All this week the multiage classes have been polishing and then performing BUGZ, a musical about bugs. Both twins had a part and they did great. Lou Lou had the first line of the play: "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, katydids and katydads! We hope you enjoy our show! It's the best we've ever had!" She used a big voice and said it slow. She did so good, and I think it worked for her to have the very first line so that her part was over with before any nerves could settle in during the performance. She was dressed as a ladybug and so cute!
Bear had a solo part in the firefly song. He was dressed as a firefly and sang, "One light will be a light for peace." He held a flashlight under his chin and did a great job on his part. Both the twins enjoy singing so much and it seems to come natural to them.
Although Birdie has been sitting up for awhile, she has not been real steady until the past couple of weeks. During bathtime, I've been letting her sit in one of the other kids' laps. The twins can hold her and bathe her at the same time, which means I just sit and watch (which gives the twins a little responsibility and me a chance to chill). For some reason, I don't like giving baths anyway so if someone else knows how to do it, that's great. I don't know why I don't like giving baths because it takes no time, but it feels good to sit and watch the twins do a little of the work for just a bit. Also, the baths around here are always all different combinations of children. Sometimes it's all three girls, sometimes it's only the first three kids, sometimes it's separate showers for the twins and one bath for the baby girls. The latest combination that really works is Lou Lou and Bug with Lou Lou bathing Bug, and later Bear and Birdie with Bear bathing Birdie.
Tonight the baby girls took a bath together and Birdie was sitting up. She got on her stomach and suddenly got so happy. Birdie is usually the most laid back child. In the bath, she was acting like a fish that finally got back in the water. She was kicking and spinning around and having a good ole time. When she's on carpet, she does the belly crawl (army-man crawl) to get around, so she was doing this same thing in the bath. Because she and the bathtub were both so slippery, she kept inching forward and then sliding back. Because of all her motion, every toy she was trying to reach kept moving away. She never got upset and was very persistent. It was fun to see her so happy and active and excited! What a cute little fish. Bug kept washing Birdie's back over and over using soap and more soap. Bug likes it anytime when she gets to be like a big kid.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Yard Sales
Jimmy and the twins went to a weekend-long family reunion on Friday and will be home tomorrow. I brought the babies to Clinton for the weekend. I went yard-saling with my aunt early this morning and wound up buying a bread machine for only $5.00. I was so excited! I wanted to try to cook some bread so that we could all have some (aunt and uncle included) before I headed for home tomorrow. At Wal-mart, I could not find the right kind of flour. At Piggly Wiggly, I could not find the yeast. I finally decided to buy the bread machine mix already put together in the box (instant, so to speak). Anyway, my mama and I tried out the bread recipe. The directions didn't say stir or mix it up, but we did a little bit anyway. It called for lukewarm water to make the yeast work. Three hours later, we got a blob of what we call "I wish I was bread!". The yeast definitely did not work. It was still sitting in the same place I had put it three hours earlier. It certainly gave me something to smile about. My aunt helped me figure out how to get the picture from the camera to the computer to the blog. The picture on the left is the bottom side of the bread, and the picture on the right is the top. I'm going to call my cousin who used to be all about a bread machine and get some tips.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Feeding times two
Suppertime was crazy tonight. I think every child in our family cried at least once. However, while I was cooking, the twins and I thought of the best idea. Birdie prefers fruits over vegetables. Lou Lou fed her green beans and Bear fed her bananas. They quickly figured out which one she preferred, and began saying, "Okay, here comes the medicine. Okay, here comes the good stuff." I got a little bit of video of this. They were shoveling it in her so fast but I don't think she minded. She kept looking back and forth at them like she was watching a tennis match. The reason this was such a good idea is that it entertained 3 out of 4 children for awhile. Also, it would be more difficult for one twin to do all the feeding since alternating fruit and veg. takes more time, and Birdie would be less than patient with a slow feeder.
Very few rooms in the house are a total mess right now, and the laundry baskets are mostly empty! Yay!
Very few rooms in the house are a total mess right now, and the laundry baskets are mostly empty! Yay!
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Birdie Meets Karate Kid
I went to YaYa's tonight to keep Karate Kid while the rest of the crew went to Necie's preschool graduation. I took Birdie with me. Karate Kid slept in the swing the whole time, and after Birdie ate, she went to sleep also. We had a relaxed time, but no pictures. I forgot my camera, and things were just too busy there.
