Our first night of Tiny Trackers went very well. We had four three-year-olds in our class and it was fun. Three of them just turned three in the last two months, so it was interesting to see their skill levels compared to the 4's and 5's when we joined them for songs, puppets, lessons, and gametime. They did pretty well considering how little they are.
It's always a joy to work with the pre-school crowd, as they do and say some very funny things. One little boy didn't quite get the concept of running down to the pin carrying a ball. He rolled it instead, but he knocked down the pin, so it was kind of cool inspite of the mistake. Matthew and another boy ran for the other team's pin, so they had a bit of a problem with directional sense. The last boy did well, but seemed confused when he was told to to run down and then told to run back! It didn't seem to make sense to him, but he did it anyway. They were all very cute.
I think my favorite quote of the night came at the very end when the parents were picking up the kids. After two boys had been picked up, the third one said, "My mom won't be here forever." And it was said pretty matter-0f-factly with just a hint of resignation to his fate.
Matthew loved it and has been asking continually to go back. We kept them pretty busy and no activity was longer than ten minutes, so there is no way the kids could get bored or have time to misbehave. Rob and I taught the lesson on creation by me talking about it and Rob choosing a sign for each day of creation. The kids caught on pretty quickly. It was very cute to see them sign turtle (my favorite animal sign.)
In other news, I have my first Tupperware party tomorrow night. A friend is hosting it, but it's in my home, so I have a bit of cleaning to do. It should be fun and relaxed. Oh, Rob took the day off work so that he could get some extra sleep. We all took a nice, long nap this afternoon (from which I don't think I've woken up yet!)
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Mmmm....frosting....
I got onto the computer this morning to check e-mail, choosing a time when the boys were occupied and quiet. Things were going along well and when I finished, I went out to check on them. They weren't in the living room watching TV or reading books, they weren't in the toy room or dining room either. That left the kitchen. And there were my two little darlings, eating chocolate frosting. Matthew had found 1/2 a can in the fridge, had gotten a spoon, and was alternating bites between himself and Benjamin. I couldn't help myself...I died laughing. They laughed as well, which really didn't help reinforce the whole "stay out of the fridge" rule. I know that the "experts" say not to let your kids see you laugh at them (or students) but I can never help myself. I constantly laugh at my kids (and I laughed at my students as well.)
And don't worry...they still ate their lunch.
And don't worry...they still ate their lunch.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
For Sale
For Sale: One severe case of allergies. Current sufferer cannot take medication for problem due to pregnancy. Will sell to the highest bidder. Comes with Alavert to irradicate the symptoms. Will ship to you. If no offers are given, sufferer will call doctor in the morning.
For Sale: Two small boys ages three and eighteen months. Have problems hitting each other. Three-year-old likes to talk back. Eighteen month old hits adults and calls them naughty when he doesn't get his way. Will trade for chocolate.
For Sale: Loads of schoolwork. Subjects are Greek Syntax, Intro to World Missions, Intro to Philosophy, Pre-Field Missionary Service, Evangelism and Missions, and Old Testament Biblical Theology. Will break apart the set. Work must be sent back by deadlines. Only A and B students accepted as possible buyers. Will trade for sleep or time with family (or time sleeping with family instead of on couch in between assignments.)
For Sale: Two small boys ages three and eighteen months. Have problems hitting each other. Three-year-old likes to talk back. Eighteen month old hits adults and calls them naughty when he doesn't get his way. Will trade for chocolate.
For Sale: Loads of schoolwork. Subjects are Greek Syntax, Intro to World Missions, Intro to Philosophy, Pre-Field Missionary Service, Evangelism and Missions, and Old Testament Biblical Theology. Will break apart the set. Work must be sent back by deadlines. Only A and B students accepted as possible buyers. Will trade for sleep or time with family (or time sleeping with family instead of on couch in between assignments.)
