Lovely Visitors

We've had lots of visitors this fall.   Feifei came for a few days in late October.  My mom and Dad came for close to a week over Thanksgiving.  And Colin visited for 4 days last week!! 

We had a big gathering here for Thanksgiving which was fun.  Mom, Dad, Chris, Joanna, and Anna Capp, plus my new neighbors from Australia.  The weather was beautiful so the kids just ran around the house and neighborhood all day and played.  I really enjoyed the day.

Feifei, Mom, and Colin all watched the kiddos while I worked which was great!  Dad helped me with lots of projects around the house - very helpful.

Colin was a good sport - we had a very busy weekend when he was here.  So in addition to watching the kids Friday while I worked, he also took Erik and Carson to a library program, shopping for indoor soccer shoes, out to lunch, to a "wood chopping event" (he found this on his own), and then met me at a soccer game.  (I had the other two at a different out of town soccer game.) 

I've enjoyed the visitors and am thankful for all the support.

Soccer! (Written 11/14/2015)

Erik decided to play soccer again this fall.  He had not played a full season for almost 2 years (due to breaking his leg during spring of 2014 and playing baseball the following two seasons).  We were so blessed to have him make the RecPlus league and be placed on a team with wonderful coaches and teammates! This has been the best experience we've had in the world of sports.

They played their last game today.  It was the Kohls cup which is a national tournament.  The format is 4 vs 4 - no goalies - 20 minute games.  They played four games, winning three out of four.  A fun way to end the season!   It was a loooong day - we were at the soccer field for almost seven hours.

Lainey, Kyle, and Carson deserve spectator awards for all the soccer they have watched this fall.

We have 1 month off from soccer (hallelujah!) then futsal starts.   Erik's team will play together for winter and spring season as well.

Erik's coach, also coaches his daughters team.  Lainey will play on her team this winter as well.  Futsal should be much easier on me, as it's only once a week.

So we don't get bored - I signed the big three up for swimming lessons held at a college about 30 minutes from our house twice a week.  Good thing with that - all three have lessons at the same time and place.  I will enjoy the two weeks off from spots though!

I am SO thankful for all the hard work and effort on the part of our coaches this fall!  They have made such a difference in our lives this fall.

Quotable Quotes

I was reading a book to Carson tonight that said, "God made everything."  Carson looked up at me confused and said, "No He didnt.  China made some of it too."

"Thy Will be Done"

I joined a new small group at our church and I think it is going to be a great fit for me.   It's a newly formed group, so prior to the holiday season, we are just studying short bible passages that focus on prayer. 

The facilitator said something on Friday that I found really helpful.  The passage we studied was Mark 14:32-42.  Jesus had taken three disciples out to keep watch while he prayed.  Jesus knew he was about to be arrested/crucified and was anxious about it.  He asked God to take away this trial he was about to face, but followed by saying "Your will be done."

The importance of this phrase was highlighted by our bible study leader.  He said, in all his years as a Christian, he hears this phrase used during prayer time only rarely.  People instead pray for healing, lack of suffering, peace, etc. all well intended but maybe should be more frequently praying, "your will be done."

This is a tricky prayer though - requires you to trust that God's will for your life is best, even if things don't go the way you might want it to.

I've been at a loss as to how to prayer for my marriage during the past few months.  During the year of "fighting" for my marriage - it was front and center in my prayers.   Prayers the my marriage would be healed, Victor would find peace, and I would find ways to be the best wife possible.  I was terrified that my marriage would fail and I would be left alone to raise four kids.

Well, I am now 5 months into this single parent gig and it's not so bad.  I've truly found a new joy and peace about my life that I never expected to find.  This has stumped my prayer life though.

Somehow even though I didn't want this, I am currently happier and there is more peace in our house, than there has been for a long time.  At the same time, I'm certain God did not want my marriage to end or Victor to behave in the way he is behaving.   Due to this,  I felt like I should be praying that Victor turn his life around and come back to us.  However, I just couldn't do this, because the thought of my marriage actually being a source of joy and peace seems impossible to me and I know I don't want to go back to how things were before. 

So I was stumped.  I can't pray that Victor continues making bad choices, yet I don't really want him moving back in anytime soon. What was I to do?   I wasn't sure, so I just stopped praying about it.

After Friday night though, I've finally figure out how to pray for my marriage again. 

It's simple really - "Lord, may your will be done and please give me the strength and grace to accept your will even if it's not what I think might be best." 

How might the phrase, "Thy will be done help your prayer life?"

Aunt Feifei

My sister (in-law) Feifei came from Atlanta to visit us last weekend.  I'm so thankful that Feifei has chosen to stay close to our family after Daron's death.   It was so nice to have her here.  My kids sure do love their aunt.  I really didn't take many photos, but wanted to mark the occasion on the blog!

Feifei's friend Lindsay lives in DC.  We don't see her much because her previous job required almost constant travel, plus she doesn't own a car, so having her get do to our area is tricky.  But she spent one night with us while Feifei was here and even put all four kids to bed while Feifei and I went out for a drink!

