A Couple of Things

I think this is huuurr-larious! (Leah linked on FB)

Four Levels of Social Entrapment

This is a really interesting article that Granny linked to on Facebook.

God, the Gospel and Glen Beck

Things went very well today with all the kids. Her boys and our girls got along really well, especially once they found out that we have light sabers and the girls play Star Wars. Even Anna got along with their daughter quite well.

There are only 10 kids here (you can barely see Kellen back there) because Arianna was wandering around and Isaac was asleep. The ages are 9,8,7,7,5,5,4,3,3,1,1,newborn. I had the oldest and the youngest. It was fun to talk about all the births we had between us. She is a new homeschooler, too so I showed her our curricula choices and how I planned it and reassured her that the chaos was normal and we gave her a ton of A Beka stuff that had been given to us. Their names are Nolan, Kellen, Jaylen, Deakon, Mikalen and Arianna. Fun family! It was quite fun to commiserate with a real person over the comments, "Are they all yours?", "You know what causes that, right?", "You sure do have your hands full!"

I was stunned that Anna was so nice to Arianna. I thought she'd be jealous and try to knock her over or something. Apparently my mom exudes that Gramma smell because Arianna was immediately following her around wanting to be picked up. So there's Mom, with two one-year-olds trailing behind her wanting to be picked up. It was really cute!!

Spring...Then Comes Summer

I am grateful for winter only because there are fewer baths/showers, less dirt in the house and hair is actually clean of sand.

Ella would like to demonstrate the state of the children every day by 5 o'clock.

Don't try to look innocent Ella.  I know you can't see the dirt on her face but that is because she's already tanning like crazy.  Lucky girls with such lovely, tanned skin.  They better be grateful!

Hands and shirt.  Pictures don't do it justice.  You should see the bath water.  Actually, the bath doesn't actaully get them clean; they have to shower or they're just bathing in their dirt.

FEET!!  What is she, a hobbit???  Her feet are only about 1/2 and inch smaller than mine.  But take a closer look at those dirty feet.

HOLY SMOKES GIRL!!  WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN PLAYING IN???

Growing Up

Why is it that the words "Oh my gosh!" sound so much worse out of the mouth of a four year old than that of a thirty-two year old? I find myself not wanting my children to say phrases like this, yet I say them. What's your house rule? I find myself asking them not to say it. What exclamation should they say? And what on earth am I going to do when they are eleven and try to say something much less tame than this?

Wild!

This past weekend, I went with the boys to visit my brother and sister-in-law in Houston while Jerry was at school in Indianapolis. I always enjoy vising with Jonathan and Stephanie, and my kids LOVE playing with their cousins. It is great that they live close enough to drive to for the weekend. We went swimming twice, to an indoor maze/play area, and to the Bayou Wildlife Park. That was so cool! It was one of those places where you ride around in a tram with buckets of animal feed and the wild animals come right up, stick their heads in the tram and help themselves to the food! We saw giraffes, all sorts of different exotic breeds of deer, zebras, a zonkey, ostriches, emus, rhinos, all sorts of bulls and cattle from Africa, and one very, very fat pig among other animals. We all had a really good time, despite the above average temperatures in Houston right now!
That baby giraffe is only three 1/2 months old. He is already over 8 feet tall, though!

The ostriches were very bold and would peck at your arm if it was in the way of the food buckets!

Ethan and Ian were a bit more reserved than their older cousins about the whole thing, but still enjoyed it. They were more timid about the animals eating right out of their bucket, too!

I don't remember what this one was called...but it was nice and gentle about the feeding, which the kids appreciated!

In response to the ostriches!

An enormous buffalo!

Andrew's close encounter with a camel...the camels were by far the most bold animals. They practically got in the tram with us! They were going to find the food whether we wanted them to or not!

In wild kid news, both the big boys are going for allergy testing over the next several weeks. They have both been on daily allergy medication since they were one and have moderately severe symptoms. So I am taking them for regular torture sessions while we figure out what they are allergic to.

