A day with Audi.

Audi: You dropped some butter on the floor.
Me: Yes, thanks, I picked it up.
Audi: You left some.

Audi: This baby has a poop. She stinks!

Audi: So why did daddy climb telephone poles when he worked for the railroad? That makes no sense.

Audi: How does lightning flash? I think when it lightenings, God puts His head down & blinks.

Audi: I'll take some tea, & add some sweetness please!

Audi sniffing.
Me: Audi, are you getting sick?
Audi: No.
Me: You're sniffing.
Audi: My nose is dry.
Me: Your nose is supposed to be dry.
Audi: But there's no snot.
Me: There's not suppose to be snot.
Audi: But my nose isn't running.
Me: It's not suppose to be running. If it is, then you're probably getting sick.
Audi: But there's no snot up there, or down here on the bottom.
Me: There isn't suppose to be.
Audi: Where does snot come from?
Me: God! Now go to sleep!

Me: Audi, do you want to go to school, or do you want to be homeschooled?
Audi: I want to go to school. But I can't write a 8! And I need a nap! I can't make it without a nap. I'll fall asleep in class!

Me: Mercedes is fussy today.
Audi: Well! Maybe she's burned! (diaper rash)

Where are we going?
Whose on the phone?
Why are the crossing arms broken?
What's going on over there?
Who are those people?
What's for dinner?
Are you going to get a coke today?
Are we going to go there tonight?
Whose on the radio?
What time is it?
Is this on there right?
Can I play in the sprinklers?
What are you doing?
Is this broken?
Whose at the door?
Where is the sun today?
Is that crummy garage sale?
Are you paying bills?
Are you going to clean up this mess?
What is that?
Can everyone have a sandbox?
Can we have pancakes tomorrow?
Are you ever going to find a chair for your photography?
What are they doing?
Do you want to drive in the rain?
Is it hot or cold outside?
Do you want me to clean this up?
Who put this there?
Can we go to the carwash today?
When are we going camping?
Do we get to go swimming today?
Did you sleep good last night?
Can I play with that?
Do you want me to get the plates out?
What's on tv tonight?
What is that noise?
Why do you honk like a pig sometimes when you laugh?
Is there a train coming?
Why do those lights do that?
What is his name?
Can I play t-ball again?
Can I play t-ball again?
Can I play t-ball again?
Can I play t-ball again?

Audi: What is that noise in the tree?
Me: Locust.
Audi: No, that noise.
Me: A locust.
Audi: No, the noise that stops & then starts again.
Me: A locust. It's a bug. They live in trees.
Audi: Are they singing?

Audi: Oh my gosh, this is a mess!

Audi: Bentley! Now why would you do that?

School starts, when? ☺

Priceless.

Bentley had some homework to complete. The instructions for this particular piece were:

"Think of something important that has happened in the world, in your school, or in your family. Write it in the center and then answer the six questions about it."

So he did this -



On his own. He had completed it when he showed it to hubby & myself. The only thing I helped him with was spelling the words 'adopted' & 'Palestine'.

He never ceases to amaze me. I thought this was amazing. He is such a precious boy with a beautiful heart. I treasure him & his thoughtfulness. ☺

My ski'er.

His first attempt ever. ☺

Here we go!

Take out the slack!

One!



Two!

Three!

And he's up! Ski'ing like a ...



Frog! He never stood up. LOL ☺

And then he was down. And they forgot to tell him one tiny detail -

To let go of the rope, once he falls! He was drug for quite some time before he let go.

And then he cried, because he thought his Uncle's skis would sink & he would be in trouble. Awwww.

He didn't ski again. I think he was too cold. He & Audi had been swimming all day & Bentley was shivering.

But, he does want to ski again.

And he will. Yay!

Great job, Bentley! ☺

(Photos are not snapshots, but I did no editing. Zilch.)

Something was missing.

When I woke her from her nap.

Sigh.

