Ramblins

We have a new friend around the house....Mazie. We are watching some friends' dog for the long weekend. Not sure her specific breeding but has some setter and probably australian shephard in her. The boys were so excited. Mazie was checking out the house and the boys were so frustrated she would not stop long enough to lay on their floor to sleep. Should be an interesting weekend. JR has wanted a dog for a very long time. (I adamantly disagree right now until we have a bigger yard and he and I agree on some of the ground rules of having a dog around.) B is allergic to dogs, although he has yet to be affected by being around one. J is quite scared of dogs, regardless of size. Not sure where his fear comes from but will be a fun little trial run for us...to see if we could even entertain the thought of a dog.

Took the Christmas tree down today. I don't mind putting any of the Christmas stuff away, but the one thing I always miss is the glow of the lights on the tree. I love getting up early in the morning, curling up under a blanket on the couch and looking at the lights. As we drug the tree outside, it left a wonderful pine scent all over the room! Putting up Christmas stuff though always motivates to do a spring cleaning of sorts, so maybe I can push on with more purging of stuff.

JB has now rolled over twice, from his stomach to his back. I think both times it surprised him. He is laughing so much these days and it is just about time to break out his 6 months clothes. He definitely is ahead of the other boys in length.

J was making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich today all by himself. He insisted so I figured why not. Later I found 3 butter knives, still with PB&J on them slid into the wooden block with the rest of the steak knives. I just had to laugh. Then later that day they were painting and he had paint all over the floor, table, shirt and couch. JR has been driving a lot of vehicles back and forth to the airport. This has meant that just about every night for the last 10 days or so we have had to go pick him up somewhere and then take him to get another vehicle. It never fails, every time in the car B always says "Dad, guess what J did TODAY". My precious middle son. It it can break, he will break it. If it can spill, he will spill it. If he can get hurt on it, he will get hurt. So, often I try to discipline him when he needs it but when he gives me that sideways glance, with that mop of a hair (it has not been cut in 5 months), I crater.

One of the things the two older boys have started doing is wearing one of JRs shirts as pajamas. They drag the ground but they just love it. They also love to play with the rings on my cell phone. To see them running and dancing around the house with those shirts on as the different rings play, is priceless. Again, those very small things that I am so glad I am a part of daily, since God has allowed me to stay home with the boys.

B has taken to calling J "Jake". It brings such a smile to my face to hear it, but it sure makes J sound like a big boy! B has been complaining of a head ache on and off for a few days and today I asked him why he thought his head hurt. Without missing a beat he said "because I have not been laying around watching movies. You see, when I don't lay around and watch movies my head hurts." I wish I could get away with his reasoning.

Some friends are coming over tomorrow night with their 3 kids for pizza and to help ring in the new year, or at least help usher it to the front steps. Not sure how long any of us will last, but sure will be fun to have a house full.

Looking forward to an amazing 2010 and what God has in store for us.

Sledding

Despite the cold temperatures that are hanging on, we got out this weekend and enjoyed the sun and fresh air. B learned first hand how you should never turn your back to a sledding hill. He got taken out by a 3 year old on a sled. Did a total face plant. I was concerned as I ran over to him, but saw no blood!



We also hit the ice skating rink again. Boy, my legs sure were wobbly. It did not come back to me as quickly as I hoped but am proud to say I stayed on my feet and did not hit the ice.

Looks like the next 10 days there will be one day of a high of 33 and one day a high of 35. The lows will be in the teens. I am ready for some 40 degree days! Guess we will continue to get creative with indoor things that burn energy!

Happy Birthday Jesus!!!

Today a Savior is born.

What a totally laidback day we have had. We are actually still in our pajamas and from all looks of it, that is where we will stay until bedtime. The boys have been playing most of the day with JB napping on and off.

Has been a pretty quite couple of weeks. We did get out on the ice skates yesterday. B did pretty well. After about 15 minutes he was starting to find his balance. J had fun just walking in the snow. Hopefully it will warm up in the next couple of days and we can get back out there, maybe with camera in tow.
We went sledding with some friends recently. J and I made one run and he was done. There was a little bit of fresh snow and as we went down the hill, it blew in our faces. J's curls were peeking out of his hat and with the cold air, the snow in his hair was turning to ice. It gave me a good excuse to sit in the car with the heater one while watching B.

The boys have enjoyed the climbing wall. The holds are such that they are easily rotated and moved around, so always proving to be a challenge. Both of the boys are now somewhat comfortable going all the way to the top. Here are a few pictures!


Could not get all three of them sitting still at the same time...

JB is doing great. I have started him on a formula with rice starch in it to help him sleep at night. (He was still stirring 2-3 times a night). He is often sleeping 9 hours at night now! I have not started solids yet, and will probably wait another couple of weeks on that. He has not yet surprised himself by rolling over. He is working on the tripod pose (sitting up by himself as he leans forward on his hands). He is very proficient at finding his mouth, whether with a toy or the bottle. He has very strong opinions when he is hungry and tired and screams unlike either of the other two. He enjoys his swing up in the playroom and is mesmerized by the colors on the tv.

baking

Not real sure what we have been doing the last week or so. Certainly not taking any pictures!

I have been doing a lot of baking...unfortunately I made several different kinds of cookies, doubling or tripling each of the recipes, but for various reasons did not like how they turned out. So, we have lots of sweets around! I tried homemade fudge. I made a double batch, in two different pots. One was good the other boiled over and never got to the right temperature. I tried another batch, this time tripling the recipe and boiling it an extra 5 minutes, and finally have something I am comfortable putting on a plate and giving to others.

