Bubba's new bed

Sebastian was devastated when we transitioned to the big bed. Atticus wanted us to throw him a party. He was so excited with his new bed.

Gone for a few days

I'm currently up at SALTS with Open Hearts Ministry. This is my first. Lots to learn and experience in the next few days. Alexandra got on a T-ball team and is very excited. We missed the sign up, I didn't even realize that they had sign ups. We called and got her on an all girl team with a lot of the girls from her class at school. She has her first practice this Wednesday and then her first game on Saturday. Pray for Paul as I'm gone as he manages everything at home. Also pray for rest for me and the wisdom and insight to take everything in here.

Atticus' potty song

I just couldn't resist when he grabbed the harmonica and sat on the potty with it.

I'm very excited to announce that he did poopy in the potty after that song. We all did a happy dance and celebrated with swiss cake rolls.

The result of watching Kung Fu Panda too much

Although we had the movie from the library and we only had it for a week and that was 4 weeks ago, we are still feeling the effects of watching Kung Fu Panda.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Even though we aren't Irish, really we had a great time at the St. Patty's day Parade on Sat. It was a nice sunny warm day, a great day to get outside.

The Sebastian and Atticus interview

A cat showed up at our door yesterday and we took it in. Here's my interview with the boys about the cat.


Here's a picture of the cat since you can't really see him very well in the video.

Dad and Atticus nap

I think this is so cute. Atticus climbed up and sat next to Paul while he was "Resting his eyes". Then all the kids had to get into the act. Too Cute.

What would your reaction to this be...

Alexandra's was: There is no way the boys and I are eating this tonight.

My response: Well, I guess you aren't eating then.

She went and grabbed a box of mac and cheese and gave a quick no. I'm not running a restaurant. We'll see how dinner goes over tonight. From my perspective, It's a good looking turkey and vegetable soup.

A warm winter day

It was the day we had been waiting for. It was 50 and sunny. We went sledding. It was pretty slushy but still fun. Later Alexandra wanted to go outside and ride her bike on the driveway. Thank goodness it was bath night because some puddle jumping in sued.

The Beat Box Boy

If you have small kids you might know that a new Electric Company just started on PBS. There's a lot of rapping and beat boxing. Sebastian has started to copy this and I had to get it on video.

The Pajama Party

Today was The Pajama Party in Kindergarten today. We have lots of really cute pj's for her to wear. Oh no, she pics the oldest, most worn out pj top that we have. Of course I couldn't convince her to wear a nicer pair so she went to school in them. As I got the camera out this morning to take a pic of Alexandra, the boys had to get into the act as well. I mean they were still in their pj's too.

Things heard in the Erbe house

I am just amazed at the things that are said here on a daily basis:

Sebastian wants to hug and kiss me everyday now before I leave. So he yells as we are leaving "Mommy, don't go. I have to kiss and hug you." So I wait, and kiss and hug him. Atticus comes and says" Mommy don't go. Kiss and hug." So I kiss and hug him and then he says very dramatically, "Go".

Alexandra asked me if she could get a frisbee at the coffee shop. I couldn't quite figure out what she was talking about. She meant slurpee.

Atticus is looking out the window and says he sees Daddy. Alexandra says that's not daddy, that's just some boring kids walking down the sidewalk.

I mentioned that I was going to get some medicine and Atticus lines up in front of me, like to get his ration. Also whenever I get the medicine, each of the kids sniffles and coughs. Sebastian will even say in a loud voice, Mommy I have a cough. I need medicine.

Horsing around

The twin mom's are hosting a contest over at 5minutesformom.com that's all focused around horsing around. Alexandra and I were bored one evening and so we used the camera to show off our silly side. Sebastian got into the act too with the kiss on the cheek. When Sebastian kisses, it's serious business.

Oh the wonderful world of Erbe's

A lot has been rattling around in my brain lately. The boys were sick this last week and I got it too. When you are in bed, you have a lot of time to think. I believe that although the decision to work part-time outside the home was a tough one, it was the best for me and our family. I'm liking what I'm doing and it charges me to be more productive with the kids. Alexandra has had a hard time adjusting to me not picking her up. I'm still doing afternoons at wayfm and that's going good. I'm enjoying using that gift. It gives me another good outlet. Every day I'm home in the afternoon with the kids. I've cut rest time to 1/2 hour for Alexandra and Sebastian so I can spend more time with them one on one. Atticus is still napping but I've cut it down to about 1 1/2 hours so that he'll go to bed better. We're finally getting into the new routine and the kids are doing good. I'm glad that I've never had the feeling that something is beneath me. I've also realized that the kids have taught me a lot in these last 5 years. They've taught me to be more patient and how to give more grace than I ever thought I could. I also don't mind interruptions as much. I mean come on with 3 kids 5 and under my life is one big interruption. I mean some days it takes me 20 minutes to do a sink full of dishes cause someone needs something or someone is hitting someone else. I've also grown to appreciate the little things, like a 5 year old who can carry her bowl to the sink without spilling it. I've gained so much from these three little people. I didn't realize it until I got back out in the world. I think that is pretty cool.

