Finishing the School Year Strong, Special Events, a Big Birthday Bash, and the Beautiful Beach

We had some special themed days in April and May. I found some neat superhero themed devotions and videos to use with Riley and Maggie and one of our favorite activities was to end with a “Make Your Own Dumbbells” snack and the superhero traits chart (see pics below).

Another day, Maggie got to dress up for Western day at her preschool and since she has a summer birthday, we sent in a special snack for her to share with her friends as they sang “Happy Special Day” to her. We decided to make some cowboy hats that were made with chocolate-covered Pringles, Rolos, and Twizzler licorice.

On March 28^th, I interviewed for a second grade position at Sunset Park Elementary School. Just 2 days later, I got the call offering me the job! After checking with a few folks and doubling checking one more time that there wasn’t an opening at Richmond Drive, I accepted the job. God knows me so well and was able to answer my prayer that I be able to go back to a familiar area of teaching and be able to have time to plan and organize myself before the start of school. I’m blessed to be able to do both! I’ve had several chances to observe, talk with teachers and my new principal, and even get several Donors Choose grants funded with fun resources for my classroom. Chris is most excited about the fact that I was able to get all my stuff moved out of our garage and attic and into my new classroom last week. Now he may actually be able find some tools in the garage without tripping over my boxes and tables. Here are a few pictures of the classroom that I am moving into. These are the BEFORE pictures (as in before I moved in all my stuff and organized everything and also finished moving some of the previous teacher's items into another classroom as well): 

We had the pleasure of celebrating Riley turning 6 on May 12^th. He began the day by eating a chocolate sprinkle donut for breakfast that Maggie picked out for him, knowing he’d love. After getting dressed, he got to open up his big present-a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Electronic target practice game. He had school on that Thursday, so I met him at lunch and took some Ninja Turtle cupcakes in to share with his class. After school, Riley got to open up a few more presents and the highlight of his day was getting to go to Hickory Tavern restaurant and order his favorite food--a cheeseburger for his birthday dinner. Dessert consisted of a huge hunk of chocolate cake that was almost as big as Riley! Grandmama was able to join us as well and that made the meal even more special.

Then a few weeks later, we hosted a combined birthday party for Riley and Maggie at our house on Saturday, May 21^st. The party invitation sent out on Facebook read:

Cowbunga Dudes and Amigas-You’re invited to

An A-“Dora”-ble Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Combined Birthday Adventure

Come on Vamanos-Let’s Go fight crime and swing through trees

As we crawl through sewers and save animals on safaris

We will “Shell-a-brate” Riley’s 6^th birthday with pizza and more

And also have Maggie the Explorer’s Fiesta for turning four

It’s going to be “Turtlely Awesome”, so grab your “map”

Follow it and finding the party will be a snap!

We had been preparing for an indoor party because the forecast had been calling for rain in the afternoon, but we got pleasantly surprised with gorgeous weather! This helped a lot since we had 16 kids for the party and who-knows-how-many-adults. I’m so thankful Chris’ parents came in town early and were a huge help in setting up for the party. I used the Dora theme of following “Map” to collect little party favors for their bags. The kids did really well with the outdoor scavenger hunt in the park and after playing a few quick games of “Pin the Spot on the Jaguar” and “Punch Out Shredder” with tissue paper-covered Solo cups with prizes hidden inside, we moved the party indoors to eat. The menu consisted of Raphael’s Cowabunga Pizza, Mikey’s Veggie Tray, Sewer Lids (aka Thin Oreos), Mutant Ooze (aka green Jello), Turtle Slime Punch, Abeula’s Fruit Salad, Boot's Bananas, Diego’s Animal Rescue, Map’s Cheese Sticks, Taco’s Taquitos, and Dora’s Mexican 7 Layer Dip. A big thanks to my mom who helped make the giant bowl of fruit salad and layered chip dip. We had a TMNT cake and Dora and Boots cupcakes to add to the festivities. 

After some food, the kids tried their luck at some of the outdoor stations that we had set up: a safari obstacle course with a zebra tent, a tunnel and a cave, and ninja training activities like throwing the ninja stars in a bucket, tossing a pizza (aka Frisbee) into a box, and knocking out “bad guys” (aka balloons hanging from tree branches) with swords (aka pool noodles). We also had a giant bubble making station, but it ended up being more of a mess than a success. 

