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

 

 

Scenes from Christmas

I have a very bad habit of starting posts, then never finishing them. I planned on adding more pictures to this post, therefore I haven't posted anything past Christmas. So in an effort to just get on with it, here is what I've got from our Christmas with my family and our Christmas morning. Happy New Year! And I'll try to post baby pics soon.

Cousin P did not want to part with Googie's super-sized stockings.

Cousin C

my girl with the requisite bow on her head

Playmobil castle: yes!

too cool for the rest of us

lots of joy at Googie & Papaw's

Santa Baby

As if his consistent orange clothing wasn't enough to alert: Illini fan comin' through.

One of Tornado's most important items on his Dear Santa letter: earplugs. Why? He has very loud siblings, bless his heart. He couldn't have been more thrilled that Santa pulled through!

E-Z Rollers!

Princess car!

Weekly Wrap-Up Journal

December 17-January 5

In Our Homeschool This Week/Time With My Preschooler This Week:
It was really nice to have all of the kids home for a few weeks. (Sissy was on break from preschool, and the boys and I are on break from homeschool co-op.) We did get into bad habits of staying up late/sleeping in/kids watching t.v. during the week. The kids are currently in television detox mode. They just cannot handle having t.v. as an option in life during the school week. We have to keep t.v. (other than occasional learning shows) as a special treat on weekends.

Sissy and I got to engage in more activities together.

She wishes she could help me at every single meal, every single day. She said, during this particular meal prep on January 1, "I'm always going to cook with you." 

I got out this loom (from Hobby Lobby) the boys have used before. I told her to make a pattern with the colors. It was a bit of a challenge for her to stick with the pattern, and the short fabric rings require a lot of stretching and manipulation, so I say "great preschool activity." We started weaving the opposite row, but we haven't finished yet.

They also had a lot of fun making Spin Art during Christmas break. I actually took this picture when the picture was in full spin mode. I wonder why it is so clear, but my camera doesn't capture people action that clearly.

I like that once I get them started, this is an activity they can basically take over themselves. They made a lot of cards that I'm either going to turn into notecards or make a banner/garland for their homeschool room.

Question I Have This Week:
As much as I loved having Sis home for the past two weeks, the amount of arguing heard around here has also increased. She and her 2 years older brother are GREAT playmates. (Seriously, they often comment that they wish they could marry each other; that's how much they love each other.)

They pick at each other just as much as they giggle and play together. It drives me batty. I mean, it really gets in the way of accomplishing things. The bothering then resulting tattle-taling can overshadow a learning moment. It even gets in the way of us all reading together on the couch. They can't keep their hands off each other. For some reason, it's the one disciplinary situation I can't seem to control. I know it's typical, and my siblings and I picked on each other...but HELP!!! I mean, seriously, I can't even imagine homeschooling them all together next year unless I can get a handle on this.

Edit: A lot of the times it's not that they're even fighting necessarily. They're just teasing one another. Or it's the whole, "She's looking at me! Stop looking at me!" and the other one is laughing. So even if they're just playing, it's very hard for us all to concentrate.


In My Life This Week:
The continuing theme the past couple of weeks has been "get ready for baby." Almost every cabinet and closet has been organized (at least, more than it was before). I've made five casseroles and various other things for the freezer. I finally (a week ago) got around to ordering all of the baby stuff we need - carseat, stroller, bouncy seat, etc. And this week, I took the kids out on individual "dates."

Tornado chose to paint pottery at a local studio. He picked out a Hulk face dish. (Hulk's hair is the lid.) In true Tornado-unconventional style, he made him the Red Hulk version, rather than the Green. I painted a Christmas ornament.

We also walked over to Whole Foods, and he picked out a rice-cream bar. On the way home, he commented, "That was fun!" more than once, without any prompting.

I'm so happy we had a great date because we actually had to go to the dentist before all of this. He usually does NOT do well at the dentist, but he was super sweet at this visit. Yay! He let them clean his teeth without fighting it one bit, and the hygienist got a kick out of how much he was laughing at the cartoons playing on the ceiling. No cavities, and he didn't need a tooth pulled like I was afraid. (He has a tooth growing over a baby tooth that isn't very loose yet.) I let him pick out a treat from the hospital gift shop. (He chose a car doodle book, colored pencils, and a bag of potato chips.)

