3 Month Wrap-Up

Yay; I'm posting! Although being busy with 4 kids now has been part of my blogging absence, I think I just had to get back to a place of being interested in blogging again. I think I'm there. I always remember it's something I enjoy doing once I actually do it. I feel like it's a better use of my time, anyway, because when I clean the house, it's messy again a few hours later. But a blog post remains!

Our baby was born the second week in January. And this is a little of all the other stuff we've had going on since Christmas.

Our new baby...

at the hospital

one of the proudest moments of my life, thus far

 2 or 3 weeks old

l-o-v-e

Since my almost-7 year old thinks he could drive a car perfectly on the road if we'd only let him, he obviously doesn't understand our apprehension toward him walking around the house (on our concrete floor) with the baby, up and down the stairs (which we don't let him do). It's a challenge to allow him some responsibilty and yet keep him close. However, he is actually really good at holding him correctly and tending to his needs. All 3 of them want to hold Baby regularly, but this guy is especially into it. 

2 months, 10 days

At Awanas lately...

One night, the Sparks were asked to dress as someone from another country (because of the focus on missions). This is what we came up with for Dash. This guy makes me laugh out loud as much as his defiant nature frustrates me.

Ryan and I were also able to spend the evening witnessing a night in the life of our Sparkie this week at parents' night.

In our homeschool lately...

I thought that our homeschool would take more of a hit, with our addition. But we have been plugging right along. We've managed to stay pretty caught up with all of our homeschool co-op homework. (Spring Break couldn't have come at a more perfect time; we needed this break.) And here are a few school-ish pictures I've also taken lately:

The kids have been playing with some of the educational games/activities, like this Little Achievers addition puzzle we got at Wal-Mart the other day.

also: two Magnix books, one on counting and the other, rhyming/word families

The kids, led by their oldest brother, have been working on this zoo picture for weeks - gluing on craft stick fences, cutting out pics from magazines, and adding additional artwork with crayons and markers.

One night, they all decided to make puppets and put on a play. They came across an old book about making a play, which inspired them. They made puppets, which turned out really cute, from socks (a new sock, ahem) and toilet paper rolls. Their book Scrambled States of America (which they had read every day for about 2 weeks) also inspired the play, Scrambled States of America and the Haunted House.

Dash was the main narrator, and I could cry over how sweet he was, trying to be serious announcing the show.

Dash received this Magic Tree in his stocking. It worked really well, and the packet was only around $2.

The boys and I went to a local library for an Ireland/St. Patrick's Day homeschool activity. They listened to books, music, and passed around items from Ireland. They finished with these leprechaun crafts.

What I'm Reading Lately...
I mentioned before that I was reading Large Family Logistics. It just so happened that my friend Karen started a book club based on that book, and I've enjoyed being a part of that the past two months.

I just finished Seriously...I'm Kidding by Ellen Degeneres - sooo funny. I love how kind and clean her humor is. I really laughed out loud during every chapter. I have been reading The Heart of Homeschooling by Christopher Klicka. I am also almost finished reading The Best Kind of Different: Our Family's Journey with Asperger's Syndrome by Shonda Schilling (wife to former pro baseball player, Curt Schilling).

Extracurricular lately:

Not only did we start Sis back up with ballet (after taking off two months for Christmas and baby's birth), soccer season also began about three weeks ago. AND - it's Sissy's first season on a real team. (She played last year on the parent-child practice league.) Now I have to be at the practice field for two hours, rather than one, and it's all little bit of maneuvering to hit both games (Tomorrow, they're at the same time.). But it's twice the fun, and she seems to really enjoy it just like her brother.

her first after-game tunnel

People we've been seeing lately...

Ryan's parents came down this past weekend to meet their 2 month old grandson.

Aunt Cary was one of the first people to meet our little prince at the beginning of February, when she came down also for Sissy's birthday. Googie, Papaw, and Aunt Tracy were the first ones to meet him (since they live close by).

