Reflections of '08

As I sit here in my kitchen with just the Christmas lights on and a cup of coffee (not for effect, but I'm not ready to be awake, but am anyway) I am wondering where this whole year went. Last year at this time, I was 8 months pregnant and we still hadn't chosen a name for our little boy, Alexandar was just a little over a year old. I know every parent asks "where does the time go?" and its true. I now look at Benjamin and am realizing I still see him as a tiny baby that needs someone to do everything for him. In reality, he is walking everywhere and perfectly capable of getting into just as many things as his brother did at his age. Just yesterday I was putting groceries away and Benjamin is very interested in the food (that boy can be in the back of the house and if I try to sneak a little snack, he has this 6th sense that food is around and comes out to investigate, not kidding!) and pulls open the drawer full of fruit and starts pulling oranges out. Since he's keeping occupied and not screaming to eat, I just let him go. He manages to get 4 or 5 out on the floor and then decides that the trash looks like a great place for this orange balls he has discovered do not taste so great. Yeah, he tried biting into the peel. Next thing I hear is the sound of something hitting the trash bag. Fortunately, I had just put a new bag in and was able to save the orange, but I then decided to close up the fridge before he found something breakable inside to play with.



My point with that story is that Benjamin is quickly leaving the baby stage and plowing fully ahead towards "toddler-hood." He can sleep through the night, he understands no and listens, he quickly learns new toys and how they work, he's starting pushing his trucks and tractors along the floor instead of just in his mouth, and everything that is a bowl or similarly shaped gets put on his head for a hat. I am so blessed that I call this treasure of a child "my son."



I've never been much of one for making a large list of resolutions on the first of every year, mainly because in a few months, they are long forgotten and seemed silly. However, I'd like to try and make a few this year and maybe by posting them, it will remind me to keep up with them.



1. Say "yes" to more things. I like to have household rules and order, but there are times when I could relax them a bit. Not to say that I never say yes, just that I could do it more.



2. Read my Bible more frequently.

3. Do more for others.

I think I'll just stick with 3. It's a good number... not to overwhelming but should be just right.

Happy New Year... May 2009 be one of the best years yet!!

So much has happened!

If you can't tell by how long ago I last blogged, it has been super busy around here. Thanksgiving was also Shawn's birthday, then one week later, Alexandar turned 2. We had his party at the church (a truck/tractor theme) with just family. I've been out Christmas shopping, wrapping gifts, and just spending quiet time in the evening with Shawn after the kids are in bed. On Alexandar's birthday, I also had a 2nd interview and kinda sorta officially started working last week. Since I don't yet have all the passwords and such, my first "assignment" was to look at the website and familiarize myself a little. So, I made a pot of coffee, snuggled up in my robe and sat on the couch looking at my Christmas tree while I was paid for my first hour of work. What a fantastic job!! Certainly not all of my hours will be that relaxing and comfortable, but I'm glad I can choose to do so.

Christmas was wonderful!!!! Not because of the gifts received (although Shawn did a fantastic job with my new camera... thank you!!) but because we were able to have all of our family around. With our difficult schedule with Isabelle, my mom asked around to see if everyone would want to come to St. Louis instead of over to Flint (which is about 2 hours away). They understood the situation with Izi and everyone was willing to make the trip! Because of the 20+ people coming, my mom and I sat everything up at the church.

Jon set up the Wii using the projector, so we had a huge screen. Everyone stayed late and seemed to enjoy themselves. This Christmas I was so content and just in the holiday spirit. I said I didn't want anything and really meant it. I even tried to spend all our Christmas money on everyone else, including paying for the person behind me at McDonalds, which was quite a thrill!!! I seriously was so excited to do that and once I did, I could hardly sit still in the car, it was so much fun. However, Shawn did find a way to still get me something, but it is such a useful thing and I can take better pictures and will be posting quite a few, I'm sure!!

