Our Christmas tree outing

We set off Thanksgiving weekend for our annual Christmas tree hunt. We have found a forest service road that has a ravine about 1-2 miles in that has lots of trees within 100 yards of the road. So, the last 4 years we have harvested our tree from that area. We know the road and the area well. We were excited because this year my mom was here and was going to experience her first 'cutting down a Christmas tree' experience.

Because we got rid of our 4 door 4WD, most of us piled in the van and drove to the forest service road. There we met JR and we all piled into his 2 door 4WD Toyota pickup. The three boys in the small area behind the seat,


Granny in the front with JR and I climbed into the bed of the truck with all the snow. Away we went. As we approached our turn out where we park, we realized the road had not been fully plowed and there was a lot of snow on the shoulder of the road. There were some people coming up behind us, so in haste to get out of the way, we pulled off on the left side of the road so they could pass. Well, here was the result......

So, JR stayed behind and fought with the chains and the truck while we played in the snow (see us in the background of the above picture-the clump of trees in the upper right is where our tree came from). We brought a sled for JB, who loved it. Poor guy, it was the first time he had a snowsuit on and he could not move much.



B found a great tree and I retrieved the saw, cut it down and drug it out.

Yes, by the time we finished playing and I got the tree down to the road, JR had gotten the truck out, but only after an hour and 15 minutes of digging, cutting down branches for traction, digging, inching forward and backward, more digging, taking the chains on and off, digging and praying. For some reason we did not have the shovel in the truck (digging by hand) and JR had not worn snow pants. Needless to say he was soaked so he headed back to the house with JB, while we took the other two sledding.



J's hat kept sliding down over his eyes but it did not stop his smile

Caught B's wipeout on film

Consoling him before we decided the day had had enough adventure and energy spent. We needed to head home before someone got hurt.


(for some reason having problems now downloading, so will post the rest of the day and pictures hopefully tomorrow.)

Thankful

Thankful for a God who knows me better than I know myself.
Thankful for a God who knows my every thought and still loves me.
Thankful for a God who always has my best at hand, even though from my viewpoint it does not appear 'best'.
Thankful for a God who is a refuge and hiding place in the storms of life.
Thankful for a God who is big enough to handle my questions, fears, anger, doubt.
Thankful for a God who is slow to anger.
Thankful for a God who always offers His forgiveness.
Thankful for a God who will never leave me or forsake me.
Thankful for a God who knows my every need before it is spoken.
Thankful for a God who promises me eternal life.
Thankful for a God who created the universe yet is concerned with little ol' me.
Thankful for a God who loves me without conditions.

Ketchup, zippers and poppy seed

Winter is here. I was out this morning and it was 11 degrees, blowing snow and about 3 inches on the ground! This afternoon took the boys to Mickey D's to run and play. I think they did more screaming and laughing than anything!
Jbird is so proud of himself. He can now zip his jacket by himself!
Went up to B's class on Friday. I just love hanging out with them. I love being called B's mom. Some of them were horsing around on the playground before lunch, when they were suppose to be lined up and quiet. I had made a comment that the first part of the line should go on inside to lunch and the other half of the line should have to stand out in the cold for a little longer. The aides overheard me and thought that was a great idea. They asked me who it was that was not in line. I told them from B and backwards. B was not too happy with me but I told him his mom 'ratted' him out.
A few days ago we headed to Burger King, JR's restaurant of choice. For the first time, we let JB dip french fries and nuggets in ketchup. He thought that was very good. The next day I gave him some chicken with some ranch in the side of the bowl. Before I knew it, he had dumped all the chicken out and was licking the ranch out of the bowl. For most of this week, he has had some diarrhea on and off. I thought it was getting better. Oh no. While he was eating in his chair today, he had a blow out..... all the way down his pant leg and onto the floor. What was really bad, he had 2 poppy seed muffins for breakfast. It was gross - the pick him up by the armpits and carry him at arm length straight to the shower gross.
JR attempted to start on the elk today....did not go according to plan. Thankful for the meat that will soon be in the freezer (or if the weather keeps up, can store it in the back yard) but ready to get rid of the yuck smell in the garage. It will probably take the better part of 2 days to process it. My mom just might get in on some of the action, as she arrives on Tuesday.
Been trying all week to get some video downloaded but maybe a project for Monday. Off to lay down with the boys and then take a bath and read a book.

The elk

JR camped out last night and then got up early to hunt. I don't know much of the details, but he got a bull elk and a doe. He was about 2 miles back and it took a long time to cut it up. He did not get the elk very far, so ended up calling some friends who came and helped him with the quarters and JR gave them the doe!

