All About the Clones

I feel like it's been a while since I posted anything positive about my clones. With all the sickness and frustration and exhaustion around here since New Year's there just hasn't been much else to think about. Now that we are turning a corner on some of those things I thought maybe a brag blog was in order.

Raley has started reading the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series and just for fun, Jayme and I are reading it too. He has been wanting to read it but could never find it at the school library, as they are fairly popular now with the movie coming out. I checked the town library for him but no luck there either as they were all on hold with a lengthy waiting list. So we bought him the first one for his Valentine's Day gift. Then he bought the second one with some money from Nana and Papa. I am not having the best of luck finding the rest of them just yet so he has gone back to the Mysterious Benedict Society books for now. Things are gearing up for the writing portion of the TAKS(Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills, I think) test at school. For those of you not in Texas/without school age kids, that is the standardized test all students take starting in 3rd grade. There is a math section and a reading section and starting in 4th grade a writing section which includes grammar and spelling rules along with a written composition. Last year when he was in 3rd grade he made a 100% of both sections. It was kind of a big deal and I am a little worried he is feeling some pressure to do the same this year. We are going to talk with him this weekend about it and let him know that we will be happy no matter what since we know he will pass with flying colors. We are not the type of parents who demand perfection and the last thing he needs to feel is pressure from us!

Clay has started bringing home books from the library to read and test on. Evidently this isn't something all Kindergartners do (we didn't realize that since his brother did the same). So far he is doing well. The biggest struggle we have with him is he never. stops. talking!! And he's kinda loud too. I know he isn't like that at school so I guess he just gets home and has to get it all out before he bursts. Last weekend both boys had a sleepover with their buddy next door. There was another little boy there as well. The next day both of the host parents told us how well behaved our boys were, unlike their own son and the other kid. It was kind of funny when the mom told me, "Your boys were at the table eating breakfast and we said how good they had been and they told me, 'Mommy said we better be!'"

Pattie is doing very well with her ear tubes. She has already had a cold which almost certainly would have turned into an ear infection. At her 2 week post check her ears were clear. They made her some custom fit ear plugs for bathing/swimming and she got to pick the color (hot pink!). She has recently added Snow White and The Little Mermaid to her rotating list of movies we watch 100 times a week. It's fine with me as I enjoy them very much myself, especially when she sings along to the songs and acts out scenes. Yesterday while SW was on, I heard her knocking on the door and saying, "Not home." during the scene where Snow White first comes to the dwarfs house. After that movie was over she picked Planet Hulk so she isn't all Princess (thankfully).

We have been planting fruit trees in our yard lately. We have two peaches (different types with different fruiting months), a nectarine, a Granny Smith apple (the only kind Raley likes), and a Gala apple. We are still hoping to get a plum and a pear, but we are happy for now. The chickens have started to lay eggs regularly again. We have 7 hens and usually get 4-6 eggs a day. We have made a little nest on the back porch for Wanda, the Turken since the others pick on her so badly. She is big enough to get over the fence from their yard to the main yard and she was laying her eggs inside the bag of shavings we use for their house, so we put a box in that spot just for her. She seems to like the arrangement and Pattie enjoys gathering the egg.


If you look closely inside the bag of shavings in this picture you can just make out the egg.


If you are superhero junkies like we are then you should go pick up a copy of Justice League Crisis on Two Earths. It just came out on Tuesday and it is pretty good. We like all the new Marvel and DC animated features. The next DC one will be a Batman storyline involving the aftermath of the death of Robin...should be very good! I have been having some fun with my new recipe blog. Today's post is Taco Soup, come check it out and follow me!