Where is Jesus, Momma?

Carsten and I had a funny conversation tonight. It went like this:


C: Where's Jesus at?

K: He's in our hearts.

C: Where's Jesus at?

K: Well, he's in heaven, in the sky, but will come into our hearts if we ask him.

C: Is the sun in my heart, too?

K: No, not the sun. Just Jesus.

C: Someday, will the sun be in my heart with Jesus?

K: Um, I don't think so.

He says all sorts of funny stuff right now. At Thanksgiving he stood up in his chair and yelled "underwear!" "poopie!" "bellybutton!" We of course all laughed. Later I told him it wasn't OK to say those things. And he says to me, "when I say punny (funny) stuff, you laugh, oh tay momma?" Oh tay.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Carsten!

October 8th, 2009
Dear Carsten,
Wow, here it is. Your third birthday. I’m sure I say it every year, but it’s just amazing to me how very quickly time flies by. This morning when you were still sleeping, Alexis snuck downstairs and said to me, “Mom today is Carsten’s birthday, right?” I said “yep, it is. He’s 3 today.” And then she said “right now?” And I looked at the clock and it said 8:30 – the exact time you were born three years ago today!! How cool is that? Just now, you came up to me and asked me to sing “Happy Birthday” to you again.

You’re such a charming little boy, and a flirt at that. You love to have fun and play with your brother and sister. When one of them sits next to you in the van, you make it your plan to continually kick or hit them the entire trip! Right now, your favorite cartoon is Curious George and also Tom & Jerry. You love to read and look at books and play with Play-Doh and ride on your bike. A lot of times you and your cousin Dom fight, but you guys also play together very nicely, too. Sometimes you are a picky eater and mommy and daddy have to coerce you into getting enough food into your belly. I want you to be strong when you grow up!

A cute thing you say a lot right now is “momma, I want to go on the skoo (school) bus.” I told you that you have to get a bit bigger before you can go, and so now all the time you’ll stand on the floor next to a chair and say “I’m getting bigger (then step on the first rung of the chair), and bigger (then climb on the very top of the chair), and BIGGER!” You’ve also recently learned the rhyme “This Little Piggie” and love to say it over and over! Brown Bear, Brown Bear is your favorite story right now and you have the whole thing memorized!

You’ve yet to realize that going potty on the big boy potty is better than going in your diaper, but I’m hopeful that this year you’ll figure that out.

You are such a sweet little guy, and I love you with my whole heart. Happy third birthday, Carsten! Thank you for coming to our family!!!

Love,

Momma

Whew!

Today was the first day of school for the kids! New school, new teachers, new experiences riding on the bus, etc, and it all went GREAT!


Last night, Alexis was having a bit of a freak out moment when she realized that the next day was school. She kept screaming while sobbing "I DON'T WANT TO GO TO SCHOOL!" Drama, drama. I just kept telling her that she didn't have a choice, and that she'd have a lovely time.

This morning, Tyrus was up and dressed before the alarm even went off! He was super jolly and ready to face the day's challenges. The bus was quite late to get him, but I enjoyed that quiet time with my little guy. He climbed aboard and then me and Alexis drove to the school to wait for him to get there. It took a while! It seems like we're one of the first picked up on the route. Anyway, we walked to his class and he met his lovely and adorable teacher. She said she knew he was new to this school and because of that, she sat him by a "nice kid named Drew."

Once back home, we got Alexis showered and ready to go. Today she showed no fear at all. She was very matter of fact about the whole thing and was very excited to help me get her back pack ready, etc. Her bus was late too, so when it got here, I told her, "hurry up, climb on, ok, have a good day! I love you!" The bus driver then says to me, "mom, it's okay to take a picture - that's why we're so late, all the moms want to take pictures!" So, I did.

When she left, Carsten burst into tears! "I wanna ride on the skoo bus with you, mamma!" Aww.

Josh and I then went to the school to walk her in. When she got off the bus at the school she proclaimed to me: "That was great! I wanna do it every day!" Little does she know...

Anyway, we got her settled in her classroom, and kissed her good-bye. She seemed perfectly fine and happy. We then snuck a peek in Ty's classroom, and he seemed like he was doing just fine as well.

This afternoon, the bus was super late dropping them off. I'd been told to expect them by 4:15 (45 minutes after school gets out) but they didn't get to our house until almost 5! I was freaking out a bit, that's for sure. Next thing I know, they come bounding out of the bus, full of smiles and chatter and energy!

