I have begun the DAUNTING task of finding drs/dentist for the kids. This is one of my LEAST favorite things about moving to a totally new area. I have planned on doing it soon, because so many places make you wait longer to see the dr if you are a new patient - and we see the dr a lot, so....
I got a recommendation from someone Paul works with for a Pediatric dentist. She said her kids love this dentist because she is cute and great with kids. I can hear Caleb now (which, by the way, got add this story real quick. This morning, we had to take Daddy his wallet to work. As I am loading the kids in the car, I was lecturing the boys about the fact they, once again, had not combed their hair and it was sticking up EVERYWHERE. Caleb asked where we were going. Instead of the normal "it doesn't matter where we are going, you should care enough about how you portray yourself to AT LEAST comb your hair and make it lay down" speech, I said "We are going somewhere where there are lots of 'hot chicks'." He starts trying to lay his hair down and told me he needed to go in real quick. I guess we found what to say to make Caleb care how he looks a little).
So, anyway, Isaac's teeth have been bothering him. He needs to get some work done, and I really want it done over the summer so that he doesn't have to miss school for it. I called and they actually scheduled Caleb and Isaac for next Thursday (Caleb has a little work that needs to be done too). I will have to go get some more Tylenol to keep on hand for poor Isaac!
Not having as much luck with Pediatricians. I emailed our realtor to see if she can get any recommendations for us. We have been so lucky in the past. We picked GREAT clinics in TX and AR and found drs at both that we REALLY liked. HOPEFULLY we can do that here too!
Wish us luck!!
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
Boys!
While we were driving around looking at houses this weekend, the boys decided to have a burping contest. Lovely, I know. Sadly, ANDREW started it! He kept making himself burp, then his brothers had to join in(Bryce might be a burping champion).
It is very hard to tell them to stop when you are laughing because the ONE YEAR OLD started it.
He ended up making himself spit up - his reflux is bad enough without him forcing it!
It is very hard to tell them to stop when you are laughing because the ONE YEAR OLD started it.
He ended up making himself spit up - his reflux is bad enough without him forcing it!
Sunset
These pictures were taken in Louisiana on our way to Arkansas a couple of weeks ago. I actually took them from the Jeep while Paul was driving. Not bad for a moving vehicle!
Sunday, June 22, 2008
House Hunting
So, we went and looked at the two houses today.
Our house #1 became house #2 and one of the new houses is now house #1. It is a strange situation though. It is FSBO, and they do not want to go through realtors so they are not willing to pay ANY of the commission. They will ONLY sell the house if the house they are wanting does NOT sell before theirs sells. Make sense?
On top of the house-selling confusion, as I mentioned, they are not willing to help with commission and probably not closing cost either. That ups the price about $12,000. I am not sure if the house will appraise high enough for what they are asking + the other stuff.
The house is in an older, more mature neighborhood, which is really what we want. We actually got a tour with our realtor, but by the homeowners. The neighbors sound awesome (including the 16 year old that babysits that lives across the street). Strangely, the homeowners are in the same profession as Paul! Is that a sign?
The kitchen and bathrooms have been updated - actually there were no countertops in the kitchen today - they are being finished tomorrow.
There will HAVE to be some negotiating, and it does not sound like they are willing to do any. This is just an oppurtunity for them. The house they are wanting is a block or two away. They are fine if the house does or doesn't sell.
Hopefully, our house will sell soon and one of the top two houses we like will still be waiting on us!
Our house #1 became house #2 and one of the new houses is now house #1. It is a strange situation though. It is FSBO, and they do not want to go through realtors so they are not willing to pay ANY of the commission. They will ONLY sell the house if the house they are wanting does NOT sell before theirs sells. Make sense?
On top of the house-selling confusion, as I mentioned, they are not willing to help with commission and probably not closing cost either. That ups the price about $12,000. I am not sure if the house will appraise high enough for what they are asking + the other stuff.
The house is in an older, more mature neighborhood, which is really what we want. We actually got a tour with our realtor, but by the homeowners. The neighbors sound awesome (including the 16 year old that babysits that lives across the street). Strangely, the homeowners are in the same profession as Paul! Is that a sign?
The kitchen and bathrooms have been updated - actually there were no countertops in the kitchen today - they are being finished tomorrow.
There will HAVE to be some negotiating, and it does not sound like they are willing to do any. This is just an oppurtunity for them. The house they are wanting is a block or two away. They are fine if the house does or doesn't sell.
Hopefully, our house will sell soon and one of the top two houses we like will still be waiting on us!
Saturday, June 21, 2008
23 Houses in One Week!!
We have looked at 23 houses in the past week - and have two to look at tomorrow. The boys have been with us for ALL 23! I must say, while they have not been perfect, for four boys to go to 23 houses and even somewhat behave is quite remarkable! It can be rather boring for adults, so I can only imagine what it is like for the boys.
