Snuggly Spot

I found a snuggly spot against the back of the couch that Madeleine likes. It gives me some free hands and she still feels all snuggled up. I laid her down for just a second when she was really fussy and she instantly calmed down and slept for a couple of hours until I was ready to go to bed.

Time-Out

Andrew has been doing time-out a lot lately. All I have to do is tell him to go to time-out and he does - crying, but he goes!

Goofy Andrew

The Unfair Lifes of My Children

Isaac and Bryce were fighting over a red truck and trailer that Bryce stole from Isaac, but really Isaac stole from Bryce, but REALLY it was neither one of theirs and they had been playing with it together.

I took the truck and explained if we were not going to get along with it and we could not agree who had it first, it would be put away.

A few hours later, all the kids were in a bedroom playing. Isaac comes out to the kitchen where I was. "I forgot you threw away the red truck and trailer that Bryce took from me and you took from him." It was as if I had perpetrated a grave injusice to him by taking the truck. I had spent all day planning on how and when I was going to take this truck (truthfully I guess I could have...I had to know there would be a fight about SOMETHING). It is not as if they don't have 500 trucks and cars to play with, but I had ruined his life, or day anyway, because I took this particular truck.

This past week the oldest two have worn me out with the continuous argueing, bickering and fighting. I start hearing it before they even come out of their room in the morning and continue to hear it LONG after they are sent to bed. I have decided that they REALLY like their rooms because when they can't get along, or at least ignore each other, that is where they get to go...and they have spent a LOT of time in there this week.

I know this is part of their learning. I know my siblings and I were the same way. I know how my parents felt. Guess what....KNOWING ALL OF THAT DOESN'T MAKE LISTENING TO IT ANY LESS ANNOYING!!!

We have talked a lot about the very boring summer they are going to have if they cannot get along because I refuse to take them out if they can't get along at home. Every night I remind them of this, every morning I wake up to their argueing. This morning I had planned on taking them to see the 3D movie UP. That didn't happen. They keep coming and asking me "if we behave will you get us...." or "if we behave can we go..." I refuse to bribe them to behave. I tell them this everytime they ask. You behave because you are supposed to behave. WHEN you behave I am very likely to want to go do fun things. When you don't behave I guarantee you I will not want to go anywhere!

So, we are going to "enjoy" our summer of doing chores and being in our rooms, because that is apparently SOOOOOO much more fun that movies, zoos, museums, parks, etc.

By the way, when you are out and about, could you keep your eyes open for my sanity? I seem to have lost it somewhere in the last week!

At what point do I start giving them the "If life was fair" speech?

New Underwear

Bryce got new underwear today. After he took his shower he put on a pair of his new underwear. Before he put them on he was saying how much he hoped they fit. Yes, giving him new underwear was like giving him a new toy he has wanted for a year. It is not like we have always made him go "commando" and this underwear thing was a new concept. It is not even as if his underwear were falling apart like rags, he just simply had outgrown him previous ones. Nonetheless, it was very exciting.

He put them on and says "they are very comfortable...and bouncy (as he bounces around)....and disco-bally." Then he walks around smelling his underwear (that he has on).

I feel like a horrible mom that has been depriving my child of the "new underwear experience (which I was not aware existed, but apparently does)!

"Mouth Warts"

Bryce grabbed his mouth at dinner tonight and I asked what was wrong. He said he had a bump on his mouth that hurt. Caleb says "I get them sometimes too and they sting when you eat. I call them mouth warts."

I think the more common name (and nicer name) would be CANKER SORES!

AJ-isms

NAAAA (or na-na): Tada. He says this ALL the time lately. It is his way of getting attention!

Otay: Okay

Choo-Choo: he loves trains

Choo you: when he burps he says this....means excuse you

Bashu: bless you, which he actually says when he or anyone else sneezes.

STOP: he likes to yell this at his brothers a lot....they like to pick on him a lot!

BED: he likes to tell his brothers to go to bed when he is getting annoyed with them

Peez and Tain-too: please and thank you. He actually uses these properly and usually without prompting. The only thing is...if he says thank you and you don't say you're welcome, he will repeat it over and over until you acknowledge him.

Abuu: this one is my personal favorite. This is how he says I love you and says it a LOT!! :)

NO: His favorite word...my LEAST favorite! He says it ALL. THE. TIME. OVER. AND. OVER!

Some things he is doing:
Isaac got a jump rope from school. I guess Andrew has watched him outside jump roping because last weekend I heard lots of "Na" and "na-na"s and a weird sound. I went in to see Andrew jumping and holding one end of a USB cable in each hand. Every time he jumped he did his ta-da sounds. He was not actually jump roping, but it was very cute.

This evening I was sitting on the couch holding Madeleine and Andrew was sitting with us. Mady was wide awake, looking around, growling and laughing (she has been a growler since the day she was born). Andrew was grabbing at her and I asked if he wanted to hold her. He immediately sat on his bottom and stuck his arms out at her. I sat her on his lap (still holding her). He had the biggest smile on his face. He would give her a kiss and say Abuu and then stick his thumb in his mouth with a huge smile. I love seeing how much he loves his little sister!

While I am not a HUGE fan of "the two's" I am loving his personality. He has always been very expressive (facial expressions) but he is now becoming expressive in every way and it is usually pretty funny to watch and here. There are so many times we have to cover our face or leave the room so we can laugh at him without him knowing we are laughing at him (as to not encourage him!).

Our biggest problem with him right now is his hitting. We have been telling the older boys since he first started hitting that they CANNOT laugh at him when he hits. They continued to laugh at him and he continues to hit (and it is starting to hurt the older boys). Now he hits all the time and timeout has become his enemy (although he is good at sitting in it until the timer goes off)

Protestors

Paul is in Toronto at a week long conference. I got a text message this afternoon that there were a bunch of protestors outside the convention center he was at and that Bush and Clinton were there.

