A morning at the Beach

I think Alexandra wanted to counter balance the fact that it was freezing and cold outside by putting on her bathing suit and pretending her room was a pool. Sebastian followed "suit" (pun intended) a little while later. Atticus was really the only safe one with his warm footed pj's on.

Sebastian's Preschool Program

We braved the weather Friday morning to get to Sebastian's Preschool Program. After you watch it you'll see that it was well worth it. It was quite entertaining.

Can you tell Christmas is coming...They are crazy!

I'm not sure what is into these kids lately. Maybe the prospect of Christmas or how about not being able to go outside much. Whatever it is, it's crazy!

Growing up

Sebastian has been going through this phase where he wants me to be with him all the time. Tonight I was heading out with a friend tonight and Sebastian started to whine that he wanted to go with me. I told him that this was only for Mommies and that even Daddy couldn't go. Alexandra walks in and says to me, Mom he's not even a woman yet! Paul and I laughed so hard. Then Sebastian says, Mommy I want to be a woman. I laughed and said, honey you'll never be a woman, you'll be a man though one day. I smiled at Alexandra and told her good job knowing that you had to be a woman before you could be a Mommy! She smiled back.

Christmas Cheer thanks to Alexandra

Again, I find this hilarious.

Typical in the Erbe House

I witnessed this and had a hard time holding back my laughter. Thank God He gave me these kids. They are hilarious.

A return

Well, it's been a while and for good reason. About 2 months ago my mom's sister was put in the hospital and they determined she had cancer and some liver problems. After three weeks in the hospital, she spent 1 week at a hospice facility and then passed. I had the awesome opportunity to spend a lot of time with her and speak to her about spiritual things. I was with her almost every day and it was quite a journey. After that Paul and I were able to serve at her memorial service in hopes of bringing hope to those she left behind. Just after we made it through that a good friend of mine lost her daughter tragically. I think as a mom you think about being in her shoes and how she might feel but we really can't imagine. I also am back at WaYfm. I'm covering afternoons until they can find a full time person to do it. Things at the preschool are good but our next meeting with the licensing agent is coming up in Feb. I'm still working at the school and hanging in there until we hear about our property transfer request with the state. Whew...It's been a crazy couple of months. The kids are all good. We'll be ending Sebastian's therapy the end of this month. I feel good about that decision and Sebastian is doing awesome. Hopefully things at home and on the blog will get back to normal now, well whatever that is!

Sebastian's surprises

Sebastian has started this thing where he'll have something behind his back and then he'll say to me "I have a surprise for you mommy!" Not words you want to hear from your 3 year old. What's really funny is that it's usually something he shouldn't have like, my glasses, his nite-nite, or scissors. I never quite know what he's gonna come up with. I guess I should be thankful that he's bringing me stuff that he's not suppose to have.

The other night about 4:30 am Sebastian came into our bedroom telling me he couldn't find his nite-nite. He had flipped on the light in the kids bedroom. I got up, looked for the blanket and couldn't find it. I looked at him to say that I couldn't find it and I see this big bulge in his pants. Yes, his nite-nite was in his pants. I guess he had forgotten!

A Birthday Greeting for Daddy

I just Love this kid.

This is so typical of what goes on in our house on a daily basis. I laugh so hard every time I see it.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Sebastian came up to me yesterday and said " Mama, I want to be a Dr. when I grow up." I replied, great Sebastian. What kind of Doctor do you want to be? "Mama, I want to be a farmer when I grow up, what do you want to be when you grow up?" "I'm already grown up, Sebastian and I'm a Mommy". Alexandra chimed in and said that she wanted to be a gymnast, hair stylist, firefighter and a policewoman when I grow up. I told her that was awesome. Sebastian chimed in again and said he wanted to be a farmer and what did I want to be when I grow up. I told him again that I was a mommy and that I was already grown up. Alexandra asked how I became a Mommy? I told her that Daddy and I got married and we decided we wanted to have kids. She said "So you decided to have us? It was your choice?" Yep I replied, we choose to have you. Sebastian chimes in again and says " I want to be a pig when I grow up mom". I laughed really hard and then he laughed too. What a Ham!