Bought the boys and I used ice skates today and hoping to hit one of the 'neighborhood' outdoor rinks tomorrow. They are very excited! Also got the climbing wall up in the playroom today(they have not discovered it yet) and hung JB's swing up there. So, there should be plenty of pictures and video forthcoming!

We are all looking forward to celebrating the birth of our Savior and Lord in 3 days!! I wonder if we let the boys stay up late if they will sleep in on Christmas morning?

Videos

B had his Christmas program yesterday at school. Before the program we went into his classroom to help out. They were playing Christmas music and the first song was "Rudolph". I started singing with the music and little Makayla looks over at me and says "How do you know that song?" I told her I use to sing it when I was her age. Her eyes got big and she said "you use to be my age??" Those kids are a hoot. I sure do have a great appreciation for teachers, especially kindergarten teachers.
Had an energy audit done of the house today. They said we are sitting pretty good. He did confirm that running the dishwasher should only cost about 2-3 dollars a month, so I can start using it again. (The last month I tried using the dishwasher, versus hand washing, my electric bill was high but must have been something else). A little known trivia fact I learned, that a person produces about 1 gallon of humidity a week. So, other than insulating our attic hatch and putting in outlet covers, we are good.
Been laying low, not getting out much. I have intended to download some videos and finally got around to it. Could not figure out how to put/splice them all together yet, so here are 2 short videos.

Comparison

I lost it today. Totally lost it. For someone who is pretty organized and hates being rushed or late anywhere, I cannot 'master' the school mornings. Every morning rolls around and I think we are gonna get out of the house a few minutes early and it never fails...last minute we are trying to find one shoe or one glove or a coat. It happened again this morning and I went on a mommy rage. (Never mind if it had been either of the boys I would have spanked them and sent them to their room for a long time out - too bad they could not do that to me.) I don't know why but yelling never solves anything but it sure makes me feel better for the moment. We finally all got in the car and I apologized to them and asked for their forgiveness. I thought all was forgotten. No, later that day I heard J downstairs yelling at no one in particular. 'I am so FRUSTRATED with you. You get over here RIGHT NOW..RIGHT NOW'. He continued yelling and I thought it was cute until I realized he was repeating everything I had said that morning. Nothing like a child to be a perfect reflection of what they see at home. One of the verses B and I have memorized is "a soft answer turns away wrath". I have told them they have permission to encourage me with that verse when I get loud, but I guess they don't quite get it yet.
I dug up pictures of all three of the boys around 4 months old. Fun to see the differences and similarities



At 4 months B was 15.4 pounds, 25 1/4 inches long and head circumference was 43.7cm.
At 4 months J was 14.6 pounds, 24 1/2 inches long and head circumference was 42 cm.
At 4 months JB was 12.7 pounds, 25 1/2 inches long and head circumference was 40 cm.
So, although JB appears pretty chubby, he is much longer, much lighter and a much smaller head.
J's favorite holiday movie right now is "Frosty the Reindeer" Just cracks me up.
Yesterday we were -15 but a warming trend is coming! Fortunately we have not had any of the wind! Been staying indoors and doing lots of baking!

Cold

Just had to snap a picture of our alarm clock that shows the outside temperature. I hear it is headed some of y'alls way....bundle up!

Happy 4 months

Today is the 4 month mark of my arrival.
Things here are awesome. I sleep when I want to sleep and eat when I want to eat. I am often startled with the volume of my 2 big brothers but I sure do love to watch their antics. I appreciate B's gentle voice as he talks to me and have come to appreciate J's wet kisses and sudden outbursts of energy. I have found my feet and can spend a lot of time playing with them. My goal is to one day get them in my mouth! I am getting really good at grabbing things, particularly my mom's hair. I love laughing out loud when I am tickled. I still am getting my mom up a few times at night, but sure do enjoy the one on one time. I am quickly soothed by "Jesus Loves Me" and find it easiest to fall asleep to some of the great lullabies/classical/hymns that are playing beside my bed. It is getting really cold out and learning to like my hats and have my car seat covered up. (I hear the wind chills the next couple of days could reach -20.) I love to play dog pile with my brothers and dad and sometimes my dad and I will chase the other two around the house. I can stare at the Christmas tree lights for long periods of time.
Looking forward to the next four months, when I will start sleeping all night (my mom is hopeful), holding my own bottle, sitting up by myself, getting my first tooth, getting to eat real food and mastering the army crawl. Or maybe I will skip the crawling and go straight to running to keep up with my brothers.

Shooting moose

One of J's favorite games right now is to go around and shoot bears, moose, elk.
Little did I realize his creativity with the vacuum cleaner and one of our moose ornaments. Here you can see him shooting the ornaments.

If you look closely at the picture, you will see a board propped up against the tree. Yes, it fell earlier when one of the boys decided to play behind it. Fortunately, Joseph was just out of reach. Hopefully the temporary fix will work until JR and I can try to straighten it. (I already had my neighbor come over and we 'fixed' it once.)

FAH-EVAH

Forever - quite the word around here.
"J-why did you do this...go to your room."
"Fah-evah?"

"B pick up your toys please...."
"It is going to take forever"

"J-finish cleaning up your room"
"This is taking fah-evah"

"Mom, I want to go home, this is taking Fah-evah"

"B we are not watching any more movies"
"Forever?"

