I guess he's ready

So my theory on potty-training is that it's best to wait until the child is ready. I had seen some readiness signs in Alex, and we decided over our Christmas break to try switching to training underwear. I thought I would have more time to work with him and kind of "jumpstart" things when I wasn't trying to divide my attention between potty-training and school.

He wasn't ready. He didn't like the underwear, he wanted his diaper, he didn't want to be a big boy, and sitting on the potty wasn't something he was interested in doing. So our potty-training lasted (approximately) and hour and a half. No big deal - I figured we'd try again this summer.

Well, he's been going with Luke to watch Ethan at his swim lessons. And he wants lessons in the worst way. (Incidentally, he tells us that Aunt Ginnie is going to help him learn. Because she's nice.) Luke's been telling him that he has to be a big boy and wear underwear before he can have swim lessons. Not to pressure him, just matter-of-factly.

So the other day at breakfast, Alex asked to go potty. He sat down, read a couple books, did his business. He's been doing that every day since. Not every time he goes, but at least once a day. Saturday, he went potty, then went and found his big-boy underwear to put on.

I guess he's ready now.

(Edited to add, I wrote this on Saturday night. I started putting him in underwear Monday, and since then his interest has been waxing and waning. It all depends on his mood! For now, we're just letting him take the lead. But if he's not potty-trained next time you see him, that's why!)

The perfect place to play

Perhaps you remember our list of what I cleaned out from underneath the table one day. This time I took a picture.


Alex loves to load toys up in grocery bags and haul them around. This day he took them under the table and then pushed his box underneath it as well. Ethan was under there with him at one point, but he had moved on by the time I took the picture.

Avanlea Lynn

Avanlea Lynn joined our family on Tuesday, January 19th! Isn't she pretty?

Ethan is 8

Ethan turned eight yesterday! He's been counting down the days since ... oh, about Christmas. He got to open presents in the morning because that way he could play with them until we left to go to Grandma and Grandpa's in the afternoon. Being the forgetful mother that I am, I forgot to take any pictures of that. He got a game of strategy called Cathedral - which is really fun! - and this remote control Zoob set. He's been enjoying them both, and as soon as I charge my camera batteries I'll try to remember to get pictures of him playing.

(By the way, I know I never posted pictures of our Christmas gift opening. I don't have very good pictures, and I keep thinking I will take pictures of them playing with their favorites. I just keep forgetting.)

(So if you doubt that I'll take pictures of Ethan playing with his new things, you may be right.)

We took supper and went to Grandma and Grandpa's. Ethan wanted an angel food cake with strawberries and whipped cream for his birthday cake. It was a lot easier than, say, a dinosaur cake or a digger cake, but it's a little sad to see him ask for such a grown up dessert. He opened presents at Grandma and Grandpa's, but I forgot to take pictures of that, too. I take some small comfort in the fact that Grandma forgot too.



Happy Birthday, Ethan! Dad and I are very proud of the young man you are becoming, and we love you very much.

Clothes ... who needs 'em?

I made the mistake of staying at the table for a few minutes after the boys were done with lunch yesterday. It wasn't long, but it was long enough for Alex to remove his clothes, hide them, and write on himself with marker.


Doesn't he look sorry?

Funny

Ethan was sitting at the table one day this week. Suddenly, he began chortling. Amused, I asked him what was so funny.

"Well," he said, "I was just thinking. You know what would be funny? If I looked up the word 'dictionary' in the dictionary."

Then he laughed some more. And I laughed with him, because I can understand why he thinks that would be funny.

A quirky sense of humor is a good thing, right?

New Year's Celebration

We began our New Year's celebration with tacos for dinner. Why tacos? Because it was easy. :) Ethan helped by shredding cheese, Alex helped by tearing lettuce, and the dog delayed supper by having a seizure. Good thing I had so many helpers, or it would have really been late before we ate! Then we did quick baths and jammies, and went downstairs to dance to old records.

And turn cartwheels, in Ethan's case.


The boys like using these ribbon rings, and just being generally silly.


We had noisemakers and poppers, and we shouted "Happy New Year's!" numerous times. It was only 8:00, but that's midnight somewhere, right?