A great day away

First I have to say thanks to my friend Sally for inviting me to the Hearts at home conference in Grand Rapids today. Hearts at home is a non-profit ministry that's purpose is to support mom's and help them to know that they are not alone in this whole thing we call motherhood. Over 1400 women filled the Devos place in GR and it was amazing. The speakers and music was good but so was getting away for a day without the kids. It was pretty cool when I got home. The kids were in watching a video and they didn't realize I was home. Sebastian looked out the window and say me and screamed "mommy!". He giggled uncontrolably as he jumped up and down. As I walked in the door, Sebastian threw himself at me and yelled, Mommy!. Then Atticus and Alexandra came running and hugged my legs and yelled Mommy!. Then Alexandra kept jumping up and down saying, mommy, I love you, mommy I love you. It was a great homecoming and a great end to the day!

A lot can happen in a month

The first day of school has passed and boy what a month it's been. Alexandra is doing great in Kindergarten. She loves her teacher and says that she's even sillier than me. NO WAY! After a lot of work and a few set backs, the preschool is up and running. Sebastian is doing really well and a lot of his issues haven't flared up. I think his favorite time is snack because the Teacher says that he asks about it a lot. I'm still working at the school in the morning and that's going well.

A couple kid stories to share:

Sebastian likes to ask me questions as I'm walking out the door at bedtime. His most favorite is what day is it. A couple of nights ago, he asked me what a noise was. I told him all I could hear was the fan and the radio. He said "Was it my bottom"? I said, "did you toot?" He said, "yeah, it was my bottom".

I asked Alexandra what she wanted for lunch and she said she wanted a cheese sandwich. I figured it was a grilled cheese so I started to make them for the 3 kids. Once I gave the first sandwich to Atticus, Alexandra said she didn't want one. I asked her why and that she should have one since she asked for it. She said "mom, I need to tell you something". OK I answered. "I don't like your grilled cheese sandwiches". I replied, "What do you mean you don't like my grilled cheese?" "I don't like your grilled cheese Mom". I was shocked. I couldn't believe that she was saying this to me. Then I saw her face and she was tearing up. I asked her what was wrong. "It was a very sad thing to tell you that Mom, I'm sorry". I thought to myself, it is only a sandwich. I told her that it was just a sandwich and it was OK that she didn't like the way I made them. She wiped away her tears and said "I like the ones in restaurant like with Papa but not yours mom." I nodded and said OK, it's alright Alexandra. It's alright.

Atticus and I took Sebastian to school and Atticus didn't want to leave. He stood outside the school with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. I said you want to go to Wal-mart with Mommy. A loud NO rose from his mouth. I said you want to go with mommy to get stuff to make cookies. He looked at me and said "yeah, ookies, mama, yeah".

The First Day of School, Kind of!

Alexandra had her first day of school today, but it wasn't the hardest day to come. Tomorrow, Alexandra will go to school and stay there without me. It's so hard to believe she's starting kindergarten. There were days when she was a baby, where I wasn't sure I was going to make it. The decision to go to this school was one that I second guessed even this morning. We arrived and right away I could tell our decision was the right one. So many things confirmed we have made the right choice this morning. Mostly it was how she reacted to the classroom, the other kids, her teacher all of it. I also just love her teacher. I also just love the feeling of the school. I think tomorrow I'll have my moment of tears and then be happy that we've made the right decision. One pretty funny thing was that I wouldn't allow her to put anything in her backpack this morning. I told her the back pack was for her teacher to send stuff home to us. When we arrived, she saw that other kids had stuff in their backpacks to give to the classroom. She thought that those things were for them and not for the classroom. She was pretty upset with me that I wouldn't allow her to put anything. So after talking to the teacher about what we could bring to donate Alexandra finally realized that I was right and that we would bring some things tomorrow to donate to the class. We had a great time shopping for things to donate to the class. This is a new season, an adjustment period is necessary but we'll adjust and thrive in this new season.

A mom walks into her house the other day

and this is what she sees. Our sitter Erin did Alexandra's hair and then Atticus went over to her and wanted his hair done too. As she did one and then two, he leaned back in her lap and got comfortable. She said it was like relaxing for him. He loved it. He was mad when I took it out for nap time, hence the third picture.

