He's a big boy now!

Owen is offically a big boy now! Ok, I don't really know what critera one must actually  meet to become a big boy, but this has always been a big step in my book. The big boy bed.

Owen didn't sleep through the night for a very very very long time. None of my kids did. Thanks a lot, boys. However, once Owen finally DID start sleeping through the night, he became a good sleeper. He went to bed easy - not a lot of fussing - it was great. But then, he started going through this weird phase where he would lock his arms over the crib side and stand...just stand there and scream...then after standing for a very long time, he would finally go to sleep...still standing. Needless to say, he didn't get a lot of sleep...and neither did his mamma.

So, it was time to make a change. Since he's our last little one, we decided to forgo the toddler bed altogether and just move him into a bed that would last years. We found a twin bed at Ikea (I mean, where else would we even consider buying furniture) that was nice and low to the ground, purchased it and then made Owen put it together all by himself. (Ok, Chris helped him a little, but not much...)

 

 Once it was together, it got the Owen seal of approval and of course, the big brother's seal of approval as well.

 

 










Thankfully the first night was a success! I rolled up some blankets and created a little barrier under the sheet so he wouldn't roll out. So far (knock on wood) it seems to be working and he seems to be happy in his big boy bed. Phew!!

When you see a Rainbow

I'll be honest. I struggle with being real on this blog. I don't want people to think I'm complaining or griping or being super negative. So I tend to gloss over the hard stuff. But that shows an unrealistic, unbalanced view of our life. So bear with me as I try to find the balance of being real.

 

This has been, by far, the hardest  two weeks of homeschooling to date. This is our third official year - and I felt relatively comfortable going into it. The ironic thing is it's not the teaching/learning part that has proven incredibly challenging these past two weeks. It's my sweet, loveable, very hot tempered  19 month old that has made it tough.  

I love Owen more than life itself. He brings such joy to our lives! He is also a toddler. A toddler that is broaching two. He has a mind of his own and is learning how to use it. He doesn't like the word "no," he wants his way at.this.very.moment.right.now.and.what's.taking.you.so.long.to.comply.with.my.demands! And because his vocabulary is limited, his means of expressing frustration is SCREAMING.AS.LOUD.AS.POSSIBLE! In other words, he is a typical toddler.

However, I just didn't factor that into our homeschooling.

Owen would wake up happy and be playing and enjoying life...until school started. Then a dark cloud would roll over our house and it was tantrum after tantrum after screaming.so.loud.I.dare.you.to.think.straight tantrum.  It was so hard for the boys (and their teacher) to focus through it. So they (and I) would struggle and get frustrated. I would end up sending them to other rooms of the house so they could think through their school work. Their attitudes were less than desirable...but to be fair...mine wasn't much better.

We could not do this all year. My patience was already shot and it wasn't fair to the older boys to deal with a grouchy baby AND teacher.

Something had to give. And it had to be the constant.ear.piercing.I.will.not.allow.anyone.to.enjoy.life temper tantrums. They just had to go. But how?  I knew I had to be consistent...something that is always easier said than done in my world. It was easier to give in, because if I could keep him quiet by giving him what he wanted there was at least a possibility we could focus. But that would only teach him that his tantrums would get him what he wanted. It was frustrating because he had everything he needed...his toys were there, I had given him his own desk, he had books to look at and a full belly. The only thing he didn't have was 100% of my undivided attention...and we all know...a toddler wants attention right.now.or.I.will.throw.myself.on.the.floor.and.demand.it.........AT.THE.TOP.OF.MY.LUNGS!!

So it was decided...ya know, between me and myself and all the conversations I had with myself inside my head, that I would not give in to his tantrums. I wouldn't let the boys give in to his tantrums. Owen needed to learn that he would not get what he wanted if he threw himself on the floor and howled like a monkey. It.just.couldn't.happen.  And it wasn't even like giving in to him allowed for great focus. He would scream to get on my lap, so I would plop him on my lap and then he would squirm and wreak havoc on the desk by grabbing the boys pencils, glue, erasers, worksheets....then I would put him down - and of course he would scream like a howler monkey and attempt to climb me like a rock wall.

