1. How to slide down a fireman's pole.
2. How to catch a fish.
3. How to drive a 4 wheeler.
4. The correct placement of a shot to kill a pig.
5. How to be very impressed by the sky.
6. How many kids can all sleep in one room.
7. How to fix a pig-sticker with a rock and a can opener.

That last one was Chance's lesson. I also learned that while I might always like a ride on the 4 wheeler, it doesn't mean I should always get on. We all had a lot of fun, and the kids ran around in a pack having a blast. Rone got to finally catch a fish, and I saw more stars than I've seen since I was 13, and in Maine for a month.

Today at the grocery store, while I'm scrambling to get everything on the belt, I heard Seph behind me say, "Mom?" in the tone that means 'I want something, and am trying to ask nicely!'. So I mutter, " Ifyou'reabouttoaskmeforcandywhileItrytogetthisdoneyoushouldthinkagain." She tells me no, she doesn't want candy.

"Then what, Seph?"

"Can I have this?" What she is pointing at is not candy. It's a Glamour magazine. At 8 I am unprepared for this, and just tell her no. I should have asked her what it was that interested her about it. Ten Unworkable Diet Tips? Eight looks for Summer (if you weigh less than 80lbs!). An essay on polka dots?

Rone started T-ball, we had a trip to a real archeological dig, we've been rollerskating. We put grass seed in the backyard, greeny beanies in the garden, and have a sunflower plan. We've got a camping trip, Seph has been invited to a ball (!!!!) and there is a plan for me to see a movie in a real live movie theater soon, before they're extinct and we just strap giant headsets on and ignore each other.

Here are pictures:

Years old, that is. Seph has successfully turned 8, and had a party to celebrate. Whew. Next year, I think we'll do the 'choose a friend for a special event' sort of thing, because I am too old for birthday parties. Especially ones where I am required to make up a safari, with clues and prizes.

Spring has started a few new things here. The grapes are growing, we managed to not kill our trees, and hopefully this weekend we'll get out for bluebonnet pictures. Rone started t-ball last week, which I think is entirely designed because 5 year old boys in baseball uniforms are the cutest guys ever! Sorry Uncle Rob, but Rone is on the Mets. We didn't get a choice, though, if that helps. Seph started Scottish Country dance lessons, and really enjoys it. All three kids have been getting half their calories for the day from the loquat tree out front.

Seph and I are finally reading all the Harry Potter books together. She's up to the fourth one, and I"m still on the second. I waited all this time so we could read them together, and it never entered my minds that she'd be zipping through them faster.

The weather is in what I think of as 'the only good phase of Texas weather'. So I'm trying to get out with the kids more. We went with our Campfire friends to Pedernales Falls, and I borrowed a kid backpack to tote Cotton in. Then a friend loaned me one on a more permanent basis, and I'm really hoping to get the kids out and about before it gets too hot.

Cotton has a dozen words or so, but you'd have to live here to notice. Except for 'Bye!', she loves that one. And she's still Fat Baby. She is just a chubby blue eyed thing, and will make faces at you to get you to laugh.

Pix soon, Mom! They're on the iphone, which is not here, and Seph made me set the timer when I said I only needed 10 minutes to write a blog update.

This week was Spring Break for AISD, a time when normally outgoing homeschoolers hunker down and wait for the heaps of folks to get back to their ordinary scheduled lives. It's also South By Southwest season AND Rodeo season. AND the bluebonnets popped! It's been a very tiring week, noticing all of this.

We went to the rodeo on Monday with friends, so the kids could do the rides. The older two are nearly big enough to do all the rides, which seems impossible to me. I remember bringing Seph and putting her on the purple brontasaurous just a little bit ago, and now she can go on the Spider? Crazy. And how can they be big enough for a roller coaster?

Seph went traveling in the middle of the week, with a family we're friends with. She got to go here, and had a lot of fun. But how can she be big enough to go on trips without us? Cotton and Rone and I muddled through.

