LAUREN'S STORY

A while back, I asked for a Lauren story. Lauren is Isaac and Julia's 7-year-old sister. Mommy said Lauren had not been crazy or funny lately. However, it dawned on Mommy that sweet stories described Lauren better, because that's who she is...a little sweetheart who always wants people to be happy. She always gives lots of hugs and kisses and makes Mommy love notes. Yesterday, she put a note on Mommy's bed and then said, "There's a note on your bed, and I don't know who it's from." The note said: MOMMY, I LOVE YOU. LOVE, ?

So, without further adieu, here's Mom's LAUREN STORY with a little background:

I always sing "Lauren's song" to her at bedtime, which is a song I made up by changing the words of a different song. You may have heard it... It's "Molly's Song". I made it Mommy instead of Daddy, etc...

A few days ago, I was running around like a crazy woman and Lauren was following me around with this piece of ribbon. She kept asking me to stop, but I was busy . . . Finally, I said "Lauren, what do you need?" She tied the ribbon around my waist and said, "I'm tying a ribbon around your heart". Of course, I stopped and gave her a big hug! :)

Here is "Lauren's Song":

Mommy's little girl paints the world with her magic wand.
Mommy's little child breathes new life to the morning time for me.
When we're apart, her thoughts follow me.



Mommy's little girl ties a ribbon around my heart.
Mommy's little child waves goodbye to the ocean tide that sweeps me.
When we're apart, she's a part of me.



When I come home, Lauren smiles with the dawn.
Lauren smiles, and she radiates the glow around her halo.
When she plays, Lauren smiles.
On a summer day, Lauren smiles.
A new day, Lauren smiles.

Nothing's wrong when Lauren smiles.

AMAZING TALENT

A huge chunk of our family showed up to celebrate Jerilyn at her SENIOR NIGHT. Accompaning our niece Erin was three-year-old Jaiden. While we waited in the stands Jaiden took it upon herself to entertain us. This, I am sure, was her most amazing talent.

Jaiden: Watch! I can sing the ABC's with my eyes closed. (Song completed in its entirety with eyes closed)

Jaiden: (Huge smile of accomplishment.)

SENIOR NIGHT

Note: Sorry loyal followers! My computer has a big, evil virus, so I haven't been able to blog. I owe you a few.


Last night was SENIOR NIGHT at our last home basketball game of the season. It was more than that, though. It was the last time our beautiful daughter will dance on her high school gym floor. It was the end of an amazing high school dance career. It was such a heart-warming night.

All seniors involved in basketball, cheerleading and dance team were honored. In between the JV and Varsity game seniors and their parents congregated on the side of the gym floor. One by one senior names were announced along with their proud parents. Jerilyn's name was called. Her dad and I linked to one side, and Mom on the other. For three or four glorious moments, hundreds of fans celebrated our daughter and her accomplishements. Everyone had the opportunity to see what we already know...She is amazing.

Although it was an end, in many ways it is the beginning of all things to come! I am so excited for her future. I cannot wait to see what this fabulous girl will accomplish in her lifetime. I am just so blessed to be a part of it.

SKIP TO MY ROOM

Dropped my daughter off at her primary school today. She gave me a kiss. Opened the door. Waved good-bye. SKIPPED to her room. I smiled. Not only is she starting her day off on a positive note, but my day, too!

If you have never tried skipping down the street, hall, sidewalk, or store aisle with your little guy you should try it. It is just silly and freeing and makes you feel good. Promise!

WARNING: Skipping without your little guy may cause stares or a chat with security officers, but probably still worth it.

WE ARE FAMILY

Remember Julia from last week? My three-year-old lunch date.
Lately, Julia has been becoming aware of the fact that she is a member of a family and eveyone has a different role to play. She enjoys saying, "We're the Thomae's". While I'm not sure Mom enjoys the role Julia has picked out for her, this cracks me up! And sadly...it is so true! Little kids always call it like they see it. I love that about them!

This morning Mom was helping Julia after she used the bathroom. Julia said, "We're the Thomaes. I'm the Dr. Thomae. (She wants to be a doctor, because she is in love with her pediatrician.) Daddy is the fixing Thomae. Lauren is the toy Thomae. And... Isaac is the tape Thomae. (He is obsessed with tape. You may remember the story about the jammies duct taped to the wall..). Mommy, you're the cleaning up potty Thomae". Ummm - okay

Personally, I think Mommy should be the baking Thomae. If you ever have the privilege to taste her apple pie or chocolate chip cookies, you will agree!

