Quotation Mark Monday: Important Presidents

Mark: Dad, there are only four important presidents.
Matt: Really?
Mark: Yeah, dad. One of them is Washington. One is Barack Obama.
Matt: Oh, who are the others?
Mark: You don't know? You tell me.
Matt: Abraham Lincoln.
Mark: He is important.
Matt: Woodrow Wilson.
Mark: He's not important.
Matt: Franklin Roosevelt?
Mark: He's not important.
Matt: Teddy Roosevelt?
Mark: He's not important.
Matt: Thomas Jefferson?
Mark: He's not important.
Matt: I don't know who it is.
Mark: You forgooooot James K. Polk.

Mark of Fridays: Chalk talk

On a recent afternoon at home, Mark and Matt worked on a big project together. It looked pretty cool!

Four-month Anne-iversary

The stats:  Just look at me! I'm a healthy kid!

Best friends: I'm starting to like this brother guy. I think I finally caught his attention a little bit. (Big eyes and a sunny disposition will do that.) He reads to me. He tried to teach me the first six presidents. I'm pretty sure that we're going to be great friends.
But in case he gets bored with me, I was so happy to hear that my Best Friend Forever, Hannah Jankiewicz, showed up! Sure, I'm a whole heck of a lot bigger than her right now. But pretty soon, we're going to be sharing clothes and stories about our weird parents!

Enemies: The one-minute that comes after three hours since I've eaten. I eat every three hours. So when it gets to one minute past those three hours, well, I just go absolutely crazy. Often, I'll let out a tiny "eh." (Not too loud. I don't want to upset anyone.) If that doesn't get that their attention, I'll sometimes say "wah." (But never above a mild yelp. No need to disturb anybody.) Like I said, I just go nuts.

Favorite place: On my stomach. That's right! I can roll over! I'm very proud. I've been working on this for a while. I had been able to get to my side but that silly little elbow kept getting in my way. My mom rated me an 80% on rolling over. That's a B! No way a B is good enough! So, yesterday, after series of calculations and some dedicated practicing, I made it all the way over. Mom said I got an A+ ! That's more like it!

Things I like: Well, everything! I love everyone! I love getting up in the morning! I love going to sleep! I love the sun! I love the shade! I love when people look at me! I love when the dog licks my face! I love looking around! I love the car! I love the park! I love my mom! I love my dad! I love my brother! I'm happy all the time! Smiles! Love! Happiness! Joy! Yay!

Things I don't like: Unlike my brother - who would have sat in a diaper filled with poo for hours - I'm not to keen on having a wet diaper. If my diaper gets full, I've been known to cry a little. (Nothing more than a slight whine. Don't want to be a bother.) If there's anything else I don't like, I've been known to put my thumb in my mouth and put myself to sleep. My parents sometimes call me an un-baby!

Major accomplishments: My dad was able to hold me in his hands and stretch his arms out above his head as far as they could go. When he did this, I was able to produce a strand of drool that connected from my mouth to his chest. I think that's pretty awesome. But it might be the reason dad calls me Droolie Andrews. Or Droolia Childs. Or Drools Vern. (He also calls me Smiles Davis!)

Quotation Mark Mondays: One night only!

Mark in his Big Bird mask.
He made it himself, if you couldn't guess.

Recently Mark put on a one-kid show, with his Sesame Street guys as the audience.
The play was performed in three acts. The first two acts were just one song long. The third (the big finale) included three songs, with lyrics that were exactly as long as the title of the song.
The titles of each song were as follows:

ACT I
"Stay Away From the Mean Mayor"

ACT II
"Try Something New You Might Like It"

ACT III
"If You Give A Mouse a Cookie He Will Give it To Big Bird and Then Snufalupagus and Then He Will Eat It"
"Cookie Monster Does Not Like Pizza But He Likes Cookies"
"If You Give the Count a Bat, He Will Count It"

Mark of Fridays: AU graduation

As many of you know, Matt has changed his career course. About two years ago, he started taking elementary education classes at Aurora University. His last day at the Beacon-News was Jan. 4.

The reasons for leaving the newspaper industry are pretty obvious, but so is the choice to go into education. Matt loved newspapers because it was a chance to make his community a better place. Hey, schools do that, too!
And a second reason: Matt has a plethora of incredibly gifted teachers in his family that he can steal good ideas from!

Anyhow, after a year and a half of night classes, and four months of student teaching in a fifth grade class in Naperville, Matt graduated from Aurora University with his family in the audience.

There were so many people who helped make this proud day possible. Grandparents who babysat kids, offered up meals and gave support; sisters/cousins/sisters-in-law/wives who suggested lesson plan ideas and activities; bosses who let Matt out early; teachers who mentored Matt; and a wife who said, "Sure, let's turn our lives upside down!" Lynne did a yeoman's work without complaining.
Matt just feels like the luckiest guy in the world.

Mark wearing his dad's "funny hat".

Quotation Mark Mondays: Catching up

Some things Mark has said lately.


"Tonight, we are going to watch the movie Lady and the Trench."
(He meant he was excited about seeing Lady and the Tramp. He later called it Lady and the Shrimp. Which would be a cool movie.)

Mark, yelling from upstairs to Matt who is downstairs:
"Dad! Dad! Dad! I took an enormous poop!"
(We're so proud of his vocabulary)

"I am going to go to All The Jobs College because when I grow up I am going to have all the jobs."
(Mark on his plan to work one day at teach job.)

Mark (on Mother's Day): "Mom, you are pretty handsome."
Lynne: "That's a very nice thing to say, Mark. But usually when you say someone is 'handsome' you are referring to a boy. And when you'er talking about a girl, you say she is 'pretty'."
Mark: "I know, Mom. But you are so pretty I had to add the handsome, too."

Mark and Anne of Fridays: Brother-Sister Bonding

Storytime at the Hanley house has taken on a whole new dimension since Mark has embraced his role as Big Brother. 

Looks like Mom & Dad might be out of a job!

Anne of Friday: Her future's so bright...

The recent warm weather meant Anne has had the opportunity to see the sun for the first time in her young life.  We've had her on walks in the stroller, at the park, even at the zoo.  She likes being outside almost as much as her brother!