Seen and Heard....

This year, due to learning issues with #2 son Jonathan, I have switched part of his curriculum to Five in A Row. We used Before Five in a Row with the kids for pre-school, and Five in a Row for Kindergarten and First Grade with the older boys, but have gotten away from it as they got older. However, last year I did almost every subject with Jon using a different curriculum in an effort to determine what was going to work the best...you know, before all my hair turned gray, and then I pulled it all out. :)

So, after last year's "great curriculum experiment", Jon and I determined that he enjoyed reading something and then answering questions and doing projects based on that reading. Re-enter the Five in a Row curriculum! Since he is older now, he is doing the Beyond Five in a Row version which entails reading two fiction novels and two non-fiction books over the semester and doing applied math, science, geography, history, and writing assignments based on those books. (Just for those who are curious, all of the children use Alpha Omega's Switched on Schoolhouse for Language Arts and Bible, Madeleine and Benji also use it for History/Geography and Science. And they all use Math-U-See as well.)

Last week Jon had an assignment based on the 2nd chapter of "The Boxcar Children". In the chapter, the children happen upon a water fountain with 3 levels; the top level was for people to drink from, the middle for horses, and the lower for dogs. In the lesson, he also learned that Kansas City is known as "The City of Fountains" and we studied pictures of all the famous Kansas City Fountains.

His assignment was to then design a fountain that would provide water for people, horses, and dogs, and yet be decorative...somewhat like the Kansas City Fountains, thus mixing function with art.

I gave him the choice of building a fountain out of Lego's, sculpting one out of clay, or just drawing his fountain on paper. He chose drawing...because it's faster...and less work...ahem.

Anyway, the point of all this seemingly useless information is to tell you that when Jon brought his fountain design to me, I noticed that it had 4 levels rather than the required 3. I was curious as it isn't really like Jon to do any more than what is required...if that, but I chose to remain quiet on the issue, and simply ask him to tell me about his design.

This is what he said,

"The top has a cupid, and his hiney is facing the front. (he is a boy after all)
The bottom pool is for the dogs.
The second one is for the horses.
And the people drink... from...the...top... (about this time, he realized that his fountain had 4 levels rather than 3)
Oh, and THAT one up there is for people on horses!"

Bwah-ha-ha-ha!

You can never accuse my boy of non-creativity...nor of the not being able to think on his feet! :)

A Funny Story

Those of you who know me in real life will probably remember that my husband, Ben, wore the same glasses for the past 10+ years. He's not a big fan of change...ahem.

Anyway, a little over a year ago, he needed to get his prescription updated, and consequently had to get new frames as well. When we went to Lenscrafters to choose the new frames, he immediately gravitated toward those that were similar to the ones he had. I kept trying to get him to branch out and try some different styles, but he just kept resisting.

When I asked the lady working there if she had suggestions for him, she chose a pair that were TOTALLY different and looked wonderful on him! He hemmed and hawed for awhile, but eventually decided that they did look good, and he would get them. (Yippee!)

Fast forward to just last week...

My number 2 son, Jonathan, came to me after Youth Group last Wednesday, and told me that he had had trouble reading the Bible that evening. He said the letters were blurry, and he had gotten a headache trying to read it. I asked him if it had happened before, and he said it had, but since he was just reading to himself, he didn't really care---if you know Jonathan, this should not come as a surprise to you...ahem.

So, on Thursday, I called the eye-doctor and scheduled an appointment for him to have his eyes checked. They concluded that he was mildly farsighted and had astigmatism in one eye, and that while he could see fine, this condition causes eye strain and after doing his schoolwork on the computer along with the reading and writing assignments, by the time he got to youth group, his eyes were worn out. The answer to this issue was to give him glasses to wear whenever he is on the computer, reading, or doing any other "close up" type of activity.

We headed to the Lenscrafters to pick out his frames, and the same lady who had helped Ben find his glasses was working that day. She led him to the kids' frames, and he looked at a couple of different styles. She looked at him, and pulled out a pair that she thought would look good....

THEY WERE ALMOST EXACTLY THE SAME PAIR SHE CHOSE FOR BEN!

I started laughing, because of all the kids, Jon is just about a carbon copy of his dad. If you look at Ben's childhood pictures, you will see Jon...

And here are the clones...aka Thing 1 and Thing 2....now all Jon needs is a mustache! :)

Just Tell Them He's Homeschooled....

At one of the final games of the football season, Jonathan was blindsided by a blocker from the other team while he was on his way to sack the quarterback. He never made it to the quarterback. As he lay there on the field trying to figure out who had hit him, the team trainer came over to check him out...

Before I continue with this story, you need to know two things about Jonathan. First, he doesn't feel that it is important to memorize dates and things at this stage in his life. He figures if he needs to know when something is, he can just ask someone else. Secondly, he doesn't keep track of what day it is. Again, he doesn't feel the need to know anything beyond whether it's a "school day" or a "no school day"...

