Peter at 5

I don't think I've done a post on Peter in awhile.  I figured I ought to hit all the kids.  There is so much to remember and so little brain power to do so.

Peter seems so grown up to me.  In the last year he has gone from a tiny tike to a little boy in no time flat.  I'm going to blink and he will be a young man...so I've been trying hard to not blink.

One of his favorite things to do is to smile at me.  He somehow got the idea that I love to see his smiles.  I do.  But I never told him that.  (I think someone must have told him at school.)  He has dirty blond hair and freckles across his nose.  Combined with his big blue eyes I do try to remember so clearly these days.  Because someday in the not too distant future I will be looking up at him to smile.

Peter has discovered playing video games.  His current favorite is Sklyander's.  Talk about a money marketing SCAM!  You buy the game ($60!) and then you shell out $10-15 for each character.  It is a roll playing type.  Yipes!  Makes it easy to shop for him, but really...how many little figurines does a fella need?  He's got a drawer full.  His second favorite is Star Wars.  Yes, a boy after my own heart.

His favorite color is black.  He loves skulls and mohawks.  Perhaps he'll belong to the skater crowd when he grows up.  Who knows!

He doesn't particularly like cleaning and it is like pulling teeth to get him to help.  I've noticed he doesn't see details as easily as Rebekah does.  What I mean is...it is very easy for Rebekah to figure out to put the doll toys with the doll house, the legos in the lego box and the Mr. Potato Head parts in the right container.  Peter seems to see 'toys' and throws them in containers.  Period.  He reminds me of William in this way.

We've just passed through a rough spot where Peter was getting in trouble daily at school.  We had trouble with him exposing himself and playing "I'll show you mine if you show me yours" games.  Developmentally speaking, this is normal.  The only difference is that we had ONE problem with Rebekah.  We had two solid weeks of problems with Peter.  To top it off - we had several stealing incidents and he started 'racooning' again.

Racooning:  The behavior of getting up at night and taking things. Typically things taken are put under or near his bed.  Alternatively, getting into mischief at night.

Here are three stories (which I'm sure I'll laugh at someday) that demonstrate.

Story #1
At night William frequently will run to the store.  This particular night he had stopped on his way home from the casino and got some ice cream.  The next morning I woke up and noticed the gate open.  I knew someone had been up during the night, but I wasn't sure who.  I went downstairs to wake up the older two kids.  As I was gently shaking them from their slumber, Max came running downstairs and straight under the bed.  He started licking something.  I peered down to see what it was and immediately noticed an ice cream container.  It was the brand new ice cream William had picked up the night before.  Completely ruined of course.  Peter had gotten up, apparently looked in the freezer and found the ice cream and brought it back to bed...hiding it under there.  That same day I also found my stain remover and fabric softener under the bed.  I asked him why he took those things and he just told me he was keeping them safe.

Story #2
About a week or so after the first story, I went to pick up Peter and was told he had brought a 'tool' to school.  They handed me the tool and it became immediately clear why the confiscated it.  The tool was super sharp - I later learned it was used for drilling holes in sheet rock.  I poked its pointy end and asked Peter where it came from.  He looked downcast, as he always does when he his about to get in trouble, and replied 'the basement'.  I took the tool home and gave it to William, who confirmed it indeed had been in the basement.  He had used it to drill holes in the sheet rock when we had a water leak awhile back.  It was on top of a shelf over the washer/dryer unites.

Later that same day the kids came running in.  "There is a hole in the fence!"  Let me preface this by saying we have had a lot of trouble with boards falling off.  It is an old fence that really needs to be replaced.  So we asked if a board had fallen off.  The kids replied "No...it is an actual hole."  This puzzled William and I.  "Is it like where a knot was in a board?  A round circle that has fallen out?" I asked.  We have a few of those too.

"NO!" they replied.

"Well how did the hole get there?"  The kids shrugged their shoulder and told us they weren't really sure...but they were worried about Max (our escape artist dog) getting out.  So clearly the hole was large enough for him.

William made his way into the back yard to check out the fence. Very soon he came back in.

"Well there is indeed a hole in the fence.  And strangely, I found this chunk of fence on the ground.  It has a straight edge that perfectly matches the rest of the fence.  And so weird...I found this saw laying on the ground next to it.  I was pretty sure I left it on the shelf above the washer/dryer..."

The fence was fixed that day.  Rebekah supplied the idea and Peter supplied the tools.  They were trying to escape.

Story #3
On a Sunday morning I looked down and notice Peter's shorts weighed down.  There was clearly something in his pocket.  I point to the pocket and say "Hey Peter, what's in your pocket?"  The smile immediately disappears from his face and he fumbles around with his other pocket.  He pulls out a toy car, which I had already known he had brought.

"No...not that pocket." I said, trying to give him a chance to tell me the truth.  "The other pocket."

"Nothing is in that pocket."

I sighed and knew it must be bad.  Peter is not one to tell me the truth and it has really driven me batty.  (I'm a high truth person.)  "Peter, there is something in that pocket.  Take it out right now."  He slipped his hand in his pocket and pulled out a set of keys.

I went bananas.  I only imagined he had take the keys from somewhere and I had no idea where.  Someone was missing their keys!  "Peter!  Where did those keys come from?"  He stood there silent and unmoving - frozen with the keys dangling in the air.  I had to ask him 3 more times before he finally gave me an answer.

"At home."

They could have been from home, but I wasn't entirely sure.  I got down face level with him to make sure he understood.  Lying had been happening regularly so I really couldn't trust anything he was telling me. But he continued to repeat he got them from home.  I couldn't really do anything but take them home.  I later showed William and he thought perhaps they were the "lost" keys.  You know - all those useless keys you aren't sure why you are keeping?  All bundled together?

The very next day William ended up picking the kids up from school.  So he had the joy of being greeted by the teacher with her warm smile and poised disposition - the one that always told me Peter was at it again.  This time William got to learn that Peter had again taken the bundle of keys...plus a few more.  Our motorcycle keys.  He took the keys to school and passed them out to his friends.

We did get all the important keys returned to us and most (if not all) the unimportant ones. When I asked Peter why he took them he just shrugged his shoulders.  
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Oh the stories.  I'm sure there will be many more.  Peter is creative in his own right.  He isn't really all that interested in art, but he definitely has an interest in taking things apart and how things work. In fact, he has been waiting patiently for me to get all the pictures off my old phone so he can take that apart.  His patience has been amazing.

He struggles with self-control and impulsive behavior.  I'm confident he'll get that figured out one day.  Until then, we will just keep working with him.

He's funny, charming and confident in himself.  In fact, William told him the other day he was cute.  Peter was indignant and replied "No I'm not!  I'm awesome and cool!"  I love the confidence.  I want all my kids to know that they are absolutely awesome and cool!

He's also super caring.  He loves his baby siblings (he 'smothers' Paul the same way he 'smothered' Ruth!) and dotes on them.  He loves to kiss and hug Paul.  Ruth has been pushed to the back burner a bit (which we are working with Peter to understand that isn't nice), but I've had less trouble recently getting him to help Ruthie.  He's not nurturing like Rebekah.  But he is protective.  Fiercely so.  Don't mess with his siblings - that is for sure.  And I love that about him.

