Thursday, May 31, 2012

American Gothic - Vern Style

Most of us here in the USA are familiar with the American Gothic painting you see below.  All my kids have drawn this picture in art class. NONE have drawn it like Vern.  Vern is very creative and puts his spin on all things he does including pictures he draws in art class.





This picture was on a large piece of paper and we had to scan it in two sections to kind of get it into a photo for you to see.  Here is Vern's rendition of American Gothic.



First notice how scared the young wife is. Her mouth is open in a permanent scream.  Probably from her husband who is now an alien instead of a grumpy old man!  The pitch fork, bloody and a mess from the carnage we expect has taken place.  Now look closely in the top right hand corner. The space ship is leaving one of their own and taking up a Holstein cow instead! He has also added some sun to the dreary scene. In the house you can see Vern has added a nice touch of a ceiling fan to cool things off for the couple.  He has also replaced their boring window with a nice stained glass window. 

I think this photo is a great piece of creativity and told Vern he should be proud of his artwork. What do you think?


Thursday, May 24, 2012

Baby Vern Update

How can one teeny tiny bird latch onto so many hearts in such a short time?

I have no idea but baby Vern did.

He would follow you around if let out of his pen and chirp all these various noises depending on what was going on.

Quick chirps and hide under your feet if he was scared.

Loud whiny chirps if he wanted to know where you were.

Incessant chirping if he wanted picked up.

He was love all wrapped up in a little tuft of down.


Rest in peace baby Vern, you left your love on many for the short time you were with us.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Look what I found!

Vern had a great time at his Aunt and Uncle's farm this past weekend.  We went down for our nephew's graduation. I will have more stories on this but wanted to share this story right away as it was so amazing!  Vern was out messing around waiting for his brother to return the 4wheeler when he heard a strange noise and saw something over on the rocks. He ran over to see what it was and it was a teeny tiny bird! It was no more than a few days old. Talk about excited! Who but Vern finds a baby bird at their feet? Come to find out the night before Aunt and Uncle heard some strange noises and wondered what could be making such a racket. Baby was!  This tiny thing made it through the night on its own until Vern found it the afternoon of the following day.  Aunt decided she would try to keep it alive and put it under a chicken light. Baby is now named VERN!  I will try to give you updates as baby Vern grows. Here are some photos of the two Vern's.  The conclusion so far is baby Vern is a wild turkey. I guess we shall see as he grows.

Here are the two Vern's on the farm.
 Here is a close up shot. Baby Vern is F-A-S-T. He LOVES to eat lots of bugs. Isn't he cute?
Here are the two Vern's later that night. Baby was so tired he just curled up in Vern's hand and immediately fell into a deep sleep. I even lifted its head and it stayed asleep.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Never boring...Mother's Day tribute.

It is never boring at our home with 3 kids.
It is never quiet at our home with 3 kids, 5 cats, and one mental dog.
It is never clean at our home with 3 kids, 5 cats, one mental dog, and a husband!

I absolutely LOVE every minute of it. They are my life. I was born to be a mom and it is way better than my day job even if I get stressed about it sometimes.

This morning is another example. Vern comes walking into our bedroom. No knock, no may I come in. It's just Mom Mom Mom MOMMMMM. He has the dog slung under his arm, his hair standing on end, and his mouth covered with chocolate from the muffin he just finished eating. He is smiling and the entire scene just melts my heart.  You other moms out there know exactly what I mean. I am sure the same sort of scene has played out at your homes a time or two. You are frustrated, half naked, and behind schedule but you take the time to give your son or daughter a huge hug and tell them you love them.  You then attempt to shoo them out of the room so you can get dressed and wipe the mess off your arm, leg or other body part that they have marked you with.

Love you VERN.

Happy Happy Mother's Day to all you mom's out there. Life is good when you get to be a mom!

Here is to many home made cards to warm your heart as only a child can create.
Here is to a breakfast in bed and a messy kitchen to clean.
Here is to the bouquet of weeds from your back yard.
Here is to you Mom.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Pond Study

Our school has developed a great relationship with a federal reserve nearby.  The kids get out into the environment to study science and nature. It is great for both the kids and a positive and productive use of the reserve.

Vern got to spend an entire day at this reserve. They got to make breakfast on an open fire. They got to hike, fish, canoe. Do ALOT of things many city kids never get to experience.  I tried to get some info out of him but he was so tired he didn't want to talk much. Vern's face was red from sunburn and you could tell he was exhausted. So the most I could get out of him were grunts and yes/nos.

He did tell me the pond study was boring and he didn't catch any fish!  His dad went and I asked if he had a good time since his dad was there. He said yes.

I believe it was a good experience for Vern. Not in that he got to spend time in nature as he is a boy scout and does that fun stuff all the time. Rather, that he had to learn some organization skills to prepare for this event. (He got his ICMM's taken away if he didn't bring items by a certain time.) He had a list of items to bring and it helped him learn to get things put together without "mom" doing it. He was in a group of all boys so I think that it was helpful for all of them. You should have heard him a couple nights. MOMMMMM they will take away my ICMMS and I will have to stay in from recess if I don't get this done. It made me smile.  :-) ICMM's are play money they earn to spend on various things during the school year. Kids hate to lose them and always want to gather more.

Thanks for the great learning experience!