Conversations

I've had some interesting conversations with the children recently. Matthew and I went to Kohl's to exchange a gift he had received. It was a game he already had and he wanted to exchange it for a Transformer. On the way home, Matthew was asking me about Transformers and I dug into the deep recesses of my brain to remember everything I could about the cartoons. (I haven't seen the movies yet and am not sure I will....the trailer alone made my brain spin from all of the action!) We got on the topic of good guys and bad guys. I explained to him that some mommies won't let their little boys have bad guys b/c they don't want them pretending to be a bad guys. But, I pointed out to him that if you don't have a bad guy, the good guy will get very bored. He thought this was funny and decided to get a bad guy when he and Ben picked out their toys with their Christmas money. But, alas, the conversation was for naught and he got a good guy :) (Ben got Optimus Prime, which Matthew called Optimus Prom...can you even imagine that high school dance?)

Anna has been quite the chatterbox recently. She's stringing together more and more words into sentences. She also quite clearly communicates which boy has hurt her and what he did, much to her brothers' chagrin. She loves to sing, so we find a time each day when she sits on my lap for songs and fingerplays.

The boys learned several Christmas carols this year and not only do they know the words, but they alternate words with each other. One starts and they trade off who does the next word. ANNA has started doing this with them as well! She and Ben did the entire first verse of "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" last night after supper. Remember, Anna is only 21 months old. Rob told her to go out and get a job to help the family since she's so smart. She ran away babbling baby babble and laughing. :)

The kids are just too much fun!

The 2009 Toy Awards

After living for a few days with the various gifts the children have received for Christmas, I thought I might like to give out a few awards to some of these wonderful toys.

Most Educational: Surprisingly, this award goes to Matthew's Hot Wheels Color Change Stunt Ramp. He has to direct the ramp into two tubs or onto another ramp. Go Physics!

Most Creative Use of a Toy: Anna's Sunshine Market. She pulled out the inside stuff and put her legs inside instead to watch TV. (She does play with it normally as well :)

Most Played With Now But Ignored When Opened: Ben's Busy Bugs. He barely glanced at them last Saturday, but he plays with them during school time.

Most Played With When Opened and Now Ignored: Matthew's dinosaurs. He keeps saying that it shrunk. Rob says it just isn't as big as he remembered it.

Most Shared Toy: Ben's "It's A Match" set. The boys sit together and play with it lots.

Cutest Toy: Hmmm....obviously an Anna winner...I think her Giggle Baby (as she calls it) wins this one. If it cries, she gives it kisses and it's blankie.

Most Annoying Use of a Toy: Now, these are not annoying by themselves, but the winners are a pair of books Anna received that play music. They are cute books, but the boys like to each take one and play them at the same time, along with another musical book of Anna's. It sounds like a karioke machine is dying a horrible, electronic death in my living room. Needless to say, Anna can read one at a time until this phase passes. Like I said, I love the books, but the boys can keep their hands off!

Most Useful: The kids got some clothes, which are very useful, but the winner is my kitchen towels. I really needed to replace several of my towels! Thanks Kim and Mom L.!!!

Most Likely to Amuse Mommy: A monkey that chatters when you squeeze it. My mom gave the kids some little stuffed animals that they enjoy when they are at her house. Ben just LOVES this little monkey and I have to admit that I love it too!

Best Game: Matthew's A to Z Jr. Rob and I played it with him yesterday and we're all three hooked on it. Matthew picked it up pretty quickly, I must say.

Best Game, Runner-Up: Ben's Elefun. You can't watch kids chase after butterflies and not smile :)

Funniest Use of a Toy: Ben's dragon riding around in his new dump truck with a small orange dinosaur driving.

Latest Arrival: Matthew and Ben had some Christmas money to spend and they each picked out a Transformer. They have never seen the cartoons, but hey, cars that turn into robots? Any boy would love that!

The kids love all of their gifts and have been bouncing from toy to toy the past few days. We've sat down to read a pile of new books and played many games. Fun times!

The Good Times

This Christmas season started with high hopes and ended up being one I'd like to put in the back of the memory books. Mostly due to the boys' behavior, I must say. And I'd rather not reflect on it in a blog, but rather I'll mention some fun moments with the children in my life. So here are some of the fun memories from Christmas 2009.

Niece Kara Joy (age 6) sitting on my lap right before we opened presents, me trying to convince her that Grandpa bought her a Transformer for Christmas (to her relief, it was a Barbie.)

Niece Kate (age 4) running up and giving me a hug when she arrived.

Niece Callie (age 2) NOT crying when I spoke to her.

Nephew Caleb (age 16 mos) giving Anna lots of hugs and kisses.

Nephew Ezra (age 16 mos) laughing uproariously as Uncle Rob tickled him.

Niece Makenzie (age 17 mos) smiling at me continually.

Nephew Zach (age 11 weeks) smiling and cooing at me and falling asleep on me.

Nephew Jamie (age 2) giggling with Matthew and Ben as they played Elefun and running up and giving me a hug at the restaurant today.

Nephew Julian (age 1 month) looking all snuggly and adorable in his sleeper today.

Daughter Anna (age 21 months) trying to play with Uncle Dan's dog Charlie, getting licked in the face, and putting back the dog toy because she didn't want to play anymore.

Son Benjamin (age 3) opening his dinosaur toy at the Fulkerson side get-together and being VERY surprised.

Son Matthew (age 5) snuggling up to read a pile of books with me on Christmas morning.

So there were some fun moments, thankfully. God also preserved us today on the ride home. A semi got into our lane and almost ran us off the road. God kept Rob calm and he was able to get back onto the highway and pass the semi.

Merry Christmas!

Here's a picture of my cuties before church this past Sunday. Matthew sang in the Cherub Choir, which performed before the big children's program. Next year, he'll be in the program and Ben will be in the Cherub Choir.

Well, the last of the baking is finally done. I had to make two more batches of cookies to take with me to Illinois tomorrow and some rolls for Rob's Christmas party at work. All of the homemade gifts are finished, cards are all done and out, and I think we're ready to just relax with our families. We take off tomorrow afternoon when Rob gets off work and we'll hopefully return on Saturday. The weather looks to be pretty yucky, but we might just make it in and out during the lighter times.

Merry Christmas to all of you and if I don't see you later, good afternoon, good evening, and good night!

Fixing my Mistake

I mentioned in yesterday's post that Ben was jealous of Matthew's present. Mr. Benjamin proceeded to make life pretty miserable for all of us yesterday and his bad attitude eventually effected Matthew as well. We ended up putting the boys to bed early after multiple punishments. Something just kept bugging me about the day, though. I ended up going to bed early myself, but I couldn't sleep. It suddenly dawned on me that the bad behavior stemmed from jealousy. And the jealousy happened b/c Mommy gave Matthew a cool toy and gave Ben some educational items. Sure, the train is a toy, but putting it together was frustrating for Ben. After much prayer and contemplation, I realized that my sweet, little Benjamin just wanted a toy for Christmas.

Now, I know, I know, some parents can be overly indulgent with their children, which is certainly not the case with us. But I could hear his little thoughts as I watched his expressions throughout the day. It was not necessarily about the lack of toy...it was more about the thought behind it. See, my love language is gift-giving so I tend to attach love to gifts. Well, if your older brother gets a cooler gift than you, it must mean that Mom and Dad love older brother more. I know that might seem crazy to some of you, but that only means your love language isn't gift giving. :)

So I did the only thing I could think to do. At 10:40pm, I got dressed and went to Wal-Mart. I prayed the entire time that I was doing the right thing, and sure enough, God answered my prayer. I found the biggest fire truck Wal-Mart had: it was on sale and the last one left. If that doesn't scream RIGHT THING TO DO, then nothing did. I also grabbed a pair of Super Mario Galaxy pj's for Matthew, which was something big on his list. For Anna, I put one of her new sippy cups in a little bag.

When the boys woke up this morning, I told them "Santa" had left them another present. They hurried downstairs (they don't really believe in Santa, but it's fun to tease them). Matthew was excited about the pjs, Anna immediately demanded juice, but Ben's face was priceless. He was trying to get the bindings off the truck with his bare hands.

You know, I don't normally do things like this, but God taught me a lesson last night. Let my kids be kids. I need to leave the teacher hat aside more often and just be Mommy.

Christmas 2009

Since we'll be in Illinois from the 23rd-26th and since we like to do the "wake and open gifts" thing here, we opened our Christmas presents this morning. This year, we decided to buy three gifts for each child instead of one and let them buy the stocking stuffers. I took Matthew out and Rob took Ben shopping for those items. The boys had fun and kept telling each other that they did not buy soda for each other. That was Rob's way of helping them keep from spilling the beans.

Rob and I woke up before the kids this morning and started breakfast. The boys got up at 7am and had to wait upstairs until we were ready and Anna had a diaper change, then they grabbed their stockings off the railing as they headed downstairs. We opened our stockings and tried to guess who gave us what. Anna got a box of Reese's pieces from Ben, M & M's from Matthew, and a peanut butter tree from herself. Ben got a candy cane of chocolates from Matthew, a peanut butter tree from Anna, and a dinosaur egg he can grow and hatch from us. Matthew got a candy cane of Runts from Ben, a peanut butter tree from Anna (I had her purchase a package of them to give away), and a little dinosaur thingy he can excavate on his own. We had bought the dinosaur things before we decided to let the kids do stocking stuffers. Rob got a 2 liter of Coke from Ben, Junior Mints from Matthew, and a pb tree from Anna. I got a Hershey bar from Matthew, chips from Ben, pb tree from Anna, and Rob snuck some Lindt chocolates into my stocking (stinker, we weren't supposed to buy gifts for each other this year!)

Stocking stuffers and early-morning Christmas present opening is a tradition on my side. To bring in one of Rob's family's traditions, we start with the youngest child in present opening. Anna ripped into a book right away (ladybug counting book), and also got a Glow Worm (she was instantly attached and has hardly put it down since) and a set of blocks made by her Daddy. Benjamin got the book "If You Give a Moose a Muffin", the Busy Bugs set from Discovery Toys, and a Motor Works train to add to the Motor Works set. Matthew got the book "Puzzle Island" from Discovery Toys, the game Whiz Kids, and a dinosaur play set. Ben is rather jealous of the dinosaur set, but I know he's getting one from Gma F (shh, don't tell!) so it'll even out later.

