10-17-15 Our Day in Black and White

10-16-15 Long long drive

C had the day off from school, and my aunt and uncle from California are visiting my parents so we decided to make a long weekend of it and join them! We headed out around 12:30 today for what should have been a less than two hour drive. Five hours later we got here. Seriously, that was a horrible drive. 

There was a suspicious package on the Wilson Bridge that had half the bridge shut down so we sat on the beltway for a long time. We got off and decided to go the other way only to find that it was really backed up to. So we decided to head through town. Guess what, also backed up!! We finally made it through. 

Since we were stuck on main roads and highways we couldn't really stop to let the kids out at all, so the poor little ones were stuck in their car seats for that entire time! We were all very glad to get here and stretch our legs! 

10-15-15 Poor Baby

I got this fellow home this evening to find that he is running a fever. This is unfortunate because we are supposed to go visit family this weekend. He went to bed early and mama is going to bed early too in anticipation of being up a lot with this sick little guy. Prayers appreciated that this passes quickly and doesn't spread to anyone else. Thanks!

10-14-15 SBD Syndrome

SBD Syndrome, better known as Shaken Bus Driver Syndrome is a serious condition. It is the result of a school bus running ahead of schedule and the driver deciding to let a five year old off the bus without an adult present!!!

That's right, C's bus dropped her off a few minutes early this afternoon even though there was no adult there to get her!!! Fortunately our neighbor was out walking his dog and he noticed her standing at our door with the eight year old neighbor girl, ringing the door bell and knocking. His wife came out and watched her until her ride arrived (on time!) 

School policy dictates that when there is no adult present a child stays on the bus and rides back to school and waits there until an adult can pick them up. 

This is not the first time this has happened. One day Tim was home and lost track of time. He looked up, saw the time and headed for the door just as C was ringing the doorbell. Yup, the driver had dropped her off without an adult in sight. 

I've contacted the school and the department of transportation. Also, Tim will be seeing the driver in the morning at pick up. They better assure me that this will not be happening again. 

Meanwhile this evening I had to answer a lot of questions about being left alone and why would someone do that, and about how scared she was. Poor little girl. I'd have been scared too! 

10-13-15 But Gracie says that...

It happened tonight. 

We got home a little late this evening. The clouds were threatening rain, but I promised the kids they could play outside for a few moments. C's mind latches on to strange things to play and this evening she couldn't decide if she wanted to play Pokemon or Sonic. After a few moments, she landed on Sonic and she would be Amy. (My knowledge of Sonic ends with the first video game, but I'm guessing there is a character named Amy in one of the games.) Big E decided he would be Sonic. Within moments they were running back and forth, giggling and laughing. As C stopped to catch her breath she leaned over, put her hands on her knees and panted out, "Oh my God!" 

Is that what I just heard? 

I asked her. She repeated it. Yes, I heard her right.

My heart sank. We don't use that phrase in our house. In fact, that actually ranks higher on our things we don't say list than cursing. And I just heard it come out of my five year olds mouth. 

I pulled her aside and explained that we don't say that. That it is disrespectful. That she is allowed to say Oh my goodness. She looked me straight in the eye and said, but Gracie says it all the time!

Ugh! 

From context clues, I'm guessing Gracie is a kid in her class- the first evidence that I can't and won't be able to control all her influences. So, I have to counter them. We talked about what happened, why she shouldn't say it, why Gracie's parents might allow her to say it. She said she understood, but I heard it slip two more times this evening. So sad this battle is starting so early, but it is a good reminder that I have to be on my toes. I need to be more observant and ask more questions. 

So when the next 'Gracie' teaches my kid bad habits, I will be ready.

I am watching the leaves fall off the tree. 

10-12-15 MOPS night

How has a month passed already that tonight was once again MOPS night!?! This evening's topic was about walking your kids through difficult issues, (ie- anxiety about school, doctors, peer pressure, etc.) we had a panel of speakers with a range of expertise that tackled these topics and really provided useful, knowledgeable help! 

