SwapTime Again

I'm excited to participate in another Mamarazzi swap! This time the theme is "Guilty Pleasures"... not the dirty kind. Just the kind that are pampering or indulgent. I'm pretty sure my box will have chocolate of some kind in it! ;-) When the swap is done I'll post pix of my package!

Back to School

Well, its back to school time. Joe has been taking the bus to his developmental preschool for a week now. He still cries a bit when he is getting on and off but the aids reassure me that he is fine during the ride itself.
I'm trying to have alot of "fieldtrips" for Nate this year as we embark on our kindergarten experience together. In the last couple of weeks we've gone to the zoo twice, the library a couple of times (once was for a Kindermusik class), the park and to the apple orchard. While we aren't doing alot of sit down school yet we are doing alot of "sneaky" learning things. Sometimes Nate does better when he doesn't realize he is learning. ;-) Its a work in progress.

Time4Learning

So Nate turned five this summer and is in kindergarten this year. I worked with him on some preschool stuff last year but was not very consistent. I blame it on being pregnant and then having a newborn... but if I was honest I'd have to admit that part of it was laziness. And Nate is (and I say this unbiasedly) very smart for his age so it is not like he is behind and I should be helping catch up or anything.
Anyway... I'm wanting to get down to business this year, no more slacker mom for me. So when I got the opportunity to try a trial membership to Time4Learning.com I was interested right away. So we have had a couple of weeks to try it out and have been able to get a feel for it.
Nate has taken to it really well. He still has days when he resists doing something labeled "learning" but overall he seems to enjoy the lessons and activities. When he is logged in he chooses from the subjects ( Language Arts, Learning Activity Extensions, Math and Science) and within those there are sub categories to choose from and then the lessons and activities are available for him to do. There are quizzes for him to do following the lessons on each topic to test him. He has done really well. Nate seems to have an amazing memory, I'm hoping that continues!
I like that the parent/teacher can login and check progress and print reports, etc. so that even though I'm not sitting with him watching the whole time I can see how well he is doing on the lessons and quizzes. I do not really want my five year old to be doing all of his school online though. The membership fee is around $20 per month. I would probably be more interested if it were cheaper or if they offered different levels of memberships, ei. if we could subscribe to only certain subjects.
As with any program or curriculum there are pros and cons. There is alot to like about Time4Learning. But I just don't think its right for us right now. Maybe in the future. We'll have to wait and see.

Womanly Wisdom

Thursday some women from my church gathered for a Ladies Learning Day. We met in the morning at a friend's house. The kids played outside, supervised by the older ones. And us "grownups" gathered inside for our time together. A few women prepared workshops/lessons on a subject that they were knowledgeable about and shared with the rest of us. We learned about fashion: how to dress for your body type (complete with a fashion show! ;-), there was a demonstration on how to sew a tote bag (HERE is a link to a similar bag tutorial - pictured), scrapbook 101 & doodling, importance of teaching our kids foriegn languages to break down cultural barriers, and a little about gardening.
What a blessing it was to share that time with other women and learn from one another! I had hesitated in leading a lesson for this meeting because I didn't feel like I was an "expert" on anything. But after spending the day together I realized that none of us are really experts but we each know some things that are unique to us that we can share. So, when we have another Ladies Learning Day I will be bold and choose to step up and share a little of what I know. Thanks to those ladies that were willing to share this time around! Love you all!

** update: I made my own tote bag! I'm so psyched and proud! Check it out!!Complete with pockets and everything! This was my first attempt at making a bag and while it is not flawless I think it was a pretty good final product. I'm currently using it as a diaper bag and loving it!

