Today was Caleb and Logan's last day of Kindergarten!! I can hardly believe it -it feels like we're just getting into the swing of things. :) I'm not sure where the year went, it's all kind of in a "having a newborn" haze...
They had a fun last couple days, and are definitely overtired. Yesterday was Field Day, so they were outside almost the entire day (and it was quite warm and humid!); and today they had a field trip in the afternoon to finish things off. They went to Playworld and played HARD for a couple hours.
Both boys had a great first year of school; and as parents, I think Mike and I had a good first year, too. :) It's crazy to see how much they've learned in just one school year. Their teacher, Mrs. Knapp, kept a few papers throughout the year and put together a book for each of the kids which they brought home today. What a huge difference in what they can do from the first day to the last!
Basically, at the beginning of the year they could mostly write their first name, and count but not write out the numbers. Now they can write out their whole name (nicely!), and not only write out the numbers, but count by two's, add, and subtract! They are way better at telling time than I was at that age (I remember really struggling to tell time...).
We have loved school, and part of me is dreading summer, but it will be good to have a break, and we have a few fun things planned throughout the whole summer to keep us going. :) I do need to spend a little more time, though, figuring out what kind of structure our normal days at home are going to have.
Thursday, May 26, 2016
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
ouch
This past Monday I took both Levi and Jackson in for well
child check-ups at the doctor. They both
needed shots - good times! :) Levi weighed in at 42 lbs, which is 91st
percentile; and he is 3' 7" tall, which is 93rd percentile. Not a little guy, that's for sure! Jackson is 17 lb 5 oz (39th percentile); and
2' 3.5" (76th percentile). I'm
always thankful for good check-ups at the doctor!
On the way to the doctor I gave Levi a heads up that he was
probably getting shots, and he took it pretty well. I was prepared for him to freak out about it,
considering how the last shot went, but he stayed calm. :) At
shot time I didn't have to wrestle him or anything - he got right up on the
table, I held his arms down, and he did let out a pretty good scream, but then
just cried for a bit. I wasn't able to
comfort him for long as Jackson was getting shots, too, and I had to help with
him.
Levi also had to have hearing and vision tests in order to
go to preschool next year. Boy is that a
trip with a four-year-old! I had them do
the picture eye test since I know he doesn't know his letters real well. But, even that was a bit of a struggle. It was hard to tell what he actually couldn't
see, what shapes he didn't know, and what was shyness with the nurses... Kinda the same with the hearing test - hard
to get him to respond like he's supposed to. For the most part though he did well answering the nurses and doctors when they asked him questions (we had a couple pep talks about that).
I asked the doctor about trying solids with Jackson again, and he said there's no rush to do it anytime soon since he's growing and healthy as it is. I tried for 2-3 weeks a couple months ago and it seemed to give him reflux or something, and he just never got excited about it. So, I quit and it's been nice not dealing with that added complication. :)
Of course Jackson cried for his shots, too, so I had my hands full trying to comfort two sad little boys. Levi was fine once I got to the gas station just up the road and bought him some candy. :)
Last Saturday we loaded up the family in Mike's truck and delivered a whole cow to Midland! We put an old freezer in the back of the truck, stopped at Byron Center Meats to fill it up, and then hit the road. We weren't sure how it was going to go having all six of us in the truck, but it really went well! We were able to visit and have lunch with Mike's stepbrother and his family that live over there and it was a really nice visit.
Monday, May 9, 2016
4 and 6
Within the last week Jackson passed the 6 month mark, and Levi had his FOURTH birthday!! I definitely wish I could freeze time once in a while, my babies are growing so fast.
