Things to remember

In all my recent sluggishness, it's obvious I'm not blogging much. But also, I might as well confess that I'm not journaling much these days. So, I'm not keeping track of some of the sweet things that I'd like to remember about my kiddos at this age and stage. I thought I'd do a quick update on each of them, so I'll at least remember some of their cutenesses right now, and maybe some of you who don't get to see them so much will enjoy hearing their latest?

Natalie -- almost 20 months
She's finally getting those two front teeth! Yay! And, she's finally learning to actually say the word "teeth" as well. She's been our late bloomer, as far as talking goes. She still only has a few words, but she's starting to pick up new ones now, which is exciting. For the record, here's what Natalie can say:
thank you (when you hand her something, or when she hands you something)
bye-daddy (she says this most times anyone is leaving)
hi (only to the telephone, not to real people)
eye (sounds a lot the same as "hi" but she says it when she points at her eye) \
out (new, as of this weekend. She says it when she wants out of her high chair)
dit-do-dat (her own word for peek-a-boo)
mama (she CAN say this, only she hardly ever will)
baby (she's really only said this once or twice, but I count it, because she definitely knows what it means)
uh-oh (her official first word, back at 10 or 11 months)
butterfly (she has butterfly stickers on her wall, and likes to point at them. sounds more like "bubba-eye)

 When Natalie gives kisses, she opens her mouth wide, gets a firm lock on my cheek, and blows hard till she gets a nice raspberry noise. If she doesn't get a good noise, she keeps trying until she gets it to work. It's the cutest thing ever, and she's starting to lose it now. I've tried getting it on video, but no luck yet. If both Brian and I are around when she's in the "kiss" mood, she'll take turns giving us both kisses back and forth, over and over again.

She loves her nursery class at church. What a blessing! I know so many parents struggle with getting their kids to go into nursery and like it. We've been very blessed to have kids who really enjoy it right from the start. Since starting nursery (the end of March), she's learned to be very still during prayers, and folds her arms nicely.

Natalie also love all things "Hello Kitty" and tries to confiscate any Kitty gear she finds/see. We indulge her, when we can. :) She also loves to sing and hum. Yesterday we were at a friend's house, and I told the kids it was time to clean up. She started right in singing (babbling in tune) the "clean-up, clean-up, everybody everywhere!" song. She also likes "twinkle-twinkle" and sometimes "I am a Child of God."

When she doesn't get her way, she screams like a banshee. A lot. My mom suggested masking tape over her mouth. ha! Any other more suitable ideas, anyone?? (Mom, you're welcome to defend yourself. heeeheh)

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Spencer -- 4 yrs, 3 months
"Mom?"
"What, Spencer?"
"I love you."
"I love you too, Spence. Thank you for telling me."
We have this conversation probably five to ten times every day. It truly melts my heart. Of course, there are times it seems like he's just finding words to fill up the silence between us. But usually, it seems pretty sincere to me, and I love it. I know it won't last forever, so I'm soaking up all the affection I can from my little four-year-old buddy. He also tells me, "Mom, I'm a good boy" at least a couple of times a day."

The other night, as I was tucking him in bed he told me, "Mom? I love you. I'm a good boy." I hugged and kissed him, and reassured him that yes, he is a good boy. Then he put his arms around my neck, held me close and said, very seriously, "Mom, do you know why I tell you I love you AND tell you I'm a good boy at the same time??" I asked him why. He looked around with his most studious, serious look, then creased his eyebrows in deep thought. "Ummm.... well... um. Just because, I do." Typical Spencer. He makes me laugh a lot right now, funny, sweet kid.

In his not-so-sweet moments lately, he has told me "I WON'T go in time out!" and "You can't MAKE me!" and "YOU'RE NOT THE BOSS OF ME!!!" I have politely (and sometimes vigorously) contradicted him on all counts.