Another thing I am finding myself saying a lot lately is "you know what, life is not fair, so just get use to it"

J has a new game now when he eats. We have a table that my grandparents use to have. It has small 'leaves' on each of the four sides that can drop down. Now, anytime J has food that can be smushed, what does he do? He drops down his leaf, puts the food in there and then closes it back up. I have found pretzels, raisins and many unidentifiable things in the crack of that table. It always seems to happen when my back is turned!

Two days now...two days that the Candy Canes have been on the Christmas tree and I don't think one of them have been open. I have told the boys that if they unwrap anything that is under the tree it is going back to the store. I sure hope none of it becomes an issue with little hands. I think the thing they love the most is taking the ornaments off and playing with them.

Our calendar is clear tomorrow, so hoping to start lots of baking and enjoy being outdoors when the high will be in the teens.

Christmas tree hunt

We headed out today for the annual 'go cut down the Christmas tree'. For $5 you get a permit from forest service and can pick out any tree you want! I have yet to find the really 'full' trees like I grew up with, but it sure is fun! There was more snow on the ground this time around but fortunately it was not too cold. Both of the boys did really well - JB fell asleep on the drive, so he stayed in the car. It is always a good trip when I find a tree I like within 30 minutes. It makes for a not very happy JR when I hike up to 25 different trees and don't like any of them. Every summer I tell myself I am gonna look for trees when we hike and map them on the GPS so it will be really easy come Christmas. That has yet to happen!



We pulled out all the Christmas decorations on Friday and have enjoyed listening to the Christmas music and working my Christmas puzzles. I have indulged a little too much this year in Christmas movies, but sure am looking forward to the upcoming evenings when I can get on the couch and watch them, beside the glow of the Christmas lights.
We had a very quiet Thanksgiving. Went to some friends house for the afternoon and of course watched football.
J is officially finished with speech therapy! Yeah J. Hopefully he will continue to move forward - I certainly don't expect anything less!
JB is trying so hard to roll over. It is hard these days to get him to lay still on his back - he is always kicking and grunting and trying to either sit up or roll.
I enjoyed going into B's classroom last week. So many of those kids are starved for attention! I am trying to work it out with the teacher to go for at least an hour and a half every other week. She could really use an extra set of hands and J loved hanging out with older brother. Of course B loved showing J everything.
This past weekend we had a friend playing in a hockey tournament. I took the boys out, they had never been to a hockey game. B was hilarious. He was screaming for Nokes at the top of his lungs...."Come on Noakes, you can get the ball, you can do it." Everyone around got a great laugh. They are interested now in ice skating so maybe we can make that happen sometime soon!

Traditions

A tradition at bedtime is for me to tell B a story about a boy named Jack. (Jack gets bored and goes to dig in his sandbox. Everytime he digs, it always takes him on a wonderful journey to far away places where cheetahs eat cheetos, pirates roam, swimming with whales, etc). I was tired one morning and laying in bed. B came in and I encouraged him to get in bed with me. He did and asked if I could tell him a story about Jack. I told him to tell me a story about Jack (trying to get his creative juices going). He said no mom, why don't you tell me a story about Jack and you can just listen too.
For the most part, the Christmas stuff is all up and the tree is decorated! Now I can get back to focusing on my Christmas puzzles (a 500 piece puzzle done and glued, a 750 piece in process and another 500 and 750 piece puzzle waiting). Not sure if they will all be finished but will sure have fun trying. Christmas movies and music also await. I love it that it gets dark so early so that we can turn off all the room lights and turn on the Christmas lights.
Every year I think about new traditions for Christmas. We seem to cut down our tree weekend after Thanksgiving and make popcorn as we decorate. One tradition my mom started is to send each of the boys a small frame ornament that has the current year on it and she has put in a recent picture. She also sends a family picture ornament. (Sure is fun looking at them as we put up the tree). Every year the boys each get to pick out an ornament (this way when they are all grown up, they will have almost 40 ornaments for their own tree). We also do an advent calendar. Hopefully we will get around to making cookies or treats and delivering them to friends. Each boy has their own nativity set that they play with throughout the season. A new tradition that I am starting this year (I read it on another blog) is to start buying Christmas books. I am buying 3, one for each boy, and wrapping them. As it gets closer to Christmas we will read a different book each night. Then the next year, they all get wrapped again in the same paper and the new book for that year will be in different paper. Every night someone will unwrap a book and we will read it. The new book will be the last book read on Christmas Eve night. I picked up The Christmas Cookie and The Legend of the Candy Cane. I know there is lots to choose from but if anyone has a suggestion on a third book this year, let me know.
Off to finish up some stuff and hopefully get to my puzzle!

Thankful

There are not enough hours in the day to list it all, but here's a short list....
Thankful for the 4 seasons we experience up in the north
Thankful for Neosporin and Bandaids
Thankful for the bus that JR rides so he doesn't have to drive the icy canyon roads
Thankful for the incredible health all 5 of us have had
Thankful for that awesome smell after a good rain
Thankful for chocolate
Thankful that my kids have all four grandparents who can still enjoy their lives
Thankful for Legos and the hours of entertainment they provide
Thankful that we live where we can go cut down our own Christmas tree
Thankful for playing cards
Thankful for airplanes that fly the many miles between us and our families
Thankful for laughter
Thankful for all of God's provisions this past year when work was very lean
Thankful for fleece blankets
Thankful for hot baths
Thankful that I can openly worship my God
Thankful that I am able to stay home with my kids
Thankful for our two vehicles that run great
Thankful for my church family
Thankful for locks, that keep things out of reach
Thankful for our babysitters, so we can get out every once in a while
Thankful for pillow fights
Thankful for AWANA
Thankful for the deer that is in our freezer
Thankful for God's word
Thankful for Skype and that my kids can stay in touch with grandparents.
Thankful for that 'baby' smell
Thankful for the upcoming season, for without Christ's birth, where would we be
Thankful for snow shovels
Thankful for my incredible kids and my husband that keep loving and forgiving me
I am sure there are many more things I will think of throughout the day, big and small. What about you?