C has been voicing some concerns over the past few days about school and it was incredibly helpful to hear from teachers and a school psychologist about ways to approach the issue and how to open up lines of communication between me and her school. 

I know I've mentioned it before, but it's worth repeating! I love MOPS! If you are a mom with small kids, it is such a lifeline to be plugged into a group of women going through the same season of life as yourself. 

I picked the kids up after MOPS and they were pretty cranky. To be fair, it was way past their bedtime and they were obviously tired. Honestly I dreaded bringing them home with the anticipation of the bedtime struggle. And even though I knew they were tired, I was shocked that all three fell asleep before we got home (just a few blocks from where I picked them up!)

C's homework tonight was pretty adorable. The assignment was to draw and label three things that begin with the letter T. She chose Teacher, Tiger, and Tomato. 

Today was a really beautiful day. The sky was blue and the temps were perfect! Wish I could have spent more time enjoying it! 

10-11-15 Date Night

Remember when date night included getting dressed up heading out for a night on the town?

Enter small children!

Our sister and brother in law watched the kids for a few hours today so we could go on a date!! Our date consisted of a trip to Walmart and the grocery store followed by some Mexican carry out and a movie from the redbox. It might not have been glamorous, but it was much needed time well spent with my best friend!  

Thanks Davey and Laura for watching the savages! 

10-10-15 Touch a Truck

Today was Touch a Truck Day! The local fire department and EMS brought out their trucks for the kids to get the chance to see them up close and play inside them. The kids had seen a fire truck at Maryland Day this past year, but we're too timid to get too close, so I wasn't sure how this would go. C  jumped in feet first, but it took Big E a little while to get over his trepidation. When he finally did, he had a blast! 

Look how big those wheels are!

C- My favorite truck was the blue one (the ambulance) because of the pretty lady that worked in it! 

Still nervous about getting in a truck, but we convinced him to get in the big tanker.

He finally agreed when C said she would get in with him. 

After that he was hooked and wanted to sit in every truck!

He liked this one because they let him pull the chain and blow the horn!

What a great chance to introduce the kids to such an important resource in our community. Thanks for the folks that put that together!

Baby's first Panera! He likes their bread.

This afternoon/evening we got to spend some time with the cousins. My sister in law had an unfortunate run in with her finger and a knife this afternoon and had to get stitches, so we watched the kids. 

I love C's expression in this picture! 

What a crazy busy day, but it was wonderful!

10-09-15 Baby's first hotdog bun

Sorry, nothing more exciting in this post than a baby eating his very first hotdog bun. 

He devoured it! 

Oh wait...  Here's a picture of baby trying to climb the stairs. Yikes! We need gates pronto! 

And here's a picture of my best friend! 

Ha ha! Can you tell it's Friday and I'm tired? I'll do better tomorrow! 

Big E- What is that on your arm?!?

Me- Hair. Everyone has hair on their arms.

Big E- I like to eat mine, it's tasty. (He then proceeds to suck on his arm.)

10-08-15 Goodnight Little One

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.  Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.  (Psalm 139:13-16)

10-07-15 Please Just Sleep

After months and months of middle of the night feelings, Baby E finally started sleeping through the night a few weeks ago. I was really excited. The prospect of more than 3-4 hours straight of sleep was beginning to seem like a mythical creature. And then one night he slept, all night long. What a glorious night! Afraid it was a fluke, I dreaded the next night. However to my delight he did it again. And again. And again! Blessed freedom!! Finally!