Spencer taught himself to read. It's true! He can read the little "Bob" books by himself now. He gets tired easily, and doesn't really like to be pushed to practice, but he's sounding things out, and making some good progress... and we didn't really even teach him at all. It was his own initiative. Pretty cool, eh?! We're really excited about this!

Spencer loves to be Natalie's Big Brother. He really does worry about her if she's getting into trouble or looks like she might get hurt. And he is extra soft and gentle with her at bedtime. I usually rock her for a few minutes before I put her in her crib. Spence sits in her room with me and always has to give her a goodnight kiss... on the hand. That's his thing -- he kisses her hand. It's so routine now, that when her rocking time is over, she holds out her hand to him, and he comes over for his kiss. Too cute.

In the pic below, he looks so brotherly, doesn't he? Well, he's actually trying to remove her from the scooter so he can have a turn, and because he knows I wanted her to come in and get clothes on (she escaped during the pajama process)...

Along the same lines of "brotherly love," Spencer also really enjoys his role as little brother to Samantha. She is his constant source of entertainment, when she's home. And he is her sometimes source of irritation, it's true. Most of his time-outs these days, are from his various attempts at bothering her, or fighting with her, or bullying her, etc. It's a love-hate relationship -- very ordinary siblinghood, in my book. (But I sometimes wish for a little more peace between them!)

Samantha -- almost 6 and a half!
Almost every time I'm out and about with Samantha, someone comments on how pretty she is, with all that gorgeous strawberry hair. I'm just wondering, is that a redhead thing? I mean, to me, it's true -- she's absolutely gorgeous. But I'm her mom; I'm supposed to think that. (Aside, I also think her smooth ivory skin, ruby red lips, and bright blue eyes do a good number in the looks department -- as her mom, of course.) Luckily, she doesn't seem to have too much ego about the comments, and smiles shyly when she gets these compliments from strangers. She recently told me (and several other people) that she thinks her hair is actually NOT so red as it is GOLDEN... just like her ballet trophy. :)

That brings us to some cute pictures of our ballerina girl...

I haven't written much about Samantha's ballet class, but it's been a real highlight of her school year. She had practice every Saturday morning at 9 a.m., and was up and ready in good time, every time. Her teacher was great, and really encouraged her and helped her grow in her abilities this year, I think. Unfortunately, they had two big performances at the end, and both were on a Sunday. Samantha and Brian and I discussed together, and decided she would not attend. But she was able to go to their performance at a hospital for special needs children, and felt every bit a star, even though it wasn't on the "big stage." We were very proud of her efforts, and her choice to keep the Sabbath holy. Isn't she so sweet?...

She really is such a sweet girl, and such a fun little entertainer for her brother and sister, and so enthusiastic, optimistic, and good. She likes to be helpful, and loves praise and attention for all her good efforts. Have I talked about her chore chart? I think I might have. It's such a GREAT idea -- her own! She made it herself, and she and Spencer get stars for various chores and good behavior. Here she is smiling by her chart...

And a close-up of her chart:

(First line says "chore," second line is "Bhavmint" -- her own word for behavior, and the third line is "exchra chores" -- sounded out all by herself)...

Here she is (below) being a very sweet big sister. Samantha LOVES to read. And she loves to read to other people even MORE! Natalie is not always the most patient audience (tries to grab the book, tear the pages, close it, throw it, etc.), but Samantha perseveres and is teaching Natalie to wait for the story to unfold. The other night, I came into Natalie's room, to find them in this chair together, singing "Jesus Loves Me" from Nat's little Easter book. It was precious.

They have matching "Hello Kitty" nightgowns. I need to get a picture of them both wearing them together. So cute!!

Samantha has a hard time falling asleep, and is usually the last one sleeping (of the kids), and the first one awake in the mornings. She is an angel when she sleeps, I've always thought...

I'm wondering what we'll do with her all summer. She is such a "project loving" girl! I want to make it a fun summer for her, and for all of them, I guess. Any ideas of great summer activities??

