Kindergarten? Kindergarten!

As the kids are finishing up books from our last school year, and I'm sorting through everything and making plans for next year, I've come to a big realization- Isaac is ready for kindergarten!  I really believe children should not be pushed into formal academics until they are really ready for it.  Kids are born with an amazing hunger for learning, and nothing kills that hunger more than being forced to do something they are not ready for.  Over this past year I had a stack of Kumon books for Isaac to work out of because I knew he would want to participate in school as much as possible.  He did letters, numbers, tracing, colors, shapes, cutting, etc....  He also sat in on our history and science lessons. (and much to my amazement, would ask wonderful questions like "what is a pharaoh?" and "where is Mesopotamia?")  He's starting to read and spell, and already has handwriting as good as Bella's.  He'll turn 4 in August.  It's exciting to be taking this step with him, and, to be honest, a bit overwhelming to be adding another schooler and another baby right about the same time!  Luckily, my girls love to play teacher and will lend a helping hand without me even having to ask them to. Kindergarten, round 4, here we come!

It isn't just me, right?

Some days I look at my kids and think; You are amazing.  You really have the potential to do something great in this world and leave it a little better than when you entered it. 

Once in a while though I look at my kids and think; who are you and where did you come from? You are not my child because I think you are destined for a life of flipping burgers, living in someone's basement, and spending all your spare time with a game controller in your hands saying "pew-pew-pew"

Totally normal parenting thought from time to time, right?

coloring: it's serious business

It's noon people!

I'd like to introduce you all to the newest president of the Phi Beta Lazy fraternity:

and the vice president:

If you'd like to pledge, just stop by anytime after noon........ better make it after 1pm actually, to be sure the boys have in fact rolled out of bed.

Can you imagine how dull it would be if we had stopped at 3?

Isaac recently informed me that our puppy, Estella, walks around the house at night while we are all sleeping, saying "booyah".  He also says when he visits grandma's POND, he gets chased around by crazy mean crabs. (I should state for the record he probably hasn't been to grandma's pond for at least a year)  Is it OK to call your 3 year old a liar, or must I just give him the gentle label of "storyteller"?  Either way, he's full of jelly beans.

Something I love

I love office supplies and school supplies.  I'm a list maker so pens, papers, folders, etc... all have a special place in my weird little obsession with office supplies.  My number one though-

Sharpie Markers.  I love them. LOVE them!  I love the way they write, the way they smell (no worries, I don't sit around and sniff them; I just consider the scent one of the perks to using them), and the way they make everything so........ permanent.  I recently discovered how handy they are for my sewing projects too. (those water washable fabric pens can be so darn hard to see!)  I love them so much that even though Nahshon recently got ahold of one and colored all over my favorite chair in the living room, I didn't consider getting rid of them- I thought I should have a brown one because then it would have at least matched a bit.  Today I finally broke down and bought the 8 pack.  To be honest though, the one I really want to get is this:

Unless of course someone knows of an even larger pack? (supposedly they come in 39 different colors.)  What could I possibly need 30 (or all 39) different colors of Sharpie markers for?  I have no idea, but I'll bet I can think of a use for them. Off the top of my head, they would further help my color organizing of the kids!  (In our house, each kid has a favorite color, and I often try to buy according to their color so their is no confusion or fights about what belongs to who)  For now though, I think I'll use my new rainbow of wonderfulness to make a "honeydo" list for Jeremy. (aren't you excited hun?!?!?)

A wonderful birthday

Yesterday was my birthday, number 27, and what a great birthday it was.  Jeremy let me sleep in late, and I woke up to a clean house and a birthday brunch of french toast, hash browns, fresh strawberries, and apple pomegranate sparkling cider.  Yummy!

A couple months ago I planted flower seeds in the garden, but for a number of reasons, they didn't turn out.  The kids decided to buy me some new seeds, and tomorrow they will be planting them, along with vegetable seeds for me.  They also decided to get me the Topsy Turvy Tomato Tree, and bought a bunch of tomato and basil plants to go in it!! 

I'm very much looking forward to having fresh garden tomatoes this summer. (photo is from the internet, my plants don't have fruit yet)

Jeremy and I have birthdays that are only a few days apart, and we usually celebrate together.  This year my mother in law treated us to dinner at one of our favorite spots, Claim Jumper.

She also stayed at our house and watched the kids so we could enjoy a long awaited date night, bonus! 

Since Claim Jumper is right at the mall, we decided to make a quick stop before we headed over to my parent's house for dessert

Picked up a few new tank tops and a dress because I know I won't be lucky enough to have this cool, rainy weather all summer

My mom made one of my favorite desserts for my birthday, crème brulée! My parents also fulfilled one of our biggest kitchen wish list items:

A shiny red Kitchenaid Stand Mixer! I LOVE it! So far today I've made chocolate chip cookies with it, and blueberry banana bread.  Tomorrow we plan to try a couple of our dough recipes, can't wait!  (this is one of the huge perks of having birthdays so close- awesome shared gifts!!!)

