Morning Workout

I am not an exerciser. I have friends that run races, take long bike rides, work out in a gym, but I do none of those things. I took a yoga class for a while, but I quit that. I keep telling myself that when I live in a better neighborhood we'll be able to take walks and bike rides, but I wonder how much of that is a pipe dream.

I did get a work out in this morning though. Or at least something I'm calling a work out. When you have the kind of struggle I had to get the kids dressed and out the door today, it counts as exercise. And it did get my heart rate up!

Ryan started screaming the minute I told him it was time to get dressed and nothing would calm him down. And just in case the screaming wasn't enough, he kicked and thrashed and bucked so much that he gave himself a bloody lip. It was like trying to dress a very loud greased pig!

He didn't calm down until he noticed the carrot muffins on the counter. Once we "negotiated" who was going to open the container and pick the muffin, he sat quietly and worked on eating the muffin. Well, quietly except for the occasion cry of  "no cat!" when Sanders would hop up and try to steal a bite.

I was just putting my makeup and curling iron away when Ryan said, "Wesley home."  Wesley was home alright, screaming in his room!

I hurried up the stairs to find Wesley sitting in his bed with tears streaming down his face. He told me he had a bad dream, but couldn't remember what it was. If it scared him that badly, it's probably good that he doesn't remember what it was. You'd think he'd be so happy to be awake and away from that bad dream that getting him out of bed and ready for school would be no problem. You'd think wrong.

Like his brother, Wesley also fought me. He didn't thrash around or cause himself bodily harm, but he did grace me with many dirty looks (which I returned), stomping his feet (which I also returned) and stepping on my food. At one point he even did a sort of growl-roar at me. I did the only thing a mature 36-year-old mom would do - I growl-roared back at him. My plan kind of backfired though, because then Wesley started crying that I scared him. Sigh.

But do you know what? Despite the horrible start to the morning, the boys were fine by the time we got to Grandma and Grandpa's. They ate and talked to their grandparents like civilized children and even gave me hugs before I left. It was like the drama of the morning never happened - but I'm still going to count it as my exercise for the day.

Librarian List of Pride

In honor of Banned Books Week, I am posting the Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books of 2000 - 2009. The titles in bold are the ones I HAVE read. How many of these have you read?  And don't forget to excercise your right to read!