Then we had "spicy juice" (homemade sparkling juice) and graham crackers, and the older two went "camping" in the livingroom. Then Mom ruined the fun at 9:00 by making Alex go sleep in his bed. But that was because he had the entire contents of the toy basket on his sleeping bag to play with.

Happy New Year's to all of you!

Chef Ethan

One of our traditional Christmas treats is peppermint bark - just peppermint candy crushed and mixed with melted white chocolate. There are a number of tasty variations, like this one Luke's sister Tammy posted, but we usually just do the basic one. It's simple enough that Ethan was able to make it almost entirely by himself. Then, he came up with a different version that was delicious!

Cinnamon Candy Bark

12 oz white chocolate
10 cinnamon discs - the hard candy

Chop white chocolate and melt it either in the microwave or in a double boiler. Crush the cinnamon candies. Place a strainer over the bowl of white chocolate and pour the candy into the strainer. Shake and tap it until all of the small candy pieces are filtered out, and only the larger ones remain in the strainer.

Stir the white chocolate and "candy dust" thoroughly. Spread it out to a 1/4" (or so) thickness on a piece of tin foil or waxed paper. Scatter the remaining larger candy pieces over the top, pressing them down lightly. You can refrigerate it to make it set up faster, or you can just leave it at room temperature. When it's firm, break it into bite-size pieces.

Luke, Ethan, and I all really liked this, but Alex thought it was too spicy. Everyone agrees that we should make it again next year. I think we'll probably add a little bit of cinnamon oil to the melted chocolate, though, to make it just a bit spicier.

Gathering Place

This is the place to be in the mornings, I guess.


There is a heat register right behind Ethan and Alex. Alex and Yellow are going to be wherever Ethan is, and Benny is never far behind! So how am I supposed to make breakfast? Good question!

Christmas Preparations

Even though I haven't been posting much about what we did in preparation for Christmas, we were busy with lots of activities. Some of them I even remembered to take pictures of! Although I'm a little late posting this, I wanted to share some of the ways we "anticipated" Christmas this year. The boys were entranced with the way Papa decorated the window in the door between the mudroom and the rest of the house:


We made salt-dough ornaments for the tree, some free-form and some cut out with cookie cutters:


Ethan really enjoyed coloring his gingerbread boys and girls with markers. I was a little surprised, since he's never liked coloring. I guess we just never tried the right medium before! Oh, and the two on the lower left side are Alex's.


They've helped with baking and candy-making, and really liked the popcorn balls!


One of the other things we tried this year was a book countdown. I gathered up all of our Christmas books and got enough more from the library so we had one for each day between the 1st and the 24th. Then I wrapped them and they took turns choosing and opening a book for their bedtime story each night. They really enjoyed that!

Benny's Party

I thought before I posted our Christmas pictures, I should get up the ones of Benny's party! We started the evening with dinner, but we didn't take any pictures of that. So we'll start with the presents! Ethan helped Benny open the first one ... it was a gift that Ethan had made himself.


It's a little stuffed bird, perfect for chewing, it seems.


Presents from Mama and Papa followed that, and then gifts from Grandma and Grandpa.


Alex was more interested in the presents than Benny was, but they're doing a good job of sharing. Usually.


We topped the evening off with cake, of course ...


Benny liked it.


Especially the frosting.


It made him happy. And it made us happy to watch him enjoy it!


We love you, Benny!

Brotherly Concern ... and Confusion

Yesterday we took Benny to the doctor for his one-year checkup. For some unknown reason, I made the appointment for 10:15, so we all went. As we were getting ready to go, Alex asked if he was going to see the doctor. I explained that the doctor was just going to check Benny to see if he was growing well, and then he'd have to have a couple of shots.

He got a confused, concerned look on his face. "Bad guys? Shoot Benny?"

So now we call them "pokes".

Benny is One!

Benny turned one last Thursday! He spent his day in typical one-year-old style:



Climbing up on the table and eating a handful or two of flour...


Taking a little snooze on Papa's shoulder ...


And playing in the bathtub! We had a little party for him Friday night, so more birthday pictures are coming!

