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.

Fun Indoors

Today was the much anticipated Spring carnival at Alex's school. Alex and Nathan have both been looking forward to it, and even though Bill was going to be gone, I planned to brave it alone with all three kids. We woke this morning to a terrible thunderstorm with lots and lots of rain. It rained. And rained. And rained. I wasn't sure it was ever going to stop! I just knew the carnival was going to be canceled. But amazingly when I called the school, they informed me that it was still on - rain or shine. Everything was just being moved inside. I was so thankful I wasn't going to have to disappoint the kids afterall.

What a great time they had. It was very crowded and even though I know the carnival administrators had no other choice, the moonwalks and other inflatables were really too large for that small gymnasium. I could barely get around with Amy in her stroller and the lines for the various "rides" crossed paths and were difficult to distinguish. Obviously, this did not even bother the kids, though they may have been slightly annoyed by me constantly telling them to stay in line. They also had some difficulty understanding that after going on it once, they then had to return to the back of the line before they could go again (a little spoiled by the inflatables at recent birthday parties). The little games were fun, too, and even Amy got to participate in a few.

I had hoped to only stay a couple hours and then we were going to attempt to make it to our church for a big Easter egg hunt (with moonwalks and games, too). But we ended up staying almost to the end of the school carnival and completely missed the one at our church. Though a little disappointed, I think we were all too worn out anyway!

After arriving home, we cut out and baked Easter cookies, then decorated them. And of course, we followed up the activity by eating one of our beautifully decorated cookies and finishing off our leftover icing and decorations. Mmm... Amy has already figured out what the yummiest part of an iced cookie is... She licked that icing off in no time and was asking for more! She never did eat the cookie.

To complete our fun-filled day, I discovered that Alex has a fever. So now we are spending our evening relaxing and planning a Palm Sunday resting at home!

Trip to the Dentist

Today Amy went to the dentist for the first time. It seemed odd 6 months ago when they asked me how old she was and recommended I make an appointment for her at the same time as the boys' next appt. I figured they knew better than I did when she needed to start getting checked, so I made her an appt., too. I think Amy knew right off it was not a place she wanted to be. The dentist shut the door behind us as we entered the small room and Amy immediately wrapped one arm around my neck and waved the other one at the door as she cried, "Go, Go, Go, Go!". She did NOT want to be in that room. She was less than cooperative while her teeth were checked, but once they handed her a new toothbrush, small stuffed penguin and bag full of stickers, she had a change of heart. She was happy the remainder of the appointment.

The boys did great and all three were commended on their teeth... and Mom was given the wonderful news that all three have mouths too small for their teeth and braces were certainly in their future. I guess it's time to start saving!!!

Garden Growing

We have all been so amazed as we've watched our garden growing. This being our first garden, I thought it would take a long time before we saw anything appearing, but I am happy to be wrong. Of course, to the kids it's not happening quickly enough. Alex keeps asking when he gets to eat his corn and Nathan has asked several times if he can eat his strawberries, though he's not too far off from getting his wish! There were already strawberries sprouting when we bought the plant and though they aren't very big, they are already turning a lovely shade of red.

The tomato plants are much bigger than when we planted them and we noticed a few tomatoes appearing the last time we looked...

Our green beans, carrots and corn, all look healthy despite being drowned in water only days after planting. Though the soil is damp beneath, the flooding of the garden box left the top soil looking dry and cracked.

And Nathan's strawberries, so small and cute, are ripening already!

It's all so fun and exciting - I can't wait until everything is ready to be harvested! It's been fun watching others success as well, and it's already got me thinking about what all I'd like to plant next year. We may need a bigger garden!

Laundry Helper

This afternoon I sat down on the couch with a pile of clean laundry and began folding items. Within a few minutes, Amy had climbed up beside me and began to "help". She'd pick up an item, shake it, wad it up, then place it on the back of the couch next to the already neatly folded items. Ironically, I had been putting them there to keep Amy from getting to them!

Who is Jesus?

As a Sunday School teacher to 3 yr. olds, I have a confession to make. I have done a terrible job teaching my own children. This morning as I dressed Nathan, he said to me as he pointed towards the dining room, "That's Jesus' house." I said, "Oh, did you make that for Jesus?" "Yes," he said, "and it's pink because Jesus likes pink." Then Alex piped in some more details about this house they made for Jesus. So I asked them, "Who is Jesus?". Alex thought for a minute and replied, "He is a baby." "Well, yes, at one time he was a baby and we always talk about baby Jesus at Christmas time. But Jesus grew up to be a man who did amazing things. Jesus is the son of God." And I went on to talk to them about the miracles Jesus performed and briefly touched on how he died on the cross for us. They looked at me blankly through the first part and then I could tell their thoughts had moved on to other things and they were no longer listening.

I guess I really don't bring Jesus into our daily conversations as often as I should. We say the blessing before every meal, but we just say the same "God is great; God is good..." blessing each time, and I'm not sure they really understand why we say it. They just know we're supposed to before we start eating. I want them to know why we're saying it. Perhaps if we start taking turns just saying our own blessing, as opposed to a memorized one together.

