A Fuzzy Craft

On the morning of Friday, April 20, I dug out these crafts that I had purchased around Easter time. There were two posters that had a black fuzzy background and two markers. I let the boys pick out which poster they wanted (a kitten or a bunny) and which color marker. This was one time where they both agreed on which ones they wanted - no fighting! Joshua picked the green marker while Caleb picked the bunny, so they were both happy to take the opposite of what the other had picked.

Then they carefully colored every last spot that was white while staying away from the black. I was amazed at how long it took them to color these since they were being so careful not to color the fuzzy parts. At first I sat with them, then I got moving to clean the house. It was a fun, yet productive day. While Ryan napped, I scrubbed the bathrooms, dusted, swept & mopped, finished our laundry, put clothes away, etc. The boys were having fun coloring, and when they were finished we went to the gym (as I posted about earlier with Ryan having a blast in the ball pit!) and then played together.

When Mamaw & Papaw arrived the following day from Florida, Joshua gave them their crafts that they had worked on. :)

High Five

On Friday, April 20, I went to the gym for the 12:15 body pump class. The kidz club was pretty well empty at the time, so the one worker put Ryan in the ball pit with his older brothers. He was having a BLAST!!! He was throwing balls into the air and giggling. I loved watching him having fun with her safely sitting next to him making sure he was okay. Then, for the first time that I've seen, he gave her a "high five" when she asked for it. Such sweetness! :)

The Dentist

On Tuesday, April 17, it was my table's turn to help with childcare at Bible study. I emailed the woman in charge and said that I could only help in Ryan's room because I didn't want to leave him and his frequent diaper changing needs. But, I was blessed by the other moms who had so willingly served when it was their turn and I didn't want to miss our week. She said that worked great for her. There were twin girls and one other little boy in his room that morning, and I could tell the boy was super sick. Even the girls had runny noses. But, the other little boy wanted to cuddle and cried most of the morning. UGH!

I was impressed, however, with the clean-up procedures of the room. When it was nearing the end of the morning, we took turns changing diapers and then I wiped down all the major toys with bleach wipes before we put them away and all the little toys got put into the sink with hot soapy water where we scrubbed them down. There also wasn't a single toy in there without batteries. Someone takes very good care of the toys at Calvary Church! And, there were notes to put on gloves before wiping a baby's nose and to wash the child's hands before dropping him or her off, which I think is great.

The morning went as well as it could have, with only one major explosion from Ry-guy (from his antibiotics - he was feeling better by then but still on the medication). He played well and enjoyed the toys in the room and didn't seem to mind when mama was playing with other little ones. He started playing with a toy that I remembered playing with when I was a baby. How strange that I haven't seen it in YEARS (probably over 30 years, honestly) and yet when I saw it I remembered what sounds it should make and how it felt when I pushed on the buttons. :)

On Thursday, April 19, Caleb had a dentist appointment in the afternoon to get his teeth cleaned and checked. I called dad to see if he would mind staying with Joshua while I took Caleb, but he's not much for the baby stage so I took Ryan with me. Caleb said as soon as we pulled in, "Hey, we've been here before!" Yep, it's true. We go every six months like clockwork. But, I'm glad that they don't seem scared of the dentist. I think Dr. Miller tries very hard to make it as fun as possible. Here are some pictures of Caleb checking out the office "pet."

Caleb had no desire to ride the mechanical horse. While he's often bold, there are some things that still make him nervous.

In general, though, he was tired and not really interested in playing with any of the toys. I made the appointment in the afternoon because of preschool drop off and pick up. But, he's typically napping at this time so he was pretty low key that day. Even with tons of toys to play with, he climbed right up into the chair and agreed to some pictures before the dentist even came over to us.

Ryan did fairly well there, too. He didn't love being in the stroller, so I let him cruise around holding onto things. Eventually he tried to step while holding onto a small kiddo stool, but it wasn't sturdy enough to support him and they both toppled over before I could catch him. Whoops! The dentist gave him a rubber ducky and he was smiling again.

They asked Caleb if he'd like to play with the tons of trains and millions of toys, but he said he just wanted to sit in the chair. It didn't matter to me either way. :)

Then Dr. Aaron Miller came over and looked at his teeth, and he told me that Caleb is no longer nervous and no longer needs to be considered a "star" patient but can be seen by the hygienists because he's easygoing. The only thing that Caleb didn't do while we were there was talk. To anyone. Literally they would say hi and he didn't say a word. What is up with that? I told him to tell them his name, his age, and answer the questions and he didn't open those lips once. WHAT!?!? How is it that I have one boy that could talk the ear off an elephant and the next will barely say 'boo' in public?

The dentists always do a trick where they push a sticker and at the same time make a squeaking noise. Caleb loved this and told me later that all the stickers there squeak. Haaa!!!