Feifei watched all four kids Friday while I worked.  She said she didn't mind if I worked and would love to watch the kids.  I didn't realize that she'd have all four (they were off of school for a teacher work day) until just a week or so before she came.  Oops!  They all had a fun day and she even made me dinner that night!

Saturday Feifei went to pick up Lindsay.  Erik had soccer and Lainey had gymnastics.  Then we headed to a pumpkin farm which was chilly but fun.   Saturday evening Feifei and I went out for a couple of hours while Lindsay tackled the foursome!

Sunday morning Feifei and Lindsay carved pumpkins with the kids, while I baked muffins.  Then they headed back to DC for one more night.  I am so thankful for their visit!

Erik/Kyle Stats

Erik and Kyle had their 8year and 2 year check ups today.

Nothing to report, thankfully.   THey are healthy boys.

Erik is 53 inches (85%) and 70 pounds (85%).

Kyle is 35 inches (64%) and 28 pounds (55%).

Kyle grew 3 inches in the past 6 months, I think most of it was in the past 6 weeks, so he has caught up to his siblings height almost as the same age.

So thankful for healthy kids!

Lego Man

My sweet Carson LOVES legos, games (chess), and puzzles!  And he is GOOD at them all (Lainey HATES to lose and will not play chess against him).   He particularly loves legos - enough that joining the "lego library" called Pley seemed reasonable.  It's $19 a month, but they send you new kits as often as you want.  You build them, take them apart, and return them (free).   Carson does them quickly and can get 2-3 kids a month.  It keeps him occupied for hours and makes the boy so happy!

(Plus I never have to buy legos again.)

Life is Good

I think I can honestly say we have found our footing again.  It's a new normal but still good.  I've adjusted to having my four kids with my almost constantly and you know what, they are pretty nice company!

We have been really blessed this fall.

1) Erik tried out for RecPlus Soccer this fall (after not playing soccer for a year) and surprisingly made the team.  I happen to know one of the coaches, who was unaware of what had happened in our house, advocated for him to be on her team.  This team has been such a blessing!  The coaches are wonderful and amazing.  Very, very organized (post lesson plans each week) and kind.  I've almost never heard them raise their voices.   Being on RecPlus, means some travel but it's been almost non-existent this fall.   It also means our practices could have been anywhere in the county - guess where our practice takes place?  2 miles from our house.  This team will continue through the spring.  Thank you Lord!

2)  Teachers - I am so thankful that all three kids have wonderful teachers this year.  We've had Carson and Lainey's teachers before and I love them both.  Erik, who I was most concerned about, also seems to have a great teacher and is back to really enjoying school again.  Thank you Lord!

3)  Friends - Lainey's favorite activity is gymnastics.  I take her one day a week, but the second day conflicts with Erik's games.  My friend, who also happens to be a single mom, happily takes Lainey with her each week as one of her girls has class with Lainey.   Lainey LOVES this girl time each week.

4) Church- We switched churches right after Daron passed away.  This might have been kind a knee jerk reaction out of some frustration, but it has been a blessed decision.  There is a family there that knows how much Erik likes to read.  They have seven kids (4 whom they just adopted from Ukraine), homeschool them all, and are running our Awana program.  Yet, they take time to think of my kids - bringing Erik books to read most weeks.   Our pastor has also been a big blessing, helping guide me through this transition gracefully.

5) Work - I've been working part-time for 3 years.  I have always loved my job (well there were a few months last fall that were a bit bumpy!) as the doctor I work with is really smart and good at what he does and he really values having me as part of the team.  They have always given me a lot of flexibility which has been wonderful.   I told my administrator what was going on in my house and asked if I could change my schedule -so I start seeing patients an hour earlier and every 20 minutes, instead of every 30 minutes - so I can still see a fair amount of patients, but be able to get home by 4:00 or 4:30 instead of 6:00-7:00.    She had no problem with that at all, even though it required switching around my MA and receptionists hours too.     I also have learned that when/if I need to increase my hours so I have insurance benefits for myself/high income, I will only need to work 20 hours a week (I work 14-15 now).  That seems manageable to me (won't take place until next fall - hopefully- I will work 3 days instead of 2).

6) Childcare - This is our second year with our current sitters.  They are wonderful and go way above and beyond.  Most days when I get home from work the floor has been swept, toys are put away, laundry is folded and sometimes put away.  They are kind and gracious and love my kids.  We have a mom/daughter team who cover my work days and I couldn't be any more thankful for them.  

Kids and I are about to join a bible study Friday nights.  I/we have been part of different bible studies during the past 15 years and I feel kind of lukewarm about them.  Please pray that this new group will be a good fit for me and the kids.

I'm so thankful that God has allowed my to see joy and blessings during this trial.  Please pray the bumps along our journey are minimal!  Thank you.