A Party to remember

Even though my birthday isn't until Tuesday, the Erbe's invited us up to their house for dinner and dessert tonight. The kids were playing outside with Scott when Alexandra started screaming and yelling in pain. Scott brought her over to me and we couldn't quite figure out what was going on with her. After some detective work, she had been stung by a bee or wasp. There were two on her leg. We put a baking soda paste on it when Heather (Scott's wife) brought Evan in the house screaming in pain too. We found he got stung too. We put some paste on him when I looked at Alexandra and her upper left lip was all swollen. I think I kind of freaked her out but she couldn't tell us what had happened. She had never had a bee sting before so we thought maybe it was an allergic reaction. After talking to one of the nurses at the pediatricians office we figured it was just another sting even though we couldn't see it. She was so worried that she wouldn't be able to eat dinner or dessert and that it might always be that way. It's so hard to explain that kind of stuff to a 5 year old. By the end of the night, she had eaten dinner and dessert and it was looking a lot better. When she got in the car and looked in the mirror she said to me, "mom, you were right, it is getting better!" As you can see, fun was had by all and it was a great party.

A race for the ages

For some reason the kids decided to race up and down the driveway the other night. What made me laugh the most was their starting positions.

Grandma's 85th Birthday

My final living grandparent, Grandma Quack turned 85. My mom put together a great open house for her and a lot of family and friends came. It was so great to see old family and friends. I think Grandma had a good time too.

My Baby is now two

And he's not a baby anymore. Last Sunday Atticus turned two. He is so expressive and so verbal. He's also started to use his imagination. That's something I didn't see in Sebastian until almost 3 so it's cool to see that already. He also has the mentality that anything Sebastian and Alexandra do he can do as well. He loves to play by himself and is all boy. He loves his trucks and cars. For his birthday we got him a t-ball stand and plate and he hits that ball over and over and over again. We're working on taking turns and sharing but for two he's getting there. He loves his ya-ya (alexandra) and likes his bubby (Sebastian) but seems to hit and fight with him a lot. He likes hats, really the only one of the kids that does. He has the cutest smile and a very sad cry even when he's not really sad. I've been much more relaxed with him which has led me to really enjoy him.

Only one more in diapers

Although I couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel, Sebastian is pretty much potty trained. Yippeee! It happened about a week and a half ago, it just seemed to click. He started telling me he needed to go and he just stated going. I was so excited. I think Atticus and Alexandra are just as happy that he's using the potty more. They get an M & M every time he uses the potty! Atticus has started to want to sit on the potty but that's about it. I believe though that he'll be a little easier than Sebastian.

Sprinkler Fun

We've had a lot of great times this summer. This summer has seemed easier than the past two because Atticus can be trusted a little more this summer to stay in the back yard. This video cracks me up because Atticus is trying to copy what Alexandra is doing. They have become two peas in a pod.

Potty Training Part three

We had a good day today with Potty Training Sebastian. We started last week and it went better than when we tried in June. Then the we had a penny incident. Alexandra and Sebastian came into our room last Tuesday morning and told us Sebastian had swallowed a penny. I called the Dr. and they wanted us to have an x-ray to make sure it had passed to his stomach. There was no penny in his belly although he still says its in his tummy. So after that we took a break from potty training last week and I thought we'd start again today. He didn't have an accident but he also didn't choose the potty on his own. I had to make him each time but then he did. We're getting there. The funny thing, I'm always thinking, when did he go last, how much did he have to drink and so on. Ah, what an interesting stage of life. Who knew the potty would occupy so much of my time.

Grimes Family Reunion

Every year my dad hosts his family reunion. This year my uncle Rob came and I got a picture of my dad and his siblings.

why do I get the baking bug on a day like this

It's quite warm here in the mid-west today but I decided to bake anyway. I had a helper and she really is a help. You can see her here putting chocolate chips in our whole wheat muffins. She also helped mix up the batter and put chocolate chip on the pancakes. There was a moment where Alexandra said, "mom, I really like helping you bake." "You do", I said. "yeah, because it's messy and fun". I had a flash back to when I was a youngster, not as young as Alexandra but in elementary school. We walked to a friends house and she would bake with me. She was always really patient and let me do a lot of messy stuff. It was fun and messy for me too. I am thankful that I get to do this with my daughter.

