Photo's of the Week

Amazing how a picture evokes emotion...

love.

Cute, yes.... but look a little closer...

check out that puddle of drool!!

Ben usually lays right down to sleep for nap, but today he just wouldn't settle. With Ella in there now, I had to correct the situation quickly.

I put him in this chair telling him he had to stay in it until nap time was over... within 5 minutes (of whining) he was fast asleep.

I'm almost glad he ended up 'in time out' today... I heart this picture.

I Can't Get Enough

PUMPKINS!

Today it is glazed pumpkin scones.

Ali requested tea with her scone... saying it was like the American Girl, Samantha, with her Grandmary at teatime. Sometimes I wish those stories weren't fiction... I really get into the characters with her.

A & B really liked the idea of painting our snacks.

I thought this pumpkin kick was just because Ella and I were one... but now, 4 months later, I still could eat something pumpkin each and every day.

Throughout my pregnancy I ate everything in site, or my capacity to make, that was pumpkin....breads & lattes especially. (This, my one requested item while in the hospital ;)

I wouldn't have been surprised if Ella had emerged a bit orange for all of it. :)

If only the treats I make were as healthy as the pumpkin itself....

A Few of Your Favorite Things...

EllaGrace

4 months

Your Favorite (non-human) Thing to Look At:

PALM TREES

They capture your attention like nothing else... especially in the breeze.

Your Favorite Song:

I'm a Little Teapot*

*Song & Dance by Ali

Your Favorite Activity:

Diaper Changes & Bath

The only baby I've ever known to giggle for each diaper change

Little Bitt's Tidbitts:

• You are very ticklish! And you love to laugh. :D
• You do not like Ali & Ben to be gone long... I think you are very accustom to their noise & enthusiasm.
• Besides 'L' baby & Elle, we also call you 'snots'... you've had some nose issues in these 4 months of yours... we'll work on something a little more cute, I promise ;)
• Today, you & I had our first experience cloth diapering... more on that later.
• At your 4 month check-up this morning you weighed 14.8 lbs. You laughed & talked the whole visit until... two little shots interrupted your fun in a big way. Oh how I hate that.
• You've been sharing a room with your big sister & big brother for about a week now. They really like you being in there (& I like to think you do too.)

Teach Me

As I teach them.

Heart Forest... & Valentine Fun

This was our brown sugar toast breakfast.... a childhood recipe from Dan (sans hearts).

Last year I used an Ellison machine to cut out a ton of red & pink hearts and I taped them ALL OVER the house after the kids went to bed the night before Valentines Day. When they woke up the next morning, the first thing they did was rip every last one (in their reach) off and threw them away.

Remembering how much fun they had tearing them all down last year, I decided to do it again this year. Except this year I found a 150 ct. of heart post-it notes for a dollar.

Here are a few surfaces that were covered with hearts.

Figuring they would start tearing into them as soon as they woke up and saw them, I was ready to help destroy the decorations!!!.... but they did the exact opposite this year. They both gasped in amazement and Ali said it was the most beautiful heart forest she'd ever seen. This made me crack up, but the funniest part is that they pleaded with me to leave each and every heart in its place FOR DAYS. I tried to clean up a couple days later, but both protested...

I finally got most picked up except for the bookshelves.

Funny how a year changes one's outlook... on decorations :)

Here was our pre-Valentine breakfast... stuffed french toast... lets just say I'm making this again Friday night for dinner... it was an instant favorite.

Common Ground

One of our favorite parks here in Lakeland

Ali with our friend Jamal

They never seem to run out of things to do here.

Ben is being Spiderman. I'm not sure why he loves the idea of Spiderman so much. He has never seen the movie... maybe just the idea of halfbug halfman is exciting to boys...?

This is the best if you like spinning things. One of Ali's favorites.

rolling down a hill

the tunnels!!! This is exciting secret mission stuff I was told.

This is one of the inner exists of one of the tunnels... and the only one big enough for me (pushing a stroller) to get into. They climbed up to escape... I had to crawl back.

It sounds weird unless you actually see & feel it (ok, it is still kind of weird when you feel it) but this is artificial grass. Looks pretty & makes for great sliding.

another (and much smaller) tunnel.

Breakfast at Night Makes for a Good Morning

I'm a big fan of the pumpkin... for its color, its nutritional value, & its link to my favorite time of year. We like to enjoy it all year long... like in our pumpkin pancakes. I make a big batch of these at night for the next morning's breakfast and freeze the rest for another day. They warm up beautifully in the oven on a pizza stone.

For two batches, I start out with a whole wheat pancake mix then add:

• 1 can pumpkin
• 1/4-1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1 chopped apple (skin on)
• couple tbs. ground flax seeds
• cup or so of raisins
• several shakes of various pumpkin pie spices
• a few handfuls of uncooked rolled oats
• handful of crushed almonds

I add this list to oatmeal 2 mornings a week... omit pumpkin & add cream.

A couple of stacks go into the fridge for morning and a couple stacks are wrapped for the freezer. These are good enough on there own if you want to grab a couple throw them at your kids as they buckle their car seats because church starts a 9 a.m. and your running behind.... just saying... But they are best right off the pizza stone with a bit more maple syrup.

WaterColors & PlayClay

The picture of the wildflowers and apple tree is my one day back yard ~dream~... just in case you were wondering. ;)

This is a typical picture of most mornings, after breakfast is cleaned up. Ali doing her copy work and Ben doing whatever he picks until Wiley (Ali) is finished and can join his adventure of the day.

Today is playclay... I really really love this stuff. I've never been a big fan of playdough. I don't like the smell (even homemade) and most of it is so tough for little hands to squish and maneuver easily. The kids and I made this a couple of weeks ago and shortly after I threw out all of our old playdough. We plan on making a few more colors of play clay very soon.