I didn't get pictures of everyone at the fireplace like I wanted, but I did manage to get our little family. After trying 3 times, I figured this was the best we were going to get, but I think it turned out pretty cute anyway. Don't worry, I'm not neglectful of my son... he just refuses to wear socks for any length of time. If I put them back on, they are off in just a matter of a few minutes so some days I don't even bother. If he does manage to leave on his socks all morning, they most certainly are removed when he takes a nap because heaven forbid that he actually wear socks and sleep simulataneously. He would also go mostly nude if I allowed him. What really makes me laugh is that he may prefer short sleeved shirts, no pants or socks, but he loves to play while sitting on top of the register! I did manage to get one of all 3 kids looking at me. We tried to distract Alexandar with Nana's cell phone, but that's all he looked at, then Benjamin and Isabelle were more interested in that than the camera, so this is the best we can get for their ages. Still quite cute!

Benjamin started walking on December 15th and now that's all he wants to do. When he falls, he'll stand right back up and start walking again rather than crawling. He also loves to get into my tupperware cupboard and try and put all of the containers on his head for a hat. Yet, when you try and put a real hat on him, he rips it right off. He's so much fun and growing and changing every day! Speaking of which, he's now up from his nap and if Mommy doesn't pay attention, he'll walk right on back to his bedroom and wake brother up!

Boys Boys Boys

Nothing much is new with the little guys, but to an outside, they may see more changes than I do since I'm with my boys 24/7. Benjamin has slept through the night twice now, but with all the disorganization of last week and him being sick, I think he did very well. Now, if we can just get his crib moved to the boys' room, all will be well. It's a toss up as to who it is going to be harder for, Benjamin or Mommy. I know both boys will adjust to having a roommate, but it's the going through the adjustment part that I'm dreading. Plus nap times, and when Ben is napping but Alexandar isn't, he can no longer play in his room.... just a lot to adjust to. If we had a bigger house and I could put all toys in a play room, that would be one thing.

My biggest boy (that would be my husband =) ) took me out on a date Saturday night. Woo hoo! He asked me out and everything. We never were able to really date because our relationship was always long distance, but having dated besides Shawn.... it is a lot different dating when you are married. It's next to impossible to get really when you have two small boys clammering for your attention and the eldest watching your every move as you apply make-up and wanting to smear it on his own face. (I'm TOTALLY not worried that he is going to want to cross-dress or whatever.... he's not quite 2 and doesn't understand that it's just for girls... he just wants to do EVERYTHING like Mommy.) And I don't know where all my cute and sexy clothes went to after getting married, but I have nothing to wear! I mean, I have clothes and I do NOT have the "mom jeans" that taper at the ankle and are so high cut around the waist that you nearly cover your entire stomach. I'm thinking that more of the sexy stuff is summer season (which lasts for 3 weeks around here) and that's why I'm not finding much. Anywho.... (sorry for the ramble) we went Christmas browsing and out for dinner. We ate at Buffalo Wild Wings and had some wings (duh) which were a whole lot spicier than I remember. Last time I had the same flavor (Asian Zing) I was pregnant and they did not taste nearly as spicy. They are pretty good as far as wings go, but they just don't compare with the places in Georgia. Anyhow, we had fun and came home to a house of sleeping boys, which was wonderful. And, that was a night Benjamin slept all the way through!!

Interesting Week

I can't even really blog about my last week because if I say too much, it will give away the person that I'm talking about. I had some company last week and this friend of mine needs your prayers. There is a lot going on in this person's life and there doesn't appear to be much hope. There are so many thoughts going through my head about this situation, but there are some who I know read my blog that if I say very much, they will know of whom I'm speaking and I don't want to disclose this person's privacy. So really, just be in prayer for a family and a situation that you probably don't know anything about.

