After All These Years...
I was so, off the charts.... "totally wrong!"

Dang it.

My readers are way smart....unlike this writer of this blog.

Ah hmm, (clearing of the throat....choke, choke) that would be me!
Becuase you know if I use tiny tiny script, you won't think I am stupid!

Mista over at ZogLady and Natalie both have it right. After really, really examining the picture...they are correct. That newspaper IS folded in half and Susie IS reading the comics right side UP!

And after all these years I thought my precocious and often challenging two year old Susie was reading those comics upside down. When in reality she was spot on reading the likes of Hi&Lois and Peanuts & The Gang with pure and delightful intent!

I have to say.... she still reads with pure and delightful intent and I love it!

Mom, when did I start reading?

Reading the Comics
It's all about education!

All about teaching the child to read.

Comics mastered.

I'm done!

Look closely....notice anything wrong here?

Still reading the comics in the morning....every morning!

At the very young age of 1, Susie would not go to sleep until I had read to her. Not one, but several books. The kid exhausted me on every front. There were nights that I would be so exhausted that I would try and be sneaky and skip over pages. It never worked and she would say "no, no, noooo.....weed mama. WEED"

Not only did she love for me to read to her, she also had a desire to learn to read at a young age too. Now, I have to say that I really was so overwhelmed by having four very active little girls, that I probably did not read as much to Susie as I had the others. But, it did seem as though I read a ton to her.

As you can see... in our effort to fulfill my motherly teaching quota of reading, I tried to push in as much reading time as possible. I, being the stellar example of a good mom, would throw the comics on the table and say "here Susie.... read this!" I caught the top photo while she was reading, or attempting to read at the very young age of 2.2. The next photo is when she was in first grade. Surely at age 6, she had the comics mastered.

Notice in both pictures Susie is reading, but what else.... the comics. I too love reading the comics and every morning it has become such a habit that all my children will also read the comics every morning. Or at least after school after arriving home from school.

Notice anything "funny" about the top picture?

Oh yes, we take teaching children to read very, very seriously!

I never miss Peanuts, Baby Blues, and Zits.

Do you have a favorite?

Mr. & Mrs., Your Story Is About to Be Written
Whether you want it to be or not!

I suggest the title of this could be:
NEW THICKER & MORE ABSORBENT
Or...
I Can't Take This Kid With Me ANYWHERE!

Somehow this picture of these two unsuspecting people appeared in my pictures folder.

After a little more detective work, Susie fessed up that she had downloaded her camera pics and it must have gone into my folder.

However, how the picture got there is not my first concern.

But, WHO ARE THESE people?

Do they know some goofy 15 year old teenage girl is out there taking digital's of them?

When I inquired further, Susie tells me... in her own words:

"Well, Brittany (cousin) and I have this 'thing' where we snap a pic and then have to write a story about what we think their lives must be like. Or where they are going. Or where they've been. Then we e-mail it to each other."

My eyes are still stuck in the top of my eye sockets.

So, should you see some little elf like figure pop up from the toilet paper aisle and then a big bright flash go off, possibilities it is my daughter.

Odd ball that she is!

I apologize in advance for any trauma this may bring to you and yours.

But, at least she is not throwing litter at you!

Hoarding Food...
or another way to find your place in a family of seven!

Well, you just never know what might be found in my daughter's room when you open a bedroom door. I gave up on "clean" a long time ago. I just close the door. Besides, Susie reassures me she knows where everything is and to not mess with anything on that floor.
I have to go with her on this one.

Finally feeling a little better today. I have not really done a full inspection of the the home until today, and upon opening Susie's door, I notice that hiding right behind the tall floor mirror, is a box of Annie's Macaroni and Cheese. Upon further questioning, Susie informs me in a very sneak, almost challenging tone, that "yes, I'm hiding it... I don't want anyone else to eat it."

Is this what we have reduced our children to...when we go and have five kids? [insert well placed, but phony look of empathy] We inadvertently force them to hoard food? [another forced look of empathy]

Susie with Karson ~
Taken before braces came off.