☺



(snapshot.)

All is forgiven.

She told me she was sorry, the only way she knew how.

Last night, she proceeded to pick up a plate of warm veggies & she ever so graciously dumped them all over my floor.



She got a very stern scolding from a very frustrated mommy.

She puckered those oh so gorgeous lips & began the pout. Then she reached both arms out to me. I hugged her. And then - she kissed me. I told her it was ok.

Then she reached out to me again. I hugged her again, & told her it was ok. Then she kissed me. Again.



And then I just about melted.

I told her I forgive her.

Be still my beating heart. ♥

Snapshots & a new hairstyle for Jaguar.

Found Bentley reading in a little cubby hole he had made for himself. I guess he felt the need to protect himself with so many little siblings running amock. Cute. :)

Saturday I took Jaguar to a new Ethnic Salon in our area. I was so excited when I spotted it, I just knew I hit the jackpot! Unfortunately, I knew when I made the appointment, I wasn't going to care for the lady. She had a very cocky, snotty attitude & I don't do those. :) Nonetheless, we went, but I certainly did not like her any better in person. She is very experienced, but her attitude is ick.

She pinned Jaguar's hair up all pretty before cutting & I wasn't really sure what agenda was. She began pulling a bottom section loose - & then out came the hairdryer. And out came Jaguar's fear of hairdryers. While trying to calm Jaguar, I tried to explain to the lady that Jaguar is absolutely terrified of hairdryers & that blowing her hair dry was not an option. She told me she needed to dry it straight, to get an accurate cut. (The 1st time I got Jaguar's haircut, that lady cut her hair wet, so it never occurred to me that this lady would dry it first.) Since obviously that wasn't going to fly, she took the pins out & told me she'd cut it wet, but it wouldn't be even. Oh well. With all Jaguar's curls, one could never tell.

So she did some trimming, not nearly enough, & then proceeded to do this: (This is not right after the lady did it, by this time it had started drying some, losing some of it's tightness.)

*That above is Jag's natural smile - which I rarely capture unless I'm doing something insane! Doesn't she have the most adorable smile? :)

She showed me how to do twists with a comb (I already twist her hair sometimes, but I use my fingers). I thought this new do looked cute - but as time went on, I noticed it just wasn't 'her'. Her big, gorgeous, loose, curly hair is 'her'. It was nice for something different, though. ☺

I may try it sometime(s) for something different. I won't put as many ponytails in, though. Just a few. I do know that pulling her hair up or in pigtails is much cooler for her. :)

When we first walked in from the beauty shop, hubby met us at the door. He exclaimed "Oh! Ooohh, you look so pretty!" Then Jaguar turned around & walked away from him, giving him a view of the back of her head. He then said "oh oh oh....ooooohhhhhh". I guess 'cause she had so many ponytails & he had never seen that before. Ha! Funny.

Daddy said not to delete.

So I said, ok. :)

And the one below, just 'cause.



He's so beautiful. ☺

Two spoonfuls of cuteness.

Sometimes I'm a slow learner.

For months now, Mercedes has enjoyed throwing all her food off her highchair tray. And that's after she eats what she wants, & then squishes & crushes the rest. She throws her sippy cup down at least 12 times every meal. Snacks included. She is nasty! She has ruined most of her clothes & I often contemplated making her eat naked. None of my other babies were ever this gross.

As of the last 2 weeks, she can now completely remove her highchair tray. Man is she gifted. So everything goes piling down again, this time though, tray included. The most annoying noise. Food & milk & juice flying everywhere. I can no longer keep my floor clean. I can no longer keep her clean. I can no longer keep my sanity.

Today at lunch, I removed the tray & scooted her up to the table. I gave her cheese cubes, mandarin oranges & milk while I fixed the raviolies. Before long, I saw her giggle every time she tossed down a piece of cheese. Then I watched as she squeezed the juice out of all her mandrin oranges & began throwing them. All over the table & floor. Her clothes were covered in orange juice & everything was an icky mess. My Mercedes got one stern scolding!

