A Momentous Week

Nicholas is such a sweet big brother. He loves to comb Andrew's hair and make him laugh. :)

Hmmmm...Not sure what to think about this rice cereal!

Wow! Andrew reached three important milestones last week- sleeping through the night, eating solids, and getting his first tooth. Needless to say, we (Read I) are excited that he is now sleeping for 10-11 hours nonstop. The tooth has proved a bit annoying during nursing time, but hopefully it won't be too much of a problem. Above are some pics from the last few weeks.

Mississippi

Thank you to my dear Chris, who stayed home with Nicholas and Daniel so that Andrew and I could fly to Mississippi and visit my parents and grandparents this month. Andrew did well on the plane, and I had some very sweet times with my Mississippi and Tennessee relatives.

As you can see, he got lots and LOTS of attention during the weekend! My parents and grandparents are so dear to me. Now that I am a mom, I am more thankful than ever for their love. Thank you all for being a constant source of encouragement, and most importantly, for allowing me to see your love for the Lord and raising me up to be a God-fearing woman. I love you all SO very much!

Halloween

For Halloween this year, we had a knight and a firefighter. The boys were super-excited! Unfortunately, our little dragon fell asleep before the trick-or-treating began. I need to take a picture of him in his costume before he outgrows it!

Look-Alikes

Photos of Nicholas (left) and Andrew, both at three months. Notice a resemblance?

August/September Photos

Some photos from the past month:

Chris juggles all three boys on the river boat at Busch Gardens.

The captain let Nicholas take a turn at the wheel.

My handsome guys after church last Sunday

Things quickly deteriorated!

This captures Daniel at age three so well.

Andrew's Smiles

Seeing your baby smile has got to be one of the most delightful things a person can experience! Here is a video I took a few days ago. (Please excuse the shaky camera work.)

Homeschool Update

We have completed our first month of homeschooling now, and seem to be getting into a routine- kind of. With Andrew's unpredictable schedule, and the activities that have just started up, it's been tough to get a firm routine, but we are trying- while still pretty flexible.

Many mornings, we wake up and start school right after breakfast since this is when Andrew usually settles down for his (first) morning nap. Daniel and Nicholas say the pledge, do the calendar, and report the weather forecast for the day. Next, Nicholas and I work on sight words, phonics and reading while Daniel occupies himself with some independent fine-motor activities or the book basket I have prepared for him.

Next the boys enjoy some read-aloud time, followed by a break for Nicholas while I work with Daniel on his weekly alphabet projects. After this, he will usually play in his room while Nicholas and I do math (his very favorite). Last comes "recess" (outside play), snack, and maybe a science experiment.

We started Classical Conversations this past Tuesday, and Nicholas absolutely loved it! Andrew and I were able to stay in the room with him while he did memory work, art, show-and-tell, and science. We also began our weekly Bible study at church. While I did the study, Nicholas was in a room with other homeschool kids and Daniel was in a preschool class, where he sings, learns Bible stories, does projects, and plays outside.

So, this year is going to be pretty busy! In addition to the above activities, Daniel will be going to preschool on Mondays, giving Nicholas and I a chance to work one-on-one. Above are photos of Nicholas holding one of the first "real" books he was able to read by himself!

One of the advantages of homeschooling: being done by 11:00 so the boys can play outside! Above, they decided to have a "car wash" for their vehicles in the driveway.