THE EIGHTH WONDER OF THE WORLD

This morning I was hanging out with my intellectual buddy, Max.---Although he has only been on this earth for a little over two years, that boy is SMART! He makes me laugh, because he is always coming up with superior thoughts.---That really has no baring on the story I'm about to tell, but I can't help but brag on him just a little.

So...this morning Max and I were having some Lucky Charms for breakfast. I put his cereal in an extremely cool mug shaped like a famous fish one of the kids brought home as a souvenier from Disney On Ice. As I checked in on him, I noticed there were pieces of cereal littering the floor all around him. At first glance I thought he had a spill. Upon closer inspection, I figured it out. He was tossing the cereal bits on the floor in his quest for the marshmallow pieces.

THAT is the eight wonder of the world. I believe every child since the dawn of marshmallow- packed cereal has forgone the actual cereal for the marshmallows. One day some marketing genius will figure out to just box up the marshmallows.

BE AGGRESSIVE

As the basketball season winds down, I am reminded of our Aiden and his b-ball skills. Last year Aiden played ball on a rec league with other five year old girls and boys. It is amazing to see how at such a young age some children already play sports like their chance for a scholarship depends on it...all out...aggressive. Aiden would be the polar opposite.

Although Aiden seemed happy to just run up and down the court (or on occasion flap his "wings" like a bird and "fly" down the court) Mom was concerned that Aiden never really had the opportunity to shoot or dribble the ball. So, she pulled him to the side during one particular game and gave him a pep talk. Basically, she told him that he needed to get in there and get the ball. So....he tried.

Moments later as the players were running down the court Aiden approached the opposing team member with the ball. He got in close, right up to him and made his move: "Excuse me. May I please have a turn with the ball now?" Boy-from-opposite-team-with-the-ball: "uh, no!" Aiden...Aiden...Aiden...Always the gentleman.

AIDEN AT HIS BEST

Some of my families' favorite stories are Aiden stories. Aiden is a very bright, witty, and joyful first grade student. This is a boy that was reading at the age of three, and will be sure to tell you, "Have a GREAT DAY!" if he sees you walking down the halls of his school in the morning. He just emanates JOY. EVERYONE loves Aiden! But....on occasion his free spirit will cause him to lose focus, which in turn gets him in trouble at school. Mom has been working with him on being more responsible AND following directions.

One morning Aiden was getting dressed, and Mom was coaching him along. She told him to pick out a clean shirt and pants. She also suggested he put on clean underwear and socks. When Aiden replied that he had, in fact, already changed his socks and underwear Mom praised him for his grown up, responsible behavior.

This is what Aiden had to say: "Well, Mama, I didn't really like the way my life was going, so I decided to make some changes.

Spoken like a responsible grown up! How can you NOT love this boy?

SHOUT OUT!

Today was the last regional dance competition Jerilyn will ever compete in. We have watched her blossom the past 4 years on her high school dance team. Little sister has been her biggest fan every step of the way. In our dance world there is something called SHOUT OUTS. Fans can pay $1 to have a message read to their dancers before a performance. Of course Lil' Sis always sends shout outs to big sis. The same held true for today, but with a little twist.

During LYRICAL category--my all time favorite--I CRIED! During DANCE category--I CRIED! Both are touching. My husband leans over to me and says, "HIP HOP is next. At least you won't cry during that one." So....before HIP HOP the announcer reads the shout outs. Lil sis sent big sis a shout out: HIP HOP YOUR WAY TO THE TOP---LOVE YOUR LIL' SIS. Surprise! Big Sis snuck out to the SHOUT OUT table some time during competition and sent one to Lil'Sis. It went a little something like this: Mary Jae, thanks for always sitting in the stands and cheering me on at every competition. It means a lot to me. Love, Your Big Sis. So....I actually did cry for Hip Hop! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that our girls are 10 years apart, but, oh so close at heart.

HEAVENSENT

My adult nieces, Erin and Britt, recently lost their grandma. Erin's best friend has an adorable 4 year old daughter--Jayden-- that spends a lot of time with her. So, naturally Jayden was feeling Erin's loss. While saying her prayers, Jayden asked God to please throw Erin's grandmother back down from heaven. SWEET!