They both said they had a great day. Alexis said she went to music class and they learned a song in her class about the rules, and that she colored a picture for Mrs. M. Ty said they tested him in reading because he was new to the school, and in his words he "did very good, maybe the best." He said the testing reading book was "super easy" and that it was no big deal. He loved the cafeteria part (Oakland kids eat in their rooms) and overall enjoyed his day. He said his teacher (also Mrs. M) was very nice, like his Kindergarten teachers were. He also said they had to write about what they liked. I asked him how that went. He said, "It was only 3 sentences, mom." Ha! He said he wrote:
I like pizza.
I like basketball.
I like cake.

Anyway, over all, it seems like it was a good day all around. Whew!!

We're almost there!

So school starts Tuesday. We went last Tuesday and met Alexis' teacher. She seems like a very nice lady and everything seemed very organized and thought out. Alexis was super scared/excited to meet her, so that was good. As school approches, I'm freaking out more and more that I hope she knows enough and that she'll do what's right. She's in this funk right now where she doesn't think rules matter or that somehow they don't apply to her or that they are only the rule for today, and not necessarily tomorrow. In some ways, I'm hoping she'll do better in school just having the structure that it provides.


Tyrus' teacher wasn't there, but we were able to peek into his classroom. He seems very nonchalant about the whole thing, so I hope we aren't making a mistake by not making a big deal out of all of it.

Bus ride practice

Alexis has gotten the shower thing down pat, I'd say. Yesterday, I stuck her in the kids' shower and Tyrus in ours and both of them just handled it (other than me turning on the water and getting their towels.) It's such a huge burden lifted because for so long, bath time was a huge struggle with her. Now, she feels all big and proud that she can do it herself.


So Tuesday night the kids went over to the transportation garage for our new school district for the "bus ride practice." It was just a time to have a few snacks and have the kids feel comfortable riding the bus for their first day of school. It was geared toward kindergarteners (who were all clinging to their parents legs) but there were some older kids, like Ty, as well. Alexis and Ty were both a bundle of nerves and excitement all rolled into one. But, they did fine, and waved from the window and rode off happily. And me, of course, was quite teary. I'm a sap, I admit it.

I'm hoping the practice ride will help on the 8th when school officially starts. I do plan to drive behind though and make sure she's fine.

The other night Tyrus was in cleaning up his room and he found his stuff from his old school. The next thing I know he's got big fat tears rolling down his cheeks and he's all broken up because he won't be able to go to that school again. The sad part is that at this point, he has no good memories (or any really!) with the new school so there is nothing to compare it to. I'm really hoping we made the right decision in switching the schools.

Carsten was sick yesterday. Threw up 6 times through the night and early morning. He's fine now though.

She's growing up!

Alexis very happily informed my dad the other night that she'd


-quit bitting on her nails (go Alexis!)

-had learned how to ride on her bike with no training wheels

-learned how to whistle

and

-has begun to take showers all on her own

Yippee!

Alexis took a shower today all on her own! This is very cool for me because it's just one less thing on my To Do list! She washed and conditioned her hair all on her own (and her hair goes to her rear) but forgot to wash her body! I helped her get the water restarted to do that part, but just felt so proud that she's gotten to this point. Baths in the past have been a pain because she'd just fuss and fuss. But now, she's a happy camper and that in turn makes me a happy camper, too.

I heard you, I'm not...

Tyrus lost a tooth tonight! It was time for bed and he was freaking out because he was worried that it would fall out while he was sleeping and he'd swallow it. I told him I didn't think that would happen, but he still was worried. So, I asked to look at it and I gave it an ever so slight tug and it came right out! Ty was shocked and insisted it wasn't ready to come out, but I assured him that if it wasn't ready to come out, it wouldn't have come out.


My mom was just here for the last few days. We had a lovely, relaxed visit with her. I love it when she's here. The next time we'll see her is in September when we go to St. Louis.

Alexis' new phrase when I tell her to do something for the 32408th time: "I HEARD you! I'm not death!"

Carsten's funny things right now:

"I not know!"
"Let me know, ok?"
"oh tay, momma"

New bikes...!

So the dr called back and said that C's hemoglobin was on the lower end of normal, but still within the normal range. That was all she told me. I'm sort of annoyed with her in general...


