Happy Halloween

 If I forever have the image of Evelyn bopping down the sidewalk, every inch of toule and her shimmery, blond hair bouncy it wouldn't be a day too long.  The kids had a fantastic time trick or treating.  I was happily surprised to see that nearly all of our neighbors were open to receive trick or treaters.  In years past we have hit every other house, at best.  But this year it took an hour just to walk the four streets that intersect and make up our immediate neighborhood.  Their halloween baskets were all filled up and they did a great job of saying, "Trick or Treat!" and "Thank You."

We had a fun time before dinner building foam Halloween houses that I picked up in kits last year.  I had to bring out the glue gun to get them together but they turned out really cool.

Mira and Josh both had great days at school today.  Josh was so excited to see so many of his classmates out trick or treating tonight.  He simply heard one of his friends and knew just who it was! Mira was waiting for Josh to come home so she could give him hugs.  He pushed her away but I love that she is wanting to be around him. I hope he recognizes how nice that is before she gives up trying.

"Don't I look boo-fafull?" asks Evelyn.

Halloween Eve

 The kids were troopers today while Jason and I perseverated over kitchen tile for most of the morning.  They played out in the snow with their shovels and matchbox cars, they played puzzles, ate snacks, watched a movie...all while we deliberated and came to no conclusion. 

But we did have a fantastic trip to pick out pumpkins for jack-o-laterns to Lohr's Orchard. 

 Mira had a really good day today.  She was a good listener and full of hugs for everyone.  At the pumpkin patch she picked her pumpkin quickly. I think it was determined by whether or not she could carry it. 

Josh picked the biggest pumpkin he could.  He said there were lots of good choices.  Along with pumpkins we brought home apple cider, apples, carrots & celery.

Evelyn was happy with every pumpkin and kept kissing them.  We finally handed her one and moved on.

 Back at home, we started spiced apple cider on the stove and I cut up the apples we brought home.  The kids all drew pictures of the carving they wanted to make and then we cut a lid in the pumpkin so they could scoop out the guts.  Mira drew the face she wanted on her pumpkin for me to carve.  It was a mean looking pumpkin with sharp teeth.  Evelyn wanted a sad pumpkin and Josh (and Daddy) created a spooky one.

The finished results were great.  Josh drew scars on his pumpkin in red ink.  We roasted the seeds, which were a big hit, for snacking on before dinner.

Don't they look cool all lit up!

Hooked on Phonics...

Joshua's attempt to search for Halloween music by sounding it out...

Oops!

I skipped a day. It is always so nice when Jason comes home but with the excitement of his arrival, putting things away in the kitchen and getting ready for the training that I presented this morning; blogging slipped my mind!

I hope that I uploaded a photo from my phone. It is a picture of the computer screen.  Josh opened 'Spotify' on the computer to listen to Halloween Music.  He was frustrated when nothing came up from his search.  He had attempted to spell Halloween Music phonetically and came up with "holenmeoozik,"  He gets an "E" for "Effort"!

The children were so excited for the snow today.  An unusual snowfall for us in October.  It was so rainy and freezey that we kept them inside for most of the day, although they all went out to stomp around for a little while when I was cooking dinner.

Mira can really be snuggly sometimes.  After dinner she just ran up and gave me a full on, wrap your legs around mama, draped over my shoulder kind of hug.  It was wonderful.

I have been singing a modified version of Braham's Lullaby for Evelyn with her name in it.  She loves it and helped sing it tonight for bed.  I also caught her rocking and singing the same song to her baby doll.

Evelyn declared that Daddy was a member of the 'Clean Plate Club' tonight after dinner.

All the children helped me make cookies tonight.  There was a moment they were waiting in anticipation sitting on the floor in front of the oven.  It was that perfect kind of moment that Kodac likes to promote but I unfortunately didn't get it on camera.

Mira's Field Trip 10 21 11

My little snugglers were in bed with me again this morning.  Mira came in sometime in the night, Joshua came in when it was time to wake up.  It was a good thing, too, since I didn't set my alarm clock and crew of men were scheduled to arrive 8 minutes later!

Joshua is super excited about the emminent arrival of his Halloween costume.  I hope it is all that he is dreaming it will be.  He came home today ready to go!  Thank goodness we were able to get him outside to play and then head over to Chick-Fil-A to release some of that pent up energy.  He read "Thomas and the Jet Engine" for his reading time tonight.  His reading just keeps getting better and better.  He was also busy writing numbers this evening 0-100 by tens and then a few big numbers 7000768 and 1100800.