Riley and Maggie had a great time diving into their gifts, but it sure made it difficult for my poor mom to keep up with who was opening what and from whom as tissue paper, gift bags, and wrapping paper were flying left and right. All in all, I’d say it was a pretty good party. The kids loved being surrounded by all their friends and family and I don’t think they minded having to share the attention with each other. I’m not sure how many more years we’ll be able to get away with throwing just one party. Pretty soon I bet they’ll want to have a few close friends over to celebrate in their own ways.  But for now, I got to have some fun putting on a themed party.

The night before the party, we went out to eat with Nan and Pap to a Japanese steakhouse. It was the kids first time to experience this kind of meal and while Riley loved it and “ooohhh”-ed and “aaahhh”-ed at every trick, Maggie spent most of her time hiding her head in my lap. She didn’t like the flames and fire tricks one single bit. She did manage to eat some rice and edamame, but only after the chef had completely left the table. Riley, our bottomless pit, sucked down his own plate of hibachi chicken and tasted quite a few other meats as well including steak and shrimp. We couldn’t quite get him to be adventurous enough to try the soup or the salad with ginger dressing yet. That’s okay—there’s always next time!

The end of May wrapped up Maggie’s year at preschool with Mrs. Cranford and Ms. Morris. We ended with a class party cookout down at Leo’s house. Cindy set up the Shark Park water slide/bouncy house for the kids and lots of chairs and tables for the grown-ups. The kids had a blast playing together one last time. Maggie’s teachers gave out awesome gifts to every child: a pack of bubbles, a large ball, and a personalized photo album with highlights of all the events and special activities from the year.

I was able to wrap up my time teaching music at Goddard and while it was bittersweet to have these 3 years of music lessons and relationships come to an end, I’m also greatly looking forward to my next chapter in teaching. I received some very thoughtful gifts from my students though. Check it out:

We were able to attend an end-of-the-year program in Riley’s classroom on May 31^st. Riley and his classmates treated us to a program of songs performed in both English and Spanish and then his teachers prepared a slide show featuring all kinds of pictures from the year as well. I have to admit I got a little teary-eyed during the “First Grade, First Grade” song that was sung to the tune of “New York, New York”: “Start spreading the news, We’re ready to go. We want to be a part of it…first grade, first grade.” We can’t believe how much our little man has learned this year and we are so indebted to Mrs. Smith and Senora Notaro for all of their hard work!

My aunt Melissa planned a special Taylor-extended-family outing for Memorial Day weekend. We went to Brevard, NC and stayed in a rental house and she mapped out several hikes to waterfalls that were nearby. We arrived Friday night after making an after school pit stop at TC’s Shaved Ice. We ate pizza, played a few games, and got well-rested for our excursion. After a hearty breakfast Saturday morning, we headed to Dupont State Park where we hiked to three different waterfalls: Hooker Falls, Triple Falls, and High Falls. Riley and Maggie were enthusiastic hikers for the first little bit, but by the last waterfall they were both pretty tuckered out and begging to be carried. So we let Grandmama and Papa take them home after our picnic lunch in the parking lot and we headed to one last waterfall with Rodger, Melissa, Dylan, and Brooke called Bridal Veil Falls. This waterfall had its moment of fame when it was featured in the Hunger Games movie. While the trail to the waterfall was not nearly as scenic as the other falls, this waterfall was one that we could actually walk behind. It made for a neat picture and an “I’ve done that” experience. That evening we had a taco bar for dinner and homemade vanilla icecream with warm from the oven brownies. We woke up to a rainy Sunday, but managed to find some indoor activities like playing Pokemon, the Game of Life, a giant 1,000 piece puzzle, and a ping pong doubles tournament to keep us busy. We got to visit with Andrew, April, McCall, and their newest addition, Mattie Jane before we had to leave town. It was awesome to spend the weekend together with everyone and do something that featured some of the most beautiful spaces made by our Great Creator.  

A few days later, we got the joy of celebrating with Maggie on her official 4^th birthday. She requested a breakfast in the shape of a puppy. Then she opened her big present from Mom and Dad which was a toy camper and doll with a doggie on a leash. We spent the morning playing with this and having Maggie and Mommy rainbow pedicure and manicure time. This precious girl was so excited about finally turning four that she announced to every stranger who talked to her about her latest milestone: “I’m Maggie and I’m four!” (as she enthusiastically held out four fingers). We were originally planning to go camping on this day, but the weather didn’t cooperate so instead we picked up Riley from his last day of school and headed to Old MacDonald’s (Maggie’s choice restaurant) for a delightful lunch. Then we decided to try out Ray’s Splash Planet, an indoor water park in Charlotte. I think Maggie had a smile on her face the entire time! She LOVED following her brother around and going down every single slide multiple times. Then while Riley got to go down a bigger slide for taller kids, Maggie explored the whirlpool area, Lazy River, and basketball hoop game.