Luckily, there was no destructive drama!

It is sad to live in a day where it can be scarey being at the same location as the previous Presidents!

Jeep Dilemma

I forgot, the potential problem I spoke of in the Jeep Update was we were not positive if the Jeep was going to come out of the garage. We had discussed it before he started the lift, but he figured he could take the lights off if it didn't fit.

Well, it fits....with Paul standing on the front bumper and me pulling in our out of the garage. Needless to say, he does not park in the garage all the time because I am not going out there at 5:30 every morning to move his Jeep while he stands on the bumper!! We know it fits if there is severe weather, other than that my car gets the garage to itself!

The "New" Jeep

Paul finished his lift to his Jeep Sunday evening. Of course, he had to test drive it around the neighborhood and then drive it around yesterday. It is not easy to get into now. The bottom of the Jeep is at Andrew's chin. He was quite confused the first time he tried to get in!

Paul is very happy with it though.

Manual Labor

This morning we have a guy coming out to do landscape curbing around our flowerbeds. If you don't know what landscape curbing is, it is just like a curb, but fancy, that goes around your flowerbeds. It is continuous concrete, so there is not weeds or grass growing between bricks. They lay it in the shape you want (and the color you want), then they stamp it to make it look the way you want (make it look like rocks or wood, etc).

We have been wanting to get rid of the red pavestone bricks, but we have SO much flowerbed (it literally is around every inch of the house except the garage entrance).

So, to save some money, we decided we would pick up the bricks that were around the flowerbeds ourselves. I did not realize how many there were. We picked up around 300 15 pound bricks, put them in a wheelbarrow, pushed the 100+ pound wheelbarrow to the end of the driveway and unloaded them all. I did almost the entire front by myself while Paul was mowing (I think he got the easier job). At one point I had Mady in the front carrier while I was working because she was upset. Nothing like a little extra weight on the back while bending over and picking up weight! The bricks and the wheelbarrow start feeling heavier and heavier the more you lift. The fact that there was about 100% humidity did not help. It had been raining all morning and the clouds were pretty thick. Imagine my surprise last night when I went to take a shower and saw my shoulders were purple! I know you can burn through the clouds, but...

The boys helped pick up the bricks around the patio. They were covered in mud by the time we were done!


This is a picture of what was picked up yesterday. There are still bricks around the side of the house where the dogs are at and behind shed (about 130 more bricks). Paul listed it on Craigslist (we LOVE Craigslist) and within an hour we had four people wanting them. If you buy them new they are $1.50 a brick. We sold them at 50 cents a brick for what we picked up and 25 cents a brick for what needs to be picked up still. Someone is supposed to come get them today :)

Jeep Update

Finishing up the front lift. Notice the new wheels and tires on the front (old ones on the back).


Does anyone notice what could be a potential problem in the near future?

Chewie

AJ's latest nickname is Chewie. Daddy started it because he did something to remind Daddy of Chewbacca. This one seems to be sticking though. Everyone is calling him Chewie now.

In other AJ news, the first almost month Mady was here, he would call her "girl" or "baby". Everytime he did that we would say "What is her name?" and he would say Mady (in an adorable long, drawn out way). He has gotten to where he can say everyones name in a way in which we can understand, but we have not been able to get him to say HIS name.

Yesterday he started this thing where we ask his name and he would answer "Mady". We say no and ask again..."Daddy"...."Papa"..."Chewie".... We go through all of these names, in this order, everytime. Finally, he will say his name, which he actually says the clearest out of all the boys names.

Princess

We are in trouble. ALL of the guys in this house call Mady "Princess" on a regular basis. She is going to think it is truely her name!

Isaac's Award Ceremony

Isaac getting his awards

Isaac with his teacher

Does This Scare Anyone Else....

as much as it scares me?


For our anniversary/Father's Day, Daddy got a lift for his Jeep. He has been wanting one for a long time (since he had his first Jeep). He is VERY excited and will be even more when he gets it done! He also got new wheels/tires for it.

I "settled" on a less maintainance present for Mother's Day/anniversary gift. He got me diamond stud earrings and a Journey necklace. They look great with the new ring he got me for our anniversary last year!! :) Mine will not require a couple of days of work, any injuries or frustrations!

A Storm's A-Brewin'

Fashion Statement?

Andrew will keep himself busy and out of trouble for quite a while if there is one of Daddy's socks out. He will take his own shoes and socks off (which takes him a long time) and then put Daddy's sock on and try to put his shoes back on over them.

Pillowcase Dress

I have been wanting to make a pillowcase dress for a while and now I have a reason too! This is my first. It took me quite a while to figure it out because a) I am new at sewing and b) I had no pattern. It's nowhere near perfect, but it turned out decent!

Did She Miss the Memo?

I don't think Madeleine has realized she is no longer in the womb and the cord has been cut. She still sleeps well, as long as she is swaddled, snuggled, has soothing sounds and a pacifier.

I, on the other hand, do not sleep when she is snuggling because I am afraid I will suffocate her! She does not just lay against me....she thinks her face has to be snuggled in me! If she is on me, I am afraid I will drop her.

If I try to lay her down, she will for about 10 minutes and then she starts screaming. She doesn't stop when we pick her up. She doesn't stop until she is tightly snuggled against one of us. She instantly stops and goes back to sleep and sleeps contently for HOURS!!

I am torn as to how to handle this. I think she is too young to be ignored. She spent so long in the cuddly confines of the womb that I can't expect her to just adapt to a new life instantly. At the same time, I don't want her to sleep in our bed forever!

I will continue with what we have been doing and trying to get her to stay in her bed as much as possible.

Again, Mady has plans of her own (this has become her motto)