Christmas photo

I am so wanting to use this as our christmas photo, but will just post it here for all to enjoy! He did calm down and we got a good one later on!

school

Yesterday I went into the classroom. B's teacher has volunteers lined up every other week to come in and help with 'stuff'. Usually time consuming projects the teacher has to get ready for the kids to do. I have never really had a teacher as a good friend, so I don't know the time that goes in to preparations, decorating room, changing out seasonal stuff, etc. Every day after lunch the class sings a song about loose, wiggly, lost teeth. Any student that has lost a tooth has the opportunity to tell the class about it and then they get a gold chocolate coin. B is one of two who has not lost a tooth yet. I also heard, while I was in the classroom a few girls walking around the room singing the "k-i-s-s-i-n-g" song. I sort of smiled, as I thought back to those days. Then I heard the teacher tell them that that is teasing and is not allowed in the school. Sad, how things have changed.
JB has been waking up before the others lately. When he wakes up and does not hear any other noises, he just lays in bed and laughs and babbles. Not sure what he is laughing at but love hearing him. However, when he hears any sounds of someone up, you can hear him scramble to his feet and start whining for someone to get him out. Have noticed some eczema type spots on his back. Jbrid gets these when he eats dairy and eggs, so not sure if we have a third boy allergic to dairy (milder allergies, but none the less).

B has started taking spelling tests at school. So interesting to be on this side of it and see how the fundamentals are taught. He has always spelled the words right but always gotten docked for how he wrote his letters. This week he only made 2 mistakes and that was mixing up a b and d. He was so excited when he showed me he spelling test. He gave me a huge hug. Makes all the practicing at home worth it. He is getting fluent at reading. He still tends to do much better when he is reading word lists, versus words in a book. He still tries to look at pictures and guess the words. He has also been eating a lot these days. Sometimes I look at him and try to determine where he put all that food - just an indication of what is to come. We are also working on counting money. I did not realize what a chore that would be. For a kid with amazing memory, he has a hard time remembering what is worth 5 cents, 10 cents, etc.

Jbird is growing too. I have already pulled out his 4 year old pants. (He will be four in March). One pair of pants is cargo type. They make him look so grown up, knowing his legs are long enough for pockets on the side of pants. Last night a friend of ours was having a CD Release Party (she just made a CD of Amy Carmicheal poems). She gave a mini concert and the boys had never been to a concert before. Jbird sat there with his ears covered saying how loud the music was, yet he fell asleep in my arms. Afterward they had cookies and I could not even get him to wake up for that. I found out he is getting too heavy for me to carry great distances.

Off to run a few errands and try to get the 'christmas' photo.

Miscellaneous

B's joke for this week, which he tells every day is "why did the bird fly south?"....because it was too far to walk. Two tough questions he has asked recently are "is Santa real?" and "how do you grow hair on your chest?". I understand the Santa comment with the holidays here, but the chest hair.....



JB is starting to initiate walking. If you ask him to stand up and walk, he proudly shows off his 6 or 7 steps before crashing to the floor in squeals. He had speech today and she could not get him to communicate with his hands but he did make a lot of vowel sounds, but not really any consonants. He sure is babbling a lot at home.



Jbird and I have gotten lots of couch time the last couple of days. He likes to watch PBS and I sit with him for a few minutes, holding him and playing with his hair. It always works---he goes to sleep and then I just sit and hold him. That is one thing I like about the winter. When the weather is warm and sunny, I feel bad being inside but when it is cold out, just bundle up under the covers and hang out. His friend Johnny is over right now. I just love to hear them talk amongst themselves. Recently John asked Jbird if Jbird dreamed about him. They are both into the 'you cheated' stage. Johnny was trying to convince Jbird that he was strong. Jbird would have nothing of it...telling him he was not strong enough to lift a heavy box. Johnny said 'yes, I am....see' to which Jbird turned around and said 'i am not looking'

The laundry is done for the day and I have actually emptied the ironing basket. Off to do a few more projects while JB is napping!!!!



Friday I am headed into B's classroom, always look forward for opportunities to get to know more of the kids.

Snowfall

As you can tell from the pictures...the snow is here. Why is it dark in the photos? Because it was 6:30 in the morning! I sure hope they will be this gung-ho when they are preteens to get out and shovel. B actually wanted to go outside at 5:45 but I told him it was too early to get out of bed. At what age do they start wanting to stay in bed and not insisting that the whole family gets up when they do??

Yes, seems like daylight savings time has confused their little bodies. They are going to be just fine, but waking up an hour early. I sure hope it stops soon!

One of Jbird's favorite things to say these past few days...he was walk up close behind me and say "so, mamma, how are YOU today". So precious. We have also been working on being a servant around the house. The most favorite way to serve our siblings....bring them their toothbrush with toothpaste on it. Whatever it takes!

B got a 'dog tag' yesterday at school for perfect attendance this quarter. He was so excited. He saw me across the school yard and came running to me saying guess what I got today. Oh the little things that so excite him.

Snow is coming

We are in the 60s - AGAIN. However ***sigh***, it appears it will all come to an end tonight. Snow is forecasted for tomorrow and into the week. It is hard knowing this is the last day above 40 we will probably have in the next 4-5 months. One person that is excited, is little Jbird. He wants to build a snowman. I am ashamed to say that I have never been a 'let's bundle up and go outside' kind of mom. So, my kids have never built a snowman. However, I vow to make that different this winter. We will build snowmen, snowangels and I plan on even initiating sledding. Now that the boys are getting older and don't require carrying them up the hill (JB is the exception)!