We had a yummy breakfast of cinnamon rolls (or cindy rolls, as Anna calls them) and breakfast pizza. We did have to run an errand, but otherwise we'll hang out here today. Rob will take the boys over to the Market (an eclectic little mall on our block) to see a huge model train display. We've also been working on our "Less is More" gift for the Fulkerson Christmas. We're 8/9 of the way done with it!

And just to keep things interesting....

...Matthew "decided" to hit his face against the radiator this evening and pulled out several eyelashes from the middle of his eyelids.

Seriously, I'm NOT getting up tomorrow!!!!

It keeps getting better!

After yesterday's little electrical incident (see previous post) I was hoping for a smoother week. Well. Matthew came racing into the kitchen today holding his head. I didn't see bleeding initially, but then saw the red patch on top of his head. Ben had thrown a truck and Matthew got into the way. The cut was very small, but he had a bump and it was bleeding badly. We got the bleeding to stop and then I washed his hair.

About 20 minutes later, I catch Matthew coming down the stairs with his scissors. I questioned him and he said, "Ben had gum in his hair, but I took care of it." I asked how Ben got gum in his hair and Matthew said he had put it there. Funny, because Ben was the one chewing gum!! Thankfully, the patch on Ben's head is very small and easily hidden by the rest of his hair.

I think I'm going to sleep through the rest of the week and wake up on Saturday.

Angels Working Overtime

What do you get when you add a metal fork,

an electrical outlet,

the plug for the Christmas lights,

and a disobedient three-year-old? Thankfully, nothing more than a surprised little boy!! Today I was in the kitchen and I saw a bright flash out of the corner of my eye. I had just told Ben to stay away from the Christmas lights and I guess he got it in his head to whack the plug with his fork. He wasn't shocked at all and since both the fork and the plug were melted, that's very surprising. Rob looked at the damage and can't see any way Ben didn't get hurt except for guardian angels. Unless somebody out there is an electrician and can explain it to us :)

Praise the Lord for His hand of protection on disobedient children!!!

Getting Ready for Christmas

We've had a fun week of Christmas preparation and activities around here. I've been baking loads of cookies and am planning to make more. My list includes: chocolate covered cherries, chocolate krinkles, molasses krinkles, sugar cookies, chocolate bon-bons (thanks alot, Rach, for giving me such an addictive recipe!), buckeyes, gingerbread cookies, cream cheese candies, mint bars, fudge, chocolate chai bread, and a partridge in a pear tree. We're giving away cookies as gifts this year, so that's why I made so many. The kids took plate-fuls to their Sunday school and children's church teachers today and we're planning to take some to their Tiny Trackers workers on Wednesday. We have a few other plans for the cookies that I'll reveal later. My family is not giving gifts this year, but is instead doing something for others and mine involves cookies, so I can't spoil it for my sibs and parents :)

We also got about a foot of snow on Tuesday, so I gave the boys a snow day on Wednesday. Rob came home early and they all went outside and built a snow fort. Rob was just as excited as they were. He said what they have in the front yard is bigger than anything he built as a child and we're only going to get more snow as the winter progresses, so it should be pretty impressive before it melts. The boys just LOVE getting out there and playing! It was too cold on Thursday and Friday to send them out, but they scampered around as much as they cold on Saturday!

We just got home from our church's cantata, which was wonderful. Ben slept through most of it, but Matthew stayed awake and enjoyed it. We were hopping back in the nursery checking in children since we had loads of visitors, but it was fun. I did have to turn away several children b/c we don't take three-year-olds on Sunday nights. I also had parents trying to check in some 5's, 6's, and I think a 10-year-old! That was kind of crazy.

The boys went to the last library storytime for the year on Tuesday. It was a cookie theme and they got cookies, of course. Anna had fun running around in the baby room playing with toys, only joining her brothers for songs and finger plays.

Ben and I went to a cookie bake on Friday night hosted by a little girl in his Sunday school class and he had a good time. There were many children there he didn't know so he played by himself, but he did enjoy baking cookies.

I also have my Christmas cards finished and plan to mail them out this week. Rob helped me out this year, as well as Ben, so it was a family effort.

Here are a few quotes from our week:

Matthew: (the day after eating chili) "Mom, no more chili for me. That was rough!"

Anna: (To the tune of Ring-Around-the-Rosie) Ring the rosie, Is-a-bel Brody, Anna Anna (and there's no final line.) These are children she plays with in the nursery.

Ben: Well, no quotes for him, but the moms at the cookie bake found him to be a very serious little guy. He's so cute!

A Christmas Carol

Last night, Rob and I took Matthew to see Maranatha's production of A Christmas Carol. Matthew has seen the Mickey Mouse version more times than I can count, so I knew he had the basic storyline down. This was his first live performance, however, so Rob and I were both hoping for the best. He kept asking me questions about the story this week as well as who would play what parts. Two of his friends were in it (one as Tiny Tim and one as Ignorance) and there were several other children and adults he knew in it as well (Scrooge, Christmas Past, and various other roles.) He did ask me who was playing Jimeny Cricket and Mickey Mouse, so we had to explain a few more things to him :)

Rob didn't call for our tickets until Tuesday, but we ended up with front row seats. I was so glad b/c I wanted Matthew to be able to see everything. Since Rob's alumni membership is current we got in for free: otherwise it would have cost $25. Go Alumni!!!

We dropped off Anna and Ben at the sitters and got to MBBC a little early. Matthew was a bit bored in the lobby waiting, and when he gets bored, he gets creative. We were able to keep him busy until we got to our seats. We had explained to him that we couldn't leave once the lights were down so he agreed to hit the bathroom beforehand. And then the play started. Matthew was hooked from the first word! Being opening night, it was a little shaky at the start, but picked up quickly, especially when Jacob Marley entered. They had rods or something in the actors costume so when Scrooge asked him to sit down, it looked like he was sitting in mid-air. Matthew was soooo excited and still says that was his favorite part. There was lots of smoke and some strobe light action during the Christmas Future part. Matthew gripped my leg, put his hands over his ears (but not his eyes) and grabbed my arm and put it over his head, but he just loved it! He also kept telling me it wasn't real, but I think he was trying to convince himself :)

When it all ended, he was beyond excited. He can't wait to go to another play! The Lion King will be in Madison at the end of April and I'd like to take both boys to see it. Looks like we have the makings of another theater junkie in the family!

HA!

I was teasing Rob a few minutes ago and said, "So, should we go to Applebees for supper?" He laughed and then the boys started begging to go. Rob told them no and Ben said, "Come on, Daddy! Don't you get money from work??"

Random Silliness

This week, the boys have been very busy trying to dig a hole to the other side of the world. They got the idea from the book "How to Dig a Hole to the Other Side of the World" which does a great job of explaining what's beneath the earth's surface. Rob thinks they may have moved a few centimeters of dirt from the back yard. They did come running in with what they think is a fossil. I'm pretty sure it's just a hard clump of dirt, but I'm not spoiling the fun :)

Anna had Rob and I cracking up tonight. She knew it was time to get dressed for church, so she came into the room, took off her shirt and pants, took off her diaper, and then ran out yelling, "Bye-bye! Have fun! See you later!"

Anna may be getting over her fear of "Away in a Manger" finally. She kept crying whenever we sang it to her, but she sang the first line or two tonight on her own. Then Ben and I finished it but she started whining at the end. I think it may just be an act at this point.

Ben thinks kissing is rather fascinating. If Rob and I are smooching, he'll come in and sit on our feet and watch us. He finds it so interesting that he's decided to test it out. With Matthew. Matthew is not nearly as enthusiastic as Benjamin. I'm sure you can predict the outcome of that one!

I just love my kids. I was thinking today of what a wonderful gift it is that I stay home with them all the time and am homeschooling. There are so many moments I would miss if I didn't get to be around the kids all of the time. They are so cute :)

Ben vs. Anna

I was hanging up our coats tonight when we got home from church and I turned around in time to see Ben dragging Anna by her tights across the hardwood floor. She looked rather surprised and I couldn't help it, I just started laughing. I managed to choke out, "Ben, don't do that! You'll stretch out her tights. Oh, and you might hurt your sister." You know, go for the obvious reason not too do something first. I removed her tights and went into the kitchen, but not before I heard her yell out, "Benji, no spin Anna! That's naughty!" I guess he got told!

She also been using more sentences, like "I want juice" instead of just "juice" and "How about Ring the Rosie" instead of an insistent "Ring the Rosie" when she wants to play. And the other day she strung together a medley of songs. She started with the beginning of "ABC's" then hit the middle of "Jesus Loves Me" and ended with the last line of "The B-I-B-L-E."

Thanksgiving with the Lits

On Wednesday of this past week, we took off for Illinois to celebrate Thanksgiving with our families. Rob was able to get off work a tad bit early and because of that, we made it in time for a big Litwiller/Schertz family dinner. And I mean just in time: we pulled in at the same time as Rob's parents at the restaurant. We looked a might disheveled, Rob having sat in chocolate and in his traveling shorts, me in a rather dressed-down outfit, and the kids looking like, well, kids that had been in a car for four hours! I was feeling very out-of-sorts and not fit for human company, but it was nice to see everyone. I hit the shower after the kids went to bed that night and slept off the crankies. Sort of. I never sleep well away from home!

The next day we visited with Rob's youngest brother and his wife, who are expecting their first baby in July. We gave them all sorts of unsolicited advice on baby care that I hope they immediately forget, because I always tell new parents, "Don't listen to anything anybody tells you, even me. Do what's best for your baby." We also saw his middle brother, wife, and oldest child Jamie. Melissa was pregnant with their second son, who was born the following morning. We didn't get to see the baby b/c Rob had a sore throat and didn't think it best to pass that on to a newborn. We'll see baby Julian Mitchell at Christmas instead.

Our dinner was wonderful, especially since we had pork tenderloin instead of turkey! Rob and I are not great turkey lovers, but will tolerate it once a year if we have to. The kids all ate pretty good and enjoyed the meal. Anna, my little carnivore, ate an entire piece of pork! And she tried pumpkin pie for the first time and loved it.

