It's Time to Make the Biscuits...

Friday, Leah went to make biscuits on a field trip for "B" week. Is that a Southern field trip or what? We had a lot of fun, though some of the biscuits were kneaded a little too long and resembled cookies. While I don't think Leah will be getting a job at Bojangles anytime soon, I do think that she has a new appreciation for the effort required to make the biscuits.

Way to go Leah! Although, I have to admit that I declined to eat any...

Expensive Taste

I wanted to blog about something super trivial. It's Friday and I'm not feeling inspired. It's not about my children, or my spouse... it's about me. And my taste. I have the most expensive taste and I don't even try. Truly, my goal is to save money and be cheap. But I always see something I like and then I'll go to price it and dang if it isn't the most expensive thing in the store. Why??

For example, I recently went to have my hair cut. They gave me a sample of a new shampoo. I tossed it in the bathroom drawer and forgot about it. A few weeks later, I pulled it out and thought, "Hey, I'll try this today". Well, to say that I loved it is an understatement. My hair wasn't frizzy, it smelled great, and it left my hair so soft. So, when I ran out of my other shampoo, I go back to the hair salon to buy some. Imagine my surprise (and horror) when they tell me that this shampoo is $50 dollars a bottle. Are you kidding me? I thought they were joking. Seriously, I looked at them like they were nuts. Apparently, this shampoo is described as "liquid gold". I should have known that something as up when the name was "Nanoworks". That just sounds too high tech for me.

It is the new "prestige line" of shampoo. Who would have thought that such a thing even existed. I mean, I know there's a difference between say, Prell and Redkin, but come on... a prestige shampoo?? Really?? I guess my hair is destined to be frizzy.

So, this past week I took Brady to buy yet another pair of shoes. (Really, I could buy the above shampoo if it wasn't for all the shoes). I was standing there looking at the women's shoes while the owner was helping Brady. I saw the best looking running shoes. I thought, "Wow, those are really cool. Maybe I'll try them on". So, the sample shoe was exactly my size and I slipped it on. Wow! What a great shoe! It was comfortable, supportive, and it was really unusual looking (which is what I like- no plain white shoes for me). So, I go home to look it up on the Internet and imagine my surprise (and horror) to learn that it is the "flagship" of shoes. It's one of the most expensive shoes there. Really? Why, I ask you, why?

Of course, the owner probably wouldn't have even sold them to me after Brady announced to the entire store, "Mommy, these shoes are expensive. I'm not sure you can afford them because you don't make any money". Um, what? I wanted to run out of the store. I was so embarrassed. I said, "What are you talking about? Of course I make money". He says, "But your clients are always no-showing". The owner just looks at me. I think he gave me a free pair of socks out of pity. Sigh.

So, I guess I will have to be content with window shopping. Sigh.

Flying Girl

Last week was "A" week in Kindergarten. The children went to the airport here in town and learned all sorts of technical airplane terms. They also got to see some of the cool planes and helicopters that reside there.

Here is Leah sitting in a helicopter. I was amazed at all the adults who have never flown in a helicopter. We flew in one in Hawaii and I really enjoyed it. It's a little loud, but so much better than a small plane. The pilot of this helicopter took off and flew around the airport to show the kids. I think he was showing off a little as he was going sideways and looping around.

Here is an interesting plane. Apparently, this plane is part of a project to get children interested in flying and one Saturday a month it (and two others like it) take children up in the air for free! How cool is that??

In the hanger is also an area where the children can simulate being in an airplane. Leah had lots of fun here pretending to be a stewardess and passenger.

Finally, it came time to actually fly. Half the class went up and then it became too windy. The rest of the children were sad. Fortunately, Mrs. Niedrach arranged to go back on Monday for the rest to fly.

The above picture is Col. Bob helping Leah into his plane.

There she is in the plane! Ready to go!!!

And she's off!

Fly, Leah, Fly! Leah really enjoyed this plane ride but said that it was "a little scary" when the plane had to turn. Overall, it was a great experience and she really enjoyed it!

