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Where to Begin?

Batman, Buzz, and Pooh

The summer and early fall have been quite eventful! I could probably post a dozen entries and not be done. Here are the highlights...

Nicholas:

• Learned to ride a bike this summer!
• Lost his first two teeth.
  
• Has become a TOTAL bookworm. :)

Daniel:

• Is at the "Why?" stage- constant questions!
• Learning sight words and reading beginner books.
• Using his imagination to play Star Wars is his favorite hobby.
  

Andrew:

• Wants to do EVERYTHING his big brothers are doing.
• Saying some words (thank you, night night, what's that), and trying to say many more.
• Has earned the nickname "Mr. Destruction" for wreaking havoc all over the house. :)
  

In other family news, we took a trip to the Outer Banks of N.C. a few weeks ago. The weather was perfect, and all three boys had a blast. In August, we traveled to Georgia for a weekend stay at a cabin with my brother's family. Six little boys in one cabin? Nothin' but pure fun!

We've had a busy fall with school, church activities, and trips to Busch Gardens.

And, speaking of school...
So far, we are having a great year with Nicholas in first grade and Daniel doing K-4. As I mentioned, Nicholas has become a voracious reader, so he is able to do more independent work this year, which allows me to work with Daniel. We are taking multiple trips to the library each week, getting 6-8 chapter books, and Nicholas is done with them all in about 2-3 days. There have even been times when we've had to say, "You are not allowed to read right now." (Never thought I'd utter those words!)

We are enjoying our weekly routine, which has slowed down quite a bit from last year. Both Nicholas and Daniel are enrolled in Classical Conversations this year, and both are loving it. It is so fun for me to be able to sit back and watch them learn (from someone else!), and I'm always amazed at how much they pick up during CC.

Andrew is dropping his morning nap, which is making things a bit more challenging, but he is usually happy playing in his pack 'n play while we do school, or even upstairs with Daniel for a little while. We're coping!

Our gym started offering homeschool P.E. classes twice weekly, so the older boys can attend that as well. They are playing games like kickball and dodgeball, and getting a good dose of exercise, which makes us all happier.

Enjoy the photos!

Enjoying the apple orchard

Future surfer dude?

Daniel- happy with his birthday present. :)

Six happy cousins!

Daniel sharing ("Show and Tell") time at CC

The First Day of School

Look, Mom, no training wheels!

The First Tooth

Andrew Turns One!

Well, it's official. Our baby is no longer a baby. He is a toddler now. Not only did he turn one recently, but he also began walking a month ago. Here are some highlights and more "firsts."

Don't worry- we didn't let him eat the whole cake. :)

First baseball game (on his birthday).

First time in a cardboard box (and probably not the last).

Our sweet Andrew, you have won our hearts this past year- even Daniel's, who was a reluctant big brother. You are full of smiles, laughter, and....yes, I'll say it...mischief! That's okay. I think I just may have the energy to endure one more mischievous boy. And if not, I'm sure God will supply.

T-Ball Season

Daniel's favorite part of every game is yelling "GO RATTLERS!"

Check out the look on his face. :)

Daniel's team was the Rattlers, while Nicholas played for the Yankees.

Both Nicholas and Daniel decided to play t-ball this year. Chris coached Daniel's team, the three and four-year-olds. (Brave man!) Nicholas was able to have his same coach as last year, who is a close family friend.

Being a Mom

Today is Mother's Day, and I have been thinking about how my life has changed since I became a mom. I think God has used motherhood to humble me and draw me to Himself more than anything else in my life.

Before I became a mom, I thought of myself as a very patient person, and as someone who was very good with children. I was a teacher, after all! Six years later, after doing just about everything I swore I would never do as a parent, I have a different opinion of myself.

Yep, I have opened a box of crackers in the grocery store to calm the kids, turned on the TV to get them out of my hair, and over-reacted MANY times to typical little boy behaviors (including, but not limited to, potty incidents, physical aggression, and other things that fall into the "What were you thinking?" category).

More than that, I have disappointed myself for not handling things calmly, not showing them grace often enough, and for simply stealing their joy by bossing and nagging excessively. Will they be resentful of me as they grow up? Will they want to be around me in a few years? Will they forgive me for my mistakes?

Almost everyday, I have prayed that God will restore my relationship with my boys, that they will remember the good things- the reading, cuddling, playing, learning, and that I love their dad so deeply. Through these prayers, God has led me to some key scriptures:

• "He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young." Isaiah 40:11
• "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins." I Peter 4:8
• "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret..." 2 Corinthians 7:10
• "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corin. 12:9

The bottom line is that I've given up any hope I had of being a "perfect mom." It just isn't possible. And, that's okay, because if I were perfect, I wouldn't see my need for Christ. He uses my struggles to bring me to him. Through my mistakes, I've been able to show my boys that I do need him, and that we are all sinners needing forgiveness. Just as I love my children so much despite their misbehavior, Jesus loves me, even when I sin, and grants mercy to all who ask for it. And that is a very good thing.