We got our chance to go camping as a family the following night. We had planned to go to Chester State Park, but when we arrived it was already full. So we drove a little further to Lake Wateree State Park and lucked out with one last spot there which happened to be a lakefront site. The kids helped Chris set up the tent while I cooked brats on the camping stove for supper. The after dinner building of a fire and eating s’mores was a hit as always. Although Maggie prefers to eat her marshmallows “uncooked” now and Riley prefers for his to be burnt. Our campers awoke bright and early on Saturday and after breakfast they tried their hand at fishing. Riley and I had a nibble and pulled a little fish up out of the water, but it managed to get away before we could fully reel it in. It satisfied Riley’s desire to catch a fish though and we moved on with our day. After breaking down camp, we took the kids to the playground and then on a hike. Maggie loved setting up races for all of us to do and especially enjoyed when she was leading the pack. Riley preferred to check out the trees and nature a little more closely and take his time. I love how our kiddos are so unique and have their different ways of expressing themselves.

Riley poured over this Lego Ninjago book most of his time in the car and whenever he had downtime. We absolutely love how our reader sits with his legs crossed and gets so fixated on the text!

To help the kids not lose all of the awesome skills they’ve acquired, I came up with a little Summer Learning Bingo Board and a Helpfulness Chart where the kids have to spend some time completing some tasks to earn their afternoon screen time. It’s only been a week, but they’re off to a great start so far! We also did a short unit on How To Be A Bucket Filler by using kind words and actions. I LOVE summer and all the time that it allows for special activities, trips, and learning experiences and it always helps me to have somewhat of a plan in place. So after tweaking last year's calendar and bucket list, we now have our new and improved 2016 Summer Fun Calendar and Fisher Family Bucket List. I look forward to seeing how many memories we can create over these next few months! We've got a great start on some already, like having our first watermelon of the season!

 On Thursday of this week, we were able to make a quick trip to the beach as a family. We left after Maggie's well-check doctor appointment where she received 2 shots and a finger prick and was such a brave girl that she didn't even cry. The nurse did a great job being speedy and I did my best to keep her distracted and not looking at what was going on. The reward she chose afterwards...purple bubblegum! And because she is always thinking of Riley, she picked out some Ironman Sour Apple flavored gum for him. What a sweetie! We got to the beach around 3 pm and were able to splash in the ocean for a bit before going out to dinner at a Mexican restaurant and playing miniature golf at Jungle Lagoon afterwards. Riley and I both made two holes-in-one and Chris made one. Maggie kind of hockey-puck-coaxed her ball into the hole most of the time. But we all had a great time and Riley was so enamored with the place that he was begging to go back and play the second course. Friday morning, we ate breakfast in our room and hit the beach by 9 am. We played until lunch time and then spent a little time in the outdoor pool. Unfortunately, it was too cold so we didn't last long there at all. We had a little downtime while Daddy got his run in and then we headed out to an icecream store and Broadway at the Beach. The kids got to visit the magic store and see some cool tricks, check out some beach souvenir stores, and each put together their own bag of candy at the It's Sugar store. Then we made the drive to Garden City and ate a delicious seafood meal at Sara J's (well, 3 out of 4 of us chose to eat seafood-we couldn't get Riley to deviate from his cheeseburger streak although later he did admit that Maggie's popcorn shrimp tasted really good!). We ended the night by playing some arcade games at the Garden City Pavilion and buying a shark's tooth necklace for Riley and purple braid bracelet for Maggie at one of the many Eagles beach stores. The kids got to bed about 9:30 and Chris and I were able to sit out on our oceanfront balcony and enjoy some beverages. Our room got upgraded the second night because the first one didn't have a properly working A/C or fridge. I hated to complain, but I really appreciated the outcome! It certainly beat the side view of the pool/parking lot/sliver of the ocean. :) The kids slept in a little this morning, but still made it to the beach for an hour or so before we had to shower and check out. We ended our trip with a lunch...I mean breakfast at Lenny's Pancake House. It was short trip, but oh so sweet! 

Collection of Comical Quotes:

·         Mom to Riley: “Son, what’s going on at school these days?” Riley: “Reader’s Workshop.” Me: “What are you reading?” Riley: “Oh, you know…books.”

