26 May 2024

 Nut Brown is learning to drive.  He and I have practiced a great deal in parking lots, and have graduated to driving on roads.  He is getting used to it, and is less alarmed at driving thirty miles an hour than he used to be.  This past week he drove to seminary several times, and also to the library and the grocery store and the drug store.  I like driving with him - he is a funny guy and I like hanging out with him!

Driving to seminary involves going a mile or two down a winding country road with no shoulders down into a valley and back out.  He managed it successfully a couple times at 6 am, and when driving over to bro night along the same route at 6 pm on Friday evening, he was passed by several cars in a row going the opposite direction.  It was alarming for a new driver, and he exclaimed, "Who is shooting these cars out of a cannon at me?"

Last week he said, "I'm not a good driver yet, but I can finally see myself getting good at this."  Yay!

23 May 2024

 Rosebud came home from school a few weeks ago and announced that she had decided to participate in the school talent show.  She was going to sing.  I looked through the papers she gave me, and told her that she had to audition for the show.  She was reluctant to audition, but I convinced her to try.  In the end, she decided to sing an arrangement of "Somewhere, Out There", which she learned last year with the Millennial Choir, with me accompanying her.

We practiced a lot, pretty much every day.  We worked on timing and pitch.  We practiced with a microphone from the karaoke machine, and we practiced giving the pianist a nod when you were ready to start.  We practiced continuing to sing when the pianist lost her place, and we practiced coming back in when she forgot the lyrics or sang the wrong ones.  She worked hard, and improved.

On the day of the audition, she was nervous but also calm.  We got to go through our piece twice for the judges, and Rosebud did really, really well.  All the things that we had practiced, she remembered to do.  I was so impressed with her!  Afterwards, walking out to the car, I asked her how she felt about her performance, and she said, "Pretty good!" I told her that it was obvious that all her hard work had made a big difference in her performance, and that I thought she had done an awesome job remembering all the things we had practiced during her performance.  Two weeks later, we heard back - she passed the audition and would be performing in the talent show!

Unfortunately, she got sick this week.  She had to miss Field Day (a big disappointment - she wore her Field Day shirt at home all day).  We thought the talent show was on 30 May, so we thought we were okay in spite of her illness, but I got a call from the school asking if she would be able to make it to the show tonight even though she had missed school today!  What a disappointment for us!  She was too sick to perform, and we hadn't practiced for several days because she was sick.  So sad!  She and I were both very upset.

22 May 2024

My birthday this year was a lot of fun!  Many people remembered my birthday and wished me a happy day, and some coworkers took me out for lunch.  Other friends from church also remembered and brought me gifts.  When I came home from work, my family had decorated the dining room very elaborately, as if it were a fairy bower.  Rosebud made a welcome banner for me too.  Mr. Brown made my favorite dinner, and Rose Pink made baklava for my cake.  I had a really lovely day!

21 May 2024

Bobo's spring chorus concert was this evening!  He was excited and nervous and excited!  Rose Pink and I attended, and I videoed all the songs so he could share them with Mr. Brown when we got home.  It was so fun to see him perform with his chorus.  He is going to continue singing in the chorus next year, too.  And he's signed up for choir camp this summer.  

 Here we are together after the concert.  I love him so much!  He asked for ice cream from Sonic as a post-concert treat.  Rose Pink and I asked if he was nervous, and he said, "Nope.  I pushed all my nervousness on to Kieran." (Kieran is the boy with the glasses standing next to him in the photo above.)  I told him how impressed I was with how well he managed his fidgeting during the concert, and he laughed and said that he pushed all of that on to Kieran too.  Apparently every time he recognized a fidget coming on, he poked Kieran instead.  Kieran did seem awfully wiggly.

Kieran is one of the kids that he talks about all the time at home, and he just told me that Kieran's little sister Fiona is the same Fiona that is friends with Rosebud (birthday party, playdate) so I'm definitely scheduling some joint playdates with them this summer!

19 May 2024

 Our two younger children are having such a different childhood than our two older children, because they are going to public school instead of homeschooling.  We don't see nearly as much of them.  Life is constantly changing, even between kids in the same family.  Public school is really good for Bobo (he benefits from the structure) and Rosebud is doing well too.  She doesn't like how loud it is.  The other day she was telling me and Mr. Brown that she didn't have time to play with any of her toys/craft kits/projects because she has to go to school, and that is true (during the week).  We are all looking forward to the end of school and having summer vacation.  This will be our third official summer vacation.

17 May 2024

Mr. Brown and I got a very nice note from Bobo's teacher this afternoon:

"Good Afternoon, 

I wanted to send a quick note to let you know how grateful I am for Bobo's responsibility and kindness. This time of year requires some revisiting of expectations, and extra reinforcement of those expectations. However, Bobo has continued to put forth his best effort into all his work, and has never once needed a reminder to make good choices, even if classmates around him have needed those reminders. I appreciate Bobo's positive and respectful example! Let him know I notice his effort and maturity, and am grateful for him. "

I responded, "Thank you so much for the note! This reinforces our suspicions that he is a great kid growing into an awesome teenager!"