Here's one last pic I meant to put up months ago, back when I meant to post about our trip to the zoo (but didn't ever get it done, sigh). This is Samantha and Spencer with all their good friends. I'm so grateful to have good friends with kids the same ages as my kids, who are now my kids' good friends, too. (That made sense, didn't it?) Fun times for all!

Climbers

My kids climb the door frames...

 Incessantly...

 They even have to have a "last climb" before bed...

It all started with a blog, actually. They saw pictures on my sis-in-law's blog (Thanks, Melissa!), where their two cousins were climbing the door frames. Well... it took less than a week for Samantha to master the climb. And Spence had it figured out after two weeks. Now, it's all I can do to get them to stay down. We actually had to make a rule about it: No climbing after dinner and before bedtime.

Secretly, I think it's super cool that they have the strength and agility to keep themselves up there like that. And not so secretly, I find it annoying to have a child perched in the doorway I'd like to walk through, every other minute of the day.

Any idea how long this climbing phase will last? anyone??
Well, for while it's here, we should all remember that Samantha does NOT like being called Spider Girl (or Girl Spider, as Spencer says), or "any name that is not my own," she reminds us.

Perspective

I was reading a book recently, where the "mentor" was teaching his "pupil" the importance of perspective. It was a little cliche, but it had a nice message -- we all need to look at things from a brighter perspective, especially when things might not be going the way we think they should. The example from the book was -- mentor and pupil were eating sardines and tuna fish from a can, sitting in the sand by the ocean. The mentor commented that "you see yourself sitting here suffering through sardines in the sand. But to me, I'm dining on surf and turf by the sea; it's all a matter of perspective."

Not a new idea, for sure. It goes along with so many teachings about keeping a positive attitude, remembering daily gratitude, and looking for the good in others and the world around us, right? Well, it has made me think about some of my everyday experiences, and how I could try to broaden my perspective a bit more.

Don't look too closely at my pics/examples, and don't pass them on to our landlord, eh? ;) But here are some household thoughts on perspective...

The laundry room...

Previous perspective:
Never-ending chore, always piled high, who threw these clean clothes on top of the stinky wet rags?, clothes crashing down and getting wrinkled before I can fold them, why can't I find any of the tools in the toolbox, let alone even SEE the toolbox!?, the new washer is super-duper slooow... etc.

New-and improved perspective:
I'm not kidding when I say, I'm really really grateful to have a laundry room. We didn't have one in London, and it was so hard to keep the clothes from being all over the hallway, bathroom and bedroom. I'm glad we have that up-high shelf to keep poisonous things (and suckers) out of the way of the children. I'm glad we have so many clothes to wear. really glad. And I'm glad the water heater is in there, even though it makes things pretty tight, because it's a GREAT place for bread to rise (or is it raise??), no joke.

The sink...

Previous perspective:
Who ever thought of just one big tub of a sink??!, hard to keep my produce/chopping/washing, separate from all those dishes, working with chicken (or other meats, when we have them) in this sink seems highly less sanitary, so many dishes, dishes and more dishes, always needing a wash. sigh. Also, is NY immune to disposals or something?

New-and-improved perspective:
Look at that running water, people. Running water, hot or cold, day or night, any time of year. Seriously, I should never, ever, have a negative thought about my sink, when I just consider that simple miracle. And look at all that fresh produce, always fresh, any time of year, so delicious. Plus, we let the kids play Jonah and the Whale in the sink last week as part of our Family Night. Perfect size for a "rolling sea" and giant whale.

Dishes cupboard...

Old perspective: 

Boring olive-green dollar store dishes, not to mention IKEA plastic plates -- a "color" fight waiting to happen, where and why did Brian get those hot pink plastic bowls (he's had them since we got married -- I inherited, :), no wonder I can't ever find my vitamins...

