Hats & Homework

Well I didn't get to go to church tonight because I was babysitting but Jacob went with Daddy and he looked so handsome I just had to get a picture.

UPDATE: I emailed his teacher about the 3 chapters she wants him to read each night....she said he is very smart (he is always above grade level in reading on his report cards) and she thought he could do it faster than 45 minutes. She said it was okay to only do 2 chapters if we wanted. But I tried going in the bedroom with him last night and we laid on my bed in the quiet away from his brothers and he read 3 chapters again without stopping and it took him 45 minutes again. So tonight we only made him do 2 chapters. He loses interests and fidgets a lot. Before this week his homework was to read 10 minutes per night. Not sure why she increased it so much? Atleast she was nice about it...

Jonah got Daddy's hat this morning and it was so cute watching him with it on....he knew he looked cool...he just looked at us and smiled....oh and he loves those tiny boxes of raisins too!

Imaginations...

Well we got a new camera and I haven't taken time to read the book yet so not sure what the clicking noise is during the videos I take....try to ignore it :-D

Jonah has been trying to use the potty some today but not 100% in underwear all day...we've got a long way to go. He asked to sit on the potty this morning so I let him while I was drying my hair and Jaron came in and gave him a book to read...He looked at me and said "Bible"....HOW DID HE KNOW? That only one book of the bible but he was right!!!

Later this evening Chris got out the vacuum to do their room because apprently someone got a little carried away smashing crackers into the carpet...but he was distracted by a phone call so he left the vacuum cleaner and walked off....the boys are facinated with it....so Jaron walks over and says "Hey Jonah you want to change the oil in it?"

Peeing for gum

Well I woke up this morning thinking I need to start potty training Jonah. So he did his usual morning poop and then I put him on some big boy underwear. I told him "no pee pee in the underwear, tell mommy when you have to pee and we'll RUN to the potty" So I took him in there in a few minutes and told him I'd give him gum if he went. He never gets gum so he was VERY excited....oh and I put some cheerios in the toilet to make it fun. He peed in the toilet!!! I could NOT believe it. So of course I gave him some gum and a little later he told me "potty mommy" so we went back and he peed some more so I gave him a little more gum. The a little later he stood right in front of me and peed all OVER himself. I said "OH no Jonah! WHY? you were doing so good!" So it was naptime and I put a diaper on him. We tried underwear again later but he never peed anymore he said "it's stuck". He couldn't get any out so he didn't get any gum....HE WAS NOT HAPPY!!! He pitched many screaming fits and we went back and forth to the bathroom without any success. So we'll try again tomorrow and see what happens. I think I'll get some M&M's they might be safer to swallow.

just a little side note: Jacob came home today with a chapter book and his new homework was to read THREE CHAPTERS EVERY DAY...he's only in first grade...it took him 45 min and he was in tears at the end. I will have to email the teacher about this!

Handsome Boys

The other day when they were playing outside the boys wanted to catch a butterfly and I said to them "if you put that butterfly in a jar it will cry because he wants to fly around outside". Jacob said "no mommy, butterflies don't cry because it's not a person"

We had a little photo shoot before walking out the door for church this morning....It's not easy to get them to all stand still and look at me and smile....but they are so handsome!

There was one more thing I wanted to put on here that Jacob said but I can't remember it right now...I'm sleepy....goodnight.

Fun Outside!!!

We took the boys to the mall today to play at the inside play area....

Then we rode the carousel...

Then we ate lunch and came home. We don't ever shop at the mall we just went for some indoor fun. We love the nice temperatures outside but pollen is NOT our friend. So Jonah napped when we got home then the boys decided they wanted to play outside a little so the got their masks on...

They wanted them and I think they are helping. Jonah wouldn't wear one and he's the only one coughing...

Yes he's wearing PJ's....they all are...that's all we wear at home...

just before the fall.... :-D

goodnight....

Spring is Here!

Well we have all seen the "Bee Movie" and know all about the pollen and how the bees LOVE IT! Everything is starting to bloom here in Georgia and that means lots of pollen which means lots of bees. We were in the house the other day and Jacob opened the front door because Chris pulled in the driveway. The next thing I know Jacob RAN SCREAMING into his room holding his arm!!! I said "WHAT?!!?" he said he got stung and Chris saw what it was a killed it. A WASP! I think it was stuck between our glass door and wooden door and he must have been mad because he attacked the first thing he saw.

I immediately ran cold water on it but it didn't seem to help. I have never in my 29 years been stung by anything so I have no idea how bad it really is. I came to the computer and typed in yahoo "home remedies for bee stings" the first website that came up had a whole list of things and I picked one that I had the ingredients for, baking soda and water paste. We put some on his arm and he said it helped it stop burning. I felt so helpless. He was crying and I couldn't figure out what to do to make it stop. Later I read that toothpaste is one of the best things for a bee sting. The glycerine takes away the burning.