Out of the 23, there was really less than a handful that we were truely interested in. As of yesterday, it was narrowed down to two. Today, while we found two more that we want to see - we have chosen the house we want. This house has been at the top of my list since we first saw it, but it had a contingent offer on it. The offer was taken off the table yesterday, the house is "available" again.
Between this house and the number two choice, basically we wanted the inside and view of house #2 and the outside and yard of the #1 house. House #1 is on a half-acre lot. It has a huge backyard. I LOVED the house. My only complaint was that there was no "formal" dining room - which really is NO big deal - we don't even have formal dining room furniture, and the master bedroom is kind of small. It has a nice master bath - with a whirlpool tub. The guest bath - I LOVE!! It is so cute. They have it painted red and it has a black and white claw-foot tub. IT IS SO CUTE!! It is a 1 1/2 story house. There are two BIG bedrooms upstairs.
House #2 is on a golf course. We loved the inside of this house, very unique, open, lots of windows overlooking a lake. Great view! It had very little yard, of course privacy fences are not allowed and we really did not like the outside of the house. We probably would have chosen this house probably, if Paul could have kayaked in the lake. He is not allowed to do ANYTHING in the lake. Basically, we could walk the trail on the course, but could do nothing else. The clubhouse offers nothing. There is no pool, no playground, nothing for the kids. Also, there will be years of construction in the area. The community is just now being developed, and after looking at the plans for the area, they have a LONG way to go.
After learning all of this, we feel like house #1 is it. We will look at these other two tomorrow (they are in matured, older neighborhoods, but VERY nice). Our realtor has done a great job finding out how things are selling in these different neighborhoods and how much they have appreciated. We really like the feel of the more mature neighborhood - our concern is the age of the houses and what will need to be replaced in the next five years, and the resale. We will be here for either five years, or 20! Once the kids get into high school, we don't want to be moving (really jr high, but Caleb is close to there already). Resale is one of our number one concerns at this point.
So, hopefully tomorrow we will have a contingent offer put on a house and even more hopefully - our house will get an offer SOON!! If we go back to the #1 house - I will try to take some pictures of it.
Out of the 23, there was really less than a handful that we were truely interested in. As of yesterday, it was narrowed down to two. Today, while we found two more that we want to see - we have chosen the house we want. This house has been at the top of my list since we first saw it, but it had a contingent offer on it. The offer was taken off the table yesterday, the house is "available" again.
Between this house and the number two choice, basically we wanted the inside and view of house #2 and the outside and yard of the #1 house. House #1 is on a half-acre lot. It has a huge backyard. I LOVED the house. My only complaint was that there was no "formal" dining room - which really is NO big deal - we don't even have formal dining room furniture, and the master bedroom is kind of small. It has a nice master bath - with a whirlpool tub. The guest bath - I LOVE!! It is so cute. They have it painted red and it has a black and white claw-foot tub. IT IS SO CUTE!! It is a 1 1/2 story house. There are two BIG bedrooms upstairs.
House #2 is on a golf course. We loved the inside of this house, very unique, open, lots of windows overlooking a lake. Great view! It had very little yard, of course privacy fences are not allowed and we really did not like the outside of the house. We probably would have chosen this house probably, if Paul could have kayaked in the lake. He is not allowed to do ANYTHING in the lake. Basically, we could walk the trail on the course, but could do nothing else. The clubhouse offers nothing. There is no pool, no playground, nothing for the kids. Also, there will be years of construction in the area. The community is just now being developed, and after looking at the plans for the area, they have a LONG way to go.
After learning all of this, we feel like house #1 is it. We will look at these other two tomorrow (they are in matured, older neighborhoods, but VERY nice). Our realtor has done a great job finding out how things are selling in these different neighborhoods and how much they have appreciated. We really like the feel of the more mature neighborhood - our concern is the age of the houses and what will need to be replaced in the next five years, and the resale. We will be here for either five years, or 20! Once the kids get into high school, we don't want to be moving (really jr high, but Caleb is close to there already). Resale is one of our number one concerns at this point.
So, hopefully tomorrow we will have a contingent offer put on a house and even more hopefully - our house will get an offer SOON!! If we go back to the #1 house - I will try to take some pictures of it.
Friday, June 20, 2008
HAPPY 5th BIRTHDAY, BRYCE
That is right, Bryce turned FIVE today! I can't believe it. He is very excited because I told him he started school a couple of months after he turned five! He is ready!
He got $5 in the mail from Nana yesterday. He asked me to see how much money was in his piggy bank. I took him to Target the other day to find what he wanted for his birthday. He had picked out an army truck transformer that was $20 (among many other toys that he wanted). When we were in AR and he was going with me to the coffee shop, the owners were paying him 50 cents to clean windows (something he always asked to do and they let him and gave him a little treat for it). Between that and Daddy frequently splitting his change between the four boys, Bryce had racked up $20 - just in his piggy bank. I took the oppurtunity to show the other two how well Bryce had done (I can't get them to save money - if they get change they immediately take it and lose it or spend it on those gumball machines).