JB is taking more steps but still prefers to crawl. He needs to hurry up though....almost all of his pants have holes in the knees. Yesterday I was doing some work upstairs and knew it was quite downstairs. However, I was hopefully. I should not have been. When I got down there, JB was standing on the step stool, with a pile of honey and pecans on the counter. Needless to say, he was enjoying his sweet dessert. He now has his first psuedo word. He says "pa" for up.

It is amazing what entertains the boys. They found some kid magazines and decided they needed to cut out pictures and decorate the doors in the house. A few magazines, scissors, step stool and tape kept them busy for an hour. I took the following picture. I tried to get them to smile but Jbird informed me that he was not going to turn around because he needed to focus.


The days have been so nice this week we have spent time outside riding bikes and playing tennis, basketball, football and soccer. Whenever Jbird wants to go outside, he will say 'it is such a gorgeous day, we need to be outside....'

I have managed to keep my laundry room clean for a week. No clean clothes laying around but everything put up. It is probably anal, but I think I have come up with a system that works for me. I wash pants, underwear and pajamas on Monday and I wash shirts, socks, towels, etc on Thursday. I load up the washing machine the night before and put it on delay start so that it starts early in the morning. The first load is ready for the dryer about the time I wake up and then I switch it out and start the second load. Most mornings, all the clothes are clean by the 9am. I find I am more motivated to fold the laundry right away when I am folding like articles of clothing. And I don't have to think throughout the week 'I need to do laundry'. It is working for me.

JR went out hunting yesterday and did not see anything. I think most hunters are waiting for the snow to fly to bring the animals down. Less than 3 weeks left of the regular season!

Off to enjoy our last warm weather until probably mid April or early May.

Teacher Conference

(I know the grandparents like updates, so will try to post more often - but might be nothing but the mundane...)
I put hard sole shoes on JB for the first time and he did not like it. He very seldom has on shoes and when he does they are soft soled. He just takes socks and shoes off. With the colder weather and snow coming, trying to get him used to it, but quite the battle.

Jbird has been exhausted of late. Actually all three boys were out by 7:00 tonight.

Had B's teacher conference today. I found myself more than once laughing at what the teacher said, cause it is so B. They have all the kids in first grade divided up into 3 different math and reading levels and then each teacher is assigned a different level (so their homeroom teacher might not be their math or reading teacher). B is at the low end of the first level in reading and at the high end of the second level in math. Seems that he puzzled the teachers initially in reading. He often guesses at words, instead of trying to sound them out. Your first thought is that he cannot read but he does fairly well. With familiar words he is a great reader but with unfamiliar words, you never know what you are going to get. They had the hardest time finding an appropriate reading group for him. I asked her if she felt like he was going to be one of those students that knew the material but did not test well and she said possibly, something to watch for. One of the comments that she added on the report card was that 'B is a fun, enthusiastic learner and adds much to the discussion but needs reminders to talk less and work more. He also struggles with other children who aren't following directions and becoming very concerned for them and making his concerns known.' Just cracks me up. So when I got home I told him what she had said about his volume in the classroom and needing to be concerned for just himself. A few minutes later he felt the need to tell me something about J and I reminded him that we are working on being concerned with just himself. He made it very clear that he was only working on that at school but that at home he could worry about others.
Oh, I am so excited to see what path God has for this guy! He has such a strong personality and an enthusiasm that is contagious!

Candy Galore

It is November 3 and I am comfortably wearing shorts!! The best fall anyone around here can remember!

We always end up with so much candy. I think I have finally gotten smart this year and figured out how to handle it so it does not cause huge issues in our house. Because of B's recent 'choking' on hard candy, I pull out all hard candy and then other candy that would not melt (suckers, nerds, etc) and put them aside to put in our Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes! This way kids who never have candy can have some of ours and I don't have to buy candy. (I also told someone recently that I have never bought candy for Halloween. We get very few trick or treaters and if some come after we get home, I give them some of my boys candy - I am learning to be frugal!


I always use to hear 'can I have candy'. So I decided this year they get 3 pieces of candy (I figure three of the small pieces is still smaller than what they would get in a regular size candy bar/package). Every morning, once their beds are made, pajamas put away, they are dressed for the day and brush their teeth, then they can pick out their 3 pieces of candy for the day. They can eat it whenever they like, but fortunately, they are learning to space it out and save one for morning, afternoon and after dinner. This works out great because I don't hound them about getting dressed and they are learning to ration their candy and not eat all at once.


Was outside with J today. I was on the ground holding the football and was amazed that he can actually kick it with some distance. His coordination and balance has always amazed me. He is convinced there are touchdowns in baseball and that in football you say 'ready, set, go' instead of 'down, set, hut'. No arguing with that guy!