How have you been blessed recently?

(photo was taken at Baltimore Childrens Museum)

Homework Issues

My poor Erik, has been getting the brunt of my attention the past couple of months.

Aside from the sleeping issues (resolved hopefully), he also struggles with homework.  This has been an issue from the first day he walked into school (pre-k).  Erik is smart but writing has always been a major struggle for him.   When asked to write, anything, he panics and throws a tantrum.

I had dealt with this in the past by carving out one-on-one time each weekend to help him through it in one day so we didn't have to struggle through it during the week.  This year, that's not possible, which actually is probably a blessing because it's forcing me to address the real issue.

I've wondered in the past whether or not his writing reluctance was behavioral or a learning issue.
This year though, I'm pretty sure it is a learning issue.

Erik never fusses about any homework that doesn't involve writing - spelling city, the math website, reading.  His reluctance is only related to writing.

When I ask him what the issue you he says, " I have the answer in my head mom, like my head is a paper, but I can't get it out."

He is a fairly quiet kid, who has never played pretend, told stories, etc.  Basically his expressive language seems to be somewhat delayed.  He's been in counseling, due to the sleep and marriage issues, and his counselor has mentioned to me that he is very slow to answer her questions (has to think before he speaks for quite sometime and seems unable to express how he is feeling aside from being "fine).   He also struggles with tying his shoes and can not tell left from right.

His kindergarten teacher mentioned in two report cards that he was slow to finish his work, seemed distractable.   I spoke with his first grade teacher briefly this week, and she said she had also noticed this last year, primarily in math where he could tell her the answer but really struggled to show his work.

I have told his second grade teacher about our struggles with writing homework and she spoke with the school psychologist who gave her some ideas to try and identify what is the main issue.

This writing issue has never been a true issue at school though because academically erik is ahead of his grade level - so he hasn't had to worry about the actual work, and has been able to focus solely on writing the answers.   As the school work becomes harder, I am really concerned that he will fall behind as he won't immediately know the answers anymore and will have to actually work on the answers PLUS the writing.  Yikes!

So here is what we are doing so far....

1) Mom gave me some very good ideas regarding homework.  She suggested with the reading response homework that instead of using a book he has read that week (his reading is very advanced) he use a book more appropriate to a second grader (Gingerbread Man style book).  This level of book will make figuring out the answers much easier, so he doesn't have to struggle through finding the answer and the writing.

Mom knows Erik and wasn't surprised he was struggling with writing as she has noted his limited expressive language in the past.  She explained that in order to show your work/write, you have to get an idea from your head to paper, which is a more advanced skill than getting your answer from your head to your mouth.   Erik struggles to get the answer from his head to his mouth; so it's no surprise the more advance step (head to paper) has been a big struggle for him. 

This week I had him dictate the answers to me, I wrote them out, and he copied them.  I did the same for him in math and it went SO much better!!!  I am going to do this for a number of weeks.  Then, if it continues to go well, I am going to try to have him look at my written work for a little bit, but then see if he can write the answer on his own.

2) His counselor, who is a elementary school counselor and a licensed pediatric therapist, is going to work through some material she uses for her autistic kids on helping them express their emotions. (Erik isn't autistic, but struggles with some of the same communication skills.)

3) His teacher is aware and watching him for this, early assessments have been put in place.

I feel much better about everything now than I did two weeks ago, because at least we have some things in place to help my little buddy.

The ability to communicate (emotions) is something Victor has always struggled with and was a big part of why our marriage has struggled/failed.  I feel an intense need to equip Erik with these skills as he also really struggles with that.

Please keep my sweet boy in your prayers!

Sleeping Issues

Erik's had sleeping issues for the past 4-5 months.  He falls asleep without any problems but then 4-5 nights a week had been waking up in the middle of the night (3:00-4:00 AM) and couldn't fall back asleep.  

This problem was made worse by his refusal to wake me up; instead he would try and watch TV (we don't have cable -but stream amazon prime).  In order to keep him from having access to screens at night, I learned to shut down the internet when I go to bed, moved all the DVDs we own into my room,  and changed the passwords on our ipad and my phone.

Once his access to screens was fully eliminated he started getting other toys out in the middle of the night, sometimes waking up his siblings, eating.  Clearly making poor choices!

I had talked to him at length about this and he was well aware that his allowed middle of the night activities included reading, waking me up, or just laying in bed.

I spoke to his doctor about it and they suggested we try melatonin.  I was skeptical that this would help as he has no problem falling asleep and melatonin doesn't last for more than 4-5 hours but I gave it a try.   The first 3-4 days it seems to help, but then he was back to his old tricks.

Finally, I found what I think is a solution.  A couple weeks ago, I stumbled upon my "Healthy sleep Habits, Happy Child" book written by Dr. Marc Weissbluth that I had used when my babies were infants.  Low and behold, there is a section on school age kids how wake in the middle of the night! 

