laughter

B loves entertaining JB. We put JB in his swing and then B pushes him and then says 'hey, you kicked me' and JB just cracks up!!! Check it out.

We are still awaiting for the first tooth to appear and he is still my baldest baby. For some reason he has been waking up once a night in pain. I guess the digestive tract is still trying to work things out. This evening he was sound asleep and then let out a horrible scream. I went up there and he could not be consoled. He was screaming and grunting. I had a fleeting thought that he sounded like a woman in labor. I held him close, he settled down, let out a very small burp and then went back to sleep.
J has also been waking up in the middle of the night. Always looking for water and then begging to get in to bed with us. I love it when the boys climb into bed with us, but when J does, I get no sleep. That kid is all over the bed!
Up north it is the habit not to wear shoes in the house (particularly in the winter). The boys don't like to wear socks either because then they can't run around on the wood floors or they take nasty spills. Well, they have discovered their toes and all the things they can pick up. Not the most sanitary thing, given we have a little one that is starting to move around. I am constantly finding them picking up JB's toys with their toys..the same toys he puts in his mouth. The other day the boys were eating pretzels and the boys thought it was so cool that they could put pretzels between their toys! Gross. Then I started thinking about all the times I just pick something up all the floor - you know the 5 second rule - and then eat it. Not much different I guess. So, I have not yet purchased one of those anti-bac mops, but I think it is time. JB is already doing the swimming thing (on his belly with feet and arms off the floor) and I imagine just a few more weeks until he gets his knees up underneath him.
The boys and I are getting ready for a road trip to Texas in 2 weeks. Yes, I am actually excited about hitting the road with them. We have lots of fun in the car, unless they repeated ask 'are we there yet'. Although not real sure how to 'run' JB during our pit stops. If he is just barely crawling, I can't really let him out to crawl all over the concrete or grassy areas, where dogs run.
Have enjoyed watching the Olympics. B is old enough to really be getting into it and J just follows suit, yelling and cheering.
Ramblins are over. Off to bed

6 months and ties and bandanas

HAPPY 6 MONTHS JB!!

Look what I can do....

This is the attire for this Sunday. Not sure where the bandanas on the legs came from but I don't think we can get many more colors or patterns. Notice J's shoes, there are no shoelaces. He loves to take them out and then they can never be found!

Guess What?

B is becoming quite the story teller. The bad part...he always interjects "Guess What?" and won't continue until you say what.
"Hey Mom, Guess What?
"What?"
"Today at school Bryston brought this toy and guess what? Guess What?"
"What?"
"It was a toy that he got for his birthday and guess what?....Mom, guess what?"
"What?"
"It shoots these really cool bullets and guess what?"
What?"
"They stuck on the glass at school and he could not get them down and guess what?"
So the conversation continues on and on. I don't know if he needs the validation that I am listening or what but it cracks me up. Sometimes downright frustrating though that he can't tell a simple 30 second story without taking 3 minutes.

J on the other hand...he is repeating the most hilarious phrases he hears from big brother.
The other day I was pulling out his 3 year old clothes. He had never seen all of them so as I held up the Diego shirt, Lightning McQueen shirt, Buzz Lightyear jacket, football shirt, etc. he would say "You gotta be kidding me. That is for me? Really? Are you serious, those are really mine? That is amazing and unbelievable."

Then there is JB just learning all the different inflections that his little voice can make. That sweet cooing as he lays in bed and plays with toys until he falls asleep. The hilarious whining noise he makes when he sees his bottle across the room and you can't get it to him fast enough. The whimper and sound of feet kicking his high chair as we wants you to quickly put another spoonful of food in his mouth. I wonder what his first word will be...

Both B and J are also into the randomly saying "I Love you Mom", which makes everything else all worth it.

Two Ties This Sunday

J has decided to get in on the action. Despite me picking up a few more ties, B still likes his orange and brown one, although I did find some solid colored shirts!

JB...getting close to 6 months already! Still looking like his momma. Speaking of looking like his momma, I was surprised to see quite a few little freckles appearing all across B's nose and cheeks.

After more than 3 years

I have finally finished a project that I have wanted to complete for over 3 years and I am quite excited of the finished project....

It is a t-shirt quilt from all my old t-shirts I could not bring myself to get rid of. (Unfortunately I still have some more in the closet). I found a really great website that showed me how to put it all together, piece by piece. Just this morning I finished it tying it all off. Not sure how durable it will be. I have found a few spots that already need some mending, but it is done!

