First Day(s) of School

It's official, I have 2 kids in school now. Wow.
Brennan started 2nd grade yesterday and Calvin started Kindergarten today. Neither of them showed much emotion, excitement or nervousness, leading up to the 1st day, so I wasn't sure what to expect. But they both did great. Best of all, they're both excited to go back!

Here's Brennan on his first day of 2nd grade

Cal and Charlie wanted in on the pictures (still in their jammies)

Calvin on his 1st day of Kindergarten!

Calvin walked into his class like he'd been doing it for years. This was the child that we pulled out of pre-school his first year because he hated being away from mom! I was the only one with tears today. Not the "I don't want my kids to grow up" tears, just the "I can't believe it goes so fast" tears. I'm proud of my boys!

They've Not Been Hit By Lightening So Far

I just finished watching several clips of Lenore Skenazy on youtube. I remember when she let her 9 year old ride the New York City subway by himself (a few years ago), but hadn't heard much else about her. I've only watch a few clips and I've not yet read her book "Free-Range Kids", but I do agree with much of what she says. It's a very interesting topic that I think is worthy of more discussion.



I read one time that a child is more likely to be struck by lightening in their front yard than kidnapped from their front yard. Reading that had a big impact on me (or "struck me", pun intended :)). I had this inner struggle over whether or not I could let my kids play outside, in the front yard, by themselves. I decided I had to let this go. I was basing my decision on whether or not a big white van, with no windows, was going to pull up to my house and whisk away my children. Really? Talk about letting fear do my parenting for me! My kids know their boundaries, they know how far down the street they can go, etc. They know to look both ways before going after the runaway ball in the street. I check on them often. I'm pretty sure that my neighbors think I'm a horrible mom for letting my kids do this.

I find this a fascinating subject. I really wish my kids had the same freedom I had as a child. Then I find myself thinking "do they?", is this fear all in our heads? What do you think? Have you given this much thought?

Re-Do

I'm way behind on blogging! Summer has been great, but I've had 4 kiddos with me ALL THE TIME. Makes it tricky to get much done. That's alright though, it's been a great summer. Tomorrow is Brennan's first day of 2nd grade and the next day is Calvin's first day of kindergarten! Summer vacation is officially over. So, hopefully, I'll be able to do some blog catch up over the next couple weeks (days? should I be so optimistic?).

A quick story for you. A few mornings ago my normally sweet-spirited Calvin got off to an awful start. Within minutes of waking up he had argued with his brother, tripped over and fallin into a tub of legos, and spoken harshly to his sister which got him in trouble with Dad. He then walked to his bedroom and crawled back into bed. I know, so sad. Well, I heard him crying and instantly knew how to start things off better.



A cute baby sister on your pillow instantly makes everything better. A little bit of cuddle time with Margo and he was ready for a re-do (and breakfast!).

4 Months

Margo Mae is 4 months old! And yes, I took her 4 months pictures in her jammies. Oh well, she looks cute in anything.
Are you supposed to have a well child check up at 4 months? This is probably something I should remember, but I don't. Are there 4 month shots? I think I'll be calling the doctor tomorrow to find out. Anyway, all that to say, I'm not sure how much she weighs right now. She has moved into her 3-6 month clothing. When my boys were 4 months old they were wearing 6-12 month clothing!

This smile is constant. If you make eye contact with her, this is what you get. Every. Time.




Signs that she's the youngest of four children:
* She gets a bath about once a week. Is this awful or what? I frequently wipe her down with washcloths, does that count?
* I'm constantly finding food/sticky stuff on her head from all the kisses she receives.
* She barely makes a peep before someone is at her side. The other kids have "Margo Radar" and can hear her anywhere in the house.
* She is NOT startled by loud noises. Loud noises are a common occurrence in our house.


For my memory:
*This sweet girl is so laid back and happy. She constantly has someone in her face, kissing her, talking to her, pulling her arms and legs and she puts up with it all. She rarely fusses when her siblings love on her.
* Our "normal" routine right now includes 3-4 naps a day, sleeping 11 hours at night and nursing 5 times a day. She is showing signs of dropping a feeding, but it just doesn't seem right for a 4 month old to only nurse 4 times a day! She's growing fine though.
* A fabulous tummy sleeper. She puts herself to sleep with the help of a pacifier. She's constantly sucking on her hands and I'm hopeful she'll soon find her thumb.
* She has rolled over (tummy to back) twice. She's working HARD to do it more often.
* She has beautiful blue eyes and a reddish tent to her hair! Her Papa Jim has slightly red hair, so it's in the genes!
* Her smile lights up the room. Her siblings love to try and make her smile. It's such a reward for them when they turn to me and say "I made Margo smile!".
* When she gets excited she does the full body smile where her little arms and legs flail about.
* This child is such a JOY. Thank you Jesus for the gift of Margo Mae. We are blessed indeed.

Look Alikes

I took this picture on the way home from Kansas City a few weeks ago. I stumbled upon it in iphoto the other day and was struck by their resemblance. Wow. Of all our kiddos, these two look the most alike. I think Margo is going to look very similar as she grows up too. It's that upper lip, a marker of the Clements Kids.

Beach Babes

No More Dora

There will be no more Dora the Explorer in our house. And no it doesn't have anything to do with the fact that "Dora" and "Explorer" don't rhyme and the whole theme song is based on the fact that these 2 words should rhyme. That drives me crazy, but that's not why there will be no more Dora in our house.

Here's why...

First, the set up. I had just come home with the girls from working out. Tyler was gone with the boys. I put Margo down for a nap. I needed a shower. I sat Charlotte down in front of the TV and turned on Dora the Explorer. For those of you not familiar with Dora (dad), it's an interactive kids program. Dora actually talks to the kids/viewers and expects an answer. She's a demanding little thing.

So, I make sure the doors are locked, everyone is safe and I hop in the shower. When I turn off the water, I hear Charlotte screaming! "NOOOOOOO!!!" She's screaming it over and over at the top of her lungs. I grab my towel and practically fall out of the shower, run down the hallway, all the while picturing some stranger in my living room hurting my daughter. No kidding, I really thought someone had gotten in the house and was hurting her (post-partum hormones anyone?).

And there she was, sitting nicely on the couch just where I left her, screaming at Dora. Dora had asked her a question and she was making sure Dora heard her answer.

No. More. Dora.