I also appreciate that if we hadn't had Ruth or Paul we would have never known exactly how loving this little boy could be.  I remember worrying, when I was pregnant with Ruth, whether he would accept her easily. I wondered if there would be jealousy issues.  There absolutely hasn't.  He's happy to share his space with those he loves.  And I would have never known if God hadn't chosen to bless us with 2 more special lives.

This fall is a huge milestone.  Peter starts the B.I.G. K. Eeek.  I'm not sure when that happened - but it is.  He's looking forward to starting kindergarten but I'm not sure he really understand what it all means. I think he mostly is just excited for a new adventure.  

The great chitter chatter

I don't write much about Rebekah because...well...there isn't all that much to say.  But yesterday I had the opportunity to spend the morning with her (and Paul).  I wanted to make sure to share these because they truly display Rebekah's personality.

One of the things we tend to do is go to Panera for breakfast together.  She loves it.  I love it.  We've been doing it since she was a baby.  Interestingly - I don't have this tradition with any of the other kids.  (But...outside of birthdays I'm not sure I have spent as much one-on-one time with them...like I did with Rebekah.)

Anyway she ordered a pumpkin muffin (vs. a muffie) and a blueberry bagel with cream cheese.  I got a sandwhich...and ordered a Strawberries and Cream scone for later in the day.  As I was looking over the menu to get my order straight, she chatted with the guy behind the counter who very politely listened to her.

"I'm going to the doctor this morning.  His name is Dr. C.  He is in a new office and this will be the first time I get to go to this office.  We are having breakfast for dinner sometime this week.  It will be yummy when we do.  I don't know when we will be having it, but it will be 'anything can happen' that day."

Now let me clarify...we very occasionally have breakfast for dinner.  I have a tendency to think breakfast should be at breakfast.  There is an episode of Big Bang Theory where Sheldon Cooper tries to let loose...and schedules one day a week where he will allow anything to happen.  (Of course...he wants to plan out what will happen! :-) )  Right after we watched that episode (awhile ago), William was trying to convince me to have breakfast for dinner.  I identify heavily with Mr. Cooper.  And so he blurted out "Have your own anything-can-happen-day!"  And so we joke that it is "anything-can-happen-Wednesday"!  We are having breakfast for dinner!

So the fact she picked up on that really cracked me up.  I also couldn't help but laugh at the guy - who clearly was trying to listen so politely...but wasn't really sure what to say to her besides "Oh really???"

This highlights one of Rebekah's key features.  She is NOT afraid to talk off a complete stranger's ear.  I listen to her and grimace half the time because it frequently means that *I* have to talk to strangers.  I barely like talking to people I know...let alone people I  *don't* know.  And William is social enough - but not nearly as talkative/outgoing as Rebekah is.  I'm thankful she is though, because her chattiness has opened up so many good doors for us over the years.  But I do occasionally wish I wouldn't get drug into it all.

Next when we went to the dr office we had a little trouble finding it.  It is new so it wasn't well labeled.  (Our ped who we have had since Rebekah was born moved his practice.)  There was a guy in the hallway and Rebekah tells him ALL about how we are going to the doctor.  We finally found it (the gentleman actually pointed us in the right direction - thanks to Rebekah telling him we were lost).  Rebekah was again talking the receptionists ear off.

All of these people thought she was adorable.  And I'm so glad.  We do run into people who are annoyed by it.  (Frankly...if it were me pre-kids I probably would have been! :-P )  And I can't help but frown on those people.  Really.  (I think I would have deserved that too pre-kid!)

The receptionist answered questions of Rebekah's and asked questions of me to work through some of the 'new patient' stuff.  She then tells me that she will need an I.D.  My heart sank.

Approximately 3 months ago I lost it.  Ruth was getting into my purse (she has learned the power of stools...there were very few places I could put it  where it was safe!) and kept stringing things out.  One time she completely emptied not only my purse, but my wallet too.  Contents were EVERYWHERE.  And I hadn't been able to find my driver's license since.  I had looked all over the house, all over my purse and wallet...it was no where.  I searched multiple times.  It was simply gone.  I thought I'd go get a new one before I went back to work, but I didn't make it.  And I hadn't really had time since. 

So I stood there, jiggling baby Paul, absent mindedly starring into my wallet, thinking of what to do or what I might have that would work.  Rebekah prattled on, the receptionist continued to be amused.  "Well..." I broke in...about to deliver the news that we were out of luck.  At that very moment I spotted a card in the side of my wallet.  I pulled it out and it was my driver's license.  "Well..." I stammered.  "This is a miracle.  Here's my driver's license."  The lady just looked at me and laughed nervously...not really sure what to think of my declaration.  "No really.  It has been lost for a long time and I just now found it.  This is a miracle."

"God must have put it there!  Or Jesus!  One of the two!" Rebekah declared with confidence.

Why yes.  She was absolutely right.

Rebekah has taught me so many things through her just being her.  I try so hard to teach her and I hope that I'm able to reciprocate.  She is giving, compassionate (she told William 'it didn't feel good' to get a little girl out at a baseball game a few weeks ago...because it made the other girl sad!), and vibrant.  Rebekah sees good everywhere.  She is creative and pretty darn smart.  Quite frankly, she is an excellent big sister - definitely a better big sister than I ever was. :)

And don't let me fool you.  Rebekah and I don't always get along. She will frequently 'not talk' to me.  As in, I'm trying to have a simple conversation with her and she simply won't respond.  She will be looking at me as if she is paying attention...but she doesn't behave like it.  I'll ask her to do something, she'll start off to do it...and I will find it either not done or half done later.  (Ex:  I'll ask her to go put something away.  I'll find it in the next room in the middle of the floor instead of put away.)  But if she were perfect, then I supposed I would have named her Jesus. ;-)

After the doctor appointment we headed to the car.  She asked me if she could eat her bagel and drink her milk.  "Yeah, no problem." It hadn't been too hot and we hadn't been at the appointment all that long.  "Can I eat my muffin?"  I replied "Absolutely.  That food is yours, eat whatever you want."We headed off to the daycare to find her class. 

I ended up dropping her off at the park with the rest of her class.  As we get out of the car she says "Thanks for letting me eat your pastry Mom!"  I didn't think too much about it. 

Later that day, after everyone was dropped off and I was headed into the house to work (from home) - I made sure to get out all the food.  I looked in the bag and sure enough...my scone was demolished.  As was her muffin.

Rolly polly

This morning Paul was fussy.  I had nursed him.  I had dressed him.  I had other things to attend too.  I tried letting him hang out next to me.  I tried putting him in his swing.  He simply wasn't happy anywhere.  So I decided to try his floor toy.

I put him there, pushing him down so he can bang on the piano with his feet (he loves that) and look in the mirror (again - he adores looking at himself in the mirror).  No sooner had I pulled back my hands when FLIP!  He rolled over.

He was kinda mad that he was hung up on the side so I put him back.  I called the other kids over to watch.  They all gathered around and there Paul went again.  FLIP!

They all whooped and hollered cheery on little Paul.  How great is it that so young he already has a supportive family? 

Then Rebekah looked at me and said "I bet baby L taught him how to roll when they visited."