5 minutes for mom summer photo contest

There's another contest over at 5minutesformom.com. This one has a summer theme. If you would like to enter a photo as well, you can check it out at here.

What is it about night time around here

Last night I heard foot steps upstairs after we put the kids to bed. I went up and found out it was Sebastian and he needed a change. After he was disciplined, Alexandra says: For the record he also turned on the light. I couldn't believe she said that. I had to hold back the laughter as I walked out the door to get a pull up for Sebastian.

A scene from the Erbe house

Last night, about a hour this incident occurred.
Door to the upstairs opens.
Alexandra: Mama, I think you need to sew Buddy's night-night.
Me: Why?
Alexandra: I think I swallowed part of it.
Me: (holding back laughter) Go back to bed!
Paul: What will they come up with next!

A need for a little encouragement

Being a mom is a great thing. It's also a really tough job. I can't imagine my life without them but there are days I wonder what I'm doing and if I'm doing the right things. I also feel like I'm the only one that's struggling. It seems everyone else can handle this stage of life. It's a lot of work, rewarding, but still a lot of work. Sometimes you need someone to step in and say it is hard, and it's not easy for most women. I knew in my heart that this was where God wanted me, but was it really where my husband wanted me. So after a chat, he confirmed it was where he wanted me too. It's good to be reminded that your not alone and that you are supported in what you are doing. Thank God he gives us those times of encouragement when we feel like we're at our breaking point.

I have a 5 year old

After 2 parties, lots of friends and family, cool girly presents and way too much cake, we now have a 5 year old. I love the littler person she is and is becoming.

I love moments like this

Painting Sebastian's toes.





The other day I went for my yearly pedicure and came home with painted toe nails. Alexandra's been begging me to paint her toe nails. I got out the polish and painted her toes before bed. Atticus was the first to sit down and point to his toes, then Sebastian wanted his too. I had Alexandra run down and grab the camera so I could document the boys wanting their toes painted.

A Great Moment

One thing that continues to come up for Sebastian is his gross motor skills. When the PT at school told me that he doesn't have any problems with his gross motor skills, I told her he can't ride a tricycle. Yesterday we were playing outside and Sebastian got on the tricycle. He just put his feet on the petals and started riding. So tonight I got out the camera and taped his riding. I cannot express how excited this makes me.

The Powerless

Yes, that's what we were starting Wednesday night. While we were out at church, a huge storm came through town and even though we live in the city, we lost power. I was sure it would return in a couple of hours because in the last nine years, we've only lost power for a few hours if at all. It took almost 2 days. When I called the power company, they kept telling me that it wouldn't be restored until Saturday night. The first thing that happened to me was I thought about all the things I would be doing if the power was on but that really wasn't true. I thought about how I needed to do laundry and that I could mop the floor but I wouldn't have done that. I would have been on my computer or watching TV or both (which is what I'm doing now). I really learned I'm a modern girl. I like lights, I like to hear my fan or air conditioner running at night. We had hot water for dishes and a shower but no dishwasher and no hairdryer. I have to admit, I don't really like this about myself, I wish I liked living like I was camping but I don't. I don't like it at all. I think the kids handled it better than I did. That's pretty sad when your 5, 3 and 1 year old handle the power outage better than their mom! :)

I Love this Laugh

Sebastian has this really pure laugh, that you hear on the video and I can't help but laugh every time I hear it.

A typical evening in our backyard

The Visitation

Tonight Paul and I went to the visitation for our friend from the Bookmobile. It was so great to see so many people there. There were pictures of Dale growing up and of his adulthood working on the bookmobile. We chatted with Jermaine and waited for Brenda. Brenda and Dale were partners, they worked together for years. It will be so different for her. When someone close dies, it makes you want to cherish moments more. Hug your kids a little tighter, a few more times a day. Have a little more patience with them. I know that death is a part of this life, but knowing that doesn't make living with death any easier.

A week of change and loss

I haven't blogged in a while other than utterz because we have been so busy. Alexandra has been going to VBS in Otsego with Grandma Erbe. At first she was really tenative but then she jumped right in the second day and I left without a tear being shed. She also has been staying with Grandma last night and tomorrow night. Sebastian had a hard time with Alexandra being gone too. He cried last night and told me he wanted his Sissy. I also noticed just a little bit that my little girl isn't so little anymore. She making it on her own at least as much as an almost 5 year old can. I cried a few tears over that this week. I'm also thankful though that she's having alone time with Grandma and Grandpa. I have great memories of spending time with both sets of my Grandparents and I'm glad she's getting that now.

