Birthday Bash

Micah's birthday wasn't so much a big bash as it was just a fun time of being together. He doesn't have a special supper that he loves, so instead we had a birthday breakfast. His morning consisted of French toast, strawberries, milk, bacon and potato patties. He got to hang out in his high chair, in his jammies and have his birthday cupcake. My mom and dad came over (she did the vast majority of the cooking) and it was a perfect celebration for a special little boy. Then it was off to Rochester for the weekend!

Two Years Ago...

Tomorrow my baby will be two! It is hard to believe that 2 years have gone by already. My pregnancy with Micah was a difficult one with me having placenta previa and preeclampsia. I was on bedrest and he was delivered (my 5th c-section) at 36 weeks. Because of my blood pressure, he had a low birthweight. Despite all of the circumstances, he was healthy and had no problems. This was truly a miracle and an answer to many of your prayers. God is so good!

Me, after an amnio showed that he was definitely not ready to be born, but I was so sick that we needed to get him delivered. I was sent to North Memorial because he would need to be in the N.I.C.U. (If only I had a picture of me with my face swollen and my eyes barely open :)

Bedrest at North. I was so happy to see my kids and SO homesick.

After 6 weeks of bedrest, 9 ultrasounds, 13 non-stress tests, countless bodily fluid samples, and 2 amnios, Micah Aaron was born.

4 lbs 13 oz, 18 inches long

So cute! And so tiny! He was down to 4 lbs 5 oz when we came home from the hospital. Even his preemie clothes were too big.

A big yawn for a little peanut.

My mom is the proud grandma who took care of EVERYTHING and EVERYONE for me. I am so thankful for her.

I will post some bday pics later on.

My Eye!

Sometimes strange things happen. A lot of those strange things seem to happen at our house. Today a certain child (HINT- 5 years old, female, with a ton of crazy hair) was using the bathroom.

Child: Mom! I gotted pee in my eye!

Me: What?!?!?!

Child: I gotted pee in my eye!

Me: How in the world did you manage that?

Child: I was watching when I was going to the bathroom and was too close. It is my right eye.

Me: Into the bath! I sure hope you don't get some sort of eye infection.

Child proceeds to freak out over the thought of an infection. But she was very calm when it was "just" pee in the eye.


Lesson learned: there is no need to watch when you are on the toilet.

G.L.O.R.Y.

Over the last couple of weeks, Glory has gone around the house spelling her name out loud and referring to herself as G.L.O.R.Y. She has shown a very sudden thirst for learning and all things school. I have been keeping her busy with Kumon workbooks and printables from the computer. I think it is paying off because she is as pleased as can be with herself and makes sure to get ready for school each day.

Glory wrote her own name, all by herself while I was switching laundry!

I was S.U.R.P.R.I.S.E.D. I just showed her how to write her name a few days ago.

A very happy 3 (almost 4) year old.

P.R.O.U.D.

Magic Fork

This was Micah's 4th giant pancake. I was trying to catch video of him being silly while he was eating. Instead, he saw the camera and displayed his usual charming personality. His crabbiness continued until he saw the magic fork. The fork truly must be magical, as it helped to lighten his mood!!

Signs of Spring

Today is a beautiful 61 degree day at our house. We have some definite signs of spring, aside from the radiant sunshine and the obvious warm-up in temperatures.

Signs That Spring Has Sprung:

1. The yard (and former ice rink) has turned into a mini-lake and stream.

2. I have many extra loads of laundry to do...see sign 1.

3. The laundry tubs are being used more than normal...sign 1.

4. Oxy-Clean has, once again, become a favorite household cleaner...sign 1. (In addition to Magic Erasers and Windex.)

5. Bikes, scooters, lawn chairs, playhouses, and other toys have all made a season premiere.
6. Band-aids are being used liberally...sign 5.
7. The urgency to complete school for the day/year is being felt by all.

The beauty of homeschooling...kids can work outside when weather permits.

The Color Wheel

Today my sister, Nora, came to do some hair. Hair color is a great opportunity for a little homeschool lesson on mixing colors! How do you get pink? Ellie knew that some red and white will make a great pink. If you add some purple in you will come up with this hot pink pigment.

Painting pink tips.

Doing her reading while waiting for her hair to process.

What a glamour girl!

For those of you questioning my parenting choices, the color will be cut out in a few weeks when she needs a trim. Thanks for your concern.

What's Missing?

There is something so special and sweet about kids losing their first teeth. Last night Maggie lost her first tooth, all on her own.

In her words, "I just wiggled it out!"

One Thousand Words

Micah

If a picture is worth a thousand words, what is this one saying?

*turkey, stinker, cutie, trouble, fit-sy, naughty, love-bug, dumpling, toddler, tantrum, uh-oh!