"Then they (the older women) can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God." Titus 2:4-5

picture imperfect

While we were at my parents' place tonight my sister snapped a few shots of my growing family. None of my kids were in the mood to cooperate outside in the heat for these pictures. Christine was crying, Joe was squirming and Nate was whining.
Out of the 25+ pix that Lauren took these were some of the few decent ones. At least we weren't stuck in a department store studio with a stranger taking our picture and me being embarrassed by my kids. It was no big deal and I'm actually fairly happy with these couple of pix that managed to turn out alright. Thats all I wanted anyway.
Aren't we cute? ;-)

Mod-Podged Pix Frame

Here is a decoupage project that Nate and I did. These are the supplies we started out with.


Nate and I painted the edges in a coordinating green acrylic paint. Then we applied the scrapbook paper with the decoupage solution.After it dried I scuffed up the edges with sandpaper for a distressed look. This is the final product. It is a cowboy theme to match my new nephew's bedroom. ;-)

TaDa!

I have been inspired to get my sewing machine out by some friends and misc booths at a craft fair. So, last week I made some burp cloths and today I made a swaddle blanket!!
I found a tutorial on Prudent Baby and used flannel that I had from a sale at JoAnn's (I had intended on making PJ pants and never got around to it. Its perfect because the blanket we have been using is fleece and while Christine seems to like being wrapped up like a burrito, she gets so sweaty at night. The one I have made is a cozy flannel so it won't be as hot as the fleece. Its not perfect, there are things I'd tweak if I make another one, but I'm still pretty proud!
I'm so excited! Christine is all bundled up napping right now.

A day in the life...

Here is a typical day:
I get up and get breakfast ready for Nate, Joe usually sleeps in a little while then joins us. After I feed the boys, its usually time to feed Christine. We clean up from breakfast and have a little while to play. Laundry is started.
If we have errands to run this is usually the time that we do them. If we are at home this is when I work on getting Isaac up for work. His sleeping troubles have been a source of strain again. By the time we get Isaac awake its about time for lunch and I feed Christine again.
Shortly after lunch Joe lays down for a nap (thankfully he still sleeps a couple hours). Sometimes Nate and I play/read/watch kids tv(or HGTV ;-) for awhile. Christine does usually nap for awhile around this time, though she's inconsistent. Some days she'll nap for an hour at a time. Other days I can only get her to sleep for 15min at a time.
I rotate the laundry and then try to get some housework done during naptime but often get interrupted by one or more of my children, and occasionally I get distracted by facebook. ;-) At least I'm honest! A mommy needs a good distraction sometimes!
Late afternoon is snacktime for Nate and Joe gets up shortly after that and has his snack too. Christine nurses again. Then its time to start cooking dinner. Often this time is a strain because its common for both Joe and Christine to be needy around now. So while I'm trying to cook I have sometimes two screamers making their voices heard. Dinner often consists of Nate complaining incessantly about having to eat his vegetables. Isaac is only home for dinner about every other day. The other nights I often have my sis and friend over for company.
By the time dinner is over its time for Nate to help straighten up the toys downstairs and then the boys are taken upstairs to get baths. Then its on to bedtime stories and prayers and the boys get tucked in around 8:15pm-ish. And of course... Christine nurses again. ;-)
Christine is a good sleeper, thankfully. She had been going to bed kind of late, usually 11pm-ish. Though she's been changing things up lately. We've noticed a pattern of her getting fussy and ending up going to bed between 8p-9pm over the last week or so. I'm thankful that she usually only gets me up only about 1-2 times a night.
After all the kiddos are in bed is when I attempt to undo (or at least minimize) the chaos that accumulated during the day. I fold the laundry while watching one of the many shows that I'm addicted to. Currently I'm into: Drop Dead Diva, Next Food Network Star and White Collar. Though I'm missing my usual network shows that are all on summer hiatus. We all have our vices. ;-)

I am finding that while the days seem to go by so slowly, the years are passing by quickly. I cannot believe that Nate is five years old now! He's such a character: both smart and funny. And Joe seems so big since Christine was born. Aw, Christine... she is a bright light in my life. Her smiles and coos melt my heart. I am blessed to be their mother. God is teaching me so much through them. I am trying to appreciate the phase of life we are in right now because I know it will be gone before I know it.