Today we needed to go get groceries but I have been telling the boys about the pollen and how it makes us sick because we all have allergies. And the news said the pollen count was 5700 yesterday and our cars are now solid yellow. We rushed to the van and all the way to the store we pointed out all the yellow cars going down the road. As we pulled in the parking lot at 8:30am there were only 4 cars so we could clearly see it was covered in yellow pollen with a few tire tracks. They saw it too and were kinda hestitant to get out of the van. We covered our noses and ran in fast. I don't want them to be afraid of outdoors but it's pretty bad right now. Our allergies can't handle 5700 spores of pollen. Jonah is coughing right now as I am typing. We use nasonex daily at our house. I love the flowers and the beautiful wisteria that is blooming everywhere, but we do NOT like the pollen. Thank God for that rain we had today to wash our cars and clear the air.

note: I just realized as I typed this story that if Jacob wouldn't have opened the door then Chris would have probably been that wasps victim because he just got home and was on his way inside. He should thank Jacob. :-D

Proverbs 31 ~ "Virtuous Woman"

Well if you want to find an AWESOME mother's day gift or a new summer purse for yourself go to www.mythirtyone.com/toniab31/ I am hosting a catalog/online party. It is a christian based company started by a mother who wanted to work at home so she could be with her children.

She named it after Proverbs 31:10-31

"Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life. She seeketh wool and flax and worketh willingly with her hands. She is like the merchants ships, she bringeth her food from afar. She riseth also while it is yet night and giveth meat to her household and a portion to her maidens. She considereth a field and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. She girdeth her loins with strenghth and strengtheneth her arms. She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night. She layeth her hands to the spindle and her hands hold the distaff. She stretcheth out her hand to the poor, yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy. She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet. She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple. Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land. She maketh fine linen, and selleth it and delivereth girdles unto the merchant. Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come. She openeth her mouth with wisdom and in her tongue is the law of kindness. She looketh well to the ways of her household and eateth not the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also and he praiseth her. Many daughters have done virtuously but though excellest them all. Favour is deceitful and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates"

So when you click on "Place an order" find my name listed in the parties and click on "shop now" They are really nice purses and bags. Thanks!!! :-D

I am so thankful for..

Jesus dying on the cross for my sins.
God sending me my husband right on time.
Our 3 boys He's given us.
Our house to live in and food to eat.
My husbands great job that enables me to stay home with our boys.
Christian friends and family.

Now does anyone have any good ideas on how to instill thankfulness into children. I don't like wasting food so we had leftovers for dinner and Jacob says to me "I just had that yesterday, I don't like this at all"

So of course without thinking first I said to Chris "Daddy I think we need to drop Jacob off in Africa for a couple of weeks and see how he likes it over there, only eating one meal per WEEK"

Then Jacob said to me "NO NO NO....almost in tears so I said "Well be thankful you have food on your plate and stop complaining"

How do I teach him to be grateful? Take him to see people in a homeless shelter? Show him pictures of poor countries online? He's 7 years old and picking up a little attitude from some kids at school.

Oh by the way he cleared his plate tonight. :-D    so maybe my way worked!

Happy 2nd Birthday Jonah

My baby turned 2 years old today. We went to church first and celebrated our RISEN SAVIOR. Then we went to my mom's house to eat lunch and have some cake and icecream.

He loved it when we all sang Happy Birthday to him....

Jacob made a card for him....

They all helped him blow out his candle

He wasn't sure if he liked the swing or not.

But he knew right away he loved the puppy

They also have horses and Jaron wasn't scared but Jonah was a little nervous...

And Jacob fed the horses too. It's always fun at Granna & Pappa's house....

Jonah got pullups for his birthday and it's time to start potty training....we'll see if he can do it faster than his brothers....we bought some potty candy (M&M's) to motivate him~that is if I can keep my hands off of them. :-D

Kids say the funniest things....

I was getting the boys out of the bath the other day and Jaron put both his hands of my face as I was drying him off and said "I love your face". Again tonight in the van I leaned my seat back to reach the boys and Jaron said "I love your beautiful face". If he only knew how much I love his face.

Jacob said to me the other day out of no where...we weren't even talking about babies...he said "You don't need to have any more babies mommy it's too much work". He is so sympathetic to me and he can sense when I'm tired or have a headache. He sometimes gets snacks and a drink for Jonah and give him toys if he sees me laying on the couch not feeling good. He just knows me and wants to make things easier. I love my sensitive, gentle son.

Jonah will be 2 years old tomorrow. I cannot believe it! Time is going too fast...I nursed him for 11 months and now he is so big I can barely hold him anymore. 30lbs. of pure love. Every time we leave our house and he sees the cows at the end of our road he says "moo tow" and no matter how many times you ask him "Do you love me?" He always answers with "Uh Huh I do". His vocabulary is expanding finally. He sings the ABC's and counts to 10. He sings twinkle twinkle and most of the gospel music we play in the car. I told him tonight that tomorrow is his birthday and he said "two years old". I love my chunky little man.

