Sibling love. Or torture. It’s all the same.

Yesterday was a day.  You know the type.  I think I heard Payton squeal “No Jake!” at least 4,321 times all the while acting innocent as ever.  Don’t let her fool you, though.  She’ll smile sweetly while kicking her brother under the table.  And Jake is more than happy to kick her back.  He’s just not as inconspicuous as his sweet-as-pie sister.  He’s more of a “Yeah, I kicked her.  She deserved it.”  type of kid.  Let’s just say the day ended with a certain someone who shall remain nameless writing a so-called letter of apology to their sibling for hitting them squarely across the knuckles with a light saber old school Nun style.  I mean, were there really any other options?  And in the so-called letter of apology the only I’m sorry came from “hitting you too hard”.  You know.  Never admit defeat.  These are the days that I take a deep breath, regroup and try again run for the Y as soon as Jason walks through the door.  Thank goodness for that because otherwise I very well might run for the hills.  And I’m pretty sure abandonment is still illegal in most states!

“Oh, I love you so much!  Let me give you a kiss……..while I choke you.”

On Hatching Chickens

Back in March we hatched chicks.  What I rationalized as an as an educational opportunity for the kids was perhaps phase one of a plan to slowly get Jason used to the idea of an urban farm (next year’s project: get hens to keep for eggs.  See my rational here?  “Oh, aren’t the chicks so cute and fun.  Oh, look.  The kids really love having them.  Oh, look.  A chicken coop turned up in our yard.  Weird.  I thought I had homes for them all, but I must have forgotten these three here.”  You get the picture!)  The dedicated work incubating the eggs for 21 days, making sure to keep them at 100 degrees, keeping the humidity in check and turning them 3-4 times a day paid off when the chicks hatched right on time.  Jake thought they were pretty cool, but was just as content to watch them from afar.  But Payton…oh how she loved those chickens.  She couldn’t get enough.  The chicks took a particular liking to her, too, and would follow her around in the yard.  A friend of mine with a farm had agreed to take them once they got old enough to be out of their brooding box, but Payton was a tough sell.  She had a hard time letting go and had lots of tough questions for her:  “Are you sure you’ll take good care of my chickens?!”  It turned out to be a really cool experience and we managed to keep all the chicks alive and well until we handed them off to the real farmer.  Phase one of operation chicken little complete.  Now on to phase two……….

   

Ninjas Baseball 2012

Jake played machine pitch baseball again this year, officially on team Susie's Daycare.  Since there was a collective moan among the whole team at the mention of their team name, they came up with Ninjas instead and refused any acknowledgement of their "other" name.  Jason was the head coach, which ended up being more like corralling cats on some days according to him.  The team wound up having a great season, going 10-02, which was even more of an accomplishment since Jason firmly believes this age is more about exposure to different positions, learning good sportsmanship and developing the love of the game.  When other coaches were playing kids at the same positions all year long, Jason continued to rotate the team through various positions so that the same kids didn't end up in the outfield all the time.  The entire team requested to be on Jason's team again next year, which is testament to how great he really is with the kids, even if they are a tad bit (or a lot bit) trying from time to time.

  

Rocker Chic

Payton:  A little bit girlie.  A little bit rocker.  A lot bit fashionista.  The girl.loves.clothes.  She does no less than 50 outfit changes a day if she can get away with it and loves to mix and match.  The more the colors and patterns clash differ, the better.  Pink polka dot skirt with red and white striped tights?  Check.  Purple striped shirt with jeans layered under a multi colored skirt?  Double check.  Her fashion hero is Fancy Nancy.  Right now she’s sitting next to me as we get ready to go on a walk wearing the outfit below with additional accessories of two medals, a head lamp and a paper wand.  We’ve made a point to let her dress herself every day and tell her how beautiful she is as she proudly displays her latest fashion creation.  Because you never know when you might need a head lamp or when jeans-with--shorts-on-top will be the latest trend.

  

Preschool Moving Up Ceremonies

Payton's preschool makes a big deal about the accomplishments the kids make throughout the year with a huge year end moving up and graduation ceremony.  It gives the kids a sense of pride in their hard work throughout the year.  We feel lucky that Payton has dedicated teachers who love her and encourage her to learn in an enriching, fun and supportive environment.

Field Day

Payton took Jason to field day, preschool style.  It was a bit rainy, but ended up being tons of fun according to the two of them.  Payton loved having her Dad all to herself!