So, this morning I went by the bank and we exchanged the change for a $20 bill. Then we went to Target. Bryce had his $25 (and was VERY proud) and kept saying he was going to get the army truck transformer. We got to toys, he went straight to the transformer, put it in the buggy and asked how much money he had left. Then he bought some bugs with his leftover $5.
The whole time, Caleb and Isaac are moaning that they don't get anything. I told them we don't buy presents for their brothers when it is THEIR birthday and that most of the money Bryce was spending was the money he had been saving!
He asked us to get him a game for his Gameboy for his birthday present. The boys decided that they did not want to watch Bryce get stuff, so they requested that they get to stay in the car while we ran in Gamestop.
They have been asking ever since to play with his new gifts. Bryce is actually sharing (which the big brothers DON'T do with their new toys).
Happy birthday Bry-Bry. You are growing up too fast! I am so glad you are so excited about school and I hope you stay that way (although, I think after the first few visits to the principal for your talking and not sitting still - the fun of school might wear off!!). I hope you enjoy your presents and the cake and rootbeer floats you picked out!
Oh, it is our tradition that the birthday boy gets to pick the dinner of their choice. So, tonight after we look at houses, we will be going out for PIZZA!!
He got $5 in the mail from Nana yesterday. He asked me to see how much money was in his piggy bank. I took him to Target the other day to find what he wanted for his birthday. He had picked out an army truck transformer that was $20 (among many other toys that he wanted). When we were in AR and he was going with me to the coffee shop, the owners were paying him 50 cents to clean windows (something he always asked to do and they let him and gave him a little treat for it). Between that and Daddy frequently splitting his change between the four boys, Bryce had racked up $20 - just in his piggy bank. I took the oppurtunity to show the other two how well Bryce had done (I can't get them to save money - if they get change they immediately take it and lose it or spend it on those gumball machines).
So, this morning I went by the bank and we exchanged the change for a $20 bill. Then we went to Target. Bryce had his $25 (and was VERY proud) and kept saying he was going to get the army truck transformer. We got to toys, he went straight to the transformer, put it in the buggy and asked how much money he had left. Then he bought some bugs with his leftover $5.
The whole time, Caleb and Isaac are moaning that they don't get anything. I told them we don't buy presents for their brothers when it is THEIR birthday and that most of the money Bryce was spending was the money he had been saving!
He asked us to get him a game for his Gameboy for his birthday present. The boys decided that they did not want to watch Bryce get stuff, so they requested that they get to stay in the car while we ran in Gamestop.
They have been asking ever since to play with his new gifts. Bryce is actually sharing (which the big brothers DON'T do with their new toys).
Happy birthday Bry-Bry. You are growing up too fast! I am so glad you are so excited about school and I hope you stay that way (although, I think after the first few visits to the principal for your talking and not sitting still - the fun of school might wear off!!). I hope you enjoy your presents and the cake and rootbeer floats you picked out!
Oh, it is our tradition that the birthday boy gets to pick the dinner of their choice. So, tonight after we look at houses, we will be going out for PIZZA!!
I am Just a Regular Criminal
As I mentioned in my previous post, I got stopped Monday by the police, but unlike my hubby, I got stopped because the police were checking license plates. I barely had to come to a complete stop.
Tuesday after work, Paul asked if we wanted to go for a ride. We went and explored a little, basically just seeing sugarcane fields and swamps (remember...we ARE in LA!). I told Paul to slow down (because we already know his track record here for tickets). Isaac told Paul I had gotten pulled over that morning. He said the police gave me a ticket. I kept telling him I had NOT been stopped that day at all, and when I had been pulled over Monday it was just to check my plates. He kept adamently argueing that I had gotten a ticket.
Well, Bryce had to chime in. By the time the three boys were done I had gotten a ticket for speeding, I was driving through corn fields (which were actually sugar cane fields - and when we told Bryce that he started calling them sugarcane corn fields), playing in the swamps, and I don't remember what else was on my laundry list of crimes.
I don't know if you have ever seen or paid attention to a sugarcane field, but they are planted on humps. There is just row and row of humps with sugarcane on them. If you have seen my car and know how low it sits, you would know that I would have bottomed out on the first hump and would have to call someone to help me get off of it.
Paul looked at me with a grin. I told him I was trying to see if my car would do any of the things his Jeep would do!
Oh, the imaginations of my house full of boys!
Tuesday after work, Paul asked if we wanted to go for a ride. We went and explored a little, basically just seeing sugarcane fields and swamps (remember...we ARE in LA!). I told Paul to slow down (because we already know his track record here for tickets). Isaac told Paul I had gotten pulled over that morning. He said the police gave me a ticket. I kept telling him I had NOT been stopped that day at all, and when I had been pulled over Monday it was just to check my plates. He kept adamently argueing that I had gotten a ticket.