But I finally wisened up. I took all food away. I took her milk cup away. I cleaned her & Clorox wiped her highchair & surroundings. From here on out, she will get no food until I feed her myself piece by piece. This routine may take longer - but probably not, considering all the cleaning I was having to do @ each & every meal.

When she had finished her lunch, there was no mess. Voila! Such a shame I didn't catch on 2 months ago. Sigh.

****************************************

Mercedes is really starting to slim down. I can tell a difference when I hold her. I've noticed she isn't eating as much as she used to. She's slimmer now. ☺

She can say "bye-bye", "nigh nigh" & waves when she says both. When the music comes on, she is dancing like nobody's business. She throws everything she gets her hands on. She was headed for Audi & as soon as he spotted her, he ran for cover right as she threw a toy at his head. I cracked up as I congratulated his quick thinking. We all know to look out when she comes running with a toy. Chances are, one of us is in the line of fire.

She sure is cute. But now she's cute & clean! ☺

Wordless.

Dear Mr. Inventor.

Thank you. ☺

You know I love photography.

And this is why. :)

So can I toot my own horn? Oh come on.

TOOT! TOOT!

Thank you.

Happy weekend! ☺

She picked them out herself.

"Can I pwease have the pink eawings, mom?" she asked.

"Those are the prettiest ones I see." I said.

And pink it is. ☺

Bentley's reading.

Bentley is all about books. Books, books, books, books, books. He reads so much, so often, I can't keep up with his books anymore!

Bentley was tested for reading on May 4, 2009.

His Individual Reading Profile (results):

Level - 40

Accuracy - 99%

Fluency - 158 words per minute

What does that mean? It means my child, who is currently wrapping up 2nd grade, is reading on a 4th grade reading level! At the end of the third grade (which he will be in starting next school year - i.e. August 2009), the expectations are 120 words per minute/level 38. He's certainly already exceeded that!

Woohoo! GO Bentley! I am so stinkin' proud of him I could squeeze his ears off! ☺ ♥



*There is a possibility that he is actually reading at 5th grade entry level, if the expectation for 4th grade is 150 words per minute at the end of the school year. My form only states up to 3rd grade. Beginning in first grade, the expectations increase each year by 30 increments, but I'm not positive it continues in the 30 increments past 3rd grade.

At the end of the school year students should be reading:

1st grade - 60 wpm
2nd grade - 90 wpm
3rd grade - 120 wpm

If the pattern continues:

4th grade - would be 150 wpm

Which means, if I am correct, he is quite possibly reading at a 5th grade level. Beginning of the school year, not the end of the year.

Oh who cares. WOOHOO! ☺

She has us all fooled.

The only concern that both the pediatrician & the Endocrinologist have regarding Mercedes is her speech. I, however, am not concerned in the least.

I've commented before that Mercedes can talk, she just doesn't. I'm not sure if this is because our home is so loud/crazy/noisy with constant talking that she can't get a word in edgewise, or if she's just playing us all. ☺

I know for a fact she can talk because I (we all) have heard her. And the words that she does display, are more than clear. Because of this alone, the pediatrician will wait until her 18 month well visit to see if having Mercedes see a Speech Therapist is necessary or not. It most definitely is not; but I'll wait to voice my opinion until I hear what the ped's suggestion is.

When Bentley was about 3, he had Articulation Disorder. Not with all letters, just some. But because he was our first child & well, we didn't know much (& at that time I followed all 'rules' to a T), we first had his hearing tested @ Cook Children's just to be sure he was hearing all of his vowels & consonants properly. He passed that test with flying colors & at that time, I had proof that my child was ignoring me when he chose - he could hear me just fine. ☺

After that, we saw a Speech Therapist. At that time, they told me even though he was three, he was speaking at the level of an 18 month old. Whoa! Not even remotely close. He had a huge vocabulary! He just got a few consonants backwards. At any rate, & I can't remember exactly, but they wanted to see him twice a week, with us owing approximately $1200 a month. I was told we could get him Speech Therapy at public school for free. At this point, I was working with Bentley consistently & before I could even begin the research for public school, his Articulation Disorder disappeared. And he has never had a problem since.