New-and-improved perspective:

Big jars of Costco vitamins, on sale, are GREAT for dinner bribes!, and what better spot to put them than right next to the dinner dishes so Samantha sees them when she gets out plates to set the table (so smart), olive green -- boring, but a perfect size for our every-day meals, and let's not forget those darling white ramikins in the left corner -- make me smile every time I see them.

Tupperware/glasses cupboard: 

Previous perspective:
Seriously, I hate tupperware, especially when it's way up high above my head and every time I reach for one tiny dish the whole stack come crashing down on me. And of course, I can never find the lid to match. Speaking of lids, where are HALF the lids for our sippy cups, and why do sippy cups not stack up better?!

New-and-improved perspective:
Um. Brian organized the tupperwares -- good man. I will try to appreciate the fact that we have dishes for leftovers for all the good food we cook. And I will use a stool, so the whole pile doesn't crash down on me.

Our "snack" area...

Previous perspective:
No room, no room, no room. One little chunk of counter space is sooooo NOT enough for our family of five. And what is that rotting-fruit smell?

New-and-improved perspective:
Wow, I love Costco. Look at all that delicious, snackable, healthy food to eat. Have you tried those multigrain chips? mmmm.... so good. Perfect with Trader Joes Mediterranean hummus.

The pots and pans pile...

Previous perspective:

It takes a mathematical equation to get my pans and lids to all stack in here and have the cupboard door close. (Obviously, I did not properly complete the equation when I took this pic), where's my little one-egg omelette pan?, and the cheese grater? and who stuck more tupperware down here?!?

New-and-improved perspective:

I love my pans set. I'm so glad we splurged a little for some pans I could really enjoy. I also love my cheese grater... wherever it is??

Okay, so enough kitchen cupboard shots, eh? I just felt like sharing a little of my latest thoughts on perspective, or attitude, or gratitude, or whatever you want to call it. The truth is, it works; there are happy ways to look at unhappy things. And when I look at things from a bright perspective, those unhappy views really do disappear, and I feel happier, more peaceful, more grateful. I'm trying to choose happiness -- seriously. I'm very grateful for the many blessings in my life. What I wrote about running water is really the way I feel.

And what I write about the girl who keeps taking off her diaper and peeing in her bed will be real too...

The first time, it was kind of like a little accident. Twice was excusable. The third time around was not fun... especially as it was less than 24 hours after the second time. But she is my baby, I love her to pieces, and she's so super cute, and she's just learning, and I can be patient and wash the sheets yet again, and take funny pictures of her feeling bad about it... 

and then reapply the onesies (or duck tape?) until this stage passes.

All for now... Bye!

Our School Girl

Samantha's school had a Kindergarten program last week, and it was absolutely adorable! The theme was "Commotion in the Ocean," complete with songs and actions (which she sang to us every day for a month before the big show!), and fish hats for all the kids. 

Samantha was one of the Blue Whales, and had to wear all blue for the performance. She got to memorize a part about whales and recite it for everyone. She did great!

Here's a group shot (taken from waaaay back in the gym), showing all the classes and their different colored fish...

 I tried to zoom in on Samantha -- she's on the back row, singing her little heart out. One funny thing... they had some kids tell little jokes that they had obviously rehearsed for the class several times, (Where do fish keep their money?? In a RIVER bank! hahahah!) then all the kindergarteners laughed hysterically. After the performance, Samantha told me, "I kind of had to do a fake laugh, because my real laugh wasn't handy." :)

We happened to pass Samantha in the hall, heading back to her class. She gave us a quick wave, and a hug, sweet girl...