But then one night not long after, it began... The big kids started getting up. Every night, multiple times a night. It was mostly Big E calling us in for ridiculous things like I'm hot, can you take off my blanket... Or... I want a drink! (His cup is literally six inches from his bed.) Then C stated school and everyone started getting sick with runny noses and coughs and no one was sleeping well. But even as they have gotten better, Big E is not sleeping through the night, 

I remember when C went through this stage. It was horrible. We were living in the farmhouse and the kids were in separate rooms. Her room was right next to ours and she would get up and wander into our room and refuse to go back to bed. Or she would scream for us in the middle of the night. 3-4 times a night. We tried everything... Discipline, a reward chart. We even let her sleep with us for a bit before putting her back in her room, but she would throw a fit. We were so tired!

One day we had some construction done in Big E's room so he had to spend the night in C's room. I was dreading it because I just knew she would be waking him up all night long. But you know what happened? Nothing. She slept. All night. After that night we moved her into Big E's room and we had less problems with her sleeping. 

But here we are with Big E doing the same thing, (He has come down twice to use the bathroom while I have been typing this.) I'm praying this phase doesn't last long! In the meantime, coffee will have to do!

I got to do some homework with C tonight!

C- Grownups sometimes have to tell you to stop, they aren't being mean, they just don't want you to wake someone up... Or get hurt.... Or get killed. 

10-06-15 Eleven Months

Dearest Goobs,

I can't believe that you turned eleven months today. It is unfathonable to me that it has been almost a year since we first met face to face. You are an interesting little fellow, whose personality falls smack dab between your sister and your brother. You have your C's strong will combined Big E's happy nature. You look like them both as well; C's cheeks and Big E's eyes. 

You love to eat constantly. When we don't feed you quickly enough you scream at us. I'm pretty sure that you will be the teenager that eats us out of house and home! You just learned to crawl last week, but you are already pulling yourself up on anything within reach, and I can tell you are aching to walk. You get annoyed when the big kids try to love on you and you always squeal at them and swat them away. You are starting to give kisses on command. Your eyes nearly disappear when you smile. You still talk like a gremlin. You say mama and dada. 

I asked the big kids some questions about you this evening. 

1. What is your favorite thing about Baby E?

C- That Baby E's cute and he sleeps so cute and he makes a funny face!

Big E- I don't know. 

2. How old is baby E?

C- Twelve... No! I mean 8 months. 

Big E- 1,000

3. What do you think is cute about Baby E?

C- That he makes cute faces. 

Big E- When he sleeps and cries. 

4. What do you want to teach Baby E when he gets older?

C- How to be kind to other people when he grows up.

Big E- I don't know. 

5. What is Baby E's favorite thing to do?

C- Screaming! When we do raspberries. 

Big E- Screaming! 

So there you have it buddy, that's what the big kids think of you! The truth is they adore you, they just don't know how handle you gently. You always think you are under attack, but lately you have been fighting back where you can and I'm convinced you will be able to hold your own, 

By the way, thanks for the cuddles tonight. They were awesome! 

Love, Mommy

10-05-15 Grandma

My last living biological grandparent passed away less than a year before Tim and I got married. My grandmother had been sick on and off again towards the end. One day we got a call that she was in the hospital and so we travelled the 6+ hours to see her. I brought Tim with me to meet her and when I introduced them she smiled. A few weeks later she was gone.  

She was never the doting, affectionate type. She didn't bake us cookies or knit us blankets. But when we were little, she made the best scrambled eggs. We used to run in the field around her house and suck on the honeysuckles that grew up the trellis next to her house. She had a large cat named John Kitty, and later one named Molly. She got remarried the summer before my eighth grade year and for the first time I got to know a grandfather. She was a godly woman that loved the Lord, and I know she loved us too. 

I wish she had lived longer. I wish she had seen me get married. I wish she could have blessed my children. But my timing isn't God's timing and she was ready to go. 

I see her sometimes, in the face of my oldest. It's the way C purses her lips when she is in deep concentration. It's a flicker, so brief I almost miss it. But it's there. I see her in Baby E as well, in the way his lips form when he is eating. I'm sure she is in my face too. 

And though this side of heaven we won't meet again, it is comforting to know her smile will live on for generations to come.