Panic at the City Museum

We went to the City Museum yesterday and it was the first time that any of our kids have been scared there. There is plenty to be scared about (especially for the parents!), but Ben has always run around through everything regardless of the long drop below him or the dark tunnel in front of him. However, Maggie followed Ben & Xavier through some tunnels yesterday and then got scared halfway down the last part. I was standing on the stairs taking pictures of them and Maggie just started crying and would not move. Luckily, Ben immediately went back up to her and coaxed her back down. Of course, once Ben was with her, she was perfectly OK. We went into Art City for a while and Maggie got her face painted. I think it's one of the best face paintings I have seen, the girl took ages and a lot of patience to paint the tree that Maggie wanted. It made her look like a faerie and so cute.....

Ben the elementary school teacher

Ben was using shaving cream to do letters at school today & so he came home and started doing them with Maggie. Amazingly, he got Maggie to draw some pretty decent letters. The sad thing is that I think he's doing better with teaching her letters than the ladies that are at day care with her. Maybe he'll be a teacher when he grows up!!!!

A new meaning....

...for curling up with the newspaper in the evening. Cleo looked so comfortable that I just had to take a picture. She's probably just guarding the paper so that she knows the second that Sam sits down!!!

Monkey Joe's

I took the kids to Monkey Joe's today since they were both out of school. It was the busiest I have ever seen it. We got there 2 hours after it opened and we were family #135. There had to be well over 200 by the time we left. The kids weren't too pleased because they had to queue for some things and they aren't used to having to do that. However, we stayed until 6 and they still didn't want to leave after almost 6 hours. Maggie managed to scrape her face going down the slide at one point-there's some confusion as to whether she launched herself off the top as usual or Ben pushed her, could be a combination of the two. Later on, she collided with a boy and knocked his tooth out. According to Ben, he was happy to lose it. Ben said "don't look at me like that, it wasn't my fault". Maggie said "no, it was my fault" and ran off to find her latest victim.....

Overheard in the kitchen

Ben had a sleepover at the neighbour's last night & I am working on my grant application today. That means Maggie has been left to her own devices. I told her to go downstairs & watch TV or go and see if Ben wanted to come back home. She got her shoes from the mud room & then was sidetracked. She was sitting under the chair next to mine talking to herself (she does this a lot these days). I heard her say "Waa, waa, waa. Daddy says, Maggie why are you crying? I don't know Daddy, I just like to cry. Waa, waa, waa...." Well, at least we now know that she cries just because she likes it. We did have our suspicions!!!!
Now she's lying on the floor talking to Clifford

How does this happen?

Is there something linked to the Y chromosome that results in total shredding of clothes at the knee level at a certain age? Our days of passing on clothing appear to be over, certainly when it comes to pants. Every time I turn around, I can see Ben's knee shining through. I must have thrown away 4 or 5 pairs of pants this past week, it's a good job I just bought a whole bunch of new ones last weekend. All the other mothers are complaining of the same thing right now, I can't wait for the warmer weather when we can get them all into wearing shorts, maybe I can just cut those old pants down and make do with them!!!!

Kindergarten orientation

It seems a little surreal that I went to Maggie's kindergarten orientation last night. Seeing as she is our 3rd child, it is a little odd that we have not done this before. However, Ben was at St. Luke's in pre-K 4, so he just moved up a year at the same school and Daniel started half way through the school year and then repeated kindergarten at the same school. Even though Maggie will be at the same school as Ben, neither of the boys went to kindergarten at Hudson, so I thought it would be useful to go to the orientation. It was actually very informative and I realize how many first time parents are concerned about their child starting school-we had a lucky escape before and I am not worried about Maggie at all. Maggie is so excited that she will be going to school with Ben and she asks every night if she's going to Hudson the next day. Of course, she doesn't realize that she won't see him all day, but I think she will be reassured that he is in the same building. Ben is very good when it comes to taking care of her when he needs to & I am sure he'll be ready to help her at school if the situation arises.