I've been meaning to blog about Samantha's school for such a long time. I really like it. She has two great teachers, and two teacher's aides, for only 20 children. So, she gets lots of one-on-one attention. I've loved to watch her excel at reading and writing; she now reads chapter books by herself (Junie B. Jones are her favorites), and she writes letters to cousins and friends and me, almost every single day. She has especially loved her art classes and her science projects. They got to watch baby chicks hatch in their room last week, and Samantha even got to be the first kid to name one -- Velvet. (aside, we were relieved that the chick got the name Velvet, as Samantha has been telling us that if we have a fourth baby, it will need to be named Velvet. Phew! the chick got that name first. ha!) 

Anyway, here's a picture of her school. It looks kind of Harry Potterish, to me...

It has lots of winding corridors and has a nice, "old school" smell that reminds me of the good ol' days. Here's the drive-through drop off loop, with the cool bell tower (and yes, the first bell is almost always ringing when we drop her off in the mornings). Her classroom is right next to the bell tower and front door -- it's the one with all those windows, right under the one-way sign...

And now, finally, almost nine months later, here are pictures of Samantha on her first day of school (Sept 6)... Remember, I was going to post these way back when I wrote about her first day, way back when?? well, better late than never, eh? Here she is, in front of our house, waiting for us to walk her to school...

Samantha and Spencer, excitedly standing by the front door (that they don't really get to go into, since it goes straight to the principal's office. It just made for a good photo op)...

Samantha, at her table, next to her friend from church, Rose (the blonde, coloring, with her head down). They are still best school friends, though they didn't really get to sit by each other for more than that first day..

And the creative Kindergarten bulletin board outside her classroom. Can you find Samantha's caterpillar? (On the left, in the middle)...

As of today, she has exactly one month of Kindergarten left, then it's on to bigger and better things. (Yes, you can feel bad for us if you like... school doesn't officially end here until JUNE 22!! ugh.) Well, if I can get it to upload, I may post a video of the cute songs from Samantha's program. Stay tuned...

Wonder Why??

This post is just for Spencer, for sometime down the road, when he wonders why it was sometimes hard to come up with answers to his never-ending questions as a four-year-old. I remember Samantha went through this phase, too. It's actually darling, yet sometimes a little TOO much, when the questions just keep rolling in.

Anyway, here's a list of Spencer's "why" questions, over a period of 24 hours...

• Why is water healthy for us?
• Why do we have to eat food?
• Why are there pineapples in our trail mix?
• Why is the car in front of us not in back of us?
• Why, when a car turns upside-down, and cars are stacked on top of it, do they not just slide off?
• Why, when you put things tight around your neck, does it make you choke? (as he's tying a ribbon around his neck and I'm telling him NOT to, please!?)
• Why is the road smooth sometimes?
• Why should we not wear shoes in our beds?
• Why are ants really small?
• Why do the wipers help the water get swished off the car?
• Why are some letters on that sign red and some are blue?
• Why is the speed limit "five five"?
• Why does the rain make ponds and beaches deeper?
• Why are dirt and mud brown?
• Why does two come after one?
• Why when someone goes out the door, someone else can hold it open for them?
• Why when people touch each other do they get germs?

I read on a friend's blog, a long time ago, that she always wants to make sure her child feels comfortable asking questions and receiving answers. So, this mother has made it a point to always provide an answer to every question her child asks. Noble, isn't it? Believe it or not, I have tried to do the same with Spencer. 

But it's not easy, I tell you! 

My babies... for Mother's Day

I've been sorting through old pictures and videos, trying to get our computer files more organized. It's been fun, and has reminded me how lovely my little ones are... and how fast they grow. I have a whole slough of things I wanted to write for Mother's Day. But instead of writing them all, I'm just putting up a few cute videos of the reasons I'm a Mother...

Oh dear... dumb blogger will NOT load any of my Natalie Baby vids. But youtube will, so here's Nat, so sweet. (And don't worry... I picked her up and smooched her just after I finished this little vid.)...

For tonight, Happy Mother's Day to so many women I love... my mom, my mother-in-law, my grandmas, my sisters-in-law, and so many friends who have either lovingly mothered me, or helped me to be a better mother. I love you all!