On Friday, I went out shopping at 5:45am. Kohls had toys on sale and I had a coupon so I "braved" it. I really don't have a problem shopping on Black Friday and find people funny who keep saying, "This is crazy! This is nuts!" when they walk into a store. Seriously, did they not know what they were getting into?? Anyway, I waited a mere ten minutes in line to pay, then went to Toys R Us to find what I couldn't get at Kohls. Again, I waited about five-ten minutes in line. I guess the wait to pay earlier in the morning was almost 3 hours. That's a little excessive for me! So, the moral of the story is: go a few hours after the store opens if you're not looking for the reduced-price-but-under-stocked items. And then I used some coupons at Lane Bryant, in which I was the only customer. Not bad!

We took the kids to the Children's Museum at 9am along with my in-laws and Jamie, who was dropped off by his tired daddy. My sister and mother met us there and I got to see my nephew Zach for the first time. He was so cute! Uncle Rob put him to sleep (Zach had a cold anyway so his mommy didn't mind a slightly sick Uncle Rob holding him.) After two hours at the museum, we took the kids to McDonald's, then on to Pontiac to stay with my parents. My brother Joel, wife Cara, and son Ezra stopped in for supper and a visit. I didn't know we'd be seeing them, so it was a nice surprise!

We took off for home on Saturday morning and got here by early afternoon. In the evening, we went to the Christmas Parade of Lights. We have enjoyed going to that parade every year since we've been here. The boys just loved it! Anna fell asleep half-way through, but her sleep schedule has been off so I wasn't surprised. Ben is a cute-magnet: he was given a teddy bear and a snowman lamp. Anna was given a squishy turtle. Poor Matthew has apparently passed the age of little-kid cuteness. He was rather sad, but he did pick up WAY more candy than Ben. We had two teenagers with no knowledge of personal space standing near us. Several times I turned to talk to Rob and one of the teens was standing there instead. I kept moving up our family to get away from them, but they didn't take the hint! Oh well, the parade was still lots of fun!

And now I'm off to finish my grocery shopping, including the purchase of baking supplies. I'm going all out this year!

The TV/Wii-free Week

Last Saturday, Rob and I decided to check our Wii and see how much time we had spent on it that day. Our jaws dropped as we saw that between the four of us who play, we logged over six hours just that day alone! We looked backwards over the previous two weeks and saw that most days were under two hours, but that's still not good. So we made a little agreement--that we would try a week w/o any DVD's or Wii playing. We haven't had any TV channels since Matthew was one, but we were certainly plunking in the DVD's more that we care to admit--even to each other.

The kids were less than thrilled about the new arrangement and spent two-three days following me around the house. I started playing some CD's for them and they just sat in the dining room and listened. Pathetic. My children normally rip all over the house and play when the TV is on, but couldn't come up with much of anything to do without it. I am happy to say that they are now playing with toys they haven't paid attention to in a long time and just drag one of the speakers into the living room. They have a new love for Patch the Pirate and can work a tape deck. (I wonder how many of their peers even know what a tape deck is??)

Our biggest challenge came Tuesday night. We had agreed to babysit for some friends of ours who were attending a visitation up north for a youth pastor who was killed in a car accident. (If you think of it, pray for the Tobin family--his wife is left with three young children to raise.) My normal plan would include watching a movie toward the evening, but Rob and I decided we needed to stick to our plan. Thankfully, he came home right before they arrived so I had help. The three older children played outside, played in the toyroom, played games, and had a marvelous time. The younger girls had a good time as well, until little Maddie, age one, found Anna's special baby dolls. Miss Anna wasn't all too happy about it, but we made her share one of them. We also took a trip to the library, which was loads of fun.

So here's my assessment after one week of no TV or Wii: I like it. My children are calmer overall, they play together better than before, they get into less trouble, their attention spans have lengthened, and they walk around singing songs about cleaning their room and obeying right away. I've decided to add more "school" to our day, playing learning games, doing Brain Quest cards, and other activities. The change is astounding. We have already decided to leave movies for special family times, illnesses, and the doldrums of winter. Wii is for family time and winter (we have the Wii Fit, which has a running course on it that the boys can do for excercise.) although Rob and I will probably use it more regularlly.

On a different note, Anna has two songs on her blacklist: Away in a Manger and Rock-a-bye Baby. Sing them to her and she'll instantly start crying. I'm thinking that she thinks we're talking about doing something mean to her baby dolls, but I'm not sure. The boys amused themselves the other day by forcing her to stay upstairs and singing to her. Poor little girl!

Matthew

Okay, time for the Matthew post. I just now published this as the first sentence only...hopefully no one is trying to read it....

Matthew is an active five-year-old, for sure! He has always been my high-energy child and he hasn't slowed down yet. No, I take that back. He does slow down enough to play his favorite Wii games and would play for hours if we let him. He's a master at Super Mario Galaxy and Mario Party 8. I haven't really gotten him onto the computer much, but we're going to work on that soon. Our whole family loves playing the Wii (which the boys are currently doing) so it's no surprise that Matthew is an much an addict as Rob and I!

We've started letting he and Ben go outside by themselves. That's finally going well. I hadn't really allowed it sooner, partly because our yard is a mosquito plantation in summertime and partly b/c I was nervous about what they would DO if let out alone. But it's going well and I'm glad. It's good to say, "Go outside!" when they get too rambunctious. And my kids are as impervious to the cold and Rob and I so I'm sure they will go out until the temps dip into the teens. Maybe they'd keep their jackets on at that point....

Kindergarten is going well. We are contintuing to use Sonlight's Core 4/5, which is a preschool program we started back in the early spring. We will finish it up around January. I'm not going to order the whole of Core K, but just a few books and then get all of the readers and such from the library. We're supplementing the core with the Explode the Code series for phonics and Minquon Math. I'm not sure I really like the math program, but he is learning and I like to finish it before I pass judgement. We believe in a more unschooling approach to learning, so he may be learning more math from the games we play and, oddly enough, video games than the math program. I also purchased the entire Think it Through set from Discovery Toys and that is supplementing the math program very nicely. He's reading well and loves to take books to bed with him. I enrolled him in Pizza Hut's Book It program and he has already earned his November certificate! I decided to have him read 10 easy readers per month (the level 3's) but that seems to be too easy. We tried a short chapter book but he was overwhelmed by it, so we'll stick with the easier books. I know he reads at least twice that amount of books each month, so I think I'll up the goal in December. And try again with the "regular" books.

We decided not to do a handwriting program with him. He's very determined to write his letters properly, so I don't see the need for a program to teach him. We also try to fit in crafts where we can, the most recent one being egg carton caterpillars. Reminds me...they are not finsihed yet! We are also working on skills that kindergarteners need to know, like shoe tying, knowing address and phone number, and some other things. He's working hard to tie those shoes but hasn't quite gotten it yet. Anything that doesn't come easily for Matthew frustrates him. So we're also teaching patience :)

Matthew loves attending Tiny Trackers each week. They have too many kids for one room now, so the kindergarteners are taken to a different room for part of the night. He loves going and memorizes his verses easily. Ben wasn't there last week b/c of his cold/croup, so we'll see how he handles it next week when Matthew starts in a different room.

Matthew and Ben have been great friends for awhile, but he and Anna are bonding great as well. They love to make each other laugh. She knows just what to do to get him going! He's a great helper around the house and is usually eager to help out. He completes his chores quickly and thoroughly, something I NEVER thought he'd do!

There is one major problem with Matthew, however. He keeps growing! I told him to stop, even threatened punsihment, but he tells me that he can't help it. He said he's supposed to get bigger b/c that's the way God made him. And God made him a pretty neat kid.

Making Mommy Laugh

Today, Ben was "playing" the piano and he pulled out one of my Christmas books. He then started to sing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas", stopped halfway through it and said, "Mom, you can't marry Christmas!"

I was reciting a few poems for Matthew and started quoting Mary, Mary Quite Contrary. I got to "silverbells and cockleshells" when he stopped me and said, "Taco shells?" and laughed himself silly.

Anna had a few random moments of peek-a-boo. For instance, she was sitting at the table quietly munching on her cereal when she ducked her head under the table, then popped up, looking at Ben, and said, "Peekie boo!"

I do not, however, find their new wake-up times very funny. After almost two weeks of the new time change, Anna has gone back to her regular wake-up time of 7am. The boys, however, like to get up with Rob at 5am. If it's just Matthew, he will watch a movie while the rest of us sleep after Rob leaves for work. If it's just Ben, I can convince him to go back to sleep in my bed. But when both of them are up, I have to get up b/c there's no telling what evil thoughts lurk in their heads. Or loud thoughts. At least they go to sleep right away when they are put to bed at night. We do devos at 8pm and Anna and Ben fall right to sleep. Matthew will read in his bed then go to sleep. And they do share a room.

You know, back in the early days of Matthew's infancy, I would read in child care books about sleep requirements. Little did I know that my eldest would be at the minimum! There are some nights he gets about eight hours. Ben is usually at ten and Anna at ten with a 2-3 hour nap in the afternoon. And I'm always amazed when I hear from other parents how long their children sleep. Amazed and envious. I love them at their ages now, but the sleepy part of me longs for the teen years when they sleep for large amounts of time. Who knows, maybe Matthew will go about nine hours by then! :)

My silly kiddos

This past Saturday, we decided to let the boys play outside by themselves. I know, I know, many children their ages are already doing that but I've been hesitant to allow it for reasons that I'm too tired to type out. It was a nice Indian Summer day so we kicked them outside. Over and over and over again. Those little goofballs would not stay outside without us. Finally, Rob set a timer and made them stay out! They kept complaining they were bored, they needed their shoes tied, they wanted to say "I love you", and on the list goes. We made them go out yesterday and FINALLY today they begged to go outside. They still keep coming back in, but at least they are staying outside longer. They have had their lesson on talking to strangers and know their boundaries. Anna enjoyed watching them from the window. She pulled an empty tub up to the end table and had a snack while watching their antics.

Speaking of Anna, she's been saying some silly things recently. If you ask her , "Where's Anna?" she'll say "Peek-a-boo!" When I ask her "Are you pretty?" she'll respond, "I Anna!" Whenever the timer for the oven goes off she yells out, "Hot pizza!"