Today I was reading in Proverbs. I always read my Bible or pray when I pump. I don't remember the exact verse and don't have my Bible with me. The verse talked about God caring for us in the same way that a mother comforts her young children. This analogy made sense to me. I've been thinking a lot lately about "my" children not being mine. They're basically growing up a little later than me, but technically aren't my property but my responsibility. It is my responsibility to be their model and show them what's most important in life. What a task! I'm supposed to point them to God with my actions, words, etc. Last night, we ate (or tried to eat) tofu, cleaned out the car, took baths, prayed, but told all three of the oldest children that we didn't have time for devotion because it was too late. All three asked for devotion at different times, and Bear gets especially upset when we say no. Lou Lou got a new Bible this weekend and wanted to keep practicing reading David and Goliath, but I said no. I mostly said no because my energy was so drained. I get so into the reading and telling and sharing details that it exhausts me, so if I start out exhausted, I just have to say no. What kind of example is this for my children? What does this tell them about my priorities? What if we tried to do devotion in the morning to make it less of a last minute item for our day? By the way, if I try this, I'll be late or later to work every single day:).
Anyway, back to the verse in Proverbs, I usually thought that my kids are looking at God as sort of like a parent who loves you and comforts you. What if, also, they're looking at me as their example of how God cares for them? Not that I'm perfect or anything like God, but because I'm their earthly mother and God is their heavenly father, you can see where they might look at my example as to what God might be like in these early years.
Funny story...A few nights ago, the twins were talking about God. Bug said, "Where is God?" I said, "God is everywhere." Bear said, "Yeah, look right behind you, there he is" and points very dramatically. Of course, Bug looks around and I told her that God is everywhere even though you can't see Him. She asked if He was in heaven with MaMa and I said yes. Then she pointed to the living room and said, "God is in the piano room practicing for piano lessons." Then after our laughs, she cupped her hands together, looked at the ceiling, and said, "God, come downstairs." The twins and I had a good laugh over crazy old Bug.
Today I was reading in Proverbs. I always read my Bible or pray when I pump. I don't remember the exact verse and don't have my Bible with me. The verse talked about God caring for us in the same way that a mother comforts her young children. This analogy made sense to me. I've been thinking a lot lately about "my" children not being mine. They're basically growing up a little later than me, but technically aren't my property but my responsibility. It is my responsibility to be their model and show them what's most important in life. What a task! I'm supposed to point them to God with my actions, words, etc. Last night, we ate (or tried to eat) tofu, cleaned out the car, took baths, prayed, but told all three of the oldest children that we didn't have time for devotion because it was too late. All three asked for devotion at different times, and Bear gets especially upset when we say no. Lou Lou got a new Bible this weekend and wanted to keep practicing reading David and Goliath, but I said no. I mostly said no because my energy was so drained. I get so into the reading and telling and sharing details that it exhausts me, so if I start out exhausted, I just have to say no. What kind of example is this for my children? What does this tell them about my priorities? What if we tried to do devotion in the morning to make it less of a last minute item for our day? By the way, if I try this, I'll be late or later to work every single day:).
Anyway, back to the verse in Proverbs, I usually thought that my kids are looking at God as sort of like a parent who loves you and comforts you. What if, also, they're looking at me as their example of how God cares for them? Not that I'm perfect or anything like God, but because I'm their earthly mother and God is their heavenly father, you can see where they might look at my example as to what God might be like in these early years.
Funny story...A few nights ago, the twins were talking about God. Bug said, "Where is God?" I said, "God is everywhere." Bear said, "Yeah, look right behind you, there he is" and points very dramatically. Of course, Bug looks around and I told her that God is everywhere even though you can't see Him. She asked if He was in heaven with MaMa and I said yes. Then she pointed to the living room and said, "God is in the piano room practicing for piano lessons." Then after our laughs, she cupped her hands together, looked at the ceiling, and said, "God, come downstairs." The twins and I had a good laugh over crazy old Bug.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
First Tofu Meal
I've always described tofu as wet plastic - haha! In an effort to stay healthy and save money, I decided to try a tofu dish. The recipe called for marinating the tofu for an hour in peanut butter, barbecue sauce, canola oil, and garlic. It could have been grilled or broiled but I opted for baked because I'm most familiar with this. Also, the rainy weather prevented us from grilling. The children didn't like it, but I was happy that they at least tried it. Bug didn't try it and continued to say, "I don't like it." I liked it okay, but followed every mouthful with a big spoon of mac and cheese, which made me feel like a little girl and made me laugh. Jimmy doctored it up as best he could with salt, pepper, and hot sauce. He said, "Well, we know we'll have plenty of leftovers. If someone said I couldn't go to sleep until I ate it, then I'd be up all night." Haha! I don't know how economical tofu is for our family if we throw out the leftovers:).
