Ups and Downs

 

 Cecilia had her first Mass meltdown in QUITE a while yesterday.  I can't even really remember what it was about...  She thought John Paul had bitten her hair?  Anyway, I had to take her out while she screeeeeeeamed and yelled during the prayers of the faithful and boy, is it a good thing I put my foot down and didn't let John Paul seat us in the first row because that second row seat made all the difference...

Not?

I tried very hard to stage-whisper to John Paul that it was time to leave and that he needed to gather up all his things, but he chose to stare blankly at me and remain in the pew.  I chose to trust the three ushers sitting on the other end of the pew to make sure he didn't make a run for the altar.  But I apparently didn't need to worry about anything - when Cecilia finally calmed down, we returned to the pew to see him praying quietly from the missalette.  So that was our little Sunday miracle. 

And the fact that he didn't freak out when he didn't get to receive communion, although he DID decide to lead us aaaaaaaall the way around the back of the church to get back to our 2nd row pew, which led to many an awkward look at the people waiting in line for communion as he cut in front of them and Cecilia and I tried to follow...

I didn't get a decent picture of yesterday's outfit, hence the lack of WIWS.  But I was feeling pretty darned proud of myself for making TWO things for the kids - A box castle and homemade play dough.  And THEN I made homemade apple cider (but didn't let them drink any, because there wasn't that much and holy cow was it delicious!).

 

The problem was, I ran out of packing tape so it was a little... lacking in stability.  Andrew recycled it today, sadly.  But we have ANOTHER car seat that just came in the mail so you better believe I'm making another castle because, hello, awesome?

Baby Jaguar even loved it. 

Despite the apparent threats of decapitation (yes, he's a tiger.  She knows.  She tells me he's a silly kind of jaguar with stripes instead of spots, because that way it's more like Go Diego, Go!)...

While Cecilia imagined various scenarios in which I was the witch eating her or not eating her or telling her to leave my house alone or chasing her around the house, John Paul kept busy by writing math problems on the box. 

So there are the kids in a nutshell for you - imagination vs. mathemagician.

 

And speaking of math problems...  Do you like John Paul's homemade trail mix?  Raisins, craisins, and apricots.  Because we like to pretend we eat healthy by allowing free access to all forms of sugar as long as they come from fruit...

No, actually speaking of math problems...  That's what John Paul likes to do with play dough.  Make math problems and then solve them.  A close second place is making lumps of the dough and sticking toothpicks all over them to make aliens or sea urchins.

So I labeled it "homeschooling" and pretended that it actually counts even though our homeschooling consists entirely of me buying John Paul workbooks and him teaching himself everything there is to know.

I know, you're impressed.