After being told that there are no cavities and no reasons for concern, the hygienist cleaned his teeth. The dentist had also said that we won't know anything more about Caleb's front tooth (whether his adult teeth are affected by that one tooth that currently has two heads) until his first set of x-rays, and those are necessary for right now. So, we'll wait until they make recommendations. For now, everything looks great!

At one point, the hygienist told Caleb that she was going to need her finger back so he'd have to open wider. Otherwise, it was a smooth appointment and didn't last long. Afterward, he was offered a prize while I put Ryan back in the stroller. Do you know what he picked? A ladybug necklace that when opened has lip gloss inside. Along with it came a slap bracelet. Those sound like girl prizes, you say? Why, yes, they are meant for girls. But that's what he picked when I wasn't next to him, and so that's what he got. The gal at check out (who I think is our dentist's sister, or the main dentist's daughter) helped Caleb open his lady buy necklace and put the bracelet on. :) :) :)

We went home from our adventure, grateful that there were no areas of concern and that we don't need to go back with Caleb for six months. Joshua's appointment is next month.

Shawn was in Philly that entire day for a work meeting and originally I was going to go out with some friends for a mom's night out, but enough folks had to cancel that we decided to reschedule. So, we went shopping with Mamaw that evening to get some fresh fruit and things (thanks, Mom!). It was a nice way to pass the time without Daddy being there. :)

Happy 67-month birthday, Joshua!

On Wednesday, April 18, Joshua turned 67 months old. Earlier that week, Daddy gave the boys a much-needed haircut. Joshua's hair is so much like Shawn's! It's fluffy and full of calics, and when it gets long it's highly unmanageable. We can wet it down and comb it and within minutes it will stand out and get funky. So, shorter is better even though the kids don't necessarily enjoy sitting still for a hair cut.

Joshua's adult teeth are starting to come in. His bottom left was first, and I just noticed the bottom right is starting to poke it's way through. He is really excited to have some teeth growing back in! He tells me that God is answering our prayers, and I couldn't agree more. :) He also feels like a big boy with grown-up teeth! I'm happy that he's excited, and I've told him how important it is to brush, brush, brush those teeth.

When I took Ryan to the doctor's on Thursday, April 12, the only time they had was an 11:10 appointment.  I knew that I couldn't be at the doctor's office then and back to pick Joshua up from preschool by 11:30. I had to leave to take Joshua to preschool before determining a final way for him to get home. I called my sister but her son Daniel who's typically also in preschool at the same time was throwing up that morning. I called my mom, and ended up leaving a message because she had already left for her yoga class. I had called Shawn, and he said he would leave work if he had to, but it wasn't a great day for it. I told him I'd let him know either way as soon as possible. So, upon arriving at preschool, I told his teacher that someone other than me would be picking him up because my little guy had a doctor's appointment. Joshua is all about routine, so I warned him that someone else would pick him up, and I also like to alert the teacher to look for someone else so she knows that I know he's safe to go with a different person. I told her I wasn't sure if it would be my hubby or mom, but someone would be there. Mrs. Zimmerman asked me a few details and then offered to let Joshua stay until I could come. I was blown away by the offer. Typically if families are late, they are charged a fee and not all teachers are even able to stay late because of other family obligations. She told me that she's typically at school until 1 pm and specifically noted that Joshua is always an amazing little boy and would do just fine with her. She would let him play with the preschool aide's daughter, if she was there that day, and if not, he could help her clean up and put things away. She promised it wouldn't be any trouble at all, and she even offered to bring him to the pediatrician if I thought I'd be later than 1 pm when she leaves. I assured her that there was no way I'd be later than 1 pm with an 11:10 appointment. So, I told him he was going to stay and be Mrs. Zimmerman's helper, and he was fine with that.

All this long story to say that I honestly don't think Mrs. Zimmerman would have offered to let just any child stay behind. I think this truly shows how well-behaved and helpful Joshua is in school. She knew that she could count on him to help her clean up and behave while she was getting ready for the following day. I was blessed beyond measure by her offer and by the fact that she held my son in such high regard. I called Shawn and told him not to worry about coming. I told my mom when she called and said she already had plans that he was just going to stay at preschool. And I was only ten minutes late to pick him up, but he wasn't at all rattled. :)

Joshua has finally turned a corner where he rarely naps in the afternoon anymore. He insists that children at five don't need to sleep. So, I've been letting him do more and more during his quiet time. A couple days ago, he colored us a picture that was lovely. I just say that it's "no media" time, meaning he can't watch TV or play Wii or be on the computer. I want it to be quiet time that is semi-constructive. Sometimes we play together and other times he does activities on his own while I use the time to get things done. He is so good that I trust him to be in a room by himself without doing things he shouldn't.

