Letters

Posted December 30th, 2007 by Mom | Comments (0)

This evening I was writing the words that C knows how to verbally spell on index cards (over a dozen words that we could easily think of!) so he could “see” the written word and practice his writing skills.

J wanted me to write his name on an index card since he knows how to spell his own name. While I was working with C, J got a piece of paper and started to write letters. I was amazed when J wrote a “t,” “o,” “c,” and “x.”

I’m going to have to work with J on his letters since he is showing such an interest. C wasn’t interested in writing at all at 3. It is really true that the younger child (J in this case) is more advanced at an earlier age than the older child (C) since the younger child (J) is trying to keep up with the older child (C)!

I showed the index cards to C and he was able to spell by sight the words and is getting very good at “sight” words, a pre-reading skill. It is my goal to help him begin to read easy books by the fall. By knowing how to read basic words, he will be ahead of the gang starting kindergarten.

Everyday that goes by, I am more appreciative of the support that B and I were given in our decision to hold C back this year, let him repeat 4 year old preschool, so he wouldn’t be struggling in kindergarten. Thank you my dear family and friends for your encouragement!

Sweet dreams

Posted December 27th, 2007 by Mom | Comments (0)

Late this afternoon before B got home from work, I gave J a bath.

We have since had dinner and I was sitting on the couch in the kitchen, talking to B while he finished eating dinner (the boys and I had already finished).

J came to sit beside me after putting on his pullup and getting ready for bed. I said to J, “I bet you are going to have a really good night’s sleep and sweet dreams since you are nice and clean!”

J replied, “No, I’m going to have dirty dreams!”

Merry Christmas, 2007

Posted December 26th, 2007 by Mom | Comments (0)

Last night, the boys and I, along with my parents went to church for Christmas Eve service. My handbell group played “Carol of the Bells.” It was beautiful - and so much fun! We gave our director the new Hallmark ornament, Ringing in Christmas. B stayed home to rest until joining us at my parent’s home after church - B was still recovering from the stomach flu. I don’t, for the life of me, see how J has missed getting sick, but I am really glad of it! The stomach flu is vicious! I totally was expecting J to start throwing up during the church service. It would have stayed true to the pattern - C started throwing up Thursday evening, I started on it Saturday evening, B started with it Sunday evening.

Church was wonderful. I love all the Christmas carols and the smiles, decorations, and general “happy feeling” of Christmas! It truly is a wonderful time of the year.

After church we went to my parents’ home, as I said, and had pizza for dinner. It was perfect. Minimal fuss and delicious. As I sit here at our desk, I see on the floor beside me a Tonka Police Department Hummer with Winch on the front of it that J picked out for one of his Christmas presents from Nana and Pop. C got 2 types of toy fire trucks - a ladder truck and a fire engine. B’s present was early this year, an Xbox 360 that was on sale the day after Thanksgiving. I received a Coach two tone khaki/mahogany purse that I really wanted and a new, larger sewing box that I really needed now that I am sewing more. My other sewing box is overflowing.

While I unwind this evening, I think I will sort my sewing boxes into the stuff I use often and my “miscellaneous/not often used” boxes. I can’t do this while the kids are awake - they love to play with all my neat sewing tools! My new, larger sewing box will be great to hold my accessories (needles, bobbins, etc.) that came with my sewing machine that are in a plastic bag next to the sewing machine on my closet shelf.

The kids also received a surprise from Nana and Pop - a pair of leather cowboy boots. They are precious! I can’t wait to see them in their new boots, jeans and shirts. I’ve seen boys wearing boots to school and C was thrilled to try them on. He said that they hurt his feet a little, but all new shoes do. Once they are broken in, I have little doubt that they will be their favorite shoes!

Another surprise was Radio Flyer miniature wagons from my Uncle H and Aunt D. This afternoon while the boys rested, B assembled them. While preparing our Christmas dinner, I observed that J had his filled with his favorite toy cars and trucks and I’m not sure what else (but it was obviously important to J!) and was pulling it around the house.

