Bryce and His Best Friend - Bear Bear

My Favorite Ringtone

Yes, that is Bryce that is super loud - don't have your volume up too loud!! Sadly the phone was the furthest away from him and he is still the loudest. Welcome to my life!!

My Favorite Ringtone

Mother's Day

I am the luckiest lady alive. I have a wonderful, loving husband, and three great kids! I could not ask for a better bunch of guys! Even though I get frustrated with them often, they always remind me how much I love them! They have taught me so much about life that I would otherwise never know. I cannot imagine my life without them in it. Life would be pretty boring I am sure!!

What a great Mother's Day! Caleb really took care of me - especially since Daddy was not home to help. He got up at 6:30 and made me breakfast in bed - and then they gave me all of their gifts they made for me. It was so exciting and so sweet!

Caleb made me a recipe holder and a great card. I am so proud of him! He wrote inside "Mom is the best in the world. I love you Mom" and then "I love mom one inch behind God-Jessus." The recipe holder came complete with a recipe for peanut butter cookies that Caleb wrote out for me.

Isaac made me a picture frame, and a poem with his handprints on it. He was so excited that he gave it to me on Friday when he brought it home, and then took it back and gave it to me again on Sunday morning. He was so funny - all day yesterday he kept asking "When are we going to Mother's Day?" and "Where is Mother's day at?" He just could not understand, but it was so cute. He also made me a door hanger with his photo on it (at therapy).

Bryce made me a trivet at Mother's Day Out. It is adorable. They put his handprint, name and year on it then sent it to get glazed and fired. It was cute, and he also gave it to me Friday and then again yesterday.

After church, Caleb said he was taking me out to eat for Mother's Day. I asked where and he said to McDonalds. I asked him how he was going to get us there and he said I would have to drive. "You will have to pay too, Mommy!" I gave Caleb the money and let him pay so that he felt like he was "taking me out."

I also got a new cell phone. Paul got me a PINK Razr. I was very excited. The boys and I were playing with it and figured out how to record ringtones. They recorded one for me together that I will post next. It is so sweet, and now everytime the phone rings I will hear three of my four favorite guys. And, everytime I open the phone I will see a picture of them together.

Caleb's Last Soccer Game

Here are a couple of pictures of Caleb's last game. I forgot to take my camera at his party so I will get pictures of him with his trophy and post them! There other team actually showed up!!

Isaac's Last Soccer Game

Well, we had our last soccer game of the season this weekend. That is good for Daddy and I, bad for the boys! It was actually a make-up game for a game that was rained out. Isaac's game was at 9:30 am. We got there and at 9:30 - noone from the other team was there. The coach called the other teams coach, and they apparantly decided they were not going to play, but did not bother to call and let our team know.

The coach let his daughter and her friends play against our team. It was pretty funny because three of the four girls had never played before. Here are some pics of them playing.





Isaac getting his trophy!!

Isn't he stylish!

Bryce's Nap/Bedtime

These are pictures of bedtime for Bryce. He has decided the last couple of weeks that he no longer needs to nap and his bedtime is too early. He went from taking 3 hour naps and sleeping 12 hours at night to not wanting to take naps and playing for at least an hour before he finally stays in bed (and usually he sleeps with a bed full of toys). This would not be a major deal, except he is not ready for this! By about 3 everyday - he falls apart. TEMPER TANTRUM CENTRAL!! Of course, after I pick everyone up from school and therapy, it is too late for a nap. Well, by bedtime he is on a high from being beyond tired!

I told him last night I was going to start taking the toys out of his room. I guess I am going to have to put toy boxes etc on wheels! He manages to play when it is completely dark in there. At least he is learning while he stays up - if you notice his cars are arranged by color and type - way to categorize Bry-Bry!!

Caleb's Hickie Face - Literally

Caleb thought that it would be fun to attach his water bottle to his face. This is the outcome of that! It is kind of blurry - but yes that whole red spot is a hickie that he still has 4 days later! Makes a Mom so proud!

School Saga

Sorry to those of you who look to this page for entertainment while you are supposed to be working!! Things are crazy with only 3 weeks left of school. I don't know why they do nothing all year and then they try to cram everything in the last month of school!!! I will dedicate this morning to trying to catch things up - as long as Bryce allows!

