has been passing. It is hard to keep up with the updates. In spite of being stuck in the house for a good part of the month due to snow and snow related issues, it has been hard to find time to sit down at the computer and write updates. The kids have been loving the snow but I think I am done with it. The biggest problem is that in spite of the weather being warm enough to go outside, there is no where to go. The sidewalks are all blocked and the backyard is poopy from Jack. So spring can't come soon enough. Then it will be a swamp! Oh well, a warm swamp anyway.
Joshua had a dental check up earlier in the month. He has a cavity but given the difficulty he has at the dentist, we opted not to fill it at the recommendation of the dentist. We are just going to try and brush better and keep an eye on it.
Mira turned 2 on the 15th and we had family and neighbors over to celebrate. She had a Toby cake (as in Toby from Thomas the Tank Engine) and received some of her favorite things: goldfish crackers, animal crackers, books, crayons, pretty hair things, clothes, etc.
Evelyn has been flying through milestones. She has two teeth, sits well on her own and now gets up on all fours rocking away. I know that first crawl is right around the corner. She also says Ma ma ma. and Da da da. She eats much better now. I was getting concerned because she wasn't moving the food to the back of her mouth and getting her tongue out of the way but she is, as of today, and plows through applesauce, avacado, sweet potatoes, rice cereal and peaches.
All the kids had a cold this past weekend but are mostly on the mend. We are hoping to visit Memaw tomorrow and then go on a little road trip on Thursday to an Amish market and train place. I see daffodils poking their heads through the snow and the weather was in the 40's today. I think there is hope.
Monday, March 01, 2010
Saturday, February 06, 2010
snow, snow, snow
We had 6 inches of snow (an trecherous roads) last Saturday. Another several inches on Wednesday and starting last night into today we have had a blizzard. A REAL one with high winds and 20+ inches of snow so far. It is still coming down. Jason and Joshie went for a walk with the dog last night just as the snow was starting. Jason and the kids went out to shovel and play this morning. Mira stuck to the cleared parts and dug with her shovel and pail. Joshua climbed snow castles and made snow castles with the shovel and pail. We are enjoying it since we have heat and no where to be.
Everyone is napping now. Evelyn has come into a routine of a short morning nap, a long afternoon nap and in bed for the night at 8. She sleeps through the night and is up with the Joshua and Mira around 7. Feeding is coming along. She is moving the food to the back of her mouth and swallowing so I think we are getting in more than is coming out. She has now also tried peaches, in addition to the sweet potatoes. I saved some from this summer since I knew she would be starting to eat in the dead of winter when all that would be available would be someone else's canned fruits and veggies.
Mira is so deliberate these days with her sentences. They may take a few seconds to come out but she carefully chooses each word and we can understand most of what she says. She has been adding at least a word a day now. Her hair is also long enough that it is getting in her eyes so she is letting me pull it up in a whale spout on top of her head or clip it back with a barrette.
Joshua has helped us set a meal time routine and it is working very well. I think he and Mira are both eating more and meals are much more pleasant. He knows the routine and it mimics what he does at school so it is familiar. He is currently on a wait list for the 4 yr old program at the community college for next year preschool. We abandoned the idea of kindergarten for him next year. The cut off is Sept 1 and by all accounts it is not worth pushing him through since his birthday is Oct. The expectations are that of what we learned in first grade and there is little playtime. Preschool has now replaced kindergarten. We are looking into the preschool program at the elementary school but it is unlikely he will be allowed. It is a need based program.
Everyone is napping now. Evelyn has come into a routine of a short morning nap, a long afternoon nap and in bed for the night at 8. She sleeps through the night and is up with the Joshua and Mira around 7. Feeding is coming along. She is moving the food to the back of her mouth and swallowing so I think we are getting in more than is coming out. She has now also tried peaches, in addition to the sweet potatoes. I saved some from this summer since I knew she would be starting to eat in the dead of winter when all that would be available would be someone else's canned fruits and veggies.
Mira is so deliberate these days with her sentences. They may take a few seconds to come out but she carefully chooses each word and we can understand most of what she says. She has been adding at least a word a day now. Her hair is also long enough that it is getting in her eyes so she is letting me pull it up in a whale spout on top of her head or clip it back with a barrette.
Joshua has helped us set a meal time routine and it is working very well. I think he and Mira are both eating more and meals are much more pleasant. He knows the routine and it mimics what he does at school so it is familiar. He is currently on a wait list for the 4 yr old program at the community college for next year preschool. We abandoned the idea of kindergarten for him next year. The cut off is Sept 1 and by all accounts it is not worth pushing him through since his birthday is Oct. The expectations are that of what we learned in first grade and there is little playtime. Preschool has now replaced kindergarten. We are looking into the preschool program at the elementary school but it is unlikely he will be allowed. It is a need based program.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Sweet Potatoes, Day 2
So, I think tonight went a little bit better in the feeding department. She gagged several times while trying to get the food down but she was moving it around in her mouth and trying to swallow. We got through the bowl I had prepared for her, about 1.5 Tablespoons. The kids were so excited to feed her but we are not quite there yet. Once she gets the hang of eating, then they can try their hand at it.
Today we had a fun playdate/brunch with friends from church. We also took some time to play outside. Everyone slept well last night and had a nap today. So, today has been good.
Mira has been going through most days in just panties, even when we are out. She wears a cloth diaper for naps and a paper diaper for bed. It is interesting, she makes it to the potty without fail if she has to poop. She kicks you out of the bathroom while she is going and insists that the door be shut. But, she can't be interrupted to go pee. So, we just set a timer and take her every hour. She did go to the bathroom today, grab the little potty, bring it into the kitchen and go. But that is the exception, not the rule. I can't complain too much. I really did not want 2 in diapers at the same time and for the most part I got my wish. We go through at most 1 disposable diaper a day.