Here's Aaron showing of his 15 sticks from today which revealed sensitivities to baker's yeast, soy, tomato, and corn. I don't think any of them except for soy are all that strong of reactions, so I don't know if it will mean that he cannot eat these things or not. He still has some foods left to test, then on to inhaled allergens and chemicals. Fun, fun.

Speaking of wild kids, I think Andrew is going to take off all over this house in no time at all. He went from pushing up on his arms, to going up on his hands and knees, to rocking, to spinning around on his bottom, to rolling repeatedly to get to something, to hopping on his hands and knees in just a couple short weeks! Then he decided to become a yoga baby. He does a perfect downward dog pose!

Parental Puzzle For Monday

What is it about the laundry basket that no matter how many times you say "IT'S NOT A TOY, STOP PLAYING WITH IT" they still play with it?

Air Conditioning the Neighborhood

If I have to say, "CLOSE THE DOOR" one more time today, I may lose my mind. And it's only noon.

Ha!

Inspired by Dr. Two Brains (from Word Girl on PBS - if you haven't seen this yet, you have to watch - even if you don't have kids the right age to watch with you! Don't worry, I won't tell!) and Dr. Octopus (from Spiderman, which the kids have never seen, but manage to still know about from a coloring book they got), my kids have just given me a new moniker:

Dr. Mommy. Waahaahahahahaha!

Wondering

I am wondering when I will have the time and energy to post all the things I think about posting. Will that day come? Will it come soon?

Andrew is sleeping better during the day. Yea!! This is despite yet another ear infection, which is requiring his seventh antibiotic. Yep. You read that right. I see tubes in his future.

Aaron has hit a whining stage. I don't think he remembers any longer how to speak in a normal tone of voice. This makes me wonder what his teenage years will sound like...

Ethan fell off the top bunk two days ago. I don't think I will ever get that image out of my head. I saw it happen. ::shudders:: He swears he will never go up there again. I am giving him until next week.

Andrew is eating more and more foods! He now has eaten avocado, banana, rice cereal, plums, pears, and peaches. (In that order) He loves eating solids. He loves eating. Period.

I led a seminar at my church for a women's event today. There were three seminars to choose from, fewer than thirty women in attendance, and only three chose mine. It made me a bit sad to have so few, but mine was a crafty option and the others were practical/spiritual. I'm trying not to take it personally. :) I led the women who came through the Patchwork Card Tutorial from Craft Apple. I've made these lots before and it is so fun and easy. The women who came had fun. They went on and on when we got back together as a big group, showing off their goods. That made me feel good. Other women said, "Ooh, how cute!" "How did you do that?" and "I want to learn how to do that!" That made me feel good, too.

Have you made the Glazed Lemon Cookies from p. 142 of May's issue of Everyday Food? You really need to make these. (she says while licking her lips) I took them to the seminars today and women openly drooled over them and went for seconds and asked for the recipe. That made me feel good, too.

That's all I got, folks!

Ella's Interview

Ella made this for our front yard. In case you can't read it, it says "He died for us." Isn't she cool. My kids rock. I'm waiting for the HOA to tell us to remove it because it's not allowed.

I interviewed the kids. Their answers were bizarre. I don't think they think. I mean, Aaron's answers were so cognizant but my girls' answers are...weird. Do they live with me every day? I mean...sheesh. Maybe I should have Del ask them the same questions. Maybe they thought I'd yell at them if they "got the answer wrong." I tried to tell them there was no wrong answer.

Without further adieu, Ella's responses:

1. What is something mom always says to you? “wait a while” (LOL, that’s a good one and so true)
2. What makes your mom happy? when Anna smiles
3. What makes mom sad? teaching Sarah to read (oh, how sad is that. I’m an awful mommy)
4. How does your mom make you laugh? when she tickles me
5. What was your mom like as a child? I don't really know because I wasn’t there.
6. How old is your mom? 32
7. How tall is your mom? don’t know
8. What is her favorite thing to do? sew
9. What does your mom do when you're not around? mop the floor
10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for? sewing
11. What is your mom really good at? making bread
12. What is your mom not good at? drawing toads
13. What does your mom do for a job? takes care of five kids
14. What is your mom's favorite food? bibimbap (this is not true, I like bread way better, but bibimbap is really good)
15. What makes you proud of your mom? the things she makes (sews)
16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be? a clown (WHAT?! That’s it, kid; you’re out of the will)
17. What do you and your mom do together? bake stuff
18. How are you and your mom the same? same eyes
19. How are you and your mom different? feet (this girl has got some long, slender feet with bad arches. She can almost wear my shoes already and she’s only 7. My feet are teeny, chubby and have fantastic arches)
20. How do you know your mom loves you? she gives me kisses every night
21. What does your mom like most about your dad? he’s brown (I admit that Del’s lovely brown skin makes my stomach turn happy flips, but there are other things that I like about him, too. Like his…oh, yeah, this is a family blog…his excellent mind)
22. Where is Mom's favorite place to go? The craft room

We're Three for Three

Sometimes it is good to be three for three. As in, "When it comes to getting the winning lottery ticket, I'm three for three!" Now that would be cool - of course you have to play to win...but I digress. I am three for three in something no one wants to be. As in, "When it comes to having my babies get RSV and bronchiolitis, I'm three for three." Ugh. Andrew started wheezing last night, and I just knew. Sure enough, the doctor confirmed it this morning. On the bright side, his ears are no longer infected!

Lily and Martha

Hello? Does anyone live here???

Man, I stink at posting lately. I take pictures but don't post about it. There are so many things that I have wanted to post about. What's the hold up you ask? I've got a baby in one arm and I refuse to spend an hour typing out a post one-handed.

Anna is now in bed and is likely to be in bed asleep until about 2 in the morning, so I have a few hours with which to use my two hands to type.

First, my magazine. It came in the mail on Thursday and I immediately took it outside and took many photos of it, intending to post right away about how I had finally received it. I suck.

I've looked through the magazine several times and Mom has looked through it and we've picked out several good recipes we'd like to try out soon.

Thank you thank you thank you!!! It's the perfect birthday gift!

Second, I would like to post about my 18 month old, Little Lily, the tyrant. Even though she throws tantrums like I've never seen out of any of my children before and screams at the top of her lungs for fun, she has her pluses. Check it out.

She doesn't look like she's having a good time but she could ride all day long. Things I love about this photo: the dimple in Lily's arm, her feet skimming the ground and her tiny little hands gripping the seat. Too cute.

She loves Anna.

Chocolate, it'll cure all your ails.

She likes tools. She's a problem-solver. This poses a few problems for her caregivers.

Rebellion

I think I must be in my blogging teenage years. I am experiencing a bit of a bloggy rebellion. I am not reading my "daily reads" daily - some I haven't read in a week. I am also rebelling at posting. It's not for lack of ideas; I'm even still taking pictures to go with my ideas. They just aren't making it anywhere close to a post... Hopefully, soon I'll hit my blogging 20's and start up again!

I am filling my extra time due to not blogging with good things, though. My house is actually starting to feel like a place to relax in again. I am not the world's best housekeeper in the best of times, and after a baby everything goes way downhill. I am so happy to say that my bathrooms and kitchen have been clean - truly clean - for a week!

I'm also sick. I actually called the doctor and scheduled an appointment for this afternoon. If I had a fever, I'd say that I had the flu. I have every other symptom, though. I got a flu shot, so I am hoping it is something they can actually fix for me.

Anyway, the main reason I'm breaking my bloggy silence is to post pictures of my baby. Andrew is three months old today! I can hardly believe he made that mark already! I had him at the doctor last week for an ear infection (thank you, big brothers, for passing on the viruses!) and found out that he already weighs 13 lb. 7 oz! He has gained six pounds in his first three months! Go mommy milk! He is becoming Mr. Personality as well. He smiles and talks all the time. He is desperate to get things in his mouth, but doesn't have the coordination to do it yet, which is causing no small amount of frustration! He can grab a toy and lift it to look at it and shake it, but he just cannot get it into his mouth! He is sleeping great, too! He sleeps for about 8 hours at night, and occasionally goes for 9, 10, or even 11 hours! Basically, my baby is the best!