Another major feat has been wiping himself when he goes potty. I told him he can't go off to school unless he's relatively self-sufficient. And he is now; although we check to make sure still. Soon enough we won't need to.

Joshua loves stories. When we go for walks around the neighborhood, he'll ask me to tell him more and more Bible stories. I'm amazed at how much he is soaking in and what he remembers. He is truly a sponge! He also remembers every line to movies he's enjoyed, so I'm trying to remember that little ears hear and remember more than we realize.

We've been talking this week about the five senses, and I had the inspiration to break each one down to what the Bible says about them. What do we do with our mouths? We talk and we eat. The Bible sure has a lot to say on both those subjects! He is working on learning the verse Ephesians 4:29 "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit all who listen." He has the first part down and we're working on the rest. In the next couple weeks, we'll talk about the importance of guarding our eyes, ears, etc.

How I pray that my children will grow up with faith to move mountains! I'm grateful for Joshua's interest in learning. :)

Joshua was at the doctor's office the following week after his birthday and was diagnosed with strep throat. On April 26, he weighed exactly 41 pounds with jeans on. He was thrilled to have hit the 40 pound mark! :) Oh my skinny Bean! How I love you! Happy 67-month birthday!

Easter Take Two

The Monday night after Easter, my students handed in their end-of-semester papers. With more students in my class than ever before, I did nothing but grade for the next two weeks in my free time. That meant no picture taking, no blogging, no writing down the kids' cute comments. And while you think you'll remember them to post later, unfortunately as time passes you don't. So, we went to the gym, ate, slept, played some and graded like it was my job. :)

As I had posted about before, on Thursday, April 12, I took Ryan to the doctor's office and he had been put on strong antibiotics for 10 days to clear out his ear infection. With it came blowout city for my little man. We didn't go anywhere as a family initially because he was sick and then because of the diarrhea. We cleaned everything from his high chair to the crib to the changing table and beyond. I felt SO bad for him! But, when that Sunday rolled around, I asked Shawn what he wanted to do. I hadn't gone to Thanksgiving with his extended family because Ryan was sick, and I didn't mind missing Easter too; but I didn't want them to be offended. After thinking about it, Shawn said he'd like me to come and bring Ryan. We were prepared with extra clothes and everything short of a hose to spray him down. The day ended up going fine, so he made the right call.

I baked pineapple stuffing to take along for dinner since they were having ham. I wasn't sure if people liked it or not, but I had three different people ask me to write down the recipe for them, so I think it was a hit with most. I know we enjoy it. :) Before lunch, they had an egg hunt for the kids. The boys enjoyed looking for eggs with their cousins, as you can tell from the pictures.

The even put some egg shaker toys out on the grass for little Ryan and Jordyn.

Ryan was more interested in the grass and happenings around him than the eggs at the time. :)

After the egg hunt was over, the kids started opening their eggs to see what they had gotten. I thought the picture below of Joshua with his cousins Grant and Jordon was adorable. Joshua loves them!

Caleb was there; he was just sitting with his bestest buddy:

Soon it was time for dinner. Ryan & Jordyn sat next to each other at the table, which was nice because I could visit with Jess. Jordyn took Ryan's first graham cracker. He didn't even see it coming! She eats so well, I was amazed at all she had.

Here's Jordyn with her daddy Don (Shawn's cousin); she's enjoying her dessert. :)

As you can tell from her bright pink cheeks and sweaty adorable hair, it was a beautiful hot day! We were blessed with nice weather. :)

After dinner was over, Don & Jessica took out their bouncy house that Shawn's Uncle Jim & Aunt Shari had bought for their son Ben. My boys loved jumping in it. They said it was the favorite part of their day. :)

It was getting toward bed time when I said to Shawn that Ryan was about at his limit. Aunt Gayle had already announced that she was on her way out, and I figured it was time to go as well. When we got home, the boys opened their Easter "baskets" (or bags) from Nonie & Poppy and were in awe of all the snacks they got, along with bubbles and some other fun things. We put the candy they had received into a little bucket and put away all the rest of our Easter things and decorations until next year. It had been a fun Easter. :)

Happy 45-month birthday, Caleb Luke!

 Easter Sunday, April 8, was also Caleb's 45-month birthday. For how adorable he looked in his little suit outfit, the morning was not one of his better days. First, he got some sort of scratch above his nose near his eyebrow, which you can kind of see in some of these pictures. We asked him about it, and he said it happened at church when he fell. I have no idea what happened, but it didn't seem to bother him. He also had no desire to get his picture taken with the family that afternoon, which was frustrating to me who spent so much time getting the outfits together. But, later he told me "the sun was in my eyes." I will enjoy the day that he will take the time to communicate better rather than just stubbornly not listen. He is SO strong-willed! But, he's quiet, too, which is a different combination than I'm used to. I need to pray about how to bend the will without breaking his spirit.

