Thatcher Steven Ballard

Ms. Davenport: (Thatcher's teacher) "Will any of you be able to attend our Fall festival on Sunday?"

Thatcher: "I can't participate in that. It's Sunday, and I'll be at church."

Ms. Davenport: "Will any of you be gone for Rosh Hashanah tomorrow?"

Thatcher: "I can't participate in that either. I have swimming lessons."

The following wasn't necessarily funny or not funny. I mainly found it to be one of those moments when you think...."Hmmm, to each his own I guess." Thatcher brought home an award the other day. He was so excited to show me. As I looked at the paper I noticed a white square had been taped onto the sheet. I lifted the tape to look underneath and found this picture of a little boy. I decided to ask him about it and our conversation went like this:

Mom: "Hey Thatcher, why is this square taped on here?"

Thatcher: "Because I asked her to put it there."

Mom: "Asked who?"

Thatcher: "The teacher....Ms.Paula."

Mom: "Oh...why did you ask Ms. Paula to cover the picture?"

Thatcher: "I don't know....I just didn't like the looks of him."

Mom: "Oh, did any of the other kids ask her to cover his face?"

Thatcher: "No....just me.....he just doesn't look very friendly. I didn't want him on my award."

Like I said, to each his own.

Family Fun

With Fall temperatures dipping into the 70's and 80's, there's not a chance in this world we wouldn't take every advantage possible to play and enjoy the great outdoors. We have found some fantastic parks over the past few weeks and can only hope that the current weather conditions are a common occurrence for the next few months. We also hit the zoo a few times, and, enjoyed our final free visit to The Magic House children's museum.

Sugar Secrets

When Steven comes home from the hospital he will frequently take Azure and hang out for a bit. I began to take note that each time they sat together Azure was especially focused on her binkie. She would be sucking on that thing like crazy! After a few days I also began to take note of Steven walking back and forth from the couch to the kitchen. The following day I uncovered their little secret when Steven made the unfortunate "mistake" of using a dark substance (i.e. chocolate pudding). That is when he explained where he learned this new technique. During any surgeries at the hospital they indeed put all little ones under anesthesia. When those same kiddos return for their check up though they are very awake and alert. He can usually talk with the older kids and assure them he will be gentle and quick, however, a baby often turns out to be a different situation. In efforts to keep them happy and still during the exam the nurse brings in a small container of sugar, and with parent permission, they dip the binkie in and........ voila, problem solved.

Haley J

She's super sad when we drop them off and literally jumping for joy when we pick them up. While we miss the older kids like crazy when they're off to school, I must admit that Haley J and I have had a fantastic few weeks enjoying some quality time together. She has a fantastic personality that makes everyday fun and bright no matter what you're doing. They grow up so fast and while I love watching them take on new experiences, I won't deny that each day I'm truly grateful to at least still have these two little ones near. If I could freeze frame life for just a moment I would probably hit the pause button here.

Just Keep Swimmin'.....

The kiddos completed their swimming lessons last week. They all worked really hard and have accomplished some great goals. Since Ryley and Kadyn had learned to swim during previous summers, their aim was to improve on style and technique. Thatcher and Haley had high hopes of learning to swim and wanted to get secure enough to hang out with their sisters in deeper water. At the half way mark of twelve lessons Haley decided she'd rather watch and try again next year. Based on the fact she had worked so hard already, not to mention she was now hiding in the closet if I mentioned the word "pool", we decided it was best to not push the matter and assured her she could try again when ready. It actually worked out perfectly because Thatcher was now left with their swim instructors undivided attention. I truly believe that is the main reason I can offer the following video for your viewing pleasure. Seeing the look on their face when they accomplished something they never imagined possible was by far my favorite part of these past six weeks. Since they all decided to stick with their lessons and instructors for the remainder of the year, I can only assume they too enjoyed that great feeling of accomplishment, that and they really like the slides and wave pool afterwards.

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Lunch Lady

I attended Open House last week and was greeted by a giggling Kindergarten teacher who informed me that Thatcher Ballard was becoming very well known at Spoede Elementary with teachers and staff alike. They can't believe how entertaining he is and are quite surprised at the conversations that take place between him and surrounding adults. For example, the following happened just a few days ago when Thatcher entered the lunch line, excited to be having Mini Wheats cereal as a special Monday lunch item.

(Lunch lady hands Thatcher a sack with cereal, a muffin, and milk.)

Thatcher: (after looking into the bag) "Excuse me. Can I have another milk?"

Lunch lady: "No. I'm sorry. I'm only allowed to give you one milk."

Thatcher: "I would really like another milk please. I want to pour one in my cereal and I want another one to drink."

Lunch lady: "Sorry. Only one milk per child."

Thatcher: (Sighs) "Well, that's just unacceptable."

(Thatcher steps out of line. With the brown sack under one arm and his one milk in the other he begins searching the cafeteria for his teacher. Once she is located he taps her on the back.)

Ms. Davenport: "Yes Thatcher?"

Thatcher: (very seriously) "Who do I need to speak with to get another milk?"

Luckily his teacher is very nice and was able to secure a second milk for Thatch. I'm grateful he has the courage to step out of the line and attempt to fix his concerns - especially since every Monday is "healthy cereal day" for lunch.

Life With Azure

3 months old and can't imagine life without her.

Azure is definitely living up to her name.....

she can turn any gray sky completely blue!