Eight years beautiful

My mom use to read me the book, "Alexander and the horrible, no good, very bad day." She would read me these books on days when I had just that, a horrible, no good, very bad day! Tonight was one of those nights that I wish I had the book to read to Jay. He had a hard time with other kids today - and his feelings got hurt. This is SO hard as a parent to watch. I know this is all part of growing up but to see Jay in tears is hard to watch - All this on top of him dealing with his learning disabilities and being pulled out of class everyday. Jay knows he learns differently from other kids but that's just it, he learns differently, it doesn't mean he's stupid but he hasn't quite figured that out yet. He gets down on himself and says he's stupid. If he could see the bright, funny loving, physical boy who brings me, his dad and his brother so much joy everyday. To me he is eight years beautiful and not only does he shine right now but I know the Lord has wonderful things planned for his future. He's extraordinary, he just hasn't quite figured it out yet but when he does, I'll be right there to say, "I told you so."

Nick's dreams

Just the other night my mom asked me if I thought Nick actually dreamed about penguins and giraffes. When I went to check on him after I put him to bed I found him like this so you be the judge....I think it's safe to say Nick dreams about penguins & giraffes..........Happy dreaming, Nickel Pickel.

Our Labor Day Weekend

Friday started off with Nick's "brown" show and tell. he dressed in all brown (notice his giraffe on his shirt) and insisted on his gi-normous giraffe for show 'n tell.

Jay's first football game was Saturday. They got beat but still enjoyed the game and it gave them a sense of what a football game is all about.

Jay's biggest fans cheering him on!

Jay after his game - He looks so serious, doesn't he?

Now here's something you don't see everyday - Mike taking a cat nap. I have to admit, all of us (but specifically mom and dad) were exceptionally tired this weekend.

Jay had his two good buddies over on Saturday night. The boys built a fort, rode their bikes and rode the tractor around. Needless to say, they had a good time.

And wonders never cease. Here are the boys quietly (now there is a word I don't use very often in my blogs) putting togetgher a puzzle together on Sunday! It was a really nice and relaxing weekend.

Whatever happened........

I was going to post pictures from our Labor Day weekend but something else hit me for this blog (so look for the Labor Day pictures later this week).
In May my Grandmother passed away. Recently my Aunt Karen gave me some family linens and dishes from my Grandmother and my Great Grandmother. As I went through the boxes I discovered cute little plates with a floral print - kind of like an appetizer plate but I'm sure 60 some years ago they were referred to as something else - some crystal sherbert bowls, Yes, way back then they even had bowls for sherbert and dainty, hand stitched linens. I carefully washed the dishes and found space for them in my cabinet, praying that someday in the near future I would find time to use the dishes - Perhaps a sherbert and wine party for my girlfriends! It got me thinking, whatever happened to the neighborhood women getting together once a week for coffee, whatever happened to eating dessert at every meal (and not being concerned how many calories it is), whatever happened to the formal, hand written notes that my Grandma sent me so many times when I was away at college, whatever happened to dinner parties and whatever happened to time itself? Sometimes I think that when my boys are older I'll have more time to plan dinner parties and make desserts (all things I really like to do) but then I wonder if dinner parties and desserts will be a thing of the past by the time I'll actually have time to experience them. Only time will tell.

Boating

This past weekend we went boating with Grandma & Grandpa. This summer Mike's parents bought an R.V. so the boat has really taken second fiddle. Ha! The boys were out on the boat a few times this summer but usually by summer's end I have been out and this summer it just didn't happen. Heaven knows it was plenty hot enough!

Loves with Grandma!

Nick in his new spider man life jacket

My big boy Jay, all smiles!

Poison what?

Any woman who lives in a household of boys will appreciate this story. We live in a wooded area and to my boys there is nothing better than going out in the woods with their dad to cut down trees. Whenever they do this manly-man task they always wear long pants and shirts (no matter how hot it is) to prevent being exposed to poison ivy but it never fails, they always get some funky rash! Last summer Nick got the mother-load of poison ivy - I'm not kidding - he looked like he had a bad case of leprosy. This year is no different except now all three of my boys (Yes, that includes my husband) have poison ivy (Nick), poison sumac (Mike) and Jay has something that I can't put a name on, I can only describe what he looks like - a teenager at the start of puberty with puffy eyes. How all three of them ended up with their dreaded rashes (after being in full gear) I'll never know. However, these past two weeks I've had my fill of it. I've had the "pleasure" of watching Mike's leg ooze from the sumac, taking Nick to the doctor for treatment and learning that he's obsessed with rubbing calamine lotion all over a particular body part - even though the poison ivy didn't spread to that area - Nick is proving to be another typical boy, infatuated with his you know what. And to top it off, Jay's unknown rash has spread to his forehead and tummy but doesn't itch - And to think those boys give me a hard time for not helping them when they cut down trees - Who would take care of their funky rashes if I also got poison ivy or worse yet, poison sumac? Cutting down trees and applying ointment to myself is not my idea of a good time. Hee, Hee.

Brotherly "love"

Since having Nick and seeing how the younger child takes so much "abuse" from the older child I have apologized to my sister profusely. Being four years older than Kim I took every opportunity to terrorize her. And bless her heart, she rarely narked on me. Jay is no different than I was - only more physical! Jay is either so nice to his brother or so terrible to him - there is no in between. Nick's favorite animals in the world are penguins and giraffes. Just the other morning, while in the car (which are where most of our fiascos occur) he asked Nick if he was aware of the "fact" that giraffes eat penguins. Immediately, Nick started wailing which prompted Jay to start calling him a baby which makes Nick cry even more - Okay, so you get the picture. It's really just another typical drive to school in the Siebert van. But every so often I get a glimmer of what a sweet older brother Jay can be. The other day we were at the beach (in our subdivision) when a neighbor boy started calling Nick a baby. Jay came to Nick's defense and told this boy to knock it off, his brother wasn't a baby - which was interesting to me since Jay calls Nick a baby at least 10 times a day - but that aside it was good to see Jay sticking up for his little brother. It's that old truth that you can talk nasty about your family as much as you want but nobody else can!
Today Nick wasn't feeling well and was crying (I know I'm mentioning Nick crying a lot in his blog but really he doesn't cry too often) and Jay came up to him and got him to stop crying by telling him a hilarious story, which made all of us laugh. Nick stopped crying and broke out in gales of laughter from hearing his brother's story (which was about farting, of course). Then there was the time when Jay was four and Nick was a baby. I had taken Jay with me for Nick's shots. When Nick got his shots and started wailing Jay broke out in song, "You are my sunshine."
As I've aged I have realized there is nothing like a sibling. I tell Jay all the time that when he and Nick are grown and Mike and I are dead (I know, I know, terrible thought but it's true) there is no one who will know his history and where he came from more than Nick and no one who will laugh more with you over those crazy childhood stories!