Anyway, we decided to persue it a bit further and took him to an ENT specialist on Monday. That was helpful because he actually took notice of what was happening and asked lots of questions, and in general seemed to treat us much better than the other place. We have a script for some sort of oil to put in his nose, and then if that doesn't work, they will cauterize. We have an appt to come back in 10 days to see how the progress is going. Much better!

The other night, we splurged and got the kids bikes. Very fun to see them all decked out in their protective gear riding down the street. I love it!

Tears of good-bye

Today was the last day of school for Tyrus. He was super happy this morning and excited to go see everyone for the half day.


As I pulled up to the lane to get him, my eyes were misty as I knew he wouldn't be coming back to this school again. I'd finally gotten myself together by the time he got in the van, and as I pull away, I look in the rear-view mirror, and there is Tyrus with big fat tears rolling down his cheeks. I asked him what was wrong and he said he was going to miss his friends. Of course then the water works started with me again!

To cheer everyone up, we went to McDonald's to play. It worked for the most part until Carsten got stuck at the top of the playland and I had to climb up to rescue him.

Anyway, I'm just feeling a bit sad. My kids are growing up. Things will be different next year, and hopefully it will be a good different. I hope we made the right choice to take him out of this school.... I guess time will tell.

Ball O' Nerves

We had our open house on Sunday and it was just perfect! Lots of people came and seemed to enjoy themselves. The weather was gorgeous and I'm so glad everything worked out! Yay! Now I feel like we can move on and just live here now!


Ty is out of school on Wednesday. Tomorrow it's supposed to be field day, but rain is forcasted so they may have something else planned for indoors. He said all of his friends knew that he wouldn't be returning to that school next year. I suggested he take a notebook tomorrow to get everyone's names and phone numbers so that we can keep in touch with everyone.

Alexis is starting to feel some nerves now that Tyrus is almost out of school, because she knows that the next time school starts, she'll be going, too! She's such a ball of emotions, because on one hand, she's thrilled to death to be starting school, and on the other hand, she's very worried about 'what if I can't remember where my classroom is?' kind of stuff. I've tried hard to reassure her that she'll do just fine - even quizzing her on other places that she goes and how she remembers things there, etc, and she'd giggle and say yes she remembered where the bathroom was at grandma's house. I think she's going to be just fine because once she gets there she'll want to be the star of the show!

Can't wait for Ty to be done so our morning routine will be better. I'm hoping some of the crankyness from Carsten will be better when he's sleeping more. and I'm not having to wake him up to leave for school drop-off.

We changed our hours and pricing tonight for our store for the summer. It was packed out when I was in there earlier!

7 out of 17 ain't bad, right?

We're having our Open House on Sunday. Lots of people wanted to see the house so we decided to just have them all over at once and get it over with! Not in a bad way, of course, but just because to invite everyone over individually would take forever. So, I'm buying sub stuff and calling it good.
The house isn't completely finished yet, but I'm just doing what I can. I've got 7/17 blinds up so far. I keep buying them when I go to the store, but each time, I've bought them out! I have 5 more ready to put up, but I'll still have to get the rest. The paint is about 98% done. I touched up quite a bit the other night, but there are a few minor places I noticed that still need a bit. A few boxes need to be unpacked yet, but over all, we're settled and here. Yay!

The kids seem to be doing good with the change. For a while, Carsten was very upset everytime we'd be in the van and he'd ask where we were going and I'd say "the new house." He'd say "NO! Old house mommie!" All three of them love having their own rooms. Alexis was delighted about it for the first little while, now she whines about how "she's alone in there, and she doesn't want her own room" etc. We never can win with her.

Carsten's sleep seems somewhat better, in that he doesn't get up a million times in the night. He still isn't napping properly, and is still cranky a lot, but some of it, I think, has to do with his age. He is fussy a lot so I just start to tune him out since he whines A LOT! Ha! He's continued to have bloody noses and they seem to come in batches. I took him to the dr for it the other day and she said "just humidify his room." Um, thanks. Already did that and it didn't help.

Anyway, they did give me a lab slip to test to make sure he's not anemic since he looses so much blood, but I haven't had a chance to take him in yet.


Even though Alexis complains about being in a room by herself, and the colors of paint we chose for her (and everything else) she seems to be doing much better now that she has her own space. She's more positive and less cranky in general, which is so great to see. She is thrilled to bits to be going to Kindergarten in the fall. She's SO ready for more stimulation than I'm giving her.

