School at Home

No, we're not taking Kari out of preschool or switching to homeschooling. She just had another Friday with no school. (I really think we should get a discount or refund for all these non-school days they have. She only goes twice a week!) Initially, Kari was disappointed that she didn't get to go to school, but then her face lit up, and she said, "Mommy! I have an idea! We can have school at home!" Sounded like a fun idea to me, so I immediately started thinking about how we could structure our official school-at-home day, all the things we could do. Well, Kari's next comment let me know why she wanted to have school at home: "Ok, Mommy, we're going to need our snack packs..." Food (specifically Go-Gurt and apple juice) was really her only motivation. I consented, making both Kari and Joel very excited, and then I suggested we do the rest of school, too, not just snack time, and they decided that would be ok.
I learned more yesterday about what happens in Kari's classroom than I have the entire last four months. (Eventually I would like to be able to volunteer in my kids' classes, but with little ones at home and one of them still nursing, it's not really feasible right now.) Every Thursday and Friday when we pick her up from school, I ask her about her day--what did you do today, who did you talk to, what did you learn, what was fun, what was interesting, did you do something new? I get very little information but manage to glean little tidbits now and then. She's been holding out on me!

I started our day beside our little chalkboard easle saying, "Good morning, class!" and Kari right away started in with the "Mrs. Weber usually does..." routine. I found out as we went through our morning of school-at-home that Kari knows the Pledge of Allegiance, both to the Christian flag and the US flag. She knows a song about the days of the week and another song that taught her the months of the year, in the correct order, of course. I learned that every day the teacher sends someone to the window to report on the weather. I learned that some kids need help opening their snacks, and that you have to "raise a quiet hand," and then the teacher comes to assist. All kinds of information came seeping out yesterday, and Kari had fun telling Joel and I how school was supposed to go. Joel was so cute. He acted shy and a little intimidated, just like he has when we've gone into Kari's class for parties and such. He giggled and did whatever Kari told him to do. We had "circle time" "work time," "snack time," and "free choice time." Then they were done.

I've been called out

My cousin, Cheryl, so kindly commented on the fact that I didn't include any discussion of my recent birthday in my latest post. I turned 30, yes 30, on Sunday, and am I in denial? Maybe a smidge. Sunday was a strange day. I taught our intergenerational Sunday school class at church on Sunday morning, and my kids and niece and nephew were eager to let everyone know that it was my birthday. They all sang to me, and so "everyone" knew it was my birthday, and a big one at that. My parents watched the kids for us after church, and Greg and I went to a movie and had a nice dinner out together. We came back and had cake and ice cream with my family that evening. It was a nice day, pretty low-key, and great to have some time with just Greg, but for some reason, I was extremely tired and in a bit of a funk all day. [Sidenote: No, I'm not pregnant.] I didn't think turning 30 would have any effect on me, but apparently it did. I just felt weird. This year I didn't particularly enjoy all the extra attention that comes with a birthday. I'm not exactly sure what my problem was. It's not that I'm unhappy with my life or anything. In fact, things have really gone according to "plan," and I'm doing exactly what I want to be doing right now. I have a wonderful husband to whom I've been married for eight and half years. I have three great kids-5, 3, and 11 months. I'm right on schedule. So, I don't have an explanation for my emotional birthday funk, but I'm glad it's over, (I was totally fine the next day), and I'm glad the next big milestone is 10 years away. :)

Back to photos of the kids. We had snow again yesterday, but it's all gone today.



Aubrey turned 11 months on my birthday. My baby is going to be one in less than a month! That's something to cry about.

Visit with Grandpa and Grandma Andy

We invaded my grandparents' home in Keizer for a few hours on Saturday. It had been way too long since we'd seen them, so we needed to remedy that. We had a great time visiting. The kids enjoyed seeing Great-Grandpa and Grandma and eating all the yummy treats Grandma had for them at lunch.

Party Documentation

Joel was so excited for his Car's birthday (he talked about it for weeks prior), and then when the party actually came, he felt pretty overwhelmed, I think. We have very fews photo of him smiling during his party. He knew what was supposed to happen at his party, and he was very serious about making sure it all went as planned. He seemed rather anxious about it all, and everyone witnessed a couple meltdowns from the distraught birthday boy. As I mentioned in the last post, he doesn't handle chaos very well, and when our families all get together, there is always some degree of chaos, no matter how well-behaved the kids are (and they were all very well-behaved that day). [It didn't help that he burned three of his fingers on our wood stove earlier in the day. We've never had a burn incident with our stove, but our power was out for the first half of the day due to the wind storm, so the kids were keeping warm standing by the fire when we got home from church, and Joel got too close. We should have known better... but now at least he has a healthy fear of the stove. His fingers are healing just fine.]

Joel really did enjoy his birthday, despite appearances, and received many wonderful gifts that have kept him busy this week.
This is the game Greg created and executed: a Cars Walk, sort of like a cake walk, except every spot was a winner and worthy of a prize. The kids liked it once they figured out what they were supposed to do and once they realized they were getting goodies to fill their treat bags every time the music stopped.
He did a great job patiently reading the cards with me before tearing off the wrapping paper and then thanking the givers properly. He knew the drill.