If I knew how to add pictures on this blog, I would take a picture of my kitchen floor. Tonight, while I cooked our lovely healthy supper, the twins and Bug helped Jimmy clean out both of our cars. The junk takes up most of the floor from the kitchen sink to the window. Tomorrow my goal is to find the floor before I leave for work.
On a serious note, God is really working hard on Jimmy and I. Currently, we've been listening to a preacher named Paul Washer. He has lots of sermons on YouTube. They get us both so fired up. I'm excited about what God is going to do in our lives. As Bebe (my friend from church) said, "God's doesn't have your water boiling for no reason. He's not going to just turn off the burner. He's going to cook something."
I'm so blessed by God to have a husband that gets excited about hearing preachers on YouTube.
If I knew how to add pictures on this blog, I would take a picture of my kitchen floor. Tonight, while I cooked our lovely healthy supper, the twins and Bug helped Jimmy clean out both of our cars. The junk takes up most of the floor from the kitchen sink to the window. Tomorrow my goal is to find the floor before I leave for work.
On a serious note, God is really working hard on Jimmy and I. Currently, we've been listening to a preacher named Paul Washer. He has lots of sermons on YouTube. They get us both so fired up. I'm excited about what God is going to do in our lives. As Bebe (my friend from church) said, "God's doesn't have your water boiling for no reason. He's not going to just turn off the burner. He's going to cook something."
I'm so blessed by God to have a husband that gets excited about hearing preachers on YouTube.
Catching Up - March 2008
Last transfer from written out journal...
March 15 - Lots has happened this month. Lou Lou lost a tooth (March 5) and became a Christian (March 1). She started talking to me about Bible/God. She was really sounding like a preacher. She got on the topic of being a Christian. We started talking about it and I told her that it was her decision and there was no reason to rush. She asked me when I did it, and when I said 7, she said, "I'm not going to be able to wait until then. I want to do it right now." After I got the babies to bed (Bear was with Jimmy), we talked some more and said a sinner's prayer I found in my Bible. After we prayed, she asked me if her name was in the Book (Lamb's Book of Life). I said yes. She asked if her name was close to mine. I said, "I think so". Then she asked if her name would ever be erased. When I said no, she said, "God must have written my name with a Sharpie marker!"
Lou Lou's artwork was up at the mall this week, and Bear has a solo in the BUGZ multiage musical on May 27 and 28.
All of our children are precious gifts from God. Lou Lou is a darling who adores me. Bear is a loving ball-throwing boy who loves to be sweet and aggravates his sisters. Bug is so joyful and is currently in a mild terrible two stage. She is hilarious. Birdie is a laid-back happy girl.
Lou Lou is always ready first when we're going somewhere. Bear is always ready last when we're going somewhere (in a tight contest with Jimmy). Bug sometimes slows us down because of so many things she wants to do by herself. Birdie is our little laid back flexible baby who hangs in there with the rest of us.
March 15 - Lots has happened this month. Lou Lou lost a tooth (March 5) and became a Christian (March 1). She started talking to me about Bible/God. She was really sounding like a preacher. She got on the topic of being a Christian. We started talking about it and I told her that it was her decision and there was no reason to rush. She asked me when I did it, and when I said 7, she said, "I'm not going to be able to wait until then. I want to do it right now." After I got the babies to bed (Bear was with Jimmy), we talked some more and said a sinner's prayer I found in my Bible. After we prayed, she asked me if her name was in the Book (Lamb's Book of Life). I said yes. She asked if her name was close to mine. I said, "I think so". Then she asked if her name would ever be erased. When I said no, she said, "God must have written my name with a Sharpie marker!"
Lou Lou's artwork was up at the mall this week, and Bear has a solo in the BUGZ multiage musical on May 27 and 28.
All of our children are precious gifts from God. Lou Lou is a darling who adores me. Bear is a loving ball-throwing boy who loves to be sweet and aggravates his sisters. Bug is so joyful and is currently in a mild terrible two stage. She is hilarious. Birdie is a laid-back happy girl.
Lou Lou is always ready first when we're going somewhere. Bear is always ready last when we're going somewhere (in a tight contest with Jimmy). Bug sometimes slows us down because of so many things she wants to do by herself. Birdie is our little laid back flexible baby who hangs in there with the rest of us.
Catching Up - February 2008
More of my written journal now available online - haha!
Feb. 1 - We all went out to eat at The Outback tonight with gift cards from Jimmy's students for Christmas. It was fun and the kids behaved pretty good. When we got home, Birdie laid down, Lou Lou talked with Jimmy, and Bear and I were on the couch with Bug. Suddenly, she started saying, "the itsy-bitsy spider" over and over. I told her twice that the itsy bitsy spider was not on our windowsill but she kept saying it. When she said, "Eww - the itsy bitsy spider", I turned around to look, and right by the baby monitor was a little brownish-gray spider. I got it and we all laughed our heads off - haha!