You've probably read before that we go to the bookmobile every Tuesday. We've gotten really close with the 3 people who work for the library. Brenda, Jermaine and Dale. We didn't get to see Dale that often but when we did we really enjoyed getting to know him. Brenda called yesterday to let me know they wouldn't be coming because Dale had passed away. His parents found him on Monday, they believe he had a heart attack. He was only 40. We had just seen him that last Tuesday. Brenda wanted us to know that he told her on Wednesday (after seeing us on Tuesday) that he wishes he could have Tuesday as his stop so he could see us more often. He also said he thought we were really great people. We'll be heading to the visitation tomorrow.

Atticus is still in our bedroom, well I should say he was until tonight! I had to take the crib apart to do it but he is now in with Sebastian and Alexandra. He cried a little but he settled down and when I went in the deal with the other two getting out of their bed, he waved bye bye to me. We'll see how tomorrow morning goes with all three of them in the same room. What a trip that should be. No sleeping in until 8 AM tomorrow.

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What has gotten into me today

I had Sebastian's IEP today and it went well. They don't think that he qualifies for services anymore. They believe the classroom has really helped Sebastian over come some of his sensory and social issues. We will continue with the private OT and plan on private preschool in the fall. I came home and decided I needed to clean. This is so not like me. I swept and mopped the floors. I had Alexandra help me after she came out from rest time. This is my only thought, I saw that the next few days are going to be really humid and hot. Today it is hot but not real humid. I figure If I do this hard work now, it's done and I won't have to work hard the really humid days. Also, an update on my strawberries. What ever is eating them Is getting as many as I am and that doesn't make me happy. What does make me happy is to enjoy the freshest strawberries out of my own back yard. It's the little things! It really doesn't take much to make me happy! :)

Obedience

This is a word I use a lot with my kids. God also wants it from me. After praying for a family in our preschool that their unborn daughter would not be born with a half functioning heart, I felt led to lay hands on the mom and baby and pray for a complete healing. I believe God can heal this babies heart but putting myself out there was the tough part. Tonight we had dinner with the family and another family from the preschool. Afterwards, we laid hands on the mom and her pregnant belly and prayed that when she comes out on Wednesday her heart will be totally normal. I prayed it would mystify the DR.s but we would know it was by the hand of God. I have no idea where this family is with God and I hope that through this they get drawn closer to him. I did my part, now it's God's turn to heal that little girls heart. Will you take a moment and lift up Lindsay. She'll be delivered on Wednesday. If you are interested in her progress you can check our the families blog at lindsaysheart.blogspot.com. I'm excited to see what God's going to do in the next few days. It was hard to be obiedent, but it was worth it.

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My water bugs

We decided to buy a new pool today since the weather reports are saying we are going to have a very hot day tomorrow. The kids couldn't wait until tomorrow for the fun to begin and here's some pics and video of some of the fun tonight. You got to love summer!

Big Boy Bed Update

I wondered what would happen last night when we put Sebastian to bed. We went up to go to bed and he walked right up to his new bed and said "I gotta get into my new bed, mama!". If I could have, I would have done cartwheels. The room is just not big enough for that. I did it in my mind! He cried a little bit when Paul made him lay down but once we left, he stopped crying. Then Alexandra read him a book and after two times out of bed, all was quiet in the room. A big sigh of relief! I did talk to both Alexandra and Sebastian last night about us moving Atticus into their room. Their reaction was was funny. Alexandra said "oh mom I would love that". Sebastian looked really worried and then after a few questions to him, it came out that he thought Atticus was going to sleep in his bed with him. LOL. We told him no, Atticus would sleep in his own bed. Oh the things kids come up with. One more big milestone, potty training, and our summer will be complete!