On another Mira note, she is speaking in deliberate sentences now. She very carefully chooses her words such as, 'No light...off' and 'Daddy...wash...da-da (car)' She talks about everything: empty cups, trains, the cat, the dog, Joshua, milk, whatever. It is fun to listen to her budding language skills. Joshua likes to talk in Mira-ese, too. Only that is not so cute. It sure is hard being the big brother!
Today we had a fun playdate/brunch with friends from church. We also took some time to play outside. Everyone slept well last night and had a nap today. So, today has been good.
Mira has been going through most days in just panties, even when we are out. She wears a cloth diaper for naps and a paper diaper for bed. It is interesting, she makes it to the potty without fail if she has to poop. She kicks you out of the bathroom while she is going and insists that the door be shut. But, she can't be interrupted to go pee. So, we just set a timer and take her every hour. She did go to the bathroom today, grab the little potty, bring it into the kitchen and go. But that is the exception, not the rule. I can't complain too much. I really did not want 2 in diapers at the same time and for the most part I got my wish. We go through at most 1 disposable diaper a day.
On another Mira note, she is speaking in deliberate sentences now. She very carefully chooses her words such as, 'No light...off' and 'Daddy...wash...da-da (car)' She talks about everything: empty cups, trains, the cat, the dog, Joshua, milk, whatever. It is fun to listen to her budding language skills. Joshua likes to talk in Mira-ese, too. Only that is not so cute. It sure is hard being the big brother!
Friday, January 22, 2010
Swimming
We took the kids swimming tonight. They had so much fun. A nice mid winter break. Mira loved the baby pool. She just splashed and ran around. Joshua went back and forth between the big pool and the baby pool. He loved that there were foam water noodles there. Evie even got in and sat, splashed and kicked. She loves bath time so I figured she would also love the pool and she did. I'll put the picks up on flickr soon.
We left for swimming at dinner time and got home at bed time. Needless to say that were pooped. Hope they sleep well tonight.
We left for swimming at dinner time and got home at bed time. Needless to say that were pooped. Hope they sleep well tonight.
forgotten stories
This week I learned the value of Bible stories. I always knew that many of the stories were allegorical. I just didn't realize that I could apply them so soon. Joshua loves to read about Jonah and the whale. Noah, too, is a favorite. And what do these men have in common? Ah, they listened to God. What happened when Jonah didn't listen? He was eaten by a fish. I went to town with that story citing the benefits of good listening and following directions the first time one is asked.
The second incident I would like to share happened on the why home from preschool on Wednesday. Joshua has been learning about dinosaurs in school. He looked out his window in the car and said, "I see a little dinosaur!" It didn't take long to realize that he was talking about the cloud shapes. He saw another and then asked, "Mommy, who put those dinosaurs in the clouds?" It was just the sweetest moment.
The second incident I would like to share happened on the why home from preschool on Wednesday. Joshua has been learning about dinosaurs in school. He looked out his window in the car and said, "I see a little dinosaur!" It didn't take long to realize that he was talking about the cloud shapes. He saw another and then asked, "Mommy, who put those dinosaurs in the clouds?" It was just the sweetest moment.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Off and running
Well, she's off! We started Evie Joy on sweet potato puree tonight as her first solid food. It went in, it came out. She made faces and mostly kept her little tongue poised so as not to allow any more of it to grace her pristine mouth. We, of course, video taped the whole thing. She did enjoy chewing on her spoons so in the end we allowed that and moved on to our own meal.
Since the temps have been above 20 for most days we have taken to afternoon adventures, mucking around in the backyard, exploring the plants that are setting out buds, walking, collecting pine cones, playing at the play ground. Joshua can now cross the monkey bars, unassisted, at break neck speed. Evie enjoys all these adventures perched on my back in the backpack carrier. Mira, grumpily, gets tucked into the stroller for the walks but otherwise, tags along bringing up the rear.
Today's adventure included pulling out my new gardening tools from Christmas to test them out. Now we are scheming of plants that we will start indoors in the next week or two. Joshua does enjoy gardening and likes to eat what he grows.
Since the temps have been above 20 for most days we have taken to afternoon adventures, mucking around in the backyard, exploring the plants that are setting out buds, walking, collecting pine cones, playing at the play ground. Joshua can now cross the monkey bars, unassisted, at break neck speed. Evie enjoys all these adventures perched on my back in the backpack carrier. Mira, grumpily, gets tucked into the stroller for the walks but otherwise, tags along bringing up the rear.
Today's adventure included pulling out my new gardening tools from Christmas to test them out. Now we are scheming of plants that we will start indoors in the next week or two. Joshua does enjoy gardening and likes to eat what he grows.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
The Day
Today was one of those rare perfect afternoons. The whole day, actually, was pretty good. It started off well with the children getting up around 7. It is always a good day when I can get dressed before we head downstairs for breakfast and today I did. There were several chores that I needed to complete and I was able to, even with the kids 'helping'. Before lunch we drove to the dairy for groceries. It was already very nice weather out so the children ran a bit in the field outside the dairy and were relatively well behaved inside. Aside from meat and milk we picked up a quart of our favorite ice cream, 'dirt'. At lunch Joshua and Mira both ate well: meatballs, quinoa, brocolli and ice cream for dessert. Naps, were... naps... but we moved on and after the quiet time we spent the rest of the day outside exploring the backyard, running races and then taking a walk around the nearest streets in our neighborhood. We came in and washed the mud off with baths and pj's and now it is time to get ready to make dinner. The sun has almost set. I am not making dinner yet because I fear the nightly screaming battle that usually ensues when I turn on the stove just letting this moment linger a little while longer.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
just going along...