We played American Idol in the car again and Bug kept saying, "My Daddy's going to Hollywood!".
Feb. 14 - It's hard for me to find time to write in this journal. Lately, I've been having a hard time. There's so much to do and not enough time to do it in. The house stays in chaos. I'm always exhausted but I love what I'm doing when I'm with the children (most of the time). I don't like giving baths for some reason. I don't know why because it doesn't take that long. Birdie is sleeping through the night consistently now. She got her six month shots today, and she got her first tooth last week. She is such a smiler - - she's a very happy baby.
Bear got 9 stitches last Friday. A boy in his class pushed him on the slide and his head hit the metal. It was just under his right eyebrow. He did great during the stitches (by Dr. Ponzi). He saw himself in the mirror and said, "Wow - I look like I have 3 eyebrows."
Lou Lou went with Jimmy last Saturday to the YMCA Father-Daughter Dance. They both got all dressed up. They rode in a limo at the dance.
Bug has started saying things three times. She'll say, "I wub [love] you so tight tight tight". She will say, "I'll be easy" when she's holding something fragile and then say, "I'm not going to do it faster faster faster".
Feb. 24 - This weekend Jimmy worked on the laundry. We're almost caught up - yay! Birdie has pinkeye again. So do I. I think this is the third time for both of us. I watched old family movies all day yesterday and organized and labeled them. It was the most fun! Bug's bedime ritual from the pack and play, which is in our closet, which she calls Birdie's bedroom:
Bug: Night-night, mommy!
Me: Night-night.
Bug: I wub you.
Me: I love you too.
Bug: I wub you too.
Me: I love you too.
Bug: I wub you so tight.
Me: I love you so tight.
Bug: (sometimes in her deep "Ni - na" voice that she learned from Uncle Dwight) I love you so tight, baby.
Me: I love you so tight, baby.
I played Thank Heaven for Little Girls and sang it to Lou Lou tonight. I started crying and Lou Lou hugged me - so sweet! She said, "I'll come see you every weekend!"
The twins are doing good on the piano. Bear didn't get an attitude during practice tonight.
Birdie is the happiest baby in the world. Even with pinkeye, she is wonderful! With one eye open and one eye glued shut, fresh out of the crib, with a big smile on her face, she looks like a little bald headed pirate! She sucks her thumb while she's eating baby food, which just keeps me patient.
Off to lesson planning!
Feb. 1 - We all went out to eat at The Outback tonight with gift cards from Jimmy's students for Christmas. It was fun and the kids behaved pretty good. When we got home, Birdie laid down, Lou Lou talked with Jimmy, and Bear and I were on the couch with Bug. Suddenly, she started saying, "the itsy-bitsy spider" over and over. I told her twice that the itsy bitsy spider was not on our windowsill but she kept saying it. When she said, "Eww - the itsy bitsy spider", I turned around to look, and right by the baby monitor was a little brownish-gray spider. I got it and we all laughed our heads off - haha!
We played American Idol in the car again and Bug kept saying, "My Daddy's going to Hollywood!".
Feb. 14 - It's hard for me to find time to write in this journal. Lately, I've been having a hard time. There's so much to do and not enough time to do it in. The house stays in chaos. I'm always exhausted but I love what I'm doing when I'm with the children (most of the time). I don't like giving baths for some reason. I don't know why because it doesn't take that long. Birdie is sleeping through the night consistently now. She got her six month shots today, and she got her first tooth last week. She is such a smiler - - she's a very happy baby.
Bear got 9 stitches last Friday. A boy in his class pushed him on the slide and his head hit the metal. It was just under his right eyebrow. He did great during the stitches (by Dr. Ponzi). He saw himself in the mirror and said, "Wow - I look like I have 3 eyebrows."
Lou Lou went with Jimmy last Saturday to the YMCA Father-Daughter Dance. They both got all dressed up. They rode in a limo at the dance.
Bug has started saying things three times. She'll say, "I wub [love] you so tight tight tight". She will say, "I'll be easy" when she's holding something fragile and then say, "I'm not going to do it faster faster faster".
Feb. 24 - This weekend Jimmy worked on the laundry. We're almost caught up - yay! Birdie has pinkeye again. So do I. I think this is the third time for both of us. I watched old family movies all day yesterday and organized and labeled them. It was the most fun! Bug's bedime ritual from the pack and play, which is in our closet, which she calls Birdie's bedroom:
Bug: Night-night, mommy!
Me: Night-night.
Bug: I wub you.
Me: I love you too.
Bug: I wub you too.