A hard night

At the advice of some we decided to take Sebastian bed out of his room and have him sleep in his big boy bed. We are finding with Sebastian that he hates change. I mean come on who doesn't. Paul read him a few books while I took the bed out, you see we really didn't intend on doing this tonight. When he realized I took it out, he cried and went out of the room to find his old bed. He went all the way downstairs to find it but it was out of site. Tears welled up in my eyes. I knew this was going to be a tough night. After lots of tears and screams, Alexandra read a couple of books to him and things have been quiet so far. I know this was necessary but my soft heart to him makes tonight hard for me too. Not because he's not in his old bed anymore, but because it pained him so much. We'll see how tomorrow morning goes when he can get out of bed all by himself.

The School Picnic

OH my sensitive little girl

Last night I thought I'd get Alexandra ready for school ending so I told her she just had one more day of school and then in the fall she would go to the big school. I thought her response would be oh, yea, I can't wait to go to the big school. Instead, I get a crinkled up face and tears streaming down her face. She says, "Mrs. Sellers" through her tears. I started to tear up. There were many a year where I went home on that last day of school and cried about my teacher, never seeing him or her again. It was so hard. I got exactly what she was feeling and I just had to let her grieve it. I told her we would see Mrs. Sellers again and that we would make her a special project on Tuesday and give it to her as a thank you gift. She wasn't as upset today and we did make a project. Hopefully, tomorrow at school she'll be ok. Poor girl, she had to get that from me!

Another Contest from 5 minutes for mom!

I'm trying to win a wii for the kid in me so I thought I'd submit this picture of Sebastian. Walking in the back yard picking dandelions! Priceless. Get more details on the contest here!

Bringing in the heavy hitter

M&M's. I have placed a jar full of them up on the back of the toilet. If he goes on the potty, he gets one. He's gotten three pieces in the last two days but we've had 4 accidents as well. That's progress though. I'm also making him take off his wet underwear and pants and take them to the laundry across the house. He's not happy about that at all, thanks for the tip Wendy! I also came to a realization, it's not my main job as mom to make my kids comfortable. It's my heart to do that but it's not always the best for them. I've got to keep that in mind while potty training Sebastian.

Potty Training update

We had three accidents within minutes of him sitting on the potty. We went through 3 pants and underwear. I decided that I need to make him even more uncomfortable but try not to make more work for me. I found 3T plastic pants. We're going with underwear and the plastic pants. Then I won't have to change his pants every time. I'm committed to continue to work on this. I believe he can do it, he just really doesn't want to. I'll keep you up dated!

Let the wetness begin

Our sitter is on vacation this week so I'm taking that opportunity to kick the potty training into high gear. Although we've been working on it here and there, this morning he is in big boy pants and he knows if he doesn't use the potty, he's going to be wet. Although Atticus used the big boy potty last week, I'm not pushing him as hard. If he wants to use the potty, great if not that's fine too. I think when he sees Sebastian using the potty, he will too, just like last week. We'll see. Sebastian has had his big boy pants on for about a hour now and no accidents.

A Normal Question

"Can he put on his shoes?" Pretty normal question right? Can your three year old boy put on his shoes? It was followed by can he dress himself? With a glazed over look, I answered "No, he can't?" I didn't know that my three year old was suppose to be able to put on his shoes. I didn't know he should be able to pull his shirt over his head or pull up his pants. The question was asked by a social worker at our first evaluation with the PET program. I felt so uninformed. The team that day told me that putting on shoes and clothes is tied into his gross and fine motor skills, two areas he's struggled with. They also shared with me that kids should be putting on their shoes and clothes around 2 years old. I had no idea but I'm never one to back down from a fight or a struggle so I was gonna work on him getting those shoes and clothes on. That question was asked about 3 months ago and I'm happy to report that Sebastian can put his shoes and clothes on all by himself. It took a lot of tears, screams, pleads and encouraging words but he can do it. This post is a part of the Scribbit Write-away contest. You can check it out here.

One of my favorite mommy moments

Alexandra was having a hard time getting to sleep and so she came downstairs. She wanted me to help her find an animal in her bed and since it was really late I told her no. She cried and cried. I sat back down on the couch to see this little 4 years old come face to face with me. Here's what she said, "I can't understand why you won't help me. If you were in my position, you would be frustrated too!". I didn't know if I should laugh or yell. I said to her that her behavior doesn't make me want to help her to encourage this in the future (I know, I know, It was late). She says, "And what does that even mean!". I tried to not laugh and then went upstairs to put her back to bed. I couldn't believe my 4 year old was speaking like that to me with such big words. It was too funny!