Winter

By all accounts looks like winter is here to stay. We have had snow on the ground since early November, which will make for a very long winter.

JR is rearranging the garage today and building shelves, with some 'help' from J. Every time I walk into the garage, J say "Mom, we are working a lot." B is watching a movie. Pretty clear who is the outdoor one and who is the indoor one. Today B went with his AWANA group to deliver Thanksgiving baskets. Trying to instill in them the importance of volunteering. I am hoping we (B, J and I) can go help out with the community Thanksgiving Dinner on Thursday. I am also in the process of trying to find a senior in our community that we can visit. I have called two facilities and have not had favorable responses. Guess I will check at the Senior Center. Without family, particularly the older generation, close by, I want to encourage them to reach out across generational lines.

JB is over 3 months. He has found his laugh (hoping to catch it on video), can somewhat hold his bottle, loves his nap time and loves being naked on the floor so he can kick. When he is in his carseat he tries to pull himself up into a full sitting position. I am not sure but will probably wait until he is closer to 6 months before introducing most foods. With the two older boys having dairy and wheat allergies, think I will stick mainly with fruits and vegetables until 7 or 8 months.

Here is recent picture of the little guy. His hair, in the light, looks red but the verdict is still out.

Everytime I see this picture, I just laugh. It truly is worth a thousand words!


A happier picture....his hair is getting so long it is starting to hang down in his eyes, but how do you cut the curls!


This morning as we were taking B to school J said "Momma, the sun is in my eyes, will you turn it off?" Got me to thinking of some of his other funny things recently...
As I was blowing my nose he looked at me and said "Momma, you got a big booga"

After his frustration with B one day, he came to me crying and said "Make B go away"

The boys were cleaning up one day and J hit B with a light saber. After I got J out from under the bed (this is where he likes to hide when he is in trouble) I told him he needed to apologize to B and ask him to forgive him. J went to say he was sorry and give B a hug. B gave him a tight squeeze. J looked at me and said "He squeezed me hard. He a bad boy."

The teacher conference with B's teacher went well last week. She said he is a delight to have in the classroom. I asked her if she thought he was a leader or follower. She did not even hesitate and said "neither". I have thought the same thing. Just a laid back boy that can step up when he needs to or can just go with the flow.

Yesterday JR went out hunting. He left the house when it was 4 degrees outside. That is dedication. He ended up with a small buck. After he hung the animal he cut some of it up and put on the smoker. Nothing like fresh meat!

This past weekend JR and I participated in the Focus on the Family Simulcast "Focus on Parenting". Heard some really good stuff and tools that we can use. Probably the most disturbing is that the statistics these days are that about 60% of the church kids will walk away from their faith once they hit adulthood. That would be 2 out of every 3. Hit home thinking about our 3 boys. They kept talking about how kids' faith can only be as strong as their parents and if they are not seeing their parents living it out, they probably won't live it out. Quite sobering. Yes, this is the most important job I will ever have, yet how often do I treat it as the least. I notice such a difference in my day when I get off the computer and focus on my kids. So, off I am....

6 inches

We woke up to lots of wet, heavy snow this morning. The boys were very excited to get out and shovel. I sure wish they were old enough to be 'productive' with moving snow, but they sure had fun playing in it.

J likes to lock doors and it frustrates me because it is always at inopportune times. Well, he recently locked himself in the bathroom. Of course he could not unlock the door, so I decided to teach him a lesson. I was going to let him sit in there for a while. Well, he obviously got bored (or maybe it was more mad at me). He got quiet and when I checked on him, he was sound asleep.

What you can't see very well in the picture is the baby powder all over the floor and his hair.

Independence

B brought home his 'report' card. He had Satisfactories in Math, Reading, PE, Music and Library. I found it very interesting that they have changed the report cards this year and added other items that are more related to peers. Those are courteous and respectful, solves problems with peers effectively, accepts responsibility, follows school rules, keeps workspace organized, completes assignments on time, shows willingness to try, stays on task, works independently and listens to and follows directions. He got a plus in all those, so he has adapted well to Kindergarten - not that I was surprised - I knew he would do well.
Both of my boys have been showing their independence lately. B would not let me fix his lunch, he wanted to. The other day I was upstairs with JB and J was hungry. I told him to wait. The next thing I knew he had come upstairs with a piece of ham wrapped in a tortilla. Good to know my boys could survive if they had to.
We are currently in the middle of staying 3 nights with our pastor's kids. They are gone for the weekend and the kids are self-sufficient but just not old enough to be by themselves at night. So all three boys and I are staying there. B and J love it because the pastor's two boys are 2nd and 6th grade. Last night they all played Legos and paper airplanes for almost 2 hours. They love to wrestle too. Tonight we are suppose to have a game night.
This morning I was feeding Joseph, just getting cozy with him. I had put the Operation Christmas Child Shoe Boxes on our bed. (B and I packed them the other day while J was sleeping). I noticed one was missing and figured it had fallen off the bed then I realized it was too far from the edge to fall off. Then it hit me...J! I walked into his room and sure enough - he had already opened the toothbrush and toothpaste, had a few pieces of candy and by the looks of it had already eaten about 5 pieces of gum! Oh my little curious George!!!

