The Beauchamp FamilyYes, we really are this geeky…

Earlier this year was Science Night at the school. Cassie did an optional project for the science fair. She did an experiment to see what would melt faster – an ice cube, an ice cube with sugar on it or an ice cube with salt on it. She was quite proud of herself! The kids also got to do some activities. The favorite was the static one. They put their hands on a ball, the volunteers turn it on and voila. Crazy hair! Check it out!

Here’s Cassie with her project. And yes, that dress is totally retro. In fact, I bought that dress for my sister when she was Cassie’s age (my sister is now 23).

And the crazy hair photos:

Tom was sitting with the kids while they finished up lunch and they asked about Passover and different religious things and asked what Easter was all about for those who went to church. (For us, it’s a chance to give our kids lots of candy via a rabbit).

Tom explained that the Christians believe that on Easter, Jesus rose from the dead and etc etc. He thought it was going pretty well until…

Jamie looked at him and said, “Dad, that’s nasty, so he’s like a zombie, right?”

LOL LOL. I swear, we didn’t say anything around him, but I always proclaim today to be Happy Zombie Day.

Awesome, as if the religious family members don’t already think we’re weird enough. And zombies are really big at school now. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it.

Jamie has lately shown he has quite a little sense of humor. He made a little joke and I proclaimed “You are such a little nerd!”

To which he replied, “I’m not a nerd, I’m a computer geek!”

Ahhh… at least he knows who he is

Jamie and Cassie are starting to be obsessed with language idioms. I blame a book we got in for review called The One and Only Sam and Tom shared a few with them.

This morning, we were in the drop off line behind a daycare van and this was the conversation from the backseat:

Jamie: “Caution – Children”

Me: “Yup, it’s a daycare bus”

Jamie: “Yeah, cuz kids can be kinda dangerous, ya know!”

Cassie: “You never know what kids will do, look out, mom!”

*snicker*
Yeah, I’m easily amused.

We spent Christmas with my mother in South Carolina. On Christmas Eve, just as the kids were getting ready to go to bed, we hear someone walk through the door… Santa was early! Oh no! But never fear, he just came to bring them one little thing each before getting back on his reindeer. He did come back though!

(thanks, Jamie, for being such a good sport)

It’s late, but I’m still working (it’s January. I’m always working. ’nuff said.) The kids are getting stuff together to go spend the night with friends. Cassie has her suitcase but Jamie says he has his clothes packed, but we don’t see anything. Tom mumbled something about he probably used a garbage bag because well, he’s Jamie…. a few minutes pass and I hear the following conversation:

Tom: Jamie, Why is there underwear on the kitchen counter?

Jamie: Oh, it must have fallen out.

Tom: Out of what?

Jamie: The bag of clothes

Tom: Oh *looks and mumbles* Yeah, you actually did use a garbage bag.

Jamie: *incredulously* Of course I did!

Maybe you had to be there, but Jamie’s “Of course” had us rolling. Because, ya know, he’s Jamie.

I just got a phone call:

Me: “Hello?”

Caller: “It’s me, Jamie. I don’t have my binder.”

Me: “Okay, what’s in your bookbag then?”

Jamie: “Oh, it’s fully of Cassie’s dirty clothes.”

Me: *blink* “Um, okay, let me finish my shower and I’ll bring your binder if I can find it”

Jamie: “Okay, thanks Mommy, you’re the best!”

I want to ask why the heck he has Cassie’s dirty clothes in his backpack. They didn’t go on a sleepover together or anything. But I’m afraid of whatever strange answer those two would come up with. In the meantime, I cannot find his binder and my hair is soaking wet (worked out today with Chris over at Libra Fitness so I was nasty – shower much needed TYVM). Sigh. When is this whole Mommy thing over?

From the shower last night:

Jamie singing (to the tune of the Barney theme song):

“I hate you, you hate me, we’re a hate filled family….”

Ummmm…. yeah.

From our vacation to visit my mother and sisters in South Carolina:

Tom and my mother were in the front seats of the van. My sister, Marcy, and I were in the middle seat. Jamie and Cassie were in the very back seat. My mother hates going around the sweeping curves on the freeway exits, they make her dizzy. My sister and I, of course, always try to make her pee herself. It’s a tradition. So Tom is driving like 5 miles per hour, Mom has her eyes squeezed shut and Marcy and I are screaming “OMG, we’re going off the edge” and “Oh god, really, Tom, you gotta pay attention”. Yes, we are evil. Yes, I’m 12.

When all the laughter dies down and Mom has stopped having her heart attack, we hear Jamie pipe up from the backseat, “Wow, I didn’t know grown-ups could have so much fun too.”

After we got to where we were going, we parked while Tom ran into to get whatever it was and we were talking about how we tricked mom to get on a ride at Myrtle Beach a few years ago.  It was one of those motion rides. This one was one going through a mine shaft. We  had convinced mom that it was no big deal and we got her in there and buckled her in. I remember her asking why she needed a buckle if it didn’t move a lot (we told her it rocked like a rocking chair). I told her, “Oh mom, you know – they are just scared of lawsuits and everything”. Of course, the woman is insane so she believed me. We were cracking up because Mom was TICKED at us when she came out of that ride. The whole time, she had her eyes squeezed shut, holding on for dear life and well, being pissed off at us. She got off of that ride and told us all off. We tried to get her to go on the other ride (it was as 2 for 1 deal), but amazingly enough her ticket went unused.  (now, I wonder where the kids were that day… I’m pretty sure they were with us *laughing* I just can’t remember)

… and then we hear Jamie pipe up from the backseat, “Granny? … I didn’t know my Mom was so crazy!”

My mother, of course, told him he had a lot to learn about his momma. Oh boy. Methinks the kid was paying too much attention, he learned a lot about how to torture your elders

Love ya mom… and no, I’m still not sorry about the Myrtle Beach thing… because… well, because it was the funniest thing EVER.

Remember when I posted about how we had snow in Austin on December 4? Someone at the school got the absolute best photo of Jamie playing in it… look at that smile – complete and utter joy. Jamie is a tough cookie when it comes to smiles for the camera. This one left me grinning for days! What a lucky shot!

Cassie also wrote a story about it. Oh, excuse me, she PUBLISHED a story – that seems to be the big thing now… publishing it means writing it, editing it, rewriting it and illustrating it and making a cover sometimes too. Very serious stuff… but this is SO cute. I love that they let all the kids out to play in it. They still talk about how crazy it was!

(click for bigger pic)