Super Heroes Unite!!

Before we even had a child's birthday to celebrate Isaac and I decided that there would be certain milestone birthdays that we would do "friends" parties and the rest of the time we would keep things simple with a family only celebration. Nate's fifth birthday was last week and it was the first "milestone" birthday that we have gotten to celebrate with friends.

We went with a superhero theme and while it wasn't exactly a designer birthday party, I think things came together well in the end. I got masks from Oriental Trading Company, and found instructions online to make capes from old t-shirts so the kids who did not come dressed up could create their own costume. My parents were great enough to host at their farm so we were able to set up their inflatable obstacle course and they surprised us with pony rides.I had intended on trying out a fondant recipe passed on to me by a friend but was feeling the pressure at the last minute and went with something a little less intimidating to me. So when I found instructions on how to do a Superman cake with M&Ms I felt a little more confident in being able to do that well. We all had a good time. Good food, good friends, what more could we want? ;-) Nate loved spending the evening playing with his friends... and the presents didn't hurt either.
What a great way to celebrate our firstborn's fifth birthday!! Love you Nate!

My Firstborn

I can't believe that my firstborn is five years old! It is strange how sometimes the days seem so long but the months and years go by so quickly. I am amazed by my son. He is full of inquisitiveness, caring, mischievousness, sensitivity and wonderment. Sometimes the very things I love about him are the same things that drive me up the wall.
He asks me questions almost constantly some days and I have only so many answers to give before I cannot answer anymore. He wants to know about everything around him, how things work, where they came from and why.
Nate loves his family so much. I have never known a kid who says "I love you" unsolicited as much as Nate does. He wants to have family over all the time, frequently asking for his cousin to come over, or pleading to go to grandma and grandpa's house. He adores his sister and dotes on her throughout every day. Hugs and kisses are not lacking with Nate.
Nate often brings my heart joy when he shines in moments of caring and willing obedience. There are times when I'm nursing and he is eager to help me out by bringing me a drink or the phone when it rings. He is such a good big brother to both of his siblings. He often helps to keep Joe from getting into things and he plays well with him despite the unusual circumstances of Joe's developmental delays.
Over the course of the last five years Nate has taught me so much about myself and life and motherhood. I think I am become more willing to go outside my comfort zone because of him. I have explored emotions all over the spectrum that I have not felt before in my life: the joy of welcoming a new life into this world, love of a parent for a child, fear of your child coming to harm, the sweet adoration when hearing your baby say "mama" or "I love you" for the first time, pride when your child shares or is kind to another... There is so much that I have done and felt because of my son and I am blessed to be his mother.
Thank you, Nate for being such a wonderful part of my life. I love you.

The Fourth

This fourth of July was spent celebrating the union of two friends as they joined in marriage. My hubby, Isaac played a hymn for the ceremony and I did the pictures. It was a busy weekend for us both!We were thankful that my in-laws took the boys for the weekend. It made things alot less stressful only having one kiddo in tow for all of the wedding activities. It was alot of fun getting Christine all dressed up for the wedding! How cute is she?
I have a love-hate relationship with doing wedding pictures. I love taking pictures especially for friends... however, there is so much pressure when doing photography for weddings! There are no re-dos! Thankfully things went smoothly and I hope the bride and groom are as happy with the pictures as I am.
If you are interested in seeing more I'll be posting more on my photography blog HERE.

Brown County Visit

This last weekend we were able to go down to Nashville, Indiana to visit my sister, Hannah while she is working at a summer camp. My mom and other two sisters came too and it was a lovely day together despite the heat!We took some time to wander around downtown Nashville and check out some shops and have a nice lunch before heading to the camp. Nate enjoyed panning for cold and gems at one of the shops.
What a blessing to be able to spend the day together as a family!
My kiddos love their aunties!