Sir Limps-a-lot

I don't think I've mentioned that Brady has joined the Cross Country team at Berry. I originally felt that this was going to be a great idea. Brady has never wanted to be a part of a team and plus it's great exercise. However, it has turned out to be more trouble than I thought. First, the coach decided to have practice 4 days a week. How am I supposed to work with that schedule? Then Brady began having foot pain. We are now on our 3rd pair of shoes and he is still in pain. What is up? Why don't we have a podiatrist in the family??? Of course he can't run well because of the pain and it's going to start eroding his self confidence. The coach says he is hitting the ground too hard with his heel. He hits it like a hammer to a nail. He is sore and discouraged. Here he is after practice today...I think the tree may be holding him up. Finally, it's time to go... he starts limping towards me...Come on Brady; you can do it. Just a little bit more...Let's all say a little prayer for Brady. Let's pray that his feet stop hurting and that he is able to run better and more comfortably. I really want this to work out for him and for him to feel proud of his accomplishment. If anyone has any tips, I'd love to hear them!

It's like dumping a bucket of cold water on your head...

Have you ever had the feeling that something bad was going to happen, but you just couldn't put your finger on it? You're looking up and checking the situation out, wondering what might happen...

Hmmm.. I wonder what this is about?

Happens to me all the time...

Hair Watch 2008

Well, it's been 2 weeks since "The Incident". It's still painful to remember, but I did want to show you how Christian's hair appears to be growing in with lightening speed. I'd like to contribute it to all the Biotin I've been feeding him, but more likely he's just genetically predisposed to be hairy. FLASHBACK: Here is a picture of Christian in all his "Hair Glory"... Look at the height, the body, the waves, the shine and curls. It's like a commercial for Ms. Clairol. Women would kill to have this kind of hair. And this is without any product!

Then there have been the times that we have spiked it or tried to fix it in a particular style. I'll admit, it's not often, but once we dressed Christian in the typical "bad boy" image for a school play. I can be honest and tell you that I said a little prayer here that I wasn't seeing a glimpse of the future... I may need to pray harder...

In addition to the glorious body and shine that comes with his curly hair, we have also grown it fairly long. At the beginning of school last year, it looked like this..

It's hard to see here, but it's actually below his ears. It was here that I would spend a decent amount of time fixing it daily only to have my jaw drop when I picked him up at school and I would say, "What has happened to your hair?" He would look at me exasperatedly and say, "Mommy, all the teachers at school run their fingers through my hair and it gets messed up". And who can blame then? It is irresistible.

I joke and say I'm not cutting his hair again for the next six months. I've told Scot that I hope Berry doesn't have a hair policy or we could be in trouble. I envision long, thick, rock-star type hair that I can pull in a ponytail. Like that Bo Bice dude on American Idol. Scot looked at me like I'd lost my mind. "No son of mine is going to have hair like that" he says. He also says that about earrings and being a democrat. I roll my eyes. "Pick your battles", I say. He scoffs. So we'll see what future hair Christian is in for. But I'll leave you with this.. a side view of his head that shows where you can barely see the bald spots. Come on hair, grow!

The End of the Second Week

We made it through another week. I have now talked to all the children's teachers and I've gotten nothing but good feedback. So far. Christian's teacher in particular has had very good things to say and I've welcomed her feedback. I've also had some other teachers tell me that they feel he looks "happy". This is music to my ears. That's really all I want. I want him to be happy and peaceful at school and I feel the rest will come after that. Brady's teacher is impressed with his responsible nature. Of course, Leah is loving Kindergarten and is thriving there.

Overall, we've had a much better second week than the first week. However, it is the end of the week, and my schedule was a nightmare and I'm tired and all I wanted to see last night was the following...



Night night Leah!

All About Leah

Last week in Kindergarten was "All About Me" week. I love that the class examines the children's families and themselves while also giving the teachers a chance to learn about the students. Part of this involved Leah drawing herself and dictating some things to the teacher. Let's look at Leah's picture, shall we?

My name is Leah.

I am 5 years old.

I like to eat macaroni and cheese.

My friend is Molli.

I like to play with alligators.

I like to go to Lake Lanier.

I am proud because I go to Kindergarten.

When I grow up I want to be a parent.

Is this not the cutest thing? I love it! In keeping with the theme of the week, the parents also had homework (gasp!). Of course, it was fun homework. We were told to write a letter to Mrs. Niedrach about our child. So, I'm going to cut and paste the letter I wrote. I will post Scot's letter in a different post because I don't have it on my computer.