She's also going through a really clingy phase right now. I'm guessing it's because the house is bigger and she keeps thinking I've left her? She'll call me once, then a second later, she'll call me again, and then the third time, she's panicked and bursts into tears, all while I'm just in the next room over. I've tried to tell her that I won't leave the house without her knowing, but so far she's not getting that.

Ty's last day of school is Wednesday and then he'll be on summer break. We did decide to pull him out of his school that we've loved for so long and send all the kids to the neighborhood school. It was a long, taxing decision, but we're hoping it's for the best. And really, now that we've moved and the current school is so much father away, the drive there and back each day is a lot. Plus, not having to wake up Carsten each morning before he's ready will hopefully help tremendously with his sleeping issues.

Tyrus is really growing up. I know he's only 7, but I looked at him the other day and just thought he looked like an adolescent, vs a kid. He's so much taller than his peers his age, so I'm sure that has something to do with it as well. He's excited that this is the first year he'll be old enough to go to Kid's Camp with our church. It should be fun for him. Alexis, of course, is jealous that Ty gets to go and she doesn't. I've tried to remind her that when Ty was 5 he didn't get to go either, but she's hearing none of it.


I'm also working a lot with our gaming company. I really could spend about 20 hours a week on it, but unfortunately, I don't have that kind of time available with all of the other things I'm responsible for too. So far, things are going well. We're looking foward to the summer in hopes that the kids being out of school will really help boost our business.

Josh is doing well. Working both jobs is hard on him, I know, but I appreciate his work ethic. We're enjoying owning our house and knowing that it's ours. We went tonight and bought a lawn mower and some rakes and grass seed and fertilizer. All 5 of us were in the backyard smoothing out the rough dirt to get the grass growing. It was fun to see everyone working together for a common goal.

Ouch!

Whew. Things are moving right along with our house. We close on the 22nd! I gave notice to our complex that we will be out by May 1st, but we really will also have that weekend to move. I'm thinking it will be more like the 3rd or so.


Alexis hurt herself today. She was spinning on our computer chair and somehow flew off and smacked the side of her head on our computer desk. She slit the skin on the side of her eye right open and it was bleeding pretty good. Josh came and took her to the ER and they fixed her right up with some glue. Love that!!

I started watching a baby boy named Lukas. He's three months old and is a doll!

We still haven't decided what to do for the kids' schooling next year. Now we're thowing homschooling into the mix. There is an open house at the neighborhood school on the 21st, so we're going to go to that and then make a decision from there.

I guess maybe he really is listening

You know how you tell your kids things over and over and sometimes wonder if they really are getting it? Then they do something that just shocks you and you're like "hey, maybe they are getting it afterall!" I had that moment last night.


Tyrus' class is learning about rocks and minerals at school next week. His teachers sent a note home the other day asking for each student to bring in one medium sized rock, or more if they had more. They are going to be painting the rocks to look like lady bugs.

Last night, I sent Tyrus outside to find a few rocks that might fit the requirements. He came in a bit later with two rocks. He had an odd look on his face and then says to me, "Mom, I feel nervous about this." I said, "why?" And he says, "because these rocks don't belong to us - they belong to the complex. I feel nervous taking them." I then said, "I think the word you want is 'guilty.' When we take stuff that isn't ours, we feel guilt."

He agreed that he was feeling guilt and I asked him if I talked to the office ladies today would it make him feel better? He said it would, so I talked to the lady today and told her the whole story. She said it would be more than fine to take a rock or two for his class project. When he got in the car I told him that it was okay to take a rock. He then says, "only one rock?"

Anyway, I was proud of him. It never occured to me that taking a rock from the front of our rental townhouse was stealing, but he was right, it was. I was happy that he felt that and didn't think it was okay.

Spaghetti Wars

A funny story: The other night over spaghetti, Tyrus in his grown-up sounding voice corrected Alexis by saying "Alexis, it's not MUH-skettie, it's BUH-skettie."

Yay, finally!

So I'm finally feeling like I'm a SAHM now. The first few weeks were really hectic between my mom's surgery, opening the store, and keeping my friend's two boys. But since all that is passed, life has become a tad less busy, thankfully. There have even been a few moments here and there when the dishes are done, the laundry is done, the kids are bathed, etc and I don't have anything major pressing! Nice. Weird, but nice.


Nothing super dooper exciting happening in our stretch of the woods. Our house is coming along though a lot of the work is happening on the inside now, so it's not as obvious from the outside. I'm still driving by it almost daily though to make sure I'm not missing anything.

