What’s in a Name

Rock and I have a very hard time choosing baby names.  We NEVER agree and so we don’t even start looking until we know what the baby is going to be.  He likes unusual names and I like normal ones.  It is a miracle we have named 3 children.  And once we do decide on a name we usually keep it quiet until baby is born, much to the chagrin of our families.  But this time our boys have literally been praying we would agree on a name, so when we finally did, we figured we should tell them….and YOU!  
This week we gave the boys the letters to her first name (we’re still working on a middle name) and told them to figure it out.

Here’s what they came up with!

 
So in honor of the 4th of July and for those of you who have been wondering, here it is.  Unusual enough for Rock and meaningful to me.  As many of you know I love US history and have been studying it a lot this year.  I am so grateful to our founding fathers and for the principles of government and freedom that they gave to us.  Our Liberty is very important to me and I want to do all I can to teach my children to appreciate it.  I think too many in my generation and the next don’t appreciate it and aren’t defending it against those who would take it away surreptitiously.  So this name just seemed perfect to me for a baby born in a time when our Liberty must be defended in a new way.  One of my favorite quotes from Ronald Reagan is,

Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free. 

But enough of the soap box.  Rock likes the nickname Bree, I like Libby.  I’m doing her room in ladybugs, so maybe we’ll call her Ladybug or Breebug.  Who knows.  Here’s a sneak peak at her room.  It’s not what I’d do if we owned the home, but white walls will have to do for now.
  

Stay tuned for pictures of  her when she actually arrives!  And let’s hope she really IS a girl!   

Summer Fun

We’ve enjoyed our first few weeks of summer… here’s some of the fun we’ve had.

Lots of pool time. We love actually having summer in June! instead of having to wait until July for warm weather!

Mom was too lazy to climb the stairs to get the swim diapers so Blue Jeans had to make do. When the diaper (and pants) did finally fall off, it was a doozy!

Blue Jeans gets covered in mud at least once a day.

We spend some time every day reading too. I love it when they all sit together and read like this so I had to get a picture.

Rock gave me last weekend off! He camped out in the backyard with the boys and the fireflies! The next day he took them out to see Toy Story 3. I finally made some headway on the baby’s room thanks to the time off! I have the world’s greatest husband.

The boys have been going to a fun half day summer camp and today was crazy hair day and puppet day!  Mr. President has been begging me to let him wear a mohawk to school and so today he was finally appeased.
 

Those Who CAN, Teach

I just finished writing a thank you note to Mr. President’s 1st grade teacher to thank her for all her hard work, patience and love for him this year.  It’s the first time I’ve been on the writing end instead of the receiving end and I balled like a baby as I wrote it.  It has not been an easy year for Ms. V.  She struggled with many of the same things in teaching Mr. President that I did and that led me to send him to public school rather than keeping him home and teaching him myself.  Because I have been a teacher and know how hard it is to teach some kids while still loving them and helping them to enjoy school, I appreciate her work more than the regular parent I think.  Because I know what that struggle is like as a public school teacher and as Mr. President’s mother, I just can’t thank her enough. 
The phrase, “Those who can’t, teach” has always bothered me because I know how much work good teachers put into their jobs and their students.  I have my beef with the public school system, don’t get me wrong.   I know there are many teachers who don’t work hard at all not to mention all the bureaucratic garbage that exists in the system.  And I still hope to someday try homeschooling again. But there are so many of us who can’t teach our own kids though we’d like to and it is a great blessing when you get a dedicated, loving teacher who is willing to work with your child even when it’s hard.  My little boy learned to read and love it this year.  He learned to love writing and he made some good friends.  I know there will be teachers who are not so loving and patient with my child.  He is a unique challenge.  But I’m grateful that for at least this first full year in school, he had a great teacher.  Thanks, Ms. V.

The Great American Entrepreneur

Today I finally gave in and let the boys set up a Lemonade stand. I had my doubts. What investor doesn’t, I suppose. My all too realistic thinking that often short circuits fun at our house got in the way. And even though it’s something that every American child has to try, I’ve still been hesitant to say yes. But today I did and it actually worked! They stood in the hot sun for 2 hours. They yelled and hollered at cars as they drove by and guess what? It paid off. You would not believe the number of kind souls who stopped to buy some! They made a whopping $21.75, even after sharing their profits with the other little kids in the neighborhood who wanted to “help” sell too. The asking price was 25 cents but one guy gave $2.00 EACH to the younger two boys (Go Go and a neighbor kid) and $3.00 to Mr. President because “he was the boss”. The older kids in the neighborhood who at first looked askance at the boys efforts, soon forked over their own money for some lemonade with grudging admiration. One is even planning his stand for next week. Oooh, bring on the competition! Gotta love the free market!
Having never lived on a busy street, I had no idea that such money making opportunities were available for the young entrepreneur. The boys are so excited they can’t hardly stand it. And of course they’re begging to go to the store to spend their hard “earned” money.
My favorite question from Go Go, “Mom, do they have something for $2.75 at the Dollar store?” That’s more money than he's ever had at one time. Favorite quote overheard while dickering with a customer, “Can you give us each 25 cents?”.

My one question is how much lemonade, plastic cups and sun screen am I going to have to invest in for the rest of the summer to keep these guys in business? Speaking of which, where’s my cut boys????

Central Park in June

This Spring and Summer our goal is to take the boys to Central Park once a month because there’s so much to do there. Last Saturday we had another trip in. Here are the highlights.

We met Lady Liberty just outside the park making money off of passersby. She was worth $2.00!

Everywhere you go in Central Park someone is playing music, juggling, doing death defying acts
all to make a little money. The boys couldn't get 10 feet without stopping and watching all the different acts.

I just love the views of the enormous city buildings just beyond the park. They seem such a contrast.

Lots and lots of beautiful bridges in Central Park.

Blue Jeans had a good time chasing the pigeons….

In the background you can hear a beautiful violinist that we saw also trying to make some mula.

Also lots and lots of ponds and lakes like this one. You can rent little remote control sailboats at this one. Ever since we first came to New York for the first time a year ago I’ve wanted to bring the boys here!




Blue Jeans spent the entire time leaning as far over the edge as he could looking at all the fish.

To end the day we stopped at one of the millions of playgrounds so the boys could work off any remaining energy they had left. Fun Day!!!

Extra Points in Heaven

Mothers who can’t serve their kids peanut butter and jam sandwiches for lunch deserve extra points in heaven.  They were a staple when I was growing up and since becoming a mother I curse lunch time because of Mr. President’s peanut allergy which has prevented me from using this easy, time saving, loved by generations of children lunch at our house.  This allergy has rubbed off if not in fact, than in taste with Go Go who refuses to eat peanut butter as well.   But as in most things, Blue Jeans is proving to be the most normal of all our children.  Today, I am happy to report that I am giving up my extra points in heaven!!!!  Blue Jeans ate a whole peanut butter and jam sandwich and then asked for more!!!! 

Oh Happy Day!

Leisure Reading…finally

Mr. President graduated to chapter books this week and here he is reading one FOR FUN for the first time!  Oh, it brings happiness to my soul!!!  Just think of the hours of peacefulness ahead of me! (I know, that's only if he becomes a reading nerd like his parents… but a girl can dream, right?) 

Also this week I got a picture of Blue Jeans while he waits for the boys bus to come in the afternoon.  He loves to sit there at the door and yells “BUT! BUT!” (his version of bus) when he sees it come down the street.  He’s in his daily uniform-a baseball cap carrying a baseball mitt.