So similar and yet so different

School has been in full swing for the last month now and the boys are working and learning a lot.  It is amazing to me how differently each of them approach school.

Gabriel is very serious and tries hard to make sure he remembers all of the things he's suppose to bring and work on for school.  Every school morning he shouts out all the things he has to make sure he has...

homework... check
folder... check
backpack... check
water bottle... check
lunch bag... check
snack...check

Seriously there are so many things to remember, it is amazing I remember to go to work after checking off all the things he needs just for kindergarten.

And then there is Michael.  He takes a, well, completely different approach to getting ready for school.  He's our more carefree child.  He doesn't care if he's on time for school or not.  In fact, he'd probably prefer to arrive fashionable late, if I'd let him.  The one saying he hears about 50 times every morning is "Michael Hurry Up!" or when we feel like changing it up we say, "Hurry Up Michael!"  He causally gets up walks around the house for about 10 minutes, doing, well were not quite sure what he does for 10 minutes.  By that point Gabriel is up, has his bed made, changed clothes, gotten his school stuff all ready and it at the table eating a bowl of cereal all by himself. 

After helping Michael get things in order, we are racing out the door and hurrying to get on the road as we are usually about 10 minutes behind schedule.  It is usually at that point Michael remembers he has something else he needs to do, or that it is "show and tell" day and insists on stopping so he can get a toy to share. 

The same things happen I understand at school.  Gabriel takes the subjects he is learning about very seriously and recites the lessons learned on the car ride home.  Michael on the other hand approaches school more like social hour(s).  And it is almost as if everything he has experienced in the 9 hours he's been at school, miraculously vanishes from his memory the moment we walk out of the school door.  I pick him up first and on our way to get Gabriel I ask him the same questions and I always get the same answers". 

MOM: "Michael, how was school today?" 
MICHAEL: "I don't know."
MOM: Michael what letter did you learn about today?
MICHAEL: "Letter B Mom  (Seriously they've been learning about the letter B for the last 43 weeks.  Either his class is having some difficulty learning the letter or it is the easiest letter to remember)
MOM: "What did you have for lunch?"
MICHAEL: I dont' know"

I tell ya, the school must have a magical door that erases memory.  :-)

After we have the same conversation day after day Michael then interjects and says "Mom, look what I made at school and I learned the kids how to make them too." 

It is then that he reveals his prized masterpiece...

Yep that is right.. Michael has mastered the art of making paper airplanes.  He's so talented at making them that he turns all of his school art projects into airplanes.  And not only does he turn all of his projects into airplanes but the teachers have so kindly informed that he is teaching the other kids (boys) in the class how to make them.  I guess his talent must be in very high demand because his "clients" want him to practice making them during quiet reading time, circle time, centers and even during nap time.  

When I ask Michael about it he says, "Mom, the kids want me to show them how to make it.  It is okay though mom because the kids say please."   What is a parent to say after that?

We've now implements a no paper airplane policy at school.  We'll see tomorrow what he brings home. 

It is amazing to me how so similar and yet so different the boys can be. 

Until next time,
Angie

Gabriel- and Michael- isms pt3

Their words continue to make me laugh and although I might be the only one who finds it funny, I choose to record them here so that someday, when the boys are big, we can look back and remember how they were at this age.

So here I go again with some words to decipher...

sobsable.................
Skelatope...............
fitty...............
floated...............

Did you guess?  Do you think you have them right?

Here's their translation....

Pobsable.......... also known as a popsicle, what Gabriel was treated with the other day at school for being the quietest one in the bathroom.

Skelatope...........also known as a telescope.......... what Michael puts up to his eye when he's playing pirate and to his mouth when he's pretending to sing like Justin Beaber.

Fitty............. not as in the rapper "Fitty Cent" but as in filthy, dirty, messy.  I guess I must use the word frequently to describe our house when I think it is messy.  The other day we were driving and we went by a house that has a lot of garbage in the front yard.  Gabriel said, "Mom that house is really fitty."

Flotated..........not as in, we floated around in the pool, but rather flooded, that yard is floated (as Michael described a yard here that has been flooded to water the plants.)