So I just took a second to go get some yogurt with granola and Carsten was complaining about his nose. I looked and it seemed like he had a big green boogie up there. So I got a tissue and wiped it, only to realize that it was a pea from last night's dinner! I had a big discussion with him about NOT putting stuff up his nose, etc. Now I'm wondering where the pea came from since I swept the floor right after dinner last night.

Alexis woke up this morning telling me her eyes were foggy. I'm not sure if they were still just tired and sleepy or if maybe she's needing glasses. Hum... we'll have to keep an "eye" on the situation.

An actual walk through?!

My mom had surgery this week.  Thankfully, she came through just fine and is now in recovery. She's supposed to go home tomorrow. Well, not to her house, but to my aunt's house. My aunt's house is all one level and my mom is having difficulty walking because one of her legs is still numb. The doctors are confident that the feeling will return to her leg so that she can function normally. I'm just happy that she's through surgery. I was really worried about her.


So today was very cool because we actually got to walk THROUGH OUR HOUSE!! That was the coolest thing ever. They've been doing a ton of framework this week and so this was the first chance we had to go through it. None of the workers were there so we just snuck in. It was neat because all the framework was up, and no drywall so you could just see straight through everything! We took a picture of each kid in their room, which was neat. I have pictures to show but I'm at the game center right now so I can't upload them. It's so cool to see the process unfold! It's a bit surreal, I think.

Carsten has been such a stinker lately, and that's so unlike him. He thinks it's fun NOT to take a nap at nap time, but instead fall asleep in his carseat on the way home from picking up Tyrus (around 3:45ish) and then sleep until 6. Then, he's cranky at dinner and doesn't want to go to bed until midnight. So, after fighting with him to stay in his bed for hours the other night, I finally decided that no matter what, he could not take a nap during the day. He was so drowsy in the late afternoon again, but I kept clapping loudly or messing with his feet in the seat so he'd stay awake. He had a glassy look in his eye, but he kept smiling. Anyway, it worked somewhat, because last night he went to bed around 9 which is a much more reasonable time, I think.

$100

So the game center is really coming along! Yee haw! The computers have arrived and the guys are there round the clock getting everything set up. I went over this afternoon for about 2 hours and just picked up trash and plastic bags and twistie ties and carboard boxes. It's a lot of stuff they are unpacking!!


Today was my last day at work, and can you believe that I was $100 SHORT in my drawer today? That never happens and why oh why was I short $100, not over?? I told my boss he could call me Monday if they figured it out. I did NOT want to go out on a note like that.

Chaos

So Josh and his two partners pulled an all-nighter last night. Today we had the fire marshal, the building contractors, the electrician, the property manager and I'm not sure who else coming to check to make sure the building was ready to go. Of course our tables aren't done and so we were there late (I went home at 10:30) painting the tables. The chairs still needed to be put together, the trash picked up. You know, general chaos.


But the good news is, it was all worth it, because we passed the inspection!!!!!!

The good news is...

So the good news is that Carsten slept fine in his bed, after he finally fell asleep. The bad news? He woke up about an hour after he fell asleep and proceeded to puke up his guts over and over through out the night. No fun at all. While I was cleaning it up in the night, I kept thinking that my stomach was a bit off, too. Nothing really happened though, and so I just went to work the next day. That night though, I got sicker and actually threw up myself. So not fun. I missed both services yesterday which never happens.


Today, I'm okay, and Carsten seems fine. When I went to get him up out of his bed today, he was laying horizonal to his bed, on the carpet! I'm not sure how or when that happened, but he didn't seem to care.

Ty was really pokey getting going this morning. He kept complaining that his stomach hurt (great!) and that he was tired. Finally, I said he could stay home if his stomach really was hurting. I mean, it wasn't unlikely that he could have the same flu as the rest of us, right? Well, a while later, I noticed he was up and playing around and then comes in to announce to me that he's hungry. I told him to get his coat on, because he was going to school.

Tonight, we're headed to the store to lay carpet and paint tables. Things are coming together!

Making the move...

I'm kicking myself for not just saying a straight two weeks (which would have put my last day as Friday the 30th) but I was trying to be nice. Now I'm really wishing I had that Saturday.


Big day for us today! Carsten is officially in his toddler bed! I wasn't sure how the transition would go, but it went okay. I only had to get after him 3 times to get out of his brother and sister's room and into his own bed! The other two were moved long before this, but what can you do?