Okay - I thought I had already put this on, but I guess not. If you recal, at Valentines Day, Caleb asked if he could pray before their party. He was told he was not allowed to pray (not that he could not pray at school - he could not pray). Well, a couple of weeks ago - Caleb got in the car from school and said "Mom, I know when I die, before I go to heaven I will turn into a cow, but only if I am good." "WHAT?" I asked shocked. He repeated the same thing. "Who told you that?" We learned it in school while we were learning about India."
Now, I have a real problem with the fact that the school is not allowed to talk about Christianity, but we are going to teach our kids about hinduism. First grade is not the time for that! These kids are trying to figure out their own values and beliefs. They are not allowed to discuss their beliefs and work through their questions, but we are going to cloud their head with other religions? Where is our country going?

I was fuming - as you can imagine. I was going to go talk to the principal, and still may, but I was cooled off last week when Caleb came home and told me this. He takes books from home to school to read because he always gets done with his work so fast. Well last week he was taking a childrens storybook Bible. The teacher lets the kids get in front of the class and read books to the class. Caleb was allowed to read from his Bible all week.

I know I can't do a whole lot to change the laws regarding religion and schools, but I think there is a line that is being crossed. There have been many things that I have happened that I have wanted to talk to the principal about, but Caleb is going to be at this school, hopefully throughout his school years, and I don't want him to be punished or looked at as a trouble child because I am in the office complaining all the time. Instead when Caleb comes home we discuss things that happened at school. I hope and pray that the kids going to church and what they learn at home is enough to get them through school. It is like I have to deprogram him from school everyday and remind him of his values.

I just wish that the teachers would watch how they phrase things. I don't think they are out to sabotage the kids, but I also don't think they think about how literal the kids take things at that age - or my kid anyway! I know it must be frustrating to many of the teachers who cannot encourage their own beliefs. The school saga continues...

BOYS WILL BE BOYS

Isaac's Addiction

Isaac has become addicted to the computer. We got them this keyboard and mouse because Isaac had a hard time using our mouse. This is a smaller mouse, made for small hands, and the keyboard is smaller and they did away with all the keys that they did not really need (function keys, number pad, etc).

Well, now as soon as I pick him up from school he starts the "When we get home can I play the computer game?" I have really had to limit how much and how often he plays because he will spend all day in there.

And I was concerned about Caleb becoming addicted to it!!!

Isaac had a doctors appointment on Friday. We were checking for diabetes, seeing about some night time sweating and checking on his ear that has been having problems for months and months now. Little did I know, this would be a doctors appointment nightmares are made of!

We started with a finger poke before the dr came in. Then the dr came in and talked to us. He said that the test for diabetes came back normal. He decided he wanted to do a TB test (could cause the night time sweats) and some blood work. He looked at his ear which has been alternating draining what looks like pus and blood for too long! He gave us a prescription for some really expensive medicine - which is also the only medicine we have not tried on his ears before. We are suppose to take it for a week and then have his ears checked again. If they are still draining and looking bad, we have to go back to the ENT and will probably have to have a new tube put in.

When all was said and done, Isaac ended up with a finger prick, the TB test which was a needle poke in his forearm, blood drawn and 3 shots between 2 arms. These pictures showed Isaac when I picked him up from school. He had been asleep (on his hand - no he did not get slapped or anything!) and woke up very unhappy. He was in quite a bit of pain!

Funny Things

"Fee Fi Fo Fum I smell the man of the English mun!" Caleb marches through house chanting this over and over.

Bryce sang this in the car (while it was warm and sunny), "Rain rain go away little Bry Bry wants to play."

There is a lot of honeysuckle around our neighborhood and when we go for walks the boys point them out. Caleb calls it honeysizzles. When we tell him that is wrong he corrects himself by saying honeysuzzle!

Caleb likes to give his brothers nuggies (aka noogys - where you rub the top of their heads with your knuckles).

After a very testing day with Bryce, we got in the car to pick up his brothers from school. Trip had been in Bryce's room at naptime and apparantly they had a heart to heart during their nap. "I behave now. Trip talk to me." he said. "Really? What did he say?" I asked curiously. "That he is a big boy and I am a bad boy. I be good now!

Everytime I turn on the radio when we are in the car (which I feel as though we live in!), Bryce starts singing - but not what is on the radio! He trys to sing Itsy Bitsy Spider or Twinkle Twinkle, or Echo Gecko or some crazy song that is not what is on the radio. The longer you ignore him - the louder he gets!

What To Do

Caleb came in Friday and asked me how to multiply and divide. I told him I would show him what multiplication was, but that he needed to learn that before he goes into division. We have been working on it and he is slowly figuring it out. I don't think they even introduce multiplication (according to the grade specific help books you get at the store) until third grade.