The days are going by. Interesting things happen but with three now, it is hard to keep up with just the daily tasks let alone sit down and write about them. We celebrated again last Sunday with Grandma for her 90th birthday and this Saturday we warmed Amy and Omar's new house. The children love all the time spent playing with their cousins and it makes our lives easier when they are worn out from all that play time!
Mira had the thrilling experience of tumbling down the stairs. It must be a rite of passage that all children (with homes that have stairs) must experience. She was looking for me and I was downstairs washing dishes while Jason was busy putting Joshua to bed. As best we can tell, she tripped on her blankie and tumbled down the entire flight. She banged up many body parts and we looked her over carefully. We checked on her throughout the night but miraculously she didn't have a bruise on her little body come morning.
Thursday, Jill and I took the kids up to an organic Amish bulk food store in Pennsylvania and stocked up on all sorts of yummy things. Mira is currently nibbling on the dried figs we bought and the quinoa is going to be enjoyed tonight with our chicken. After reading both "Ominvores Dilemma" and "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle", I am convince we need to change the way we eat and that there are LOTS more yummy things out there to enjoy that we are missing out on!!!
The boys are back from ice skating, gotta go!
Mira had the thrilling experience of tumbling down the stairs. It must be a rite of passage that all children (with homes that have stairs) must experience. She was looking for me and I was downstairs washing dishes while Jason was busy putting Joshua to bed. As best we can tell, she tripped on her blankie and tumbled down the entire flight. She banged up many body parts and we looked her over carefully. We checked on her throughout the night but miraculously she didn't have a bruise on her little body come morning.
Thursday, Jill and I took the kids up to an organic Amish bulk food store in Pennsylvania and stocked up on all sorts of yummy things. Mira is currently nibbling on the dried figs we bought and the quinoa is going to be enjoyed tonight with our chicken. After reading both "Ominvores Dilemma" and "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle", I am convince we need to change the way we eat and that there are LOTS more yummy things out there to enjoy that we are missing out on!!!
The boys are back from ice skating, gotta go!
Monday, January 04, 2010
The big snow, Christmas, Ohio and New Years
At 11 pm when Jason and I went to bed on Friday, December 18 you could just barely see the snow flakes swirling around the lamp posts. There was nothing sticking to the ground and only rumors of the inches of snow yet to come. When we awoke on Saturday morning, there was already 4-6 inches on the ground. The snow kept falling through the day and night and next morning until we eventually had nearly 2 feet of it. By lunchtime on Saturday Joshua and Mira had already been outside 3 times to play. They helped me shovel, went sledding and tried to walk in the ever deepening snow. The idea of leaving our little corner of the world was laughable but thankfully we had no where to go and could just enjoy the beautiful swirling flakes. Saturday night was our neighborhood Christmas party, which ended up being a huge success thanks in large part to the snow keeping everyone home on our street. There was plenty of food and drink and the children played and watched movies. We had a gift exchange like the one at the big family Christmas party.
Sunday brought more snow play and shoveling as did Monday. It was nice to just bundle Joshua up and let him romp around out in the backyard. Everything is more fun when there is snow and I was even able to get out to sled with the kids a few times. Monday and Tuesday schools were closed and the last day before Christmas break was a two late entry. The snow stuck around until nasty rain on Christmas day washed all of it away.
On Wednesday, we enjoyed the Christmas lights in the neighborhood after sharing a meal and presents with the Andreens. It has been a long time since we all got together and so since to have the children playing. Jason and I were up late wrapping as many gifts as we could but did not finish and ran out of paper.
Thursday, Jason came home early from work and we went to the Carpenters for a lovely Christmas Eve dinner. There was still much wrapping to do and other Christmas preparations. We had a letter and cookies to leave for Santa and our tradition of reading 'Twas the Night Before Christmas' to complete. I made the banana bread and Jason wrapped and we made it to bed before midnight.
Santa arrived sometime in the night and Christmas morning the tree was wrapped in gifts and our stockings were filled. Joshua and Mira were so excited. Mira emptied her stocking and then proceded to eat a breakfast of M&M's. Joshua emptied his stocking and played with a wind up airplane while I prepared our Christmas morning breakfast of toast, eggs and bacon. We all had a good breakfast before getting Grandma and Papa on the computer to share in opening gifts. Joshua received a robot from Santa that stayed by his side through Christmas and sat next to him on our drive to Ohio. Mira received a tea set from Santa and continuously poured Jason cups of tea. Evelyn received a see and say toy that she and Mira shared playing with. There was so much to open and the children were thoughtful in doing so. They wanted each gift opened, batteries inserted and played with before moving on to the next item. After finishing up with all the presents, we got dressed and headed out to Memaw and Grandad's for the rest of the day.
We arrived close to 2 and had a late lunch. Aunt Carie stopped for a few minutes soon after we got there and my friend Lisa came over later. Godfather was there for a while during the day and evening as well. After getting a little food in our bellies we started the gift opening again this time with the whole gang: Memaw, Grandad, Nanny, Aunt Jill, Tia Amy, Tio Omar, Dylan, Stephanie and Noella. There were SOOOOO many presents.
We had a nice Christmas dinner after the presents but Mira was just plain pooped by then and went to sleep. We all stayed over at Memaw and Grandads so that we could just relax and enjoy before heading home on Saturday.