More conversations with B

I sure am finding myself struggling with teaching some concepts to B.

Several weeks ago we had some friends from church over for a playdate. Little Lucy asked me if we had a Barney movie. I told her no. End of the story, or so I thought.
Then about 2 weeks later, totally out of the blue B told me, very nicely, that I had lied to Lucy the other day when she was over. I told her we did not have a Barney movie and we did. I told him he was correct, that I did tell her no but that I had forgotten about that one movie we had. He told me it was not nice to lie. I told him I know but that I did not do it intentionally. The more I tried to explain things, the more I realized I was coming across as some lies are okay and some lies are not. I finally decided to leave it as I had lied but did not mean too, as opposed to lying on purpose. It is all about the heart attitude.
The other day B called me into their room and told me J had written on the wall with a pen (not the first time). I have tried to teach him the difference between tattling and telling on someone when they are actually doing something harmful. Drawing on walls or playing with razors are definately worth telling on. As I inspected the drawing further, I knew that J could not have drawn some of the straighter lines or circles. Then the conversation turned from "please let me know when J starts doing things like that" to "why did you draw on the wall". He said he wanted to show him how not to do it. So, then we talked about just because one does it does not mean it is okay for another to do.
Just now J comes crying to me. B walks up matter of factly and says, J pushed me so I pushed him back. Once again, does it make it right.
Oh how many times God has to beat me over the head trying to get a point across to me. How many times does He 'yell', "Don't you get it yet..."

Last night we went to some friends house for dinner. These are casual friends that we had not seen in quite a while and they had never been around our boys. I forwarned Laura ahead of time when she asked about food allergies, etc. I told her not to be insulted if my boys did not eat something...I just never know with them. Just before dinner she comes over quietly to where they are playing and asks if they wanted their vegetables frozen or hot. B very matter of factly said "I don't like vegetables." UUGGHH - need to work on Thank you but no thank you. Then I about died when, after dinner, the boys had excused themselves to play. After a while B walks around the corner and so sweetly says "Miss Laura, don't you think it is about time for dessert!?" I had known going into the evening that we probably would not have dessert because her husband is hypoglycemic. Fortunately they were very gracious. (If you are curious, I did eat my vegetables. Anyone that knows me knows what a feat that is..it was some kind of soup with a white broth and green beans, corn, peas and carrots. I can't say I ate the whole bowl but I did eat. I somehow managed to dodge the lima beans though....)
Something that made me laugh - Recently I made pancakes for the boys. B asked me to cut his up and I did. I happened to cut one piece in a thin, long shape that had a slight curve to it. B picked it up and said "Oh look, the place where all the wild fires have been." (California)
I love my B. Report cards come home tomorrow and teacher conferences next week. Seems a little excessive for Kindergarten but will be interesting to talk with the teacher further.

Halloween

We have had a very quiet weekend. Other than a cough, both older boys seem to be feeling well.
Friday night we went to a Fall Festival at a local church. The boys had a great time and loved wearing their costumes. On the way home JB fell asleep in his carseat with his costume on. I am not sure if it was the cozy costume or that he had a long day, but he fell asleep Friday at 7pm and I finally woke him up at 4:30 am to eat. That is a 9 1/2 hour stretch. Trying the costume theory, he fell asleep on the way home from trick or treating Saturday, once again in his costume. I left him in his car seat and he slept a 6 hour stretch. Then I fed him, took off his costume and the rest of the night I got no more than a 3 hour stretch. Maybe I will have to try the costume thing again.
The boys had fun going out on Halloween night. We went to a subdivision where our church is located and saw tons and tons of kids. We hung out there for an hour (of course B found a 'friend' to run with) and then came back to our neighborhood. The boys wanted to walk around some more. Our neighborhood was so quiet. We were the only ones out. I think the boys were bored and wanted to go home.
Not much planned this week. We are hoping to do our shopping for Operation Christmas Child. This is where you pack a shoe box full of toiletries, toys, candy, etc and it gets shipped to a child in another country. I am trying to start early with the kids about giving to others who are less fortunate. There is a $7 fee for each box to help with shipping and if you pay that money online, you can actually track your box. How fun to know exactly which country ours went to. Here is a website if anyone is interested...http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/.

J was dressed as a Seattle Seahawks player. Never got a real good shot of the two of them.

Doctor's visit

Well, we ended up at the Doctor today. Last night B woke up numerous times just crying and crying. His ear. Fortunately I had some numbing medicine left over from the last ear ache and gave him some. It got us through the night but with little sleep. Today the Doctor said he has a bad earache and the other ear and throat are headed down the 'bad' road too. So, a round of antibiotics. He has already woken up once tonight crying and hurting.
J's cough seems to be settling more in his chest and getting deeper!
Both of the boys are psyched over the weekend. Lots of 'festivals' at churches and a little door to door activities planned. I sure hope it happens.
Still thankful that JB and I have stayed healthy! Praise God!