So, when he threw a tantrum, we just ignored him. It was hard to talk through his screaming, but we did. Then I would send the boys to a room where they could focus. If he demanded I hold him by screaming at me and trying to scale me like a mountain goat - I would (and believe me, this took every ounce of patience I had and then some...I really just wanted to scream myself) look at him and softly say, "Say, up Mamma." If he continued to scream like a banshee, I wouldn't pick him up. This would make him even more mad, because why be rational when you're 19 months old?

Rinse and Repeat this process for the entire school day. It was brutal. By the end, my nerves were shot -as was everyone's.

But then - like a ray of sunshine on a rainy day - something miraculous happened today. I had readied myself for another day of battle, but to my surprise, Owen followed us into the school room and sat at his little desk looking at books. Then he played. He smiled. He laughed.  It was a breath of fresh air! It brought a whole new attitude and focus to the schoolroom. Not to say there weren't a few rough moments here and there - but that's to be expected with a toddler.  And of course, the boys had their moments where it was hard to stay focused here and there, but that's to be expected  with a first and second grader, too. But it was night and day compared with the other days. It was plain and simply - doable.

 

So, I encourage you homeschooling Mommies and Daddies out there who have to parent young ones all the while teaching your older ones.

Hang in there.

Stay consistent.

 Be encouraged.

There will be hard days, weeks, maybe even months. This job is not easy. It is hard. Really hard. There will be times where we feel like complete failures. But we are doing our best. We really are.

You are doing a good job.

Until today, I felt like I was leaving our school days a complete failure. I couldn't do it. Why did I think I was capable of this? And the only positive I could find was, "Well, at least we survived." But let me give you hope. If it's rough going - take heart - there is hope - there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Stick with it.

Muddle through.

We will find our groove.

We can do it.

We really can do it.

I don't know what tomorrow's school day holds. It may resemble today...or it may look like the cloudy days before it. But if it does dawn cloudy, I have the rainbow of today to look at - to remind myself that staying consistent and just keeping on - is worth it.

It really is.

 

 

 

 

First Day of School - 2013/2014

Today was our first day of school for the 2013/2014 school year! I've been working on lesson planning, cleaning the school room and getting organized in little snippets of time here and there. Thankfully I felt decently prepared going into today.  

Armed with two cups of coffee already bubbling in my veins, we started class at 9:00am. We took "First Day" pictures and then hit the books right away (with an additional cup of coffee for the teacher.)

 

Luke was very nervous about being a second grader. He was terrified it would be really hard right off the bat. Thankfully today gave him a confidence boost. Once he started his work, the things he feared he'd forgotten over the summer came back to him quickly.

 

 Will was a bit apprehensive about starting school, too. I don't think he was quite ready to give up his summer freedoms. However, once we got rolling, he seemed to enjoy himself. He even said he liked school by the end - phew!!! Now ask him that in about a month and we'll see if his answer is the same.

 

We had a few snags here and there. I forgot to print some things which resulted in a few extra brain breaks for them (they weren't complaining about that!) Honestly, Owen was probably my biggest challenge today. (I know, I know - he looks completely  innocent and angelic in this picture!) And don't get me wrong - I love Owey dearly - but he can be a grouch sometimes! And today he was just having a down.right.grouchy.day. I ended putting him down for an early nap which seemed to be what he needed.  His mood has improved since then and he's back to being super cute Owey!

So overall, I feel like we had a successful first day! I'll blog more about the specifics of our curriculum in another blog. More to come!

Luke's First Lost Tooth

It took Luke a long time to get any teeth when he was just a wee little one...I mean a looooooooong time.

Luke is 1 years old here! He had the cutest toothless grin!

Every time he would have the sniffles or be grouchy we would think, "He's finally teething!" But to no avail...it never resulted in any tiny white razor breaking through the surface of his gums. Ok, he did FINALLY get teeth -but you get the picture.

Fast forward 7 years. All the other 6-7 year old kids he knew were losing teeth...but his teeth wouldn't budge.

Last week we noticed he finally had a bottom tooth that was loose.

He was so excited!

And a little nervous.