2 years old is right around the corner!

Mr. Manners

Part of our homeschool curriculum includes health. The first few years of health are called Health, Safety, and Manners. Today Caleb learned some special manners he hadn't previously known.



Special Manners for Boys:

*Let girls go first.

*Open doors for girls.

*Carry heavy packages for girls.

*Give up your seat for a girl that is standing.

*Help girls be seated at the table.

*If you wear a hat or cap, take it off when you go inside.



Special Manners for Girls:

*Accept a seat that is offered to you by a boy.

*Let boys open doors for you.

*Let boys help you be seated.

*Always say "thank you" when a boy helps you carry something, offers you a seat, or opens a door for you.



I started laughing when he read these lists to me. I found them to be out-of-date and unrealistic. But as I started to explain to Caleb why each of these manners were listed, I realized just how un-polite of a society we live in. Our culture doesn't teach boys and girls to be the men and women God desires them to be. We don't treat one another with the basic respect that we should.

Now I don't expect every man to open my doors or lift my packages, but seriously, when I am walking toward a door with an infant in a car seat, a diaper bag, a purse, and a toddler by the hand...just open the door!



So while some of these were silly to me, the heart of the message was solid. It isn't really about offering a seat or accepting a seat that is given. Common courtesy is what it comes down to. It doesn't matter what gender or faith you are, or what political party you belong to. We should all treat one another well!!

Changes

Spring may not be quite here yet, but I have the bug. (Today it is 37 degrees and my children want to be outside in light sweatshirts, sunglasses, and sneakers.) We had a little warm-up a few weeks ago and I found myself delving into some early spring cleaning. Unfortunately, clean windows don't last long around here!

The arrival of spring means that I have home, yard, and garden projects on the brain. Of the many things on my list of to-do's comes painting. This past weekend we tackled the laundry room. I realize the laundry room may not be the obvious first choice to many people. But if you consider how much time I spend in there, you can understand why it was my priority.

Getting ready.

A little experiment I had a couple of years ago. Don't think so.

Gross bugs in the light fixture.

Keeping it real. How disgusting is it under you washer and dryer?? Don't judge me.

The foreman on the job.

The perfect shade for my room. The color is called, "Quiet Moment".

I think it is more likely, "Wishful Thinking."

The almost-finished project. I still need a new curtain and shade. Back to reality.

What a Day

Today has been a hectic, nutso day. To say the least. Crying kids, complaining kids, screaming kids, fighting kids...you get the point.

Having had enough, I sent Glory and Micah down to watch a movie while I finished up reading with Ellie and Maggie. Ahhh, finally some peace and quiet. We were all cuddled up on the couch reading sight words from a white board when, "CRASH!"

Glory had run into the door of a glass cabinet (formally for a stereo, now used to store some media junk). Let me rephrase. She had run into the cabinet door with her face. Somehow that little bump caused the glass to explode. Quite literally, it exploded. Glass was everywhere. The glass made a Rice Krispy crackling noise as it broke into more pieces in the aftermath. It took me over an hour to clean up the glass mess.

Fast forward a few hours. Carlie was being helpful and unloading the dishwasher. "Crash!" There goes a mug. All over the wood floor this time.

I must admit, I am glad that Aaron is now home and I have my back-up on duty.

*no children were harmed during the course of this day...yet!*

Thankful Thursday

I love tivo/dvr. The whole concept of recording tv programs and movies digitally is not new to me. I have wanted tivo for-EVER. But until we got the dvr system with our television service, I truly had no idea what I was missing.

What is to love? These are a few things that I appreciate:

1. I can record or delete at the touch of a button. Wonderful for me, but even better for recording movies for the kids!
2. This is a time saver if there is something we want to watch. No commercials=happy. Some of those commercial breaks are 4-5 minutes long.
3. The pause function for "live" tv is great.

I am sure there are many other positives that I have yet to discover. For now I am recording movies like crazy. I am not sure why I am recording so often. Aaron and I only watch a movie once in a while, and very rarely finish an entire movie in one sitting.

Maybe it is the novelty of new technology. Maybe I am just saving up for that rainy, lazy day sometime in the future. (Although chances are better that I will read a book than watch a movie :) Whatever the reason, technology is a-maz-ing.

Valentine's Day

It seems we have formed a tradition of just being together as a family on Valentine's Day. Aaron and I don't go out on a date. We don't do anything crazy or exciting with the kids. Instead we just try to make the day special and sweet for everybody. This year the children woke up to a special valentine from us and then we all took a trip to the public library. The kids were all happy to have time to browse and check-out some books. Caleb, Ellie, and Maggie each got their own library card. (I don't generally take all 6 kids to the library by myself. So this really was exciting!)