Stickin Around

The 'bug' just won't leave the house. B was down most of the weekend with a fever (you know he is sick when he takes 2 naps in one day and still was asleep tonight at 7:30). Then J had it and it seems to have gone back to B. It mostly shows up at night. So, we have been staying very close to home. With so much crud going around, I certainly don't want to expose anyone to anything. It is nice not having to get out of the house. I do think we are on the tail end of it though. I sure hope so, we have been going through a bottle of Tylenol every 2 - 3 days. Spending so much time indoors, we are playing lots of board games. I have also found some great paper airplane websites and the boys are having fun, to bad it has not been warm enough or calm enough (wind wise) to try them outside.
Thankfully little JB has not been sick. He is still going strong. He is even starting to pull 5 straight hours of sleep at night! He is getting into a very good evening routine and putting himself to sleep, without too much coaxing from us.
J did make it to speech therapy today. We have graduated from once a week to every other week. If he continues to maintain and move forward (no slipping back) then we will probably wrap up the end of the year. This time last year his expressive language was at the 6-9 month level (and he was 19 months at that time). He has done very well and the therapist has said he tolerates some exercises better than most kids. Way to go J! This means though that he has started to repeat things his older brother says. B's famous line, when I ask him to do something like clean up, is 'It is going to take forever'. Now I have to smile as I hear J mutter 'it take me forever.'
JR saw a really nice bull (male elk for those that are confused) this past weekend. He took a shot but had misjudged the distance. So, the freezer is still empty, but 5 more weeks to go!
I am getting back in to a groove at the gym but even in a groove, I have to stay away from the chocolate. One of the bad things about winter coming, it is so easy to curl up on the couch, under a great blanket with hot chocolate and popcorn or chips or crackers or basically anything that is not a fruit or vegetable. Maybe if I use the blog (hint accountability) I can kick things up a notch and start getting ready for next summer. I want to start logging miles on the trail with the kids next summer. Would be nice if every summer we could hike as a family 5 more miles than the previous summer, or something like that! My ultimate goal would get out enough and get the boys loving it that when they are older, say in 10-12 years do some kind of 1-2 week long backpacking trip.
Well, I promised the boys I would have a few more new paper airplanes when they woke up in the morning, so I am off to fold!

I love this age

Old enough to finally start responding but not old enough to be mobile yet.

Poop!

Since several have asked....I did not think I would ever be excited to see normal poopy diapers! It means whatever was 'eatin' at J is now gone and our playdates can resume.

Hunting season is upon us. Rifle starts this Sunday, so we are praying that God leads either the animals to JR or JR to the animals. I think we are 'shooting' for an elk and several deer.

Off to the pumkpin patch with the boys tomorrow, provided everyone is still healthy and the weather is not too cold!

Bumbo Chair

JB loves his new Bumbo Chair! Can't believe he is big enough to use it!

A Gorgeous Fall Day

"My 3 Sons" and I ventured out today to a friends Football game and then hit two local parks. It was an absolutely gorgeous day! As evening rolled around JB was fussy so I went outside to walk with him and saw the sunset!


This was a welcome sight!
We started our Experiencing God bible study this week and when you are at home with 3 kids and one has a bug (flu or whatever it is) and you need two hands to count the number of loads of laundry you have done because of throw up and you lost count a long time ago of the diaper blowouts, it is hard to feel like you are 'experiencing God'. So, the sunset was a great reminder.
J is still having the blowouts but the throwing up seems very random. Not sure what is going on, as these are the only symptoms he has. He is a little low key but no fever, etc. I just pray that it does not make the rounds!
JB has found his hands and loves to suck on them. He is still all over the place with any kind of a 'schedule' but no one seems to mind.
B is loving AWANA this year. He received a CD with his Sparky Book and we listen to it all the time in the car. As a matter of fact, he does not even talk in the car because he wants to hear. He has learned most of the verses and has a good start on the books of the bible. Again, just amazed at his memory.
The other day we were talking about the planets and I said something about the 7 planets in our solar system. He immediately corrected me and told me there were 9 planets. Then he wanted me to name them all and it took me about 5 tries before I could get all 9, or 8 depending on the deal with Pluto.
We were also talking about the creation story recently and Noah. I walked away with a question I had never considered. Noah took at least 2 of every animal on the ark. Dinosaurs are now extinct. I had always assumed they all died in the flood, but if that is the case, then Noah did not take any dinosaurs on the ark. I will have to think/research that one a little more.
JB is screaming in the other room and J is back in the bathroom. Going to be a long night I am afraid!

War, Cancer and the Bus

B was upstairs this morning playing with his army guys. I heard him say "These are the Afghanistan guys and these are the Americans". If he is in ear shot of ANYTHING, he picks up on it. Whether we are listening to the radio and the news comes on, whether we are watching TV or he just hears someone in passing talk about things. So, he has been asking about war.
"What is a war Mom?"
"It is when you try to get rid of the people doing bad things."
"Why are we at war with Afghanistan?"
"Because some people in Afghanistan are doing bad things and the Americans are trying to help. Pastor Chip's son is over in Afghanistan fighting."
"You mean by himself trying to shoot the bad guys?"
"No, other Military guys are over there."
"What is the military?"
"They are people that help to keep America safe. They are either in the Army, Navy, Air Force or Marines."
I started naming more people who are in the military.
"What if we don't win Mom?"
"Well, we have lots of people over there and they are trying their best."
So it went.