If I homeschool Alex next year, I know I want to make religion part of our daily study. But why haven't I already implemented that even now? I know he's not getting any religion at preschool each day because it's public school. And Nathan is certainly old enough to start learning more. Sadly, they don't attend church as regularly as they should. I'm there almost every Sunday, but when one child is sick, for example, we just let them all stay home with Daddy. I know this is not how it should be.

Something I have admired in my Catholic friends is how knowledgable their children are about Jesus. In particular, this time of year as I hear about families going through the Stations of the Cross together, I realize how little my children are learning. I have always thought that preschoolers were too young to introduce the details of the crucifixion to. In church, we keep it simple and don't really give any explanation or details regarding Jesus's death and resurrection. We simply state he died and rose again on the third day. I think the children still learn an important fact, but without the details, are they really learning the biggest truth of all - that He died to save us? I'm not trying to put blame on Baptist teachings. I alone take the blame for not properly teaching my children. I know that my friends' young children are not traumatized from learning about the subject of death, so why am I so reluctant to teach it?

I pray that God will give me wisdom and strength to teach my children as much as they are capable of knowing, especially when it comes to Jesus and His sacrifice for us. I also pray that He will help me to be diligent about keeping Him in our daily conversations and allow me to take advantage of every moment to present a Bible teaching to my children.

A Visit from Pa-Paw

Bill's dad and step-mom (Pa-Paw and Ma-Maw to the kids) live in Kentucky and we only get to see them about once a year. This year Bill had earned enough frequent flyer miles to receive one free airline ticket. We gave it to his dad so that he could come visit us and see the kids for a few days. What a fun time they had while Pa-Paw was here!

Making smores...

Camping in the backyard...

Which includes fun games...

and jumping on Pa-Paw's bed...

Playing in the backyard...



Attacking Pa-Paw with blankets and toys...

We love our Pa-Paw!

Speaking of Potty Training...

I have to commend my Nathan for his amazing success at potty training. We started on what I thought would be a difficult journey last Monday, March 12th. It was the start of Spring Break, and therefore seemed to be the perfect time to potty train. I made him go without any pants (completely bare, poor child) for 2 days, and he did wonderfully. He wore a pull-up on Wednesday, because believe it or not, he did not want to wear the big boy underwear we'd bought him. But he kept the pull-up dry, even when we went to Chuck E Cheese. Thursday and Friday he wore underwear all day and did great. And the part that amazes me the most is how he only had one accident on our entire trip to Sea World, and he just barely didn't make it that time. He's been in night time pull-ups at night, but he's actually kept those dry, too. This morning he even woke me at 5:30 to tell me he needed to go potty. I am SO proud of him. It was a big struggle with Alex, so I am relieved at how well it's gone with Nathan. Maybe Amy will learn in one day??? :)

Sea World

In celebration of our anniversary, we took the family to Sea World in San Antonio this past weekend. It took us about 2 hours longer to get there than it should have because poor little Nathan had just started potty training and therefore needed us to stop frequently - we were lucky if we could drive 20 minutes before making another pitstop. I learned quickly how much McDonald's franchises can vary, in not only cleanliness, but also service. We actually had a McDonald's employee come to our table and ask us if we needed any refills on our drinks. Should have starred that one on our map! Anyway, we did eventually get to Sea World and it was packed! Not a big surprise since it was Spring Break. I guess I was hoping maybe it wouldn't be too crowded, though, since it was, afterall, the end of Spring Break. No such luck. We had a long trek through the massive parking lot to get into Sea World, but the kids were real troopers and didn't complain... at least, not on the way in. I can't say they didn't complain a little when having to make that same walk on the way back out!

The first day there we saw the dolphins and sharks and penguins and of course, Shamu. The kids seemed to enjoy the big whale show, though they were so tired by this point that both Alex and Nathan weren't too enthusiastic during the 45 minute wait for the show to start, or even for the show itself. Amy, on the other hand, thoroughly enjoyed the show (she was, afterall, the only one to take 2 naps on the car ride there). She watched the entire time and clapped, even when the audience didn't. She even did the wave thing with her hands that the divers had taught the audience to get Shamu to splash them. Amy only briefly took her eyes off the show to talk to the little girl next to us, who looked to be about her same age. I never dreamed she'd like it so much!

Throughout the day, Alex would frequently ask if it was time to go to the hotel yet. For whatever reason, Alex loves to stay in a hotel. I guess in his short life he's stayed in a number of hotels on various trips and he just has fond memories of playing in the hotel rooms. And on our first day at Sea World, that seemed to be what he was looking most forward to. But I do think he had fun. We saw the Pirate 4D movie before leaving and I think he enjoyed it, even though he was the only one to get wet!

The second day we saw the sea lion show and then the boys got to feed the sea lions. They really enjoyed that. We also saw the alligators, fed the fish, and revisited the dolphins. Most of the day, however, we spent playing in Shamu's Happy Harbor. Alex and Nathan especially enjoyed this. They had a blast climbing along all of the netting and through the tubes and especially on the pirate ship. And the rides, games and gigantic sand box were also hits with the kids. It was quite apparent that Shamu's Happy Harbor was the winning attraction at Sea World for the boys. I'd still have to say that if Amy could tell us, she'd say her favorite part was seeing Shamu.