We visited with Godfather's and Aunt Carie's parents on Saturday morning with the children. The rest of the day was spent unpacking and then repacking so that we could leave on Sunday morning to go to Ohio.
We were off and running by 9:30 Sunday morning and met with Memaw, Grandad and Aunt Jill in Somerset to continue the ride to Aunt Margaret's house. We only had to stop once to feed Evelyn and that was at a potty stop. Joshua, Mira and Evelyn all did great on the ride out. The only minor issue we had was when Mira begged to go poop on a mountain road with only emergency pull offs. We took one and then she didn't go. But she did end up going in her diaper moments before we reached Aunt Margaret's house. We had to open all the windows in the car to breathe. We stayed with Jeanne and Dave that night. They have a dog, Titus, who is not used to little children. He did ok with Josh and Mira but though that E was a tasty treat so we had to be very careful. It didn't even matter that we were holding her. The kids did great meeting all sorts of 'new' people. Joshua only flipped out a little bit when Aunt Margaret picked him up for a big hug and within two hours of any new stop, Mira warmed up to our hosts.
The next day, Monday, we visited with Aunt Janet & Uncle Bob. It started to snow the night before while we were eating dinner at Aunt Margarets and we still snowing Monday. That made for some interesting driving but we got where we were going and we see these friends and family so infrequently that we braved the weather anyway.
Tuesday we left Jeanne and Dave's for my godmother, Susan's, house on the way to Aunt Beth and Uncle Ray's. The last time I saw Susan we had no children and now we have 3! Mira came down with a fever on Monday and Tuesday but was feeling better by the time we made it to Aunt Beth's. Sleeping was difficult wherever we went. Josh and E seemed to be ok but Mira just has a hard time traveling and didn't want to sleep in these new places. She was up most nights every hour.
Janet and Matthew and Bill joined us at their parent's house Tuesday for dinner and visiting. Joshua LOVED having Matthew, 8, as a playmate. From the moment he woke up on Wednesday he started asking for him again. The kids all warmed to Aunt Beth and Uncle Ray quickly which made for nice visiting. Wednesday the kids played in the snow, played in the house and played and played and played. We opened gifts in the evening and let Josh stay up late with Matthew. It felt just like Christmases past.
Just before we left Mira decided to feed Uncle Ray's fish with the lid to the food can on full open just dumping the stuff in there. They were able to clean up that mess fairly easily, so they say. We got off by 10:30 am but it was a long drive home. We were all tired. Aunt Betty and Uncle George were actually on the same road as us, just a little ahead, coming from Indiana for Grandma's 90th birthday party so we met them in my parent's town for dinner. It was a good stopping point since Mira and Evie were both screaming and tired of being in the car. We had dinner with the gang at Panera and then made our way out to our house. We got home around 8:30. The kids went right to bed and then our friend Richard came over to celebrate New Years with beer, pina coladas, a bad game of Scrabble and the movie Underworld 2. We were ALL ready for bed as soon as the ball dropped.
New Year's day the little ones slept in and we made a family trip to Target. I think we spent more in that one trip than a majority of the Christmas shopping and it was all on batteries. We invested heavily in rechargeables and a charger to power all the new toys.
Saturday it was Christmas again as we picked up a box from Grandma and Papa and enjoyed opening the gifts with them on the computer. Saturday,after nap, we headed out to Eldersburg again for Grandma's birthday party. Aunt Betty, Uncle George and Aunt Jo were in town for the event and it was a nice evening. We are having another party for her this Sunday. Her actual birthday is Jan 11.
The days have been lazy and the kids are sleeping it. It is so nice to have Jason home. We just play games, do a little house work, run the required errands and there is no work or school or anything else to interfere. I could live like this. Ok so I wouldn't be able to put food on the table but it is nice!!
Evelyn is going through withdraw from having so many people hold her all the time. I suppose she is getting over it but she really was in her glory just being passed from adoring holder, to adoring holder. Mira is back on her sleep schedule and has been sleeping very hard since we got home. Joshua is himself just somehow sassier. He as acquired a glare and some talking back that are new and he knows just what he is doing.
We had a fun game of Memory tonight with Joshua and he would have cleaned house I think if the cards had been in rows.
Sunday brought more snow play and shoveling as did Monday. It was nice to just bundle Joshua up and let him romp around out in the backyard. Everything is more fun when there is snow and I was even able to get out to sled with the kids a few times. Monday and Tuesday schools were closed and the last day before Christmas break was a two late entry. The snow stuck around until nasty rain on Christmas day washed all of it away.
On Wednesday, we enjoyed the Christmas lights in the neighborhood after sharing a meal and presents with the Andreens. It has been a long time since we all got together and so since to have the children playing. Jason and I were up late wrapping as many gifts as we could but did not finish and ran out of paper.
Thursday, Jason came home early from work and we went to the Carpenters for a lovely Christmas Eve dinner. There was still much wrapping to do and other Christmas preparations. We had a letter and cookies to leave for Santa and our tradition of reading 'Twas the Night Before Christmas' to complete. I made the banana bread and Jason wrapped and we made it to bed before midnight.
Santa arrived sometime in the night and Christmas morning the tree was wrapped in gifts and our stockings were filled. Joshua and Mira were so excited. Mira emptied her stocking and then proceded to eat a breakfast of M&M's. Joshua emptied his stocking and played with a wind up airplane while I prepared our Christmas morning breakfast of toast, eggs and bacon. We all had a good breakfast before getting Grandma and Papa on the computer to share in opening gifts. Joshua received a robot from Santa that stayed by his side through Christmas and sat next to him on our drive to Ohio. Mira received a tea set from Santa and continuously poured Jason cups of tea. Evelyn received a see and say toy that she and Mira shared playing with. There was so much to open and the children were thoughtful in doing so. They wanted each gift opened, batteries inserted and played with before moving on to the next item. After finishing up with all the presents, we got dressed and headed out to Memaw and Grandad's for the rest of the day.
