June 2016

Summer officially begins!!  That means Samara's dance rehearsal/recital, some extra play dates, Summer U Jr. at church, get togethers with friends and, again, plenty of work to do on the reno houses.  Jeff got basement work done on Memphis house, a project he undertook himself to help his bottom line.  It was a lot of work, but seems like it will still be worth it!  Father's Day was Wesson's dedication at church then potluck lunch at our house.  Our house was full, but it's great to have family together to catch up.  We had a group of friends from high school in town this month, so we were able to get together for a play date as well as a dinner out with just the grown-ups to catch up (thanks to my parents for babysitting that night)!  
Courtney and I gave my Dad a gift of a Dad/daughter date night for a Birthday gift and we planned it for the end of the month.  We chose dinner at Sgt. Peffers, miniature golf followed by ice cream.  It was a fun, relaxing evening and Courtney beat us both at golf! 

Samara's Moments for the Month:

• One evening while getting ready for bed, I see Samara desperately digging in pockets of some denim shorts in the dirty clothes pile.  She is so mad that the two quarters that she put in her pocket got lost.  I try to explain that pockets aren't always the best place for keeping money.  When Jeff comes in the room, she hands him the shorts and he starts trying to dig through the pockets as well.  I then realize something once he is holding them up.  Well, the quarters aren't there because those are Wesson's denim shorts!  Jeff said he can't tell the difference (they do look about the same).  Samara found her actual shorts in the pile and there were the quarters in the pocket.  :)
• June 13th - First dance recital!  She wasn't sure about the dance rehearsal and was a little nervous.  (Said I hadn't prepared her for the fact that the stage would be a wood floor rather than tile like at the studio.  Sheesh, I thought I explained all the necessary things!)  But at the recital she did great and seemed to really enjoy it!  Dinner and oreo shake at Applebee's afterwords with grandparents and Courtney.  She LOVED the rose that Daddy brought for her after the show.  She put it in her room in a vase as soon as we got home.
• We put Samara in Summer U Jr. (VBS at our church) this summer for the first time from 6/20-24.  I was the lead teacher for her class of 13 five-year-olds, with a few 13 year old helpers. She liked the crafts, snacks, new friends made and the music and skits by teenagers helping with Summer U.  She was reenacting the Australian adventure theme with Kalum using lines from the skits.  (I wasn't allowed to watch them play though, or she'd stop.  So, I had to read or look at things on the counter and pretend not to listen). ;)
• Samara got a day to pick out fabric and sew with Gemma on her sewing machine and she really enjoyed the day learning to sew and with attention all on her, without her "three year old brother" as she said during the day to Gemma.

Kalum's Moments for the Month:

• Kalum has been loving summer!  Riding bikes, playing with diggers in the dirt, running in the sprinklers, going to the park, etc.
• While running and jumping in the pool, self proclaimed a nickname while running down  the grass to the pool.  Samara ran down first and I was cheering for her with random silly names, including "SamaraNara Sauce".  Kalum yells "Go Kalum Kalum Sauce!"  He says he has two nicknames now, "Kalumus Palumus Decimus Meradeous" (Jeff's nickname for him from Gladiator movie) and the new one.
• Kalum was too young for actual Summer U, but he got to be in the room with kiddos his age and do some similar crafts.  He's pumped for next year when he gets to go to "real" Summer U.

Wesson's Milestones for the Month:

• Mid-month milestones - pincer grasp to pick up cereal puffs, can wave and give high fives.  Liked tuna as well as chopped chicken with his veggies, can get on hands and knees and rock then flops on tummy.  Loves to be held to walk around though-would go all day if you'd let him!  Top tooth coming in soon.
• One day started clapping randomly in morning.  Then by evening clapped every time ball went down slide on one of his toys.
• Wesson was dedicated at church on Father's Day.  He did well and we were so thankful to have family there to celebrate and join us in raising our kids right.
• Has only signed "more" for cheerios and puffs, and not all the time.  Daddy taught him to blow kisses so he does that most often for him.  Can go sitting to tummy, squirm to get a toy he wants, get on hands and knees, then back to sitting, but no actual crawling yet.
• June 29th - He crawled!!  He waited until Daddy was home, crawls three times, then he's done for the day.