A busy day

I was wishing and hoping for a snow day today and I got one. I scheduled Sebastian's 4 year well child visit today and depending on how long it took I would have been late picking up Alexandra from School. It was good that she went with us because she got her flu mist along with the boys. The flu mist was pretty cool. To be honest I don't think I would have done the flu shots because they were shots. Sebastian did need 4 Immunizations so that's why I didn't want him to have another shot. We got home and I pulled the snow blower into the back room to try and get the belt back on it so I could clean out the driveway before we get more snow tonight. I have to admit, it was hard but I did get it. So, after the kids finish watching Arthur on PBS I'm gonna go try it and see if I got it right or not. It always makes me feel good when I can accomplish something like this because it's not a skill that comes natural. I'll update later to let you know if I did indeed get it fixed.j

Things heard in the Erbe house today

While making Brownies today, Alexandra says to Sebastian " I've been doing this for a long time, so I know how to do this very well." Remember she's 5.

Atticus says to me while I'm changing his dirty diaper, "Hi, Mommy". I reply, "Hi Attiucs". "Love you, Mommy". Just what you need to hear when you are changing a dirty diaper.

Sebastian comes down stairs after getting his jammies on and all his buttons are buttoned. I asked if he did it all by himself and he replied "No, my doggie did it." We don't have a dog.

No Hair?

Tonight the kids wanted to look at pictures of themselves as babies. I have all my pics on Snapfish.com so I pulled them up. Atticus was very uninterested but Alexandra and Sebastian were taken by the numerous pictures I have of them. We looked at Sebastian first and I showed him the pic of him in the cradle weigher (the one shown here) and he said, "Oh no, I have no hair". He was so serious, I start crying just thinking about it cause it was so funny. It was like he was disappointed and he just didn't seem like it was right that he didn't have hair. Some of the things he says are funny but also the seriousness of how he says them is so funny. It's hard to relate that but hopefully you get it.

A little crafty boy

And I don't mean crafty like doing art projects. Last night I was reading Sebastian a book and he started to pick his nose. I asked if he needed a tissue, he said no. I kept reading. He started to pick it again. I told him that we don't pick our nose. He stopped and I kept reading. Then he said he needed to get off the bed. I asked him why, his response, "I need to go away and pick my nose". I laughed so hard. He thought if I couldn't see him do it, I wouldn't be able to stop him. Now that's thinking....

4 years ago today....

Sebastian was born....I can't believe it's been 4 years already. I remember we had a scheduled C-section and it was late in the day. We went and saw the movie "Meet the parents" and I couldn't eat anything all day long. We got bumped to later after we got to the hospital because of an emergency C-section. Everything went well with his birth and with my recovery. He was a fairly easy baby, he adapted to our schedule very well. I just loved those chubby cheeks. He's really leaned out now and looks more like a little boy and not a toddler anymore.

Here he is with Uncle Charlie last weekend.

Our mini-vacation

We decided since Paul was off for a long period of time, we would take a little mini-vacation to a local indoor water park. We decided on Safari Joe's in Watervliet. I wondered if the kids would enjoy it since most of the time those places are really for older kids. I was surprised to find that they had a little kids area that had three slides and a lot of space for them to swim around. They also had a lazy river that Sebastian fell into and had to be pulled out of since the water was over his head. They also had two really big slides that Paul and I enjoyed while the other watched the kids. It was a lot of fun. Sleeping was a trip trying to have all three kids in one queen bed. We moved Atticus to our bed which caused him to through a fit for about 20 min and then once he got to sleep he slept for about 1 hour and then woke up in a state of half asleep and half awake. It took me a little bit but I got him settled down. People who travel a lot must have a lot more patience than me, they must have a lot more energy too. It was a lot of work to be gone for only about 24 hours. While we were gone, My Step mom and brothers came and ripped up our carpeting, moved all our stuff out and then had carpet installers come and install new carpet for us for Christmas.

It is so nice and we are so thankful for it!

A bittersweet day

Today was the last day of OT for Sebastian. You would think I would be so excited and in a way I am because Sebastian has made so many strides since we started with Joanne almost a year and a half ago. But it's actually pretty bitter sweet. I told her today that without her I'm not sure where I would be and I'm scared to even think about where Sebastian would be. When we started with Joanne, he wasn't really talking, he couldn't jump, kick a ball or ride a bike. Now he cracks us up with his comments and the questions he asks us. He also can kick a ball, ride a bike and we have to ask him to stop jumping so hard on the floor around the house. I'm not sure where I would be because I think the therapy was more for me than Sebastian. I pelted her with questions ever week. Like, "this is what he is doing in this situation, what can I do for that?". She would give me very practical ideas on how to work those things into our routine. She helped me to unlock Sebastian for me. I will be forever grateful!

The Cookie Makers

I decided to have the kids help me bake and decorate gingerbread cookies.
Although they had a great time, they did more eating then decorating.

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.