IT'S A GOD THING

Another Julia story: Julia and her family were sitting around the kitchen table discussing Julia's very pink tongue. Mommy wondered what made it pink -- maybe the Pez candy? Other suggestions were also given until Julia indignantly stated "God made my tongue pink!"

KIND OF FREAKS ME OUT!

Had lunch today with some friends +1. Julia is a joyous and talkative three year old. Our lunch conversation included our kids, Dora the Explorer, husbands, work and our favorite snack chips. When lunch was over, we said our goodbyes and carried on with our day. Later in the afternoon Julia's mom called me.

It would seem that Julia got back in the car and said, "Mommy, I love Ms. Michele and Ms. Mallory." At this point Mommy is feeling all warm and fuzzy inside thinking her baby loves and adores her friends just like she does. Julia then goes on to say, "I love them because they speak English and not Spanish. Spanish kinda freaks me out!"

Blogger's Note: Julia does not know any Spanish speaking people and she LOVES Dora the Explorer--as was evidenced in her Dora Crocs and lunchbox. That's why I love the mind of a three year old!

WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?

Today at Monarch book club held at our local library, Jae (8 years old) made a book entitled WHAT ARE YOU THINKING? The book contained pictures, and she wrote captions. Pretty funny... if I do say so myself! Thought I would share a few. Enjoy!



Beethoven...classical music rocks!

Who doesn't like to snuggle?

Will you marry me?


...and the doctor said I have an ear infection

JUST THE WAY YOU ARE

Hey all my dedicated followers... just wanted to let you know I will be out of town this weekend at a dance competition for our senior and visiting our college guy in Chicago. It will be lots of fun making memories with my family, but that means there won't be any new postings over the weekend.

So...just wanted to say HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY and just like Billy Joel...I love you JUST THE WAY YOU ARE! Thanks for following!

AMAZING

Flashback: Remember those little plastic trinkity toys we use to get for prizes when we were little--the kind that had a little pinball maze and a ball. They weren't digitalized or electronic...you just held them in your hand and tilted it whichever way you wanted the ball to roll. My 8 year old got one at her school Valentine's Day party today and she LOVES it. She has barely put it down since she got home.

While we were out running errands today she was playing with it in the back seat telling me all the moves she was making. Then, a light bulb went off and she said:
Hey...you know if I get really good at this maze game everyone will call me
a-MAZE-ing!

KING OF CHARM

My fourteen-year-old-sort-of-shy-semi-anxious-oh-so adorable-friendly son was nominated by his high school student council as one of five boys to represent the freshman class in THE KING OF CHARM---which is sort of a "beauty pageant" with a twist. Each boy has formal wear with a question, every-day wear with a question, and a talent portion. The boys basically try to get the most votes by being, cute, sweet, funny--and most of all CHARMING. One "king" from each grade level is crowned.

All the boys were so brave for entering and each shone for different reasons. One of my favorite moments from the senior class came when Aaron was asked the question: What song would you sing to a girl to impress her?
Aaron's reply: It's kind of lame to just tell you the name of a song, so I'm going to find my girl in the audience to sing it to her. He goes into the audience, and returns to the stage with his 3-year-old baby cousin and he sings, "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy, when skies are gray. You'll never know dear how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away. How sweet is that?

I was SO NERVOUS for my guy, because this is just not something he normally would do. He's not the class clown. He's the quiet, nice guy on the edge of the room that's every one's friend. HE WAS AMAZING. He got up there and held his own. We're talking about a baseball/soccer player that put his sister's school dance uniform on--which includes a skirt--and performed the school dance song with pom poms. By the end of the song, the crowd was singing the fight song right along with him. The boy that was crowned KING of CHARM for the freshman class did a shocking rendition of Beyonce's ALL THE SINGLE LADIES---there's just no way to compete against that. But, no matter...

His 18 year old sister who lovingly coached him through the whole process summed it up best on the car ride home when she said, "Jarrod, you're OUR King of Charm."

LOVE YOU FOREVER

So today my kids were home for a snow day. My eight-year-old daughter Jae was standing in the kitchen. I needed a hug, so I held my arms out for her to jump into. We have done this since she was born, but she refuses to stop growing, so......she is almost too big to fit in my arms.

When I set her down on the kitchen cabinet I looked at her and said in a sad voice:
What's gonna happen when you're too big for me to hold?