You see, we had visitors last week.  My dear friend C came with her two daughters.  Her eldest is 4 this month.  The younger is 5.5 months.  We had put baby L on the toy and she was flipping like crazy.  I think Rebekah might be on to something. :-)

Paul, Ruth and Work OH MY!

Friday I had the pleasure of taking both Paul and Ruth in for some checkups.  Paul was there for his 2 mo checkup and Ruth was there for her 2.5 yr checkup.

First Paul - he weighed in at a whopping 17 lbs 9 oz (99%) with a height of 24 1/4 inches (61%) and a head circ of 40 1/2 cm (70%).

At 2 mo, Paul smiles a lot when you talk to him.  He thinks Ruth is hilarious.  (She takes the time to stop and talk to him - the other two are usually too busy...minus the regular squishings from Peter.)  He has also started cooing and giggling.  He's pretty serious - except when he is smiling.  It is funny actually - because it is quite the pendulum swing.  HUGE gigantic grins - or he's so serious he borders on grumpy.  Not too much in the middle.

I was quite pleased that his weight, particularly after being drug in for extra weight checks his first week of life.  I knew he'd grow. :-)  God is faithful.

Ruth is still short with a big head. ;-)  She weighed in at 30.2 lbs (67%) with a height of 35 1/4 inches (43%) and a head circ of 51 cm (greater than 97%).  It is all good - she doesn't look like she has a big head. ;-)

At 2.4 Ruth jumps, can take her clothes off and is borderline potty trained.  She can go.  She knows all the mechanics.  She just hasn't made that leap.  With the other two, it was a very sudden leap. One day, they weren't interested...then BAMO...fully potty trained.  She wants panties pretty bad.  I need to make a search for some mickey ones.  I've checked target/walmart with no luck.  I think that would be a great motivator.  She is onery as all get out.  She gets into everything and is rather good at sneaking off to do things she isn't supposed too.  *sigh*  Goof.  And she is hard to punish - she thinks the corner is fun.  Lastly - she can nearly spell Peter's name, her name and almost counts to 20.  (She regularly skips 4-5-6 for some reason.)  Colors?  Shapes?  Not so much.  Just not interested.  This just fascinates me.  It is almost like "That stuff is trivial...let's jump ahead to calculus please!"

I was particularly worried about this appointment as I thought Ruth was getting shots.  Handling both Paul and Ruth seemed like a daunting task.  (She is not fond of being told that she has to get out of lap to make way for Paul...for instance.)  I had a plan in my head of how I could make it work - but it turned out I didn't need it.  She doesn't need anymore shots until 5.  Whew.

I apparently didn't ever blog Ruth's 2 mo stats, so I have nothing to compare it too...not without digging for the little papers. :)  I've kept every single one!  I'm more interested to see how Paul compares to Peter.  I think that would be more telling.

I told the doctor "So Paul is short and fat and Ruth is short with a big head...how odd!"  She (we are seeing another doc until our reg. ped gets his new practice up and running) looked at me quizzically and said "Well I wouldn't say short exactly...average perhaps!"  Oh dear doctor - when your oldest two are in the 80-90%, with a tall dad and clearly a tall mom...yes...comparatively...they are SHORT. :)  I think Paul will catch up though.  Ruth?  Well - we do have short genes on both sides of the family.  I suppose it is possible for a kid to pick up some random genes. Just look at Rebekah.  Random red head.  :)  I love the fact that each kid has a distinctive physical trait and they aren't simply clone copies.  (They do resemble each other clearly.  I checked out Ruth's 2 mo pictures and yeah...there is a huge resemblance between her and Paul.)

Anyway - so yesterday I was sick.  Not just oh-I-have-a-cold-and-I'm-whiny sick...but sick with fireworks.  I couldn't really sit up, my stomach hurt like no other...and the toilet and I were good pals.  All the while I was home alone with little Paul.  My saving grace?  Paul loves to cuddle.  We hung out and slept all day.  He slept with me or he played (kicked is legs and arms for example) while I slept.  I was just so blessed that he was super easy to take care of.  I guess that is the perk of having a cuddly baby.  He really really likes to cuddle.  (Today he has been less than thrilled being put in the swing while I've tried to get things done...like straighten up and put away the baby shower presents to...well...writing this little post.)

I'd love to share pics, but I'm having a computer crisis.  Well...not crisis.  I need to network my new computer with the computer downstairs.  I haven't found the time to sit down and figure it out (and I asked William to do it but he hasn't either)...so thus...no pictures.  Why is this important?  Because I backup the pics on the downstairs computer and only keep a certain amount on the upstairs.  I don't trust the upstairs laptop (which is rather abused thanks to careless children) to hold such precious information by its lonesome.  So there you have it.  Must. Network.  :)

Hopefully I'll have some cute ones to share soon.

Last but not least - I have just 3 weeks left before returning to work.  Ugh.  Ughity ugh ugh ugh.  I like work and all - but returning is never easy.  I can't imagine what it is like for those moms who dislike their jobs?  I don't think I could do it.  I'd have to quit.

While stay at home isn't in my future anytime soon - or perhaps ever (can't picture it - I think I'd be a maniac) - I still do wish I had more time to hang out with my baby.  They really are little for such a short period of time.  *sigh*  I wish we had longer (paid) maternity leaves.  Yes paid.  Without it, extending maternity leave is in gesture only - who would be able to afford the time off?  I barely have enough time off to pay for this maternity leave, let alone something longer.  I could rant all day about maternity leaves. :)  But I won't.  That and nursing are probably two subject I'm rather passionate about.

So...3 weeks.  Tick tock.

Paul at 6 wks

I've been pretty horrible at taking pictures.  This time has been a bit difficult for me.

For me, I've had a little trouble getting motivated to do anything.  Paul likes to be held...a lot.  So it seems so much simpler to sit around and hold him.  But then I look at all the things not done and I feel unaccomplished.  So a viscous cycle really. A wise friend told me I'm being too hard on myself.  I've taken this to heart and have been working to get over the hump.

There is something else that has been helping.  I frequently lament that Paul is no where near as easy as Ruth.  Ruth was happy to hang out.  I'd set her down in her crib or on her little toy playmat thingy and she would be perfectly happy to sit for long periods of time.  This does not describe Paul at all.  He will barely stay in the swing let alone the crib.  When he is awake he likes to look around.  So when I lament, William is always quick to tell me that while Ruth may have been easy, Peter has prepared me.

I kept wondering what this had to do with anything - so it has taken a few weeks to really sink in.  I am prepared for a needier baby.  I know what it is like and I can look back on the experience to fully understand what I need to do differently.  So I've been working hard to bring up all those memories that I've buried.  (Most of Peter's baby memories aren't happy ones...so I honestly have forgotten much of it.)

Here are some of the things I do remember though.

I remember feeling helpless on the couch as I was forever nursing gigantababy Peter.  So I've worked to make sure my needs are met before I sit down to nurse Paul.  (He does love to nurse. :) )  I've got a book, I've got the remotes, I've got a glass of water, I've moved my phone charger (because it doesn't hold a charge for crap) next to my sitting spot.  I'm all set.  And if I need something, I have come to realize it is OK for Paul to cry for the 5 minutes it takes to make sure I'm settled.  Happy mamma makes a sane mamma.