Dear Mrs. Niedrach,

Leah is my baby. She is our only girl. I never saw myself with a girl; I only saw myself with boys. Leah was also our surprise baby. When I found out I was pregnant, I thought to myself, “How will I ever handle 3 boys?” It never occurred to me that I would have a girl. We saw her on the ultrasound machine and the technician said, “It’s a girl!”. My mother started crying and I got the biggest smile on my face. Well, after I asked “Are you sure?” about a hundred times. I haven’t stopped smiling since.

I really had no idea what to expect from a girl. I’ve only known boys. But Leah is such a special child. She was made for our family. Leah completed our family in a way that is difficult to describe. She has always been a great baby. She is smart, sweet, kind, persistent and sassy. Leah loves to talk and always has something to say. She will get her point across no matter what the situation. In many ways, Leah is contradictory. She loves the color pink, but also wants to wear her brother’s clothes. She loves girly things like nailpolish and hairbows, but she also loves Pokemon and videogames like her brothers. She is sassy and talkative, but does very well in school and tries hard to behave well. Leah is confident and self assured. I never worry about taking her to new places because she always jumps right in. She takes gymnastics and delights in learning new skills. Leah is protective of others. She has no problem defending younger children and has been known to defend her older brother Christian on occasion.

Leah is so excited to be in Kindergarten! She has been at Berry Elementary her entire life. She has been looking forward to Kindergarten for years and is so ready to learn to read and write. I know that Leah is going to love the new experiences that Kindergarten will bring. My hope for her is that she will use these new experiences to become even more confident. I want her to continue to be excited about learning. Finally, I hope that she learns about friends. Both how to have one, and how to be one.

Kindergarten is such a special year. It bridges the gap between preschool and grade school. It is a year when children “grow up” and begin to realize their potential. Leah has so much potential and she will excel in this class. Although I am sad to see her growing up, I am so happy that she is doing it at Berry. This is the perfect environment and the perfect class for her. I know she’s going to fly!

DeAnn Simon

Parents Can Have Fun Too...

Recently we went to Lake Lanier Islands. It was fun. I think I mentioned that. However, everyone knows that the waterslides/waterparks are mostly for the children. But I wanted to show you how parents can have fun too!

Me: "Hey, Scot... is that Brady and Christian directly down below us?"

Scot: "Yes, I believe it is..."

Me: "Okay, how do you work this water thing? Let's dump a bucket of water on their heads! It'll get them back for all the bickering we endured on the way here!"

Scot: "Great idea! I'll put the water in it and you dump it on them."

Scot: "On second thought, I'll just shoot them. It's easier."

The "WavePool"

This weekend, as I mentioned, we went to the "wavepool". Leah absolutely loves the wavepool. We went last year and she hasn't stopped talking about it since. We had a lot of fun. One thing we learned this year is that Leah wants to ride everything there. And Christian wanted to ride, um, nothing. Last year, Leah mostly stayed in the wavepool and at the Kiddie Land. This year, she branched out and rode numerous different slides. She amazed me with her confidence and daring nature.

Brady and Tim also rode a lot of different rides. Last year, I rode with them, but this year I hung out with Vicki. I only need to ride those once and that's enough.

Brady: "Whoa! That ride was rough..."

I stayed with Vicki and rode the calmer rides...

Although, she looks more excited than me. I look like I'm being tortured...

But maybe I was still over-exerted from the hike that I had to make to carry that gigantic intertube up the hil...

My question is... Why did someone take this picture? Was it you, Vicki? Is it because someone was amazed that I could hike up that hill carrying an enormous float? Or was it because I was actually riding something? I'm curious. Really, I am. :)

Overall, a good time was had by all. It was really the last summer activity we'll do this year. I'm now ready for hot chocolate and apple cider. Come on Fall!

Uncle Tim (the Torturer)

This weekend, we decided to get away from it all (and really, can you blame us?) and go to Lake Lanier Islands. Leah affectionally calls this "The Wavepool". More on that later though. Luckily, our friends, Tim and Vicki live about 10 minutes from there so we decided to visit. We only get to their house about 2 times a year. Scot was particularly excited to see Tim's new deck that he has been working on for a while now. You can read more about that here... http://www.masterofstuff.blogspot.com/ . We love Uncle Tim. He is just plain fun to be around.