His suggestion was that Erik was in bed too long and just could not fall asleep again at 3 AM because he was no longer tired.  He suggested moving back his bedtime significantly.  Erik had typically been going to bed by 8 PM (7:45-8:15).   And I have asked the kids not to leave their rooms before 0700.  So he was in bed(room) around 11 hours.   The typical 8 year old only need approx. 10 hours of sleep.

So, for the past 2 weeks I have put him to bed at 9:00-9:20.  This seems way to late to me but it has been working!!!  I stopped the melatonin at that time too.  And he has never woken up before 5:00 and often sleeps until 7:00.  So much better!!!

He is a much happier, kind child when sleeping 9-10 hours consistently. 

Please pray this solution continues to work!

Thanks!

Kyle at 2!

My sweet baby boy is TWO years old!
I have officially left babyland behind.

I have loved, loved, loved having babies and am SO thankful for them all!
I truly can think of nothing better than snuggling with a sweet new babe.

That being said, I kind of wanted to jump for joy when Kyle turned two!
I am ready to move forward with our kiddos (and have already started to do so).


Kyle has really, really blossomed during the past few months.
He talks a LOT and puts 3-4 words together.
He speaks in a very high pitched squeaky voice and at times sounds hoarse.  It is completely adorable.  I have been told by an ENT (Nila) to encourage him not to yell (regarding hoarseness).  This is a bit laughable as he is extremely expressive!  I have also tried to get him to mimic me speaking with a low tone of voice.  He can do that, but still speaks in a squeaky high pitched voice about 75% of the time.

Kyle spent about 10 months fussing (10-20 months) a LOT!!
Around 20 months, this decreased drastically (AMEN!).  He is still very opinionated and emotional (love it!) but the crying occurs less often than laughing now.

He is a super funny little boy!
His sense of humor and sass have his siblings and I in stitches throughout the day.

He is a climber and is constantly on the counter.
He loves being outdoors, reading, playing chase, eating, swimming, and laughing.
He loves trucks, babies, and dogs more than anything else.
He cherishes his siblings and wants to be a big kid for sure.  I did move him up to the preschool room at church a couple weeks ago.  He is thrilled to be in the same class as Carson.  Carson loves having him there too.  

Since the kids have gone back to school, my sweet baby has been a bit sad.   I catch him at least once a day talking to himself saying, "Erik, Lainey, Carson school? Bus?"  

Then when we get Carson, he will ask, "Erik, Nainey school?"  
He greets them with a big hug when they get home.

He sleeps well.  Goes to bed around 8 PM and is rescued from his crib around 7 AM.  He takes one 2 hour nap most days.  He does NOT transfer from car to bed so if he falls asleep while we are running errands that is his nap for the day.  I really think he will likely try to give up naps completely in the next 6-12 months.   This summer he really wasn't happy about napping as he knew no one else was napping.  He would often yell out, " I go outside! No seep!"  Haha!  Poor little guy!  (Carson has been napping again since starting pre-k, so Kyle hasn't fought his naps.) 

We have a sweet bedtime routine in place.  I read him 3-4 short books (he sits next to me on the rocker, won't sit in my lap).  When done, he lets me hold him while we pray and I sing him a quick song.  Then he is willing to get in his crib, tucks a "baba" under each arm and says, "Rub back mama."  I rub his back, sneak away to turn on his music and shut off the lights.  He pops up his head and says, " More back Mama!"   I rub his back for another 30-60 seconds then leave the room.  He then goes to sleep peacefully.

He is really growing up, as for months he would scream and yell and kick when being put to bed.  It never lasted more than 5 minutes but it happened every night.  I'm thankful he has learned to go to bed peacefully.

My little guy has a BIG spark in both eyes!  I love him through and through and look forward to time this year with just my little buddy by my side.

Happy birthday dear boy!
You are a blessing and a delight.
I am so thankful you are mine!

Family Update

This past year and a half have been difficult from a marriage standpoint.  We came through Daron's death, kids illnesses/hospital stay, sick Grandma, job change which resulted in long work days for Victor, and a newborn (plus three other littles) feeling a bit ragged.

I recognized immediately, that we needed to dedicate the year of 2014-2015 to marriage recovery.   We tried lots of things - counseling, trips, retreats, prayer, books, etc. but ultimately Victor made the choice to leave our marriage.  He has been gone for about three months now.   I'm not sure where we will be a year from now, but I do know my struggling husband needs prayer.  He is a good man, but he is angry and lost.

The kids and I have been doing fairly well.  Carson is my tender-hearted little boy. He misses his dad a lot and at times just seems sad.  Erik has been struggling with sleeping issues (I have this almost figured out) and anger.  Lainey/Kyle seem the most resilient although they are all doing well.   I found a counselor for the kids that I really like a lot!

I haven't been in counseling this summer but will go back soon, once everyone is established back into a school routine.

Please be in prayer for my kids, husband, and me as we navigate this unexpected territory.  Thanks.

School is back in session!