What I learned from that experience is to not act prematurely when it comes to what children should, or should not, be doing (or saying). They are all created individually & some things they will just develop on their own time. Because Mercedes is just now 16 months old (tomorrow), no way will I prematurely have her tested when I myself have heard her words.

When Mercedes first began talking, she said "uh oh, mommy, cracker, daddy". But then she stopped. For the longest time, she never uttered another word. None of my other children ever did that, but ok. She's her, not them. ☺ The only word she says consistently now is "daaaayyyyyeeeeeeeeeeee" for 'daddy'. She dropped 'daddy' for a short time but then quickly picked it up again.

We frequently hear her spat out a word when she thinks we aren't paying attention. For example, the other day, Kosh barked. All of a sudden, Mercedes said "woof". Just one "woof", but clear as day. She's never said it since. Yesterday, Bentley told her "no, baby". I was in the kitchen & I heard Mercedes say "no!". LOL Then she preceded to say "no, no, no!". She's now saying 'mommy' & 'mama' again, & she says "ahhhhhhhhhh" for 'hot'. I also heard her say "Bentley" the other day & she can say "apple, pwetty & yum". That said, when I ask her to repeat a word, it's seldom she does. If she's in the mood, ok. If not, forget it. Regardless, I think she's doing pretty darn good & I think that's a good variety. (Keep in mind, because of her Hypothyroidism, she could possibly have a delay, but I absolutely think there is no relation.)

So this is where we are at. Honestly, I think she is just like her mama & ain't gonna do nuttin' until she's darn good & ready. I have heard so many people say "My child never said a single word until age 3, & then they never shut up." Knowing this is just another reason I do not want to act prematurely.

My Mercedes has a mind of her own, extremely independent (although, all of mine were independent at her age - trying to come into their own & find their own way) & I'm pretty positive she'll start talking when she's good & ready. In the meantime, we'll just all sit back & watch. And giggle, when she surprises us with a new, short-lived word. ☺



*Speaking of Mercedes, she also has a hernia on her belly button (the medical term escapes me right now). I'm not concerned, but I don't want it to be there as she grows. The ped thinks it's nothing, although it is more than obvious (although, so far, it doesn't portray any serious signs but it easily could so I keep an eye on it). Because she is a girl, should it not recede, we will discuss surgery but not until at least age 3. I would never want her to be embarrassed or self conscious of something that's an easy fix. :)

RAW vs. JPG.

Phew. I uploaded both photos this time so I wouldn't upload the wrong one like I did last time.

Below is the original photo (JPG - SOOC *straight out of camera*). Very blue on purpose - I intentionally chose a white balance that I knew was inaccurate.



The below photo is the very same photo shot in RAW. (I shot this particular photo in both JPG & RAW so I could post process the RAW & visually see the difference). I didn't do a whole lot with this photo - just obviously correctly the white balance & a few other functions. And then I sent it to Photoshop & did some very minor tweaking there. I didn't spend much time on it because I don't have much time today. But, I played for a little while (longer than the last time).



I don't really have the best software for post processing RAW images - I have considered Lightroom which is popular, but hubby wants to get me PS CS3. Unfortunately, I'm not that 'blown away' shooting in RAW so I don't think that will be necessary.

Nonetheless, I'll play around further but obviously I'll shoot in whichever program I'm most comfortable with & takes the least amount of time editing. ☺

(I know you have no interest in this info. but hey, I wanted it for me! :)

Her natural smile.

Beautiful. ☺