Treasures under the our table

For some reason, we end up with toys and other objects under our table all the time. I decided to write down everything that I cleaned out from underneath it for one day.

a rifle (all guns listed are toys!)
another rifle
a pistol
a stuffed Noah
Highlights magazine
play-doh scissors
Benny's favorite blankie
Alex's quilt
the Highlights magazine again
plastic spoon (from the play-doh)
a book on tape
the Buyer's Guide
a change purse
an O-ball
Benny's blankie again
a nasal aspirator
another rifle
a monkey-shaped bookmark
a beater

That's One. Day.

And they didn't even camp out under the table, the way they do sometimes.

Papa's Pokies

We've really been enjoying listening to Alex as he's started talking more and more. He calls Luke's beard "pokies". This is the conversation they had about it (the beard) this last week.

Luke: Do you like my beard? (as Alex was patting his face)
Alex: Yes!
Luke: Do you think I should cut it off?
Alex, with a very concerned look on his face: No! Ouchie!
Luke: You think it would hurt if I cut it off?
Alex: Yes! Papa ouchie. Papa cry. (He then started to mimic crying, just in case we didn't understand his point.)

Once Luke got done laughing, he tried to tell Alex that it wouldn't hurt, any more than getting a haircut hurt. I don't think Alex was convinced, though.

Feeding Baby

I'm not sure, but I think that maybe Alex thinks I'm not feeding Benny enough. Here he is, supplementing Benny's bedtime snack.


Mmmm, plastic bread. Tasty.


"Aren't I a helpful big brother?"


And I'm pretty sure that he thinks he's awfully cute. And y'know, I think he's right.

Thoughts on Sisters

The other day Alex was, apparently, bothering Ethan. He came to me and said, "Mom, I really wish I had a sister." I asked him why he wished that.

"Well," he said, "sisters are just quiet, and sensible ..."

I couldn't help it. I laughed right out loud. Then I told him I agreed completely, but he'd have to ask Dad if he thought that was true.

Let's just say that Dad had a slightly different opinion. :)

Rocking

Shades drawn, dim room;
Quiet music, gentle strains;
Flannel blanket, soft and warm;
Tiny, gasping, baby breaths;
Snuggly boy, cuddled close;
Soft hair against my cheek;
Rocking rhythm, slow and steady.
Treasured moments.

Having a two-year-old in the house ...

...makes life interesting!

Just to give you a glimpse of what life with our two-year-old is like, I thought I'd share a few exploits from the last twenty-four hours.

Last night, Luke went in to tell the boys to turn their lamp off, put their books away, and go to sleep. He found Ethan sound asleep. Alex, on the other hand, was not. He had emptied out the basket that holds his picture books, taken his pillow, three blankets, and numerous stuffed animals off the bed put them into the basket, and then climbed in on top of it all. He was laying there quietly, his arms, legs, and head hanging out of this basket that's maybe 12" square. He apparently planned on sleeping there.

Luke had to go into our room and laugh before he could go back and make Alex get into his own bed

Today I was laying him down for his nap, and he had picked out a book with a verse of Old MacDonald for his story. I sang him the little book (it was the verse about Old MacDonald has a cow), and when I finished he wanted to sing it to me. He started at the beginning and sang, "E-I-O-E-E-I-O" as he turned the pages. Except for the cow page; there he sang "moo moo".

And when he was done, he licked the book. Naturally.

He got a hold of a red marker today while Ethan and I were reading during school. He colored his hands red, and dabbed just a bit of color on his cheeks. (I guess he didn't want to be garish.) I was going to take a picture, but we're trying really hard not to encourage that kind of behavior, especially since I had taken the marker away from him once already this morning.

This morning, Ethan was laying on the floor and Alex was stepping on him. (This is something he delights in doing; he loves rough-housing with Ethan, whether Ethan is participating or not.) I told him not to step on his brother.

So he sat on him. I told him not to touch his brother.

So, he stepped over his head, coming as close to Ethan as possible without actually touching him.

He does this obeying-the-letter-of-the-law game quite often, and I know, this is really just being naughty. But the whole time he's doing it, he's laughing this delighted little chortle and watching me to see what I'm going to do. He has such a playful spirit! Luke and I are trying to figure out where the line is between requiring obedience and not squashing his spirit. Obviously hurting his brother during the game makes that line pretty clear, but when he runs away naked to hide after you take him out of the bathtub, it's not so easy.

