Pajama Friend

Worms Anyone?

Yesterday we made our monthly trip to Sams for a few essentials. As I was putting the 6 lb. container of hamburger meat onto the cart, Nathan asked me, "Mommy, why are we buying worms?". I think whatever I make with that meat has already lost it's appeal!

Little Ballerina(s)?

A Child MeMe

I was tagged to do this fun MeMe about not me, but my children. So here it goes!

Alex
Age: 4 years 11 months
Favorite Color: green
Favorite Foods: chocolate ice cream, fruit snacks, apples, carrots, waffles, pizza, chicken nuggets, any kind of bread, cotton candy, and just about anything chocolate.
Favorite Things to Do: draw and cut out, play superheroes, work puzzles, do any kind of arts and crafts, play outside, and watch cartoons.
Favorite Sports: Baseball
Favorite Toys: action figures, especially of the superhero type, transformers, legos, and blocks.
Favorite TV Show: "I like PowerRangers" (note from mom: he's never even seen them).

Favorite Movie: Toy Story
Favorite Books: Currently, anything about pirates.
Things to Remember: I am very creative and can draw and cut out just about anything I might want to play with, whether it's action heroes or my own superhero costume. I am very outgoing and try to make friends with everyone I meet. When I smile, my eyes sparkle and my whole face lights up. I am very bright and have always had the need to know how everything works. I am affectionate and love my family very much. My brother and I love to play together, even though we do fight. I also love my baby sister and give her lots of hugs.

Nathan
Age: 3 years 5 months
Favorite Color: red
Favorite Foods: fruit snacks, strawberries, oranges, drinkable yogurts, orange juice, Sprite, any kind of candy (except marshmallows), hot dogs, pizza, and just about anything you put in front of me.
Favorite Things to Do: play outside, pretend with Alex, ride cars with Amy, jump off the couch and coffee table, do tuck'n'rolls, and play basketball.
Favorite Sports: all of them, but mostly basketball
Favorite Toys: tools, balls, playfood, blocks and cars
Favorite TV Show: Caillou and Curious George
Favorite Movie: Curious George
Favorite Books: books about building things and Dora and Diego books
Things to Remember: I have more energy than I know what to do with and spend much of my day running and jumping. I love ladders and will climb one if it's there. I'm a big helper and especially like to get Shelby her food. I love to play with Alex and Amy. Alex and I pretend to be pirates, superheros, and whatever else we feel like. And Amy and I chase each other and make each other laugh. I can be very silly at times. I love to climb on Daddy and anything else Mommy lets me. I also love to cuddle and be held. I have yet to lose all my baby features, so I can still work people with my sweet smile and puppy dog eyes.

Amy
Age: 1 year 5-1/2 months
Favorite Color: pink and purple
Favorite Foods: pancakes, drinkable yogurts, cheese, grapes, strawberries, Gerber apples and ham/chicken, sweet potatoes, fruit snacks, and cheese pizza
Favorite Things to Do: play outside, ride my Little Mermaid car, listen to music, watch Hi-5, climb into my highchair, play with Shelby, and play with my brothers.
Favorite Sports: Anything involving a ball
Favorite Toys: Balls, Kitty, plastic cups, and whatever my brothers are playing with.
Favorite TV Show: Hi-5 and Caillou
Favorite Movie: Hi-5 Move Your Body
Favorite Books: I love to look at any book, but I still won't sit and be read to!
Things to Remember: I have such a funny personality and am so much fun to be around. I smile most of the time, and my big toothy grin is so cute! My vocabulary is incredible (at least, in the opinion of my parents :) ) ; I even say my please and thank-you's! But as precious as I am, I have a temper like no other, so don't get on my bad side! I love to talk to people, but I still like for them to keep their distance. I give lots of hugs and kisses and I light up when I see my brothers or my dog Shelby. Oh, and did I mention that I have my mommy and daddy wrapped tightly around my little finger?

Another Birthday...

Yesterday I celebrated being another year older. 29 great years.... Okay. That's my story and I'm sticking to it! Nah. I can admit - I am 32 and proud of it. And it was a good birthday, starting with all children - and mommy - waking in good moods and feeling pretty good, too.

We ate our breakfast, gathered library stuff, renewed online any books we wanted to keep, then headed for a quick trip to the library for fun new material, including season 1 of Murder She Wrote. We left the library to join my mom at Chick-fil-A for a wonderful lunch. Have I ever mentioned how much I love their chicken wraps? So good! The kids had a great time playing and weren't too happy when we had to leave, but sadly Alex still had school. So my mom went on her way and the kids and I rushed to Alex's school. We made it in plenty of time and I was even able to spend some time talking to his teacher about my plans to homeschool. She actually appears more supportive than I was previoulsy led to believe, which made me feel better.

After leaving Alex in his teachers' safe hands, Amy, Nathan and I made a quick stop at the grocery store. This was not an errand I had originally planned, but Nathan reminded me that he was out of orange juice and it would make him very happy if we would go buy him some more. So we did. And strawberries, and milk, and pretzels, etc. I can't ever to go the store and just buy what I went for!