My kids started school two weeks ago.  Erik is in 2nd, Lainey in 1st, and Carson in pre-k.  It's a little hard to believe that I have three kids old enough to get on the bus each morning!

Last year we had a really hard time with Erik's teacher.   He was quite a bit ahead of the kids in his class, and rather than adjusting the curiculum for him, she just ignored him completely.  She actually told me, "He's too far ahead, there is nothing I can do." 

Now Erik is smart, but he's no genius, and with 120 kids in the grade I promise you there were things she could do.

We ultimately ended up switching him to a different class for the fourth quarter, after trying a few other solutions suggested by the principal.  Needless, to say, it was stressful and I was feeling a bit anxious about the teachers for this year.

I am happy to say, Lainey and Carson both have teachers that we know and like.
Erik, as the oldest, has a teacher unfamiliar to me, but first impression was very good.  And two of the kids in his class, have parents who teach at that school so I'm pretty sure, she is a highly valued teacher, if other teachers trust their kids to her.

Our first week back was eventful as Erik ran (hard) into a pole at recess, resulting in a HUGE goose egg and medium size gash on his forehead.   He recovered just fine, but I got a call from the nurse on day 1.  Ha!

Poor Carson was left on the bus on his second day ever riding the bus.  He gets home around noon so there are only about 15 pre-k kids on the bus.  Apparently the bus driver completely forgot about his stop, because he drove right past my sitter and Kyle without even slowing down.   I was working and didn't realize he was forgotten until about 20 minutes after his drop time.  By then, the whole route was finished.  Thankfully, we caught it before the bus driver went home!

Carson seemed fairly upset that day, but got back on the bus the next day without any issues. Ha!

Praying for a peaceful, happy school year for all three of my kiddos!

Summer Overview

This summer has been, in a lot of ways, my favorite summer.  There has been an unexpected, unwelcome change in our house which I was discuss briefly in a later post.  While this posed some challenges this summer, we still had a great time.

My kids are getting bigger and I love it.  With my youngest being 2 (!) we can do a lot of fun things that are much more difficult with newborns or pregnancy.  After so many years of not sleeping through the night (7) I honestly feel like I can accomplish tons each day since my sleep has been fairly uninterrupted for almost a year now.

Erik and Lainey spent 4 weeks at St. Johns camp.  It runs from 8:30-12:00 and they love it!  They took classes ranging from baking to hair and nails to lego robots to soccer.   It's a fun camp, close to our house, and run by cream of the crop teenagers.   Erik wants to volunteer there in middle school.   I would love that!

Aside from camp, we really spent a lot of time at the pool this summer.  Carson learned the basics of swimming independently (can swim almost a lap and jumps off the diving board) and Lainey earned some freedom by getting to a level 3 swimming class (I no longer require her to stay right next to me).

Our pool complex is wonderful.  THere are four pools - 2 kiddie pools and 2 lap pools.  In order to safely take all four, I keep Kyle in a life jacket at all times.  If Carson wanted to go in the bigger pools, he needed to be by my side or wear his life jacket too.   Erik and Lainey swim well and just check in with him if they change pools.  I keep my eyes on them, but really they swim quite well.

I think we spent 4-5 days at the pool every week which was fun for everyone!

We also took small day trips - went to a Blue Crabs game, Orioles Game, toured the Naval Academy, went to the Baltimore CHildren's museum,  National Building Museum twice (once for regular admission and second time for the BEACH exhibit -fun!). 

We were supposed to visit friends in Norfolk, but I ended up getting the stomach flu that weekend.  Err!  We are hoping to reschedule this trip for sometime in the near future.

My kids only have 8 full weeks off of school so that summer flies by!  I think it's a pretty perfect length.   No time to get bored, forget less when going back to school, but still time to do fun things that are much harder to do during the school year.

Wisconsin Summer

The kids and I spent 10 days in WI this summer.  Most of our time was spent at my Mom and Dads (they ran an unofficial bed and breakfast this summer).  The weather was perfect, so we spent a lot of time outdoors.  Fishing, taking long walks, driving tractors, visiting friends (Camp Anokijig), playing cards, visiting local hotspots, etc.

My cousin Austin and his family stayed with my parents the first half of our trip.  It was so nice to see them!  Terri and I are pretty good buddies, so I always look forward to spending time together in person.   (Austin's pretty cool too!)

I was able to see my cousin Anne and her daughter Aly,  my friend Katie S, and Pat Scherer family.  Hannah got married yesterday (I am old!) and I couldnt get back for the wedding, but I was able to attend her bridal shower which was fun.  

The kids and I took a two day break from Plymouth and drove to the Dells.  My friend Barb W. and her boys met us at Noah's Ark.  My brothers Colin and Kevin both came too!  It was a really FUN day!  Erik, Lainey, and Carson had little to no fear and went on tons of waterslides.  I was so impressed.  Noah's Ark is one of my favorite childhood memories so I am glad to share that with my kiddos now.   I was so thankful to have supportive family and friends help me navigate it safely with four small kids. 