He also learned to say "I love you," today. Gotta love that! It comes out, "eye yove yew'. I've been waiting for that one for 27 months!!

Our house foundation is being poured! We drove by tonight and there's a huge hole and huge encasements which, we're assuming, is holding the concrete in place while it sets. Things are really moving along!

Our store is also moving along quickly, too! Josh and I have been painting a lot of nights, and tonight he went to help finish building the pentagon tables. The carpet is being laid Monday night, and the building inspection is Wed.

Ty's 7th Birthday Letter...

Dear Tyrus,


Today is your 7th birthday, and you are such a beautiful young man. I am so proud to be called your mother. This was the first time you had a slumber party, and from the looks of it, you had a great time celebrating your birthday. You guys stayed up until 2:00 in the morning!! Ha!

This year has been a big one for you. First grade started in the spring and once again, you are excelling at your schoolwork. Your teachers adore you and you seem to really love going to school. Just a little bit ago when we were on Winter Break you told me you preferred going to school, vs staying home on break! I’m sure at some point in the future that will change!  Your reading skills are so much improved from last year! I’m amazed at how much you can read now! Way to go!

You’ve lost quite a few teeth this year. Your top two, and two others on the bottom decided to come out this year. One of the teeth you actually lost, and we’ve yet to find it! You are starting to get your adult teeth in now, and they look so big in comparison to the baby teeth surrounding them. You still have a beautiful smile though, and I love to see it.

I look back 7 years ago when you were a brand new baby, and I think that it can’t be possible that it was 7 years ago. There’s no way that time has gone by this quickly. But it has, and you are a wonderful young man with a sweet sensitive soul. God has blessed your daddy and me to have you, and we love you more than you will ever know.

The year ahead will be a big one for us! Our new house is being built, and you are excited to finally have your own room. Our gaming center is opening soon, and that’s something we’ve all been looking forward to. And I am quitting my job to be able to stay at home with you guys.

The other night, you prayed when it was time to go to bed and your prayer touched my heart. You asked Jesus to touch your dad and mom, your brother and sister, your grandmas and grandpas, your cousins and friends. You asked Him to touch or new house and game center, and for Jesus to help our friends stop smoking. It was very sweet.

Tyrus, I love you so very, very much. Thank you for being my firstborn baby, and for being the sweet young man that you are. I love you. Happy Birthday, baby boy! (And as your 2 year old brother says,“Hapadupaduh!”)

Love,

Mamma

It's time to par-tay!

Ty was just so excited about his party and all that. His friends came and we had a nice party. He just had a grin on his face the whole time. The boys stayed up until 2 AM playing video games/watching Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and having pillow fights. Only one mishap - Ty standing over me in the darkness at 2ish saying "Alex's nose is bleeding because Isreal stepped on his face in the dark, and I can't find the band-aids."


I fed them breakfast (waffles, turkey bacon, sausage, OJ) and then they all got dressed and brushed their teeth and then the parents started to come and get them. When they were all gone, Ty cried and was sad. I knew he'd have a meltdown - between the major high energy of the party and the super late night, he'd be a mess. And he was. He perked up about an hour later though and was fine again.

Alexis had a grand time as well with her friend Emily spending the night. It was the first time she'd spent the night away from home at some place other than Grandma and Grandpas. She did great! Emily's mom said the girls talked and talked at the store in the home furnishings area like "oooh, this is so beautiful." She said they were a crack up.

Tonight, we had our employee appreciation dinner for my company. Yesterday when I was giving my notice to my boss, I asked him if I could still come tonight. He said yes. Anyway, so many people came up to me and said they were "mad and me" and "how could you leave us" and then from all 4 HR people "you can come back any time you want" or "let us know if something changes - even before you go, you can have your job back." That all made me feel good. Nothing like leaving on the right note, you know?

A Very Particular Child

Tomorrow night is Ty's slumber party for his birthday. The kid is so funny. He's very particular and keeps coming up to either me or Josh asking us questions like, "so if we are going to rent an XBOX game, when exactly would we do that?" So Josh answers him, and then a bit later Ty says, "Ok, so when we go get the XBOX game, which one exactly will we get?"


Thankfully, he did help (as did Alexis) me take up all of Carsten's toys, and clean up his room to make room for the 34 blankets and pillows that will be in here tomorrow night. It should be fun, right?

Carsten's new word for today is "oh tay" when you say something like, "go get your book, Carsten." "Oh tay, momma."