One Monster Update!

I cannot believe I haven't updated since January-an indication of how busy things have been around here!

Here's what's been going on with our guys this spring...

Nicholas
Nicholas turned six years old in April! His reading has taken off this spring, and he can read all kinds of things now- even "easy" chapter books!

Another recent milestone for him is tying shoelaces, which has made things much easier on Mom. :)

Nicholas is still all about legos. He spends time everyday on new creations, and is very imaginative. My favorite quote from him recently:
"Mom, look what I made!"
"How did you do that?"
"With a bunch of legos I found in the couch."

Daniel
D-Bear is interested in everything his big brother likes, especially Star Wars. We have a book that catalogs all the Star Wars lego sets, and Daniel can tell you about each of them- what episode they are from, features, etc. He pores over the book for long periods of time. He is also being much sweeter to baby Andrew, which always makes us smile.

A recent accomplishment for Daniel is that he's stopped sucking his thumb! We were able to use a bitter-tasting "nail polish" of sorts, designed to discourage it. It worked wonderfully, and took just a few days.

Daniel can almost dressed independently. We will focus on handwriting this summer and continue to work on rhyming words, letter sounds, and counting/number identification. He is an eager learner!

Andrew
He's still not walking, but has been cruising around for almost two months now. Guess it could be a couple more weeks or a couple more months! Around eight months, Andrew gave up baby food completely. I think he just decided he was happier with the "real stuff." He's eating just about everything right now, and loves to bang his high chair tray when he wants more. Needless to say, we're working on teaching him the "more" sign. :)

Our Handsome Guys on Easter
(I decided to let Nicholas off the hook and allow him to wear shorts,
as he is currently in a "Do I have to dress up?" phase.)

Andrew: Ten Months

Look Who's Six!

Easter at church- the bright sunlight that morning left everyone squinting!




"YOU'VE got your hands full!" is the phrase I hear most often these days.
Yes, I do, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

January Update

Although winter isn't my favorite season by any stretch of the imagination, there is something kind of nice about "hibernating" for a while. Looking out the window at snow and ice while being cozy and warm with a hot drink inside, or curling up with a good read, or just watching some football has been relaxing and restful so far this winter.

That said, we've had our share of sick days already in 2011. New Year's Day brought the dreaded "stomach bug" to our household (which all of us but Andrew eventually got). Then a week later, Nicholas and Daniel got strep. On top of that, poor Daniel has been suffering from the worst case of eczema on his face and ears. The good news is that our new pediatrician was great, and prescribed some meds to get everyone back to normal quickly. (Plus, in the big scheme of things, a virus and strep aren't really that big a deal.)

What has really struck us lately is how God gave each of our sons his own unique personality. Here is a brief update about all three boys:

Andrew: He hit the six-month mark on Christmas Eve, and started sitting up this past week. He is so good-natured and happy, always returning a smile when he gets one. He is also very cuddly, which has earned him the nickname "Sweet Pea Huggamuffin." (Can I still call him that when he's a teenager?)
Unfortunately, the great sleeping habits we thought were forming last month were only temporary. He's back to waking up around 2 or 3 a.m. Pretty soon, I think we'll have to let him cry it out. Mama needs a solid night's sleep!

Daniel: The best way to imagine D-Bear now is to think of Linus from Charlie Brown. He usually has his thumb in his mouth, may have a blanket, and is often the one to make the most profound statements. Nothing escapes his notice! He is full of questions, and eager to learn. Daniel taught himself the alphabet a few months ago by working a puzzle we have. He is Mr. Extrovert, and enjoys his weekly preschool, Classical Conversations, and church friends.
Daniel is still going through a silly phase. It seems to be his attention-getting mode. We'll see how long it lasts!

Nicholas: At times, Nicholas astounds us with his maturity! ("Daniel, we can't have a cookie in the store now, but don't worry. We can get one after lunch at home.") Other times, he's showing his silly side by making us laugh as he dances around. His absolute favorite person right now is Andrew. Nicholas hugs him as soon as he sees him in the morning, and does whatever he can to get a laugh or smile from him. Our oldest child is often in his "own world," and we'll catch him smiling about something funny he's remembering.
Some days, homeschooling is like pulling teeth, but usually he does well, and is getting more independent- especially with his written work and reading. This past week he read Curious George Makes Pancakes and Green Eggs and Ham. He seems to have Chris' logical engineer's brain. I am so proud of him and how hard he's working!
Nicholas and Daniel both just started a Tae Kwon Do class on Saturdays. Let's just hope they don't learn anything to use against each other. :)