randomly AJ

this is when work is fun.  water and sun and grandma.  nice combination....

 

while shopping across the border a few Saturdays ago, i bumped into AJ on the side of a Pampers box!  it was odd and funny and worth stopping in the middle of the aisle to share a photo! :) 

 

 when we told AJ we'd seen him at WalMart the night before when he was supposed to be at home sleeping, he grinned and looked mostly perplexed. he seemed confused by the picture too.  eventually we explained.  then he enjoyed the concept of a "look-alike"... 

freestyle

a couple of weeks ago the kids put on a "grandparent's day" assembly at the school.  it always proves to be an exciting time for them as they prepare and practice lots of songs and lines to show their dear grandparents on the day that finally comes late in May.

as usual, Hudson was in top form this particular day.  he was geared up, full throttle, ready to stand with his class and deliver a "top notch, never to disappoint, sometimes even make them (or at least me!) mildly uncomfortable in their seats" kind of performance.  and he did.....

he started out great, did the usual wave to us in the audience and flashed his beauty of a smile with his white teeth shining back at us.  it was precious....the song included lots of unscripted movement and fidgeting on Hudson's part (as he played with his belt, etc.  thankfully, it stayed on at least), but it was mostly within reason....i could hear his singing above the rest, and he was doing a beautiful job...

then they came to the latter verses of the song and Hudson started to dance.  he began to sing less and dance more.  as i've said before, he's got moves.  he is Haitian, after all.  it was all fairly entertaining, and when the class sat down after their song, i breathed a quick sigh of relief and wiped my brow...."could have been worse", i thought...

later, in the kitchen, as we talked about the events of the afternoon, Hudson all on his own declared, "hey Mom, did you notice that we didn't really know that one song really well?  yah, we didn't have enough time to practice it...well, umm, so i didn't know the verse and just decided i'd dance freestyle instead!!!"  he laughed and looked like he was so proud that he hadn't squandered an opportunity!  after all, who would stand there and be a non-participant when there is a beat and an audience????  :)

love this boy so much....

AJ makes Jays roster

well, AJ has arrived.  it's clear he thinks so, at least!  Saturday was the opening day of his instructional baseball league, and he is on the Blue Jays team.  complete with the Jays hat and everthing....Tim Horton's sponsored the shirts, which is why they say "Timbits", but each of the four teams is actually named after a MLB team...a funny thing was when AJ came home, and i was figuring out the team breakdown and sponsor thing, AJ announced "our shirts say Timbits on them because Timbits is short for Blue Jays."  hmmm....okay!)

 

the above picture kind of looks like a wrestling stance...still transitioning, perhaps...

 

pure sweetness to see his joy in finally getting to play on an actual team, just like his big brother Hudson!  double joy at the realization that he was on the Jays team (and not the Astros, Cardinals or Tigers).  AJ knows, after all, that this is the best team to land on!  (ahem....seven game winning streak?!?!)  especially because his daddy records every game, Hudson gets right into every inning he sees, and we've even been to see a couple games over the past two summers.  peer pressure, perhaps, but put all of this together and AJ is aware.  it's almost like he's on the farm team roster!  sort of.  kind of.  ok, not at all, but it sounds fun! :)

 

funny how this has changed his observation of baseball in just a couple days.  Saturday we noticed he didn't take off his hat until bedtime, and he's never been a fan of wearing hats.  his nighttime prayer went like this, "thanks that i could have a fun day, thanks that i could play baseball and be a Blue Jay..."  Sunday afternoon, he was engaged with the game playing out on our TV screen.  watching intently, cheering, like he had ownership of the team and their outcome.  then in the afternoon there was ball practice in the back yard.  yesterday he was pitching to Hudson in the basement.  it is all super fun to see and we feel abundantly blessed to give him this opportunity in this great country we live in...

 

and now, to top it all off (or lop it all off, i should say), tonight Jeff gave AJ and Hudson haircuts.  there isn't much left!  i'll be happy to see a bit of re-growth, but they are thrilled!  this picture of a mini Jose Reyes popped up on my phone while i was at the soccer field....i really did laugh out loud...

 

 

the brown boys are so excited about their new look.  as i was walking out of their room at bedtime AJ said to Hudson "hey Hudson, tomorrow we are going to be sooo jacked about our haircuts!"  oh dear...maybe the next haircuts should happen on a weekend for the sake of their teachers... :)

B&B

here are a few pics from the last two weeks.  of breakfast and baths.  first, my crew prepared a Mother's Day breakfast that rivaled any restaurant out there.  it was made by six and shared with all.  i loved the effort and creativity!!  only the three boys were willing participants in the picture first thing in the morning...

 

 

so yummy, and i wasn't even on clean-up duty, which was an even bigger treat...