After Noah's Ark we drove to La Crosse and spent the night at the Wettsteins.  I hadn't been to La Crosse (or seen the Wettsteins) in 9 years!  Way too long!   We didn't see anymore of La Crosse than their house as when I left the kids all fell asleep before we were 1 mile from the house.

We went from La Crosse to Verona to spend the day with my friend Nicki and her family of 5.  Uncle Colin stopped by again that afternoon, before heading to Shrekfest (he is a goof!). 

This trip home was a fun one.  I have realized how incredibly blessed I am with kind friends and family.  So thankful for that.

My kids are already talking about their trip home at Christmas. Hopefully, I will be able to get that arranged!


This was my first time flying with all four solo.  They were truly very, very well behaved during the travel days.  I was thankful and proud.

Sure do love my kiddos!

I'm back, hopefully

My blog has been quiet for a number of reason.  One is simply that my iphoto storage system isn't working.  I was able to save my photos by transferring them to dropbox, but I really hate dropbox as it seems nearly impossible to find what you want.   I am now trying to transfer them to smugmug which seems to work much better.    For now, posts might be photo-less, but I decided to forge ahead anyway. 

Where do you store your photos?!

Lainey/Carson Stats

I took Lainey and Carson in for their 6 and 4 year check ups today.  No health concerns for either of them but they both needed shots.

Here are their current stats:

Lainey (6y 1 month):
47 inches (80%)
47 pounds (60%)

Carson (4 year 4 month):
42.5 inches (70%)
42 pounds (75%)

For comparison:

Erik at 4y 4 months:
43 inches
40 pounds

Lainey at 4 years 0 months:
40 inches
35 pounds

Erik at 6years:
PRetty sure he didn't have a 6 year check up; and didn't go for a 7 year check up until he was 7.5 years old.  Oh well!

Kyle -22 Months!

Oh this little boy has stolen a big piece of my heart!
He is fully out of his clingy, must be attached to momma every waking moment phase (hallelujah!) and is a delightful toddler!
Seriously, this kid makes me laugh out loud multiple times a day.
He is a sweet, sassy, fully of life kiddo.
He is full of energy - loves to sing and dance and laugh!
He is my sassy partner in this house.  Ha!

Kyle has really, really started talking this month.
He puts two words together and repeat almost everything.

He is less shy than the rest of my kids and waves, smiles, and greets people as we pass them when out on walks or in stores.   So cute!

He LOVES the pool and is fearless.  He jumps in over and over without being caught (has a life jacket on).

He is a good sleeper and eater.

He is interested in potty training.  I am not.  (Ha!)  But I am following his lead and let him run around naked when we are home (he used the potty chair 3 times yesterday but pooped on the floor this morning).

He sports a mohawk just perfectly.   (Boy goes that hairstyle gather a lot of smiles and comments.)

Oh this sweet boy - he is a perfect combo of spunk and sweet.  I am very thankful for him!

Lainey is Six!

My sweet girl is six years old!
I'm so thankful to have one girl out of my foursome!
 She's a great kid!

Lainey sailed through kindergarten this year.

I loved her teacher! 

Her teacher was sweet and kind, but extremely well organized.

Her classroom management skills were excellent as was her ability to 

meet the needs with very differing levels of ability.

Her teacher told me she is hoping to convince the principal to let her

rotate up to first grade and keep this  current class.  I am really hoping

she has excellent persuasive skills too.  Ha!

(Erik had a VERY different experience in first grade, 

which made me appreciate Lainey's teacher even more.)

What's Lainey like at six?!

She is a sweet, little girl.

She is soft spoken and kind.

She is pretty shy but is well liked by her peers.

Her favorite friend this year is a boy named Hayden.

He is a firecracker!  Never stops talking and has big twinkles in

both eyes.   They were in the same class this year and became great friends;

lucky for us, he lives on our block.   Not so lucky, he is moving back to Australia in 6 months.

Lainey is a good helper!

She still loves to be a second mother to Kyle is he lets her be one.

She is usually pretty quick to help with chores around the house without complaint.

Lainey is STRONG!

She  easily climbs to the top of the rope in gym class,

can do pull up after pull up, does the monkey bars with ease.

 (I have always had terrible upper body strength so am amazed by this.)

She was in dance and gymnastics this year.

She liked them both but prefers gymnastics to dance.

Lainey is fiercely competitive, likes to do things well!

It will be fun to watch her grow.

Lainey can be tricky!

 She isn't very confrontational, so there isn't

a ton of power struggles with her.

But she sometimes lies to get out of trouble or to get her way.

She is smart too so it's hard to catch her sometimes.

Luckily, it doesn't happen often.  

I am aware to watch for it though and am working on this character issue with her.

Lainey is a writer!

Man can this girl write!

It's truly amazing to me.

She truly finds joy in writing.