I also sat down last night with our taxes. Ever since we got married, we have had an accountant do our taxes (I use to work at the office for 5 years). I thought our return was not too complicated (all the major deductions) so went to turbo tax online. If everything I entered was correct, we are due back a very nice refund. However, I am afraid of screwing something up. Anyone else ever use turbo tax or do it yourself? If so, ever run in to problems where an honest mistake was made? At this point it is not a matter of paying the accountant, it is just that it takes them about 3 weeks to get them back to me and then however long to get the refund. If I do it myself I save some money and get the refund in about 1 week.

Also got our electric bill today. Was surprised to see that it was about $15 less than last month ($129 this month-woo hoo). I made two major changes and wonder if that was the reason for a lower bill. We turned our water heater down to about 110-115 (from 123) and the thermostat is set for 61 from 9pm-6am and then is on 67 for the day.

JB has a nasty chest cough. Keep checking his lungs and they sound clear. He does not like the bulb syringe (the other two did not mind it). Whenever I pull it out he starts to squirm, holds his breath and begins gagging.

Woke up this morning to a very cold morning. Was really neat to see a very thick layer of frost/ice on the trees.

and I don't like it

We have had a good quiet last half of the week. This week I decided to try not getting on the computer until at least noon. Amazing how much more productive I was and had better days with the boys. Means I don't always get to be when I would want to because I am on the computer after the boys go to bed, but it is well worth it. I am also knocking out all kinds of projects big and small. I have decided to empty out our linen closet and turn it into my computer 'room'. I won't be able to close myself in it, but it will be my space and I won't have to worry about little hands touching things. It is amazing when I start looking around our place how much I can consolidate and rearrange to gain an extra shelf, etc.

J's favorite phrase right now is "and I don't like it". If anyone does something that does not suit his fancy, he always says "......and I don't like it". Pronouncing each word very distinctly. Tonight he came up and gave me a hug and said "I love you to Alaska, to Pluto and to the sun. That is far"

B wore his orange and brown striped tie today to church again. He wore it this week with a blue and white checkered shirt. I really must find him a few more ties or either some solid colored shirts. As long as he is getting into the looking sharp thing! Once again I can't tell you how many people instantly commented when they saw him. He was grinning ear to ear. We are working with him right now on trying to work things out and not just tattling. A constant thing around the house.

JB has been sleeping about 13 hours at night. He is so sweet when he wakes up. He just lays in bed and plays until I go in there. He most times will talk/play/whine himself to sleep but he really does not need much soothing. He is still a snuggle bug too! No tooth yet but they have to be close because he is constantly biting and chewing on something. He is rolling more and more but I don't think he has totallly figured it out yet.

Off to do some more organizing and put the finishing touches on a few more projects!

Surprise Visit

JB goes about 9-10 hours at night now without a bottle. He does ocassionally wake up in the middle of the night when he is dirty or when he rolls himself over and can't get back to sleep. Once he laid in bed for almost an hour and just played and 'coo'ed until he put himself back to sleep. He has has solids now for the last week and is doing very well. Nothing but rice cereal, pears, green beans, squash and avocado. This will be the menu until he turns 6 months in a few weeks.
Here is a picture of the boys and their cousin at the bounce house!

My sister and youngest niece Kenna decided to come out for a visit for my birthday. Kenna is a year older than B. They had a great time playing together. I think Kenna was very glad she has 3 sisters instead of 3 brothers.

The TIE

My precious B and his Sunday attire. He was so proud. Several people told me they made his day, when they saw him.

I did put the kabosh on his black spiderman snow boots. That was just too much for me to handle.