·         Maggie recently had a friend in her preschool class whose mom got engaged. She got a little confused about which word to use and commented one day: “She embarrassing because she’s about to get married.”

·         Riley’s homework calendar had a task last month to count up from 76 to 100. He was counting aloud and paused briefly at 79. Maggie, who had been listening the whole time, piped up and shouted out…”80!!”

·         Dad to Riley: “I’m concerned that I’ll miss you when you leave for your mission.” Riley: “Don’t worry, I’ve got a second jet that will have a tracking device that will help you navigate. Just push the button and tell it to take you to New York Mountain and when you see a jet with a ‘T’ on it-that’s us! The T stands for teammates-me, Maggie, McCord, Jake, and Isabella.”

·         Mom sarcastically to Maggie: “You sure are agreeable today.” Maggie: “No, I’m not!!” A few seconds later, “What’s agreeable mean?” Me: “That you don’t argue.” “Maggie: “No, I don’t.”

·         Chris to Maggie: “Don’t worry, kiddo, we won’t leave you.” Maggie: “Okay, grown-upper. Thanks!” Chris and I laugh. Maggie responds adamantly: “It really is grown-upper!”

·         Maggie: “That’s my flavorist candy.” Her new invented word for favorite flavor!

·         Chris and Maggie have a new favorite game to play. It always starts with Maggie howling (which she seems to do a lot these days). Then Chris will remark: “Where?” Maggie jumps in and says: “Wolf.” And then they keep repeating the phrases over and over until our little werewolf wears herself out.

·         Riley recently got back from a trip to the dentist with his bag of dental goodies. As he was perusing through it, he excitedly commented to Chris: “Yes, I’ve ALWAYS wanted an Oral B toothbrush! You can go to the website and download the app and it will tell you how long to brush.” Riley now reads everything from the backs of toothbrush packages to signs on the road! As we were heading to the beach this weekend, our helpful boy said, “Hey dad, that sign says ‘Left lane ends 1 mile.’” And then a few days ago, he was looking back over his Lego instruction booklets and found out that if he gave some ‘product feedback’ he could be entered to win a Lego prize. So he completed several surveys and was very hopeful that he would be selected as a recipient. I hope for his sake, maybe one day he is!

·         We’ve been learning a little bit lately about what it means to be a bucket filler and use kind words and actions to make others and ourselves feel happy. Both kids have caught on quickly and have been demonstrating thoughtfulness and kindness on a more frequent basis. Riley likes to tell us at dinner that he has a secret for one of us and then he’ll proceed to come over to our ear and whisper, “I love you so much.” And just the other day, he told Maggie “I love you so much. My heart is bursting with love!”

St. Patty's, Silly Tumble Bear, Surgery, Special Visit, and Sweet Easter Moments

 This March was full of memorable moments! These two kiddos are so creative and I love watching their imaginative play. The picture above is from the hideout that they created with tons of pillows, blankets, comforters, and other "fort-like" materials.

 St. Patrick's Day brought a sneaky bathroom trick from a leprechaun and a scavenger hunt for gold coins. Supper was bangers and mash with some green veggies and pasta (since both kids refuse to eat mashed potatoes).

 I enjoyed putting together a little craft snack for our QCP/GOF friends. After listening to the M & M Easter above (above), the kids could use the materials on their plate to create a crown of thorns (to remind them of Jesus' sacrifice) and an empty tomb (to remind them of Jesus' power over sin and death). What touched my heart so much was that after this quick little activity, the kids (on their own accord) were out playing in the park and decided to put on a show for all the moms. I can't remember their exact words, but it was something to the effect of: "Jesus is Son of God. He died on the cross.  He is risen. He's up in heaven. We love Jesus." And it featured several of the kids singing and for the grand finale, Jackson and Blake blew about 20 dandelions into the air. It was a beautiful show for sure!

Since Riley got the opportunity to do basketball at the YMCA, we wanted to give Maggie a chance to do an activity that she enjoyed so we signed her up for a month of gymnastics at Champions. She was a bonafide Tumble Bear this month and took great pleasure in getting dressed each Tuesday and participating in the many activities that her coaches had planned for her. She has great strength and coordination and it was a joy to watch her flip, spin, tumble, point, flex, jump, and walk like a gymnast!