Latest Things

It is amazing how much a (nearly) 2 year old will change in just a week. He is daily adding 2 or 3 words to his vocabulary. Some of my favorites.... "ca-ca-ball" which I haven't figured out if that is basketball or soccerball, since he is familiar with both. "Where are you?" followed him calling out for Papa when there wasn't a response from Papa. He is increasingly unhappy with a wet diaper, even when it is barely wet. He wanted all of his clothes off, no diaper, and didn't want the big boy pants Mommy offered last night. I'm not sure what the deal with no clothes is right now, but he tries, and sometimes succeeds in removing his clothes or will holler until you help him. If it were summer, I wouldn't be very concerned, but it's too cold out for sans clothes. Maybe he's having a hard time adjusting to sleeves and long pants.... who knows at this point!

Benjamin started standing on his own yesterday! He pushed himself up from the floor and stood for 30 seconds or more and balanced with a toy in each hand! I saw him do this 3 or 4 times and it just amazed me that he's strong enough to do that without first pulling himself up to a couch or coffee table. We also started the sleeping all night process last night. We were given the advice and counsel that by 2 months, a baby is able to control sleep patterns more and has the capability to sleep through the night. When they wake up, just let them cry, and within 3 nights, they will have adjusted and will start sleeping through the night. Well, the first time he woke up (around 11 PM) he cried for about 45 minutes. An hour and a half after he fell asleep, he was up again, this time for only 10 minutes. The 3rd time he woke up was 5 AM, which is when I usually let him nurse and then he goes back to sleep until 7, 7:30. I'm hoping tonight goes more smoothly, but overall, I don't think he did too bad!

Miracles from unexpected places

We made the financial decision a few weeks ago to sell the Go-Kart. Shawn took it on trade for some work he did several years ago when he ran a small engine repair shop. It required maybe $50 in repair and we've used it quite a bit at my parents. We didn't necessarily want to sell it, but thought it better to pay off some things than to have it. Well, someone bought it today! He lives on the west side of the state, just driving through today. He offered $200 less than we were asking, and we met in the middle at $600. He asked why we were selling it, and I said for financial reasons. The kids do enjoy it, but we don't need it right now. He decided he did want to purchase it, as long as it wouldn't make our kids upset. I just explained that they would be fine and it wasn't a big deal, we still have a quad they can drive around. When he handed me the cash to count, I just glanced through and thought it was ok. He said he liked the sign on our church, I'm not sure what quote is up there, but talked about his Friday bible study and praying for our country's leaders. I was quite impressed and thought that it isn't often you meet someone in that way who shares your values. A few minutes after he left, I thought I'd count the money for real just to see that it was accurate, and discovered we had $50 too much. I was at my parents' house (they live on a main highway, which is why we put it out for sale there) and didn't have the man's number, so I called Shawn to see if he did on his phone and explained to him what happened. He did, and called the gentleman to let him know of the overage. The explaination he received was that it wasn't a mistake, it was a gift to maybe get something for the boys. Wow. A complete stranger. I am just in awe at the way God answers our prayers, even from a very unexpected place.

Ka-boom!

Ka-boom!! Ka-boom!! This is Alexandar's new word that he repeats all day long. I did not teach him this word, but I think it derived from me saying, "Did you fall down and GO boom?" So, he throws the ball across the room (a soft ball ONLY!) and says, Ka-boom, runs to go get it, and throws it again and again. He'll be 2 in a little less than a month, and is changing so rapidly lately. Once, the ball went behind the couch, (which I have at an angle because there is a built in book shelf behind it, and at an angle it kept him from being able to get behind the couch or reach to pull things off... until he figured out how to climb over it) and he looked at me, put his hands up in the air and said, "ball no more." He's putting words together for sentences quite a bit and just yesterday I thought he had an owie and asked where it was. His reply? "Owie, No-No Mama."

Right now, any dessert is a "cookie" and he recognizes pictures of cookies on anything. He loves loves loves to hide, and anytime he sees a quilt or bigger blanket, he says "hide, hide, hide, hide!" He laughs and giggles and like most children his age, will continue the game until a grown up says stop. The only problem with this game is that he knows how to open the dryer, and just last week, crawled inside and closed the door. Daddy discovered him just moments after he had crawled in, but as soon as the door was opened, he was saying, "hide, hide."

