The Fieldtrip

Before Macey finished up her Pre-K year, they had a fieldtrip to a historic farm. True to the weather this entire Spring (it's official -- it's been the wettest spring EVER), it rained on the day of her field trip. But, she really really wanted to go! So, I bundled up all four kids, since Emma was off-track, and off to the farm we went! Um, it was wet. Really, really wet. The kids all had jackets, but we still got soaked.

Here are Macey and Molly listening to the blacksmith. They also got to take a wagonride, feed the ducks, look at the horses and cows and pigs and chickens and turkey, play in the tree house. . .they had a great time.

Braden blissfully slept through the adventure.

Did I mention it was raining? Here's Molly where she spent most of the afternoon -- in a puddle.

I'm glad that Macey had a good time, and I think that I should get extra credit mothering points because less than half of her class actually came! Wimpy parents.

Raising Them Right

For her birthday, Macey got a doll house. Molly has actually played with it more than anyone, but sometimes all three of them will sit down and play with it.

While I was hanging up their clothes, I listened in on their play. The doll house has a mom, a dad, and two babies. One baby apparently asked the other, "Where's Dad?" To which the other baby answered, "He's in the kitchen making dinner."

I had to laugh. Obviously I am doing something very, very right.

Emma's Big Day

This year Emma has worked really hard in Kindergarten to qualify for what is known as the "Dragon Award". To get this award, she cannot miss many days of school, her grades have to be really good, she has to attend a Fine Arts event (we went to her cousin's ballet performance of Swan Lake), she has to participate in the Reflections program, she had to do a few posters on leadership, and she had to read 20 minutes a day.

It was a lot, but she did it!
She got her picture taken with the school mascot and with the Principal.

Only three kids in Emma's class got the award, but there were still a million people at the ceremony. An amazing amount of Second Graders got the award. There must have been something in the water that year. When Emma's name was called, she was just supposed to wave to her parents and then the actual certificates were handed out later.

I joked with Garry that I was going to go up there and accept the award with her -- because I put a lot of work into it, too! Oh, I do not even know how many books we have read. Every single Junie B. Jones, a lot of Magic Tree Houses, every single Friend magazine we had in the house, every single Green Light Go series. . . there's a lot of reading going on in the Cunningham house!

Talking In Circles

When people ask me how the girls are adapting to having Braden around, I laugh, and then I kind of groan. They are adapting a little too well. Especially Molly.

Oh, how she loves to sneak up on him while he is sleeping and yell "BOO!" It's apparently the best gig around. She also loves to force his pacifier (lovingly called pinky) down his throat. Yesterday, while I was washing the dishes I caught her feeding him an old, old bottle. Still not sure how he did not spew after that experience.

She loves to wake him up and when I scold her for waking Braden, she looks at me with her blue, blue eyes and says, "Mama, baby awake!" In other words, I did not do anything wrong, he's clearly awake.

To which I respond, "Well, he is NOW."

We have this conversation sometimes 10 times a day.

Braden is a mellow, serious lad, and I desperately need him to smile, for my own benefit and also I need feedback on the "Molly Situation". Does she stress him out? Or does he find her hilarious? I cannot tell yet, but I know that she's stressing me out. Good thing she's so darn cute or I would be looking for a boarding school that accepts two year olds.

The Verdict Is In

My kids are suckers for commercials. They see something on television and absolutely believe everything that is pitched their way. So after seeing a Frosted Flakes commercial, oh how they begged for this cereal. In fact, I think that they begged for well over a month.

Finally Garry bought it for them and they were able to eat some yesterday for breakfast.

I asked them what they thought. The verdict? Too many flakes and not enough frosting.

I thought that was a fair assessment, and I think that they have a bright future in food criticism.

Change The Definition

Momma said there would be days like this. . .but I feel like I have had days on top of days.

Over the last year and a half, I have had five part-time jobs. I have done a little work for two different law firms, I have taught at a university, I did some patent research for a local inventor, and I did some writing for a local business. But nothing has really taken off.

Two weeks ago I was just buried with work. And then it all dried up and things got cancelled and postponed and here I am. Lately I have been praying for "success". I am frustrated that I am not teaching as much as I would like and I am not writing as much as I would like, and I would love to find predictable success. Or at least a predictable paycheck.

And everytime I pray for success, I keep getting the answer that I need to change my definition of success. So maybe I need to stop checking my email to see if new jobs are coming my way and instead just hold and kiss and love my babies.

I Have A Fan. . .

On Sunday we headed off to Church, ultra-content that we did not have much to do that day. Garry did not have to teach, and I have not had to teach for months. The only thing we did HAVE to do at church was help Emma give her talk. (She did great!!)

But then I sat down and was snagged to give a prayer in Sacrament Meeting. No big deal. At the end of the meeting, I walked back down to my seat and saw Molly clapping.

"Yeah, Momma! You did it! You said the prayer!"

Life is so much better with little fans.

My Economics Genius

Every morning after she gets dressed and I brush her hair, Emma dutifully makes her bed, brushes her teeth, and grabs her backpack. She's very obedient.

Then there's Macey. . .everything with her in the morning is a battle. EVERYTHING. So, I started a new rule: no television until she went to the bathroom, got dressed and made her bed.

This morning she refused. It was all just "too hard" and she did not want to. Fine, I told her, then no television.

So she honed in on what economists describe as the "free rider" problem. Knowing that Emma had done everything she was supposed to this morning, she said she would just wait until Emma got home and watch whatever Emma was allowed to watch.

She's a genius. A punk genius, but a genius nonetheless.

Meeting Grandma

So far Braden has only met one Grandma (my Mom) and his Great-grandparents. I like this picture because it looks like Braden is smiling. He does not even fake smile much, though he does sometimes smile for his Dad, so this is one for the record books -- or at least the blog.