Boy oh boy!

Being a mom is never dull, especially being the mom of boys....more specifically...my boys!

You may remember the post I shared with you when my oldest had something in his hair.  Or when my middle child got marker happy (and stamper happy and black sharpie happy).

Well, I guess Carter is trying to catch up with his brothers.  Can you guess what is in his hair?

This is the second time since Friday that he has "colored" his hair.

Flash Mob in the Church Parking Lot

Who says Christians can't have fun?

Boys and Their Toys

This afternoon after church, we took the boys out to Sportsman's Lake so they could drive their remote control boats. All the boys (Paw Paw included) had fun. Although Carson enjoyed it, he would have been just as satisfied at home playing with this toys.

boat from Natasha Grimes on Vimeo.

boat2 from Natasha Grimes on Vimeo.

The batteries were low on Carson's boat and it almost got away.

Come Back from Natasha Grimes on Vimeo.

A little of this and that....

We have missed our friends the Evans. Hilarie's sister had her baby so they had been gone visiting her and Hilarie's family. We were so glad they came back this week. We spent time catching up. Hilarie and I took the kids to our favorite spot, Chaney's Dairy Barn. After a delicious treat of our favorite ice cream, we let the kids run wild on the playground for a while.

I think these two really missed each other. Love the matching shades!

Tuesday was Ben's birthday party. It was nice to spend time with our friends from church.

Colin bowls like his Mama!

Me and my Carter

The big boys got some pool time over the weekend.

Wedgie Swa-aps (Don't Ask, Just Watch)

The boys found a pair of kiddie handy man suspenders and took turns wearing them. Here's what Carson had to say about them. Oh, don't forget to mute the playlist at the bottom of the page first.

Wedgie Slaps. Who would of "thunk" it?

Boys Will Be Boys

Have you ever walked through Wal-Mart cracking up at your kids?  Today was my first trip to Wal-Mart with all 3 boys - by myself.  On the way there, I told Colin and Carson they would behave.  They behaved all right.  Thanks to their daddy, they were kung fu kickin' and judy choppin' (oh, there goes a leg).  If you have no idea what I'm talking about just visit You Tube and search for the West Virginia Ninja. 

Thanks, Honey, for making my first outing with the boys exciting!

Raisin' Cubs' Fans Ain't Easy

A Day at the Park

Because of the flooding, school was cancelled on Monday and Tuesday.  On Tuesday, Hilarie and I took the kids to Buchanon Park in Bowling Green.

As you can see, they got hot and started playing under the pavillion.

Jeff's AT, Visitors, Phone Calls, the Tooth Fairy, Wild Kids, and Bouncy Balls

Jeffrey has been spending a lot of time in class.  Yesterday they learned about surviving a Humvee rollover and today they learned about suicide prevention.  I think the sitting in class is wearing him out.  He's not a sit around type of guy!  Me and the boys are ready for him to come home....counting down the days.  He has not blogged about his experience yet, but I'm sure he will soon.  Tonight he has gone out to eat with some of the other Chaplain candidates. 

We've had some visitors the past couple of days. Angie and Autumn came by Sunday to see the boys (when you are mom, you don't get visitors), but Carter slept the whole time.  It was Autumn's first time to see Carter.  Today we had a full house.  Sue stopped by for fresh coffee after work (what is a daughter in law for?) and Edie and Lauren came by.  The boys were hog wild. Oh, my gosh!!!!!  Lately, Colin has been showing off when people come over.  It is not like him.  When I talked to him about how it gets annoying and grown ups are not impressed by it, he said, "Haven't we had this conversation before?"  After they all left, Jeffrey's friend Dwight called and the boys got wilder. Instead of eating their supper, they were chasing each other: over the treadmill and exercise bench, across the couch, and around the train table.  At one point of the night Colin and Carson were tugging on each other and Carson fell into the cabinet. Whew! 

Dan and Gennie got Carson a bouncy ball for his birthday.  Birbie put air in it this evening and Colin and Carson  think it is a weapon.  I've already threatened to pop it.  Colin told me I would get in trouble. I highly doubt that.  He's going to break his tailbone if he isn't careful.  Carson isn't quite big enough for it.  He has to have me bounce him on it. My arms are worn out.

Last night, we got a visit from the Tooth Fairy.  Unfortunately, we still have the Nanny McPhee tooth.  Maybe the $20 my mom gave Colin will encourage him to work on it. 

OK, the bouncy ball is in time out. It just flew across the room and hit Colin in the head.  Thanks Dan and Gennie!!!!

 

Snow Day #9

Yes, that's right we have now missed 9 days of school due to snow. But you know, that is ok.



I hate driving on slick roads. Even more, I don't want to risk getting out and falling. I'm not known for being graceful! Actually, no one in my household is. Some of us (Carson) can make falling look intentional. As a matter of fact, last night as he chased Big Dog through the house, he tripped, falling to the floor. Instead of making a scene, he did some sort of army crawl the rest of the way.