Big Baby

Today Alexis was throwing a fit, like usual, and was insistant that she'd had "this same pair of jammie pants for 20 years!" I said, "Alexis. That's not possible. You're not even 20 years old. How can you have had the same pair of pj pants for 20 years?" Then she says, "look at me! I used to be a little baby, and now I'm a big baby!" And with that, she stormed off into her room.


Uh, yep, girlie. You nailed it on the head!

2 Weeks Notice

So tomorrow, I'm putting in my two week notice to my job. I don't really know how I feel about it - can you tell?! In some ways I'm thrilled to have my days back and thrilled I'll have the kids full time and can have better control on what they're eating and what they're watching, etc. On the other hand, I'm nervous about quitting a job, in Michigan nonetheless, and that I'll loose contact with the friends I've made there. But, when all the smoke clears, I'm making no money at all, really. And Josh is doing great at his job and we're starting this business. So I'm optimistic that this is the right choice!

B...R...A...

Funny thing happened last night - We were in the van and Josh was quizzing Ty on his spelling words. The word was 'brain' and Ty says "B...R...A..." and then we hear this tiny voice from Carsten saying "I..N..!"


It was the most hysterical thing ever!!!

So long!

So I made reservations tonight for Ty's birthday party at our neighborhood commmunity center. I think I'm just going to get some pizza's, pop and cake and call it good. He doesn't care. The family is going to come for the main part, then we'll send them all home and bring the boys back here to let them have fun all stinkin' night long! Ha! I've got to get the invites ready, though.


So we no longer have a highchair in our home. I felt a tad nostalgic about it today when I put it out by the dumpster because it's been a part of our life for so long. All three of my kids used it, plus my aunt used it for her three kids. So it's seen better days for sure, which is why I decided to toss it, vs putting it to Goodwill. Now the kitchen feels so much bigger. Ha! I did give it one more 'love pat' before I walked away, and then I wished it well.

Here are pictures of each kid at their first birthday party in the chair:

 
 

One Year, One Set of Posts

Tyrus turns 7 on the 17th of this month. He's every excited about this and really I think this is the first year that he's known for sure what date his birthday is. Each morning, he'll say things like, "Okay mom. Today is Jan 3rd. That means my birthday is in 15 more days, right?" He's funny.


We're doing a slumber party for the first time for him. We told him the other day we weren't sure yet (because Josh and I needed to discuss it) how many boys he could invite to his party because we don't have a lot of room. The next thing we know, he's gone off and gotten a piece of paper and a pencil and is drawing a diagram of our livingroom marking out where all the kids can sleep! We had a good laugh out of that!

He said to me he's ready to go to school again and prefers school to break. Whatever kid.

Recently, I taught him how to do the Suduko puzzles, and he figured it out, so now he loves those. He loves math, that's for sure.

Tonight, he could sense that I was feeling frazzled with the house. It was a wreck. I've worked and worked to try to get it back into order after 5 Christmases, and boxes and all the stuff that goes along with new things. Today I was gone most of the day at work, and so when we came back tonight we did a mass clean-up. I was getting Alexis cleaned up in the bath, only to come out to see that Ty's cleaned up their room, swept our kitchen floor, put away the rest of the toys that were out, and made their beds! I thanked him and told him I loved him and I appreciated his help. He said, "You're welcome. Can I get some sort of treat or something?"

Alexis is my spunky one. She's going to be 5 in February and is so excited to be starting Kindergarten in the fall. She's also excited to get to spend the night with Grandma and Grandpa on the night of Ty's slumber party.
 
I'm working really hard with her to get her to stop biting her nails. It drives me batty when she constantly has her hands up there chewing on her fingers when she's nervous or whatever. We've talked about it a lot, and a few times, she's been in tears wanting to know how to stop. I wish I knew how to help her with that.


She's really turning into a beautiful young girl. Tonight, a friend of ours who hasn't seen her in a while commented on it. I'm afraid for the teenage years, because with her attitude she throws sometimes, plus her good looks, yikes.

Right now, she's on a Barbie kick. Part of it I think is that she got a bunch of new Barbie stuff for Christmas, so now the poor things actually have clothes to wear! She also has a "pet dog" that she feeds and takes care of and "gives medicine."