He's a very cautious child...and a bit squeamish - so even though he was relishing in finally having a loose tooth...he wanted to make sure no one was going to actually pull it out. Honestly, I was expecting the tooth itself would have to jump out of his mouth before it actually got pulled out.

As fate would have it though, as he settled into bed, somehow he bumped his mouth with the blanket and Wallaaa! The tooth came out! He searched around in bed to find it and bounded down the stairs.

"You'll never believe what just happened?!" He asked incredulously.

"What?" I asked.

"This!" he exclaimed while holding out his little white razor tooth.

Of course we were so excited and proud of him! We had to take pictures and congratulate him.

We put the tooth in an envelope and he placed it under his pillow.

The next day, he was happy to find a treat under his pillow. He told me, "I feel older now that I've lost a tooth."

I smiled at his words - so proud of him - but ached a little in my heart because of the truth in his words. He IS older...time has flown by since that warm June day 7 years ago when he was born...

 I sure wish time would slow down a little.

Us in the Here-and-Now

Welp, I've been meaning to become a more consistent blogger for...years now! Every time I have committed to blogging again, I just get overwhelmed by where to start...do I try to catch up from the last time I blogged consistently (which would be 2009/2010!!), do I just hit the highlights over the last 4 years or do I just start from the present. Because of the overwhelming task of the first two (thus why I have yet to start blogging again) I have chosen to do the latter. Just start from the here and now. If I get a chance to backtrack and put a few posts up from yesteryear, then great...but the longer I put off blogging, the more overwhelming it is - so I've just decided to start now...

So, hello again! Chris and I are now an old married couple (11 years this month!) The boys are growing faster than I can stand and our faithful companion, Riley, is still our precious pet (every time I say the word "precious," I feel the need to say it in a Gollum voice...but I guess you can't hear that when I'm writing, huh?)

We have been in our home here for almost 3 years now. It's hard to believe that Chris has been out of the Army for 4 years - though he still works for the Army in a civilian job. I will be starting my third official year of homeschooling the kids next month. It has been such a fun (and challenging) adventure!

Picture Credit: Morning Joy Photography (Thanks again, Mandy!)

Luke - who is 7 now (when in the world did that happen??) - continues to be a mini-me of Chris. He will be going into the second grade next month. He loves (to name a few) art, baseball, Legos and being a goofball.

Will - who is 5 1/2 (and that 1/2 is very important to Mr. Will!) is a little more quiet and reserved - but just as much a goofball. He will be going into the first grade next month. He loves (to name a few) making silly faces, soccer and video games.

 

Owen - who is 18 months (uh...where did my baby go?!?) is nothing short of spunky. Mischief sticks out all over him. He loves stuffed animals (mostly dogs), books, pulling things out of drawers and carrying on conversations that only he knows what is being said.

Riley - who is 10 now (ahh, I remember when she was just an energy-packed puppy!) enjoys her spoiled life of sleeping on the guest bed, barking at all nature of animals in the woods and keeping an eye on the neighborhood while stretched out on "her" bed.

So, this is us in the here-and-now! More to come!

My Grandpa

My Grandpa walked onto heaven's shore on June 17th, 2012. Words seem to fail me when I try to speak about how much Grandpa means to me. Maybe because words don't even come close to captivating Grandpa's character and life.

He was such a strong yet gentle man. Kindness and compassion flowed from his eyes - with a twinkle that spoke to his great sense of humor. He was a man with an unwavering faith in God, an eternal love for our Grandma and a steadfast love and devotion for his family.

     

I will never forget seeing him at the table with a pile of Shaklee vitamins, a scrumptious morning breakfast with hot coffee- and before partaking in any of this he would say a morning prayer that covered all of his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren by name.

I will never forget sitting in his lap as a little girl as he helped me learn the motions to "Patty Cake", and then as a teenager how he looked me in the eyes and told me he believed in me and how he always encouraged me to stay strong in the Lord at all times. Through baptisms, weddings, and baby dedications he was always there with his quiet smile, gentle laughter, and words of wisdom.

So, thank you for being our Grandpa. You have left us a rich heritage and a lasting legacy. You lived your faith. And we couldn't ask for a better Christ-like example.