Saturday, September 8, 2007
When providence strikes
I've been asked several times now how Rob's job search is going. Well, it isn't. He has not heard back from WisPak and we're assuming that by now, he won't. However, he's not disappointed because a rather odd thing happened on Sunday/Monday that may be God's way of telling him to stay put.
On Monday morning, Rob was taking the trash out the side door when he noticed a cell phone open on the porch. Seeing as we no longer have the obnoxious things (sorry, we're cell phone haters) we knew that it wasn't ours. Nothing looked like it had been damaged and we could see no sign of someone attempting to get into the house. So, we inspected the phone and found a bunch of pictures. It was pretty apparant that the phone belonged to a teenager. Since we have a house two doors down where a slew of them hang-out, we figured it might belong to them. We debated taking it to the police, but decided to show it to our landlord instead. He thought he might recognize the kid, but wasn't sure.
Instead of calling the police, Rob decided to give the home number listed on the phone a call. He got ahold of the boy's mother, who said that her son had been in a fight and his phone, wallet, and glasses were taken. We're guessing that the teens who beat him up put the phone on our porch to be funny. She came over right away to pick up the phone. Rob told her that she might want to look at the pics, which included obvious drug use and other stuff. She told him that he is her youngest and the only one to cause trouble. She left, thanking us for calling her.
After she had left, it dawned on Rob that this boy was the younger brother of someone he works with! This guy at work talked about his younger brother who was into drugs, drinking, and had even spent time in juvy. The mom came back later to see if she could look around our yard for his other missing things and Rob confirmed who the family was. He later talked to his friend at work about it.
Wow! This incident cannot just be mere coincidence. Rob feels strongly that he needs to help this family and will be speaking to our pastor about possibly counseling them. We also know of a place, the Victory Boys Home, that deals with teenage boys like this kid. We believe that Rob has been kept at the C.S. for a reason, and this might be it. Please pray for this family and Rob as he tries to help them.
On Monday morning, Rob was taking the trash out the side door when he noticed a cell phone open on the porch. Seeing as we no longer have the obnoxious things (sorry, we're cell phone haters) we knew that it wasn't ours. Nothing looked like it had been damaged and we could see no sign of someone attempting to get into the house. So, we inspected the phone and found a bunch of pictures. It was pretty apparant that the phone belonged to a teenager. Since we have a house two doors down where a slew of them hang-out, we figured it might belong to them. We debated taking it to the police, but decided to show it to our landlord instead. He thought he might recognize the kid, but wasn't sure.
Instead of calling the police, Rob decided to give the home number listed on the phone a call. He got ahold of the boy's mother, who said that her son had been in a fight and his phone, wallet, and glasses were taken. We're guessing that the teens who beat him up put the phone on our porch to be funny. She came over right away to pick up the phone. Rob told her that she might want to look at the pics, which included obvious drug use and other stuff. She told him that he is her youngest and the only one to cause trouble. She left, thanking us for calling her.
After she had left, it dawned on Rob that this boy was the younger brother of someone he works with! This guy at work talked about his younger brother who was into drugs, drinking, and had even spent time in juvy. The mom came back later to see if she could look around our yard for his other missing things and Rob confirmed who the family was. He later talked to his friend at work about it.
Wow! This incident cannot just be mere coincidence. Rob feels strongly that he needs to help this family and will be speaking to our pastor about possibly counseling them. We also know of a place, the Victory Boys Home, that deals with teenage boys like this kid. We believe that Rob has been kept at the C.S. for a reason, and this might be it. Please pray for this family and Rob as he tries to help them.
Woo-hoo!
I finally woke up this morning with NO MORNING SICKNESS! It doesn't mean that it won't strike later, but I don't have it now. The boys and I even braved the hordes of mosquitoes and went on an early morning walk. Yipee! Just had to share!
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Adorable Things from Adorable Boys
Okay, so the kids have been driving me nuts lately (Mr. Independent and Mr. Defient, Matt and Ben respectively) so I decided to take a moment to reflect on how adorable they can be.