I decided the other day that she's old enough to get her self out of the tub and get dressed now. You may say, "of course she is" but the issue lies in the fact that she deals with ecxema, and needs lotion from head to toe. Always before, I helped her with this part because the lotion would be everywhere if I didn't. But, I thought about it and realized she's almost 5 and Ty was doing this stuff all on his own by her age (minus the lotion.) So I showed her how to squeeze the water from her hair, and how to wipe the lotion off her hands if she needed to move her hair somehow, etc. She seemed so excited and proud that I let her. I was just excited for one less chore!! The next thing we need to work on is her learning to shampoo and condition her own hair. But that will come with time...

We still struggle daily with anger and her initial instinct to be angry. We've talked and talked about making good faces and being kind to people and not being mean just to be mean. It's a struggle for her, and I hope we can nip this behavior in the bud. I know she can do it, because she has a good heart and she really wants to be nice. I know she does!

And then, there's Carsten. I looked at him the other day and said to Josh, "where on earth did we get two blonde boys?" Neither of us have been blonde a day in our lives.
 
Carsten is really beginning to talk. Everything is heavy on the "eee" sound, so words like "Gabe" come out "Geeib" and chip is really "cheep", etc. Last night, I turned the light out at bed time and he says to me, "Yight oneee, moma!" He calls himself "my" and Alexis "me." Tyrus is "Ty", Josh is "da-da" and I'm "mom." My mom is "grandpa" but so is grandpa. Grandma Lou (Josh's mom) is "Leew", and Stephanie is "Ni Ni." Cookies are "kiki's" and bananas are "banamanas". He also says "happy birthday" like "hapadupaduh." He also says "buba" before almost everything. "Buba go?" "Buba eat?" It's cute.


The poor kid is still in his crib. I really need to get his toddler bed up and the crib out. I'm feeling a bit nostolgic about the whole thing because then we won't need a crib any more... But, he's really ready and besides, the other kids were in it by his age. (He just turned 2 in October.) Also, when we move to our new house in June, I don't want him to have to adjust to a new bed in addition to a new room (by himself, at that!)

A New Year, a New Start

It's a new year, and a new time to start a fresh journal. This particular song has been on my heart lately, so I thought it fitting to name my journal after it.

There is so much going on right now in our lives. We are in the process of opening up a gaming center, which we are aiming to open up by Feb 6th. We are also building a house that is supposed to be ready mid-May, to June. My mother is having surgery on Feb 11th to remove a tumor that we don't know yet if it is malignant or not. And then, there is all the other day-to-day stuff that is going on.

Often I think about how I'd like to document things and write them down for posterity and also to keep track of what's going on and what's happening in our life. But then, life gets so busy, so hopefully I'll be better this year.

We're done having kids, and my babies are growing up. Things are happening so fast and time just keeps flying by that I keep realizing yet another day has gone by, and have I really hugged and loved on them enough that day? Did we take time to sit and cuddle and just enjoy one another? Did I pray for them? Have I given Carsten the chance to grab my face with both of his hands and plant a kiss on my lips like he so loves to do? Have I hugged Alexis and told her she's my very favorite girl in the whole wide world? Does Ty know that he's so very special to me and that I am very proud of him?

Or have I simply rushed from place to place, from dishwasher-filling, to dishwasher-emptying, to bed and back up again? Do my kids know that I love them more than they could ever imagine? Am I leaving them a legacy that will follow them all the days of their life?

I hope so. And maybe this journal, with a new start, a new title can help me do just that - let them be little.
Let Them Be Little by Billy Dean

I can remember when you fit in the palm of my hand.
You felt so good in it; no bigger than a minute.
How it amazes me you're changin' with every blink.
Faster than a flower blooms, they grow up all too soon.

So let them be little,
'Cause they're only that way for a while.
Give 'em hope, give them praise,
Give them love every day.
Let 'em cry, let 'em giggle,

Let 'em sleep in the middle,
Oh, but let them be little.

I never felt so much in one little tender touch.
I live for those kisses, your prayers an' your wishes.
An' now you're teachin' me how only a child can see.
Tonight, while we're on our knees, all I ask is:

Please, let them be little,
'Cause they're only that way for a while.
Give them hope, give them praise,
Give them love every day.
Let 'em cry, let 'em giggle,
Let 'em sleep in the middle,
Oh, but let them be little.

The so innocent, precious soul:
You turn around, an' it's time to let them go.

So let them be little,
'Cause they're only that way for a while.
Give them hope, give 'em praise,
Give them love every day.
Let 'em cry, let 'em giggle,
Let them sleep in the middle,
Oh, but let them be little.
Let them be little