It's also pretty hard to keep from laughing at his impish grin when he peeks out at you.

I love this stage, though. And I love knowing that as Alex outgrows this charming, make-everything-a-game, make-my-parents-wonder-what-is-going-on-in-my-head stage, we have another one who will be growing into it.

Growing

In a little more than six more weeks, Benny will be one. Some days (or weeks? or months?) it seemed that time was moving so slowly ... but looking back, I can see how quickly it has flown. The changes in the past month show me that my baby is turning into a toddler, a change that is bringing its own set of challenges.

Benny now has four teeth. Yesterday he took his first steps. He recently weaned himself (Mama wasn't so thrilled with that development), and he's sleeping through the night. Well, almost, but his one waking is around 5:30-6:00. That's close enough to count for me! He can climb up on the couch and chairs by himself, and get back down safely (most of the time).


I look at my sweet boy, and I realize that this challenging time has flown by so quickly and taken with it Benny's babyhood. I know soon he'll be running everywhere, talking up a storm, and growing and changing even more. I see that every day in Alex and Ethan. So just like when he was a baby, I'm trying to savor every moment.

Especially the cuddly, rocking-my-boy-who-still-likes-to-snuggle ones! But even the chaotic, messy, noisy, exasperating ones. Even the ones where I tell Luke I just want life to stop so I can get off for a little while.

Time doesn't wait for mamas to catch their breath, so I've just got to enjoy my little - and not-so-little ones now.

What's in a name?

Alex has been talking so much ... he now refers to us all by name. Mama and Papa (or Mom and Dad, depending on his mood), Ethan is "E", and Benny is usually Baby. But if you ask him his name, you'll get a laugh and the response, "Hot Tea". I have no idea why he has decided to call himself Hot Tea, but he does it on a regular basis. He will occasionally try to say Alex if we ask him to, but maybe he finds it too hard to say.

He does occasionally refer to himself by another name. Cookie.


Somehow that one fits better than Hot Tea, don't you think?

The Dangers and Benefits of Climbing

One recent Sunday, I had changed Benny out of his church clothes and put him in the living room to play with the other boys while I got lunch. Shortly thereafter, I heard a loud crash; when I went went running to see what happened, this is what I saw:


Benny figured out how to climb into the toy box. He fell in headfirst (which I suppose is the danger of climbing!) and didn't even whimper. He just righted himself and started laughing with delight at where he found himself.

And this was the day after his first big-boy haircut, too ... doesn't he look handsome?

Sleepy Boys and a Fuzzy Duck

Okay, I know I put a lot of pictures of Luke cuddling with the boys in his recliner, but I just love this one of him holding Alex. And Quackers, the giant duck.

Fishing Trip

Luke took Ethan fishing this summer, and they came back with a nice size ... uh, fish. I have no idea what kind it was! The highlight of catching the fish, though, was what they found when they were cleaning it ...



... a crayfish! Very recently eaten, apparently.

Something we've been enjoying ...

We like books here. We tend to always have at least one read-aloud going, usually for Ethan's bedtime story. It's gotten challenging to work 15-20 minutes of reading into our evening routine, though. Between Benny fussing, Alex bouncing off the wall, baths, snacks, nursing, Alex's bedtime story ... well, I'm sure you all can relate to how crazy bedtime can be. We tried moving the read-aloud time to a different time during the day, but the other natural time - while Alex is napping in the afternoon - wasn't working for a number of reasons.

Then we discovered Librivox. A large number of books (all in the public domain) are read by volunteers. You can download chapters or whole books and listen at your convenience. So we've been setting the laptop up on the table, and each night at supper we are listening to one or two chapters of The Swiss Family Robinson. (Ethan said last night that he was jealous of those people - he wanted to be in the story!)

There's a wide variety of genres, and I thought I'd share our find in case someone else could benefit from it!

Family Fun Night

We try to set aside a Friday night once a month or more to have a fun family activity. It's challenging to come up with something that the little boys will enjoy that won't bore Ethan, or that won't leave the younger ones out. Luke had a brilliant idea one of the last times we did this ... after supper, all the boys got their pj shorts on - but no shirts. Then Luke blew up a queen size air mattress, and they bounced. And bounced. And bounced.