Me: I love you too.
Bug: I wub you so tight.
Me: I love you so tight.
Bug: (sometimes in her deep "Ni - na" voice that she learned from Uncle Dwight) I love you so tight, baby.
Me: I love you so tight, baby.
I played Thank Heaven for Little Girls and sang it to Lou Lou tonight. I started crying and Lou Lou hugged me - so sweet! She said, "I'll come see you every weekend!"
The twins are doing good on the piano. Bear didn't get an attitude during practice tonight.
Birdie is the happiest baby in the world. Even with pinkeye, she is wonderful! With one eye open and one eye glued shut, fresh out of the crib, with a big smile on her face, she looks like a little bald headed pirate! She sucks her thumb while she's eating baby food, which just keeps me patient.
Off to lesson planning!
Catching Up - January 2008
I want to catch up from my 2008 written-out journal so that all my thoughts will be all in one place. This will be the first time that has ever happened - - haha! Most of my writing in this journal was short phrases due to lack of energy, so that explains why the following looks the way it does...
2008
January 1 - The pink eye monster lives at our house.
Lou Lou - Dec. 26
Bug - Dec. 28
Birdie - Dec. 29
Me - Jan. 1
Bear - Jan. 2
Jimmy - Jan. 4
Jan. 2 - stayed home from school with all four kids, Papa J (my daddy) stayed with the twins, I took Bug and Birdie to the doctor, Bug's med. wasn't working, got oral med. which should be much easier to get in her.
Jan. 3 - Bear and Bug stayed home with TT (Jimmy's sister)
Jan. 4 - stayed home and cleaned up, Bug peed and pooped in the potty, she was scared of her poop shen she saw it and wanted me to hold her, she said, "Daddy, get it out!"
Jan. 5 - stayed home and cleaned up all day, Birdie's just starting on cereal, she is doing better about opening her mouth, she still doesn't sleep through the night. Since I've had pinkeye, I have fed her with my eyes still glued shut in the middle of the night. Bug peed and pooped again today. The twins read Hello Kitty phonics beginner books tonight. I love to hear them read!
Jan. 6 - church today, pinkeye's going away
Jan. 7 - piano lesson folks came over
Jan. 8 - twin swimming lessons, Jimmy had school
Jan. 9 - twins had piano, I had choir, I was missing MaMa today and not really into teaching school.
Jan. 10 - swimming lessons again
Jan. 11 - cleaned up around the house, Jimmy's dad (Papa, not PaPa) came and we ate Chinese. Bug started calling us "Mom" and "Dad" tonight. I don't know where she got that from. I prefer "Mama" and "Daddy". She uses the potty based on her interest rather than need, but somehow pees every time. She says, "I pee in potty just like a big girl, Mom." Also, she's started regularly sleeping in the big girl bed which frees up the crib for Birdie. Birdie still doesn't sleep through the night, but her waking up doesn't wake up Bug or anyone else.
Lou Lou is so good with Birdie. She can hold her, move her around, and is so comfortable doing all of this. Bear loves talking and playing with Birdie. She's the only girl in the house he doesn't try to aggravate. Also, Bug has fallen in love with Birdie. She calls her "my sister" and loves singing "Happy Burp-day" to "dear my sister". She also sings to "dear my Naney, Brother, Mama, Daddy". Bug wants Birdie to look at her and not so gently grabs her head. Birdie doesn't seem to mind and always smiles at everyone. She's doing good with her cereal.
Jan. 12 - Darden came over to play with Bear. Hannah came over to play with Lou Lou. Jimmy's daddy bought us a new dishwasher. Papa J and MaJe (my parents) bought us new kitchen canisters. We gave them their Christmas present - - a digital camera.
Jan. 13 - Jennifer, a friend from college, came to see me. We caught up some and played and talked with the kids some.
Jan. 14 - first day of student teacher, Joy, it went good
Jan. 15 - swimming lessons, About 2 weeks ago, I was making PB&J sandwiches and I couldn't get the jelly jar open. I twisted and grunted as I tried to get it open. Bug said, "Daddy help her." (When she was a bit younger, she would say, "JoJo help her" when she wanted to do something by herself - so cute.) I took the jelly jar to Jimmy, he opened it, and I came back to the table. When I sat down, Bug said, "My mommy said 'Uh'!". Hilarious! Since then, we've asked her to say it again, which she does. Then we laugh, and she looks at me and says, "Don't waf [laugh], Mommy!" which makes me laugh harder.
Jan. 24 - Today I made a schedule for the day, woke up at 4:15 , and got to work at 7:50 - yay!
Good suppers lately - shipwreck supper (mac and cheese, hamburger, peas, tomatoes) - great!