I remember feeling like I could never set Peter down.  I've got my Moby wrap.  I use it a lot.  (I actually used this all the time with Ruth.  I bought it because of Peter actually. :-) )  Ruth loved it and Paul is no different.  He snuggled right down in there and hangs out.  The only time he isn't happy in there is if he is hungry (which is frequent) or if he is awake.  He really likes to physically crane his head and look around.  And in the wrap, he will push himself out to get a peek at the world.  Crazy baby.

One last thing I struggled with when Peter was a baby was bedtime.  Peter would scream while I put Rebekah to bed and frankly, it fried my nerves.  (I'm sure moms understand...when your baby is crying your ears focus in on that and it becomes all consuming.  It is hard to concentrate on anything else and your body physically tenses up with stress until it is taken care of.  Ok - at least it does for me.)  So we've been tweaking bedtime routines to make them cry-free.  We tried just leaving him in the swing while we put the other kids to bed, but more screaming was being done than anything else. I tried taking Paul in with me while I put Ruth to bed, but she didn't really care for that.  Since she is still young, I don't want her to think her mommy time is taken away.  Bedtime is one of the few times she has with us that is all to herself. So now Paul goes with whomever is putting the big kids to bed.  They happen to love the idea of Paul "putting them to bed".  So I think this is working for us.

I've also realized that my plans are pretty useless.  So I cut myself slack...at least I try. Yesterday, for example, I intended to go to Sam's.  However, Paul was super fussy all morning long.  I felt stressed about the entire thing because of my intention to go to Sam's. Taking a baby out in public that is crying on and off just did not sound appealing.  I finally decided I wouldn't go and it would be OK - I was fine attending to Paul and his fussy butt.  It was annoying that I couldn't even pee without listening to him scream, but some days are like that.  At least I didn't have to take a screaming baby out!

As far as Paul goes, he's doing all those things that babies should be doing.  He's pooping well, eating, sleeping and spending his time looking absolutely adorable.  Just last night he was giggling in his sleep.  How crazy is that?  He has also smiled quite a few times while he was awake.  And one very memorable time, I was talking to him and he did one of his huge grins.

It is a good thing God made babies cute.

Paul is also holding up his head really well.  He can hold it up and look both ways.  In fact, he likes to hold it up, push on you (while you are holding him) and look around.  Since he isn't a fan of being put down, I haven't really put him down for floor time much.  I tried once and it lasted like 37 seconds. :-)

And with all that said - I'm being beckoned.  This has taken me 3 days to write, so I think we'll call it done. :)

Oh...and HAPPY EASTER!  Thank goodness JESUS IS RISEN!

One little girl's prayer

Yesterday we went to meet the teacher night.  We don't find out who our teacher is until this very night.  School started today.






But let me back up a little bit. 

Rumors swirled around end of last year that Rebekah's teacher may move to 1st grade.  Then on the very last day, she confirmed that she would in fact be moving to first grade.  She also cautioned me that anything could happen this summer, and even suggested that I could call the office and request her as a teacher if I'd like.

I would have loved to.  We love her.

Rebekah wanted her and voiced that to me.  And so I would explain that we would have to wait and see.  I also explained that if she didn't get this teacher, that it was because God had something better in mind for her.

Oh how I wanted to call.

But...God has been rather straight with me.  I am to leave Rebekah's education to Him. 

Why?  Well - I do like to control things.  I like to get in there and make sure things happen how I want them too.  This leaves very little space for Him to work.  And the biggest thing He has been teaching me the last 3 years is to stand back.  SURE I trust Him.  I do - with my whole heart.  But standing back and not "helping" can be kind of tough for me. 

So I didn't call.

I thought about it frequently.  But I still didn't call.

I was chatting with my pastor's wife on Sunday, and she said "One thing we always said was that we are preparing our kids for the road - not the road for the kids!"  I hung onto this word of encouragement from Sunday to Tuesday evening.  It was an affirmation that I'm not a negligent parent. And it was probably the last little bit of "umpf" I needed to keep from calling.  I appreciate the God sends these random bits of encouragement when we need it!

Tuesday rolls around and we head to meet the teacher night.  At first as I was reviewing the class lists I was trying to figure out what order the names were in - random? Alphabetized - but by what?  First name? Last name?  It finally dawned on me as I skimmed to just look at the one list.  So I zoned in on the teacher's name and reviewed the list carefully.

There was Rebekah's name.

"REBEKAH!"  I exclaimed!  "GUESS WHAT!  YOU GOT MRS. B!"  Rebekah's little eyes lit up and a huge grin spread across her face.

"I prayed the ENTIRE SUMMER I would get her!  God listened to my prayers!"

And you know what?  My heart melted and I was blessed.  If I had called - credit would not have gone to where credit was due.  God is building a relationship with Rebekah, and it is important I let Him do so.  In all my controlling ways, that is something I would never want to interfere with.  How I would have screwed things up if I hadn't been obedient.

Hmmmm...I guess He really does know what He is doing after all!

And there is a bit more to the story.  Why did Mrs. B get moved up at all?  At this point I can only surmise that it was part of God's master plan. 

Originally - it was because there was going to be an extra 1st grade class and one less K class.  BUT - they ended up moving one 1st grade teacher to 2nd, and then of course Mrs. B to 1st.  There was still going to be one less K class.

BUT - I noticed when looking at the class lists, that there are still 4 K classes.  So why didn't they just leave Mrs. B there, the 1st grade teacher there and just hire in a new 2nd grade teacher?  That seems like the easiest solution instead of all the shuffling.

I can't really tell you.  And I'm not going to question it.  I'm thrilled we have Mrs. B again!

Ruth at...oh, I've stopped counting

I'm really not sure where July went.  In fact, when I realized that the second week of July meant July was half over, I sort of went to August and I've been living there ever since.  That just means I have to continually remind myself...it really is still July.

I have much to talk about...my trip to Denver, our 4th of July and VBS.  But today I'm just going to talk about little Ruth - who is becoming less and less little.

This past weekend she determined she was going to pick her clothes out.  She stood thoughtfully in front of her drawer with her finger on her chin saying "Hummmmm".  She'd select something, hold it up and put it back.  She finally found something to wear and then threw a fit because she hadn't gotten to pick out...her diaper.  So William set her down and let her go over and pick out a diaper.

William claims this is a sure sign that boys are different from girls.  But I recall Peter coming in and bawling that he couldn't find his favorite shirt just last week.  And just about 6 wks ago we had a catastrophe when he wanted to wear jean shorts, but had none clean. I won't even get into underwear choices.  "No mom, I'm not wearing Mr. Incredible today.  I want Spiderman."  Thankfully since I've been behind on laundry, he is more than willing to look through laundry baskets to find what he wants.

I'll let William live in his bubble. :)

Peter has been getting on the couch and doing "hand stands"...you know, feet in the air, back against the couch.  Rebekah has started getting in on the action.  This has lead to Ruth attempting the feat too.  Her's looks a little different - head and one foot firmly planted on the couch, butt in the air with one foot waiving in the wind.  And she shouts "Maaammmmaaaaaa!" until I tell her I've seen her.  Everyone else can tell her good job - but she continues to shout until I say something.