Well, Bryce had to chime in. By the time the three boys were done I had gotten a ticket for speeding, I was driving through corn fields (which were actually sugar cane fields - and when we told Bryce that he started calling them sugarcane corn fields), playing in the swamps, and I don't remember what else was on my laundry list of crimes.
I don't know if you have ever seen or paid attention to a sugarcane field, but they are planted on humps. There is just row and row of humps with sugarcane on them. If you have seen my car and know how low it sits, you would know that I would have bottomed out on the first hump and would have to call someone to help me get off of it.
Paul looked at me with a grin. I told him I was trying to see if my car would do any of the things his Jeep would do!
Oh, the imaginations of my house full of boys!
Monday, June 16, 2008
My Last Year of Twenty-Something
My 29th birthday. BLAH!!!!!!
Caleb has been telling EVERYONE that today is my birthday! He can't leave it at that though. He has to tell them my age as well.
I got stopped this morning, by the police. SCAREY! I knew I was not speeding, but after Paul's gift yesterday....
They were checking license plates.
SIGH OF RELIEF!
Caleb has been telling EVERYONE that today is my birthday! He can't leave it at that though. He has to tell them my age as well.
I got stopped this morning, by the police. SCAREY! I knew I was not speeding, but after Paul's gift yesterday....
They were checking license plates.
SIGH OF RELIEF!
Happy Father's Day
We are blessed with a GREAT Daddy to celebrate Father's Day with. We spent it working on the house in AR and driving back to Louisiana. Daddy got a charcoal grill. He has been wanting one, but we have not wanted to spend the money on it since he has had a gas grill. Well, now we don't want to get a new gas grill (we are not moving our old one - since it is about 8 years old and falling apart) until we move into OUR house. He spent last night putting it together so he can make kabobs for dinner tonight (first time we have ever made them).
East Carroll Parish (here in LA) gave him a Father's Day gift as well. The paper kind.
The kind that cost ME money. He was going 75 in a 55 AGAIN! His second ticket in Louisiana already! They police here are so funny - they are super nice (the ones we have met anyway). They give you your ticket, small talk, etc. Then before they let you go they tell you where all of the other police in the parish are patrolling. I guess they know the ticket isn't going to slow you down.
Word of advice: DO NOT SPEED IN LOUISIANA!!! They have CRAPPY roads, but they don't skimp on cops!
East Carroll Parish (here in LA) gave him a Father's Day gift as well. The paper kind.
The kind that cost ME money. He was going 75 in a 55 AGAIN! His second ticket in Louisiana already! They police here are so funny - they are super nice (the ones we have met anyway). They give you your ticket, small talk, etc. Then before they let you go they tell you where all of the other police in the parish are patrolling. I guess they know the ticket isn't going to slow you down.
Word of advice: DO NOT SPEED IN LOUISIANA!!! They have CRAPPY roads, but they don't skimp on cops!
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Louisiana Schools
The schools here are....different. There are three elementary schools in the town we are wanting to move to. In Arkansas it would depend on where you live as to which school you go too. Here...it depends on what grade you are in. Kindergarten and first go to one school, second and third another, and fourth and fifth another. This means every other year I will be going to three schools to take kids to school and pick them up. And, no, they are not close together.
This year, Bryce and Isaac will be at the same school, next year I will have one at each school.
I thought I was busy with two kids at ONE school....I hope AJ gets to where he likes his carseat a little more!
This year, Bryce and Isaac will be at the same school, next year I will have one at each school.
I thought I was busy with two kids at ONE school....I hope AJ gets to where he likes his carseat a little more!
Hard Move
Caleb is starting to struggle with the move. I said something this morning about him making new friends. He started crying and said he didn't want new friends. I asked why. He said that he would never find friends like what he had. I explained that we can still have friends, even in a different state, and that it is okay to have new friends too. It doesn't mean that he is no longer friends with friends there, just MORE friends.
I think he is excited, too, though. Last weekend when we were house-hunting, we ran across his school. He was very excited about it. He was excited that his brothers won't be at the same school (that is a whole different post). Maybe that is part of the problem. Maybe he feels like if he is excited about what is to come he is failing the friends he has. We have discussed that too.
He has become even more bossy than normal lately. I think this has become his way of coping with his hurt and anger.
This move has definently been much harder on everyone than our previous move. We had never been anywhere but Texas before we went to Arkansas. When they closed the office Paul was at in Texas, we knew we would be going out of state...somewhere. We just had no idea where. We followed where we felt the Lord was telling us to go and could not have ended up in a better place. We loved the area we lived in, we had a great church, GREAT friends, the fact that every weekend we could explore somewhere new, our house, etc.
None of us expected this job offer or the acceptance of the job offer. We have spent seven months so back and forth on this decision. The fact that Daddy would be home with us and have very minimal travel was what made the decision hard. If that had not been in the offer, we would not have considered moving. Do we completely pick up the family and move them to another state? After going over the pros and cons over and over and over the only thing that kept standing out was the fact that Daddy would be home. After seven years of traveling very often, he would be home with us. That is the most important thing. What is the point in his busting his butt for his family if he was never with his family? The trade off was just too high of a price.