We started something new today. Ben's SS teacher spoke in the student wives fellowship awhile back and gave out loads of preschoolish stuff for our use. I am taking an idea from it to make an octopus head for each child. The legs of the octopus each represent something they need to learn and when they have accomplished a skill they get to add that leg to their octopus. The boys have similar things to do, like hold a pencil properly, recite their phone number and address, and tie their shoes. Matthew pretty much does some of these just fine but Ben is ahead of him in learning to tie shoes. Matthew has to learn to properly write his letters while Ben needs to recognize them. I told the boys that it might take them a long time to learn some of the skills but that's okay. When they have all the legs on they will get a special prize. Anna watched me cut out the parts and wanted one too, so hers is all potty related.

I probably should do a post on Matthew and how he's doing in kindergarten, which is quite well. We're really enjoying this school year together.

Another week

On Tuesday of this week, Rob came home and said, "Well, I still have a job!" The C.S. did more cuts this week, which was a complete surprise b/c they said they wouldn't do anymore after the last cut. However, it was either that or shut down for two months and hope to reopen next year. We don't really know how Rob, who has worked there for three years, made it through and people who have been there for 20 years were laid off, but we're praising the Lord that he still has a job. He even got more hours than usual this week. He hasn't worked on a Friday in a long time but worked until 10 yesterday (was supposed to be until one!). We had planned to go to the Milwaukee Public Museum to see dinosaurs (our current science topic) but we'll just postpone the trip. I took the kids to the library story hour instead. Not as exciting as dinosaurs, but I'm not complaining. We rather like living in a house rather than a box, so it's okay that Rob had to work instead.

We had two blessings this week. A close family member is expecting a baby in July and some friends of ours here were shocked to find out they are expecting as well. Babies are such a blessing!

And for the quote of the week: The boys were in the kitchen chatting with me as I washed the dishes when Anna came running in. She stopped at the door and said, "Ewww! Stinky boys!" Then she ran away laughing her head off. The boys and I were rather surprised, yet tickled, at her little outburst.

Anna is now the proud owner of a potty seat. Yep, we're starting to train her. We'll see how fast she catches on. I'm usually sad about each milestone we reach with her since she's our last (unless God exhibits His sense of humor in my direction) but this milestone I'll rejoice about! A world with no diaper changes....sign me up!

Happy Birthday to Me!

This past weekend, I decided to turn 34 and have a two-day birthday celebration. Hmm...I guess I'm double umpteen! When I was a child and heard the term "umpteen" I always thought it was the number 17. Yeah, I know....RANDOM!

Anyway, Rob and I looked at our plans for the 31st and realized they were heavily kid-laden, so we had a grown-up celebration on the 30th. He was off work that day so we found a sitter and went out on a date. He let me break out my Lane Bryant credit card and I found a few clothing items I needed. Right next door to LB is a new Catherine's outlet and they had sent me a 50% off coupon, so it was worth a look. We had the exact same impression when we walked into the store: Hmmmm.....plus-sized rich old lady look everywhere! Nothing against women in that category, but I'm a little young for those styles. I did manage to find two skirts that I liked.

Afterwards Rob took me to the Cobblestone restaurant. (Aside: I'm always amazed when people say that there are no good places to eat in Watertown or that we have very few restaurants. There are loads of great places if you're willing to eat at a non-chain place! Hooray for locals!) It's right on our block at The Market, a shopping mall full of great little locally-owned stores. We ate the lunch buffet, which is considerably cheaper than anything on the menu. It was very good and fun to eat at a place that is not kid-friendly! We went home to find well-behaved boys and a napping girl.

Later that night, I went to a Stampin UP! party, made some cards, and ordered some new supplies with my birthday money. I'm very excited about my Christmas cards this year. I snuck in the house as Rob was settling the kids down for bedtime and cleaned up after their popcorn snack.

On my birthday morning, the children presented me with cards and gifts. The boys gave me a snowflake punch for cardmaking, Anna gave me lip balm b/c she is forever stealing mine (Mip Malm nummy!), and Rob gave me a Culver's gift card to feed my cheeseburger addiction. He also gave me a card that screams when I open it. I had my favorite breakfast, then spent the morning cardmaking and playing Mario Party 8, which we had borrowed from a friend.

After lunch, the children got dressed and we went out trick-or-treating. I just LOVE that sport! Matthew was Batman, Ben was Spiderman, and Anna was a Care Bear. It was 45 degrees outside and I was concerned about their warmth, but I swore when I was a kid that I would NEVER make my children wear winter coats over their Halloween costumes so I bundled them up good underneath :) I shouldn't have worried b/c the boys practically ran from house to house. Anna stayed in her stroller, but still managed to accumulate a fair amount of candy. We did about five blocks and a few side streets, then came home to relieve Rob. Anna went down for a nap and the boys and I handed out candy. I almost think they have more fun giving it away!

We woke Anna up around 4pm and took off for a little Halloween party given by some people at our church. The children were all in their costumes and had fun playing. We had a yummy supper, the kids beat a pinata to death and then consumed too much cake and ice cream, and the adults had a good time talking. Anna was a little intimidated by the two labs (No horsey! No horsey!) so the dogs were put away. Otherwise it was a great night.

We bathed three little people and put them to bed. Amazingly enough, they conked right out! Time change woke them up a little early, but it was okay. Rob usually up early anyway. Today it meant I could bake muffins for breakfast :)

It was a great birthday and now I'm starting to look forward to Christmas. I know, I know, Thanksgiving is first, but I'm not a huge celebrator of that holiday other than making a large meal. I'm thankful all of the time, and right now I'm thankful for a good birthday and a husband who is making supper so I can blog :)

Anna's New Hobby

Anna is quite fascinated these days by all things diaper-related. She takes off her diaper when she's wet and parades around bottom-less. Methinks it's time to potty train rather than chasing around a naked baby all day.

She also likes to check her dollies to see if they are stinky. She'll pretend to look in their diapers and say, "Eww! Baby stinky! Needs a diapie change." Yesterday I had to pretend to change two dolly diapers before she would take her nap.

But today was the kicker. We were at the library checking out our books when the boys walked right in front of Anna's stroller. Anna reached out and grabbed Matthew's waistband, pulled it out until she could see his bottom and said, "Eww! Stinky! Needs a diapie change!" Then she checked Ben. The librarian and I were rolling by this point and the boys were rather surprised their bottoms were exposed in public. I directed them to a better standing place, then Anna tried to reach up and grab my skirt. Thankfully she's not tall enough!

Get Out of Here!

That's what we yelled at ourselves on Wednesday and we obeyed right away (with a happy face and a happy heart as the kids learn in the 2's and 3'd SS class at church.) We were all feeling better (all at least at 90% or better) so we went out for supper before church. Rob and I had been hording back an Applebee's gift card for a date, but we used it on the family instead. Since it was kids eat for 99 cents night, we fed the whole family on that card and still have a few dollars left. Then we went to church, which we haven't done for three weeks as a collective group. Anna was so eager to get into the nursery that she kept trying to open the gate herself! We heard many shouts of "You're all here!" as we walked around.

Yesterday we decided to go to a mall in Madison so I could use some Lane Bryant coupons that were about to expire. Silly things weren't good at the outlet 10 miles away, so we had to go to Madison, but that's okay. Rob and the kids wandered around while I shopped (and shopped...and shopped). There wasn't a play area but he did keep them occupied with some Auntie Ann's pretzels. After I found all the great deals I could (yes, part of my bday gift) we ate a light lunch and headed back home. Anna and I went out grocery shopping later while the boys cleaned up the house, including clearing off the porch for winter. It felt soooo good to get stuff done around here!

And today, I ran out in the morning to renew my driver's license. Then we all went to Maranatha for the yearly Dramatic Play Group hosted by the teacher of the 3-year-old Sunday school class at our church. The boys had a great time dressing in costumes and listening to stories. Anna wouldn't put on a costume, but she did have fun running around and visiting various offices with Daddy. I enjoyed chatting some with the other moms, so a fun time was had by all :)

Man, it just feels so good to get around! I did talk to one of the girls who babysits our kids and her family had swine flu in varying degrees around the same time we were all sick. I'm beginning to wonder if that isn't what we had, but wonder is all I can do at this point. I don't really care what it was...it's over and we're having fun being healthy!

Bunch of Sickos

I see that I last posted a week ago Monday when Ben saw the doctor about his ear infection. I had informed the doctor (or NP Chip) that Ben had thrown up, but did not have the stomach flu.

Well. I missed the mark big time! Ben did indeed have a stomach virus and proceeded to share it with three of us over the course of the past week. Anna threw up in her crib sometime Tuesday night, Rob came down with it Wednesday night, and yours truly got it Thursday night. Matthew, man of the iron constitution, missed it entirely. Perhaps it's b/c he had no contact with his siblings or parents while they were ill....I don't know. It's a pretty viscious virus that attacks hard and fast and hangs out for about a week with other symptoms. Rob saw the doctor yesterday b/c he's missed so much work and found out that it does last a week. And according to the doctor, we all had a bad cold over a week ago, not the seasonal flu. I beg to differ, seeing as I was couch-ridden for three days.

Anyway, regardless of what we've had, we are at this point on the mend. Rob is still not at work b/c there was no one there today. He hasn't worked since last Wednesday, so that's a prayer request for sure.

In between all of this illness, my brave parents paid us a visit. We had a good time going to Matthew's final soccer game (temp was 35 and there was frost on the ground). Grandpa treated us to McDonald's and later the boys and I and my parents went to Ebert's for the fall festival. It was kind of chilly, so we didn't stay long. I woke up that next morning with horrible symptoms I care not to revisit, so Mom and Dad took the boys to church. We muddled through the rest of the day after they left and later found out that my dad got sick. Thankfully he's feeling better today. Mom is on a cleaning rampage to keep herself from getting infected and I truly hope it works! We don't really need weapons of mass distruction. In honor of the explorers of the 1500's and 1600's, we could just import our diseases to the enemy and wipe them out that way. But I digress.