Birthday

I had a pretty low key birthday yesterday. At this point, low key and uneventful is always nice. We went out for Chinese food. Because the boys had so many chinese donuts and ice cream, we did not do birthday cake when we got home. Tonight the boys decorated the cake and we all dug in.
At the chinese restaurant, several times I walked across the restaurant to the buffet line with B. Both times I was amazed that I could hear J. When you are at the table with him you don't realize how loud he is but boy, his voice sure does carry.
Today we went to a second hand store. While there B saw all the ties. He decided he wanted to buy a tie so he could look sharp on Sunday. (That is the big thing on Sundays...who will look the sharpest.) Well, he really like this one clip on tie. I wanted to encourage him but I told him he did not have a shirt in his closet that would match it. He told me he did and I would see how sharp he looked on Sunday. I am a little nervous because of the tie. I gave him several opportunities to pick out another one, but he always came back to the brown, cream and orangey striped one (something right out of the 70s - but those are in style now, right). So, do I let him totally mismatch on Sunday, but thinking he looks sharp or do I try to find something in the meantime that would sort of match the tie??
The boys also found pairs of boxing gloves and were running around the store pretending to fight each other. I don't know how many times J fell down on the floor, pretending to be knocked out. Then at one point they both walked over to the lingerie rack and proceeded to take just about every bra off the rack and hold it up and say "Mom, do you like this, this is your favorite color." I am so thankful there was no one within ear shot of that!
We hit the cosmetology school for haircuts ($7 can't beat that). Both of the boys for the first time had their hair shampooed in one of the chairs. I wished I had a camera for J. He was really tired so the expression was one of glassy eyes but wide with speculation as to what was going on. He also looked so funny laying back with all of his hair falling back into the sink. All I ever see are curls. Both boys survived and J's hair has lots more curls now that some of the length is off. His hair was 4.5 inches up top.
We hit the mall and the boys loved running in the empty parts. They always get a big kick out of going into the arcade. Amazing how much time they can spend 'playing' games that have no quarters in them. At one point a lady commented on 'three boys'. I kind of sighed as to how exhausting it can be and she immediately said 'what a blessing'. Made me realize yet again, how much I love my boys and although they really frustrate, almost daily, they truly are a huge blessing! No greater job has a human being been given than that of raising children. I have gotten in the habit at nighttime of 'blessing' each of the boys from a passage out of Numbers. "The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord cause His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord turn His face upon you and grant you His peace." It is neat to hear B remind me some nights if I forget.

JR has been shuttling a lot of cars to and from the airport for work. Just about every night the boys and I load up the car to go get him or take him somewhere. They are often in their pajamas and I make them put on shoes, just in case. Recently we got back home and B could not get his shoes off. He had grabbed a pair of J's boots. I told him so after the fact and he said 'but the boots said they were for an 8 year old on the bottom.' That is when I explained to him shoe sizes.

One of the things we do these days is tell each other how much we love them. J's favorite right now is "I love you all the way up to Alaska".

B was eating a chip recently and part of it broke off. He said "Look Mom, it looks like Cousin Larry's state (Idaho)". I still remember the pancake piece he said looked like California.

I am embarrased to say that B tried, for the first time, an orange yesterday. Not that he has never been offered oranges. I guess when you grow up eating mandarin oranges out of a can, you (B) can't deviate. He thought it was okay but did not really care for the 'flesh' part. Thanks to my friend Beth (thanks BA) and her recent success/breakthrough with veggies with her kids, I have started giving them 2-3 veggies on their plate at least once a day. You know what, they often times have eaten them without too much complaining. I have even started eating some of them too! Really looking forward to spring and summer so we can have all the great fresh fruits too. (Hopefully things will survive in Florida).

JB is now big enough to sit up in the playroom swing comfortably. Recently, I grabbed a blanket, pillow and book and curled up in a corner while the boys played/swung. Sure was nice!

I have just looked at the calendar for the rest of January and it is OPEN. Other than school and AWANA, there is nothing on the calendar, at least not at this point. That means lots of pajama mornings, naps, playing games with the boys, reading and cleaning/sorting things.

A recent picture of J and JB. You can still see the faint black eye that J has. It actually is more noticable than it was when it first happened.

Quiet

A week has slipped away from me.
B has started back to school. Yesterday when I picked him up from AWANA one of the leaders came over and talked with me. She asked me if he had a photographic memory. I kind of laughed and said he has a great memory. She told me, as I knew, that he is just about done with all of his verses for the year. She has noticed how he has been helping the other kids when they get stuck on their verses. So, between now and May, he will be reviewing everything and will probably become a leader's little helper. Just makes me smile and laugh to think about what does not escape that mind.
J got a shiner over the weekend (tried to take a pic of it but it did not really turn out). He accidentally got hit with a bat. He is so in to how old people are. His saying right now is "When I turn 5 I will be 6". I know makes no sense, but it cracks him up.
JB is 5 months today. Still no solids. He has had a couple of rough nights, not real sure why he is waking up 1-2 times. I try letting him cry it out, but that kid has a stubborn streak (where does that come from).
Other than getting out to take B to and from school and the few necessary errands, we are staying close to home. Not a lot of real cold weather or snow, but just the middle of winter. At least the days are getting longer now!

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.