On the Hay Ride 10 21 11

Evelyn picked up on another very adult phrase today and while we were out to dinner she told Memaw, "I said 'No!'"  I wonder where she got THAT from.  She and Mira were very well behaved this morning while I primed the kitchen they watched tv shows.  Mira is such a great helper though.  She really wanted to paint with me.  Painting wasn't an option but she did help me wash the dishes and fold clothes.  Then she and Evie played dolls for a while.  I love to see them play together.

Joshua tolerated family hugs before school today while waiting at the bus stop.  I know they really love each other even if they don't always show it!

 Mira certainly has her moments but she is generally nurturing.  The photo is of her caring for her doll.  She likes to dress them, swaddle them, rock and feed them.   She crawled into bed again with me sometime last night. She is so snuggly when she sleeps with me.  She slept in this morning, too. 

I just had Josh up for a while.  He did his homework that didn't get worked on the night before and it was actually nice Mommy/Joshie time.   This evening he lashed out and hurt Evelyn in his frustration.  But he then turned and comforted her and gave her a hug.  He said he was sorry and she wasn't hurt.

Seeing the kids hug each other is a wonderful sight! Evie picked up saying 'I don't know' today.  "Evie, is your finger hurt?" "I don't know".  "Evie, where are you going?" "I don't know". 

Evie is just a sponge.  She sucks up and repeats everything that the rest of us say.

It was another great day at school for both Josh and Mira. Mira was singing the songs she had learned in class and was very proud of the ghost she made.  Josh is looking forward to soccer tomorrow and repeated the pledge for me as part of the Patriot Program he is signed up for.

Playing out back

Looking Back

Joshua & Mira October 2010

I love looking back to see how far we've come in a year.  Evelyn last October was walking but she was only 1 year and two months old.  She hardly had any hair and for Halloween we dressed her as a scare crow.  The same costume was used by Joshua and Noella.  Mira was a fairy princess and Joshua was a dinosaur.  Today I finished our Halloween costume search by finding a butterfly store at Twice As Nice (a kids consignment shop) and ordering Josh a dragonoid costume online.  We'll be all set for the upcoming Halloween parties and trick or treating.

Evie Oct 2010

All the kids have taken a liking to brushing my hair.  Sometimes it gets to be a bit of a competition as to who is going to brush but as long as they don't get physical, I love the attention!  I just have to remember when my head is full of sparkly barrettes!

Joshua had two cavities filled at the dentist today.  He did amazing.  He didn't want laughing gas but he did just fine and sat so still.  He didn't cry at all even though there was a moment I thought he was going to loose it. We praised him all day for his huge accomplishment.  I hope this will translate into an easier Doctor's appointment.

Seeing Evie go to Josh to give him hugs and having him accept those hugs and be gentle and kind to her was a hightlight of the day.  Enjoy breakfast with only Mira up was a treat.  She can be so sweet and say especially nice things.    She earned three golden nuggests for our time out running errands this morning.

Mira didn't have school today but wanted it.  She LOVES school.  She likes to play a game outside with m where I go into 'prisoner', she feeds my pretend food and combs my hair.  Silly girl.

I Pledge Allegiance...

For a while now, Miss Joan, Mira's preschool teacher has been trying to get me to hear Mira say the pledge of allegiance. They said it was her booming voice and baby affect that made her speech so compelling.  So today I stayed at preschool and helped out the teachers just so I could hear Mira.  First of all, it was a pleasure just to see her playing with her friends.  She got right into playing and didn't care that I was there.  In fact she told me, 'Mommy, why are you staying? I don't need you here.'  I had to fib, thank you Miss Pam, that Miss Joan needed my help cutting out papers for crafts.  Mira was satisfied with this answer and went back to playing. 

I video taped Mira at circle time.  She was the weather-girl this morning but I am not sure right now how to get that from my phone to you.  She was sweet and decided the weather today was cool and windy but still a good day for playing outside.  Then the children said the pledge.  She jumped around she was so excited and then she said it along with Miss Joan in her amazinly booming voice, mispronounced words and baby affect.  It was priceless.

When Joshua gets off the bus, he runs as fast as he can from the bus stop to our house.  He tries to make it home before the bus has left the street corner.  All the while, he has a huge smile on his face.