We have had to cancel our Illinois visit for this weekend. Matthew has a head cold and I don't want any lingering germs to infect Rob's parents or my sister's family, who just had a baby at the beginning of the month. We'll just wait to see the little guy when we're all healthy.

So, I hope this is the last post regarding family illness for a loooooooong time. Thanks for all of your prayers on our behalf!

Ben and Chip

I just got back from a visit with Chip the Nurse Practitioner and Ben has an ear infection. Chip wasn't too concerned about the entire family being sick, only saying that Ben has an infection caused by the first illness. So, we'll all just continue to slowly improve around here, I guess. Which we are. I just keep forgetting how very looooong it takes to get better after the flu.

Off I go to pick up the "pink stuff."

Yucky Sunday

Well, at the end of yesterday's post, I mentioned we were all on the mend. Scratch that. Last night Anna woke up with night terrors and stayed awake for two hours. She screamed for some of the time, I held her and rocked her for a good part of it, then she opted to go back to her crib and talked to her dollies until she went to sleep. She was rather cranky all day today, taking a brief nap in the morning and a longer one in the afternoon. She still hasn't had a fever (thankfully) but she's been cranky enough w/o one.

Ben's cough has gotten worse, so far that it made him vomit this evening. He felt better afterwards, but put himself to bed early. Matthew's cough is now getting a little worse. Rob feels worse today, as do I. Some of it is due to lack of sleep overnight but I think our bodies are also still fighting the flu. I am very weak right now and I think had another low-grade fever today.

So, providing they are open tomorrow, we're going to try to make a family trip to the doctor. Even if the visit is crazy with five people, at least we'll all get out of the house. Rob and Matthew went to Sunday school this morning and Rob went tonight to check in nursery workers and get everything set up, but otherwise we've been in the house today. I think we're all getting cabin fever....especially me....time to pull out the binoculars and stalk the neighbors....

A Week in the Sick House

Ugh. That pretty much sums up this week in the ol' Litwiller household. We all got hit by the influenza bug. Let me take you through a day-by-day play-by-play of the happenings around here.

Friday: Matthew wakes up with a cough and quickly passes off to Benjamin. He takes the cough, magnifies it, and starts to worry Mom.

Saturday: Benjamin passes off the cold to Anna, who starts coughing as well. Rob, feeling a bit under the weather himself, keeps the children home from Matthew's soccer game. Penni goes to the game and freezes her tookus off, not warming up for several hours afterwards.

Sunday: Benjamin wakes up...sort of. He collapses onto the couch and proceeds to stay there for the remainder of the day, eating little and saying less. Matthew's cough is worse. Rob is feeling a bit worse as well, so the boys stay home from church. The evening service was outdoors, so the Litwiller clan stays home, hoping to recooperate quickly.

Monday: Ben wakes up feeling better, but has passed the flu bug to Rob. Rob goes to work, find out there IS no work, and comes home to sleep all day long. Matthew and Ben still coughing, but doing better. Mommy has a slight head cold. We all take Rob to the dentist so he can pick up his soft splint.

Tuesday: Rob is still feeling somewhat crummy, but is better. Both boys still coughing, but improving. Anna coughing a little more. All seem to be in the clear....until...

Wednesday: The flu bug goes into overtime! Mommy wakes up with it, Ben has a relapse, and Anna's cold is worse. Thankfully, Rob only had to work a half-day, so he comes home early to sub in for Mommy. Matthew still coughing somewhat, but otherwise fine. Mommy's dental appt gets cancelled b/c the hygenist is sick.

Thursday: Ben wakes up feeling much better and starts packing food away like crazy. Matthew fine. Rob fine. Mommy still on the disabled list and Anna worse. The day drags on......

Friday: Ugh. Overnight, Anna woke up almost every single hour b/c her head was stuffed up. Daddy managed to get her back to sleep. Mommy spiked a high fever overnight. Ben woke up crying and needed cough medicine at least once. During the day, Mommy proceeded to sweat out the fever, Anna put herself down for a nap midmorning. Work ended at 10 for Rob, so he was home to relieve Mommy. Boys fine. Rob had an eye appointment and needed a ride home, so we all went and everyone did just fine at the eye doctor. (Cool toys in the waiting room helped.) Mommy starting to feel better by evening.

Today: Everyone seems to be on the mend except for Anna, who has a worse cold. That's okay, she's just the team mascot right now anyway : ) The guys are all back in fighting shape and Mommy's improving. Rob has Monday off again, so hopefully we can go back to cleaning out the basement, the project we started last Friday :)

"There's Just Something About a Girl"

Somewhere in my ramblings and readings, I remember reading or hearing a person remark, "Boy babies are fun, but there is just something about a girl that brings life to a family." We've certainly enjoyed the first eighteen months (almost nineteen!) of Anna's life, but the past few weeks have been so much fun with her. We are seeing her go from typical toddler-ish antics to the beginnings of "little girlhood."

Her vocabulary is growing by leaps and bounds. Both of the boys were talking in small sentences by this age and Anna is no exception. Just today, when the phone rang, she ran to it and said, "Phone ringing! I got it!" I wish I could remember more of her sentences, but trust me that there are many, many more.

She enjoys playing pretend with Ben's kitchen set (which I think is quickly becoming Anna's kitchen set.) She likes to bring us little pretend food she has "cooked" and wants our approval. When we tell her it's delicious, she grins real big and then urges us to "eat" some more. She will also pull out the kids plates and cups from their drawer, "set" the table, then run into the living room and say, "Eat time, boys!" or "Supper, boys!"

She is taking direction very well. Just tonight I told her to go "help" Daddy vacuum and she looked at me very solemly, said, "O-tay" and ran off to help Daddy. Rob said she was very serious when she came to him. We've been having trouble with her climbing on the table but now when I tell her to get down off a chair, she says, "O-tay" and obeys. Without question, complaint, or a second glance. Kind of amazing, really....

Now, she's not perfect and she does throw a few temper tantrums, but they are usually short-lived and directed at Ben, who likes to take her toys and make her mad on purpose.

She likes to see herself in anything that reflects her adorable little face. Just the other night she was looking at herself in the kitchen window and said, "Anna!" then started talking to her reflection. She also loves phones and just about any toy she has turns into one. I will often hand her the phone first when Rob calls from work just to hear her say, "Hi, Daddy!" I think he likes it a little, too!

She loves to be in her little dresses and is already trying to dress herself. It's most undressing at this point, including the diaper, and I'm getting a little tired of finding a bare-tushied toddler in the crib after naptime. I was thinking about buying a sleep sack just for that purpose, but she's showing many signs that she's ready to potty train, so I'd hate to waste my money on something we wouldn't use for very long. Besides, she overheats very easily so I don't want to smother her.

God knew that I needed a little girl. I already have a poem bumping around in my head with that theme and a picture to go along with it, perhaps. She's such a joy and a blessing!

Earth-Shattering News

Well, okay, so this news won't be carried by the AP and it doesn't rock very many worlds, but it's pretty big for us. On Wednesday, Rob walked up the stairs to Maranatha and withdrew from seminary. He's been struggling for quite a bit with the workload and doing the family/school/work/church balancing act for an undetermined amount of years. We talked about his switching to the on-line Masters of English Bible program instead of Master's of Divinity, but that didn't seem right either. After much prayer, he decided that getting a master's degree is the right thing to do at the wrong time.

So, where do the Litwillers go from here? Rob will start looking around for a full-time Christian vocation. He would love to go back to teaching but other ministries interest him as well. We're just going to keep praying and looking for opportunites as they open up. We love living here in Watertown so it would be nice if we could stay put, but we're fine with moving if that's what the Lord wants.

I made Rob a cake last night that read: We're "proud" of you, dropout! (That's a little cake-wreckage homage to those that read the cake wreck blog.) I am proud of him. People are always telling us it takes courage and whatnot for Rob to be in school, but it took just as much courage, if not more, to quit. And to be man enough to know his limits. We're excited for what God has in store for us.

Oh, and he's already working on the goatee again :)

A Very Good Girl

Anna had her 18-month appointment today. She weighed in at 26 lbs. 12 oz and is 33 inches tall. I just checked her brothers' stats and this makes her 2 lbs heavier than Matthew at this age, one pound heavier than Ben, 1/2 inch taller than Matthew and the same height as Ben. She's at about the 85th percentile for height and weight. Her head circumference jumped up to the 74th percentile (from the 50th).

She was extremely good and didn't even cry when she got a shot. I was impressed. Ben will even tear up a little and of course Matthew needs three sumo wrestlers to hold him down, so this was quite a shock. I refused the flu vaccine b/c the one and only time our family decided to get it we were all sicker than usual that winter. I noticed that the kids had a much healtier winter last year just being on the Shaklee multi-vitamin.

Our main concern was her skin condition. She still has patches of dry/irritated skin all over and her scalp is always itchy, in spite of our best efforts. So, we're going to use pure coconut oil on her scalp, eucurin cream and a prescription hydrocortisone cream on the skin, and give her zyrtec when she's around animals. Apparently, she has eczema related to allergies. We'll see if all of this works for now. She may need allergy testing when she's older unless these methods work. I just hope it all keeps her from scratching her scalp until it bleeds!

Next appointment will be optical visits for both of the boys at the end of the month.

In short.....

I've been meaing to post something new, but I've been sick this week, so I'll make it short :)

Matthew: Soccer practice very bad. Too distracted. Trying praying about his focus. Game went well and he focused. School good, cute as ever.

Ben: Working on behavior issues. Misses Daddy alot. When confronted about lying this week, he said, "You don't believe me, but I believe me because I'm telling the truth!"

Anna: Stringing together words and picking up new words constantly. Loves running around with her brothers, can sing most of "Jesus Loves Me," and plays "Ring Around the Rosie" by herself. Loves new shoes and dresses. We think she's allergic to animals, will find out more at pediatric appointment next week.

Rob: Starts his on-line classes tomorrow. Is buidling things like crazy around here.

Me and Rob: Started in a parenting class on Wednesday nights and loving it so far. Or hating it b/c it is a little too convicting :)

Me: Loving life right now! God is so good!

Our Week in Review

We started off the week pretty good. Rob was home! Our Labor Day "celebration" consisted of buying new shoes and clothes for mommy and the baby, playing outside, and grilling. It was a nice, relaxing day for us after having a week of craziness.