Three Cheers for Daddy

So, we were out late last night having dinner and playing cards with Paul's family. Paul was so exhausted I drove home and then stayed up for a while unwinding. The kids got up at normal time and Paul got out of bed with them. I woke back up at 10 AM and went downstairs, to an empty house. A note was left saying, we went to the museum and the library. I did a happy dance. I got to eat breakfast in silence, I watched the taped Office from Thursday night and I got to get myself ready without any interruptions. Oh My, it was so nice. I went to the store and came back to find everyone back home after having an awesome time with Daddy! We celebrated our 9th anniversary on Thursday but didn't really do anything (we will later in the summer). This was an awesome treat on a Saturday! Even though I thought I knew it 9 years ago, Paul cemented today that he is a great, great man and husband! Three cheers for Paul!

Dinner with the Erbe's

Lee and Sylvia came over Sunday night for dinner and cards. I'm not sure who had more fun, the kids or Grandma and Grandpa!

5 minutes for Mom's Photo Contest

I want my kids to really have a great childhood and sometimes that means we play in the puddles.

If I get picked as a finalist I'll let you know. The winner will walk away with $1,000. I'll keep you posted.

Sebastian's skills

Boy does Sebastian have some verbal skills. Tonight when we were putting the kids to bed, Alexandra had baby lion because it was her turn. Sebastian had her princess watch and was conversing with us about it. Paul started to try to get the kids to trade so that Alexandra could get her watch. His words to Alexandra were "If you give Sebastian baby lion, he'll give you the watch. That'll be a good trade." Sebastian says, "That is not a good trade.". We laughed so hard. You would think he would be just repeating what Paul said but he's putting his own words in with what Paul said. He's also doing really well with prepositions which is cool. Tonight he said the watch was on his arm and sleeping beauty was on the watch. The OT has asked us to work on that so it's really cool to see our work is paying off, again!

Great News for Sebastian

So, It's been just a few weeks but we are getting good news from the Teacher of Sebastian's class. She stopped me today and said that Sebastian is doing really, really well. He's interacting with the other kids and he's interacting with the teachers well. He sits well at circle time, he responds when questioned and the music doesn't seem to bother his auditory issues. She is recommending that he go with a regular classroom in the fall. That's what we wanted to hear! Yippeee! He'll finish out this year in the ECDD class and then we'll have a new IEP to change our plan for next year. I am so excited! What great news! Praise God!

A great Sunday afternoon

It has been so nice here that we can't help but be outside. I finally got my batteries charged for the camera and took some pics. After dinner I made some cookies and they enjoyed them at the picnic table. Ah....Good times!

Mama I like your....

So yesterday I changed my clothes so go get my hair cut and Alexandra says, "mama, I like your shirt". I said thanks honey. Then Sebastian says "mama, I like your pants." He's been doing stuff like that lately. I laughed. He comes up with the funniest stuff. You see my pants were just an ordinary pair of off white shorts.

Let them struggle

Yesterday Sebastian was not excited about going to school. He cried when I left and it was hard for me to leave. I'm seeing though that Mrs. B the teacher really has a way with Sebastian and is really good at pushing him. She had him on the monkey bars this week and that's something I would have never done. I watch him struggle with tasks every day and some days I just stop the struggle and do those things for him. As I was watching Sebastian outside yesterday I thought, you know sometimes God allows us to struggle because what's on the other side is so much better for us. We can't see it but He can and that's why he allows it. As Sebastian struggles to put his shoes on and I verbally encourage him and not physically step in, every time gets easier. He is putting on his own shoes, pants and shirt. That's all because we've allowed him to struggle to figure out how to do those things. He's better because of the struggle. As his mom, that is one of the hardest things for me to grasp. I have such a love in my heart for him, I want things to come easy, but they don't for him right now. I have to see further into the future, that the struggle now will pay big later. I've got to keep reminding myself of that.

Sweet Kisses

Atticus has been pretty stingy with his kisses. He also really hadn't learned how to pucker and actually kiss. I would ask for a kiss and he would shake his head no. I have continued to ask. Yesterday he tried to open mouth kiss me which was a little yucky. Today, we were playing outside and he was very busy with the cars and the balls. I was sitting on the step and he came up, climbed up on the step and puckered up and kissed me twice. He then hugged me. Oh, so sweet. I was especially glad it wasn't an open mouth kiss.