Here are some recent pictures:

Look at that goofy, flirty grin! Andrew is a huge flirt. He will look at you, give you a half-smile and then turn his head in mock shyness - all the while, looking to see if you are still smiling at him! What? He's just so cute that you want a closer look? Okay.

Just look at those big eyes!! Am I ever going to be able to say "no" to this child? Would you be able to?

Andrew finally doesn't scream through his entire bath, praise the Lord! Bath had been a pain in the neck until recently. Now he enjoys the water and even is okay when I take him out and dry him off. His Aunt Barb and Uncle Scott (Scott is from Chicago) sent us this towel. I wanted to get a picture of him in it, but since he has screamed for each bath, I hadn't been able to get a good picture. Especially since the worst part of bath is the drying off time. Just to be safe, I took this picture before the bath, not after!

Just look at that chub! This boy has rolls on rolls. I love how his cheeks just extend right down under his chin! I have to admit that I spend way too much time kissing those chubby cheeks!

Happy three month birthday, Andrew!

Quick! Someone teach it some manners!

From three year old:

"Mom! The volcano is about to interrupt!!"

I am convinced that God gives us three year old children to keep us laughing when we really feel like crying!

Dressed for Success?

Imagination

When is it along our journey in life that we lose the bulk of our imaginations? Yesterday, I was delighted by my 3 (soon to be 4) year old's imagination! He ran into my sewing room where I was and his shirt was covered in Thomas the Tank stickers. Here is our conversation:

Three yr. old: "Mom, when I push this button (one of the stickers on his shirt) it makes me jump!"

Mom: "Do you mean it makes you jump higher?"

Three yr. old: "No, it just makes me jump." (said as he is off jumping while pushing on the sticker on his belly.)

Three yr. old: (after returning a couple minutes later) "Mom, my button is broken."

Mom: "Oh, no! How are you going to fix it?"

Three yr. old: "I'll go to my closet."

Mom: "Why? Do you have the right tools in there?"

Three yr. old: "No. That's where my man is who fixes things. He can fix anything!"

Really? He has a man? If only I'd known that, I wouldn't have thrown out the broken vacuum. I would have just had his man fix it! :)

Homeschool Christmas - Snow Day

Today we started making a Christmas lapbook for school. We are technically still on our "summer break" until mid-January, but Aaron has been asking for school. I figured that would happen so I bought the supplies to make a Christmas lapbook before Andrew was born and figured if he didn't ask and we wouldn't use it this year, we would use it next year instead! My kids love doing lapbooks because they are full of crafts. I am not an arts and crafts kind of gal, so I like when I order a pre-done instruction booklet like this so that I don't have to think about it. I mean, I like watching the kids enjoyment of crafts and I see the educational value to cutting, gluing, coloring and such - not to mention being able to teach about something through the craft. But I hate gathering the supplies, doing all the prep work, and then cleaning up the whole mess. Plus, what do you do with the 8,325 art projects that your child insists are all "special" a year after they are finished? But alas, I do them because my kids love them.


Anyway, today we made snowmen finger puppets and made special "snow paint." I had envisioned the kids decorating the snowmen finger puppets, but once they were cut out, in two seconds flat they were playing snowman puppet football with them. In fact, one is lost in some secret football location yet to be rediscovered! Oh, well. They are really having fun with them, which is the whole point of them anyway.



The coolest part of our craft time today, though, is the snow paint. I thought I'd share it with you because it is super simple and really neat!

First you need to assemble 1/2 cup epsom salts, 1/2 cup water, and paint brushes (Hey, look! Mine are in Christmas colors! I mean, I totally did that on purpose...). A screaming baby in the background is optional. Then have your kids draw snow pictures. Mix the epsom salt and water to make a super saturated salt solution and paint the solution over the entire picture.


When the "paint" dries, it leaves a shimmery snow crystal glaze over the top of the picture! The kids were thrilled with the results, and I loved that for paint, this isn't messy at all! Aren't their finished snow pictures lovely?

Did He Hear Me Right???

You know you've done something right as a parent when you open the door to the room where your children are happily playing and say, "Okay, it's time to clean up!" and their response is, "Yeah!!" And they get busy cleaning up.* Hmmm...did they hear me right?

*Although my kids are good about cleaning up when I tell them, this cheering has only happened once. I felt I needed to disclose this tiny bit of information before anyone began to think that I have perfect children!

Goings On

Life is settling into a routine around here. I have resumed reading to my children and thinking about what we should eat for dinner each night. Of course, that is where having my entire 18 cu. ft. freezer crammed full of prepared meals comes in handy!! People scoffed when they heard just how much food I was making and putting in the freezer, but I knew just how handy it would be. I don't think I'll have to cook until close to February if I don't want to!

It is hard to believe that Christmas is just around the corner. As usual, I over shopped. I may have to return some of the things I bought for the boys! It helps that my grandmother sent a check and asked me to put something under the tree for them from her, and my mother needed some additional things and I told her that rather than give her ideas, I would just give her presents that I already bought! I just so enjoy buying things to put under the tree!

My present won't be under the tree this year, though. I will be using it before Christmas if my husband will have the time to get it all configured for me - I got a new laptop!! I really wanted a 12" one, but they are just so expensive. So I thought I'd probably just get a 14" until I found a refurbished 12" at Costco.com for almost the exact same price!! Woo-Hoo! Now I will have a nifty new toy, since it is touch screen and a tablet PC as well, not to mention the fact that I will again have a CD/DVD drive (mine broke a year ago), a screen that stays where you put it (mine falls back and forth at will), and keys that work when you push them (mine arbitrarily decide not to work, and my keyboard goes into all caps at will, too.). All these things will be nice, and the tiny size will just be the icing on the cake!! I'll have to post a picture when I get it.

I also broke down and bought myself a new cast iron skillet. Mine had rusted beyond repair due to some improper storing before I knew how to properly care for a cast iron skillet (that, and the fact that I had just bought the cheapest one I could find at Wal-Mart before...). Check out this beauty:

That there is a 12" (I seem to be stuck on 12" things these days) whopper of a skillet! Now I can make tortillas again. Because after you have a homemade tortilla, the ones from Kroger just won't do any longer. Yeah, it's a little gross to actually watch the animal lard go into the bowl, but the flavor...it just cannot be beat!

Andrew is a month old now! That is also hard to believe. He is doing really well. He has found his voice and is starting to coo a bit. He also has smiled at me several times now. Real smiles - not the gassy-tummy kind! One was even accompanied by a little giggle. Too cute. Of course, today he has either been screaming or nursing and nothing else...but I am just going to choose to not think about that just now.


He's awfully cute when he's content, isn't he?

I've also gotten back to crafting. I posted about it on our other blog, Mothers of Invention. Check out what I've made! I've also been knitting these super cute Christmas ornaments, and have fabric to make some other things...but I don't want to spoil it for anyone who will be receiving these things...if I get them done, that is!

I am starting to think about homeschool again, too. We schooled right through the summer since I knew I would need a break when Andrew came more than I'd need one in the summer. So we finished the first semester of school in October and will be starting our second semester along with everyone else in mid-January. I am going to order curriculum this weekend, which is always really exciting for me! I am focusing on ordering supplemental stuff for Aaron, that will also work for Ethan because I already have most of what I need for Aaron to finish kindergarten. We are keeping it simple - no need to go overboard for kindergarten! I am moving him on in Language Arts. He finished the K program from Sonlight. I am ordering First Language Lessons from Peace Hill Press for him. He is doing so well with the reading program from them, so I am excited to start FLL, too!

Time Flies When You're Up All Night

It has been three weeks since Andrew entered the world. It is hard to believe that. It seems like much longer and much shorter all at the same time! Now that Thanksgiving is over and the family has all gone back home, I thought I'd take a minute to post some new pictures and update you on life with my three sons!

Thanksgiving was good, but it seemed long. We had family in town, and although none of them actually stayed at our house, it made the days very busy. My mom's mom came for a week, my brother and his family for a few days, and Jerry's parents for 4 days. It was really good to see them all, but I would have enjoyed the visits more if I hadn't just had a baby! I felt bad with Jerry's parents because they were here all day each day, but each chance I got, I went to bed! I don't really feel like I saw them too much. I dropped a baby into one of their arms, asked them to help put up the Christmas tree, and then went to bed. What an excellent hostess am I!

Andrew was declared healthy at his two week check-up! He weighed 7 lb. 14 oz. at two weeks, so he had regained to his birth weight plus four more ounces! He still cries - a lot! More than my other boys did at this age. But he is learning to soothe himself. I cannot hold him all day long, nor should I - so I put him in his crib when it is time to sleep, and he is starting to get the hang of going to sleep without anyone to rock him. I am actually really surprised with how well he does with that. My second boy would scream for the entire hour and a half that he should have slept unless I nursed him to sleep. Not Andrew! He cries off and on for about 10-15 minutes and then drifts off to sleep.

I am starting to feel the need to move more. I broke out the book Expecting Fitness and opened it to the postpartum section so that I could start to work my body back into shape. I've gotten the first four exercises listed there done several times, but can never seem to get beyond those four before someone needs me! I am so impatient when it comes to how my body looks after having a baby. You would think that would cause me to eat less in order to avoid getting to this place to begin with, but no. I gained the same with all three and agonized about the results each time as well. I know for sure I cannot diet for another 5 weeks or so, otherwise my milk supply tanks. (I learned that lesson the hard way before...) But I can move. I am recovering very well physically, so it is time to make exercise a priority. It is supposed to be a bit warmer toward the end of the week, so maybe Andrew and I will go for a few walks!

This weekend, I will experience for a short time being a single mom of one. Jerry is off to Indianapolis for another one of his scheduled "residency" trips for grad school, and he is taking the boys with him! Well, they aren't staying with him! Jerry's parents live only a couple hours from Indy, so they are meeting Jerry at the airport and taking the boys to their house while Jerry is in school, then Jerry is going to their house for another day after his classes are over. I am excited that I will truly be able to sleep any time Andrew sleeps, but also a bit apprehensive about not having another pair of arms to help with him during his fussier times. I would like to get Christmas shopping done while they are gone, too. We'll see how much actually gets done...

Speaking of grad school, Jerry's first term is over! One down, three to go. He did very well, too. He had the top grade or close to it in each of his classes. I'm so proud of him!

It's starting to look like Christmas at our house! I love this time of year. I have to remember to slow down and enjoy it before it is over, though!

Dude, Was That a Brick Wall or Did You Just Punch Yourself in the Nose

I scrubbed the floor in my bathroom on Tuesday, tried to hang up curtains (I only succeeded with one), did some laundry and...something else that I can't remember. The next day it was like hitting a brick wall. Every day by 8pm I'm ready to sleep. I can barely think past the pregnant haze in my head. I always get this way in the last trimester. It's a good thing I got some stuff done before my energy was sapped. I'm so tired I actually took out those dumb fish sticks and gave them to the girls for lunch. That's really bad.

On the other hand, we have a back yard! And it was 90 degrees yesterday. I caught Ella picking up mud and slathering it all over her chest and legs! How fun! It's truly a blessing to have a yard.

I am managing to get some school done. We're almost totally caught up in history. History is fun and easy to catch up on since we are only supposed to do one chapter a week. We've done four chapters already this week and will likely do two more today. Did you ever read the story Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves? Did you know that that story is where we got the phrase, "open, sesame"? I used to say that all the time as a kid. It's a strange story though. So far we've

read two stories from the Book of 1001 Nights. They are both strange. As a project to help us remember about "open, sesame" we made sesame cookies. Basically they were just freezer cookies with sesame seeds on top. They were good though.

I want to sew or something. I'm tired of scrubbing floors and unpacking boxes. Would you like to hear me whine some more? No? Okay, I'll sign off then because I'm pretty darn good at whining.