 Nan and Pap arrived for a special visit on March 22nd. We got to dye Easter eggs with them again this year and go out to eat at Hickory Tavern (Riley had been begging to try out their cheeseburger). Then they were able to help take Riley to school while Chris and I took Maggie to the Carolina Surgery Center at 7 am on March 24th. Maggie had to have tubes put in (again...she was 8 months old the first time she had this done), adenoids and tonsils taken out, her nasal passageways thinned (technically called turbinate reduction), deviated septum repaired, and blood drawn for a RAST allergy test to see what exactly in the environment is affecting her the most. Maggie did such a great job with the the entire procedure! She couldn't have anything to eat or drink from midnight of the 24th and her surgery wasn't scheduled until 8:30. We had done some work to prepare her for what was happening and she was in good spirits playing with the iPad and reading books. The nurse gave her some "Happy Juice" around 8 AM and it made Maggie a little extra silly. I was holding her in the chair, singing songs like "B-I-N-G-O" and she wanted me to start making up words about the door! The surgery itself took about an hour and Dr. Abrams said that she was so full of mucous everywhere that it was hard for him to find two good places to insert her tubes. He was able to manage and said he ran her head through a car wash of sorts to clean her out really well. He thinks that her allergies have been causing a lot of the infection and it's impacting her part of her little face: ears, nose, and throat. After surgery, Maggie was rolled back on the bed and she was still really groggy from all the anesthesia so she slept off and on for about an hour. When she woke up, she wanted to know what was on her hand (an IV) and she wanted it out. We told her it would come out in just a little bit, but that they were still giving her some medicines through a tube to help her feel better. She seemed okay with that answer and Chris was able to distract her by reading one of her favorite books right now-The Cat in the Hat. Maggie started to perk up shortly after that and felt good enough to try a popsicle. By the time, we left an hour later, she had managed to down 3 of them and about half of a Gatorade bottle. This was good news because we had to make sure she stayed hydrated. The hardest part about Maggie's surgery was keeping up with all the medicines that she needed to take and preventative care and treatment we had to do for her ears and nose. Chris and I had to keep track on a chart for the first five days or so because the process was so involved. Maggie has done really well overall recovering from this ordeal. She was more tired than usual the first few days and wanted to be held a good bit (which luckily, we had plenty of arms willing to oblige). Besides her eyes being very itchy and hurting and her nose running constantly (which started out a little bloody, than was mostly clear, and now has turned into a thick yellow ooze that we feel could be the signs of infection again, but we're not sure), she hasn't complained to much about her "nursery" (which is the word she uses because she forgets about to say surgery). She did say the first hour and day or two after surgery that her "breath" was hurting and that her throat was "sorted" (sore). So we loaded her up with more popsicles, applesauce, sherbert, icecream, and yogurt as well as alternating Tylenol and Motrin every three hours. And whenever we'd ask her if she felt okay, she'd respond with her phrase of the week, "Um...not much." She had a few rough nights of sleep and was coughing a good bit, but seems to be better with that here lately. We go for a follow-up appointment after Spring Break, so we'll see what the doctors have to say then. We're so hoping that this procedure will leave our girl feeling much healthier in the days, months, and hopefully years to come.

 The sweet nurse that we had indulged Maggie and made Puppy a hospital ID bracelet too. So Maggie, Mommy, and Puppy all got tagged!

 This is popsicle number 3. What was also unique about this experience is that Maggie had a classmate, Noah, who also had tubes put in and adenoids taken out. The poor little fella was having a tough time post-surgery, but still wanted to stop by Maggie's room and say hey. She told him, "It's okay, Noah. You'll be fine." And then she offered him her half-eaten popsicle which I thought was really sweet!

 Meanwhile, back at the ranch, some "bunny" named Riley had an Easter Egg hunt at his school on that Thursday and made some cute rabbit ears. Here he is giving us his best rabbit pose!

 I love that our neighborhood has started an annual Easter Egg hunt tradition in the park. The kids got to find 24 eggs each and had a blast! Of course, the best part was opening them up to see what candy was inside and deciding what to eat first. Didn't it used to be when we were growing up that there MIGHT have been a few eggs with a piece of candy or a coin in it? Nowadays, every egg has something in it. Hmm...times they are a changing. I wonder what it will be like when these kids have kids.

 Happy Easter 2016!! The kids followed the bunny footprint trail to their Easter baskets and really appreciated the treats that were left.

 Riley requested this pancake bunny breakfast that he happened to see that I had pinned on Pinterest. Maggie refused to eat and wanted her usual cereal bar instead!