I am also collecting the 'pink lids' off of the yogurt containers to send in so money will be donated to finding a cure for breast cancer.
"Mom, why are you keeping those lids?"
"Because I am going to send them in so money will be donated to help cure cancer."
"What is cancer?"
"Cancer is a disease that makes people very sick and sometimes they die."
"How does cancer make people sick?"
"Cancer is bad cells in your body that grow and make the good cells go away."
"What are cells?"
I can't recall how I responded to this one, but I am sure it was good :-)
"How do they get in your body?"
"The doctors don't really know how they get there."
"How do they get rid of the bad cells?"
"They use something called chemotherapy"
"What is chemotherapy?"
"It is like taking a big laser gun and shooting at the bad cells hoping they will die."
So, this conversation continued. A little kid with lots of very good and curious questions. Seems like any answer I give is always met with another question. He takes in so much, I can't even imagine what he will be like and what kind of things he will retain when he is a few years older. I certainly don't lack for 'adult type' conversations throughout the day. He is always keeping me on my toes and challenging me to find ways to explain adult things to a very smart 5 year old.

We rode the city bus on Thursday to the mall, just for the adventure of it. While we were sitting on the bus, B turns to me and says "Mom, how does the bus know where we are going..." The boys had fun, although given the bus schedule we had 3 hours at the mall. It proved to be a long time with 2 tired boys. Seems with every passing day B gets more and more tired yet getting him to nap is quite a few. Fortunately J still takes naps almost every day.

We are having unusually cold weather. The high is 29 and the low is 2. Not quite ready for this, but it will warm up.

I can't have a post without a picture or two. The boys were trying to help their dad and prove how strong they are. (Amazing how they were so willing to smile for the camera when they were showing their strength...such boys.)

JB

2 months, 10 1/5 pounds, 22 1/2 inches long!!!

Playroom

Well, it started snowing yesterday. None of it stuck, but the mountains are now white. Not sure how long it is suppose to stick around. I am hoping for an indian summer.
J has started using the potty (sporadically) again, thanks to M&Ms!
B is switching from the T/Th Kindergarten class to the M/W class. The classes just recently finished 'testing' all the Kindergarten students. There are quite a few that will be going 5 days a week for a little more 'help'. Once everyone got shifted around there were more kids T/Th, so the teacher asked if we would switch. That is what is great about our life right now, no commitments, so we could easily accomodate the teacher.
JB is 8 weeks tomorrow. He is growing so much. He is lifting his head a lot. He is getting very particular about things at certain times of the day. Some times he prefers his swing, other times of the day it is his crib, still other times what soothes him best is laying in our bed! Will be interesting to see how much he weighs at his appt next week.
JR and I start a bible study next week called "Experiencing God". We are making the commitment to go every Tuesday night and are hoping that we can get out early enough for a quick dinner. We will be leaving the oldest two with a sitter - yeah - some adult time every week.
Here are some pictures from our playroom. We decided our boys needed a winter outlet so have been putting things in there to help them burn off energy. I think we might try to put a swing (for JB) in there but the other thing we want to add soon is a climbing wall. Nothing huge, but a reason for them to 'climb' the walls. Hopefully we can get that built in the next month or so.
(I have been playing with some photo editing software and could not figure out how to change back the 'yellow' in the first photo...)

Monkeying around

Last week after school, we stayed at B's playground and played with some friends. I turned around and saw J going for the monkey bars. What is really amazing, he is on the second bar. No, I did not put him there and by the look on his face, you can tell he is amazed he made it there. He also did not hesitate to drop when he was ready. The bars were probably 6 feet off the ground. He seems to have no depth perception, or he just does not care. Yesterday we were at the park and I turned around to see him jump off something that was over 4 feet off the ground. I don't know how his little bones can handle the repeated jumping!!!

Eating on the floor

Why are my kids not sitting in chairs while they eat???????????





























For the safety of the boys, I have had to remove anything that can become a 'ladder' so to speak. The other day he got his vitamins out. I am not sure how many he ate, but I do know that the bottle had just been opened a few days prior and this day it was half empty! Maybe that would explain the 6 or 8 dirty diapers I changed that day?? The vitamin episode was the finally straw. Next time he could get into something that his stomach will not handle as well.
That same day the boys decided to take a bath in our bathroom. The little suction cup thingy that holds shampoo, soap etc had fallen down and I really did not think much of it as they got into the bath. A short time later I heard B say, "Mom, you better come in here, J has blood all over him." Fortunately as I headed into the bathroom, it occurred to me what probably happened. Otherwise I am convinced I would have freaked out when I saw J. He was standing up in the tub and had a stream of blood from his lip all the way to his toes. He had, as I thought, somehow gotten a hold of a razor and managed to cut his lip. I did remain very cool and calm as I thought this could need stitches. After 15 minutes though I was able to get it to stop bleeding.

One more reason why we are so diligent to pray for a hedge of protection around the boys!

J

I sure love this kid! I think though that he is the child that one might term my 'payback' kid. Seems that every parent has one child that seems to give them a run for their money and I am betting that J will be my child. He is a middle child just like me!