At the rate we are going - Caleb is going to be smarter than me no later than the third grade and I am going to have to go to him for math help!! He and Daddy will have some fun conversations that are way over my head!

I am not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing. About two weeks ago we bought this book - Firebears The Rescue Team for Bryce. In less than two weeks he has memorized the book! We read it over and over and over. and over and over! and then just a few more times. and when you think you cannot read it again - you do. He has named the firebears in the book Ronnie and Daniel (yes, those are his buddies from the fire station here) and has asked if we could take the book up there so they could read it to them.

The funniest thing is that when you read the book, and he recites it while you read it, when you get to the last page - he knows and starts saying "no, no, no" when I say the first word of the page!

My Bikers

Well, we almost have all the boys riding bikes! Isaac has learned to ride within the last few weeks and we went got him a bike last week. Bryce is learning how to ride his tricycle, but you have seen lots of pictures of him on his. Caleb has gotten pretty good. He learned tonight that if he brakes real fast he makes skid marks, so he was doing that all evening. Isaac and Bryce don't understand why they cannot keep up with him.

Isaac's bike is called the Crocoldile Cruiser. I told him that and he now tells everyone he has an Alligator bike!

NO MORE BACKTALKING

PLEASE!!!! I am about to go crazy! Bryce has started backtalking with anything that is said! It does not matter what I say - he has to say something back. I guess it is time for some big-time action. I have had to use this extreme action with Caleb, but it has worked. I just need to figure out something to do that will make an impact on Bryce.

A couple of things that I did with Caleb, that he still brings up is: When Caleb was in preschool he got to where he would not get dressed in the morning. After fighting with him every morning, I had had enough. I got up one morning and told him to get dressed. I kept going in and finding him playing. I told him that when I was ready to go, we were leaving - no matter what he was wearing! He continued to test me, and kept playing. When it was time to go I told him to get in the car. "But I am not dressed!" he said as he decided he should begin what he was told to do an hour ago. I told him it was too late and to go to the car. I had to push him to the car, with him screaming - in his underwear! I made him walk into the preschool in his underwear, tears streaming down his face. When we got inside I told him to get in the bathroom and get dressed.

Then, last year, Caleb went through a phase where everytime he did not get his way or I made him mad, he told me he hated me. I am all for kids expressing their feelings, so I tried to just ignore it and go on. Well, one day he told me he hated me and he hated being a part of this family. I had reached my breaking point with hearing this from him. I calmly walked into his room where he was throwing his fit. I looked him in the eyes and told him that I was sorry he felt that way and that I loved him anyway. I then continued by saying that if he hated me so bad, not to speak to me, ask me for anything or ask me to do anything for him. As hard as it was, for the rest of the day, I completely ignored him. He finally came in and apologized that evening for telling me that he hated me and that he did not really hate me, he was just mad. I told him it was okay to express his emotions, but to make sure he meant what he said!

These may seem harsh to some, but they worked. It was a last resort effort that stopped the problem. Caleb has gotten ready for school on time since, and no longer tells anyone he hates them. In fact, on many occasions I have heard him tell his brothers what I would do if they do not get ready for school in time or they say something like I hate you.

Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do!!

OKAY EVERYONE!!!!

I will try to do much better at keeping up the blog for all of you that have complained at me lately! I know I don't do much and have plenty of time on my hands to play on the computer, but I am lazy!! Just joking! I am hoping that I will have much more energy soon!!

Miscellaneous Pictures

He would not wear one of these when I wanted him too because it was cold out, now he wears it all the time (the hat not the boxers!). And no, we don't usually play outside in our underwear!





















Caleb, Bryce, Isaac and Caleb at the zoo





Bryce and his girlfriend with Mr. Potatohead glasses!

"What was the animal on the Chinese calander the year I was born?"
Caleb knows more about the Chinese calander than I do!! He asked Paul this out of the blue yesterday!

The Incredibles Story

It just dawned on me that many of you don't know the story of the Incredibles on Ice. It is not the same storyline exactly as the movie. Okay this is it (quick version!):
After saving the world in the movie, the Incredibles go into witness protection program. They take a vacation to Disney World. While at Disney World, Syndrome kidnaps Mickey and Minnie Mouse. The Incredibles, of course, have to safe everyone. The show is pretty much them trying to save the Mouse's, which of course they do!