His other favorite thing to do is write!! He will find crayons, colored pencils, ink pens and write on anything, including walls and books. I frequently remind him what is paper and what is a book, but because a book is made of paper, he doesn't quite have this concept down. He had been in trouble for writing on the walls, but it doesn't seem to phase him. Fortunately, I discovered that Bar Keepers Friend sprinkled on a sponge will do the trick to taking it off. I do love the magic erasers, but they are quite a bit more pricey. I considered taking away any and all writing objects, but what if he is our little artist? Hmmm.... maybe and Easle for Christmas...

9 months and moving!

Mr. Benjamin is very busy these days. He started crawling nearly 2 months ago and picked it up in just a few days. He's been pulling himself up to EVERYTHING and in just the past few days, he started walking around things. I really think he'd love to be walking, but he's just still so chunky that he doesn't have the balance for it yet. A week ago Wednesday, he started to wave. It's the cutest thing. He doesn't do it often or "on request" generally.... just when he feels like it. His timing is off, but he can do it. I read somewhere that by laughing and tickling and smiling, babies learn humor from us, that they aren't born with it. Well, I strongly disagree with that. No one taught Benjamin to take his brother's pacifier, yet he gets this big grin on his face and tries to grab it right out of Alexandar's mouth. :)

I've been a little concerned about weaning him because he is SUCH a mama's boy. He won't allow anyone else to rock him to sleep at night, he would not drink from a bottle, and makes a face when given formula, even from a sippy cup that he'll drink other beverages from. Well, just in the past week, he allowed daddy to put him to bed three nights in a row! Not only that, but he decided a bottle is now acceptable. I know it's early, but I've been giving him whole milk warmed up in a bottle and he's been handling it just fine. He even took a bottle before bedtime last night, which was a first as he's still wanted to nurse for that feeding. I'm hoping that the more he takes the bottle, the less he'll want to nurse and will start sleeping through the night. Right now, I'm still up around 12-1 and 4-5, depending... MOMMY WANTS SLEEP! It's not like the little bugger isn't being fed enough... he'll eat three meals, plus snacks and then will still want to eat from our dinner plates. He has not turned down anything yet! He can see a crumb from across the room and in 2 seconds, is on the other side of the room and is putting it in his mouth. And we thought Alexandar was an eater! Just goes to sow, ya never know!!

Citizen Rights

Well, I undertook my civic duty and did go to the poll to vote yesterday. Right away I was perturbed at the sign posted outside our township hall. "Remember, you only vote every four years, so choose carefully." They might as well have posted an Obama sign instead. Then, as Shawn and I are looking over the ballot, a volunteer starts to go over it with us, even though we have said we didn't need assistance, and tells us that we don't want to fill in the top section, casting our ballot as a straight party ticket. Well, yes.... actually I do want to do that. Don't tell me how to vote, woman! Now that I think about it.... yes, everyone in the room was wearing blue. Grrr, just let me vote, please.

Am I disappointed in the outcomes? Yes, certainly. Not only did America elect Barak Obama, but Michigan sent Carl Levin back to the senate, and he's ssooo liberal. And by the way, if you'd like to smoke a dubie, just drive on up to Michigan.... it's legal here now. For medical purposes only. Yeah. Right. "Officer, I'm not selling this marijuana... it's for my sick grandmother. Uhh, yes... I have to meet her here on this street corner." Michigan also voted in support of stem cell research. The news media fails to mention where the "discarded embryos" are from. However, I can stand tall knowing that I did my part in this election and regardless of the outcome, I voted based on my values and I have nothing for which to be ashamed. Now so even more do we need to pray for our leaders that they will have the wisdom with which to make the right and moral choices for our country.