 

and, as is often the case, these two will plan a "bathing suit bath".  they love to put on suits, fill the tub and dump in the toys.  they will play for an hour like that.  it's worth every drop on the walls and floor.  these days are numbered, and i love their warm bubbly connection....

this makes me smile

i didn't even catch it at first~ actually, i think Jeff first noticed why this picture was "smile-worthy".  then, i decided it was blog-worthy.  moments of academic life and homework with six can be daunting.  draining.  repetitive.  and i don't even homeschool.  things like never-ending passages from boring less than stimulating readers and french vocabulary that seems unending~ plus, all the little tricks we come up with to remember "un" or "une" and "le" or "la"....stuff like that, you know.   so, thankfully, there are bright spots which make it fun to leaf through finished school work that makes its way home in backpacks.  i love seeing the things the younger boys put in their "blank spaces" on work sheets.  it is a small window opened to their thoughts and preferences.

this particular grade 1 project was on making posters.  it was a project with rough drafts and content/detail requirements.  attached to the poster was the working layout and draft, that quite honestly, appears to have been a challenge for AJ.  he needed help with the planning stages of his poster.  that's ok.  he got it done...

i love the final result, however.  i love AJ's great progress this year!  he is reading, he is showing a great interest in science, he is learning the dynamics of friendships, he is spelling and learning the discipline of preparation for tests.  he is tearing it up on school track events and taking great joy in his running abilities...it is all good.  he has come through a tough first year of full-time school and overall i'm so pleased with his growth. 

best of all~ "free basketballs~ $2.00"
yep, i'm sooo gonna miss this....

musings from a mom

so much has changed for me since becoming a mom 16 years ago.  as a kid, and later a young adult, i thought i had a pretty good idea of what my own mom was living, experiencing, feeling.  i really didn't.  i couldn't have.  i hadn't walked her walk, carried her load, felt her feelings.  her story is still her own unique and personal story, yet now, as a mother too, i have a more accurate understanding of the highs and lows, the emotions, the heart wrenching love, the frustration and the elation of watching your children "live life" before your eyes.  i wish i had known more then what i know now.  and believe me, i have much more to learn still.  ask my kids.
yes, the mothers in my life are amazing women.  i admire their grit, their dedication, their "glue-like" effect on their families.  i admire their crazy work ethic, their ability to lay out a beautiful meal and feed fifteen or more people with apparent ease and grace.  i admire their humour, their love for children, their selfless care of their families.  they are lovely women.  they are loyal women.  i'm so thankful to have watched them for so many years.  i've said all this before, yet it's worth mention again.  thanks for modeling awesomeness.  happy mother's day to you!
to my own six kids.  we are a unique crew.  i openly admit (hopefully often enough to you all) that i haven't got this all figured out.  i am not perfect.  i fall short daily, sometimes hourly.  i am living daily, trying by God's grace to show you real-life trust and faith, lived out moment by moment.  i wish for you this....that your childhood (and far beyond) will be marked by clear knowledge of your mom's deep love for you.  that much is not up for debate, dear ones.  someday, if not now, i hope and pray you can see the love displayed in the little things, perhaps once you are doing the same things for your children someday.  as i sort your closets and buy your socks, as i pack your lunch bags and style your hair, as i pray with you before bed and cook your requested breakfast, as i plan your birthdays and pack for trips, as i drive you here, there and everywhere~ i think of you with gratitude that i was given the charge to raise you.  each and every one.  not just those days, however.  the other ones too~ when my answers are short or i lack patience to listen, when i'm too drained to really give my best to you and you feel slighted, when we argue or disagree, when i call out behaviours that are hard to accept, when my face looks stressed and you sense i'm preoccupied, when i need a break and i say so....well, even then~ i hope your confidence in my love is steadfast and sure.  i pray this underlying confidence gives you security to grow and dream and spread your wings.  believe it or not, i do want you to spread those wings and fly....so, to my six~ i'm happy to call myself a mom~ and a mom specifically to you.  i'm certain it will forever be my highest calling in life.  love love love you all!

and, just because i love this band, and i love this song.  A Newsboys tribute to moms. 

spring

i'm certain i post something like this every spring.  but really, does it ever get old?!  wait, don't answer that....

seriously, what's not to love about this long overdue season of spring and the new life popping up all around?  so, naturally, when my dad discovered this adorable nest by our little pond area, it was absolutely necessary to photograph!  this mama robin (not seen in the picture, but watching from a short distance away) thinks just like me....she likes warm ambiance and an inviting abode.  she likes clean and tidy~ i wanted to whisper to her "enjoy it now! this is next to impossible to maintain once the crew arrives!" :)  she has created this cozy little nook in our shrub, sheltered from the wind and safely tucked away from obvious view.  she sits on her three beautiful blue eggs and waits.  and waits.  and waits. 

can you see the nest?

 

it is so fascinating, and our kids are now watching and waiting too.  i hope she adjusts to the peering eyes and giant bodies on the other side of the window.  yes, spring 2014 is here~ enjoy the bright, bright, sunshiny days!