Yesterday’s mojo got sucked away by a trip to the DMV. So we started today — “I believe in one God.” We bounced a ball back and forth with each strong beat, and they both took to it pretty quickly. The bouncing works well, I think.

We still need more for my sake and theirs. If I don’t have a plan, then we’ll do nothing. And that’s BORING! So I’m resurrecting Letter of the Week — or I should say X-TREME Letter of the Week since we’re adding Sound of the Week with it. That’ll keep Gavin entertained as he identifies the letters and Isaac will just learn a little bit more.

My sane friend suggested doing a math game every day as well — nothing too rigorous. Today Isaac played with his counting basketball hoop — throwing the ball in until it reached 100 (completely his idea). He said, “Wow, Mommy! It’s a loooong way to 100.” So I think that counts for something.

So Thursday is our library day, and we’ll pick out books for the next week. Don’t know what yet exactly. The rest of this week will be alphabet stuff. Then A & ck beginning on Monday.  Then we’ll add “the Father Almighty” to our bouncing ball practice.

It’s been so blasted HOT these last few days, so it’s hard to imagine what we could do. This week is Sugar’s birthday, and if we don’t have a party, Isaac’ll be disappointed. So we’re planning a 3rd birthday party for Sugar.

Then the Olympics begin. And I’m ready with all sorts of activities. That should be physical and different and take us right up to the political conventions.

Our goals this year are to incorporate more memorizing. We’re going to start with the Catechism for Younger Children and the Nicene Creed. I’ve got it all laid out week-by-week in Google Calendar.

I’d like to pick one good chapter book to read with Isaac. We started Farmer Boy. I think we might finish that one or another Little House book. I tried Ramona the Pest, but I was the only one laughing hilariously at everything. Peter Pan might work. Or Charlotte’s Web. Love that. I need to buy that one.

Everything else will spin out from there. I can make the crafts and activities adapt to those things. Isaac’s still into holidays and is obsessed with his pumpkins in the garden. I can see the Young Thinker blossoming in him. He wants to know where everything comes from, and I don’t know how well I’m doing with those questions. When he asked where babies came from a few months back, the conversation went like this:

He: Mommy, how do babies come?

Me: Well, first . . . first, you pray! HARD!! And then God takes a little piece of Daddy and a little piece of Mommy, and He smooches ‘em together. And poof! He makes a person!!

::long pause::
He: GOD? We want a girl baby, okay? . . . He said “Okay, Isaac!!”

He asked where pumpkins came from yesterday. I explained that it was basically the same thing. A bee walks around the inside of the flower to get nectar, and the boy piece from the stamen mixes with the girl piece from the pistil. And you get fruit!

Flowers and people. That’s about the extent of my knowledge. I’ll have to get a wiki for the rest.

I remembered that I do better if I set out a schedule the day before instead of waiting for everything to fall apart in the middle of it all. So tomorrow I’d like the day to look like this (with lots of built-in flexibility):

• 9:00 — Exercise.
• 10:00 — Story/snuggle time
• 10:30 — Active time
• 11:00 — Scissors & Glue time
• 12:00 — Lunch
• 1:00 — Nap/Smart time

Let’s see how I do with that.

Add to that, Sir Isaac is dropping his nap. That was my time to regroup. So I need to rethink everything now.

So that’s what’s up with that. I’ll come back later and think some more. Now is time for our morning walk!

We returned for Spiderman popsicles and then had a bath for all. After lunch and naps, we finally made our tie-bleached spider shirts. Twice today Isaac initiated a chore on his own with no prompting. I couldn’t believe it! So we’re learning.

Gavin is starting to put more and more sentences together. “No, tankoo.” No thank you? What near-18mo says NO THANK YOU!!

Isaac has gotten quite good at collecting bugs for his bug house. Unfortunately, they are all dead. I try to explain, but then he responds, “That’s okay, Mommy. Jesus likes bugs. And God lives in Trucky’s tummy. I’ll put some leaves in here, and he’ll feel better.” “No, honey. God doesn’t live in the bug’s tummy. That’s something special He does with people.” “Oh no, Mommy. Jesus likes bugs.” Uh . . . okay. Whatever.

Finding the Morning Glories has become a morning ritual, so much so that I swiped some cuttings to try to grow our own in pots. Surely as stubborn a plant as a morning glory can be — surely they’ll root in water, right? Anybody know?

We played Jonah today. Thomas the Train was the fish, and Gavin was Jonah. Isaac insisted that he was “Larry Boy.” Uh . . . Whatever.

In other words, imagination is running high at the Lewis house. Facts, not so much.

This is so different. Uncrowded. Singing and bubbles. And the moms stay. So that’s cool. It made a big impression on Isaac — BIG. He talked about it at lunch. I’d like to go again, but I think we’ll go to a different location.

After an indoor puppet show with sticks (Isaac’s idea) and a homemade puppet theatre (empty speaker boxes), we ran to the post office and the library. It was our first official trip. We talked about talking as quietly as butterflies in the library, and we were moderately successful. Isaac really wanted books about bugs, so we got one on spiders, one on bees, and one on bugs in general. I need a praying mantis book.

I also found Blueberries for Sal and The Runaway Bunny — two books listed in the Before Five in a Row bibliography. Now I need to settle in and read those all for myself. Can’t wait!

Gavin:

• is already bossing everyone around. Standing up in the highchair is the latest thrill in the Lewis household, and it meets with a firm “DOWN” from Mom, Dad, and brother. And now Gavin has joined in. When he sees another person — ANY person — stand up from a chair, Gavin runs toward them, hand out, and says loudly, “DOW! DOW!” One little boy actually complied.
• loves to dance. Put on ANY music and he starts to groove.
• has made his own sign for Spiderman. Go figure.
• can say:
  • Mama
  • Dada
  • Brother
  • “Bye-bye!”
  • “Hello!” 
  • “Down!”
  • “I did it!”
  • “All done!”
  • Please
  • “Tankoo!”
  • Drink
  • Cracker
  • [Ba]nana
  • Papoo
  • Nite-nite
  • “Rockie, rockie, rockie”
  • Yes
  • Grrrrr 
  • Meow
  • Book
  • “No thank you!”

Isaac:

• “Read” me a story at the bookstore on Monday. Completely new story from a completely new book.
• Loves to name anyone and anything with what ever characteristic shouts out at him. The lizard this morning was “Sidewalky.” The boy at B&N — who I’m sure has a name — was “Booky.”
• Is figuring out how to dial the phone to call Daddy and G-ma & G-pa.
• Loves to perform for me. He sang me a completely new and different song that I didn’t know this evening.
• Loves to play store. I’m always the one buying and he’s always the one selling though. Hmmmm. . . .
• Drew in rain clouds and rain on a coloring page from church. About Noah’s ark. Shows he was paying attention and that he can figure out how to do that.
• Understands what tattling is. Sigh. . . .
• Explained to Daddy this evening how bees make honey. He was actually paying attention when I told him?

What fun!! We had a blast. So much of a blast that Isaac fell asleep on the way home and was DONE with the napping for the day. Ugh. Mom’s tired. Especially after last night.

We bought a bird feeder. Isaac really wanted the “Kazeebo” one, but I like the gold finches. Or as Isaac calls them, “Gold Jays.” He likes “Red Jays” (Cardinals). Gavin likes “Blue Jays.” I hope we don’t get any blue jays. I saw some gold finches on our sorry-looking sunflower house, so maybe I can lure some back. I’ve got the feeder by the kitchen window. We’ll see. . . .

So we tossed more kids in the fiery furnace and then pretended to go to Dollywood and the Magic Kingdom.