Though you are gone from this earth and we miss you so much - we know we will once again see you on heaven's side. Good night, Grandpa - we'll see you in the Morning.        

Letting Go?

When I was a girl, my Grandma Winegarden made me a doll house. It was one of those wooden kit kinds – but she went far and above just gluing some wooden pieces together- she made pretty yarn carpets and painted the house a cute white and blue. It was a Christmas gift and I LOVED it! 

 I still have this doll house…at first I thought maybe I’d have a girl one day to pass it down to…but it’s quite apparent that we just make boys. =) Through our many moves, the doll house has started to fall apart…and at this point it’s pretty much in pieces. And yet, I still can’t bring myself to get rid of it. I mean, no one is making me…it doesn't take up that much space – but it’s broken into little pieces…probably to the point where it can't be fixed.

So why can’t I just let it go? I suppose it’s the memory of my Grandma Winegarden that I've attached to the doll house. She has been gone 13 years now and I miss her terribly. 

Through the years I've been able to part with a lot 

of her things – 

dishes, decorative items – but there are a handful of things that I just can’t seem to let go. Things like the white and blue plastic canvas church she made for me, the set of bells (she gave me one every Christmas) and the doll house.  Why do we attach such strong emotions/memories to physical things? I don’t think I’m alone in doing this (or maybe I am?) Do you have items that have memories so interwoven in them that you find it hard to let them go?

I brought the doll house out of storage today to take a look at it. It's in pretty bad shape. Maybe it really is time to let it go...but it sure did make me smile to see the house "played" with one more time...(even if the boys were pretending a tornado hit the house and they had to fix it!) And ya know what - I think it would have made my Grandma smile too!

4 Month Comparison

I thought it would be fun to compare baby pictures of when all the boys were 4 months old...

Luke at 4 months

 Will at 4 months

 And Owen at 4 months

Do you think any of them look alike?

Finally an update!

Ok, so I've attempted many times to update the blog...but it seems I can never get more than a few sentences typed out before one of the kiddos needs me for something.  I'm pretty sure it would be impossible to give a full update on the last four months...but I will attempt a brief one!=)

Luke is almost 6. 'sniff sniff' It's hard to believe that 6 years ago we were eagerly awaiting his arrival and all of a sudden he's turning 6. He hit a growth spurt a few months ago and it's hard to realize that I can barely even lift him up anymore! He is finishing up Kindergarten - and though there have been many challenges homeschooling, there have also been great rewards. This year I got to watch him learn how to read,  add and subtract, become more aware of the world around him, develop his drawing skills, and the list goes on.  He also took his first soccer class and really enjoyed it!  This year he's been into Star Wars, super heroes, video games, soldiers, drawing and he loves loves loves to play outside.  He is just so much fun and so very sweet!

Though most people don' t get to see it because he's a bit shy, Will is just so full of personality! He makes us laugh every day! And though he is at times very challenging, he's also very sweet and affectionate. He is finishing up his first year of preschool and is almost always eager to do school. He's learning how to write his letters and numbers and it's been neat to see how much he's learned over the last year.  We still have to work with him quite a bit with his speech...and he can still be hard to understand at times.  Thankfully Luke is an expert interpreter when we just can't figure it out.  Will is interested in anything Luke likes and I am so thankful that they play together so well. They have such a great brother relationship...I just hope it stays that way when they're teenagers!!=)  Will also took his first soccer class and had a great time! Will is very inquisitive and asks "why" about a million times a-day!  I'm so thankful for the internet because  most of the time I have to say, "I don't know the answer...let's look it up!"

Owen is four months old and still very good natured. He is such a joy! We have declared him "mobile" now since he rolls everywhere. I guess it's time to baby proof again! He loves his jumperoo and doing tummy time with his toys.  He "talks" to us with a variety of coos, grunts, giggles and most recently, raspberries. He just had his 4 month check-up and weighed in at almost 18 lbs and is 24 1/2 inches long. He's not so little anymore...which is bittersweet. Knowing he's our last baby makes it a little bit harder to see him "grow up" so quickly. He is such a cutie though - and we are still smitten by him!

Phew! I finally got a blog completed!! Now it's time to feed the baby and go to bed!=) Nighty-Night!