Special moments for the day.  Laying with Evelyn getting and singing, 'Silent Night' as we cuddled together.  She pops her thumb out just long enough to say, 'Sleep with me, Mama.' 

Josh is so industrious and not always in a good way.  Today at his friend's house he created an extending arm which he used while standing on a step stool to reach the key that was on top of the door frame.  The door that was locked was, I think, the friend's sister's room however the guest room with all the Christmas presents was also locked.  Josh can use those keys to pick the lock of a door so I am SO glad that he didn't take it a step farther!

He completed the 100 chores he needed to complete as punishment for his poor choice a week ago and he also earned the remaining 70 cents he needed to buy a Lego Atlantis set that he has been saving for since the summer.

Mira played quietly around the house while I worked this afternoon. We both took a short rest first and she kept herself busy until Josh got home from school.  When Josh arrived she gave him a big, BIG hug.  She loves to see him.

All the kids had baths tonight.  Afterwards, we started a round of 'go fish' before heading off to bed.

5 more days 'til Christmas!

Cousins Visit

Quote of the day from Evie, "I have lots of talkings in my mouth."

Mira's haircut is care of her handiwork with the scissors.  It looks a little mullet like.  I need to decide if I am going to fix it.

Josh and Evie were not sleeping tonight and it was already 9:30 so I put them in Evie's bed together and viola!  they went to sleep.  Evelyn is currently sprawled across the majority of the bed, as much as a 2 yr old can take up a full sized bed, and Josh is squished in the top corner near the wall but they are asleep!  Mira, of course, conked out minutes after laying down for bed.

Fabulous activity of the day: making pretzel, chocolate treats with the girls.  Even Evelyn did a fantastic job of putting the little candy discs on top of the pretzels. 

Precious Moment: Mira feeding Tessa...Awwww.

Proud Mommy: Joshua playing basketball in the after school program and helping his team win but scoring 7 points (based on his retelling of the story).  Way to work on a team, Josh!

Tuesday, December 13

I spent the night with Evelyn.  I don't like being awoken to a crying baby but I do so love the quiet night time cuddling.  We slept well together.

Pancakes for breakfast and lots of, 'Aren't these the best pancakes?' from Joshua.  He was using fabulous manners this morning.  Gotta love that!

The children are continuing to love tea time.  We're ready for Britain! Our tea time is such a nice time to slow down and I remind the kids of their 'tea time manners' so we practice sitting still, enjoying our food and being polite in just a little kid sized amount of time.

I took the girls for LOTS of errands.  They did well staying close and picked a treat of dark chocolate covered dried plums :-) for their reward.  They received lollipops at the bank and balloons at the florist.  Happy girls all around!

When Josh came home we regrouped (tea time again!) and he shared about his day then we went outside to play and run around.  Josh was my helper when it was dinner time he volunteered to vacuum and wash dishes and the girls played.  Even though dinner was different than usual, wilted collard greens with black eyed peas & bacon, Mira and Josh ate it all up and had extra bacon and corn bread to go with it.  Popeye would be proud.  After dinner we cleaned up and made dog treats for Jack.  He was on our list of gifts we could give that we could make ourselves.

We read stories all together piled in Evelyn's bed.  I've been enjoying reading Christmas books to the kids at nap and bed time.  I only bring them out in December.   When it was time to go to sleep Josh and Mira were out first and then Evie but they were all tired and went to bed easily.

Photos are on my cell phone and probably downloaded to the network drive but for some reason it is not showing up for me to connect to.  So, I'll have to share them tomorrow.

 Tonight's blog will be photo intensive.  We have done wonderful things with the kids over the weekend and lots of great memories were made while making crafts and gifts, attending church, reading and learning numbers... but it is late and I know photos are appreciated so here they are...

Who needs LifeTouch? Handsome Boy

Enduring the love - This may be one of my favorite photos ever

Evie and her sass

Grumpier Old..?

Bright Shining Smile

Profile Picture

Painting Ornaments

Silhouette

Contemplation

Josh took care of three chores this morning.  He is making progress.  I love when they happen without complaining.

Although I do not like the kids waking up at 6am, which they did this morning, I do love their little snuggly bodies in bed with me, in the dark, listening to the rain.  I just want to capture and savor those moments forever.