As an attempt to meet her love language,

I bought her a journal for her birthday.

She and I write notes to each other each night.

It's been a really wonderful experience.

I hope we keep it up for a long time to come.

Lainey is a great sister!

 All three boys get along well with Lainey!

Rarely, do I hear fussing or complaining from her siblings about something she has done.

This is a true blessing!

 

Lainey, you are such a blessing!

I am so thankful for you!

 

Oh Kyle

Within 60 minutes my comedian crazy baby Kyle did the following tonight...

1) He was eating a snack before bed and had a sippy cup of water.   I was doing the dishes and wiping down the counters.  He thought cleaning counters looked like fun, so he sloshed as much water out of his cup as possible and then after "demanding" a wash cloth (no words needed) he cleaned his spot; when he ran out of water, just tipped the cup over for more fun.

2) We have had the stomach bug in our house this week.  Poor carson threw up close to 20 times, which Kyle witnessed (thankfully Kyle has stayed healthy).  Tonight, while reading to Lainey, Kyle was sitting on Erik's bed drinking his milk.  He had found a "puke bowl" and decided it would be fun to make puking noise and spit him milk out into the bowl, over and over.  (Not even 21 months old yet.)

3) Deciding I had had enough of his antics for the day, I scooped him up and took him to his room to read books.  Well, he then decided, with a BIG grin to fart on me over and over for about a minute.  Looking up and giggling with delight.  

Oh my Kyle, he is a true boy!  Keeps me on my toes and a smile on my face. 

First Grade Expectations

This is a sample of Erik's recent first grade math homework and a writing sample he brought home.  It really amazes me to see what is expected of our young kids.   Thankfully, Erik is quite bright and capable of meeting/exceeding the expectations, but I'm still not convinced these expectations are necessary at this age.   I'm confident he would benefit from 30 minutes of playtime more than he does from extremely rigorous academics at this point.  

Here is a checklist for kids entering first grade in 1979 (Victor's age).   Man have things changed!

http://www.metroparentmagazine.com/blogs/kitchentable/1979-vs-2015-the-expectations-placed-on-a-6-year-old-300820241.html

Baseball

Erik decided about one year ago that he was done with soccer and wanted to play baseball instead.

He is in his second season and does pretty well.  He is a good hitter and usually gets on base.  He loves the position of catcher and is pretty attentive when there.  In the outfield though, boy he spends quite a bit of time dancing (or kicking the dirt - if in the infield).  Ha!

I love Erik's enthusiasm for the sport!  Although, I admittedly wish he still loved soccer as I don't really consider baseball to be exercise.  It's more of a mental exercise than physical in my mind.   I think I have convinced him to do la crosse or soccer in the fall then baseball in the spring.  (Although, I haven't let him know my preference is that he do something more active and will support whatever sport he ends up pursuing.)

Spring Nuttiness

With four kids I am pretty sure I signed myself up for pure craziness for the next 18 years.
I want my kids to all be active and well rounded people.
Well, in order to make that happen, Victor and I have to be good taxi drivers and cheerleaders.  In addition, to finding a way to keep ourselves active and well rounded people.  (Wish us luck!)

Winter is pretty slow in regards to activities.
But spring and fall are crazy!

This spring we have -
baseball (twice a week)
gymnastics (twice a week)
piano (once a week)
soccer (once a week)
Awana (once a week)
Dance (1-2 times a week)


And our county doesn't allow you to request certain days for sports - so baseball is basically a crap shoot.  You sign up and hope for the best.  Well, one of Erik's baseball practices land on the same night and time as his dance class; and leaves only a 15 minute gap between piano and baseball.

Thankfully, all three activities are within 3-4 miles and after 4 weeks, the baseball schedule changes.  But for now, one night Erik has piano, dance, and baseball.  (Which goes piano, baseball, dance, back to baseball.)   Lainey has dance that night too.  Aww!!

 I see lots of this in our future.

Kyle -20 months

Oh my silly boy!
I am so happy to say my grumpy boy seems to have turned a corner!
He has been SO much more enjoyable during the past 4-6 weeks! Hallelujah!

It really started improving in February, but drastically got better during the past month.
He is still a little firecracker, but the constant screaming has stopped.

Kyle is funny!
That boy has a wicked sense of humor and is truly a little rascal.
He does naughty things with a BIG sparkle in his eye and grin on his face.
He does make me laugh!

He is animated and fun!
He LOVES to sing and sings along to whatever we play in the van.
He has some songs memorized and although can't talk fully, he gets a few words in at the right time.

He is full of life! 
Really, really happy OR really, really mad/sad/etc.
I think he gets this from Victor (right!).

He is a climber - almost climbs out of the crib; climbs onto the counter, up the ladder on Lainey's bunk bed; up a tricky ladder at the playground; etc.