Susie actually informed me that... "I'm not hoarding food, I am waiting until Karson comes over to eat it with her." Ah, I get it Susie, both you and Karson are little food hoarders. Or, as Sherra wrote about in her blog.... a bunch of little Freegans.

Trust me, Susie has never, and I mean never lacked for a spot in our family. Of all my children, Susie has always made her presence well known.... sometimes softly, but usually very, very loudly. And that, my friends, is exactly why we love her so! Food hoarding and all.

Katie Sent A Beret to Susie
for her 15th birthday

Oh, and in case Susie couldn't
figure out how to wear a beret....
Katie was kind enough to send pictures!
She titled the e-mail HOW TO WEAR THE HAT!
Complete with the following pictures attached

Nice!

Yeah, ok, now it's coming to Susie!

Looks sharp on Lindsey.

Well, thank you anyways Katie.
It's the thought that counts, right?

Susie, stop smirking!

All Righty Then....

Are we the ONLY family in Connecticut who still has not
taken down the tree? I did everything over 3
"well within the holiday time frame" weeks ago,
to get it ready. This sucker weighs a ton
and I will not be doing it.

All I know is it better miraculously be gone by tomorrow
night... in time for Susie's birthday dinner.
I really don't care how you do it... or where you put
it. Although I have a few suggestions. All I know is
IT BETTER BE GONE BY TOMORROW!!!

Please honey?

Can anyone tell this post is directly directed
at my husband? The "Honey, I'm too busy" man?

Did I Hear What I Thought I Heard?

Karson, Susie and Colleen Karson and Annelise

A little disclaimer here.... All mentioned in this following
post are enrolled in High Honors, AP, and excel in the upper top
of their various class grades. They really are incredibly
intelligent young women.

The other day the girls were teasing each other in fun over all the many times one or the other have said something that was way off. Way, waaaaaaaay off, by the way.

I overheard heard Annelise giving Susie a rough time over Susie saying... "I can't wait for 'Senior-itis' " . Annelise was laughing so hard.... poor Susie was incredulous. Then, we had to explain to Susie that "Senior-itis" is a term for Seniors in school who are completely burned out and ready to graduate....not, as Susie thought, a term for "I just can't wait to be a Senior"!

However, turn about is fair play and Susie reminded Annelise about the time Annelise was helping our friend Camy's son, Spencer, learn how to count syllables in a word... Annelise, sits in front of Spencer and claps.... three times.... gah-roo-pay. Both Camy and I looked at each other and explained to Spencerand Annelise that group is not a three syllable word!!!

Of which Annelise comes right back with "yeah, Susie, remember when you had to ask mom... what 'shah-roo-kee' meant? Well at least when I see the 'shah-roo-kee' tag on the inside of my shirt...I know what 'shah-roo-kee' means". Of course you do Annelise... and so does Susie now.... Cherokee! Thank you very much!

I think one of my all time favorites goes to our friend Karson P. In a moment of hilarity, that will forever haunt her, Karson exclaims with great attitude, while watching the all time classic movie Grease.... "man people were soooooo weird in the 80's"!

Must have been all those poodle skirts that confused her!

(Sigh) ... to be young again!

It's amazing that not one of these kids likes Diet Coke!!!

What'sa Mother To Do?

This morning I heard the high school bus pull up and then heard the front door swing open... the girls were running late and that only means one thing... they had to really run down our hill to the bus. I looked out my bedroom window to see them get on the bus just in time. Which is good thing. They DO NOT want to have to ask me for a ride to school. The lecture they receive is just not worth it.

However, Susie calls me to inform me that she had left a very important paper on the counter and would I be able to bring it to her? Huh?? With this being Susie's first encounter with a "forgetful freshman moment" I guess I could cave and take it to her. My policy is usually to just not answer the phone. They rarely forget things and I must say it might be do to the incredible guilt trip I put on them when I do have to bring something they "forgot". (Nothing like tough love in teaching personal accountability here) So, I tell her maybe.... if I can get Elijah on the bus in time I will bring her paper. She squawks and reminds me that her class starts in a half hour. At which point, I just say "I'll do what I can."