I love watching him kiss JB on the head.
I love to hear the pitter patter of his feet running upstairs, even though he should be in bed.
I love watching him pull all the cushions off the couch and do somersault after somersault as he laughs.
I love it when he is sent to his room and 2 seconds later he is yelling "Momma, me have betta attitude".
I love to hear him laugh while in the shower with B.
I love praying with him at bedtime and hearing him ask to pray for the same things over and over (cows, water, our friends Mark and Tomo - not sure why but when he decides to pray for something, the request comes night after night for months...).
I love hearing him speak - today he said probably his longest sentence ever "Tell Dad to come downstairs please". He accentuates every word and has this unusual deep tone often times.
I love to watch him ride his scooter, as he ackwardly leans back as he pushes off.
I love his curls.
I love it that he is still small enough to easily pick up and carry, even when having a tantrum.
I love the sign he uses for 'treat' when he has gone in the potty.
I love to watch his determination when he opens the yogurt by himself.
I love his sense of adventure.
I love laying down with him and taking a nap.
I love to watch him chase after the soccer ball when his little legs get to going.
I love to hear him yell "I did it".
I love how he will fall asleep in his closet during nap time.
I love hearing his screams throughout the house.
I love when he puts on B's pajamas and they just hang off of him.
I love watching him stack couch cushions 5 high and jumping off them.
I love the fact that he is so independent and wants to do so much by himself (as frustrated as I get with his 'No, let me do it')
I love it when he hides behind a certain chair because he is eating something he should not be (he thinks I can't hear the wrapper making noise).
I love the way he holds out his hand when he says "no".
I love to watch him in the video store as he grabs everything off the shelves with great excitement (and puts them back when asked).
I love to find you hiding under your bed when you are doing something you should not be and you go there to hide when you hear me coming.
I love how excited he gets about going fishing.
I love watching him play in the sandbox.
I love it how whenever I spank him and he starts crying the one thing he wants is for me to hold him - despite the discipline.
I love his curiousity.
I love watching the drool run down his chin.
I love his level of noise and often don't want to silence him but feel I should because of others or where we are.
I love to watch him push the child's cart in the grocery store as he hops/skips behind it (even though one time he got away from me and a store employee had to chase him down...I could hear him all the way across the store, just couldn't catch him).
I love to hear him say "knock it off"
I love to hear the 'gallop' sound as he runs/skips down the hallway.
I love to see him wrapped up in his towel after a shower with water dripping off his nose.
I love to see him get so excited when Dad walks through the door.
I love to watch him run naked through the house.
I love how he puts his clothes on backwards and sometimes inside out.
I love to watch him carefully wrap a napkin around his popsicle.
I love to watch him try to roast a marshmallow.

It will be so awesome to watch him as he continues to grow and develop. That sense of adventure, curiousity and determination is going to be quite the combination. Will be interesting to see what other gifts and talents develop that God has given him.

B

B...
I am so thankful for this little guy! He keeps me on my toes with all of his questions. Although frustrations run high as he tries to 'wear me down with his reasoning', I know that God has something special for this kid. He has been given a mind that does not seem to ever slow down. He is always planning and thinking about his next move. You can see it in his eyes. You can hear it in his voice. He is trying to figure out how to get what he wants.
I love to watch him work a 100 piece puzzle.
I love to hear him sing songs.
I love to watch him play his board/computer games.
I love to hear him 'rev' up his little engine (feet) as he prepares to take off running.
I love to watch him wrestle with J.
I love to watch him get excited about something and exclaim "you have got to be kidding".
I love it when he wants to help me in the kitchen.
I love it when he comes up with a better solution to a problem than I could have.
I love to see his independence and desire to do things by himself.
I love to see his problem solving skills, as he tries to figure out how to get the ball out of the tree.
I love to watch him teach J new things.
I love to watch him try to close his dresser drawer when he has crammed all of his clothes in there.
I love to watch him decide it is best to pull them all out and fold them properly.
I love to get on the computer and find cool things to show him, like astronauts in outerspace and how things float around, to which he exclaims "that's incredible".
I love to hear him call people, whose names he cannot remember, "Dude".
I love to watch him get excited when we go to the arcade and he 'plays' all the games, although I don't put any money in the machines.
I love to listen to him play with his Rescue Heroes and all the pretend conversations they have.
I love to watch him cross his arms and get a pouty face when he is upset with me.
I love to watch him run across the playground at the end of each school day and give me a hug.
I love to hear answer a question about the bible - the things he retains.
I love how he can recall events and details from things that happened 6 months ago (things that I don't even remember).
I love to hear him answer the phone now when it rings.
I am so thankful for his unconditional love even when I discipline him and his willingness to forgive when I lose it with him when I should not have.
I love to watch the expression on other peoples faces when we are out in public and overhear the two of us talking/negotiations.

I love some of my most recent interactions with him....
"Mom, I want to buy this"
"Sorry. I told you we are not going to buy any toys this trip"
"But Mom, let me explain to you why we need to buy this. You see, Luke has this and so does Ian so it is only right that I have it too...."

At the checkout stand...
"Mom, I really need this"
"I have already told you no"
"Mom, why are you so mean to me. You don't EVER buy me ANYTHING"
"Sometimes I tell you yes and sometimes no. Today it is no"
"That is not fair" with the folded hands and pouty face.

I love how his mind is always thinking...
Today we were riding in the car listening to a CD about the creation story. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." As the story went on, he quietly listened. Then it was
"Mom, can we go to outerspace sometime?"
"No, just a few people ever get to go to outerspace."
"Why?"
"Because you need a really big spaceship to go there and they are very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very expensive"
"Well....if dad worked hard everyday we could get one."
"Oh, I don't think that would get us a spaceship. Maybe you should be an astronaut when you grow up. They get to go into outerspace."
"Well, I just don't understand...." and he trailed off on a long list of things he does not understand about outerspace. He was just so frustrated that he could not wrap his 5 year old mind around it.

There is a lot about my oldest to love and I look forward to the many more things I will discover.