At 6 months, Jackson is mostly a lot of fun. :) He can't quite sit up on his own, but he wants to so bad. When laying on the floor he often does "crunches" to try and sit up to see what's going on. He's rolling around quite a bit, and I can't trust him to stay in one spot (I'd better get crackin' with babyproofing...). Jackson enjoys being outside, whether it's on a blanket or in the stroller. His smile is just darling, and even though he's been acting for months like they're coming, he doesn't have any teeth yet. He seems awfully close to actually saying "mama". I know it's just the noise he makes when crying, but boy it sure sounds like he's crying for mama! Even though I was up with him 3x last night, most nights he does pretty well and sleeps from about 9pm-6:30am, give or take a bit. He generally eats 5x/day (we're not doing solids yet), and many days has a couple cat naps with one bigger nap in the middle of the day. Last week we were on the go quite a bit so naps didn't go as well, but he (and I!) are going to have to learn to deal with it - when you're the little guy with older siblings you can't just stay home all the time! :)
Levi got lots of treats on his birthday! After dropping Caleb and Logan off to school, we headed to the donut shop. Then, while we were helping out at a garage sale, my dad came to take him out (since we already had donuts, he had a cookie); and one of the ladies at the sale wanted to get him a donut, but we passed up that one. :) That evening, after dinner, we had cupcakes. (By the way, dinner was ravioli, which he requested.) And, on Saturday at the Mother's Day/several cousin's birthday's party with Mike's family, we had the chocolate cake with chocolate frosting that he asked for. :) Levi got his big boy bike from Grandpa and Grandma VanBeek and he looks so big on it! He got a kid-sized wheelbarrow from my parents that I'm excited about as he always wants to help with work outside. :)
On Friday we were able to meet up at the park with Tera and her boys and we had such a nice time! It was great to catch up with her, and the boys had so much fun playing together. I think I'm going to have some sad boys when their cousins go back to Kenya.
Yesterday was Mother's Day and it was a nice day. The boys got me a candle and gift card to a local greenhouse. We had dinner with my family at my parent's house. Then we just laid low the rest of the day. I had things to get done around the house, and the other guys played outside and got dirty. Of course. :) There are plenty of tough times with this parenting gig, but I couldn't be more thrilled to be 'mom' to my four boys. Even when I'm pretty sure that I'm going to LOSE. MY. MIND. I know I'm doing exactly what God has called me to do.
At 6 months, Jackson is mostly a lot of fun. :) He can't quite sit up on his own, but he wants to so bad. When laying on the floor he often does "crunches" to try and sit up to see what's going on. He's rolling around quite a bit, and I can't trust him to stay in one spot (I'd better get crackin' with babyproofing...). Jackson enjoys being outside, whether it's on a blanket or in the stroller. His smile is just darling, and even though he's been acting for months like they're coming, he doesn't have any teeth yet. He seems awfully close to actually saying "mama". I know it's just the noise he makes when crying, but boy it sure sounds like he's crying for mama! Even though I was up with him 3x last night, most nights he does pretty well and sleeps from about 9pm-6:30am, give or take a bit. He generally eats 5x/day (we're not doing solids yet), and many days has a couple cat naps with one bigger nap in the middle of the day. Last week we were on the go quite a bit so naps didn't go as well, but he (and I!) are going to have to learn to deal with it - when you're the little guy with older siblings you can't just stay home all the time! :)
Levi got lots of treats on his birthday! After dropping Caleb and Logan off to school, we headed to the donut shop. Then, while we were helping out at a garage sale, my dad came to take him out (since we already had donuts, he had a cookie); and one of the ladies at the sale wanted to get him a donut, but we passed up that one. :) That evening, after dinner, we had cupcakes. (By the way, dinner was ravioli, which he requested.) And, on Saturday at the Mother's Day/several cousin's birthday's party with Mike's family, we had the chocolate cake with chocolate frosting that he asked for. :) Levi got his big boy bike from Grandpa and Grandma VanBeek and he looks so big on it! He got a kid-sized wheelbarrow from my parents that I'm excited about as he always wants to help with work outside. :)
On Friday we were able to meet up at the park with Tera and her boys and we had such a nice time! It was great to catch up with her, and the boys had so much fun playing together. I think I'm going to have some sad boys when their cousins go back to Kenya.
Yesterday was Mother's Day and it was a nice day. The boys got me a candle and gift card to a local greenhouse. We had dinner with my family at my parent's house. Then we just laid low the rest of the day. I had things to get done around the house, and the other guys played outside and got dirty. Of course. :) There are plenty of tough times with this parenting gig, but I couldn't be more thrilled to be 'mom' to my four boys. Even when I'm pretty sure that I'm going to LOSE. MY. MIND. I know I'm doing exactly what God has called me to do.