He loves animals.  He loves our kitty (still have him) and really loves this wonderful Golden Retriever at our bus stop.  She is only one, but has SUCH a wonderful demeanor.  She lets Kyle lead her on the leash (doesn't pull at all).  She lets him give her big hugs and rest himself on her.  She's an amazing dog!  (In a year or two we will have one of our own, maybe.)

He is attached to me!
He freaks out if I walk to far from him on the playground/bus stop.
He is back to screaming like a banshee when I leave for work.
 On the weekends though his loyalty switches over, and by Sunday refuses to go to me and only wants Victor.  During the weekdays though, Victor is chopped liver.   Silly kid!

He is a silly, playful, animated little guy.
Keeps me on my toes and a smile on my face!
He is a lovely, little boy!
We are so thankful for him and love our rascal deeply!

 Sword fighting with Carson.

These two little guys are buddies!

 Baby Capp came to visit us this week.

It was such a fun visit. 

This poor baby, is in the hospital tonight though with high fevers.

The think it is due to a UTI, but also ruling out sepsis and meningitis.

Please be praying for her!

 Always climbing something

 Playing a game at nap/bedtime!

He likes to be wrapped up tight in his blankets.

Recently though, he had been sticking his feet straight up in the air

and then giggling and giggling because I can't wrap him up like that.

So funny little guy!

 Whacking Carson in the chest

Almost got it!

Strongwoman

Lainey is such a strong little girl!

She easily climbs to the top of the rope in gym class (only 2 kids in her grade did this fall - 120 kids in kindergarten), can do pull up after pull up; flips around a bar easily; and well, look at that bridge.

She has been in a "floor gymnastics" class all year and I recently put her back in level one gymnastics through the park and rec.  I do think gymnastics might be her thing.  She is good at it and it is climate controlled (she hates being too hot or cold). Ha!  We will see where she goes with this!

Mr. Kyle

Kyle is a funny baby!

I have been sick for the past 10 days - cold turned pneumonia (mild).  I started myself on antibiotics after it settled into my chest and quickly improved after that.  Because I was sick, there has been a fairly large supply of cough drops.

Kyle knows he isn't supposed to have these but thought he would try one anyway.
There are multiple kinds - ranging from tolerable to completely awful.
He grabbed one from the completely awful category.

I saw he had something in his hand, asked him "Kyle, what do you have?"
He yelled, with his hand in the air, "STOP!" and ran off as fast as he could!

I trailed behind him, realizing it was a cough drop.
Thinking this might be a good lesson for him, I decided not to take it, but did offer up the warning that he had a cough drop and it was "yucky!"  I asked him to give it to me.

He franctically shook his head and popped it in his mouth.
I chuckled and shook my head back at him.

About 30 seconds later, he bit into the tolerable portion, releasing the completely awful syrup inside.
He immediately started crying and scraping the cough drop/syrup off of his tongue frantically.

Trying not to laugh, I looked at him and said, "I'm sorry buddy.  That's yucky isn't it."
He looked up at me and scowled.
I picked up the pieces he had scraped off his tongue, handed them back to him, and asked if he wanted to put them in the trash.

He ran, fast as his chubby legs will go, and got rid of that awful thing.
I haven't caught him with another cough drop since.
 Haha!

 My Kyle

"Rascal!"

Jamaica

Selfie at 5 AM in DCA

 Victor and I were lucky to be able to schedule a last minute

trip to Jamaica.

My mother-in-law planned to visit up in early April. 

I called my mom about two weeks before her trip, to 

see if she might be able to come too.

Lucky for us, she was willing and able, so we were able to sneak 

away for 5 nights!

Taken from the John Hancock lounge in Chicago

We were really only planning on being gone for 4 nights,

but our flight out of DCA was delayed by over an hour.

When we landed in Chicago, our flight to Jamaica had just left.

And there were no more flights from Chicago (even with stops) to Jamaica until the next morning!

Luckily, we were able to quickly fix things so our trip in Jamaica wasn't cut short by a night!

(I called Sandals and they moved our reservation back a night, I talked to my manager at work and she quickly agreed to rearrange my patients for that Wednesday, Victor found a helpful customer service rep who rescheduled our flight the next day AND fixed our return flights even though it was with a different airline.)

Once we had that all arranged, we headed out for a day of fun in Chicago.

We primary did a lot of walking! Haha!

But we ended the day, watching the musical "Book of Mormon."  

It was a hilarious spoof on religion.

Recommended for those who are able to make fun of themselves.

 

Chicago selfie - still going strong

 We did finally make it to Jamaica.

My luggage went to Texas instead of Jamaica but I was smart and 

had packed essentials in Victor's carryon (contacts and noise machine).

 It had been 10 years since we had taken a luxury vacation like this (without kids).

Lets just say it was 9 years too long!

Victor and I spend every second of our lives catering to 5 other people.

It was WONDERFUL to be waited on hand and foot for a few day!

The people of Jamaica are wonderful!

I'd highly recommend that location, if you are looking to book a trip.

(We stayed at Sandals - Montego Bay)

View from our room