The boys are getting spoiled by these snow days and teacher work days. It is so hard to get them in bed at night. Last night was no exception. Colin got in bed and Carson was throwing a fit to watch a movie. Well, that just tore Colin up. It just wasn't fair, even though I reassured him that Carson would not be watching a movie. Well, Carson finally said, "If you don't let me watch a movie, then I'm not going to bed." I looked at him and replied, "Oh yes you are." His final answer??? "Well, ok." I don't think that worked out the way he had planned!

Today, I am either nesting a bit or feeling guilty for watching the NCIS marathon yesterday and doing nothing. Regardless, it looks like the laundry will be done today (maybe). I have a VERY tired 3 year old who is just pitiful. Or maybe the cat is more pitiful. By looking at these two pictures, what do you think?

Notice Happy had enough. His paws are wrapped around Carson's face. Luckily, Happy was declawed after we got him. Oh, do you notice my friend Lazarus in the background? He has made his way from the den to the living room door. You just never know where he is going to "pop up" next.

Colin was excited to have another snow day. We had a little argument last night about it. I figured we would have another day off, but at bedtime, school had not been cancelled. When he woke up this morning, he said, "See, I told you!" He enjoys playing all day, going from laptop, to reading, to watching TV, to playing toys, to computer, to having a snack and starting all over again. Fighting with Carson is usually thrown in there several times too.

I did get a new devotional that I am very proud of. It was stuffed in my new diaper bag I got for Valentine's Day (with the new Toby Mac cd).

I like that it has the scripture and author's devotional along with quotes and tips that go along with it. What a great gift from my wonderful husband!

Next Year, Your Child Will be in ---- Grade

Today was the last day of school.

I do not get very sentimental about that. Some teachers spend the day crying over their kids, but I don't. Maybe its that we live in a small town and every where I go, I hear, "Hey, Mrs. Grimes!" I know I'll see my students often.

Maybe its just that I know that I've had my time with them and now it is time to pass them on to someone else.

With my job, I'm taking these young kids and turning them into middle schoolers. Its tough. There are days when you can laugh and enjoy each and every moment. Then there are some days when you are ready to pull your hair out and can't hardly wait until your student worker comes to be able to send him to the snack machine for a much needed Snickers bar and grape soda (Thanks, Robert. I don't know how I would have survived without you). Some kids you can love them and be kind and gentle. Others, you have to be tough as nails. We learned at a PD what it meant to be fair and it wasn't treating everybody the same. Fair is giving each individual child what he/she needs.

At the end of the year, I look back and ask the question, "Did I do a good job?" How is that answered? Not always by test scores or report cards. Not always by the Principal's evaluation.

What is it that tells a teacher, "You did a good job?"

Sometimes its that big hug and "I love you" you get from the child that spent the first 9 weeks of school cussing and hating everyone and just thought he'd be better off dead.

Maybe its the kid that you had for two years (because you made a deal with his mom that you would be his teacher until he passed) and on his final report card says, "I did it! I get to go to middle school. Look, I finally don't have any F's!"

Maybe its the ARC meeting you sit in at 4:00 PM on the last day of school with a mom and she states that she has seen positive changes in her son since he has been attending your school.

Sometimes it is that letter you get from a young girl a year after the fact stating that she remembers the talks you had and appreciated the fact that you wanted her to succeed.

Sometimes it is the young man you run in to at Wal-Mart and says, "Man, I miss you. You were right about what they were going to expect from us at the middle school."

Maybe it is the junior in high school that tells people, "Yea, Mrs. Grimes is tough, but she wants you to learn."

Maybe it is that Senior in high school that is about to graduate tomorrow and tells people that you were caring toward her as her fourth grade teacher.

I'm not so naive that I think every student I've had over the last 9 years will remember me or like me. I'm not Teacher of the Year by any means. But I do know that in each group, I've done a good job with somebody by seeing them out in the community doing good, by reading about them in the paper (NOT the police beat). Now, I don't take full credit for their success, but that is my reassurance that I didn't mess them up too badly! I love my job. Like any other, there are ups and downs. There are kids that I'm going to worry over. His he being molested? His he being fed? Is she running around with the wrong crowd? Is she making good choices in her relationships? A sad thing about it is that as a teacher, I have a pretty good idea how these kids are going to turn out. I can tell you who the pregnant teen girls will be, who the dropouts and potheads will be, and who will be dead or in jail by the time they are 21. That's so difficult. These children are precious. Regardless of how bad a day may get, I can see the potential in these kids. What they can become is so amazing! Yet, I am only a small part of their lives. There are so many other influences they have.

I just pray that these children that left me today, the many others I've had the pleasure of teaching, and those that I had my first year that graduate tomorrow will make wise choices, recognize their full potential, and seek God in everything they do.

Please pray for your children. Pray for all children. It may sound cliche, but CHILDREN ARE OUR FUTURE. If we as a nation are to have a future at all, we want them to be God fearing, God loving, God serving adults.