Evelyn had her first dentist appointment this morning and she was a star!  She was excited to get a balloon and showed no hesitation at getting up in the chair, opening her mouth and having her teeth cleaned.  What a relief.  She was really proud of herself, too!

Evie is my big hugger when it comes to friends but Mira today gave her classmate a wonderful hug goodbye and it was such a sweet moment.

Our advent reading tonight was about the little drummer boy. The bible verse was, 'It is better to give than to receive.'  So, the children made a list of friends and family they wanted to give gifts, too.  I was so pleased with the list they came up with.  Next, they came up with gifts we could make for our recipients.  It was touching how thoughtful they were and we are all looking forward to our gift making before Christmas!

I brought out the box of Christmas books and movies tonight.  The girls just dug in and  started reading.  Evie used the box as a bed once the books were emptied out.   Tonight's movie was, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas"

Joshua read from the book, "Curious George Makes Pancakes" tonight.  He is looking forward to our reading time now and is sad if he misses it.

I just wrote a LONG post that was lost.  I am sorry but it is time for bed now :-(  We'll try again tomorrow.

I know that Evie has been doing this for a little while now but I think it is just great that she is fully potty trained.  It makes life so easy to not have to worry about diapers or washing diapers or anything related to that anymore.

Joshua has lots of chores to do this week.  But he showed initiative, a characteristic we are working on, and offered to help with peeling the potatoes for dinner and washing the dishes.  It was nice not having a dish pile up after cooking and he really did a good job.

The children were asked to clear and set the table tonight while I was cooking dinner.  I let them know that dinner would be served as soon as this was done.  But playing was too much fun and they just didn't want to stop.  When it was clear they were not going to take care of the task I went ahead and cleared the table, wiped it down and set it with my bowl, plate and silverware.  Then I served myself.  I felt a lot like the little red hen.  When the food was on the table the kids came scrambling over.  "Where's our food!"  "We're hungry!" They said.  I told them I would serve them when I was all finished eating my food.  They sat at the table, enthralled, following every bite of soup, crumb of cornbread and smear of butter.  I am surprised I didn't see drool dripping down their chins.  I wish I had a video camera taping the scene because I don't think I have ever seen them so interested in any meal before.  But they did wait and quietly, too.  Mira jumped the gun once and said, "Mommy you're done."  But Josh corrected her, 'No, she has one more bite to take."  And I did take it, chewed it and enjoyed my whole meal.  Then I served them and they ate and had seconds.  It actually turned out to be a good meal.  I hope they learned their lesson but probably not.   Still I laughed through the meal at their incredulous faces.

Josh read to me tonight, "Fox in Socks."  I love that snuggle reading time with him.  He wrote a funny sentence on his homework, too.  "Here, there and everywhere."

Evie Dec 2010

Josh Dec 2010

Stephanie & Mira Dec 2010

I love going back and remembering and reflecting on how much the children have changed.  It is amazing how long 365 days is to a child. In Evelyn's case it was almost half her life! 

Yesterday, I specifically did not write.  I have reserved this blog to reflect only on the positive moments with the children.  Yesterday I certainly had some amazing moments which I will share but I also had one terrible, potentially life changing moment, never to be relived moment that clouded my ability to write about all the rest.  Everyone is alive and healthy and the issue is being handled but it was scary and today has been a sad one knowing what could have happened and understanding the disappointing choice my child made.

This is the 2nd Sunday we made it to church.  The girls both went to Sunday School and participated.  They were happy to go and didn't fuss when I returned to the sanctuary with Josh for the sermon.  Joshua asked to return to the church and sit with me in the service.  He was a star!  We took communion and he also partook for the first time.  I am so thankful to have shared that moment with Josh and to have had the opportunity to begin explaining communion to him.  It was a special moment.

Josh was also my helper when it came time to run errands yesterday.  He was a good listener and errands went well with his help.  We went to Cyndi & Howard's for pizza dinner and the kids enjoyed the Polar Express.  They love going there and miss it if we don't make it over for our weekly dinner.

Today, Mira and Josh had school.  Mira was so sweet.  She arrived and her buddy Owen had not yet made it to school yet.  You could see she was disappointed.  But then, just as I was leaving in Owen walked.  Mira's face lit up.  She loves playing with her friend Owen.