I am very glad he had the oppurtunities he had through the company he worked for in Texas and Arkansas. He learned so much, he worked with good people, he got to see a lot, it actually strengthened our marriage, but it is time for him to be back with us. I have no doubts we WERE where we were supposed to be and doing what we were supposed to be doing. I also have no doubts that we ARE where we are supposed to be and doing what we are supposed to be doing now. As hard as it is to just pick up and leave everyone and everything, family is the number one priority and should ALWAYS come first.
I have to remind myself that frequently. The stress of trying to sell a house (especially from another state) and not knowing when and if it is going to sell (especially when there are six houses on your street for sale, two of which are right across the street from ours...one in foreclosure and one whose owner is also a realtor doing daily open houses) is very difficult. Especially when you are sitting in a house surrounded by boxes that serve as a constant reminder that this is not your home. It has been difficult for us to get too excited about looking at houses here. We don't want to find "THE" house and it be gone when our house sells. Now we think we have found "THE" house....we will see what happens!
I get Purpose Driven Life devotionals sent to my email. I got one the other day that I had to print out. It was called Resisting Discouragment. It could not have come at a better time. I consider patience to be one of my biggest downfalls. This devotional was talking about how God tries us often, not so HE can see how patient we are, but so WE can see how patient we are. Also, to show us that he is faithful, even if we don't get answers immdeiately.
We will get through this. No matter what happens, we will get through it and we will be stronger.
I am glad that Caleb is getting to go to church camp with his friends from Arkansas. That will show him that even when he leaves for a while, his friends are still his friends. Just another life-lesson! :(
I think he is excited, too, though. Last weekend when we were house-hunting, we ran across his school. He was very excited about it. He was excited that his brothers won't be at the same school (that is a whole different post). Maybe that is part of the problem. Maybe he feels like if he is excited about what is to come he is failing the friends he has. We have discussed that too.
He has become even more bossy than normal lately. I think this has become his way of coping with his hurt and anger.
This move has definently been much harder on everyone than our previous move. We had never been anywhere but Texas before we went to Arkansas. When they closed the office Paul was at in Texas, we knew we would be going out of state...somewhere. We just had no idea where. We followed where we felt the Lord was telling us to go and could not have ended up in a better place. We loved the area we lived in, we had a great church, GREAT friends, the fact that every weekend we could explore somewhere new, our house, etc.
None of us expected this job offer or the acceptance of the job offer. We have spent seven months so back and forth on this decision. The fact that Daddy would be home with us and have very minimal travel was what made the decision hard. If that had not been in the offer, we would not have considered moving. Do we completely pick up the family and move them to another state? After going over the pros and cons over and over and over the only thing that kept standing out was the fact that Daddy would be home. After seven years of traveling very often, he would be home with us. That is the most important thing. What is the point in his busting his butt for his family if he was never with his family? The trade off was just too high of a price.
I am very glad he had the oppurtunities he had through the company he worked for in Texas and Arkansas. He learned so much, he worked with good people, he got to see a lot, it actually strengthened our marriage, but it is time for him to be back with us. I have no doubts we WERE where we were supposed to be and doing what we were supposed to be doing. I also have no doubts that we ARE where we are supposed to be and doing what we are supposed to be doing now. As hard as it is to just pick up and leave everyone and everything, family is the number one priority and should ALWAYS come first.
I have to remind myself that frequently. The stress of trying to sell a house (especially from another state) and not knowing when and if it is going to sell (especially when there are six houses on your street for sale, two of which are right across the street from ours...one in foreclosure and one whose owner is also a realtor doing daily open houses) is very difficult. Especially when you are sitting in a house surrounded by boxes that serve as a constant reminder that this is not your home. It has been difficult for us to get too excited about looking at houses here. We don't want to find "THE" house and it be gone when our house sells. Now we think we have found "THE" house....we will see what happens!
I get Purpose Driven Life devotionals sent to my email. I got one the other day that I had to print out. It was called Resisting Discouragment. It could not have come at a better time. I consider patience to be one of my biggest downfalls. This devotional was talking about how God tries us often, not so HE can see how patient we are, but so WE can see how patient we are. Also, to show us that he is faithful, even if we don't get answers immdeiately.
We will get through this. No matter what happens, we will get through it and we will be stronger.
I am glad that Caleb is getting to go to church camp with his friends from Arkansas. That will show him that even when he leaves for a while, his friends are still his friends. Just another life-lesson! :(
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Growing Up Too Fast
I know, I say that ALL the time, but it is true!
This past weekend Andrew decided noone was allowed to feed him anymore. We sit at the table and eat as a family every night and it has been a real pain to do that with Andrew lately. There is a lot of squealing, refusing food, force feeding, fighting with him, etc.
