Helping Daddy

Fortunately, my husband is amazing and can fix things for me - like the vacuum cleaner.  He is passing on his talent to our children (as witnessed here - for your viewing pleasure).

A new look.

 I am all about functionality.  So I grow my hair long and then when it annoys me (approximately every couple of years), I cut it short and donate it.  This way I only have to go to my hair dresser every couple years.  Last Saturday it was "time for a cut" again.  Here are so pictures to document.

I never knew how difficult it is to hold your hand steady to take a picture when not using the flash.

This one is "a little" better but you can't see my hair as much.



It does not look like much here, but it should be enough for Locks of Love to use.

From the back.

And the final product.  Again - taking my own picture - definitely not my area of expertise, but here ya go :)

Kids

It has been a little while since I gave much of an update on the kids and they are doing more and more all the time, so I figured I better get on it!

Before Mass on Sunday - they LOVE to stop at this bench.

Rebekah:

*She is getting soooooo helpful!  She can watch Paul for me, or help him down from places he is not supposed to be (like the kitchen table).

*She still loves all things "girly" - pink, purple, hearts, purses, pretty hair things, etc

(With that said, she still rarely lets me do her hair as she is a tender-head.)

*She is still doing dance class (ballet and tap) and has recently joined the swim team (although she is basically just advanced lessons at this point).

*Our Girl Scout troop will begin meeting next week and she is beside herself with excitement.

*I really enjoy when she calls me "Momma" for some reason.  I hope it never gets shortened to the typical "Mom."

Samuel:

*He is a talker!!  He can keep up a running commentary at all times of everything that might be around us or in his head.

*He is also very inquisitive.  He cannot help himself but ask questions about EVERYTHING.  Although I know this is good learning for him it annoys me to no end when his questions are improperly formed (as in so badly I have trouble distinguishing what he wants to know).  He often wants to group things by saying "always, everyone, all the people," etc, and I am always telling him, no not ALWAYS or every time, but THIS TIME it is this way - for THIS PERSON (not every person).  I guess I should look at it as a game like Daddy does (making things up as he goes) - perhaps I take life a little too seriously sometimes.

*Samuel is very athletic and sad that he is not old enough to play real soccer or do swim team yet.

*His favorite book right now is "The Cat in the Hat"

Jacob:

*Jacob is my cuddly guy.  He loves to give me hugs and sit with me and look me in the eye.  He likes to be the baby turtle and have me be the mommy turtle.

*He is getting more coordinated all the time, running and jumping after his big brother Samuel.

*He is enjoying school (I think) even though every day I get a report of how he did not behave quite right.  He is happy when I pick him up and often when I leave him, so it can't all be bad.  I think he enjoys having his brother in the same class

*He loves to build with his mega blocks.

*Unfortunately lately his little brother, Paul, has discovered that pulling at, dropping, or breaking apart those blocks causes a great response from Jacob.

*He has tons of words and knows a lot of his letters.  I love to listen to him talk.  One of the phrases I enjoy hearing (because it is cute - not because I really want him saying it) is "No, I tan't" (No I can't).

*He is in the full swing of 3-year-old rebellion, being contrary to everything, but he has THE MOST ADORABLE pouty face.  So I really don't mind.

Paul:

*Paul is at the stage where he is a terror but he is so stinking cute you can't possibly get mad at him.
*He has a few words already.  He recently has started saying "Thank you."  Although it sounds more like "dank you."  But he says it as he brings me something (I guess in anticipation of me saying to him for bringing whatever to me).

*Some of his other phrases: "What's dis?" "I have dis."  He also says "Daddy" and he can say Mommy, but sadly he does not say it much.

*He is getting very good at feeding himself with a spoon.  Although finger foods like peas, black beans, and bananas are still his favorites.

*He still nurses like crazy but it makes him happy so I roll with it.

*I love his little toddle and his giggle.

Hooray for my crazy - fun - little family :)  Thank you God for these blessings!  My life is so full and amazing with them!

Small Successes Thursday

Thursday is the day to stop and count our blessings and recognize the small victories in every day life that might get lost otherwise, in the business of daily life. Here are my small successes for this week.

1. I cleaned out the basement closet - which consisted of re-arranging the back porch (as that is where a lot of that stuff needed to go), re-arranging two sets of shelves (one in Paul's room and one in the work-out/laundry room - hey, that stuff has to go somewhere!), and going through/organizing three large containers of extended kitchen items that I just don't have room for in my actual kitchen.

2. I finally took a picture of Rebekah in her school uniform. Instead of a "First Day of School" picture, we have a "17th Day of School" picture. But hey, maybe I will have started a tradition that we could continue. Who knows? :)

3. The holy water font I bought back in college (that would only be about 7 years ago - since I graduated) has finally been "placed"and stocked with holy water.

I was also pretty proud of placing it right by the doorway to the kitchen (on the wall beside our table) since the kids like to bless themselves as we begin our meal prayer. And Rebekah's recent artwork from school seemed to fit right in with the theme (the Hail Mary above and the other picture is Mary giving the Rosary to St Dominic).

Unfortunately, not everyone is crazy about my "brilliant" placement of the font as my hubby already sent it flying once. Maybe I should have put it on the OTHER side of the light switch - or the other side of the door. (But then I would have to reach across to use my right hand which I thought would be awkward. . . )

In any case, there you have it. To share your small victories, head over to Chocolate for Your Brain for details.

Whiney Wednesday

1. I have not felt like being creative in the kitchen lately. In fact, choosing meals and getting them ready has REALLY been a chore as I cannot see to come up with anything new, groceries seem so much more expensive, and it just takes so much time!

2. My nursing baby (whom I LOVE dearly and I LOVE nursing still a lot - at 15 months now) has thrown my body into mass confusion and it has me going CRAZY some days. Seriously, I annoy myself! I am so lost with my hormones all over the place. I am crabby and short-tempered and just all-around unhappy. Not to mention I cannot seem to concentrate on what I should be doing. Although I am trying to get Paul on more of a regular nursing schedule (as I think that might help) I absolutely CANNOT tell him no when he asks to nurse (he is the first of my children to come up with his own sign for it - so smart!) so it looks like I just might have to suffer through this for a while. I just hope I don't get so caught up on the rough part to miss the beauty of connecting with my baby and being able to comfort him so well.

3. I really need some TIME to get some projects done and between running after the kids and their activities and my own social life, I just don't see any opportunity for these projects (like sorting the mail, filing papers, labeling pictures, etc) and frankly that is kind of depressing.

Ok, there's my whines for this week. Feel free to join me in the whining fun. Click here for details.

Happy Birthday, Jacob Christopher!

Today is Jacob's 3rd Birthday. This morning he got a "baby sea turtle" book (part of our present to him) and I have only read it to him about 15 times (yes, I think it is a keeper), but I don't mind as hearing him say "baby turtle" makes me feel all warm and fuzzy since he is so incredible cute about it.


Some things about Jacob:

• When he is hungry, he wants a banana. Always, all the time, no matter if he has eaten 6 bananas, he wants. . . a banana. "Please, may I have. . . a banana."


• He is on a "baby turtle" kick that is adorable. He pretends to be a baby turtle and I (his mother) get to be the mommy turtle. It is very helpful to get him to lay down for a nap or tuck him in at night - and sometimes even to get him to use the potty. I say, "Come on Baby Turtle. . ." and he happily clops after me making "baby turtle noises" (difficult to explain but they are definitely cute :)


• Jacob now has feet about a size and half bigger than his older brother (older brother is 4.5 years-old). I bought him some AMAZING new shoes the other day and he commented, "Mom, these shoes FIT and they are COOL!" (I plan to give these shoes their own post when I get around to it.)


• He was a little slow to start talking (waiting until well into his second year before vocalizing more than grunts) but now he has an amazing vocabulary and I am impressed with his attention for detail. For example, Daddy had left to walk to a friend's house by going out the front door, but Jacob wanted Daddy to "go out the back door, get in his car, turn on the engine, and drive to the friend's house."


• Jacob loves trucks, trains, and planes.


• His favorite things to watch (as we don't get regular cable or anything) are Signing Time, the movie WallE, a dvd of Thomas the Tank Engine, and Mater's Tall Tales.


• Something I enjoy doing with him lately, when I help him put on his shirt, while he is lost trying to get his head in, I ask, "Where is Jacob?" and then he pops out and cries, "Here I am!" with a great big smile. He also grants my request for a big hug after getting his clothes on - once he can dress himself I will have to find another reason to get a hug :)


• The other day during lunch the "big kids" were saying what they wanted to be when they grew up. Jacob listened a bit and then chimed in, "I want to be a bad guy!"
  

I love you, my sweet Jacob! May God continue to bless you and form you into a virtuous and considerate little boy.

The TV room. . . and THE TOYS

I have been thinking a lot about toys since my friend Monica posted this link on facebook. The comments about it were also good for thought. Monica mentioned that she had several toys in "storage" and rotated frequently. The funny thing is that I would have told you I do the same thing, but as I was thinking about it, I realized that is not quite true. We don't really have a lot of room for storage. I have to stick things here or there - no real "storage room" or what-not. So in a sense, I was considering toys to be "in storage" when really they were just crammed in the nooks and crannies of the tv (toy) room in places I really did not expect the kids to get them out (although I was not consciously thinking that when I put them there - if that makes sense). In any case, after much mulling over the subject of toys (and having some free time as I mentioned in my previous post -staying home with an almost fine baby) I attacked the tv room. I thinned out the toys so there would be more space. And created a "toy library" (or really it is more just an "ask permission first" so that I can make you pick up your other toys and/or help you because I don't want these broken or the pieces lost - although there are some things that are just regular toys I am planning to rotate to perk interest).

Unfortunately I have no "before" pictures as it did not dawn on me to take any until I was in the thick of it and toys were EVERYWHERE so you will just have to take my word that it looks better.

Here is the "toy library" - although most of it is games or puzzles that I don't want broken or the pieces destroyed - so in a sense it is more like "restricted play" - although there are some "rotating toys" here, too. Here is the tv room - you can't tell but I've seriously cut down on all the bins and what-not that are scattered about. And the ones left I have put serious thought into - the toys on the black shelves are well-loved by all the kids (doctor toy set, toy tea set, tub of toy phones) and the bottom shelf are blocks for the baby to stack and a tub of little people and animals that I think Paul will enjoy.

I moved the toy kitchen into this room from the front room. All the kids love the toy kitchen and use it frequently - so as much as I dislike picking up toy food every day (and disinfecting on a regular basis), I think the kids might riot if I tried to put it in "restricted play"

Here is the closet - just trust me - it has been thinned out and the toys are MUCH MORE accessible. The box in the middle is dress-up clothes or to be more official, "dramatic play." Many of the moms I am friends with dislike plastic toys that take batteries and trust me, I am right there with you - but at the same time, the baby always seems to enjoy the heck out of these - and most of the ones in this closet have been with us since Rebekah was a baby - so they are tried and true.

Here are our videos (yep, old-school - most of these are from when I was little - hehe) and our "older books" - some are chapter books and some are just a bit more advanced. (This is my first time "organizing" the books - I hope it sticks as it makes my book choice much easier when I'm looking for something to read to the kids.)

Here is our other shelf of books. (Notice the tubs on top - more "toy library/restricted play" toys.)

Here is a close up of the bookshelf. The top shelf is wooden puzzles (ask to get them down - so we don't lose the pieces) and our religious books (and St Francis and Jesus). I keep a few of these down in the living room as our "featured books" and then rotate them every week or so. The next shelf down is comic books (a little old for our kids - again, from my childhood - some day they will love them, though - I still enjoy them :) followed by a "regular reading" shelf - books that all the kids (except Paul) enjoy. The shelf one up from the bottom is board books. And then the bottom shelf is big board books and a few more "regular reading" books.

I know it seems nerdy to have a whole post on this but I am sooooo excited to have the room cleaner and a conscious approach to toys. I'm still letting the concept of homeschooling sink into my soul - maybe some day. In the mean time I'm trying to make the most of my time with the kiddos as I work and play with them throughout the day.