We arrived close to 2 and had a late lunch. Aunt Carie stopped for a few minutes soon after we got there and my friend Lisa came over later. Godfather was there for a while during the day and evening as well. After getting a little food in our bellies we started the gift opening again this time with the whole gang: Memaw, Grandad, Nanny, Aunt Jill, Tia Amy, Tio Omar, Dylan, Stephanie and Noella. There were SOOOOO many presents.
We had a nice Christmas dinner after the presents but Mira was just plain pooped by then and went to sleep. We all stayed over at Memaw and Grandads so that we could just relax and enjoy before heading home on Saturday.
We visited with Godfather's and Aunt Carie's parents on Saturday morning with the children. The rest of the day was spent unpacking and then repacking so that we could leave on Sunday morning to go to Ohio.
We were off and running by 9:30 Sunday morning and met with Memaw, Grandad and Aunt Jill in Somerset to continue the ride to Aunt Margaret's house. We only had to stop once to feed Evelyn and that was at a potty stop. Joshua, Mira and Evelyn all did great on the ride out. The only minor issue we had was when Mira begged to go poop on a mountain road with only emergency pull offs. We took one and then she didn't go. But she did end up going in her diaper moments before we reached Aunt Margaret's house. We had to open all the windows in the car to breathe. We stayed with Jeanne and Dave that night. They have a dog, Titus, who is not used to little children. He did ok with Josh and Mira but though that E was a tasty treat so we had to be very careful. It didn't even matter that we were holding her. The kids did great meeting all sorts of 'new' people. Joshua only flipped out a little bit when Aunt Margaret picked him up for a big hug and within two hours of any new stop, Mira warmed up to our hosts.
The next day, Monday, we visited with Aunt Janet & Uncle Bob. It started to snow the night before while we were eating dinner at Aunt Margarets and we still snowing Monday. That made for some interesting driving but we got where we were going and we see these friends and family so infrequently that we braved the weather anyway.
Tuesday we left Jeanne and Dave's for my godmother, Susan's, house on the way to Aunt Beth and Uncle Ray's. The last time I saw Susan we had no children and now we have 3! Mira came down with a fever on Monday and Tuesday but was feeling better by the time we made it to Aunt Beth's. Sleeping was difficult wherever we went. Josh and E seemed to be ok but Mira just has a hard time traveling and didn't want to sleep in these new places. She was up most nights every hour.
Janet and Matthew and Bill joined us at their parent's house Tuesday for dinner and visiting. Joshua LOVED having Matthew, 8, as a playmate. From the moment he woke up on Wednesday he started asking for him again. The kids all warmed to Aunt Beth and Uncle Ray quickly which made for nice visiting. Wednesday the kids played in the snow, played in the house and played and played and played. We opened gifts in the evening and let Josh stay up late with Matthew. It felt just like Christmases past.
Just before we left Mira decided to feed Uncle Ray's fish with the lid to the food can on full open just dumping the stuff in there. They were able to clean up that mess fairly easily, so they say. We got off by 10:30 am but it was a long drive home. We were all tired. Aunt Betty and Uncle George were actually on the same road as us, just a little ahead, coming from Indiana for Grandma's 90th birthday party so we met them in my parent's town for dinner. It was a good stopping point since Mira and Evie were both screaming and tired of being in the car. We had dinner with the gang at Panera and then made our way out to our house. We got home around 8:30. The kids went right to bed and then our friend Richard came over to celebrate New Years with beer, pina coladas, a bad game of Scrabble and the movie Underworld 2. We were ALL ready for bed as soon as the ball dropped.
New Year's day the little ones slept in and we made a family trip to Target. I think we spent more in that one trip than a majority of the Christmas shopping and it was all on batteries. We invested heavily in rechargeables and a charger to power all the new toys.
Saturday it was Christmas again as we picked up a box from Grandma and Papa and enjoyed opening the gifts with them on the computer. Saturday,after nap, we headed out to Eldersburg again for Grandma's birthday party. Aunt Betty, Uncle George and Aunt Jo were in town for the event and it was a nice evening. We are having another party for her this Sunday. Her actual birthday is Jan 11.
The days have been lazy and the kids are sleeping it. It is so nice to have Jason home. We just play games, do a little house work, run the required errands and there is no work or school or anything else to interfere. I could live like this. Ok so I wouldn't be able to put food on the table but it is nice!!
Evelyn is going through withdraw from having so many people hold her all the time. I suppose she is getting over it but she really was in her glory just being passed from adoring holder, to adoring holder. Mira is back on her sleep schedule and has been sleeping very hard since we got home. Joshua is himself just somehow sassier. He as acquired a glare and some talking back that are new and he knows just what he is doing.
We had a fun game of Memory tonight with Joshua and he would have cleaned house I think if the cards had been in rows.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
4 month check up
Evelyn had her 4 month checkup yesterday. She is still off the charts at 16 lbs 6 oz and 26.25" tall. She received several shots and we may be giving her the flu shot when she turns 6 months. She rolled over from her front to her back last we so we had that to share and she loves to talk, laugh and get your attention. She plays with toys and puts everything in her mouth. She also pushes up very high when she is laying on her belly.