For his date, Dash chose a trip to Tropical Smoothie. We ordered our favorite flavor (Sunny Day), split into two cups. I let him decide all of the details of the night, such as "sit here or take it with us," etc. He was grinning from ear to ear the entire night. When we first sat down, I joked, "So tell me about yourself," like it was a real date. He put his hands over his eyes and laughed in an embarrassed way. I kept saying things like that, and he kept giggling. Our next stop:

...Chick-Fil-A. Yes, this vegan Momma took her kid to a fast food place, ha! Someone had gotten him a gift card for his birthday, and we hadn't used it yet. He ordered a fruit cup and waffles fries and even chose to order another bag of waffle fries for his brother because he knows how much he loves them. After he ate, he played in the play area with a couple of kids who were in there.

The plan was to next stop at Petsmart to look at the animals, but by the time we got there, they were closing.

Sissy and I went to Ava Bella for pedicures. (I like this particular day spa because they use a lot of organic products.) This was her first "real" pedicure! Fun stuff!

Next, we went to Whole Foods for a light lunch. I let her pick out an essential oil to mix with water for her new perfume bottles she got for Christmas. We even got to sit outside in this amazing January weather.

She and I had a beautiful day, just as I had with each of her brothers. I love spending time with them one-on-one. I want lots of kids, but I always want them to know how important they are to me individually.

This is what I'm looking like these days. You don't really want to see my swollen face right now. I gained five pounds THIS WEEK. THIS WEEK.

What I'm Reading This Week:
I just finished Longing by Karen Kingsbury. I've cracked back open my newish Large Family Logistics.
I can't say the information in the book is life-changing. BUT. It is definitely inspiring and all of the ideas serve as good reminders of how to manage life and a home. It seems simple to say "lay out clothes at night" or whatever - things that I know and I do most of the time. But this book has helped me refocus and vow to take my job as a homemaker and a mom with even more fervor and wholeheartedness.

A Little From Christmas:
I'm still planning to post more Christmas pictures for my family/those interested to see. In the meantime, here are a couple of activities from this  year:

My siblings and I don't exchange gifts with each other or our kids. I saw an idea in Family Fun magazine to play Bingo with little gifts as prizes. Mom gathered little things she had put away in her closet such as flashlights, umbrellas, batteries, cards, kitchen utensils, etc. My sister contributed a couple of Starbucks gift cards, and I threw in a few things I had at home. After every round, the winner(s) got to pick a gift off the stool. Mom called out the numbers, and it was definitely a little loud and crazy with so many people playing at once. But I think overall it was a good idea I'd like to repeat.

Every Christmas Eve since my 11 year old was little I've organized a Scavenger Hunt. I take pictures of things around the house (like the kind you have to figure out what the picture even is - such as the corner of a particular cabinet or the top of the washing machine) and write clues. They scramble around, up and down the stairs, squealing and racing from one clue to the next. I really think it is one of their favorite activities of the whole year.

At the end they are rewarded with a gift plus Baby Jesus who needs to be placed in our nativity scene. The gift is usually new pajamas. This year I only got the boys pajamas because I'd just gotten Sister new p.j.'s for pajama day at preschool. And let's face it, she's not one to wear pajamas to bed. She strips down at night because she's always hot. (And we keep the thermostat around 69.) She got new leggings and a new shirt instead.

Sissy had her second girly sleepover. During Christmas With My Family Weekend, my 3 year old niece W came over for the night. Lots of giggling, lots of excuses to continue staying up, and lots of dress-up and pretend play.

What We're Eating This Week:

Here is part of our Christmas Day lunch: broccoli, edamame, tomatoes, almonds, and bell pepper. It has become a tradition the past few years.

I've been juicing a lot this week, hoping to help my body prepare for all of the...ahem...digestive issues that I'm sure I'm going to have following my baby's upcoming birth.

Kid Quotes I Want to Keep:
1) The other morning I caught one sentence from my 6 year old that I knew my husband would enjoy. Ryan is very excited about the John Carter movie coming out in a couple of months. He listened to the audiobooks and is totally into the whole story and background, etc. He talks to Dash about the story and the people, and my little guy just soaks all of that up. (The story is essentially a Civil War vet who is sent to Mars...something I could not soak up. Although it does star Taylor Kitsch so there's definite potential!) Anyway, this is what I heard coming out of Dash's mouth when he was playing pretend with his sister:

"Fate has brought you here, John Carter!"

2) These were on two different occasions but hold the same theme regarding how our lives are getting ready to become CRAZY even more wonderful.

Dash: "It's going to be a lot of work, Momma, cuz there's going to be crying..." (voice trails off to indicate "etc.").

Sissy: (sighing) "I don't know how you can handle all these kids."


3) At an enjoyable meal at the supper table the other night, Dash had a very sweet smile on his face and said (shrugging),

"I'm really happy right now...I don't know why."

Linking Up:

The Homeschool Mother's Journal

Weekly Wrap-Up

Preschool Corner