Benjamin has been learning lots of new words recently. He tries repeating anything we ask him to and if he gets it right, the word will become part of his regular vocabulary. Matthew is his best teacher. Here's how the conversation goes:
MJ: Ben, say "light."
Ben: wite.
MJ: Good job! Now say "couch."
Ben: cousch.
MJ: Good job! Now say.....(and on it goes)
They do this everywhere: in the car, the store, at mealtimes, while watching TV and I never get tired of it.
Ben is in love with Larry from Veggie Tales. He constantly asks me to read him Veggie Books and loves to watch Larry pop out with his tuba.
Matthew has the most adorable nervous habit. He chews on his fingers. He kind of twists his hands so that they are a little backwards. He does this in new situations or anytime that he doesn't have a handle on the situation. If he's feeling confident, he chatters like a monkey. It's so funny to listen to his conversations as well.
Ben loves to color. When I sit down with Matthew for "schooltime", I give Ben some blank paper and crayons. Today he managed to keep them out of his mouth until the very end, when he went to town on the brown crayon.
The boys love it when Daddy comes home, although they have taken to screaming. There have been a few times that Rob has almost turned around and gone back to school/work. That's when Mommy screams.
Matthew's stall tactics for bedtime are hilarious. My favorite one is when he comes down and tells me that the fan blew off his kissie. We got a good laugh out of the night that he told us he was afraid of Ben. Usually he's afraid of the door, the doorknob, or the wall.
Ben has been getting bad cases of the "me toos" recently. It's usually not too bad, but the other day, Matthew hurt his knee and needed a Band-Aid. As soon as I patched him up, Ben came up, lifted his knee, and said, "Owie!" So, I doctored his "owie" as well. It's a good thing we have lots of band-aids!
Okay, so they can be very cute. I'll try to keep them :)
Benjamin has been learning lots of new words recently. He tries repeating anything we ask him to and if he gets it right, the word will become part of his regular vocabulary. Matthew is his best teacher. Here's how the conversation goes:
MJ: Ben, say "light."
Ben: wite.
MJ: Good job! Now say "couch."
Ben: cousch.
MJ: Good job! Now say.....(and on it goes)
They do this everywhere: in the car, the store, at mealtimes, while watching TV and I never get tired of it.
Ben is in love with Larry from Veggie Tales. He constantly asks me to read him Veggie Books and loves to watch Larry pop out with his tuba.
Matthew has the most adorable nervous habit. He chews on his fingers. He kind of twists his hands so that they are a little backwards. He does this in new situations or anytime that he doesn't have a handle on the situation. If he's feeling confident, he chatters like a monkey. It's so funny to listen to his conversations as well.
Ben loves to color. When I sit down with Matthew for "schooltime", I give Ben some blank paper and crayons. Today he managed to keep them out of his mouth until the very end, when he went to town on the brown crayon.
The boys love it when Daddy comes home, although they have taken to screaming. There have been a few times that Rob has almost turned around and gone back to school/work. That's when Mommy screams.
Matthew's stall tactics for bedtime are hilarious. My favorite one is when he comes down and tells me that the fan blew off his kissie. We got a good laugh out of the night that he told us he was afraid of Ben. Usually he's afraid of the door, the doorknob, or the wall.
Ben has been getting bad cases of the "me toos" recently. It's usually not too bad, but the other day, Matthew hurt his knee and needed a Band-Aid. As soon as I patched him up, Ben came up, lifted his knee, and said, "Owie!" So, I doctored his "owie" as well. It's a good thing we have lots of band-aids!
Okay, so they can be very cute. I'll try to keep them :)
Monday, September 3, 2007
What a week!
