Thomas' spelling assignment

Thomas has to practice his spelling words then make up a sentence for each one. I thought I'd post his latest --and probably last--assignment (it has little to do with the fact that it contains my best compliment ever...I had to check with him and make sure that he didn't ask for any help from the teacher in making them up.)

1. What is the deepest ocean in the world?
2. Juan can run faster than me.
3. My shoes are newer than my shirt.
4. Can Marvin, Faith, or Brice jump the highest?
5. My parents are richer than me.
6. Is a blanket, a pillow, or a mattress the warmest?
7.I can jump over there.
8.Where is Geovany's house?
9. I eat dinner after I go to school.
10. I love my mother.
11. I think my mother is the kindest person in the world.
12. A mouse is smaller than an elephant.

Can Sand+Water Make Up for No Beach?

Lily has been whining for me to take her to the beach for a couple of months now. Well, maybe for about 9 months, about how long we've been home from La Jolla, California. Usually when we had snow she'd ask. But also whenever she was hot. Or pretty much whenever she remembered. So she's already had out the old wading pool, long before I would say it's hot enough. And the kids were having fun in the sandbox a few days ago digging a hole to the bottom and then burying each other. The picture is when Lil had just jumped out of it and they were starting in on Ellie Lambert. I sure hope Sandy Point Beach on the Chesapeake Bay is not full of jellyfish like the last few times I've gone, because at 30-40 minutes away, it's the closest thing we have to a beach. But who knows, maybe with our new (to us) minivan and staying home most of the summer we'll venture out to the atlantic 2-4 hours away more!? It's a definite possibility with Thomas' on board with the idea. He was spotlighted in primary this week and for the question "Where is your favorite place to go?" Tom and I first wrote down "home" because he usually balks at ANY type of outing and screeches that he doesn't want to go. But when I asked him how he would answer he quickly said "The beach! So I can dig big holes and fill them up with water" We all know how therapeutic the beach can be and I could go on and on about it, but instead I'll make a list for myself without beating out the complete thoughts.
WHY WE LOVE THE BEACH;
earth, wind, fire, and water
deep pressure touch (getting buried in sand, pushing and pulling it around)
to create something from nothing (a swimming pool for your sisters, a castle, etc)
to work and sweat (against the sand, against the waves)
to relax and meditate (a little harder when your watching 4 kids all over the place, but still possible from a sitting position for short bits of time!)
to "commune with nature"
to be with family and friends with nothing else to do, no way to get much else done. Close to camping in this regard
--as with most my posts I will not edit or really finish because someone's pulling me off and I just give up, but I know there was more...

Sad Father's Night

What a great Mother's Day! Thomas never did say that phrase though, he just kept saying Sad Father's Night:) Tyra has been full of secrets for over a week. On Friday night Tom and Thomas went camping on the Stake Father's and Son's Outing. When I suggested that all we girls could do a craft Tyra remembered something she'd been working on and shooed me out of the kitchen with instructions not to look. All day Saturday she kept mentioning exactly how MANY presents she had made for me, with little hints about them. I didn't think she'd make it through without giving them to me, but she just had me look at the cover of one and then listed what the others were in general terms (one is a card, one is a magnet, one is a poster, etc.) It was killing her! So after church on Sunday (and a VERY nice talk about how mother's aren't perfect but motherhood is awfully close to the mission of our Savior) I was able to sit down and enjoy so many amazing gifts from my talented kids. Tom gave me a book for recognizing bird songs (from Costco, very cool.) Tyra found a wonderfully smelly rose on the side of our house (I'd forgotten we even had that rose bush!) Anyway, I just love these kids and this man. I am probably the luckiest Mother around!!

Yoga Kids (or Anything Dad Can Do We Can Do Better)

Tyra in bound full lotus
the kids think it's fun to "levitate" in lotus
Tom can stay like this for quite a while!
the "if you can only do one pose it should be..." downward dog
and cobra, it's a nice stretch
Tom has had an interest in yoga since before we were married. We checked out a book of basic poses to do while still in Utah. Then he encouraged me to take a class here in Berwyn Heights. We've followed an instructional video and learned things from his mom and sister Janine. But for the last few years Tom has really become more serious about it thanks to his co-worker, friend, and instructor, Suneel. Suneel is a devoted yogi, he even goes back to India to be instructed by the most famous Iyengar yearly. And he's vegetarian. (Tom keeps hoping we'll go vegetarian, but not all recipes translate well into tofu, and sometimes I need to make my fall-back recipes. I am, however getting more and more vegetarian meals into my fall-back repertoire. Please send me any you have that deserve "fall-back" recipe status!) Well, as any of you with kids already know, whatever dad does is cool be it math or be it yoga (maybe for your kids it's baseball and physics, you know what I mean though...) So here they are enjoying quality Dad time. It's a nice bonus that they can do tricks (like Tyra in her bound full lotus pose) that even Dad can't do! I'll have to add it later, but Elizabeth is absolutely darling doing her downward dog pose!

Tyra's Trip to the Baltimore Aquarium

When I (Tyra) went to the Baltimore Aquarium, I saw: birds, marmosets, and golden lion tamarins (jungle ecosystem) frogs, dolphins (separate), all different types of fish, sharks, stingrays, coral and sea anemones. Whenever I saw anything I wanted to take a picture and near the end of the field trip I was afraid the camera would run out of batteries! Here are some pictures I took while having fun at the aquarium!

Whom I would cast as Edward Cullen :)

I've been reading up on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight in preparation for our bookgroup tonight. On her website she has all of her own top picks in casting should the book actually be made into a movie. So after looking through those, I then uploaded the current pictures from my camera into Picasa just as regular maintenance and saw the photo I shot of Tom as he walked in the door after work on Tues. I'll revise this with more info if he tells me I can (though it's not classified or he wouldn't have told me, it may not be prudent to post who he was briefing down on Capitol Hill...)
Anyway, reading Twilight is a good reminder of the gut feelings we had and still sometimes get to have. Like when Tom walked in on Tues. after I was done admiring I made him stop and wait for the camera...) We don't get as many times, because the surprise element is often hard to come by. But I still remember teaching 1st grade and when Tom showed up at the door, unexpectedly 30 minutes before class was over I was pretty much just like Bella, and my hands started to shake and I was smiling and trying to breathe while I finished my story to the class with him watching me, ordinary me. I love getting a chance to see Tom in surprise or new settings. The animal instinct of attraction is there, then the more you learn about this fascinating person the more you can't imagine being without him, no matter how hard it might sometimes be, because "he's even more unbelievable behind the face." (pg. 204)
So MY favorite pick for casting Edward Cullen would have to be Thomas Gordon Draper :)