Joshua has started reading. He is recognizing words, spelling out things he sees and asking lots of questions about words. We are so excited for this next step he is taking and loving his enthusiasm.
Mira is a singing and dancing fool. She likes saying 'ho, ho, ho' and tries to say, 'Merry Christmas', too. It is a bit harder to recognize.
Joshua has started reading. He is recognizing words, spelling out things he sees and asking lots of questions about words. We are so excited for this next step he is taking and loving his enthusiasm.
Mira is a singing and dancing fool. She likes saying 'ho, ho, ho' and tries to say, 'Merry Christmas', too. It is a bit harder to recognize.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Om me I!
I hear these words a lot. In Mira-ese it means, 'Help me write!' Mira loves to draw and write and she is very precise. Today she can make circles with eyes and a mouth. Jill saw her add hands to another drawing that Jill had started.
Symptoms
How did I know Joshua was sick today? He ate 1/2 of 1/2 a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. When we made cookies he took his one and didn't ask for another. The girls were screaming and he sat quietly waiting on the couch. Evelyn, who also has a cold has been sleeping through it. And Mira, also stuffy and sick, is weepy and irritable. But Joshua is taking a nap and saying please and thank you, waiting his turn and is generally agreeable. He must be sick.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Time Flies
I thought the time before Christmas would pass slowly but it is flying along. Everyday we open our elf box, check off a day on our calendar and hang an ornament on our advent calendar. We have been reading Christmas books, doing Christmas crafts, shopping and listening to Christmas music. Mira wants us to cart her around the room kissing all the Santas in the house and last week Aunt Jill played a bear hunt game with Josh. Now he wants to ride piggy back through the house looking for the bear (Jack) while listening to spooky music. Mira is afraid of the spooky music so it makes for an interesting time.
Last Saturday, amidst snow globe like swirls of snow, we ventured out to Macy's to pick our annual Christmas ornaments. It was beautiful and the children had fun choosing their ornaments. Mira picked a little white deer with a Christmas tree perched on its back. Joshua found a robot.
Next we went to Barnes and Noble to find a Christmas book to add to our collection. We chose the Nutcracker but before we found it we found an author signing beautiful books about dragons. We bought two and had them signed to Josh and Mira. We enjoyed a lunch out at Baja Fresh and then headed home.
Sunday, Jason and Josh took in the Nutcracker at our local community college. Joshua did well up through the first half and then got antsy sitting. The girls, Jill and I were meanwhile at Tia Amy's helping her to move between houses.
It has been a busy time but the kids are handling all the excitement well. We've cut out tv for the past week, we'd had tv overload, and are noticing much better behavior. I did let them watch and play games online this morning for a little while but then the whining ensued and it was time to turn it off again.
Jason's final is on Wednesday and we are looking forward to him being around more. He has off until early mid January.
Last Saturday, amidst snow globe like swirls of snow, we ventured out to Macy's to pick our annual Christmas ornaments. It was beautiful and the children had fun choosing their ornaments. Mira picked a little white deer with a Christmas tree perched on its back. Joshua found a robot.
Next we went to Barnes and Noble to find a Christmas book to add to our collection. We chose the Nutcracker but before we found it we found an author signing beautiful books about dragons. We bought two and had them signed to Josh and Mira. We enjoyed a lunch out at Baja Fresh and then headed home.
Sunday, Jason and Josh took in the Nutcracker at our local community college. Joshua did well up through the first half and then got antsy sitting. The girls, Jill and I were meanwhile at Tia Amy's helping her to move between houses.
It has been a busy time but the kids are handling all the excitement well. We've cut out tv for the past week, we'd had tv overload, and are noticing much better behavior. I did let them watch and play games online this morning for a little while but then the whining ensued and it was time to turn it off again.
Jason's final is on Wednesday and we are looking forward to him being around more. He has off until early mid January.
Thursday, December 03, 2009
The Christmas Season
My friend, Christine, gave us a great idea this year. Every night we leave an empty box under the Christmas tree. It is a green box decorated with snowflakes. Every morning when we get up there is something in it for us to do. On the first day, we had a paper inside directing us to go to the bouncy place, day 2 was writing letters to Santa and watching a Muppet Christmas Carol, day 3 was making oatmeal cookies. We are having a lot of Christmas fun and looking forward to what tomorrow will bring. A little elf tipped me off that we would be going to the Christmas parade downtown and seeing Santa. Good thing we have our letters ready!
The tree is up. We decorated the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Most of the house is decorated. Joshua has been helping me with that this year. We are marking off days on a calendar and doing our advent tree. Lots of anticipation for the 'big day'!
Evelyn is so bright eyed now. She likes to talk to us kicking and flailing her legs and arms wildly. She sits well in the exersaucer and can entertain herself while the other two are playing. It is so helpful to not have to hold her all the time. She is waking up more in the night and I wonder if it is another growth spurt or something else since she was sleeping through the night a week ago.
Mira is MUCH better. She ended up on antibiotics for the enlarged lymph nodes and within 36 hours the fever was gone and about 48 the glads where going down in size. She will see the dr again on Monday but she is much improved. Given how much the dr's office has had us keep in touch about this one, I gather they found it to be quite serious. I am glad all turned out well.
Joshua LOVED the bounce place the other day and is enjoying all the Christmas books, movies and festivities. He is writing his name all by himself now and doing a great job. We are so proud of him! More discussions with his teachers and other people in the community are pushing us to wait until 2011 to start him in kindergarten. So I guess next year we will have another year of preschool. Then, it will be Mira's turn.
