DUFDN - Mustaches

I think the picture speaks for it's self:

The reason we chose mustaches as our DUFDN was because Uncle John told us yesterday that all the guys in his unit were having a mustache growing contest (it's what they do for fun evidently). So we wanted to show him that we could do it too. The mustache contest that spans around the globe.

Gavin's Apex

I have been doing a little science experiment of my own. It involves Gavin's hair. Since the style right now is long for guys, and Gavin's hair grows out of control rather fast, I thought we could achieve the 'long look' rather well with him.

Apparently, I am mistaken. I realized that it takes more than just the ability to grow your hair fast inorder to have long hair. There is also the 'cool' factor, the 'you-have-to-actually-brush-it-once-in-a-while' factor, the 'awkward phase of growing out your hair' factor and most importantly, the 'gavin' factor.

It would seem that the only reason he thought this whole hair experiment was a good idea was because 1. he hates to get his hair cut and 2. he could care less what he looks like. If Mom says it will look good, then it will look good. Period. He puts a lot of stock in my opinion. Maybe a little too much stock. But I have become rather tired of doing my hair and his hair every day - especially since he is almost twelve.

So, this morning, after yet another cockatoo hair moment with Gavin, I announced, "I think we're going to go back to the 'clean' (i.e. - short) look for you again buddy."

"WHAT??! I LOVE my hair like this! It hasn't even reached it's apex yet!"

Here are some examples of what he loves about his hair:



I'm a little worried about what might happen if we let it reach it's apex.

Verbatim

As we were taking a walk to the park on this lovely fall afternoon Gavin wanted to reminisce about a science experiment he witnessed earlier in the day that involved liquid nitrogen. "Mom. It was amazing how that balloon went from bulbous to thin so quickly and back to bulbous again."

I nodded in agreement. I also made a mental note to try to use the word 'bulbous' more often.

Thoughts On Christmas

Chuck and I had decided that this was the year that all the kids were going to cross that line into "the real world" where Santa is involved. We were going to break the news as gently as possible. So, while we were eating dinner the other night, Chuck asks the kids, "So, tell me your thoughts on Christmas. What is the first thing that pops in your head when you think about Christmastime?" We got a wide array of answers. None of them involved Santa. So we had to keep digging. Subtlety was not working. So Chuck just came right out and asked, "What are your thoughts on Santa?"

Both Bennett and Chloe responded, "He's not real, is he."

Daddy, "You're right."

"We didn't think so. We didn't think so last year either."

Ok then. That was a nice little conversation. I guess Chuck and I were the ones that were let down gently this year. Glad to know our kids are up to speed.

Seriously?!?

We were driving around town today when Gavin asks me, "Mom, when you get decapitated, are you still alive?"

I have a few questions of my own first, 1. how in the world would i know that? 2. what brought about this line of questioning? 3. is there ever a time when you're not thinking? 4. you realize I'm just a mom, not a nuclear physicist or an accomplished surgeon? 5. really?!?

But instead this is what flowed forth from my humble personage, "Uh...no!"

I then decided to draw on all my previous medicinal background and knowledge (there is none - except for what I read in books) and threw this little tid-bit back at him, "Well, you see Honey, once the head comes off (did I just say that?), the heart keeps pumping blood for a few seconds, so I'm sure it's squirting out all over the place. But, the heart needs the brain in order to function, so after only a few seconds of pumping, it will eventually stop." How's that for scientific?! It's rather unfortunate I didn't have my trusty little medical dictionary in the car with me for just such a moment as this.

Of course he has a come-back. He obviously asked this loaded question for a reason. "Well, mom, then why when you cut off a cockroach's head, does it live for another 7-10 days?"

"How in the world am I supposed to know the answer to that?! How do you know that?"

"I read it."

"Do you believe everything you read?"

"Well. I read it in two books."

"Ok then. I guess it must be true if two books are telling you the same story. Assuming this is true, cockroaches are an anomaly then. That shouldn't happen."

"Wouldn't blood squirt out everywhere?"

I want this conversation to be over. First I have an image of a decapitated human floating around in my brain, now I have a cockroach running around without a head. When will the madness stop? How do I know the bleeding or dying habits of cockroaches? All I know is that I step on them and they crunch. I don't investigate to see if they crawl away without an appendage or head. My bad I guess. Then I would have more accurate information to pass along to my off-spring.

Thankfully, Bennett comes to the rescue with his vast knowledge all things animal kingdom related, "Gavin. Cockroaches don't have blood." So there.