Ruth is still nursing.  Shocking I know.  We are down to one time a day now, which is at bedtime.  She is a little strange in how she asks.  She looks up at me and says "uh uh O" - kinda like crying but not exactly.  It is very hard to type out - but it cracks me up every time.  I have no idea how or why she came up with this "noise".  (Peter said "babu" and Rebekah just pointed - for comparison.)  We'll probably be weaning off that last session soonish.

Ruth has a temper.  She gives you a moment or two to meet her demands...but if you don't OH MY.  And she has taken to slapping, hitting and biting.  (The older two claim to have no idea where she learned this behavior...even though I yell daily "Don't hit each other!" ;-) )  Ruth will get a very determined look on her face, bring back her little hand - staring you down all the while - and *WHAP*.  You get hit.  She'll stick her little lip out and pout that she isn't getting whatever it is she felt she was being deprived of.  Kinda cute, but obviously behavior we are trying to stop.

She answers NO to everything.  Short little whiny no's are generally really no.  Longer happier sing-songy no's are typically really yes.  We still get it wrong sometimes - which results in more slapping.

Ruth hasn't mastered jumping yet, but sure does practice diligently.  And she tries to jump in all sorts of inappropriate times.  For example - on the couch.  Or the other day she tried jumping off the front step (which she has to hold on to the wall to WALK down...).  Physical limitations be dammed.  In her head, she can do it.  So that must be all there is to it.

Ruth is also getting taller and is getting into all sorts of stuff.  And so - I'm in denial about my baby getting bigger.  I still put things on the edge of the counter and then wonder how she got it.

She will be turning 2 in October.  If I stop to count the time - it really isn't that far.  Which is why I've stopped counting.  I'll stick my head in the sand and then maybe her birthday will never come.  Maybe I'll just continue to hang out in August.

The tooth fairy finally visited...

Rebekah has been telling me all about the tooth fairy lately.  I actually appreciate this - so I know exactly what she is expecting.  I was sure to ask lots of questions so that there were no last minute surprises.  (One mom-friend of mine found out that the tooth fairy left fairy dust behind on the eve of a visit to her house...she has a rather hilarious-because-it-wasn't-me story involving the robbing of glitter from Christmas ornaments...)

Per Rebekah - the tooth fairy comes in your room at night when everyone is sleeping.  Well...she doesn't just come into your room.  She poofs into your room.  This was rather important because Peter sleeps by the window...and we certainly didn't want her coming in through the window and waking Peter.  Ms. Tooth Fairy slides the money under your pillow and takes the tooth.  And if you happen to lose the lost tooth...no worries because you can just leave her a letter letting her know it was lost.

Rebekah has no idea what she does with the teeth...and I personally think it is a little weird poofing into sleeping children's rooms and buying their gross used teeth.  But who am I?


Her first tooth started to wiggle around Ruth's first birthday.  William finally yanked it out with dental floss (which was a rather hilarious event in and of itself) on a day Rebekah happened to be running a fever and stayed home from school (November 9th).  We did it because she had banged it the day before and she was complaining it was bothering her.

I asked Rebekah how much the tooth fairy would leave - and she replied "Oh, probably a 10 and some quarters."  I said "Wow!  The tooth fairy must have a lot of cash!  She might leave less you know..."  She shrugged her shoulders and said we'd find out in the morning.

Rebekah ended up getting $5.55.  The $0.55 was two quarters and a nickel.  Rather random...I guess it was all the change Ms. Tooth Fairy had?  I also told Rebekah that I bet she doesn't get so much next time...it was a FIRST tooth after all!

We already have a second wiggly tooth.  She is hoping to lose one at school, because you get some sort of treasure box or something to put it in if that happens. LOL

My baby started Kindergarten...waaaaaaah!

I think this is probably how most mom's feel when their children start Kindergarten...no matter whether they are the oldest, youngest or somewhere in between.  I am no exception!

The good news? I didn't cry...

But I'm not really a crier so that didn't surprise me.  Her first day was a quiet day for me...to save a little bit of money I worked from home and took her/picked her up myself...versus using the before/after school care which she will be attending regularly. 

(When is it OK to start rejoicing at the savings we will see in daycare costs!?!?!?)

She desperately needed a hair cut...so a Barret with bangs to the side ended up being the style.  (Hey - she brushes/fixes her own hair and selected her own clothes.  I was just grateful she actually matched today...because she is not one for traditional matching...)

A serious shot...

...which didn't last long (of course!)

The previous night at meet-the-teacher night I had a lovely chat with her teacher.  We went immediately to her classroom, put her supplies down and then explored the school.  Rebekah's favorite part? The library...that's my girl!  She was SO EXCITED that her new school had it's very own library...we also checked out the bathrooms, cafeteria, gym and music room.  She made a couple comments that her new school was huge (and noted the super tall non-existent ceilings)...but the fact that a library was present was all she really needed to know.  She was ok with the largeness of the school after the visit to the library.  Dragging her OUT of the library was a trick.

Once we had checked the school out we returned to her classroom so I could hopefully chat with the teacher a little bit.  I was already concerned over whether or not Rebekah would be challenged...but that didn't help me any when her teacher turned out to be the one at kindergarten roundup that remarked "Oh, I don't know THAT will work!" when discussing Rebekah's abilities.  (I didn't blog about it...I didn't realize she was a Kindergarten teacher at the time! LOL)  But it is ALL GOOD...she said she has had advanced students before and talked about how the curriculum challenges them and things she could/can do as well. 

The next morning was Rebekah's BIG day...I took a pic of her IN the classroom because all the other parents were.  LMHO  Seriously...paparazzi folks!  Cracked me up (even though I totally joined in...)!

She sat right down and did her thing.  I paused in the door and looked back, mostly to make sure she knew I was leaving.  I got a hand flick...you know..."Get out of here, why are you STILL HERE Mom???"  Sheesh.

I returned later to pick Rebekah up and her teacher greeted me.  She told me about her day, that it was a good one.  Rebekah had one incident of a kid throwing a toy at her.  No big deal.  Then her teacher tells me she did a little testing with the kids.  She said "...and Rebekah didn't know this letter..." and wrote Z down on the sheet of paper she was holding.  My eyes I'm sure grew BIG and I half laughed.  "What?" I replied.  "She knows that letter!"

I just have to laugh!  I have no idea what this teacher thought...here I am talking about how my kid can read...blah blah blah...she's so smart...blah blah blah...and she doesn't know the letter Z...

Oye.

And Rebekah's favorite part of her first day at her new school?  Ready for it?  Lunch.  She is thrilled she gets to take her lunch.  And she has consistently told EVERYONE that is her favorite part.  I wonder if that will still be true once her class gets to go to the library...???

Ruthie is Toothie - 10 mo

Well, Ruth has finally decided to be done making a liar out of Dr. Seuss...because until just yesterday...she was in fact NOT toothie.  (And in his book titled "The Tooth Book", he declares that all Ruthie's are toothie!)

It sure does explain a lot about the last week. :-)  I suspected, but you can never really be too sure...

I have no pictures...it is still far too small to photograph.  William didn't believe me that it was in fact there at first.  But it IS...her first tooth has poked through.