Speech went well today. She is focusing on playing with JB and finding out what sounds he does make. She worked with him some on 'more' and how it is used. She did notice, which I had never noticed, that he does put his hands to his chest when he is trying to say/indicate 'me'. So we are really praising whenever he uses any sound or gesture that is close to what it should be.

Halloween

Saturday we went to a local high school football game - one of the small rural towns is in the playoffs. The boys enjoyed it. They did not know what to think about all the screaming people and the cheer leaders. JB enjoyed the band. JB sat very quietly in my lap, while the boys stood by the fence (we were on the first row of the bleachers). Half time I put JB down to let him move a bit and it was all over. He knew then that he did not have to sit, so corraling him the rest of the game was hard. At one point, he crawled over to the chain link fence and soon found himself a few inches off the ground. He had figured out climbing up and had a very firm grip. I would have loved to have seen how high he would have gone, but did not want to alarm any of the other parents, who had already called B off the fence.

Sunday we went to B's last soccer game. The team we played Sunday was the team we played at the beginning of the season. We got creamed that first game. Their coach is very competitive and pushes his boys, too much so in my opinion. So, was quite surprised to see us score first. Twice during that first quarter the other team flat out blew it on what should have been hands down easy, run away goals. I could not believe how frustrated the other coach got. I was so hoping, and should not have been, not that we were going to win, but the other team would lose. We ended the first quarter up 1-0. Then in the second quarter, the other team scored 5 times in 8 minutes. I have no idea what the end score was, but it was pretty one sided. At the end of the game, our coach gave the boys medals. As he put B's medal around his neck, he told B he was an animal out there and played really well, if he could just learn to kick the ball in the right direction. We all laughed. I could not believe how aggressive he was, charging the ball the whole 8 minute quarter. He was one kick away from making a goal.

We then headed to the mall to trick or treat. Total chaos. One store was out of candy so they were giving away perfume samples. When we got back to the car, J decided to spray his perfume all over the car. We then headed to a church fall festival and then hit a local neighborhood for some door to door. I did not even get a picture, but B was Spiderman, J was Jedi and JB was a dog. Time to hit the stores this week for deeply discounted costumes for the dress up box.

JR got two does while hunting Saturday. He was on private land and got them fairly quickly because he was home by noon and the ranch was over an hour away. He said that at one point he started to take a shot and for some reason did not. As he got closer, he realized there had been a hunter hiding in the trees in the exact area he was eyeing some deer. God watched out for him.

Yesterday I ran into a casual acquaintance. I had seen her 2 weeks ago and we exchanged phone numbers but I had forgotten to call her the next week. Anyway, she asked me if I did bible studies and I told her yes. Then she said that maybe we could do one together. An open invitation! (thinking about Marquis' mom and this gal together....)

JB starts speech tomorrow and I have B's teacher's conference on Thurs. Will be interesting!

Speech Therapy here we come - again

Took JB in for an evaluation with a speech therapist - the same one who worked with Jbird. Jbird started at 18 months and JB is almost 15 months, but the speech therapist said that there is a bigger gap between when JB understands and what he can communicate than Jbird. She witnessed several of his screaming fits over frustration. So, next week he starts for 45 minutes once a week. She is really good with the kids and I anticipate that JB will make fast progress.

Our last soccer game this weekend. So glad since it is getting colder! Also ready to finally put the soccer balls, shoes, etc up and out of the garage. I finally got the laundry room reorganized and was able to move all of the boys' clothes in there. No more hauling clothes back and forth, I can conveniently put them away as I fold them. JR is getting out this weekend and hunting. Still has not seen anything but this weekend should be some rain/snow and hopefully that will drive the animals further down the mountain.

At the grocery store with 2 younger boys yesterday. And I saw it coming. I noticed a college student with a patch over his eye. Jbird commented that he had the pirate thing on. I tried to dismiss it and then as the guy walked back by us, Jbird again pointed it out. The guy just kind of smiled and I mentioned that it looked like he had an owie. I thought for a split second I could compliment him on his 'costume' but decided not to. I am fortunate in that they have never said anything too embarrasing in public, except B and Jbird now, have commented on eye patches.

Helped out in B's classroom today and was there for the halloween party. B insisted on wearing his spiderman costume, that he wore 2 years ago. Just cracked me up how small that thing was but he managed to keep it on.

B has been wanting to invite a classmate to AWANA. I have drug my feet about calling his mom for weeks. I don't know them and I always had an excuse for not calling. This past week I finally made the call. She was so excited. Her son Marquis was even more excited. I guess he has been asking lots of questions lately and his mom is not at a place where she is ready to go back to church. Talking with her further, she is a newly single parent, has her 6 year old, gave up a daughter 4 years ago for adoption and has a 3 year old son that was just diagnosed as autistic. She is going back to school and does not have any family or friends locally. Marquis had a blast at AWANA and wants to keep going. He is also going to church with us this Sunday. Just a simple reminder from God about never saying no for someone else. What might appear intimidating, could just be God working in someone's life, even a 6 year old!

