Cub Scouts Countdown

Tuesday was our Blue and Gold Banquet. Officially, it was Joe's last Blue and Gold, since he turned eleven last week. Unofficially, he still has a few more things to do before he gets his Webelo badge and graduates to the tan shirt and 11 year old scouting. This year was also Harry's first official Blue and Gold Banquet, as he turns eight in December. I'm trying to not even think about how many more of these I get to go to until Jack is done!

From Brooke

From Brooke

Harry also got to take part in the traditional "bad relay race" that happens at every pack meeting. Harry seems to approach life with a certain type of passion, and his approach to the relay race was no different. For some reason, he found it necessary to wear his safety goggles (from his air soft gun) during the relay. Joe IV just about had a come apart to see him wearing them (what is it about little brothers that just really get under your skin?) Harry's team claimed the victory in passing a string and then a bagel through all of their shirts...he seemed to really revel in his win....

From Brooke

And from this picture of Harry rubbing the win in Joe's face, maybe I CAN understand what it is about little brothers that gets under his skin.

From Brooke

Can we get a little Variety Please?

Last night was the Annual Sinsheimer Elementary School Variety Show. I emphasize that this was a VARIETY show, not a talent show. It was an amazing mix of acts...from comedy skits, to dancing, to music performances. Two of my four Sinsheimer students participated in the event... Maggie first with her two friends Ashlynn and Laura. They played the viola, piano and violin respectively. Have I mentioned that Maggie plays the viola? she does...and she's getting quite good....for a first-year student. We're finally past the point where her practice time hurts everyone's ears and on to the part where we can start to enjoy the music.

Stings Trio from Brooke Brundage on Vimeo.

Harry was up next, playing the Van Halen song, "Right Now" on the piano. His dad helped him with this one and he's been practicing hard for several weeks to get it right. He was a pretty big crowd pleaser last night. My favorite part of the video is hearing the other children who were sitting next to us...they were all really supportive of him. His performance attire was also all up to him. Somewhere along the way he missplaced his red sunglasses that were supposed to go with ensemble, but I think that contributed to a better performance, since he was able to actually see what he was playing!

Right Now from Brooke Brundage on Vimeo.

Eleven Years In The Making

A better day for a birthday could not have been asked for today. It was sunny and clear here on California's Central Coast, and this young man celebrated his eleventh birthday in beautiful style.

He got checked out of school early to enjoy lunch on the patio at Firestone, and was excited with his "year-long" birthday present from Grandpa Steve and Grandma Lark. "The best part is, I get to get something in the mail EVERY month, and it will be addressed to me! I never get mail!"




He was in good enough spirits to even let his sister borrow his new hat for a while:



An afternoon off from school to play NBA2K10, and Grandpa Joe and Grandma Carole over for dinner and birthday brownies:





And a Laker game on TV tonight to boot!

As we were driving home from lunch, I merged into the turning lane, and Joe asked me how I knew when to get into that lane. I answered his question and asked why he was so interested. "Well, it's only four years until I can start driving...I figure I'd better start paying attention." Oh boy, everybody better buckle up...we're in for a bumpy ride!

Sickness and Steroids

My two littlest boys have been sick this week...that's John and Jack for those of you who are counting on your fingers right now. They've just kind of had that yucky cough, runny nose, fever kind of thing that every kid gets. I was thinking this morning that if they had been my first two children....that's Joe and Maggie for those of you again...it would have been the kind of sickness that brought my world to a grinding halt. I would have been whining and complaining about how sick they are, and how they don't sleep, and how they're so cranky, and blah, blah, blah. And I'm not saying that's bad...you SHOULD whine and complain about sick kids when you have two kids and both of them are sick.That's 100% of your kids. But when you have six kids and two of them are sick, and that's not even half of them, I find that life moves on and I don't have time to whine and complain, and somehow, they still got better. Without my whining and complaining. Amazing.

Isn't my outlook refreshing?

Or, maybe it's just the steroids I'm taking.

Wait, WHAT?

My rhemetologist started me on a short course of steroids to help my joint pain. I finally had to stop taking the other stuff that was helping me because it made me so upset to my stomach that I couldn't eat anything. So, we're trying this. I asked the doctor, "do I need to worry about any side effects with a short course like this?" He said, (pausing and tilting his head) "Well, you might find you have a little extra energy for the first little bit."

Um, yeah.

So, sick kids are nothing. I'm back to painting and sewing and moving furniture just like I did in my old life. I know it won't last forever, but it's sure nice to feel "normal" again for a while.

It's raining again today...but that's okay....I still have two days left on my steroids...I'm sure I'll find something to do.

P.S.: Really, it should be a practice of all pediatricians to give the mother a round of steriods with every antibiotic they give to the child. And, what does it say about me that steroids are what it takes to make me feel "normal?" Maybe I'd better ponder on that for a bit....