1. Harry Potter (series), by J.K. Rowling

2. Alice series, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

3. The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier

4. And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson/Peter Parnell

5. Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck

6. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou

7. Scary Stories (series), by Alvin Schwartz

8. His Dark Materials (series), by Philip Pullman

9. ttyl; ttfn; l8r g8r (series), by Myracle, Lauren

10. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky

11. Fallen Angels, by Walter Dean Myers

12. It’s Perfectly Normal, by Robie Harris

13. Captain Underpants (series), by Dav Pilkey

14. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain

15. The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison

16. Forever, by Judy Blume

17. The Color Purple, by Alice Walker

18. Go Ask Alice, by Anonymous

19. Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger

20. King and King, by Linda de Haan

21. To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee

22. Gossip Girl (series), by Cecily von Ziegesar

23. The Giver, by Lois Lowry

24. In the Night Kitchen, by Maurice Sendak

25. Killing Mr. Griffen, by Lois Duncan

26. Beloved, by Toni Morrison

27. My Brother Sam Is Dead, by James Lincoln Collier

28. Bridge To Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson

29. The Face on the Milk Carton, by Caroline B. Cooney

30. We All Fall Down, by Robert Cormier

31. What My Mother Doesn’t Know, by Sonya Sones

32. Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya

33. Snow Falling on Cedars, by David Guterson

34. The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things, by Carolyn Mackler

35. Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging, by Louise Rennison

36. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley

37. It’s So Amazing, by Robie Harris

38. Arming America, by Michael Bellasiles

39. Kaffir Boy, by Mark Mathabane

40. Life is Funny, by E.R. Frank

41. Whale Talk, by Chris Crutcher

42. The Fighting Ground, by Avi

43. Blubber, by Judy Blume

44. Athletic Shorts, by Chris Crutcher

45. Crazy Lady, by Jane Leslie Conly

46. Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut

47. The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby, by George Beard

48. Rainbow Boys, by Alex Sanchez

49. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey

50. The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini

51. Daughters of Eve, by Lois Duncan

52. The Great Gilly Hopkins, by Katherine Paterson

53. You Hear Me?, by Betsy Franco

54. The Facts Speak for Themselves, by Brock Cole

55. Summer of My German Soldier, by Bette Green

56. When Dad Killed Mom, by Julius Lester

57. Blood and Chocolate, by Annette Curtis Klause

58. Fat Kid Rules the World, by K.L. Going

59. Olive’s Ocean, by Kevin Henkes

60. Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson

61. Draw Me A Star, by Eric Carle

62. The Stupids (series), by Harry Allard

63. The Terrorist, by Caroline B. Cooney

64. Mick Harte Was Here, by Barbara Park

65. The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien

66. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, by Mildred Taylor

67. A Time to Kill, by John Grisham

68. Always Running, by Luis Rodriguez

69. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury

70. Harris and Me, by Gary Paulsen

71. Junie B. Jones (series), by Barbara Park

72. Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison

73. What’s Happening to My Body Book, by Lynda Madaras

74. The Lovely Bones, by Alice Sebold

75. Anastasia (series), by Lois Lowry

76. A Prayer for Owen Meany, by John Irving

77. Crazy: A Novel, by Benjamin Lebert

78. The Joy of Gay Sex, by Dr. Charles Silverstein

79. The Upstairs Room, by Johanna Reiss

80. A Day No Pigs Would Die, by Robert Newton Peck

81. Black Boy, by Richard Wright

82. Deal With It!, by Esther Drill

83. Detour for Emmy, by Marilyn Reynolds

84. So Far From the Bamboo Grove, by Yoko Watkins

85. Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, by Chris Crutcher

86. Cut, by Patricia McCormick

87. Tiger Eyes, by Judy Blume

88. The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood

89. Friday Night Lights, by H.G. Bissenger

90. A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeline L’Engle

91. Julie of the Wolves, by Jean Craighead George

92. The Boy Who Lost His Face, by Louis Sachar

93. Bumps in the Night, by Harry Allard

94. Goosebumps (series), by R.L. Stine

95. Shade’s Children, by Garth Nix

96. Grendel, by John Gardner

97. The House of the Spirits, by Isabel Allende

98. I Saw Esau, by Iona Opte

99. Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret, by Judy Blume

100. America: A Novel, by E.R. Frank

Only One Daddy

Duane was busy changing Ryan's dirty diaper last night. He had just finished removing the "evidence" when Ryan looked up at him and, in the sweetest little voice imaginable, said, "All better, Daddy?" Duane assured him that was all better and sang a little made up song about cleaning Ryan up because he's the dad.

"Boy, I'm glad I'm not a dad!" Wesley piped up. Then he amended it by saying, "Not yet."

I'd like him to wait at least 20 years, but I'm sure he'll be a great daddy someday.

Not Me Monday

I only have one this week, but it's a good one.

I did not arrive at my parents house in my sister-in-law's car, see my own car (which Duane drove) sitting in front of the house and ask, "Who is here?"

The Look

As few of my friends have been telling me how sweet and good Ryan is. I thought maybe they'd like to see the other side of him.

I didn't think we'd get looks like this until he became a teenager!

Feeling Restless

I woke up at 5:15 this morning and haven't been able to go back to sleep. I want to read, but I can't concentrate long enough to do so. There is nothing on tv at this hour and if I bake something, I'll wake every one else up. Sigh.

My mind keeps buzzing around from one thing to another: when can I exchange the shirt I got Duane? Should I get the sweater I saw yesterday? Why are my knees hurting so bad this morning? Is our house going to sell? Should I ask Duane to bring Ryan's fall/winter stuff up from the basement? What about my stuff for fall/winter? Time to do the wardrobe switch? Will we have time to run an errand between church and the Brown's game?

Just silly nothing stuff that's keeping me awake. Sigh. It's going to be a long day.