He woke up from his nap much more ready to comply with our requests, though, and I think he felt bad for the frustration he had caused earlier in the day. One thing I will say about and to my boys is no matter what they say or do, I will always love them and always like them. They are precious to me! The afternoon was fun with the family, and I've already posted about the egg and basket hunts, etc. So, I'll use the rest of this space to say where Caleb is at in this stage of life.

First, a preschool mother came up to me and told me her little girl has a huge crush on Caleb. She said that her little one will dance around saying "I'm the princess and Caleb is my prince." How sweet is that? I've heard it from other moms about Joshua, but this is the first time I've heard about someone liking Caleb. I smiled at the mom, but I'm not sure Caleb even knows little girls exist yet. This is one way I think girls and boys are different. I asked Shawn about crushes he had when he was younger, and he notes that he was way more interested in sports than women for a long time. I hope that's the case for my little guys as well! :) :) :)

Caleb had his report back from his teacher not long ago, and she noted that she "observed consistently" all areas of academics but noted that he's extremely shy when it comes to playing with his peers. I'm also hoping he outgrows this stage. Shawn is also shy, and I've never known what it's like; but Daddy said it's better for them if they can learn to overcome it. Caleb reminds me of Shawn in almost all aspects of life. :)

Caleb is starting to learn to sound out/spell some words. The other night, I asked Shawn if we should let the boys watch an "M-O-V-I-E" and Caleb said without missing a beat "I'd LOVE to watch a movie!" Yikes! Shawn spelled out Franklin, and Joshua said "Franklin sounds great!" I fear we're going to have to learn a new language to keep ahead of these little men!

Caleb is also starting to hold his pencil correctly. He naturally goes to his original way of learning first but will correct himself and say "is this how I should hold the pencil?" I'm glad to see the change, as I think it will help him with school.

Caleb has loved going to Universal to get his energy out. It has been a big blessing to us. He'll even go when given the opportunity to stay home with Daddy (if we're taking turns going because the baby is sick,etc).

My little man's favorite foods are plain pasta noodles, peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, cheese sticks, blueberries, applesauce and grapes. He also enjoys goldfish and crackers, and his favorite cereal these days is Honey Nut Cheerios.

Caleb enjoys singing songs, playing with puzzle books and playing with toys in general. He also enjoys rocking and will ask me to join in when I'm rocking the baby before bed time. He is such a snuggle bug at night! I love it! He'll say "let's make a Caleb 'samich!'" Meaning, let's put me in the middle of either Mama and Joshua in our big king bed or Mama and Daddy and we'll all cuddle. Since this is my love language, I also enjoy this time immensely. :)

Happy 45-month birthday, my sweet Caleb Luke!

Hoppy Easter

Aren't these the cutest little bunnies you've ever seen? I love them! :) :) :)

I was SO happy to have Shawn home in time for Easter. I had been nervous about his flying, etc. and was thankful that he was home to spend the holiday with us. Praise You, Lord, for keeping him safe!

Bummer that this picture below was blurry of me and the Bean (can you tell Daddy took it?)

Ryan wasn't too sure that he loved the bunny ears. :) I thought he looked so cute in them!

Easter Sunday we got up, got ready and went to church as a family. As I put on facebook "Over 60 plastic eggs filled for a hunt, 24 eggs painted and decorated, 8 resurrection biscuits baked and enjoyed, five outfits picked out for church, three baskets filled with goodies for the ONE and only risen Savior!"

I realized after I put the boys' outfits on them that they don't own dress shoes. Typically they wear khakis, so we can get away with nicer sneakers. But, that morning in their ties and black dress pants, their orange and khaki sneakers stuck out like a sore thumb!

The above was our only family picture we got that day. Caleb said the sun hurt his eyes and chose to go in for naps rather than get a family picture. I was disappointed. But, such is life.

We still got one of me and my other two boys, looking might dapper in their Easter outfits. I enjoyed having a new dress to wear, and Mamaw purchased these outfits for the older boys. Ryan is wearing what Joshua wore on his first Easter. :) :) :)

Here's a picture of my three little men in their Easter outfits and ties together. :) :) :)

And here are me and my sweet little boys, fresh after their baths the night before. Is there anything better than cuddling with little men in PJs when they smell fresh from bath time? LOVE love love them!

After church, we made a little ham steak for just our little family with some hungry jack potatoes and creamed corn - easy, fast and delicious. We all napped that afternoon and enjoyed the egg hunt. Then we just relaxed and enjoyed the rest of the day as a family. We didn't have a family gathering to go to until the following week, so it was just a nice day at home to be together. :)

Hope you had a "Hoppy" Easter, too! He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! (Which we finally said at church this year!). I loved the sermon, too: "WOMAN, why are you weeping? Jesus is ALIVE!"