Monday, August 26, 2013
Wedding Fun!
In early August, Steven played and sang for a wedding of some friends. Our family, my parents, and my grandparents were able to join in the celebration! This was Elise and Grace's first wedding, and Isaac's first since Kati's wedding in 2009! We ll had a great time! Here are some pictures from the day:
Isaac's Maze!
Can you figure it out? Our boy loves puzzles and mazes, so he decided to make one himself!
Thursday, August 8, 2013
It's been a while!
I haven't blogged much lately in the past month. Or at all in the past month, rather. The life of having three kiddos and trying to focus on what's really important has overtaken me. Things that are really important like sleep. And spending time with those precious children. I have a few minutes without the kids (Isaac and Elise are at their very last day of summer preschool and Grace is sleeping), so I thought I'd get out as many thoughts as possible to update this blog.
We have had a great summer so far. Isaac and Elise have been in a summer preschool program three mornings per week, and they have really enjoyed it. My parents have been so kind to pick them up and take them most of the mornings. Today is their last day. It's the final day of preschool overall because we are officially starting our homeschool this month. Instead of continuing to send Elise to preschool, I am going to work with her at home and see how it goes! We have purchased our curriculum and I am so excited to get started! We have a beach trip next week, but we will get started the week after that. We are going to be using Sonlight's Core A for history, geography, language arts and science. I will be creating my own math curriculum by using lots of math manipulatives this year so both my kids get a super strong understanding of concrete math concepts.
Although I could keep writing about my plans for school... I won't. Because that's what they are - plans. We make plans, but God determines our steps (Proverbs 16:9) right?!! So we'll see how God determines our steps in our homeschool.
Isaac is growing into a big boy before my very eyes. This summer he has started to recognize a difference between "boy toys" and "girl toys" and acts like he can't play with girl toys! He does, however, play with them when no one is paying attention! And he plays very well with others. He and Elise love to come up with creative things to play like tents or restaurant (bringing me food to eat) or dump all the toys out and play something that Mommy can't quite figure out but it makes a big mess. ;) They have fun and do a pretty good job of cleaning up, so I'm happy with that.
Isaac lost his third tooth this past week. He has been very shy about telling us details. We don't know when or where he lost it. When he lost his other two last fall, his reaction was the same. He doesn't even like to show us his mouth where he lost it. However, he will let me brush his teeth and I'm able to do a little inspection at that time.
Isaac is such a sweetheart. He loves to sit with me to read and cuddle. He also loves "George" (Curious George). At least once a day, he asks, "Can we watch a George?"
Isaac also has a couple really good friends now. Gabby is one of them - we've been having playdates each week with Gabby for over two years and my kids have really bonded with her. They are like brother and sisters! It's been fun to watch Gabby and Isaac grow from playing around each other to playing with each other. Isaac also has a new buddy, our next door neighbor Jacob. Jacob is six years old and going into first grade. He moved into the house next door in March, and he and Isaac became fast friends. He comes over to play in our backyard several times each week. They like to swing, climb on top of our play house, and shoot their cap guns. We are thankful for these friends and others who we've bonded with this summer.
Elise is also growing SO fast! We can tell she is getting ready to turn four. She keeps telling us that she's going to turn four and then turn five and on her fifth birthday she is going to get holes in her ears (pierced ears). We'll see about that! She always has something funny to say. Recently she was at my Pawpaw's house and she dropped a ceramic rabbit on the floor. It broke, so Pawpaw asked her if she broke it. She said, "No, Pawpaw, I didn't break it. The floor did." Elise is opinionated, passionate, snuggly, and tenderhearted. She's also the one I most worry about when she leaves the room. If she's gone too long, I always go check on her. I've found her in my makeup, playing with LOTS of water in the bathroom, eating chocolate chips under the table, eating chocolate chips in the middle of the kitchen, eating chocolate that she found in my nightstand drawer, in my purse looking for a stray pacifier that she might be able to use... And that is just the tip of the iceberg of Elise's adventures.
Speaking of pacifiers, Elise stopped using a passy last summer when she bit holes into all of hers. However, when Grace started using one about March of this year, Elise realized she was missing something. So she's back to using a "pappy". She LOVES her pappy! I try to only let her use it at rest time and bedtime, but I often find her with Grace's pappy in her mouth. Silly girl!
Elise and Isaac are both little fish! They love to swim! This year at the pool, they are very confident in the water, especially the 3.5 feet! Isaac can swim the width of the pool by himself, and Elise is almost there! Within the past two weeks, Isaac has started coming down the big water slide by himself. Yesterday he spent most of the entire time coming down the slide over and over. When they get out of the pool and are cold, they like to "warm up" in the outdoor shower. Apparently other kids do too! We frequently see several kids at the shower "warming up" right beside Isaac and Elise.
Right now at bedtime, we are reading through the Jesus Storybook Bible. Both kids love it and usually ask to read two stories before we stop. I am amazed at the kids' understanding of spiritual things. Isaac recently told me that we didn't need to worry about a particular situation because "Jesus is strong." It is sweet to hear each of them pray at meals. Isaac tends to be simple and to the point, "Thank you for the food and the day. Amen." And Elise uses a few more words, "Dear Jesus. Thank you for the day. And thank you for the food that Mommy made it and it's gonna be yummy and we won't get a tummyache! And thank you for BJ and help him feel better and thank you for Aunt Kati and help her in Indiana. And Amen!"
I love our kids so much. What a blessing it is to be their Momma. I am excited about what this year has in store for us as we embark on a new season of our journey.