Unbelieveable

Ryan put himself down for a nap this morning!  I know! I can't believe it either! He was on the computer playing on PBS kids. Wesley was coloring and I went upstairs to dust. When I came back down, Wesley was still coloring, but Ryan had turned the computer off and was sleeping on the couch. 

Now to be honest, he probably doesn't feel so hot. He got the flu mist on Wednesday and this morning I noticed that his nose was running quite a bit and he felt a bit warm to me.  But still, it's a nap at a real time (not at 5:30 like he's been trying to do).

And do you know what's really sweet? Wesley took it upon himself to cover Ryan up with a blanket. Awwww...

Yard Art

You Want a What?!

We've been very upfront with Wesley about the whole "trying to sell our house" thing. He knows who our realtor is and that Mr. C. is trying to help us sell our house so we can buy a new one to live in.

Last night at dinner Wesley announced that he couldn't wait until we got a new house so we could get a new dog!

WHAT!? Like three cats and two kids isn't enough!

She's Late for a Very Important Date

As I'm sure the regular readers of my blog know, I adore my mom. She is one of my best friends, a fabulous grandmother and an all around nice person. She is a saint with the kids and has always been there for me.  I don't know what I'd do without her.

But no one is perfect. My mom's personal kryptonite is the clock - more specifically being on time. She is rarely on time for anything. Once upon a time I thought that maybe she'd start to be on time once she retired. It didn't happen.

My mom sometimes comes down to our house to watch the kids. I know she tries her hardest to be there on time, but I often have to rush out of the house as soon as she arrives. Usually she tells me that traffic was really bad  - and it usually is.

I'm telling you all this so that you will really get how funny I found what Wesley told me on the way to my mom's house this morning.

"Fluffy's grandma is going to our house today to watch our cats," he told me.

"That's very nice of her," I replied.

"Yeah, except she's running late because there's a lot of traffic." 

Out of the mouths of babes.

First Taste of Fall

I know that candy corn is one of those candies that you either love or hate. I fall firmly in the "love" camp - but only mid-September through Thanksgiving. To me, that's when candy corn is in season. And everyone knows you are supposed to eat what's in season.

I bought the first bag of candy corn of the year last night and left it sitting on the counter. Wesley saw it when he was getting ready this morning. Now Wesley loves candy corn almost as much as I do, so of course he had to ask for some.   I wasn't too keen on the idea of giving him some at 7:00 in the morning, but he had combed his own hair and gotten dressed without complaint...... I broke down and gave him one single kernel of candy corn.

Of course, I couldn't give Wesley a piece and not give any to Ryan, so Ryan also got a single kernel. Ryan popped it in his mouth and his eyes got wide. Through a mouthful of orange drool he asked, "More popcorn, please?" 

So close, and yet.....no.

No Refunds

I often joke that I don't think Wesley will ever forgive me for having Ryan. It's not uncommon for Wesley to say that he wishes he didn't have a brother, or ask if Ryan can go live someplace else.

The other day Wesley came up to me and said, "Mom, I guess we can keep Ryan. He's starting to be nicer to me."

I told Wesley that I was glad he thought we should keep Ryan and that I absolutely agreed.

Wesley called out to Ryan (who was in the next room), "Good news, Ryan! We're going to keep you!"

I don't know what cracks me up the most: the fact that Wesley thought the last two years were on some kind of trial basis, or the fact that he thought he got final say in the matter.

Not Me Monday

I did not reach for my water and accidently take a big gulp of Ryan's juice instead. That would have been a shock to the system!

The realtor came to take pictures of the house one day this past week. I know I didn't spend the morning praying that the cat wouldn't puke all over the place before the realtor got there!

I did not have to drive halfway to the zoo with Ryan screaming his head off in the back seat because I wouldn't let him take the big black ant he picked up into my car and to the zoo with us.

There is no way that I allowed Ryan to eat nothing but an obscene amount of cookies at the family reunion. What an irresponsible parent that would make me!

I know I did not go to bed earlier than the boys last night. No way. No how. Didn't happen.

Hog Roast

Yesterday was the annual family reunion/hog roast. As always, it was full of tons of food, laughs, and, of course pictures!