And what else is Ruth doing?  Eating (she is a girl after my own heart...she loves to eat!).  She has been mimicking.  Yesterday she played a riveting game of face-plant-into-Daddy's-hand (in an effort to make the "ah ah ah ah noises she is fond of...and since HE wasn't playing she thought she'd help herself).  She is attempting to crawl...but there is very little motivation to do so there.  She will scoot to get a toy...but if it is too far she doesn't bother.  Bellowing has been much more effective and is waaaaay less work!

Ruth has discovered the dog likes to eat things.  So she shares her dinner with him...frequently.  Sometimes she forgets he isn't there (like in restaurants...).

She is also a note taker. She frequently watches her siblings in awe and wonder...quietly contemplating the day that she too will get to join in the revelry that goes on in our house.  I love watching her observe...sometimes it is with a huge smile on her face.  Sometimes it is quiet serious...where I believe she is pondering exactly just how she is going to do that.

She isn't sleeping through the night, and she frequently likes to stay up late.  She is still pretty patient overall. 

She loves playing with her siblings.  Rebekah and Ruth played catch the other day.  It was adorable.

I have to say - getting a tooth is the worse milestone of all.  It is the start of their journey out of babyhood and into childhood.  I have some time yet...but her little gummy smile will forever be gone.  It is about the only milestone that will make me cry!  And being so close to her 1 yr birthday certainly isn't helping any either...

Some funny conversations

My kids were simply cracking me up this last weekend.  I can't even pretend to remember everything they said, but here are a few highlights.

- Rebekah was telling me about her day.  I don't recall exactly what she had said, but I replied "Neato!"  She looked at me and said "Mom, what does 'neato' mean?"  Next thing you know I'll be explaining what 'cool' means or getting eyerolls telling me "Mom, that is SO 80s!".

- William and I were discussing dinner plans.  He asked me if I had any.  I told him I had put some chicken and beef in a marinade for fajitas, but we didn't have to eat it.  Peter exclaimed "YAY!  We don't have to eat marinade!"

- Peter is terrified to go downstairs himself, and was trying to get Rebekah to join him.  She replied "Peter, there is no need to be afraid!  Jesus is with us always!"  Made my heart melt!

- Peter is also terrified of flies.  Rebekah very lovingly told Peter that anytime a fly came near him, "Just do this Peter!" and proceeded to very casually swish her hand.  It has helped him a bit.  He is still afraid of flies, but will very tentatively swish them away.


I think I spent the whole last weekend just laughing...

And since I'm talking about these two, there are a couple milestones worth mentioned.

Rebekah can read now.  She does a great job and is reading small books.  She loves it - and it amazes me some of the words she figures out!

And Peter has started spelling his name.  P-E-T-E-R!  I think it helps that it is shorter - Rebekah certainly wasn't spelling hers by this time...but she had a few more letters to remember. ;-)  But I'm proud of him nonetheless!

Ruth at 8 months

Waaaaah!  I'm starting to hate these posts.  The time just goes by too fast.

As you can see - she can sit up for longer periods of time.  And this past weekend, I had her sitting in the crook of the couch (so she was inclined), and she worked herself to a sitting position from there.  She was pretty proud of herself, as was Rebekah (who cheered her on!).

She is still adorable sitting up.  She will point her toes forward balancing.  Love it. :)

What?

We still do not have a high chair (shame on us).  We need to - I know.  By now I usually have the kids using their fingers and eating whatever they can put in their mouth.  For now, we are on jar foods.  She is eating at the sitters too.  I wouldn't bother with the jar foods at home (because honestly two meals is enough), but she gets mad at being left out of meals and is much happier if she gets to "eat".  I have to say, of the 3 kids she has been most interested in partaking!  I certainly don't recall the others being so vocal.

Wasn't too sure of carrots at first - but she warmed up to them!

She is also rather independent.  This should not be a shock.  But she really has to have some involvement with the spoon going in her mouth and simply opening up and letting you do the deed will not do.  This is no big deal, except when we are in a hurry.  She can get pretty messy.

Bibs are required!

No sign of crawling...meaning she isn't anywhere near to figuring it out.  She does prop herself up and rock her front, but she still has to get the whole back-end-coordination thing going.  And I believe she is definitely interested in getting around...nothing makes her madder quicker than being abandoned by her beloved brother and sister.

She will sorta play peek-a-boo.  It doesn't hold her interest for too long.  (It was one of Peter's favorite games!) She is still smiley as all get out (and the thing that she is known for). 

Yesterday I sat her in the booth between Peter and I at a restaurant.  Peter was showing her how to bounce in the seat...and she did her best to follow his lead.  Just as Peter looks to Rebekah for leadership, I'm certain Ruth will look to Peter and Rebekah.  Nevermind what Mom says...what do I know anyway? 

And it is clear Ruth's absolute favorite people are Rebekah and Peter.  I certainly wouldn't have it any other way!

Presenting Rebekah, Star of Tomorrow!

Rebekah had her FIRST ever recital.  She of course was adorable!

All the girls got to go across the stage by themselves as their name was called. It was part of introducing the "Stars of Tomorrow".

Not sure what was up with the tongue...

They then gathered as a group on stage and went through some group moves.  Each girl got to pick their favorite tap move with the class following suite.

Rebekah selected heel-toe taps (if I remember correctly).

One of the few face shots...she faced to the side most of the time.

They gathered in a line for a group bow.

A shot with her teacher!

And then headed of stage.  Rebekah did great (of course!) and was adorable (of course!).  We stayed and watched the entire show and she loved every  bit of the show.  In fact, she previously had told us she wanted to take a break over the summer.  But very soon after the show she cried and told us she didn't want to.  But, we felt a break was a good thing and so she will start up in the fall again.

Incidentally, my recital outfit when I was her age was also bright green.  I'll have to see if I can find a picture!

This last weekend I took all 3 kids and a friend of Rebekah's to "Alice in Wonderland" presented by Ballet in the Park.  They perform the show for free at various parks around town.  This is the first time I was able to make it.  Rebekah at first thought SHE was performing (HAHAHA! I got a kick out of that one!).  Once I straightened her out though, she was excited and thoroughly enjoyed the show.  I think seeing performances fuels her interest.  :-) 

I have no idea if she'll stick with it, but as long as she enjoys it we will certainly do it!

Ruth at 7 andahalfmonthsbutwhoiscounting old

Oh boy...I can't believe Ruth is already 7 AND A HALF months old.  HOW did this happen?

And for her 7 month birthday she has begun sitting up for short bursts.  At first it was with a toy between her legs.  NOW she can sit there and balance herself (even putting an arm down to steady herself) for a minute or two...maybe a little longer.

OH BOY.  That is all I can say.  It is going by way too fast.  I meant to write this post a couple weeks ago but I put it off ONE NIGHT and here we are 2 weeks later.  Here are a few other Ruth facts!