Easy shepherd's pie - hamburger, beef gravy, cream cheese, mozz. cheese, mixed veg., butter, mashed potatoes, garlic - pretty good!
Jan. 27 - Yesterday we went to Clinton for YaYa's birthday. The kids put on a sing-and-dance show for YaYa. Today we went to church. Rick resigned today. I don't know everything that's going on. I do know that working for a church is hard because you can't make everyone happy. Today was good because we followed a schedule and we worked together.
Jan. 31 - swimming lessons tonight. I fixed French toast ham and cream cheese in raisin cinnamon bread sandwiches - okay but not wow. I've been doing a schedule and it's working okay. I wish I could take off a day so that I could catch up on the laundry. Oh well, the weekend's coming.
Me, twins, and Bug played American Idol in the car. Twins' idea and they were the judges. I went first, introduced myself, and sang "Edelweiss". Twins whispered, and then Bear said, "You're going to Hollywood!" Lou Lou said, "Now it's Bug's turn". Immediately Bug said, "I Jo-Jo". HAHA - she sang her all time two favorite songs: Happy Birthday and Jesus Loves Me. Then they told her she could go to Hollywood too.
2008
January 1 - The pink eye monster lives at our house.
Lou Lou - Dec. 26
Bug - Dec. 28
Birdie - Dec. 29
Me - Jan. 1
Bear - Jan. 2
Jimmy - Jan. 4
Jan. 2 - stayed home from school with all four kids, Papa J (my daddy) stayed with the twins, I took Bug and Birdie to the doctor, Bug's med. wasn't working, got oral med. which should be much easier to get in her.
Jan. 3 - Bear and Bug stayed home with TT (Jimmy's sister)
Jan. 4 - stayed home and cleaned up, Bug peed and pooped in the potty, she was scared of her poop shen she saw it and wanted me to hold her, she said, "Daddy, get it out!"
Jan. 5 - stayed home and cleaned up all day, Birdie's just starting on cereal, she is doing better about opening her mouth, she still doesn't sleep through the night. Since I've had pinkeye, I have fed her with my eyes still glued shut in the middle of the night. Bug peed and pooped again today. The twins read Hello Kitty phonics beginner books tonight. I love to hear them read!
Jan. 6 - church today, pinkeye's going away
Jan. 7 - piano lesson folks came over
Jan. 8 - twin swimming lessons, Jimmy had school
Jan. 9 - twins had piano, I had choir, I was missing MaMa today and not really into teaching school.
Jan. 10 - swimming lessons again
Jan. 11 - cleaned up around the house, Jimmy's dad (Papa, not PaPa) came and we ate Chinese. Bug started calling us "Mom" and "Dad" tonight. I don't know where she got that from. I prefer "Mama" and "Daddy". She uses the potty based on her interest rather than need, but somehow pees every time. She says, "I pee in potty just like a big girl, Mom." Also, she's started regularly sleeping in the big girl bed which frees up the crib for Birdie. Birdie still doesn't sleep through the night, but her waking up doesn't wake up Bug or anyone else.
Lou Lou is so good with Birdie. She can hold her, move her around, and is so comfortable doing all of this. Bear loves talking and playing with Birdie. She's the only girl in the house he doesn't try to aggravate. Also, Bug has fallen in love with Birdie. She calls her "my sister" and loves singing "Happy Burp-day" to "dear my sister". She also sings to "dear my Naney, Brother, Mama, Daddy". Bug wants Birdie to look at her and not so gently grabs her head. Birdie doesn't seem to mind and always smiles at everyone. She's doing good with her cereal.
Jan. 12 - Darden came over to play with Bear. Hannah came over to play with Lou Lou. Jimmy's daddy bought us a new dishwasher. Papa J and MaJe (my parents) bought us new kitchen canisters. We gave them their Christmas present - - a digital camera.
Jan. 13 - Jennifer, a friend from college, came to see me. We caught up some and played and talked with the kids some.
Jan. 14 - first day of student teacher, Joy, it went good
Jan. 15 - swimming lessons, About 2 weeks ago, I was making PB&J sandwiches and I couldn't get the jelly jar open. I twisted and grunted as I tried to get it open. Bug said, "Daddy help her." (When she was a bit younger, she would say, "JoJo help her" when she wanted to do something by herself - so cute.) I took the jelly jar to Jimmy, he opened it, and I came back to the table. When I sat down, Bug said, "My mommy said 'Uh'!". Hilarious! Since then, we've asked her to say it again, which she does. Then we laugh, and she looks at me and says, "Don't waf [laugh], Mommy!" which makes me laugh harder.