PIctures

The boys and I headed off on the city bus recently. Rode it to the college campus to feed the ducks and walk the camput. Hit the local museum where the boys enjoyed the kids area...lots of pretend play. We were gone all day and I was worn out! Check out the photos.
B in some of the dress up clothes at the museum.
Jbird hauling in all of the fish they caught to cook it inside the tent.

This one cracks me up and he even looked through them the right way - instead of turning them backwards.


Here are a few pictures from our recent BMX track outing.




Bought a training wheel bike for Jbird this past week. We were at Target and it was a few dollars less than Wal-mart so I bought it. It was in a box and it said only 15 minutes to assemble. That should have been my tip-off but it wasn't. It took me 45 minutes and then JR still had to do one thing with the bike before it was ridable.

We went to another store and was met by a friendly sales associate. She was talking with the boys and asked if the boys were shopping with mom or grandma today. Our eyes locked and I bet I looked at her for a good 10 seconds. The boys said mom and then she kind of laughed and said 'you just don't know these days....I became a grandma at 34'. I told her I knew of several that had become grandmas at 34'..... but (you always err on the side of caution. Better to give a compliment than an insult).

Later that evening, we were in the car. I had given B some hard butterscotch candy because he had been coughing. He was eating one in the car and he started making weird noises. I looked back and he was grabbing his throat and saying he was choking. (I was not too concerned because if you are making noise, you are not all out choking). So I pulled into a nearby gas statoin parking lot. He was very scared. He was crying, telling me to call the police and ambulance, saying he did not want to die, etc. I tried reassuring him to no avail. He then started spitting/throwing up. Like a good mom, I cupped my hands, thinking I was going to catch it! Not sure why I thought that would work, but could not think of anything else since we were in the car. After he continued on and on crying and screaming to call 911, I told him I wondered if it was stuck in his throat. I went into the gas station where we were parked and bought cheetos. He was able to eat them just fine. We continued on down the road. A few minutes later he was gagging again. I pulled over quickly and opened the back door. As I hurriedly hopped into the car, I hit my head on the doorframe. I had my glasses on top of my head and it hurt, real bad. I screamed out loud and started crying. B sees me on the floor and starts screaming and crying "mom are you okay, mom...". I assured him I was fine but just needed a moment. Things eventually settled down but I sure don't want anyone eating hard candy again for a while. 5 days later I still have a knot on my head.

B's knee and hip issues have disappeared. I have not asked about them and have not seen any limping, except right after riding his bike. This morning B wanted me to read a Clifford book. He picked it up and surprised himself that he was able to read most of the words. He was very excited. Had another soccer game. They lost but B did great again. Still getting so excited that he is kicking the wrong way at times, but he is in the game and charging the ball. One more game to go. Will be nice to be done as the cold weather is moving in.

Jbird is convinced he is ready to cut his curls. Makes me sad just thinking about it. My fear is that he will find scissors sometime soon and do it himself. I will have to keep going in there when he is asleep to try to get the tangles out of the back - otherwise can't get him to sit still.

No more steps out of JB. He does have what I think are 4 molars. Seems early, I thought they came at 2 years.

Another quiet week in store for us.

moving on up

B had a great soccer game on Sunday. He was finally in his grove and focused on getting the ball. He still kicked it the wrong way several times but he was charging the ball and not just standing back, watching and encouraging his teammates on. The next morning I even told him again how well he did and as we prayed on our way to school, thanked God for his abilities. (It amazes me how I can often get things across better if I do it in prayer...their little ears perk up when they hear me talk to God about them.)
JB took his first unassisted steps on Sunday. 3 of them. He has also perfected the little pouty look. He can be having a great time, you tell him no and he turns and stares at you. His lips turn into a frown and quiver, his eyes get all watery and then the tears come. He has started throwing himself back and as long as you stand there, he pours it on. As soon as you walk away, he gets over it. Still no words but does a decent job communicating. When thirsty he will go to the cup drawer and find his lid and cup and drag it all over the house to find you.
Jbird still just has lots of volume....does not seem to be a low switch. He is pretty consistent about coming into our room in the middle of the night. Most nights he is staying dry and still proudly announces when he needs to go to the bathroom.
I have been moving furniture around. Furniture gathers stuff, so trying to move it into closets. Keeping the sight zones clear does wonders for me. I am only in closets once or twice a day and then I can close the door. As long as they are organized, I don't care how high things are stacked!
JR has not done any hunting...still pretty warm. The last few weeks have been bow season and Saturday starts rifle, so I expect him to get out more. He is gearing up for a very busy winter season, not only his 'normal' job but the shuttles/taxis he drives to and from airport for his company. This is our winter to really focus and tighten things down and shoot for the 6-8 months worth of living expenses in savings. Will see how we do come spring 2011.
Off to the school for the annual spaghetti feed.

