I just need to take a minute to brag on my kids.

Clayton is getting funnier everyday. He is thriving in school. It is great to see him come home with so much to talk about and share. It almost seems he just needed to get out of the house, like a sahm who is trapped in the house 24/7. I can sympathize with that. He really seems to enjoy his break, own identity, and more responsibility. He is starting to look so grown up. He's getting really picky about clothes and the way he looks. His typical day's attire is jeans, layered shirt, black and gray knit beanie with his blond curls sticking out, and his bright green and yellow skate shoes. We were going somewhere together a few weeks ago. I noticed that he had a nice, green kool-aid mustache; but I decided not to tell him. I decided that something about him needed to say, "I'm only 10." Clayton's current book series is the mysteries by Brian Jacques.

Riley is such a little cheerleader. Today I went to visit a friend at the hospital whose baby had surgery today. He was so worried and really wanted to come with me. He really identifies with any kid in the hospital now. He came and was so interested in the baby, asking hundreds of questions and sharing his experience with the family. If it weren't for him, I'd have never found my way back to the van. I forgot to take the slip off the wall that reminds you which floor you parked on. Luckily, Riley is very visual and was certain which color the floor was. Of course that wasn't a choice, and we discovered we were in the wrong garage altogether. He was right. The floor WAS yellow! ....and what other seven year old stops playing at the Carl's Jr. playground to thank the young lady sweeping the floor for making the restaurant such a fun place. Sigh. Riley's favorite books right now are I Spy, Where's Waldo, and any other "look for this in the picture" kind of books. I asked him tonight what he wanted to be when he grew up. He thought for a minute and said, "Well, I know I don't want to be a robber." Then he said, "I want to work at Krispy Kreme!" He also informed me that his favorite part of his Friday night discipleship program was wrestling. Somehow I don't think that is a sanctioned activity. Riley also decided this week that taking the trash down to the road was so not worth it that he was willing to give his bike to his brother to have his brother do it. We'll see what he is begging to do for his brother in the spring to get his bike back.

Ian is a total crack up as usual. When I left for the evening, he was attacking a piece of black fabric with scissors, determined to make a black spider man costume. He is learning to read, and is drawing up a storm. He tells us frequently that he is an artist. He really is pretty good. He's a great leaf-raker and the first eager one to help dad with anything. Whenever you say, "Dad is outside," or "Dad is working on..." he runs yelling, "I'm going to help!" His favorite book right now is "The Runaway Bunny." You just never know what they will take to. He's told us that when he grows up he will live in a VW bus and park in our yard, so he can use the bathroom.

Hayden will turn four on Monday. My baby. He wants a Star Wars cake (half Yoda and half Obi-wan Kanobi- or some spelling such as that). He asked for a sled for his birthday. This week I had two bags of Hershey kisses by the door to take to MOPS. The kids kept asking for them, and I kept reminding them they were for the moms. Hayden came down to my bathroom to try one more time. I reminded him that they had a "Secret Something" jar of treats, and the chocolates were for the mommas. He thought for a minute and said, "I have an idea. How 'bout we keep the Hershey kisses and let them have our "Secret Something" jar. Smart kid. We have difficulty getting Hayden to wear socks. I was thinking that it was because he doesn't have enough in his drawer, or can't get them on easily by himself, but yesterday he informed us that Uncle Jimmy never wears socks, and that is where he got it from!

We had a great day Sunday. Bill will start work at the Valley mall tomorrow. Sunday, we clocked the drive, and found the store. Then we hung out in a game and puzzle shop and found all kinds of interesting things. We then browsed Game Stop (seeing a theme here) and enjoyed the mall playland. We tried on Cherry Blossom lotion at Sharon's Bath and Body Works and smelled the pillowy sheep's belly. :D After all that excitement, we headed to Krispy Kreme for a snack, but missed our turn. When we turned around, we ran into a group of people racing their RC cars on a track. So we stopped and watched for awhile. The boys' wheels were turning thinking of how they could make a track in our yard, etc. We did our annual trip to Toys R Us to see what everyone finds interesting, and then to Mc D's for $1 chicken sandwiches and water. We had a focus event at church that night. The kids were inspired to be good at the thought of the long tables full of cookies out in the lobby for afterwards. We sat in the very back of the stadium style seating area of our auditorium. The kids spread out on the floor with coloring books. I was really proud of how quiet they were. It was encouraging. Maybe the family reading in the evening will pay off in more than one way.

Speaking of family reading, I know I've said this before, but I'm really treasuring our free nights. I'm sure it will change before too long, so I'm determined to embrace this season and not feel guilty for the lack of busyness. The busyness in the day is enough and it is nice to just take baths, have dinner, and read and color together in the evenings. I don't miss sports, and truthfully, I don't think my kids do either. But basketball is around the corner...so I treasure this time now.