On Tuesday, Matthew had his second soccer practice. Rob said he went a little crazy so we're working on the focus issue. Anna and I went to the library while the boys were gone. It was nice to have only one child, especially since the check-out line was insane! Let me just say how nice self-checkout was at the libraries in San Jose!

Wednesday the boys had their first night of Tiny Trackers. Both were extremely excited, especially Ben, who got his book this year. Last year he went for the final two months and I didn't see the necessity of a book. Both already had their t-shirts from last year (thank you, Mommy, for buying big sizes!) We picked up the books on Sunday night and I'm so glad we did. The line to buy them on Wednesday was enormous. After putting Anna in the nursery, we were free to go to church. By ourselves. In the auditorium! We're taking a parenting class starting next week and it's so nice to have that freedom on Wed. nights.

Thursday we grocery shopped. We had two free shelves in the fridge, so it was time to refill. The kids were very well-behaved. We ran into some friends from church who invited us over for a cook-out the following night.

Friday the kids went to the Teddy Bear Picnic storytime at the library. Both boys got a teddy bear (I didn't register Anna) and had a ball. They have a room set up for babies so Anna and I played in there off and on. The boys listened to stories, made a craft, ate a snack, and danced. Well, Ben danced (i.e. bounced around to music) but Matthew hid behind a chair. I let Anna jump around with the kids during the music time and she had a ball too. We had a good time that evening with our friends and the kids had a blast running around and roasting marshmallows.

This morning, Matthew had his very first game. I shot out to a "fill-a-bag" yard sale and got Anna set for winter, along with finding snow boots for Matthew. Matthew's game went well and I think that they won. Matthew did well and aggressively played but when he was out of the game, he picked grass and layed around. He was very confused at first but I think he got the hang of what a game looks like. They had a soccer fest going on so afterwards the kids went through an inflatible caterpillar and Matthew picked up ducks.

Busy week! We started kindergarten with Matthew last week and he's doing great. He's doing just fine with Miquon Math and Explode the Code. His comment on the ETC book was: I love this book! It's so easy! Ben is doing some pages in the preschool Brain Quest book. He can now recognize two letters of the alphabet. :)

Rob likes his one seminary class right now. The other two online courses start up in two weeks. Hmmm....and Rob just took all three kids to Wal-Mart...time to relax and make some cards!

Making a Grand Entrance, Penni-style

Oh my. I'm beginning to think the reason for my existence is to make other people laugh. Today's incident in Sunday School may have clinched that belief.

Rob and I were asked to take Ben and Anna into the college class as a way to help recruit the new college students for nursery work. They do this every year and the kids hold (or chew on) signs and look cute. We dropped them off in the nursery when we were done and headed to our Sunday school class. When we arrived, it appeared that the only empty seats were in the front. Since our teacher was giving announcements, we quietly and discreetly walked around the room to the supposedly empty seats. We asked if they were indeed empty, and were told they were not. So, we quietly and discreetly left the room, quietly and discreetly talking about whether we wanted to volunteer in the nursery or go to another class.

Then a friend of ours dashed out of the room with two chairs, followed by the teacher who both loudly proclaimed that they could make room. Friend Adam brought the chairs outside and Teacher Ron said we could acutally sit IN the room (yuk, yuk.) We told Adam, quietly and discreetly, to just leave the chairs in the back. Both he and Ron said they'd find room and a few people shifted over for us. By that point in time, everyone was watching what was happening and I had a choice: Continue pretending we were quiet and discreet or embrace the moment. Being the loud, dramatic person that I am, I opted for the latter and said, "Well, I just like to make a spectacle of myself as I enter class!" Laughter ensued, Teacher Ron jokingly introduced me, I waved and sat down. Rob, quiet through all of this ruckus, sat down and probably went to his happy place.

I'm thankful I can continue to provide the world with one more reason to laugh :)

SOCCER!!!

(The title is for my fellow Backyardigans fans, an homage to the Soccer Monster episode.)

Yes, Matthew started soccer today! He had his first practice ever, but not without some cajoling on my part. When I first signed him up, he was estatic. Then after his coach called this week with the practice times, he started throwing a fit about going. I finally figured out that he didn't want to go because he didn't know how to play. After convincing him that none of the other kindergarteners on his team knew how to play either, he went. He also got to pick out his shin guards (required) and take his own ball. (Thank you, Uncle Chris, for picking out the coolest ball at practice today!)

We arrived at about the same time as two other teammates and they all immediately started kicking around their balls. His coach is a very nice guy who's son is also on the team. The boy had a bit of that "my dad's the coach" ego going on, but his dad gently and firmly put him in his place. Coach Todd is a great guy and the assistant coach is fun as well. We had a parent meeting to start where he explained that it's pretty laid back and fun for the kids. We got a packet of info and a coupon for a free soccer ball. Not bad!

Matthew looked pretty good out there and we'll need to work on passing (he informed us he didn't pass to his partner b/c it was HIS ball) but he's got great control and paid attention well. We repeatedly enforced to him that his coach was in charge, so I only got one "Hi, Mom!" and he only got drinks when his coach said it was okay. His first real game will be next Saturday.

Ben stayed with me to watch practice and I brought him a little ball to play with. Another dad took him over to play on the side lines and Ben was his buddy for the rest of practice. Rob and Anna went to start on the grocery shopping and then came to watch when the kids were scrimmaging. Poor Anna....she saw that the ball they were playing with was "hers" and she kept trying to join the game. Rob finally wrangled her into her carseat where she stayed with him until practice ended. Next time we'll bring the stroller :)

Matthew really liked it and said he won't complain again. We're looking forward to a fun season!

The Good Behavior Streak Continues

Today, on a whim, I took the kids to the library story hour. Or half hour. I had signed Matthew up for a storytime when he was two, but he hated it and since then we've tried the drop-in times off and on, but they either don't like them or would freak out when I left the room to care for Anna. It's been awhile since I've tried it, so we gave it another go.

Turns out, they loved it! They sat real still on their part of the reading carpet, listened to the stories, and fully participated in the finger plays. There were only a total of seven children and two toddlers, so it was a lot less intimidating for them. The librarian in charge is very friendly and told us at the beginning that this story time is less formal than the Tuesday one. Perfect! She didn't mind at all having little ones running around and making noise. She pulled out some puzzles for Anna and the other toddler and there were balls for them to play with as well. Anna stopped off and on to listen to the stories and the songs, then went back to playing.

All in all, it was a very pleasant experience. We signed up for the Teddy Bear Picnic next week and they are excited about going.

Next new experience for Matthew: Soccer practice tomorrow at 9am.

The Boys Meet Miss Emily

Today the boys had their very first dental appointment. I figured I'd get Matthew in about the time he started kindergarten but when I asked how old they needed to be before a first appointment, I was told, "Whenever they will willingly open their mouth, bring them in!" Ben's such a good little patient that I figured he'd be okay, so off we went today. I found someone to stay here while Anna napped, so that was one less little person to keep track of. We also had to drop Rob off for his very firstest day of seminary...I just like planning EVERYTHING all at once!

Anyway, we arrived and the boys tried playing with the giant frogs, the wall fountain, and the bathrooms (you know, anything but the toys in the play area) while I checked them in. Thankfully, I had all their paperwork filled out having received it when I set up the appointment. I can't imagine what I would have done if I had to fill out TWO sets of dental papers along with keep track of them!

Then we all met Miss Emily. The boys took right to her and followed her back to her exam room. She was very, very good with them. They got a little tour of the room and saw all of her tools. She showed them how the spit vaccuum worked and even let them try it out on a little glass of water. Ben volunteered to go first, although both boys sat on the chair. Matthew watched cartoons and Ben's exam off and on, even going so far as to get his head nearly in the way of Miss Emily working! Ben was an excellent patient and Miss Emily said he may have been her best patient ever (seriously, not just trying to be nice about it!) He has good teeth, evenly spaced, and no problems.

Matthew then jumped up for his turn. He was excited to work the spit vaccuum (Ben got to work it as well) and opened his mouth wide. He's a pretty lousy patient at the doctor's office, but the dentist was no problem. She did say he has a tiny bit of plaque, but not to worry about it. He also had a deep bite that they will keep an eye on and his adult molars are starting to show up. But the biggest news was this little piece of skin at the top middle of his mouth and bottom middle. Miss Emily told me that it may have to be cut back when he gets older and.....here's the big news....that extra skin causes latching problems as an infant. Usually, a hospital will cut it back on an infant so they can nurse better. WHAT?????? After thinking through endless reasons why my children couldn't nurse, finally settling on "it must be me" we have the answer. Rob checked Anna and hers is just as pronounced as Matthew's. Huh. Obviously there's no going back and I raised three healthy, happy infants on the bottle but it's nice to finally know what happened. And if God gives us another one, I know what to look for at birth!

And then they met the dentist, who confirmed all of the hygenists finds. The boys picked out toothbrushes and toys, hugged Miss Emily (who declared them a hoot) then we trooped to the front to pay. Matthew summed up the visit quite nicely, "The dentist is fun!" That's good, because we go back on March 11th. :)

How to Get a Popsicle

Matthew was playing Super Mario Galaxy this afternoon and I was reading a magazine on the other couch. He asked, "Mommy, can I have a popsicle?" I had just sat down, so like any good mom, I tried the first tactic I could think of that would allow me to sit longer. I replied, "Not unless your name is not Matthew." Without missing a beat, Matthew said, "My name is Benjamin!"

And yes, he did get a popsicle.

My Grandma

I wanted to put up a brief post about what has been happening this week and why I probably won't be posting for awhile. My grandmother passed away yesterday morning. I'm working through many emotions, thoughts, and memories and it's all so jumbled that I can't really put together a coherent thought right now.

Her funeral is on Friday and we will be leaving for Illinois tomorrow. She was a very godly woman and we know that we will see her again someday.