The tree is up. We decorated the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Most of the house is decorated. Joshua has been helping me with that this year. We are marking off days on a calendar and doing our advent tree. Lots of anticipation for the 'big day'!
Evelyn is so bright eyed now. She likes to talk to us kicking and flailing her legs and arms wildly. She sits well in the exersaucer and can entertain herself while the other two are playing. It is so helpful to not have to hold her all the time. She is waking up more in the night and I wonder if it is another growth spurt or something else since she was sleeping through the night a week ago.
Mira is MUCH better. She ended up on antibiotics for the enlarged lymph nodes and within 36 hours the fever was gone and about 48 the glads where going down in size. She will see the dr again on Monday but she is much improved. Given how much the dr's office has had us keep in touch about this one, I gather they found it to be quite serious. I am glad all turned out well.
Joshua LOVED the bounce place the other day and is enjoying all the Christmas books, movies and festivities. He is writing his name all by himself now and doing a great job. We are so proud of him! More discussions with his teachers and other people in the community are pushing us to wait until 2011 to start him in kindergarten. So I guess next year we will have another year of preschool. Then, it will be Mira's turn.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Thanksgiving Feast
Today was feast day at preschool. There were nods to the traditional Thanksgiving foods but the hits were chicken nuggets, grapes and crackers. Oh to love kid food. We took mac n cheese but since Joshie is a purest, he would not indulge. The event was lovely. Mira stayed back with Miss Jennifer and Evelyn napped the entire time. Joshua, although he did not sing, DID stand up in front of the parents with the rest of his classmates AND he did tap along with the sticks for another song. He even requested his favorite preschool song, the ghost song, not typically a Thanksgiving song but what the heck! And, he moved to the music. So much progress! He completed the craft, ate a great lunch and was generally happy. Such a good morning.
Mira had lots of fun with Miss Jennifer and the boys and everyone came home tired. Lots of great naps all around. Josh and Mira now have low grade fevers and Mira has an enlarged lymph node and so we'll keep an eye on it. Off to bed for now.
Mira had lots of fun with Miss Jennifer and the boys and everyone came home tired. Lots of great naps all around. Josh and Mira now have low grade fevers and Mira has an enlarged lymph node and so we'll keep an eye on it. Off to bed for now.
bowling
Joshua went to a birthday party yesterday and bowled for the first time. Somehow he already knew all about it and drew a picture on his drawing board of a lane, pins, ball and ball return. Was this just from the Wii? I don't recall him playing that game. In any case, he was holding the ball correctly by the end of his game and bowled an 84. Guess we'll sign him up for the team!
Evie Joy is sitting her batting at her toys in her rocking chair seat. We put her in the exer-saucer yesterday and she liked that. She is bigger than the other two were when we put them in it and could sit just fine without towels to pad around her.
Mira says everything we say now, 'Hon, Lego and Wiggly Woo' are a few of my recent favorites.
Evie Joy is sitting her batting at her toys in her rocking chair seat. We put her in the exer-saucer yesterday and she liked that. She is bigger than the other two were when we put them in it and could sit just fine without towels to pad around her.
Mira says everything we say now, 'Hon, Lego and Wiggly Woo' are a few of my recent favorites.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
My Name
Joshua can now write his name all by himself. The s sometimes ends up backwards but otherwise he does an excellent job. We had parent conferences on Monday and Miss Joan said that Joshua is doing great. He knows his colors and shapes and is working on his alphabet which he gets right most of the time. Joshua's lego creations get more detailed every day and he can now help me with chores around the house. I love 4!
Evelyn is leaning forward when sitting in her rocker as if to sit up by herself. Won't be long! She laughs and smiles all the time. Now, she likes to just sit in her rocker and watch all that goes on in this crazy house around her.
Mira is adding new words all the time. She continues to be a good napper in the afternoon and goes to be easily at night time. She likes to wake up at 6:15 am but I guess we can deal with that. Especially since Evelyn sleeps through the night. Mira loves to sing songs to herself in Mira-ese. She will even make drums out of toys to add a beat to her music. She has started a bit of a hitting habit which we are not enjoying but I do recall Joshua kicking at this age.
Evelyn is leaning forward when sitting in her rocker as if to sit up by herself. Won't be long! She laughs and smiles all the time. Now, she likes to just sit in her rocker and watch all that goes on in this crazy house around her.
Mira is adding new words all the time. She continues to be a good napper in the afternoon and goes to be easily at night time. She likes to wake up at 6:15 am but I guess we can deal with that. Especially since Evelyn sleeps through the night. Mira loves to sing songs to herself in Mira-ese. She will even make drums out of toys to add a beat to her music. She has started a bit of a hitting habit which we are not enjoying but I do recall Joshua kicking at this age.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Baptized
The weekend was beautiful. Reagan flew in from Georgia and joined us to celebrate Evelyn's baptism on Sunday. She is also expecting and 15 weeks along. We drove out to the 'burg and E was baptized at my parent's church. It really felt like we had come full circle to have been married there and then to have our last child baptized in the same church. Mom made a bonnet to match the baptism gown she made for Mira. I cried just to see her dressed and so beautiful, like a little china doll. I cried again walking to the font to the music, 'Going to the River to Pray'. It was just such a special moment. We have been so blessed!