Surprising to me, the boys went to bed last night without much of a fuss. They were exhausted from 3 evenings in a row of activities - decorating cookies, Christmas with Grandma and Grandpa, church and Christmas with Nana and Pop. I was sure that they would be restless waiting on Santa. Nope. They crashed!

I, on the other hand, was up until 3 this morning (B woke up and came in the living room around 2:45 to make sure I was aware of the time!) getting the house ready for Christmas morning - organizing, cleaning, making the Happy Birthday Jesus cake and other snack foods, setting out the gifts from Santa, and decorating with my new trinkets among other tasks.

Before getting in bed last night, I left on our living room table the “Santa’s favorite cookies” plate with a half of a sugar cookie and some crumbs, a used milk cup, and a letter from Santa on blue cardstock paper with the writing in silver paint pen. This was the same paper and pen that I used as tags on their Santa gifts (with totally different wrapping paper than the presents under the tree!) The note from Santa read: Dear C- and J-, Thank you for the cookies and milk. I needed a snack after delivering toys to the families in your neighborhood. Be very good! I am watching you for next Christmas! Love, Santa Clause

It wasn’t until this morning - after a few hours of sleep - that I noticed that I misspelled “Claus.” Oh well. That’s what I get at 3 a.m.! This evening I asked B why he didn’t point it out to me and he said that the kids didn’t notice, and that it wasn’t worth re-writing the note. (I would have felt better had it been correct…)

This morning my parents and B’s parents came over to watch the boys enjoy Christmas day, including Santa’s treats left overnight. We originally set the time for them to arrive at 7:00, however B thought it was too early and we changed it to 8:30. C woke up at 7:45 and J woke up at 8:15. I think next year we will have the time set for 8. A good compromise.

C woke up before B and I did and came into our room to inform us that Santa “brought me a candy cane (hershey kisses filled candy cane) like every Christmas.” This was C’s mood all day. I couldn’t - and still can’t - figure out exactly what mood C was in today. It wasn’t a pout, angry, frustrated, or tired mood, just a funk I guess. No, “picky” would cover it. If he opened a present that he specifically requested, like the spiderman web shooter or Ace, the Planet Heroes action figure, he was thrilled. If he opened something that he was less than thrilled about, he let it be known. One time he even said, “This isn’t what I wanted.” (And was promptly reprimanded to say “thank you”) I also heard, “oh, man!”. I need to work with him on being gracious and understanding thankfulness. That’s it. He is learning and feeling different emotions and I need to help him sort through them to aid in positive qualities and pleasantries. C and J are good with “sir” and “ma’am” / “please” and “thank-you”, but C is ready for the next step. (Thanks for letting me ramble - a girl quality…)

Anyway - back to the timeline with editorial comments… Grandparents arrived and we ate - we were all hungry having not made time for breakfast. The boys enjoyed showing Nana and Pop the treats they received from Grandma and Grandpa and vice versa.

B enjoyed showing off his new RC helicopter that he and K both received on Dec. 23rd from Ju. B had it flying all around the living room. C said, “Aw, I wanted Santa to bring me one!” Maybe next year.

Once C and J were in a lull moment, I asked if they would like to see what Santa brought them. J didn’t remember much of last Christmas since he was only 2 1/2, but definitely recognized the J in his name on the presents by the fireplace (yes, I remembered to leave the glass doors to the fireplace open so Santa could come in.). There were several packages a piece for the boys containing underwear and a jointly addressed package with 10 pair of white socks. I thought the boys would be happy to get new cartoon character underwear. Boy was I wrong. After C unwrapped the second package of underwear, that is when I got the “Oh, man” comment. The look on his face was priceless. It was a combination frustration and yuck look. The Grandparents were laughing so hard. I’m sure they understood that kids grow and need new clothes, but from Santa… not much of a Christmas! I was tired and almost started to cry. We tried to give the kids a good Christmas and B and I didn’t have a single gift for each other under the tree (recognizing that we are saving our Christmas until the spring when we get hard wood flooring and my new washing machine and dryer). However I do understand the kid’s point of views and admit that coming from Santa, the underwear sucked as a good gift!