Friday, April 29, 2016
stinkable
If only I could record everything my kids say! Especially Levi lately, he's full of one-liners. The other day when he was headed into the bathroom to take care of business he said, "It might be stinkable in there!" Lately he's been saying, "Okaaayyy, what are we doing here now?" (Even when we're at home.) I think it was Sunday morning he told me I looked really pretty, and I thought I might melt. :) Many times when I tell him to do something I get a cheery, "Okay, yes, Mom!" And, when I've been going outside to work in the yard lately, he asks what work he can do.
Tuesday evening was Libertas' spring showcase concert. Caleb and Logan sang in about four different songs, and recited a Bible verse. Some of the skit type stuff that other classes did struggled with the sound, but the musical numbers were great! "America the Beautiful" at the end of the concert with all the classes plus the band was neat! And, my nephew Nathan's class sang a fun "Nifty Fifty States" song. Always interesting to watch my kids up front. There were plenty of times it looked like Caleb was just moving his mouth and not actually singing the words, but he was really into it! :) Logan was much more refined and by-the-book. They were very happy to whip out their kazoo's during one of the songs. :) At one point early on Mike had fed Jackson a bottle. He was burping him and made a comment that he would probably burp then since it was really quiet. I was watching him and saw the look on his face, said, "He's working on one.", grabbed the burp cloth, and what do you know, a super loud burp/spit-up came, and everyone around us got a good laugh. :)
We've been chipping away at some of the yard work around here. So much to do after last year's project! Trying to focus on one thing at a time and not get overwhelmed with the big picture. This week Mike got our new lamppost installed, and I love it! I moved the lovely clematis from the old lamppost to the new one and it's looking quite sad right now; I sure hope it perks up. I also split off part to move over by the little spot by the garage (which I got a trellis for and Mike helped me attach it to the wall last night), but that's not looking too hot either. We'll see. A couple weeks ago some friends of ours gave us some plants they were getting rid of, so I planted them in the flower bed around the dining room windows. Doing this work on a budget!! :) It's hard to find a large chunk of time to work on things, but at least Jackson will be content in his stroller or on a blanket for a little while here and there. Getting the lawn mowed this year is going to be a little tricky once Mike gets busier at work. I've been looking at video baby monitors so that I could mow while Jackson is napping, but $$$... Last year our mowing was almost cut in half thanks to thing being tore up from the project, but now with the new grass we have even more than before! Yikes. Once the boys are old enough we're going to buy each of them a walk behind and let them have at it... :)
Tuesday evening was Libertas' spring showcase concert. Caleb and Logan sang in about four different songs, and recited a Bible verse. Some of the skit type stuff that other classes did struggled with the sound, but the musical numbers were great! "America the Beautiful" at the end of the concert with all the classes plus the band was neat! And, my nephew Nathan's class sang a fun "Nifty Fifty States" song. Always interesting to watch my kids up front. There were plenty of times it looked like Caleb was just moving his mouth and not actually singing the words, but he was really into it! :) Logan was much more refined and by-the-book. They were very happy to whip out their kazoo's during one of the songs. :) At one point early on Mike had fed Jackson a bottle. He was burping him and made a comment that he would probably burp then since it was really quiet. I was watching him and saw the look on his face, said, "He's working on one.", grabbed the burp cloth, and what do you know, a super loud burp/spit-up came, and everyone around us got a good laugh. :)
We've been chipping away at some of the yard work around here. So much to do after last year's project! Trying to focus on one thing at a time and not get overwhelmed with the big picture. This week Mike got our new lamppost installed, and I love it! I moved the lovely clematis from the old lamppost to the new one and it's looking quite sad right now; I sure hope it perks up. I also split off part to move over by the little spot by the garage (which I got a trellis for and Mike helped me attach it to the wall last night), but that's not looking too hot either. We'll see. A couple weeks ago some friends of ours gave us some plants they were getting rid of, so I planted them in the flower bed around the dining room windows. Doing this work on a budget!! :) It's hard to find a large chunk of time to work on things, but at least Jackson will be content in his stroller or on a blanket for a little while here and there. Getting the lawn mowed this year is going to be a little tricky once Mike gets busier at work. I've been looking at video baby monitors so that I could mow while Jackson is napping, but $$$... Last year our mowing was almost cut in half thanks to thing being tore up from the project, but now with the new grass we have even more than before! Yikes. Once the boys are old enough we're going to buy each of them a walk behind and let them have at it... :)
Thursday, April 21, 2016
spring!