Tim is always up for any ride...

We were particularly impressed by his finished deck. Tim did this himself and it turned out great...

It's very fancy. We had fun sitting out there enjoying the summer evening. Tim plays the guitar and he and Leah had fun singing and playing on the deck, though I'm not sure the neighbors enjoyed Leah's made up song...

So, I wanted to say... Good Job Tim! Your deck looks great and we enjoyed relaxing on it! You may have a second career in the making. Particularly if you charge by the hour :)

The end of the first week...and almost the end of my sanity...

Well, today marked the end of the first official week of school. I walked into school today and heard yet another story of one of my children in assembly.

It seems that the Kindergartners were introduced individually to the school this morning in assembly. Mary took Leah up there and said something to the effect of, "This is Leah Simon. She has 2 big brothers here, Brady and Christian. They take very good care of her and she'll probably never be able to have a boyfriend because he'll have to go through the Simon boys first". So, Christian pipes up here (in front of the entire school) and says, "Well, she's never going to have a husband either". Mary says something like, "Yes, she's too young...". Christian responds, "No, that's not why. It's because my mother says that you can't marry family members."

Um, okay, what???? As if since you can't marry family members, then you can't get married? What???!!! In front of the entire school??? Don't get me wrong, I mean, we do live in the South and all and I guess it's worth mentioning to your child that you can't marry family members, but did he have to say it in front of the entire school???!!! Why, I ask you, why???!!!

What do you think that the teachers at Berry are thinking of my family right now? It's probably something to the effect of, "What the heck are Scot and DeAnn teaching those children at home? What does she do for a living again?"

Let's summarize the week, shall we? Youngest child challenges the director of school in assembly, child shaves head which results in him having the least amount of hair that he's ever had, and child discusses marriage between family members in front of entire school. Sigh....

It's all about hair...

See, I told you I'd be back to blogging about hair. I can't help it. I'm obsessed. Scot talks about how his hair is too puffy, then there's Christian who doesn't have any hair. Leah's hair is so tangled that I can't even comb it. It's just all about hair here in the Simon house. But, I'm going to talk about my hair. Why? Because I can.

I recently went to a family party where I saw my great aunt who took one look at my hair and was horrified. She was horrified at the color. "Your hair is BROWN!" she said to me, over and over and over. I'll admit that it used to be blonder.

But as the years have gone by, I have gravitated back towards my natural color. I don't want to deal with the chemicals and expense. Anyway, she was horrified by my hair. I tried to explain that my hair stylist had recently had twins and that my hair had been neglected for a while. She didn't care. I think this is where my recent obsession with hair started...

Okay, in my defense, in the above picture I was on a boat and I had that whole "windblown" look going on.

While I can admit that my hair probably did look better blonder, I'm going to stay with the natural look. It's just easier and I'm all about going the easy route these days. But, I'd like to point out that I have had worse hairstyles. For example, there was the bob (that Scot hated)...

Then there was my red/stawberry blonde period of time (why did I think I should wear orange with red(ish) hair???)... and those are some serious bangs!

Then there was my wild and curly - lets just let it all hang out all over my head. Holy cow! How much hairspray was I using for this hairstyle?

Then there was the hairstyle that looked like I poured a bottle of peroxide over my head. What was I thinking? I blame this look on the sun and saltwater....Then there was the time when I just chopped it off. Why did I do that? I have so much hair that when it's short, it just puffs out like a big 'ole bush. My hair is as tall as it is long in this picture! I remember spending a lot of time getting it to look like this. Wow. What a waste.

Then there was my long, blonde, perfectly curled hair. This style took way too long to do every day! Although I admit that it did look good when I took the time.

So, I'm back to having brown hair. What to do? I guess I should just be glad that I have hair. That's more than I can say for some people in this house. I guess my great-aunt will just have to get over it. There's no telling what future hairstyles are coming down the pike for me. Clearly I've made some wrong turns along the way. I guess I'll be ahead of the game as long as my hairstylist doesn't have any more children! And honestly, I like having the same haircolor as my daughter. There are very few ways that she is like me and this is one of them!