As promised, here's June's parenting ah-ha! moment thanks to another Focus on the Family radio show... It is the parent's job to speak truth and the Holy Spirit brings conviction.  This allows you to work to understand the cause of the problem or issue, discuss and pray about it with your kids, not just bring light to the sin.  Once the heart issue is addressed, the behavior can work to correct itself and obedience will follow.  Parent's main job is not to be their kids' friend (which I knew), rather the primary role is to serve as a godly authority figure (good reminder).

May 2016

May was the last month of preschool, the final part of the dance year including recital, day to day summer fun, several family events and continuing to work on both houses.  Check out the pictures of the Memphis house and the work Jeff is progressing on there including entire new basement walls, major landscape work-mulching HUGE pile of trees and other interior work, along with the Eagle house, which will start getting more attention soon.  The Fir St. house is just sitting there for now as we wait for some information on the list setbacks from the Ashland Permits Office.  We took our van in for its first oil change - have we already had it six months?!  What a great choice for our family in this phase of life, though I was always opposed to being a minivan mom.  Nothing like a 3rd kid to change that mindset!

Samara had her last preschool field trip to Gifford Farms and Grandma Cheryl watched the boys for us.  She had her final dance practices and picture day.  She loved putting on her makeup and costumes!  We put her hair up in a bun, but will opt for a ponytail for recital as the bobby pins were too much for her to handle. ;)  

We got to help our nephew Noah celebrate his first birthday!  Courtney and I had fun doing some cake pop making the night before and then the kids loved the monster cake and seeing Noah open his gifts.  We watched Noah one day the following week (in case he'd been exposed to our kids fever/rash), and I cannot imagine having two babies at the same time or doing in-home daycare.  Though I'm sure you get a routine and it might get more manageable...maybe.

We made a day trip to North Loop, NE to attend Jeff's Aunt Sue's wedding on the 26th.  It was great to see family we don't see often like Jeff's cousins and their kids.  All the kids enjoyed playing together during the afternoon and at the reception.  Congrats to Sue and Ron, glad we could attend!  Another family get together was with Pennell's while Grandpa and Grandma were in town at Karre's.  We had a Memorial Day potluck dinner there and Grandpa and Grandma got to meet Wesson!

Samara's Moments for the Month:

• May 5th - first time being sent home from school sick. :(  Teachers called and said she was pale and just not herself.  She fell asleep on the way home and went right to bed.  Fever got up to 103.7 before actual bedtime.  Gave her ibuprofen and she slept all night.  Fever came back but only about 100 on Friday, but seemed like her normal self.  After being in the sun a few spots showed up on her cheeks.  Apparently she got roseola, but since had it before as a baby, was really mild case.
• Lost her first tooth - FINALLY - after weeks of wiggling and refusing to yank it out.  5:30AM she came into our room saying, "Mom, I lost my tooth!"  Apparently while in bed she bonked her head on the wall when flopping back onto pillow when she realized tooth was still there.  She slapped her hand on her mouth and it must have bumped the last thread of root left.  She is so excited that she gets to show off the new space at dance class and Noah's party!
• May 9th - Said she was having a headache, which is totally not normal.  I looked in her mouth and saw first 6-year molar coming in.  Gave some ibuprofen at bedtime so she could sleep better.
• Some days she acts excited about how the school year is almost over.  The next day she is crying because there's only one day of lunch bunch left.  So - who knows who will be crying at her graduation more, me or her?!
• May 23rd - lost 2nd tooth!  She is super excited this time around.  We were in the living room and I said, just pull it out, it's so loose it might fall out by itself.  She popped it out in an instant after a week of having difficulty eating because it was so loose. Another 50 cents for her piggy bank from the tooth fairy.
• May 24th - Last Day of preschool.  She insisted on taking a sad and happy picture in the morning before we left.  She wanted to make wands for all of her teachers - so she crafted them from pipe cleaners, bead and curling ribbon and proudly handed them out to each teacher that morning.  They got to play water games and enjoy the last day with their friends.  That night was her graduation, where she (kind of) sang the songs and then got to have her name called to walk across stage.  I survived tear free, it helps to be trying to shush your 3 year old to keep the sentimentality down.  We went out for ice cream to celebrate afterwords at DQ.