ABE (ali, ben, ella)

Matchbox Treat Tradition Begins

In wanting to make Valentine's Day special for the kids without it being cheesy, I decided to make each of the kids their own match-treat-box. I saw the idea online and figured I had plenty of paper scraps around to pull it off.

After making each one according to their personality, I raided the treat drawer for candy that would fit. I'm not a big fan of candy, but understand its importance in a kids life. I found a pack of m & m mini's and life savors. They fit perfectly.

I'm hoping these become something I can pull out each time February comes and maybe they will start looking forward to the special box.

My mind even goes as far as to think that one day it could hold money as a gift for more mature children, or even a someday suitor might learn of our 'little' tradition and ask to borrow it for a forever gift.... err, I mean, lets not get carried away here.

If nothing else, they will l.o.v.e. the candy.

Ali's is mostly red... her favorite color... with bits of pink and only a touch of turquoise & brown. The heart shapes on the front are arranged in a 'clover' (she is my St. Patrick's Day girl and she loves that). She is my flamboyant one when it comes to decorations.

Ben is anything blue or green... my favorite colors too... and most anything in the shape of a circle is called a BALL - his favorite toy.

Ella was tough as we don't know her favorite color BUT she is my way laid back child and her name is old... so, these peachy flowers seemed vintagy and relaxed. I picked green for her as well because it is my favorite.

When I have time to make, (even insignificant things)... I'm always a better person. Dan would refer to this as my soul-care... and he would be right.

Simple Pleasures

Leisha got me thinking over at The Hairston Family's blog about what simple things are pleasures to me.... a rush of goosebumps fell over me. So here are the exciting things in my life (well, exciting to me!) In no order...

1. a clean, organized house


2. when my family gobbles up a meal I just made for them... pure joy


3. when my kids show concern for each other


4. when Dan gets so excited telling me something, he stutters


5. a fresh oil change... I know, weird!


6. NATURE - this could be its very own list


7. making: sewing, crocheting, cooking, crafting (another list in itself)


8. meaningful conversation with other young mothers


9. the look in my kids eyes when they learn


10. getting the Christmas tree & its scent filling the house


11. smelling the top of my kid's heads' resting on my shoulder... just breath them in!


12. my kids eating vegetables


13. office supplies... heavenly...


14. stormy day


15. a new recipe that turns out to be a family favorite


16. grateful children


17. Ben's southern accent (no idea where he got that! ;)


18. aprons


19. quilts


20. lists!! (can you tell? :)


21. afternoon coffee with cream & a tsp of honey in the silence of a sleepy house at nap time


22. Dan's perfectly auburn, beard... now speckled with bits of grey


23. traditions


24. Ali's sparkly eyes


25. pajama pants


26. Dan dancing to the beat of his own drum :D (figuratively & physically)
27. vintage treasures

I loved doing this, thanks Leisha for the idea. I think I could keep going on and on, but will end here. What a way to put yourself in a better mood... I think I'll go find a new recipe for dinner!

Waking Up Happy

I was about to wake Ella for her lunch when I thought I should snap a pic of her all bundled up. I still swaddle her for every nap & nighttime. She loves it. I don't know how much longer it will last so here it is to be forever remembered.

And she knows what is coming, so smiling she is.

I keep taking them even though the flash is starting to get on her nerves. :)

Dan calls those her "Hungry Eyes"... and then he attempts to sing the song.

The FIRST thing she does upon being unwrapped is throw her arms stiffly above her head in a long arched streetttcccchhhh. It never fails... she does this every time.

And now.... lunch time!!

Crafts & School Days

Bean Craft

Ali's name on the left... her black bean ant is eating 'hot dogs' and 'plants' and has a happy cloud at the top.

Ben has ants, a spider, a palm tree, a green & white bird, and a cloud...

We all really enjoyed this one!

Ali & I were doing some layered cutting during Ben's nap.

And a highlight of my week... Ben has conquered the potty!! Since taking this picture he has almost filled the chart... good job buddy!!! 2 down, 1 to go.

When they get 10 stickers in a row, they can choose a treat from the 'treat drawer'... usually a mint, a piece of gum, a couple skittles, or a lollipop.

Ali is well on her way to independent reading.
As with Ben's, she has added a few since this was taken too. We are proud of you Ali bug!

While snapping pics for the week, I went ahead and took this of the chore chart. It includes... folding and putting away their clothes, setting & clearing the table, cleaning up books & toys, and emptying the dishwasher. Ben shares in each of these responsibilities except folding clothes. They do not get rewarded for chores... just learning to help take care of the family just like Dad & Mom. Besides right now, they love working along side me... it isn't always easier to have them 'help', but I am always amazed at what they are capable of learning & accomplishing.

Often Ali will ask to dust.

Our supply shelves hold... paints, play clay, puzzles & games, paper, scissors, all marking utensils (baskets hooked to the right side), workbooks, scooping/pouring tub, and Ben's favorite right now, glue.

It is all at their reach so they can learn responsibility... and while my hands are occupied they can still be creative. I don't allow them to say they're bored... once I read that boredom is just laziness of the mind.

If anything is misused on the shelves, they loose the privilege to use the shelves as the consequence.

Atop our shelves is the marker board where Ali's morning copy work is written. She keeps a journal each day where she writes this information in the morning and ....

... an index card holds the afternoon copy work. The index cards hold scripture, sayings or songs, and the 50 states so far.

We are playing around with the abacus right now for math and we have a few workbooks that we use every couple of days, but for 'school', that is about it.

Right now I'm slowly introducing an education routine. My plans are to revamp the schedule this summer for a little more structure this fall.... like with our sight words, grammar, & science. Right now, those are hit & miss and science is just fun things like baking, and little things I find online for kids.