At one point, my dad mentioned that the kids might not worry too much about being good all next year since Santa likes to bring them underwear. It is not too much of a threat for Santa to skip bringing presents if the presents aren’t any fun! Anyway, the kids got what they needed and it brought a lot of laughter to the house!

J redeemed my holiday cheer. With many gifts, before they were completely unwrapped, he would say, “Thanks! This is just what I wanted!” With his sweet, child voice, it was precious. I don’t know where he has head this exact phrase, but wherever it was and whoever it was from - Thank you!

After presents were all unwrapped, we went to the kitchen for cake. We sang “Happy Birthday” to Jesus after J helped me put candles on the cake. I lit the candles and J and I blew them out. (I’m not sure where C was during all this…) I like using the long/tall candles and J put one on the cake and pushed it all the way down until this 6 inch candle had about and inch sticking out of the cake. It was so cute. My little helper.

I love making the Happy Birthday Jesus cake. It is a 3 layer cake. The bottom layer is chocolate. It is to look dark to represent the sin in our lives. The next layer (middle layer) is red. It represents the blood that Jesus shed on the cross to cover our sins and to give us eternal life if we believe in Him. The top layer is green to represent our new life as we grow by reading the Bible and learning about Jesus and telling others about Jesus. (I make a yellow cake mix and split it into two bowls and color one red and the other green to make these layers. I know other people that use strawberry cake mix for the red and something else for the green.) The cake is iced in white icing to represent the purity of Jesus Christ. On top of the cake is a six pointed, yellow star representing the star the night Christ was born and also it is the Star of David since Jesus was of the lineage of David. This is one of my favorite Christmas traditions.

After C and J were finished with their cake, B unrolled the big roll of bubble wrap that Santa brought and put it on the tile floor. The kids loved walking on it while popping the bubbles. What a racket! It was better than 4th of July fireworks. Cheap entertainment that wore off a little more of their energy. With that noise, the Grandparents made their farewells and while I rounded up the kitchen and organized the toys a bit, B and the boys sat down in the living room to unwind and watch Ratatouille (another Christmas present) before it was rest time.

For rest time, C took to his room a new Clifford cartridge for his Leapter L-Max and J took with him his new car transporter truck. For me, I just went to bed to sleep! A sleep well deserved.

In looking at the time, it is almost 1 a.m. on the 26th. Merry day after Christmas to you! (And, no, you will not see me out shopping today! I have nothing to exchange. My Christmas was perfect!)

Merry Christmas Eve, 2007

Posted December 23rd, 2007 by Mom | Comments (0)

This will be known as the “stomach flu Christmas” for years to come.

On Thursday evening, C came down with the stomach flu. He vomited all evening until finally collapsing into the sleep of the exhausted. He was sick as well all day Friday. B took him to the doctor on Saturday morning. There wasn’t much the doctor could do for the vomiting, but found that C also had a lung infection and an ear infection. Poor fella. Since C couldn’t keep anything down, he got a shot of antibiotics and we will start him on oral antibiotics in the morning. Next in line to get sick was me.

Last night (Saturday) I missed out on decorating cookies with B’s parents, C and J. I surpassed C’s fever by a tenth of a degree. My fever topped out at 101.8 early this morning around 3. I felt too bad to sleep, so I wrapped presents. (B’s mom mentioned that my wrapping talents were slipping as she unwrapped a present this evening…)

I really had been looking forward to watching C and J getting into icing cookies. Knowing that C is 5.5 and J being 3.75, they would both enjoy and understand how to ice the cookies. Fortunately B brought home some of their creatively decorated cookies so I could enjoy their labors.

This afternoon B started to get sick. I am all better. It is amazing how 24 hours earlier, I was miserable! I know that B will feel a lot better tomorrow after a good night’s sleep - if the nausea will let him sleep.

This evening we went over to B’s parent’s home for dinner and Christmas. Ju (B’s mom) prepared a delicious meal of homemade chili. B obviously rested in the living room. (We had the option of postponing Christmas, and I think we would have had B understood how bad he was going to get to feeling as the evening progressed…) C and J love chili and enjoyed eating by candlelight. I tucked J’s napkin into his collar to prevent a mess but J removed it and told me, “I won’t make a mess. I have a spoon.” True to his word, he didn’t get a single drop of chili on his sweater!