Sassy Girl

I'm going to take a break from my obsessive posts about hair to discuss another one of my children. But don't worry, I'm sure I'll pick them back up soon.

I wanted to blog about Leah. Leah is my sassy girl. I frequently call her "sassy" for a nickname. I guess it's not something to be proud of or encourage, but I can't help it. It's who she is. Last year in PreK, she would often roll her eyes and sigh when the teacher told her something she didn't want to hear. Not in a disrespectful way, but just in a sassy way. Brenda, her teacher, would have a tough time keeping a straight face. Leah loves to talk. That's no surprise to anyone who's been around her for any length of time. So, it's not hard to realize that she pretty much has a response for everything. However, she recently surprised me with her sassiness on the first day of school...



I walked into Berry to pick up the children on the first day of school. Before I even made it down to the classroom, I was pulled aside immediately by someone who said, "Hey, did you hear what happened?". Of course, I immediately thought to myself, "Oh my gosh, what did Christian do??? He's only been here for 4 freaking hours!!!". BUT... it was not Christian! I know, it's shocking. It was my sassy girl. Apparently, there was an assembly where the entire school was gathered. The director of the school was up front discussing rules and regulations and was talking with the children in a fairly strict tone of voice. It seems he said something to the effect of, "I want everyone here to listen and not get in trouble. I do not want to see any of you in my office this year!". To which my daughter (who was sitting in the front row very near him) piped up and said in a loud voice, "Well, we don't want to see you in our classrooms!". I guess she felt that he was getting onto her and she felt the need to respond. Needless to say, I was somewhat horrified. I was also somewhat amused. Okay, if I'm being honest, I was more than somewhat amused. But I didn't let her know that. In front of the whole school! That is such a Scot thing to say!! Scot is never at a loss for words and frequently says things that get him into trouble. It seems I now have two children who take after him. I may go crazy... :) Leah is supposed to be my easy one. This year is supposed to be worry-free for me! I guess my children are always going to be unpredictable. Life with them is never dull.

Like father, like son

I've always said that Christian is a carbon copy of Scot. I mean, really, anyone can see it. Of course, this weekend it has been harder to see because Scot has so much hair and Christian, well, let's face it, has none. But then I got this email from Tim (the torturer) and now I can see the resemblance again. All is right with the world now...

You gotta love photoshop. At least, you gotta love Tim's skill with photoshop. Thanks Tim for cheering me up!!! Oh, and Scot, if you're reading this... You may never, ever, get your hair cut like this or I'm going to go out and dye my hair black and get it cut in a bob...

ARRRRGH - 24 hours later

Well, by popular demand, I've relented and decided to post an after picture. If only so that Tim doesn't drive to my house (ha ha!) I have stopped hyperventilating every time I see Christian now. I do occasionally have to take deep breaths and chant to myself, "It's just hair, it's just hair, it's just hair". I originally said that I would not take his picture with this awful haircut, but oh well. I like the idea of torturing him with it later. Although, Christian is not nearly as upset as I am so maybe he wouldn't care... He keeps telling me, "Feel it Mommy, it's really soft". I want to say, "Feel what? There's nothing there!". But I don't. I smile and touch his head and try not to visibly cringe. I mean, come on, he was born with more hair than this! This is the least amount of hair he's ever had!! Whew, I need to calm down... I'm getting all upset again. Clearly, I'm a vain person. Hair is apparently very important to me. This became obvious yesterday when I had to go to the bathroom at the hair salon to compose myself. We went out to dinner last night and one of my distant cousins was working at the restaurant. She's seen Christian, maybe 2 times in the last year. She saw him and did a double take and said to me, "Oh, I see he got a hair cut...". So I then had to explain to her why and that caught the attention of the other servers which ended with the manager in Red Lobster trying to reassure me that it wasn't that bad. How embarrassing.

So, here you go...my child... with the military cut (sob, sob, sniff, sniff)...

ARRRRGH!!!!!!

Ok, well the following pictures are not what I planned to post next. I planned to post pictures of my children blissfully attending school parties and having fun. Instead, I feel the need to post some pictures that show the reality of the Simon household this morning. Because I'm all about keeping it real. It's not just fun and games here...I can only convey my horror through an exact dialogue:

(Brady comes into my bedroom at about 8am this morning)

Brady: Um Mommy, Christian has some patches on the back of his head that don't have any hair.