The other night, as normal, I could not even get him to TRY his food. Typically, once he tries it he likes it. But, you cannot switch foods on him. He has to eat all of one thing and then you have to fight to make him try something else. He has always kinda been that way. He has also gotten to where he wants to hold the fork, but when you give it to him he just stabs the table. So, I let him hold the fork and when he starts beating the table I take it from him for a few minutes. I was trying to show him to put the fork in his mouth and he kept screaming at me. I held his head and MADE him put the food in his mouth. He immediately pushed it out. I put it back in, he spit it out. We did this four of five times. All of the boys (including Daddy) said that he would never keep it in his mouth and that he was more stubborn than me. REALLY? Have they learned NOTHING? Finally, Andrew ate the food. We clapped and hoorayed him. He LOVES praise! So, then it was a game. He would put his fork in his mouth after I put food on it and he would look at Daddy for praise.
That was Saturday night. He has eaten whatever we put on his plate every night since then. BUT HE FEEDS HIMSELF....WITH A FORK!! Sometimes he needs a little help getting the food on the fork, but as soon as the food is on it, he puts the fork in his mouth.
Until he gets to his fruit. He does not waste time trying to get the fruit on the fork. He says Momma while he is thrusting his fork in my face. Then I have to give him the fork back with food on it and we do that until the fruit is gone. Somethings are just too good to waste time with!
I am so proud of him for learning this. He is going to be 14 months tomorrow and is completely feeding himself and eating everything we eat!
He has also learned where is nose is. If we ask him where it is he will start pinching it over and over and giggling.
Now if we could just increase his vocabulary so he will stop screaming and squealing!!! I have started working on sign language with him (should have started a long time ago - I know!). Hopefully that will help with his frustrations of not being able to SAY what he is wanting.
I have some video of him eating, but I have to find my cable to upload it to the computer before I can put it on here, so it will be here...eventually!
This past weekend Andrew decided noone was allowed to feed him anymore. We sit at the table and eat as a family every night and it has been a real pain to do that with Andrew lately. There is a lot of squealing, refusing food, force feeding, fighting with him, etc.
The other night, as normal, I could not even get him to TRY his food. Typically, once he tries it he likes it. But, you cannot switch foods on him. He has to eat all of one thing and then you have to fight to make him try something else. He has always kinda been that way. He has also gotten to where he wants to hold the fork, but when you give it to him he just stabs the table. So, I let him hold the fork and when he starts beating the table I take it from him for a few minutes. I was trying to show him to put the fork in his mouth and he kept screaming at me. I held his head and MADE him put the food in his mouth. He immediately pushed it out. I put it back in, he spit it out. We did this four of five times. All of the boys (including Daddy) said that he would never keep it in his mouth and that he was more stubborn than me. REALLY? Have they learned NOTHING? Finally, Andrew ate the food. We clapped and hoorayed him. He LOVES praise! So, then it was a game. He would put his fork in his mouth after I put food on it and he would look at Daddy for praise.
That was Saturday night. He has eaten whatever we put on his plate every night since then. BUT HE FEEDS HIMSELF....WITH A FORK!! Sometimes he needs a little help getting the food on the fork, but as soon as the food is on it, he puts the fork in his mouth.
Until he gets to his fruit. He does not waste time trying to get the fruit on the fork. He says Momma while he is thrusting his fork in my face. Then I have to give him the fork back with food on it and we do that until the fruit is gone. Somethings are just too good to waste time with!
I am so proud of him for learning this. He is going to be 14 months tomorrow and is completely feeding himself and eating everything we eat!
He has also learned where is nose is. If we ask him where it is he will start pinching it over and over and giggling.
Now if we could just increase his vocabulary so he will stop screaming and squealing!!! I have started working on sign language with him (should have started a long time ago - I know!). Hopefully that will help with his frustrations of not being able to SAY what he is wanting.
I have some video of him eating, but I have to find my cable to upload it to the computer before I can put it on here, so it will be here...eventually!
Chores
Is it bad when your children are SO BORED that they actually fight over who gets to do what chore (because they WANT to do the chores)?
I have not had to wash a dish, clean the table, set the table, clear the table, load the dishwasher, sweep, fold the laundry, do doggie duty or walk the dogs.
Forgetting to bring the toys has worked in my favor. I think we may never get toys again!
I have not had to wash a dish, clean the table, set the table, clear the table, load the dishwasher, sweep, fold the laundry, do doggie duty or walk the dogs.
Forgetting to bring the toys has worked in my favor. I think we may never get toys again!
Sunday, June 08, 2008
Our Weekend
We got quite a bit done this weekend! We got the house as cleaned up as it can be, with the clutter of boxes! I must say it is much harder to get motivated to clean when it never looks clean! But, I hid as many boxes as I could in closets and worked on catching up on laundry (there is a washer and dryer here, but much smaller than I am used too), grocery shopping, etc...
Yesterday we drove around the city we are wanting to move to and checked out some subdivisions. Then we came home and did some research on houses and went back today, armed with pages of houses and subdivisions we wanted to see. We came back today with a list of areas we are interested in and houses we want to see.