Fireproof

Shawn and I were given a fantastic joint birthday gift.... my parents treated us to dinner and a movie and kept the kids! They watched them at their house while we went out, but brought them to our house so they could all go to sleep in their own beds. Shawn got home from work while I was getting ready and I decided we should pick out one another's clothes for the evening. Even though he kinda fussed about it, I think Shawn enjoyed choosing my outfit. =) We had a fabulous dinner and enjoyed one another's company without children!! I seriously cannot remember the last time the two of us went out for an evening alone. With finances being tight, it makes it difficult. And the last time we did go out for a dinner and movie, we were with my brother and his date. That was before Benjamin was born and he's 9 months old now.

The movie we had wanted to see was "Fireproof" which is put out by a church in Georgia that produced another movie with a sports theme a few years ago. I can't remember the title right now, but it was an excellent family film. This movie is definitely for married couples and I would encourage anyone who's married to go and see it. We really enjoyed it and yes, you can tell that it's low budget with some of the acting but all in all, it's fantastic. For the past 3 weeks, it's been in the top 10, just fell to 11 last week and the book that they talk about in the movie is on the New York Times Bestsellers list, but is difficult to find, as it is sold out of many places.

We really had an excellent time and hopefully my new job will allow for a little extra so we can have more opportunities to just be out together.

"Treating" without the "Trick"

This Halloween was Alexandar's 2nd, but his first real experience with trick or treating. I tried to get him to say that phrase, but since he already knows the word treat, we just went with that. The boys were teddy bears and looked so cute with their brown noses. The weather was in the high 60s, so all in all, a gorgeous day. We made a stop at Nana's quilt shop earlier in the day to try out this whole concept of trick-or-treating. He carried in his little pumpkin bucket, I got him to say 'treat' and Nana stuck in some candy corn. Well, he thought that was just great and ate those right down. That night when we walked through the neighborhood, he was a little nervous at the first house, and I had to carry him up there. However, once he realized there was candy in his pumpkin, he was running down the driveway to the next house. He became very comfortable with these perfect strangers that had candy and wanted to grab right in the bowls. They thought he was pretty cute, just laughed and usually gave him a second piece. Benjamin rode in the wagon with daddy pulling and didn't seem to realize he was missing all the fun. Next year will be interesting with both of them, as I know Benjamin will not be content on the sidelines then! I just hope that Alexandar was only so trusting of people and the candy because was with Mommy and Mommy said it was ok. That could be a little scary otherwise.

After about 40 minutes of "treating" we had to drive down to pick up Isabelle and then we headed out to a couple in our church's house for a bonfine and Fall Party. They have woods and a nice trail where bags of candy are hidden and the kids go and search. We wait until it's dark, then all the kids draw a number and search for the candy. If they find a bag that isn't their number, they have to put it back. This works well because all the bags are filled equally with a variety so the little kids don't get cheated and with the bags having numbers, you have to keep looking until you find the right now. Alexandar and Izi went out with Nana and Papa to find their bags and just had a lot of fun running around. Saturday Isabelle didn't get up until almost 10 AM... she was just so worn out! Now, if only the other two could have slept that late as well...... =)

Decorations...

As I was driving Izi to school today (because of where we live, we drive her 40 minutes one way to school) I was out on a country road and was noticing all of the fall decorations. Well, Halloween decorations really. All in all, I don't have a huge problem with Halloween when kids are dressed up in cutesy costumes and there are nice Jack-o-lantern carvings. What I can't stand is when little kids especially are dressed up as evil characters and there is all this blood and gore. I know many Christian families choose not to celebrate Halloween in any form, and I can respect that. My parents did allow us to participate in Halloween activities, and we were raised ultra-conservative. My boys will be going as teddy bears and it is one of their outfits we purchased from Carters, so it's pretty harmless and we didn't spend a ton of money on a costume. But all this is a side point. What really got me is how much people decorate their homes for Halloween but do nothing for Christmas. Oh sure, they have a tree inside and buy a ton of presents, but they don't show the world that they are celebrating Christmas on the outside of their homes. I don't know about you, but one of our family traditions was to get hot chocolate and drive around to look at lights.