 Cousin W and Cousin R got to hold their new little loved one too.

A crazy thing that happened...

(Sorry this story is so long, but I wanted to write down the memory for my kids'.) A few weeks ago, I became motivated to go on our first fun outing with just us 5. We went to a library in a nearby town. It's one we particularly enjoy because there is a little lake right next to it. The kids like to walk around the walking/bike path and feed the birds. Well, that's what we were doing, as I was slowly pushing our new Sit 'N Stand stroller plus carseat that held our approximately 15 library books, my iPhone, keys, several blankets, Sissy's coat, and the diaper bag full of clothes and diapers, etc. I was holding Baby Brother because he had been crying, and I was taking pictures of the other 3 kids.

All of the sudden, the wind blew so hard that my stroller, plus all it contained, went flying into the lake. I think a young guy running by yelled out a warning, but it all happened so fast. I stared at the stroller sideways in the lake, starting to float away, and in about 2 seconds tried to process my plan of action. I handed the baby to the stranger (Great, huh? He seemed nice.), pulled off my boots, and jumped into the water. (I only had to go to my knees.) The stroller weighed a ton, and I had to pull with all my might to get it out of there. I grabbed any loose object I could, one at a time, but half of our things, including most of the books, went floating across the lake. I remember thinking little silly things like, "Oh, no, I'm going to have to buy Sissy a new coat, even though winter's almost over," and "Phooey, I really wanted to read those books." We did get her coat, which floated to the other shore, along with a baby shoe. The books floated across, too, which really surprised me. They're readable - just not returnable.

The devastating thoughts came when one stranger asked in the middle of all of this, "Do you have a phone? Can you call someone?" My phone! And my keys! They were both in the water. I never got my phone back, but I did find my keys when I went back to look later. I borrowed a cellphone to call Ryan to come help me. He left work and arrived about 20 minutes later. Fortunately, they were playing Wall-E inside the library, so the 3 big kids were occupied while Ryan helped me with my mess. It had been a little chaotic while I was grabbing things out of the lake because Sissy (who was upset by the whole situation) and the baby were crying the whole time. I only cried after I heard Ryan's voice on the phone (calling from a stranger's phone # while crying with crying in the background, I was smart enough to begin the conversation with, "Everything's okay, but...").

Good news: baby wasn't in the stroller when it went sailing into the water. So that clearly trumps all of the bad news, but still: ruined tons of diapers, ruined my NYC wallet, had to throw my make-up away, lost my new iPhone and I'm not going to pay $500 to replace it (It was purchased as a buy one-get one deal with my husband's, so now I'm just using an old rechargeable phone I had.), had to take the stroller and carseat to the carwash and also take apart the covers to wash at home, and the library is charging me $375 for the books. Oh, and also fortunately I had my nice camera on me and not in the stroller.


Out and about...

Baby Brother's first trip to the zoo (5 or 6 weeks old?)...he pretty much slept through the whole thing, but we enjoyed the beautiful day. I especially liked it because it was the first real day I'd gotten out to walk around in the sunshine; I'd really been craving that. I think my body had been getting sore from sitting around so much.

At Sissy's preschool lately...

Rainforest Unit

Sis was oh, so excited to bring mini cupcakes (from Dempsey's Bakery) to her class for her 5th birthday.

Hope you had a good week!

Linkin' Up:

The Homeschool Mother's Journal

Weekly Wrap-Up

 

 

Project 365: Daily Life

Sunday, September 18

The kids have done a lot of bed swapping lately. Sissy loves sleeping in the room with her "brudders" and thinks it's unfair that she's the only one who is alone in her room at night. And the boys switch weeks at times, sleeping on the top bunk. If it isn't a school (homeschool co-op) night for the boys, I'll let her sleep on the other end of the bottom bunk, so they're feet to feet. Well, this night I came to check on them, as I always do before I go to sleep. And this is how I found these two. I asked, "Are you going to sleep like this, next to each other?" She was sound asleep, and without even looking up from his DS, he simply stated, "I had to do this because she was scared." He sounded so matter-of-fact and grown-up. It was thundering outside; so sweet!