Kalum's Moments for the Month:

• And Kalum also got sick this month, he actually brought it into the house.  He had a fever all week, ended Wednesday overnight.  Thursday the rash showed up...roseola is my "mom diagnosis" after seeing on Samara when she was younger.  Rash stayed through Sunday, but having been in the sun a couple days, it made it show up more.
• We had another successful home haircut mid-month!  Kalum decided he hates the hair clippers (as in, wiggling all over and covering his ears as soon as the buzzing starts), so I have to do almost the whole haircut with scissors.  At first I wasn't sure, but he was eager to show Samara when we got her from school, so I guess it was acceptable.  (or he wanted to tell her he got to watch a show and have a sucker. That is equally, if not more exciting than the new 'do I'm sure.)
• We have noticed that Kalum takes a bit longer to warm up to new people and places than Samara.  If something is not as expected, he resorts to not wanting to even go in the front door when we arrive.  Once reassured, he'll eventually come in and join, or we have to just leave him there and let him get comfortable on his own.

Wesson's Milestones for the Month:

• He typically doesn't cry at night once his tummy is full.  Early in the month he must have been teething again, because after changing, rocking and walking, finally gave him some medicine and after 20 minutes he was asleep again until morning.
• Roseola for Wesson as well, unfortunately!  It's hard because the virus is most contagious in two days before fever and that's the first symptom.  He had decreased appetite and longer naps, but a happy demeanor.
• May 9th - Stopped using the sleep sack and wrapping blankets this weekend.  He's getting too tall and seems to sleep just fine rolling all around in his bed. :)
• Figured out he can raise and lower a blanket over his face to play peekaboo.  He does the motion so fast though that you can barely say, "Where's Wesson?" and he's already uncovered his face and is laughing.
• Mid month - For past few weeks he has been waking at night between 12AM and 3AM.  Tonight I'm going back to a BabyWise technique, bump up a feeding to when I got to bed.  Hopefully he will make it all night, fingers crossed.  Okay - that did NOT turn out well.  He ate at 11PM then woke to eat at 3AM and wouldn't go back to sleep until 4:30AM!  Will try a couple more nights, but then nevermind on that process.  Maybe both my boys will eat once a night until 11 months. Sigh...
• Mid month - Ate some puffs today.  Actually got a couple in his mouth by himself.  Also started just mashing baby foods rather than puree.  He seems to be taking to that well this week.  Added cauliflower and green beans to his repertoire, chicken is next.
• May 22nd - His long locks were starting to grow over his eyes, so we had to go for the first haircut.  I sat him on the kitchen floor between my knees and clipped away with scissors.  He did well (but considering it was only the hair on top of his head, it was 5 minutes or less!)  Styled his hair with a faux hawk, it's the go-to style for baby boys with basically no hair on the sides of their head!
• Milestones by end of May - He can hold a bottle for entire feeding himself in your arms, likes to be held to stand, just started taking actual steps too while holding hands, kind of makes a "dada" sound, giggles crazily if Samara shakes a plastic bag near him.  Can get up onto knees from tummy and rock back and forth.  In a few days has really picked up speed walking while holding onto our hands.  Tries to get into crawling position from sitting-does a face plant.  It will not be long before he's on the go for sure!
• Schedule - Wakes to eat once a night around midnight usually.  Breakfast-nurse between 8-9AM, nap at ten for almost two hours, lunch at noon-baby food then nurse, nap at two for almost two hours, dinner at four-baby food then nurse, evening nap around 6 usually, up around 8-9PM to have 8oz pumped bottle or nurse, awake a bit then off to bed for the night.  He wakes once to eat and I've tried to change that, but not successful so far.  He wakes between 7-8AM, sometimes talks in crib then goes back to sleep on own for awhile.

Though there are moments where parenting young kids can be crazy and frustrating, I heard something this month to help me keep a long-term mindset.  Focus on the Family had a guest on the show addressing the topic and said this,  "Are you raising a child, or are you raising an adult?"  That makes so much sense to me!  We want to raise our kids so that they can be most prepared to go out into the world (school essentially for now, the real world later) and thrive from the love, life-modeling, beliefs and thought process we have instilled in them.  This convicts me to remember that each situation is not just the present issue, but a moment to teach my kids how to handle something similar down the road on their own.  This is not always through a consequence I lay out for them, but rather may be something that happens as a result of their choice and loving on them through it.  Anyway, just a parenting ah-ha! moment for me this month.  Let's see what June will bring. :)