C and J had an awesome Christmas with Grandma and Grandpa! Blankets, rollerblades with training wheels, child sized golf game that made B mention that the back gate will now come in handy as we retrieve golf balls from the land behind out home, cars and trucks, coloring felt boards, a battery train, twister and candyland carpet games just to name a portion of their loot. I love my Willie box (named for my beloved cat Willie in heaven), levenger clock fob, ladybug socks and note cube, Hobby Lobby Gift card, perfume bottle, just to name some of my stuff. I’m not sure what B received (he has now told me about the clamps, Lowe’s gift card, Barnes and Noble gift card) since he was at the other end of the room trying to stay very still when he wasn’t taking sick-time breaks to the bathroom. Poor guy. This stomach bug is awful and doesn’t discriminate. He kept telling Toto the not-human to stay off of his belt/stomach.

We gave Grandma a laminator, Hobby Lobby gift card, manicure g/c in additional to other things. Grandma and Grandpa will enjoy going out to the movies as well one evening.

Grandpa’s big gift, in addition to a wood craft g/c, was a DVD where B has been scanning K’s (Grandpa) slides where he use to do a lot of photography. He is excellent with a camera and should keep up this craft in my opinion. Anyway, B has organized the slides into acid-free storage containers and is cataloging them. He hasn’t reached the 1/2 way point yet of the approximately 3000 slides, but is continuing on in his quest of having all the slides scanned and cropped.

Watching K tear up while viewing the DVD was priceless. K said after viewing some of the family pictures that he would have to look at the rest of them later. Ju mentioned that “it’s my life” looking at them. Good idea and excellent job, B!

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. We have church tomorrow evening and then will celebrate Christmas with my parents. I have a lot of preparing to do for Christmas day as well. I need to make the Happy Birthday Jesus cake and sausage pinwheels so they will be ready to go into the oven first thing on Christmas morning. I need to make sugar cookies and puree the strawberries for the punch. Also a little dusting and vacuuming would be a grand idea as well.

Timing is everything. If I had the stomach flu tonight or tomorrow, Christmas might be a bust! This is one of the bigger Christmases for the boys. As they grow older, I hope the magic of the season will remain in their hearts, and as I grow older, I am getting enjoyment out of them.

Spelling Woes

Posted December 21st, 2007 by Mom | Comments (0)

It has come to my attention that I will not be allowed to spell many more words - you know, spelling words so the little kids won’t understand what you are saying.

Last night I was talking to B and spelled out Butthead (in reference to another person - not B!) and J piped up and repeated, B-U-T-T-then miscellaneous letters added onto the end. Luckily he didn’t ask what I was spelling!

Oh, no!

C is getting really good at spelling 3 letter words like: cat, dad, mom, pop; in addition to his name, J’s name, and other miscellaneous words.  J repeats everything. So long to the good ol’ days where the kids were ambivalent to the world around them.

At least they can’t read at the moment. I’ve had my Christmas gift list on my clipboard for a month now, often sitting on the living room coffee table, and it has a list of what we have purchased (and wrapped) for their Christmas. I guess next year this list will have to have a hiding place!

The End of an Era

Posted December 20th, 2007 by Mom | Comments (0)

Coming home from preschool on Wednesday afternoon, the boys were in the back seat of my car talking to each other. This was their last day of preschool for the semester. They will return to preschool in January.

J received from one of his classmates a plastic toy car filled with candy. I opened it once we got to the car from their classrooms. C really wanted a piece of candy. C said to J, “You can have one of my blue blankets if you give me a piece of candy.”

This was the first time that C verbalized that his blue blankets were not an absolute necessity for him. I have observed him substituting his blue blanket with Giggles, his stuffed bear, or going to bed without a blue blanket and not being hysterical. However, I guess C is willingly giving up his blue blanket.

C is growing up. *Sniff* *Sniff* from Mommy!