Confessions of a busy mom

I'll have to admit I have fed my boys cereal for dinner.....
I have kicked toys under the coffee table if I didn't want to bend over and pick them up...
I also let them watch too much tv.
I don't cook enough meals and we never eat at the table together.
My bathroom needs to be cleaned RIGHT NOW but I'm blogging instead
I do sometimes eat chocolate at night when they are all asleep and it feels like I'm sneaking :-D
I have made the older boys give their toy to the baby just to make him stop crying instead of being fair.
I frequently clean the livingroom by kicking everything into their room in a corner.
I have put toys in a garbage bag and threatened to take them to the dump
I usually eat any chocolate they are given from church or school....(I tell them it's for adults)
I have thrown away small toys without their knowledge (choking hazards) and when they ask about them I say "I don't know where that is"
And last but not least.....I stay up way too late and I'm sleepy all day because of it.
SO I'm going to bed RIGHT NOW!!!

Fish Sticks, Homework & Kindergarten

Well I took Jaron to school today to register for kindergarten. We had to wait until 4pm so we talked about it all day and watched the clock a LOT! He was so excited! (not me~very nervous he might not eat and lose weight) But we got a folder with some papers and we got home and he showed everyone his "homework". I think he would have slept with this folder if I let him.

And Jonah is going to be 2 on Sunday so I let him wear these underwear for a little bit today and he loved it!

Then it was time to eat and yes we had fishsticks (I don't cook a full meal very often)....HE LOVES THEM!

Meanwhile Jacob was still at the counter pouting because "Homework is boring" He sat there an hour I think and it usually only takes him 30 minutes. Some days he comes right off the bus and does it before even taking his clothes off. I guess he just wasn't in the mood today. So I wanted to capture his face and he decided to be silly....

It's really never a dull moment around here....

Random cell pics

Note: One thing I forgot to post yesterday ~ I think it's very ironic all the time I spend washing my dishes before I put them in the dishwasher.... :-/ Oh and remind me to never start the dishwasher at midnight again....I could not go to sleep for all the unusual noises..... :-(

Occassionally Jacob will get my cell phone and start taking pictures of things so I decided the other night to check my phone and see what was on it. I had 174 pictures most of which were objects and not people. He takes pictures of toys, tv, carpet, his hand, ceiling fans...and more. SO after deleting most of them I found a bunch I had taken over the last 3-4 months that were cute and I wanted to share....

Jonah loves Nanny

Jacob crossing his eyes being silly

Jaron's cool sunglasses

Jonah making himself at home at the library

Jonah had to try on the sunglasses... :-D Yes he's in his pj's we just went to the bank....we were all in our pjs actually....we did not get out of the car..just had to rush before they closed....we got another one of our mailbox blessings...that's a whole other post for tomorrow maybe.

Weird...

I was in my van today driving down the road and noticed a "christian gifts" store located about 50 feet from a liquor store....kinda ironic

I often tell the boys "get off the coffee table!" and then I find myself sitting on the coffee table to tie their shoes or something....not ironic...that's kinda misleading...I mean ~ mommy's on the coffee table so why can't they jump off of it or stand on it and dance? Poor table is falling apart....should we get a new one and hope they don't break it or wait until they are moved out to by new furniture? :-D

I got some stuff done today making appointments and researching some things online...Feels good to take care of business. I suprisingly don't have a headache and seem to be getting them less these days. THANK GOD!

While putting Jaron to bed tonight I was laying on his bed talking to him and the whole time we talked his hand was rubbing my cheek and I said "why are you rubbing my cheek?" he said "Because I love your face!" If my boys only knew how much I love them....I check on them 2-3 times before I go to bed...I hear their every cough during the night and sometimes they talk in their sleep. I am always partially awake for their every need. Motherhood changes they way we think, eat, sleep and even the way we talk. But it's all for the better.

I wrote a poem about being a mother:

What's the rush?

Why do I always rush? Why do I feel like I need to rush? I rush my kids and there's really no reason. It's all about being in bed by 8pm. But whose watching? I mean I don't have anyone to answer to if they get in bed at 8:05. WHO CARES?!?! My husband and I set the rules and we can change them if we want to. I feel like I am so strict with our schedule that I can't even give myself some slack. Seriously....what's the rush? We have no where to be most of the time but I am always rushing. That's just another one of my bad habits I want to change. I mean I know that children need structure and routine is a great thing. I love our schedule and they do too. But I think I'm too hard on myself.

I guess it's because they don't get outside much right now, but they have so much energy and sometimes play in bed for an hour before falling alseep. I can't wait until summer time when they can play outside all day and get wore out so they will sleep better. They love going to the park and we pack our lunches and eat there at the picnic tables. Jonah is bigger now too so he can go down the slides and things. Last summer he was too scared.

Anyway we had a good day at church and even squeezed in our afternoon nap. :-D Trying to go to bed earlier. So I gotta go clean the kitchen and brush my teeth.....goodnight.