To wrap up the week, there is some sort of virus allergy thing happening here. Cotton and I have horrible rattly coughs that I think are some sort of bronchitis, and Chance says is allergies. Rone wins, though, with throwing up in the middle of the night. Poor kid, I don't think he's ever vomited since his spitty baby phase, and he just had no idea what would happen. Sadly, this led to one of the worst vomit-management techniques ever invented: Cover your pillow and bed, then finish up between the bed and the wall, making sure to hit your sister's fairy wings. Don't try this at home. He learned, though, and the next time nearly made it to the bathroom.

Seph is reading Prince Caspian, Rone is on the second set of Bob books, and Cotton has got about a dozen 'words'. Rone really likes having the Little Critter books read to him, and can bring a dozen books home from the library without even trying. Seph has started teaching him piano lessons, while her own lessons are coming along. We've been doing field trips with other homeschoolers lately--The Texas-German Heritage Society, The Harry Ransom Center, and Petco coming up this week. We also went and saw a production of If you Give a Pig A Pancake, which the kids loved. Seph is learning her times tables, and surprised me the other day be being able to subtract 7 from 5. Both kids love it when the grocery store circulars come in the mail, because they can look at the prices and see how far their allowance can get them. Seph would have bought ten grapefruits for a dollar if she hadn't gone on her trip.

That's all of our news. I'lll get new pix up soon.

The kids all have their own sleep nonsense. Cotton, being a baby, still nurses to sleep, then gets put in her crib. She's pretty good about it, and stays until about 5-6am. Which is when we wake up and cuddle in bed for a bit (the best part of the baby day), untill we head downstairs for our Sesame Street fix.

Seph's bedtime involves many, many books. All around her, in the bed. There was, for a long time, a large encyclopedia volume up there. Then there are the notebooks and pens/pencils that each one requires. Comic books, library books, fairy tales and six volumes of The Magic Treehouse, 3 diaries, one code-book and a list of birthday party action items. All in the bed. When the light goes out, it's a crisis for this girl.

Rone's bedtime is focused on Loophole Location and Exploitation. First, put on the most inappropriate pajamas you can find. Is it 90 degrees? Get the flannel footie pajamas. 40? Well then, strip to your underpants. A fine start. Make sure your bed is set up correctly, with pillows at both ends, in case of nighttime reversals. Then 'forget' these things, one at a time, in dramatic fashion: teeth brushing, potty, drinking water, and the shooting pain in your tummy/head/legs. Next, give your OCD free rein and insist every wrinkle be removed from the one blanket on the bed. Then insist it's the wrong one. Then make the initial kisses goodnight gesture. Wait. Listen carefully. When Mom has the baby nearly into the crib, go ahead in there and quietly ask her if she'll read. She can't get mad at reading! Score! Then claim to be cold (note: must be out of flannel footies pj's by this point). Cold can't be ignored. Then you ask for these things slowly, kisses, little rhyming endearments she'll say automatically if you give her the correct prompt, and a schedule for tomorrow. Then, once she's left and shut the door, open the door (an accidental slam here gets a lot of attention!), come halfway down the stairs and ask at what time tomorrow you might be able to start playing your DS.

If anyone would like a savvy 5 year old lawyer-type, I'm hiring him out cheap.

Cotton is now the age Seph was when I started this blog. Seph is nearly 8 now. Odd, that. Time passes. Somewhere in my mom's head, I suppose I'm still 8.

I started this in July of 2002. That's nearly 7 years! When I hit 10, I'll have a blogaversary!

and look at the nice picture you can get of the Capitol when they go ahead and shut Congress Ave down:

"Huh. When I blew my nose, I popped."

The theme for our Campfire supper this year was Lunar New Year, and a dragon came to visit. It was really, really fun. The dancers were great, and the kids would run screaming after putting good-luck envelopes in it's mouth.