This past week we had quite the adjustment to Rob's new schedule. He leaves for class around 7am, comes home for about 40 minutes after classes (different times each day) and then leaves for work and is gone until 8pm. It's been rough on me and the kids to not see Daddy quite so much and of course, very hard on Rob. He loves his classes, but he is exhausted at the end of each day. And it doesn't end there, because he has school work to do. He is taking six classes this semester, the toughest of which is Greek Syntax. He loves Greek, but it's a lot of work. We pretty much limped into the weekend. I have noticed a major behavior change in the boys, especially Ben, and have had to be firmer with them. Another friend who's husband also started his classes said she's been having boot camp at her house, so at least I know that it's not just me!
Rob's parents came for a visit this weekend, along with their delightful new dog, Abbie. Abbie was left at a shelter with little more than her name attached. She's around three years old (giver or take a year) and is a Schnauzer mix. She is very sweet and the kids had fun seeing a dog in the house. They both got to feed her a treat. Matthew made her sit for her treat, but Ben just gave it to her. Ben just might be her favorite. :)
We had a nice visit with the Litwiller's, although Rob and I were rather tired. We went out to lunch at Culver's ( I won paper/rock/scissors so I beat out Rob's Chinese place) and then came back here. Matthew is a Grandma's boy and he had Grandma playing a fishing game, playing with Play-Doh, Candyland, Ants in My Pants, a Discovery toys game, reading books, and probably a few things I missed. Ben just wanted to be read to and wanted to be part of whatever action was going on. We didn't put him down for a nap because it's hard to predict how long he'll sleep.
They went on a walk (Mommy napped) and shortly after, Jim and Leanah left. Ben had fallen asleep in the stroller, but woke up shortly after they left. We decided to let Matthew calm down a little and popped in The Wizard of Oz. He fell asleep during "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and woke up during "If I Were King of the Forest." I'd say he missed all the good stuff!
We've had a great day today. Rob only had one class (Greek, go figure) and then he's been home all day. We tried taking the boys to the park but the mosquitoes were so bad that we left after only 30 minutes. Ben was rather upset, as this park had a toddler play area. Rob and I, however, were tired of smashing the little pests all over ourselves. Matthew even complained that his ear itched.
Oh, and for those that know MJ well, get this: he requested a peanut butter sandwich for lunch and actually ate it! Will wonders never cease? (MJ does not like pb and j's.)
I'm hungry (for the 80th time today) so it's time to go eat!
Rob's parents came for a visit this weekend, along with their delightful new dog, Abbie. Abbie was left at a shelter with little more than her name attached. She's around three years old (giver or take a year) and is a Schnauzer mix. She is very sweet and the kids had fun seeing a dog in the house. They both got to feed her a treat. Matthew made her sit for her treat, but Ben just gave it to her. Ben just might be her favorite. :)
We had a nice visit with the Litwiller's, although Rob and I were rather tired. We went out to lunch at Culver's ( I won paper/rock/scissors so I beat out Rob's Chinese place) and then came back here. Matthew is a Grandma's boy and he had Grandma playing a fishing game, playing with Play-Doh, Candyland, Ants in My Pants, a Discovery toys game, reading books, and probably a few things I missed. Ben just wanted to be read to and wanted to be part of whatever action was going on. We didn't put him down for a nap because it's hard to predict how long he'll sleep.
They went on a walk (Mommy napped) and shortly after, Jim and Leanah left. Ben had fallen asleep in the stroller, but woke up shortly after they left. We decided to let Matthew calm down a little and popped in The Wizard of Oz. He fell asleep during "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and woke up during "If I Were King of the Forest." I'd say he missed all the good stuff!
We've had a great day today. Rob only had one class (Greek, go figure) and then he's been home all day. We tried taking the boys to the park but the mosquitoes were so bad that we left after only 30 minutes. Ben was rather upset, as this park had a toddler play area. Rob and I, however, were tired of smashing the little pests all over ourselves. Matthew even complained that his ear itched.
Oh, and for those that know MJ well, get this: he requested a peanut butter sandwich for lunch and actually ate it! Will wonders never cease? (MJ does not like pb and j's.)
I'm hungry (for the 80th time today) so it's time to go eat!
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