So there you go.  Stay tuned for future versions of Gabriel and Michael-isms.

Until next time,
Angie

They formed a band...

The boys decided to start a band.  Gabriel is the drummer and Michael is the lead singer and sometimes guitar player.

Although their album isn't scheduled for release until the Summer of 2020, you are the first to see their first two music videos.

Watch out MTV... here's comes the group  "Flower Band"  (the name the boys call themselves)...

With their first video single... "You Say"

And don't be concerned if they sounds a little too hard rockish... they also play christian rock...

Here's their second video, "He Reigns"

  So please watch for their CD to be released sometime in the next 9 years.  Oh and please buy it, we're banking on their bands success to help fund their college education. :-)

Until next time,
angie

Surprises...

Flashback Friday:  This is a post I wrote back in 2010 (yikes) and never published it.  Guess it is one of those many stories I hoped to share and didn't get it done.  I share now a story that happened back when the boys were 3 and 4.  Hard to believe they are now 6 and 7.  Where has the time gone....

Now back to the story...


Last Friday after picking the boys up from school, I was excited to share with them what our plans were for the long holiday weekend.  I said "Boys, Dad and I have a lot of surprises for you this weekend."

Immediately they started trying to guess what the surprises were and what we had planned. Gabriel said, "Were going to go camping right?"  "No, but good guess."  "Mom, are we going to go to Iowa?"  "Not this weekend Gabriel"
Then it was Michael's turn to guess.In between sneezing and wiping his runny nose, Michael did his best to guess... "Mom, you are taking us to Disneyland right?"  "Um, no."  "I know, you are going to take us to Makutus"  "No but good guesses."

Getting tired of guessing and frustrated with wiping his nose and not being able to figure out the surprise, Michael stopped, looked over at Gabriel in frustration and said, "Guess what Gabriel, this is not a surprise....

"you gave me your cold and I do not like that surprise."

Gabriel looked shocked, turned to me to see what his reaction was suppose to be and I couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Until next time,
Angie

College Football!!!!

We are very excited for fall to arrive and it it ever decides to cool off here, we will truly believe it is the start of college football season.  Even if the temperature was 112 on Saturday, we warmly (ha ha) welcomed the start of our favorite football team's season. 

It was the first time, I believe in the history of my marriage that Jarrett was excited to wake up before 6 in the morning and only because he wanted to watch college game day.  The boys (all of them) proudly put on their Hawkeye t-shirts and caps and became glued to the TV for most of the day.

For us though, the conversation about college football started the night prior when we were sitting down at the table eating dinner.  Jarrett had ESPN on in the background and they were discussing the games and who was playing who.  It was then that I asked him about the new divisions within the Big 10 and other conferences.  That is when we started talking about Penn State and I asked Jarrett, "What side is Penn State on?  For some reason this must have caught the boy's attention because a few minutes later Gabriel asked, "Who is playing again?"  And that's when Michael chimed in to answer, "Gabriel, Dad just said the pen's are playing the pencils"

Jarrett looked at me, I looked back and we just smiled.

Until next time,
angie

Calling God...

On Sunday at church the priest was talking about how God calls us at people to do good things for others.  To love, care for and help those most in need. 

Moments later, in the middle of church, Gabriel turned to me and out of the blue asked, "Mom, does God have a cell phone?'  Looking puzzled, I answered "No." and that is when he whispered, "But Mom how does God call us?  Father Gary said God calls people, how does he call if he doesn't have a cell phone?"

Until next time,
Angie

My bow tie

The other day at school Michael made a bow tie and he's so proud of it, he insists on wearing it out in public.  It doesn't matter if we are going to church, to eat at a restaurant, to a swimming pool or to the store.  He wants to wear his bow tie because, and I quote, "It makes me look handsome."

The other day, before letting him go out in public modeling his bow tie, I asked him to strut his stuff and model it for me.

Here are few of his poses...

Yeah I can puff out my chest, just watch me!

Oh yeah, here's some muscles for you to look at.

Just relaxing

This is my dazed and confused look.

And this is the one all the ladies can't resist... Handsome 100%

Until next time,
Angie