The girls have plowed through the yogurt we made together the other day.  Looks like we'll be making another batch this week.  I am appreciating lunches that do not consist of pb&j.  So, today we had yogurt with blueberries & waffles.  Dinner went well tonight, too since the kids love meatballs and we had a noodle & meat ball dinner.  They even asked for seconds (not cookies) after we returned from the store.

We had to pick up new shoes for Josh whose shoes were literally falling apart.  He was very thoughtful in the store and contemplated all his choices.  He made comments like, "This is a tough choice."  "I want to pick ones that are cool."  It was cute to see him mulling over just the right shoes.  In the end, he picked ones that were black with orange and had lights on the bottom.  I praised him on his good choice and you could see he was proud.

Evelyn is continuing in her signing career. Mostly with... 'Sing with me! A .. B... C...D.'  She loves to sing especially with company!  The kids all played outside with Stephanie this evening until it was too dark to be outside anymore.  Evie didn't want to come in.  She was having too much fun playing outside, I love that attitude!

Mira explained to Evelyn that the figure she was holding was a princESS not a prince (as Evelyn was calling it) because, "Princesses have eyelashes. Princess wear handsome clothes.  Princesses wear beautiful dresses."  Sorry boys, no eyelashes for you!

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 I missed last night so I am going back in time to catch up on some of the special moments from the last couple of days.  I'll start with today though.  I ran errands with Mira this morning.  She was my little buddy. One of the shops we stopped at was, "Everything Goes! Consignments & More."  There was a very small ring that fit on Mira's thumb and I bought it for her.  She loved it! She were it all day and kept it safe.   She really was a good girl walking around with me.  It was nice to have the company.  Later, I took all the kids to the Stepping Stone Museum for their Open House.  The kids ran from place to place.  It was a pretty day to be outside enjoying the cool weather.

 Evie has been loving swinging and will sometimes go out back, by herself just to swing for a minute and come back in.  It makes me feel so good when the kids go outside all together and play.  That has been happening more and more frequently, in spite of the temperatures dropping.

 We dropped Josh's bike off today for repairs.  It was fixed quickly and he was able to take it around for a few laps after lunch.  He is so sad when he misses a day to ride his bike.

 We have a tradition of going downtown to Havre de Grace for the annual Christmas Parade and Tree Lighting.  Santa comes into town on a firetruck and then the kids can see him and tell him their wishes.  Last night was the parade and it was great!  I get excited for the kids to see Santa and I hope they will remember this time when they are older.  We had a long line to wait in for our turn but the kids were good and we were in line with our friends, the Andreens.  When it was our turn Evelyn sat on Santa's lap.  Just look at her face in the photo below.  She is so excited to see him!  Mira was the only one that didn't get close but they all told Santa their Christmas wish and when we left I heard, 'Mommy, that parade was great!  This was the best!' 

Even though it was already bedtime we enjoyed hot chocolate together to warm up and also had the candy canes from Santa.  I love treats with my babies and special traditions like this one to look forward to every year.

Daddy with two monkeys clinging to him

Evelyn thrilled to see Santa

Sitting on Santa's lap

Josh picked up 'Fox in Socks' tonight for his reading time and did a great job of reading using sight words, clues from the illustrations and sounding out the tricky words.  He is starting to get more comfortable and will sound out words when we are out and about.

Evie is a little snuggle muffin and a giggle monster.  I took her potty after she had been laid down for bed tonight.  Every time she tooted she laughed her little head off.  It was hilarious!

We had a quiet snuggle moment after she woke up from her nap.  She just tucked her little head in under my ear and rested there.  I could have stayed wrapped in her arms forever.

Mira 11/30/11, fell asleep 10 min before we needed to leave

Sweet, funny, happy moment just enjoying Mira's dimples today.  We were playing with her dolls as we usually do at naptime.  Batman is now part of the princess mix and I usually have the honor of playing him.  In any case, Batman did something that was not part of Mira's 'story' that she had in her head and Mira said something to the effect of, "Mom, Batman doesn't do.." So, I had Batman reply, "I do to do..., Mira." and she looked at me with this silly grin, as if to say, "Mom, Batman just talked to me!" It was hilarious to watch the line of how her toys function get crossed in her brain.