Happy Birthday, Little Man!

Three years ago today we welcomed Joel Edward (aka, Joel-boy) into our family.

Joel, you were a big boy, starting out at 9 lbs 4 oz, and such a sweet little guy. You're still a big boy, and you have the same cute, impish grin. When looking for recent photos of you, I had a difficult time finding photos of just you. You love your big sister so much and always want to be where she is. You love your little sister an awful lot, too. You're very gentle with her and are a wonderful big brother. Your favorite color these days is green. You're a fan of your "meat 'n cheese 'n bread" for lunch, and you can eat more grapes than anyone I know (same goes for black olives). It's been fun having some time just with you while Kari is at preschool this year. You were a little lost without her the first few times she was gone, but you eventually saw some benefits to being the "only child" while Kari was away and Aubrey was napping. I've enjoyed our toast and hot cocoa times. We've played many games of Zingo, and I appreciate your help with the morning chores. You're my big helper, always willing to put away the groceries and help me unload the dishwasher. I wonder when that will change... maybe never? :) I also enjoy the snuggles you still allow this mama every now and then. You're a creature of habit, don't care for chaos, and thrive on routines, much like your older sister but maybe not quite so much so, not sure if it's her influence or your natural tendency. Time will tell. You like to be just like Daddy, like to wear your "cool" shoes just like Daddy, wear shirts like Daddy wears, and play your guitar just like Daddy. You men will have to stick together, being outnumbered in this house, as you are.

We love you so very much, Joel-boy. Happy 3rd Birthday!

We're still here

It's been a while since I've blogged, partly because I haven't had much to say, but also due to sick kids. Yes, Aubrey got her second ear infection, and she and Joel have been fighting colds for the last week. Our lovely span of family wellness lasted all of two weeks. We truly are back to normal life with little kids, I guess. We had a pretty good week, despite the kids not feeling so great. I enjoyed being an actual stay-at-home mom, and we had a nice time just being home in our cozy little house (sure is cold and windy outside!). We got some not-so-great news on Wednesday, though, that reminded us that we need to trust and depend on God in all areas of our life. Greg's employer announced a significant, company-wide paycut that goes into effect this next month. While we aren't happy about it, we are thankful he still has a job. We'll be alright. Even so, sometimes (ok, a lot of the time for me) it's difficult not to worry. God has always provided for our needs, and we know he will continue to do so.

Friday night we brought our snot-nosed little crew over to my parents' house to celebrate Brian's birthday with the family. The kids loved his "motorcycle" birthday. Emily made him a motorcycle cake that had glittery frosting, and Joel, worried that it wasn't edible, asked over and over if we could eat those parts. They got some Wii time in, too. Aubrey was very tired and squirmy and kept getting in the way of the TV. She thought it was quite the fun game--silly girl.

Ah, normal life!

Life has gone back to "normal" this week as Greg is back at work and Kari went back to preschool. It feels good to be back in our routines and have everyone healthy (!).

The other night after bath time, the kids were all playing together in their footy pjs, so we had to take some photos. Aubrey's becoming a bit of a little pill these days, getting into Kari and Joel's things, knocking down Joel's towers (as predicted), but they still think she's the cutest baby in the world and have a lot of fun with her.
Kari and Joel crawled all over the house, trying to get Aubrey to chase after them. She squealed with delight.

And here's a bunch of recent happy Aubrey photos.

(Still not sure what to do with her hair. It's a little too long on top in the front but shorter everywhere else and still pretty thin, so clips don't stay in well. She HATES having her hair put in a ponytail. It's nearly impossible to do--a huge battle that I just don't think I want to fight. Kari didn't have as much hair when she was 10 months old. I don't remember having to do anything with her hair until she was at least a year and a half, and I thought it was difficult then. Do I cut it (and how do I safely take scissors to her head)? I just don't know. Any suggestions?)

She found a treat of some kind under the kid table and popped it into her mouth. Uh-oh--that's her favorite thing to say right now, that and "all done." Really, those are the only intelligible things she says, but she's so cute when she says them.

Silly baby

Gingerbread Destruction

It went from this

And this


to this (and a very messy floor)!

Vacation and more Aubrey "first's"

We have enjoyed this last week as a family. It's been wonderful having Greg healthy and pain-free again. We celebrated New Year's Eve with a bunch of other families, did some shopping, watched some movies, and spent time with friends. Kari and Joel spent the night at G&G's house on Friday (and had a GREAT time), and Greg and I had a date night. Funny how having just the baby with us felt like a vacation. We had a very relaxing, leisurely time, just the three of us.

I've been meaning to post this photo of Aubrey enjoying her first spaghetti dinner. She's pretty much done with baby food. She wants real people food and lots of it. Almost every night is bath night now and sometimes mid-day, too.

And this is her first hair-do (and first cottage cheese experience). She does not appreciate getting her hair done, but it's hanging in her eyes, so we have to do something.