With that in mind, here is the conversation that took place between Jonathan and the team trainer that day as he lay out on the field.

Trainer: "Do you know your name?"
Jon: "Jonathan"
Trainer: "Do you know what day it is?"
Jon: "No"
Trainer: "Do you know when your birthday is?"
Jon: "No"

I feel so sorry for that trainer. I'm sure he was ready to call the ambulance right then and there and have Jon taken immediately to the hospital!

We have a little joke in our family, whenever one of the kids makes some glaring grammatical error, or says something stupid, we simply call them "Homeschool Bob", or "Homeschool Mary" as the case may be. Apparently, this quick-witted sarcasm comes from my mother, because when relating this story to her over the phone, her comment was a very appropriate, "Just tell them he's homeschooled!"



(And just for the record, this picture is not of Jon getting tackled, but of him making a tackle. I just thought this post needed a good football picture to go with it!)

Writer's Block

I'm having trouble thinking of anything to blog about lately. I have one post in the works, but it is a bit lengthy, and I have too much to do this week to spend much time on it, SO....I did think of one other Jonathan story for you. I actually can't believe I forgot to share this one earlier since it happened over a year ago!

We were at my niece's wedding. The wedding was held at this really cool, historic mansion just outside the city. The location of the actual ceremony was called "The Barn", but it was really a beautiful building with stained concrete floors, large rough-hewn logs were used as pillars throughout the room, the walls were limestone, and the ceiling looked like it was a thatched roof from the inside. So, we were sitting there, quietly, in the service when Jonathan starts looking around at the stone walls, the wooden pillars and the straw ceiling. He leaned over and said to me, "Mom, it looks like all three of the little pigs worked on this place!" In my great efforts to stifle my laughter, I think I emitted a snort or two which got me not a few curious looks from those around us! Oh well, we're all related now anyway!

Now, hopefully that will tie you over until I can think of something profound to write, or until I have my...um...mammogram. I'm sure I'll have plenty to write about after that!

In the meantime, I'm off to school and the cake and cookie world for the next couple of weeks. I'll check in when I can with pictures and updates, and if anything remotely funny, or, you know, humiliating happens, I'll be sure to let you know!

Busy, Busy, Busy

I'm so sorry I haven't posted in a while. I have some posts in draft mode, but haven't had time to polish and post them this week. PLUS, I am trying to get my cookies/pictures ready for the Bloggy Cookie Exchange on Friday.

However, I do have another Jonathan story to tie you over until I can finish those other posts!

At one of Jonathan's soccer games a few weeks ago, there was a lady walking around with a parasol to keep the sun away. This was a traditional parasol with the wooden spokes and everything. When the lady passed by, Jonathan said, "Wow, that must have been a REALLY BIG margarita!!"

Conversations with Jonathan...

Many, Many, MANY, times over the past two years...

Mom: Jon, we REALLY need to cut your hair.

Jon: No.

Mom: But it's so BIG.

Jon: I like it.

Mom: But you look like no one takes care of you!

Jon: Don't care.

Two days ago...

Mom: Baby David, you need a haircut.

Jon: NO!!!

Mom: But it's all uneven and it's getting into his ears.

Jon: Can I sacrifice David?

Mom: WHAT??? NO you CAN'T sacrifice David!!!

Jon: I mean, I'll let you cut MY hair in HIS place...

Mom: Oh, you mean can you sacrifice yourself FOR David?

Jon: Yeah.

Mom: (heart melted on the spot...)

Last Week while I was singing along with David's "Signing Time" video...

Jon: Mom, why do you say you could never do American Idol when you really could?

Mom: Jon, Simon would say, "Why are you wasting my time???" (in my best british accent)

Jon: (giggling) But what would PAULA say, she's the nice one?

Mom: Paula would say, "But you look so pretty!"

Jon: (explodes into a belly laughing fit and can't speak any more!)

After church a few weeks ago...

Benji: In Sunday School, they asked us what we were most looking forward to in heaven, and I was the only one who thought of this...I will be able to FLY!!!

Mom: Yes, that will be fun. Jon, what did you answer?

Jon: I didn't, I was too shy.

Mom: Well, what WOULD you have answered if you weren't so shy?

Jon: I can't wait to see our babies that went to heaven.

Mom: (no words...just a VERY full heart...)

Last Saturday after I returned from a day long trip with my mom and sisters...

Jon: Daddy got mad at his cell phone.

Mom: He did?

Jon: Yeah, it kept shutting off on him, so he threw it on the couch, and he said if it did it again, he was going to throw it in the trash!

Mom: Oh...

...then after church the next day...

Jon: Do you know what I prayed for in church today?

Mom: No, what?

Jon: Your kidneys, our babies, and Daddy's phone!

Mom: (laughing hysterically that Jonathan ranks my kidney disease, and losing our babies right up there with Dad's cell phone issues!)