February 14, 2014

(click here for today's pictures)
Play date!

  • Another early morning here at the Dennie house-seriously, I do not know how people are able to get their children to school on time each morning.  We struggle to leave the house by 9!  But this morning the goal was to leave at 9 and surprisingly we made it.  It did help that the kids wore the same clothes they had on yesterday-they took them off and put them in the laundry basket, it was washed and then dumped out in my floor.  Once everyone had on all their clothes, the basket was empty-that is the way I should do clothes everyday.  We could just wear the same clothes for a week, wash them and put them back on each and every day.
  • Our Valentine's party this morning was at the Nelson's house.  Reagan, Campbell and even Keaton played happily in Maddie's room with Layten.  And the boys played with Grant, Whit, Ethan, Andrew, Owen and Wyatt.  The boys far out numbered the girls but they were too busy shooting each other and playing war to notice.
  • The grown ups sat around and talked and ate until almost lunch.  My Keaton did spent quite a bit of time upstairs but she would come down to join me occasionally.  Whitman was a perfect little guy-sitting in his chair eating, crawling on the floor and sitting in my lap.  They were bird sitting and when I showed him the bird, he raised his arms and started grunting at him.
  • We went home around noon-the kids were full from their very late brunch, I was relaxed from some mom time and I mistakenly thought the rest of the afternoon would go smoothly.  Ha!  I asked the kids to do just 2 school boxes-phonics and math.  I know that I said "phonics and math" a zillion times but Anderson who was finishing his history when I walked in was shocked when I applauding him for doing history and then told him to make sure he did his phonics and math.  He was a bit upset but did calm when I explained that he was now just ahead.  (He knew that Grannymom was on her way over so that might have helped his attitude.)
  • Now my Reagan did have 3 math pages today instead of the normal 2.  One page was much shorter and on any other day, she would have immediately started working on them with no complaints but not today.  There were tears, gnashing of teeth-you just wouldn't believe.  And when I kindly explained (yes, I was still in my happy place from hanging out with grown ups all morning) that she had to watch her math video she was livid.  
  • This behavior quickly caught on to my Graham who is still having to write to 100 each day in math in his worksheets.  He had already finished his phonics by the time the drama started but he didn't want to be left out so he joined in.  Of course Keaton and Whitman couldn't be left out so at one point there were 4 kiddos fussing about something in this house.  
  • First I dealt with Whitman and put him to bed then I found something for Keaton to do.  Next I helped Graham and suggested that he run around the house after every line of math that he finished.  And then I started helping Reagan.  Today's math problems were the same thing she has been doing just phrased another way and that blew her away.  (2x=12, 5k=50)  By the time Grannymom and Grandpa arrived to pick up Anderson for his night out, everyone was calming down with some kindle time.
  • When they left, Keaton took her nap and the others read for a few minutes.  Then Whitman went down for a nap and Reagan, Graham and Campbell watched a few movies.  I finished the chores that I wanted to do and ended up reading my book in front of the heater.  And when Robby walked in, I was cuddled up with Campbell asleep on the floor in front of the cozy heater.
  • Since it was Valentine's day he brought supper-chinese food and pizza (something for me and something for him)  He had already given me my Valentine's day gift-a new calendar with all of the kids pictures on it.  Reagan ate some of my chinese and Keaton ate my chicken leaving Campbell and the men folk to eat the pizza.  
  • Then we picked up the kitchen and went upstairs to watch Cheaper by the Dozen. The kids enjoyed it-well, Whitman wasn't too happy about not getting to push buttons on the speaker so he bought himself an early bedtime.  Then we came downstairs for a snack and a bit of Let's Make a Deal before bedtime.

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