I love when the children climb into my lap to snuggle. I know it is hard to get things done when this happens but not everyone gets to cuddle with their kids while they work.  It certainly causes problems when the phone rings but for the most part they are moderately quiet.  Their snuggliness is just delicious.  At various points througout today I had each one of my children in my lap.

Today the children had lots of time to entertain themselves but they really did a good job of it.  In the morning they were allowed to eat yogurt (a treat!) and watch cartoons while we slept in a little bit.  We didn't hear a peep from them and they were so excited to get tv before breakfast!

With all the construction and busy-ness the whole house seems to be out of whack so I spent time today trying to put some of the pieces back together, making grocery/shopping/food lists and planning for the week.  Jason was doing the same and trying to do homework.  Needless to say the children were not getting our full attention but they pitched in to help where they could and spent time playing with each other, NICELY, and in their playroom.  They even went out back for a bit.  It was refreshing.

I forgot to share a story from yesterday that was a success.  The kids have enjoyed the kitchen remodel for the wonderful space it affords them to run around inside the house.  Needless to say, this is not an allowed behavior and after chastising and correcting them a number of times for running and screaming I decided instead to sit down and work on the pile of puzzles that were on the floor.  It was almost immediate that all three of them came to sit beside me and play puzzles, too.  My frustration immediately stopped AND we had a great time building together.  Win, win!

Joshua truly looks forward to story time with Daddy.  First, Josh spends some time practicing reading, usually about 10 minutes a day.  Then Jason reads.  Recently he has been reading from the "Wrinkle in Time" series and they are on the third book.  As you can see from the picture, Josh has a great time snuggling up to daddy and hearing the story.

Mira is 'All Girl.' She came out of the playroom and had Joshua's dinosaur dressed in her doll's clothing.   Mira has a song for everything and the one tonight went something like this, 'It is time to go to sleep and brush my teeth.  I love to sleep and play with mommy and daddy and Joshie and Evelyn.  Playing is good.' She loved having 'school' with Joshua on Friday and was sad tonight to know that Josh would have to go to his school without her on Monday.

Joshua created a cool Lego boat that was towing another ship.  He has a good eye of the mechanics of things.  He spent lots of time building a train kit that he received from Aunt Beth and Uncle Ray for his birthday.

Evelyn behaved while I showered today as she fed me people to sing about.  Her favorite song is a modified version of 'Old McDonald'.  It goes something like this, 'Old McDonald had a farm EIEIO and on that farm there was 'Belle' EIEIO...'  and then we go through the Disney princesses.

Funny Face...

Another cute picture of Evelyn on our hiking trip:

She was such a trooper, even when she had to be carried over rough terrain...

Day Off

Today we all took the day off. We bundled up, grabbed lunch from Wegman's and headed to Jerusalem Mill Village at Little Gunpowder Falls. The kids were so excited for our adventure and I was excited about the opportunity for unstructured time with the family.

The park was great. We picnicked; hiked; saw salamanders, leaves, and squirrels; heard the wind rustling the leaves and birds calling. The kids ran and played and explored. After the hike we explored the village a little bit and saw a man reenacting being a black smith with all the tools a blacksmith would have used in 1792.

After Jerusalem Mill we took a scenic drive to Big Gunpowder Falls and found a trail there mentioned in Maryland hiking and camping guide. The trail was too steep and rocky for the girls to traverse safely so we carried them but Josh had a blast scrambling over rocks and nearly falling into the water. The scenery was beautiful and the weather was fine. We finished off the day with a delicious dinner at Memaw and Grandad's house and playtime with Stephanie, Noelle & Tia Amy.

Josh attempting to scale a hay bale in a field near Jerusalem Village was a great sight. He probably would have spent an hour trying but we moved on after about 20 tries. Evelyn decided to undress in that same field...the temps were in the 50's and breezy, she made us feel cold! Mira was a great listener for the majority of the day as she often is when she thinks she has responsibility.

Today was Mira's field trip to Lohr's Orchard.  She was so excited and ready to go early in the day.    All through the morning she was a helper making sure we wouldn't be late.  She and Evie both made a point to tell me that the hay ride was the best ever!

I so enjoyed reading with Josh tonight.  He is doing such a great job and it is wonderful to see his progress.  I also do not have a lot of time where I sit down one on one with the kids.  Today Josh unwrapped a paint your own train kit from Aunt Beth and Uncle Ray.  We sat together to work on it and it was really nice to have that time with him.

Oct 20

I woke up this morning to two little elves snuggled up right beside me and all they wanted was to be close.  I love them!