Oh, and that littlest one? Gracie? She is the happiest baby I've ever met. She brings so much joy to our lives! She always smiles and laughs when people look at her. Even in the middle of the night when she wakes to eat, she gives me a huge smile when I come to get her. She is growing so well - about 15 pounds now! She loves to nurse and is still exclusively breastfeeding. We might introduce some solid foods later this month if she seems ready. When I hold her and I am eating, she does look very enticed! She will be six months old in a little more than a week. I can't believe how fast her infancy has gone. I have surely enjoyed it! She is so precious and lovable!
OK, off to get those babies from their last day at preschool. And start that new season...
We have had a great summer so far. Isaac and Elise have been in a summer preschool program three mornings per week, and they have really enjoyed it. My parents have been so kind to pick them up and take them most of the mornings. Today is their last day. It's the final day of preschool overall because we are officially starting our homeschool this month. Instead of continuing to send Elise to preschool, I am going to work with her at home and see how it goes! We have purchased our curriculum and I am so excited to get started! We have a beach trip next week, but we will get started the week after that. We are going to be using Sonlight's Core A for history, geography, language arts and science. I will be creating my own math curriculum by using lots of math manipulatives this year so both my kids get a super strong understanding of concrete math concepts.
Although I could keep writing about my plans for school... I won't. Because that's what they are - plans. We make plans, but God determines our steps (Proverbs 16:9) right?!! So we'll see how God determines our steps in our homeschool.
Isaac is growing into a big boy before my very eyes. This summer he has started to recognize a difference between "boy toys" and "girl toys" and acts like he can't play with girl toys! He does, however, play with them when no one is paying attention! And he plays very well with others. He and Elise love to come up with creative things to play like tents or restaurant (bringing me food to eat) or dump all the toys out and play something that Mommy can't quite figure out but it makes a big mess. ;) They have fun and do a pretty good job of cleaning up, so I'm happy with that.
Isaac lost his third tooth this past week. He has been very shy about telling us details. We don't know when or where he lost it. When he lost his other two last fall, his reaction was the same. He doesn't even like to show us his mouth where he lost it. However, he will let me brush his teeth and I'm able to do a little inspection at that time.
Isaac is such a sweetheart. He loves to sit with me to read and cuddle. He also loves "George" (Curious George). At least once a day, he asks, "Can we watch a George?"
Isaac also has a couple really good friends now. Gabby is one of them - we've been having playdates each week with Gabby for over two years and my kids have really bonded with her. They are like brother and sisters! It's been fun to watch Gabby and Isaac grow from playing around each other to playing with each other. Isaac also has a new buddy, our next door neighbor Jacob. Jacob is six years old and going into first grade. He moved into the house next door in March, and he and Isaac became fast friends. He comes over to play in our backyard several times each week. They like to swing, climb on top of our play house, and shoot their cap guns. We are thankful for these friends and others who we've bonded with this summer.
Elise is also growing SO fast! We can tell she is getting ready to turn four. She keeps telling us that she's going to turn four and then turn five and on her fifth birthday she is going to get holes in her ears (pierced ears). We'll see about that! She always has something funny to say. Recently she was at my Pawpaw's house and she dropped a ceramic rabbit on the floor. It broke, so Pawpaw asked her if she broke it. She said, "No, Pawpaw, I didn't break it. The floor did." Elise is opinionated, passionate, snuggly, and tenderhearted. She's also the one I most worry about when she leaves the room. If she's gone too long, I always go check on her. I've found her in my makeup, playing with LOTS of water in the bathroom, eating chocolate chips under the table, eating chocolate chips in the middle of the kitchen, eating chocolate that she found in my nightstand drawer, in my purse looking for a stray pacifier that she might be able to use... And that is just the tip of the iceberg of Elise's adventures.
Speaking of pacifiers, Elise stopped using a passy last summer when she bit holes into all of hers. However, when Grace started using one about March of this year, Elise realized she was missing something. So she's back to using a "pappy". She LOVES her pappy! I try to only let her use it at rest time and bedtime, but I often find her with Grace's pappy in her mouth. Silly girl!
Elise and Isaac are both little fish! They love to swim! This year at the pool, they are very confident in the water, especially the 3.5 feet! Isaac can swim the width of the pool by himself, and Elise is almost there! Within the past two weeks, Isaac has started coming down the big water slide by himself. Yesterday he spent most of the entire time coming down the slide over and over. When they get out of the pool and are cold, they like to "warm up" in the outdoor shower. Apparently other kids do too! We frequently see several kids at the shower "warming up" right beside Isaac and Elise.
Right now at bedtime, we are reading through the Jesus Storybook Bible. Both kids love it and usually ask to read two stories before we stop. I am amazed at the kids' understanding of spiritual things. Isaac recently told me that we didn't need to worry about a particular situation because "Jesus is strong." It is sweet to hear each of them pray at meals. Isaac tends to be simple and to the point, "Thank you for the food and the day. Amen." And Elise uses a few more words, "Dear Jesus. Thank you for the day. And thank you for the food that Mommy made it and it's gonna be yummy and we won't get a tummyache! And thank you for BJ and help him feel better and thank you for Aunt Kati and help her in Indiana. And Amen!"
I love our kids so much. What a blessing it is to be their Momma. I am excited about what this year has in store for us as we embark on a new season of our journey.
Oh, and that littlest one? Gracie? She is the happiest baby I've ever met. She brings so much joy to our lives! She always smiles and laughs when people look at her. Even in the middle of the night when she wakes to eat, she gives me a huge smile when I come to get her. She is growing so well - about 15 pounds now! She loves to nurse and is still exclusively breastfeeding. We might introduce some solid foods later this month if she seems ready. When I hold her and I am eating, she does look very enticed! She will be six months old in a little more than a week. I can't believe how fast her infancy has gone. I have surely enjoyed it! She is so precious and lovable!
OK, off to get those babies from their last day at preschool. And start that new season...
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