We came home and I set to chores. I didn't have a lot I wanted to get done, but there were a few things that had become hard to live with since my being sick. Those things HAD to be dealt with. But I had a nice visit from my best friend, who brought me a loving gift and brightened my afternoon. Bill later brought me flowers home from work and he and the kids shared their sweet birthday present to me before we all went into the backyard to play and eat hot dogs. We later came in for my favorite dessert - ice cream. And if you haven't tried it, Dreyer's has a delicious light flavor I can't get enough of: French Silk. It is WONDERFUL!!!!

We later got the kids to bed, and then settled into our own comfy bed with mugs of hot decaf. coffee (sweetened with irish cream) and the pilot episode of Murder She Wrote. By 11pm, our show had ended and we'd each downed two cups of coffee. Our youngest was slumbering peacefully in her spot between us. It was the perfect ending to the perfect day!

Easter

I can't believe Easter has already come and gone. This Easter didn't go quite as we had planned (just another reminder that our plans aren't always Gods plans!). Friday night and Saturday morning Amy had over 100.5 fever, making the decision to take her to the annual family picnic on Saturday an easy one. Since I wasn't feeling well either, she and I stayed home while Bill and the boys went to the picnic. My Uncle had graciously offered to host the event at his home, which is located about 3 hours from us on a large piece of heavily wooded property, right alongside a lake. It was the perfect place for an Easter picnic! Of course, no one had counted on the winter-like temperatures, but they still managed to have the Easter egg hunt outside since no amount of cold was going to keep those kids inside! Thankfully, the predicted rain didn't arrive until everyone was leaving, so it all worked out beautifully. And Amy and I spent a relaxing day at home. We popped popcorn and watched Pollyanna together. Then later that night, we were greeted by two very excited little boys who were only too happy to share all about their fun-filled day!

My uncle's new log cabin he designed and finally finished building just in time for Easter!

Sunday morning the Easter Bunny had visited us and left baskets full of candy-filled plastic eggs and toys for the kids. The excitement compared only to Christmas morning as Alex and Nathan would squeal with delight at each item they pulled from their basket. Amy took a little longer to warm up to what was happening; but then again, it always takes her longer to wake up in the mornings. ;)

I was the only one to attend church that morning since Amy was still sick, so sadly I have no pictures of the kids in their new Easter attire. I suppose if I'd thought about it I would have dressed them up anyway and taken their picture, but I didn't. I'll just have to get a picture this Sunday when they finally do get to wear their new clothes. :)

After I got home we ate lunch then went to my parents for a relaxing afternoon at their house. The kids showed Granny and Paw-Paw the resurrection eggs. By this time, these fabulous eggs had already taught them enough for them to describe most of the Easter story by themselves. Later we let Alex and Nathan dye Easter eggs (notice how I waited until they could do it at someone else's house ;) ) . All were worn out by the time we got home that night and went happily to bed - especially me!

A Choice to Homeschool

I'm a little late on this posting thread, but I so enjoyed reading why so many of my blogger friends have made the choice to homeschool their children and I want to share some of my thoughts on the subject.

God put thoughts of homeschooling in my mind when Alex was still too young for preschool. I had several friends who were either already homeschooling or were starting on that journey within the next year. In addition to being influenced by friends, I also found myself running into complete strangers, whether at a store, church, or at my own front door, who without prompting would just point out that they homeschool their children. I felt like God kept putting it in front of me and in my heart I knew He was telling me something.

I talked with other homeschoolers, read books and researched the subject online and found that even though it had previously been a non-existent option, it made sense. I'm not going to go into great detail here about the benefits of homeschooling - you can read many good reasons in others blogs or through your own research. But if a family has the desire and is able to make it work, it really is a great option!

I had decided that I would give homeschooling a try by beginning a preschool curriculum with Alex once he turned 3. But my plans changed when at 3, Alex was still unable to comprehend so much. His vocabulary was no where near where it should have been and his speech was unclear and difficult to decipher. Our pediatrician gave us some information that led to Alex being tested. His hearing, sight and motor skills were fine, but much of his other development was about the level of a 1-1/2 to 2 year old. He was recommended for a special education program offered through the public school system. He would attend school for half a day, every day, and would get speech therapy in addition to regular schooling. I knew this was the right thing to do, even though it broke my heart that I would not be teaching him at home. I was also confused. Why had God led me to homeschooling if that was not what He wanted me to do?

Fast forward to the present. Alex still has issues. He is not where most children are at his age. I'm not certain at this time whether or not he will be recommended for Kindergarten next year or if they will recommend keeping him in special ed. But it won't matter. I have already decided we will homeschool this next year. I believe that God introduced me to the concept of homeschooling because that is what I would need to do someday. But first Alex needed help that I could not provide. Now that he has had that jumpstart, I can takeover. I think homeschooling will now be more beneficial to him because he'll get the one-on-one attention he needs. He'll also get a curriculum that is specific to his needs and learning style.

We will take it one year at a time and I will continue to take my direction from God. I know that He will show me His plans - I just have to trust Him.

My New Favorite Store

Today I visited my new favorite store - Mardel. It was actually my second time there, but I spent a lot more time looking around today. What an amazing store! I drooled over the large selection of gorgeous home decor and books and teaching supplies and everything else this incredible place has to offer. I am now hooked. Poor husband. I hope our "money tree" gets lots of new growth this year! :)

Oh, and I'm excited about the resurrection eggs and book I picked up there today to use with the kids. I think it will be a lot of fun and hope they gain a better understanding of the true Easter story.

Palm Sunday

The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" Matthew 21: 6-9.