Bringing the Magic

Ever wonder if an alligator lizard can swim? Me neither.

"But it's an alligator lizard, Mom," my son insisted.

I responded, "Yes, but it's a lizard."

I'm so boring. The boys didn't trust my intellect in this. They had to perform an experiment. Turns out alligator lizards can not swim, but chickens still like them. It also turns out, I didn't have to teach science last week. Check.

Another fun science fact we learned recently: plants that have been sprayed with an herbicide shouldn't be ingested. In fact, random wild plants shouldn't be put in your mouth at all. Especially thistles. Even if you are thirsty. Even if Bear Grylls suggested they are a good source of water when you are lost in the wilderness. You live in a house with running water. We did some Googling of poisons and I got a quick science lesson of my own after that one. On the upside, they didn't swallow the plants...

In other news, the boys are digging a creek. Currently, there is no source of water to it, but that fact has yet to diminish their ambition. They're hoping it will bring in fish and crawdads to our property. As it stands, it's about the size of a large grave. The neighbors are going to start wondering...

I am just rolling with it. I can't keep up with these guys and their wild imaginations. I'm not sad about it. I am trying to enjoy the magic through their eyes as much as I can. As long as they believe they can wrestle a bear, jump as high as Paul Bunyan, and run faster than than a rocket, I'm on board. Unless they actually try to wrestle the neighborhood bear...shoot. We might have to have a talk about bears. No science experiments this time.

Comments

Tough Love

We were on our way home from a birthday party not long ago, and Fischer began complaining from the backseat that one of the kids had tripped him and laughed about it. Ross looked at him in the rearview mirror and responded, "Life's hard, Buddy. You're going to have to toughen up." To which his brother responded, "Yeah. You have no idea. Just wait until you're eight." At that, they both sat back in their booster seats and contemplated their life situation for the remainder of the drive home. Evidently, life is smooth sailing in those early single digits, but once you reach the ripe old age of, "I can mostly tie my own shoes and reach the kitchen faucet," it's all hard knocks and rough living. I know this must be true because Sawyer also told his aunt the other day, "It's time to get on it and get myself a car. I'm going to get a Cord Tacoma." I think what he wanted to say, but didn't have the words was,

All I Want For Christmas...

Christmas time is such a fun season. I love focusing on the birth of Jesus with the kids and recognizing the true reason for celebrating. I also relish the magical part of the season that gives so much life to our kids' imaginations and innocents. They are always precious, but I feel it even more so this time of year. Even our oldest hasn't completely given up on Santa, although he has a lot more questions having been around classmates and friends who coolly deny the existence of Santa or Christmas magic. We know it can't last forever, but I'm going to milk it for at least one more season. He is still more or less on board. I think he wants it to be real, so he doesn't dig too deep. Consequently, he and his siblings were all excited for a trip to meet Santa and Mrs. Claus last weekend. I was excited too. I love their reactions, and last year Carter was too sick to go, so this was her first opportunity to meet Santa face to face. The trip didn't di

Christmas Miracle

For better or worse, I don't have a lot of pride. I used to have some, but after the third and fourth child, what little I had vanished. I'd like to be put together. I would like my kids to be put together. I have come to terms with the fact that, 99% of the time, that's not going to happen. When we leave the house, I consider it a win if everybody has on an appropriate amount of clothing and two shoes that match. The first time we visited the orthodontist in preparation for Sawyer's braces, I showed up with four kids in dirty play clothes and one child with mismatched shoes. It just so happens that the orthodontist's wife is the mom of some of my former students, and she was working that day. Luckily, I also hadn't brushed anyone's hair before we left the house, so we made quite an impression. I've been trying to raise the bar ever since, but I seem to keep failing. The next appointment we came straight from the barn and smelled like it, but

Not so adventures of the St. Clair clan...

Search This Blog