Monday, September 19

The boys were on a roll today, wanting to play outside. I think it had something to do with the fact they knew it was schoolwork day. I never want to dissuade them from spending time outside, though, and playing so creatively together. Dash made an obstacle course, including tying this hopping ball from the tree with my assistance.

And when I came out to check on them, they had been tracing each other's bodies, playing hopscotch, and writing rhyming words on the driveway.

Then they came in and got out the Play-Doh.

And then went straight to the train table. They did end up finishing their schoolwork eventually. I think I need to take Tornado's glasses in to get adjusted because they seem to always be at the end of his nose lately.

Tuesday, September 20

Sissy and I had about 45 minutes together before we had to pick up the boys from school. I suggested we make a little treat, and she could serve it to the boys as an surprise afterschool snack. It was a version of strawberry shortcake that I'd seen on my friend's blog. I told her to come to the computer, and I'd show her a picture. She said, "If you show me that, I would faint." I thought that was so funny because maybe I've never even heard her use the word "faint." So then many minutes later, I ended up showing her the delicious-looking picture on the computer screen. And I looked back, and this is what she was doing. She apparently "fainted." I laughed so hard.

Wednesday, September 21

Oh, how Sissy loves preschool. You can see her delight whenever she's with her friends. Today, she had her first field trip.

The boys and I went with her. It was the first full day of the county fair, and the class is doing a unit on Farm Animals. So we all loaded up to view the animals being shown at the fair, as well as all of the booths and crafts inside the exhibit center.

A barn full of animals. I haven't had morning sickness in several months, and when the kids were complaining about the smell I kind of dismissed it, thinking it wasn't so bad. Then, all of the sudden it hit me when I caught a glance of a particular pile of chicken poo. And I had to walk off to the edge of the building to get a breath of fresh air and concentrate away my feeling of wanting to dry heave.

Thursday, September 22

Happy 59th birthday, Dad! Carrot-Raisin-Banana-Flax-Applesauce Muffins with orange glaze on the special birthday muffin.

Friday, September 23

Yay! Sissy finally got to take the Fish Bag home. We already knew about the Fish Bag because Dash had the same teacher and class when he was in K-4. The kids take turns bringing the velcroed-shut pillow case home and returning the next day with a show and tell item. The kid gives clues to see if everyone can guess what's in the bag. AND, he or she gets to be line leader that day.

Every day, Sissy would come home telling me who got the Fish Bag, trying to conceal her disappointment in not being the chosen one. BECAUSE, as she always reminds me, "We don't say, 'Ohh! I wanted the Fish Bag!'" She adds, "We say, 'Yay, Madison!' (or whoever)." (Oh, how I love what she is learning at school.) She decided to bring her new Minnie Mouse dress she bought at the Disney Store in Dallas.

The boys were begging me to take this picture, even though it's a little blurry from being taken through the window. They get especially excited every time they see a bird (behind the bottle) eating from the bird feeder Tornado made for extra credit in his science class.

After the boys got out of the bathtub, Dash rubbed his hair with a towel to dry it off. Tornado said, "You look like a scientist!" He was thinking of Albert Einstein, which I thought was funny.

Saturday, September 24

Dash had his first soccer game for the season today. That's him in the green. Their team is pretty good! They've moved up to 4 on 4 this year. He was also happy that one of his former teammates ended up on his team again.

Project 365: a look at our week

Friday, April 29

This was the day of our Royal Wedding Viewing Party. Coverage can be found on my other blog. It was fun! (Sissy still had her black eye.)

Later that day, the kids were being very sweet today with each other. The little ones made a "cuddle island" for their big brother - a circle of blankets, sheets, and pillows for him to relax upon and read.

Although they unmade some beds, pulled most clean blankets - even pillowcases - out of the closets, etc., I didn't really mind so much because they were playing so creatively and cooperatively.