Jan. 24 - Today I made a schedule for the day, woke up at 4:15 , and got to work at 7:50 - yay!
Good suppers lately - shipwreck supper (mac and cheese, hamburger, peas, tomatoes) - great!
Easy shepherd's pie - hamburger, beef gravy, cream cheese, mozz. cheese, mixed veg., butter, mashed potatoes, garlic - pretty good!
Jan. 27 - Yesterday we went to Clinton for YaYa's birthday. The kids put on a sing-and-dance show for YaYa. Today we went to church. Rick resigned today. I don't know everything that's going on. I do know that working for a church is hard because you can't make everyone happy. Today was good because we followed a schedule and we worked together.
Jan. 31 - swimming lessons tonight. I fixed French toast ham and cream cheese in raisin cinnamon bread sandwiches - okay but not wow. I've been doing a schedule and it's working okay. I wish I could take off a day so that I could catch up on the laundry. Oh well, the weekend's coming.
Me, twins, and Bug played American Idol in the car. Twins' idea and they were the judges. I went first, introduced myself, and sang "Edelweiss". Twins whispered, and then Bear said, "You're going to Hollywood!" Lou Lou said, "Now it's Bug's turn". Immediately Bug said, "I Jo-Jo". HAHA - she sang her all time two favorite songs: Happy Birthday and Jesus Loves Me. Then they told her she could go to Hollywood too.
Monday, May 19, 2008
It's A Girl!
Today was YaYa's scheduled induction of the new baby. (YaYa is my sister.) We went to her house on Friday night for a little get together, and she went into labor. Her initial contractions were so similar to mine with Birdie's birth. Placing all the children took a bit of brainwork. Papa J stayed at YaYa's house with Lou Lou and Bug. Bear was with Jimmy back in our hometown for a ball practice and Relay for Life. Birdie went with YaYa's children to their youth minister's house.
Everyone was in place and my mother and I were at the hospital with YaYa and her husband. Her nurse was someone she knew and YaYa happened to be the only one on the whole floor having a baby at that time. The new baby girl came at 4:27 a.m. She weighed 6 pounds, 11 ounces and was 20 inches long. Initially, she opened her eyes a lot. How sweet and cute!
I'll think of nicknames for YaYa's children as well, because we're always finding time for the kids to be together. I love anything that has to do with names. She now has three girls - one is 5 (Necie), one is 2 and 1/2 (Sunshine), and one is 2 days old (Karate Kid). Necie is my first niece, Sunshine is very active and almost always smiling, and Karate Kid was the kicking-est baby YaYa has had yet. Also, Necie, YaYa, and Teency (an alternate nickname for Lou Lou) are all names in The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, which my sister and I read and talked about. They actually filmed the movie based on this book in a house close to one of our relatives' house and that sparked our interest about the whole Ya-Ya thing.
Thank God for the blessing of a new baby! All my children can't wait to meet your newest one, YaYa and Camera Man!
Everyone was in place and my mother and I were at the hospital with YaYa and her husband. Her nurse was someone she knew and YaYa happened to be the only one on the whole floor having a baby at that time. The new baby girl came at 4:27 a.m. She weighed 6 pounds, 11 ounces and was 20 inches long. Initially, she opened her eyes a lot. How sweet and cute!
I'll think of nicknames for YaYa's children as well, because we're always finding time for the kids to be together. I love anything that has to do with names. She now has three girls - one is 5 (Necie), one is 2 and 1/2 (Sunshine), and one is 2 days old (Karate Kid). Necie is my first niece, Sunshine is very active and almost always smiling, and Karate Kid was the kicking-est baby YaYa has had yet. Also, Necie, YaYa, and Teency (an alternate nickname for Lou Lou) are all names in The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, which my sister and I read and talked about. They actually filmed the movie based on this book in a house close to one of our relatives' house and that sparked our interest about the whole Ya-Ya thing.
Thank God for the blessing of a new baby! All my children can't wait to meet your newest one, YaYa and Camera Man!
Friday, May 16, 2008
Getting Started
My goal for doing this is to leave something for my children to read about themselves. I want them to hear and laugh at all the funny stories and all the funny things they say. I want their childhood to be wonderful memories (some recorded digitally, others recorded in black-and-white) for me and them rather than just a blur that flew by.
My grandmother passed away on Dec. 21. She was 95 years old and kept written journals for several years. My goal this summer is to get those typed out so that everyone can have access to the ins and outs of her days.
I've tried to start this type of written journal several times, but life gets so busy. I did pretty good this year, starting in January 2008 and writing at least every 3-4 days up until March. I type much faster than I write, so I thought I'd try this approach.
Here goes! Do I even know how to do this? I certainly don't know how to do pictures to make it more interesting, but I mostly care about the content for my children.
