These Pilgrim Days: An Afternoon in the Life of a Former So-Cal Gal

(Sorry about the gaggy title. I couldn't resist)

Here's a picture of Sam's "rest time" today:

Here's a picture of Evan at rest time:

Here's me at rest time:

Notice that NONE of us are napping. Some of my friends still have nappers. I don't. No bitterness here. Annie WAS napping until a certain 5-year-old went potty. We were trying to do a craft at the new craft table but he was totally distracted by his full bladder and wouldn't admit it. There are few things that stress me out more than Samuel pretending that he doesn't have to go pee while trying to do a craft--he can't stay on the chair and is frantically opening drawers and talking a-mile-a-minute and knocking things on the floor and shoving things until I finally say (emphatically...okay, I kind of yelled), "I'm not talking to you until you GO POTTY!" That's when he careens down the hall and crashes into the wall that has ALWAYS been there. That's when Annie wakes up. And that's when Mommy takes a deep breath and goes looking for chocolate.

Here's the craft we were doing:

It is a New Year's time capsule. I wrote out some questions that the kids answered and then drew a picture of our family on the back. We rolled them up inside toilet paper tubes and put some little toys and candy and confetti inside, then wrapped them like party poppers. They can open them at New Year's next year and see how much they have changed. I wanted to include a picture and interview them more, but this is what I got done and that's better than nothing. Here's what they answered on their papers:

Sam (who I think was a little confused about the concept of last year and this year--he just seemed to think I was talking about the actual holiday of New Years--I had to coax him a little bit to say more)
How old are you? 5
How much do you weigh? 45.5 lb
How tall are you? 45"
What do people call you? Sam, Sammy (sometimes)
What are your favorite toys or games to play? I like my Guess Who game, my Leapster Sonic game that I got, dinosaurs, puzzles, craft time, playing in the snow, my bike and my razor
Who are your best friends? Kiefer, Daniel, Parker, Zoe
What are your favorite foods? vegetables (celery, tomatoes, cauliflower, broccoli)
What are your house and room like? My house is good but I really like my room--we moved our train table in there. There are a few pictures. I have my playroom which we're sitting in. My bedroom which has a 2 bed bunkbed.
What did you learn this year? THAT, I don't know. I'm not going to tell because I don't know.
Tell some things you did this year: Well I had a birthday. I played and stuff. I went to the Ranch for (great) Grandma's funeral. I got a package.
What do you hope to do next year? I'll be 6. Practice reading. Maybe I'll do a little bit more crafts. And I like being with my mom and stuff. I want to get better at riding my bike with 2 wheels.

Evan (who was distracted by...well, you'll see)
How old are you? good, good
How much do you weigh? I got 2
How tall are you? I got tall
What do people call you? Dada
What are your favorite toys or games to play? Cars, Mister King, transformer, trains, need do cuttings now
Who are your best friends? Baby brudder, mama, Samwool, or...Sam, or...cutting papers
What are your favorite foods? Macaroni and cheese, (what else?) Macaroni and cheese, Macaroni and cheese, or...chicken nuggets or cutting papers.
What are your house and room like? My train track in my room or watching movie about bad guys or cutting papers or..it's yellow.
What did you learn this year? Or...cutting papers, play my Mack (truck)
Tell some things you did this year: And ride the bus, or the bus, eat candies, it's Christmastime or Pa J. I go see my San Diego.
What do you hope to do next year? Cutting papers, going potty, ride my red bike.

I also wanted them to decorate the outside of the capsules but they got distracted by the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Whose idea was it to let them get that DVD at the library? Oh, mine. Are they making fun of how we used to talk in California? I never got into them as a kid...but Jeremy enjoyed sitting down and watching it with them. Maybe that's because he was from Kansas and they made fun of us there. I remember asking him what they studied in 4th grade if they didn't have to make a mission (my CA friends will understand--everyone had to make a Spanish mission from El Camino Real and everyone would use sugar cubes and corrugated cardboard and little miniture people and horses--I made...a cross-stitch. That won me some "cool" points, thanks Mom. Anyway, I totally like got a A+ and stuff on it, so yah dude). It had never crossed my mind that people in other states didn't study California and had their own stuff to study, like the Oregon trail or the Civil War. Anyway, I let the boys get the TMNT yesterday on our 4-city-buses tour of Flagstaff in the freezing cold. I'm not sure it was very fun, but Evan DID mention it in his New Year's recap, so there.

Here's an example of a 4th grade California mission project, if you were wondering: