Precious 3

Under Construction

2011-07-03T23:27:00.000-05:00

Yes, I know it is July, but I finally got around to getting rid of the Christmas background! And yes, it's probably not a good idea to put up on Patriotic background on July 3. It's bound to be here till Christmas heehee! Bare with me till I get it all worked out. I have to get a new header, and I'm not exactly sure how to do it. I mean, it comes with great instructions, but my brain doesn't follow them. Sometime soon I will have a new header with a new pic of my Precious 3.

Mr. Sharp

2011-04-11T16:35:00.000-05:00

Jeremy dressed himself.

And he's pretty pleased with himself :)

Coins!

2011-03-31T15:08:00.000-05:00

It has obviously been too long since I have posted! I had no idea I still have a Christmas background. Oops! I'll take care of that....sometime.

Here's a cute story about Jeremy. You never know what that boy will come up with!

I caught JJ hanging off the edge of our bed, and asked what he was doing.

He gasped, then said, "Daddy has so much coins!" (he found Carl's stash from emptying his pockets) He then runs and gets a dirty cup, and fills it with coins.

I figured at this point he would take the cup to his room and hide it there.

Nope!

He takes the cup and dumps the coins on our bathroom floor.

Then he puts the dirty cup underneath our blankets on our bed.

And leaves our room.

I wish I knew what he was thinking, haha!

JJ's List

2011-01-15T17:30:00.001-06:00

I thought JJ's Christmas list was pretty cute.

scooter
bike
Toy Story fishing Pole
T-Rex
rubber snake

But I think his birthday list is proving to be even funnier.

a real wrench (no longer fooled by the plastic ones LOL)
airplane
spinbrush (after seeing Heidi's new toothbrush)
tractor
pig
cow
dollar
squirrel and Jedidiah (after seeing Night at the Museum 2)

"Yes mom, they do have Jedidiah's at Walmart!" he claims. And he says a cow would indeed fit into a gift box.

He has 6 months to perfect his list. And I guess I have 6 months to figure out how to find these things haha!

Pie Maker

2010-11-27T18:41:00.000-06:00

Hannah is becoming a good little cook. She made her first pumpkin pie, going through all the steps by herslef with just a little superivsion from Mom.

She also made the pie crusts for my apple pies on Thanksgiving! They turned out great. Nice and flaky.

Jeremy wanted to help.

What's baking without a little flouring throwing?

It was quite fun!

I think it turned out great! There was too much cinnamon, because it made my mouth go kind of numb. But I watched her measure and she put in just the right amount. Recipe problem perhaps?

I'm trying to get past my control issues, and let my girls help in the kitchen more. Just forget about the mess, and slow down to teach them how to cook. It is well worthy it! Then I'll have good helpers, good conversations, good times!

Crash!

2010-11-27T17:56:00.001-06:00

Jeremy has discovered a whole new world...Monster Trucks!

He has always loved racing his trucks,

but thanks to the video below

(and a dozen others like it)

he finally knows what his trucks are supposed to do.

Jump, fly, and crash!

http://www.bigfoot4x4.com/video-gallery/videogallery_plane_jump.html

Throwing his dump truck over Big Foot.

"Whew! That was close!"

And when you get too tired, you just let your feet do all the work.

Isn't this fun?!

Squares

2010-11-27T16:49:00.000-06:00

I love this little pile of squares.

Know why?

Because this little man folded them.

Jeremy got the helpful bug last week, so I gave him a pile of cloths and showed him how to make neat squares.

This is apparently what you do when the squares don't cooperate.

C-C-Cat

2010-09-14T18:44:00.000-05:00

Jeremy mastered all of his letters last year,

and we are now working on short words.

Today we played a game online with beginning sounds.

They had a picture of a cat, the ending -at,

and four letters to choose from.

I asked Jeremy, "What sound does C-c-cat start with?"

His answer was, "MEOW!"

You can guess what he answered for dog!

Worms and Dirt!

2010-09-02T21:57:00.000-05:00

A couple from church made Carl a dirt cake this week. My kids had never seen one, and the girls screamed when they saw the "worms" haha! They were really concerned about the "dirt" also. Who would make a cake from dirt?! They were so cute.

Jeremy was excited! Worms on cake?! Awesome!

He pushed his booster seat over to the counter so he could climb up and get a better look.

"Look Mom! Worms!"

"I want this lellow worm."

"Worms!" *fake scream*

And, little man enjoying his dirt!

Ice Cream Soup

2010-08-28T10:24:00.000-05:00

"Mom, wanna know my FAVORITE part of an ice cream cone? The cone, yummy scoops of ice cream, sprinkles, and any toppings!(if I'm allowed toppings) That's my favorite part."

"Wanna know my favorite soup? Ice cream soup! That's the melted ice cream at the bottom of a cone. It's the ONLY soup I like"

Pi Fight

2010-08-08T16:24:00.000-05:00

We enjoyed a lovely rainy day afternoon nap. I went upstairs when I heard some yelling, thinking Jeremy was awake. I noticed he was still sound asleep, so I checked on my girls.

The yelling? No one could remember what started it, but when Hannah started repeating herself it made Heidi really angry.

Heidi yells, "I am Pi times angry!" Then yells out 3 point something something(I didn't witness this part), and Hannah felt the need to correct her.

"It's 3.141593......!"

Wow. Seriously? I don't remember having these kinds of fights with my sisters haha!

3 years ago...

2010-06-25T07:23:00.000-05:00

3 years ago...

2010-06-24T11:42:00.000-05:00

Paparrazi Shy

2010-06-10T20:54:00.000-05:00

It's really hard to get a good picture of Heidi. She either does not want her picture taken, or she just moves to fast!

"No pictures, please!"

"Oh, okay, but only for Nana!"

I've gotta be sneaky and quick! Here I caught one great smile!

*Side note-I would love to photoshop and make the water a beautiful blue-green. But that would be like lying, and I just can't do it! This is the true color. Yuck! But it sure is fun.*

Boogie Board Girl

2010-06-10T20:21:00.001-05:00

Here's Hannah getting ready to try out her new boogie board.
We figured it was our last chance before the oil hit.

Checking out the water, making sure there
are no hermit crabs to snip her.

There she goes!
She was bummed to be on the bay side with no waves,
but the waves were just too big to try that day.

She had a lot of fun paddling up and
down the shore with her friends!

Hugs

2010-06-04T06:48:00.000-05:00

We had some fun at the beach yesterday.
Jeremy had fun racing up and down the sand.

He stopped 3 times to hug this little bush.

I'm not sure why he was hugging it, but it sure is cute!

Awwww, Poor Little Man!

2010-05-17T19:32:00.000-05:00

Little Man enjoying his dripping ice cream cone.

Little Man dropping his ice cream.

Poor Little Man!

Mom n' Me Monday

2010-05-10T12:21:00.003-05:00

Yet again another week I had planned on getting outdoor pictures, and it didn't happen! Things have been wild over here. Hopefully we will get outside before the heat really sets in or the oil slick shows up.

I had also planned on getting some pics of me and my kids on Mother's Day at church. You know, with my hair fixed and in nice clothes, not just t-shirts. Carl had shingles and stayed home. We left church early, both Heidi and I in tears, because her new meds are not working so well. So no pretty Mother's Day pics!

I did have Carl snap a few pics of me and the kids at home last night.
We could not get a good group photo.

Jeremy only wanted to move, Hannah wanted to be silly,
and Heidi was still sad.

So I gave up! I wasn't going to force it.

Heidi was in tears when she first climbed in my lap,
saying she just couldn't smile.

Pretty soon she calmed down.

And what do you know, I see a smile!

Head over to The Peanut Gallery to check out some more Mom n' Me Monday posts!

Jeremy and Cars

2010-05-08T07:57:00.000-05:00

Jeremy is seriously killing me with his Cars...

He's just too stinkin' cute! See how neatly they are lined up? I didn't do that, I promise. Now, my fingers may itch to line up toys sometimes, but I find it hilarious that my 2 year old is already doing this. He just had to have all his Cars with him as he watched the movie Cars.

He takes these Cars everywhere. Any room he is playing in, the Cars go too. Even to the bathroom. (Don't worry, they have their own spot on the counter.) He sleeps with them. And lines them up so neatly on a pillow, so that he can talk to them as he falls asleep, and see them when he wakes.

He does not understand that if we leave the house, only one or two Cars are allowed to go with him. You can't separate them, they must all go. All 5 different Lightning McQueen's, King, Sheriff, Mack, and whatever extra cars he is attached to. He even tries to stuff them all in his pockets!

He was watching a movie the other day, got scared and decided to go hide in a corner. He took all of his Cars with him, and lined them in a square around him. I wish I had a picture of that!

I was thinking Jeremy would have a Bob the Builder birthday party next month, and I've been planning how to decorate the cake. I think I may have to change my plans!

Our Friday Night

2010-04-30T19:26:00.000-05:00

Jeremy and I are watching Cars, with his Cars collection,
his Cars bag, and his "Scrambler."

(Please excuse the pink bean bag chair. He outgrew his Cars chair several months ago and now has to snag his sister's chair.)

Mom n' Me Monday (Except it's Tuesday!)

2010-04-27T22:00:00.000-05:00

Hurray! I found our battery charger, and I can use the camera again! You'll have to forgive another week with a self photo. One day I will shove the camera in Carl's hands and let him take a picture!

The whole point of Mom N' Me Monday is for me to be in pictures with my kids, but I'm not necessarily always going to like the pictures! I am not a photographer, I don't photoshop, and I'm usually a mess. No more excuses! I did have the idea to go this week and get some great shots in front of some beautiful pink blooms at our church. But 4 days I had migraines, and the other 2 days were big storms. The blooms are gone. Maybe next year!

This is my Hannah. My first baby girl. I cannot believe she is 8 1/2 years old! We had some girl time today while Carl and Jeremy went fishing. I asked what were some things the girls missed doing when Jeremy was around. They answered make jewelry and play board games! You can imagine these are tough to do with a 2 year old around! So we sat down and played Candy Land. We had fun. I'll have to try to sneak in some more girl time soon.

Heidi took this picture of me and Hannah. This is not a great picture. It may not even be a good picture. But I like it. I'm not even sure I can explain why. One thing I like about it is that I can see the freckles dancing across our noses. See? I can't really explain it. It probably just has something to do with the fact that I love my girl so much.

READ Program and Sam

2010-04-25T15:43:00.002-05:00

Have you ever heard of the READ program? READ stands for Reading Education Assistance Dogs. My girls have been attending for one year. It is wonderful!

Once a month we head to our local library, and my girls get to see their favorite dogs: Molly, Sam, and Donovan. They read books to the dogs, pet them, talk with their owners about the dogs, and always have a lot of fun! They have bookmarks with the dogs' pictures, and receive stickers each month they attend. My girls get really excited, because after they read a book, they get to pick out a book of their very own to take home!

Heidi reading to Sam.

The program encourages young readers who may be too nervous to read in front of adults or other children. When we started the program Heidi did not read well. It's amazing to see how far she has come since then! The workers are always very patient and helpful.

Heidi has never been a nervous reader, but she has always been terrified of any animals. She would just see a dog and become hysterical. This was our main reason for starting the program. She is very comfortable around the READ dogs, and just loves to pet and hug them. She is still worried about dogs that she doesn't know, but I think she is relaxing some.

I talked with Sam's owner yesterday, and she said these dogs are used in other therapy programs. They go to nursing homes, hospitals, and schools. She said Sam works with a local Autism class. Cool! I told her about Heidi's Asperger's, and how I think this program has helped her, and not only with reading. I see her becoming more focused, more calm around these dogs. Carl mentioned maybe we should get a dog for her at home, but I'm not sure yet!

I found this site, and it has a partial list of READ programs by state. If you are interested, check the list, or call your local library and ask if they have a READ program.

Hannah and Jeremy hanging out with Sam.

Jeremy

2010-04-21T12:58:00.008-05:00

My boy is growing, no longer a baby, almost out of toddlerhood. (yes, I know that's not a real word) I just thought I would share some of the cute things he has done recently. I'm not going to think about the fact that he will be 3 soon, and that he is now half as tall as I am.

Jeremy loves his Lil Big Wheel, and I am sad that he is growing to big for it. He calls it Scrambler (Bob the Builder), and cries when Scrambler has to go out in the garage. I wish you could see him slide around the corners! He insists on turning the handle bars backwards, which just crowds him even more but he will not ride with it the right way.

Some cute sayings:

"Butterbeans" - instead of Jellybeans, Butter is what he usually calls Peanut Butter, and I guess the PB&J relationship transferred to Jellybeans. And I can't seem to convince him otherwise, haha. He loves these Butterbeans!

"If you say so."

"I don't think so."

(I'm not sure who he picked up these phrases from, but he's cute when he says it. I still correct him and have him say, "Yes, mam. No, sir." or whatever proper response.)

"Give me some Gum-gum, you better run-run!"

"I will come BACK-TO-LIFE!" (Night of the Museum, Battle of the Smithsonian)

"Larry the Cooncumber" -Cucumber

"Clip-clops" -Flip-flops

There is a toy tractor in our church nursery, that has a farmer driver. Jeremy has somehow gotten the impression that the farmer is our pastor, Brother Dave. Granted, Bro Dave is a bona fied Arkansas country boy, but he now lives in the city and Jeremy has never seen him on a tractor, with cowboy boots and a cowboy hat. But Jeremy loves to help "Bro Dave" ride his tractor!

Here's Jeremy doing his double wink. He's learned to do a pretty good single wink, and it's pretty funny when I catch him winking at the ladies at church.

Yesterday he woke up from his nap, came downstairs and said, "Mom! I gotta talk to you." So I said, "Sure son, what do you want to talk about?" "I don't know." was his response, then he climbed up in my lap and fell back asleep. Those extra 10 minutes were so sweet.

Willis for President?

2010-04-20T13:49:00.004-05:00

Mom, I can name many of the presidents.

Oh, really?

Yes. There's Obama, Bush, Abe Lincoln,
George Washington, Bruce Willis...

Mom n' Me Monday

2010-04-12T10:53:00.002-05:00

Yay! It's Monday! Today's pictures are far from glamorous, but I figured why not post them? This is how my children will most remember me. Free of makeup, messy hair pulled back in a bandanna, an old t-shirt with stains, bleach spots, and holes, baggy capris, and flip-flops.

This is me and Jeremy, my sweet boy. I'm realizing how much he is growing. When he first learned to walk, he would come up to me every 10 minutes or so for a snuggle, then slide back down to go play.

When he turned 2, he did not climb in my lap as often. He would snuggle with me for about 20 minutes in the morning, and after nap and play hard the rest of the day. I love those snuggle moments! I realized this morning that he is not asking for those early morning snuggles as often.

Today he is clingy and saying, "Mom, I need to hold you. Mom, I need to sit with you. Mom, I want you." I was more than willing to put down the laundry, dirty dishes, and schoolbooks and snuggle with him several times! One day I will only have these memories of snuggles, for my boy will be grown!

The best moment of my day was when Jeremy said,
"This is making me all better Mom."

Lud-egg van Beethoven

2010-04-07T16:17:00.004-05:00

Complete with a wig, and conducting baton.
Hannah got creative with her Silly Putty. Silly indeed!
It gave me a good laugh yesterday :)

Enjoying the bay

2010-04-04T22:05:00.008-05:00

We are settled in at our new house. We took an hour on Thursday to go check out the bay. We have a public access spot, but our landlord/neighbor let us use his dock area. The kids had blast!

The view from our new driveway.
One house between us and the bay.
I am in love and intimidated at the same time!

Sisters :)

Checking out the water

Trying out the ladder.

The kids were scared of this plank when they first saw it. They would only walk on it with me, holding tight. Pretty soon they were running down it, with me yelling "Slow down!"

Isn't the water icky looking?

I LOVE this picture of Heidi!

This picture was one of my favorites of Jeremy, yet this sun was too bright on his head. See how shiny his head looks? His ear was glowing! A bit too creepy for me, so I put it in black and white. I may have to work some more on this picture.

Maybe this week I will get an outside picture of the house to post. But no inside pictures till we get rid of the boxes and hang some pictures!

Jeremy's tent

2010-04-04T22:02:00.003-05:00

Jeremy loves his new room! As long as he does not have to play alone, haha. We set up a tent with a blanket in his room, and he has loved taking naps and playing there all week. I was surprised the first time he napped in there, it only took 2 minutes for him to fall asleep!

Who says?

2010-03-23T21:18:00.003-05:00

Who says girls have to be princesses?

Mom n' Me Monday (Except it's Tuesday!)

2010-03-23T16:58:00.004-05:00

My Heidi Jo and Me

She has been very sick this week. Monday she started showing some interests in playing and eating, but quickly tired herself out. So she climbed in my lap to snuggle. We both enjoyed that time!

Jeremy's Prayers

2010-03-16T21:44:00.005-05:00

Jeremy said the sweetest prayer tonight. He had me in tears. And laughing!

"Dear God, thank you for this day. Thank you for Jeremy, Heidi, Hannah, Daddy, Momma, Anne-Marie, Olivia, Matthew. Thank you for watching Cars movie and playing in the yard. Thank you for Anne-Marie, Olivia, Matthew. Thank you for Matthew playing in my room, we play Bob the Builder and pirates. He so funny! Hahahaha! Thank you for Hannah, Heidi, Momma, Daddy, Anne-Marie, Olivia, Matthew. Let us have a good day in class tomorrow, and see Grace."

(Repeat all this about 4 times, add in a lot of Jeremy-talk that I don't understand)

"Thank you for this day. Let me sleep good in MY bed (this part prompted by me) AMEN!"

(Repeat again and again!)

Anne-Marie, Olivia, and Matthew are friends of ours from Alabama that came to visit tonight. He had such a good time with them! (We all did!) And Grace is his favorite babysitter :)

I love that he prays on his own, and just really talks to God. He gets really upset if you try to prod him along, even if he's been talking to God for 15 minutes. And I don't have to tell him what to pray for, he just prays what is on his mind. So sweet! After his prayer he got quiet for a while and then told me, "Mom, I'm listening to God!"

Too much?

2010-03-16T10:17:00.001-05:00

Heidi at breakfast

"Mom, when I marry, I want my husband to be from Brooklyn."

"And I hope he really loves monkeys!"

I'm thinking this is totally random, but then she says something about Larry Daily and it hits me. Maybe we've watched too much Night at the Museum lately?

Like Father, Like Son

2010-03-15T15:32:00.003-05:00

Mom and Me

2010-03-15T15:21:00.004-05:00

I found a new blog theme that excited me: Mom and Me Monday! over on The Peanut Gallery's blog.

I have had those morbid thoughts before, "What if I die young, and my kids have no pictures of me? Or none of us together? What if I die old, and yet they still have no pictures of me?" 97 Percent of my time is spent with them, and I know they will have those memories, but I would like some pictures also!

So, here is my first picture in this series! Hannah, Heidi and me in our PJs, home with a cold! Jeremy could not be convinced to be in the pic. Maybe next time!

Little Helper

2010-03-12T16:56:00.004-06:00

Jeremy helped me make brownies this week.

Well, at least he did was help clean the mixing bowl haha!

On a side note: I did not realize I still had Christmas stuff hanging above my stove until Jeremy climbed on the stool and said, "Hey look at the reindeer!"

Turning Cardboard into Art

2010-03-12T16:43:00.003-06:00

I gave the kids a box, told them to go crazy with markers, stickers, and pictures from magazines. This box is what we will pack their favorite things in before we move.

Heidi was excited to find a God Rocks picture!

Big mess, big fun!

They all turned out so cute. Jeremy's had Thomas, Handy Manny, and Cars. Heidi had My Little Ponys, God Rocks, and tons of stickers. Hannah's was a mixture of pretty pictures she found, Bible verses she wrote, and George Washington (she loves history!).

Dinner Conversations

2010-03-09T18:47:00.004-06:00

Our dinner conversations are always interesting. Tonight's was no different! I'm not sure how Heidi got on the subject, but she started asking questions about when she would marry.

"When will I marry?"

me-"When you are 30."

to which Carl quickly responds-"What? No, you mean when she's 45!"

Heidi-"When can Jeremy get married?"

Carl-"When he is 20."

I'm snickering.

Heidi-"Mom, how old were you when you got married?"

I'm now covering my face, not wanting to answer that I had JUST turned 20!
But Carl answers for me.

Heidi-"Dad, how old were you when you got married?"

Carl-"Just before I turned 22."

I'm thinking she will catch on that our ages are MUCH younger than when she has been told she can marry, or that Dad does not expect Jeremy to wait till his 40s for marriage. But nope. She goes down a different track.

"Dad, did you throw up on mom's shoes when you found out she was the one you would marry?"

I'm covering my face to hide my laughs as Carl says, "What???"

We found out that this came from a Harriet the Spy book, but I had no idea where this thought came from!

Gotta watch what I say!

2010-03-08T08:32:00.006-06:00

I did not think I used these phrases so much, but I guess I do because I'm hearing them a lot from my kids!

Jeremy-"Come on man!"

Heidi-"I'm TOTALLY sorry!"

Hannah-"I SO don't like that idea!"

Jeremy-"For real? FOR REAL!"

Well at least they aren't picking up bad language from me! I love that Jeremy will say "Oh my word!" and "Oh my goodness!" Hannah likes to say "Oh bless your heart!" But I don't want my kids getting laughed at for using outdated expressions LOL!

I don't think I've ever said "I'm TOTALLY sorry!", but I'm sure I TOTALLY said something else like that.

What do you say that your kids mimick?

Unsupervised

2010-03-01T14:20:00.005-06:00

Jeremy had some kind of toddler drama the other day (I already forget what), and I told the girls they could play dress-up while I dealt with him. They asked if they could use make-up, and I said sure, but no nail polish or blush.

Maybe I should have specified how much they could put on? Because we did not have time for showers to scrub all this stuff off, haha! And I guess I should have made sure the girls knew what blush was, because they thought they were rubbing pink eye shadow all over their arms and faces. Even after lots of soap and scrubbing, they looked pink!

They had so much fun!
Heidi is trying to look like a fierce Indian.
I think she was Kokoum (sp?) from Pocahontas.

Um, bubble stick, where did you go?

2010-03-01T14:13:00.004-06:00

Jeremy bought me the bubble container and asked me to blow some bubbles. I asked if he knew where the bubble stick was. First, he brought me a twirling baton. Next, he brought me this.

Little Helper

2010-03-01T13:55:00.004-06:00

Jeremy told me he made a mess, and was going to clean it, "by mySELF". So he dragged the vacuum down the hall, into the living room, letting me know
"It's berry heavy mom!"

Then he sits on it and tries to turn it on.
He hasn't figured out how to plug it in yet.

I'm loving his outfit. Buzz Lightyear pjs and cowboy (er, cowgirl) boots!

Kid Funnies

2010-02-22T21:05:00.004-06:00

I haven't posted any of my kid funnies lately. I blame it all on Facebook, LOL. It was just easier to post little things there. But since I am stepping away from Facebook for a while, I thought I would post a few funnies my kids have said recently.

Jeremy-while trying to get my attention-"Mom, listen to my eyes."

Heidi-after sitting on the floor for a while-"Oh, my foot is feeling spicy!" (Maybe it fell asleep?)

Hannah-while watching Pocahontas-"Mom, why is John Smith tied to that pole?" (So he wouldn't escape.) "Why would he escape?" (Because he was a prisoner.) "Why would he escape if he knew he was a prisoner?" (Long pause) "Oh right."

And that was only a few of the questions Hannah asked. It is like that with every movie we watch, even if she has seen it 2 dozen times. NONSTOP QUESTIONS. I don't think she hardly even stops to take a breath. After 20 minutes or so, I have to ask her to stop asking questions and let everyone just watch the movie. I love her inquisitive nature!

And I gotta say, I'm so thankful that kids say such funny things, it is such a blessing to me!

Heidi's 7th Birthday

2010-02-16T20:36:00.005-06:00

Heidi had a wonderful birthday. We went out for an early family dinner, then came home for presents and cake.

I love this look!

Heidi and her new doll Katelyn.

Jeremy was very upset that none of the presents were for him. Dad had to hold him down to keep him out of the presents!

I tried to get a picture of all 3 kids real quick after presents, but couldn't get all 3 to look at me and smile. Big surprise, huh? LOL I told them people would probably think this was a depressing party since no one looked happy.

These next few pictures was the reaction from Hannah; now people will think we are crazy silly!

Jeremy and Heidi continue to ignore me, haha.

She'll probably kill me one of these days for posting these :)
We really did have a good time, even if I have no photographic evidence suggesting that.

Heidi and Belle

SNOW!

2010-02-12T08:21:00.006-06:00

No, we did not get snow in Florida last night like some crazy weather person predicted. But we did get lots of rain. They say we may get snow later today, but I'm not betting on it. I'm sure the local kids are happy to have a "snow" day since the schools went ahead and canceled anyway!

These snow pictures are from our visit to Arkansas. We were surprised to see this much snow even there! My Florida kids were very happy.

Jeremy playing in the sand, er, snowbox.

My beautiful niece Hailey.

It's not surprising that we don't have appropriate weather gear. I didn't see the need to go out and buy some for just a few days, so we improvised "snow boots" out of plastic sacks.

Another improvision: plastic tub=snow sled.

My niece Julia lives in northern Arkansas and is a bit more familiar with snow(and more properly attired). Not afraid at all to just plop down and make some snow angels!

The girls wanted to make an igloo, but of course there wasn't enough snow. My sister and mom improvised (again) by putting to chairs together and piled snow on the sides. Smart ;)

Hailey and Hannah in the igloo. The girls wanted to pile snow on the insides, but we were running out of snow and the sun was going down. Aren't they cute?

Here's the girls trying to crack the ice on the creek with a rake. Of course all the kids move faster than I do in the snow, so they made it there first. See Jeremy stepping onto the ice? That's were this post comes from.

Nana and Jeremy feeing the birds.

We were so blessed to have this time with our family. This was a delayed Christmas visit, and I'm so glad the snow waited for us!

Waffle High

2010-01-29T17:45:00.007-06:00

What do you do when you give your kids waffles with syrup for supper, yet it is too cold and dark to send them outside to run off the sugar high???

Why, you let Daddy come up with some crazy fun!

Instead of playing Keep Away with a ball by throwing it back and forth over someone's head, Carl would hold tight to the ball and make the kids wrestle him for it. Or throw it and let them chase after it.

Them it just turned into full-out wrestling. An 8, 6, and 2 yr old against Daddy.

I love this face, he knows he has won the fight!

*Note* I took these pics before our vacation, but I'm just now getting them posted.

Piggy Back Rides

2010-01-27T22:27:00.005-06:00

Nana is a nurse, works 12 hour shifts, and commutes. After a long day the kids were very happy to see Nana.

Nana was pretty happy to see them too.

But the kids didn't even let her get in the door before asking for Piggy Back rides.

Nana didn't seem to mind and gave them several rides while the other kids chased her around the house. They had a lot of fun.

Isn't she a great Nana?

Heidi's Surprise

2010-01-24T23:18:00.006-06:00

Heidi wanted to surprise everyone with a dessert recipe she created-Pinkie Pie Cupcakes. Here was her recipe (that I can best remember): 3 cups flour, 3 tbsp milk, 1 tbsp sugar, 3 cups butter, 1 egg, pink frosting and sprinkles. She wrote out the recipe, and drew a picture. We convinced her to change the recipe to a boxed cake mix that she slightly altered, and used chocolate icing with sprinkles since we have a few kids with red 40 allergies.

They were so yummy!

Fun at Nana and Poppy's

2010-01-24T22:32:00.011-06:00

We are in Arkansas this week to visit our families. We are having some serious fun here, but I only have a few pics to share since I am having some serious computer/internet problems. I have a video that I have been trying to load for 2 days. Check back for it, maybe I will get it figured out soon. It is a hilarious video. Of course, being a mom, I think my kids are the funniest, cutest, sweetest kids ever, so it could just be my opinion :)

Heidi wanted to make a dress for her doll, so Nana gave the girls scrap material, ribbon, scissors and tape (she was sticking to the "no needles" rule) and let the girls go wild. When I came home from the store, there was bits of cloth, ribbon, sring, tape everywhere-on the counter, chairs, and the floor-and 2 happy girls.

Jeremy got into the closet and found Poppy's boots.

Jeremy discovered his straw was a great utinsel for eating carrots.

Queen Esther. This costume also doubled as a Special Agent disguesed as a Persian Queen.

Just a Few Pics

2010-01-16T10:52:00.005-06:00

Here's Jeremy on his Lil Big wheel. I love how he sticks out his tongue to think. Just like a cousin of mine did when he was younger.

This odd contraption is a Flying Turtle. You swing the handle bars back and forth to make it go, and it is a lot of fun! Heidi had me make a video, and I'll post it later if I can find it :)

Hannah took the Flying Turtle on the ramp and had a blast coming down it.

Sister helping Sister

2010-01-07T16:53:00.005-06:00

We took the kids to the church parking lot the day after Christmas to get some practice time with their bikes. Carl is really so much better at teaching them, and it gave them plenty of room where they didn't have to worry about cars, trash cans or mailboxes.

Heidi got tired of waiting for Carl after a break, and wanted to try herself. Problem? She can't hardly climb on the bike herself, or figure out how to get up the kickstand. Hannah decides to help.

Hannah decided it was best to wait for Dad, and Heidi decided she wanted her training wheels back. We're still working on it!

Christmas Day

2010-01-07T15:57:00.009-06:00

I am a little late with posting our Christmas pictures, but I was trying to decide which ones to post, and then honestly just forgot about it.

I love this look of surprise. The girls had really wanted to get Carl a casting net, and it was an adventure finding one. I was afraid I would get the wrong type or size, but just went for it. He was happy!

Jeremy thought these were flashlights, or baseball bats, or color pens. We had to give him a bowling lesson, haha.

The girls loving their new toys.

Jeremy the Firefighter with his Cookie Monster.

Jeremy and his new "boot" (recorder, which we call flutes)

I love these last pics. Carl hid the girls' bikes outside,and after they had opened their other gifts, asked the girls did they get everything they wanted. Sorry they are blurry!

Heidi saying, "Dad, you know you got me a bike."

"Remember? It was pink, and you were SUPPOSED to get me a rainbow license plate that I could put my name on." (She was not having attitude, just very sure of herself.)

Hannah whispering, "Mom. Remember we went and looked at those bikes for her. Didn't Dad get her one?" Not realizing that we had also gotten her one!

The girls tried their new bikes in the grass first. It has been a long time since Hannah could ride; she outgrew her bike and helmet and it was old and wornout. Heidi has never ridden without training wheels so I thought the grass would be a better cushion.

Hannah got a Colonial Girl costume for her birthday, and Heidi had requested one just like it. If I have my facts correct, Hannah's dress is store bought (left) and Heidi's is Nana-made (right). Can you even tell a difference? They look great!

Jeremy...

2009-12-26T15:04:00.003-06:00

...is now tall enough to do this...

And he is really pleased with himself.

We had to start setting the Lock button for the water and ice several months ago, but he occasionally catches us off guard and likes to help himself. I'm okay with it as long as he doesn't spill, or decide that it's fun to fill a cup, dump it in the sink, then fill it again. That always reminds me to set the lock again!

Hotel Bethleham

2009-12-24T22:39:00.010-06:00

Hannah and Heidi were in their first Christmas play in several years. I think this may have been Heidi's first ever. They did such a wonderful job! Heidi did try stripping out of her robe (thank goodness she had other clothes on underneath), and Hannah did have to be prodded once on her lines because she wasn't following the other actors lines. But everyone was so cute, and did such a great job!

I did not get video, since there was no nursery and I was wrestling (literally!) Jeremy the whole time. I hurt now, haha. But I did get many pictures. Most of them are blurry, since JJ had this knack of bumping my elbow or camera with his head each time I snapped a picture, but I did manage to get several good shots.

Costa was such a ham, and had everyone laughing so hard. And he knew it! He was trying his best to get attention. Daniel had a hard time not breaking out into dance. Ally sang with her whole heart, and put some life into the songs. Emily, the tiniest (and only) shepherd, was so precious! Several of the kids had fake accents, and they all did a great job. There was a southern belle, a northerner, a cowboy, and Hannah was the French chef. Heidi was maid #2, and loved her fake sneeze. It really was a funny play, and it was a great time of relaxing and laughter for those watching the play.

Sorry about this ladies head in the shot. It was unavoidable. She was a very important lady-she was holding the cue cards with the song lyrics. The church was packed tonight, and we ended up squished in the middle of a row, with Jeremy having to sit in my lap instead of the pew. It made picture taking interesting! But I was glad to see so many people there tonight.

I would love to put cute little captions with each pictures, but it is very late and my brain is not cooperating! After months of listening to the CD, helping the girls with their lines, I can't seem to remember several of the characters names right now.

I love this shot. Any time they sang about baby Jesus, Heidi would put her hands up next to her face. Precious!

Jeremy did a great job during the play, at first sitting quiet and still to watch. But he broke loose into some wild sounds, and had the people around us cracked up. After the play, he just had to go on stage and try out the horse.

I give up!

2009-12-23T10:21:00.003-06:00

I thought we had time for a Christmas Unit Study.

Seriously, who was I kidding?

We have been WAAAAAAY too busy for even our fun school work. I thought surely we could find time to squeeze in 20 minutes, for a story and art project. The kids love those, so what was the problem, right?

The girls are in a play on Christmas Eve, and had practice Sunday evening, and Monday and Tuesday from 9-12. Our girls are exhausted from late nights, and long days filled with the usual Christmas activities. We even had some activities canceled, and I gave up on trying to shop with the kids. Even with the freer schedule, the kids are still tired. And you can tell from their attitudes.

I do not want to rush this Christmas week, but I will be glad when things can get back to normal around here. Hannah is even requesting her normal school work. I checked to make sure she did not have a fever.

Today is kind of a free day. I am letting the kids do whatever they want, dress-up, puzzles, coloring. Sometime I hope to get out to the Goodwill store with Hannah. I have heard there are some great finds there, and I have 3 bags to drop off. I also want to go to the book store. I have been trying to get there since October, since I told Hannah she could pick some books out for her birthday. I also have a box of books to drop off there; it will be great to have the back of my van cleared out!

Hopefully we can relax most of today, and get to bed early. Tomorrow will be another long day, the girls need to be at church at 4, then the play is at 5, followed by dinner with friends. Then Christmas day!!!

Family Fun Night

2009-12-19T22:43:00.005-06:00

Tonight we listened to Christmas Carol on CD by Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Casting Crowns, and Elvis. (Yep, we have interesting taste in music.) We sat at the kitchen table and played board games. The girls, Carl, and I played Guess Who while Jeremy played Barnyard Bingo. Carl and Hannah teamed up, and tried to be very strategic about their questions. Heidi and I just played and giggled. She was positively bouncy! We had a lot of fun.

Jeremy got bored after a while, and went into the living room to watch Thomas. I heard some rustling noises after about 10 minutes, and looked up to see this.

I asked him what he was doing, and he said "I'm hiding, mom."

I questioned him, but never got a real answer for why he was hiding behind the presents. But he sure did look guilty! I'm sure if I had not discovered him when I did, we would have found him with the presents open!

Sandy

2009-12-18T12:05:00.007-06:00

We have a new family pet.

It is a puppy, a male.

Of an undetermined breed.

His name is Sandy.

He is light brown, has wonderfully soft fur.

He loves to be petted, and makes the sweetest puppy squeaks.

He loves to be cuddled, and will fall asleep in your lap.

And he runs on batteries and has an Off button.

I love him :)

Survival Mode

2009-12-18T11:55:00.004-06:00

I haven't posted about our 2nd week of Christmas study, due to several days of migraines. The first 2 days we kept on as normal with schoolwork, cleaning, cooking. But by the 3rd day we entered survival mode. I just wasn't functioning as I should.

To be truthful, most of last week is a blur. I know we were super busy, and I was in pain most of that time, dizzy, nauseous, and trying to take care of our 3 wonderful children. The girls did the best they could at helping out; they are quiet used to my headaches.

This week we have managed a few days of Christmas study, but I'm trying not to stress that we HAVE to do this. While I love what we are learning, I want it to be fun, not seem like work. So we have cut back a bit, and the last 2 days I haven't even attempted to do any work. I have decided to continue the Names of Jesus study on into January, because we are all enjoying it.

I will post some of what we learned soon later, but now that we are out of survival mode, we are back into busy-living-life mode. Today we are babysitting Miss Z as normal, this afternoon Hannah and I will go give out Christmas baskets with our church, Saturday morning we will attempt some Christmas shopping (me and our 3 kids), Saturday afternoon is a birthday/tea party, Sunday is the choir's big Christmas production, Sunday afternoon......is something I can't remember. I won't even go into next weeks details...its just too much! I am loving this Christmas season, even if it keeps us hopping!

Christmas Chromatography

2009-12-06T20:59:00.003-06:00

I was disappointed yesterday when I searched through all my Christmas links and could not find a certain one I wanted for a science experiment. Problem: I was searching on my laptop, and the link was saved on my desktop!

Here is the link if you want to check it out.

http://sciencespot.net/Pages/classchem.html#Anchor2

Most of the projects are for Junior High, but there were two I thought would be good for my kids. Tomorrow we will do the Christmas Chromatography. I bet the girls will love it! I am checking out the Cookie Mystery to see if it will be good for my girls, but it uses iodine, and we have none. And I totally had to look up chromatography for its meaning!

Here is the link that I origionally found these projects on. They have other activities, lesson plans, crafts, recipes. I have not had time to check it all out.

http://www.eclectichomeschool.org/christmas/christmasunitstudy.asp

Well, I thought it was a good idea at the time...

2009-12-05T10:09:00.008-06:00

Week One
I am really enjoying our unit study so far, and so are the girls. It's provided a lot of fun, good discussions, some interesting facts. My intentions were to have the girls help me write a simple post each day, instead of just writing it all out in our journal. Ha! It seemed so simple, since we were not doing all of our regular school work, surely we could devote that time to do a quick post. Oh well! It was a good thought. I decided I would write about some of our favorite things we learned this week. The girls are keeping a journal, and doing crafts each day based on what they are learning.

The Names of Jesus

This study is so wonderful. Our favorite names were Alpha and Omega, and Wonderful Counselor. "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." Revelation 22:13. This verse, while hard to comprehend sometimes, is so amazing. "For to us a child is born,to us a son is given,and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6. I love this verse! We are also studying the other names listed here. We discussed what "counselor" meant. We talked about how Jesus fits the description of Wonderful Counselor, and what that means to our lives.

I found an article on this name, and it was great at laying it all out.Why IS Jesus able to be our counselor? "For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted." Hebrews 2:17-18

Here is the link to the article:
http://www.unionchurch.com/archive/120201.html

Christmas Symbols
We studied many symbols this week: the wreath, bells, Christmas cards, and Saint Nicholas. I think learning about St. Nicholas was my favorite. We learned where the story of Santa came from, why St. Nicholas was so giving, and ways we can try to be more giving to others. I won't post all the verses here, but do look them up! Philippians 2:1-11. These verses talk about having the attitude of Christ Jesus (one of Heidi's favorite verses), being less selfish, and more serving. One thing we will do this week is exchange names, but instead of giving gifts, we will do acts of service. Sneak in and make someone's bed, write them a note, just something that will make that person feel loved.

You can read more about Saint Nicholas here:
http://www.domestic-church.com/CONTENT.DCC/19981101/SAINTS/nicholas.htm

The girls also had fun doing a Google Image search for Saint Nicholas. They could see how some of his images compared to Santa, red robe, white beard; and how other images portrayed him as the Bishop that he was. They drew pictures of him as they thought he looked. (Warning: if you decide to do the image search, be sure you check out the images before your kids, because there were a few questionable ones)

Here is Jeremy, snacking on wreath cookies while we work.

Christmas Carols

The carols we learned this week were these: Good Christian Men Rejoice, O Come O Come Emmanuel, Joy to the World, and Thou Dist Leave Thy Throne. The first 3 carols are more popular than the last, and more fun to sing. We did have fun singing these, er, trying to sing them LOL. I could not find our CDs with these songs, so I finally got smart and found them on You Tube. Trying to sing these without music was so funny!

The story behind Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne is great. Still not my favorite song to sing, but I love the lyrics. Of course I had to translate it for my girls! They scrunched up their noses at the Old English. This song not only tells of Jesus' birth, but His life on earth, His suffering/death, and His second coming. I enjoyed the imagery. If you don't know this carol, look it up!

A friend gave me the idea of cutting out trees, and letting the girls decorate them each day with the symbol they have learned. So far they have added their wreaths, bells, St. Nicholas, and some hearts. The red hearts symbolize Jesus' blood that was shed for our sins, and the white stands for both Jesus' purity, and our hearts that have been wiped free of sin after accepting Jesus. We made the hearts after studying Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne, to remind us why Jesus was sent to earth.

Heidi's is the larger tree, with the larger ornaments. Hannah kept making everything as tiny as she could. Her tree is small now, but I had her enlarge her outline 3 times! She made presents to go under the tree, and some were as small as my pinkie nail. I was impressed at the details she could put on some things, with as tiny as she made them!

I am excited to start our second week of this study, although I haven't had to time to work on any of it yet. I'm hoping this week we will be able to do some baking or science experiments with our Christmas studies.

Gearing up for Christmas Unit Studies

2009-11-23T16:16:00.004-06:00

We are limiting our normal school work to just Math during the month of December. This way we can slow down, and really enjoy the Christmas season. I am also really excited to do some Christmas unit studies, to make the meaning of Christmas more real to our family.

I gave some options of the different studies, and asked Carl which one he thought we should do. His answer? All of them. And my response? Well, why not? Since we are only doing math and the unit study work is mainly fun work, I see no reason why we can't do more than one.

We chose to do The Names of Jesus, The Christmas Symbols, Christmas Carols, and just some other fun projects. The kids and I will do some during the day, and then the whole family will work on one together in the evening with Carl.

I am still researching the sites for the studies, and here are the ones I really like. Just a little disclaimer: I have only done a general check of these sites, so if you check one out and find a problem, I'm sorry! Let me know. There's just so much to look at, but I'm trying to get it all lined up to start next Monday.

Christmas Carols

http://www.easyfunschool.com/article1680.html

The Names of Jesus

http://www.easyfunschool.com/article1679.html

Christmas Science unit study, with links to other Christmas unit studies for Social Studies, Math, Bible, Language Arts, and Crafts. We will definitely be checking out all of them, and picking and choosing some activities to do!

http://www.squidoo.com/Christmasactivities1

Christmas Symbols

http://www.easyfunschool.com/Blessed.pdf

A long list of Christmas lessons and activities. I'm going to have a hard time narrowing down what we will have time to do, so many look great!

http://www.easyfunschool.com/IndexChristmas.html

Hannah's 8th Birthday

2009-11-10T16:08:00.006-06:00

Here are some pics from Hannah's 8th birthday. They are just a little late. We did her birthday in 2 days, so these pics are from the 1st day. I have some video of the 2nd day (when her package arrived) but I have not uploaded them yet.

Hannah with her new fuzzy robe. She is our girl who always freezes!

Hannah wearing her Colonial costume. She will also use it to be a Prairie Girl and Amish Girl. She's got a creative mind, and loves to "live" in older times. I wish you could hear some of the stories she creates.

This is what happens when you let a 6 year old and 8 year old decorate the cake. But they had such fun!

Hannah also got some new books, sketch pads, and SOOO many art supplies! These are her most favorite things to do: Dress-up (and really LIVE in that time), draw, and read. So she was very pleased with all of her gifts! Thank you, all of you who helped make this day special. We love you guys!

Christmas Unit Studies

2009-11-10T14:40:00.003-06:00

I'm so excited! Two years ago, my sister and I talked about how great it would be to take the month of December and just do a Christmas Unit study. We thought it would give the girls (and us!) a good break from regular school work, and be a great way to lead into the holidays.

Well 2 years ago in December, I had a little baby, my husband graduated from BCF, got a new job in Montgomery and we moved. Last December, I was juggling homeschool, part-time work, family, and preparing for another out-of-state move. Needless to say, the unit study idea never happened!

This year I think we will finally be able to slow down enough to really take the whole month for a unit study. Hannah has maybe 6 weeks left of 2nd grade (although she will probably finish sooner, she's just too fast!), Heidi has made some great improvements in her reading and math. And no moving this year! So I think we will continue with our math, but take a break from our other subjects.

I am taking the time today to research unit studies. I think the problem will be choosing one. There are so many great ideas! Some of them suggested making a journal of our studies, and I thought it would be a great idea to post our journal as we go along. I'll let you know which study we decide to do. If you have any great ideas, let me know! I can always use some more :)

So check back in December, and see what we're up to!

H

Little House, War, Pirate-Cookie-Dragon

2009-11-10T11:29:00.005-06:00

My kids are all 3 playing together, without fighting, and having a good time. Funny thing is, all 3 are playing something different, yet still together.

Heidi is plowing a line around her cabin to protect it from a huge fire. Hannah has been captured by an enemy and is waiting for someone to rescue her. Jeremy is a dragon, wearing a knight's shield, who says "Arrrrg!", and eats toast Cookie Monster style (which he is snatching off my plate).

But whatever, they are all playing together and happy! I wonder what happens when I join the game?

Post Note: Never mind. They quickly switched to other activities. Heidi decided to sit and do more schoolwork. Hannah is studying her lines for the Christmas play. Jeremy is putting his pull-along puppy in the fridge.

I love these kids :)

Jeremy's Prayers

2009-10-16T20:16:00.003-05:00

Jeremy has been saying his prayers for a while now, when he goes to bed, and when we bless the meals. He started by repeating what we said, then moved on to adding his own words. We can't understand the extra words he's saying, but it's so cool to hear him just talking to God.

Now he has this routine that he thinks is so funny. Sometimes I laugh, and sometimes I groan. It does get old after 3 meals, 2 snacks, nap and bedtime everyday! (and sometimes he prays 3 times for one meal)

His prayer now goes like this, "Dear God, thank you for this day. Thank you for "gibberish words I don't know", um, *SIGH*." Complete with a big shoulder shrug. Then he looks to us for help finishing the prayer. Sometimes the sigh is small, and sometimes it is hugely exaggerated!

I'll have to try to catch it on camera sometime, because it's just too cute!

Flower Power

2009-09-18T17:29:00.003-05:00

My girls and I planted flower seeds yesterday afternoon during a brief rain shower. Hannah and Heidi even named all their pots, Heidi's favorite being "Poopsie". Heidi expected immediate results, and was disappointed when they did not grow and bloom while she watched them.

I told the girls they may check on their flowers when they finished school work today. Hannah finished first, so she and I went out to see them while Heidi finished her math. While we were outside, a florist surprised us by delivering a flower arrangement (for my birthday). I carried the flowers inside and told Heidi, "Look Heidi!" and she said, "Oh wow, are those Poopsie's?"

That's some mighty powerful flower seeds!

Hannah, my baby girl

2009-07-26T21:39:00.007-05:00

I've been working on this post for a while, and I've loved looking back through pictures, books, cards, and baby clothes. Remembering my little girl, and seeing how she's grown. I cannot believe she is no longer a baby, toddler, or little girl. She is quickly becoming a young lady. She will be 8 next month! This story is more pictures than words, but these pictures do a good job of showing how beautiful and joyful life with Hannah is.

This is the story if my baby girl. Hannah was born on October 12, 2001. She weighed 7 lb 14 oz, and was 20 1/2 inches long. She was 2 weeks early, thanks to my high blood pressure problems during pregnancy. Though slightly jaundiced, she was beautiful. Like every new mom I loved looking and touching her tiny toes, hands, fingers, cheeks.

Carl and I, holding our first baby girl

Hannah at home, still jaundiced, but oh so sweet

Hannah enjoying her first cereal

First Birthday, Fist Cheetos

Febuary 2003, shortly before Heidi was born.
Hannah is almost 16 months. I LOVE this smile!

Hannah age 2, pretending to be Captian Feathersword,
looking more like Aunt Jemima

Princess, age 3

Hannah at Aunt Laura's wedding, age 4

Heidi age 3, Hannah age 4 (March 2006)
Her hair has finally grown enough that there is a flip and curl to it!

Hannah age 4 1/2, Heidi age 3 1/2 (Sept 2006)
First Day of PreK

Hannah age 5 1/2

January 2008, age 6 Hannah lost her first tooth,
and is so proud to show off her new gap!

June 2008, Hannah accepted Jesus as her Savior this night.
Can you see her joy?

January 2009
Now she is gapped toothed on top, and still so cute!

August 2009

Hannah is nearing age 8, sporting a shorter hairdo that she is not sure about. She loves to practice using foreign accents, dress up, and most of all read. She can read for hours. I think we have almost exhausted our library, with our many trips, and many armloads of books. She has become incredibly shy, another way she takes after me. But at home she is always asking questions, telling stories, singing, or whistling. She is such a joy!

Cousins

2009-07-21T12:04:00.025-05:00

I am almost finished with the blog post showing Hannah, infant to now, that I have been working on for months! I thought I would throw out another teaser, like I did in this post. Here are 2 photos of the 3 older cousins at the beach; one from 2 years ago, and one from this year. It's cute to see them lined up, and how they've grown! And to show how hard it is to get all 3 still, looking at the camera, and smiling! Haha, wait until we try to do another picture of all 5 cousins, whew!

June 2007
Hailey(5), Heidi(4), Hannah (5)

May 2009
Heidi (6), Hailey (7), Hannah (7)

2009-07-20T18:38:00.004-05:00

I haven't done Not Me Monday in several weeks. Mondays are Carl's days off, and our weekends have been very busy lately. But I am happy to post NNM this week, with a twist! Hope you enjoy! And check out MckMama's blog for her own Not My Child Monday.

Not My Child Monday

It was not my 7 year old girl, who popped her loose tooth out in church worship service, proudly announced it to me (and those around us), then put the slightly bloody tooth in my hand for me to see.

It was not my toddler who decided this week it is best to be naked. No, not my child. We spent all spring working on getting him to wear his clothes, so I certainly didn't give in after chasing a kicking, screaming, naked, boy, and just let him remain naked as he watched tv, read books, rocked, napped, played inside, AND played outside.

It was not my fashionly blessed 6 year old who proudly put together this outfit: orange hairbow, pink ballerina shirt, purple skirt, red, pink and purlpe valentine socks, and white dress shoes.

Our newish digital camera is fried.

It is not because my toddler managed to find a deep hole in the midst of ankle deep water, and he did not jump in with the water over his head. I did not have to jump in after him with the camera strapped to my wrist, and end up stuck in the hole with him.

And if you look at the top of this picture, you will not see the shadow of the hole just seconds before he jumps in.

What did your child NOT do this week?

Thomas the Train Cake

2009-06-27T17:16:00.003-05:00

I had planned on buying a cake from Walmart for Jeremy's 2nd birthday. After some doubts of the cake's taste (you never know with Walmart), I decided I would try to make one myself. The girls loved the idea, and had a great time helping me research Thomas cakes. We looked at more than 700 pics, and drew pictures, and jotted down ideas. Then we went to the store and bought our supplies.

I spent less than $20 on supplies, which is slightly cheaper than the bakery cake. I figured since I already had the money set aside, I wouldn't worry about saving on ingredients. I used one chocolate fudge cake, one butter recipe cake, 2 chocolate frostings, 2 butter cream frostings, food coloring, chips ahoy (blended to look like dirt), Hershey bars and pretzels (tracks), chocolate covered marshmellows, chocolate covered peanuts, and chocolate covered cranberries (all for pebbles). We used some of the girls train toys as decorations.

Here is a picture of the cake I was origionally going to buy from Walmart.

Here is the cake we made.

The train is really Edward, since we only have a tiny Thomas. But Jeremy insist it is Thomas, no matter how many times we tell him "Edward", so I figured it was okay to use on the cake. We will put some candels that spell "Happy Birthday" on top of the mountain when we get ready for his party.

What do you think?

I think my kids are never going to let me make a plain cake anymore!! And I can't wait to taste it!

Pier

2009-06-27T16:21:00.003-05:00

Carl took the girls out to the Pier the other night, and they goofed around while he fished. Looks like they had a good time!

Crab Huntin'

2009-06-27T16:12:00.006-05:00

We recently took the kids on a crab hunt. We love to go to the beach after supper, because it is not so crowded or hot, and there is no need for sunscreen. We usually head home as the sunsets, but planned our trip to stay later.

We saw soooo many crabs! And tons of tiny baby crabs. Cute! The kids had a really good time, and only slightly freaked out. Heidi would be scared, then be upset when Hannah tried to shoo them away with the flashlight.

The 2nd picture is not so clear, but most of the white spots are crabs. You can click on the picture to enlarge it.

Our Trip To Arkansas: Days Seven

2009-06-02T16:02:00.005-05:00

Monday we went to the park with Nana and cousin Hailey. We had a blast! Jeremy loved the slide, and tried the bouncy bridge. The girls loved playing "sinking ship" or "ship tossed in the waves" and loved the pipes set up as a "phone". We also got to go to McD's for lunch (a rare treat for my kids!), then home for a good rest!

Our Trip To Arkansas: Days Six

2009-06-02T15:46:00.004-05:00

Sunday was a good day...the kids went to church with Nana and Poppy while I ummmm...played hookey. In the afternoon we got outside and had a good time in the sandbox. (Ha! And here you thought you would see my kids in pics without sand!) We realized the sandbox is kind of small for all the cousins to fit into, but we still had a good time.

Our Trip To Arkansas: Days Five

2009-05-31T16:27:00.006-05:00

Three tired kiddos, cuddling with Poppy, after a long day of family fun.

Our Trip To Arkansas: Days Four

2009-05-31T16:19:00.006-05:00

I had intended to upload pics everyday of our trip, so Carl could see what we are up to. But my camera did not agree with that idea. I borrowed my mom's camera today, to use her pics for days 4-6, but apparently Picasa does not agree with that idea. *sigh* I will upload some of the pics, that look okay without edits. But there are so many great pics that will just have to wait! I will do a slideshow if I can ever get technology to agree with me.

Pics from my cousin's wedding reception. We had a wonderful time. The ceremony was beautiful, and it was great time of visiting with many family memebers we have not seen in a long time.

Our Trip To Arkansas: Day Three

2009-05-28T22:39:00.007-05:00

Thursday evening we went to Toad Suck Park and hung out with Carlene, my mother in law. The kids were so happy to see her! And there was a cool pirate ship playground that they had a blast playing on. Jeremy got so tired, he layed down on the ground (recycled tires), told me "I love you mama, night-night" and stayed laying down for several minutes. I seriously thought he would fall asleep!

They were also incredibly hungry! This was their picnic: 1 whole PB&J, 1 whole banana, pretzels, nutrigrain bar, fruit snacks, juice box, and water. And they were STILL hungry! When we got home they also had some cheese rice cakes and mini chips ahoys.

Heidi finally figuring out how to kick her legs right when swinging!

Our Trip To Arkansas: Day Two

2009-05-28T14:45:00.007-05:00

Here we are enjoying some time outside at Nana and Poppy's.

Aunt Laura and Cousin Julia

Nana giving piggy back rides.

Jeremy, Hannah, and Julia swinging.

Jeremy discovering he can reach the windchimes.

Dress up time!

Heidi and Jeremy enjoying a story with Nana before bed.

Snuggle time!

Our Trip To Arkansas: Day One We're Here!

2009-05-26T22:35:00.005-05:00

We arrived at Poppy's house just in time to enjoy some pizza, get baths, and watch Wheel Of Fortune. (The last is not a normal habit, but we had a friend who was starring that night, GO Jonathan!) Nana arrived home from work, and got some play, snuggle, reading time with the kids before we all got some much needed sleep. Can you see how tired the girls look? Jeremy seemed more energized, rather than sleepy.

Hannah and Heidi chillin' with Poppy, watching God Rocks before bed.

Jeremy playing along with God Rocks.

Jeremy checking out the toy boat.

Jeremy getting some Nana time before bed.

Our Trip To Arkansas: Day One The Drive

2009-05-26T21:48:00.007-05:00

The kids and I traveled to Arkansas today with my sister and her family, who had visited with us for a few days in Florida. We caught a ride with them so we can come home and visit with family and attend my cousin's wedding.

The kids were wonderful during the car ride! We started about 6:30a.m., and arrived sometime around 5:00p.m. There was minimal amounts of fussing and whining. I am very proud of how well behaved all four kids were. Here are a few pics of how they enjoyed the car ride.

Jeremy enjoying the car ride. He was sooooo good!

The girls kept entertained with a Leapster, DS, FP3s, and DVD.
Ahhhhhhhh. Technology!

We also had toys, colors, and books, I just didn't capture any pics of those.

Do I need words for this one?

Jeremy's New Hiding Spot

2009-05-15T20:58:00.011-05:00

*Update* I think I FINALLY got this video to upload right!!! Now you will just have to ignore the lighting/timing issues! If you can get past that, it is a cute video.

*Original Post*
This video is very dark, sorry, I tried to fix the lighting, but maybe my batteries were low. I think you'll get the point of it though.

I also tried to edit the time of the video, to just 2 minutes, but the editor and I don't agree on how the program should work. So the program won, and we'll just have to deal with the longer video.

I emptied one side of our tv cabinet, because I was tired of Jeremy emptying it for us, then someone having to clean it up. When he discovered it was empty, he thought it was a great hiding place. Hannah actually scared me one day with this. She came to me (smiling) "Mom! Jeremy's missing, I can't find him!" I knew she was kidding, but after 3 minutes searching for him, calling, and him not responding, I got worried. I went into the living room, calling, "Jeremy, where are you??" He popped the door open with his feet, and said, "Here I am!" What a scare and great laugh! He did this same thing last year, but he was half the size. I'm not sure how he folds himself into the cabinet. I'm waiting for the thin back panel to pop out and have him fall out the back. I have a feeling we will either be removing the cabinet doors, or getting a different entertainment center.

Jeremy's First Buzz Cut

2009-05-09T20:29:00.006-05:00

We finally did it. Jeremy got his first buzz cut tonight. Carl had wanted to cut it this way on Jeremy's first birthday, but I got him to wait. I knew that style would make him look more a little man, and I still wanted him to look like my little baby boy. His hair has really been bothering me these last few months. No matter how Carl cut it, I just didn't like it, and couldn't style it very well. I also thought a buzz would be nice for summer time, a little more cool, and easier to rub in sunscreen. And easier to clean after he has had 3 applications of sunscreen, salt water, and lots of sand!

Here is Jeremy before his cut.

He was very good, and laughed, saying it tickled.

Carl and Jeremy, after his cut and a bath.

He does look like a little man now, but I think I am very happy with this cut! I figure this will stay our spring/summer cut, and we will grow it back out during the fall/winter times.

Homemade Pita Bread and Hummus

2009-05-09T18:28:00.003-05:00

Hannah and Heidi have really enjoyed learning to cook with me lately. We tried a new recipe, homemade pita bread and hummus. We used the bread machine. I honestly don't know how I would live without it! We use it for so many things. The bread was so delicious, and the hummus was wonderful, a roasted garlic blend. The girls did not like the hummus, but enjoyed the bread as sandwiches, and just by itself.

Hannah is wanting to cook one full meal a week with me, help with bread (she actually has done one French loaf on her own, with just supervision), and any other task I do in the kitchen. She is becoming quite a helper!

Catchin' Hermit Crabs

2009-05-09T18:01:00.004-05:00

Here are some pictures from a recent trip to the beach. We are going 2 or 3 times a week now. We still haven't put on our swim suits, we just splash in the water, explore, and play in the sand. We usually go after supper, and head home after sunset. It is now a Friday night routine.

Heidi and Jeremy enjoying the water. They really love it! Heidi had so much fun catching hermit crabs, and pretending to be a mermaid.

A picture of the clouds and beach after a storm last week. There was actually more pink to the clouds, but it didn't come across in the pictures.

Really cool crane that came close to us. I loved to hear it squawk!

Hannah running down the beach. She kept racing back and forth, wanting me to run with her, but boy, I don't have her energy!

Carl and Jeremy exploring. Jeremy had no fear, and would pick up anything he found. He picked up many hermit crabs, and really wanted to get his hands on a large dead fish we found. Boy do we have to watch him close! He really loves the water.

Just a few of the hermit crabs we found. We literally caught a few dozen, and released them before we headed home. We each picked out our favorite, and brought them home with us. But the hermit crabs did not survive before we found them some food. Ugh...we learned our lesson. We will be more prepared before we bring any more home!

Heidi's Musings

2009-04-21T19:24:00.004-05:00

Heidi continually shocks and amazes me with the things she says. You just never know what she will say. She is always making us laugh, without really trying to. Tonight, in about 30 minutes time, she cracked me up at least 3 times. These are the ones that really got me.

Heidi asking to play Do You Know? , and trying to prove she would be able to answer the Bible trivia questions. "The asnwers are cats, airplanes, and sin!"

Heidi answering my question about what was inside the Ark of the Covenant during Do You Know? , "Sushi!"

Heidi, when she was upset at her daddy for something, "Mom, I'm going to slap him with fishes!"

Have you ever seen the Veggie Tales Jonah movie??

Heidi's Musings

2009-04-18T11:48:00.003-05:00

I was trying to slide my Bible further down the table, and managed to slide it a little too far. Onto the floor.

Heidi gasped and said, "Oh no Mom! Your Owner's Manuel!"

Hannah-isms

2009-04-14T08:01:00.006-05:00

I know I started a similar post a few weeks ago, to say some of the crazy, silly, cute things Heidi says. Hannah has also managed to crack me up good a few times recently. This morning she got me good, and I decided I needed to share it.

I had been sick during the night, and knowing how Hannah does not like germs, I warned her when she woke up.

Hannah, "Good morning, Mom."

Me, "Good morning, Hannah. Mom's sick today."

Hannah, "Oh no! What's wrong."

Me, "Stomach bug."

Hannah, "Oh no! Does anyone have any face protectors?"

Me, "no"

Hannah, "What about those things the firemen wear to breath with?"

Me, "nope"

Hannah, "What about a super duper heavy rain coat?"

Spikin'!

2009-04-13T14:09:00.007-05:00

Heidi has a new favorite show called God Rocks. It is very cute, silly, and has lots of music. This is great for Heidi, because I think she is almost ALWAYS singing. Most of the songs are from Bible verses, and it is a great way for the kids to learn new verses easily. I must admit, I love the music. They do a mixture of rock, disco, and oldies style. I get the songs stuck in my head all the time!

One of Heidi's new phrases is "That's spikin'!" (I do not remember which character says this, but I KNOW she could tell you!) She even told me one day, "Mom, your spikin' !" A lot of her pretend playtime is also filled with God Rocks these days. She will pretend to be Gem, and dress up and sing, or be Carb, and talk in a deep growly voice.

I think she has told everyone she sees about God Rocks. So if you come to our house soon, be prepared. She will tell you all about it, ask if you can watch it together, and probably ask you to play it with her too. She is too cute! I love that she gets so excited, and totally into something. At least it is something non-violent, with good character morals, and teaches her more about God and the Bible. Oh, and gives her LOTS of music to sing all day long!

She is watching God Rocks as I type this. Today's episode is about faith. It starts off with some of the characters trying to move a dresser across the room, just by using their faith. Gem teaches them what faith really is, and how it works. It encourages the kids to read their Bible, pray, and seek God. I love that she learns so much from this, and sometimes I learn too!

2009-04-10T13:45:00.007-05:00

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to get an update on Stellan. He is entering his 4th week in the hospital battling SVT, and things are looking better, but still a long way to go! We are still praying, and asking others to pray.

I did not play hooky 3 days this week from school work, essentailly giving the kids another Spring Break. Not me, I am a very structured, scheduled kind of mom. (haha) We did not use these days to go shopping for Easter clothes, stay at the beach all day with friends, and just hang around the house with Daddy.

I am not dreading having to do school work today, after such a long break.

I did not fill the kitchen sink with about a gajillion Easter eggs, and get distracted by kid drama. The eggs did not sit in the sink and wait for me for TWO days before I finally took the time to deal with them. I did NOT convince the girls to wash them for me. Nope, not me.

I did not find an egg that was STILL filled with candy from last year (AFTER 2 days in the sink). I was not totally suprised when Hannah said, "Oh, mom, we need to be careful washing the purple shiny egg, because it still has candy in it."

Guess what color the egg was??

I did not get so burned out last week, that I demanded a night off. My husband is not so sweet and caring, that he did not only give me the night off, but came home from work early so I could also have off the afternoon!

I did not do these things during my free time: shop at Target for Easter clothes/stuff till I ran out of money, enjoy the library by myself, and was actually able to LOOK at the books, rather than just grab randomly while keeping track/shushing my kids. I did not spend almost 3 hours at the beach, walking, collecting sea shells, seeing a HUGE jellyfish, just sit and stare at the waves and sunset, and read a newly borrowed book. And I DID NOT have popcorn and Sierra Mist for supper on the beach. Nope, NOT ME!

2009-04-04T13:32:00.004-05:00

Since I just posted about the girls' school day, I thought I should follow up with what Jeremy does during school time.

He does this:

And this:

AND he does this:

Anything involving general chaos, messes, destruction, and of course, distraction.

And truly, I think most of that table mess I posted earlier can really be blamed on him.

We love our little boy, messes and all :)

School Days

2009-04-03T20:22:00.004-05:00

We have been back at school a little more than a month now. After the holidays and moving we needed a good break! Hannah started 2nd grade, and Heidi is finishing Kindergarten (she will finish sometime around June). We are trying out some new curriculum, and so far we love it!

We are using Rod and Staff for English, Spelling, Penmanship, and Reading. I love it for reading and English! English may be a little below the girls level, but we will work at it quick. I need to compare it to the state standards and be sure they are covering everything, but I love the way it explains things. Very simple, but really stresses the importance of good grammer. Spelling is definitely below their level. I bought Hannah a 3rd grade book, and she already knows most of the words (althought her reading skills are pretty advanced). Reading is excellent. They have two sets, Bible and Nurture series, and Pathway Readers. The Bible series is of course Bible stories, which my girls can never get enough of. Rod and Staff are written by Amish and Minninite publishers,and The Pathway Readers is stories based on simple farm life. The girls love Janette Oke and Laura Ingles Wilder, so I think they will love these too. I do not have Hannah's readers yet, so I may need to think about getting her a higher level in this also.

This year for History we are using A Becca. We read the text together, talk about it. Then we will make a project (our own US flag) or do a google search to learn more about the subject. We also get books from the library to help make it more interesting. Science is mainly library books, videos, and home experiments. This week we are going to try to grow our own mold. (The neak freak/germ-a-phob in me does not understand this!) We do not test for Science or History yet, but do writings and projects to help reinforce the lesson.

We are planning on using Math U See this year, but do not have all our curriculum yet. We are trying to find all of the books and manipulatives we will need. We do not have Hannah's phonics or penmanship yet either, but I am not too worried yet. She finished 1st grade from mid August to mid January, and we will do school in the summer. I am sure she will get caught up when we have all we need, and probably be ready to start 3rd grade (wow!) in the fall.

Heidi hard at work

Hannah attempting to be cheerful

We always start with a neat, clean table. Maybe 2 stacks of books, our folders, 2 pencil boxes, and the laptop.

Very quickly our table starts to look like this:

And there are pencils, books, papers spilling over onto the floor that you cannot see.

I will stop and clean it all up several times during our work, but it just explodes again somehow. It would be easier if we had a larger room and bookshelves, but we just don't have that right now. In Montgomery we had our own schoolroom, a desk, a table, and a tall book shelf. In our new house we have to use the kitchen table, and while we do have a cabinet for our things, it is very hard to get into. Even though it creates more of a mess, it is easier to just get it all out at one time. And I'll have to admit, if I don't get all the books out at the beginning, I will probably forget to do them!

I am so glad we are enjoying school so far this year. I hope the girls will continue to like their new curriculum. Hannah will always complain, because it is work, but she has been happier. I'll admit, it was hard for me to muster up the energy and good attitude this week for school. We had a week off for Spring Break, and we were just tired! I can't believe my girls are growing and learning so fast. I know it's not the great teacher, but maybe some awesome genes? They amaze me.

Future Blog Post

2009-04-02T22:11:00.007-05:00

I have mentioned once or twice that I had a blog post I was working on, and it would be up soon. Well, soon is not as SOON as I thought it would be. My idea was to take baby, toddler, and present day pics of the girls, and make a slideshow or scrapbook. I loved the one I made for Jeremy's 1st birthday . The girls helped me make it, and we had such a great time, we decided each girl needed their own slideshow.

The problem? I realized my photos were not all in one place to make it easy. I have three years of pictures on the desktop computer, 5 months on the laptop, and two or three years of pictures on 5 CDs. I also need to fix a lot of the pictures, for low light, red eyes, and other problems. That means I need to upload them to Picassa, fix them, then upload them to Smilebox for the scrapbook. Whew. I'm sure there is a much easier way to do all this, but I just don't know how. I'm not THAT computer savvy.

I am not one to give up easily. Once an idea is in my head, I have to finish it.
And I don't want to just slap it together. It does not have to be perfect or super fancy, but I do want it to look nice.

Sooooo, the post is not really even started yet, I am still getting the pics in one place. But here is a sneak peak of some of those pics.

2009-03-30T10:00:00.011-05:00

Not Me~Stellan Style

Not Me Monday is in honor of Stellan this week, thanks to the idea of Natalie another blogger and follower of MckMama. Since my post already included several referring to Stellan, I decided to join in. I do not expect MckMama to do her usual Not Me Monday, since Stellan is still in the hosptial battling SVT. You can head over to her blog for updates on Stellan. Please pray for Stellan and his family.

I did not keep my computer logged in to MckMama's blog, and her Twitter site ALL week, in order to check updates frequently in spite of the fact that Carl's family was in town.

I did not check her sites first thing in the morning and before I went to bed every day.

I did not get up in the middle of the night, several times, to check on Stellan, and pray for him and MckMama.

I did not cry along with MckMama, during her sad, tired, angry moments, and I did not laugh so hard at the last of her post here. I know MckMama is NOT a very healthy organic type of person, and her boys were probably NOT so happy to be eating at McDonald's.

I did not worry about how to get updates on Stellan while we were spending all day at the beach. I did not contemplate what the sand would do to my laptop if I were to take it with me. Nope, not me.

I did not have some really amazing prayer times this week, as I felt God move while praying for Stellan. I do not believe Stellan is a true miracle of God.

And on to the family stuff...

I did not forget to take my camera when we went to the beach, to see the Blue Angels, and to the Naval Aviation Museum and miss some awesome pictures of our family.

I did not finally remember to pull out the camera on the last two days of our vacation, and only get pics of our family hanging out around the house, because it was not storming so much.

I did not have so much fun watching the kids playing almost every game we have, during the days it did NOT storm.

Hullabaloo

I did not think it was the best thing ever, to see the older cousins playing with the younger cousins. I did not think about telling them they just had to stay here.

I did not get so exhausted after our family vacation, that I did not just ignore the fact that my son made a HUGE mess out of his PB & J sandwhich all over his chair, table, and floor Friday night, and I DID NOT just leave it there to be cleaned the next morning.
Nope, NOT ME!

2009-03-26T07:35:00.004-05:00

This post is part of "Hi/Lo Thursday" on the Riggs Family Blog. Check out their blog to read everyone else's "Hi/Lo" posts and get your link on their site.

Our Highs this week:

We have had so many! Carl's family is here this week to visit. His mom, sister Kelly, nephews Ethan and Jonathan, and nieces Elizabeth and Bethany. We have been to the beach, seen the Blue Angels fly, been to the Naval Aviation Museum, and had so much TOGETHER time, which we have really missed these last few years. I LOVE to see all the cousins playing together.

Our Lows this week:

We really have not had lows this week, because we have been having such an awesome time. But I guess missing Kelly's husband Craig, who had to work, and our oldest nephew Caleb, who is in the Air Force and stationed in Alaska, really count as lows. We've had a wonderful time with the Whitworth's, but it feels incomplete without Craig and Caleb.

I am already dreading having to say goodbye to everyone. I would love it if they could all just stay! Heidi cried one night, after playing with Jonathan, and said she just really wanted a big brother. Oh my heart loved that! I told her to just play with Jonathan, and enjoy him while he is here.

I'm going to just take the advice I gave Heidi, and enjoy our last few days with our family. Even if it is storming, and keeping us from any trips to the beach and park! We will still have some good family time.

Sorry, I haven't pulled my camera out once this week! I will have to do that today, and snap some pics of the cousins, and their Nanny and Aunt Kelly, so you can see what we are up to this week.

Heidi's Musings

2009-03-18T14:09:00.011-05:00

Heidi comes running into the kitchen and yells, "I'm going to stop those pigs of Roman! And I'll move to America where I can go to church and worship my God!"

So I am shocked and cracked up all at one time! Heidi and Hannah had apparently been playing Jews who were oppressed by Romans, (I think from a Friends and Heros show), and she was very much in character. They were using names like Portia, Tobias, Aaron. I had to tell her we should not go around referring to people as pigs, no matter who they were or what they did.

And I think the "go to America" bit is from our History lessons. This week we are learning about America's freedoms, and we have of course covered the freedom of religion.

Oh, and guess what she requested for breakfast that morning? Matzo.

The Laundry Snatcher

2009-03-18T14:02:00.004-05:00

We have a laundry snatcher in the house, and his name is Jeremiah. If you leave a laundry basket within reach (there is almost always one out at our house), he will go through it and want new clothes on. The funny thing is, it's usually Heidi's clothes he wants. His choice today was a plain green shirt and plain green panties (at least they weren't too girly), and a pair of white panties trimmed in pink. All on top of his blue stripped one piece outfit.

He put some of it on himself, then asked Hannah to help. The last picture looks like he's doing push ups, but he's just rolling around on the floor.

That's my boy!

My Big Excitement for the Week

2009-03-15T22:16:00.005-05:00

We had some really good days this week. Lots to be excited about. But what thing have I actually done a victory dance for, more than once?

Could it be we finally got the girls' new school curriculum, and I love it? And the girls love it too? Nope, but what a joy it was to look forward to schoolwork this week!

Could it be that I finally got all those tubs out of my kitchen/living room, and got the winter clothes shoved into the back of Jeremy's closet? Nope, although I know it made Carl pretty happy. Those tubs were such a nuisance! And the girls were very happy to have their spring clothes out. It seems like shopping without leaving the house.

Could it be that we had an awesome family night on Friday? Carl came home early, had a quick nap, then grilled some awesome steaks, potatoes, and corn. After supper we headed to the beach and walked around. How wonderful the waves sounded! We stopped by Hershey's Ice Cream for some really yummy ice cream. It was a very relaxing, fun night.

But no, I did not do the victory dance for these things!

What was it that got me so excited?

Jeremy is eating vegetables again!!!

Jeremy stopped eating vegetables and fruits in November after he started preschool, and the food they served there was not so healthy. Burgers, and tator tots. Pizza, cheese crackers, and cookies. Ravioli, chicken nuggets. Anything remotely healthy was canned, and tasteless. Add to that Jeremy stayed constantly sick, and at times he would not eat much of anything.

This was a typical breakfast before November: oatmeal, wheat toast, and bananas.
Lunch: cheese toast, green beans, carrots, and peaches or pears. Was it all organic and completely healthy? No, but come on, it was so much better than what he had at preschool!

Lately I noticed his tastes were changing. He doesn't really care for peanut butter anymore, and is not consistent with cheese toast, milk, and bananas, the few healthy things I can get him to eat. I guess he was getting bored with food. But cereal? He will eat this anytime I serve it. And I don't serve kids cereal, like fruit loops, lucky charms, or cocoa puffs. I serve the bland stuff.

Jeremy was extra hungry during dinner earlier this week, and decided my food looked better than his. So I shared a carrot with him, thinking he would turn it down. He ate all of my carrots, and then I got him his own bowl. He has eaten carrots everyday this week, and is now also eating green beans, bananas, and grapes!

I literally get so exited each time he eats them. So silly, I know, but I am so happy! I was beginning to think he would be like Heidi, who would not eat fruits, veggies, or meat until around age 5 when we had to force her to try them. I thought he would be a cereal, grilled cheese, cracker eating boy for the next few years. I consoled myself with the fact that the first 17 months of his life he ate very healthy, and at least he had a good start.

We had hot dogs and chili, chips, and carrots for dinner last night. Not very healthy, I know, but easy for a rainy Sunday night when I was not feeling so well. Jeremy scarfed one hot dog down (minus the bun) almost before I could fix mine. Instead of a asking for a second hot dog, or eating his chips, HE ASKED FOR MORE CARROTS!!! And then thirds. Wow!

I'm not going to push it, but I can't wait to try the peaches and pears this week and see if he will eat them again. He stopped going to preschool at the end of January, so I guess the bad eating habits he learned there are starting to wear off!

Can you believe I wrote this really long post about my son eating veggies?

Or did the victory dance?

Heidi's Musings

2009-03-13T13:38:00.005-05:00

I'm not sure what I'm going to label this post yet, maybe someone has some creative ideas? I will try to do them once a week or so. Whenever Heidi hits me with some funny Heidi-isms.

Heidi, "Mom, I need to go to the eye doctor. I have an eye problem."

Mom, "What is it dear?"

Heidi, "When it is dark, my eyes can't see."

Heidi, "Mom, I'm going to draw a picture of Jesus. Jesus and the ten leapords."

I'm imagining Jesus sitting under a tree, surrounded by beautiful large cats, telling them parables.

Hannah, "Mom, years ago, I mean years and years ago, girls and boys at school did not play at recess together. They played only with boys, and only with girls. Why do you think that is?"

And before I can answer, Heidi says, "Leaprodsy"

Again, funny images come to mind.

2009-03-09T21:55:00.004-05:00

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I did not snatch my son out of his highchair during dinner when he signaled he needed to "go potty" and fly him into the living room to his little seat just in time. And I did not just let him keep the chip he was eating in his hand because I did not want to interrupt the process. Nope, not me.

I did not finally get to go to the local homeschool store, after waiting for weeks, and find some great deals. I did not also forget the large stack of curriculum I was supposed to take with me for resale, and it is not still sitting in my kitchen taking up precious cabinet space.

I did not pull out all of our spring/summer clothes, and pack up all the winter clothes, because we are not having the most beautiful Florida weather this week. I did not get interrupted a bajillion times, and have to stop before the winter tubs got put back into the closets, and leave them sitting in the hall, kitchen, and living room. Not me, not ever, because it annoys me to have stuff left half done.

2009-02-23T11:58:00.006-06:00

Heidi and Jeremy both had days this week when they were so tired, they fell asleep in the living room. Hannah wanted to be included, so she "fell asleep" in the kitchen while I was working on this post. Aren't they precious? Oh, and the tantrum picture is included just for fun.

2009-02-23T11:02:00.005-06:00

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

My not mes are short this week. Maybe that means I did NOT have an awesome week.

I did not make the most awesome pot of soup this week. I did not get so excited when Hannah loved it, and asked if she could have the leftovers the next day. I did not forget to put the crockpot in the fridge, and leave it sitting out all night, and have to dump it the next morning. Nope, not me!

I did not decide to take the week off from homeschool, because I was just having too much fun with my kids. We did not go shopping, play outside, do art projects, play Princesses, Queen, and Knight, have tea,bake cookies, and many other fun things this week. And I am not dreading school this week.

I did not have the most amazing weekend with my husband. We did not renew our vows in our churches marriage covenant ceremony. And I did not feel my heart flutter, and feel like I was still newly married. I did not get to have a romantic candle lit dinner out, WITHOUT my kiddos. And I did not enjoy every minute. Not me!