"So, I think that a person would still stay alive for a few seconds after their head is cut off." explains Gavin trying to tie this whole morbid conversation together. Evidently, we are now entering into the hypothesis stage of this conversation. I agree. Can we be done now?

"So, who wants hot chocolate when we get home?" There's really no easy way to change subjects, but this seemed to do the trick.

The Surprise

What's better than wanting something and waiting a long time to get it?

Getting surprised with that something!

That's what happened to our family last week. I had been missing my parents for months now and had no idea when the next time we'd get to visit them would be (due to the failing health of my Jadziu). But we understood this and didn't want to pressure them. We were okay sacrificing for a little bit. But the time and distance started becoming too much. I had even asked Chuck within the past month if we could take some money from savings so the kids and I could fly up to see them. But nothing really paned out. It was just way too costly.

Then came a week ago Friday. It was movie and pizza night. Bennett and Daddy were at his baseball end-of-season party. Chloe, Gavin and I were watching a movie that was lulling me to sleep. It was 8 o'clock at night. Someone knocked on the door. I thought it was the neighborhood kids since I'd recently heard them outside kicking the ball. I thought it went over the fence and they were coming to ask for it. Not.

I open the door and to my surprise there stood my parents. They drove 2, 11 hour days to get here. To see me. Well...okay, probably more than just me. But for that moment it was me. My first thought was how dirty my house was (of course). But once I jumped that hurdle, I just enjoyed the time. It was an amazing, wonderful week. Funny thing was....the week I wanted to fly up there to see them would have been that exact same week they came here. Now that wouldn't have worked out too well would it? How much better it was to wait. I'm reminded of a Bible verse: "Trust in the Lord and wait patiently for Him." It's always better that way.

A cozy little home I found for them that's a lot closer - on the grounds of the Dallas Arboretum.

Obsessed

My boys have become OBSESSED with this series of books. They eat, sleep, drink, talk nothing but this book. They've stopped playing and spend every spare minute reading. This would not be out of the norm for Gavin...but Bennett? The child has morphed into a book worm. He has read 5 of these books in one month. This is the son who would find any reason to not like a book, unless it was Hank the Cowdog. His criteria for a book are very high - it has to have good writing, be funny and enlist great characters. I guess he found the whole package in this series. I had no clue he would stop everything in order to read. He even asked to go to bed early on more than one occasion so he could have extra time to read! Who are you and what have you done with my son oh author of great stories? His goal this week is to finish the next book in two days. This is the child who would only read Calvin and Hobbes, graphic novels or books about cheetahs when there was nothing else to do. I'm loving this! I'm going to ride this wave as long as it lasts. I often find Gavin and Bennett in deep conversation through-out the day over the characters, what happens next, discussing the plot and talking about everything owl. Thank you Kathryn Lasky for writing such awesome books that makes my children want to get lost in the world of reading. Their imaginations will never be the same!

On a recent chat session Bennett & I were having over this little obsession, he explained the process called "Moonblinking". This is when the bad owls, have the good little owls stare at the moon and all recite their names at the same time. They are never supposed to look at the moon for long periods of time, the good owls know this. This effect is supposed to cause confusion for the little owls and change the essence of who they are. They are supposed to become mindless little minions of the 'bad owls' and forget who they are and where they came from. It's like being brain washed. At the end of this little lesson Bennett tells me, "Mom. I kinda like to think of last year at public school was like Gavin and me being "moonblinked". But it didn't work. Thanks for teaching us at home mom." Hmmm....maybe he's on to something.

Be Careful What You Teach

These would be my childrens' favorite chip alternative. You see, we've been studying about nutritious eating, servings per ounce, calories per serving, cost per serving...all that fun stuff. I had no clue how literal my children would take all this. Now they read the labels on every food item in the house. That can have good and bad consequences. Bad for me when they read what I'm eating and come to me and say rather loudly, "MOM!!! DO YOU REALIZE YOU'RE EATING 500 CALORIES RIGHT NOW!" Thanks for that. I was trying to ignore that little fact and just enjoy the taste. Every day at lunch, these same people count out EXACTLY 17 crackers in order to get only 90 calories from their 'chip' consumption for the day. Oh...they know how to read a box. I did NOT teach them to do that. I do not do that. I just teach the concepts, they decide when and where they want to apply them to life. Don't even get me started in their quest for finding "high fructose corn syrup" on every box in the grocery store. Or the search for GMOs in every box not labeled 'organic'. Life is fun around here.