• She is still fiercely independent.  She does not mind playing by herself in the least bit.
• But she doesn't like to be lonely.  So she will do better for longer if someone in is in the room with her.
• She likes TV.  Yikes.  Rebekah at this age also liked TV and is now a TV zombie.  So I believe I have another TV zombie on my hands.  (Peter is not.  He wasn't even interested in the TV until maybe 8 mo ago or so.)
• She likes food.  She gets mad if we do not feed her when we eat.  So I've been trying to incorporate feeding her every day.  (I mean SOLIDS!  Of course I feed her every day! LOL)
• I believe this translates into she wants to be like everyone else. ;-)  I picture Rebekah and Peter running around doing their thing with Ruth trailing behind as soon as she figures out how to trail behind... :-P
• She is a very smilee baby and will smile at anyone.  They just have to say "hello!"  And it usually isn't a little smile, but a big gigantic gummy smile that takes up her whole face.  Of course this makes her a crowd pleaser at church!
• Ruth likes toys.  Rebekah never played with toys much (still doesn't really...she will if you do with her but doesn't by herself).  Peter plays independently by himself and has an amazing imagination.  Ruth likes to fiddle with toys and plays with them even more than I recall Peter playing with them.  There are a few that she plays with that I know the other two did not.  She just loves toys!  (This makes car trips nice...she is pretty easy to entertain!)
• She both sucks her thumb and takes a pacifier.  I'm hoping this means she will be able to give her thumb up a little easier than it has been for Rebekah.  

Ruth is a delight.  Babies are amazing in that it doesn't take long at all and you can't remember life before them.  I don't know what our family did before Ruth came along.

And I am so blessed that all my kids adore one another.  Peter HAS to play with Ruth every morning and pledge his undying love to her.  If he doesn't, his day just does not go right.  (It is cute too...to hear a 3 yo boy talk in a high pitched voice telling his baby sister how she is the cutest baby in the world!)  Rebekah loves caring for Ruth, holding Ruth and making Ruth smile.  And BOTH kids will run in and say "ALERT ALERT!  Ruth wants [insert whatever they think here]" whenever Ruth cries. :-P

Ruth has started grabbing.  And of course she will grab whatever she can.  So Peter has started introducing Ruth like this..."This is my baby.  She pull hair so be careful."  LMHO!

Peter funnies, Ruth tricks and Rebekah's big changes

Another hilarious Peter story...at dinner the other night Rebekah asked for more fruit.  I looked at her plate and saw it was mostly empty.  William said "Eat a piece of chicken...then you can have more fruit."  Dinner was comprised of teriyaki chicken, broccoli and fruit.  Rebekah hopped up and went to the restroom.

It was at this point in time I realized that she had broccoli under her plate.  The scene struck me as funny.  I said "Looks like Rebekah needs to find a better spot to hide her broccoli!"  William looked over and laughed and agreed.  Then Peter piped up..."She should hide it down her throat!"

Of course William and I laughed for what seemed like forever while Peter beamed.  I had a piece of pineapple in my mouth and so was attempting to keep the pineapple in my mouth while I involuntarily laughed.  It feels good to have such a good laugh every now and then.

For the record - Rebekah does like broccoli.  When she came back I noticed she would take out piece of broccoli from under her plate and eat them.  So I am not sure why she put them there.


In other news, this weekend we had another Ruth milestone.  William and I were going out.  The only way the kids let us out of the house is if we leave someone fun behind to watch them.  This particular evening, it was going to be two teenage girls that are favorites of Rebekah and Peter.  Their mom, Jan, stopped by to drop them off and we chatted briefly.  William was holding Ruth when he started to say that Ruth sort of waived earlier to a teacher at the daycare.  As if she understood what we were talking about, she began to demonstrate...and waived at Jan.  (This of course was her first OFFICIAL waive since I was witness to it!)

Ruth waived at the two girls as we left (we took Ruth with us) and later waived at me during dinner.  Her little waive is so stinking cute!  I definitely need to get some video.  She holds her arm up for awhile then sort of turns her wrist.  When everyone makes a huge deal out of it she just beams in pride!

I had to laugh at church on Sunday, because I shared her waiving with a few folks.  Before Ruth could actually waive, they would get excited, grab her hand and shake it...all the while telling her what a great job she was doing at waiving.  I found it funny...because they missed the actual waive.  (And I wonder if they thought I was making it up?)


And lastly - we went to kindergarten roundup at Rebekah's new school.  We were late - but that is OK.  It worked out.  We met a few of the teachers and chatted with them.  They were pretty friendly.  Rebekah's favorite part?  Dodger, the blank panther (and school mascot) showed up.  Hot dogs were also served (her favorite food).  On our way in we also passed by a library and she was in aw that the school had its own library.  I believe she views the school as Utopia...haha! 

We chatted with the teachers and they took me a little more seriously this time when I discussed Rebekah being advanced.  That was nice and gave me a little more peace.  And I was pretty excited about what some of the advanced kids do...they write a book together.  The school then gets it published and each kid gets a copy.  How neat is that?  We talked extensively about reading and not so much math.  But she will be advanced mathematically too. I'm sure it will be OK - they seemed genuinely interested in keeping her challenged which is a good thing.

One last thing is that all the teachers seemed genuinely excited to be there.  They wanted to teach and they wanted to teach at that school.  That is a good sign of a good principle.  YAY!  I'm so excited for Rebekah!

Ruth at 6 1/2 months

Waaaaahhhhhh!  When I came to this realization I about fell over.  I had only realized she was 5 months already about the week before.  Where has time gone?

I haven't taken the traditional bear picture yet (I did for 5 mo but never posted).  I thought I'd share what Ruth is doing before we get to 7!

Ruth is a smilee baby.  It is the thing she is noticed for.  She is also giggly.  And friendly.  And slobbery...LOL

Ruth is also rolling now.  Just this week she has figured out she can roll over multiple times to get somewhere.  She LOVES to play with toys.  I don't recall the other two playing quite as much as she does.  Maybe it goes back to her independence?  She will occupy herself with toys for quite some time.  This is a relief to me - allows me to sit her down and get stuff done.

This last Saturday we had a big milestone. 

She had her first solids!  For her first meal we gave her baby oatmeal mixed with breast-milk of course!

Rebekah did most of the feeding.  We let Peter also have a turn but his interest did not last.  Rebekah had a lot of fun feeding Ruth.

Ruth loved it.  We still need to get a high chair (last one broke), so she didn't get to play in it much.  BUT she loved fiddling with the bowl and spitting it out (of course).

The time is simply going too fast.  :'-(

Ruth at 5 months

I know she is almost 6 mo - but I'm trying to not think about it.

Right now - Ruth loves grabbing things.  She works so hard to get things.  She has flipped over a couple times from belly to back, but is content usually to just hang out on her belly.  Or scream until someone picks her up if she is tired of that.  She has also learned it is super easy to pull the blanket towards you to get the toys...instead of you know...reaching.

She has not flipped the other way, but has come really close.  

She loves smiling - and loves to smile at people.

I think that her siblings are her absolute favorite people.

She wouldn't leave the bear alone so I could get a classic "next to" picture...LOL
This was the best I could do.

Jovial! (I love this shot!)

Sassy!

Focus!  (This was the first time in her exersaucer!)

And of course - everything goes straight to the mouth!

She still sucks her thumb on occasion, but will also take a pacifier.  I find this fascinating and a classic blend of the other two (Rebekah the thumb sucker and Peter the pacifier kid!). 