Jeremy also surprised me with a movie

Charade with Audrey Hepburn and Carry Grant.  Honestly, these are two of my favorite classic actors, I have no idea why I've never heard of this movie!  I'm so glad Jeremy found out about it though because it was fabulous!

It was a wonderful, wonderful birthday.  Couldn't have asked for better.

♥ ♥ ♥

hmph

What in the world is that a picture of, you ask? Well, it's a couple of our spoons.  On the roof. Of the house behind our kitchen.  There is a window right above our kitchen sink, so it was rather obvious that "someone" tossed them out there.  My guess was going to be Nahshon, because he just looooves to throw stuff out of the kitchen windows. (like the time I was cooking, had all my ingredients lined up in little bowls, and he just lovingly started tossing them out the window. He's fun)  I asked the kids if anyone knew what happened, and to my surprise, Genna fessed up.  Here's the kicker though, she claims this happened on two separate occasions!!! Genna, you mean to tell me you accidentally tossed something out the window when trying to land it in the sink, it landed on the neighbors roof instead, and then you did it again on accident? Yeah, sure hun, I believe you.  I don't know the people that live there, and unless they are planning to de-moss sometime soon, I'm guessing they'll never even know.  I however, get a lovely view every time I'm at my sink to remind me of how angelic and perfect my children are.

A little vitamin C

What better way to cheer up from all this rain than with a little orange sunshine?  This is one of the latest skirts I made for Genna.  Orange is not normally a color she picks for herself, but it turns out she loves it! I used extra fabric to make her a matching headband, as well as some matching bracelets from pretty beads we had on hand.  She looks rather pretty, dontcha think??  :)

Finally, a new project picture

This is an apron I made for Jeremy as a birthday gift.  Jeremy is a great cook, and I wanted to do something from the heart for him on his special day, so an apron seemed like just the right thing.  Elijah picked out the fabric, which is a nice heavy, home-decor weight.  It feels almost like canvas, which I think is perfect when making an apron for a man.  I'm pleased with how it turned out, and most importantly, so was Jeremy!  It's already covered with flour, which I consider awesome because that means he's actually using it.  :)  The large blue pocket is divided into 3 different sized pockets.  Genna thought that would be great for when he's working on the grill, that way he'll have a place to keep a meat thermometer or some tongs handy.  It was a little tricky to do "secret sewing", but it was also a lot of fun making something for my love's 30th birthday.  Happy cooking Jeremy!

Someday.....

I'll find a super secret spot to put my camera connection cord.  One where I will remember it's location, but the kids will never know.  For now, I will finish getting things ready for the old man's birthday tomorrow. (Jeremy is turning 30!!!!!!!) 

Brilliant!

I came across this on a blog, and thought the idea was just too genius not to share.  My kids all love puzzles, and I love for them to have puzzles, but it seems the pieces eventually get lost. (or, someone accidentally knocks it off the shelf and all the pieces go flying, most likely to have one or two land behind a bookcase or slide under the stove)  Here is the solution to that problem:

Puzzle Pockets

Simple, inexpensive, fantastic. Wish I had thought of it myself.

Send in the negotiator

It's no secret to any parent that sometimes kids are more influenced by other kids rather than the adults in their life.  Such was the case for me last night.  Isaac was being a pill about eating his dinner.  It was nothing new or a food he hates (In fact it was one of his favorites: chicken noodle soup), he was just being stubborn because he wanted to play Wii.  I told him he needed to eat 6 bites and then he may be excused.  Naturally, he tried to "cute" his way out of it. (big smile, tilting his head, so sweetly telling me he didn't want to)  Bella then piped up "How about you eat five bites, and then one more?"  Of course Isaac happily replied "OK!"  Just like that, the problem was solved and peace was restored.  Wish I could have thought of that, but I'm glad I've got a few professional negotiators to have my back from time to time. Thanks Bell.

he knows the way to a girl's heart

I was working at the table and Isaac was sitting across from me.  He then let out a long sigh and seemed to be staring dreamily at nothing in particular.  I asked him what he was looking at and he said "Just you. I'm your very best friend." How do you even respond to such a wonderful statement without your heart exploding?  I just love that boy, he's my very best friend.

ultrasound

Today I finally went in for my big ultrasound. (we already knew the gender from my trip to the ER, but I needed to get the size/full anatomy screening)  The girls both really wanted to come along and see the baby.  Bella has been to a couple ultrasounds before, but Genna has been to many more and is used to images.  When the tech first put the wand on my tummy, Bella's eyes got huge and she stammered "uh... um... it... uh... looks... like... a... uh... skeleton"  She was terrified that baby Noah had no skin, poor girl!  The tech was wonderful though and quickly grabbed a different wand which gave the images a softer, less "Halloweenish" appearance.  I don't get the Dr.'s official report on the scan until he gets back from his vacation, but to me all looked good!  We got to see some great shots of his face; he kept putting his hands over his face and the girls got a kick out of him "playing peek-a-boo" with us.  For some reason Elijah was worried that Noah wasn't going to have feet (he feels very strongly that Noah is going to change the world when he grows up, and that he'll need feet to do that!), so the girls were happy to report with confidence that Noah does have two perfect feet.  Only about 13 weeks to go before we can see him face to face!

summer school

We're not talking about regular, boring summer school...... this is homeschool in the summer sun!