And then it took a turn for the worse. The next time I checked on them, Sissy had added a gazillion toys to the mess. Sigh.

Saturday, April 29

This was the day of Tornado's firefighter competition I already posted about.

Sunday, May 1

The kids - especially my 6 year old - had been asking lately to fix a meal all by themselves. Finally, I relented for lunch this day. This is exactly the meal that was set before Ryan and me. (We even got to sit right next to each other!) Salad (which I think was just plain lettuce with whole baby carrots on top), LOTS of toasted crostinis with melted Daiya (and a couple had some cream cheese on top, as well), some olives and grape tomatoes mixed in, and some leftover pan-fried tofu. Obviously, it was all delicious because it was prepared with such love. My jaws were all little tired from chewing so much crostini and baby carrots. Thank you, my sweet little chefs.

Monday, May 2

my 10 year old, playing at the train table

Tuesday, May 3

Soccer fields are still flooded and closed, and in lieu of practice, we had our last team get-together at Play World.

Wednesday, May 4

I think I have the perfect picture for this day, but I can't get to it right now. Will post another day.

Thursday, May 5

Sissy picked a few tiny plants outside, gathered 3 cups out of the cup drawer, added some water, and put in her plants. She was very proud of her beautiful vases.

Last day of homeschool co-op for the year!

Friday, May 6

One of our babysitters took the two little ones to Jump Zone today to give me some cleaning time. They returned from their outing with these Mothers' Day flowers for me.

And a sweet card they signed!

Saturday, May 7

Thank goodness the fields were dry now and the weather was lovely for Dash's last soccer game of the season.

Once again, we will dearly miss watching him participate in an activity he enjoys so much - and we'll miss the team he has been (blessed to be) a part of for two seasons...but it will be nice to have our Tuesday nights and Saturday mornings free for a few months.

running through the end of the game tunnel

last Big Cats team huddle

On the way home, he begged me to see my camera for "just a second. This is going to be really funny...okay, now look at the picture I took." (Oops, as I was just editing, etc., he saw this picture on here and exclaimed, "Don't put that on the blog! I'm embarrassed." Well, that's my job, Honey.

Sunday, May 8

This is what Sissy put together for my Mothers' Day gift. Ryan helped her make an envelope out of construction paper, which she decorated. She filled it with "treasures" from her room - ribbons, a necklace, Silly Bandz, and coloring pages. I love it!

I had a really nice Mothers' Day. (Also, Dash had made a lovely bar of soap for me on his last day at homeschool co-op and also made me a beautiful, sweet card.) At church, Tornado and Sissy made me cards. Dash informed Carrie (who was watching them after Sunday School ended and helping the others with their cards) that he wasn't going to make me a card because "he'd already gotten me enough for Mothers' Day." Ha!

We met my parents and sister in Little Rock for supper and also spent a little time with them at Barnes and Noble. (Mom & Dad bought us each a book. How nice is that. Except that she's MY mom, and she got me way more than I got HER for Mothers' Day.)

Monday, May 9

Dash finally got to give me the flowers he'd gotten (with my parents' help) at Sam's when we were there last week. He was trying really hard to keep it a secret the whole time we were shopping by hiding it underneath the cart. (I may or may not have noticed this.) When Mom was paying, he took me over to "show me something" in order to distract me. It was all very, very sweet.

Which only sort of makes up for the little booger that he was all afternoon today. In his defense, he was really tired. He fell asleep for the night at 6:45 after Ryan got home, had a talk with him about his behavior, and sent him to bed.

Tuesday, May 10

Dash and I had a really nice morning together, just the two of us. (Brother was at school, and Sissy was at her art classes.) We worked on his schoolwork together, then went to Wal-Mart and to Story-Time at the library, where we also checked out these books. He was happy that he could tell Daddy he had a "super good day," and was enjoying his "good consequences," which they had discussed the night before.