The remainder of the day was spent ice skating in the backyard and having a special meal and dessert. The kids were thrilled with a cake made straight from the box with store-bought frosting and lots of sprinkles.

The cake. Icky to me...but yummy to them.

Lucky girl. Leftover frosting.

The day after. Someone's had their fingers in the cake?!?!?!

Guilty.

How to Beat the Winter Blahs

Get a haircut and make weird faces.

Play-Doh craft caddy. $10.98 at Target when they were having an amazing sale. (My friend, Traci, also hit some sales. My intention was to save this for a gift, but it has been worth every penny.)

Get a haircut and play like the big kids.

Make "crystals" from a home science experiment kit.

Or read a good book.

Valentine's Celebrations

I realize that Valentine's Day is just a "made-up by the card industry" holiday. But it is still FUN!! Around here, we are all about doing things to create memories as a family. If that means doing silly holiday celebrations, so be it. Valentine's Day happens to be a particularly special day for us to show our love for other people. What a perfect opportunity to go out of our way to be more Christ-like toward one another! (Obviously, that should be our every moment's focus. Special days just help us to really put forth our best efforts.)

I would love to hear some of your Valentine's Day traditions. I am always looking for new ideas. If you have a special place you go, meal you make, treat you bake, gift you give or receive, or unique idea...please leave me a comment or message through facebook.

If I Had a Million Dollars, Part 1

I would have enough bedrooms so that each of my kids could have their own. Then, when I told them to go clean their rooms, they wouldn't try to blame their messes on each other. They would each have their own space to go when sent to their rooms. And Micah could have his own room instead of using up the space in the master bedroom closet. Our closet has a window, regular light, and a heating/cooling vent. He is not neglected or locked in a traditional closet. I just don't like it when he messes his diaper while playing in his crib. Pretty sure all of my clothes smell.

I would have two washers and two dryers. One set could be for clothing and the other for towels, sheets, and other things.

"I Told You...

...that you kids were going to turn Micah into a little monster!"

It is official. Micah has begun to have fits, temper tantrums, and spazzoids. This week, suddenly, the tide has turned. Months of giving into his cute cries and fusses have lead to an almost 2-year-old boy who is spoiled by his siblings. He doesn't want to share his lap space or his toys. Little Dude yells the words MEAN and MEANIE liberally. You had better not look at him the wrong way.

He is particular about how his food is served. The following video clip was taken this morning when he said his Raisin Bran was "cold". Go figure. Cold cereal being cold???!!!

WARNING: Turn the volume down. I mean it.

Thankful Thursday

Last week I decided that I should do an occasional list of things/people/ideas/whatever I am thankful for. Then I had the idea that I could do a "Thankful Thursday". I am sure that it is not an original idea. It is even a little dorky. I still want to do it. I like dorky things. And I love the alliteration in the title. When I decided to do a "Thankful Thursday" it was a Friday. My plan is to post what I am thankful for during the time period that I am posting.


Today I am thankful:

*For beach towels. They make an amazing carpet covering during a bout of stomach flu.

*For anti-bacterial wipes. So great for cleaning sinks and bathrooms during a bout of stomach flu.

*For homeschooling. It provides us with a flexible schedule during a bout of stomach flu. Homeschooling also enables us to avoid many germs, making this our first virus of any sort during the 2008-2009 school year.

*For empty ice cream buckets during a bout of stomach flu.

*That this will pass. A promise that I cling to during a bout of stomach flu.

40 Years Ago

40 years ago today my father was on an airplane on his way to Vietnam. He was a young 18 year old boy. A man by government standards. A boy in the eyes of his family. A young man ready to fight for his country. A brave boy who volunteered to fight. A son who didn't know what was to come.

We haven't spoken specifically about how he was feeling on the airplane. I can only imagine the range of his emotions. Excitement, fear, nervousness, curiosity, and anxiety. Maybe it was his first flight. Who was there to see him off? What were his parents and other family members doing when he left? I have so many questions about that time.

So many answers are clouded by the memories and pain of his Vietnam experience. Someday I would like to write it all out for him. I would be honored to chronicle his time spent in the military. But now is not the time. It is still too difficult and too painful for him.

He wasn't in Vietnam very long. He was shot and nearly died. He saw things and heard things and felt things that no eighteen year old should have to come across. He lost friends and fellow soldiers. He was changed forever.

Fast-forward 40 years. He is a father of six. A grandpa of 11, soon to be 13. A friend to many. Tomorrow he will go on another plane ride. This time for a vacation with my mom to Mexico. I am sure he is going to taste some of those same emotions on the plane. But my prayer is that he will bring back wonderful memories. And maybe a suntan, too. :)