Needless to say, I was a little disappointed in realizing that people put more into dressing up, turning their front yard into a graveyard, stringing up orange lights, and playing scary movies than the birth of our Savior. True, many don't acknowledge that it's Christ's birthday, but choose instead to teach their children about Santa and out-do one another in maxing out credit cards on gifts. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with giving and receiving gifts, it is the spirit in which they are given that gives me pause for thought. Speaking of santa... just last week I had the conversation with Isabelle that Santa isn't real. I figured since she is 6, it's time to learn the truth. I think it's fine to pretend, but I will not teach my boys that santa exists.... just fun to pretend that he does. She handeled it very well, but I don't think she fully grasped the concept that there wasn't a little man in a red suit that delivered presents to all the boys and girls in the entire world. I did tell her about St. Nick and where the story of santa originated, which made it a little easier to take. I'm just waiting for her to tell her mom that I told her there isn't a santa and how she's going to take that... she believes fairies exist, so who knows!

We do decorate our house for Christmas, but this year I am determined to go crazy with lights!

Like Mother.... Like Daug...No, Like Son

Ok, I'll admit it.... I can be rather stubborn. In some things, and not all the time, though. See, I'm even stubbornly agreeing that I'm stubborn! Apparently this trait was passed directly through the umbilical cord to Alexandar.

Let me describe my son to you.... from birth, he was very demanding about his eating. He wouldn't nurse in the delivery room, so the nurse asked if we'd like to try a little formula. Well, he went right for that and guzzled all 2 ounces down. Only later did we learn that newborns only need about that much in the first 2 days, not 2 hours! He refused to nurse and decided he loved his bottles instead. Eating that way was faster and he didn't have to work as much. As he became aware of where his food came from, you couldn't even shake it up near him without him screaming. His pacifier had to be handy, so you could quickly exchange it when the bottle was removed from his mouth. When he moved on to solids, he was hollering for his next bite before you could get the spoon out of his mouth. And if you showed him his bottle before he ate his squash and bananas, you can forget eating, he only wanted the bottle. I believe I had successfully established that he is stubborn concerning his nutritional intake. =)

He is into this thing right now where he throws his pacifier if he is not happy with his current situation. This can include anything from saying it's time for bed giving him the wrong sippy cup. Granted, my son is NOT a morning person. We have to follow his very usual routine (turning off the stereo, unplugging the nightlight, getting his blanket, and now he likes to close the door.) or the crankiness is in full effect. We have to gently ease into the morning. Yes, I have thought ahead and do dread the school days to come.

Taken when we went to the apple orchard... a split second beforehand, he had his hand also up in protest of me taking his picture.

He does not give in easily and wants it to be his way or the highway. Case in point, two days ago I tried to put him down for a nap. He was very tired, but didn't think he should have to go down for a nap. I kept coming in to try and sooth him, but I was not going to give in and pick him up and rock him or let him come out and lay by me on the couch. This went on for 2 and a half hours. Not once did he decide to keep his pacifier instead of throwing it outside his crib and just take the nap he desperately needed!

If he is not in the right mind to stop doing something, he will continue to do so even though you keep saying no. For instance, yesterday I was putting Benjamin down for a nap, which all and all, did not take too long. Apparently, I left the salt too close to the edge of the counter after using it to prepare dinner, and he decided it would be fun to see what this does. I didn't realize the forecast had called for snow... inside my house.... because that is what it looked like. We had a large pile on the kitchen floor.... another on the rug between the kitchen and the living room, and a third on a file box I have in the living room, with trails between. As I was walking down the hall, I could see him shaking salt and said "Stop!." He said "uh oh, uh oh, uh oh...." and continued to dump out more salt. If you haven't had this experience, keep the salt and pepper shakers high because it is like sand and pine needles.... you never think you are going to get rid of it!

He did not like the way I did his cereal that morning.... not sure what was wrong with milk and cereal in a bowl and a spoon with which to eat it, but somehow that wasn't right.

Apparently the bowl and the spoon were the problem....

we'll just dump it on the tray next time.

Wow Mom, look at the mess on this tray..... guess who's gonna have to clean it up!!