The Haps

We've had a rather eventful week and I thought I'd reflect upon it for a bit in blog form. I had my first of two deep cleaning appointments for my teeth on Wednesday. At my new patient visit, my hygenist discovered that I have peridontal disease. It's probably b/c I haven't seen a dentist for cleanings in ages combined with three rounds of gestational diabetes and pregnancy in general. She cleaned half of my mouth at the last visit and will do the rest on Monday. It's weird looking at my mouth because I can see a real difference between the two sides. I have a tooth-cleaning regimin twice a day: brush with toothpaste, brush with mouthwash, floss, rinse with mouthwash. It takes awhile, but I'm more than happy to do it if I can avoid any more appointments like these! I love my hygenist, but she gives shots very....slowly....and holds the needle....in my mouth....for...ev....er..... She says it maximizes the numbing. I think it just maximizes my prayer life. :)

Anyway, the experience has left me very woozy since. I'm feeling better today, but I still don't trust myself to drive. So, we all had to troop out the door for the weekly massive grocery shopping trip. The boys were not very well-behaved and Anna was fussy. I had Rob drop us off at the last store and take the boys with him to unload groceries. Anna screamed through most of the store, pausing only to say "hi" to people we passed. Faker.

Rob had a 24-hour week this week, so he's been home the past two days. We've gotten quite a bit of the study cleaned up. I'm organizing it for maximum usage for the entire family. I tackle my desk tomorrow. Rob is building yet another shelf for us, this one for the kids' books and art supplies.

Anna has expanded her vocabulary to include essential words: "tookie" "so-da" "canny" "ice ceam" and other goodies. She cracked me up tonight as we came home from grocery shopping. We bought some Diet Coke and she handed me her sippy cup and said, "Soda!" I have Daddy to thank for that one, who ONE TIME put a tad bit of root beer in her sippy....

I just put in my order today for the final books for kindergarten. We're starting on August 31st, the same week Rob starts seminary. We have finished the first half of Sonlight's Core 4/5 and will continue with it until we're done. I'm adding to that Explode the Code books 2 and 3 to continue teaching him phonics and settled on Miquon Math for this year. I had looked at Saxon K at Maranatha's library (Praise the Lord for their good-sized cirriculum section!) and I liked it, but it is a very expensive program. I also wasn't sure if it would be too easy for him. We have read about Miquon in multiple catalogues and numerous sites and it looks to be pretty good....and very inexpensive. We might switch over to Saxon after he finishes the Miquon series in a few years. Rob used to teach out of Saxon and understands it pretty well. We'd just find a different program for upper-level math. I don't think Rob will ever forget being laughed at by fellow AP Calculus teachers at an AP conference for using Saxon Calculus. He ended up teaching his class from three different texts that year and they all passed the AP exam...but I digress.

And someday I will get around to a Matthew update, but for right now, I'm going to go watch my husband try to beat some Mario levels. For those into Mario Galaxy, I have beat the game as Mario and have 75 stars at Luigi. Woot-woot!!!

Ploo All Gone

Anna has kicked her pacifier habit for good! She used it for a bit as an infant and basically gave it up until she started teething. Since then, it has become a constant companion and grown from a sleeptime thing to an "I need this all the time" thing. We're certainly not anti-pacifier around here as they do have some benefit for young infants who need more sucking time, but when you're over one, it's time to shut it down.

Matthew gave up his pacifier around 15 months old after four nights of screaming. However, he only used it at night. Anna's addiction became an around the clock thing so we knew it would be a little harder. We accidentally left hers at church on Sunday night so we knew we'd have to bite the bullet and just go without. She went down with a little fussing, but not much, so I thought we might be in the clear.

Well. On Monday morning, she woke up saying "Ploo! Ploo!" and pointed at her mouth. I told her "No more ploo, it's all gone." She accepted that fact and went about her busy morning. Then came naptime. I put her down and she proceeded to throw a fit for about thirty minutes, changing from temper tantrum into pathetic weeping. I went up to see if I could calm her down. I took her out of the crib and cuddled her, then asked her, "Are you ready for nie-nie now?" She said, in a rather scared and shakey voice, "No nie-nie!" and started crying again. Obviously, the pacifier meant alot. I just kept her up and she didn't nap all day long. I put her to bed a little early, with much the same problem as naptime. She was so tired that she fell asleep upright, still clinging to the bars of the crib. I adjusted her and rubbed her back while she wimpered some more.

And this morning, she woke up saying, "Ploo! Ploo?" I told her again, "Ploo all gone." She nodded and started her day. Later in the morning, she climbed on my lap, pointed at her mouth and said, "Ploo?" I reminded her, "Ploo all gone. Finished." She said, "Ploo all gone?" I said, "Yes." She stopped a moment, looked away, and asked again, "Ploo all gone?" I repeated my answer. She paused again, then said, "Ploo all gone," and climbed back down. She went down for a nap with only a bit of fussing and went to bed just fine. I think she finally understands that the ploo (short for ploop, which is what I called hers for no real reason) is finally out of the picture. She still has her special blankies and her Boo-boo (dolly) so she has no shortage of comfort objects.

Ahh, another chapter closed in the life of Anna.

Say What???

Matthew just asked me if I was born after the Great Flood. I told him I was born just after it :)

We are borrowing a portable air conditioner from some friends and Ben informed me today that we were NOT to touch it because it is VERY expensive. It cost one whole dollar.

Anna didn't say anything funny today, but she did refuse to take a nap. We've pulled the plug, i.e. no more pacifier. She screamed for thirty minutes at naptime. I went upstairs to calm her down and then I asked if she wanted back into the crib for nap. She said in a quakey voice, "No nie-nie! No nie-nie!" I guess it really scared her. I even had both of her favorite blankies and two special toys, but she didn't want them. We'll see how good she sleeps tonight!

Our Tenth Anniversary

For quite some time now, Rob and I have dreamed of getting away for a bit on our tenth anniversary, which we celebrated yesterday. We tossed around a variety of ideas, but all of them hinged on finding someone willing to keep the children for more than one night. We asked a wonderful family at our church and they were more than happy to keep the kids. There were four of them, three of our chillin's, so at least one of them could take a break at all times. :) We dropped off the babies on Thursday afternoon and took off for an early weekend adventure.

Our destination was the Olympia Resort in Oconomowoc. We had passed it numerous times on the way to my prenatal appointments at the hospital and it looked pretty good on the website as well. We had a king suite booked about a month ago, and THEN looked at reviews of the place. They ranged from "best place I've stayed" to "wouldn't send my enemy there." Most of the complainers whined about no bell hops and a fly in the pool, so we weren't too worried. We arrived to find that our suite had been double booked, but since they had practically no guests at the time, they just moved us down a floor. We hiked for quite a bit to find our room, but it was well worth the walk. We had a large bedroom with a king-sized bed and a living room/kitchenette in the next room. Two full baths, two mini-fridges, microwave, table, two TV's, two couches (catching the two theme?) and all of it VERY nice.

I had saved back some grocery money so we went to the grocery store to pick up some food for the first three meals and some snacks. It was so nice to eat with just the two of us in a quiet place. And it was extremely quiet! We heard people's voices twice the entire time we were there! A more than welcome change!

We also ate out for two meals. We went to Chili's for supper last night and the hotel's breakfast buffet this morning. Otherwise we just chilled in the room and watched some Food Network, played games, swam in the two hotel pools, and made fun of the people at the Cat Show going on in the conference center. We were kind of curious (heh-heh) about the "No cats beyond this point" signs all over the place until we discovered a cat show was in town. The hotel we stayed at for our first honeymoon had a police convention going on. Can't wait to see what we find at our 20th! Oh, and we got to see them set up for multiple weddings on Friday and Saturday. They had several lovely locations for weddings.

It was a wonderful, relaxing time for both of us. We were very ready to get back to the children, who were pretty well-behaved and had a great time as well. Anna cried when she saw Mommy, then needed some Daddy-love. She had been cranky all morning, probably missing us. Ben cried when he saw Daddy. He tends to bottle up his emotions more so we weren't surprised when he let go upon seeing us. Matthew was fine but said he did miss us a little :)

So, now we enjoy the last bits of summer before Rob starts seminary. *happy sigh*

Anna Update

Oh, wow, so much to update on Miss Anna! She really is the little princess around here. She has her brothers eating out of her hand much of the time and is starting to believe that the whole world revolves around her. Now, don't get me wrong, she's not a brat, just realizing that she has options. She's so cute, though, and so good most of the time that it's hard to discipline her but we are succeeding in that area. All I usually have to do is sign "no" and have her sign it back to get her to obey. When she does exhibit her will I stand a little firmer and she backs down most of the time.

She's very, very, very times infinity active. She is just like Matthew was at that age. Her climbing skills are coming along nicely, as proven each time we go to the playground. She thinks she's bigger than she is, no thanks to her big brothers. We took her to the Aquatic Center and after getting her bearings, she repeatedly attempted to get to the small slides. She's too buoyant to stand for long in the water, so she kept falling and getting a snout full of pool water. I don't think I'll take her again until next summer...hopefully she's a little more muscley and less fatty :)

She has surprised me with her fine motor skills and other similar abilities. She'll often pop out her pacifier and slip the hook onto one finger so she can eat or drink something. She stacks up her stacking cups by herself, has figured out how to build with Legos, and is able to do all kinds of things with her chubby fingers that the boys weren't doing until after their second birthdays. I don't know if it's a girl thing or not, but that's what I'm assuming.

Verbally, she's doing well. She tries to say everything we ask her to, but her best words are: "Muk" (milk), "Jew" (juice), "Mommy" "Daddy" "Ma-mew" (Matthew) "Ben" "Na-na" (Anna), "Pa-Pa" (Grandpa), "cracker" "eggie" "chicken" "doggie" "woof-woof" "nie-nie" and I'm probably forgetting a bunch of others. She does say "please" and "thank you" most of the time, some without prompting. Politeness is important to us. I was talking to my brother one day and I said, "My kids might not be the best behaved, but at least they're polite." He mimicked, "May I please break your expensive vase?"

Her eating habits have improved, although the only veggie she'll eat is broccoli and the only fruits are bananas and watermelon. She still loves meat and cheese best, but she's added potatoes and noodles to that favs list. She usually eats two good meals a day and some snacks.

And she's just such a little dolly. I love cuddling her and hearing her try to sing "Jesus Loves Me." Her favorite games are peek-a-boo and patty-cake. She loves running to Daddy when he comes home and is a delightful baby overall.