The gorgeous fall weather continues. Enjoying the quiet days! I have completed one book and 1/4 of another. The book I finished was the Yada Yada Prayer Group by Neta Jackson. A really good, fun, no brainer read that I found motivating. The book I am in the middle of right now is Dying Declaration, by Christian attorney Randy Singer. He is likened to John Grisham. He writes novels that are based on ethical issues. The one I am currently reading is about a boy that dies because his parents refuse to get him medical attention due to their religious beliefs. I am finding I carry it with me everywhere. Amazing how many times throughout my day I have down time to read.
Not much on the schedule for the weekend except a soccer game.
JR has not been out hunting except twice, weather is still just too warm.
Pooh Bear (the bunny) is still around. There was a cat in our backyard today. Jbird said it was chasing the rabbit but when I went out there to shoo it away, the two of them were both in the grass just hanging out. There is a bb gun by the back door that could be used as a deterrent if needed.
I saw these photos recently and appears that JR was playing around with his camera with JB recently.....

Fall days

Other than a soccer game, BMX trip and church, a very quiet weekend. Beautiful fall weather we are having. Today's soccer game was the first one where clouds were over cast and cool. The boys sure played well. I think 6 of the 8 boys on the team made goals - yes plural. I was proud of B - he finally got in there and played soccer - some. He is just so social. He would be put on defense with one of the best players and B would end up distracting him and the ball would go right past both of them. At least four times B got in there and got control and probably 3 of those times ended up in the wrong direction. Fortunately his teammates are quicker than he and got the ball turned around. But he got in there and ran with the ball. I don't know when I have laughed so much as I just stood there shaking my head. He was having fun!

On a trip to Wal-mart we loaded up the bikes and stopped at the BMX track. The boys loved it. B is starting to get more comfortable going over all the hills. Still my cautious boy. Jbird on the other hand...look out. His bike got left in South Dakota on his recent trip with JR, so he had his scooter. He was scaring me some of the hills he would tackle. He was so proud of himself when he would wipe out and then stand up talking about how glad he was to have on his knee pads. We happened to get to the track just before the racing started. Was fun to watch the older guys raced. We watched a 4 year old 'race' and I thought to myself, that will be Jbird next summer. As soon as those training wheels come off, we will have to invest in one of the racing helmets because he will take off and not look back.

Soccer practice has dropped from twice a week to once a week, so should make for a slower week. Other than bible study and helping out in B's classroom, the week should be quiet. I went to the library yesterday and asked the librarian for some good reads. After explaining what I was looking for, she lead me to several different authors. Checked out 4 books, one by each of the authors, so plan on kicking my heels up some this week and reading. Not to mention with the cooler weather, more relaxing reading time in the bathtub!

Pumpkin Patch

This past weekend the boys and I went to the local Pumpkin Patch. It is an annual treck. The boys love playing on the hay bales, petting the goats and sheep, swinging under the awesome shade tree and riding out to get pumpkins. I had more than one parent comment on how brave JB was. He kept pushing his way into the corral and climbing on anything. Tried my very best to get a decent picture of all 3 but figure those days are over for now.

This was the first year the tractor driver asked for kids to help him drive. Here is a shot of Jbird taking a turn. (B also got to drive but I was not in a position to take a picture).

Here is a recent (random) picture I took when we went camping a few weeks ago. It was cold in the morning so we gathered in the van for our usual camping breakfast of white powdered donuts. (If you don't see it, JB is a spittin' image of his momma at that age...)


B has now seen the chiropractor twice with his hip situation and the doc thinks that it is possibly a combination of stresses MCL in his knee (not his hip) and some growing that is going on. He has been working on several areas and the limp is getting better. We are going to give it until the end of the month.

Jbird is learning how to spell now and quite proud of himself. Other than his name, his new word is N-O. So, I hear N-O a lot these days...some times it makes me smile and other times it doesn't.

JB is really close to taking off by himself. He is picking up balls while standing and when he is put down, he wants to land on his feet, instead of a seated position.

Today Jbird, JB and I took the broom and dustpan up to B's school. While we waited for the bell to ring, we swept up leaves into a pile. There were a lot of leaves. The little kids had fun playing. I did not anticipate all the older kids that came over as they got out of school. We had lots of kids playing, rolling around, burying themselves and throwing them in the air. Of course I took the opportunity to play with them!

A long rambling post!

Had a great time at our Ladies Retreat. Went through a book called Discover the Life by Neal and Judy Brower(don't even know if it is available in bookstores). The whole premise of the book is to refocus us on God and not ourselves. Some of the prayer practices were giving God glory with statements that recognize who He is (God, You are complete, everyone else is needy**God, You are unchanging in nature, yet unpredictable in what You do**God You can't be threatened, overwhelmed, thwarted, intimidated, manipulated, predicted, controlled, or overcome by anyone or anything**God, You are self sufficient, You need nothing from anyone to be complete**God, You are in control, You always get what You choose). We can also give God honor by choosing Him over everything else (You are God and can do whatever you want to with my life**No matter what happens I'll be okay because I have YOU and You are enough**I don't have ot be happy now, this isn't my life. My real life is in heaven). A third practice was giving God thanks by celebrating all that He means to our hearts (Thanks that I don't have to perform for You because Jesus made me good**There is nothing I can do to make You love me more**There is nothing I can do to make You love me less).
Just a great weekend away and hanging out with other women! All the boys survived without me, which I knew they would.