 I LOVE that we were able to go to Easter Sunday service together! The flower cross with "He is Risen" sign was a beautiful reminder of the new life that springs forth after the dead of winter and of course, how our sweet Savior sacrificed so much to overcome both sin and death. The Easter story holds such promise. There will always be so many things about Jesus' life, His ministry, and His death and resurrection that I won't fully be able to comprehend this side of eternity, but I rejoice in the truth that I worship a God who is personal, passionate, and oh so powerful!!

 My thoughtful husband bought me some Easter lilies and a sweet card! It means so much that he wanted to give me have something a little special as well.

 I've been working on trying out some different tools to help the kids handle their strong emotions such as anger and disappointment in healthier ways. Here's picture of some of the things I've put in a little red bag and keep between Riley and Maggie's bedrooms. I have to confess that I need to use these tools and take a time out myself so that I can be calm in emotionally tense situations as well. This is still a huge work in progress. I'm learning a lot right now about how children need to be taught how to recognize their feelings, choose ways to get back in control, and then be willing to problem-solve. You can't automatically assume that they know what to do or how to do it. And you have to show them that you are ultimately on their side in wanting the best for them. Like I said, I have a long way to go in changing some of my language and thought patterns as well as my actions and expectations but I think the ideas from Conscious Discipline and other parenting books like How To Talk So Your Child Will Listen and Listen So Your Child Will Talk and Parenting Without Power Struggles are going to improve the way tantrums are handled and hopefully make us all more emotionally intelligent and in-tune with controlling our emotions and not letting them control us.

And now for the monthly anecdote wrap-up of "I've got to blog about that" moments:

• On Wednesday, Riley was playing baseball outside with Chris when they all came in to show me a shattered wiffle ball. I made some remark about Riley not knowing his own strength and he promptly replied, "It's not me, Mom. It's this baby (pointing to his bat that he had just nicknamed Lisa)." 
• Riley turned to Chris the other day before supper and said, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Instead of eating my meatballs blank, I'm going to make a meatball sub." Too funny!
• Riley got to enjoy several popsicles as well courtesy of Maggie's soft food diet lately. He was especially grateful for them one day and made the comment, "Nothing like a nice cold treat on a hot, hot day!"
• Maggie loves to see "the boys" off in the morning as they head to school. She often gives them several kisses on their leg (Chris) or chest (Riley) and says "Goodbye boys, have a great day!" about 5 to 10 times. One day, she felt especially creative and decided to change it up to "Bye mans!" They have officially graduated I guess from boys to men!
• Riley likes to put his own spin on what he calls Chris too. Just recently, we caught him saying, "Come on, dude!" 
• Maggie likes to shorten words too. So lately instead of saying the word you, she will occasionally be extra silly and change the word to ya  as in "I'll get a pillow for ya."  
• Here's another precious prayer from Maggie: "Thank you God. You're such a good boy...but there's some bees outside and I saw one bee. And can you help everybody? And you can help kids. Help protect me from the bees."
• Riley is starting to learn some strategies for how to handle his disappointment about losing at a game. The other night we were playing a new game that Grandmama had sent for the kids and Riley didn't really like the fact that he wasn't ahead in points. So he made the decision to stop playing for awhile and announced instead that he was "just going to supervise the game and be Maggie's coach." It seemed to work out pretty well because he celebrated exuberantly with her when she won the game minutes later!
• Chris has been watching some of the March Madness NCAA basketball games on TV and the kids like to pick which team they are cheering for. Maggie was actually pay very close attention to one particular game and said, "My team got a score twice. They're winning."
• We aren't quite sure yet if the surgery has made a difference in some of the hearing loss that Maggie has experienced. She made the statement "I can easily hear you" while Pap was here reading a book aloud to Riley last week. And then another day, Pap perhaps dozed off for a bit while holding Maggie in the leather recliner while she was watching a show. She was quick to wake him up and say, "Go some place else to snore, Pap. I can't hear TV." 
• Riley was making the comment that he sure missed his "Nerth" (Nerf) gun that he used to play with. Little did he know that sometimes I put away certain toys for small periods of time and then let them make a comeback later so that they regain their novelty. Tonight was one of those nights. He was so excited to see his toy again and had a great time before bed practicing with it. 
• Maggie also made an interesting comment at bedtime. Chris said something about her being so cut that he "was going to eat her up." And she adamantly stated, "You can't do that. I'm made of skin and if you eat me, you'll throw up." What a nice, pleasant, literal interpretation of that statement!