After hanging up, Peter then informs me that he needs to bring in his car to the shop and would I drive him to the place and drop it off? Huh?? Now, I am thinking, how am I going to get Elijah breakfast, make his lunch, take Susie her paper, AND get Peter to the car repair, all in the next half hour? I very well can not give Peter the responsibility lecture here as I do not want him to use my Suburban to go running around, and I have to concede on this one!

With little fanfare, I whisper to Elijah... "get dressed and we will go to McDonald's". This is like whispering magical sweet nothings into his ears. He is dressed and ready to walk out the door in 4 minutes. I grab Susie's homework and head out the door to follow Peter to the repair shop first. After dropping off the car, we drive through McDonald's and order Elijah a stack of his favorite pancakes. This is where it gets ugly!

I order a Diet Coke and Peter gives me the look of horror that is associated with his "YOUareNotgoingtoBUYthatStuff" look. Oh, yes I am. You bet your sweet.....I'm going to buy it AND drink it. Besides, I'm on the window side of the drive-through. Peter now has the look pure disappointment... like, how can you drink that AND be a good example to our son? Our impressionable young son sitting back there in the back seat, eating his little pancakes? We now are on our way to the high school where we drop off Susie's paper and then head home so Elijah will be able to catch his bus in time... all the while having Elijah eat breakfast in the back seat.

Then, Elijah asks for his juice. CRAP! Where's the juice? Did I really forget the juice?

Ummm, here, and I pass him the Diet Coke!

Peter just rolls his eyes as Elijah says "hey, mom, I could get use to this stuff"!

Give me back my drink son....

Well, a mom's gotta do
what a mom's gotta do and

sometimes that means the
8 year old has Diet Coke
for breakfast.

Sunday School Lesson.... Number 37 ~ Forgiveness


I wish to add a little addendum here on Sunday's posting concerning the slip.

While sitting in church, waiting for the Sacrament to be passed our way... Susie leans over, and in the most humble of voices, asks "mommy, should I take the Sacrament" He eyes now filled with tears as she realizes how the whole morning just went down. She was truly remorseful for the whole incident going horribly wrong.

I whispered back to her, and said" now is a good time to remember just why you are offered the sacrament and exactly what it means. To remember the body of Christ and his complete atonement so YOU can be forgiven. That, Susie, is why we partake of the sacrament."

She took the sacrament and I am sure she meant it when she was praying for forgiveness. Oh, if this the worst it gets for you Susie. As your mom, I know it's not, but for the time, you can believe in your own mortality and know that Jesus died for you and will forgive your mornings that you allow to go wrong.

I do believe things are starting to sink in.... well, at least with Susie. Annelise, was still shooting me the "if looks could kill" glare.

When you forgive, you in no way change the past - but you sure do change the future. -Bernard Meltzer

Clay Bricks From Heaven!

Parts of this post are actually from an entry into my 360.Yahoo.com blog on April 25.

Again, we are always in turmoil over going out West for the summer. Either we fly or drive. This year, we are just not going. Unless, of course, Katie and Kai make a move towards marital bliss!

So, here it goes! From April 25....

More of "Little Miss Sunshine"

Recently we toyed with the idea of driving out West again for the summer. Then, like a heavy clay brick... sent straight from Heaven... it fell upon our head, and we found this picture from 2004. Taken on day 3, right in the middle of "Nowhere", Kansas. No driving out West for us.

It's a little hard to notice the sticker, on the window to the right, but it says "I Am A Child of God". Double click on the picture and you should be able to pull up a larger view and the sticker is quite noticable.

Susie, you are still our "Little Miss Sunshine". We sure do love everything about you... especially how easy you are to blog about.

This is how mom's all throughout the USA stay sane around their young! They make fun of 'em by posting their child's obnoxiousness on family blogs. Just joking! Just joking! (well, kind of...)

Smile Elijah, Smile!

I finally caught...

Elijah...

Smiling!

Even if we had to trick him while
having his hair cut by Kristi.
However, at least he is not always
sticking his tongue out... like his sister, Susie.