It's spring now! Of course, one weekend there was snow on the ground and the next weekend we were running around in shorts - and not because we're crazy northern people, it was actually warm enough. :)
Last Friday was my birthday, and I had a very nice day. The weather was gorgeous, the boys and I went for donuts with my friend Amy and her girls, Caleb and Logan went to a friend's house for the afternoon, we went out for supper as a family, and then headed over to my parent's to see my niece's from WV who were there with a church group (and, of course, my mom still had a cake with candles for me).
A couple things to note from that day: when the boys came downstairs they each immediately wished me a happy birthday, and then the next thing Levi said after seeing me in capri pants was, "So, are those shorts or what??" Ha! And when he came to the table for breakfast he said, "Okay, where's the cake??" He cracks me up. (After hanging out with Amy and her girls this morning, I said something to Levi about being pretty quiet while we were there, his response was, "Oh, I'm just not used to girls." Also, last week we hid the paddling spoon! Mike had brought it upstairs one night just in case and accidentally left it there. The next day it was needed so I went looking for it and couldn't find it. Levi managed not to say anything to me, but it came out that evening that Levi had seen where Mike left it, took it and put it behind his dresser to hide it. Stinker!
Jackson rolled from back to tummy for the first time on my birthday! Gotta keep a closer eye on him now that he's starting to move around just a little bit. I suppose we should start figuring out what we're going to do to gate off our stairs... For the most part Jackson has been doing well at night. Maybe waking up 1 or 2 times just needing a pacifier, but many nights sleeping through. And, most of the time he takes at least one longer nap during the day. What's also really nice is that sometimes when he wakes up sooner than I'm ready, I can just open the curtains in his room and give him a toy and he'll stay content for a while playing in his crib. This is such a big improvement for him! There are still plenty of frustrating moments, but he really is becoming much more fun. :) He still only has eyes for me, his smile melts my heart every time, and I love listening to him "talk". It's fun to watch him play with his toys - absolutely fascinating to watch babies grow and develop! He's mostly eating 5x/day now, and I haven't been giving him any solids anymore. We'll try again another time.
For as much as they fight, Caleb loves his brothers and can be very kind with them. Different times when Levi has gotten hurt while playing outside, Caleb will help him back to the house with his arm around him or holding his hand or something. Last week when there was a morning that Levi woke up not feeling well, Caleb helped him downstairs and was sticking close by him to make sure he was okay. This morning he held Jackson's bottle for him and loved being able to do that. Brings joy to my heart.
I've especially been enjoying seeing how Logan has developed at school. He's quite careful with his handwriting, and really enjoys various art projects. He's become quite creative and has a good imagination. I think more and more I'm seeing his similarities to me, and that's both good and bad... :)
Last Friday was my birthday, and I had a very nice day. The weather was gorgeous, the boys and I went for donuts with my friend Amy and her girls, Caleb and Logan went to a friend's house for the afternoon, we went out for supper as a family, and then headed over to my parent's to see my niece's from WV who were there with a church group (and, of course, my mom still had a cake with candles for me).
A couple things to note from that day: when the boys came downstairs they each immediately wished me a happy birthday, and then the next thing Levi said after seeing me in capri pants was, "So, are those shorts or what??" Ha! And when he came to the table for breakfast he said, "Okay, where's the cake??" He cracks me up. (After hanging out with Amy and her girls this morning, I said something to Levi about being pretty quiet while we were there, his response was, "Oh, I'm just not used to girls." Also, last week we hid the paddling spoon! Mike had brought it upstairs one night just in case and accidentally left it there. The next day it was needed so I went looking for it and couldn't find it. Levi managed not to say anything to me, but it came out that evening that Levi had seen where Mike left it, took it and put it behind his dresser to hide it. Stinker!