First stop for Wesley is always the gate to visit the horse and the mule. Ryan was pretty freaked out by the animals that were about ten times as big as he is. Every time they came near the gate he's say, "Down! Down!"

This was the first year that Wesley didn't stick to one of us like glue. He climbed in the tree and ran around with the many cousins for part of the night too.







Of course, Wesley is a librarian's kid and therefore, HAD to take a book with him. Luckily, Grandma W. was up for some book reading on the woodpile.



Duane and the boys on the hayride. This was before Ryan found a spider to hold and play with on Daddy's leg.  



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Wesley took a book on the hayride with him - like I said, total librarian's kid.




Grandma W. found a wooly worm caterpillar and Ryan was completely enthralled.



He petted it and let it crawl all over him.

When it was time to let the caterpillar go, Ryan stood at the tree and watched it until it crawled out of sight.

Jumping across bales of hay was a lot of fun. The boys sat on these a lot during the night too. At one point, Ryan was having a hard time getting his rear end up on the bale. One of his female cousins (probably around 8) was sitting on the bale. Ryan put his hand on her knee and, using it as leverage, managed to wiggle up next to her. The thing is, he didn't move his hand, so it looked very much like he had come up with a way to put the moves on her. Too funny!

Ryan was a total daredevil too. He climbed to the top of this ladder and launched himself off it onto his daddy.

A quite moment by the campfire.

Me snuggling my boy (who had a bunch of chocolate cookie stuck in his teeth)



Little Buckeye

I finally bought an OSU shirt for Ryan tonight. It's nothing special - grey with "Buckeyes" on the front in scarlett. But Ryan LOVES it. As soon as I took it out of the bag he snatched it and said, "My turn!" He's been hugging it and walking around the house saying "Buckeyes" over and over. He's even spelling it! But my favorite was when he said, "New sandals. Buckeyes. Fun day." Imagine how excited he'll be when he actually gets to wear it.

Just Looking for Trouble

If anyone notices my hair getting a bit lighter these days, I place on the blame on my youngest child. As if escaping Grandma and Grandpa's house on Monday wasn't enough, Ryan found three more ways to add some "natural highlights" to my head today.

1) Ryan wanted some juice to drink, so I opened the refrigerator. "Do you want a juice box, or apple juice in a cup?" I asked him. Ryan proceeded to ignore me and open the drawer where we keep the wine and beer. He picked up a bottle of my special beer and said, "Want this!"  Yeah right kid. Talk to me in 19 years.

2) While I was doing the dishes tonight, I noticed Ryan was wandering around the kitchen as if he was looking for something.  "Do you want something?" I asked him. "Want ladder," he replied. "You want a ladder?" I shouldn't have asked. Ryan went into the laundry room, got the step stool and used it to stand at the kitchen counter where he kept trying to reach for the knives!

3) I was wrapping a baby shower gift tonight. Ryan came over to the table and said he wanted to help. Unfortunately his idea of helping is to grab the scissors and wave them around.

I swear, I'll be completely gray by my next birthday if he keeps this up!

Be Sure to Take Your Vitamins

I think I have some of my most interesting conversations with Wesley when we are in the car. This conversation took place while we were driving home yesterday.

Wesley: I like going outside, but I hate that thing you get when go out in the sun!

Mommy: What thing?

Wesley: You know. That thing you get!

Mommy: Sunburn?

Wesley: No.

Mommy:  Mosquito bites?

Wesley: No. It's like energy, but that's not it.

Mommy (after thinking for minute): Vitamin D?

Wesley:  Yes! I hate vitamin D!

At this point I went on to tell Wesley that vitamins were things that helped keep him healthy and his body working. I explained that there is also vitamin D in milk. And that there's vitamin B in eggs, and vitamin C in oranges. 

Wesley: Is there a vitamin Z?

Mommy: Well there's zinc, which is kind of like a vitamin. It's in some fish.

Wesley:  Is there a vitamin A?

Mommy: Yes.

Wesley: What about vitamin P?

For a split second I considered telling Wesley that vitamin P (pee) is found in beer and/or coffee, but I thought better of it and told him I didn't think there was a vitamin P.