Our neighbors, Cyndi, Staci & Stephanie, joined us, making the hour drive, as well as Jill, Amy (and family), Memaw, Grandad, Nanny, Carie, Chris, Reagan & Jessica (Reagan's sister) We had lunch back at my parent's house (tomato soup, quiches, mini sandwich rolls, cheese, crackers, cider & brocolli slaw). It was a lunch meant for a cool fall day but we lucked out with a 70 sunny day. The kids had a great time playing outside after lunch. Mira and Noella each had naps and we just visited and ate. We even stayed for dinner, can't resist Mom's cabbage rolls! Everyone was pooped when we headed home. But unfortunately we hit a huge amount of traffic and the drive took 2 hours. We narrowly missed two very serious accidents but made it in one piece. Thank God!
Our neighbors, Cyndi, Staci & Stephanie, joined us, making the hour drive, as well as Jill, Amy (and family), Memaw, Grandad, Nanny, Carie, Chris, Reagan & Jessica (Reagan's sister) We had lunch back at my parent's house (tomato soup, quiches, mini sandwich rolls, cheese, crackers, cider & brocolli slaw). It was a lunch meant for a cool fall day but we lucked out with a 70 sunny day. The kids had a great time playing outside after lunch. Mira and Noella each had naps and we just visited and ate. We even stayed for dinner, can't resist Mom's cabbage rolls! Everyone was pooped when we headed home. But unfortunately we hit a huge amount of traffic and the drive took 2 hours. We narrowly missed two very serious accidents but made it in one piece. Thank God!
Thursday, November 05, 2009
Attention
I think that the jealousy is kicking in for Mira. Jason and I were cooing over Evelyn this morning and Mira was standing at the table eating her breakfast. She suddenly hollared, 'Hey Mom!' to get my attention and some cooing of her own :-) Then when Jason was giving me a hug and kiss goodbye this morning I heard Mira in the background smooching her hand waiting for her kisses.
Monday, November 02, 2009
Happy Halloween!
Mira was Little Bo Peep, Evelyn was her little sheep and Joshua was a super ghost. He originally wanted to be Darth Vader but after explaining that he would have to wear a mask he opted out and just wanted to wear his costume from last year. Joshua had a party at school on Friday morning. It was this party last year where Jason and I saw Joshua's shyness really come to life. But this year was so different! He did the crafts, participated and really had fun.
Mira does not like scary things at all. Even last year, she was afraid of the Elmo Halloween movie. This year was better but she did get frightened while we were out trick or treating. She liked collecting candy though! When Aunt Jill and Kakuti tried to empty her little basket to make more room she just about had a temper tantrum. Joshua was torn while out whether to keep going and collect more candy or just take what he had and go home and eat it. His tummy won and we went home to enjoy the spoils of the hunt. It was a good thing too since Halloween happened to be a dark and stormy night!
Eveyln slept through it all.
We carved our pumpkin on Saturday morning. Joshua said, 'scarved' which was cute and he was really excited for the sky to turn dark so he could light it.
Other high lights...
Mira is adding about a word a day now with elbow and people being two of her newer additions. She also strings two words together: MY car, actually MY anything is a favorite phrase right now. She is quite opitionated and stubborn and we haven't figured out how to get her to stop climbing on the table yet. We have gotten her to eat more but alternating bites of food with chocolate chips or some other small desirable tasty item.
Evelyn has really lit up recently. She laughs, smiles and coos all the time when she is awake. She naps about twice a day with another cat nap in the evening. Now I am able to sit her in the baby rocker and she will watch while we eat or I cook. Josh is able to entertain her sometimes when she gets fussy and Mira likes to help out too. She brings the binky, rocks the rocker or pats Evelyn's head. She will even get our attention if there is something wrong. Lots of helpers!
Joshua is doing well at school now. Our next big dilema is what to do for kindergarten in the fall. We had hoped to start him next year but he misses the cut off (Sept 1) and the testing to get him in is absolutely insane. I don't know that I want to hold him back another year because I think he will be bored. We have a few months to plan and research options but private schools fill quickly so I better get on it! In the meantime, I am working with him in between school days on kindergarten skills just in case we do have him go for the test.
Mira does not like scary things at all. Even last year, she was afraid of the Elmo Halloween movie. This year was better but she did get frightened while we were out trick or treating. She liked collecting candy though! When Aunt Jill and Kakuti tried to empty her little basket to make more room she just about had a temper tantrum. Joshua was torn while out whether to keep going and collect more candy or just take what he had and go home and eat it. His tummy won and we went home to enjoy the spoils of the hunt. It was a good thing too since Halloween happened to be a dark and stormy night!
Eveyln slept through it all.
We carved our pumpkin on Saturday morning. Joshua said, 'scarved' which was cute and he was really excited for the sky to turn dark so he could light it.
Other high lights...
Mira is adding about a word a day now with elbow and people being two of her newer additions. She also strings two words together: MY car, actually MY anything is a favorite phrase right now. She is quite opitionated and stubborn and we haven't figured out how to get her to stop climbing on the table yet. We have gotten her to eat more but alternating bites of food with chocolate chips or some other small desirable tasty item.
Evelyn has really lit up recently. She laughs, smiles and coos all the time when she is awake. She naps about twice a day with another cat nap in the evening. Now I am able to sit her in the baby rocker and she will watch while we eat or I cook. Josh is able to entertain her sometimes when she gets fussy and Mira likes to help out too. She brings the binky, rocks the rocker or pats Evelyn's head. She will even get our attention if there is something wrong. Lots of helpers!
Joshua is doing well at school now. Our next big dilema is what to do for kindergarten in the fall. We had hoped to start him next year but he misses the cut off (Sept 1) and the testing to get him in is absolutely insane. I don't know that I want to hold him back another year because I think he will be bored. We have a few months to plan and research options but private schools fill quickly so I better get on it! In the meantime, I am working with him in between school days on kindergarten skills just in case we do have him go for the test.
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