Ben Update

I thought I might post some updates on the kids since we're nearing the "start" of another school year. I have start in quotes b/c we schooled through the summer. August 31st will be Matthew's first official day of kindergarten and Ben's of preschool. Promotion Sunday in Sunday school is the day before and Rob starts school that week, so it seems like a good date for our change of grade.

Anyway, this post is supposed to be all about Ben. I'm starting with him first because I usually start with one of the other two and Ben's always in the middle. He certainly ACTS like a middle child, exerting his will and trying to make a name for himself in the family. He is a head strong little guy, but we are seeing some improvement with him. We have had to be very consistent in discipline and corrections and, little by little, we're seeing him come around.

Ben can be a very delightful child, especially when he is with his daddy. Rob and I finally figured something out: Ben is most like me and Matthew is most like Rob. It would then make sense that Rob and Ben click more and Matthew and I click more. (Anna currently has her parent-of-the-moment and no particular favorite.) We make sure that we spend ample time alone with the opposite child, but when we have to split up somewhere, that's how the division happens. (Anna is usually with me.) Ben certainly has my temper and frustration level. He also likes to be by himself more than Matthew does. Ben often will grab a toy or manipulative off their game shelf and occupy himself for a long time.

In the past few months, Ben has joined Matthew and I for school time on a more consistent basis. He'll even sit still while Matthew does his workbooks. He loves listening to stories and has his own little pre-school book to work on. I have noticed that his fine motor skills are more developed than Matthew's at this age, but he has no interest in drawing or coloring yet. He still thinks every letter and number is "B" but he can count well. He surprised me the other day in the kitchen when I asked him to get out the forks. He grabbed four and I told him I already had one. I asked him how many he needed then. Without hesitating, he said, "Three." He seems to like numbers and counting more than letters right now.

Ben is my outdoor guy. He'll cry whenever he has to come inside and always has dirt caked on him after playtime. I really think that the dirt finds Ben...kind of like Pigpen from the Peanuts comic strip. I've always thought him to be more of a chicken than Matthew, but he's turning out more fearless. He will walk on his tiptoes as far as he can at the pool until the water is too high for him and loves having me take him in the deeper end. He is not afraid of bugs and even rid Grandpa's deck of Japanese Beetles by throwing them. He's all boy for sure.

Ben is still my cuddle buddy. He's on my lap at least once a day. His laugh is infectious. Rob will often grab him and tickle him just to hear the laugh! I love my little Ben-Ben!

Fortunes, Forcasts, Lucky Charms....

We ate at the China Buffet again today (at the boys' request...love my kids!) and I had to post our rather fun fortunes from the cookies.

Anna: You are often unaware of the effect you have on others. (I would say she has next to no idea how she effects others!)

Ben: Do something unusual tomorrow. (I told him to behave all day.)

Matthew: Don't worry about the stock market. Invest in family. (Hmmm...don't think that's an issue when you're 5.)

Mommy: This coming Friday will be an exciting time for you. (Well, Friday is my 10th anniversary....)

Before you read Rob's, make sure you are not sipping any liquids or eating anything b/c you may spew it on the screen in laughter.

You all clear??

Rob: You will be unusually successful in an entertainment career.

At last! Direction for Rob's future ministry!!!

Riverfest '09

Yesterday we took the kids over to the annual Riverfest festivities at Riverside park. The kids have been looking forward to this event for ages (you know, like three days at least!). They were really jazzed about it after seeing the rides being assembled on Tuesday. We had saved some money from their birthday presents so they could each get the unlimited rides stamp. Thursday's special ran from 4pm-8pm, so we decided to have dinner there as well.

We got to the park shortly before it opened and found a great parking space across the street from the entrance. In previous years we parked in a neighborhood that required a trip up and down a very steep hill, so we tried a new area this year. Good choice, because the walk was much shorter and easier. We arrived and scoped out the rides first to determine if it was worth it to get Ben the unlimited rides or just a few tickets for the rides he was willing to go on. We wavered, but opted for the unlimited option and I'm so glad we did. Each ride cost $3 and the stamp was $18, so after just six rides, it was all "free." Ben and Matthew rode everything they could as many times as they could in a four-hour time span! Ben is usually my chicken so it was surprising that he was so willing to keep up with Matthew. I guess it helped to have Big Brother with him :) He would not go on the Ferris Wheel, however, so Mommy went on it with Matthew. I knew I couldn't handle anything else with my back pain (which actually felt alot better after the carnival!)

The boys went on the following rides: tea cups, bumpy cars, bumblebees, a Fun house, big slide, roller coaster, and a big playset thing with bridges and slides. Matthew only: the carousel and a boat ride. Ben was too short for both w/o a parent and I only agreed to take them on the Ferris Wheel. They rode all of these things more times than we could count. The lines were non-existant until after six, then there was a little wait time.

We paused for supper and managed to feed the whole family for only $15. The kids all had a slice of pizza and Rob and I had some super-yummy gyros (pronounced yee-ro). The different restaurants in town have booths so its a good way to sample foods from places you may not have been to (or heard of.)

Anna got a little restless after awhile and wanted down. We weren't going to put her on rides b/c each one would cost $6 ($3 for her and $3 for us) so we decided to pay $2 so she could pick up a duck at the game booths. The duck booth had three little duck ponds in baby pools. We let Anna out of the stroller and told her to pick up a duck. She decided to try to join the ducks, which would have been more fun of course, but a little too wet. We finally talked her into grabbing one and she won....a duck! It's a pretty toy duck with a pink lei. She was happy until we put her BACK into the stroller. Rob decided to take her to the park's playground and let her run around while I continued to let the boys ride.

At that point, I thought we should go look at the big rides and see if Matthew was tall enough for any of them. He rode the Scrambler and had a blast, then we saw Zero Gravity. That is one of those rides that is in a big circle where each rider stands in their own cage. The ride spins around fast, then lifts up. It's perfectly safe and the laws of physics keep the riders from falling out. (As Rob explained to me.) Matthew was tall enough, but not brave enough. Yet.

Rob and Anna returned and we let the boys ride some more, then decided to call it quits. We let them each pick one more ride and Matthew chose Zero Gravity. He went on after a quick height check and I stood there paralyzed with fear. There went my baby, my five-year-old, onto an adult ride that even I had never been on before! He had a ball! He came off the ride and while Rob and I were debating what ride should be Ben's last, Matthew got back into line and onto the ride again. Ben wanted to ride the roller coaster, so Rob took him there while Anna and I waited for the Brave One. Who, after riding Zero Gravity a second time, was not so brave. He came off that ride and the only color on his face were his freckles. He and I headed for a bench, where he melted onto the thing. Poor kid was so sick, but he manged to keep his dinner down. Rob and Ben joined us shortly and we made our way to the car. I gave Matthew a plastic bag for the ride home, just in case. He made it and went upstairs for a bath and bed. He kept saying, "I still feel like I'm on that ride! I should have only gone once!" Oh, the lessons we teach ourselves!

Anyway, we had a great time and the boys are already planning for next year. I'm so glad we went last night b/c it has been raining cats and dogs all day and I'd imagine they had to keep the carnival part closed. Might be rather soggy tomorrow for the craft fair as well.

Litwiller Family Fun

In spite of my back injury (of which I am not truly complaining b/c I beat that wretched purple coin Toy Time level in Super Mario Galaxy) we have managed to have quite a bit of fun around here recently. Last Friday we took off for another trip to Illinois, this time for a family get-together. It is rare that my entire family (meaning parents, sibs, and nieces/nephews) are all together so I knew I wanted to be there in spite of the back pain. And it was a painful road trip, both there and back, but well worth it.

We ate supper on Friday at GG's and then visited Rob's other grandparents. We had a great time over there, managing to keep the kid mayhem to a minimum. The next day was our big family get-together. Rob and I ran out to re-purchase ground beef for hamburgers (see two posts ago for the ground beef story) and then he and his dad grilled all of the meat. It ended up raining for most of the picnic, but the kids had a ball anyway. I enjoyed sitting and watching various members of the family interact. Matthew and Ben played some ball with my dad and my brother, Adam, and showed off their appalling lack of sports skills (Note to self: work more on real baseball and less on Wii...). Anna had fun toddling everywhere, leading her daddy or aunts and uncles on a merry chase. We all decided to pack up the picnic early (oh, we were under a nice, big pavilion reserved by my wonderful sister) and we headed to my sister's house. The kids watching a movie and played with toys while the adults chatted. At four o'clock my parents and one sibling's family headed home while the rest of us went to play at State Farm Park. My brother-in-law works for State Farm and they have this awesome park for employees and guests. We couldn't get in until 4 o'clock, hence the later start. Rob and I took our kids to the pool while my sister, her twin brother, and their families ate supper and went mini-golfing. It was a little too cold for swimming, but we had promised the boys. Turned out to be a good thing for my back. The lazy river felt great! Anna had fun, in spite of a near drowning incident (and life guards really shouldn't be texting while on duty!) We then went back to Rob's parents' for supper and bedtime.

On Sunday night, after the drive and church, I took the boys to the Aquatic Center for the library pool party. Again, the idea was that I would get more "pool therapy" for my back. A friend of mine said all the pool did was numb the pain, and she might have been right b/c it was awfully cold! But it did help my back out. The boys had a great time and they won a puzzle for doing some extra reading. Rob and Anna went grocery shopping then watched us from outside the fence.

On Monday, Rob took the kids through the car wash and Ben is still talking about it :)

Tuesday we went back to the Aquatic Center with two free passes for the boys. This time Rob and Anna joined us. Anna had fun swimming with me and then she found the slide. She's too light to really walk much in the water, but she was determined to get to the slide! We did let her go down some, but there were so many kids on it that it wasn't safe to let her go alone. Rob finally took her out for a snack. Matthew did go into the deep end with me and enjoyed himself. He's a big chicken around water so it was MAJOR that he allowed me to take him over. Ben was doing great going as far as he could on his tip toes, then he and I went into the deeper water together. He even went under with me a few times. Brave boy!

And today we will go to Riverfest and ride some carnival rides (them, not me b/c of the back) and eat some deep-fried foods. We had the boys save back some of their birthday money so they could go on as many rides as they like. We'll see how many that ends up being :)