10-20-15 Missing One

Big E was still running a fever this morning, so instead of leaving him at the sitter with other kids, Tim decided to take him to work and let him sit in the office. 

This totally brought me back to my own childhood. We spent countless (literally countless) hours at the shop growing up. When school was out, or we were sick, or during summer vacation we headed to the shop. Back then there was no Netflix to pass the time.

My parents did have a thirteen inch black and white tv with rabbit ears that sometimes worked and sometimes didn't. It got a total of five channels on its best day, with the antenna wrapped in foil and positioned just so. We would sit on a floral print couch that released clouds of dust when you flopped down. It smelled faintly of lacquer thinner. When the TV wasn't working, or we got bored we would get out large brooms and sweep 'tracks' around the dust on the floor and race each other. At times we would each get on a moving dolly and chase each other around. No pain matched running over your fingers, though. The large empty drying rack dollies became houses and castles. Empty wooden 'horses' were majestic steeds. The forklift was a jungle gym and the loading bay was a mountain to be scaled. 

We played in empty dumpsters and 50 gallon drums. We walked tightrope on spray gun cables and drew pictures in the dirt stuck to the compressors. The air sprayer forced your face in funny contortions and made your clothes whip around like a hurricane. Boxes of rags made fancy clothes and the car jack was an amusement park ride. 

We had a unique childhood to say the least!!!

With Big E gone, it was just me and the other two. The dynamic is always different without them all together. For the most part it is quieter, however Baby E has started screaming like a banshee to get what he wants, which is a really irritating habit!

It was an uneventful bedtime, for which I am thankful! 

On time hop on FB, this photo came up from last year. It made me smile. 

And this came up from two years ago. Must have been an eventful day! 

10-19-15 I'm a dork!

It's true, I'm a dork... Especially when it comes to word games and puzzles. So I was pretty excited to find these babies at the store this evening. 

I've always loved words and language. I spent many years learning French and German, and to a shorter extent, Japanese. I've love reading classic literature, my favorites being Dickens, the Bronte sisters, and Jane Austen. And my all time favorite game is Scrabble. (Btw- my scrabble arch nemesis is my brother-in-law, Davey.) I also enjoy crossword puzzles, word searches, and anything that scrambles up letters. 

I see that love of language in my daughter. Her passion is books, and I love watching her 'read' them. She takes great care to choose out which one she wants to read next. We spent a lot of time reading to her when she was a baby, but when the others came along there was less time for reading, so the boys did not get as much exposure. But we try to make story time very enjoyable and Tim is great with making all the appropriate character voices. 

10-18-15 Family

Despite the ridiculous five hour drive out to my parents' house, it turned out to be a lovely weekend! The kids enjoyed seeing their grandparents, playing with their Aunt Julie, and seeing their great aunt and uncle. It was funny to see Big E seek out my uncle's company during our trip.

Baby E was pretty fussy all weekend and he slept a lot, but I think it was him getting over his fever and apparently he is teething. He now has molars on the bottom (and as I am typing, Tim is sticking his finger in Baby E's mouth to find out if he has ones on the top.) Nope, just the bottom. 

The kids got to sit in the back of GP's new red Camero, and I even got a chance to drive it! That was fun! They also got to paint pumpkins, make and decorate cookies, do some crafts, and play on the computer! No wonder Big E was pretty disappointed when we told them we were heading home! 

But as always, it is nice to be home. We will be doing some unpacking and then off to bed! 

We loved visiting with aunt and uncle! 

Ok, so I am officially hooked on adult coloring books. Seriously addictive. And yes. It took me all weekend to do this picture! C thought it was awesome that we got to color together. 

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!