Happy Birthday!!!

Each of the kids picked out a special present for Micaiah's birthday

Trying to hold his new Ball from Nahshon and check out the big present

Digging into his gift from Elijah.....

A new baby swing!!

It's not even hung up yet and he's already excited!

Isaac showing Cai the 10 pack of hot wheels he just *KNEW* Cai wanted more than anything else  ;) (Isaac started playing with little cars before he was even a year old, so he thought it was time to get his little bro started)

Showing Cai how to play

Checking out the very special card Genna made (which she later almost started a big fire with when she put it on top of a burning candle in the living room)

A new little baby pool from Genna!

Bella showing him the card she made

and helping him unwrap his new bubble machine!

Not exactly sure what this face is about

a new blanket from mommy! (I made matching PJ pants too)

the gift he tried to get his hands on many times when they were being made.....

new soft balls! They jingle, they rattle, they don't hurt when you brother chucks one at your face!

relaxing in his new swing with his new blanket

(he's actually fallen asleep in here a couple times!)

the cake!

wow!

yummy!

Happy Birthday Micaiah!

time and energy

Running seriously short on both.  Have any to spare?

a feast fit for a pregnant mama and a chubby baby

I do have pictures to post and everything from yesterday's little celebration, but I haven't plugged in my camera yet so I thought I'd start with telling you all how I was lovingly pampered by my hubby.  Since it was a double celebration involving a pregnant mom and a baby that LOOOOVES to eat, Jeremy planned quite the spread for us.  We started our day with Swedish pancakes served up with warm mixed berries, fresh strawberries, and fresh whipped cream.  Yum!  For lunch my parents and Jeremy's mom came by and we enjoyed a picnic lunch in the sunshine consisting of roast chicken, cowboy caviar and chips, watermelon, sweet corn on the cob, baked beans, and lemonade with raspberries.  Jeremy also made his very first cake, and it was 5 layers tall!  He pureed fresh fruit and mixed it into a white cake mix.  Each layer was a different flavor (strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, blackberry), in between the layers he put a fresh raspberry puree, and frosted it with fresh whipped cream.  He topped it off with more fresh fruit.  It was so moist, so refreshing, and SO delicious!  Nice job J!  Dinner was the ultimate treat though.  I have mentioned to Jeremy a couple times that I wanted to learn how to make my own pasta.  (being a vegetarian and a lover of Italian food, good pasta is very important to me)  So, Jeremy and the kids gave me this as a mother's day gift:

I know some may think it's taboo to give a mother a kitchen accessory for a mother's day gift, but I happen to think it's great!  With my new pasta machine, Jeremy made my all time favorite dishes: ravioli stuffed with pears and Gorgonzola cheese, topped with a hazelnut cream sauce. OH. MY. GOODNESS. YUM.  With it he served up a recreation of the California Citrus Salad from Claim Jumpers, which is one of my absolute favorite salads. (mixed greens, cranberries, apples, avocado, mandarin oranges, golden raisins, blue cheese, candied walnuts with citrus vinaigrette)  It was a bit too gourmet for the kids, but I sure felt pretty special he went to all that trouble. It was FANTASTIC!  To top the night off, I got to take a nice bath with a bunch of new bath goodies my mom gave me, while Jeremy kept the kids busy so I could relax without interruptions. Lovely.  I have an awesome family.  Hope everyone else's mother's day was as wonderful as mine.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Happy Birthday baby!

Then

Now

I can hardly believe it's already been a year since that crazy day Micaiah decided to make his very grand entrance into this world, and what an entrance it was!  Happy Birthday baby boy, we love you!

He is his father's son

Jeremy is pretty much the poster child for adult ADD. (those of you that know Jeremy are probably smirking and nodding along at that thought)  Anyhow, Isaac's behavior the other night was so reminiscent of Jeremy I could hardly believe it.  Isaac was attempting to say something along the lines of "don't you wish your girlfriend was hot like me" (thank you, Alvin and the Chipmunks), but of course in his 3 year old language it was something like "H-O-T-O girls go hot like me", or something similarly weird.  He said it slow and serious, he said it high pitched, he said it in a rap, he sang it like a lullaby....... he said it over and over and over and over until he finally exclaimed "WHY CAN'T I STOP SAYING THIS?!?!?!?!"   Sorry kiddo, I think it's just in your blood; better get used to it.

Micaiah eats....... everything

 One of the rare times he actually stayed clean through the meal

(and yes, he ate everything on his tray; this was actually a second serving)

A bit more typical of meal time with Micaiah

He REFUSES to let us help feed him......

and this is usually the result of his own handy work

Is this the international baby sign of being done? They wear their dishes?

Bath time!!!