So who am I? I am a 36 year old mother married to a sweet husband. We have 4 kids, and I guess I'm supposed to come up with nicknames since that's what I've noticed on other people's blogs. I love names and nicknames are fun too. This might take me awhile. Thinking of names on the spot is certainly not my strength. It takes me a LONG TIME to come up with names I like. Okay...maybe I'll change these later if I need to. That is so me!
We have six-year old twins. Bear (boy) plays baseball and also loves to swim. Lou Lou (girl) loves baby dolls. These two are always up to something. They're usually having the time of their lives together or ready to snatch a knot in each others' necks. There usually is no happy-medium lately. They are in kindergarten, and are in the same class at school. They are in a multiage class (kindergarteners and first graders) and seem very happy at school. My classroom is just across the grass from theirs, which makes things convenient. I gave the names Bear and Lou Lou from the beginning of their life out of utero. They were two months premature, and they stayed in the hospital for a month after being born. Somehow the name "Brother Bear" stuck for the boy almost from the beginning. Lou Lou was smaller yet stronger than her brother. She was 3 pounds and 13 ounces, but feisty right from the start. Bear was 4 pounds and 5 ounces, and he struggled more in learning to breathe, eat, etc.
We also have a two-year old girl. Bug is full of life. She works hard to keep up with the twins, and loves "my sister" (the baby) as she calls her. She is potty training right now, and that' s going pretty well. She is very sensitive, and sometimes cries if she is corrected by someone other than me. Apparently, when I try to tell her what needs to change with her behavior, it doesn't bring her to tears. She is natured very much like me. She always makes us laugh.
We also have a baby girl who is 9 months old. Her nickname is Birdie. She is so laid back. She is happiest on my hip, moving from here to there managing all the other children. She is not crazy about playing on the floor, but can be entertained for a bit by the other children.
My husband is Jimmy. He is going to graduate school in Chapel Hill and not exactly loving every minute of it. The drive is tough, but it will be over in a year. Yay!
Why am I up at this hour? Teaching will be less than fun tomorrow if I don't get some rest tonight.
My grandmother passed away on Dec. 21. She was 95 years old and kept written journals for several years. My goal this summer is to get those typed out so that everyone can have access to the ins and outs of her days.
I've tried to start this type of written journal several times, but life gets so busy. I did pretty good this year, starting in January 2008 and writing at least every 3-4 days up until March. I type much faster than I write, so I thought I'd try this approach.
Here goes! Do I even know how to do this? I certainly don't know how to do pictures to make it more interesting, but I mostly care about the content for my children.
So who am I? I am a 36 year old mother married to a sweet husband. We have 4 kids, and I guess I'm supposed to come up with nicknames since that's what I've noticed on other people's blogs. I love names and nicknames are fun too. This might take me awhile. Thinking of names on the spot is certainly not my strength. It takes me a LONG TIME to come up with names I like. Okay...maybe I'll change these later if I need to. That is so me!
We have six-year old twins. Bear (boy) plays baseball and also loves to swim. Lou Lou (girl) loves baby dolls. These two are always up to something. They're usually having the time of their lives together or ready to snatch a knot in each others' necks. There usually is no happy-medium lately. They are in kindergarten, and are in the same class at school. They are in a multiage class (kindergarteners and first graders) and seem very happy at school. My classroom is just across the grass from theirs, which makes things convenient. I gave the names Bear and Lou Lou from the beginning of their life out of utero. They were two months premature, and they stayed in the hospital for a month after being born. Somehow the name "Brother Bear" stuck for the boy almost from the beginning. Lou Lou was smaller yet stronger than her brother. She was 3 pounds and 13 ounces, but feisty right from the start. Bear was 4 pounds and 5 ounces, and he struggled more in learning to breathe, eat, etc.
We also have a two-year old girl. Bug is full of life. She works hard to keep up with the twins, and loves "my sister" (the baby) as she calls her. She is potty training right now, and that' s going pretty well. She is very sensitive, and sometimes cries if she is corrected by someone other than me. Apparently, when I try to tell her what needs to change with her behavior, it doesn't bring her to tears. She is natured very much like me. She always makes us laugh.
We also have a baby girl who is 9 months old. Her nickname is Birdie. She is so laid back. She is happiest on my hip, moving from here to there managing all the other children. She is not crazy about playing on the floor, but can be entertained for a bit by the other children.
My husband is Jimmy. He is going to graduate school in Chapel Hill and not exactly loving every minute of it. The drive is tough, but it will be over in a year. Yay!
Why am I up at this hour? Teaching will be less than fun tomorrow if I don't get some rest tonight.
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