Thank goodness we didn't have to go through the entire alphabet on that one!

Mr. Independent

I cannot believe what a strong willed, stubborn child I have! Seriously, where did Ryan get it from?

Ryan has decided that he is a big boy now. He wants to do everything himself. Even though this has almost always been the case with Ryan, it's ten times worse now.

On Monday Ryan took it upon himself to leave Grandma and Grandpa P.'s and go out to get the mail - all by his lonesome! When Grandma asked about his solo adventure he told her that he was had been going to get the mail ("Mail! Me!") without Grandpa. That wouldn't have been so bad, except he escaped again later that day!

This morning Ryan wanted a juice box. That seems like a simple and reasonable request for a toddler to make. I walked over to the refrigerator and started to open it. "NO!" Ryan shouted as he slammed the door shut. 

Turns out that although Ryan wanted a juice box, he wanted to get it himself. So I stood there and watched Ryan pull and tug on the door until it finally opened. He picked out a juice box, then spent several frustrating minutes trying to open the straw and put it in the hole. I offered to help several times, but was turned down flat!

At least I was turned down for the first five minutes. After that I was permitted to open the straw, but not put it in the juice box. Ryan had to do that all by himself. Just like he had to open the car door and try to buckle himself in.

Why do I feel like year 2, going on 3 is going to a very long year indeed?

Most Uneventful First Day of School Ever

Today was Wesley's first day of pre-K - and as the title of this post says, it was the most uneventful first day of school ever. Wesley did not a new book bag, so he used the bag from last year. He didn't want to wear anything special. He had the same ol' breakfast. Things were pretty much business as usual at the school too. Same school, same rules, different class and teachers. He even knows some of the kids in his class this year.

Wesley was in a good mood about going to school, but I wouldn't say he was super excited or anything. Really, it just felt like any other day.

I actually feel a little let down by it. I hope Wesley doesn't.

Not Me Monday

I did not allow Ryan to take a nap from 5:15 - 7:15 pm just because there was a realtor coming over. And if I did, I know I didn't feed him a dinner of chocolate chip pancakes at 8:30 at night!

There's no way I yelled at my brother to turn his alarm clock off, only to realise that it was MY alarm clock going blaring and pulling me out of a dream!  That would have been ridiculous since I haven't lived in the same house as my brother in at least 14 years!

I know I didn't try several times to unlock Duane's car - using the keys to my van!

Bigfoot Sighting

If these kids ever grow into those feet I'm going to be in a lot of trouble!

Overheard

Wesley telling Ryan "I'm sorry. I can't play with you right now, little guy. But I love you, buddy."  Awwwww.....

A Librarian's Work is Never Done

I often joke about the fact that it is not uncommon for librarians to go to other libraries and book stores on their days off. Heck, librarians will even go visit other libraries when they are on vacation!

I did the profession one better. Today was my day off and I went to the Ohio Library Council Expo and to the levy kickoff event for our our local library.

Here's some pictures of the boys enjoying the playground at the kickoff event.

Hopefully the only time we'll see Ryan behind bars!

Ryan on the big boy swing. He kept wanting to go faster!

Wesley found a new girlfriend - who happens to be the daughter of someone I know!

Wearing the message

Ryan putting a yard sign up

Supporting the library levy!

Leggo My Muffin!

OK, so it doesn't have the same ring as "leggo my eggo," but it's what I was thinking this morning!

Some of you might know that I am a firm believer in the idea of pastry for breakfast. Coffee cake, bagels with nutella, tea bread, muffins, sweet rolls, pie - if it's sweet and carb based, it's a breakfast food to me!

I've been breakfasting on bagels and nutella this week, but was starting to get a bit burned out on them. Duane went to the store last night and I asked him to look for some rolls or something for me. He came back with two delicious looking pumpkin muffins.

Have I mentioned how much I love that man?

This morning Ryan saw the muffins sitting on the counter and asked for one. I told him that I'd take them to Grandma's and we could eat them there. After all, there were two muffins and two of us - perfect!

Yeah, perfect until Wesley saw the muffins.