I work in the morning sometimes and today was one of those days trying to catch up from not being home yesterday evening and this morning.  But after the work time I had an hour of just one on one time with my girls.  So, instead of just doing my chores I had the girls help me because they LOVE to help. So in that hour we made yogurt and coleslaw.  It was great.  They were so excited to make yogurt and even ate a bowl of coleslaw when we were done just because they had made it.  Mira and Evelyn both said the coleslaw tasted great but I am not sure if I believe them :-)

I hope when the kids are grown they will remember cooking with mommy and how fun it was.

Today when Josh got off the bus he was moving slow.  Not his usual run like a madman for the house routine.  I imagine he was exhausted from a long day of school after a late night last night and early morning with car ride today.  But he looked up, saw me on the porch waiting, got a big goofy grin and ran like a madman home.

Even though the weather was cool today Evie, Mira and Josh all wanted to go outside and play.  Evie loves to swing.  Josh and Mira swung on the tire swing together and at times they all three were running around the yard screaming like banshees.  But they were outside and loving it.

 Serving up cuteness!  We started the day with my little helpers making jello (from fruit juice & gelatin) and blueberry oat muffins.  Great lessons in sharing and taking turns.  We also practiced counting, letters & letter sounds.  After the cooking we built puzzles that spelled words.  It was a learning morning.

The girls really play well and love on each other during the day.  It is great to see.

helping to hang lights

 On the way to the bus stop this morning Mira took a moment to stop and wave to Santa (sitting on our neighbor's porch with a choir surrounding him).  Her excitement and sweetness shone through.

Josh was up out of bed at 10pm tonight for some unknown reason.  I told him he needed to go to bed and that this was my time to have some private, quiet time.  He asked me, 'Then why don't you just go to sleep!'  Good question, point taken.

Evelyn was a trooper at the dr's office today.  She had to endure having her thumb checkout out after falling down two stairs and landing awkwardly on her hand/thumb.  It was swollen and hot but thankfully not broken.

Discussing the horse

Jason on the roof hanging lights

I love listening to what the kids come up with to talk to Daddy about.  Mira explains how Josh went to school but she didn't and uses all sorts of hand gestures while speaking.  Evelyn tried desperately to show Daddy her thumb but didn't understand the concept of the camera. 

Josh is super excited for the start of after school basketball but I believe it doesn't start until next week.  He is working on his American symbols for the Patriot Program and doing very well. 


Our golden nugget characteristic this week is 'Show Initiative'.  Josh was off to a good start after we discussed that it meant to do something without being asked.  This may be a good week for him!

I should make this quick.  It is the end of a long but mostly beautiful day.  The weather was almost 70 and it was refreshing to get back to our routine.  Although, Daddy leaving this morning was certainly a bummer for everyone.  We all miss him!

Mira had a fantastic day at school and came home with her school photos.  Evelyn and I ran errands and did some chores at home.  She watching Sesame Street for about 15 min while I worked and when it was time to go get Mira the response I got was, "No, I am sleeping."  Well, my dear you must be talking in your sleep then!

Mira and Evie both took naps, and I took a 30 min one myself!  When the girls woke, they watched Fineas and Ferb.  Just hearing Mira say the name of the show makes letting her watch it totally worthwhile! 

When Josh came home we went to the playground for a while.  Evelyn said, "I just need to swing," while she was in the baby swing and I asked her if she wanted to get down and play with Josh and Mira.

Mira was a member of the 'clean plate club' tonight and ate her dinner without a fuss.  Josh ate his dinner, too.  Evelyn is addicted to the goldfish I bought yesterday.

They are all in bed and sleeping soundly.  I love them!

A few days off

I am sorry for the break in posts these last few days.  We have had a wonderful run of family days and evenings starting with Thanksgiving.    Jason goes back to school tomorrow which will be a hard transition given how long he has been home.

Josh, Mira and Evelyn were SO excited to have their cousins over for Thanksgiving and then to stay the night.  It was a giggle fest at bedtime.  Evelyn slept in her bed, as usual, and Mira, Noella, Stephanie and Josh slept in Josh & Mira's room.  Mira was the first out then Stephanie and Noella.  Josh had to be moved to our room until he fell asleep and then we put him back in the other room.  On Friday the cousins stayed until after lunch and then headed home.  There were lots of sad faces when it was time to go but they all had a great time crafting, playing and running together. 