She replied in a no-nonsense voice:
I'll hold you when you're a little old lady.

I CRIED.

This reminds me of the children's book I'LL LOVE YOU FOREVER, by Robert Munsch. I dare you to make it through that book without any tears!

KING OF POP

Grant, my friend Mary Beth's 7th grade son, recently told her about a friend that was showing off his MICHAEL JACKSON MOVES at school. While doing one particular move, he popped his knee so badly that the school had to call an ambulance to take him to the hospital. Jae, my 8 year old then tells me, "No wonder they call Michael Jackson the KING OF POP!

SOUPER BOWL SUNDAY

The children in my Sunday school class collected money today at church for local soup kitchens. They took their empty soup cans from class to class AND around the sanctuary collecting change (and the occasional bill). After collecting, the children seperated the money and rolled the coins. It makes me feel like I'm making a difference when I teach children that they CAN make a difference in the world they live in. What a sense of empowerment.

HAPPY "SOUPER" Bowl Sunday!

COMMUNION

In the Christian faith, communion represents the body and blood of Christ. As a mom and a Sunday school teaher, it warms my heart to hear stories of children that have Jesus in their heart. I think Jesus chuckled when he saw the following:

Easton and Sawyer were playing church. They smashed some bread and cut it into small pieces. Sawyer held the bread up to Easton and said, " Bottom of Christ "

WHAT A COINCIDENCE

Deanna has two beautiful three-year-old twin girls. They embarked on their first year of pre-k this year. Deanna recently shared this story with me, and I knew immediately it was blog worthy.

So, Thursday at school, the letter of the day was M. Abby says, "It's M for you Mommy!" Then, she says, "Hey, Mom. Noah's mom spells her name M-O-M, too." What a coincidence!

Isn't three just an amazing age full of discovery!

IT'S TUESDAY

Three-year-old Davey just started pre-k in January. He is a brand new three. He came home from school on Tuesday SO EXCITED to tell his mom," It's not January anymore. " She confirmed and said, "You're right, Davey. Do you know what it is? Davey's reply, "Tuesday!"

WHAT A TRIP

Most teachers base their lives around teachable moments. That's just what we do. Ms. Mallory, a pre-k/elementary speech pathologist, is no exception. One hectic day after therapy, she was preparing to walk her student back to class. As she lofted her weighted down "teacher bag" over her shoulder, she lost her balance and fell down.

Putting her embarrassment/aches aside she addresses her speech student: What should you say to Ms. Mallory? Her student replies in a very loud & monotone voice: DON'T FALL DOWN!!!!!!!

Although her response didn't go along with Ms. Mallory's attempt at teaching manners, I found it to be very good advice!

GROUNDHOG FOR MAYOR

Some things just go together...peanut butter and jelly, popcorn and butter, cookies and milk, Groundhog's Day and elections....Whoa! Wait a minute. I was on a roll until the Groundhog thing.

Today, February 2, hundreds of people watched as "Phil" the groundhog came out of his burrow to see his shadow. (I live in Illinois, so the natural comparison between politicians and little animals who are hiding underground is just SCREAMING to be made, but...not going there.)Anyway....Phil saw his shadow, which means 6 more weeks of winter. Seriously....is anyone excited about that?

Also today, primary elections were held around the country. When I talked to our 18-year-old daughter about voting she said all that really got on her nerves and she didn't know a lot about it. I did share with her that if she lives in America she needs to be a functioning part of the democracy. Her comment was, "I will never vote!"....Time will tell.

Across town, my friend had a talk with her 8-year-old daughter, Jayden, about elections. During a discussion about today being election day, she tells Mom, "I vote the groundhog doesn't see his shadow."

TRICKY VOCABULARY

I think we can all agree that TV is not a competent baby sitter and kids need lots of exercise and fresh air. But...I'm a true believer that some shows are just FUN to watch with your family. Take, for example, AMERICAN IDOL. The first year it came out, our whole family (all 6 of us) would gather together and watch---EVEN OUR TEENAGERS! It was fun to vote for our favorites and make side "bets" with each other about who would win.

My friend Heather and her second-grade daughter Jaden were watching THE GRAMMYS last night. Mom was explaining to Jaden that some of the girls have extensions in their hair. Later, they were talking about someone on THE GRAMMYS, and Jaden said, "I think she has extension cords in her hair."

Vocabulary can be tricky!