Monday morning about 5am B woke up crying and said he could not walk - seems his hip was hurting. He fell back asleep in our bed and even when he was sleeping I would go to move his leg and he would flinch. We proceeded with our morning, hoping that getting into our 'let's go to school' mode would help. Not much. So, ran him down to the Urgent Care for an x-ray (could not imagine what was wrong). Nothing showed up. The doctor did not have much to say except that if it was still hurting in a week, to call an orthopedist. I decided trying to take him to school (he has lots of stairs to climb). The pain became less and less but there was still a very noticable limp/catch in his walk 2 days later. During our weekly chiropractic appointment Tuesday, B got checked out again. I was telling the chiropractor about what the other Dr said. He was not totally on board with some of the stuff. He asked about the x-ray and I told him it was taken lying down and he said something about a lying down x-ray is not the best because it won't show any bi-lateral movement issues so they should have been taken standing up. (Just always interesting to hear different opinions in the medical community.) I do think our chiropractor is more in touch with the situation and if it does not alleviate itself by the end of the week, will probably get one more x-ray standing up. The slightly ackward gait is still there but it does not seem to hurt much. When he runs, his stride appears normal, which the chiropractor said that it is a slightly different movement. He also said that sometimes growing pains can be very painful and wonders if that is what it was. Supposedly kids have a very strong sense of altering behavior when something hurts so maybe that is why he still (consistently) limps.
The chiropractor has been working with me because my hands tend to fall asleep when I am sleeping. We started talking about sleeping positions and he told me that a lot of carpal tunnel is caused from sleeping on your stomach. He also told me that over time you can hurt your rotator cuff from sleeping on your side (that is why it is recommended to alternate which side you sleep on). I did a little bit of research and appears that there is some truth in it all. Amazing how God created the body and put it all together.

It is fun listening to B read. I can see improvements weekly. It use to take him 15minutes to read something that should only take 2 minutes, but as he gains more confidence, he is more eager to read. His reading teacher, who is not his homeroom teacher, seems like a great teacher. This past Tuesday B brought home a note about Chile-dog. Seems they have a dog every Tuesday that comes into the classroom so the kids can read to him and B loves it. I am going to be in the classroom every other Friday for a few hours. Will line up play dates for Jbird and throw JB into the backpack.

JB's newest tricks....opening up the toilet lid and throwing things inside - he gets so excited. He is also tall enough to see in to the kitchen trash can so he loves seeing what food he can find - gross! He has started chewing on his tongue, so half the time he looks like he has a huge wad of dip in his mouth. He is voluntarily walking more on his own and can now stand unassisted for 10-15 seconds.

Jbird is really enjoying Awana and hanging out with his friend John. When you ask him his verse for the day, it is always...and everything He made was very good. I don't think he grasps the concept yet of changing verses. At least that one is ingrained in his head. Whenever he asks me a question and I give him a 'I don't know' or 'I am not sure' or 'we will see' answer, he always comes back with 'mom, I just need to know, say yes or no".

JR brought home another rabbit. B calls it Fluffy and Jbird insists the perfect name is Pooh Bear. This one is darker and more social. I was watching it today and it sure was scoping out the fence, probably looking for another get away. He just does not get it how good he has it here, food and safety from all kinds of predators. I guess that is how it is with our lives and God sometimes. The grass seems greener on the other side, but oh, so not true.

Another quiet weekend in store. JR has a few side jobs and then will do some hunting. The weather has been so warm lately, hard to hunt. Seems like the meat will spoil within hours, definately before you could drag it out. We have been having record highs in the high 80s, low 90s. Can't complain though, the snow is coming!

Camping

We had a great time camping. It rained on Friday just as we finished dinner so we all gathered in our friend's camper for hot chocolate and games. They have 3 girls relatively close in age to our 3 boys, so the kiddos had a great time. Saturday morning while the guys were out hunting (got within 60 yards of a bull elk but never got a good shot) we stayed around the fire and then explored a local Baptist Camp that was empty. All the kids piled in/on the four wheeler/trailer and went for a drive Saturday afternoon. We decided to come back Saturday evening after dinner. JR recently informed me that our 'family' tent was no longer waterproof and leaked, so we opted for a smaller tent. I did not know how well we would all sleep in the tent so I volunteered to sleep in the van with JB. If anyone is interested, sleeping in a tent is a lot warmer. I woke up at one point and turned the heater on for a while. When we woke up in the morning it was 44 degrees. Sure made me wish we had done more camping, but next summer JB will be fully mobile which will make it easier.