Unfortunately, the area we loved the most is also a little more than we want to spend (like $100,000+ more). We really want a big lot or to be more out in the country. The subdivision we liked the most were not only good sized homes, but they sat on 2+ acres. Lots of mature trees and immaculate lawns/flowerbeds.
The house we thought the least of when we headed that way this morning, became one of the leading houses after we saw it. It is 3311 square feet, five bedroom, three bath, office, POOL, kennel, storage building, etc. Sounds great, right? Well, our issue with it when we left this morning was that it was built in 1985 and we were not sure that we would want a house that old. We almost did not even go look at it, but we did. It was a house that was abandoned. It needs some work, but we really like it. It is the eye-sore of the neighborhood right now. Needs some lawn work and curb-appeal, but I think we could do most of everything by ourselves. It has a new roof and the pool liner is fairly new.
We will see though. If it is meant for us to have it, it will still be available when we sell our house!!
Yesterday we drove around the city we are wanting to move to and checked out some subdivisions. Then we came home and did some research on houses and went back today, armed with pages of houses and subdivisions we wanted to see. We came back today with a list of areas we are interested in and houses we want to see.
Unfortunately, the area we loved the most is also a little more than we want to spend (like $100,000+ more). We really want a big lot or to be more out in the country. The subdivision we liked the most were not only good sized homes, but they sat on 2+ acres. Lots of mature trees and immaculate lawns/flowerbeds.
The house we thought the least of when we headed that way this morning, became one of the leading houses after we saw it. It is 3311 square feet, five bedroom, three bath, office, POOL, kennel, storage building, etc. Sounds great, right? Well, our issue with it when we left this morning was that it was built in 1985 and we were not sure that we would want a house that old. We almost did not even go look at it, but we did. It was a house that was abandoned. It needs some work, but we really like it. It is the eye-sore of the neighborhood right now. Needs some lawn work and curb-appeal, but I think we could do most of everything by ourselves. It has a new roof and the pool liner is fairly new.
We will see though. If it is meant for us to have it, it will still be available when we sell our house!!
My Far-Fetched Dream
I have had this dream for a while that EVENTUALLY the boys would stop fighting all the time. Whether they are argueing, bickering, or actually using hands/fist/feet/heads on each other - they constantly fight. They will fight over whether it is raining or not when there is not a cloud in the sky - just so they have something to fight about. AAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
I was reading another blog today and she had this video from YouTube on it. I can relate (only try and get FOUR to cooperate and get along)!!
So, I guess my dream will never come true?
I was reading another blog today and she had this video from YouTube on it. I can relate (only try and get FOUR to cooperate and get along)!!
So, I guess my dream will never come true?
Saturday, June 07, 2008
~~~TRIVIA~~~
Double-click on the following pictures to enlarge them. These pictures were actually taken from far away. I took them trying to get pictures of the footprints, which was a big thing the boys were looking at while we were on our hike today. They wanted to see what all animals were hiding amongst them. After I got home and put the pictures on the computer, I found a living "creature" in both of the pictures that are naturals to a swamp habitat. See if you can find them - if you do, leave a comment and let me know you found it and WHAT you found.
One picture is pretty easy, but one is a challange. I can't believe I saw it when I was looking at the photos. Remember, most wild "creatures" tend to blend into their natural environment.
HAVE FUN!
One picture is pretty easy, but one is a challange. I can't believe I saw it when I was looking at the photos. Remember, most wild "creatures" tend to blend into their natural environment.
HAVE FUN!
Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center
Today we went on our first excursion in Louisiana. Daddy looked online for something around here that the boys would enjoy. We ended up going to the Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center in Baton Rouge. The boys really enjoyed it. They have put trails through and over the swamps (stroller friendly trails for the most part). It was very interesting and lots to see. We saw a raccoon on the trail, shortly after starting out. Unfortunately, Bryce was the first to spot it and he very loudly announced the raccoon, who, in turn, very quickly exited the scene! We also saw skinks, anoles, snakes, birds, mosquitos (blah), fish, poison ivy (blah), turtles, frogs, dragonflies, and lots and lots of plants. It was a great place to try out the camera with some nature pictures.
Andrew checking out the snakes
Wild tomatoes
Broad-headed skink
Awesome picture (even if I did have to chase the stupid thing to get it)
There were dragonflies everywhere
Looks like a science fair project
The water was disappearing and the water snakes had a small puddle that they were sharing with their lunch. The boys loved this part of the trip.
more snakes
more snakes
an anole in the swamps
An anole in the swamps
Andrew has the best seat (only seat) of the trip, complete with a fan to keep him cool and comfy!