Me: What? (At this point, I'm still thinking about the coffee that I'm going to get in a few minutes)

Brady: Yeah, see, he has these spots on his head and they don't have hair.

Me: (starting to panic) What do you mean he has spots with no hair?

Brady: Well, I don't know what happened but there's not any hair there now.

Me: (attempting to keep my voice calm and even) Can you go get him and tell him to come in here?

Brady: Sure.

(At this point, I'm thinking.. nutritional deficiency. I mean, come on, he doesn't eat anything. His hair is falling out and he has some sort of illness and his pediatrician's son now goes to Berry and she's going to see him and know that I can't get him to eat. Why didn't I buy something better than the Flinstones Multivitamin?!?!?)

Christian enters my room and I notice that he will only look at me head on. Brady plops down on the couch and just waits and watches for my reaction.

Me: Christian, turn around.

Christian: Why?

Me: Because I want you to.

Christian: Am I going to get in trouble?

Me: Well, I'm going to try really hard not to get mad... (grabbing his head and turning it to the side)(GASP)- What have you done?

Christian: Well, see I felt like my hair was too long in those places so I shaved it.
Me: With what?

Christian: Your razor.
Me: My WHAT????
Christian: Your razor.

Me: (still trying very hard to keep my voice even and steady) Can you go get it for me and show me?

Christian: (comes back with my razor that is still full of his beautiful, dark, curly, wonderful, thick, luscious hair that I love to run my fingers through endlessly-sob- whew! calm down DeAnn, it's just hair...)

Me: (I'm speechless and I hear Scot about to walk in the bedroom door) Christian, stand here beside me and be very quiet while we tell Daddy.

Scot walks in and looks at me, Christian, and Brady sitting in the middle of the room very still and quiet and staring at him.

Scot: Hi. (He looks at us suspiciously) What's going on?

Me: Well, we have some bad news. (I start to stumble with my words a bit here. Brady is sitting on the couch dead still and Christian has moved sideways into my lap- keeping his head straight at all times). It seems that Christian decided to um, well, see, he decided to shave some of his hair off.

Now, keep in mind, that Scot is a very dramatic person and I really wasn't sure how this was going to go over. You never know with Scot. He could have started laughing, or he could have gotten really upset. I mean, it's bad, don't get me wrong, but in the grand scheme of things- we've had a lot worse.

Scot: What? Let me see... (he pauses to take in the holes in Christian's hair). Why, Christian, Why???

Christian at this point has given up trying to explain. He just stands there. Which is a true testament to his improved self control. Normally at this point, he'd be crying and/or screaming.

Christian: Can't we just glue it back on?

Me (to Scot): Well, you have to call the hairdresser. (Because I have priorities. I mean, forget about the fact that my son was using a razor blade on his scalp and could have cut himself and bled to death before I was none the wiser. This is a hair emergency!!!! My child looks like he has the mange!!! Scot needs to call our hairdresser's cell phone and get her to help us right this second!!!)

Scot: (Looking at me like I've completely lost my mind) I am not calling our hairdresser on her cell phone on a Saturday morning to ask her about our child's hair. I would kill someone if they called me on a Saturday morning to ask a computer question (so let that be a lesson to all of you out there... call Scot on a Saturday morning to ask a computer question at your own peril)

Me: Well, you're calling her as soon as they open. (I say this rather threateningly)

So, there you have it. I don't know what else to say. Sigh. I guess that all parents go through something like this at one point or another. Although I'd love to hear stories if you have any. You may remember a couple of years ago when Leah burned her hair off. I told Brady that he was under no circumstances to touch his hair. He's the only child I have left that has never tried to cut, shave, or burn his own hair. So, if you see Christian out and about and you wonder why he has this particular haircut, now you know. Of course, our hairdresser was not there. Someone else cut it, and I can honestly say that I hate the resulting cut more than just having holes in his hair. (deep breath, it's just hair, it's just hair, deep breath).... I mean, who cares if he looks like he's going to military school? The cut reminds me of my father's haircut right after he went into the army. I know I wasn't there, but I've seen pictures. (deep breath, it's just hair, it's just hair, deep breath...) It is still summer and at least he won't get hot. And he does look good in hats... Sigh.