This is not to say Alexandar is not a very loving, sweet, and intelligent little boy. But all of that is for another blog, another day. Now if I can only channel his strong willed spirit into the right things as he gets older, I'll consider it a job well done!

My girl is 6! (more added)

I can't believe that today marks Isabelle's 6th birthday! While I didn't know her for nearly the first two years of her life, and wasn't actively involved until she was nearly 3, I can now say I've been around longer than I haven't! I recently told her the story about the first time we met. I was in the Chicago area for Tara's wedding, and the next day was my birthday. Shawn drove down to see me for my birthday and we took Isabelle to Chicago. She was very shy at that time, and Daddy said she rarely let anyone take her that she didn't know. Well, his arms and shoulders got tired after awhile and so I took her for a bit and she actually let me carry her. She wasn't talking much at that time, but loved the Disney store and Daddy bought her a special treat! I was amazed that she went for Chinese food. When Shawn dropped me off at Tara's parents' house that evening, he kissed me good-bye and we could hear Isabelle laughing from inside the Jeep. While I'm not her biological mother, I feel we are very attached and ever since Shawn and I were married, she's chosen to call me "mom." (much to the dismay of her "real" mom) Even though I'm the step-mom, I treasure this child with all my heart and desire to see her grow to be a (I'm struggling to complete this sentence because there are so many things I want for her) strong, Christian, virtuous woman despite what she faces when she is not in our home. Shawn and I strongly desire for her to live with us 100% instead of 50% of the time, but until Isabelle is old enough to choose, it will remain so.

Happy Birthday my dear sweet girl!!!


**NEW**

Shawn picked up Isabelle on his way home from work, per our schedule. Am I the unusual one, or do you typically celebrate your child's birthday with a special meal and include family, if they are close enough to do so?? Well, she had eaten soup from a can and chips for her birthday dinner. It's not the best meal, but for a busy mom, it's understandable once in awhile. But this was her birthday!!! As she usually does, she ate a second dinner here. I had made a full meal, not anticipating she would eat with us since I thought she would do something special for her birthday with her other family, but had made plenty just in case. I asked her a few weeks back if when she went to her other house, if she ate another dinner there like she did when she came here. She said "no... I might have a piece of gum but I don't eat." I decided to take it a little further and tell her she can always eat here if she wants to, but asked why she was usually still hungry when she got here. She replied as honestly as young children do, "The food is better here." While that made me feel good, it also made me ache for her even more. That precious girl shouldn't have to deal with everything that she does. An adult couldn't handle it, and the court expects and 6 year old to thrive? Anyway, I could ramble on and on about that. I know we do and all of my family prays for her daily. Lord, protect this child as You have created her and she is dearly loved by You.

Too Big Already!

Just over 3 weeks ago, Benjamin took off crawling. He had gone backwards a little bit and was up on all fours, but hadn't gone for it yet. Once he made up his mind, he was off. There was none of this scooting or army crawling for him... oh no... we are just going to do it right the first time! About a week and a half ago, he started pulling himself up to lower objects and now he's fully standing and pulling himself up! Which means he can reach all things on the coffee table and reach nearly to the middle, so not much is safe anymore. He sometimes crawls by walking on his feet instead of his knees and can balance himself upright on one knee.

Last night for dinner, I made cheese raviolli and sausage casserole. He immediately made his way towards Shawn, who let him taste some tomato sauce. When daddy's bowl was empty, he found mommy to mooch from. I decided to let him try some raviolli and he loved it! He probably ate about two whole ones before he was full, and they are quite large.... I made a bag of frozen ones and they pretty big. Well, today at lunch I attempted to feed him his green beans mixed with cereal, but Izi and I were having our sandwhiches and he figured out he wasn't getting the same thing, and after 3 or 4 bites, was through with that. I tore off small pieces of bread with just jelly on it and then he ate another 1/2 of slice of bread and jelly. I think our baby food days, even though they just began a few months ago, are on their way out the door. Many people said that Benjamin would be slower to do things because he had brother and sister to do it for him, but I'm finding just the opposite to be true.... that he is moving much more quickly to keep up with everyone else!

Fall Is Fun!

Yesterday we (Nana, Papa, & I) took the kids for a walk down a new bike trail in the next town over, Alma. It's very nice and the colors are so pretty out right now. Round trip, we probably went around 4 miles and my Alexandar insisted on walking most of it. He is such a funny and stubborn little boy. The train tracks are close enough by that you can hear if a train happens to go by. At some point this summer, he decided he didn't like the sound of the train. I've tried to make it a little easier by teaching him the train says "chugga chugga chugga choo choo" and the arms motions that go with that. He was riding on Papa's shoulders, pumping his arms back and forth and saying choo choo! It was quite cute. His stubborness (not sure at all where that came from) came out when my monkey decided he wanted to climb a fence but was told no. He refused to leave the fence and didn't throw a fit, just stood there with a look that said, you can tell me no, but you'll have to drag me away, which is just what Papa did. Meanwhile, Izi is collecting leaves with her "Nan" (she's decided to shorten it, while Alexandar yells out "Naaa Neeyy" which is said in two separate syllables with a breath in between) and Benjamin is taking it all in, and falls asleep on our way back to the car.

Today after everyone 5 and under got their nap, we took them all outside to ride the quad and go cart. Nana and Izi decided to make a big pile of leaves in the front yard and plow through them full speed ahead with the go cart. I attempted to take a few pictures, but of course it's all blurry when there is so much movement. Shawn chased them around on the quad for awhile. Oddly, Alexandar did not want to ride, just hold on to the quad key. This is not unusual, as he typically will go straight for where it's hung up every time we go to Nana and Papa's. As soon as we see Nana and Papa's house from the road, he starts saying "quad key" or "papa quad" or quad with something we haven't figured out yet. Hopefully there is still some pleasant days ahead to get out and enjoy more fall beauty!

New Job possibility...

I had an interview today for a part time job. It certainly sounds like something I am interested in. I'll be working under DHS (Department of Human Services) and my basic job is a Parent Educator. I believe the program is called Great Start for Great Families. I will be doing home visits and working with parents on issues of concern such as discipline, child sleep patterns, biting.... essentially any concern parents have of their child ages birth to 5. A small part of my job will be keeping up the web, but that is only a few hours. What is absolutely wonderful is that it's all on my own schedule and I won't be keeping office hours! In a 2 week time, I will log 30 hours, have approximately 8 clients and so only 8 of those hours would need to be outside of home. It won't be as much as we were hoping, but it will certainly help. What is also very important is that it is something I'm very interested in. I do miss my classroom (although I didn't think I'd say that when I moved from Georgia) but I was always frustrated because I couldn't do more for the needy kids in my class. I could present to them all that the state required that I teach, but if their other basic needs weren't met first, there is no way it would sink in. If that child hasn't had breakfast or they couldn't sleep because of all the yelling, what years the Revolutionary War took place didn't make a bit of difference to them. So by being able to educate parents those kids will have such a better shot in life. I'm really excited about being able to start this new job, but still be able to stay mostly at home. What a blessing!!

First Timer

So this is my first time sharing my thoughts online for anyone to see. I attended Women's Ministries at church tonight and felt encourages to journal, and being in the younger generation, I thought I'd go the less tradional way and do a blog. Our study in WM right now is called "You Are Worth More Than You Think" by Leslie Parrott. It essentially is a published version of her journaling. I remember having to journal in college and I didn't always enjoy having to share my innermost thoughts. However, looking back on the journaling I did by choice, it is very insightful to see how I've grown and changed in those years. My goal through blogging is to not only record our families memories, but to discover more of who I am and to hopefully grow as a wife, mother, and just as a Christian woman.

Right now however, I believe it is time for bed. If I could have one and only one prayer answered, it would be that Benjamin would discover how wonderful sleeping through the night would be for not only himself, but for the rest of the family, especially Mommy who is the only one that gets up with him since he's nursing!