Ruth has everyone wrapped around her pinky.  Just recently, when she realized everyone was leaving with her laying on the bed (William was still in there, but his attention was not focused on her) she cried out.  We ALL went running back in to see what happened...and she was then HAPPY as a CLAM!

She loves to laugh and sometimes will laugh at you - even though you are just standing there.  If baby giggles weren't so darn cute, it would probably give me a complex!!

She is sleeping OK.  She is getting a little better at co-sleeping, which is a good thing.  Co-sleeping is this working Mama's coping mechanism!  Previously she'd wake up me up after an hour or so - wanting to go back to her crib.  That doubled the night wakings for me!  Yikes!  So I think with just her - I get up 2-3 times now.  Peter goes in spurts between coming in our room at night and staying in bed all night.  Rebekah does a pretty good job (usually) at staying in bed and just crawling into our bed in the wee hours of the  morning (like 6:00 AM usually).

I am finally feeling like I have a handle on things.  I have found leaving work on time and rushing hope to clean house real fast does wonders for my weekend mood.  It takes me about an hour to get the house clean.  I pick up the kids and TADA - I start off my weekend with everything I need done...done!  Which is WONDERFUL!  Frees me up so much.

And laundry has been mostly caught up the past couple weeks.  (Ruth's is a little behind b/c I was out of shout...a requirement for her clothes! LOL)  This is a major accomplishment for me.

Working mom's mantra

One of the many working mom mantra is - if I didn't see it, the baby didn't do it!

Last week I heard a rumor that Ruth may or may not be able to roll over from belly to back now.  (Ruth's sitter started this rumor!)  I diligently put her on her belly plenty this weekend.  She came really close several times.  At one point Rebekah, Peter and I all sat around Ruth and cheered her on. ;-)  She loved the attention.  But still no rolling action going on.

And so - the rumor remains just that...a rumor. But I bet it becomes fact really soon!

Rebekah at 5

I realized I hadn't posted much about milestones about Peter or Rebekah since...well, since they were babies.  Since they are older now, their "milestones" aren't really so clear...not like "Oh hey they took a step!"

So - things Rebekah is working on...

- Reading.  She knows probably 100 sight words and can sound out a lot of words.  She LOVES picking up books and reading them and is tickled pink if it is a brand new word.  She gets a little overwhelmed if there are too many words on a page, even if she knows them all.  So I need to work with her on that.

- 'Tude with a capital T.  No seriously.  She has told us many times that something is "none of your business".  Our standard response has been "EVERYTHING is our business!"  I think she is catching on.  I caught her telling Peter that the other day.

- Math.  Rebekah loves math.  OK - she loves learning.  She loves useless facts and tidbits too.  The girl is a knowledge vacuum.

- Social butterfly.  The girl is a social butterfly.  She has a deep love for people in general and isn't afraid of talking to people. And talk she will.  The girl is a chatter and will tell you everything that is running through her mind.


 Rebekah makes me smile almost daily and when she isn't make me laugh and smile, she is making me pull out my hair.  I love this age though.  Her logic and inquiry is just plain precious.

Back to work and snow daySSS

Next week I go back to work.  It has been a great time off and I am sad it is already over.  It is amazing how short it is but how far away it seemed back in October.

The thing that has been on mind the most is how our evenings will work once I return.  William and I are swapping roles around - which is a rather large change.  Since Rebekah was born, I have always done drop off and he has done pick-up.  William also would get home first, so he'd do dinner.  We are swapping it around for a variety of reasons...but it is huge change.  AND I'm so freaking nervous about it.  Secretly, evening duty has always seemed a bit harder...getting dinner going being the largest factor.  I'm going to look at more ways to possibly streamline the dinner process.  For example, making meals on weekends and freezing them, preparing things the evening before, making meals that can carry over for more than one day (meaning - lots of left over eating!).  No ONE thing will work, but maybe if I employ them all I can find the right balance that works for us.  Incidentally, being able to cook dinner without a time crunch has been one of the things I've enjoyed the most...that and my super duper clean house.

In other news - it snowed on Sunday night.  For ONCE I enjoyed the snow fall.  There was absolutely NO REASON for it to be bad.  And amazingly school was not canceled.  (Our center has the dumbest policy about closing when the local school district closes...it is one of the things I despise the most but have the least power to change.  It grates on my nerves that the director always says "We must think of our staffs' safety..." because honestly, most people have to go to work anyway.  It just means they either WFH or they find alternate backup care.  But I digress...)  I chose to keep the kids home anyway.  I saw no reason to send 'em with bad roads.

The kids and I went and played in the snow in the morning for about an hour and a half or so.  Then they watched some TV, had some hot cocoa and played.  It was a laid back day and we all enjoyed it.

The next day (Tuesday), they canceled school.  The reason was it was "too cold".  Cold?  Yes.  Good reason to cancel school?  Well - considering school is generally an indoor thing, not really.  But whatever, it was done.  So the center was closed and we had a second snow day.

We had a movie day.  The kids watched a couple movies in the morning, then that afternoon we played.  Fun times by all.  (With my kids, let 'em stay in the PJs, bring pillows and blankets into the living room, and you have a par-tay!  They love it!)  I did let the kids watch Empire Strikes back (they have been obsessed with Star Wars lately), and that may have been a mistake.  The fact Darth Vador cuts off Luke's hand bothered them...AND the fact that he is Luke's father bothered them.  They were relived Luke got a new hand so that passed, but we spent the day talking about how some Daddy's aren't nice fellas and everyone has to make the choice to be good.  Made for some interesting discussions. 

Additionally, we somehow got on the discussion of Peter's leg being broken when he was smaller...and now Peter will tell you he got a new leg when he was a baby.  Dunno if he would have came to this same conclusion previous to whole hand thing!

Then Wed...they canceled school again.  I was nervous.  The kids were already going stir crazy from Tuesday.  My sister-in-law reminded me of the fine art of fort building.  So after several activities that morning, when I looked at the clock and it was still 8:30 AM I took out the big guns.

We built a massive fort.

A later version of this for had Peter's comforter on the table, to add additional coverage.  It had the bonus of being a "bed" up top.

The kids played with that thing for about 2 hours.  No fighting.  It was amazing.  They had a total blast.  I can't recall any cute stories, but I was giggling at their antics.

I hung out with Ruth mostly, who enjoyed the fun.  She, by the way, has discovered the magic of wiggly toes.

Ruth has also been grabbing more (she grabs my hair every single time I pick her up!) and yesterday she somehow managed to push her little play-thingy-that-hangs-stuff-over-her-head-to-bat-at away.  She was under it - and then voila, it was too the side!  Ruth is giggling more and more and has also taken to imitating us.  There are certain things we will do (stick out our tongue or waiving your arm for example) and she will do back.  She also likes it if you imitate her. 

After nap the kids built yet another fort.  Ok - I did.  But it was at their request.  :-)

Oh yeah - did I mention we all spent the entire day in our PJs?  Again?  :-)  And every. single. toy. in the house was out.  The kids did an amazing job picking up - I was really impressed.  I only had to ask them a couple times (when it was time) and no yelling required.

It was a fun three days, but boy was I happy to have a quiet day at home today.  I had been viewing this week as a vacation week.  I know things will be fast paced and non stop when I return to work.  So a little down time is just what I need!