Even Benny was able to play.




Papa played, too.


Benny did just watch part of the time, but he still enjoyed that tremendously!


See how I manage to cut at least part of someone's head off in most of the pictures? That takes real skill, folks.

Ethan was getting pretty exuberant toward the end.


And whatever Ethan tries, Alex tries too.


This has by far been the biggest "family fun night" hit. The boys all loved it, and Ethan and Alex have been asking when we can do it again. If you have any other ideas for us, I'd love it if you'd share them in the comments!

News Bulletin!

We interrupt this resounding silence to bring you an important announcement. Benny finally has cut his first tooth!

As long as I'm posting, here are a few other news bulletins.

Benny is ...
**is into everything these days. His favorite "no-no" thing is the dog food dish. Or maybe I should call it the dog water dish, since the water is his favorite part of it.
**actually up at night more often than when he was four or five months old. What's up with that?
**loving watching his two older brothers be goofy. He can't wait to join them, and you can just see that on his face!

Alex is ...
**talking more and more. His current favorite word? Poop. Yeah, we wanted him to talk. (rolling eyes)
**loving the color blue, trains, and strawberry-flavored milk.
**sleeping in his toddler bed. At least when he's not sleeping on the floor next to my bed because he had a bad dream.

Ethan is ...
**doing well in second grade, even though he's still not crazy about school.
**outgrowing all his clothes. I'm having to start using regular hangers for his shirts instead of the little baby ones. (sniff, sniff)
**loving playing with his Lego train set that his generous Aunt Ginnie gave him!

I have several posts in mind, lots of pictures on my camera's card, and no time to post them. I'll get around to it eventually!

One more thing ... I'm scheduled for surgery October 2oth. I'd appreciate prayers that it won't have to be an overnight stay, that the boys will do okay while I'm gone, and for a speedy recovery.

We now return you to your previously scheduled silence.

Mornings

I freely admit that I wish my children would sleep later; most mornings they're all up by 6:30 or so. "Sleeping in" around here means sleeping until 7:00, and it never happens that they all sleep that late the same morning!

But Luke loves coming home and having his boys be awake. He goes and takes his contacts out, and then cuddles with any of them that are willing to cuddle. Sometimes he gets lucky, and they're all feeling affectionate. And don't you just love Benny's yawn here?

Bedtime snack and story

The boys were having their bedtime snack while Luke read Ethan's bedtime story. Ethan decided to sit on the toybox while he snacked and listened, and wherever Ethan is ... Alex is.



And wherever Alex and Ethan are ... Benny's not far behind.

Benny

A new school year

So I forgot to take pictures on the first day of school. And the second day. This is the third day, and I haven't taken any pictures yet - but the day isn't over! Maybe I'll remember before the boys get their pajamas on tonight!

In the meantime, here are some from last week. Since we're "Galloping the Globe" this year, we need passports for our travelers. A passport needs a photo, of course. Our official traveler, Ethan:




And Alex gets a passport too, since I'm hoping he can come along for the fun interactive things:



He's gotten to smiling a very deliberate smile, as you can tell from this picture. :)

Almost time for school!

Our summer seems to be going by so quickly! We'll be starting school on August 24th, and I'm really excited about this year! (A little apprehensive, too, but that's a whole different post!) I'm not going to link to all of our subjects this year, but I did want to share a couple that we're really excited about.

We're jumping into geography with Galloping the Globe, a unit study that we'll also use for science, art, cooking, and some Bible. Ethan is especially looking forward to the map work that will come with this, and I think that the study of other countries and cultures will be really good for him.

I've finally found a history program that is what I've been wanting! We're using Truthquest this year. It's a book with commentary and then "living book" recommendations. Best of all, the view of history presented is neither secular nor providential. (I'm sorry, but I just can't believe that Columbus sailed with missionary motives.) Rather, it assumes that men's actions are the result of their beliefs about the "two big questions": Who is God? and who, then, is mankind?

We'll be learning American History, ending up with the Revolutionary War. To cap off our history study, we're using Homeschool in the Woods' Time Travelers: The American Revolution. This will add some great hands-on activities to our study!

Now if I could just find something that would get Ethan excited about handwriting ...