I have started pulling out the winter clothes. I've noticed that a lot of B's clothes that I hang up fall off of the little hangers. It is just about time to start using the adult hangers. He seems to have gotten taller over the last couple of months. He is anxiously awaiting the loss of his first tooth. Seems like all his other friends have already lost one. He had another soccer game Sunday. They won and did better staying with the ball. At one point B took a kick to the leg that put him on the ground. He got up with a few tears in his eyes and think he enjoyed everyone clapping for him.

Jbird has been exhausted lately. He actually fell asleep at 6pm tonight, as he did last night. That little boy just runs and runs. He has a best friend now. Little "Johnny" as Jbird calls him. They have play dates at least once a week and usually it is for the whole day. (That means that every other week, I have a whole day of just one kiddo!) They play really really well together and I am so excited to see them grow up being buds.

JB still thinks he can get around faster by crawling. He is starting to vocalize sounds more with some m's and d's but is fine having his brothers speak for him or me just pick him up when I get tired of the whining. He still has a few tufts of curls on the back of his head but the hair up top is very straight.

I am slowly getting back on top of the house. Amazing how quickly it seems to get away from me. The two things I find I don't stay on top of, matching/folding the socks once they are clean and vacuuming. Don't know why. I think it will take me getting rid of all the random pair of socks we own, buying B all white socks, Jbird all gray socks and JB yet another color. Then sorting them will be so much easier. We have a double kitchen sink. On the left side is where I do all my washing of dishes and it is also the disposal. On the right side is where I have the dish drainer. Other than rinsing out the right side of the sink once a week or so, we don't ever use it. Imagine my surprise when I went to rinse it out and something had sprouted down there. Upon further investigating, it is really nasty down there. I am afraid to try to take anything off and clean it for fear I might gag at what I find. Wonder if cleaners down the drain will work or if there is a bigger problem?

This weekend I am headed to a ladies retreat at our church. It will be great to get away and very excited for the nice weather we are suppose to have.

Soccer

JR and Jbird made it back from South Dakota. They had an awesome time and Jbird did great. He says he did not even miss mom. Here are a few photos (by the looks of the last photo, he had a great time eating and drinking too).




B had his first soccer game Sunday. It was chaos. Don't know the exact score but we lost probably 12-2. The other boys definitely had a year of soccer under their belt. B seems to enjoy the defensive positions better. Anytime the other team got the ball, regardless of how close he was to the ball, he would turn and run to block the goal.





We are camping this weekend with some friends - getting one last trip in before the snow starts flying.

JR does not make the blog often, so figured I would post a few pictures of his recent backpacking trip with my brother.





A little excitement on the way to school today. The car in front of us hit a boy on a bicycle. The kid totally was not paying attention and made a wide right turn (despite him having a stop sign) and hit the back end of the car. It was more of a deflected hit, but he hit the ground none the less. A great lesson for B and J and the dangers of riding and not paying attention.

Another week has flown by!
On Wednesday JR and Jbird (my most commonly used nickname for J these days)left for South Dakota. JR is in a wedding and we debated on whether we would all go. We asked B what he wanted to do and he decided to stay here and not miss any school. With B in school, JB and I have had some fun and I have gotten a lot done. I painted our bedroom (hopefully the bathroom will happen tomorrow), totally organized and rearranged things a bit, had a leisurely lunch with a friend today and planned out all the meals for the rest of the month. I keep hearing how it can save money and time, so giving it a try! I cooked/cut up all the meat and it is now in the freezer.

B's first soccer game is Sunday. He is really enjoying it. All parents have to volunteer one game to be either a line/side judge or referee. I know the bare basics about soccer, so assuming it can't be too difficult or the crowd too harsh! He also has his first den meeting next week. He continues to enjoy school and much to my surprise, makes a mad dash for me at the end of the day with open arms. His teacher seems really on top of it and she is a great communicator (with parents). His teacher last year did not like having contact with parents!

Jbird is having a blast with his dad and all the one on one time. I think it has been great for both of them. He is loving all the fun foods and drinks he gets on vacation and the running around. He slept in until almost 10 am this morning. The place they are staying is in the country with combines, tractors and lots of room to explore. They should be back on Sunday or Monday.

JB has some serious teething going on. He has been a little crabby lately and I understood once I felt the back of his gums. Very swollen and a molar coming in on both sides. He is officially weaned of the bottle. He is a pretty good problem solver, especially when it comes to him figuring out how to get something he wants. I love to watch him pick up hats and put them on his head. He is starting to use his hands more (sign language) when communicating. He can say the word boo and sounded like today he attempted mama.

The boys recently discovered they could give JB rides on their bikes and JB loved it.


This past weekend we met up with a friend in Billings for the day. The boys had a great time swimming at the hotel. B conquered the water slide and I would now consider him a full-fledged swimmer, Jbird loved the hot pool and JB just loved the water. (B is pushing JB)



Here was B's first day of school, that I am finally getting around to. He did not want to smile for the camera.