Going to the bank is leverage for me because the kids always get lollipops and they love them.  I am always asked the question, 'Do you want the same colors?' It really doesn't matter to me.  Here is why...The teller picked out two purple lollipops today.  Evelyn screamed that she wanted green but I ignored her.  Mira asked, 'Is this brown?'  Why yes, Mira, it is.  Then she proceeded to ask if Evelyn's was green and I, of course, responded, 'Yes.' Both she and her sister were happy at that point.  I guess it is all about perspective.

Evelyn was going potty today.  She got her pants down, climbed onto the toilet seat, went potty, wiped herself, hopped off, pulled up her pants, flushed the toilet and went to wash her hands.  It is amazing to me that my 2 and "some change" year old can tackle this entire activity by herself.  She is quite remarkable.

Today is Thursday, soccer day!  Joshua loves, loves, loves soccer.  He said the sweetest thing when I picked him up.  "I wish Mira was in kindergarten so that she could play soccer with me.  She'd love it!"

Mira loves school.  It seems like she was born for it.  This morning she said, "I don't like going to school but I love school!"  I think she doesn't like driving to school or having to leave me (although recently I think she is getting over that, too!) but school: dancing, snacking, playing with friends, learning her letters, etc She just can't get enough of.  On days she doesn't have school she is sad. 

Tonight when I went to kiss Mira goodnight she made those little snuggly sounds and cuddled into her pillow in a way that only a child can.  I love that!

Evelyn attacked me with her perfect kisses tonight while I was talking on the phone with Daddy.  She was already supposed to be asleep but I went in her room to give her company.  She told Daddy, "I want to be sleeping."  Also, earlier today in the wind and rain that was tossling her hair, she proclaimed, "I need a pony hair (ponytail)!!"  Unfortunately, I didn't have one at that exact moment.  But it would have gotten the hair out of her eyes.

Although it frustrates me, because he almost knocks me over, I just love that Josh is so happy and excited to see me that he runs and gives me 'leaping through the air' hugs.  And when he sleeps at night I love that he sleeps with his eyes open a crack.  Just can't miss a thing!

Small Moments

I had a magical moment tonight with Mira.  It wasn't planned.  It was at a time I was expecting to see her bright smile.  We have a new rule at the dining table.  Whomever sits at the table the longest receives a reward and all others have to clean up the dishes.  Other than day 1 when Josh fiercely rebelled against this new rule he has been the recipient of the reward.  Mira has been left doing dishes with me.  But instead of this time being a chore it has been wonderful.  She loves that we are a 'team' and says so (I do, too!) and she truly is helpful as we sit in front of the tub and wash together.  She is so proud of her hard work and smiles brightly as she scrubs the dishes clean.

I love when Evelyn holds my face in her two chubby little hands to look at me or ask me to do something.  Recently, at bed and nap she has been asking me to sing her 'lullaby' a song I made up to Brahms Lullaby.  Her other favorite song is, 'The princess song' (Old McDonald had a princess...)

Josh is always asking a million questions.  When I am frazzled it is so hard to hear them all.  But I am trying to be more patient.  If I actually take the time to think in the moment when Josh is asking his million and one questions I realize how often I take for granted his ability to figure things out and make amazing connections.  He is so bright that I often expect him to just know things and forget that his remarkable questions and insights are coming from a six year old.

The Daily - Resuscitated

When Jason originally created this blog it was to track Joshua's adventures on a day to day basis.  We planned to post a picture every day but that habit quickly fell to the wayside. I am hoping to resuscitate it.  The picture may not be from the exact day but I hope it is close and I will write some of the wonderful things the children did that day.  It is my hope that this little project will be self-serving, to remind me of the wonders of my children, even when they frustrate the heck out of me!

So this photo was from Jill and Chris' recent wedding reception.  Evelyn gathered a large amount of spoons, a cup of water and pulled up a chair at an empty table.  She entertained herself for quite a long time with her little set up.

Today, Mira had us all laughing with her dinnertime prayer.  She said, in her long drawn out sing-songy way, "Thank you for the food.  I like food and sausage.  But not spicy sausage.  It spices my brains out...."

Josh was home sick today but did do a little bit of school work.  Every day his reading improves and the two pages he did out of his workbook took him no time at all.

Evelyn exclaimed as we drove past the bank that she had seen, "The lollipop store!"  I do use this leverage to my advantage as much as possible.  She also is a great snuggler and twice today I read books to the girls with both of them curled up by my sides.