Hey, Chad

We flew to Kentucky yesterday morning for a family reunion. It is always a relaxing and fun time - even though there will be seven kids under the age of five in attendance. En route, Thatcher somehow took to calling Chad by his given name. It probably won't translate well, but you'll have to trust that it is absolutely hilarious when he says:

• "Hey, Chad, are you taking us to the airport?"
• "Hey, Chad, are you going to go on the plane with us?"
• "Hey, Chad, I want to see that movie."
• "Hey, Chad, why are we going on that road?"
• "Hey, Chad, can you come in here?"
  
• "Hey, Chad, I was just kidding. Ha ha ha."
  

What Fairy Tales are Made of...

This morning, Thatcher asked, "Hadwee, may I have this dance, please?" She shook her head no and tried to push him away. Chad told Thatcher he didn't think Hadley wanted to dance. Thatcher's reply: "But, Dad, that's what they do in fairy tales."

Blessed are the Peacemakers

Lately, Thatcher and I have been talking a lot about Matthew 5:9: "Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called sons of God." Specifically, we talk about how we should strive to be peacemakers, rather than troublemakers. This morning, I overheard him playing in the playroom with Hadley. His conversation went a little something like this: "Hadley, can I have that toy please? Remember, you need to try to be a PACEMAKER and not a troublemaker." Close enough.

Blessings

Thatcher Saying the Blessing

Not to be outdone, Hadley has her own way of getting the camera on her at mealtime.

Bed Time

That book is a real snore.

Thatcher "tucking in" Donald Duck.

The Next Emeril

Thatcher requested rice krispies for breakfast this morning. He went into a panic when I gave him a bowl of them, insisting that rice krispies are square and don't have milk on them. It was then that I realized he wanted rice krispies TREATS. Five hours of "Can we make rice krispies treats" questions later, here is what he did:

Because I'll hear it if Hadley doesn't get equal airtime, here she is doing what she does best - showing off her favorite body parts and playing with her favorite guys.

Shattered

In the past three hours, Hadley has shattered one pyrex measuring cup and one antique china serving bowl. She is dangerously close to dismantling my spirit.

Conversations in the Car

Thatcher: "Mommy, can we play gob (golf) today?"
Danielle: "Thatcher, I'm afraid it's going to be too hot to play golf today."
Thatcher: "Mommy, some gobers (golfers) play gob when it is really hot outside. You know that."

Upon hearing Hadley ask for "more" fruit snacks for the 457th time in 10 minutes, Thatcher replies, "Hadley, they're all gone. I told you that three times."

Hadley upon reading her new book, "The Shy Little Kitten:" Ki-kat, ki-kat, ki-kat, ki-kat." Hadley upon dropping her new book: "Book, book, book, book, book. Mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy. Book, book, book, book, book." Hadley after I hand her the dropped book: "Ki-kat, ki-kat, ki-kat, ki-kat." Repeat conversation in its entirety until arriving home some 20 minutes later.''

Thatcher to our pediatrician, Dr. Reilly, (not to mention his Sunday School teachers and anyone else who will listen): "We went to Disney for vacation. While we were there, my granddaughter ate a bug. It was stinky and disgusting." For the record, I have no idea who his granddaughter is or why she is eating bugs.

The End of an Era

Upon reviewing my children's postings--or lack thereof--on their blogs, I've made the executive decision to take over their blogging responsibilities. It would seem that Thatcher and Hadley are simply too overwhelmed with their hectic summer schedules and travel plans to maintain a steady writing regimen. They've fallen down on their duties, and I confess that I am, perhaps, partly to blame. The kids have taken to using Facebook to convey their summer antics, leaving the average "Jam Master T" and "Hadley's Happenings" reader to wonder just what those little munchkins have been up to since their last postings in May. How else would you know that five weeks ago, Chad called a first ever "Family Meeting" to ask Thatcher (and the rest of us) if we would like to go on a Disney vacation in a few weeks? How would you know that the kids are obsessed with playing golf at all hours of the day? How would you know that Hadley's vocabulary is expanding at an alarming rate - and that Thatcher, the boy who didn't speak until he was 2 1/2, rarely stops talking?

So, at least for now, the kids are signing off of the blogs and letting mommy take over. Besides, my computer has far too many little fingerprint smudges all over it to let them continue typing on it much longer. You'll still get the same Thatcherisms and updates on Hadley's fierce determination and eating and sleeping dramas. You'll just be getting them from my perspective...from the trenches...from a sleep and caffeine deprived mom of what soon will be "three kids three and under." The blog might not be coherent, but hopefully it will appear more than once every three months. If you want more, feel free to come keep the kids so I can run away to write!

Danielle