Friday afternoon we took a family nap, except Josh, and it was great to rejuvenate.  Saturday's family time consistent of raking leaves together.  Josh was a great helper, the girls were sleeping. He raked leaves, piled them into bags and occasionally jumped in the piles.  The smile on his face was the best. Today, we put up our outside Christmas lights.  Jason and I did most of the decorating even though the kids wanted to help.  It's a good thing they all have helmets because while they weren't helping they were rolling their carts down our driveway at breakneck speed and loving every moment.

The blessings these past few days have come in the common (or not so common in our household) moments when the children were all just playing nicely together at a game that we did not have to participate in.  Or, sneaking downstairs in the morning to watch cartoons and let Jason and I sleep or even plowing through a meal, eating 2-3 helpings and telling us how delicious the food was.

We finally made it to church today.  With the start of the Advent season I wanted to make a point of getting there and then returning every Sunday.  When it was time for the children to go down to Sunday School they all went willingly and without any fuss.  I don't know when the last sermon was that I sat through and could absorb without interruption.  Truly a highlight of my day.

The children are generally in good spirits when they wake up.  I love the morning snuggles when they fold into me.  I think Josh was having fun when he put up this cereal barricade to peer through at Mira.

The girls were well behaved as I drove them all over, again, running errands today.  They have an amazing ability to calm themselves when a lollipop is at stake.  I always get wonderful smiles at my Snow White and Rose Red when we are out and an inevitable, "Are they twins?"

We had tea again this afternoon when Josh came home from school.  We had to run out.  Life was truly hectic at that moment but we stopped, ate a snack and talked about the day for 15 minutes before rushing off again. It set the stage for a much more pleasant evening and Mira looked forward to it all day. 

On the way home from picking up our turkey, which the kids handled very well, Josh and Mira fell asleep in the car.  Evelyn was chattering away.  I hated to wake them but neither had dinner in their belly and normal bedtime was still an hour and a half away.

There are many things we 'got right' in our new kitchen and a place to cook with the kids' help was one of them.  We made pancakes tonight with everyone's help and then enjoyed them at our new table. Everyone ate a great dinner.  Afterwards we cleaned up and had a short dance party.  The weather was awful today and the kids needed to move! Mira's choice of music was Star Wars. Then it was up for a bit of bedroom clean up in preparation for guests on Thursday.   

Off to bed and we will do it again tomorrow!

Giving Thanks

Danielle reading to Mira

Today, Joshua had photo retakes and Mira was feasting for Thanksgiving at her school.  So, we were all busy looking our best this morning.

Before we even left for school I took a moment to catch a quick picture.  Josh was reluctant but Mira and Evelyn were happy to pose in their pretty dresses.  They really do love each other!

The Thanksgiving feast was fun and I enjoyed watching Mira sing and craft and eat.  She was great!  We had a surprise visitor when the kids babysitter, Danielle, showed up.  Once the girls saw her, she had to join in the fun.  Mira snuggled right up to Danielle and spent the rest of the party with her.

Sisters

Thanksgiving digs

The next highlight of the day came when I made tea for the kids as their afternoon snack.  We set out 'fancy' tea cups (a glass set that I have) and made tea in their own small pot.  I cut up bananas, apples and cashews to have for our food and we all sat around the table practising our manners and talking about the day.  It was really quite nice.  I would love that ritual to greet Josh every day after school but I am not ready to make promises it will happen consistently.

To end the evening, the kids helped clean up the playroom.  It was one of the tasks we decided needed to get done before Thanksgiving.  The children picked which room we would clean when.  Josh was a star and cleaning up.  I set a contest and said that whomever earned the most 'golden nuggets' while cleaning up would get a Girl Scout Cookie.  Josh loved that idea!  We had a scavenger hunt.  The first thing we hunted for was balls and we got them all tucked away then started looking for the next thing.  After everything was cleaned up they picked out several toys they were ready to pass along to other boys and girls that have less.  I was impressed with how readily Josh was able to give.  Mira was attached to everything.  I didn't even ask Evie.  Unfortunately, we only cleared enough room for our existing toys to fit in the playroom!  But, we'll do it once more before Christmas.   When even had time to play for a few minutes before heading back upstairs. They all earned cookies and Josh earned two.