirty laundry in three days than an entire co-ed college dorm?), reading The Fiery Cross (again!) and observing all the goings-on around the house.

Watson, of course, has been immersed in football all day. If not a game, then one of those annoying sports shows where beefy men in tight suits yammer on and on about football.

Jack played around with his new obsession, shoes. But in a manly way. He calls them "shoosh." He found a heap of shoosh near the front door (yeah, I should probably do something about that). He tried them all on, and he stumbled around in Sailor's cowboy boots for a while. It was pretty darn cute. He'd work tirelessly trying to step into them, and when it finally happened, he'd look up with a grin and say, "SHOOSH!"

He will also bring our shoes to us and then lead us by the hand to the front door, pointing frantically and making all kinds of urgent grunting noises. The kid absolutely LOVES to play outside. Watson took him out for a while yesterday. Jack loves his swing, and he went down the big slide in the back yard all by himself (but with Daddy hovering protectively behind) several times.

Sailor was outside all day today. She came in once for ice cream push pops, and then she disappeared again for another few hours. At one point, I heard her outside giving direction to the neighbor kids, who follow her every whim. Apparently, she was directing their musical, and I deduced this by the loud screeching notes that followed Sailor's count of three. I heard a lot of loud comments from the director, who is really rather tough. "No, Marci! Just freeze, then sing LOVELY, okay?"

At one point, I heard a lot of screaming and barking, so I ran to the window to look out. It looked like trouble from the little piss ant dog who lives next door, so I ran outside in my unfortunate-looking pajamas to check the situation. Apparently, the children felt there could be trouble eventually, even though the dog was inside his own fence (and about the size and proportion of a watermelon... not terribly agile, in my opinion). The two redheaded neighbors were "treed" in the fort on top of our swing set, and Sailor was standing in a swing, with a chocolate push pop in one hand and a baseball bat in the other. I can only hope this bat was grabbed up as defense against the dog and not as an "instructional" tool for her musical students.

She's upstairs now with her nose in a National Geographic for Kids magazine, and Jack is downstairs in the toy room with a sippy cup of milk and Max and Ruby on TV. Watson is piled up on the couch with a cocktail, a laptop and a remote (happy as a clam), and I'm here writing and trying to put off the next load of laundry.

Things have become suspiciously quiet in the toy room. I'm crossing my fingers and heading off to see what the little monkey king is doing.

Love to all and good night!