He got his first teenager zit on his forehead a week or so ago, and he was alternately embarrassed and secretly proud of it - a sign of growing up.  He's such a cool guy.

12 May 2024

 Mother's Day!  Because I don't like breakfast in bed, Mr. Brown and Rose Pink made me breakfast for dinner, which I also love.  They even bought brioche for french toast, which was super delicious!

Rosebud produced multiple expressions of her affection from the multiple channels that elementary-school-age children in which she participates.  She was very proud to have so many items to give me to show me how much she loves me.  My two favorites were this picture of her and me:

and this "poem":

I love you mom you are always nice and kind to me. 

It is always fun to snuggle with you and go to the museum with you. 

You are always doing things that are best for me.  

Thank You so much mom! Oh, Thank you so very much!  

When you get mad you do not hate me. 

When you take things away it is for my own good rather than making 

Me get rid things because you are mad! 

You are nice to me. You always buy me birthday presents! 

You help me with all the things I need help with and all my problems. 

Buy me Perler beads and let me use them. 

You do this for all siblings too! 

You work so you can do all these things. 

You work so we can get treats and toys. 

I am very you get me books and presents. 

You tuck me in bed. 

You read me a book or magazine. 

You give me a hug or kiss or both 

---------------------------------

Rose Pink corralled all the kids and filled out this questionnaire for me. 

1. What is your favorite memory with Mom this year?

Rosebud: Talent show auditions

Bobo: Disneyland! (we haven't ever been to Disneyland)

Nut Brown: Driving? It would be even less pleasant without her.

Rose Pink: Her laughing at my antics with Bobo at dinner

2. What is your favorite thing Mama does every day?

Rosebud: Tucking me in, hugging me, telling me she loves me

Bobo: Asking me how my day went.

Nut Brown: Enforcing routine, dinner chores, Saturday chores, etc.

Rose Pink: Being patient with the neurodivergence in the house

3. What are you most grateful that mama does?

Rosebud: WORK! Give me hugs. Tuck me in.  Give me ice cream.

Bobo: Tuck me in. Pay for treats.

Nut Brown: Dragging me out of my comfort zone.

Rose Pink: Pay the mortgage so we can have a house without butt hug bugs inside

4. What is something that you would miss about mom if she suddenly disappeared?

Rosebud: Tucking me in

Bobo: Laughing at my dumb jokes

Nut Brown: Not having to worry about money.

Rose Pink: The reassurance her presence provides.

5. What makes Mama smile?

Rosebud: When I thank her

Bobo: When we're smiling

Nut Brown: when me and Bobo sing in unison (Hamilton, Dr. Horrible, Queen)

Rose Pink: When papa tells jokes

6. What makes Mama laugh?

Rosebud: Papa's jokes

Bobo: ME!

Nut Brown: The most random jokes.  A good cheek-clapper can be a knee-slapper.

Rose Pink: Our successes

7. What is mama's favourite food?

Rosebud: Eggs...? Or Rhubarb cake!

Bobo: Flowers. Beeboppareeboppa Rhubarb Pie!

Nut Brown: Steak, medium rare

Rose Pink: Whatever she's currently eating I think? Stroganoff

8. What is Mama's favourite way to spend a Saturday?

Bobo: Sleeping or reading.

Rosebud: HUGGING. Or reading. Or reading and snuggling.

Nut Brown: Busy doing productive things.

Rose Pink: With plants, out in nature.

9. How can you make Mama feel loved?

Rosebud: Telling her [that I love her], and give her hugs for more than ten minutes a day.

Bobo: Telling her dumb jokes

Nut Brown: Expressing more gratitude.  Gratitude is the path to happiness.

Rose Pink: Doing chores for her, giving her hugs. Taking care of each other.

Rosebud: I'm glad she gave me my name

Bobo: Otherwise you'd be Geeeeeorrrrrrrge

Rosebud: deep sigh and I wouldn't like that.

4 May 2024

 This afternoon Nut Brown and I had driving practice together up by the community college.  Lots of quiet roads and deserted parking lots on Saturdays.  We found a larger parking lot and Nut Brown zoomed across it.  I teased him and said, "What did you get up to, like, thirty?" and he said, "Only twenty!"  Then we went out on a real road, and I teased him again and said, "Watch your speed now, the speed limit sign says 15." He replied, "I only speed in parking lots, Mom!"  I had a good time with him.  He's so funny!

When we got home, we collected the machetes and hatchet and went up the street to a neighbor's house and helped them chop up the smaller branches from a tree that blew down awhile back.  All the hacking and slashing was pretty fun.  

Rosebud was a little less excited than the rest of us.  It was a chilly, rainy day, and she'd scraped her leg.

Rose Pink has taken Bobo and Rosebud to see Star Wars: A New Hope at the theater this evening.  Five dollar tickets on Star Wars Day!  She is such a great big sister.