The prayers of a little boy

One of these days I am going to video tape Sebastian praying at night. The way he prays is just the sweetest thing. I also know that when he's 16, I won't remember it. He prays for family members and dogs and he puts his hand on each of our heads and prays for us. It is just really cool and I don't want to forget it.

Back to our routine

Today was the first day back for Sebastian at Preschool. I talked to him about it this morning and he said yes he was ready to go back and see Ms. B and Mr. Travis. What's funny is that he didn't ask about school at all while we were on break. Alexandra was not happy about Sebastian going back to school either. I'm still struggling with Sebastian going to school. Some of it is that he misses his rest time and he really struggled that week he was at school. I still haven't figured out why I'm still struggling. I have a great relationship with the parent pro and the teacher so I guess I'll just keep processing. Alexandra was talking to me on the way home and said she wanted a peacock dress. I told her it would be difficult to make so she couldn't have one. She said she would buy one. I asked if she had money. She paused and said, "I have an idea, I'll find money on the ground. I just have to start looking." I had to laugh. I told her yes, she could find money and then save it so she could buy the dress. She is very, very resourceful. It's pretty amazing.

The things they say

Two funny things came out of the mouths of my babes tonight.

Just before dinner was over Paul asked the kids to pick up the toys in the living room before I gave them a bath. Paul then grabs a blanket and lays down on the couch for a short nap. I said to him, "what are you doing". He said, "oh just taking a little snooze". Alexandra said, "How are we going to clean up all the toys with Daddy snoring on the couch?" What's really funny is that Paul doesn't snore.

Tonight after bath I was drying off Sebastian I asked him if it was a good back. He said, "yep is was a good belly button and back bath mommy!" I laughed. He has a fascination with his belly button. He mentions it quite often. Oh the things they say and focus on!

The power of accountability

Last night we hosted Home group. I told the group that I was having a hard time getting things done. I was doing really well with sorting clothes and washing windows but not work and vision stuff done for my new venture. I'm hoping to get a grant to put together a blog community and a book series to help educate parents on the development milestones for their children. I've also had to write a letter to get Alexandra released from our current school system so she can go to a better smaller school system in the fall. Well, after telling everyone that last night and getting prayer, I sent off two emails for the development milestone site and the letter to our school system is addressed and ready to go in the mail. You would have thought the rain here today would have put me in the mood for a nap but instead I got a lot done. I think part of the reason is too that I totally cleaned the house yesterday and I got all the laundry done yesterday. I pretty much have nothing to do today in the house so I had to do those other things. Whatever it was I'm glad I got all those things done.

Getting back to reality

Oh, it's been quite a transition back to reality. I miss vacation. The boys got sick the week we got back and I think we're all just about well again. Alexandra and Sebastian are on spring break now and we are loving the weather. Atticus is so funny, he will run away from me and try to hide from me when I tell him it's time to go inside. Spring has also motivated me to clean windows and keep the house picked up. Also I've been grilling. Ah, how I longed for these days back in January and February. I do think though that I will spend a large amount of my time this spring and summer pushing the kids on the swings. Alexandra can pump but Sebastian isn't quite co-ordinated enough to do that so I have to push him. If I push him, then Alexandra wants me to push her as well. Atticus is funny, he doesn't care at all what the other two are doing. He plays in the toy car, he plays with the balls, he pushes the toys around. It is so funny. I'm finding it hard to blog as much when it's so nice outside, I'll try to keep on top of it a little better than I have. Sorry for the little break!

Mystery Reader

If you didn't know, which I didn't, March is reading month. Alexandra's preschool had mystery readers and She wanted Pa Pa (or my dad) to read. He agreed but said we'd have to pick the book for him. Last night Alexandra started to pick books. The first one was about Human Development. I told her no. Then she picked a easter and religious traditions book that had no pictures and lots and lots words. So I directed her to a fire dog book and a bakers counting book. As you can see and hear he did an awesome job and the kids seem to really enjoy it. It was so cool to see him reading to Alexandra's class.