Jackson rolled from back to tummy for the first time on my birthday! Gotta keep a closer eye on him now that he's starting to move around just a little bit. I suppose we should start figuring out what we're going to do to gate off our stairs... For the most part Jackson has been doing well at night. Maybe waking up 1 or 2 times just needing a pacifier, but many nights sleeping through. And, most of the time he takes at least one longer nap during the day. What's also really nice is that sometimes when he wakes up sooner than I'm ready, I can just open the curtains in his room and give him a toy and he'll stay content for a while playing in his crib. This is such a big improvement for him! There are still plenty of frustrating moments, but he really is becoming much more fun. :) He still only has eyes for me, his smile melts my heart every time, and I love listening to him "talk". It's fun to watch him play with his toys - absolutely fascinating to watch babies grow and develop! He's mostly eating 5x/day now, and I haven't been giving him any solids anymore. We'll try again another time.
For as much as they fight, Caleb loves his brothers and can be very kind with them. Different times when Levi has gotten hurt while playing outside, Caleb will help him back to the house with his arm around him or holding his hand or something. Last week when there was a morning that Levi woke up not feeling well, Caleb helped him downstairs and was sticking close by him to make sure he was okay. This morning he held Jackson's bottle for him and loved being able to do that. Brings joy to my heart.
I've especially been enjoying seeing how Logan has developed at school. He's quite careful with his handwriting, and really enjoys various art projects. He's become quite creative and has a good imagination. I think more and more I'm seeing his similarities to me, and that's both good and bad... :)
Sunday, April 10, 2016
sprinter
I guess "sprinter" is a good name for the season we are currently in. Not unlike other years, winter keeps hanging on a bit but we get a taste of spring here and there. I'm not complaining too much, it would be nice to have warmer and dryer weather, but the way it's been has enabled Mike to still have Friday's off. This week it looks like things are supposed to warm up a bit and be pretty nice by the end of the week, so I imagine they'll probably have big planting day on the farm this Friday. Which, of course, is my birthday. :) I've had my hubby home on Friday's much longer than expected, though, so I can't complain if his first one back is on my birthday.
Once the weather turns I really need to get cracking on some areas around the house. One main flower bed that needs to be planted, and the garden. We completely let the garden go last year with everything going on, so it'll take some effort to get that ship-shape again! I have plenty to do in the house, though, until that time. And, it still seems rather hard to get anything 'extra' done beyond the daily tasks around here.
We survived Spring Break and it really wasn't too bad. The first day felt rather long, but after that the week went better. Tuesday my mom, the boys, and I drove to Grand Ledge to visit my grandma. I was SO HAPPY with how the boys behaved. We had a very nice visit. They played on the floor of her apartment for a while, and then we all took a walk. Wednesday was rainy and cold, but my mom had an afternoon of activity planned for the "staycationers". :) My parents, my sister-in-law and her two boys, and me and my boys went out to lunch and then we had a shopping challenge at a dollar store, and then back to my parent's to play bingo. We haven't really done a lot this weekend other than run a couple errands and go to church. (And it's so nice!)
Jackson has still been hit or miss with his nighttime sleeping. During the day he'll usually take at least one decent nap, which is so refreshing after months of 30 minute naps! It seems like he may be having some trouble with the introduction of solid foods - more spitting up, not all that excited to eat, etc. So, we'll continue to see how things go and he has a 6 month check-up next month anyways.
Once the weather turns I really need to get cracking on some areas around the house. One main flower bed that needs to be planted, and the garden. We completely let the garden go last year with everything going on, so it'll take some effort to get that ship-shape again! I have plenty to do in the house, though, until that time. And, it still seems rather hard to get anything 'extra' done beyond the daily tasks around here.