You all know how picky Wesley is. Why couldn't he be picky about pumpkin muffins? But no, as soon as he saw them he asked if he could have one.  

But...but...there were only two muffins! So I cut the muffins in half, gave half to Wesley, half to Ryan and ate half myself.

Now all of you math geniuses realise there was still half a muffin left. I finished the muffin half on my plate and reached for the last muffin half. I had taken exactly one bite when Wesley looked at me with those big blue eyes of his and said, "May I have more muffin please?"

WHAT!? Mr. Picky wanted more of something? Of course! Because it was something I wanted! 

Being a mom though I didn't even have to think for a fraction of a second before I handed the rest of the muffin to Wesley. I ate a banana instead.

And all was right in the world - until Ryan asked for more muffin!

When Does Pre-K Start?!

I think Wesley's preschool is the latest starting school in central Ohio. He doesn't start back until the 14th - that's 6 more days - not that I'm counting.

OK, I am counting.

I feel completely guilty about it too. My mom always says that she loved Kirk and I being home in the summer and was never one of the parents who was counting the days until school started again. Have I mentioned that my mom is a saint?  And here I am, working full time and not even with my kids all day and I'm still dying for school to start for Wesley. It's not that I've run out of things to do with the boys. It's that Wesley's attitude has hit rock bottom.

The last two mornings have been awful. He gets out of bed and gets dressed just fine, but sooner or later Bad Attitude Boy appears. He's nasty. He makes faces at me. He talks back. I even swatted him on the rear end yesterday before I went to work!

I think part of it is that all his classes that he took over the summer are over. He never had more than one at a time, but there was some kind of structure to his days. I hope going back to school will add the structure he seems to need and B.A.B. will disappear.

Or else B.A.M (Bad Attitude Mommy) may be making for frequent appearances.

Restless

I feel kind of out of sorts tonight. We just had a realtor come to the house and talk about listing it. Even though it's what I want to do and what we really need to do, it's left me feeling a bit restless. I can't really concentrate on anything and have nothing cute to blog about. I guess the only reason I'm even writing this now is because I want the blog to be a record for the boys of what their life was like. And sometimes there aren't cute stories and parents feel off kilter. It happens. Hopefully I'll have something entertaining to post tomorrow.

Not Me Monday

I did not put Ryan's sandals on the wrong feet one morning. And even if that happened, I certainly did not send him to his grandparents that way. And even if I did, I know I would have caught it before his grandpa mentioned it to me.

There is no way I realized that neither of my boys had OSU shirts that fit to wear for the first game of the season. That would almost be sacrilege in our city!

I did not buy three pints of Ben and Jerry's at the store just because they were on sale and I had a coupon. And if I did, I know there was no way I already had a pint of Starbucks ice cream in the freezer.

Librarian List of Shame - Teen Edition

Teen (young-adult) literature didn't really come into it's own until the 1970's - mid 1980's (what some call the "golden age" of ya literature - although I think the stuff being written for teens now is AMAZING.) The Printz Award wasn't even around until 2000! But all that doesn't stop me from having a Librarian List of Shame for teen literature. All of the below are books I feel a bit embarrassed for having not read .

For this list I looked at books that have won the Printz award (or honor), as well as a poll that the blog Persnickety Snark did of the Top 100 YA Novels.

1. To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)  - this will probably show up on my "classics" list of shame too.
2. The Truth About Forever (Sarah Dessen)
3. The Book Thief (Markus Zusak)
4. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton) - even more embarassing, I've never seen the movie
5. This Lullaby (Sarah Dessen)
6. Just Listen (Sarah Dessen)
7. City of Bones (Cassandra Clare)
8. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger) - another one that will be on the "classics" list
9. The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Stephen Chbosky)
10. Along for the Ride (Sarah Dessen) - anyone else noticing a trend here. I swear, I don't avoid this author on purpose!
11. Vampire Academy (Richelle Mead)
12. Sloppy Firsts (Megan McCafferty)
13. Lord of the Rings (J.R.R. Tolkien)
14. Ender's Game (Orson Scott Card)
15. Tomorrow, When the War Began (John Marsden)
16. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks (E. Lockhart) - I tried, but I just couldn't make it through this book
17. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)  - another classic
18. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith) - see above
19. Lock and Key (Sarah Dessen)  - ok, this is getting embarrassing
20. Evernight (Claudia Gray)
21. Sabriel (Garth Nix)
22. I Capture the Castle (Dodie Smith)
23. Howl's Moving Castle (Diana Wynne Jones)
24. The Dark is Rising (Susan Cooper)
25. Saving Francesca (Melina Marchetta)
26. Second Helpings (Megan McCafferty)
27. Dreamland (Sarah Dessen) - seriously, my face is turning really red
28. Weetzie Bat (Francesca Lia Block)
29. Looking for Alibrandi (Melina Marchetta)
30. How I Live Now  (Meg Rosoff)
31. City of Glass (Cassandra Clare)
32. Keeping the Moon (Sarah Dessen)  - this is no longer funny
33. The King of Attolia (Megan Whalen Turner)
34. The Blue Sword (Robin McKinley)
35. Lord of the Flies (William Golding)
36. Someone Like You (Sarah Dessen) - hmmmm....too bad the library is closed today
37. Jacob Have I Loved (Katherine Patterson)
38. The Knife of Never Letting Go (Patrick Ness)
39. Shadow Kiss (Richelle Mead)
40. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime (Mark Haddon)
41. Glass Houses (Rachel Caine)
42. The Astonishing LIfe of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume 1, the Pox Party (M.T. Anderson) - I tried, but just couldn't do it
43. Whale Talk (Chris Crutcher)
44. The Last Song (Nicholas Sparks)
45. The Pigman (Paul Zindel)
46. The Hero and the Crown (Robin McKinley)

Prince Charming In Training

Say What?

A while back Wesley informed me that he could "speak Animal."  He is such an animal lover that I haven't doubted that for a minute.

As I write this, he and Ryan are playing with some animal stamps that Wesley got for his birthday. Ryan is picking the stamps and Wesley is making the animal noise. Ryan picked up a killer whale and said, "Dolphin."

"No no Ryan. That's a killer whale," said Wesley. He thought for a moment then continued, "I don't know what sound they make. Or what sound turtles make. Or hedgehogs." 

Apparently I need to sign him up for some more animal language classes!

Comfort

Today I had the incredibly sad experience of attending the funeral of a friend of mine. Someone who was not only my friend, but married to one of my friends and the father of two young children my kids like to play with. It's always hard to lose someone, but to lose someone so young, someone who touched the lives of so many people, is particularly difficult.

I found out last Friday that R. passed away. I was at work when the call came and it hit me like a ton of bricks, even though I knew the news might be coming that day. I was unable to work and went to visit a mutual friend to grieve with her. Once I had myself pulled together a bit, I headed home.

When I walked into the living room where Wesley and Ryan were playing with their grandma, Wesley immediately knew something was wrong.  "What's that sad face for, Mommy?" he asked with genuine concern.

"Wesley, you remember Mr. A. don't you? J & G's daddy?"  I asked. Wesley nodded that he did, so I continued. "Mr. A. was very sick. Remember we went to see him in the hospital and you told him a joke to make him laugh? Well, Mr. A. died last night."

Wesley's eyes grew wide and he whispered, "He died?"

"Yes, he did."

Grandma said, "He is in Heaven with God now."

"Yes, he is," I continued. "But he isn't going to be around anymore. J & G won't see him."

"Not ever?" Wesley asked.

"Not until they are very old and go to live with God too," I answered.  And then I started crying again.

Wesley mulled my answer over for a moment then crawled into my lap, wrapped his arms around me and said, "It's going to be OK, Mom. It's going to be OK.  I love you."

Is there anything more heartfelt than a child offering you comfort? And Wesley kept it up all day. If he noticed me getting sad he'd say, "I love you, Mommy" or give me a hug and a kiss. He took such good care of me.

I hope that my friend and her children feel that kind of comfort and love as they work through this incredibly sad and difficult time. I hope they know how much they are loved and that, eventually, it will be OK.