As close to alligators as we have gotten
Drinking from the water fountain
That was some ice cold water
My five boys
Four of my five boys
Turtles
Andrew checking out the snakes
Wild tomatoes
Broad-headed skink
Awesome picture (even if I did have to chase the stupid thing to get it)
There were dragonflies everywhere
Looks like a science fair project
The water was disappearing and the water snakes had a small puddle that they were sharing with their lunch. The boys loved this part of the trip.
more snakes
more snakes
an anole in the swamps
An anole in the swamps
Andrew has the best seat (only seat) of the trip, complete with a fan to keep him cool and comfy!
As close to alligators as we have gotten
Drinking from the water fountain
That was some ice cold water
My five boys
Four of my five boys
Turtles
IT RAINED!!!
This is the first time it has rained since we got here! It poured! It's great that it rained, but the underlying excitement is that it cooled things off - quite a bit!
I am sure as soon as the clouds go away in a bit and the sun starts shining again, I will wish it had NOT rained! (CAN WE SAY MUGGY!!!)
I am sure as soon as the clouds go away in a bit and the sun starts shining again, I will wish it had NOT rained! (CAN WE SAY MUGGY!!!)
Friday, June 06, 2008
Kung Fu Andrew
Andrew continuously walks around the house making sounds you would hear during a Kung-fu scene in a movie. I keep expecting him to break out in some moves, but so far it is just noises!
Belly Bugs
Yesterday Bryce and Andrew were playing in the living room.
Bryce asked why Andrew had a ladybug in his belly button. I said he didn't, just as I watched Bryce pull a ladybug out of Andrew's belly button.
What else is he hiding in there?
Bryce asked why Andrew had a ladybug in his belly button. I said he didn't, just as I watched Bryce pull a ladybug out of Andrew's belly button.
What else is he hiding in there?
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY SWEETIE
TEN YEARS!!
We were high school sweethearts. When I hear about peoples horror stories with dating, I am so glad I was lucky enough to find the love of my life early on. Many people did not think we would make it, some made it difficult, there have been many trials and test, but in the end, true love always prevailed and here we are....10 years (of marriage - going on THIRTEEN years together) later. We have an awesome family - LOTS OF BOYS - and a crazy life.
BUT I LOVE IT! I would not change a thing if I could. This is exactly where I want to be, and exactly who I want to be on this journey with.
To celebrate....we are having....
JUST ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE!!
Since we know noone down here, we will be staying home tonight...with the kids.
That is how most people celebrate their ten year anniversary, right?
The traditional 10 year anniversary gift is tin/aluminum. Paul said he would give me some aluminum foil for our anniversary - keeping it traditional!
I love you Sweetie, and can't wait to celebrate MANY MANY more anniversaries together! I look forward to having you home ALL the time - we have earned it.
We were high school sweethearts. When I hear about peoples horror stories with dating, I am so glad I was lucky enough to find the love of my life early on. Many people did not think we would make it, some made it difficult, there have been many trials and test, but in the end, true love always prevailed and here we are....10 years (of marriage - going on THIRTEEN years together) later. We have an awesome family - LOTS OF BOYS - and a crazy life.
BUT I LOVE IT! I would not change a thing if I could. This is exactly where I want to be, and exactly who I want to be on this journey with.
To celebrate....we are having....
JUST ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE!!
Since we know noone down here, we will be staying home tonight...with the kids.
That is how most people celebrate their ten year anniversary, right?
The traditional 10 year anniversary gift is tin/aluminum. Paul said he would give me some aluminum foil for our anniversary - keeping it traditional!
I love you Sweetie, and can't wait to celebrate MANY MANY more anniversaries together! I look forward to having you home ALL the time - we have earned it.
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Our Temporary House
I have had several people ask about the house we are staying in, so I thought I would take a few pictures. We have a four bedroom/three bath house. It would be pretty good space - if we did not have so many boxes!! I have unpacked some boxes and lined walls a little better so we have a little more living space, but I will have a hard time going all summer surrounded by boxes!!
I am in love with their couch and the mattresses on our bed. The couch is a really soft leather (might be calf skin). Both ends recline. The couch we have at home was supposed to recline at both ends, but we opted for the bed - WHICH NONE OF OUR FEW GUESTS EVER USE! So, next time we will buy a plush, comfy leather dual reclining couch!! Our mattresses have never been great, but the one we are on now is GREAT!
Dog's home (Caleb is LOVING keeping that clean!)
Loft
View from loft
View from the staircase
View from in front of the back door
I am in love with their couch and the mattresses on our bed. The couch is a really soft leather (might be calf skin). Both ends recline. The couch we have at home was supposed to recline at both ends, but we opted for the bed - WHICH NONE OF OUR FEW GUESTS EVER USE! So, next time we will buy a plush, comfy leather dual reclining couch!! Our mattresses have never been great, but the one we are on now is GREAT!
Dog's home (Caleb is LOVING keeping that clean!)
Loft
View from loft
View from the staircase
View from in front of the back door
Bryce and Andrew
Bryce asked me to take some pictures of him and Andrew, and who could refuse! Andrew's nose/lip....he kinda got in a fight with the concrete while running around outside. The concrete is fine....AJ, we he got a little scraped up!
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