We survived Spring Break and it really wasn't too bad. The first day felt rather long, but after that the week went better. Tuesday my mom, the boys, and I drove to Grand Ledge to visit my grandma. I was SO HAPPY with how the boys behaved. We had a very nice visit. They played on the floor of her apartment for a while, and then we all took a walk. Wednesday was rainy and cold, but my mom had an afternoon of activity planned for the "staycationers". :) My parents, my sister-in-law and her two boys, and me and my boys went out to lunch and then we had a shopping challenge at a dollar store, and then back to my parent's to play bingo. We haven't really done a lot this weekend other than run a couple errands and go to church. (And it's so nice!)
Jackson has still been hit or miss with his nighttime sleeping. During the day he'll usually take at least one decent nap, which is so refreshing after months of 30 minute naps! It seems like he may be having some trouble with the introduction of solid foods - more spitting up, not all that excited to eat, etc. So, we'll continue to see how things go and he has a 6 month check-up next month anyways.
Thursday, March 31, 2016
eventful
We've had a few fun events lately. Last Thursday was Crazy Hair/Clothes Day at school. I gave Caleb and Logan mohawks and sprayed their hair blue! They also had fun digging through some of my old dress up clothes (I had just a few things that boys could wear). In the evening was a celebration banquet for school that we very much enjoyed.
Saturday afternoon we went to a missions fundraising carnival at church. Games, magic show, ice cream, balloon animals, prizes... Caleb used some of his own money to buy a few raffle tickets and won a new light saber! He had just been saying that he wanted another one because he broke his old one.
Sunday morning we had a very nice Easter service at church, and then dinner at my parent's house with part of my family.
Today was Camoflage/Animal Print Day at school, so Caleb and Logan were excited to dress up in their camo stuff. And, to celebrate the end of Reading Month they had ice cream at the end of the day and I was able to go help serve. It was for all the elementary and it was fun to see all the kids. The boys are going to have to up their game if they want to win any prizes for reading next year!
I believe it was last week Caleb and Logan got report cards sent home. We are so proud of the reports we get! Both behaviorally and academically they are doing well. Sometimes we struggle with the homework, but due to attitudes (Logan) not abilities. Thankfully I don't think he acts that way at school, I sure hope not anyways.
Jackson has been gradually doing better sleeping!!! There was quite a stretch there that he was doing bad at night again, but for the most part he's being doing well. The last two nights he's woken up once, but in comparison that's not too bad. And, he's generally been taking at least once decent nap a day. He just seems so big now! Definitely not a little baby anymore. He loves watching what's going on, he bee-bops around in his jumper, he "talks" a whole bunch, and I can carry him on my hip. It does seem like his spitting-up has gotten worse, so that kinda stinks, but oh well. Not like we haven't dealt with that before!
Saturday afternoon we went to a missions fundraising carnival at church. Games, magic show, ice cream, balloon animals, prizes... Caleb used some of his own money to buy a few raffle tickets and won a new light saber! He had just been saying that he wanted another one because he broke his old one.
Sunday morning we had a very nice Easter service at church, and then dinner at my parent's house with part of my family.
Today was Camoflage/Animal Print Day at school, so Caleb and Logan were excited to dress up in their camo stuff. And, to celebrate the end of Reading Month they had ice cream at the end of the day and I was able to go help serve. It was for all the elementary and it was fun to see all the kids. The boys are going to have to up their game if they want to win any prizes for reading next year!
I believe it was last week Caleb and Logan got report cards sent home. We are so proud of the reports we get! Both behaviorally and academically they are doing well. Sometimes we struggle with the homework, but due to attitudes (Logan) not abilities. Thankfully I don't think he acts that way at school, I sure hope not anyways.
Jackson has been gradually doing better sleeping!!! There was quite a stretch there that he was doing bad at night again, but for the most part he's being doing well. The last two nights he's woken up once, but in comparison that's not too bad. And, he's generally been taking at least once decent nap a day. He just seems so big now! Definitely not a little baby anymore. He loves watching what's going on, he bee-bops around in his jumper, he "talks" a whole bunch, and I can carry him on my hip. It does seem like his spitting-up has gotten worse, so that kinda stinks, but oh well. Not like we haven't dealt with that before!
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