Compassionate kids

Ella Grace was reading in the backseat on the way to school. The book was called The Big Game, about a boy named Mike who wanted to play baseball with his friends. Ella read, "I am not big, but I can hit well." She paused and said, "I don't know who WELL is..."

Mason came to me this morning as I was dressing and said, "Mom? On Thursday, when it's my birthday, I want everyone to be able to enjoy it, too, so I'm going to help you do the chores on that day." I said, "Wow, Mason! That will be great! What a big help!" He followed up: "Just on that day, though, not every Thursday, 'cause that would be crazy!" He collapsed on the floor in a fit of hysterics, imagining how silly it would be to actually have to do chores every Thursday.

I'm really raising them right, don't you think?

Ella's got skills

Ella wrote a story in kindergarten today:

wun munen I wit to The fuwist
I sol a Bear He was looken fu hune
He had a Bascit He sol me
I had My Bear

(It reads best in a Forest Gump voice, don't you think?)

Busted!

Michael came home unexpectedly tonight to find me asleep, and Kathleen, Mason and Ella Grace watching SpongeBob in the den. There was evidence of candy binge all over the coffee table. Complete disgrace.

He said, "Kathleen, how's your homework coming?"

"'Bout like Mom's dinner," she replied. Touche.

Career choices for Mason

We're riding home from school yesterday, and Mason says, "Mom? What's sticky but also edible?" I'm not sure how to answer this, so I ask for more information. With further questioning, I discover that he wants to build little people out of food, preferably candy. We decide that Laffy Taffy would be an appropriate medium. "Mom?" "Yes, Mason?" "When I grow up, and I'm working in a toothpaste factory, screwing the caps onto toothpaste tubes, if there are caps that don't screw on right, I'm going to save them." "And what will you do with them?" "Put them in my pocket. And give them to my son to make things with. And three tubes of toothpaste to use as glue."

"AND I'm going to invent a forklift that can lift ten things at once and one of those trucks that lifts men up to work on the telephone wires. I can make one that works better. I'm going to tell my workers at my invention company."

There you have it.

10:00 p.m. Kathleen just arrived home from a football game. She informed me that the whole "working in the factory screwing caps on tubes" is from a movie: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. The Johnny Depp one. She tells me Mason is not as clever as I think. She is collecting her informant fees in the form of my Halloween candy. She says Smarties are her anti-drug, and if I want her to stay drug-free I should buy Smarties all the time.

25 minutes of fame

Mason has been studying Andy Warhol in art class. He came home last week with a photo collage picture that he had been encouraged to color with bright, contrasting colors. "That reminds me of Andy Warhol," I tell him. "YOU know Andy Warhol?!?" Mason is astounded. "Yes, and there is an exhibit at the Arkansas Art Center right now," I tell him. "I was about to tell YOU that!!! How do you know so much?" "Well, Mason, mothers know everything."

So yesterday I took Kathleen, Mason and Ella Grace to see the exhibit. We arrived at 4:10, and were discouraged from seeing the exhibit, since it was scheduled to close at 5:00, and they suggest at least one hour for the full experience. "Uh, well, I think we'll go ahead. They don't have the greatest attention span." They LOVED the silver clouds interactive piece. They did at least glance at everything else. Mason declared Andy Warhol his favorite artist. Kathleen wanted to buy something from the gift shop.

We were finished and out the door in 25 minutes.

We love the lake!

We spent the weekend at the lakehouse, unwinding. Well, sort of. Michael went early and worked with Mike Alexander (BIL) to get his boat out of the water, move our dock out and move my dad's dock out. Every year, Entergy lowers the lake, and if we don't move our dock out, it gets hung up. Hard to explain.

Saturday night we made a huge bonfire with all the limbs and leaves Michael had cleared from the yard. Sunday morning we lazed around. Mason and Ella Grace watched movies, and Kathleen and I read. In the afternoon, we took the boat out for a drive. It started right up, and we backed out of the dock. But we had to keep backing; the motor wouldn't go into forward gear! We backed in a big circle to return to the dock, where Michael was able to fix the problem. Then, off we went for a great drive. We only saw about 10 other boats on the water, and it was smooth as glass. Also quite shallow. Ask Michael about the condition of the propeller.

Boo at the Zoo

Tonight I took Mason and Ella Grace to Boo at the Zoo, the annual Halloween festival at the Little Rock Zoo. They wanted to save their "real" costumes for Halloween night, so we went to the dress up trove for inspiration. Ella decided to be a Pop Diva, donning someone's old dance costume. Very cute (and modest, don't worry). I found a skeleton costume for Mason. This was beyond perfect, as he has spent all of second grade thus far memorizing all the bones in the human body. He named himself "Metatarsal Mason", but his friends call him Rattly Bones, or just RB for short. We had a great time, and Mason declared it "The Best Night Ever."

Happy Birthday, to me!

What a great weekend! Michael invited lots of friends to the lake for a surprise party FOR ME! He even got a margarita machine and a keg! We had so much food, and so much fun! We've decided to do it every year, so now we can all look forward to "Elizabeth's Annual 39th Birthday Cebelation!" (not a typo!!!) We spent the whole day Saturday hanging out by the water and taking the boats out. Gill brought a friend's jet ski, and I rode it with Kathleen and her friend Kate. We laughed so hard. I'm going to ask for one for my next 39th birthday!

Thanks to all my fabulous friends who helped me celebrate, and to my sweet, hard-working husband. I don't think he sat down all weekend! I LOVE being waited on!

Cindy and Ronda took lots of pictures...I'll post them as soon as I can!